#Terms Of Agreement

[blametheeditor]

Terms Of Agreement | Chapter 6

First | Previous

Run Down: The monster under your bed, the one in the closet, and your sleep paralysis demon fight for custody.

Content Warnings: Cursing. Mentions of sleep paralysis, hallucinations, and sleep deprivation. Mentions of death, murder, and accidental deaths. Mentions of treating others as lesser than, addressing someone as 'it'.

There might be slight favoritism

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Fritz wakes up with a jolt. 

It’s startling, because there wasn’t a nightmare to make him react in such a way. Both his bedroom and closet door are both closed, with no ominous shapes lingering in a corner or in the peripheral of his vision. There’s no reason for his heart to already be painfully thumping against his chest as adrenaline flooding his veins. 

No, there’s always a reason to be afraid. He just doesn’t know specifics yet.

So Fritz waits. Takes the opportunity to try settle his nerves. There’s no going back to sleep, and to be honest he doesn’t want to, but he’ll take every opportunity he can to not be terrified. Prepared, ready, he doesn’t need to already be shaking though. 

Then something hits the underside of his bed.

A soft scream emits as Fritz quickly sits up, kicking away his sheets when they do nothing but hinder his movements. Presses his back against the wall where he knows nothing can sneak up behind him. Watches with baited breath in case whatever hit his bed decides to make an appearance. 

There’s several minutes of compete silence as the teenager is left in agonizing anticipation. Probably doing all of James’ work for him by imagining something so much worse than what the monster has actually planned. Maybe the pounding is the only thing that’s going to happen tonight. Maybe it’ll only be those two instances, and it’ll all be Fritz’s doing for staying up until dawn all because he thought he was in danger. 

He won’t risk putting his guard down. Just because James doesn’t make hallucinations like the other two doesn’t mean he can’t try to manipulate Fritz. Making their time spent together today quiet and uneventful could’ve been to make him think tonight will be an easy one. 

Truthfully, Fritz doesn’t know how much time passes. It could be an hour, could be two. But exhaustion starts getting the best of him, and his blinks start getting longer and longer. 

He reaches out to pull his blanket closer. The fear of getting tied up in it overpowered by just wanting some semblance of comfort. The only problem is it doesn’t budge when he pulls on it. 

Fritz doesn’t know when he closed his eyes. They’re open now, and they stare at...nothing. There’s nothing on his bed keeping his blanket in place. There’s nothing next to his bed, either. 

It’s when his blanket tugs back he realizes that whoever or whatever has a hold on it is completely out of sight. Out of sight underneath his bed. 

It’s just James. It’s not a creature, it’s just James. 

That kind of thought should not make him feel better. But considering what chased him last night, it grounds him. Puts a semi-familiar even if unpleasant face to something instead of the unknown. He’d much rather face the three who have made their intentions quite clear than some monstrosity he doesn’t know the capabilities or motives of. 

And even though it might be a stupid idea, Fritz tugs on the blanket again, refusing to give it up. Not with the possibility he’ll never get it back. 

He immediately regrets it when instead of another gentle tug, it’s yanked with so much force, he doesn’t have any time to let go before he’s falling forward. 

He doesn’t fall off the bed, far from it, but Fritz scrambles to let go. Because the next yank could send him to the floor. And who knows what would happen if he’s on level ground. It takes a terrifying moment for his trembling fingers to release their grip, but he does it, shrieking when the blanket is whipped completely out of a sight. 

Can’t get a safe distance away in time before a finger with a nail bigger than his hand starts to reach for him. 

“N-No, wait, wait!” Fritz pleads as he gets back to what he deemed to be a ‘safe’ distance. Even though it’d be effortless for James to grab him and his entire bed. Vincent has proven that multiple times. The only difference is this giant will crush him by pure accident. 

The finger hesitates for a moment at the foot of the bed. It then settles on the mattress before there’s multiple hits against the underside in a quick succession. Something that happens again after the finger on top lifts up to settle down again. Not knowing what’s happening, Fritz flattens himself against the wall as the pattern is repeated several times. Feels a sob build in his chest when he finally realizes James is tapping his fingers, in the manner that’s used to show impatience. 

And it continues. Slowly so Fritz can tell when each individual finger hits the bed. Can’t do anything except curl into a ball as he watches the only digit he can as it drums in time with the others. A promise that if he tries to run, if he gets too close, it will grab him. 

It never ends. All night he feels the power behind a hand that can easily kill him. Doesn’t look away for a second in case he’s about to be grabbed. Instead of feeling relief when the darkness begins to fade away and the hands along with its threatening tapping is forced to disappear, Fritz feels hollow and exhausted. Thunks his head against the wall as what little energy he had completely leaves. 

He’s not excited about going to school. Not when tonight will be just as brutal as the last two. With Vincent next on the schedule to watch him today, something Fritz has mixed feelings about. 

The teenager is sluggish as he drags himself out of bed. Splashes cold water on his face in the attempt to make him alert. Genuinely contemplates taking a nap on the couch as he passes it. Finds himself freezing when he remembers what happened yesterday. 

Had he really been that small? He knows he’s miniscule to the three, but he’s never had a good comparison on this side. It’s no wonder David treats him like an uninvited bug. Why Vincent likes to pick him up and keep him off the ground. 

...what would that be like, sleeping on it when the front door is closed? It’s an older piece of furniture with the cushions completely deflated, but it’s comfortable enough to sleep on, though. Would it be even better if he was small, or would it hurt his back because his weight wouldn’t have any effect? What if he brought his pillow out here, would it grow like everything else because it was outside his room? 

No, no, Fritz can’t think about things like that. No matter how tired he is, he can not risk contemplating any benefits to closing the door. Because that could lead to him actually going through with it. And one of the three could take it as an invitation to appear and stay with him inside the house the entire day, refusing to open the door again even if he claimed it was an accident. Or maybe they all appear, and then they’d definitely take the opportunity to torture him, and it’d be on Fritz. 

Besides, it won’t be his first time sleeping in class. His bag serves well enough as a pillow. Jeremy will have his back both sharing notes and waking him up for anything important. It’s not ideal, but it’s either that, or run on fumes and two hours of sleep until tomorrow night. 

He’s just grateful his best friend doesn’t try to push for details, doesn’t judge at being asked to make sure Fritz doesn’t sleep through the entire school day. If anything, Jeremy’s happy the redhead asked for his help. 

It’s a reminder they haven’t really talked outside of school recently. That with everything that’s happened, there hasn’t been any time to be friends. To sit down with each other and talk, or just enjoy the other’s presence. Jeremy would never say it in the fear he’ll come off as overbearing, but Fritz knows his best friend, and not being confided in, or at the very least asked for support must be eating away at him. 

Friday’s only two days away. Just two days, and they’ll have the entire night to just be friends. Like nothing had changed. And honestly, that’s something Fritz thinks both of them need, even if Jeremy doesn’t want to admit any trouble he’s been having at home. 

But they have to wait. Meaning Fritz gives a hug as a thank you and goodbye before quickly darting up the porch stairs, wanting to do nothing more than just get tonight over with. 

Just in case Vincent would prefer greeting him at the door like David does and simply hasn’t been given the chance to yet, Fritz still lunges to the right and braces himself. Carefully opens his eyes when there’s a soft click much like what happened yesterday. 

Despite the gentle closing of the door, his sleep paralysis demon isn’t waiting in the living room or walking around the kitchen. No, Vincent is lying on the ground as he smiles that familiar eerie grin, very reminiscent of the first time they properly met. 

“Did ya miss me?” 

Even though he shouldn’t have, even though he knows tonight is going to be anything but easy, even though anything can happen now that they’re alone...Fritz trusts Vincent the most to not hurt or kill him. “A l-little.” 

The smile grows even wider. “You can tell me all about your week while I cook.” 

Fritz half expected being left behind and forced to follow. But this is Vincent, so before the teenager can even think about starting on his long journey, the giant is already sitting up as a hand reaches out for him. He can’t even scream as fingers scoop him up. And despite how quick it all is with a giant being almost too comfortable interacting with him, this is a thousand times better than being dangled by David after shoes step directly behind him. 

Instead of holding him for as long as possible now that the others can’t criticize about ‘coddling’, Fritz is still carefully spilled onto the counter. Stared down at as the catastrophic being hums in thought. 

“I’m thinking lasagna,” Vincent says. “James neglected to provide dinner, correct?” 

Fritz shakingly nods his head. “Um, did he tell you he hadn’t?” 

His sleep paralysis snorts in amusement as he turns away to get started on cooking. “No, I just know the type of idiots I’m competing with. I’m shocked that David actually listened to me.” 

“S-So David told you?” Fritz asks, slightly confused why James hadn’t said anything but the most egotistical of the three had. 

"Oh, he hadn’t given me a report or anything,” Vincent chuckles. He disappears from sight as he kneels down, but when he reappears it’s to make Fritz scream as a pot slams down only a foot away from him. The demon pretends not to notice as he gives a shrug to continue the conversation. “It more or less slipped out when he was talking about how you disrespected him by cutting the night short.” 

Fritz’s blood runs cold as his breathing gets shallow. His attempt to gain distance from the cookware that nearly crushed him is forgotten in order to watch Vincent. Because even though James claimed the demon found it amusing doesn’t mean he won’t give some kind of punishment. Or was pressured into giving one to ensure it doesn’t happen again. 

“What’s with the terror!” Vincent exclaims. Walks away with the pot over to the sink. Looks over his shoulder at Fritz still paralyzed with fear. “I thought you would’ve learned by now I don’t mind a fighter.” 

...the demon had helped in erasing all evidence of Fritz attempting to defend himself before the others found out. It just seems to make any sense. Why would Vincent encourage going against the rules when it just makes their job harder? Would he be this lenient if Fritz directly went against him rather than the others? 

“You’re going to give yourself a headache thinking about it too much,” Vincent smiles. “I know you’ve got homework to do. Start failing in school and James will have yet another reason to criticize your intelligence.” 

Fritz knows it’s an order rather than a suggestion. The tone isn’t commanding, though. The demon wouldn’t allow something like backtalking, but it seems like some form of negotiating is on the table. Unlike with David or James, he wouldn’t be scared to ask to be taken to his room to grab something if he needed to, or ask a question instead of immediately getting started on his work. He might be worried about an answer he doesn’t really want, but not for his safety. 

And it’s that kind of thing that makes it hard not to prefer Vincent’s company. Not when it’s almost easy interacting with the demon. No need for Fritz to think about what he says or how to say it, second guess his every action. There’s genuine moments of pure terror at times, but then he’s praised for fighting for his life. 

“I-I want to spend the night at someone’s house.” 

Fritz tightens his grip on the straps of his backpack. A little terrified about Vincent’s reaction, but he knows if he doesn’t say something now then he’ll be in for a world of trouble when he doesn’t return home after school on Friday. The worst that can happen with this particular giant is being told no. David or James might’ve actually crushed him. 

There’s not even a hint of annoyance, his sleep paralysis demon looking nothing but genuinely surprised, pausing cutting up vegetables so Fritz is given full attention. “Oh?” 

“On-n-n Friday,” the teenager clarifies. Can’t stop himself from trembling. Especially at the sight of the knife being wielded. Of the vegetables in hand all at least twice his size. “P-Please.” 

Vincent laughs. “No need to ask for permission, Fritz. We can’t exactly stop you from going somewhere else after school instead of coming here.” 

The wicked smile is all he needs to know the demon is well aware what he’s actually afraid of. A silent confirmation there would be consequences for such blatant disrespect. 

...but he’s not being given a no. “So I can?” 

“I’ll let the others know you don’t need a babysitter Friday,” Vincent says. “Just make sure you’re back home by 8am Saturday.” 

He, he’s actually allowed to go? Just like that? No mind games of if he’s sure someone won’t be visiting that night? No demanding he spends every possible minute under their tyranny? 

“R-Really?” Fritz murmurs. 

“Again, technically can’t stop you,” the demon waves as he turns back to cooking. “But yes, you are allowed to do things outside of the house. Not too frequently, but you can. As long as you don’t upset David again.” 

Fritz can do that. He just hadn’t expected what he encountered Monday. But now he knows, won’t ever run again. If that’s all it takes to be able to hang out with Jeremy, then he’ll take it. 

With such a heavy weight off his shoulders, Fritz finally sits down to get started on his homework. Makes a conscience effort to stay concentrated on the math problems, but he’d be lying if he said a giant cooking only a few feet away wasn’t distracting. It’d almost be entertaining if he wasn’t worried about the protentional of being turned into an ingredient. Shivers whenever Vincent gets close in case something’s going to be slammed down beside him. 

His sleep paralysis demon completely ignores him until the food is ready, passing Fritz a plate. “How’s homework going?” 

The teenager is quick to accept the offering in case his answer isn’t good enough to deserve his first warm meal that isn’t cafeteria food since the beginning of the week. “I, um, still have English to do.” 

“Take a break and eat. Just know you won’t be leaving this counter until it’s finished.” 

Fritz quickly nods to show he understands, flinching when Vincent reaches over to tap a finger on top of his head. Freezes up when it doesn’t hurt in the slightest. Stares up in shock as the giant only watches him in amusement. 

When nothing is said and he isn’t poked again, Fritz decides it’s best he earns his ticket off the counter as fast as possible. Takes a few bites of the lasagna that, while it doesn’t taste like his mom’s recipe, is one of the most delicious things he’s ever had. It reminds him of the fact Vincent can somehow cook different dishes. A very, very terrifying thought that might be better left alone. 

The moment he puts his plate down, though, a finger suddenly pokes his side. 

Fritz whips his head around to see what the issue is, only to be met by the digit retreating. “D-Do you need something?” 

Vincent smiles. “Nope.” 

The demon’s given a distrustful look. Fritz then turns to grab the notes Jeremy copied for him out of his bag. Tenses when he feels a wave of warmth, yelping when the nudge to his back sends him falling over his books. 

Just like before, the finger doesn’t linger, and Vincent doesn’t nothing else other than laugh at the sprawled teenager. As if this is some kind of game they’re playing. 

I’m just a toy, aren’t I?

Fritz’s hands begin to shake at the realization that’s exactly what’s going on, that he’s nothing more than entertainment. And he can’t do anything about it, his only way off the counter that might as well be a cliff to him is by the very demon hindering his progress on finishing his assignments. 

He hunkers down to try and concentrate. Keeps an eye on the hand doing its best to seem harmless despite being anything but. Flinches when he sees it move to poke him again, but this time he manages to not make a sound. Doesn’t end up falling onto his side. If he gets ‘boring’, Vincent will leave him alone, right? 

Two fingers grabbing his ankle before dragging him a few inches says he was not right that’s the worst thing he could have done. 

The demon hovering directly above seems to agree, tutting down at Fritz gasping for air from the scare. “This doesn’t look like homework.” 

For a rare moment, Fritz agrees.

[academyoftheheartandmind]

Tear Up Your To-Do Lists and Just Sit and Other Poems

By Audrey Howitt Tear Up Your To-Do Lists and Just Sit build tiny nests pull sunlight toward you nurture those mercies you tie close to you under business suits nestled deep in tender folds here is the secret-- if you take one stick fold it close to another you can bend yourself into them find the space between a stilled ocean under every breath you take Terms of Agreement We sit outside,…

[voidzphere]

reminder that “sanscest” soundz so fucking bad and that we should normalize the term sanshipping instead

[darkwood-sleddog]

CDC's new dog import laws coming in August sure are....something.

[alittlelovelyweirdo]

[[SPOILER for Helluva Boss]]

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This SCENE and this DUO is so FUN!!!

🦉"This is going to be fun. I love words" ❤️

🐓"ಠ_ಠ"

[neechees]

I feel like most people even misunderstand the numbered treaties: people see "unceded territories" and think that treaty land must mean the Natives there said "okay you can have all our land now and tell us what to do and we have to live by your rules and government and we mean the exact same thing".

The treaties had a lot of miscommunication (intentional on the colonizers side or not) but the idea was that we said "settlers can live in these agreed upon areas, but understand that we are still our own Nations and sovereign, and you can only live here if you give us x things in return and conduct yourselves by the agreed upon terms". That wasn't us "giving" our land away, that was us assuming we entered into a civil contract that we could live peacefully by.

[al-luviec]

juvie buddies

[simonepelicaneel]

I Do Not Appreciate People Who Believe I Should Not Have Human Rights Saying How Horny They Are For Me

you want a restraining order or what?

[vicious-vixen-305]

Your Privacy is Up For Grabs...

Read, Absorb, and Adjust Accordingly... Be Safe.

Have you guys noticed that after the election, several companies have "updated" their terms of service and / or app?

Please recall that the first time 45 took office, he reversed all of President Obamas legislation that stopped ISP's from collecting our information while using their services. This meant that they could then have two revenue streams per customer:

1) Revenue from the service we pay them for, i.e., access to the internet.

2) Revenue from selling the info they collected (sites visited, time spent on those sites, race, where you live, etc.) while using their service to third-party companies.

When that legislation got reversed, it became a smorgasbord for ISP's chomping at the bit to earn more money at the expense of our privacy.

On a side note, but still related, my friend sent this to me yesterday, 11/30/24, and I wanted to pass it on. Surveilled is a documentary about privacy located on MAX.

You can also check out Ronan's interview with CNN as well.

The takeaway is to be vigilant about what you're doing on your phone, the apps you download, the permissions you give those apps, and the information they collect.

We're moving into a four year stretch of capitalism, winning over your right to privacy and everything else. It's up to you to do as much as you can to insulate and protect yourself as best you can.

[blametheeditor]

Terms Of Agreement | Chapter 5

First | Previous | Next

Run Down: The monster under your bed, the one in the closet, and your sleep paralysis demon fight for custody.

Content Warnings: Cursing. Mentions of sleep paralysis, hallucinations, and sleep deprivation. Mentions of death, murder, and accidental deaths. Mentions of treating others as lesser than, addressing someone as 'it'.

We don't play favorites, just lesser of three evils

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Fritz wakes up to darkness, and the hairs on the back of his neck standing up straight. 

If he thought about it for a moment, if the fog of sleep wasn’t clouding his mind, he would’ve remembered what had been said to him regarding the beings fighting for the right to have his soul. Realized night finally came and it was time to torment him. And that the worst thing to do it that moment was open his eyes. 

But that’s exactly what he does. And Fritz stares at his empty bedroom. 

The teenager watches in silent for a moment in the attempt to figure out if he’s actually awake, and if he is, what the culprit was for causing it.

There is nothing in my room.

Fritz takes a deep breath to calm his racing heart. Makes a slow sweep of the room with his eyes, feeling himself relax at the confirmation nothing is inside his room. Not by the locked door. Not in the corner next to his dresser. Not next to the- 

The gasp is involuntary at the sight of the closet door cracked open. Because Fritz had double checked it was closed before falling asleep a few hours ago. Or, was that something he did yesterday? Did he make sure it was closed this morning? When was the last time he even used his closet? That was always something his mom got upset about, the fact he was a walk-in closet but decides to use his dresser instead. All because of a dream he had that started to repeat itself over a few years. 

This...this feels like that dream. Where the door opens by itself. Usually what happens next is that something comes out of it. Once it was shadows shaped like vines. Another time a silhouette of a large, writhing figure. 

...it was never a dream, was it? 

There is nothing in my room.

Fritz’s knuckles turn white at the thought becoming more like a plea rather than a reminder. He refuses to look away from the closet, now. As much as the thought terrifies him of watching some unspeakable horror enter his room, he would rather know what’s coming instead of being blindsided when it happens. 

And it is when. This is David’s night. There is no reason for the monster in the closet to not take full advantage. 

He doesn’t know how much time passes. A minute. Thirty. Maybe even an hour. He can’t tell, and it might not matter. There’s nothing Fritz can do to stop the terror building up inside him. Waiting only continues to make it worse. 

But then the door opens another inch. Then another. And then three long claws that turn into talons, into fingers slowing wrap around the doorframe. An appendage that twitches and morphs from something humanoid into a hoof steps out. Finally, something big that looks like it struggles to breathe lumbers its way out of the closet. It’s too dark to make out any details, looks as if it’s made of shadows, and that makes it all the more horrific. 

Fritz wants to do nothing more than scream, but his body is frozen as if Vincent has paralyzed him. The only thing he wants to do is run while at the same time being too terrified to move. 

Please don’t find me.

There’s not a single sound other than his rapid breathing. He can see it moving what can only be assumed is a head to scan the room. Watches as it takes stuttering steps forward, teetering as its limbs continuously change. Feels its dark presence confirming the target is him. Yet it remains eerily silent, not even making the carpet crunch, as if it doesn’t truly exist. 

But it does. And Fritz is terrified about what it’s going to do once it finds him. 

Suddenly, it whips around and seems to stare directly at him. Goes deathly still. At least, as much as it can, its body refusing to hold its original shape as it continues to contort. 

In this moment as he waits for it to lunge at him, Fritz is reminded of something else that changed the longer he stared at it. Words that he was told shouldn’t be read or else he’ll lose his mind. The cold realization David managed to get his way and teach the disrespectful teenager a lesson. 

No, that’s not possible. This is just a hallucination. It’s meant to scare him, David wouldn’t be able to make a creature made out of letters. That has to be something impossible to do, right? The monster just wants to make him paranoid. 

Fritz trembles as he continues to stare, the creature just as still. Feels each and every one of his breaths stutter. Can’t tell if the rest of his room seeming to grow fuzzy is due to terror, the refusal to even blink, or David really does have that kind of power. 

Finally, Fritz is forced to blink, his eyes stinging. It couldn’t have been for more than a full second. Yet plenty of time for the creature to get a foot closer. He hadn’t even heard it move, and now it’s close enough that if it reaches out, it can grab him. 

That breaks Fritz’s resolve. He screeches as he tries to scramble away. Makes the horrific mistake of looking behind him when his back hits the wall. Shrieks at the creature standing directly beside his bed when he finally looks back at it. 

“Mom!” Fritz screams. “Mom!” 

He waits. For his bedroom door to open. For the lights to turn on. For a warm embrace as he’s told it’s okay, he’s safe, she won’t let anything hurt him. But she never comes. Because she’s gone. Fritz is alone. 

Tears stream down his face as he’s forced to watch the writhing figure, knowing no one is coming to help him. Coughs as a sob erupts at the same time he tries to gasp for air. Begins to panic because he almost closes his eyes. Almost lets the creature win. Knows it’s only a matter of time. 

Fritz sprints for the door. 

His footing on the mattress is clumsy, and he nearly slams his head into his dresser. But he stays on his feet, keeps his eyes locked on his bedroom door, and lunges for the lights. The only thing he can throughout his escape is his own frantic movements, yet he swears there’s a growl as soon as he flips the switch. He doesn’t check on the creature, however, only yanks the door open before leaping into the hallway. 

Fritz whirls around to keep an eye on his room. To see if he’s followed. Counts 60 seconds. Only when nothing happens, not even the ground shaking from catastrophic footsteps, does the redhead allow himself to crumble to the floor. Curls into a tight ball as sobs wrack his body. 

Somehow, he manages to fall asleep like that. He doesn’t dream of anything, but he’s jolted awake at the sound of something crashing to the floor from somewhere inside the house. Looks to his left and right to see the hallway no longer towers high above him. The front door is open to let morning sunlight in. 

I’m not going to survive this...

Fritz knew to take the threat of making his life horrible seriously. But never did he think they would go so far as to make it so unbearable. Sleepless nights are par for the course. Giants that don’t understand they can easily kill him is something he’ll never get used to, but at least it’s consistent. 

The mind games, though? The deliberate attempts to make him paranoid, to not explain anything, to leave him clueless until he’s facing it directly? Where does using Fritz’s lack of knowledge to their advantage end, and it being unfair and borderline cheating start? 

...nothing he can do about it now. He’ll ask later. Now, he needs to get dressed. Try to eat something. Get out of the house before David decides Fritz deserves a special punishment for cutting the night short. 

Fritz finds himself on autopilot as he gets ready for school. Makes two pieces of toast for breakfast. Stares at his bag sitting on the floor for a moment before realizing it had been left on the table last night and must’ve fallen when the house shrunk back to its normal size. Gets his things reorganized before packing extra snacks and a portable phone charger. 

Walks silently out the door. Is genuinely surprised to see Jeremy waiting for him already. 

His best friend takes one look at him before pulling the redhead into a hug. “Bad n-n-night?” 

You don’t know the half of it.

Fritz clings to Jeremy as he takes a deep breath. “Yeah.” 

The arms surrounding him hold him tighter, as if they can protect him from the horrors that visit him in the night. “Would you l-like t-to talk about it?” 

As much as he wants to confide in the only person left in this world who cares about him, who has been by Fritz’s side ever since elementary school, who has spoken about his own troubles and wants nothing more than to be here when it’s most needed...he can’t. He can’t, and it hurts. 

Jeremy gives him a gentle squeeze after a minute of silence. “W-W-Was it a nightmare?” 

...technically it was. That, that wouldn’t be something that could hurt Jeremy for knowing, right? 

“Have they been g-getting worse?” the taller asks after Fritz tentatively nods, earning another one. Because while the nightmares and sleep paralysis had always been bad, never did he imagine it getting like this. Never had he imagined they were caused by malicious beings. “Would you l-l-like to sleep over at m-my h-house?” 

Fritz’s first instinct is to say no, to admit he’ll never be able to hang out with Jeremy after sunset, feels tears stinging his eyes because it’s not fair. After taking his home away, promising he’ll never get a reprieve from the torture, and they still find a way to hurt him when it shouldn’t be possible. 

Then he remembers there’s a schedule. One that’s proven to be trustworthy. None of them appeared Sunday night, and the same thing was said for Thursday and Friday night. He’s safe those nights. Meaning Jeremy would be safe. 

“Friday,” Fritz breathes as he looks up at Jeremy. “C-Can I sleep over Friday night?” 

His best friend beams from the request. “O-Of course! My parents c-c-can't say no to a w-w-weekend night.” 

Fritz can’t help the feeling of hope blossoming in his chest. It scares him, because the three might do everything in their power to crush it, but he feels ten times lighter. He’ll never be able to tell Jeremy the truth, but they’ve been there for each other without such knowledge before. When Fritz refused to back down and get chased off from degrading comments the Fitzgeralds constantly sent his way. When Jeremy silently stood guard and never questioned when naps were taken during class. 

He’s not alone. 

That thought keeps him grounded for the rest of the day. Helps keep him awake, even. Manages to pay attention and retain a majority of what his teachers say. Because there’s the promise that at the end of the week, it’ll all be worth it. 

The moment he’s standing in front of his house again reminds him there’s still literal monsters waiting for him. But waving Jeremy goodbye is all that’s needed to remember someone still cares about him. Someone will be waiting for him tomorrow morning, then the next, and the next. 

I can do this.

Fritz clenches his fists, preparing himself for the terrifying greeting guaranteed to come. Marches up the front steps before diving through the front door. Curls into a ball to keep from tumbling when the door slams shut. 

Blinks in confusion when the sound of the lock clicking into place is heard, but there had been a distinct lack of force. His hair had barely been ruffled. 

“David informed us you deliberately took actions to cut the night short.” 

Fritz feels as though someone punched him in the chest, his lungs refusing to cooperate at the realization he is currently alone with James. The monster who’s made it blatantly clear Fritz is no more than an object to him. Someone that’s needed to be told by the others to back off. 

Who’s...sitting in one of the living room chairs. A book in hand. Head tilted down to show that while he’s clearly talking to the teenager cowering on the floor, whatever is being read is much more interesting. 

“While Vincent finds it amusing, I, on the other hand, agree that such disrespect will not be tolerated,” James continues, causing Fritz’s body to start shaking like a leaf. “Therefore, you are being given one warning. Take such actions again, and there will be severe consequences.” 

Silence. The book continues to be the focus of the monster’s attention, as if Fritz isn’t worth a single glance despite the threat. And it’s this that takes the hope he once had, and shatters it into a million pieces. Because no matter what he does, no matter how hard he tries, the three will be here until he chooses. Will break him down every chance they get. Remind him that he nothing but the means to an end. 

“You can complete your assigned work anywhere you desire,” the giant continues. “The only area off limits is your bedroom.” 

With that, Fritz feels relief at James making it clear he’s only here to watch him and has no intentions to physically interact with the teenager. 

...he has the whole house to himself. 

Fritz jolts at the thought. Because before this, he’s been herded if not outright grabbed and carried to where the three wanted him to be. Now, he’s being allowed to explore. Something that’s both terrifying if James decides to start walking around, and exciting. 

He’s technically shrunk. The entire house towers over him. And yet he’s never really interacting with anything except traversing the floor or being spilled onto a higher surface. But should he play it safe and just sit down right here to do homework, or explore and claim he’s just finding a comfortable place to work? 

The worst part is his current warden is James. Vincent most likely wouldn’t mind, and he’d trust his sleep paralysis demon to watch the floor while walking. David wouldn’t give him a chance. And before this, Fritz thought both monsters would share the same sentiment. 

Unless this is some kind of challenge to see if he disobeys orders. 

Fritz finally gathers the courage to begin walking toward the living room. Not excited about the inevitable fight with the carpet once he reaches it. But it’ll be a lot more comfortable than tile, and James won’t have the chance to claim he’s being ungrateful not taking advantage of such an offer. 

As he walks, glances are sent toward the monster to check if he’s being watched. Every time, James is content to simply read. The embodiment of calm. It makes him look almost...human. 

Fritz decides to sit down next to the couch, leaning against the wooden leg thicker than he is. Sends a suspicious look at the dark space directly to his left that could be hiding anything. Nothing seems to move through the shadows, however, there being nothing but dust bunnies. And it makes him feel better being next to something that would be awkward walking directly beside it. Not to mention he’d be able to dive out of the way. Be safe from a shoe or hand as long as he’s quick enough. 

As he starts on his homework, James is still sent a fearful look every other minute, just to ensure the monster isn’t planning on something. But Fritz is left completely alone. Something that’s unnerving yet, nice. 

“J-James?” slips out before Fritz can stop himself. 

Instead of ignoring him, the giant tilts his head up so pitch black eyes are now locked on the redhead who dared interrupt him. “You speak like there’s a question despite only saying my name.” 

Fritz feels himself tense up, realizing he managed to upset James with a single word. Wants to do nothing more than run. Take back what he said and plead for his life. 

He can’t say anything, however. Can’t move. Only watches as the monster turns back to his book. “I suggest you utilize the inflection properly rather than wasting our time.” 

Fritz holds his breath. Expects to be grabbed. Told he single handedly promised himself a worse night than previously planned. Get stomped directly beside. But nothing happens. 

What had the others said before? Vincent’s always concerned about Fritz getting killed, but something had been said about harming him a few times. An almost throwaway comment to calm the teenager, but it was there. Is, is that what’s holding the monster back? 

“Wh-What did Vincent and David mean? When they said you can-n-n't intentionally hurt me?” Fritz asks. Because if the worse thing that happened for wasting James’ time was a verbal rebuttal, then it might be safe asking an actual question. There’s still the couch to use as a last resort. 

James’ expression doesn’t change as he turns back to Fritz. He isn’t bored, far from patient, just neutral. And that helps the teenager’s heart beat just a little slower. “There are strict rules that need to be followed in order for any competition over a soul to remain fair for all parties involved, including the soul itself. This includes intentionally manipulating or harming the vessel of the soul. If a monster or demon intentionally harms the vessel, they will be disqualified and forfeit all rights to compete. If harm befell upon the vessel, but there had been no intention and was due to an accident or not having proper knowledge, they may continue to compete.” 

So that’s why David hasn’t disappeared even though Fritz still has a few bruises from being previously being picked up roughly. Even though it could've ended badly, it would've been a mistake. A mistake that could've cost the teenager his life, yet it'd be treated as nothing more than a setback. No consequences other than Vincent and James being upset they lost their rights to a soul.

“B-But there’s still accidents?” Fritz confirms.

“It’s impossible for there not to be,” James says. As if he isn’t talking to the very person who would be the one getting harmed in such a scenario. “However, Vincent is well versed in keeping such fragile vessels safe from fatal accidents. The worst that may happen is the vessel’s integrity being permanently damaged.” 

Fritz hates the fact everything has its pros and cons, including asking questions. He can either get straight answers from James while at the same time being told he’s nothing more than a vessel, or never getting the full picture with Vincent but he’s spoken to like he’s a person. 

At least he has a little more information. Knows he had a reason to be scared of the creature last night. As long as it didn’t intentionally hurt him, it still would’ve been able to grab him if given the chance. And considering James has been described as being more physical than the other two, he might have to be prepared for anything. 

As much as he hates to say it, Fritz can’t wait for Vincent to come back...

[puppycheesecake]

Hate that the EA app will try and sneakily update my game despite me having automatic updates turned OFF... If you ever get a "agree to terms" popup when you open the app don't click yes.

[c0mmander-rudboys]

hello mr man what do you think of dorothy she purse slapped a doppelganger before

“Same, Dorothy, same.”

[paintingformike]

me trying to explain why i think mike is gay and is aware that he’s not in love with el cause he has feelings for someone else since atleast the end of season 3, but he also doesn’t know the feelings attached to the painting are will’s yet and he was consciously lying in the monologue by trying to follow what will told him in the van (giving el the courage to fight on by emphasizing her abilities as a superhero, something that makes her different and “better” apparently!) cause he thinks that’s the only way to save el...so the painting is a plot device for byler to get together (and mlvn bones cause it made mike misunderstand what el truly needed, leading to his words not being enough for el to win and save max in time) but not in the sense that mike fell in love with will’s feelings for him or the person behind the painting, just that it was used to show who’s always been the right person for mike based on compatibility and understanding and true unconditional love, and for him to realize that things aren’t hopeless and his feelings are requited once he finds out the full truth behind the painting cause without it he would’ve continued forcibly conforming due to societal expectations and pressure, and trapping himself in a loveless relationship because of his fear of losing el and hurting her

[sivavakkiyar]

People know nonrepresentational visual art precedes the 20th century Western art world right. And that finding a particularly analogous ‘musical’ equivalent like Cage or anything atonal is particularly kind of silly (as you know before Schoenberg and Cage all music was representational, directly…every just listened to tone poems all the time)

[misc-catgirl-anatomy]

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[peterarklenews]

© Peter Arkle 2024 WHATEVER!