#I’m really fucking dragging my feet on this thing but I also got a new job n I’m telling myself it’s okay!

[girlfaggirlycard]

Gotta print this and put it above my desk

[bluesidez]

HEY POOKS. Could you write a DBF!Miguel x dancer!reader. He just loves to watch her dance in competitions and recitals and helps her practice her routine by counting out 8’s for her <333

( maybe he can give reader a reward for doing so well but idk 🤭 )

[Rehearsal]

lab tester: Anonymous Participant (Hi @snails-doodles22) 🩻

summary: Miguel keeps you grounded as you prepare for a dance competition. 

content warning: age gap (abeg she’s 21+), secret relationship, fluff, like two suggestive?? lowkey explicit scenes so MINORS BEWARE, a few thoughts of frustration/failure but nothing serious just the thoughts of an artist

word count: 1.9k, halfway proofread

a/n: Hi hi!! This one was really a challenge for me!! and Idk if I’ll write DBF again ngl Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy it! I leaned more on the age gap aspect of the relationship and pulled from how I felt when practicing for my own recitals/competitions 🤠! (I get extremely snappy and mean lol)

A Grand Adage (as best as I, not a professional ballerina but I practiced for 3 years, can explain) is a slower dance move where you stretch your leg to the front, side, and back without losing your balance. You also have to switch legs…I think. It looks like it takes a LOT of core strength, especially without a partner.

I don’t think I mention it in the story, but I’m imagining this Miguel to have salt and pepper hair, but like, in its early stages. So only a few strands of gray. 

“Damn it.”

The music started to sound more and more jaded as you failed another Grand Adage after powering through the more fast-paced part of your routine. 

You don’t know why you had the bright idea to add the most pain-inducing ballet moves to your contemporary piece, but you were starting to hate yourself for it. It was supposed to represent a crash and burn of rushing perfection which was ironic because you were feeling those emotions tenfold.

“You’re not going to get it if you keep trying to force it like that.” You heard Miguel from across the room and the music finally stopped. “It’s a pause between those last two counts. You know this, chiquita.”

You huffed out a chuckle as you got up, “Knowing and doing are two different things. I know what’s coming, which is why I keep anticipating it and messing it up.”

“The studio is all yours for a few more hours,” Miguel sighed. “Take a breath and try it again.”

“That’s so easy for you to say. You’re not the one busting your ass,” you mumbled as you got back into your starting position. 

Miguel crossed his arms, head leaning on the wall above the barre, “You want to say that again?”

You dropped your arms and stared at him, face blank. 

After a minute or so of you going silent, he unfolded his arms and beckoned you towards him. 

You dragged your feet to get to him, hands hugging yourself. 

“I know you want this to be perfect, but snapping at me isn’t going to help that.” His hands made their way to the back of your thighs, rubbing up and down the tightened muscles. 

“I’m sorry, I just-” you rubbed your eyes with your palms. “The competition is so soon and I keep fucking the routine up.”

“And you’ve also done it perfectly countless other times. You’ve got this! I know you do. I’ve seen how much work you’ve put into dancing and that’s not going to change.”

“But Miguel-”

“But nothing. I’ve seen how you become a new person on the stage. You demand the attention of your audience in a way that your peers can’t. You’re captivating and alluring so I’m not going to sit here and let you think otherwise.”

You look at him with a face that says “I know you’re right, but I don’t want you to be,” and just fall onto his lap, wallowing in his arms while you breathe in his cologne. 

He nuzzled you on the head, hands patting at your ass, hands warm and firm through your tights, “Now can you try again for me?”

“Can I have a kiss?” you say, lips rivaling a rubber duckie. 

He chuckles at you but obliges, heart too soft when it comes to you. 

You get up with new ambition, taking a deep breath as you stride back to the middle of the room. 

“I’m going to count out loud for you this time, is that ok?”

“Yeah,” you reply, arms molding into a sharp form. 

When the music starts this time, you hone in on Miguel’s voice, taking leaps and turns with his timbre. Your heart thumps all the same, but your brain isn’t as loud. 

As the Grand Adage comes again, Miguel’s voice stays calm, never wavering. You tighten your core and lift your leg high, hands framed beautifully and foot pointed sharp as you hold your arms above your head. As you bring your leg back down to begin to turn, your heart almost stops when your body remains stable and strong. You can’t believe it but try to keep the piece's emotion steady. 

You switch legs without trouble, eyes catching Miguel watching your form in the mirror. His face is serious but you can’t hear that in his voice, making you feel fuzzy. You keep up the pace, repeating the same move but gearing up to do an Illusion.

Like a flash, you bring your leg down and bend your body, foot spinning swiftly to perform the trick. Your heartbeat is roaring in your ears as you move through the rest of the routine, mind too excited from your success to completely portray the ending emotions of dance. 

Once you finish, you’re quick to get out of your position, face lit up as you turn to Miguel. When you run to him, you’re screaming with glee. He only stumbles a bit when you jump in his arms, body wrapped around him like a koala. 

“Miguel! Did’ya see it? Oh my god, I can’t believe it,” you laughed as he spun you around.

“I told you you could do it, amor. You just needed to get out of your head.”

“Ok ok, three more times and I think I’ll be ready to leave.”

“Well let’s get busy, chiquita. We’ve got work to do.”

You run through the routine again and again, becoming more confident each time. After every successful routine, Miguel’s praises get more and more loving. First a deep hug, then a few pecks to the lips, then a makeout session that has you squirming for more. 

“Is your dad picking you up today?” he said, lips on your neck.

You turn your nose up at the mention of him, “No, I took the bus.”

“Could have asked me to drop you off.”

“You were at work, Miggy. Didn’t want to bother you.”

“You’re never a bother,” he stopped to move his forehead to yours. “You can come over tonight. You need to relax after all of this hard work.”

“And what do I tell my dad when he asks where I am?” your eyes pan from his eyes to his lips, fingers reaching up to go through his hair. 

“Tell him you’re at a girlfriend’s house.”

You twist your mouth to the side, pretending to think.

“How are you planning to relax me?”

“A hot bath.”

You snickered, knowing better than to believe that was all he was planning to do, but taking his word for it. 

Hours later when you were laid on your back, hands gripping the sheets below you and Miguel holding your legs up as he stroked deep inside, your suspicions were confirmed. Your skin was soft from the bath and your muscles were like jelly after he spent an hour massaging every tight muscle out of you. The room was full of him, his smell surrounding you, and the noises of him attending to your every need. With every cry of his name, he brought you closer to the horizon. 

On the day of your competition, you didn’t even look at Miguel before you went on, nerves too bad. If he gave you a pep talk, internally, you would be appreciative, but externally, you might tell him to leave you the fuck alone. 

Knowing how you get, he supported you in the best way he could by sending you messages and a light breakfast in the morning. 

“Break a leg, chiquita”

“Not literally of course”

“I’ll be waiting for you once it’s over”

“With a surprise :)”

It was enough to fill you with anticipation, ready to give it all on the floor.

Once your number was called, you went to the center and got into position. The crowd was dark enough to feel like it was just you in the room, but your heart knew otherwise with how fast it was beating. 

When the music starts, it’s like Miguel’s voice is a soundtrack playing through your memory. You can’t see him, but you can feel him in the crowd cheering you on. Your feet move across the floor, body tightening and relaxing when needed. Your face wears a frustrated expression, portraying the sentiment of everything falling out of control. Your leaps and turns come one after another moving your form across the stage. 

The Grand Adage comes to you like lightning, you don’t even notice you’re doing it until it happens. The muscle memory takes over and you transition to the Illusion like it's nothing. Your mind wanders as you go through to the end of the routine, finishing strongly with your pose on the floor.

The cheers of the audience are what bring you back to reality. A feeling of relief washes over you as you stand and bow, smiling brightly. 

Standing with the other dancers from your category, you don’t expect the judges to call your name for first place, so when they all turn to look at you, you feel like you might have walked out in your underwear by accident. 

It isn’t until you’re handed a bouquet of flowers and a trophy that it dawns on you that your hard work has paid off. The check was no measly amount of money either. 

Looking out to the crowd, you can see Miguel standing up with his hands cupped over his mouth as he yells. Your family is standing next to him cheering as well. You wave at them, jumping up and down in excitement. Only you can see the wink Miguel gives you. 

When you meet them out in the lobby, you have to stop yourself from keeping your attention on Miguel. 

“You did amazing, honey,” your dad says, squeezing the life out of you. “That flip thing? I don’t know how you did it, but wow!”

“It’s called an Illusion,” Miguel shakes his head. “Keep up.”

“What are you, her coach or something?”

“C’mon you guys,” your mom fusses. “Don’t start bickering in the building. At least wait until we get dinner.”

“‘M gonna ride with Miguel,” you say to them. 

Knowing how much you like his car, your parents think nothing of it and walk out to their own car. 

Once they’re out the door, he turns and gives you a deep kiss, “You did such a good job. I’m so proud of you.”

“I just remembered what you said. Kept it in the back of my mind while I performed.”

He smiled and wrapped his hands around your waist, “Yeah?”

You nod and bring his lips to yours again. 

“Where’s my surprise?”

“Always so impatient.”

“You wouldn’t like me any other way.”

“Tienes rázon,” Miguel chuckled. 

Miguel brings a sparkly gift bag to your attention, placing it in your hands. You reach into the bag, tissue paper falling to the floor. You pull out an envelope and a long velvet box. 

You open the box, eyes glittering when you see the necklace inside. 

“Miguel, this is adorable!” 

“Here,” he takes the necklace out of the box. “Let me help you put it on.”

You turn and focus your attention on the envelope, fingers sliding under the sealed flap. 

Your breath halts when you pull the tickets out.

“To Paris?”

You turn to him once your necklace is latched together, eyes teary from happiness.

“You’ve been doing so amazing, I wanted to treat you to an amazing trip.”

“How much did this cost?”

“Nothing that you should worry your head about.”

You crowd his space, kissing his face all over, “Thank you so much, Miguel.”

“Of course. Anything for my girl.”

“I don’t want to go out to dinner now,” you sigh dramatically.

“Yeah? You know we can’t bail, though.”

“Not even if I give my thanks to you in the car?”

Miguel bit the inside of his cheek, watching you grin at him. He’s really way too soft when it comes to you. 

“Vamos.”

As always, like, reblog, and COMMENT. Let me know how you guys feel! 🩵

[deesseshesca]

What truth must I accept to move on ?

What again ? No ! No ! No ! You swore it will be the last time…

Good night pretty souls, today we are checking on your situation. Why did it needed to happen ? How can you alchemise it ? 

Choose the image that’s speak to you and allow yourself to soak ONLY what’s reasoning with YOUR SITUATION 

Rules and Disclaimer 

I am the type of tarot reader to say as it is. Nothing is sugar coated but everything is sent with good intention. If you are not ready to face some truth, you should vagabond somewhere else. 

MINOR DON'T INTERACT WITH THIS POST 

MINOR DON’T READ THIS POST 

CHOOSE AN IMAGE 

PILE 1 

Ace pentacles, ace wands (reverse), page swords (reverse), chariot, 999

Good night to my type A people, welcome to your reading. So lately you have concocted the most perfect budgeting plan to attend to your goals in the most efficient and successful way. I am also getting that you brought cute little things to ensure to motivate you throughout this saving journey. You know you're going to need to make some sacrifice on the way. Which can be frustrating in summer, especially when you see everyone around you spending a bag. I want to congratulate you for the healthy mindset you have regarding your money. Most of you are saving for your first car or first apartment. Someother to fund a change of career, thinking of starting nursing school or just to survive college. While others are trying to start a side hustle like becoming a lash tech or a nail tech. While harboring this tunnel vision mindset, I'm getting that people around you are not very supportive. Going as far as mocking you. But the truth you must accept: the journey towards your goal will never go smoothly. Pile 2, you are the type to plan for hours down to the very second. Anticipating everything that can go right or wrong. And when it does not go your way, you say ‘’fuck it. It ain’t even  worth it anyway. If it was really meant to be it will be easy’’ BULLSHIT ! You are the problem. You are to focus by the end of the journey, that you forget that you have to walk through the journey. Not just fly to it. Sometimes on your path something might stings or feet might hurt. The real issue is that you are missing stamina and only want to feel good. Good job, you have your priorities straight. But girl, you ain't just saving for some Mcdonal meal or a new lip gloss. You want a car, a house, a new career. Since the goal is bigger it requires more sacrifice. Letting go now, wil be like taking a big ‘’L’’.Head up, discipline over motivation. Building muscle is hard and it takes time just like a habit. Plus you have to stop thinking that life is happening to you. Babygirl, everyone got issues, you are not the only. Imma touch your heart when I said this, you are not the strongest soldier, so pick it up and keep it pushing. Because this victim mentality is making you act sour with people around you. I’m afraid to announce it to you, but you are the bad energy, you are the negative vibes rn. Hold on, before you click off this reading after this beautiful drag (you must admit…) is you have too much potential. And is pissing me off that you are allowing it to slip away from your hands. You are capable of standing strong on your boundaries and to create an amazing plan. That’s some qualities one will take a lifetime to master and you are born with it. Don’t become forceful, be the amazing leader you are meant to be. Don’t give up ! You will be rewarded in your finances/career. Finish what you started. The worst is that you know all that already. What’s funny is that you keep saying you don’t care, but your mind screams for it, your soul keeps reminding you that it wants it and your pinterest ain’t giving up on the vision yet.  Do do everyone a favor and go get it.  Do a deep life clean so you can make room for some new energy. Reflect on your life choices.

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Super shy -Newjeans

PILE 2 

Death (reverse) , ace cups, magician (reverse), emperor

You were meant to read this. Now ! Right now is giving the biggest scam in history just like what’s happening in your life. I’m hearing the tiktok that goes ‘’ Ok now, where’s the camera now. I must be getting prank now’’. The reality…you don’t want to move on.  You yearn for a past that ain’t never coming back. You also don’t want to deal with anything that can trigger you. But you can’t claim you heal, if you have the same reaction when the universe sends you variation of the same problem. And isolating ain’t going to help your case. But the universe finally got the message. Lucky you, you are getting to send a friend. Someone that will bring the sun back into your life. That person will trigger you (in a good and necessary way ) and she will not allow you to sabotage the way of y’all friendship. I’m understanding : poor timing, don’t have resources, cocky, delulu, personality disorder, force = I think you are going to have a Karen moment in a shop close to your house. She is going to trigger a crisis in you. Instead of looking at you like you are crazy, like most people do. That person will play along. Y’all going to be 2 crazy bitches in the store. And instead of feeling cornered, you will weirdly feel valited because usually when you act out people call you crazy. You just found another crazy person. Everytime will go back into the store, she will always be there. You will try to avoid her , but nah she will jockly always go to you. That person will grow on you. I’m feeling the opposite aesthetic. I see her being a bimbo and loving it and you our little emo angel. Honestly, I fell in love with her energy while channeling her. I was trying so hard to stay serious but nah, I ended up having a dance break. How can u notlove her, she’s a sweetheart. Girl, you might THINK, that you ain’t doing enough. But your spirit guard, the universe, anyone that allows themself to see more than what you project and I can assure that you are on top of your game. Especially after everything you went through and put up with. Keep your focus and discipline. You got this babe ! I’m proud of you ! When you are ready, let go of the version of you that no longer serves you. You don’t need to pay the price of your mistakes. 

I’m hearing: ‘’ You deserve this friendship’’ 

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POP - NAYEON

PILE 3 

Knight swords, ace pentacles (reversed), seven cups, High priestess, 1313 

Everything was fine until it wasn’t. When did it all go so wrong? It happened so unexpectedly. The only thing left standing is your BFF/sister. You never thought life would take u off overnight. I’m hearing you failed some important exams or your parents are very good but they badly gambled the finances and you have to pay the price for it. The truth is … it is always in front of your face. It’s been a while that you have been seeing and feeling that your studying routine is not working for you. But prefer to pretend that is everything else but what’s ahead of you. You always had a feeling that your parents were awful with money but did not dare to try to know how badly. Is not too late…yet. For a while now you pretend to be happy. Thinking that the more you fake it, you will finally feel it. Now you are down bad emotionally. You never thought you would ever be there. Babe is the the time to give in into distraction. Now you need to pull the rag under your feet and face your fears. You want to know what happiness is really about. You know it is time to do some deep healing. To question your self belief. From the silliest question to the most disturbing. ‘’Is my fav color really red ? What do I actually think about the government ? ‘’ You need some shadow work. Is not the time to act, is the time pounder. Also is your life. Babe nobody is behind you. If you want to take 1 year or 1 month at the crossroad nobody is coming for you. As long as you are confident about your choice. Is time to start fresh ! Step out of your comfort zone. You will learn a new skill that will get you some abundance and recognition. Be confident and trust in your decision. 

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What is love - TWICE

[cyanoticfireflies]

Hazbin Hotel - Rewatch Thoughts (Episode 1, Part 4)

Charlie gets home and does *not* want to admit just how bad things went, but I think she actually was going to tell Vaggie before she got interrupted to see the new commercial.  But with Vaggie so happy and excited, she can’t just crush her enthusiasm like that, so she lets Vaggie drag her over to the couch.

(Are Angel’s feet *on Husk’s tail?*  Poor kitty.  No wonder he looks so pouty.)

I kind of wish we had seen the finished commercial.  I feel like it was still destined to be a little bit of a mess, honestly.  Vaggie’s few words of delivery are cardboard flat, Alastor is glitching out in the corner, and no one could pull that bottle out of Husk’s claws. 

Also, is the “Now Playing” a joke for us?  It should say something like “Now Open” or “Vacancies” (if any of these guys knew how to run a hotel.)

Niffty is so gleeful at Charlie, Vaggie, and Angel’s anger when it gets interrupted.  Husk is watching their reactions, and Alastor is, as you’d expect, as unconcerned as possible because he’s Alastor.  So much for the outcome of his limb-pulling.

He seems almost as amused as Niffty, just more quietly.

If you’ve never taken the time to read the ticker tape on the 666 News, you should.  It’s one of the awesome things about Vivziepop shows – there are a million little hidden extras.  No lorum ipsum for them!

“The extermination is happening in six months.  This is not a drill!  Confirmed!  Legit!  Fuck!  CFYCBHNJM we all dead soon!!  Why does this always happen to me?”

We watch the countdown go from 358 (365 minus the week it’s been, so that’s spot on) down to 176.  Six months is half a year, and half of a year is 182.5 but even if we take out the seven days half of 358 is 179 instead of 176, so my guess is that this six months takes place over a winter/spring and a short month like February accounts for the lost couple of days.

I’m also guessing it’s 6:50 in the evening – the hands on the clock look the same length to me, but it does seem like a full day has passed rather than it being like 10:35 in the morning.  But since Adam offered Charlie lunch earlier in the episode, I think that means our poor sad girl was either stuck hearing Adam ramble about his hook-ups for literal hours (highly probable), listening to a lot longer rendition of “Hell is Forever” than the rest of us got, or wandered around in a lost daze after the meeting, not wanting to go home and face her failure.

Someone make our poor sad girl a hot cup of tea and put a blanket around her.

This ending scene gets a little time-fucky because it seems like it would have to logically be a flashback.  Unless a body was just laying there for a week and the Exorcists didn’t notice one of their own missing for that long. 

We have no idea if Exorcists give a flip about each other since we only really spend time with the two most extremes (Vaggie and Lute) but they do seem aware of each other if only because all of them are so pissed at Vaggie later. 

(“Boo!”  “We hate her!”)

Someone didn’t notice that their roommate didn’t make it home?

Also, if it wasn’t a flashback then Adam moved up the Extermination before they found the body.  Which I guess they could have if as noted above they moved it up because someone reported an Exorcist missing after the Extermination.  Missing, presumed dead.  But then that also implies that Lucifer just lets them fly their little spy drones around all of the time. 

Maybe he does, but you’d think someone would mention it.

(At what point did Velvette and the other Vees find the head?  Or did it just get popped off so good that it was no where near the rest of the body?)

I love the hypocrisy of the angels here.  “We can go down and murder loads of them just for funzies, but if one of us dies then it’s time to wipe Sinners off the face of Hell.”  Sounds about right. 

So much for a nice holy “turn the other cheek.”  But this is really emphasizing that, to Adam and the Exorcists and very likely Sera, the Sinners have no rights *at all.*  Not even a right to exist, since fighting back against the wiping out of their own soul existence is unacceptable to them.

Also, how do they not know that it was Carmilla that killed the angel?  The Exorcist wasn’t alone when it descended upon her daughters – they had five angels around them on Extermination Day, but there’s only one body, so presumably the other four got away (ran away after seeing Carmilla kill one of their own.)  Do the Exorcists practice “snitches get stitches” or something?

_______

Best Song of the Episode: Hell is Forever

[mountedeverest]

Fuck it Friday (WIP) Buddie Fic - Steps

Rated M Pairing: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Edmundo "Eddie" Diaz Fandom: 911 on ABC Words: 4k Summary: As Buck and Eddie venture slowly into this new relationship, they encounter a lot of firsts, going slowly at the beginning, and then really fast.

Snippet: “Now that Chris has gone to bed, we can move on to more… mature things.” Buck waggled his eyebrows. For as corny as he was, Eddie still felt a powerful twinge of hot want come on suddenly at Buck’s suggestive words. Not to mention that it was out of character for Buck to initiate, preferring to leave Eddie his space to grow in their intimacy. Turned away from Eddie, Buck looked for something in his duffel. When the anticipation threatened to kill Eddie, Buck finally turned around with… blu-rays? “So I’ve got Die Hard 1 and 2, and a bottle of mezcal I had laying around from my previous… trips- Uh Eddie, you-you okay?” 

Hi ! Trying fuck it friday for the first time :)

This fic is a WIP and this would not be the first chapter, but I couldn't wait sooo, here goes. Fic under the cut!

***

That night was a very standard night as any in the Diaz household ever went. Buck showed up at 6PM with pizza and a deck of Uno, Christopher chose some MCU movie he was super excited about, and Eddie tried not to burn the microwave popcorn. 

In between games of Uno and arguments about the best Marvel superheroes, there were also quick kisses and slower ones, jokes about said kisses being gross, and much hair tousling.

“You know it’s gross because you’re my dad and not because I don’t like Buck and you together or anything like that, right? Right, okay.”

Eddie and Buck settled into this easily, not much changing from the before to the after. Cold beers - a cold soda for Christopher - and a movie were as much a time honored tradition now as it was then.

Too soon, the clock struck 9:30 and it was Christopher’s bed time. 

Dragging his feet somewhat, the young man got up off the couch, and went to brush his teeth. There was some protest, some mentions of his age (fourteen, thank you very much) and the fact that he was no longer a baby, but his heavy eyes and frequent yawning betrayed his sleepiness in the end.

Buck only watched, fond as he looked at the two Diaz’s arguing in jest. 

The ease with which Christopher accepted the change in his and Eddie’s relationship still baffled Buck and made him so grateful for moments like these. 

“Yeah, and no sneaking out of your room mijo, unless you want to see two old men kissing.” 

Christopher scrunched up his nose in mock disgust. “I’m good, thanks.”

Once the three of them exchanged good night’s and love you’s, Christopher retreated to his room for the night.

“Now that Chris has gone to bed, we can move on to more… mature things.” Buck waggled his eyebrows. For as corny as he was, Eddie still felt a powerful twinge of hot want come on suddenly at Buck’s suggestive words. Not to mention that it was out of character for Buck to initiate, preferring to leave Eddie his space to grow in their intimacy.

Turned away from Eddie, Buck looked for something in his duffel. When the anticipation threatened to kill Eddie, Buck finally turned around with… blu-rays? “So I’ve got Die Hard 1 and 2, and a bottle of mezcal I had laying around from my previous… trips- Uh Eddie, you-you okay?” 

Eddie hadn’t realized he’d been white-knuckling his beer from the second Buck had said mature things. His face was hot, his breath was heavy, and his eyes were wide.

It took a moment for Eddie’s brain to compute.

“Yeah-no, I-I’m fine it’s just-when you said-”

“Oh. Oh. Umm, I mean- I didn’t want to assume- and with Chris there I-”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

Silence hung heavy in the air, embarrassment too thick for either of them to do anything about it.

“Should I just….?” Buck said gesturing at the blu-ray.

“Yeah, yep.” They’d known each other for years, yet a single miscommunication was enough to fluster them both like teenagers on a first date. How were they so bad at this?

Eddie reached for the bottle of mezcal and took a swig straight from it. Buck chuckled next to him and did the same, easing the tension.

Soon enough, they settled back into their comfortable chemistry, Buck’s arm slung around Eddie on the back of the couch. It felt nice, easy. So much so that at some point, Eddie stopped watching the movie and just looked at Buck in the blue light of the screen. He was handsome, and warm and open. Their hands inched closer on Buck’s thigh until they were clasped together tightly. When Buck noticed Eddie’s gaze on him, he turned around and gave Eddie a soft kiss.

It started off chaste enough, plush lips against plush lips, no tongue. But Eddie got hungry, greedy, and pushed back against Buck, deepening the kiss. Kissing gave way to touching, which then became heavy petting and soon, Eddie and Buck were sprawled over each other on the couch, disheveled, panting, and hard. An overwhelming feeling of what next? hung above them as they nuzzled and groped, looking for any kind of friction or relief, toeing the line into a place they had never gone before with one another.

As things went in the areas of intimacy, they were treating this almost like a teenage relationship, going slow and tentatively like it was the first time. In a sense, it was. But Eddie wasn’t sixteen, and Buck was anything but demure. The last few times it went this far, something always stopped them, be it nerves or time or, heck, Christopher. This time, nothing kept them from going further.

Maybe one thing stopped them. Inexperience.

In Buck’s case, there was also an imperative desire to renounce his earlier fuckboy reputation. He wanted to make sure he wasn’t pressuring Eddie, to a point where he barely initiated anything physical himself, still too unsure of the solidity of their intimacy. This, Eddie knew, appreciated even. But sometimes, when the courage failed him, he’d wish Buck had been a little less careful and a little more ambitious. 

This was not one of those times, and maybe the frustration had caught up with Eddie which is what made him so bold. He placed a hand on Buck’s chest above him pushing him away softly, breaking their kiss. Buck immediately stiffened, thinking something was wrong. The look Eddie gave through his lashes was enough to calm Buck’s split second of panic. Doe-eyed and lips parted, Eddie moved his hand downwards slowly, catching on the folds of Buck’s shirt. He stopped on the band of Buck’s sweatpants just short of his bulge, looking in the other man’s eyes for any sign of uncertainty. Satisfied, Eddie confidently grabbed him through the fabric, a high and heady blush on his cheeks and a defiant look in his eyes.

Buck moaned silently, transfixed by Eddie’s chestnut eyes and the soft brown curls falling in front of them. Eddie’s hand palmed him through the cotton, shaping the length of him, squeezing to assess the girth, and Buck leaned into the touch. Eddie felt like a curious child, like a kid studying a bug. He wanted to know every reaction, every consequence of a touch or a graze, the little jerks and gasps, and the swell under his fingers.

The TV still buzzed along in the background, John McClane long forgotten as Eddie continued his over-the-pants ministrations. Buck strained quietly, clearly chasing for more but never asking for it, couldn’t ask for it. Eddie couldn’t wrap his mind around how teenage it all felt. The discovery and awkwardness of first times, the tentativeness and the restraint on Buck’s face, he ate it all up.

Continuing his experiment, Eddie snaked his hand under the band of Buck’s sweatpants, under the fabric of his underwear, and took proper hold of him. Without thinking too much about it, Eddie did what he liked doing on himself, and stroked tight but not too tight, with every twist of his wrist delicate but firm.

When Buck gasped, he gasped with him, his eyes never leaving Buck’s face. And when Buck came into his fist, quiet and discreet but trembling and utterly destroyed, Eddie was fascinated. He held Buck who was still hard in his hand, and noticed he was also very hard himself.

“I’ve got an idea.” Eddie whispered suddenly, staring into Buck’s blue eyes.

“You-” “Shh, lay back.” Eddie guided them with his free hand until they were both sitting up on the couch, Buck gripping his ribs to bring him up with him. Buck then laid back on the other side of the couch and Eddie pulled his hand out of his pants, holding it up closed so as to not make a mess. Eddie sat in Buck’s lap, hovering above his softening bulge.

“Help me with these.” Eddie said softly, pointing to his own sweatpants doing nothing to hide his own arousal.

Buck did as he was told and pulled down the fabric until Eddie’s cock was out, standing fast. Eddie sat back on his haunches, aligning his still barely covered ass directly onto Buck’s groin. With his cum-filled hand, Eddie took a hold of his own cock and stroked. Boldness continued Eddie’s experiment and he grabbed at Buck’s hand that was on his side, planting it firmly on his ass. Buck understood the assignment and grabbed on with both his hands, grounding Eddie down on his still rigid cock. With every rock of Eddie’s, Buck slipped some of his fingers deeper under the elastic bands of Eddie’s sweats and underwear, long splayed fingers taking hold of the plump flesh of Eddie’s ass. I hope it leaves a mark, Eddie thought. 

Soon enough Eddie had a rhythm, and with his free hand, he pushed up Buck’s shirt to reveal the taut, slightly hairy skin underneath. His fingers rested on his chest, flicking a nipple with his pinky absently, grasping at times when waves of pleasure hit him particularly good. 

When Eddie came, he did it with his eyes closed. He barely made a sound, careful not to wake the teenager sleeping in his room. As he collapsed on top of Buck, sweaty and sated, the man under him chuckled.

“Shit. I could go again.” Buck looked sheepish, a hand on his forehead, grin wide. Despite clear indications that Eddie did in fact want him and was ready for things to move further, Buck still felt as if he was duty-bound to pace their sex life in spite of his penis. 

“Dunno about you but I need a shower.” Eddie muttered, looking up with his big doe eyes into Buck’s steely ones. 

“We could-” “You wanna-” 

A beat passed before both laughed at their awkwardness. Eddie stared lovingly at Buck and kissed him deeply.

“Yes. I would like to formally invite you to my shower, this time with me also in it.”

Buck smiled and kissed him on the tip of his nose. “That way you can’t blame me for using all the hot water.”

They tucked themselves back in their pants and made their way to the bathroom on their tiptoes like thieves, careful not to wake Chris. They giggled and kissed softly as they undressed each other, feathering goosebump touches on each other’s skin.

In the steam of the shower, they experimented a second time. Eddie’s back was pressed to Buck’s chest. They kissed and they laughed and Buck tugged Eddie’s hair while he thrust into the crease of his ass. And if Eddie’s legs almost gave out under him when he came for a second time, Buck was there to catch him, a strong arm wrapped around his chest. 

Going to bed after that was a compromise between the sleepiness and the excitement of this new threshold they’d just crossed. But they did end up closing their eyes, wrapped in each other, as they settled into the night.

–

The morning after hit Eddie like a delayed suckerpunch, softly at first and then knocking the wind out of him. He woke up first, loose limbed and content as the sun slowly filtered into the room. A soft smile etched itself onto his face as he took acknowledgement of the warm lump of man behind him, an armed draped across Eddie. Soft snores still echoed in the room, Buck was a heavy sleeper. 

That’s when it hit. The smile, the loose limbs, the ease. He couldn’t remember the last time he woke up like this, if he ever did. He’s woken up tangled in Buck before, it was nice. They’d even slept in a couple of times like this. But it had never felt this indulgent. 

At the risk of completely short-circuiting, Eddie made a quick list of things that hadn’t happened before. One was very obviously at the top; last night was the first time Buck and Eddie had made each other come. It was the first time they’d had sex, in a sense. Something had unclenched in Eddie, a tension string come loose, and that was it. He felt changed, more mature somehow, even for a thirty-something single dad. He felt… gooey.

Moreover, he felt horny.

Like the feeling one gets at the top of a rollercoaster, Eddie’s stomach dropped in exhilaration at the new possibilities. He felt hot all over, air like steam coming out of his lungs. There’s so much he wanted to do. 

He turned on his back and looked at Buck still asleep. He looked like a kid, eyebrows high and relaxed, mouth slightly parted. A big, thick, warm, dopey kid. Eddie wanted to bite him.

With lithe fingers, Eddie started tracing Buck’s features. First, his cheek exposed to the sun, then, his birthmark high on his brow, the tip of his nose, the shell of his ear (that one seemed to tickle). Eddie then drew a finger down Buck’s plump lips, catching on the bottom one slightly. Like a princess being woken by a kiss, Buck opened one eye, the other one still firmly shut against the harsh light of day. It took him a second or two to assimilate his surroundings, after which he took a deep breath in, and drew a wide lazy grin on the exhale. 

“Hey.” Buck’s voice was thick and gravely in the morning, yet soft. 

Eddie answered with a kiss. It was the opposite of rushed, long and languid, and open. Eddie hadn’t ever kissed like this, he didn’t think. He’d never wanted so much to melt into another person. 

When they broke apart for air, Eddie’s hair was tousled from Buck’s hand in it, and Buck’s pupils were blown.

“Well, good morning to you too.” Buck chuckled.

“Stop me if you don’t want this, ok?” Before Buck could protest, or even understand what was going on, Eddie gently pushed his shoulders until he laid flat on his back. He slid down Buck’s naked torso, licking and sucking his way down under the covers. Buck started to get an idea of the plan, and couldn’t for the life of him find an ounce of objection in his mind. 

When he felt that wet heat around the head of his cock, Buck knew exactly what was going on. 

Eddie had never sucked dick in his life. He had never been close enough to one, never even had the opportunity to learn. He had, some weeks ago, started to experiment with foods, as one curious person does in experiment. Always alone, away from the secret shame of being found out, Eddie had started softly with bananas, ice pops, and other such long foods, trying to understand what it would feel like to have that kind of shape in his mouth. 

The first time a banana hit the back of his throat, he’d choked and wheezed himself so red he had tears in his eyes. It had also hit a note so violently in his head he’d had to immediately jerk off after he’d regained his breath. Filed away in his brain for later, Eddie continued his secret experiments until he’d felt somewhat more comfortable with breathing through his nose, the placement of his teeth, relaxing his throat, etc. The last one, he remembered, had been less than a day ago, before Buck arrived at his house to go pick up Christopher from school. Eddie hadn’t felt quite ready then, still somewhat virginal in his self-exploration. He’d mastered the teeth for one, but didn’t quite have a hold on his breath. 

Now, under the sheets, nose buried in the hair at the base of Buck’s cock, there wasn’t a single thought about technique. Eddie was chasing the feeling he’d had when he had choked on that banana, the split second of burning lust it had awoken in him. His eyes were closed as he licked from base to tip, and engulfed Buck’s enormous cock as far as he could in his mouth, which truly was not that far. 

Buck pulled the covers down, he needed to see. As he uncovered Eddie, Buck wasn’t quite as ready as he thought for the sight before him.

Eddie was messy. He seemed unbothered by the abundant saliva dripping down his chin, down Buck’s dick and onto his balls. His hair was feathered and askew. Buck slid a hand over Eddie’s cheek, feeling himself there and Eddie looked up at Buck then, big brown eyes searching for something. 

When he found it, he closed his eyes once more, a profound blush sitting high on his cheeks as he doubled back down onto Buck’s cock, stuffing as much as he could down his throat. When that familiar feeling hit him, that sweet spot between being choked and being so turned on it made his head spin, Eddie moaned around Buck, resulting in an answering groan. He stuttered around his gag reflex and relaxed, breathing through his nose and toeing the edge of choking until his eyes rolled back in his skull.

Eddie was a vision. Buck guessed that what Eddie had seen on his face was probably awe. 

There was no finesse to Eddie’s head, no technique, no tricks, and it was infinitely better for it. It was enthusiastic, inexpert and sloppy… and wet, so wet. And out of it all, Eddie seemed to really enjoy himself. Buck could come from that fact alone. 

As a matter of fact, Buck had been the one using techniques, expertly holding off his orgasm in an effort not to burst the second Eddie’s lips touched the head of his cock. He’d lasted the last couple of minutes, but even his sexual experience was no match for how completely consumed he was by Eddie. 

Everything with Eddie felt new, was new. It didn’t matter how many women he’d slept with, or how much praise he’d gotten in the past, Buck was right back where he started; fifteen and gangly, in his room one afternoon with Stacey Feldman who was a senior. He wasn’t though, he was thirty-one, frankly quite tall and strong, and with Eddie Diaz who was a man. The context might have changed but the feeling was the same. 

Buck had never thought he could live the euphoria of a first time more than once. What’s more, they’d unlocked a step the day before after months of dancing around it. They’d been so tightly wound, wanting yet careful, but yesterday had seemed to open the floodgates and reached deep within them. Everything was happening so fast and not fast enough all at once.

“Eddie.” Buck said low. Eddie kept right on going, as if he heard nothing. 

“Eddie, Eds-” Buck said with more urgency. “I’m gonna-” He ran a hand in Eddie’s hair, tugging. Eddie popped off Buck’s cock with a moan. 

“What, what? D’you wanna stop?” Eddie said out of breath.

“I’m about to come, I-” Eddie didn’t let him finish his sentence before he went right back to it. One hand was concentrated on stripping Buck’s cock hard and fast, while his mouth bobbed in time taking as much as he could. Buck tugged on Eddie’s hair in warning and Eddie somehow quickened his pace. 

Even though Buck knew he had been teetering on the edge, it still took him by surprise. When he came, he came hard. His head hit the headboard with a thump and his fingers twisted in Eddie’s hair as his whole body tensed and shuddered. A silent groan caught in his throat as he unloaded wave after wave of orgasm throughout his body. 

Buck unscrewed his eyes hoping to capture the moment a little bit. Eddie has swallowed most of it, choked a little. Some had dribbled on his lips and chin. As Eddie let go of Buck’s spent cock, he held Buck’s gaze, absentmindedly massaging some of the spit and cum into Buck’s hip. 

Eddie wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and Buck dragged him up. For a moment, Buck forgot. Buck forgot about the world, about troubles, about morning alarms, and about teenagers. Buck kissed Eddie hard and flipped them, bringing both of Eddie’s legs around his waist and thrusting down against his clothed ass. “One day, I am going to fuck you so hard-”

“Da-aad! I can’t find my glasses!” Christopher burst through the door, completely oblivious to the situation that had been happening in his dad’s bedroom.

“Sh-shit!” “Chingada madre, Chris what-” Both jumped, Buck trying to retrieve the covers somewhat in order to have a minimum of decency. There was a good chance Christopher had still had the time to get a glimpse - albeit very blurry - of Buck’s ass. 

“Buck?”

“Chris, he-eyy buddy.” Buck answered back with a slight wave, trying for nonchalant and failing. Eddie just threw his head back onto the pillows and muttered an exasperated dios.

“Were you just…?”

Eddie and Buck looked at each other, defeated. 

–

Breakfast that day was awkward to say the least. Buck was hiding, busying himself with the dishes in the sink, while Christopher and Eddie were locked in an intense silence, sitting across from each other at the table unable to look each other in the eye.

“So Chris, uhh. Maybe we need to update the Talk.”

“Gosh, dad! I’m fourteen, not four. I know what you were doing.”

Buck dropped a plate and Eddie looked as if he’d been hit in the face with a wet towel. “When you say you know-”

“I know about sex, dad. And I’ve kissed girls too, you know.” 

Girls? Girls? The plural of girl? “Mijo, what? Y-you never told me.”

“Didn’t seem relevant at the time.” Christopher muttered into his bowl of cereal.

An uncomfortable beat passed.

“Do you- a-are you uhh, are you-” Eddie had a hard time finding his words. Voicing the possibility that his baby boy was there was somehow too hard for his dad brain to compute that particular morning.

“Oh my gosh, dad no, not yet, loRD!” At the very least, Chris had the audacity to seem shocked.

“It’s fine if you are, Chris, you just have to be caref-”

“Careful, I know, condoms always because a pill does nothing against STIs, I know dad I remember the first Talk.”

“And consent is-”

“Validate often, never pressure, no is no, yes dad I know.”

“Just making sure, mijito.”

Another uncomfortable silence stretched over them.

“Can I go now?” Christopher exclaimed in typical teenage fashion.

“Hey, we still need to talk.” Eddie sighed. “Okay. Here goes, you have to knock.”

Christopher just looked at Eddie blankly.

“Buck is my partner. I love him and we’re… sexually active.”

Chris groaned. “Ugh, da-ad!”

“No, mijo, no ughs, we have to use the real words. How do you think you were made?” Christopher scrunched up his nose. “Now, obviously, it’s not gonna be all the time, but it is going to happen under this roof. We’re respectful of your boundaries so you have to be respectful of ours.”

“Can’t you just do it when I’m not here?”

Eddie sighed and dropped his head.

“Okay. I’m gonna ask a question I absolutely do not want the answer to but I need you to get the point. Do you always wait to be alone in the house?” Eddie said, at the end of his wit.

Buck dropped another plate in the sink. Christopher turned beet red and stayed very quiet.

“That’s what I thought.” 

“Okay. I get it, dad. Can we now stop having this very awkward conversation?”

“Dear lord, yes. Go get ready for school.”

Christopher rose and reached for his crutches before turning around.

“Um dad, does that mean that I can close the door the next time Penny comes over?”

“Uhh- That’s a conversation for after you come back from school, okay?” 

“Okay, dad. Love you.”

It was terrible how simultaneously grown and little Christopher was at times, disarming Eddie with a simple love you.

“Love you too, mi tesoro. Now go get changed.”

////

Would love your feedback on this!

tags: @tizniz

lmk if you want to be added/removed~

thx!

[ggswaywardgifrepository]

Man am I in my thoughts on Khaos Reigns. Spoilers, obviously. And fair warning that I disliked far more than I liked about it.

I appreciate how much attention Bi-Han was given in the narrative. However, overall, I think he was terribly written. I’m just not interested in projecting meaning and depth onto his behavior anymore. I did, and still do, see his time and behavior as Sub-Zero during the main game as more subjective than how he behaved at all in Khaos Reigns. Pre and post being Noob’d.

I’m a pretty big base game Bi-Han apologist, and can apply meaning to some of his choices. DLC Bi-Han, though… I apologize and make excuses for main game Bi-Han; I want the writers to apologize TO Khaos Reigns Bi-Han.

I’m still pleased he was so important to the plot but the character was still shafted. And that’s a pretty impressive feat. But he is just a balls to the wall asshole through Khaos Reigns, and I’m just struggling to find the reason for it. Like, his base game beefs had some merit. I guess the best I can come up with is that he’s shed the last of his restraint by the time, especially once he’s transformed.

His one—ONE—truly selfless act ended up being him going through the portal after Havik. He acknowledges that something happening to Geras will be disastrous and does what needs to be done. It’s unfortunate it was so overwhelmed by shitty things happening to him, or him just choosing to do terrible things. Who’da thunk it that that would be the smartest and most sensible thing Bi-Han did in the whole story?

Well written characters don’t drag us by the feet from plot point to plot point. A lot of this came off as shallow, rushed, inorganic.

Bi-Han being the one to defeat Titan Havik was satisfying, but Liu Kang suddenly caring about what killing a Titan would do their timeline? Like we didn’t just wreck Titan Shang Tsung’s shit??? Even if Titan Havik was potentially connected to more timelines, Johnny, Rain, and Tanya proved that even in the most fucked of timelines goodness existed. He surely damned decent people in Titan Shang Tsung’s timeline, too. He couldn’t be any surer there was no one but his minions left, right?

IDFK. One of many inconsistencies in this new timeline’s story.

Noob’s time as Havik’s henchman was pathetically short, too. And the person who drops his henchman self isn’t Kuai Liang? Or even Sektor? He doesn’t even have a real fight against Scorpion? Because Scorpion didn’t get a chapter and it wasn’t worked into Noob’s chapter. (He was shameless and aggressive enough it honestly could’ve been.)

Don’t get me wrong, I really liked Empress Tanya, but the single playable character per chapter structure really, really hurt this installment. There were multiple instances where the wrong character got the playable fight against the enemy onscreen/impeding the heroes’ progress.

The tower endings for both Sektor and Noob also seem to shit on Liu Kang’s plan to keep Bi-Han safe while he attempts to restore him fully. And that pisses me off. Because the thing that gave me hope about this whole charade was that we’d finally get a Bi-Han redemption story. He may spend the rest of his days disfigured for what Havik did to him, which is fine, but his spirit would be pure. He’d feel remorse and care to redeem himself. It may still happen; I know tower endings aren’t 100% canon, but there tend to be snippets there.

I can only hope that Sektor becoming involved with Quan Chi leads to Sareena being a part of the story and a key factor in Bi-Han’s redemption.

I honestly thought all of his restoration, or the hints thereof, were going to be part of the ending. I expected him to consciously choose to fight against Havik before Liu Kang “restored his mind”. (If that is what Liu Kang considers Bi-Han with his mind resorted roflmao).

Smoke was robbed, as were several characters who deserved to play a larger role (Kitana, for one). Did Tomas even have a single line? I truly can’t remember, he was there so little.

I’m annoyed that Emperor Rain and Empress Tanya were written better as a couple than Tanya and Mileena, because the series is sorely lacking in queer representation. They’re it at this point and they’re sadly, canonically, a kinda boring and neglected ship.

Cyrax is adorable and I loved her. I know some people don’t like her voice or her look, and I’m still lukewarm about the genderswap, but I really liked her. I think her characterization was closest to its roots of any of the DLC characters.

Boy was I wrong about Sektor. I liked her but the trailer cleverly implied she was more of a team good guy player than she is. She openly cooperated with the good guys but it was entirely motivated by her loyalty and personal affection for Bi-Han.

It was extremely refreshing to see Harumi, period. She not only lived but was portrayed as a competent and sympathetic character. One of very few things the DLC did well with.

Several of the skins are fantastic. I love Khaos Takeda, Kitana, and Mileena. Khaos Shang Tsung is awful though. Absolutely hated his look for all 12 seconds he was there.

Overall, though, the DLC was a massive disappointment. It cost $$$, only lasted a couple of hours, and there was no post credits scene to give me anything to look forward to and make the underwhelming story experience more palatable.

And if you loved it, congrats. If you have all the “this is actually a lot deeper because” metas and headcanons, go you. I’m happy for you. I wanted to like this enough to at least try to rationalize what I didn’t like. I really thought I would.

[samynnad102687]

Marauderstober

Slytherin Skittles- Ouija Board

1597 words

Regulus was exhausted from working from open to close at the bookshop. He was supposed to get off four hours ago but Jess, who was supposed to train the new hire, decided that they didn’t want to show up, so he had to close the shop since nobody else could come in and he couldn’t leave the new hire, Jordan, by themselves.

He was dragging his feet when he walked into the house, but he noticed that something was off. Someone had let themselves in Regulus’ house without asking him or even letting him know they were planning on coming over. When he walked farther into the house, not caring if he got killed by an axe murderer at this point, he came face to face with a grinning Barty. Well, this should be interesting.

“I gave you a key for emergencies,” Regulus said as he pinched the bridge of his nose and noticed that Pandora, Evan and Dorcas were also sitting in his living room.

“This is an emergency,” Barty said but his face said it was anything but. Regulus arched up an eyebrow and waited. “I found something at a thrift shop that I want to try with you, well, with everybody actually.”

“Do I even want to know?”

“It will be fun,” Pandora chimed in and that didn’t not help ease his anxiety one bit.

“What is it?” He asked exasperatedly.

“A Ouija board,” Barty said with a mischievous grin on his face.

“Excuse me?” Regulus asked indignantly. “I know I did not hear you correctly.”

“I found a Ouiji board at the thrift shop when I was shopping with Evan and since it is October and spooky season, it’s the perfect time to try it out.” He was practically bouncing on his heels.

“Why did you have to bring it into my house? You have your own.”

“Yours is more likely to be haunted than mine is.” Barty shrugged.

“So…”

This was the last thing that Regulus wanted to do on his Monday evening, especially since he had to work extra long today. All he wanted to do was to come home and curl up on the couch with some ice cream and enjoy a nice quiet evening in, since James was working late and then helping Sirius with something. Regulus didn’t bother asking what he needed help with. Plausible deniability and all.

“Oh, come on, Reg… Please.” Barty begged as he put his hands together and practically fell to the floor. “Just once. I swear. If we can’t get anything then I won’t bring it up again.”

Regulus took a moment to look at Barty and then at everybody else. He could see they all wanted to do this and he was the only one holding out. He really didn’t want to know what spirits lingered in Grimmauld Place and he really didn’t want to accidentally call his mother to them with this thing. He wasn’t even sure if he believed in it.

“What do you do exactly?” Regulus gave in slightly, he needed more information.

“Everyone puts a finger on the triangle thingy…”

“Planchett,” Pandora supplied.

“Yeah, that and we ask questions to the spirit that may be hanging around and see if they have anything they needed to say and never got the chance to because they died before they could,” Barty explained and Regulus glared at him for a few more minutes.

As much as didn’t want to have his mother come and haunt him even more, it would be interesting to see if there were any other spirits floating around. Regulus knew there was but he didn’t know who they were or what they wanted.

“Fine, but if these spirits end up disturbing my peace anymore then I’m coming after your ass with an axe,” Regulus said matter-of-factly and he would do it too as soon as he figured out how he could get away with it.

“Yeah, okay. That’s fine.” Barty shrugged, “Where should we set it up?”

“How about the drawing room? There always seems to be shit happening in there,” Evan mentioned casually.

Regulus was going to deny it, but right then a vase fell onto the floor before they even crossed the threshold to the room. Fucking spirits. Regulus didn’t know why he still lived in this house. It’s not like he had any particularly happy memories growing up here.

“Fine,” Regulus grumbled.

Regulus finally took off his boots and set his bag, that he still had slung over his shoulder, down and followed the other four into the drawing room and watched as Barty put the Ouija board on the coffee table and everyone else took a seat on the floor around it. This is going to be a disaster.

Regulus sat down in between Pandora and Dorcas with Evan and Barty on the other side of the round table. They put the board in the middle and were all about to put a finger on the planchette when Barty suddenly jumped up and turned off the lights.

“It’s spookier that way,” Barty shrugged and returned to his spot on the floor. Regulus just shook his head but didn’t say anything.

“What should we ask first?” Pandora asked excitedly.

“Ooh, I know,” Dorcas said and put her finger back on the planchette and waited for everybody else to do the same.

When everyone had a finger on the planchette, Regulus sighed heavily. He was definitely not ready to find out who was haunting his house. He preferred to be blissfully unaware even though Sirius keeps swearing that the place is haunted and doesn’t like to spend a lot of time here, which is why he and Remus got a flat in downtown London and would only occasionally stop by unannounced.

“Are there any spirits in this room?” Dorcas asked, focusing on the board as it started to move slowly toward the yes.

“Who are you?” Evan asked eagerly.

Regulus knew his friends liked the spooky season, especially the closer it got to Halloween but he had never seen them this eager to talk to a spirit. The planchette started moving again and spelt out O-R-I-O-N. Great, his father was haunting him too. Regulus knew Orion had died in the house but he didn’t know how. He was off at school when it happened and he never did get the full story.

“How did you die?” Pandora asked curiously.

P-O-I-S-O-N.

Not surprising. Orion had a lot of enemies when Regulus and Sirius were growing up. There were always secret meetings that they were not privy to going on behind closed doors and last minute business trips to different countries where Orion would be gone for a week at a time.

“Do you know who poisoned you?” Barty asked this time.

Yes.

“Who?” Regulus heard himself ask before he thought about it.

W-A-L-B-U-R-G-A.

So much for a loving marriage. Not that Regulus really believed they loved each other. Lord knows they didn’t love their children. If they did, they had a funny way of showing it. Before anybody could ask the next question the planchette started to spell out something else quickly.

D-I-D N-O-T.

Oh, shit. Did his mother’s spirit just join to fight with his father?

“Who said did not?” Dorcas asked, a little stunned.

W-A-L-B-U-R-G-A.

Well, okay then. Guess this is happening now. As if Regulus didn’t have to hear them fight enough as a child. Now he has to deal with it with their spirits. Fuck his life.

Y-O-U P-O-I-S-O-N-E-D M-E F-O-R M-O-N-T-H-S.

They were barely touching the planchette anymore. It was moving too fast and they could barely keep up with what was being spelt.

“How were you poisoned?” Regulus asked, now more curious than before.

W-H-I-S-K-E-Y.

The next word came before anybody could ask a question.

L-I-E-S.

“Walburga, how did you die?” Pandora asked quickly.

K-N-I-F-E.

“Did you see who did it?” Evan asked. The planchette moved to the no before spelling another word.

I-N T-H-E B-A-C-K.

Okay, so his father was poisoned by his mother and his mother was stabbed in the back. Made sense. Regulus knew they didn’t die a natural death. They were still relatively young, all things considered.

Y-O-U D-E-S-E-R-V-E-D T-H-A-T.

Suddenly another vase went flying across the room and smashed against the wall, the lights started to flicker and the books started to fall off the bookshelf. Nope. Fuck this shit. Regulus was done. He really doesn’t need his parents haunting him anymore. Regulus grabbed the planchette and moved it to Goodbye.

“How the fuck do you end this thing?” Regulus asked angrily.

“You have to thank them and tell them goodbye,” Pandora supplied easily. Of course she would know.

“We thank you for your time and bid you goodbye,” Regulus all but shouted to be heard over the items crashing around the room and glared at Barty who threw his hands up in surrender.

Regulus stood up quickly and went to grab his phone out of his bag before turning back to Barty.

“Sleep with one eye open,” He threatened before hitting send on his phone.

“Hey, love. What’s up?” James asked cheerfully. Regulus could hear Sirius laughing in the background.

“Tell Sirius that we are staying at his flat tonight.” Regulus said firmly without giving him any room to question.

“Okay. Do you want me to come pick you up or are you gonna drive over?” James asked easily.

“Come pick me up. I’m at home.”

“On my way.” James said before hanging up, and Regulus went to pack a bag for them.

@clementinewoolf @cazzythefrogking @thebibutterflyao3 @lavenderhaze @literally-the-prettiest-star @emjayeingray @belowthestarrs @seiworf @maladaptivewriting @multiimoments

[kingoftheratpeople]

A while ago, I made a post and one of the replies was, "Do you write fanfiction?" At the time, I didn’t. But now, finding myself with plenty of free time and a desire to try something new, I thought, why not give writing a shot? So, without further ado, here it is.

Also, a little thank you to my boyfriend for helping me with my shitty grammar.

I bashfully present to you, my very first piece of writing and a first draft (kinda).

Under the cut, here is my little fic titled, I know what I really need. Enjoy!

It was so fucking cold when Ethan opened the door to the porch. Fingers aching, face numb with chilled tears, he dug around in his back pocket. Removing his hand, he clutched the old Zippo lighter his dad had given him and flicked it open. As a tremor passed through his unsteady arm, he pressed the cigarette between his lips. Finally, Ethan had a moment to think.

Ethan glanced at the date on his phone. “Six months. Six fucking months,” he said, letting the thought sink in. It had been six months since he escaped, well, since he was saved. The Bakers and their house of horrors still haunted his every waking moment. Ethan groaned, taking a drag of his cigarette and flicking the burnt ash from his fingertips. Looking behind him through the porch door window, Ethan spared a glimpse at Mia.

He truly loved his wife, but everything had changed now. Fighting back a tear, Ethan glanced down at the hideous scars marring his wrist from the staples. The whirring of a chainsaw flooded his ears as he gripped his wrist, a phantom pain buzzing under his skin.

Flicking his worn cigarette, Ethan squinted into the darkness as a pair of headlights pierced the night, growing brighter as they approached. The car rolled to a stop. Ethan huffed a breath, a mix of relief and apprehension as Chris stepped out, his silhouette framed by the headlights. Chris strode toward him, a concerned look on his face, which quickly turned into a strained grin.

"Christ, Ethan, you okay? Who shit in your cereal?" he quipped, laughing awkwardly.

Ethan rubbed his face, angling his head away. “Chris, hey.” He took a shaky breath. “I was just getting some fresh air.”

Chris bent down, retrieving Ethan’s cigarette stub. “Fresh air, right,” he snarked. “I just wanted to drop by. I've got some news, Ethan.” Chris’s smile faded, and he paused, running a hand through his hair, clearly struggling to find the right words. "For your safety and Mia's... we’re moving you both to Romania. Things are getting too dangerous here, and it's the only way I can ensure you're protected." He shifted uncomfortably, glancing away before meeting Ethan's gaze again. "I know it's a lot to ask, and I wouldn't be suggesting this if there were any other way. But I promise, it's for the best."

Chris's voice wavered slightly, and he cleared his throat, trying to steady himself. "But right now, your safety is what matters most." He reached out, placing a hand on Ethan's shoulder. "Please, just trust me on this."

Ethan's eyes widened, and he felt a surge of anger and anxiety. "Fuck, Chris, you've got to be kidding me. First, you move us to this shithole, and now you want us to go to Europe? Why?" His voice cracked with frustration, his hands trembling as he struggled to process the news. "I mean, we've barely settled here, and now you're telling us to pack up and leave again? What the hell is going on?" Ethan's heart pounded in his chest, the weight of Chris's words pressing down on him. Ethan choked out a sob. “I mean, shit, Chris. We trusted you.”

“Ethan, I’m sorry,” Chris hiccupped, turning away from him. Ethan collapsed on the porch steps, his hands trembling as they covered his face, trying to contain the feelings that threatened to consume him.

Chris stood a few feet away, his expression filled with regret. He turned to face Ethan, his eyes filled with a heavy sadness. He had seen Ethan break before, but this time it was different. This time, it felt final.

"Chris," Ethan's voice was muffled and strained. He couldn't lift his head to look at his friend, the man who had saved him before. "Chris, you can't do this to us, man. It's too much." His voice broke, a raw, choked sob escaping his lips. The memories crashed over him like a relentless wave: the terror of the Baker house, the sickening fear that had gripped him as he fought for survival, and the haunting fight with Mia. The abuse, the confusion, the moments when she wasn't herself—all of it surged to the forefront of his mind, suffocating him.

"Too much is different now," he managed to say between gasps for air. The words felt inadequate, a feeble attempt to convey the depth of his despair. He had faced monsters, both literal and metaphorical, but this—this was breaking him.

Chris's shoulders sagged as he took a step closer, his heart aching for his friend. He knew the weight Ethan carried, the scars that wouldn't heal. He wished he could take it all away, but he also knew that some things couldn't be fixed with a gun or a plan.

"Ethan," Chris began, his voice gentle but firm. "I know it's hard. I know it feels like the world is crashing down around you. But you have to stay strong. We have to stay strong. For Mia."

Ethan shook his head violently, his hands clutching at his hair as if trying to tear the pain out of his mind. "How can I be strong, Chris? How can I keep going when everything keeps falling apart? When every time I close my eyes, I see them—I see her—"

Chris knelt beside him, placing a hand on Ethan's shoulder. "We'll find a way, Ethan. We always do. But you can't give up now. Not when there's still so much to fight for."

Ethan's breath hitched, his body wracked with silent sobs. He wanted to believe Chris, to find some scrap of hope in his words. But the darkness inside him was vast, and it was swallowing him whole.

"I don't know if I can," he whispered, the words barely audible. Chris took a deep breath, his gaze distant. He hadn't shared this with anyone, not even Claire, but he knew that Ethan needed to hear it. He needed Ethan to know that he wasn't alone.

“Ethan,” Chris began, his voice heavy. “I haven't told you everything about my past, about him, Wesker. That man was more than a monster, he was a master manipulator, a fucking sadist who took pleasure in breaking people, breaking me.”

Ethan looked up, surprise flooding his tear-stained eyes.

Chris continued, his voice going softer as if Wesker would somehow hear. “He had a way of getting inside your head, making you doubt yourself. He wasn't just physically abusive—though he was that too. He was psychological. He tore me apart from the inside out and made me believe that I was nothing without him.”

He paused, the memories seemingly burning holes in his head. His eyes met Ethan’s. “I know what it's like to feel as if you’re in the grip of someone else's control. I know what it's like to love someone so deeply but be terrified of them at the same time. Wesker did that to me, and in some ways, it never goes away. But I learned to fight it, and so can you.”

Ethan's breath hitched, his voice a whisper. “Chris…”

Chris gave a small, sad smile. “We’ll get through this, Ethan. Together, we’ll fight our demons, no matter what it takes.”

Chris’s hand fell from Ethan's shoulder, coming to rest on top of Ethan's hand, gripping it softly. “You know I would do anything to protect you, right?” Chris's voice was a low murmur, filled with sincerity.

Ethan's breath hitched as he whispered, “Yes,” in reply, his head dropping slightly. Gathering his courage, Ethan looked up into Chris's eyes, which were intense and unwavering. His gaze then fell to Chris's lips, and without overthinking, he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to them.

Chris’s hand moved to grab Ethan's face, gasping slightly at the unexpected yet tender touch. The moment was charged, a mixture of emotions flowing between them.

They were abruptly interrupted by the sound of the porch door opening. Mia stepped out, unaware of what had just transpired. "Ethan, dinner's ready!" she called, her voice cheerful and oblivious.

Chris and Ethan pulled back, their expressions shocked and awkward. Mia turned to greet Chris warmly, and Chris quickly masked his surprise with a friendly nod.

“Good to see you, Mia. Ethan, don't forget to tell her the news,” Chris reminded. With that, he turned and left, leaving Ethan standing silent and stunned.

Ethan turned to face Chris's retreating figure, a mix of emotions swirling inside him. Watching Chris return to his car, Ethan turned away, his fingers pressed to his lips. Ethan sucked in a tight breath and followed Mia inside.

[queen--of--maggots]

What’s your most unpopular DN opinion? (It can be about canon, fanon the fandom)

I don’t even know if you are still around anon, but I promised you an answer, and here it is. Unpopular opinion time! And here’s a really unpopular one: I wish Wammy’s wouldn’t exist and Ohba went in a different direction after L’s death.

I’m probably almost the only one with this opinion. I know many people love the Wammy kids, and I want to make this clear, this is not necessarily about the characters from Wammy’s. I appreciate them, some more, others less. However, you can like a character and still think the story would have been better without them.

First, a few points on why I don’t like the introduction of Wammy’s.

One thing I enjoyed a lot about DN up to L’s death is the lack of overused tropes. For example, DN isn’t L’s story despite him fitting more into the good guy role, L isn’t portrayed as a hero, Light isn’t portrayed as a villain, Misa isn’t the innocent victim who was dragged into this, and neither L nor Light is the chosen one(s), main characters don’t have an extremely outstanding design, and so on. Wammy’s changes this partially. There must be people, qualified ones included, in the entire world that have reasons why they want to stop Kira, but all of Kira’s antagonists originate from the same place – Wammy’s. That’s pretty much the secret-intuition-that-protects-the-world-from-evil trope. It also falls into the chosen one trope because only L’s successors are apparently good enough to put an end to Kira. Also, Near has a rather outstanding design. Having white hair isn’t impossible, but highly unlikely. In addition, he looks like 12 despite being 18 and always wears fucking pajamas instead of normal clothes. Mello has a somewhat outstanding design too, but it’s more the way the dresses. I won’t complain too much about it. Still, compare this to Team Kira’s new additions. Mikami’s and Takada’s designs are way more grounded.

Another trope I find annoying is linking everything to the same two or three people. Every important character that is introduced later in the series has a connection to one of the original main characters (being related, childhood friends, same former mentor, …). In my opinion, that’s just a cheap way to give a new character credit without them doing anything and make them more popular among fans. If the character is well-written enough, things like that are not necessary. Ohba goes hard for this trope with Wammy’s: Near, Mello, and even fucking Matt are all L’s successors, so they have a direct link to him. And, while it’s just a spinoff, and how canon it is is debatable, even the BB murder case goes back to L and Wammy’s. (I know AN wasn’t written by Ohba, but it fits the pattern.) Compare this to Light’s allies. Most Kiras had no previous connection to Light before meeting him. The only exception is Kiyomi after the time skip. In Misa’s case, Kira gave her the revenge she wanted. However, she’s likely still one of many with similar stories. She didn’t know Light before, and Light didn’t know her. Even how Misa got her DN is unrelated to Light and Ryuk. Mikami had to stand entirely on his own feet. He had no direct connection to Light or L whatsoever.

I’m also disappointed that Ohba toned down the realism with Wammy’s. DN wasn’t 100% realistic before either, but there is a drop in it with the introduction of the Wammy’s characters. We go from one rich dude who fights crime mainly for entertainment to an entire training ground for super-intelligent orphans to become the world’s greatest detectives. Then there’s Mello with the missile and ultra-fast healing powers, and Near winning because of magical guessing powers and plot armor. Both are also younger than Light and inexperienced. And while humans aren’t born with special powers in the DN universe and supernatural aspects are limited to the Shinigami and the Shinigami realm, BB has Shinigami eyes for no apparent reason. Technically, these are still connected to the Shinigami within the story, but the explanation given for this is extremely vague and unsatisfying.

The points I’ve listed so far would bother me less if they always would have been a thing or if both sides were treated equally regarding tropes and bullshit. But they are particularly noticeable for Wammy’s characters, while Team Kira is not so much affected.

Also, I liked that before Wammy’s became a thing, L was an extraordinary element. L appeared to be self-made. He even became an important part of law enforcement even though his main motivation wasn’t justice. Before Wammy’s introduction, his death would have had a massive impact on the DN universe because once he is dead, L doesn’t exist anymore and is no longer a secret weapon in difficult cases. Even if Kira is defeated, losing L in the process would be a massive loss. Wammy’s existence reduces L to a replaceable role. If he dies, someone else from the L-factory will take the position. The death of L as a person has almost no impact on the DN universe because L as an entity still exists, and that’s the only thing that counts. No consequences whatsoever. Barely anyone knew how he looked anyway.

I understand why Ohba went with L’s successors as a continuation instead of something else. He was playing the safe card by feeding the consumers something they are already familiar with. Going for different scenarios would be risky and require more effort. However, it could have been more rewarding if executed well. I would have liked a greater variety of enemies for Light and him having to adapt to new dangers. So, here are some scenarios that I would have found more intriguing than the one we got.

The premise of Mello’s arc was interesting; unfortunately, the execution was horrendous. But Light vs a criminal organization that, for example, wants the DN or Kira’s power for themselves isn’t a bad idea. A criminal organization would be a lot more ruthless than L. L needed evidence, while a crime syndicate would immediately shoot Light if he showed up on the list of suspects. And his family would be in danger too.

Or a revenge plot? Something like Kira killed a family member or other loved one (preferably justified, but could also be someone wrongly accused), and a bereaved person wants revenge. Now, this person is on a suicide mission, and Light has to fight against someone who has nothing left to lose. Their own survival is optional, only getting revenge before dying counts.

How about Kira vs a fanatic Kira fan? Someone who thinks Kira isn’t Kira enough anymore and feels they can do better? Maybe this person could make Light’s allies question their loyalty to him. Who are they loyal to, Light or Kira?

A female antagonist would also have potential (but not with Ohba as an author). Light tends to underestimate women. Now, Light faces one as a competent opponent, and he has to take one or more critical hits to realize the danger.

Anyway, the successor arc definitely has its moments, but overall, it is a lot weaker. And in my opinion, these weaknesses are primarily connected to Wammy’s. So, removing it could have been beneficial for the story. At least, that’s my opinion. If you have a different opinion, that’s great. But please, I’m not particularly interested in lengthy discussions about this subject.

[artful-peculiarities]

Exit Music (for a Film) by Radiohead is kinda lining up with Teddy and Colin’s narrative really well and I’m having thoughts. Gonna start with Teddy and then move to Colin and I’ll see where I go from there.

Tmagp Spoilers below fair warning

First off, the title itself. The first time we meet Teddy is when he’s leaving the OIAR to work elsewhere, seemingly very glad he’s moving on. From what I can tell with the limited time and I formation we have of him, he never really liked his work at the OIAR, and the place as a whole. So, the title of the song itself is symbolic of the end of an era for him. Or so we think.

This set of lyrics, the opening lines. So much is packed into this for me.

So. Something obviously had to drive Teddy over the edge to go to Lena and to tell her that he quits. We know that he had been working at the OIAR for quite a good few years prior to the canon timeline, of which is still very vague to the audience; so the first lyric applies to him in the sense that he finally broke from a cycle, he “woke up”, perhaps in more than one sense.

Not much to say on the second lyric except that perhaps that can reference to the catalyst for his self-termination from the OIAR? Something just a little too upsetting.

And the last two; I think these can speak for themselves. “Today, we escape,” -> him quitting initially, “We escape.” -> the going away party.

Has anyone ever thought about why specifically the very first recording we get is of the going away party? Yes, it’s what sets up the arrival of Sam, but it also sets up another thing. Teddy’s departure and his subsequent fall. I think it was saying “you can leave, but we know you’ll be back.”

Like a misplaced puzzle piece.

The last two lines of this one piques my interest.

In regards to Teddy, this feels almost omniscient, almost like an overlying feeling. Something feels vaguely wrong about leaving the OIAR, like he’s doing something he shouldn’t be. And you know what happens after he leaves? Hell, not only begins to break loose, but slowly unravels like a ball of twine. A butterfly effect variation of sorts.

Some people have brought this up before, but I needed to put it here as well; the possibility of sabotage in a career related sense for Teddy. He didn’t get the initial job he left the OIAR for because of “team cuts”, or something of the sort. That seems like the thing that would be told outright to any applying persons no? It was a sudden thing. While I’m not exactly sure of the timeline of this, I’ll make a best guess here; then, sometime after, Teddy gets a new job. For those who have listened to tmagp 29, I think we all know what happens. Ergo, butterfly effect. Somehow, Teddy has gotten pulled back into something strange, and needed someone to help him. Enter Alice. Then, exit Alice. Quite a lot can be taken from their brief conversation and I fear I don’t have quite the brainpower to pick it apart fully at this time.

This sequence is just. It’s something phenomenal to me in a way.

It’s all about trying to keep your balance. Imagine you’re on a tightrope in a circus performance. There are weights dragging your arms down, your feet are bleeding, and all you can think is “keep standing. Keep standing.” There is no net beneath you. There was once a net, but it was folded away because someone thought your act could use a little… something.

Keep a cool head. Keep standing. Stay balanced. Do not fall. Do not fall.

Alice was once the net, in a way. Then, she got pulled away by something, someone, bigger than them both.

“I can’t do this alone.” Do you guys realise what this means to me? Teddy needed to talk to Alice about something important, specifically about his job. The job we know nothing about. What happened. What the fuck happened. Teddy sounds so weary in that brief phone call. I also picked up on the slight sense of anxiety from him, but that could just be me. But he was definitely worried about something.

And then there’s Colin’s place in this set of lyrics. Just barely hours later, Alice gets yet another call from someone who is asking for help, someone who is her friend. That call is haunting me; everything about it feels really just. Raw to me. There’s so much desperation in his voice. He needs help. Such a big part about Colin’s character is that he never wants help, nor does he think he needs it. Then there’s this. Turn me around twice and push me into a grave already.

The first part of this one seems more metaphorical than anything to me.

The “chill” is the surmounting aura of wrongness that climbs higher with every episode leading up to the s1 finale. It’s the strange happenings that are being collected and filed by the OIAR, it’s FRE-d1 continually becoming less and less machine as more incidents are washed in and read by Chester, Norris, and Augustus.

The “song” is nothing more than blind hope. Blind, foolish hope.

The second part to this one, however, is something that makes my head wrap into itself with interpretation. It’s another omniscient-adjacent feeling, addressing to “it” as “you”. It’s all very Colin to me. The “it” is FRE-d1. It’s the one thing that makes Colin completely snap. It’s laughing at him, taunting Colin with its ancient, unworkable hardwiring. It’s been slowly pushing Colin to and over the edge for the entire season, and it all climaxes to that one phone call.

That one, desperate phone call.

This is mainly about that first line.

We don’t know what happened to Colin, what really happened, after he hung up. I need to know desperately. But I’m going to take this in the sense that Colin’s violent obsession with figuring out FRE-d1 finally consumed him, very likely in more than just the mental sense.

What I think is that Colin has been turned into an external. Just think about it. What I gather from what we know about externals is that the common ground for most of them is obsession to some level or another, and we know that Colin was deep in that trench.

I have a very vivid image in my head of Colin sitting in the computer room of the office with the technology slowly growing over him, almost like lichen or moss. It melds with his skin, seeping into his flesh. It’s grotesque and looks like something agonizing, but Colin’s face is just. Tired. Exhausted. He gave his final hurrah. His phone sits fallen next to his limp hand, still opened to Alice’s contact page, his head leaned back against the wall. Hooded eyes, deep circles beneath them.

Both he and Teddy were destined to fulfill something greater from the beginning, and their tragedy lies in the way they both reached out for a hand, and was never given one to grasp onto.

[inciting-chaos-series]

The Night Shift: Chapter Four

If you'd like to be tagged when new chapters are posted let me know! -Ghostiewvlf ✦ The Night Shift Masterpost ✦

➢ Tag List: @valleys

➢Author: Ghostiewvlf & JTheGhost ➢ Rating: Mature ➢ Pairings: Corpse X reader | Corpse X y/n ➢ Themes: Slow Burn | Coworkers To Lovers | Angst | Holiday | Mutual Pining | Fluff | Smut? | Hurt/Comfort | Soulmates | Fake Relationships | Miscommunication | Forced Proximity | Found Family | ➢ Warnings: Crude Humor | Suicidal Jokes/Ideation | Drinking | Smoking |

➢Summary:

You work the night shift at a local dog kennel for boarding and daycare. You love the peace and quiet of the shift, but just when you get comfortable- a few break-ins happen around town, and upper management decides to place your quiet, brooding, shift lead on the schedule with you.

☽✧ Chapter Four: Fun & Games ✧☾

-Y/N POV-

After spending all day in labs and lectures you really were not on your A game for tonight's shift. You felt completely fried- mentally and physically. Walking across campus to and from your science and math courses and arriving on time when you had barely a five minute window between them had been exhausting, and the content in the classes left you wondering if you even had brain cells left. 

If you had any energy left you would try to remember to not set your schedule this way for your last semester- though the way your feet dragged as you entered the building and clocked in had you realizing it was no use. 

“Damn- long day?” Liz chuckled from behind the reception counter. 

“So long…” Your voice sounded defeated as it left your mouth. 

“Well, good news- most everyone was picked up from boarding today- we did have one drop off though…” Her voice wavered in uncertainty as you joined her behind the counter. 

“Oh yeah? Who got dropped o-” 

“Just the coolest little dude ever…”

You turned to the comically deep voiced interrupter and watched as Logan walked in from the adjoining break room with a small black Shetland puppy cradled in his arms. 

“Oh my god!” You swooned over the dog and cautiously approached to pet him, earning a laugh from both Liz and your boss as the puppy struggled out of Logan’s hold and into yours. 

“Suppose that will make your night a bit better huh?” Liz laughed out as she gathered her things to leave. “Also… Ryder wasn't picked up from daycare today. I emailed his owners and they requested to leave him here tonight, they're aware of the charges but still need to be billed, I left it open on the computer for you guys.” 

“Is this the universe apologizing for my long day?” You laughed as the puppy licked incessantly at your face. 

“Guess so…” Liz smiled and shrugged as she headed out, wishing you an easy night. 

“So, if you had a rough day- I’m guessing you’ll want to finish up that invoice, since you’ve got some furry company…” Logan chuckled. “I suppose I can lend you my son and get started on dinners.” He rolled his eyes playfully. 

“Oh so he’s your son now? Have you let his owners know- should I send them a quick update email while I’m at it?” 

“Fuck off…” His laugh was much more sincere than you expected as he waved off your comment on his way to the back. You smiled to yourself and got settled at the computer to invoice Ryder’s owners and collect payment, keeping the small puppy in your lap as he absently chewed your hoodie strings. 

---

“Do you drink coffee or tea?” He broke the silence between you as the dogs started to settle down from playing outside. 

“Um, tea usually…” you laughed softly and gave him a questioning glance, “why do you ask?”

“I don’t know- thought I’d ask in case I stop and get us drinks again.” He shrugged as he grinned down at the puppy jumping at his ankles. He groaned dramatically as he sat on a rock and placed the small dog in his lap- chuckling as it immediately gnawed at his fingers. “Plus I don’t know much about you- and if we’re gonna work most nights together I should probably learn the basics.” 

“Fair point.” You smiled and sat beside an exhausted looking Ryder a few feet from him. “That coffee was really good, especially for how cold it was.” You chuckled. “I usually get iced chais, so that wouldn't have been as ideal. What about you?” 

“Well, glad I made that call then. Cause I get the same…” He chuckled. “I mean- usually I turn to- stronger drinks- but chai will suffice at work.”

“Yeah, we wouldn’t want any red wine stains on our clothes at work…” You teased as you pet the panting dog beside you.

“Of course not… totally unprofessional.” He laughed along and rolled his eyes. 

“Well, if we're getting to know each other- umm…” you paused as you thought of good questions (that were at least somewhat professionally appropriate) to ask of your boss. “What made you get into animal care?” 

“Hmm, well I’ve always wanted my own animal- but I’m not sure that my lifestyle or whatever would allow me to properly take care of one, or that I could handle it I guess… I started out just watching my friends' dogs or cats. Then I saw an opening here and figured it would be a nice place to work.” He shrugged and smiled before meeting your gaze. “What about you? I know you worked on the vet side for a while- and you were at an ER before this right?” 

“That's… super cute? Sorry just- picturing you- deep voice and intimidating nature… as a pet sitter, it's strange to think about.” You laughed at the thought. 

“I know… I don’t really look- or sound- the type huh?” He chuckled in agreement and you shook your head and smiled.

“But um- yeah I did. ER was really cool, I got to see a lot of interesting cases there… and working on the vet side here was nice since I still needed more experience for vet school, but both those jobs were really demanding, and I needed to cut back so I could focus more on finishing school- so this seemed perfect for me right now.” 

“I'm glad…” he smiled sweetly, “-you’re smart and deserve to take the time you need to get your school stuff sorted. Especially if you have such a good plan.” 

“I wouldn’t say it’s a good plan- I mean, who knows what I’ll really end up doing.” You scoffed softly. “I never really wanted to go to college or anything but my family pressured me into it, saying I could never make it as anything without it.” 

“Well that's just- not true…” He scoffed loudly.

“No?”

“Definitely not. I mean, I basically raised myself- I was never close with my family- so I don’t really understand that perspective, but school never worked for me. I ended up dropping out pretty early…” he shrugged and turned his attention back to the puppy, now falling asleep in his lap. “I mean, it’s difficult dropping out so young and being like ‘I'm gonna make something of myself someday, I’m gonna do something big-’ but it’s definitely doable.With or without schooling.” His voice softened slightly as he spoke. You couldn’t help but stare at him, almost in awe, at how much he revealed. 

“I’m sorry Logan. That sounds… awful- I’m sorry you went though that…” you paused, “-but thank you. I suppose you’re right, it is difficult for sure… making a name for yourself, or figuring out what to do in life. ” You weren't really sure how to respond to such a candid response. 

“Eh, that's how life goes right?” He chuckled awkwardly, carefully picking up the sleeping puppy as he rose to his feet. “Spose we should let these guys back in, everyone seems tuckered out.” 

“Yeah, suppose we should.” You carefully stood as well, hoping to not rile up the dogs again as you all made your way in for the night. 

-Logan’s POV-

He stayed quiet as the two of you cleaned around the building, silently admonishing himself for his loose lips earlier. He had no idea why he’d shared so much, why talking with you made it so easy to share what seemed like all the most negative things about him. Maybe he was compensating- getting it all out in the open about how he was toxic to befriend so you’d turn tail sooner rather than later. 

He couldn’t help the nagging feeling of relief though, having told you a bit about himself and getting such a kind response. You probably just felt awkward, or pitied him, after all. He shouldn’t make it a regular thing. 

Eventually when you both had finished cleaning, you settled in at the front desk again. He was grateful when you pulled out your notebook and binder from your bag, knowing you would need quiet to do your homework and he couldn’t run his mouth any longer. He did find it a bit funny when you asked if he minded, of course he didn’t care if you got some homework done, especially with the awkward tension in the air now. He put on some soft lofi for you and scrolled on his phone as you worked. Every few minutes or so he’d sneak a glance at your papers, instantly regretting it as he was greeted with complex molecules, chemistry equations, and the pervasive fact that you were far more intelligent than he ever considered himself.

You huffed loudly, breaking the silence as you pushed your papers away and leaned back in the chair. He turned to give you a questioning glance. 

“If you’re stuck on something- I hope you aren't going to ask me for help.” He chuckled. “Because if I lock eyes with your papers again my brain will melt.” 

“No, no…” He bit down on the inside of his cheek as you laughed. “I’m finished. It’s not all correct, but I’m done.” 

“Ah, well good… its aura is haunting the entire room.” He chuckled, cringing away as you put everything back in your bag. 

“Yeah, believe me I know.” You pursed your lips and leaned back again. “You can put on regular music again if you want… Unless you brought your laptop?” 

“Fuck, you remembered that I said that?” He groaned and hid his face in his hands. 

“Sure do, so when you bringin it?”

“Hmmm…” he paused, humming suspiciously. “I don’t know I feel like- if I had some dirt on you, I might be more motivated to remember to bring it…” He insinuated with poorly feigned innocence.

“Wow, blackmail- that's bold.” You giggled, he merely winked in response, a sly grin across his lips. “I guess I’ll have to think of some dirt on me then…” 

The rest of the night was fairly calm. He pulled up some games on the computer for you two to pass the time, and he continued to joke with you throughout the night until it was time to clock out. 

“See you Thursday I guess…” He dramatically huffed as he walked with you to your cars. 

“Are you pouting about the shifts you work alone now?” You laughed as you tossed your things into your car, he smiled and rolled his eyes. 

“Hey, my two to three shifts I have alone are boring now…” 

“Right, because you’re such a conversationalist…” 

“Fuck off…” he chuckled before pausing as he did the same, “drive safe, text me when you get home…” 

He again waited until you were safely out onto the road before pulling out and heading home himself. He took a longer route home this time, opting to stop and pick up some groceries on his way-  not because it would keep his mind off you or from overthinking everything he said, it was only because his fridge and pantry were barren. 

After arriving home and putting everything away, he couldn’t help but feel anxious as he saw you still hadn’t messaged him. He groaned and took a swig from a new bottle of wine he’d gotten and began typing. 

Logan 🐺:

Did you make it home ok?

You: 

Right, sorry… forgot lol yes I did

He chuckled and rolled his eyes.

You: 

Were you worried? lol

Logan 🐺:

Well yeah you didn’t text me 😤

Sorry I care if my friends get home safe… sheesh

You: 

Oh so were friends now? Lmao 

He laughed as he sent back a barrage of offended gifs and memes. He couldn’t really remember the last time he’d been so eager to continue a conversation. 

You: 

Don't be butthurt haha, I just only ever see you at work is all 

Logan 🐺:

Well you're so busy with school- otherwise we could hangout

You: 

Hey don't blame me- you make my work schedule, you know what days I’m off 🤷‍♀️

Logan 🐺:

Fine… fair point…

Sunday?

You: 

I’ll think about it…

He rolled his eyes and sent a few gifs of graves before tossing his phone aside and attempting to wipe the ridiculous smile off his face. He knew this was likely a mistake, but he didn’t really care right now, maybe it was time to make a new friend. 

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[tobitofunction]

Hi! I was wondering to the series about Daichi and haru? I was wondering if we could get another or a special episode with the new baby and haru being a big brother and all that?

Of course it’s not something you have to do and if the series over that’s fine!

Have a good day!

Here you go some more Dad Daichi

Daichi just came back from work when Haruto came running down,”Dad your back, let’s play” Haruto said grabbing Daichi wrist and dragging him to the living room,” Haru, let your father breathe he just came back from work” you giggled, Daichi smiled warmly at you and your growing belly, your in your last trimester now ready to give birth soon enough, unlike Haruto who was born in the winter your second child will be born during the Sakura season, one of your favourite seasons,” How you feeling baby?” he asked rubbing your belly making Haruto pout at the lack of attention,” Tired so the usual” you said kissing his cheek before sitting down on the sofa,” Haru have you helped Mommy like I asked you too?” Daichi asked making Haruto nod,” Of course, I took really good care of Mommy and my little sibling,” he said sitting next to you on the couch, he was still a little momma boy but in the best way possible,” What do you want the baby to be?” you asked playing with his hair,” A girl,” he said making you lift a brow in surprise,” Why is that buddy?” Daichi asked,” Because boys can be mean” he said placing his head on your shoulder,” What makes you say that honey?” you asked looking at Daichi with concern,” Are boys mean to you, Buddy? You can tell us” Daichi said grabbing Haruto's chin gently,” They say I’m a mistake cause their parents say I am a mistake” he said playing with your hair not looking at his father,” Did you tell your teacher?” you asked Haruto nodded,” Teacher said they only joking” Daichi sighed and got up on his feet,” Where you going?” you asked trying to sit up but Haruto just snuggled closer to you making it impossible to sit up.

"Daichi what the urgent news?" Suga said sitting down in the small cafe,"Is it possible to transfer Haruto to your class?","Emmm, sure but why?", Daichi sighed,"Haruto is getting bullied and his teacher isn't doing anything about it" Suga's eyes softened,"Of course I will try to transfer him but you also need to go through the school to yourself and maybe report the teacher" Suga said making Daichi nod,"I thought we could finally get away with being criticised but apparently it will haunt us forever" Daichi sighed,"I'm still proud of you and y/n, the two of you worked extremely hard to get where you are today and if people still want to judge than fuck them" Suga said making Daichi smile,"I will go the school tomorrow, I don't want y/n to stress about it" Daichi said playing with his wedding ring.

"Goodnight Haru" you said kissing his forehead,"Goodnight mommy, goodnight baby" he said patting your belly gently making you smile,"Dad your back" Haruto smiled sitting up,"Daddy just needed to work things out buddy, go to sleep you have a long day tomorrow" Daichi said kissing Haruto's forehead.

"Where did you run off too?" you asked as you closed the door behind you,"I was talking to Suga about transferring Haruto to his class and he agreed we be talking to school tomorrow about it as well" Daichi said rubbing your bump receiving a kick in response," We are still being judged people assume I am Haruto's sister or babysitter at times" Daichi sighed and cupped your neck," It be always like that. Still, we went through the worst of it back in high school, so nothing can bother is now right?" he smiled, "I guess, let's go to bed. I'm wrecked".

The next day you sat in the office of Naruto's school waiting to talk to the Principal, you were more uncomfortable than ever as you felt small pains going through your body,"You okay my love?" Daichi asked even though you weren't showing any discomfort Daichi could read you like a book,"I'm having some slight pains?","Contractions?" he whispered,"It's still to early for that" you muttered, Daichi was about to say something when he was interrupted by the Principal,"Please join me in the office".

"So you want to move your son to Mister Sugawara's class, how come?", Daichi sighed,"Because my son is getting bullied by his classmates and the teacher hasn't intervened even though Haruto told them about the bullying" he explained,"What is the bullying about?","About our ages, the children hear their parents whisper about us, how we had him too young and how he was a 'mistake' and said kids just use it to hurt our son" you explained rubbing your belly,"But isn't that the truth? You were 17 when you had your child","Yes, I was but Haruto shouldn't be bullied for that" you said slowly getting angry,"So you asked me to punish those children telling the truth?" you shook your head,"No, we aren't asking for a punishment, we just want our son transferred to another class with a more cable teacher" Daichi said, his hand was holding yours, rubbing comforting circler on your skin,"Mister Sugawara and you are friends aren't you?","Yes, so?" Daichi asked confused,"It be just with your son knowing Mister Sugawara on a personal level, it can be viewed as favouritism for any future activities"," He won't, he will just be a better support system for our son in this school if he ever gets bullied again. It's not to much to ask," you said as another wave of pain hits you, shit maybe Daichi was right, you thought to yourself. The Principals sighed,"Very well, I will approve the swap. Now I would ask you to leave I have things to do" he said making you roll your eyes at him.

Once outside the school, you grabbed Daichi by the arm," Dai, I think you were right, I think I'm having contractions" his brown eyes widen when you say that,"Shit, let's get you the hospital".

You were laying in the hospital bed rubbing your belly,"Haruto was late, this was early which only means or next one will be on time" I smiled making Daichi look up from his phone,"Already thinking of her next one huh?" Daichi smiled placing his hand on top of yours,"Well, we are finally financially stable enough, so why not" You smiled back at him,"We can talk more about this once this bugger is born" he said tapping his fingers on your belly. Soon the doctor arrived to see how you were doing," Everything seems to be going well, if the contractions continue like that you should be able to give within the next hour, I get a nurse to strengthen the epidural" the doctor smiled, no judgment was in sight in his eyes, the complete opposite to how the doctor and nurses looked at you when you had Haruto," It's different than last time huh?" Daichi said noticing the difference between the two of you are being treated," Yes, it's strange but I like it, no need to feel like you need to stand up for yourself or ignore the stares of judgment I can just give birth carefree, this time it's also way less painful" you smiled playing with Daichi's hair which became a bit longer than he had it in High School.

*After birth*

Daichi held the small girl in his arms gently, she was tiny like her brother, you smiled tiredly at your husband and daughter, outside the window you could spot the cherry blossom fly about making it seem like a scene out of a fairytale," Our little cherry blossom" Daichi smiled, the baby was snuggled against his chest, embracing the warmth radiating of his body,"What do you want to name her?" Daichi asked sitting down beside you handing back your newborn,"Mio" you smiled down at the baby,"Mmmh perfect like her" Daichi said kissing your temple just when the door opened revealing your mother-in-law with Haruto,"Mommy" he yelled running towards but Daichi scooped him up in arms before he could get to you,"shh, buddy your sister is sleeping and Mommy is tired" Daichi said gently making Haruto place his small hands in front of his mouth,"Haru meet your sister, her name Mio" Daichi gently placed Haruto on the bed,"Why is she so tiny?" he asked removing his hands from his mouth," Because she was a little bit early and you were small as well when you were born", Haruto cocked his head,"Was I this tiny?", Daichi chuckled and rubbed his son's hair, he looked at his mom who was filming the whole thing on her phone with a big smile,"Are you glad you got a sister?" you asked making him nod,"Can I hold her?" he asked carefully,"Sit on your bum and stretch your legs out" Daichi instructed Haruto following suit, Daichi carefully lifted Mio from your grasp and placed in Haruto's, he placed Haruto's hand under her head for support but he kept his hand under his son's hand for extra support,"For someone so small she is heavy" he muttured making you chuckle,"Haru, now that you are big brother you need to protect your sister, will you do that?" Haruto nodded,"I won't let people be mean to her like people are mean to me, only nice people can be near her" he said making your heart melt,"Don't worry about mean people, you be joining Uncle Suga in his class" Daichi said lifting Mio back into his arms fully,"Really? yay" he smiled making you kiss his head.

*few week timeskip*

You were walking around the house looking for Haruto when you heard a soft voice coming from the baby's bedroom."Shh Mio, don't cry, I'm here your save so don't cry" he said as he leaned over the crib in an attempt to wipe his sister's tears,"Or maybe you are crying not because you are hungry, I get mommy" he said gently settling down on the floor and rushing out the room nearly knocking you out,"Mommy, Mio is hungry she is crying" he said grabbing your hand, Mio small was scrunched up in a frown tears polling in her big eyes and rolling down her chubby cheek," I feed her, it's time for you to eat as well, food is in the kitchen, your father made it....with some help" you said noticing your son hesitated look,”But I don’t want to leave her” you rubbed your sons head,”Nothing will hurt her Haru, go eat” he sighed and slowly walked to the kitchen.

“Hey there buddy, I hope your hungry” Daichi smiled,” What did you make?” Haruto said sitting down on his chair,” Fried chicken burgers, I followed the recipe carefully” Daichi said placing the colour plate in front of his son.

After dinner and watching his show he brushed his teeth and got on his pjs. Haruto walked over to his bookshelf and pulled his favourite book out and held it tight against his chest before walking towards his sisters room. Mio was still awake hypnotised by the baby Mobil above him, it was Haruto old baby mobile. “Mio this is my favourite book, it’s about Dragons” he said excited holding the book through the crib bars, Mio reached her small outs for the book.” I get Daddy to read it out for us, he always makes funny voices for each character” Haruto said excitedly.

Haruto and Mio sat/laid on Daichi’s lap as he read the book, Mio was fascinated with the colour pages of the book, not interested in anyway in what Daichi’s is saying, meanwhile Haruto slowly falling asleep to his father voice.

“That’s such a cute sight to see” you said seeing both Mio and Haruto asleep in Daichi’s arms,” I get Mio if you want to put Haru to bed” Daichi nodded, I carefully lifted Mio into my arms, she curled into my chest smacking her lips slightly. Daichi carefully closed the book and placed it on the floor before lifting Haruto into a comfortable position to carry.

Daichi placed Haruto into his dragon themed bed, “ sleep tight buddy” Daichi whispered kissing his temple, he placed his favourite plush in Haruto’s arm.Meanwhile you did the same with Mio. You carefully left the room carefully and where met with Daichi who smiled tiredly at you,” Let’s get comfortable and watch some movies”,” I would love that Dai, our kids are amazing but having two now takes a bit more energy” Daichi nodded,” Yeah I thought it be easier as we aren’t teenagers anymore but I guess we did have my parents help more than then we do now” he said kissing your cheek.

Mio= Beautiful/Cherry Blossom/Thread (Japanese)

[sidhewrites]

Seventeen! I've got all these notes about how I want Mr. Ngo to be more involved, and that he deserves to also be a Graveyard Lesbian but I can't figure out exactly where he'd fit in so for now, he's a supporting character instead.

Fun fact number 2 this is going very different than intended, where MagnusRenfield was going to get major spooky powers that would allow him to open up a portal to the spirit world and suck the town into it.

I uh...don't think that's gonna happen anymore but we'll see how it goes.

Project Info

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

There's no such luck waiting for me. A light's on in the front office, with Mr. Ngo waiting for me.  Mr Ngo is waiting for me. I'm exhausted as it is, and I brace myself for a proper chewing out. "Good morning."

"Hiya boss. You're here early."

"Everything okay at home?"

"It, uh..." I rub my arms, feeling the gauze under my sweater's sleeves, and shrug. "It's been a time."

"It seems like it. Maybe you should take another day off. Come back when you're ready."

Something in his tone sets me on edge, heart leaping to my throat. "No -- no, it's fine. I'm fine, I can--"

"Kaz," he says. "I had a weird message on the answering machine yesterday. I'm very worried about you."

Oh no, I think, and try to smile. “What’s up?”

"Those nice people who filmed here the other day, they say you’re calling them and want them to come back."

"I..."

"Kaz, that's very unlike you. What's going on? Do you know how unprofessional that is? "

I know. I know it is. But I don’t know how to sit down and explain to him that not only are ghosts apparently real, but that Mick and Lourdes accidentally summoned an evil one and it’s now possessing my ex girlfriends cat except they thought they were talking to my new kind of girlfriend, who, it turns out, is also a ghost and I’m somehow a medium caught up in the middle of this. “I can explain,” I lie. I have no idea how to explain any of it.

"Kaz."

"Mr. Ngo, listen... things -- it's..." I falter.

He sighs, and puts a hand on my shoulder. "Go get some rest, Kaz. You look like you haven't slept in days. I can handle the graveyard until you're feeling better."

"No -- no, Mr. Ngo, please. I'm fine, really -- I...It won't happen again, I promise. It--"

"Kaz." He looks almost sad. "Get some rest. You've been working very hard lately. I think it would be good to spend less time among the dead, and a bit more among the living for a few days."

I want to argue. I want to beg forgiveness. I want to fall to the ground and tell him everything, if only so he'd stop looking at me like that. But I don't.  I do as I'm told. I apologize one more time, and then I go home, dragging my sorry ass back to the apartment, and fall right back into bed to sleep as long as I possibly could. Somehow, I sleep through the day again -- the week of all-nighters finally catching up to me, and only stir hours later, when the familiar sound of kitty feet patter across the floor.

Renfield doesn't get the zoomies often anymore, but it happens occasionally. I'll wake up in the middle of the night, waddling around like a wild animal, traveling at the speed of slow. He takes his little ramp up to the bed, pounces on my foot, and meeps for attention. Just like always, I roll over and mumble out a little, "Go to sleep, little boy."

Renfield pads across the bed again, leaps down to the ground, and waddles out, then back in and up onto the bed once more to tap my face.

"C'mon, baby," I mumble, still half asleep as he trots around the apartment. "I'll get you breakfast in an hour."

"It's not breakfast I'm looking for."

Suddenly I'm wide awake. Renfield sits there, fur almost glowing in the light that shines in from the street outside, eyes glowing yellow. "Good morning, dear Kaz. It's been far too long."

"Jesus fuck!" I bolt up, nearly falling off the bed. He doesn't move, just watching me scrabble uselessly for a second before I find purchase and leap to my feet.

"Are you done?"

"What the fuck!" I shout.

Magnus sighs. "Let me know when you're done with the hysterics. I have a proposal."

"Leave my cat alone."

"That's part of the plan."

"What? Wait -- but--"

"How am I here? Please." He makes a show of licking his paw, letting me get a good look at the dried blood around his mouth.

"Did you...You didn't..."

"I'm an expedient man, Kaz. I had to get out the door somehow."

[Something.]

"Here's the deal, dearest Kaz. There's something interesting going on lately. The moon's getting full, and I'm pleased to find out what day it is. In a few days, it'll be Hallow's eve, and I have a few suspicions. I don't need much from you, of course. Just get me outside, into the crowds. I'll take care of the rest."

But before he can say more, his strength wanes. Renfield's pupils dilate once more, and he returns to himself. He's confused again, not sure how he got there.

I pick up my phone right away and call Josie. "I think we're running out of time."

Tag List

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@halfbloodlycan

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[angel-shaw]

Im working on chapter two for my Prince Sam/Knight Darlin fic and i need some ideas for how to continue

@darlin-collins Chapter Two - Babysitting 

Tank walked into the common area of the space they shared with  the other knights. It was well past dark so most of the others were sleeping by now, save those who had the night watch and slept during the day. As they made their way to their quarters someone cleared their throat, alluring Tank to their pressiense.

When they turned they saw another knight, David. They worked with David as well as grew up with him and a few others in the guard or serventry. 

“What are you still doing awake David?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing, I know you had a meeting with the royals but I also know when it ended.”

Tank took a deep breath, annoyed that David went out of his way to snoop, “Well as it's a personal matter it doesn't concern you, but seeing how stubborn you are…I went to pay Prince Samual a visit. To explain what my new job was and to try and start off on the right foot.”

“Well?” David said pushing himself off the wall he was leaning on to walk with tank back to their shared bunker space.

“Well what?”

“How'd it go? You get off on the right foot?”

“.....no…he hates me.” 

Before David could answer they reached their door and it was swung open by yet another guard.

“Oh my goshhh you guys are finally back. I was starting to wonder if you were shifted to the night watch gezzeeee,” Asher said as the two of them were tugged into the room. 

The room wasn’t huge, but it was big enough for the sleeping arrangements, Bunk beds, a couch, as well as a comfy chair and a TV. It sure wasn't home but it was nice, a lot nicer then where they used to live. 

Ash dragged the two of them over to his bunk, plopping down on it, dragging David down with him but failing to drag tank down. 

“Ash!” David scolded the still laughing asher.

Tank rolled their eyes and jumped up to climb onto their upper bunk, legs of the bed swinging slightly. Ash finally stopped laughing and David was able to sit up. 

“Soooo, how was your guys' day? I know Tank you were assigned to something, you were pulled off your post with me for what i'm guessing was a meeting with the royals.”

Tank sighed, “Ya I got assigned to babysit. King William is getting really worried about all the attacks near the town, even though none from our kingdom has been hurt yet that's most likely only because they have been lucky, or not stupid enough to not travel an unlit road at night.”

“Unlit road? I thought all the roads were lit up? After the,” Asher paused trying to figure out how to word it, “Attack, Willam, “

“King William, ash,” David interrupted.

Ash rolled his eyes but didn't stop his sentence, “made sure that all of the roads were properly lit and maintained so there was no way something like it could be gotten away with again.”

“He did but apparently he doesn't have full control of the road because it leads to that one kingdom,”

“The ones we’re at odds with because of the one creep?”

“Ya, what was his name again? Kide or something,” Ash asked after David interrupted.

“I try not to think about the creep, Code or something similar, Oh Kody thats the fucks name!” 

Tank looked pleased with themselves for figuring it out, but Kody did not come with good memories. They all still remembered the things Kody did and it still sent a flash of anger and disgust between them. The three of the plus milo had all agreed that if Kody stepped back into the kingdom without a damn good reason and one of them found him, they would leave a bit of him for the rest of them to take care of.

The three of them sat there for a few seconds in the memory of the creep until Tank continued their explanation.

“But ya, because the king is still being pissy with us because of it all he's dragging his feet with allowing lights to go up, but the second we try to do it ourselves he sends a billion complaints and very thinly veiled threats. A warning was sent out so none of our people have been hurt but travelers as well as visitors who don't know have been. If I'm being honest, if we aren't able to get the lights up soon and start to monitor it, I bet that whatever is attacking will move further and it will start attacking people in the town. I think Will th-,”

“King William.”  

“-inks that too, which is how I've come to my new baby sitting job.”

“Who are you babysitting? Not…” Ash trailed off.

“No not alexis, thank god for that, they are going to be guarding Prince Sam,” David said 

Ash sighed, “Well that's good, I haven't really talked to him but I know he's nowhere as bad as the others. Why, though? He has the protection of every knight in the castle. Why are you his personal one?”

“Because he just got permission to go out into town, you know how his parents are, even though will-,” They held up their hand to stop David from interrupting again, “King william,” They corrected, “is fine with his kids going out into town with guards, his parents are just now allowing him to go out with a guard but only if i'm his personal Knight.

Ash growned and threw his arm over his eyes, “damnn talk about annoying! That means you're probably gonna be wayyy more busy!”

“Probably. I can't believe I actually agreed to it. I should at least try to sleep or at least rest because I have to go wake him up in the morning because according to his parents if someone doesnt wake him up he doesn't wake up till after lunch.”

“Maybe he does wake and just doesn't come out till he has to,” David said as he got up from Asher's bed, “ But ya, either way we all should be getting a decent amount of rest.”

           : The next morning :

When Tank woke up to their internal alarm clock at the ass crack of dawn they knew they had some time before they had to go and wake the prince. So they decided to quickly shower and get ready for the day. Their armor wasn't a full suit, it was mostly thicker cloths that they could move fast in that provided a decent amount of protection. That's not saying they didn't have any metal on them in certain places but they could at least partially look normal if they needed. That was until they added their sword seeth and the other various weapons that they figured they needed. 

If needed they would change into heavier armor later but for now it was good enough. They made their way outside, deciding to spend their little free time training. A little before the sun rose they made their way into the castle. They know their way around the castle by now, having been working in and around it for so long, they know which staircases to go around and how to get around to certain places the fastest, even when avoiding specific halls,people, and places. 

They reach the hall and go to the prince's door. Taking a deep breath they knocked on the door, not expecting an answer quite yet but to their surprise the door is ripped open to reveal an annoyed looking prince. 

“What do you want al- Oh…it's you,” The annoyed look on the prince's face disappeared the second he saw it was them, though a different one quickly took his face over instead. 

“Good morning Prince, I wasn't expecting for you to be awake yet,” They said.

“What did my parents tell you that I'm not capable of waking myself up? Actually, don't answer that, I know the answer already. I'm guessing now that you know I'm up I'm sure your ‘orders’,” The prince held up in fingers and used finger quotes, “ are going to make you stay here anyway so come on in. I would rather you stay in my room rather than just standing outside my door.”

He moves back from the door allowing for the knight to enter his room. He closes the door behind them and walks to one of the chairs in the spaceshes room, plopping down in one of the two chairs. 

The Knight just stands there as the Prince looks at them, they both look at each other as the minutes pass, the tensen in the room could have been cut with a knife. 

Prince Sam sighed and looked away first, “I'm sorry.” 

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the shock run though the Knights body, their stance stiffening and breath hitching as they looked at him as if he told them was going to light the room on fire and jump out the window but ass nude. 

“You don't need to look so shocked. I…I know when i fuck up and ill take responsibility for it. So, i'm sorry for how i talked to you last night. It wasn't fair for me to direct my anger about the situation onto you. I'm guessing you didn't have much choice in the matter either and you're not exactly thrilled about having to babysit one of the princes. You didn't deserve how i talked to you, your just doin’ your job and i was bein’ cruel to you because of it. I'm sorry.” 

When he looked back at the Kight standing in his room their eyes were trained on the floor, seemingly trying to figure out how to respond to his apology. He wouldn't blame them for calling him an asshole and moving on but he got the sense that them being upset at him wasn't the reason for their silence and uncomfortably stiff stance. 

“I understand that me being a prince and you being a knight might mean you have to show me respect and all that,” He started, shifting his body to face them in the chair, “but me being a prince doesn't mean when i ask out of line i just get away with it, the exact opposite actually. I need to acknowledge when I make a mistake and apologize for it. You don't deserve to be uncomfortable in my presence, especially because now you are going to be in it alot. I will always acknowledge when I am wrong. I understand that coming from your perspective this can be alot, seeing as how alot of royals and people in power tend to use the power to ignore their wrong doings and push it onto the people below them. I would like to work with you, not against you. So from now on I want you to call me out on when I'm out of line.”

The Knight looked shocked, but slowly as the two of them looked at each other he could see their shoulders start to relax a little bit. 

“Thank you, Prince Sam,” They said simply.

He could tell they had more to say but were hesitant to say it. 

“Please, sit down. You don't have to stand all the time, and we aren't being watched by anyone so it doesn't matter,’’ He said, gesturing to the open seat. 

They nod hesitantly before walking over and taking a seat. 

“You can be honest, I'm not going to get upset. I want you to speak freely around me,” Sam could see how they were debating with themselves. 

“Thank you Prince Sam, you are correct. I am not used to being apologized to especially by those in higher power than me. I appreciate it,” They said, their words being chosen carefully. 

The Prince smiled and the Knight smiled back. 

The two fell back into the quiet, this time it being more comfortable. As the two sat there the prince reached for a book sitting on a small table next to the chair, and the knight started to look around the room.   

This is what i have so far, please drop suggestions! 

[late-to-the-magnus-archives]

Self-Indulgent Fic Snippet: Corruption

Tim Stoker. Who is legitimately magical?

The King in Yellow. Made vulnerable?

Kayne.

Fear gods.

Getrude Robinson.

A Whole Freaking Mess.

There's a threesome except it's really not?

P.S. This is not explicit. Just Tim Remembering Stuff that did not go the way he thought.

-------------------

What’s happening? John gasps. Where’s… what’s happening?

Tim gasps, too. He can see.

Which maybe means John cannot?

The hangar is huge, and almost entirely rusted orange. It’s not too dark; both front and back walls have been completely torn out, though it’s anyone’s guess if that happened before the devil got here. Rusted-out farm equipment and random junk lie all over the place, and Tim really hopes his tetanus shot is up to date.

What a stupid thing to think. He’s not surviving this.

And also? The devil is a guy.

Just… a guy, a man, just crouching there, wearing an absolutely boring suit with the shirt slightly unbuttoned, all of it rumpled as if he’d been out all night drinking to celebrate The Business Deal.

If not for his bare feet, which seem to be smoking, he’d be nearly unremarkable.

“Oh, he’s really freaking out now,” the guy purrs, and smiles like a hurricane. “I should’ve done this with the other one! Place swap! Ooh, maybe I should give him your body?”

“What?” says Tim, voice cracking.

The guy’s face… twitches. It’s not a good look. It matches his words exactly, conflict and amusement and rage. “Fuckin’... John. You had to go and make me laugh. Damn it.” He gets up and starts pacing again.

Tim stares at him. 

That is obviously not this guy’s body. No fucking way - but he moves it well.

He moves like a tiger. It’s not human motion; it’s too smooth, too controlled, like he’s made of power and violence. 

Tim would absolutely have hit on him in a pub. 

He suddenly wonders if he has hit on (and succeeded) with non-human things in a bar.

“You have,” says the laughing beast without even looking at him.

“How do you know?” says Tim. “Wait. You?” 

The devil laughs. “Sweet summer child. No. You’re alive and sane (though they’re both not a given at the moment), which is not a thing after I have had my way. So, no. You have not been fucked by me. Also, I just got here! New kid on the block!”

Just got there. 

Because of the book that Tim opened.

“Oh, gods,” Tim moans.

What? What’s happening? says John in a panic. 

“Oh, and sweetums? Call me Kayne. Not that I hate the laughing beast (better believe that’s going on some booty shorts), but the titles are getting distracting.” And then he grabs Tim’s rope and drags him across the uneven, littered ground.

The cleat hooks catch on things. They dig in. Tim cries out.

Then Kayne tosses him onto the manky old armchair, and a cloud of spores or whatever the hell rises.

Tim coughs, choking.

What? What’s going on? John demands.

Kayne flops in front of Tim, elbows digging into his thighs, chin propped on hands, and beams up at him.

Eyes watering, Tim freezes.

“So, my darling yellow coward… how’ve you been?” says the devil, says Kayne, who apparently intends to drag this out.

John makes that low, wordless sound.

It is not a good sound.

It’s terror, vocalized.

Tim doesn’t know why he speaks up, except that no one deserves to be treated this way, even if they are fucking Cthulhu. “He’s scared shitless of you. He can’t fucking answer.”

“Are you scared shitless of me, then?”

“Uh, yeah?” Tim can’t help the sarcasm.

“But you’re talking. He’s not.”

“Maybe I talk when I’m scared,” says Tim, which is true. “Besides - you said he’s been running away for two thousand years. Give him a minute.”

Kayne snorts at him. “Hey, want to know what you fucked?” he says, and Tim is smacked in the brain with memory.

Of the adorable couple in the pub in Fairfield, positively impish smiles, getting all his jokes - 

Of the three of them coming together like some wild spring bloom, all different petals and colors and all grassy-sweet - 

And Tim’s memory, all him, of Carlin inside him and Darcy on top, of a rare and beautiful intimacy of no-holds-barred and everybody satisfied, of laughing in the bedroom (Tim loves that best) and top-ten-orgasms-ever territory - 

And then, Tim sees what it really was.

Not a couple at all. Not human at all. Some kind of long, moss-covered thing, with deer’s antlers and an emotionless human face, with many openings and a segmented body and at least ten arms with hands on each, pinning him down and fucking him stupid (and being fucked, too, which somehow matters?), and lifting a scorpion tail above him, ready to strike - 

So clearly about to kill him, stretching him out, tail poised right over his willingly exposed throat -

And Tim, being Tim, laughing in the middle of illusory bliss and saying, “Happy birthday to me!”

And the thing (Male? Female? Did it even fit in one category?) just out of curiosity saying in a dual voice, “Is it your birthday?”

And Tim, being Tim, nerves singing, brain ringing, saying, “Naw, but if it was, I’d sell tickets.”

And the thing… laughs.

Because Tim bleeds charm, and Tim is weirdly cute, and the way Tim says this is so ridiculously endearing that the scorpion tail retracts, disappears, is put away.

The thing still takes its pleasure from him, but he doesn’t die.

And in his memory, he felt besotted, and then sad as the couple (not a couple, not at all a couple) told him they had a good time, but they were just passing through, and they left before he woke.

What? says John, sounding shell-shocked. A Sela? No! He doesn’t have antlers. I would have noticed!

“It would’ve given me antlers?” says Tim weakly.

“Nope! Hastur went stupid for a moment and thought you weren’t human. See, what the Sela does is take your seed, give you its seed, and then it kills you! Stabs you through the throat so your blood can water things. Then you become a tree, and it gives birth to a thing that looks like you, but with antlers. When it grows up, the cycle begins again.”

From nowhere comes the light piano theme of The More You Know.

Okay, Tim has stroked out and this isn’t happening. Cannot be happening. Cannot. “Oh, of course that’s what it does. Naturally, should have guessed.”

“You really do talk when you’re scared, don’t you? And no, you’re not stroking out, but that’s an idea. Bet you’d both love that,” says Kayne.

No, says John, which is when Tim finally grasps that Kayne showed this memory to him, too. The Sela doesn’t spare people. This is bullshit.

“Yet it did. And who the fuck are you to argue, anyway? Hey, Timmy. Hey. Do you want to know what Hastur was doing today?”

Tim is busy being so grateful for condoms he almost misses the question. “He… was going to take my body?”

“Pfft, hahaha!” says Kayne. “I mean, Yeah, he was leaning toward it, but guess what? He made himself an arbitrary roadblock.”

John is silent.

It takes Tim a moment. “What are you talking about?”

“He likes you. He set a bar for magic ability that’s really absurd, and had decided if you weren’t gods-damn Merlín, he wouldn’t go through with it - all couched under the guise of not good enough for him.”

They’re both silent.

Kayne rises and speaks right against his ear. “Then you opened the book and damned him. You just know he’d thought better of you, right?”

Tim feels sick. Shamed. “I don’t know why I did it.”

“Uh-huh, we’ll get to that. Hey, John. Did you even notice yet? Did you? No… so fucking self-centered. He got marked, mon petit roi, while you were dicking around playing Humane Society.”

What? says John, sounding startled. Nonsense, I would have -

John makes a choked noise.

“Marked?” says Tim, thinking bruises, cuts -

“By a god-eating entity of complete and utterly personal destruction,” says Kayne. “By the one who Consumes All. By That Which Sets Ablaze to treasured things, feeds that fire with its flesh, and laughs all the way to ash and ruin.”

And Tim feels… a flutter.

An echoed anger, a whispered call to finish what he’d already started.

That is not his desire.

Yet it sort of is. It’s his hopelessness turned to poison, his pain weaponized, his blunt-edged anger bent to hammer-headed rage.

“Fun, right? I’ve never seen the Desolation called to someone because of something inside their own body. He loses control of that again, you’re both dead, and I’m pretty sure it’ll hurt.” 

Kayne sounds like he just saw an intriguing trailer for a movie.

What are you going to do to me? And that voice, John’s voice, is so afraid that it dumps water on that rising alien rage.

“Kill you! But oh, you know what’s really funny? I might not have if you hadn’t run. Might’ve ignored you. Or just hurt you for a few centuries. I didn’t particularly care, Hastur - until you ran. Until you actually thought you could get away from me. Until you had the gall to stay hidden.”

Tim is shaking by the end of this, even though it’s not directed at him.

The malevolence in every word is like spider legs, crawling all over him, tips of fangs just pricking his flesh and threatening venom.

John (Hastur, whoever) makes that low groan again.

Tim isn’t sure what to do.

The simmering rage wants to poke, to tease the spiders so they sink their fangs in.

The quivering fear wants to stay silent in hopes only John dies today.

Neither of those are who he wants to be.

Who he thought he was by default until all of this - a good guy, just one of the good ones, someone people could trust in a pinch, who didn’t molest or steal or ever hurt another person.

So it turns out that isn’t him. 

When things got bad, he grew so angry that he opened the book, knowing others would suffer.

Disgust at himself is just one more wiggling worm thrown into the bucket of himself, but he can deal with it later. For now, he can at least try to do one good thing.

“Sounds boring,” he says.

John doesn’t have a body to stiffen, but he sure gives that impression, anyway.

“Oh really,” says Kayne.

Kayne probably heard that entire thought process.

Tim decides to act on the assumption that he has. “Seems to me the movie trailer would be the more entertaining option. Better than just canceling the show mid-season.”

John’s bafflement almost tickles, it’s so strong, and Tim suddenly wonders why he can feel John’s moods, but apparently, John can’t feel his.

You’d think the guy kipping in his body would have a better chance of hearing his thoughts.

“You know, you are charming?” says Kayne as if the words smell bad. “Kind of wholesome. If I’d just found you wandering along the side of the road, I would absolutely hit you with a truck and never look back.”

“Even with the Desolation thingummy?” says Tim. “Thought that was a good plot twist.”

Kayne laughs, low. “You don’t even know what that means yet - but you know, you have a point? In that case, I’d rile you up and drop you in the middle of an orphanage. Thing is, that’s not all you’ve got going for you. Don’t forget your cowardly passenger.” 

Fuck, is he serious? But Tim knows he is. Burning children might be funny to this guy.

There is, from nowhere, a sudden smell of burning meat.

Tim gags.

What’s happening? demands whatever his name is.

“If it hadn’t got you, this would already be over,” says Kayne. “I don’t do reruns. I already saw this show. Cancellation was so…. Mmmm. Fucking good.” And he shudders, eyes lidded, violently illicit. “As it is, Timmy, you’re right - I haven’t decided.”

You killed him, says John, so very quietly.

Him? thinks Tim.

“I did. Eventually, I’m going to kill you, too. The only question is whether it’s now.”

John is silent.

“Nothing? Heh. All right. It’s time for Final Jeopardy.” Kayne leans in.

Tim rears back.

“Hastur,” says Kayne. “The truth, now. Why did you use ‘John?’” And, very low: “If you lie, or if you hold the truth back, it’s over. Right here, right now.”

Tim can’t help him with this one.

Kayne pats his cheek. “No, you really can’t. Be quiet. Hastur. I’m waiting.”

I…

“The. Truth.”

Vicious words, absolutely cold. Merciless.

Because I miss him, John whispers, and in the end, he never needed me at all.

Tim’s eyes go wide.

A spouse?

Something else?

There’s a another feeling in there, now. John - Hastur, whoever - might be crying?

“Gods, you are making some faces,” says Kayne to Tim. “All right - I’ll accept that answer. It’s close enough, and it hurt you to say, which, let’s be fair, is what I was after. So!” He claps his hands.

It causes thunder. Big, booming.

As if the universe is responding to whatever Kayne’s decided.

“Starting tomorrow, you begin a countdown. And starting today, I have a whole new world to play in here that I have utterly ignored because the gods were gone,” says Kayne.

“What?” says Tim, because what?

“Shh. And I have you two, which could have been boring… except you’ve both already fucked it up. You’re infected.” He tweaks Tim’s nose, making his eyes water. “He’s evil.” He pokes Tim in the chest, but it’s John who grunts. “The entities that dwell here are very interested to munch on a deity they haven’t tasted yet. I wonder how long you can stay alive?”

Tim stares. “What?” he says.

“I wouldn’t count on him to do it,” says Kayne to Hastur. “That infection is going to get him. You know that.” And he smiles. “Going to eat up that goodness, burn that wholesome charm like kindling. It’s a matter of time. You get to lose him. Slowly. No matter what you do.”

Tim doubts very highly that’s much of a motivator.

“And you are going to be stupid enough to think he can change, or is changing, or come to be trustworthy. You’ll grieve, and try to save him, and give yourself away, and it’ll be a stupid, selfless mess. Yuck.” Kayne taps his chin. “Honestly, I know how it’ll go. It sounds dull. I’ve seen this before. It’s TV tropes all over. Still…”

Tim stays quiet. Very still.

He’s sure, somehow, that anything he does right now will tip the scales the wrong way.

“See, right there,” says Kayne. “There is something here I don’t understand. You shouldn’t be picking up on his moods. You shouldn’t be guessing how I feel and adjusting accordingly. You shouldn’t have instincts like that. But you do.” He flicks Tim’s forehead.

“Ow!” 

“Something I can’t… quite see, and that might make it interesting? Might. Fuck, there’s not enough audience for this - and like I said, I don’t do repeats. I mean - I am going to kill you, Hastur. You know that. Don’t you? Come on, now, be honest!”

I know, whispers John.

“Do you want a stay of execution?” says Kayne so sweetly it’s stomach-turning.

Yes, whispers John.

Tim’s pretty sure if Kayne offered John an extra week of life in exchange for Tim’s right now, he’d do it. He swallows.

“You’re not on the table, Timmy. You’re the only part of this that might be interesting. Of course, if I’m wrong, and you’re not, fuck it. I’ll just kill you anyway. But you’re lucky, Timmy. Ask me why, Timmy. Ask me why.”

This might as well happen. “Okay. Why?”

“Because I don’t care about you. You didn’t make me mad.”

John is… trembling?

“See, right there. You can’t do that. Shouldn’t be able to feel that. This is… intriguing.” Kayne grips Tim’s hair tightly and looks him in the eye. “Nope. Don’t see the cause. Weeeeell… try not to bore me, you two. Oh, and don’t get eaten, since I’m pretty sure that would be as bad? Who am I kidding - I don’t even have a storyboard. Ciao!”

And Kayne is just… gone?

Just gone. 

After rambling madly and threatening and being absolutely horrifying, just gone.

“What the fuck just happened?” Tim demands, and realizes he’s still tied.

[madmarchhare]

Changes a Man Chapter 4

Here is Chapter 4 of the story featuring Caine Molinpier and Yul Svern! Hope you all enjoy!

CHAPTER 4: THE ALL CLEAR

The sky was a beautiful spattering of warm colours. People always forgot how beautiful the sky could be, they were so often set on looking at the things that were past it, rather than appreciating what was there. The soft pinks that bled into reds and oranges, fringed by the last remaining washes of blue that filled the tired sky. I could spend an entire day staring up at the sky, watching every little detail as it all buckled, billowed and blustered or simply was still. I had attempted the task once during one day of school, and was having a lovely time, but it was rudely interrupted by my philosophy teacher finding me laying on the roof of the maths building. My ears still ached from him dragging me all the way to the headmasters’ office.  All four of them now, which did not help with the ringing the suddenly were shouting at my head as my blood rushed around my body.

I gulped down air, my breathing getting rekey as adrenaline slowly flited itself from my senses. I felt twitchy, full of energy that I needed to burn off, yet I also felt absolutely exhausted. My legs ached, and my head felt heavy, sleep hanging itself over my head and dragging at me, yet failing to pull me into her embrace.

In short, I was fucking tired, but couldn’t sleep.

I pulled myself up to sit, looking around over to Yul. He was sat on the grass a few feet from me. He was staring down at his feet, trying to steady his breathing, adrenaline evidently done playing with the boy. She was a cruel mistress, Adrenaline. She provided you with such energy and excitement, but always left you quite exhausted and sore. A friends of mine knew a woman like that once, she was rather fun at parties.

I pulled myself to my feet, feeling them shudder underneath me, my muscles aching from the strain. I could feel all of them in my legs as I moved, which I did not appreciate considering how new they were. I had enough things to worry about. I walked over to Yul, kicking my concerns to the side. He didn’t notice me for a second until I snapped my fingers in front of his face, good I could still do that, making him snap out of it.

“Hwah?” He slurred out, shaking his head before turning up to look at me. Well, not up really, more sort of parallel. Damm that devil woman.

“You alright?” I asked him, which he answered with a nod, “it’s going to get dark soon, so we should head to your village, were is it, I can’t see i-” I added, but then stopped at I turned around, seeing the outline of the village just behind us, “Oh. Well that’s coinvent at the very least.” Yul pulled himself to his feet, taking a deep breath as he brushed himself off, then started off for the village. I followed after him, but then he suddenly began to run towards the village. I dared after him, grabbing him by the back of his vest and pulling him back.

“What are doing?!” I snapped to him, the boy turning to me with an expression that quite clearly said ‘what the fuck do you think’.

“I’m going back to my village!” He growled back, his voice stern.

“Your village was just under enemy occupation! We need to do reconnaissance before we just, stroll right on in!” I snapped back, looking at him seriously, getting a grim look in response.

“Yeah, and that enemy was you!” He replied lowly, jabbing his finger into my chest.

“So who would know more about it then.” I stated, looking at him flatly, far to tired to deal with his attitude. He looked at me silently for a moment, a frustrated look on his face, before averting his gaze.

“Fine,” he finally replied, grumbling to himself. I nodded to him then gestured for him to follow me.  I got low to the ground, much easier now than before, and approached the village from the side, zigzagging down the field to the side of a barn on one side of the settlement. The grass was long, being left untended. The side of the barn was pockmarked on one side by a dozen or so bullet holes, the wood shattering around the wounds. I dared a look into the barn, peering into the barn quickly. It was empty, filled with overturned crates, ransacked and looted for their contents, and right down the centre of the floor, and spattered on one side of the wall, as a great pool of blood. Whether it was by our soldiers or others didn’t really matter, but, the question was always something you had to ask.

I moved forward and tried the door tentatively, not wanting to rattle it too loudly. It moved slightly but seemed to catch on a latch. I put my hand through one of the holes in the door and lifted the latch, the narrow door falling open, creaking slightly. I gestured for Yul to follow, and he followed silently after me, a sour look on his face contrasting his obedience. I slinked low to the floor as I came in, darting my eyes around the room for any hidden soldiers or traps. The room seemed clear so I strode over to the other side of the barn, and peaked through a crack in the large door. The street outside was quite, the houses all dark, bar a single window on a small, tumble-down old house on the left side of the village.

I turned around to Yul to tell him, but then I saw him standing over the pool of blood. His face was tight, fear and panic breaking across his face as he stared down at it, his mouth hung in disbelief, his eyes darting about an empty space in front of him. I darted over to him, grabbing him by the shirt and putting my ha-paw- over his eyes.

“Don’t think about it.” I said firmly, looking up at him, “it’s worse if you think about it. Just put it to the side, and remember who’s left, or who you��ll meet.” He slowed his breathing after a moment, then bit his lip, spinning around to look away from the blood. I regarded him for a moment, as he stood still his shoulders arched up as he clenched his fists.

“The man who owned this barn was nice, so was his son. Why would they do this to nice people?” he asked harshly, “why would you?”

“Would any answer be good enough?” I replied hollowly, turning and walking back over to the door, nudging it open slightly. As I did there was a great clatter as a bunch of rakes and shovels fell onto the street. I pulled the door closed, watching the one lit window for movement, straining my ears for any noise. After half a minuet, nothing happened, so I nudged the door open again, gesturing for Yul to follow. I slinked along the side of the building, Yul following on after, then dashed behind houses toward the one with the singular light. The village was empty, abandoned buckets and wagons strewn about in the dimming streets. Bar from the barn, there were no obvious signs of a fight, though a few broken windows did catch my eye.

We came up to the house, pressing my back to a wall as I listened out for any noise. Silence. I turned to look at Yul, still wearing a sour look on his face, “do you know who lives in this house?” I asked, surprising him slightly.

“Uhhh,” he replied, looking up as he seemed to root though his own memories, “I don’t think so no?” he replied, his voice a mix between apologetic and confused.

“Right,” I replied tiredly, dropping my head out of agitation, feeling my tail flick as I did. Nope, don’t like that! Don’t think about it! I slinked around the corner of the house, coming up to the front door. I looked down at my new claws as I approached it, flexing my fingers, as I did. I suppose they would do as a weapon. I kept low to the ground as I nudged the door, the planked door slipping quietly from the frame. I strained my ears for a moment, waiting to see if anyone had reacted to the door. Nothing. I quickly turned back to Yul and gestured for him to stay put, then crept inside.

The hall was short, barely coming in five paces before it stopped at a small little door at its end, bisected by two open thresholds into the other sides of the house. It was dim, lacking any lights in the hall, leaving a now barren coatrack in near darkness. Well, it ought to if it weren’t for my eyes. I kept myself flat to the wall, still listening for the sound of life in the building. I heard breathing from the lit room, the darkened room completely silent. I crept closer to the frame, and peaked in. The room was small, and quite low, wooden beams jutting down from the ceiling into the room, the whole enclave thrown into disarray, half sorted back before it seemed the task was abandoned. And finally, sat just by the window in a large leather chair was a on old man. He was shortish, a trait exaggerated by his chair, with messy white hair. He squinted down at a small novel he held in one hand as he left the other limp on the arm of the chair, holding the book under the light of a rusty old paraffin lamp that was sat on the window.

“Mr Jehrico?!” I suddenly heard someone yell from next to me, as I snapped my head up to look at Yul who was stood in full view of the doorframe as I stared up at him in stunned disbelief.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I whispered to him, gritting my teeth, grabbing at him to pull him back when the man in the chair turned around to look at us.

“Yul!” standing up from the chair and coming over, a warm smile on his face. Yul strode forward too and was embraced by the man. I looked at the scene complimenting all the ways that could have ended quite badly. The boy will get me killed, I’m sure of it. “You’re alright, oh I was worried you’d got lost in the woods!” Jehrico added, releasing Yul down onto the ground. He was spindly, bar a pot-belly bound in a tired leather belt. His face was wrinkled by the pages of time, his squinting eyes sunk slightly into his face. He wore a clean white shirt underneath a flannel jacket, along with a pair of matching trousers, marked and un-ironed. He seemed pleasant enough, and he knew Yul. But, that didn’t mean much.

“I was waiting for mom and dad. They said they would come and get me but…” Yul replied, trailing off slightly. I ducked back behind the wall, looking at the opposite wall of the hall.

“You mean they didn’t come get you?” Jehrico replied, concern clear in his voice, “I thought they would have gone and got you as soon as the soldiers evacuated them from the village.” His voice trailing off as he finished.

“Where is everyone?” Yul suddenly asked, “what happened?”

“Oh, well, our soldiers came through and told us to evacuate the town for our own safety. Most people went, but I stayed. I don’t have long anyway, so I’d like to be at home when I go.” They were both silent for a moment, the old man's words hanging in the air, bouncing off the disturbed dust of his past. Coating his ransacked and robbed home.

“Who did this? Was it our soldiers or was it…” Yul asked, his voice uncertain he mouthed out the question.

“Does it really matter?” Jehrico responded, a hollow chuckle trickling from his lips. They were both silent again, leaving me to wonder what their faces were like. I could hear them moving slightly. Yul’s twitching, uncomfortable, while Jehrico seemed simply resigned to it all.

“In any case,” he suddenly asserted ,“the first priority is to get you back to your parents. I know roughly where they are going, though I don’t think I would be of any use in getting you there.” His voice becoming sallow as he trailed off. “You did manage to get through those woods on your own at your age! I couldn’t even do that when I was a young man!” a note of astonishment in his voice.

“I didn’t do it by myself,” Yul replied in a slightly deadpan tone as I felt myself stiffen up, I started to move away from the door but he grabbed me by the arm and yanked me back, “he helped me.” I looked up at the older man, my face pulled straight in panic, my ears pressed flat against my head. He looked down at me with a stunned expression while Yul seemed quite blithely unaware of the whole situation. Had I offended lady luck somehow? Was she some relative of that devil woman, and they both were conspiring against me?

“Fascinating!” Jehrico whispered out, kneeling down to look at me, a look as if he was studying some odd creature collected on safari. Though, all things considered he likely was not far off. “What is it?” He asked, turning his head to Yul as he suddenly prodded my chest.

“I have a name thank you very much!” I snapped back, pulling myself out of Yul’s grip and batting away his hand, straightening my uniform. He looked stunned at first but his face quickly switched to excitement, leaning down closer to me.

“You can speak! Oh that’s fantastic! Can you tell me what you are, what you can do? Or,” he began to ramble out before catching sight of Yul’s rather unimpressed expression, making him pause. He cleared his throat, “yes, well, aside from that, you mentioned you had a name?” he added, straightening himself back up.

“Caine, Caine Molinpier.” I replied, a sense of injury still in my voice at the questions. I never did like to talk about myself, my mother always heckled me over it. Encouraging me by espousing all the presumed great features of myself that she saw. I preferred that to this in all honesty.

“Professor Alöft Jehrico, and I apologize for my rudeness earlier, my area of study is in magical and mythical fauna you see. Oh, it’s the study of-”

“I know what it is,” I replied quickly cutting him off, leaving him with a disappointed expression for a moment before he seemed to shove it off of his face.

“So, you helped Yul out then? Why, it’s not very common for mythical creatures to appear, let alone stick around one person for very long. Bar a couple of examples.” He asked, trailing off slightly as he finished, rubbing his chin.

“That would be because of this,” I replied, grabbing Yul’s arm and showing it to the man, pointing to the mark on his wrist with my spare hand. “When he said my name this massive blue chain appeared out of thin air and clamped around my neck and his wrist. Now I can’t go too far from him before it pulls me back.” I finished, exhaustedly, Yul pulling his hand from grip with an indignant look.

“Giving him your name bound you in a contract?” Jehrico replied, a fascinated expression on his face, a smile forcing up his wrinkled face, “is that something that your specific species does or?” he asked, again trailing off as he looked down to me.

“I don’t know, I was human up until yesterday,” I replied irritably, looking down at the hand I had lost.

“Really?!” Jehrico burst out, excitement billowing out from his voice as the folds of his face were pressed tighter by a manic grin, “what were you, how did it happen?!”

“I was-”

“He was a soldier,” Yul butted in, cutting me off and coming in-between Jehrico and I. “But I don’t think that’s the most important thing right now.” He added, his tone quite serious. Jehrico took on a slightly disappointed but affirming look.

“Yes, I suppose you’re right… It’s too dark for you to go now, so I recommend you sleep here and set off in the morning, we can talk then.” Jehrico said, a pleasant tone in his voice as he gestured to us the beds, bringing the lamp from the window sill with him as he hobbled over to the other side of the house. As he turned Yul gave me a short glare. One that seemed to scream ‘what the hell are you doing?’, there is a particular sense of indignation you feel when a child thinks you were about to do something stupid, when you weren’t.

I needed a rest, I’ve had too long of a day.

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