#RedactedScrawls

[mystery-redacted]

*Slams drink down* ANOTHER!

The unbelievable squad was the talk of the city they grew up with. Who knew a band of misfits could get so far! They all had some sort of injustice in their lives. Murderers not found, thieves hidden away, officers looking the other way. and they had had enough 

 So they fought for those that couldn't! Fought for what is right and soon became the Unbelivable squad! For their amazing feats of heroism. They fought the odds and always came out on top! 

Sadly some villians didn't know when to lay down 

 The count was at it again, in his nerdy vampire costume. You'd think he was a joke villian if it wasn't for the fact that currently he was sat on top of a nuclear bomb and was very much crazy enough to pull the trigger for his 'bloodlust' 

The count was an absolute madman! He had to be stopped. 

 When they arrived the base was large and they split off into their normal two partnered group 

 "Just like old times heh?" The leader chuckled, shaking his head. His best friend and right hand man trailed behind him. 

They were practically brothers! Having grown up in the same area with the same troubles. They had been through thick and thin together "I don't remember the old times having cameras such as these!" The right hand chuckled back, though his chuckle seemed a little.... off

"You alright dude?" The leader asked, in genuine concern for his close friend. 

Normally when he chuckled like that he was feeling ill, a common occurence for the lanky man 

"You sound.... off. If you felt another cold coming on then you could have rested up at the base" 

 "Oh I know" He suddenly felt pain in his side, looking around for the security that shot him before turning to see his smiling friend The smile was blood crazed, it didn't suit his face, it made him insane 

"I couldn't miss this for the world~" He whispered out, twisting the knife 

 The leader cried out, trying to get away before the one he called a friend for so long, pulled it out and stabbed again. He fell to the floor, scrambling for his radio 

"None of that~" He purred and stomped the radio into little pieces "W-why are you doing this?" He coughed, tears coming to his eyes as he tried to move away from his once friend 

"We're fighting for her! Don't you remember?!" 

 The friend chuckled "You mean my little sister" He walked up easily before stabbing down again "That you was meant to be watching" 

The leader gave out a choked cough, shaking his head. He didn't know where his friend got that idea but it wasn't true. 

He opened his mouth to speak but coughed up blood as his friend kicked his face "That's for my sister" He kicked again "That's for the years you lied" And finally he stabbed down "And that's for the count" The leader slumped, unmoving  

The friend smirked and laid his weapon down near him, returning off to the others to tell them their leader had fallen protecting him, crying fake tears of grief  

Though when they returned... the body was no where to be found

[mystery-redacted]

The Halloween fright

It’s Halloween and in tradition, Cole and all his creature friends go to the annual Halloween festival in the Creature district. But How will they feel when Cole invites a new person to join them? And wow, they sure upped the Haunted House this year.

Word count: 4963

Warnings: Contains mentions of Character Death, trauma, flashbacks and panic attacks

This happened every year. Cole chuckled, getting his costume together.

Each and every year, everyone gathered and went to the local Halloween festival in the Creature district. Roxie always told him it was because he always helped with the funding and so, he should at least be present for it. Bull.... Shit. He knew she just wanted an excuse to dress up and go with her brother. And who was he to say no? He found it good to hang out together without work or the high expectations.

So he put the final touches to his costume. He put his pumpkin mask on with it's little crown, a fluffy jacket and boots with heels. Go big or go home. He was the Pumpkin king, the king of Halloween and his mask even lit up!

He breathed in, straightening everything out before heading out. He lived in the Human district and so was walking against the crowd, all of them going to the other one, chatting happily. He sighed, Yes the human was bigger and fancier but..... If the creatures and humans did it together.... Even this little festival could be huge and magical.

His first stop was to Mike and Cammy's, since they were on the edge of the Human district since they were a couple.

They had all decided to walk, “It's be more fun!” Roxie had said, Alex humming in agreement. And no one was about to say no to Roxie or Alex. It took him a few minutes but soon he was there.

The apartment building was...... in a state of disrepair. It didn't look great, but considering it was on the edge, it wasn't that surprising. This building and its residents got a lot of hate from both sides. This was the place you went when most wouldn't accept you, he sighed. Cole was glad he had the mask, he wouldn't have to hold a smile in place, it got tiring after a while.

He pushed the buzzer and heard giggling from the other side. He chuckled, Cammy was definitely in the Halloween spirit, like he was each and every year.

“Boo!” The door swung open and there was a very happy Cammy, wearing a halo and angel wings, his whole outfit was white and very fluffy.

Cole chuckled “Won't you bow down to your pumpkin king?”

Cammy gasped, walking around him and looking at his costume “It is very nice on you Pumpkin King?” He bowed before giggling again and hugging him close.

Cole felt slightly awkward but gave him a few pats on the back, he still wasn't use to open affection.

“So where's the mate eh?” He asked

“Maybe you're just too tall to see him.” A robotic voice replied.

As soon as Cole turned his head down to him, he burst out laughing which angered the ant creature

“What are you laughing at?” The voice dead panned while Mike hit him lightly

Cole took a few minutes before replying “I just. Pffft.. I wasn't expecting such....Snrrk... Such a wonderful costume!”

It seemed Mike and Cammy teamed up on costumes this year, since Mike was wearing devil horns, had a devil tail and his whole costume was red. What Cole found so funny was that Mike was bald and 4ft10 next to his 5ft6 lover. Which made a hilarious contrast.

“You can stop laughing any time now.” His translator supplied.

Cole put his hand up in fake surrender “I apologise, you two are cute together!”

Cammy blushed and Mike clicked and chirped, Aww, Cole had embarrassed them.

Cole chuckled “Come on, We still got people to pick up! You two are only the first!” And with that, they started making their way to Roxie and Riley's. Cammy and Mike chatting away happily behind him.

Now they entered the main area of the Creature district, the flow of humans had stopped and more colourful creatures were out, all in costumes, most going to the festival. They smiled and waved, though most looked weirdly at Cole and Cammy, more so Cammy then Cole himself since Cole was mostly hidden by his costume.

They came to a nice little house in the centre and knocked on the door and who greeted them was a white sheet with two eye holes

“Booooo~” Riley said slowly before chuckling deeply

Cole rolled his eyes under his mask “Really Begonia? This is your costume?”

Riley chuckled “Bringing out the creature names, not sure if I should be honoured or insulted. A royal faux pas on my end!”

That was lead by a chorus of groans. Cole still didn't get what his sister saw in Begonia.

Roxie soon appeared in a pirate outfit, with Annie and Max “I thought we agreed on a pirate theme?”

Riley chuckled, taking off the sheet that hid his actual costume, a pirate one like the others and taking a hold of the shy Max, who was a lizard creature like his mother “Argh, you have me little missy, my plan did have a lot of.... holes in it”

And another chorus of groans. Including his daughter who was a butterfly creature like her dad, her wings fluttering.

Cole sighed “Can we go before I actually dip out because of your husbands awful puns?”

That's when he got two chorus of “Uncle Cole!” and two grabby hands towards him.

Cole chuckled, he did love his niece and nephew and ruffled their hair “Hi you two, have you been good to your momma?”

They both nodded excitedly with big smiles and Cole chuckled “If you two are good for the rest of the night, I'll be sure to get you something special~”

Roxie immediately hit his arm “Don't bribe my children!”

Cole chuckled “Isn't that my job as uncle? I'm pretty sure it is!”

Roxie rolled her eyes and started moving “Let's go before you get yourself in debt with my kids”

Cole chuckled, happily following her and chatting “So how have things been?”

Roxie snorted “I'm sure you saw me yesterday Cole.”

The Pumpkin King smiled under his mask “Well that can change easily, Do I need to get some itching powder on your husband again?”

Roxie raised an eyebrow “So that was you?”

Cole whitened a little, ah,  right, she didn't know that. Time to back pedal “I was just bringing up a suggestion” He shrugged

The pirate rolled her eyes “No, everything been fine. What is with you two?”

Cole didn't really want to answer, but luckily Alain's house wasn't far from Roxie's

The human pointed it out “Look it's Alain's place! Better get going!” And he rushed off

“Hey! You haven't gotten out of this Cole Inokke!” She shouted after him.

Alain's house was nice, nicely painted much like Roxie's, he was a doctor and even if he was a creature, that still got some nice things. He knocked on the blue door and heard a “Just a moment!”

Everyone had caught up to him when Alain opened the door. His face was painted green with black spots and what looked like part of his jaw missing, all his clothes were ripped and torn and he was even wearing contacts that make his eyes white. He was a zombie.

“Oh. Cole you don't have to worry about him eating you then. He only eats brains” A voice dead panned. Fucking Mike.

Everyone burst into laughter, even Roxie and Alain. Betrayal of the highest order! But he guessed this was revenge for his earlier laughing.

“Har dy har! A-holes! Just remember who writes your checks!” Cole responded after a good minute of them laughing.

There was a time where they would have stopped laughing then and looked down, apologising and avoiding eye contact. But they knew him better now, and so

“Yeah! Roxie does! which is why we're laughing!” Alain replied still chuckling. And another round of laughter started.

Cole turned and started walking, the chuckling followed before Roxie called out “Hey! Don't go! Come on, we'll stop!”

Cole chuckled and turned around, folding his arm and looking at the group. All of them smiling widely. He felt a smile cross his face, he loved seeing them happy.

Alain walked over and grabbed his shoulder “Come on, let's go to Alex's and then to the festival.”

Cole felt his smile drop, he realised he might have forgotten to tell them, he clicked his tongue and went “Ah.”

The creatures and human looked at each other, they knew that meant Cole hadn't told them something. But none of them could think of what that might be. Riley bit the bullet

“Ah?” He said, unsure

“Ah.” Cole repeated “So..... How does everyone feel about having another person with us?”

He was so happy for the mask, he felt the nervous smile cross his face and felt like he was sweating bullets. He had fucking forgot to tell them, fuck.

The creatures blinked and then chirps and chittering filled the air. Cole couldn't keep up with the conversation since they were talking so quickly.

Roxie coughed “Er.....Who is this extra person Cole?” She was nervous. None of them knew who Cole would be talking about

And Cole shuffling on the spot was not helping “Well.....” He started, looking at his feet. Everyone was starting to get on edge, Cole doesn't get nervous easily.

“....I invited Dane?” He finished, looking up at all of them. All of them were staring back blankly.

“Dane?” Roxie repeated “Part of the terrorist group C.H.R.A. Dane? Muscular bird Dane?”

And of course Cole did, what Cole does best when nervous, he rambles

“He's not part of C.H.R.A. any more and he seemed lonely and he helped us so much. He practically saved my life and I thought well, that you wouldn't mind and he said he hasn't been out celebrating since before the war and he seemed like-” Two hands went onto his shoulders stopping him.

“Cole, breathe, a deep breath” Cole followed Alain's instructions until he was back to normal

Alain smiled, stepping back “I'm alright with Dane joining if everyone else is.”

Mike nodded “He did help us out and who am I to say no.” Cammy agreed “The more the merrier!”

Roxie seemed nervous but sighed “If you think he's fine then..... He can come. He come near my kids though and he goes home!”

Cole nodded and breathed in. Riley hummed “Fine with me, I'll keep an eye on him”

Cole was happy that they were all okay with this. He breathed in again “He does live in the.... shadier part so.... Meet up at Alex's?”

They all hummed, and chattered a bit in Creature dialect before nodding again with Alain stepping forwards

“I'll join you.” He nodded.

Cole looked at them all and knew, he wasn't going to win that argument. They were all still a bit nervous around him. So he nodded and they went.

The bird creature was following behind him in silence. A Pumpkin king being followed by a zombie. The houses started getting harsher, dirtier and the creatures were thinning out. It put him slightly on edge. A human so deep into the Creature District. Even though he was for equality for creatures, he knew some still hated him because he was the very thing that oppressed them. He was human.

“Why did you invite him?”

The question snapped him out of his thoughts, looking at Alain

Alain was staring at him “I mean, he did help us yes. But...” Alain then broke eye contact “He seems dangerous. I know your position with creatures but still. We should be cautious.”

Cole hummed, he understood where Alain was coming from. This was a bird creature that had worked for C.H.R.A. For years, who had fought and killed humans for years but....

“....He really thought he was doing better. He understood where they stood when they tried to kill me. Because, I might be human but I'm doing good work. And..... Well...” He blushed under his mask

He could feel Alain staring at him, burning through the mask. Then there was laughing and a light bump

“Oh! Oh ho ho! Does Cole have a crush? Does he have a crush of the big bad bird?” He said teasingly

Cole felt his blush darken, he was so glad he was wearing the pumpkin mask. Yes, he found the bird creature attractive with his dark feathers and light blue eyes, his light cooing and strong muscular chest.

He raised his head and spotted Dane's house, it was run down with bordered windows. But heck, he'd take a white van to get out of the teasing. He went quickly and knocked on the door.

There was a grunt from inside and he could feel Alain shuffling behind him, looking around. This neighbourhood was giving him the creeps. This was where Halloween lived 24/7

The door opened slowly to reveal a dark cloak with a scythe. Alain immediately put an arm in front of Cole as he pulled the hood down revealing Dane.

He chuckled nervously “Er..... Too much?” He leaned on the scythe, giving a tilted smile

Cole felt his blush coming back full force before chuckling “Well, it fits! We got a zombie, pirates, a devil, an angel, death and of course the great Pumpkin king!” He spread his arms wide

Dane hummed “And what a handsome king you make”

Cole almost choked and quickly grabbed his sleeve “Come on! We're meeting everyone at Alex's, eating some cake and then going to the festival and getting stomach aches from overdosing on sugar”

Dane chuckled, letting himself be dragged even though they both knew he could easily get out of his grasp. Alain chuckled harder and followed behind them.

God, Cole had never felt so flustered in years. Actually, now that he thought about it. He doesn't think he's ever been this flustered around anyone. Fuck. His grip tightened. Yes, he did invite him because he wanted to thank him, because he heard that he hasn't been to anything like this with anyone since the war and that had been decades ago. But.... He also saw how Cammy and Mike or Riley and Roxie acted in those places, all..... in love. Maybe he wanted a bit of that for himself. There was one problem..... He wasn't easily scared. Maybe he could pretend? Just get them alone, act all scared and then-

“Er.... Cole?” He heard the deep voice practically vibrate through him

Cole blinked, oh, they were here. How long had he stopped walking and was just staring at the pink door? He let him go quickly and patted himself down

“Sorry..... I was thinking of..... Something else” Smooth Cole Inokke, smooth. He knocked then entered

And as soon as he walked in, he saw Alex's costume and died. He doubled over, laughing

“Are you serious?!” He laughed, while hearing the other two birds lose it.

Alex, who was serving some pumpkin shaped cakes, was dressed up as cthulhu. The octopus creature, was dressed, as cthulhu. He didn't know if that was lazy or brilliant.

It took a good five minutes for Cole and the two bird creatures to calm down. They all sat down, and chatted, turns out they all had broke down laughing at Alex's costume. They chatted and ate lightly, though Cole was slightly distracted.

They were all a bit awkward around Dane at first, but after Angel was happy enough to chat with him, everyone started warming up to Dane. His smile was amazing, the sharp teeth should have terrified him, but they didn't.

He loved seeing him happy, he loved seeing them all happy. Sure Alex's angler teeth were sharp and long, but that smile was bright and happy. Dane's and Alain's teeth were sharp as well, but it was all still a smile. Happiness. It was great, never feeling afraid, to see the happiness behind the chittering and chirping, the smile full of sharp teeth. He was sad that other humans couldn't see this. Couldn't see those smiles of happiness.

And soon, it was time to move. And so the happy party started moving towards the Halloween festival. It was really nice. The decorations glowed in the evening glow, pumpkins and skeletons. It was never that big, they barely got any funds. Which is why Inokke Labs always helped out. Because sure, they could donate to other things, which they do. In Cole's eyes, every child show be able to celebrate these little holidays.

There was a little speech, as there was each year. Ending with a 'And thank you to Inokke Labs, for helping with the funds to this year's Halloween event, as they do each year' They all asked for a speech which Cole reluctantly went up to do.

Seeing all the creatures looking at him with bright smiles. He made him relax, he was always much more relaxed around Creatures than Humans.

“Another year has passed and Halloween is here once again! And as the wonderful Pumpkin king!” He heard chuckles from the crowd and happy chirping from the kids “I declare this event started! Make your king proud and rain tricks and treats!” and with that, the crowd moved into the festival.

A dark cloak came up to him and bent down “You fund this event?” Dane asked quietly

Cole chuckled, the group starting to walk “Yeah, I do. Everyone should have a nice festival. A nice day for kids and such. Plus the Creature one is much more interesting then the Human one”

Dane chuckled and they moved forwards.

There was food and games galore. Of course,  it was much smaller than the Human one, but still, it was nice. They went through all of it, eating way too much sugar and playing a lot of the games. In fact they were just coming from Cole losing five games in a row.

“How does Cole lose so many games?” Alex asked, chuckling slightly

“Come on, they're so rigged!” He sighed “And these gloves are hard to play with!”

Mike clicked happily “I don't know, sounds like a lot of excuses to me” The translator stated

Cole groaned “Shut it Sequoia!”

They all burst out laughing then “Wow, the creature name coming out now, must really be on the defensive” Mike responded

“Who knew the Pumpkin king was so bad at games?” Roxie chuckled

“Well, maybe the power of Halloween has not awoken in him yet?” Alain smiled

The mocking went on for a few minutes and Cole decided to get his revenge

“And what exactly is the excuse of the pirate that lost the shoot out?” He tilted his head at Roxie

Dane chuckled “Yeah, if you actually become a pirate, I'm not joining your crew if you paid me!”

Roxie started blushing hard and spluttering as everyone else laughed before she pointed “Look, it's the haunted house!”

They all turned and saw the old looking house, covered in webs and skeletons. Speakers blasted thunder. And Cole chuckled, this looked like a good opportunity. He walked forwards and looked at the sign next to it, humming.

They had to go and find a key and escape through the basement. Simple enough. Then there was even a little back garden maze to finally escape. They hopped in line, chatting to each other and chuckling.

Roxie hummed “I think I'll stay here with the kids”

Riley chuckled “Ditto.”

Cole nodded and they split into twos. Cammy and Mike went first then after a good half hour, Alain and Alex went in. Cole waited nervously, shuffling on his feet while he and Dane waited for their turn.

When the doors opened, Dane grabbed his hand and smiled “I'll protect you”

Cole just chuckled lightly and followed Dane. Time to find the keys.

Cole was.... disappointed at the moment. It was set up so they had to go through specific rooms, he understood why, it was easier. But pretty much, it was walking into a room and someone jumping out, The bird creature jumped but Cole..... He couldn't even pretend to be scared or unsuspecting. He sighed, he knew where they were hiding because..... He was used to listening to bumps. His hearing was great. And whereas Dane might jump, he wasn't scared either. It seemed the haunted house was a bad choice for both of them.

Soon they entered a dining room, it had a grand table and corpses in every chair, like they had died there. Wine was split on the ground and the food looked repulsive, there were eyeballs and spiders and cobwebs, it was incredibly dim in the room, there was a dead spider creature, snake creature, dog creature, another dog creature, jellyfish creature and a fish creature. They had already been through the hallway, the kitchen, the bedroom, the bathroom and even the attic. Cole saw the key on the table and went over to pick it up.

As his hand gripped the key, it being nearest to the snake creature. Her hand grabbed his harshly, actually making him jump and look up into red eyes “Stay with us........ Stay with me, my son” She said in a raspy voice.

Cole gulped, starting to shake, tugging at her arm. The other creatures were raising up. So Dane moved forwards and grabbed the key, trying to pry the snake creature off of him.

“Son......... Stay...... With us......” She said with her rasp and a wide smile.

Cole started shaking harder, tears falling down his face, his mind flashing back. She was on the ground, the same red but on her head, not in her eyes “Stay with me Cole. Please....” Her voice had been raspy as well.

“Mother...” He said quietly, in a tear filled voice. This shocked the snake creature, getting her to let go and her face soften, she was about to ask something when Dane picked him up and ran to the basement.

There was a shuffle and the sound of a radio going off. But nothing else. Dane opened the door and put the key in the box outside. They were now in the maze portion.

Cole immediately came down and ran into the maze, he really didn't want to be seen right now. He went left and right, going back and forwards, until he couldn't hear Dane. He sat down in a dead end, taking off his mask and breathing harshly and curling up.

He soon felt a hand on his shoulder and he flinched, looking up into Dane's concerned face. Of course he found him, he's a runner, he can run much faster than him. Especially being a falcon.

“Are you alright Cole?” He asked lightly

Cole breathed in deeply, rubbing his eyes “Not really no.... That snake freaked me out” It was a bit of a lie, but he didn't feel like delving into his past right now.

Dane hummed before picking him up in his arms, guiding Cole's head to his chest and just sitting against the hedge “Shh.... It's alright. I'm here, I'll protect you.”

Cole sniffled but leant against his chest, hearing his strong heartbeat. He felt Dane's hand going up and down his back lightly. The other stroking his hair lightly. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling. Then he heard a growl from Dane

Looking up at his face, he saw that his teeth were bared “Not now. Later.” He growled out, Cole blinked, going to turn before having his head shoved back against Dane's chest.

The growling went away and he was just about to ask what brought out the hostility until Dane answered himself

“It was just some workers. Don't know if they just came here to scare us or to check up on us, but I wasn't having any of it”

Cole nodded and leant back, listening again to his heartbeat and feeling the soothing stroking motion of Dane's stroking. Humming lightly, getting his breathing back under control and calming down.

The blue bird creature leant down near his ear and whispered “Are you feeling better now?”

Cole hummed in reply, nodding lightly. They hugged each other for a few more moments before Cole got up

“Come on, we better get going unless you want the others to search for us and get lost in the maze”

Dane chuckled, standing up and handing over the Pumpkin King mask which Cole put back over his head. Dane grabbed his hand and started walking with him, looking back and smiling.

It took a few minutes to find the exit, the workers had seemed to back off of them, not trying to scare them. Cole felt a little bad, they were just doing their job and then he just had to freak out and get Dane growling at them.

When they returned to the group that were out, there was excited chatter about the haunted house and whining from Angel that she didn't see it. Honestly, Cole just wanted to go home, his little panic attack took a lot out of him. But he didn't say anything as they went off again to play more games, Cole just didn't play any, saying that his ego was still bruised from the last few.

He was leaning up against a pole, looking at the ground and trying to think of the best excuse he could make to be able to go home, when a plush pumpkin cat was thrust into his face.

It was bright orange with glowing eyes to imitate that of a carved pumpkin, it was adorable. Cole looked up to see a slightly blushing Dane on the other end.

“I er..... I won this at the.... Shooting gallery and well..... Thought you'd... like it” He muttered into his chest.

Cole smiled, lifting up his mask so that Dane could see and accepting the pumpkin cat from him. It was very adorable and though normally he would give any plush prizes to Angel or Max, it warmed his heart that Dane gave it to him.

“Thank you, that's nice of you.” He smiled before lowering the mask again “The Pumpkin king can only have a pumpkin cat!” He chuckled lightly

Dane chuckled alongside him before it tethered off, leaving silence between the two. It stretched and stretched, though it didn't feel uncomfortable.

“You er.... Seem tired” Dane finally said after a minute of silence

Cole hummed, running his finger over the bumps of the pumpkin cat “Yeah, that er.... Experience at the haunted house took...... Took a lot out of me.”

Dane hummed before reaching out a hand “Want me to take you home?”

He tilted his head and coughed “I.. er... I live in the Human district.”

The bird chuckled at that “Then let me rephrase, want me to make a good excuse so that we can go home?”

Cole looked around, making sure there were no eavesdropping creatures before nodding “Please.”

The bird nodded and grabbed one of his arms, dragging him back to the group “As much as I've enjoyed this outing. I need to get back before it gets dark, plus I need to show Cole a little something for er.... Next time there's an.... incident.”

The group looked unnerved, looking to Cole who nodded “It's alright. Have fun! I'll probably head home since by the time Dane is finished it'll most likely be late.”

They all nodded, each saying their farewells with hugs before Dane and Cole made their way to Dane's house.

The walk was made in silence again, as Cole stuck closely to Dane, right up until he was at his front door, looking through his keys to open it

“Er.... Thank you.... for getting us out. Both in the haunted house and of the festival”

Dane chuckled “No problem. It's okay to be afraid, and you seem like the type of person that'll do anything for anyone else, even if you're uncomfortable with it”

He hummed, nodding slightly, he guessed he could come across as that type of person. He could see why Dane would think that way about him. Maybe.... Maybe one day he could tell him why he was afraid?.... Maybe.... He didn't know if he was looking forward to or dreading that day.

“But anyway, thank you for inviting me! I had a lot of fun. And it was nice to do something.... normal”

Cole chuckled “It's no problem. None at all”

Dane hummed and they both just..... stood there. Dane leaning against his open door frame, Cole just looking at him, the silence stretching. There was so much to say and yet, nothing at all. They just kept staring. It lasted minutes upon minutes before Cole finally decided to step away, starting to walk before turning back.

Dane had been leaning slightly forwards and had a bit of a surprised look on his face

“Don't be a stranger to the labs okay? And.... actually...” Cole gulped and brought out a pen and paper, he couldn't believe he was doing this. He scribbled on it and gave it to Dane

Cole coughed “My.... personal phone number. Don't be giving it out, call me if you want to.... you know.... hang out again.” And with that Cole started backing away, finger gunning Dane before moving down the street for his way home. But not before hearing a

“Don't worry, we'll see each other again Cole” And a door closing.

Cole's heart felt a little lighter as he made his way home to his apartment. This Halloween wasn't so bad after all.

[mystery-redacted]

Slowly healing

From the prompt: “I didn’t expect you to call.” “Are you really that surprised?” “No. I guess not” “ …Are you okay?” “….No. Heh, not even a little.” Warning: Contents mentions of self harm and abuse It is mostly fluffy though so don’t worry

A tall figure walked into Cole's room. He didn't look up and greet the man, Cole's phone was still in his hand and he was sitting on his 'bed', if you could even call it a bed. It was a mattress with blankets and pillows thrown on it, the walls were covered in post-it notes, each with a formula being connected by strings. His room was a mess but... so was he.

There was a few minutes of silence before Cole finally broke it “I...” His voice cracked and he cleared it “I didn't expect you to call” He said quietly

The figure turned on the light, his light blue eyes clouded with concern, he went over, ducking down since he was extremely tall and went down to Cole's level on the bed, cooing lightly

“Are you really that surprised?” Dane asked quietly, looking at Cole

Cole looked up, looking at Dane. His hair was tied up, he had his black turtle neck on, the one he always wears. Dane looked concerned, his eyes going over every inch of Cole. They had been dating for a few months and this... was his second? Third? episode with him. Another time that he just... disappeared into thin air.

Cole looked away, no longer being able to look at Dane, he sighed “No. I guess not.”

There was more silence as Dane looked over him. Now that the light was on he could see.... everything. The bandages wrapped around his wrists, the t-shirt he wore with shorts to bed which displayed.... The burn marks on his neck and the scars scattered all over his body. He wasn't wearing his make up so the huge dark bags under his eyes were now present.

Dane stroked his cheek lightly “...Are you okay?” He asked quietly

Cole slightly chuckled at that, they both knew it was a dumb question but..... He guessed Dane wanted to see if he was willing to talk. For the first time, decades in the dark, Cole said

“....No. Heh, not even a little”

Those words hung between them. Until Dane moved, scooping Cole up and nuzzling into him, sitting on the bed and holding him close.

Cole felt tears starting to form and a slight hiccup, he turned around and shoved his head into Dane's chest. He doesn't know how long they sat like that, with Cole crying into his chest, his whole body trembling. Dane hummed lightly and rocked him from side to side.

It was a few minutes before Cole realised that Dane wasn't humming, but was actually speaking to him, he tried concentrating on what Dane was saying.

“You're prefect, a wonderful human being. I love you so much and I hate seeing you like this. I'm so proud of the things you've done, for us and the world. Your dedication is amazing and I love how passionate you get” Dane smiled down at Cole and kissed him lightly on the lips “I love you”

Cole started sniffling again and just hugged him closely “I love you too”

Dane hummed, continuing to rock him “I promise, I will help you. Whatever this is, whatever makes you hide away like this or....” He pulled up one of Cole's wrists and looked at it sadly “I will help you Cole, no matter what it takes. I'll always be here. You're not weak or awful for this. I love you, now and always”

Cole chuckled brokenly and pulled his arm back, holding it to his chest as tears continued to run “I don't.... think you can.”

Dane smiled softly at him and brought him into a light kiss “I'll find a way. I promise. I love you and I won't let you go. But for now, let's just.... be here.”

Cole sniffled and rubbed his head back into Dane's chest as Dane started rocking again, giving words of encouragement and love.

[mystery-redacted]

Just the two of us

“What are you doing?”

“Cuddling.”

Mike had to admit.... he wasn't use to this at all. The wavy blond hair man was hugging him tightly, nuzzling into his neck. He couldn't imagine his hard exoskeleton was very... comfortable to 'cuddle' into. He was as hard as a rock and it didn't help that he worked out frequently to keep a muscle mass up.

Mike and Cameron, though everyone called him Cammy, had been going out for a few years. Mike had been clicking angrily over a piece of difficult robotics he had to programme when Cammy had hugged him closely and started nuzzling. It had distracted Mike immediately since he hadn't been expecting the affection from his boyfriend

“Right. And why am I being cuddled now?” His robotic voice asked. Ugh, if Mike hated one thing on this planet, it was his dumb ass translator. It had been a requirement to get it, it was law but also if he wanted to actually TALK to humans, it was of the utmost importance since his vocal cords could only produce clicks which humans don't understand. But still the translator was bullshit, even going as far as censoring what he said. Utter bullshit in Mike's eyes.

Cammy smiled up and him, his legs laying besides him on the couch since he was much taller than Mike “Because you seemed stressed! And so I thought a session of cuddling was in order!” He chimed happily, his heart shaped beauty mark crinkling under his eye.

Mike felt happiness fill his heart. God he loved his Cammy, always thinking of him and his adorableness could melt anyone's heart. His antennas stuck up and his eyes crinkled, he chuckled which came out as a higher pitched clicking sound.

He nuzzled into Cammy, rubbing his head against his neck and clicking happily “Yeah. Cuddle breaks are the best breaks” His robotic voice stated. God he wished it would at least let him emote slightly instead of sounding dead panned 24/7.

Cammy chuckled, blushing slightly and starting to kiss him all over “Yeah... I like cuddle breaks as well”

He was even blushing! Sometimes Mike felt a bit insecure with Cammy, without lips he couldn't kiss and so nuzzled instead. His body was always stiff and hard unlike Cammy's squishy body and he was always cold and never hot to touch, unlike Cammy. And in public.... Well.... Cammy got a lot of backlash because Creatures are beneath humans.

“God why are you even with me?” He drawled before he could stop it. Mike squeaked slightly, his whole body going even more rigid, another downside of the translator, anything whispered becomes normal talking levels.

Cammy froze up and looked at him before his face filled with warmth and love. He tugged him so that Mike moved on to his lap and started stroking the sides of his face a bit forcefully, since Mike wouldn't feel it if he did it gently. Mike leaned into the touches, closing his eyes and revelling in the affection.

Cammy chuckled “I love you Mike, that's why I'm with you. Sure, I get hate for it, and there's a lot of hurtful things that are thrown at me each day, whether it be words or actual objects. But,” He held a hand to his heart “In my heart, I know that it's worth it. I love you so much, why would I want to leave that? You're affectionate, amazing and so smart! You're handsome, perfect in my eyes. I may get hate but, for me, that doesn't matter at all. I love you and you love me, what could be more perfect?” He looked at Mike, his eyes filled with love

Mike felt like he was choking up at that speak, he gave some happy clicks and nuzzled into his neck, hugging him closely “I love you too Cameron! I love you so much!”

They sat like that for the rest of the day, hugging and nuzzling and kissing, telling each other how much they loved each other. And for the two love bugs, the outside world didn't exist for that day, it was just the two of them. And they wouldn't want it any other way.

[mystery-redacted]

Unusual meeting

Cole felt strong arms wrap around his waist, He leaned back into them, going against the chest of the bird man. Cole was in a.... nest of sorts, it wasn't made of twigs and branches and more, blankets and cushions.

Cole hummed lightly, his mind wandering through memories. He normally didn't like doing this type of thing, it normally meant going through the bad and the ugly but..... Here, right now, it was pleasant.

He felt a weight on his shoulder, feathers stroking lightly against his face and a soft cooing noise could be heard coming from the bird man. He rubbed up against the side of Cole's face before speaking.

“What are you thinking about?” The bird man said in a soft and quiet voice. Cole smiled, opening his eyes and looking at the bird man, being faced with blue eyes and a smiling face.

“I was just taking a trip down memory lane, nothing more than that” Cole replied with a soft smile. The bird man tightened his grip slightly, the blue feathers with brown streaks fluffing up slightly in a protective manner.

Cole chuckled “Shush. I wasn't thinking that far back more...... When we met, it was quite a first impression” The bird man sighed in relief, the feathers going back down and his grip loosening, he chuckled “Guess it was.”

Cole was walking through the Labs, turning the lights on, he was the first one there, as always. He heard the clicking of talons across the ground, for a moment, just for one, he thought it was Alain. But these one sounded heavy, as if they carried more weight.

He turned around with a smile, wondering who could be visiting at this time “May I help you?” Cole asked, looking towards the visitor

He was met with a 7ft7 bird creature, his feathers a dark blue with brown streaks tied up into a high ponytail, he had piercing baby blue eyes and black markings underneath them. His frame was strong and sturdy, as if he worked out quite often. He wore a black turtle neck and blue pants, he held himself high, balancing on the front of his talons, as most bird creatures did, his tail trailed down to his ankle.

A memory flashed before his eyes, chains and blood on the ground, a shriek of pain, the sound of rattling chains. Cole blinked, bringing himself back to the present moment, just in time to hear the man speak

“Your security is shoddy, didn't even take me a second. C.H.R.A. Is coming after you to assassinate you. You have a week.” He stated simply, his voice gravely. Cole raised an eyebrow, whistling. This was not the first time C.H.R.A. Had come after him, and he was sure it wouldn't be the last.

“....Interesting, to say the least. Why are you telling me this?” Cole asked, staring at the bird man. He rolled his eyes in response “I worked with C.H.R.A. But..... you actually help creatures, hire them and give them fair rates, speak for creatures, it seems..... counter-productive if you ask me.”

Cole shrugged “They want me to be a martyr, die for the cause and such. Create another Rebellion. In that way, I see where they are coming from. Others just hate me because I'm human, which again, I understand.” The bird man stared at him before speaking again

“I still think it's stupid. I'll be going back to peaceful protests. I suggest you get better security. I'll try to stop them while the mission is being carried out but,” He shrugged “I would prefer knowing that you have security to fall back on.”

Cole nodded “Thank you for the information. May I know the name of my saviour?” He asked with a slight smile. The bird man did a slight chuckled “Haven't saved you yet but, it's Dane.” Cole put out a hand “Nice to meet you, I'm Cole Inokke. I feel we're going to get along just fine” Dane chuckled, shaking his hand “Do you now?”

Dane chuckled, remembering the day clearly, he nuzzled into Cole's neck “Would have never thought of this outcome.” Cole chuckled, smiling slightly

“I must say. If you had told me that I'd be with a 7ft7 Bird creature, and would be sitting in a nest with him happily.... I would have told you that you were insane.” Dane tilted his head at that “And why would that be?”

Cole leaned forwards, humming slightly “Well.... I'm not exactly.... Great boyfriend material. Especially since I'm a bit of a workaholic” Dane chuckled “A bit?!”

Cole rolled his eyes, patting him on the head “Okay, more than a bit. You know what I mean.” Cole looked down at his hands, twiddling them slightly as he breathed in deeply.

Dane sighed, turning him around to face him and bringing him into a light kiss. Cole was surprised but soon returned it, stroking his cheek gently. Dane soon broke the kiss, smiling lightly

“You're beautiful with everything you do, I love you dearly and don't think I'm ever giving up on you. I will help you, no matter if it takes me years to do. I'll help you every way I can” Dane said in a deep soothing voice.

Cole felt tears prick his eyes, he snuggled into Dane's chest “I love you.” He said smiling. Dane hugged him back, rocking slightly “I love you too Cole.”

[mystery-redacted]

“Do you really think that being at a graveyard is the smartest thing to do on the night of Halloween?”

“Don’t tell me that you’re scared. The only other persons who are here are dead and can’t move a single bone in their bodies - I think we’re pretty safe.”

“Have you ever seen a horror movie in your life? You’re not suppossed to say things like that! ”

~~~~

Alexia hated doing this type of thing, but of freaking course, Jonathan wanted to go through with it

Alexia sighed  “Do you really think that being at a graveyard is the smartest thing to do on the night of Halloween?”

Jonathan turned around, snorting “Don’t tell me that you’re scared. The only other persons who are here are dead and can’t move a single bone in their bodies - I think we’re pretty safe.”

Alexia seemed horrified “Have you ever seen a horror movie in your life? You’re not suppossed to say things like that! ”

Jonathan laughed “You really are a coward! Little Alexia all scared of scary monsters” He mocked loudy

Alexia was about to retort until she saw a pale decayed hand, reaching out for Johnathan

Sorry I took so long, here’s a very short tale   

[mystery-redacted]

Got writer’s itch at the moment, already wrote two short stories, here’s the third one based on a prompt that someone gave. A cowardly prince getting kidnapped and saved by his tomboy princess

The prince sighed in the Dragon’s lair. Didn’t it go that the princess was captured and the prince had to rescue her? Yet here he was, trapped in a tower guarded by a dragon. 

He supposed this was better honestly, he did not think he’d have the courage to save his darling princess He poked his head out of the soul window, seeing the red scaly beast asleep for the moment and slid down with a pant. Yeah no, that dragon was much too big, and strong. He could barely get spiders out of the bathroom, normally his daring princess would help him. He wondered what she’d do back home. 

 His darling princess. 

She was strong and with a fire burning in her eyes, she wouldn’t let, as she stated, stupid rules stopping her. She was much too strong. His own warrior princess. He could practically feel from here the fiery flames in her eyes as he was taken… Yes she would surely come for him… nothing would stop her. 

 The dragon woke to the sight of a knight in armor on a house galloping with speed towards him, he set lose a roar of fire, causing the knight to dodge and the prince to jump and whimper The knight set forth with determination, swirling around the beast as the knight raised their sword and swung at the beast that stole the cowardly prince 

 The battle was long and hard but the knight was more determined than the dragon. One swipe and the beast’s head was gone. 

The knight panted hard, feeling blood cool down their side and burn marks across their arms as they made their way up 

 The prince gulped and got up, what happened to his fierce princess? She wasn’t injured was she? Why was this knight here instead? 

 As the knight entered he put on a smile “Thank you valiant knight, you shall be great-“ 

 “Princey you sound a bit like a pounce” He smiled a genuine smile, there was only one that called him like that

The knight removed their helmet revealing his fierce princess. He ran into her arms, shedding tears and telling her the horror he’d seen

 “I know I know” she kissed his head “but you’re safe now. Let’s head home” So on the horse they travelled home, hiding her identity and a ‘reward’ much later on …after her wounds are treated discreetly of course

[mystery-redacted]

Sickness

Word count : 2599  Alain get’s sick but tries to go to work anyway.

He felt the heat across his body, as the sweat plastered his feathers to his face. He opened his eyes slowly, as his body responded sluggishly, his surrounding spun around him, unfocused. He rolled over on his side, as his vision cleared, he saw that it was close to the time his alarm would wake him up.

Alain reached out, missing a few times, before grabbing his phone and turning the alarm off. He rolled back, staring at the ceiling. Alain felt warm, not hot certainly not, but warm in the most uncomfortable way, it didn't feel secure, it felt suffocating, made his limbs feel heavy, he could feel the sweat dripping down from his forehead, going into the feathers that covered his head. Alain then noticed a light throbbing coming from his head, not painful, numbing would be the right word to describe it, he thought.

He sat up, the world swimming around him and his stomach clenching, threatening to throw up anything he had eaten the previous night. Alain was sick, it didn't take a genius to figure that out. I should probably do a quick check up on himself, to see if anything... troublesome was present, Alain thought, with that, Alain slowly got his legs out of bed, trying to make sure his talons were firmly planted on the ground before getting up.

It didn't stop him from losing his balance, causing him to support himself against the wall, while his stomach did somersaults. He waited for his stomach to settle before moving forwards, each step sending another wave of nausea, but he finally made it to the bathroom.

He looked at himself in the mirror. His skin was a lot paler than normal. He opened the cabinet, finding the thermometer easily, he sat down on the toilet, popping the thermometer under his tongue, being careful to avoid his sharp teeth, and waited.

While he waited, he started going through a list of his symptoms, tiredness, nausea, body aches, weakness.... He took the thermometer out of his mouth, 100 F it read, and a low fever he added on to the list of symptoms.

Alain went slowly back to his bedroom,a flu, he didn't feel like it warranted a trip to a doctor, but he was sick, I should take some time off work to get better. He sat on his bed and grabbed his phone, holding it in front of him.

Alain felt....hesitation. He sighed placing the phone back down. He knew they wouldn't mind, on the contrary, “take all the time you need Alain” Roxie would say, “ Yeah, can't have a sick doc following me around all the day” Cole would respond, if he wasn't already down in his lab. But what made him pause was Cole.  

Not that Alain thought Cole needed him working, not at all, Cole would be fine without him, fine without him, at least scientifically he would be. But health wise.... Cole was close to a breakthrough in his research in regenerative cells, and whenever that happened Cole tended to be...negligent, health wise.

Cole forgot to eat, to rest, heck if someone didn't throw him out of the labs he probably wouldn't leave! He would just keep going until he... well, succeeded or failed. That was what worried Alain, if he failed.

Normally failure for someone else would be horrible, yes, but they would learn and grow, they wouldn't hold on to it for too long, for Cole.... It was devastating, like his life depended on him succeeding, that would trigger an episode with him.

Now Alain didn't know much about these episodes, since he had only seen one, nor did he know the origins, but what he did know was that when Cole entered an episode, he needed to be watched like a hawk.

He hated seeing his friend like that, hollow empty eyes, that familiar smile on his face gone, looking so tired, looking like he could fall apart at any second, the image haunted him. And so against his rational thoughts, Alain got ready for work.

Alain had tried to eat something, yes tried, but his stomach refused, making him empty it into the nearest bin. That's when the rational side, his medical knowledge, spoke up You're not going to be able to keep this up it whispered You're not going to be able to help anyone like this, and he almost listened, almost, but one phrase whispered in his head, one phrase, that made him take his car keys and go anyway, And if he fails?, So here he was, driving to work, trying not to vomit.

Alain stopped in front of the Lab, this was going to be a long day, he was sure of it. This is a stupid idea, he thought, he opened the door of his car and started towards the lab doors, You're being such an idiot, That thought repeated on an seemingly endless loop, as his stomach turned. Alain opened the door to the labs.

Roxie lifted her head from where she was at the reception desk, yellow slit eyes going to Alain's face. She smiled, red spikes of hair cascading down her face

“Hello Alain!” she said cheerily “How are you doing?” Alain had never noticed how loud her voice was before, nor how bright her hair and eyes were, he felt another wave of nausea.

Roxie looked at him with concern, before moving to get up. That snapped Alain out of his trance “O-oh, I-i'm fine.... just peachy” He realised that his voice lacked energy, and went to grab his lab coat, avoiding eye contact.

“Are you sure?” she asked, “you seem to be blanking out a bit” Alain put on his lab coat, making his way down the right hallway “Yep.. just a bit tired” He replied, putting as much fake energy as he could “story of my life” she replied. He continued walking.

He knew Cole was most likely down in the underground lab, since Cole had said that they'd be doing mainly experiments on the regenerative cells, but he decided to check in his office anyway.

He opened the door and the lights were off, he had the slight temptation to just sit in the dark room, so that he didn't feel the nausea or tiredness, but he had work to do, so he made his way down to the labs.

Alain's talons clicked against the tiled surface of the lab floors, sending more vibrations through him and subsequently to his stomach. When he entered the bright lab, seriously this lab was way too bright for his tired eyes, He saw Cole, the raven haired man slouching over a microscope, his hair tied back into a low ponytail, with his lab coat and wearing his red turtle neck, how could he wear that when it was so hot, Alain thought.

“Glad you're here doc!” Cole said, not turning around “we got a lot to do today!” He started to turn around to face Alain “So get ready for-” As soon as Cole's deep emerald green eye and light blue eye landed on Alain, he stopped, wide smile dropping for a look of concern, Cole raised an eyebrow “Are you okay?” He asked quietly.

Alain was shocked to say the least. It took him zoning out for Roxie to catch on to something being off, and Cole normally wasn't any good at reading people, not being able to tell when someone was angry or sad or upset or or anything, and yet one look was all Cole needed to know that something was off with Alain.

Alain tried to make his voice sound stronger than he was feeling “I'm alright. Why do you ask?” Cole looked at him with scepticism “it's just,” he started, tilting his head to the side “you don't look good...” Cole looked to the side, avoiding eye contact and rubbing his arm nervously.

Now this really took Alain back, Not only had Cole caught on to something being off but he had also recognised that Alain looked unwell. Maybe Alain wouldn't have been so surprised if Cole had been a creature like himself, but he wasn't, Cole was human, And whereas Roxie, a Reptile like creature and mother, hadn't been able to tell until Alain had zoned out, Cole, a human who wasn't very observant when it came to others, knew as soon as he laid eyes on him. Maybe he looked awful and Roxie didn't want to mention it?

Alain shook his head, he'd leave that question for later, right now, he needed to get past Cole, and so he did it the only way he could think of deflecting it, with humour.

“Wow.” he exclaimed with as much sarcasm as he could muster “didn't know my choice in fashion was that bad” Cole's head snapped back around, meeting Alain's eyes immediately “I didn't mean it like that!” he exclaimed “I meant.. well I mean..I” Cole stuttered.

Alain would always find it amazing, how such a confident scientist like Cole, could be reduced to a stuttering mess. Although Cole never was good with people, “numbers and formulas are predictable, people aren't!” Cole had exclaimed to Alain when he had asked why Cole had such a hard time with people, so maybe it wasn't that big of a mystery.

In fact, Cole had always acted in a nervous fashion around people, strange since he was excellent at meetings and public speaking. Maybe the man just wasn't comfortable around-

Cole snapped his fingers right in front of Alain's face, causing him to jump. Cole now had a very serious look on his face

“You're zoning out too.” He muttered, starting to circle him, examining him from every angle. Alain went to say something. To protest. But Cole stopped him, putting a finger up to his own mouth before continued his track. Putting his hand on Alain's forehead, looking at his eyes, prodding at his feathers, until he arrived back at the front of Alain.

“You're sick.” He stated clearly, staring at Alain. Alain went to argue, but Cole stepped forwards, grabbed his jaw and pulled him down so that they were at eye level.

“Don't lie. I may not be observant, but I know a sickness when I see one.” He let go of Alain's chin, allowing him to straighten up. Cole sighed “.....What were you thinking? Coming to work ill. Did you think I wouldn't allow you time off? Do you think I'm that severe to my employees?”

Cole actually looked genuinely upset at the thought that his employees would think that of him. Alain shook his head walking forwards “Not at all, I-”

“Then why?” Cole interrupted, He stepped towards Alain, looking at his face “If you knew I'd happily give you time to recover, why did you feel it necessary to come? I'm mean.... you're helpful yes. But I can do it on my own, you can take time off.”

Alain gulped, He didn't know how to respond. He couldn't tell him the truth or it'd start another argument, but he couldn't leave either. He took a step forward, hoping, praying his mind could give him something to say. And that was the instant his stomach lurched.

He fell to the floor, his feet slipping out from under him, he collided with Cole on the way down, taking them both to the floor. Cole was pinned under Alain, Cole looking up at him with wide eyes, Alain tried to get up but.... all the movement had been the final straw for his stomach.

He started dry heaving, Cole looked up at him in shock, tried to get Alain to move, but he was pinned on all sides. Alain vomited over Cole's shoulder, Cole gave a shiver of disgust as he felt the vomit go into his hair and lab coat. Alain could feel Cole rubbing his back as he vomited

“J-just let it out... There we go” Cole said shakily, When Alain finished, he looked back at Cole, panting slightly “Better?” Cole asked. Alain shook his head, before his limbs finally gave out, collapsing on top of Cole.

Cole sighed “This is why we don't go to work sick” He was able to sit up with difficulty, making it so Alain was sitting in his lap. Alain wrapped his arms loosely around Cole. Cole rubbed his back some more “This is ridiculous. I'm taking you home” That was the last thing Alain heard before he drifted off to sleep.

When Alain woke up, he had a wet towel on his head and felt a weight on his body. He opened his eyes and recognised that he was in his bedroom, with the duvet over him. He could also hear the sound of the shower. He sat up in his bed and reached for his phone, that was when the door opened.

“Oh, you're up. Hope you don't mind that I used your shower” Cole said from the doorway. Alain shook his head “N-not at all.... what are we doing here?” He asked.

Cole dried his hair with a towel, before grabbing a chair and sitting next to the bed “Well you're sick, fell asleep in my arms in the labs. Couldn't leave you there like that now could I?” He chuckled.

Alain groaned, laying down as he remembered what happened “Sorry about-” Cole raised a hand, chuckling “Don't worry about it! You're sick. Can't really blame you” Alain sighed in relief.

They spent a few moments in silence. Cole retold the tale of how he got Alain back home and after got up to leave before stopping at the door, turning around to face him.

“Why did you decide to go? You're a doctor, it's not like you didn't..... know.” Alain shifted in his bed, before sighing, It was the least he could do “I was worried about you.” Cole chuckled “Come on-” “No listen.” Alain said with authority. He went into a sitting position again before continuing.

“I've seen what you're like when you fail things Cole. It isn't healthy, so of course I worry because.... Because” Alain groaned “Because you're my friend. You're my friend and I hate seeing you like that. Thin and in pain. And so I decided I would keep an eye on you. To make sure nothing happened, because if I don't who will?” Alain sighed, looking away from Cole.

Cole didn't move for a long time, then he heard him go to the chair “It's not your job to worry about me Alain-” “But-” Alain said turning his head towards Cole. Cole raised a hand

“You had your speech, let me speak now” Alain nodded, looking away. Cole started up again “I'm a grown man, you only started working with me, what, a year ago. And I survived those years. It may not seem like it, but I have people looking out for me, and I always make sure I don't go too far. Plus, this little stunt didn't really help either of us, if anything, it just made me more worried about you. I understand, But trust me, I'll be fine” Alain looked at Cole, who was smiling back at him.

Alain sighed, nodding “Good, now get some rest. If you want, I'll stay here for a bit longer, so you don't have to worry.” Alain went back into the blankets “Thank you.” Alain said softly, Cole stroke the feathers out of his face “No problem friend.”