#Swap Maturity King

[pokemon-ash-aus]

well, i guess there's one scenario left to complete the picture... What if SM King met FT Spot and Berry?

SM!King isn't the most fond of his siblings counterparts.

It really REALLY doesnt help that they're a little self aware but refuse to see it.

[fellpyrean]

So we all agree the ‘personal pet’ line messed us up, yeah? 

So here’s some King in Yellow/Arthur. CWs for uh. Gore, torture, mindbreak??, eldritch horny.  This is not nice. Dare I say, dead dove do not eat. (Edit: BODY HORROR ALSO! I forgot orz) 

Slice of an AU where ep20 went badly below the cut. ~1400 words. 

_______________________

Humans can adapt to anything. 

It probably wasn't the thought Arthur should have had. He probably wasn't in a state to still have any thoughts at all, if he was being honest, but he didn't have much else to do. Not anymore. 

John was gone. Had been for… well. Probably quite a long time. 

The King had taken him back - pried him from Arthur's flesh, with clever words and cruel fingers that had driven him to such bright, piercing agonies that he could almost still hear John pleading through them. Defiant to horrified to begging until the King hadn't even needed to pull very hard for John to dive back into him; as long as the King didn't kill him. 

Well, haha. He didn't. It would have been a mercy. 

The King stayed true to his promise. 

Arthur had been far, far too bloodied and weak to fight the tentacle that oozed between his lips and began to spill something thick and vile down his throat before he lost consciousness. His last delirious, relatively peaceful rest before he awoke - still blind, but his body feeling oddly whole - before he heard the muffled singing and learned his new reality.

He was the King's pet. 

After that first… visit. He had wanted nothing more than to die. The King had dismantled him. Slowly, methodically. Narrating as he sliced skin from muscle, as his claws and tentacles slipped across bare, bloody muscle and dug down between his sinews, sliced into his stomach and examined him inside and out, pawing at his organs like fruits at a market. The dreadful sounds above his screams as the god cracked open his chest, all so he could more easily stroke and squeeze at his heart. 

And all, vividly, viscerally described in his low, purring voice as the King made sure he understood every word, every action, and kept him conscious until Arthur was sure he no more resembled a human than a lump of hideous flesh. How he did not die, he did not know. He tried to die. Tried to bite off his tongue in a stage of delirium, but all he got for it was choking on his own blood as the King tutted.

Then the tentacle came back, stuffing its way back through the ruins of his body, and Arthur fell back into blissful darkness. 

So it began. 

The King's special pet, locked away in a tower far and above the city, whose screams would rain down entwined in the King's beautiful song. 

The King's special pet, who slowly learned each and every way a god could take a mortal man apart. He thought the King would tire of it. Began to pray beneath his hideously cruel touch that it would end. That one day, he wouldn't bother to feed him his essence. That the King would hum and pet his bloodied hair and let him fall at last into the abyss. But he never did. 

He began to know when he entered, where his touch first fell, what he might expect. Whether he would be flayed or slowly ripped apart, whether the King would grab his hands with his tentacles and force Arthur to pry open himself. Whether their hands would be tangled as he was vivisected, what songs the King might hum as he inserted strands of himself into Arthur's spine and hijacked his nerves, his mind, and allowed him to experience such pure, inhuman agonies he could almost feel his soul shatter. 

Without the King to speak, he could describe what was happening to him. And oh, he liked that. Arthur remembered the way the monster had shuddered with unspoken delight when first he ordered him to narrate his own skinning. 

The tentacles had been eager that day. Eager to tangle in his muscles, eager to plunge into his mouth and feed him as he blankly drank it down. 

He belonged to the King now. 

Every bit of him by this point he knew was more formed of the King than anything human. 

Everything except the eyes. One of them at least. Never once had the King taken those. Arthur had taken one of them, once. But he'd only managed to gouge out one before the King had caught him and chained him in soft, unbreakable silk and. Fixed him. 

That had been new. Unique. He'd never felt tentacles swarming his eye socket before. Plunging into his skull and oozing about against the inside of him, wrapping in barely repressed rage about his brain as Arthur screamed and thrashed and begged until more tentacles stuffed his throat. 

It had been a brief incident. 

When he'd woken up, still shaking on the floor, he felt silk bound about his eyes. 

He couldn't remove it. It was… affixed to his skin. 

Perhaps… that was when Arthur accepted it. This was his existence now; his tiny room, the faint sounds of the city below, the cycles of light and dark that warmed and froze his skin, and the King. No others ever entered the tower. He doubted even if the Dancers approached it. Certainly, the King's only herald was the click of a so normal sounding door latch. 

The only other voice, the only other presence in his life became the King. His everything. 

How far gone was he, he would laugh to himself, that he was almost relieved when he heard that latch click? That it was a relief that the King still came, that his tormentor still traced so meticulously over his skin every time before he began to peel? That his breath came, hot and cold and close above his nape as the King laughed and sighed and sang and narrated his red, red blood spattering on to shining gold? 

There was a collar now. 

Arthur knew it was gold, just as he knew the silk around his eyes was. The King had slipped it around his throat with a hum, had choked him and purred out Arthur's struggles until he'd gone limp. And when next he had awoken, the collar still rested against his skin. 

Whatever it was, it was soft and supple, embossed with some twisting, coiling pattern, and a cold, metal pendant hung from its front. 

It made part of him pleased. God he hated that. But the broken, twisted part of him - larger far than Arthur wanted to admit - nearly preened at the damn thing. 

He blamed that part of himself when the King yanked him by the collar, and he couldn't stop the moan that tore from his choked throat as he hung in the god's grasp. Breaths fast, body oddly warm, fingers clammy as he clutched at the King's in that eternity long moment. 

And oh. 

Oh how the King had laughed.

Genuine, like hundreds of bells tolling at once in his mind, and then. Then, something new. 

Almost tenderly, the King pulled him close. So close. He felt the robes part, felt his skin prickle in danger he could not name, and then. Felt the tentacles pull him in. 

Into what, he could not… dare imagine to say. Into the King, though the words did so little to capture it. 

He had been torn apart on a level he couldn't comprehend. And he had clung to the King as he did it; as his body devoured him, as Arthur clutched at him, as Arthur's screams mingled with the god's slow, steady breaths and heady laughter. As his too long, too sharp fingers stroked his hair, urged his tear-streaked face to nestle on his shoulder. 

Idly, Arthur thought he could picture it. From the outside, it probably looked tender. Wrapped up in his cloak, none would have been any the wiser as to the shattering agony/ecstasy Arthur experienced as the King did… something horrible to him. As the King entangled them. 

Did he plead for him to stop, or beg for more? 

He didn't know. 

But the King. When. When he finished. When he deposited the remains of Arthur's body on the floor, when he felt the god begin to piece enough of him back together that the tentacles would have something to feed, he stayed. He stayed and he pet Arthur's head and. Praised him. 

Good pet.

And fuck. Fuck.

Arthur remembered it. It was seared into his fucking mind like a beacon; how he'd whimpered and sucked so obediently when that dripping tentacle slithered into his mouth and he fed on the god's slick like it was ambrosia.

How had it ever tasted vile, when it was so honey sweet? 

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Cater Diamond - Trick King Jacket Voice Lines

Trick King Jacket Cater does not have a vignette.

We don't need none of those stiff formalities! Just feel the vibes and keep it pumpin'!

Summon: I gotta say, Cay-kun's imagination's pretty awesome～ I'm not talking about the dream itself, but this dorm uniform! Don'tcha think I got stellar sense?

Groovification: All these bad little fakers need to be put in their place. 'Sides, I gotta show off just what an upperclassman is capable of ♪

Home: Yahoo! Here comes Housewarden Cay-kun!

Swap Looks: Oh, should I take my hat off?

Home Transition 1: That super spicy pizza that Trey-kun made was so tasty... I should ask him to make me the same thing once we wake up from our dreams!

Home Transition 2: Sure, I've thought about using a skateboard to get around the dorm. 'Cause, my dorm's pretty big with all sorts of places to go, y'see.

Home Transition 3: We could take down trial testimony on our phones, huh... Nah, that'd never happen～ In real life, we use chalkboards. Don'tcha think that's kinda retro and cute of us?

Home Transition - Login: The Housewarden's commands are absolute. Riiight? Heheh, just kidding! But man, I could get used to giving orders like this.

Home Transition - Groovy: Did I seriously want to be Housewarden? No, no, definitely not! Because then I'd have to do all the annoying stuff like go to meetings and whatever.

Home Tap 1: How did I not realize that was a dream at all? You'd think I'd do a double-take at seeing Riddle-kun DJing... Or, more like a quintuple-take!

Home Tap 2: Hamburgers on Tuesdays and late-night lemonade were both allowed. I guess seeing those rules be lax made it a pretty good dream.

Home Tap 3: There's times I feel like the Queen of Hearts' laws are a paaain to deal with, but honestly, it's a lot better now than it was when I first came here. Seriously!

Home Tap 4: I can't believe all my cute little underclassmen came to my dream to save me... I'm moved to tears at how you all are maturing!

Home Tap 5: All these medals on my chest look pretty cool, huh? Feels like it's saying only the Queen of Hearts and the Card Soldiers stay winning, don't it?

Home Tap - Groovy: Hey, hey, take a pic of me wearing this outfit. I'll make sure to pick a perfect pose for it. Make sure it comes out killer ☆

Duo: [CATER]: Ruggie-kun, let's end this guy! [RUGGIE]: Let's do it, Cater-san.

Requested by @thelonepearl and @farfalla049.

[choicesficwriterscreations]

CFWC F/AtoW: December 15 - 21, 2024

✒️ = Fanfic | 📱 = Text Fics/Edits | 🎨 = Fanart Ⓜ️ = Mature Content 18+ | 🔥 = Explicit/NSFW 18+ 🏳️‍🌈 = LGBTQIA+

BLADES OF LIGHT AND SHADOW

Blades Characters Pixels 🎨 | Multiple Characters - @lilacs-and-stone C: @storyofmychoices

Nightmare ✒️ | Tyril Starfury x F!Human!MC - @petalouda85

DESIRE AND DECORUM

Clara's Belle ✒️ | Ernest Sinclaire x F!MC - @ladylamrian

THE FRESHMAN

The Special Christmas Present ✒️ | Chris Powell x F!MC - @eadanga

LAWS OF ATTRACTION

The Christmas Proposal ✒️ | Gabe Ricci x F!MC - @eadanga

OPEN HEART

Love In Every Heartbeat (Series) ✒️ | Rafael Aveiro x F!MC - @rafasgirl23415 Chapter 17: Here for a moment Ⓜ️ Chapter 18: Why not me? Ⓜ️

Sweet December ✒️ | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @cariantha

THE ROYAL ROMANCE

Forevermore (Series) ✒️ | King Marquise (Liam) Rys x F!MC - @khoicesbyk Chapter 11: Present

Royal Adventures (Series) ✒️ | Liam Rys x F!MC - @tessa-liam Chapter 2: Season's Scrambles

Royal Christmas ✒️ | Liam Rys x F!MC - @eadanga

Warmer Than Whiskey ✒️ | Drake Walker x F!MC - @professor-abeloved

CROSSOVERS

High School Story / The Princess Swap

The Prince Swap (Series) ✒️ | M!OC & M!OC - @lover-also-fighter-also Chapter 2 Part 1: The Social Season

[drthugitout]

My ver of dream :00000 AND RANTS ABT MY AU

I ws going for a more princesssy vibe if ykyk if ya like dream do u wanna have more hc on my au in stuff

So a lil rant, but this ver of dram takes place ofc after the whole being trapped n stone thing passses but more in the mist of trying to save his brother, not knowing that he’s already dead ((couldn’t be me type shi.))

He’s way more trusting and open arms meaning he could eager hurt easily, even if your mean he just assume he need to try harder to make you happy or to trust him n vice versa.

He’s also just not good with helping ppl who don’t want to be helped which his can never understand especially with people like killer or early on cross and even sometimes ink.

He can’t read. I mean he can read but not to the best.

Dawg hates getting treaeated like a child, he’s not a child he’s an adult man, yes trapped in stone for a long time sucks and he dose have some problems with not getting a lot of adult topic but prefers for them to get explained and not gatekeeped, with that in some ways even core could be considered more mature then him ((not like they aren’t though))

He gets wat to excited for missions but it’s not jus him so do ink and swap that dose change though

He’s not above overworking himself for the greater good no matter what it is.

He’s scared of going blind, random but it makes sine seeing as he was practically Lind for 500 years trapped in some weird purgatory.

Yes he try’s to make every one happy but if there’s really nothing he can do he won’t keep trying to make you better n be near your negative ahh.

Sometimes British.

His magic is sometimes hard to control as ink describes it he’s ’rusty’ training with him and swap so they all can up there strategy’s

Continuing the theme of the last hc of this au, he hates fighting especially and of corse against nightmare, from his eys he got stuck in a endless loop of nothingness for years only to wake up the the sweet kinda kid he knew as his brother know the most well known asshole across the world, along with getting teased and pushed during battle against nightmare for nights own sadistic personal gain, AND HE JUS LETS IT SLIDE BCZ HE WANTS HE BROTHER BSCK it actually hands to be stud dyed how overlooked that is.

He can fly, to some existent. Nobody is truly sure how?! But he can.

Trap rap scares him like that aggressive stuff ((I also don’t like it I LIKE MY RAP CATCHY N MUISCAL NIT HEADACHE RACING)) He also don like hardcore rock

The king along with his right hand men. ((Ink and swap)) along with core

His main friends are just the main sanses besides the bad guys.

Loves cosplayer n dress up

But HATEDSSSSSS holloween

To scared to accept his friends as family dispute how close they act the fact they sometimes live together feed each other and share clothes, I luv them<33

Hes open to showing affection in almost every way so yes he dose so time give ppl kisses on the cheeks and hugs and say how much he loves them bcz ipit brightens there day.

Gets annoying headaches from nightmares voice mainly when he yells, it just brings back pain and damn, that sucks. Smh smd

He’s seen as royalty but hates getting treated like that as he feels like he shouldn’t be looked highly in for what he dose ((mainly because he feels like he should be able to do more, and hates that he can’t help everyone mainly because of his childhood))

lowkey fuck them villagers.

Cusses n it catches ppl of guard but for him it’s not shown as bad at all

Says some things that would get him canceled but doesn’t know that so he has to get explained that

One when angered he best nms ahh n once night left came to the realization of what he did n cried, ink swap and pretty much everyone were so proud though.

Everyone is his best friend

513 ((A GROWN MAN))

Actually scared of octopus/ squid’s ect. Like when he would cry cuz nightmare scares the fuck out of him. ((He actually got over his fear a bit with freshs parasite

Sleeps in dirt, a weird calming thing for him especially since he like to sleep in the sun. I dunno his ass weird but yeah needs sunlight like a plant.

Swap carries him around somtimes I dunnod I jus though that was sweet

Also wears anything, this goes for slot of the skellys n my aus but he would wear the most gorgeous ball room dress ever n never bat an eye.

A rly good singer. Who can play the piano kinda sometimes.

Hates wearing headphones or annoying boarding noises.

For some reason he dependent on helping cross mainly him because of how bad he feels but how much he relates to him especially after that one battle with nm around when he gets closer to cross n more open to the fact most ppl suck. He stops being less of a bitch.

Seen as the leader even though swap would make a better one out the three

Along with his sleep he doesn’t have the best eating habits swap of then haveing to help him out and vice versa as they love overworking them selfs

The thought of a muiltverse overwhelmed him. A lot. ((Cuz ur saying I gotta make allll these ppl happy? Damn.))

WEAKER BECAUSE THERE ARE WAY MORE NEGATIVE AUS THEN THERE SRE POSTIVE PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT NIGHT HAS A HARSH ADVANTGE

his smiles contagious.

Ngl the drawing kinda gives “I will fight n the name of Rose Quarts n every thing that she believed in.” Very Steven universe coded though.

Can’t flirt or take a romantic hint

Pretty gender neutral

He pokey prob likes gross food btw like nuts, ew.

His highest priority is children as he projects on the highly.

((Note I came up with half up these from the top of my head, I don know hc were so easy, n I don even like dream like that))

That’s most of my hc but yeah there less silly fun ones n most jus to do with his character n my au.

Uhhh he likes frank ocean.

[rogueddie]

Vampire Steve, Steddie Fic Rec List

Important: READ THE TAGS! Also, leave a comment and kudos! These fics are amazing and I love them and I hope y'all do too 🩸

Earth Made

minyoongies

Eddie is bleeding out and Steve is hungry.

Words : 1,581 Chapters : 1/1 Rating : Teen and Up Audiences

AO3 : x

Contagion

BritChick91

Vecna offers a transformed Eddie a deal - turn his friends and Vecna will spare them.

Eddie doesn't trust Vecna at all, but he has no idea what he's going to do. And in one case the choice may have already been taken from him.

Words : 28,308 Chapters : 13/13 Rating : Teen and Up Audiences

AO3 : x

monsters are always hungry, darling

kickassfu

It’s terrifying how quickly he loses himself to bloodlust, how easy it becomes to seduce someone to their deaths. They all go so willingly, smiles on their faces, unaware of what’s coming to them, because tragedies only happen to other people. Not to you. Never you.

Until a monster has you in their claws, drinking you to your marrow.

At least Steve makes it painless for them.

Words : 2,075 Chapters : 2/2 Rating : Explicit

AO3 : x

Nothing Like The Horror Flicks

hitlikehammers

“I’m hungry, all the time, and I don’t know what for,” Eddie confesses. “But I read a lot of that shit, y’know, and if everything else fucking matches something from D&D,” he shrugs, and it’s not like Steve owes him or anything but what the fuck is Eddie even supposed to do—

“I tried to bite a cicada.”

Apparently, he’s supposed to admit that shit.

Words : 5,203 Chapters : 1/1 Rating : Mature

AO3 : x

You must keep your soul, like a secret (in your throat).

AlpheccaCoronae

Slowly, he opens his mouth.

There are eight fangs in total; a double set, two in each corner of his mouth and each as razor-sharp as its neighbour. They’re the only thing his parents have ever been proud of him for. They make him sick.

“Holy shit,” Robin whispers.

Steve clicks his mouth shut. “Holy shit,” he echoes.

Words : 12,854 Chapters : 4/4 Rating : Mature

AO3 : x

Return of The King

Penny00Dreadful

A month ago Steve had decided at the last second that he just couldn’t leave his baby brother out of his sight. Eddie understood, he got it. So he’d agreed to swap out. He went with Robin and Nancy to the Creel house. He’d thrown molotov’s harder than anything he’d thrown before, but it hadn’t mattered. Vecna had crashed through the attic window and disappeared when they went down to check.

The trudge back to the trailer had been tense and twitchy, only broken when they’d heard Dustin screaming through the treeline.

That sound was the most terrifying thing he’d ever heard because he knew that Steve would never have let Dustin get hurt.

So if Dustin was hurt, it could only mean that something had happened to Steve.

A month later something creeps up on Eddie while he's sleeping.

Words : 49,740 Chapters : 9/9 Rating : Explicit

AO3 : x

[morri-draws]

Gwaine x Reader - 'The Threads That Bind Us' - Chapter 9

Story Summary:

You, a humble dressmaker from Camelot’s lower town, are commissioned to make a new gown for Queen Guinevere. Impressed by your skills, she offers you the position of Royal Clothier. During your time in the castle, you catch the eye of one of the knights of King Arthur’s inner circle, Sir Gwaine. What starts as a sweet courtship is turned upside down when misfortune strikes and you must deal with the aftermath, as well as an unwelcome visit from Gwaine’s unpleasant sister.

Rating: Mature

Tags: Female Reader/Gwaine, set between seasons 4 and 5, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort

Words: 2,699

Read Chapter 1 | Read Chapter 2 | Read Chapter 3

Read Chapter 4 | Read Chapter 5 | Read Chapter 6

Read Chapter 7 | Read Chapter 8

Read on Ao3

Gwaine’s mind is a mess of hurt, anger and sorrow, each blow to the training dummy serving as an outlet for his intense emotions.

“You alright Gwaine?” Percival asks as he looks on with a teasing grin. “Did the dummy insult you in some way?”

Gwaine scowls in reply as Arthur announces that it is time to swap to sparring. He pairs Percival with Leon, and Gwaine with Elyan. They begin trading blows, changing between offence and defence, blocking, parrying and striking. Gwaine’s style is particularly aggressive, giving Elyan hardly a chance to defend himself, let alone strike any blows, before Arthur calls an end to the bout.

“Bloody hell, Gwaine, are you actually trying to kill me?” Elyan pants, eyes wide.

“Apologies, my friend,” Gwaine replies, patting Elyan on the shoulder gruffly. “I’ve got a lot on my mind,”

Gwaine crosses the training field to return his sword to the rack, where Merlin appears next to him, a training dummy under one arm.

“Are you alright?” He asks, frowning concernedly at his friend.

“Yeah,” Gwaine answers automatically, forcing a smile. He glances at Merlin, who’s grimacing back at him, clearly not convinced. Gwaine drops the smile. “No, not really. Have you got a moment to talk after this, in my chambers?”

“Of course,” Merlin nods. “Once I pack all this away, I’ll be there,”

~

Gwaine paces the length of his chambers, deep in thought and face set in a frown, until there’s a knock at his chamber door.

“Enter,” He says.

The door swings open and Merlin steps inside, latching it behind him as he looks at his friend with concern. Gwaine gestures to a small table behind him, and he and Merlin both sit down.

“It’s (Y/N),” Gwaine begins. “I’ve finally managed to speak with her. It’s bad, Merlin,” He sighs, running a hand over his face. “It seems my sister has been running her mouth, spreading nasty rumours about me, and (Y/N) came to hear of them. She’s been led to believe that I’m some kind of skirt-chaser and that I don’t care for her at all,”

“Did you tell her it’s not true?” Merlin asks.

“Of course I did. I told her that she can’t believe a word my sister says, but I don’t know if she believed me. I was too angry to say any more so I left,”

Merlin frowns, crossing his arms. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know… I thought maybe I should give her some space to think things over. Then she can decide what she wants to do… whether she wants to speak to me again,” Gwaine turns his head away, hair falling in front of his face, hiding the emotion beginning to show itself.

“So, you’re going to wait for her to come to you?” Merlin asks.

Gwaine shrugs.

“I don’t think that’s the best idea,” Merlin says. “(Y/N) seems like the kind of person who might find that difficult, especially since I’m sure she’s feeling pretty terrible right now. She might wait for you to make the next move. Then you’ll both be sitting around, waiting for the other, torturing yourselves in the process,” He shakes his head. “No, you both need to talk this out, and the sooner, the better,”

“I don’t know, Merlin. I don’t want to harass her. She might not want to talk,”

Merlin’s chair scrapes back as he stands. “I’ll go and talk to her,”

“No,” Gwaine stands so swiftly that his chair falls back with a loud thud. “I don’t want her to think I’m sending someone else to fight my battles,”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make it clear that you haven’t sent me. I’m a concerned friend, that’s all,”

Merlin smiles reassuringly before exiting Gwaine’s chambers.

~

You begin applying gold trim to the king’s doublet, the garment having reached your favourite stage of creation (besides the finished result), which is when it actually starts to look like something. If only you could feel the satisfaction that you usually would at this stage, but your mind is clouded and unfocused. No matter what task you set yourself to, always in the back of your mind is guilt and heartache.

You take a step back to inspect your work when there’s a knock at your chamber door. Your stomach drops. It must be Gwaine. You’re not ready to speak with him yet. Even though a full day has passed, you haven’t thought up anything you could possibly say to him. But now’s the moment, whether you’re ready or not, you have to answer that door.

You cross your chambers and open to door, surprised to find Merlin looking back at you.

“I waited this time,” He says with a lopsided grin.

“Indeed,” You reply. “The king’s doublet is not yet complete. I’m just working on it now,”

“Hmm?” Merlin raises his brows. “Oh, I’m not here about that,”

“Alright… why are you here?”

You open the door wider to admit him and he steps inside, a thumb and finger on his chin, brow furrowed in thought.

You cross the room to the dining table. “Would you like to sit?”

You gesture to the chair opposite you and Merlin nods. You take a seat as he does, clasping his hands in front of him.

He clears his throat. “You know, Gwaine is a good friend of mine,”

You avert your eyes guiltily, steeling yourself for a tongue-lashing.

“He told me what happened,” Merlin continues. “But he is afraid to speak with you again, in case you don’t wish to speak to him, and he doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable. So, I’ve taken it upon myself to come here and ask you to please speak to him as soon as you can,”

“Does he not hate me?”

“No,” Merlin shakes his head. “He’s just hurting. He’s extremely upset with his sister and… I think he’s afraid he’s lost you,”

Tears prick your eyes and you reach into your pocket to retrieve a handkerchief, dabbing the moisture away.

“I’ve spent the last day trying to think of what to say to him, but I just can’t find the words. All I can think of is how dreadful I feel,”

“In situations like these, it’s impossible to think of the perfect thing to say, because there isn’t one,” Merlin’s blue eyes look earnestly into yours. “You just need to speak from your heart. When you see him, you’ll know what to say,”

You sigh, fiddling with the handkerchief in your lap. “I don’t know about that,”

“Well, I know this,” Merlin straightens. “Gwaine is a good man, one of the very best. There was a time when Gaius was framed and accused of treason. Everyone believed he was guilty, but I knew he would never betray Arthur. I was angry and I was afraid, and I felt that I had no one to turn to. I returned to my chambers one night and there was Gwaine, waiting for me. He wanted to see if I was alright, and when I told him that Gaius had not fled to avoid punishment, but was kidnapped, he believed me. He came with me, no questions asked, to find Gaius and to save him. Gwaine found Gaius and brought him home,” Merlin’s eyes glisten with the emotion of the memory. “He is a true and loyal friend. I’m afraid I overlooked that for too long. Don’t make the same mistake as I did. He has been, and will be, true to you as well,”

You nod sombrely as hot tears fall down your cheeks and into your lap. “I can tell you speak from the heart, Merlin,” Your voice wavers as you force out the words before standing and walking to the nearest window, looking out at the sky. “Do the knights have training this evening?”

“Of course,” Merlin replies.

“Then I shall speak with Gwaine after that,”

“Excellent,” Merlin stands with a smile. “Speaking of training, I need to make sure Arthur’s armour is in order,”

You leave your spot at the window and approach Merlin.

“Thank you for coming to speak with me. You’ve given me courage,”

“You’ve found that courage yourself,” Merlin smiles. “Good luck for this evening,”

~

You spend the next few hours continuing work on the king’s doublet, then swap to Gwen’s gown. The plan is for them both to be completed at the same time so they can be revealed together. Your body feels tight as you work, full of nervous tension for your upcoming conversation with Gwaine. While there is no certainty about how it will go, there is at least a small sense of relief in knowing that he is open to talking. You had worried that you’d hurt him too badly.

You sew until the sunlight filters through your window in that particular way, and you know that the time has come. You briefly check your appearance in the glass, tucking away any fly-aways and smoothing your skirts, before heading out.

You arrive in the wing of the castle containing the knights’ personal chambers and realise that you’re unsure which room belongs to Gwaine. You overheard his and Erika’s voices from one of the rooms those weeks ago, but weren’t close enough to discern exactly where they came from. You decide to just try one of the doors, and if another knight answers, you can simply ask for direction to Gwaine’s chambers. You knock on the door closest to you. Receiving no response, you move onto the next door, but also receive no reply. Your make your way down the passage, knocking on each door, until you’ve tried all, and do not receive a single answer.

You pace for a few moments, flustered. You’d worked up the courage to do this, your stomach twisting itself into knots in anticipation, and now… nothing. Taking deep breaths to calm yourself, you think what to do next, when the idea strikes you to find Merlin and ask him if he knows where the knights may be.

You arrive at Merlin and Gaius’ chambers, knocking on the door firmly.

“Enter,” Gaius’ voice calls from within.

You unlatch the door and step inside. Gaius stands up from behind a desk and removes his glasses, placing them atop the pages of an open tome.

“How may I assist you, (Y/N)?” He asks with a friendly smile.

“I was just wanting to speak to Merlin,” You reply.

“I’m afraid Merlin is not here currently. Is there something I could help you with?”

You consider whether or not to be open with the physician, and ultimately decide that there is no reason for secrecy.

“I was meaning to speak with Sir Gwaine actually, but he wasn’t in his chambers. None of the knights were in fact, so I came here, hoping Merlin might know something,”

“Ah,” Gaius’ eyes brighten with understanding. “The knights were called away on an urgent mission with the king. Merlin has gone with them,”

“I see,” Your anxiety flares. “Do you know when they are expected to return?”

“It is hard to say,”

You nod. “Thank you, Gaius,”

He bows his head in response and you exit the physician’s chambers.

You begin heading back to your own chambers in a sort of daze. You were already anxious when you headed out to see Gwaine, but now, not only are you unable to speak with him, he’s off on an urgent mission, and surely urgent means dangerous? You need to know more, so you change direction and head for the royal chambers.

You receive and answer immediately after you knock, and let yourself inside. Gwen turns to greet you from in front of the antechamber’s window.

“(Y/N),” She smiles. “This is a pleasant surprise,” Upon seeing your expression, her smile falters. “Is everything alright?”

“I went to speak with Gwaine,” you say, closing the gap between you and joining her by the window. “But he’s away,”

“Yes, Arthur and the knights have set out on an urgent mission,” Gwen replies.

“I heard such from Gaius. Do you know what they’re doing?”

“Villages on Camelot’s borders have been attacked,” Gwen speaks in a low voice, as if worried of being overheard. “Arthur wants to know whether it’s simply raiders, or whether it’s enemies crossing the border,” She turns to gaze out the window. “I shouldn’t say simply raiders. There’s nothing simple about them for the poor people whose homes are being targeted,”

“What happens if it’s raiders?”

“Arthur and his knights will defeat them,”

“And if it is enemies crossing the border?” You ask.

“Then it’s an act of war,” Gwen frowns.

“Then for the kingdom’s sake, I hope it’s raiders,”

“So do I,” Gwen turns back to you, her expression troubled. “Though I have seen first-hand the damage raiders can do. Those poor villagers,” She shakes her head, as if to dismiss the unpleasant thoughts. “Have you eaten yet?”

“I have not,”

“Then will you dine with me tonight?”

“I would like that very much,” You answer truthfully. You would prefer not to be left with only your own thoughts tonight.

Gwen smiles before heading to the door, opening it and poking her head out to speak with the guards outside. She closes the door again and gestures for you to sit at the dining table and she takes the seat adjacent to you.

“I’ve arranged for two dinners to be brought up,” She says.

You thank her, but find yourself not knowing what else to say in the moment. You can’t seem to think of anything conversational. You strain to think of something, anything to talk about, when Gwen breaks the silence.

“I feel I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I didn’t bring this up. I knew there was something wrong when you conducted my fitting the other day, and Gwaine hasn’t been his usual cheerful self either. Has something happened between you?”

You certainly hadn’t planned on unburdening yourself tonight, but when Gwen looks at you, the question in her eyes as well as friendly concern, you reveal all, every wretched detail, your composure completely lost as she holds your hand in hers.

“And I went to try to fix things tonight,” You continue your story. “But now he’s gone on a dangerous mission and he doesn’t know how sorry I am,”

“You talk as if tonight was your only chance to speak with him. He’ll be back,” Gwen smiles reassuringly.

“I’m just so worried something terrible will happen while he’s away,” You sniff. “Do you not worry about the king?”

“I worry for Arthur every time he leaves on a mission,” Gwen says. “And Elyan too. But I also have faith, in Arthur and his knights. They’ve been through so much together and look out for one another like brothers,”

You nod along to Gwen’s words, trying to find in yourself the same faith that she has.

“How about this,” Gwen says. “We can dine together every night until they return. We’ll keep each other from worrying too much,”

“I like that idea,” You wipe your eyes. “Thank you, Gwen,”

The dinners arrive soon after and you periodically remind yourself to slow your eating, since the meal is so delicious.

“Perhaps I should spend more time on my own cooking,” You remark. “I only make very plain meals. But it hardly seems worth the effort to make something like this for just one person,”

“Perhaps you’ll soon invite someone over for dinner, and you can put in a little extra effort for the occasion,” Gwen replies suggestively.

You feel a warmth in your cheeks at the thought. How you long for things to go back to how they were before, to feel easy in Gwaine’s presence and to laugh with him again.

You and Gwen spend the rest of the night chatting about a number of topics, until drowsiness kicks in, the conversation lulls and you decide it’s time to go to bed. You head back to your chambers feeling much lighter than you did before. Your anxiety for Gwaine is still present, but you feel as if you can bear it a little better now.

[lover-also-fighter-also]

THE PRINCE SWAP

CHAPTER 2 PART 1: THE SOCIAL SEASON

Banner credits: @cadybear420

Links to previous chapters:

Chapter 1: part 1

Chapter 1: part 2

Chapter 1: part 3

Tags: @cadybear420 @somerandomjewelleryonthefloor @choicesmc @choicesficwriterscreations @dutifullynuttywitch

Summary: a rewrite of The Princess Swap, but featuring our OG: HSS MC's, Jeremy Rin (my MC) and Alan Parke (Cady's MC).

Before they knew it, Jeremy and Emma were being rushed through the palace halls. 'This way your highness.' said the nobleman. 'Best not to keep the king waiting.' Jeremy looked at Emma as they walked, but the princess was trying not to make eye contact with him. Feeling awkward he started 'Princess-'

'I am sorry.' blurted out Emma. 'Huh?' said Jeremy, looking confused 'The way I spoke of you was completely out of line, your highness. Had I known you were the prince-'

'No it's okay really - ' said Jeremy. But before he could finish, they were escorted into a room, where a tall, imposing man stands before a throne. He had sharp, dark eyes, and hair that would have been as dark as Alan's, except it seemed to have reeded with age. Beside him, stood a frowning nobleman, certainly shorter in height than the man in front of the throne, and looked like he had gotten off the wrong side of the bed.

'Alan, my boy.' said the tall man, breaking into a smile that made his eyes twinkle. 'I trust you have kept our guest entertained?' By now, Jeremy could guess that this man was King Edmond, and immediately remembered that he was supposed to be his son.

'Yes, your majesty - I mean, father.' said Jeremy, giving a nervous smile, that he hoped that the king would not notice. 'I only hope that the princess found my company…delightful.' The King turns to Emma.

'Princess Emma. How wonderful to finally meet you.'

'Wonderful indeed.' said the surly nobleman. 'How kind of you to drop in on us without a warning, then disappear for an hour.'

'Your Majesty, Lord Cecil, Please accept my apologies for the unexpected arrival.' said Emma, curtseying before the king. Jeremy eyed the nobleman with distaste. 'So this was the Lord Cecil I was told to give a wide berth to. No wonder' he thought.

'I am really grateful for your invitation to host me for this social season.' said Emma to the king. 'But I had arrived earlier at the bequest of my father, to propose his additional way of improving relations between our feuding kingdoms.' She gives a nervous smile to Jeremy for a moment and says 'It would be an honor if I were to court prince Alan, with the possibility of a proposal by the end of the season.'

Jeremy was taken aback for a moment, before turning to the king. 'Your Maj- I mean father, did you know about this?'

'No but I think its a marvelous idea!' said the king, positively beaming. 'Monterre had always been at odds with Ismar for centuries, but I always hoped our kingdoms could resolve our…feuds.' he said. 'It would be entirely up to the Princess if she wishes to propose or not, and you, my son, whether to accept.' 'More like the real Alan to accept' thought Jeremy to himself.

'But this season could be a great opportunity to show that our heirs can get along, and so can our kingdoms.' said the king. He turns to Jeremy and continues 'I would like you and Princess Emma to arrange her welcome ball, to be held in two days time.'

'Oh, but…Of course father.' said Jeremy, losing what he had to say after seeing the hopeful look in the kings eyes.

'If I may object, Your Majesty.' said Lord Cecil. 'It would take more than a political courtship and a ball to undo centuries of rivalry! Ismar has always been too proud to cooperate with its betters.' He gives Emma a hateful look, and she looked like she was going to sink to the ground. Jeremy noticed the look in her eyes, and clenches his fists. He may not be the real Alan, but he wouldn't let Lord Cecil treat a guest like that, nor let him write off a chance at peace.

'Lord Cecil, maybe some of us are mature to overcome our differences. And this ball can symbolize choosing generosity over old wounds. Something that I think his lordship can understand the value of.' he says, putting on his most diplomatic expression.

Cecil opens his mouth, and scoffs 'So the rebellious prince finally formed a valid opinion. What a momentous day.' 'That's quite enough, Lord Cecil.' said the king. 'I am proud that my son has decided to take this chance on diplomacy.' he said, giving Jeremy a proud look. Jeremy smiles back, feeling relived inside.

Just then the nobleman who escorted them to the courtroom, enters and bows to the king. 'Forgive the intrusion, Your Majesty. But, I have been informed that our chambers are ready, and me and the princess would like to take a look.'

'Of course Lord Eren. We are glad to have you and Princess Emma for this season.' They both give a bow to the king, before leaving the courtroom.

Back at the Delta Theta Delta Sorority…

Alan was pacing around in Jeremy's room, when suddenly Jeremy's phone rings in his hand. 'Hello?' said Alan, picking it up.

'Alan.' whispered Jeremy urgently. 'Things just got a little complicated here…'

After a hasty explanation, Alan lets out a low whistle 'Wow, I can't believe little Emma is here with a proposal. I knew she was coming for the season but the reason…' he trails off

'Your dad thinks that its a great idea. He says it might help the relation between the two kingdoms. What do we do now?'

Alan thinks for a moment before saying, 'We stick to the plan. Emma's arrival might be unexpected, but I am sure you can handle it for two days.'

'You know what, you're right. Besides, I wouldn't miss an opportunity to spend time with a cute princess.' said Jeremy, slightly laughing.

'Oh she is cute now?' said Alan cheekily. 'Then I would definitely know what you mean by spending time…'

'You're not offended, are you?' asked Jeremy. 'Nope.' said Alan. 'Emma's a sweet girl, and I like her. I would definitely be offended if you didn't take an interest in her…'

'Let's cross the bridge when we get to it.' said Jeremy, giving a small laugh. 'Well, have fun being me.' and hung up the phone.

[perseidlion]

In the Skin of a Cat (Dead Boy Detectives)

In the Skin of a Cat (13179 words) by perseid_lion Chapters: 5/5 Fandom: Dead Boy Detectives (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne/Charles Rowland, The Cat King | Thomas/Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne, The Cat King | Thomas/Monty Characters: Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne, The Cat King | Thomas, Charles Rowland (DCU), Monty (Dead Boy Detectives) Additional Tags: Possession, Touch-Starved, Touch-Starved Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne, Roleplay, Identity Swap, Magic, Pining, Mutual Pining, Shapeshifting, Crack Treated Seriously, POV Charles Rowland (DCU), Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne Loves Charles Rowland, pov edwin pane, Bisexual Male Character, Gay Male Character, Coming Out, Gay Bar, Protective Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne, Protective Charles Rowland (DCU), Charles Rowland Loves Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne, bisexual awakening, Romantic Comedy, Comedy, The Dreaming Realm (The Sandman), Hormones, Pansexual Character, pansexual awakening, First Time, Non-Graphic Smut, Identity Issues Series: Part 2 of Perseid_Lion's Dead Boy Detectives Summary:

The Cat King is in London, and he offers Edwin the chance to take his body for a spin. Edwin learns what it is to be alive again - but also to be seen by the world as a different person. Having Cat's libido could be a dangerous thing.

--

Please note that the pairings tagged aren't super straightforward because it is a possession fic!

Chapter 1

‘Your theory is…sound. But I don’t quite understand why you would want to offer me this. It is still a theory as well, and not without risk.”

“True,” said the Cat King. “But nothing worth doing is without a bit of risk.” He paced around Edwin, sweeping his eyes up and down him. “If I don’t fight you - which I don’t intend to,” he smiled toothily, “Then no crime has been committed. And besides, the prohibition is against ghosts possessing humans. And I’m not human.” He smiled wide enough to display his pointed canines, golden eyes flashing with mirth.

They were standing in a mostly empty flat in Central London where Cat had taken up residence for the time being. They had seen each other a few times since his relocation, and Cat had even been helpful on a case or two. But there was still a great deal of tension between them. 

“That still doesn’t explain why you are offering to let me possess you. That is simply the logic for why I may not get into trouble for doing so,” said Edwin as he pinched his hands into fists and stood with his back soldier-straight.

Cat was wearing his trademark garish attire of a calf-length skirt and a black mesh shirt, with the addition of cropped black faux fur coat. He was prowling around Edwin, looking him over with open lasciviousness. “Because you deserve to feel, Edwin. I know that you have known mostly pain for far, far too long.” He stopped in front of him. “Let me take some of that away for a short while, hmmm?” Then he leaned in and whispered into Edwin’s ear, “I’d love to have you inside me.”

There were moments when Edwin doubted his own sexuality, wondering instead if he was just the sort to not be with anyone. But then Cat or Charles would do something that would cause a visceral reaction even though he was not, in fact, in possession of any viscera. Now was one of those moments. Cat’s words, coated in double entendre, made him draw in a sharp breath he didn’t need. 

“Are you so desperate for intimacy? Is that why you came up with this scheme?” barked Edwin, the snarkiness a reaction to him feeling off-balance.

“Oh, ouch,” said Cat dramatically as he pressed a hand to his chest. “You’re lucky I like it when you’re a bitch.”

Edwin’s cheeks flushed and even though it was difficult he stood up even straighter. “I apologize. That was rude of me.”

“I can’t stay mad at you,” said Cat as he reached up to straighten Edwin’s bowtie. “Come on. Admit it. You’re curious. You want to know what it’s like to feel alive again. Think of it as an academic exercise. You’d also get to know what it felt to be something other than human. Surely that could come in handy with your work?” He gave Edwin a pouty, begging sort of look, his eyes as puppyish as a cat could make them. 

Edwin was very, very tempted. His recent trip to Hell had reintroduced him to the concept of pain, as had Esther’s subsequent torture. That had been the only thing he’d felt in decades, and he did long for the more pleasurable and pleasant types of sensations of the sort the Cat King was now offering. 

The other part he refused to admit to himself was that he was deeply curious to know what it would be like to be him, in particular. There was no use denying his attraction, or his fascination - which fell into step with his annoyance and distrust. “If we do this…”

Cat’s face lit up. 

“...what are the ground rules?” finished Edwin.

“Ground rules?” 

“Yes, what am I allowed to do? What is off-limits? There simply must be rules,” said Edwin.

“Must there?” said Cat. “I trust you, Edwin. You wouldn’t do anything improper, more’s the pity,” he drawled. “But if you wanted to be improper, you have my permission.” He extended his arms.

“For what, exactly?” asked Edwin.

“Surprise me,” said Cat, his eyes flashing with excitement. “I know you’re not…worldly when it comes to things of a physical nature. How could you be? I can’t imagine you’d do anything I wouldn’t gladly do myself.”

Edwin had to admit that was likely true. Still, “If we do this I don’t intend to get frisky in your body, if that’s what you’re implying!”

Cat could tell Edwin’s resolve was wearing down, and it made him more and more pleased. “Of course you don’t intend to,” he said, with a particularly long, drawn-out purr over the word intend. “Besides, you can always talk to me. If you don’t push me aside, I’ll be able to see and hear everything. If you somehow start doing something I don’t like, I’ll be able to tell you.”

Edwin wanted a very good and logical reason to say no. But Cat had systematically removed any and all obstacles. Cat knew he was tempted, knew some part of him wanted to do it. So without any real and solid reasons to reject it…

“All right.”

Cat clapped and did a little dance. 

“But at the first sign of trouble…” Edwin held up a finger.

“...I’ll kick you out. Believe me, I don’t want to draw unwanted attention either.” Cat cleared his throat, rolled his shoulders back and held his arms out. “Go ahead.”

“Right now? Oh my.” Edwin swallowed. He realized too late he should have negotiated some time to think about it. But then he prepared himself by rolling his neck and focusing on Cat. He’d only possessed people a handful of times, and usually in desperate circumstances. That led to both he and Charles having to escape quite quickly, usually through a mirror, as the possession of a human drew immediate attention of Lost and Found. 

But now he and Charles were working for Lost and Found, and Cat’s theory about him both not fighting it and being nonhuman made sense to Edwin from what he knew of the rules. It was the psychic struggle with a human soul that raised alarm bells, and Cat’s plan involved neither a struggle nor a human soul. 

Edwin could no longer delay the possession. He either had to jump into Cat’s body, or walk away. His academic’s brain was too curious about the experience on offer to do the latter. So, after shaking his lanky limbs out and preparing himself, he strode forward and willed himself into Cat’s body, rather than manifesting solidness or passing through him. 

The experience of possessing Cat immediately felt different. Normally, when a ghost entered a human’s body, their consciousness reacted like white blood cells fighting an infection. The fight was instinctual and immediate, and it usually left little time for a ghost to direct the human’s actions before being expelled. But Cat wanted him in his body, so there was no resistance.

Everything was dark for a moment, but then Edwin felt himself slide under Cat’s skin. He opened his eyes and drew in a lungful of air. The sensation of breathing nearly overwhelmed him. He found himself alone in the flat, surrounded by makeshift furniture and dropcloths. He looked down at his hands, which were stronger and bigger than his slim academic’s hands. He touched his cheeks and found short fur that looked like stubble but felt like a cat’s. His vision was preternaturally sharp. As he looked into the shadows, his eyes shifted as his pupils dilated as night vision momentarily kicked in. 

As Edwin got used to seeing through Cat’s eyes and breathing again, he started to become more aware of his body. As his weight shifted, he felt the leather skirt bounce against his thighs. The soft fur of the cropped jacket brushed his cheek as he turned his head. As he took a step forward, he became suddenly and acutely aware that he was commando underneath the skirt. 

“Cat? Can you hear me?” said Edwin aloud. The feeling of a voice not his own vibrating in his chest was both intoxicating and disconcerting. “Wait, what happened to my accent? I sound exactly like you.”

Muscle memory, I guess. Probably a good thing. In case you run into anyone I know. They’d think I was pulling a Madonna if I suddenly sounded all posh.

Hearing Cat’s voice in his head reassured Edwin that something hadn’t gone horribly wrong. He sounded calm and amused. “You knew you were going to offer me this. The least you could have done is put on pants.”

Cat just chuckled.

Edwin clasped Cat’s hands into fists. It was his unconscious, tense habit that he’d had even when he was alive. But in ghostly form, he didn’t really feel it. He was not used to the sensation, nor the strength of his current hands. “So what shall I do now?” he asked the air.

Anything you want. 

“That is entirely unhelpful,” said Edwin as he took an experimental step forward. He tried a few more steps to get used to the feeling of motion, as well as the soft breeze that flowed up under the skirt with each step. 

Well. You could go see Charles.

Something about the sing-song note in Cat’s inner voice made Edwin suspicious. “What are you up to?”

There was no answer. He could tell that Cat’s consciousness had receded. He was no longer observing every little thing, but he could tell he was aware. 

“Bollocks,” he muttered to himself in an American accent. Then Edwin headed for the door. There was no handy mirror traversal to get him back to the office quickly, and although he could feel Cat’s magic, he didn’t yet know how to access it. So he was left with walking. It was a decent walk - twenty minutes or so. It hadn’t seemed like much when he was considering it, but as he moved down the crowded London streets, he started to think he might have made a mistake.

People were looking at him. Not just because he was currently inhabiting a living body, but because of the outrageous way he was dressed. Edwin only got the full measure of it when he passed by a reflective office building and saw himself as the world saw him. The outfit should have been utterly ridiculous, but it somehow worked - although less so with him at the helm as he didn’t carry himself with the same swaggering confidence of the body’s rightful owner. 

It wasn’t just the wild dress that drew peoples’ attention. If that had been the only feature of the way Edwin currently looked, he would have been greeted with sneers and obvious attempts to look away. 

But Cat was, in Edwin’s estimation, exceptionally handsome. The eccentric clothing just drew peoples’ eyes to him and made them realize that fact. Men and women openly admired him, though some did immediately avert their eyes. 

The eyes of the London crowds did go some way to keeping Edwin’s attention off the dozens of new sensations being embodied gave him. He could smell the fumes of the cars as they passed. He felt a breeze rattle down the street and curl up around his ankles and under his skirt. When the breeze faded, he felt his forehead cooled from where it had tickled a thin sheen of sweat. 

Now that he was moving, Edwin found the faux fur coat much too warm. He walked about a block with sweat trickling down his back before he was forced to remove it. That left him feeling very exposed, as the mesh shirt turned out to be partially open in the back and had short sleeves. 

A pair of gay men walked. One did a little vogue-like spin on the spot, gave him a once-over over the top of heart-shaped sunglasses, then snapped at him in appreciation.

Edwin just smiled awkwardly, nodded at them, and quickened his step. 

Finally, Edwin made it back to the office. He was never so glad to be off the street and away from people. He mounted the stairs and stepped forward. He stopped just short of colliding with the frosted glass of the Dead Boy Detective Agency door before he realized oh yes, he had a body. No phasing through things for the immediate future. 

Fortunately, the door was unlocked. He entered, then promptly leaned against the closed door. He turned the lock and threw the fur coat on a nearby chair. Edwin buried his face in his hands, fingers trickling over his soft, fur-like hair. “I don’t think I can do this,” he murmured to himself.

“Uh, hey.”

That wasn’t Charles’ voice.

Edwin looked up to see Monty standing there. 

“What are you doing here?” And then he remembered the last time they’d seen each other. “You’ve got some nerve coming here.” Edwin stepped forward.

Monty stepped backward and smiled nervously. “Edwin, it’s me.”

Edwin stopped and stared at Monty. “You know who I really am?”

“Yes. Um. Well, you see. I’m not Monty. It’s me. Charles.” 

Edwin’s eyes widened. “Charles?” he said incredulously.

“This is fucking aces, isn’t it?” Then Monty-Charles looked to the side and chuckled. “Feels wrong to curse with this voice. And say aces. I’ll have to watch myself.” He clears his throat, and then said in a far more Monty-ish way, “Isn’t this great?”

The scheme, it seemed was much bigger than the Cat King offering him a temptation. Somehow, he’d roped Charles and Monty into it as well.

“Well,” said Edwin tightly. “This should be interesting.”  Keep reading

[watery-melon-baller]

What's King up to in your myosotis AU?

king actually hasn't changed a whole bunch!!! originally i considered swapping him with the collector but... i didn't really like that idea so king is still being raised by Luz! his childhood was definitely different from canon kings tho: for one Luz realized oh this is a Child and treated him as such, unlike eda who thought of him as a pet and then a ""roommate"". this does mean their dynamic is a bit different to the show, although canon eda and myosotis Luz don't take king seriously it's for different reasons. Luz is more of like oh he's just a BABY he's so young i gotta take care of him and a bit more infantalizing i guess?? where king feels like he's not being treated like the mature person he is (which like. sorry man you are 8.) it's like the relationship gets less one sided yk. does what im saying make sense. i just don't really know what ie could/should change from canon so ive kept it pretty similar bc like with Luz and eda I can mirror them but king is just. the outlier. he's just a little guy

he's a bit less dictatory/power hungry (as power hungry as an 8yr can be lmao) and a bit more chill compared to his canon counterpart. he also shares Luz's love for storytelling/reading! i think Luz would still like stories and escapism but im unsure if she would want like. fantasy even tho she lives in a fantasy world or just let regular human stuff Gus style. but king and luz both Love 2 read! this comes into play in S3 w/ collector where instead of... whatever S3 did the BI gets turned into a DnD game! bc of king. it's fun. i love rewriting S3. he's also used to being kinda independent bc sometimes luz has bad days (re: depression + bile sack exhaustion) and she just. can't get out of bed sometimes and take care of him. which is fun

im still working out what i wanna do for his backstory bc like. I Could see Luz realizing oh he's not playing pretend he actually believes this and just... Not stopping it bc she doesn't know how to handle it and it makes him happy (tying into her love of using stories as escapism). Or she could tell him and he knows he isn't actually a king of demons but Luz just refuses to share more of his backstory with him (reasons why she would do this are unclear) which causes king to take Eda + Gus (Gus takes S2 Lilith's place) to his home and then yk how the rest of the ep plays ou. the first one seems to make more sense but I'm also worried with making shit Too identical to canon yk???anyways. have some King drawing attempts

i don't talk abt myosotis king very often mainly,,, because,,,, im so bad at drawing him it's AWFUL. I struggle a lot with like. Nonhuman characters/animals those are my weakness </3 i draw out alot of myosotis stuff so like.. If I can't draw it I usually just don't do much with it?. i do have like. I have this MASSIVE timeline detailing episodes for plots and character arcs and it's a whole thing. Very large project. yeah but king actually has clothes here bc Luz is like well this is a Child i can't let him be naked. Still trying to figure out the whole putting clothes over fur thing and if that's an issue but ya whatever. im terrible at designing outfits sighh. also instead of having the collar with his dad's symbol he and eda make matching friendship bracelets! and then those come into play in S3 bc i didn't forget about that unlike the show lmao. I have a Lot Of Content going on in this au and I looooove talking about it :]

[pokemon-ash-aus]

Do u think SM King and Red ever did that thing where they hugged Ash's (or grandpa Damien's) legs and wouldn't let go and they now have to drag them both around the house?

Ash is used to it, little kids seem to want to cling to his legs all the time. How odd!

He's learned that Psychic is necessary to hold their tails up, if not they will inevtiably get stepped on. The kids have no concept of keeping their tails safe!

[annymation]

How much have Magnifico and Amaya changed in Swap Au and what are the changes in their backstory (you mentioned that they also switched roles)? Does this mean that in Swap Au, the parallels between the villain and the hero are Amaya-Aster and Magnifico-Asha?

I WAS HOPING SOMEONE ASKED! THANK YOU SO MUCH I GET TO TALK ABOUT THESE FREAKS!!!

Alright, so in this swap au, it was pretty easy to imagine Star!Asha and Human!Aster, like, it's just them but Asha is more bubbly and optimistic while Aster is a bit more mature and realistic, nothing crazy... BUT THE ROYALS SWAPPING IS SO CURSED THE MORE I THINK ABOUT IT!

So let's talk about them one at a time:

Queen Amable the Sorceress

Backstory

Okay so for this to work, we'll change some things slightly. Amaya's backstory in this AU remains pretty much the same as Kow!Magnifico. Bla bla bla she wanted to be queen but didn't want to grant wishes and learning magic was too hard for her cause' her heart wasn't in it, badabim-badaboom her parents make a new heir.

However, this new sibling is not Florian, but oh don't worry, Florian will show up later. Swap Amaya had a sister, a sister named Harmona. You might remember her from the villains backstory I wrote way back. Originally Harmona was a mean girl that stole Amaya's boyfriend, but in this AU, Harmona is a good person, in fact, she's pretty much your typical Disney princess that wanted to study magic and one day become a good queen for Rosas

And a good queen she becomes indeed, leaving Amaya quite displeased for being casted out into the shadow of her little sister.

One day, a young man was found, passed out and floating adrift on a boat near the kingdom's shore.

Harmona ordered that he'd be brought to the castle at once, so she could help him with whatever he could need. Obviously the dude is our good ol' Swap Magnus

So Magnus explains he rather not talk about his past just yet, because it's oooh so traumatic, and all he wishes is to repay the queen's kindness by serving as her royal potion maker

Harmona agrees, seeing how her older sister seemed infatuated with the stranger

(Ya know, when you swap the genders it feels weird that Harmona is hooting for her sister to date this guy they just found at sea with no backstory, maybe I'm just looking too much into it but like, suddenly it's no longer a little sibling being a cool wingman and now it's more like "Wtf are you doing? He might be a sociopath" and indeed, he is)

Amaya fell head-over-heels for Magnus, but the guy just wouldn't reciprocate to her advances no matter what. But she knew the feelings were mutual.

Magnus admitted that indeed, he did love her, but to love means to hurt when that person is eventually gone, and that was a pain he didn't want to go through... Not again. (More on that in a bit)

But Amaya convinces him, saying they'll find a way to live happily EVER after. Saying he'll never lose her (lol and then years later she chases after Star!Asha into a storm and dies for a few minutes and he desperately brings her back to life, sacrificing his own youth lmao)

The two of them start dating, doing all that lovey dovey stuff like kissing, giving each other presents, plotting to kill her sister, baking cookies, all that good stuff.

1 year later and Harmona is dead.

Amaya rises to the throne, now with a magic staff she obtained in a quest. And after some practice with Magnus, she knows how to appear a lot more kind hearted and charismatic in the eyes of the public. Soon the two are nicknamed Queen Amable and King Magnifico (I considered renaming them different things so it's not so confusing but I can't think of anything, sorry)

Personality

The queen is a very passionate about giving her people everything they need, she's dramatic and has a larger than life personality. I know I've always said Kow!Amaya was inspired by Mother Gothel, but swap!Amaya here has that Gothel mannerisms to the MAX, like she's full on breaking into song here and there and cracking jokes that may be a lil bit passive aggressive if you pay close attention to what she's saying.

She has a bit of a temper that she does her best to keep under control when in public, but she's also very calculating, not letting her emotions take too much control over her.

She becomes more and more vicious as the story progresses, being absolutely ruthless in her pursue for Asha's magic and finding great joy in making Aster suffer along the way

I'll just let this image speak for itself

Appearance

Ooooh boy that's the best part! Pinterest here I come!

Alright, so first thing's first, in this Au Amaya is older than her husband, and unlike him, she doesn't like drinking youth potions, they taste horrible and cause a lot of pain before taking effect, so she let's herself age a lil bit, after all she is aging like a fine wine.

In conclusion, her hair is white.

And like Kow! Magnifico, she wears no crown, her hair IS her crown

How is her hair you may ask?... It's shaped like a rose

I can't quite decide if she'd have a rose on top and loose hair that give more of a elf vibe or if she'd have a rose shaped bun that give more of a bride vibe, ya'll decide in the comments

Her dress would be tones of white and gold.

King Magnifico the Warlock

If you play D&D like me you might have gotten all giddy seeing that tittle, thinking Mag made a pact with an evil entity or something, but nah, sorry, I'm just calling him "Warlock" cause' that's the male equivalent of a witch

Backstory

On Kow!Amaya's backstory, I was inspired by the greek myth of Persephone and Aphrodite fighting to win the affection of Adonis, but ultimately Adonis preferred Aphrodite.

But with Swap!Magnifico, I'll be taking inspiration from a certain other myth. The myth of Apollo and his lover Hyacinthus.

In the myth, Hyacinthus was a beautiful spartan prince, so beautiful, that he attracted the attention of not just one but TWO gods: Apollo god of the sun, music and prophecy, and Zephyr, the west-wind. However, Hyacinthus fell in love with Apollo first, which made Zephyr quite jealous. So jealous, that he went the "If I can't have you, no one can" route and straight up murdered Hyacinthus.

So yeah, you might already imagine where I'm going with this. So enough with the greek mythology class and let's go to Magnus version

Magnus was a young man that lived in a simple village in Greece, but he desired more in this life, to make a difference and help others

So, he started studying potion crafting, to heal the ill and rejuvenate the old, offering to help all of those in need. However, Magnus felt like the people didn't actually love him for who he was, they only wanted favors from him. He wondered if he'd ever meet someone that loved him for who he was

That's when our boy Hyacinthus shows up, but I'mma just call him Ryan for short.

So Magnus and Ryan fell deeply in love. But oh no, someone else is also in love with Ryan, can you guess who it is?.......... Yeah it's Florian, told ya we'd see him later

Florian was overtaken by jealousy, and decided that if he couldn't have Ryan no one else would.

One day, Manus and Ryan are partaking in a game of throwing a metal discus the highest they can. Florian takes this opportunity and once the discus falls in a place that they can't see, he steals it, hides behind some bushes while the couple is looking for their discus, and BONCS the metal discus right on Ryan's head, killing him.

Magnus did not see who the heck threw the discus. Consumed by grief, he locked himself away from the world for days, to mourn the death of his lover, but it didn't take long for people to come asking for more potions, more favors.

Magnus knew that whoever killed Ryan was in that village, he had no way of knowing who, but he knew one thing, they were all rotten, ungrateful pests that deserved a fate worse than death. Consumed by his wrath, he began to architect a plan.

So the gay go do crimes.

Magnus poisons their crops, thus cursing all the villagers, including Florian.

He sails off, running away from the few people that didn't get cursed, and later ends up lost at sea, until he's found by some sailors of Rosas. And the rest you already know.

Personality

So Magnifico in this AU functions as a calming and supportive husband for Queen Amable, though, although he's very gentle with her, his way of calming her is very... Unhinged.

Like, let's say Amaya is stressed because they can't find those dang kids, Magnus reaction to this is being like "Aww my darling, don't fret, I promise you as soon as they fall in our grasp I shall use my potions to turn their bones into mush, make their blood boil like hot oil, and we shall rejoice as we listen them pathetically shriek in pure, delicious agony" and he says all that in the sweetest voice you've ever heard.

He's like, an evil henchman, but that is actually competent, even though sometimes he can get a bit silly, which is very dangerous, don't get near him when he's getting the sillies

Honestly I might be more afraid of this version of Magnifico than the normal one, because the normal one at least has a fun showsman personality, this one just stays quiet most of the time in the background smiling menancingly, that is when he's not pretending to be nice to Aster, acting almost like a father figure, or showing his totally unhinged true nature. Terrifying.

Eh here's a meme for him too, it's basically their couple dynamic:

Appearance

Magnifico with a crown is cursed, but oh well, let's see what I can find on Pinterest

Alright, so straight up, he has Chris Pine's hair from the D&D movie. And he wears a relatively simple crown

His clothes are tones of white and blue with hints of yellow, taking some inspiration from greek clothing styles.

He wears the hood of his cloak often.

OKAY this took a while to write, but it was really fun imagining these alternate versions of the characters! Hope you liked them.

[danganronpa96]

Whew, I gotta ask another one while I still can, so Imma ask this:

If the settings of both killing games were swapped, how would their respective casts react to their situations before the announcement of their killing games?

As in, if the DR69 cast were to be invited to a "corporation" because of their talents and the DR96 cast ending up in a school because of their talents?

I gotta answer this one while I still can! (2 months later)

This is a funny question considering how the DR69 school thing was more or less a by-product of me going for a school setting and not really realising “hey half of these characters are actually adults”. Still it kinda made things even more absurd in a good way (and I even reference this in the chapter 6 trial).

I think if the DR69 cast were to be invited to work for a company, it might play out in a similar way to the DR96 cast for the most part. Like, the teens going for work experience and all that. Well until we get onto the more non-working characters like Dedede and Fluttershy because I’m not even sure what got them to join a corporate business (“hey let’s hire a penguin and call him the Ultimate King I mean that’s totally what this company needs”).

I don’t think most of the cast would take their new job very seriously is all I would say.

Now, for the DR96 cast being put in a school takes away more of the more mature step-up I was aiming for. Sure the teens (plus Latte and Walter) have a familiar setting but Bojack Horseman the 54 year old horse has literally no benefits here. Also cue all the adults going “wow back in my day my school life was such and such”.

So, they’d mostly be more confused if anything.

[christinesficrecs]

I'm looking for stiles and Peter being sassy friends can you help? I love all your recommendations

Maybe these ones. Also, you can check the time travel fics.

Trust Fall by Stoney | 144.2K | Explicit

Stiles is fairly certain that a case could be made for every bad thing in his life coming back to Peter Hale. This time it's pissing off a powerful witch, who retaliated by swapping Stiles and Derek a la Freaky Friday, because sure. That makes sense. Um, there are GPAs on the line, not to mention the whole thing where his dad wants to shoot Derek on sight. Except who he sees as Derek is actually Stiles, and Stiles did not sign up for filicide.

Great. Wait...does this mean he's the Alpha until they figure this out? Holy. Shit.

Help Wanted (But Not Really) by reillyblack | 26K | Mature

"Stiles, I'll clear up your confusion about the position. Derek here needs someone to live with him. He's a difficult person to live with, so I won't sugarcoat that. But his responsibilities at the company right now make it impossible for him to actually take care of himself and his home. That would be your job," Laura explained.

Both Stiles and Derek objected at the same time.

The Awkward Love Life Of A Sheltered College Werewolf by AllTheseSquaresMakeACircle | 30.1K | Explicit

Derek had been used to being home schooled. Being used to be surrounded by pack, and nothing but pack. When he decides he's going to attend college, like a normal person, his family has a fit. Derek goes anyway. It's scary and new and exciting. Then he meets Stiles. Then...Things get even more exciting.

Words Cannot Espresso How Much You Bean to Me by isthatbloodonhisshirt (wasterella) | 68.3K

“You’re late,” Derek informed him coldly, jaw clenched. He barely even moved his mouth to speak. This guy was seriously scary.

And because Stiles was suicidal, he said, “No, I’m Stiles.”

The look he got could’ve curdled milk. Stiles even noticed that Derek’s muscles were tensing, arms bulging even more and wow this guy was scary and hot but mostly scary holy shit.

“You’re not funny,” Derek informed him coldly.

Stiles shrugged. “I think that’s a matter of opinion.”

A Wolf's Ribbon by Dexterous_Sinistrous | 36K | Explicit

Derek had been coached on how to approach the child heir apparent while hundreds of eyes watched him. He kept his eyes focused on the cradle, leaning over the edge as best he could to see the baby everyone had been talking about.

Stiles smiled when he saw Derek, kicking his legs out as he reached a hand up for him. He cooed at Derek, his fingers grabbing at the older boy in an attempt to touch him, all to no avail. He gurgled out a laugh when Derek reached a hand down into the cradle, snatching hold of his fingers as best he could.

Derek offered a small smile in response, allowing Stiles to playfully tug on his hand.

The two children made an adorable sight before the Court and their parents. That was the moment Queen Talia and King John decided to arrange their marriage. Every second was planned out without the voiced concern of the children.

Not Quite a Séance by ash_mcj | 5.4K

“We’re in the future,” Laura realized. “Like… literally, the future.”

“There’s still no flying cars,” Stiles told her solemnly. “We do have pretty cool cell phones, though.”

“What do you mean we should be dead?” Talia asked.

“Would you like a dictionary?” Peter offered. “I’m sure we have one around here somewhere.”

Divided We Stand by KouriArashi | 156.7K | Mature | Series

Derek is being pressured by his family to pick a mate, and somehow stumbles into a choice that they didn't expect and aren't sure they approve of....

Of Eclipses, Ley Lines, and Full Shift Werewolves by tabbytabbytabby | 26.9K

Derek has been noticing his control slipping in the days leading up to the Solar Eclipse. When he goes to look over the Hale land with Peter something happens, forcing both him and Peter to shift into full wolves. Stiles finds them, discovering that Derek has been changed into a wolf pup with none of his memories, only able to recognize people by their scent. After a talk with Deaton Stiles discovers there are ley lines in Beacon Hills, specifically on the Hale property, which caused Derek and Peter to shift. Unfortunately for them there's nothing they can do to reverse it except sit and wait. Which is easier said than done when none of the pack can understand why Derek only wants to be around Stiles.

A Clerical Mix-Up by DiscontentedWinter

Imagine all the irritation when peter/sheriff and stiles/derek having a double wedding. "Would you mister stilinski marry mister hale?" // Imagine they send the wrong Hale to the sighning because they're late.

[ffxvficrec]

by Fair (SpectrumCrovn) , Star_Gazing_Knight Carbuncle was given one job: Find a King of Kings from one world and bring him to theirs. He hadn’t expected it to result in this. This being a very Angry™ Glaive who absolutely did not agree to any of this. OR Nyx Ulric finds himself in a world not unlike his own. Except here, his sister’s alive, the Wall still stands, and for some reason, he’s still in the Kingsglaive. Oh, and he’s still bound to the Lucii, and is apparently a new Messenger for Ifrit. Such is his life. Words: 2899, Chapters: 1/8, Language: English Series: Part 1 of Legends Never Die Fandoms: Final Fantasy XV Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings , Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: Multi Characters: Nyx Ulric , Libertus Ostium , Pelna Khara , Crowe Altius , Luche Lazarus , Tredd Furia , Titus Drautos | Glauca , Cor Leonis , Regis Lucis Caelum , Ardyn Izunia , The Kingsglaive (Final Fantasy XV) , Astrals (Final Fantasy XV) , Ifrit (Final Fantasy XV) , Kings of Lucis | Lucii , Bahamut (Final Fantasy XV) , Carbuncle (Final Fantasy XV) Additional Tags: Dimension Travel , Alternate Universe , Body Swap , But they're swapping bodies with themselves , Politics , War , Astrals Being Assholes (Final Fantasy XV) , Uncle Ardyn Izunia , Ring of the Lucii (Final Fantasy XV) , Not Canon Compliant , Time Travel Fix-it (sorta) , BAMF Nyx Ulric , Nyx Ulric Being an Idiot , Nyx Ulric Lives , Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence , Alternate Universe - Time Travel , Time Travel , Crovn: There's way too many time travel tags on this site!

[whatstruthgottodowithit]

Love In Trouble [Part Five]

Fandom: Elvis Presley, American Musician, RPF

Pairing: Elvis Presley x Original Female Character, Austin Butler x Original Female Character

Characters: Elvis Presley, Original Female Character, Austin Butler, Red West, Sonny West, Jerry Schilling Colonel Tom Parker, Minnie Presley, Vernon Presley, Dee Presley, Joanie Esposito, Joe Esposito, Pat West

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 5041

Summary: Lori Presley lives the high life. She has a lovely home, a elegant wardrobe and her parties are the most sought after ticket in town. Not to mention her husband is the King of Memphis. But what if she no longer wants to be the Queen?

Tags/Warnings: This is a mafia au with detective austin butler entering the chat, Memphis Mafia, Detective Austin Butler, Adultery, Infidelity, Love, Angst, Unhappy Marriage, Murder, Court Room Drama in the loosest possible way, AU, Set in the 70s

Notes: I've had a shit few weeks but we're carrying on and thank god cos our Boys have finally met <3

LINK TO ALL PARTS // LINK TO AO3 // LINK TO PINTEREST

‘Are you ready?’ Austin asked, swapping the receiver of the phone to his other ear so that he didn’t miss her answer.

‘I think so,’ Lori replied quietly

‘It can't be think, Lori. It’s got to be a yes or no,’ he said trying to keep the frustration out of his voice but remain firm. Because it had to be yes or no, preferably yes. Otherwise he'd gone to bat for nothing. He had pissed off his captain and sheriff and made a stink amongst the precinct for nothing. He’d be the new guy swooping in from California and ruining the delicate Memphian ecosystem of bribes and looking the other way. Even the district attorney, who had backed him, had done so on the promise of bringing down the entire operation. He wasn’t bothered about Presley or Tony for that matter. He wanted to be the one to oust key players from the city’s underbelly. For morality or glory Austin didn’t know but it was the reason he kept himself from sounding too agitated. If they were going to bring down anything they needed her. She had even been the one to point out that they had cause to arrest Presley as he was sure to have a ten card from previous, something Austin hadn’t even considered.

‘No, I am,’ she said, her breath a little shaky which didn’t fill him with confidence but he accepted her words nonetheless. It wasn’t as though he had a choice not to. He could hear her shift, hesitance in her breathing that insinuated she was going to ask him something and so he waited for it, ‘do you know when?’

‘Tomorrow,’ he replied, ‘early morning. The DA wants to make sure no news gets out, that they don’t get to alert one another, so we’re hitting every house at once.’

‘How many?’ she asked quietly.

‘Just the names you gave me,’ he said. It had felt odd to have followed her to a chapel of rest but getting a hold of her without someone watching he was fast learning was an art. Even having her on the phone had taken a handful of calls until she and she alone had picked up. Fortunately no one in the Presley enterprise seemed keen to accompany her in staring at a closed casket. There had been no service and no attendees other than him and her which had been fortunate for him even if it had made him feel a little dirty.

‘Right,’ she muttered, ‘are you coming?’

‘Yes.’

‘Like you’ll arrest him?’ she asked

‘Yes it’s my case,’ he replied, his frustration growing at the hitch in her breathing, ‘is that a problem?’

‘No,’ she said quietly though her tone was not reassuring furthering his nerves which prompted him to ask, ‘if you don’t think you can act-’

‘Honey I’ve been acting my entire life,’ she whispered, ‘I’ll be ready.’

��✵✵

Lori didn’t sleep most of that night. She didn’t do much but potter around her bedroom fretting. In fact she only stopped when she heard the rumble of a car pulling into the driveway signalling that Elvis was home. At that she’d leapt into bed and turned the light off, turning herself to face the wall as she listened to him stumble in and strip off his clothes before he clambered into bed. Fortunately he had fallen asleep quickly, far away on the other side of the bed which meant she wasn’t forced to face him. Instead she spent her night watching him. He looked younger when asleep, more innocent. That was when the uncertainty had crept back in. When Austin had asked her if she was ready she had thought she was but looking at him like that made her doubt herself.

She knew it was selfish. That her only doubts were on her own behalf but she couldn’t help but feel them. Those doubts had been the soundtrack she had fallen asleep to and they were interrupted as she was brought back to the realm of consciousness by a dull thud, the padded door of her bedroom hitting the wall at a pace.

‘Boss! Boss you gotta get up!’ she heard Charlie’s voice call before she came to and when she did he was already pulling clothes out of their closet ready for Elvis who had yet to stir.

‘Elvis,’ she said groggily, a limp hand shaking his shoulder as she tried her best to rouse him, ‘Elvis wake up.’

‘Boss you gotta come quick,’ Charlie said, throwing an outfit on the bed as he too tried to shake her husband awake. He came to the moment Charlie touched him.

‘What is it?’ he asked crankily.

‘Cops,’ Charlie said, ‘they’re askin’ to come in. Say they’ve got a warrant or something.

‘What?’ Lori gasped.

‘What are you talkin’ about?’ Elvis said, forcing himself up in bed quickly and wiping the sleep from his eyes.

‘They want you and they’re not takin’ no for an answer,’ Charlie said, offering the clothing to Elvis who started to dress without care his friend was in the room.

‘What do you mean?’ Lori asked but her question was ignored by both men.

‘Go and tell ‘em I’ll be down in a minute,’ Elvis said, rubbing his tired face as he tried to wrap his head around what was going on. As Charlie nodded and scurried out of sight Lori moved a little closer, keeping her tone as worried as possible as she asked, ‘El what’s happening?’

‘How the fuck do I know?’ Elvis grunted as he slipped on his pants, donning a pale blue shirt over his tanned torso a moment later. At that she fell quiet fearing too much questioning would cause too much scrutiny on her end.

Yet she couldn’t help but watch him. He was clearly disgruntled by the whole thing. His jaw was set and his gorgeous blue eyes though tired burned bright with indignation. A sentiment that was confirmed as they left the bedroom. She could hear people downstairs, worried chatter carrying up from kitchen stairs and the muttering of men in her hallway. But he didn’t turn the corner, he lingered on the landing, almost forcing her to walk into the back of him, before he straightened his shirt and then sauntered down the stairs without a care in the world. Lori followed behind in trepidation.

When they got down there Austin was standing on their front stoop, in amongst a gang of officers who seemed wholly unenthused to be there. In fact the only one who didn’t seem entirely put out was his fellow plain clothed officer who nudged him as he noted Elvis stride into view. Lori kept close behind, smiling weakly as Charlie threw her a reassuring smile and trying to ignore how Elvis’ grandma’s eyes bore into the back of her skull from her chair in the living room as she watched on.

As they got to the front step the chattering amongst the officers grew quiet, all eyes on them as Elvis surveyed the party before he said, ‘someone wanna tell me what the fuck’s goin on?

‘Mr Presley?’ Austin asked, his eyes flitting to Lori behind him for half a second.

‘Yeah,’ Elvis grunted.

‘We’re here to serve a warrant,’ Austin said as he produced a stack of papers from his suit jacket and handed them across where Elvis could snatch them out of his hand. He read quickly, his eyes scanning the pages before they narrowed and he asked, ‘in relation to a murder?’

‘Yes,’ Austin replied.

‘The fuck this have to do with me?’

‘Well that’s what we’d like to ask you about,’ Austin’s partner said.

‘Down at the station,’ Austin added. Lori kept her eyes trained on her husband watching as his jaw clenched in indignation.

‘I already told you I don’t know nuthin’ about that,’ Elvis said.

‘Yeah well we have new evidence that states otherwise,’ Astin said, with a tight smile, ‘so if you’d come with us. These boys can get to serving their warrant.’

‘What evidence?’ Elvis spat.

‘Like I said we can talk about it down at the station,’ Austin replied.

‘Like hell,’ Elvis baulked throwing the warrant so that it hit Austin square in the chest, fluttering to the floor onto white concrete. Austin sighed and stepped forward. He was looking up at Elvis, the step to the portico meaning they were on uneven footing but he was standing tall with a look of warning mirth on his face as he said, ‘that’s not a request so unless you want cuffing you need to come with us.’

Elvis narrowed his eyes. Everyone was watching him which admittedly wasn’t a new phenomenon but he normally didn’t care what those around him saw. Now however he seemed aware that he needed to play this carefully and though his words sounded like a consent there was an air of contempt woven through his demeanour as he turned away and looked to Charlie as he said, ‘get me jacket will ya.’

‘Elvis what do we do?’ Lori asked as he moved inside the hall checking his appearance in the mirror as if he was going out for a leisurely stroll and not being arrested. Austin pulled back and loitered with his partner who was tucking the dropped warrant back in his pocket.

‘Call the colonel,’ Elvis said, quaffing his hair before he took the jacket from Charlie who had now reappeared. He continued as he slipped it on, ‘call daddy and tell ‘em what happened.’

‘Right, okay the colonel,’ Lori said, watching as he walked out onto the front stoop ready to move along. Lori came to stand at the door unsure of how to part from him. A kiss felt too familiar especially in the presence of so many officers and yet not to do so felt off. Everything felt wrong which was no surprise given that her stomach had been doing somersaults since the moment her eyes had snapped open.

‘Tell ‘em not to worry,’ he said, glancing at Austin and a uniformed officer who were striding out ahead of him to a car sitting by the bottom of the steps before leaning in to press a kiss on her cheek. She should’ve known an audience wouldn't deter Elvis Presley from showing especially considering he didn’t sound at all worried as he said, ‘I’ll be home before breakfast. You’ll see.’

And then he was gone. Lori watched as he walked to the car and climbed through the door being held open for him which closed with a squeak and a slam. He was in shadow in the back seat so she couldn’t see him properly but nevertheless she watched as the car drove down the winding drive before embarking onto the street.

When she moved from the door the uniformed officers entered and by the time she’d left the hall they were already going through cabinets and cupboards with no rhyme or reason. Her belongings spilled from drawers onto carpets and tables. Her couch cushions littered the floor around Grandma Dodger. Gladys’ finest China clinked as it was pushed around the cupboard without care. As she wandered through to the kitchen she tried to remind herself she had asked for this. She had tossed the grenade herself and that she couldn’t be reluctant for things to feel a little messy. Messy would prevail in justice for Tony. Punishing Elvis would punish her in return which was what she deserved. Even if she was feeling all out of sorts because of it. In a way she supposed that was better, if she’d been cool and collected Elvis would’ve sniffed her out she was sure of it. At least a nervous mess she was playing the game.

Finally she made it to the kitchen, unhooking the receiver of the phone from the latch as the staff whispered from a huddle in the corner as they tried to stay out of the way of the officers. However she didn’t get very far in dialling before she heard her name called and swivelled around to find the other plainclothes officer, what she suspected to be Austin’s partner watching her intently.

‘Yes?’ she asked, trying to keep her voice even.

‘What's this?’ he asked, gesturing to the TV unit on the kitchen worktop that displayed a picture of the gate.

‘Our security system,’ she said.

‘Is it just on the gate?’ he asked just as Charlie came in looking harried.

‘Yep,’ she said, her throat dry and sticking with now two pairs of eyes on her.

‘And it’s on twenty-four hours a day?’ he asked.

‘Yeah, we don’t shut it off,’ she confirmed.

‘Does it record?’ he asked.

‘Uh, yeah,’ she said, ‘I think so.’

‘Great thanks,’ he said, donning his glasses as he moved to inspect the bulky contraption. Lori turned to restart her phone call, the dial tone now missing given her prolonged absence but as she did she felt a hand on her elbow and a set of lips by the shell of her ear as Charlie whispered, ‘what did you tell him that for?’ before moving past her towards his room.

Lori watched him go, glancing at the detective who was still scrutinising the camera system. It looked as though her acting wasn’t the only thing that was going to need to withstand scrutiny.

✵✵✵

Elvis Presley was not a patient man. He never had been, being an only child and the apple of his mother’s eye hadn’t helped him with his temperament, but notoriety and twenty or so years of bossing everyone around had meant he hadn’t got used to waiting around. He certainly was not used to being given as little information as possible other than being read his rights before he was stuffed into an interview room on his own. Not even his lawyer, a nervous, sweaty man called Hank, arriving had hurried the process up. Which was why he was still sitting in an uncomfortable metal chair, glaring at an older detective as his lawyer flicked through a thin file and tried to ignore the way Elvis’ leg rattled against his as it bounced against the tile floor.

He only broke his gaze as the door unlatched, the blonde detective, the one who’d been stirring the pot since day dot, sauntered in, case file in hand. Elvis watched as he closed the door quietly and unable to stop the irritation from bubbling inside him he found a snarky, ‘by all means take your damn time,’ fall from his lips without warning.

Austin threw him a glance but didn’t respond, electing to remain silent as he dropped into the seat opposite. Because he knew Elvis Presley wasn’t a patient man. No man who had half of Memphis cower to his every want and whim could possibly be patient. He was too well catered to and more importantly too used to everyone bending over backwards to accommodate him, it was why he’d left him in here for the longest time. It was why he’d interviewed all his cronies first. It was why he didn’t say anything as he got settled, allowing the other man to shift in his seat as he muttered, ‘ain’t bad enough you hauled my ass down here on some bullshit charge.’

Again Austin ignored him, gesturing for his partner to flip the switch on the large tape player in between both parties which he did, shifting awkwardly as he realised Austin was allowing him some input. Of course John did not know his partner that well but he’d been in enough interview rooms to know the dynamic his colleague was aiming for. And so he cleared his throat and prepared his most polite tone as he said, ‘interview commenced at nine fifteen am on June twelfth. Detectives Butler and Melling present along with the appropriate counsel. Sir, could you please state and spell your name for the record?’

John was watching Elvis as he spoke, everyone was, but the man’s gaze remained locked on Austin, his blue eyes narrowed and a distinct curl on his lip in contempt even though it wasn’t him asking. Austin didn’t react.

‘Uh, Mr Presley,’ John said, clearing his throat again awkwardly when he failed to answer, ‘could you please-’

‘Elvis Presley,’ Elvis replied, his eyes still on Austin, ‘E-L-V-I-S P-R-E-S-L-E-Y.’

‘Thank you,’ John replied, an awkward but thankful smile on his lips that Austin resisted the urge to roll his eyes to. It hadn’t been easy to get everyone on board and though John had backed him but less out of the belief Austin had a good case and more out of some archaic duty to support his partner when he was under fire. Still it hadn't meant he was entirely on board and even he wasn't immune to trying to make Elvis Presley feel comfortable.

‘Now you gonna tell me why the hell you dragged my ass down here?’ Elvis challenged, not bothering to respond to the officer who had been speaking to him. There wasn’t much point, it wasn’t as if he’d stopped staring at Austin throughout the entire conversation.

‘I assumed that was clear in the warrant you were served,’ Austin said. Elvis’ glare deepened and his jaw tightened at the whiff of snark but Austin merely smiled and said, ‘but we can get to it anyway.’

Elvis watched as he shifted in his seat, opening up a manila folder and scanning through it as he produced a pen from his pocket. He moved slow, as if he was doing paperwork at his desk and not interrogating a suspect and Elvis watched him angrily waiting for him to speak.

‘Can you tell me where you were on May thirtieth?’ he said once he’d finally settled himself.

‘Ain’t I already told you?’ Elvis sneered.

‘I’m asking again,’ Austin said, tight but firm.

‘That dead kid ain’t nuthin’ to do with Kings,’ Elvis sneered.

‘That’s not what I asked,’ Austin replied, again his tone teetering on the edge of snark. Elvis glared at him but glanced towards his lawyer who had remained quiet through the entire thing, no doubt wanting Elvis to take charge before he made any decisions as everyone else seemed to do.

‘If you could provide some information that’s probably for the best,’ Hank muttered into Elvis’ ear, making his jaw tighten further.

‘At home,’ he said, his voice tight and low.

‘All day?’ Austin asked.

‘I went to the club,’ Elvis said.

‘That’s Kings night club, correct?’ Austin said.

‘Yes,’ Elvis replied, his tone dripping with resentment at having every little detail pulled from him. His irritation was also mounting at the way the detective was scribbling notes every time he spoke as though his word wasn’t trustworthy enough. It may have been a long time since anyone didn’t bend to his whim but it had been even longer since someone had failed to take his word as gospel.

‘And what time was that?’ Austin asked.

‘About eight, eight thirty,’ Elvis replied.

‘What did you do when you got there?’ Austin probed.

‘What I always do,’ Elvis said, sighing as Austin said nothing but raised an eyebrow, ‘it was a Friday right? So I watched the new acts, had some drinks and then went into my office to do some paperwork and calls.’

‘And someone can verify that?’ Austin challenged.

‘Just about everyone who was in the damn club,’ Elvis snapped, heaving a sigh as Austin merely looked at him as if waiting for specifics, ‘Sam, Sam Thomspon, my bartender. He was on that night so I guess he can verify I was there.’

‘What time did you leave?’ Austin said, jotting another note on his piece of paper.

‘About one am,’ Elvis said.

‘Alone?’ Austin challenged.

‘No,’ Elvis said with contempt, ‘I have drivers. And bodyguards.’

‘And their names?’ Austin asked.

‘Haven't you already spoken to my entire staff?’ Elvis scoffed, rolling his eyes as Austin failed to bite once more, ‘Jerry Schilling, Red West, Sonny West.’

‘And they left with you?’ Austin asked.

‘Yes.’

‘Where did you go?’ Austin asked.

‘Home,’ Elvis replied, his eyes flicking to the pen that had stalled, curious as to why his answer was not immediately being jotted down in the file in front like all the others.

‘You didn’t drop them off first?’ he asked. Elvis scoffed, ‘they wouldn't be good bodyguards if they left me on my own now would they.’

‘Guess not,’ Austin smiled, with a glint in his eye that Elvis didn’t care for. Neither was the way he added another layer of suspicion as he asked, ‘and they’ll verify this?’

‘Yes,’ Elvis grunted.

Austin nodded, flicking through his file for a second before he looked at his colleague, the lawyer and then back at Elvis as if he was checking they were all listening before he started, whatever question he wanted to ask appearing significant though Elvis didn’t know why as it was only, ‘how long did it take you?’

‘What?’ Elvis asked. The questions had been trivial enough but this seemed to border on the edge of banality. Like he wanted Elvis to spell every single detail out for him. He could tell by the accent that this Butler guy was not a native Memphian and so he might not know the streets well enough to guess but he was getting sick of having to hold the guy’s hand through this entire process. Whenever he’d dealt with Memphis’ boys in blue before it had never been this formal. Over the years there’d been cursory visits but it was normally uniforms who took his word at face value. Anything else was usually dealt with by the Colonel who normally spared him facing the inside of a police station unless it was being angled as a publicity stunt. Now he was starting to sweat, beads of perspiration forming between his shirt and his hairline as piercing blue eyes watched him.

‘That time of night it's got to be ten, fifteen minutes max to get from the club to your house right?’ Austin asked.

‘I guess,’ Elvis said, trying to keep his wariness from his tone.

‘But you left the club at one ten am, we got that from your CCTV, yet your gate camera only clocked you getting back home at two fifty-three am. Where were you for an hour and forty-three minutes?’ Austin asked, his eyes set on Elvis’ face. But it wasn’t just him watching him. Everyone was and he suddenly realised this was not what he’d thought it was. He wasn’t holding this guy’s hand; this guy was laying the foundations to trip Elvis up.

He didn’t know why he’d been so stupid. Annoyed sure but that was because trouble never usually hung around this long. Problems in Elvis Presley's world were dealt with the moment they raised their head. Sure people asked questions but they usually knew it wasn’t worth digging any deeper than the surface level. Of course he had heard this Butler guy had been digging but he had figured it was just because he was too green to know better. Too ambitious, he’d had lower-level guys in the club like it before. They just needed to be put in their place. Now it was too late because he’d got him boxed into a corner. And both of them knew it.

It was why he didn’t probe. He just sat there, allowing the silence to fester until one of them got uncomfortable enough to speak. Only it was Elvis’ lawyer who hesitated first, mumbling to his client, ‘if you could explain that it’d help.’

Elvis cleared his throat and sniffed, trying to maintain an air of nonchalance as he shrugged and said, ‘we went for burgers.’

‘Where?’ Austin asked pointedly.

‘Louie’s.’

‘And your friends, sorry bodyguards, will confirm that?’ Austin asked.

‘Yes,’ Elvis said.

‘Hmm,’ Austin said dismissively and though he was trying to remain cool Elvis couldn’t help but bite, grunting a ‘what?’ before he could stop himself.

‘Nothing,’ Austin said casually, ‘it's just I don’t see how you had the time.’

‘An hour is plenty of time to get a burger,’ Hank the lawyer protested.

‘Maybe but it's not enough time when you’re across town murdering someone,’ Ausitn challenged.

‘You think I murdered the kid?’ Elvis scoffed.

‘I’m sure you did,’ Austin said, leaning forward in his seat, ‘in fact I think you saw Tony leave his shift at one and you followed him home. Now admittedly he stopped for a pizza so whether you headed back to his place and waited or sat outside the pizza parlour I’m not sure but I’m sure you showed up at his apartment. And when you knocked on the door and he opened it and saw his boss, well, who wouldn’t invite them in. He even gave you a drink.’

‘Speculation,’ Hank protested.

‘Not exactly,’ Austin corrected, ‘you see we have your fingerprints on a half-drunk glass of scotch in Tony's apartment and considering it wasn’t moved it’s safe to assume it was being used just before he died.’

Again the silence festered, a satisfied Austin not bothering to prod as the blows landed better than he’d anticipated. But John must’ve been feeling uncomfortable which prompted him to ask, ‘can you explain that?’

‘Maybe he doesn’t clean his glasses very often,’ Elvis said.

‘So you were there at some point?’ Austin challenged, suppressing a smirk at the irritated grunt Elvis made, ‘or am I to believe that he left two glasses of whiskey on the side for what a week? A month? That he never touched or moved them leaving your prints perfectly unsmudged? The same way I’m supposed to believe that he left his freshly bought pizza on the side or left his mail unopened. No, I think the two of you had a drink and a conversation and then for some reason you blew his brains out, which is crazy considering you didn’t even know the kid ten minutes ago.’

Elvis said nothing.

‘So come on, what happened?’ Austin probed. Elvis glared at him but Austin didn’t relent. He stared back, challenging him to say something, anything though he didn’t see what he could say that wouldn’t muddy his defence even more. After a moment Elvis muttered, ‘no comment.’

‘Oh come on!’ Austin laughed, ‘you’ve been happy to run your mouth up to now what’s the matter? Afraid you’re going to tell the truth for once? Or are you going to tell me that your prints being in the apartment of a dead guy you don’t know is all coincidence?’

Elvis stayed silent.

‘Just like you leaving right after him must be. Just like your alibi not matching all your little friends is,’ Austin smirked, leaning closer as Elvis’ gaze snapped up at the mention of an alibi. Of course he’d known that all this mounted to an alibi but he hadn't anticipated he’d be one step ahead, ‘you know we asked your pals where you were that night. And they confirmed you left together and that you went straight home. No burgers. No stopping. No nothing. Is that coincidence too?’

The room was deathly quiet and all of a sudden Elvis was feeling rueful he was such an impatient man. He hated that everyone tried to bend to his will or that no one felt as though they could make decisions for him. If he wasn't maybe they would have found a lawyer who wasn’t too scared to jump in and fix this mess. If he wasn’t maybe he wouldn’t have friends so eager to defend him in their haste they’d landed him in hot water. If he wasn’t maybe he wouldn’t have been so relaxed about this whole thing being pushed under the carpet. He wouldn’t have underestimated this detective. He wasn’t fool enough to think that the whole justice system would bend to the will of the king of Memphis but it had been so long he had become acclimatised to expecting it.

And this guy was a force to be reckoned with. No one had spoken but he kept pushing as if he could niggle something out of the other man if he kept needling, ‘let me guess it’s a coincidence the type of gun used was the same make and model of one you own.’

‘Have you got the gun?’ his lawyer asked, finally making some traction in ‘defence’.

‘No,’ Detective Melling admitted, ‘we don’t…the gun box at your house was empty.’’

‘Then I don’t see how that incriminates my client,’ Hank replied.

‘You don’t think it’s odd that the week we come looking around your clients house for a gun he owns is the same week said gun up and vanishes from your clients possession,’ Austin challenged.

‘I own a lot of guns,’ Elvis said, trying to keep his voice confident though it lacked conviction.

‘And?’ Austin asked, ‘let me guess someone else used the type of gun you have and shot a guy you don’t know after you'd been in his apartment? That sound plausible to you?’

‘I think you’ve got scraps of evidence and you’re adding them together hoping for a good story,’ Elvis spat.

‘Elvis,’ Hank warned.

‘Scraps?’ Austin rebuffed, ‘we’ve got proof you were there, the last one to see him, and he was shot with a gun just like one you own which coincidentally is missing now. Not to mention how you’ve tried to throw off the scent by being cagey as hell and yet you still haven’t managed to coordinate a decent alibi. That’s more than a good story.

‘Oh yeah and what’s the reason?’ Elvis growled, leaning forward in his seat threateningly though Austin matched him, their faces not so far apart as the tension rose, ‘why would I kill some punk kid who works for me?’

‘You tell me why you wouldn’t.’

They remained looking at one another, the ire rolling off them both until finally Austin sloped back in his chair as he looked to John awaiting him to do the rest. His partner sighed and looked to Elvis, ‘Elvis Presley I am charging you with the murder of Anthony Bowen…’

ELVIS TAGS

@girlblogger2002@sania562@caitlin1996@literally-just-elvis-fics@notstefaniepresley @18lkpeters @velvetelvis @jaqueline19997 @elvispresleyxoxo @amydarcimarie @everythingelvispresley @elvispresleywife @lillypink @richardslady121 @louisejoy86 @ccab @i-r-i-n-a-a @lettersfromvenus @artlesson8892 @presleyenterprise

AUSTIN TAGS

@purejasmine @caitlin1996