#Yeah. I suppose I have a form of special specific hate for Supernatural because of how much cooler-

[onesecretperson]

Yeah. I suppose I have a form of special specific hate for Supernatural because of how much cooler I feel like the show could've been in a lot of ways. This due to me having watched it with my family through my entire later childhood and adolescence.

I fucking hate supernatural

[multifandomfanficss]

Benny x OC

My Babysitter’s a Vampire

You’re Special

Prompt: This is based on the episode Independence Daze. My OC Liz is thrown into her own alternate fear pocket universe along with Benny, Ethan, and Sarah. While the others deal with more Supernatural fears Liz has some more realistic problems to deal with. This leads her to find out a lot more about herself as a person and what she is capable of.

Warnings: Abusive father, panic attack

A/N: I wrote this as an OC because I feel like it’s too specific to write as a reader insert. Also during part of the story it will switch to 3rd person point of view, but it will be labeled. I really enjoyed writing this one. It could turn into a multi-chapter. Tell me what you guys think!

I was sitting in Ethan’s kitchen eating cookies with Sarah and Benny. Benny started making cookie sandwiches while Sarah called him out for being disgusting. Although he’s making a mess honestly I think it’s kinda cute when he’s being childish. Let’s face it. I just think everything Benny does is cute. He’s my best friend, but I’ve had a crush on him for years. “Hello!” “Oh hi Evelyn come on in!” I turn around to see Ethan’s mom invite Benny’s Grandma into the house. I love her. She’s honestly such an incredible woman. She’s a badass even for her age. I constantly wish she was my Grandma. “What brings you here?” Ethan’s mom asks. “Well I just wanted to make sure Benny isn’t making a mess” She says as she magically flips his glass of milk over and onto the floor. My jaw drops. Then she sends Ethan’s mom on a mission for napkins. “Grandma!” Benny yells in a hushed tone. I start to giggle a little. I just can’t keep from laughing. Benny turns his head to give me a death glare. Benny’s Grandma then goes on to lecture Benny because this idiot tried to conjure a troll a couple hours ago. He did it because Sarah didn’t believe in trolls and Ethan bet him that he couldn’t do it. I was just kinda in it to see the chaos unfold so this was pretty entertaining. This would have probably ended badly if it had even gone to plan, but instead he conjured a toll in the middle of his living room and his Grandma had to pay to get to Ethan’s house. “Here we go…” Ethan’s mom says approaching with paper towels. That’s when the cookie plate hits the floor. “Benny!” His Grandma exclaims. Benny gives another defensive look as Ethan’s mom runs to get the vacuum. “Well at least I conjured a toll booth. Can one of you three do that?” Benny asked us. “No, all I do is fight everything while you hide” Sarah responds. Then Ethan had to put in his two cents about how he’s the most important because his genius plans are always so perfect and suddenly everyone was fighting. I decided to stay out out of this one. I know I’m not the most important. I’m the only one without powers. I’m just kind of along for the ride. I was friends with the boys before all of this happened and I’m friends with them after. Sometimes I just wish I was special. I just wish they could see that they all matter. “Could you guys just stop fighting?!” I beg. “Liz, is right! You four are a team!” Benny’s Grandma reminds us. “I sense a coming darkness. A force so powerful, so evil that none of you stand a chance alone. You have to work together-“ She pauses. I look around to see everyone else is on their phones. “You have to work together” She says again. “Yeah…” Benny says half listening. I know they’re all annoyed with each other after the fight, but this is important.

Just like that as quickly as she had come, Benny’s Grandma was out the door again. I followed her out. “Wait!” I say trying to catch her attention. “I gave you kids a chance. If you’re not going to listen then there isn’t much more I can do” She tells me. “I’m sorry if they weren’t listening, but I was, I care. I just wish I could do something to stop it” I tell her. “Oh, but you can!” She tells me. “How? I don’t have magic like Benny or visions like Ethan or super human abilities like Sarah. I’m just me. I’m not special” I tell her. “Oh, Liz, you are capable of so much more than you think” She says climbing the stairs to her front porch. “What that’s supposed to mean?” I ask. “You’ll find out in due time, My Dear. Let’s just hope it’s not too late” She says before closing the door. “Okay…thanks…” I say to a closed door. I love that woman, but she is always so cryptic. I looked down at my phone to check the time. It was getting pretty late and it was a school night so I decided to head home before my parents killed me for breaking curfew.

I woke up the next day to nothing feeling right. My stomach felt uneasy so I decided it would be best to stay home from school. “Mom?!” I call throughout the house. She’s nowhere to be found. I try to call her, but she doesn’t pick up. She probably already left for work. I know my dad is already gone. Against my better judgement I decide to stay home. I probably shouldn’t skip, but I feel like I’m about to vomit any second. I shoot my mom a text to tell her. Then I pick up my phone to try to call Benny, but he doesn’t pick up. That’s weird. He usually always answers me. He’s probably running late for school. I decide to shoot him a text too saying I’m not going to school and asking him to get my homework and come over after school to drop it off.

A couple hours pass and Benny still hasn’t answered my text. That’s weird. Usually Benny responds right away. On top of that, my mom hasn’t answered me either. Where is everybody? I’m standing in my kitchen making lunch when I hear the door open and slam shut. In walks my father. His booming voice starts to scream as I feel my hands begin to shake a little bit. “You skipped school?!” He screams. This is not going to be good.

3RD PERSON POV

While Liz was trapped in her own personal fear dimension Sarah was running from the evil version of herself, Benny was running from a robot dentist, and Ethan was figuring out how to communicate with Benny and Sarah through objects they had emotional connections to. That’s when Ethan saw the cloaked man throwing fireballs. Ethan was able to use Benny’s gym shorts and Sarah’s makeup compact to pull them into Ethan’s universe. Now they just had to find Liz. “Where’s Liz?” Benny asks. “I couldn’t get into her locker” Ethan tells them. “Good thing I know her combination!” He says as they race to her locker. Benny quickly puts in the combination and opens the locker. Sarah reaches in immediately knowing which object is the most important to Liz. “It’s obviously her necklace. She wears it everyday” Sarah tells the boys. The necklace was small and had a pendant of a TARDIS on it. It was from Liz’s favorite show. Benny grabs the necklace and he can barley hear Liz. “I got this for her for her birthday last year…I guess she liked it…” Benny says with a small smile. He could barley hear Liz’s crying from the other end. “Liz? Can you hear me?” He asks while holding the necklace. There’s no response. “The connection isn’t very strong. I don’t think she can hear me” He tells Sarah and Ethan. “Why was the connection stronger with you?” Ethan asks Benny. “Well we weren’t that far apart“ Benny reminds him. “That’s it! The connection is weak with Liz because she isn’t by the school” Ethan figures it out. “She could be anywhere!” Sarah exclaims. “I know exactly where she is” Benny tells her as he starts to walk out of the school. Sarah and Ethan follow quickly behind. “Where are we going?” Ethan asks. “Liz’s can’t be at school because her worst fear wouldn’t be at the school” He tells them. “Well your stupid robot dentist wouldn’t be at the school either!” Sarah exclaims. “First of all, Cyberdontist isn’t stupid. He’s terrifying. Second of all, you have to trust me. Liz’s fear is definitely at her house” He tells her. As they get closer to Liz’s house the connection through the necklace grows stronger.

When they finally get to her house they walk in to see her ghost like form pressed against the wall shaking in fear. She was crying quietly as tears streamed down her face. Her dad was standing in front of her screaming at her. She was stuttering out different variations of “No, Sir” and “Yes, Sir” and “I’m sorry”. She looked terrified. “Who is that?” Sarah asks. “That’s her dad” Ethan explains. “I’ve never even met him...” Sarah trails off. “That’s because she didn’t want you to meet him” Benny says. “She hates her dad” He adds. He was uncomfortable to see Liz in so much pain. “I have to get her out of here” Benny says taking a step closer.

LIZ’S POV

I was finding it harder and harder to breathe as my dad kept screaming at me. “Are you kidding me?! You are such a joke! Way to go Ace! You really messed that on up didn’t you?! Didn’t you?!” He screams. “Yes, Sir” I say quietly. I back up only to hit the wall. “Liz! Can you hear me? It’s Benny” I hear a voice say. I can’t look away from my dad. “Liz! I need you to look at me!” I hear his voice again. “Liz, we’re stuck in our own fear dimensions. If you want to get out of here you need to listen to me” I look past my dad to see Benny, Ethan, and Sarah. They look like ghosts. Benny reaches out his hands. He’s holding my necklace. I’m a little confused because I’m wearing my necklace. “Liz, I can get you out of this, but you need to take my hands” Benny tells me. “Look at me when I’m talking to you!” My dad screams. I look back to him quickly. Benny comes closer. “Liz, everything is going to be okay if you just take my hands” Benny promises. “I-I can’t” I say as I let out a sob. “Are you even listening to me?!” My dad screams. He gets more in my face. Benny gets closer. “Liz, I know your scared. I promise I can get you out of here. Just take my hands” Benny reaches out again. I take his hands. He squeezes mine tight and I feel a little bit of relief. My dad grabs my arm. “You aren’t going anywhere!” He yells at me. The entire house starts to shake. I start to hyperventilate. I can’t breathe. “Benny, you need to hurry!” Sarah begs. “Liz, you can do this. Just hold on tight, okay?” He says. I nod. He pulls me through into his arms and my dad disappears.

The house won’t stop shaking. I still can’t breathe. I start to sob uncontrollably. Nothing feels right. My entire body is shaking and I’m covered in sweat. Benny sits me down on the couch. “Liz, everything is going to be just fine” Benny says to me calmly. I don’t answer him. I keep my eyes focused on the floor. Sarah and Ethan approach with worried looks on their faces. Benny tells them to back up and give me some space. I gasp for air between sobs. “Sarah, can you go get Liz a glass of water?” Benny asks. “Yeah I’ve got it” Sarah says before rushing to the kitchen. “Liz, listen to me, you’re having a panic attack” Benny tells me. I nod because it’s all I can do. “Hey, look at me, okay?” Benny starts. Suddenly my dad’s words pop into my head ‘Look at me when I’m talking to you!” I hear him scream. The house shakes violently. “What’s happening?” Sarah asks when she gets back with the water. She places it down on the table. “I think Liz’s emotions are somehow connected to the shaking” Ethan tells her as he sits down in a chair so he doesn’t fall. Things start to fall off the shelves so Ethan and Sarah take shelter in the doorway. Benny stays on the couch with Liz. “Liz, it’s okay. I’m here. Your dad can’t hurt you right now. You’re safe with me” He promises. I still can’t breathe. He picks up my hand and puts it on his chest so I can feel his heartbeat. I look at him. “That’s a little better. Can you breathe with me?” He asks. I give him a small nod. We lock eyes and we take a big over exaggerated breath together. In and out. In and out. “You’re doing so good” He tells me. In and out. “I’m so proud of you” He says. In and out. “I know this is scary, but you’re strong” He tells me. In and out. “I’m here. You’re safe” He promises. In and out. Slowly the house stops shaking. Benny pulls me into his arms and I lay my head against his chest listening to his heartbeat. “You did so good, Liz. I’m so proud of you” He tells me. I don’t respond. I just sit there listening to his calming heartbeat. He holds me tightly and places a kiss to the top of my head. I can’t respond. He doesn’t need a response. He knows how grateful I am. He offers me the water and I gladly take it. “How did Benny know how to do that?” Sarah asks. “This isn’t the first time Liz has had a panic attack. It’s just been a while. It’s never made the house shake before though” Ethan responds. I suddenly realize that the house shaking wasn’t all in my mind. “Benny?” I get his attention. “Yeah?” He looks down at me and asks. “C-can we get out of here? Please?” I ask. My voice almost feels foreign to me. “Of course” He tells me. He stands up and takes my hands in his, helping me up. My body is still a little shaken. My legs almost give out, but Benny holds me up. “Got it?” He asks. “Y-Yeah. I’m just a little tired” I tell him. I stand up and try to walk on my own, but after his protests I take Benny’s arm for support. If I’m being honest I don’t mind.

We walk out the door with Sarah and Ethan behind us and start down the street. We head towards the school. Our answer is probably there. “Do any of you guys know what’s happening?” I ask. “We all woke up in our separate dimensions where we were alone with our worst fears. I was able to pull Benny and Sarah into my dimension using emotionally charged objects and then Benny pulled you into my dimension” Ethan explains. “I saw a guy in a cloak throwing fireballs” He says. “I saw Cyberdontist” Benny adds. “And I saw myself- Well the evil version of myself” Sarah finishes. “And I saw my dad...” I trail off. “I’m really sorry, Liz. I didn’t know-“ I cut Sarah off. “Yeah. Can’t pick your family I guess” I say sadly. Benny looks down at me and squeezes my hand. We exchange sad smiles. At least I’ll always have my friends. “Anyway, how did we get here and how do we get out?” I ask. “I have no idea” Ethan confesses. “Great...” I say quietly. “We’re going to get out of this” Benny promises.

Once we get to the school we try to figure out the best solution. “There has to be someway to get out of here” I start. Then I look up to see Cyberdontist, Evil Sarah, and Cloak Guy in the doorway. “Guys...” I start. A figure comes up behind them. It’s my dad. “Holy crap....” I trail off as Benny grabs my hand and pulls me into the hall. We run into a random classroom and shove the door shut. I can see Cyberdontist through the window as he tries to open the door. We stay pressed against the wall and Ethan keeps his hand on the door knob keeping it shut. I can feel Benny’s breathing get heavier. I hold his hand. Although Sarah keeps cracking jokes about Cyberdontist that isn’t gonna make Benny any less afraid of him. I start rubbing circles on the back of his hand with my thumb. “It’s okay” I whisper. “You promised me. We’re gonna get out of here” I smile. He smiles back down at me and takes a deep breath. “So we’re just gonna stand here and wait?” Sarah asks. “We’re not waiting. We’re hiding. That’s a much better plan” Benny answers her. “I should just go out there and-“ Benny cuts Sarah off. “And do what? Get roughed up by yourself?” He asks. “Hey, you can’t even magic yourself out of a dentist appointment” She says in defense. Benny gives her a look. “Guys this isn’t helping” Ethan interjects. “Well why don’t you go out there and touch Hoody McFire Hands and get a vision!” Benny exclaims. “Spoiler alert: he’ll cook me!” Ethan responds. The room shakes a little again, but I’m so annoyed I barely notice. “Listen, everybody is afraid of something and everybody’s fears are valid. You guys need to stop fighting. I’m sick and tired of your fighting. You guys are my best friends and I don’t wanna be in the middle of it anymore!” I confess. They all apologize to me. “We didn’t realize it bothered you so much” Ethan confesses. “Of course it bothers me” I tell them. “You guys are always arguing over who’s better and who’s more important when I feel like I’m the least important of us all” I say. “Don’t say that” Benny interjects. “It’s true. All of you guys are important to me and I’m just lucky to be friends with you, but it breaks my heart when you guys fight like this” I tell them. “You will always be important to me” Benny tells me. I smile. “I’m not special” I tell him. “Not like you guys” I add. “Never think for one second that you aren’t special” He tells me. “We care about you, Liz” Ethan adds. “Yeah Liz, you’re one of my best friends” Sarah adds. I smile. “You know, I always felt like I didn’t have very much of a family because of my dad. I was wrong. You guys are my family” I say before Benny pulls me into a hug. Ethan and Sarah join. We almost forget about our worst fears behind the classroom door.

After a few minutes of brainstorming Ethan realizes the only way to get out of this is to confront our fears together. We decide to go after Evil Sarah first. Benny and Ethan decide to be bait for Evil Sarah. “I ran so much track today...My blood is pumping like crazy...” Benny says pretty unconvincingly. I have to hold back a laugh. Benny and Ethan collapse to the floor and unconvincingly beg Evil Sarah not to eat them. Then the real Sarah comes up behind her and drives a steak through her heart. It was pretty badass.

Next was Benny’s fear. Cyberdontist. Since magic doesn’t work on robots we decided logic was the best approach, or rather breaking logic. We cornered Cyberdontist while Sarah held him back and Ethan yelled illogical things at him. I grabbed Benny’s hand. He squeezes it tightly. He would never ask, but I know he needs me right now. “Why do you drive in a parkway and park in a driveway?” Ethan asks. “Your mission is not to accept this mission. Do you accept?” He adds. Cyberdontist starts to short out and I can see a small smile appear on Benny’s lips. “Why do you have to put coffee inside a coffee maker? Doesn’t it make the coffee?” Ethan asks. “You can do it, Benny” I tell him. “Once I ate a whole half a pizza” He says. I smile. “A whole half!” He repeats. Cyberdontist now has smoke coming out his ears. He collapses when Sarah finds the off button. Sarah and Ethan race off while Benny and I stay behind for a second. “I wonder if I could play videos games on this thing” He says. I laugh. He starts to touch the robot and it jolts for a second. He jumps away. “Never mind...” he trails off. “Come on” I smile. He smiles back and we meet up at the classroom again with Sarah and Ethan. “So what’s next?” I ask. I am so ready to fry Fire Guy’s butt. “Liz...” Ethan starts. Then I realize. My heart sinks. “No...” I feel my legs starting to give out again. The building shakes a little. Benny helps me to a chair. “No, I can’t do this. I can’t-“ Benny cuts me off. “It’s okay. We’ll find a way around him” Benny says. I start to cry a little. “You guys don’t understand!” I start. “When I leave here I have to go home to him and I-“ I start to sob again. The room shakes harder. “What is going on?!” Sarah asks as she gets under a table with Ethan. “Shhhhh it’s okay. We’ll find a way out of here. I won’t let him hurt you” Benny promises. He pulls me into his arms. I breathe with him. In and out. I’m okay. He stops me from having another panic attack. The room stops shaking and I wipe my tears.

We can’t defeat my dad and we can’t defeat Fire Guy so we decide the best way to get out of this is to find an emotionally charged object from Rory so he can pull us through into our dimension. We get to his locker and Sarah breaks off the lock. We grab his Vampire Sasquatch and sure enough, that’s it. It takes a minute for him to figure it out, but eventually Rory understands the situation. That’s when we see Fire Guy approaching with my dad closely behind him. I quickly grab onto Benny. Benny grabs Vampire Sasquatch. “We are being chased by Liz’s dad and a walking flame thrower! You have to get us out of here!” He yells into the doll. The room starts to shake again. “I’ll only help you if Sarah agrees to sign my council application” Erica says. “Wasn’t that due like a month I ago?!” Sarah questions. I feel like the room is closing in on me as they get closer. I close my eyes tightly as I try to keep the panic down and I cling to Benny. He holds me tightly. “I have been hanging out with Rory and his stupid doll all day for nothing?!” Erica yells. I don’t know what that’s all about and I don’t care. “Just meet us in front of the school right now!” Ethan tells them as we start to run. I can barley open my eyes. My dad and the cloak dude are getting closer.

When we get to the front of the school we see Rory and Erica approaching in their weird ghost looking form. I don’t pay much attention as I stare down the hall at my dad. “Elizabeth look at me when I’m talking to you!” He yells. Benny grabs my arm and puts a hand on my back. “Come on. It’s time to go” He tells me. “Elizabeth!” My dad yells. The whole school shakes violently. Ethan almost loses his balance and falls to the ground. Benny pulls me to Erica and Rory. “Hold on to me tightly, okay?” He says. I nod and grab onto Benny. Sarah and Ethan grab his shoulders while I wrap my arms around his waist. Rory and Erica pull us through. Once we get to our dimension I immediately collapse on the ground. The room won’t stop shaking. “Shouldn’t this have stopped when we left?!” Ethan exclaims. “What’s going on?!” Erica yells. “Benny, do something!” Sarah cries. Principal Hicks gets on the loud speaker and announces that all students must take cover because we’re having an earthquake. Why won’t the shaking stop?! “Liz, it’s okay. He’s gone now” Benny tells me. He kneels in front of me and takes my hands in his. “Why won’t it stop?!” I ask. “I don’t know, but you have to calm down” He tells me. He puts his hands on my shoulders. “You can stop this. You’re safe. You just need to breathe with me okay?” He reminds me. “I can’t control it!” I cry. “You’re strong. You can do this” He reminds me. He takes a big breath with me. In and out. “You’re special” He tells me. In and out. “You’re important” He says. In and out. “You’re doing so good. I’m so proud of you” He says. In and out. Finally the room stops shaking. He pulls me into a hug as I let out a few tears. “I’m so proud of you. I love you” He tells me. I blush a little as he places a kiss on the top of my head.

After school we sat in Benny’s kitchen drinking tea and explained the whole day to his Grandma. “Well I’m glad you learned your lesson. Even if it took flinging you into three private dimensions” Benny’s Grandma said. “What?!” We all say in unison. Suddenly my cup on the kitchen counter starts to boil and it shatters out of nowhere. “Oh, relax. You were never in any real danger...Although that is knew...” She walks over to me with a towel. “So you’re telling me that you trapped me in a room with that monster at his angriest, gave me panic attacks, and now all of this is happening just to learn a lesson?!” I ask. The teapot starts to whistle. It isn’t even on the stove. “Believe me, I couldn’t be sure that this would happen” She says. “But you knew it could...and the chances of it going away are pretty slim?” I question her. “I’m afraid once you’ve unlocked it, it can’t be undone” She tells me. The house starts to shake again. It isn’t much this time, but enough to notice. Benny grabs my hand and it stops. “I didn’t want to say anything unless I could be sure. I’m afraid putting you in that situation was the only way to find out. But you don’t have to be afraid if your powers. They come from the Earth! They’re good!” She promises. “They don’t feel very good” I admit. “Your powers are connected to your emotions. In time you’ll learn to control them” She tells me. “What exactly are my powers?” I ask. “You can manipulate the four elements; earth, water, fire, and air. That’s why you and Benny have always been so connected. Your powers are drawn to each other because they both come from the Earth” She explains. I look down at our hands and I blush a little. “I have something for you” She remembers. She leaves the room and quickly comes back with a bracelet. “I was hoping I would be able to give this to you someday. It’s like a set of training wheels. It will keep every little emotion you have from setting off your powers. It won’t keep out every emotion, but it will help” She explains. “Thank you” I say before taking it and putting it on my wrist.

A couple hours pass by and I don’t want to leave Benny’s house. Sarah and Ethan have already gone home, but I can’t bring myself to go there. Not right now. I know I have to. Benny and I stand at the front door as I put on my shoes. “I don’t want to go home” I tell him. He pulls me into his arms. “I know, but he’ll be angrier if you break curfew” Benny reminds me. Benny and I share a long goodbye hug. “I’m really scared of him” I say. “I know, but it’s okay. You can call me as soon as you get home. I’ll stay up with you all night if I have to” He promises. He holds on a little longer and then I open the door to leave. The door is magically pushed closed again. “Did you really think I’d let you go home, My Dear?” Benny’s Grandma asks who had been eavesdropping at the top of the stairs. “My parents are expecting me” I tell her. “I called your mother and told her that you and Benny were cramming to finish a science project and that you might need all night” She smiles. “Benny get the guest room ready” She instructs him. I jump back into Benny’s arms in relief and run to the top of the stairs to hug his Grandma. “Thank you” I say as I hug her tightly. “Anytime” She smiles.

I turn onto my side and look at the clock. It’s late and I can’t sleep so I decide to get a glass of water and go back to bed. When I sneak downstairs I see Benny on the couch watching TV. “You couldn’t sleep either?” I ask. “I just keep thinking about that stupid drill” He admits as he makes a drilling motion with his hands. I sit down next to him on the couch and curl up into him. He wraps his arm around me. “Thank you” I say. “For what?” He asks. “For everything” I start. “You held me together today. You kept me grounded and comforted me. You didn’t have to do that. You had your own fear to deal with” I tell him. “Liz, caring about you is easy” He tells me. I smile. “I would do anything for you” He continues. “Liz, when I said I loved you earlier I meant it” He finishes. I start to blush. Things grow quiet. “I love you too” I respond. There is silence again, but it’s a comfortable silence. Next thing I know his lips are on mine. My heart skips a beat and I can feel a million butterflies in my stomach. Then I hear the pipes in the sink explode. Water goes everywhere. “Oh my God!” I say looking at the sink. “Benny!” I hear Benny’s Grandma yell. She comes down stairs as quickly as she can. “Actually that was me...I’m so sorry!” I say feeling terrible. “Remember...not every emotion is blocked by that bracelet. The strongest emotions can still break through” She reminds me. With the wave of her hand the sink is fixed. “Now get some sleep you two” She orders us. “Thank you” I tell her. “Anytime, My Dear” She says before heading up the stairs again. As soon as we hear her door shut Benny and I start to laugh. We kiss again and then we turn back to the TV. He lays a blanket over me before hitting play on the next episode of Doctor Who. I fall asleep in his arms to the sound of the TARDIS. I’m finally safe.

[hellishmess]

11: Picnic? Picnic.

June 1, 2018

I legitimately considered just teleporting to the vampire nest, but the sensible, sane part of me knew to drive.

So I settled for speeding down the highway, cutting the drive time by ten minutes. I pulled into the drive, parking the car out front, and running up to the front door.

A jittery energy settled in my muscles, and briefly I wondered if this was normal to feel.

I knocked, not feeling comfortable enough to just walk in like Maeve. The door swung open, revealing Ana. I smiled, happy to come face to face with her and not some vampire.

"Hey," she said, stepping back and looking me up and down as I entered.

"Hey," I grinned. "You ready for your witch lesson?"

Ana's smile turned from one of charm to one of nervous excitement. "Yeah. I've been trying constantly but I can't seem to even get the easy ones."

"Okay let's see what I can do. I'm sure we can figure it out."

Ana was a flurry of motion as we walked through the house. Her hands were clasped behind her before breaking free to dance up and mess with her hair. She fiddled with her fingertips for a moment longer, before retiring them back behind her.

"Would you care for lunch before we started?" She asked, glancing out a passing window. "Today's a pretty day for a picnic."

I couldn't stop the grin from forming. That sounds a lot like a date.

"Sure," I say cooly. "I can't remember the last time I had a nice picnic."

Ana's smile was easy. It lit up her whole face.

"Sweet, we can steal some food from the fridge." She put a little more pep in her step, heading for the kitchen.

Flinging through the swing doors, she got to work picking out foods. I stood there, half entranced by the way she moved and half unsure of what to do. I'd try to help, but I didn't know where anything was; plus, I certainly didn't know what foods she had in mind.

Soon she had a load of French bread, sandwich meat and cheese, mayo, lettuce, more cheese, grapes, and apples on the island.

I joined her, working with her to make some sandwiches.

"So," Ana started. "What are you?"

I pause from spreading mayo to look at her, confusion knits my eyebrows closer together while my heart jumps to my throat. I panic wondering, for a moment, if she's asking me if I'm gay. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry," she apologizes, clearly unsure of how to handle what she's wanting to say. "I mean, I'm new to this whole supernatural thing. I don't know how to tell if people are human or vampire or anything else."

"Oh," I sigh. "I'm gifted." I read the confusion on her face and go into a further explanation, "One of the ones who have a specific connection to some form of magic. We're kinda like superhero's I guess. Like we have special powers or gifts that distinguishes us from humans."

"Oh." Ana looks impressed before eyeing me. I get the sense that she's keener than she lets on. "What did you think I meant?"

I focus on putting the meat on my second sandwich, keeping my face down so she can't see the blood that's collecting there. "Uhh," I stalled.

I look up to a grinning Ana, her eyes shinning with a knowing mischief. She didn't put me out of my misery. Instead, she watched as I foundered around.

I shook myself. I was better than this.

I took the plunge. "I thought you were asking if I was gay."

Ana didn't look surprised and her smile didn't falter as she inches herself closer. "Oh," she muttered.

I stood still, watched as she leaned closer to me. I didn't know what she was doing but I did know that I was going to let it play out.

She leaned in front of me to grab the bowl of grapes. I exhaled, feeling a mixture of disappointment and relief.

Ana chuckles, making eye contact again. "Welcome to the club."

I inhale, getting ahold of myself. "Nicee," I grin, suppressing a shiver of emotion. I turn to the mass of sandwiches I don't even remember making. "Where are we gonna put these in?"

She hands me a box of sandwich bags.

"Ah. Okay." I work on packaging them. Watching in my peripheral as Ana puts the grapes in a container and washes two apples.

Sensing that we had enough food, I began to put things back in the fridge.

"Do you want any cheese?" Ana asks, holding the package of little Baybels.

"Nah," I shake my head. "I'm not a big cheese eater."

She takes one for herself. "What a shame. I love cheese."

I just smile and put the rest back in the fridge.

"Come on. The basket's in the pantry." Ana trots to a little side room. It's shelves were full of glassware and jars full of preserves.

Ana finds the little wooden basket on the top self. I stifled a chuckled, watching her stretch onto her tiptoes to try and reach it, but she was still several inches short.

It was too cute.

Ana turns, catching me grinning like an idiot. My smile vanishes, only to return when I see that Ana's grinning too. "Will you please?"

I slide up beside her and grab the edge of the basket. I hand it to her, "Here ya go."

"Yass," she sighs. "Let's go. I'm hungry."

We pack the basket, adding two bottles of water, and wasting no time in getting to the spot where we met the other day. It was peaceful here, the sunlight warm against my skin. We settled down in the grass.

Ana handed me a sandwich. "So tell me something else about you. You sure don't talk too much."

"Sorry, I just. This is new to me," I admit.

Ana breaths a gentle laugh. "You're nervous?"

I want to lie, but the truth comes instead. "A little."

"Why?"

"I've never met a girl like you."

She cocks an eyebrow. "You're such a smooth talker."

I make a hand flourish. "Why thank you, madam. I try my best with pretty girls."

I earn a full laugh this time. "I like you. You're not like the people here."

"What do you mean?"

"They’re just so no-nonsense and cold." She looks away. "I suppose that's what to expect from a bunch of vampires."

I chuckle this time. "This crew's old. What're you doing with them anyway?"

Ana hesitates, sucking in a breath and holding it there.

"You don't have to say if it makes you uncomfortable."

She releases the air. "No it's not that. Not really. I'm just," she pauses, looking back at me. "Still trying to figure out why I'm here myself. They came after my mom died. One of the last things she said to me was that they'd protect me. That I should go away with them."

Sympathy softens my gaze. I take a bite of my sandwich. "I'm sorry," I say. "I know it must be hard for you."

"It is. Not even just losing my mom. It's like my entire world flipped upside down. In one day, I learn my mom was a witch from some crazy bloodline and that all the stories are true. There really are supernatural creatures out there."

"If you have any questions I'd love to help you acclimate," I offer.

Ana's fingers curl into the dirt. "Why did you say I wasn't a witch?"

I blanch. I didn't expect that one. "I'm not sure exactly," I admitted. "I'm pretty good about sensing what race of supernatural people are, but I'm getting nothing from you. You don't emit an energy like citizens of the Otherworld typically do."

Ana's face draws blank. "Citizens of the Otherworld?"

I nod, setting down the sandwich. "Yeah, supernaturals. Vampires, werewolves, Fay, ect. Ect."

"Oh."

"At first I thought maybe it was because there wasn't much magic in your blood," I continued. "Like you're so close to human that you simply just don't have enough energy to emit. But then you shocked me when you shook my hand. And that's not normal."

"What do you mean?"

I reached for my best description. "You gave my magic a shock. It's hard to describe, but it was like suddenly every muscle in my body was charged full of energy."

She nods, letting the sounds of the day take over between us.

I pick the sandwich back up, finishing it off.

"So you think I'm not special?" She breathed, half joking and half serious.

I sense the duality of her meaning. "Not at all. I think you're very special." I'm shocked by how genuine I am. "I just think you're so special no one's encountered you yet."

Ana laughs, and the seriousness of the conversation dissolving under its warmth. "You're lovely."

"You don't know me quite yet." I joke.

"Oh but I want to," She says, leaning closer. Suddenly, I was aware of just how close we were. "You're the most interesting thing I've met since I've been here."

"That's my line." I retort, turning away just an inch.

Ana lets the tension fall. Leaning her head back to soak up the sun. "If you don't think I'm a witch is there any sense in trying more spells."

I don't answer right away. Instead, I open myself up, searching deeper to see if I missed something. But I was right. She felt human, without a single ounce of her own magic.

I frown. "Honestly? I don't see the point."

Ana lets herself lay on the grass. "Damn."

"I'm sorry. We can always try. It's just. I really don't feel any magic in you."

She shrugs. "It's fine. I just get the feeling that Jesse is expecting something of me. I hate that I could disappoint."

"Are you afraid of them?" I ask.

"Not really." She says. "I actually remember Jesse from when I was a kid. They'd come over sometimes randomly. My mom always welcomed them with open arms."

Wow. I wasn't expecting that. "Nice. Kinda like an old uncle."

"Yeah I guess. They stopped coming by when I got older. Mom insisted on keeping the supernatural from me."

I pass her the bowl of grapes. She plops one in her mouth. "Tell me more about you."

"Umm," I grasp at straws. "I'm a Gemini."

Ana rolls onto her stomach, propping her head up with her elbow. "Oh Nice. I'm a Sagittarius but come on. You don't have anything better than that?"

I shrug. I wasn't sure what she'd like to hear. "I'm not the best when it comes to talking about myself."

"Hmm," Ana hums. "What about your gift? You mentioned being gifted so what's your superpower?"

"I'm able to bend magic and utilize it how I please."

"So like a witch?"

"Uh, kinda." I say, letting her roll with it for her sake and mine. "I don't need all the ingredients though."

She sits up criss cross. "Will you do a spell for me?"

"Sure. What do you want?"

"Anything." She says, already sounding wistful.

I think for a moment, letting myself really pay attention to our surroundings. With my mind made up, it worked to give Ana the show she craved.

Soon enough, all of the birds in the garden congregated here. Blue jays, robins, brown ones and black ones all came to our little clearing.

Ana giggles, amazed as she reaches her hand out to a small finch. Her eyes wide as saucers when it hops onto her finger. "This is amazing," she gasps.

A happiness spreads from my heart to my toes. I let the birds go, releasing them from my magic's call.

It was a beautiful sight to see them all fly off, vanishing into the undergrowth.

"Thank you," Ana says.

"It was nothing."

"I wish I could do magic like that." Ana muses. "Maybe my mom could have taught me something if she didn't hide herself."

I shake my head in disagreement. "I don't know Ana. Your mom probably had her reasons. This world can be really dangerous. I'm not sure I'd want my child in it either."

She frowns, "I guess so." Ana stands up, offering her hand up.

I take it, half expecting another jolt of electricity to sizzle through me. It doesn't.

"Come on," she says. "Let's explore more of the garden. They have a maze here and it's huge. I saw one enter and never come out. I wonder what a bunch of vampires have hiding in there."

A daring twinkle dances in her eye, enticing me so much that I grow excited myself, answering her call to adventure. I grin back, feeling that, in that specific moment, I'd follow her anywhere.

[letmeringabell]

Legends Never Die - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 : Fancy Meetin’ Ya

I know, I'm posting really fast. But you've just gotta let the creative juices flow before I experience untimely burn-out that makes it harder to write. On the side-note, I really love Ada Wong's design, I think there's something just so mysterious and pretty about her design. So, imagine Vanessa as Ada.

Why Vanessa? Well, I only liked Vanessa because you could shorten it to Van. I also considered Vesper, and Diana, which I think are suitable names.

Also, can you tell I'm a fan of longing glances and slow burn? Yeah, I eat that shit up. I'm a sucker for fics of these cliches, and I always wanna die. But anyway, do tell me what you think of this chapter, whether I'm going too fast, too slow, whether i'm writing too much or too little. If you have any headcanons or scenarios, tell me now or forever hold your peace. Or do I forever hold my peace? I don't know man.

(3185 words)

AO3 link : https://archiveofourown.org/works/20806688/chapters/49454489

-

The flurry of sand and desert heat hadn’t been too kind on him, but when has Outworld weather been known for Southern hospitality? Nevertheless, he counts his lucky stars that he’s finally back, because the last mission has his bones ragged. The last mission hadn’t been hard, just tiresome; One of Kotal’s ‘trusted’ partner had been selling Imperial secrets behind his back, and who better but Erron Black to chase the bugger down?

Only this partner was highly elusive—Sending him high and low, left and right, and running all around to catch a whiff of the man. He had roamed from city to city, from village to village, and his target manages to sneak away at the last moment each time. The whole cat-and-mouse chase is enough to drive any man insane, but the cowboy isn’t deterred by the challenge so arrogantly posed. In fact, he waits, bides his time on the down-low patiently for any misstep by his target.

Although, a word from the wise is overdue; One must never let their guard down during a chase, especially when the predator had been the masked marauder himself.

Yet all it takes is one afternoon for the man to forget, wondering through busy markets without a care in the world, while Erron patiently stakes out in a room of one of the buildings nearby with his rifle aimed surreptitiously at the man’s head. The reminder had been fatal; All it takes is one shot, and the man falls without a sound.

The chaos that ensues after makes up for the silence in the man’s death. Everyone gathers around the corpse, and screams at the horror of the whole situation. He feels no need to wait around and collect the man’s body; The news of that man’s death will travel around, and that is proof enough that he had been successful in his headhunting. Nature had given everyone something to fall back on, and sooner or later, someone’s gotta fall on it.

And this time, it was that man’s turn to fall.

And it was his time to tap out for the night, had enough of all these games of cat-and-mouse. Gotta rest the old bones before conquering the days ahead.

Imagine his surprise when he got back to the Palace, to see the place filled to the brim with Special Forces units. He sees the Kahn having a conversation with the Commander, and saunters towards them, ignoring the hushed whispers on the sidelines.

“Hola, Miss Cassie Cage.”

“Erron, how awful it is to see you.”

“I assure you Darlin’, the feelings mutual,” He shoots back, “What brings you over to our humble abode?”

It is Kotal that cuts through their ‘cordial’ banter, “I have invited Special Forces here to help strengthen our ties with Earthrealm. Kitana and Jade will take care of their day-to-day needs, you will overlook their sparring sessions.”

Erron glares at the Kahn, but he lets it slide – The Kahn always compensates for his time generously. It is what keeps him loyal, and motivates him to undertake all sorts of janky missions for the sovereign. There is never a dull time serving Kotal, and he appreciates the unpredictability in his missions. It keeps him preoccupied, and least of all, keeps him entertained.

He excuses himself and leaves the Kahn and Commander to their affairs. Besides, he has an errand to attend to; A drop-off of rare medicinal herbs for the doctors at the Infirmary. All of them had requested for this specific breed of Spider Lilly, said it was good for re-energizing the tired soul. He could care less about the methods used in re-creating that effect, what mattered was the results.

He doesn’t bother with knocking when he enters the Infirmary. They know it’s him by the sound of his footsteps and they scramble to surround him like moths to a flame. He hands over the flower, and they thank him profusely. Appreciation and gratitude are good for the soul, but when a man’s tired, nothing sounded more tempting than a sip of whiskey and a comfortable bed to sleep on.

He looks up and catches sight of a woman leaning against the doorway of the unused office. Short raven hair, equally dark eyes, and she stands hardly the height of Sonya nor Cassie Cage (at least, from this distance), but looks strong enough to easily throw a man over her shoulder should he look at her the wrong way – Fitting, for a person working in the Special Forces.

It doesn’t hurt that she’s easy on the eyes as well. So, he tips his hat off to her, Howdy unspoken in his greeting towards her. He knows she can’t miss it, because he catches her in the act of sizing him up as well. Yet, she seemed confused, and a little curious? Nevertheless, she seemed to return the gesture with a small nod of her own before closing the door to retreat into the room.

“Who is she?”

She is one of the Doctors from Special Forces, one of them had replied. She had been part of the Special Forces Delegation, and assigned to the medical unit in the Palace infirmary. She came to learn and bring back Outworlds treatments and cures back to Earthrealm. A question pops into his head-- Aren’t Earthrealm’s medical practice vastly different from Outworld? In Outworld, doctors use high-level magicks to heal wounds of all variety—Burns, grazes, you name it. Given the supernatural nature of Outworlds modern medicine, he highly doubts she can learn anything from these doctors who uses spells instead of science.

 (Then again, the only thing he knows of medicinal remedies is when his own Pa spat whiskey into his wounds, and damn, the pain had been one sonuvabitch to swallow)

-

“The Valerian root helps patients deal with their anxiety, a form of sedative, one might say. But taken in large and uncontrolled amounts, only backfires and induces insomnia.”

“What about this?”

“The Goldenseal root is used as an antiseptic. Again, if consumed in large amounts, is highly poisonous and will only further irritate the eye and skin.”

“And this?”

“The Echinacea leaf is commonly used to prevent flus or colds, but long-term use could disturb the body’s immune system.”

“Basically, too much of anything is a bad thing.”

-

Making medicine with the herbs and plants found in Outworld is challenging. The art of making medicine in Outworld, she finds, is similar to chemistry – If she places too little of one herb, the supposed effects don’t flourish and are made redundant because it is overpowered by the potency of other herbs. Yet, if carelessness had been her approach, she could easily induce unknown side-effects, or worse, actually kill a person. Thus, the delicate balance of underwhelming and catastrophic are outcomes she monitors like a hawk.

She enjoys this side of her work nonetheless. It allows her to better understand the more traditional aspects of her work, and expand on more creative options should modern medicine fail in being readily available.

However, the paperwork, and regular inventory checks are cumbersome all the same. Her rationale is that sometimes, you’ve just got to sit through the unsavory parts of the job so that you can reap its benefits. That doesn’t mean she can’t silently complain about how uneventful some days, or how stagnant her progress in learning can be. It’s become a point of contention, and it’s only been 2 weeks since her first day in Outworld. Her hands are itching for something new to work on.

Bored eyes cast sweeping glances over the city, and of course, she catches a glimpse of the cowboy himself. Ah, today is the training session between Outworld and Special Forces’ Soldiers. He is relaxed; There is a slight slouch in his posture, and he didn’t seem too interested in the body-tossing action happening right before him. She can tell, that he is still hypervigilant – His arms are at his side, and are steadily poised beside the holsters on his pants. All it takes is one motion to swipe his pistol up, and BANG!

And as much as she hates to admit it, her thoughts do float around the masked man she had met, no, seen. She hadn’t talked to him, nor has she passed him by in the past 2 weeks. She had asked her colleagues about the man, and the responses she had gotten were strangely varied – ‘He’s the Kahn’s main headhunter’, ‘A man who knows how to drink any man under the table’, and ‘Save a horse, ride a cowboy’. The last phrase had been told, but felt unneeded. Any person’s business under the sheets, is nothing she wants to know about. Least of all, his business.

But you are curious, a small voice whispers in the back of her mind, He is the leading man shrouded in mystery and danger.

She reprimanded herself; There are other things to be curious about.

-

The whole day has been a bore, and its starting to make his hands itch and fret restlessly. Apparently, today’s training session had been requested by Miss Cage, what better way there is to strengthen the bonds of friendship than participating in friendly kombat? He could just shut one eye, and believe her desire for camaraderie between soldiers of two realms, but he can see through her bullshit as clear as day, and it makes him raise a wary brow at the Commander.

The logic behind her unspoken reason had been sound – It is best to fight as many types of kombatants as you can, provided that one chooses their opponents well. Any Tom, Dick and Harry can get the theory down easy. But if you don’t have the practice, the real hand-to-hand experience, one can only expect to have their asses handed to them over and over again. Face-to-face Kombat allows fighters to exercise their real-time reactions, gives them the chance to better their reflexes and recognize the precise moment to either move forward and attack, or retract and defend.

So, today is a masterclass in Outworld Kombat for the Special Forces. However, the session is but a double-edged sword. Just as the Special Forces had come to learn and observe, the army had come prepared to do the same.

His eyes search for any telltale of black within the sea of browns and blondes, and is only greeted by her absence in return. He wants to make her acquaintance, and knows that she is a doctor for the Special Forces. That doesn’t give him the right to be waltzing into her office without any sort of official business. It would only invite talks of rumors and gossip to fly around, and he would be doing them both a favor by abstaining from such behavior.

So, what’s a man to do to earn his trip to the doctor’s office without seeming like such an ass?

He looks at Miss Cage, unless, the stirrings of a brilliant idea come to mind.

-

“Yo, Clint Eastwood! You too chicken to step into the Kumite zone with me?”

“Put your money where that mouth is, darlin’.”

-

So maybe he had been a little harsh, but Cassie had no qualms with dishing out her own brand of revenge – One rapid, well-timed kick to the core followed by a solid punch to his face. A just reward for insulting a beloved father. Outworld Soldiers are surprised by his lack of vigor in the fight, but none of Special Forces are surprised that Cassie is fierce in defending her family’s honor.

His face might hurt, and his pride a little wounded, but the fight had yielded results. He is sent to the Infirmary to await doctor’s treatment.

He waits because she is out for the moment, so he takes the chance to look around the room. There is nothing out of the ordinary; There is a couch placed near the door to welcome guests (or, patients), the books are shelved back-to-back against each other, and labelled for trouble-free browsing. He finds that most of the books are medical in nature, save for a select few in herbology and astronomy. A doctor must have her hobbies, he digresses. Everything on the desk is neatly arranged with each item assigned their designated corners; stationeries in one corner and a stack of papers in the other.

He picks up the top most paper on the pile, and lets his eyes roam over the elegant handwriting. He thinks she could easily be an artist because the sketches of various flowers and herbs are so lifelike, they mimic the figure of their real-life counterpart. There are arrows pointing to formulas and possible side-effects everywhere, and although her workspace maybe organized, her notes are just a jumbled mess.

But he admires her tenacity in the research because her notes are an impressive study in Outworld’s green.

Clack!

He turns around, and speak of the devil; She is there in the flesh, and a lot taller than he remembers.

“I’m sorry for the wait. My name is Vanessa, and I will be attending to you this evening.”

She ushers him to the seat beside her table, and begins her task; She listens to his heartbeat, flashes a light into his eyes, and asks him the routine, “Where do you feel pain?” and “Does your family have a history of serious diseases?”. He answers honestly and concisely – It’s just my face, and, I reckon not. She faithfully jots down whatever he says down into a piece of paper, and reaches for something in one of the drawers.

“First off,” She starts, and he sees a medical kit being placed on the table, “I can save you the trouble and stitch your wound now, but you’re also free to leave if you don’t want my medical attention, because in my understanding, Outworld has different and better ways to treat you. So, what will it be?”

Straight to business. “Have on, Miss Vanessa.”

She moves silently and deftly—She is quick at work to prepare all of the equipment, and arranges them in immaculate order on the tray in front of her. She disinfects the problem area, before filling the syringe with a clear liquid from one of the labeled bottles, and once he nods her assent, injects the anesthesia to help numb the pain during the stitching process.

Her gloved hands move nimbly, suture in one hand and the needle holder in the other, the constant loop of entry and exit is executed with practiced ease. Her hands don’t tremble, nor do they hesitate in fear of misstep. She is sure and confident with each push-and-pull, and it assures him that she is not without skill.

He takes the time now, to take a proper and closer look at her. Her short hair accentuates the high cheekbones and angular sharpness of her facial features and her eyes are a darkened grey; a reminder of misty mornings, and ominous fog. Her skin is glass-like, clear, no visible scar or blemish in sight. He spots the light dusting of freckles on tanned skin, no doubt, a result from the sun and heat of Outworld. She is what a cat would look like in flesh and blood, a thought he keeps safely to himself.

He will admit, she is a pretty little thing. Even so, the minute slouch in her posture, the mistiness and redness in her eyes, and the prominent dark circles under them is very telling. Underneath all that loveliness, is a woman exhausted. Whether it is the research or the field work that has her running on low fuel, he reckons that she could do with a few more hours of sleep.

She starts talking, her voice a soothing cadence to distract from the obvious monotone in the environment, “How did you get these wounds?”

“A souvenir from the past assignment, a man had gotten close enough to graze me with his knife, but not smart enough to actually kill me.”

“And why does your face hurt?”

“That’s a souvenir from your Commander,” He catches the question in her eyes, and the amused tilt of her lips, “That clown and his ten-gallon mouth deserved all the insults.”

“You really are a glutton for punishment,” She chuckles, sealing the stitch shut.

She gives him the standard doctor’s order – Rest and no sudden movements, or else he would risk exposing himself to an infection due to his torn stitches. He’s heard it all, from day one until day now, but he is thankful that she keeps it short and sweet.

“Do you sleep well, Mr. Black?” She interrupts him leaving, pulls out a bottle for him to see. “You can take it, it’s free.”

“Well, look who we have here, a doctor playing crafty salesman on a hot Sunday afternoon. Nothing in this world comes for free, so what’s the catch?”

She raises her arms in mock defeat, her expression is full of mirth, and a playful smile reaches her eyes, “Okay, it’s not FDA approved yet, but I know for a fact that it works. Cassie uses it, Jacqui uses it, and a few hundred others can also attest to its success.”

He raises a curious brow at her, a sign for her to continue her sales pitch. No matter how much she tries to hide it, he can tell that she is proud of her creation, because her voice is full of it, “It helps eases tenseness, and makes sleep easier, but unlike other soporific drugs, it doesn’t bring about excessive drowsiness, so you’re still able to react appropriately to any possible threats.”

Soporific, what a five-dollar word.

But he has something else in mind, because he leans in and places both arms rigidly on the arms of her chair, effectively trapping and confining her in the tight space between his arms. He leans towards her, and stops when the gap between them is nose-to-nose. He admits that he is shameless and forward in his flirting, but he wants to see how she would respond-- would she retreat further into her seat, or would she lean forward, would she bridge the gap between them?

So, she responds, neither further nor retreating. She stays still in her position; Her hands are firmly placed in her lap, while her grey eyes are staring straight back at him, her gaze sharpening into that of gentle steel.

“Hey Van, I was wondering if you had- Oh.”

Both of them immediately turn their heads towards Jacqui, the deer in headlights. Jacqui is full of apologies, because she is standing there, stumbling over her words, and says sorry over and over again for disturbing whatever doctor-patient examination they were having, and speeds out of the room faster than the pace she came in. Jacqui’s interruption breaks whatever tension, anticipation and apprehension swimming in the room, and it calms and cools the heat between them.

The Cowboy finally stands straight, his smirk hidden behind his mask and makes his way for the door.

“I’ll see you around, Miss Vanessa.”

[icharchivist]

Yeah same. My indifference to Chaoji has nothing to do with his dislike of Allen. But is he really the character representing the everyman? After you explain it then I could see it. I always saw him representing the black/white mentality sheep who see the world one way and don't acknowledge any other despite any evidence otherwise (ex, The majority of the Order so quick to condemn Allen as a traitor noah despite all the evidence contrary. Central says he's the devil so he is. Bias is bias). -

2 If anyone represents the everyman I always saw it as Johnny. Hoshino called Johnny vital since he was the normal human everyman trying to suceed in a supernatural/dangerous war. He also came into this more or less innocent to the horrors until the Order invasion and the Alma arc. He has no powers. No prophecy. No enemy interested in him. He's just there as a weak insignificant normal human trying to save his friend. They both could be everyman but as this point Johnny fills the role better. -

3 (and again started getting character focus post exorcist Chaoji. Unlike Chaoji Hoshino seems to be really fond of Johnny since she never planned on his character being as plot important as he is now. But she always found time to develop Johnny of all characters before he became important. Which is great because I love what Johnny's character has become).

You know that Chaoji talk got me thinking how he's usually labelled as the everyman type by fandom. But is he really? Chaoji's whole family was killed by akuma when he was a baby. He was taken in by Anita's crew (who worked w/the Order) and then they were also killed by akuma. He was so distraught he was the only survivor who tried to die alongside the crew. Chaoji never had a normal life. His life was always haunted by the Akuma. He might act full of smiles but he's capable of a pretty -

2 creepy temper (that nightmare face he made after Allen saved his life from Tyki. Yikes). He keeps it under control most of the time but boy if you even feel differently about something he hates. It's over. He's not going to forgive you no matter how good a person you are. Chaoji is a damaged soul. Even before the Order the Akuma took any chances away of him having a normal. Therefore I propose a new label: the angryman! Because he's probably perpetually angry (maybe why he likes Kanda? Lol).

Ahah oh my god okay so that’s all together.

And.. yeah you have a point i may have lurped it a bit more together to make my point. (the angryman kjdhfdkjf u are RIGHT. Oh boy that reminds me that back in the days there were theories Chaoji would awaken the Noah of Anger (since Skinn died) due to his anger issues. I don’t think there is anything that really make sense in this theory but it’s here xD)

I still think Chaoji is more “normal” than everyone else? 

(also i can assure you no one else than me in the fandom called him the everyman i think. I kiiinda spoke too quickly and most people who discuss Chaoji tends more to say that he’s the every-ass)

I do think you’re right tho for the black/white mentality, and..... oh man it says a lot about how i see humanity if i said “that’s what being the everyman is”..... 

But I think it’s also this the thing is that there’s not only one sort of “Everyman”, and Johnny represents the best ouf of the “Everyman” to me. Of really the one who would want to help in any shape of form and has no real angst reasons to do it except that it is what’s best.  So yeah I completely agree on the Johnny’s reasoning.

And yeah the more i re-read your reasoning the more i’m inclined to say you’re right and i spoke too quickly. Chaoji doesn’t really fit the everyman category, and more so the whole “black and white” mentality. I think it’s then more... The guy who was involved in the war but was powerless about it, had the time to form strong opinions about it, very black and white, and who against all odds, managed to get a “bigger part” of a soldier in it, late enough to not feel any of the Order’s bad side, all of that.

TI think i was thinking everyman because of how he tries to kill Allen during the Tyki incident actually, but i meant it more as the “normal guy” and the sharp parallelism between how, when given the possibility to act, Johnny would walk in for good stuff, to restore, to heal, to understand, while Chaoji leaned toward destruction, harsh and quick actions, letting his judgement cloud him. And it makes for a neat parallelism of “Two Normal People Without Power who knows enough about the war to be prepared about it, reacting differently at the Hero’s compassion - one to help, the other to destroy”. and I was thinking about it specifically since now we have a full arc of Johnny helping allen while Chaoji is hunting them down. 

But you’re right that the backstory doesn’t match the idea of the everyman all that well. It’s just the “powerless viewer who suddenly gets too special and decide to act on what he was powerless about before without having put in question how he felt so again” kind of way? I mean. People who are not involved in the wars can easily see it in a Black and White fashion, it’s kindof a way to cope: since you’re not supposed to ever be in a situation where you can act up about it. And Chaoji developped himself that way. When he found himself in a situation where he could act about it, he never reexamined his bias.

When you compare him to the others exorcists we know: Timothy, Miranda and Krory at least had never heard of the War before, of Akuma, of Innocence ect... so they’re creating their judgement as they go. Kanda and Lenalee has a past with the Akuma and Innocence but it was so shaped then by the Order and how it hurt them that it left them different ways to apprehend the war, both in more self-motivated goals than the war in itself. Not touching Lavi and Bookman bc.... yeah. Them. And we don’t know enough about the backstory of anyone else in the Exorcist Sides.

Meanwhile Chaoji has a set past of suffering and acting against the Akuma, but in a passive way. Like someone who read the news everyday and starts to get angry without being able to take it out. And Suddenly, he can. So instead of trying to discover and figure out how the war works, he just gets content with his previous ideology.

.. i don’t know if that makes sense.

but.... that does make it closer to the angry-man :”D so yeah i’m all with you there. Spoke too quickly previously ahah :3

[tumblunni]

MAN OKAY IM MAKING A SELF INDULGENT KINGDOM HEARTS SONA

Probably the only main reason i havent made another one since i was a kid is cos i never really wanted to be a keyblade master. Even as a kid i always hated "they are just all magically born evil because darkness energy" as a trope. Whenever an evil guy had minions who were all "mindless and evill" and you were supposed to mow them down in droves because of it, i always felt like they seemed LESS evil, yknow? Like youre canonically stating that theyre NOT evil! Theyre dangerous, yeah, but you just said that they dont have complex cognitive thought or ability to choose their own actions. Theyrr just being USED for evil, by the guy whos the real evil! Theyre like guard dogs who were abused into dangerness and if they cant be rehibilitated then its sad, yknow? Poor heartless!! And seriously how can they make them have such cute designs and not expect us to see them that way!!

So yeah i hate that canonically the heartless are all evil and canonically everyone good has to destroy the heartless, like its the entire damn point of a keyblade so i couldnt even touch one without being forced to slay the cutebabs! And KHDDD was great with the long awaited addition of CUTE BABS GOOD GUY MONSTERS YOU CAN HUG, although they were a whole new species of monster and its still canon that heartless are all evil and the equally as annoying canon that all good/remotely sentient Nobodies look like regular humans instead of the cute patoots they once was. THE CUTE PATOOT THAT NEVER WAS!!!! Srsly the low level Dusk is my fave design in the whole series its such a good squiggle boye

OKAY OKAY SO MY POINT IS

If i was gonna make a normal khsona itd have to be either specifically a Dream Eater trainer keyblade weilder whose entire story is about pet raising and none of the fightng evil, or an Organization member because theyre the only sympathetic monsters even if they dont look monstery anymore. Even though obviously rationally my self insert in anything would always be a good guy cos i am a very soft boyo who is too much of a wimp to do the slightest evil. But alas all the best characters are evil and the monsters look so cute aaaa!!

SO OKAY my ULTIMATE self indulgent khsona would be ME AM ANSEM NOW

Me as a heartless researcher who hugs all the heartless and becomes a heartless and then we heartlessly heartfully hug! Cos seriously it is a true fact that i would be a good guy but also if someone came up to me and was like "hey its totally possible to BECOME one of the cute monsters" id be like "oh noooo dammit i guess im evil now" *shrugs in heartless* But i wouldnt really do anything evil i'd just run like.. Old friends senior heartless sanctuary. Just make a big nice house for all my monsters and bake them cakes everyday. I WOULD LEARN TO COOK FOR THEM!!!! So if that makes me evil then i guess i am evil, dammit!! "Oh nooo we dont wanna get our souls stolen and turn into really fabulous cute designs with amazing supernatural powers" well you are WRONG okay. Just my most self indulgent everything idea is just *points at the evilest beastie* im gonna lovv and cherish that! *takes a running leap into a ballpit of Darkballs* SERIOUSLY DARKBALLS ARE SOME OF THE CUTEST AND ALL THEIR ANIMATIONS ARE SO CUTE WHY IS EVERY HEARTLESS SO CUTE AND SO ANIMATED WHY ARE THEY THE MOST DIDNEY THING IN DIDNEY WHY DID THE NEW GAME ADD A HEARTLESS WHOSE JUST A BIG PUDDING WITH A FACE HOW AM I MEANT TO NOT LOVE THAT hhhh

So yeah khsona bunni is some librarian mothafucker who does Deep Darkness Research but is also the nice goofy good guy sort of mad scientist, like the nutty professor or something. I'd probably be the comic relief on some team of actual villains, thats the only way id really be any threat to anyone. But i'd also totally be The Mom Friend and itd be like u guys are having some serious battle and then i call up Mr Big Villain mid battle like HEY YO COME JOIN KARAOKE WITH ME AND THE HEARTLESS and then hes like "damn man can we have a rain check on the whole end of the world thing?"

Like lol another self indulgent oc thing would be "power to be friends with all the fave villains and they are my friend and we hug". Like an all star teamup of just specifically all bunni's fave KH and didney villains and then also they never fight anyone and we just enjoy slice of life friendship antics. Like Kuja and Ursula would be so cool!! Cos theyre both similar personality yet Kuja had experience manipulating a more loser-y lady who looked a lot like ursula so i can expect he'd underestimate her and try his queen brahne plan again and maybe get outsmarted? And maybe theyd be locked in an eternal battle of two masterminds trying to manipulate each other and along the way they somehow end up accidentally forming a mentor student or mom and son relationship? Like ursula is the better version of garland and she helps kuja heal from his childhood trauma and also in the process maybe he helps her heal from whatever ambiguous backstory event led to her being ostracized from her royal family and such. THEY WOULDNT BE BAD IF THEY HAD HUGS OK let me believe this!! And also of course theyre both the big gay/trans coded dramatic fashion person from their respective stories, so srsly there could be so much awesomeness from the combination of The Two Most Stylish Of Two Worlds! Also i wonder how Kuja would even work in a khified version? Like maybe terra still exists as a separate world in kh world rules and it has a plan to destroy and take over gaia in the same way as the original ff9. Or maybe take some of kuja's other plot points and go from there? Like with how he disguised himself as a treno noble and how he eas created by garland to be an "angel of death", maybe in this world he's a shapeshifter Nobody assassin who infiltrates different worlds and corrupts important people to help garland destroy them? But since he's a very complex experiment and complex = humanoid in this universe, it could be an excuse for him becoming sentient over time and having a plot similar to repliku wanting to be a real human. And i dunno maybe zidane is his "brother" because he's the heartless made from the same original dead guy, who was discarded as a failed experiment? Like it could be interesting to see both of them as villains on the same side, and actually have a close relationship as loving brothers. And theres even already a monkey type heartless! And i dunno maybe the plot of garland creating the genomes infiltrator heartless and then kuja going on to create black mages still black mages? Like he still makes Vivi cos seriously its SO WEIRD that the heartless are based on black mages and then of all things they decided that Vivi would be the ONLY ff9 character allowed to appear in the whole kh series and itd just be in the role of "normal human kid". But they didnt even change his design!! He still looks like a heartless!! Why does nobody question why fredbob mcnormalson doesnt have a face!! So itd make much more sense if he was still a heartless and he's just a good one who wants to be a real boy BUT COS THE WORLD SAYS ALL HEARTLESS ARE EVIL I CANT HAVE THAT. Theyre all evil and only extra evil people get to be humanoid types! Boooo! So kuja doing Special Experiment Science could explain there being at least one special heartless thats not evil. And i dunno, kuja sends vivi out on his first test mission to infiltrate and destroy twilight town but whoops instead he becomes everyone's favourite baby brother! Like he's about to devour some dude's soul and then seifer and co come in and yell at the victim like DUDE ARE U BULLYING THIS POOR TINY CHILD and they drag off this poor very confused heartless in a hug and now he's Lost Forever I Guess. Kuja: damn he tasted icecream i'll never get him back!

Look ok i really like Villains Who Are Not Bad and i will constantly make Villains Who Are Not Bad and nothing will ever be better than Villains Who Are Not Bad

My khsona is Good Heartless who hugs Good Heartless in a team of Good Heartless and also brings in other cameo characters to become Good Heartless ok yes the end hell yea hugs n such

TYHE BEST OCS IS HUGS OCS OK

[will-you-be-my-savior]

asks for 08/22/18

anonymous asked:

Um, hi. I think that one of my roommates ended up here yesterday. He seemed kind of insulted when we asked him what happened. Figured I should borrow this thing to explain some stuff. That guy, he kind of clings to the belief of being human for his own mental health's sake. He got bullied badly as a kid for that unnerving feeling his species causes in humans and whatever I am. It's not that he's dumb, it's just his mind is working so hard to protect itself from a breakdown. -Mayhem Tom

Tord: …

Tom: i told you he wasn’t stupid.

Matt: … is he okay?

(tord feels like an idiot. he judged him more harshly because they were counterparts but now he regrets that.)

anonymous asked:

He probably would be okay now if his parents weren't jerks that didn't believe in therapy, especially after they had him exorcised when he wasn't even possessed. Not his fault his species makes humans uneasy and the kids in his class broke his arm and leg. Just glad he had a friend in that class that wasn't bothered by that uncanny valley feel and protected him until he got over how his species normally doesn't fight. He'd be a lot worse if he hadn't. - Mayhem Tom

Tom: i had a feeling he’d been through a lot…

Tord: … shit…

Matt: who was the friend?

(tord seriously regrets the way he acted last night.)

anonymous asked:

Well, Edd was that friend, they've stuck by each other since primary school. No one really wanted to be friends with either of them. They're still best friends today, and I'm kind of surprised cause Edd's laziness from being half sloth demon gets pretty annoying for me and Matt most of the time. Then again, Tord's probably done his best to stick with the only people that never tried to hurt him or always called him a monster for something he can't help. -Mayhem Tom

Tom and Matt: *twitch*

Tord: i suppose that makes sense. his counterpart was probably my best friend throughout most of my time in school as well.

(tom and matt are on edge, but otherwise fine)

anonymous asked:

Are those two okay? They seem kind of like the Tord here after he's had a panic attack. - Mayhem Tom

Tom: … we’ll… be fine.

Matt: it’s no big deal.

dudawakmax asked:

OK I heard that people where in the edge and I come as fast as I could. NO TALKING ABOUT THE GREEN DEVIL IN FRONT OF MY BABY BUNS!!!!

Tom: it’s okay duda, we’re fi-

Matt: DUDA! *squeeze* we haven’t seen you in a while!

anonymous asked:

Okay? I'll avoid mentioning his name for now on if it's an issue. Don't know what happened to put people on edge talking about him, but I won't ask. - Mayhem Tom

Tord: probably for the best…

dudawakmax asked:

Five tests in this week, I'm just kinda busy :P And NOPE! NO GREEN DEVIL SHIT NEAR MY BABY BUNS.

Matt: i thought i was a bat not a bun?

Tom: really duda, we’ll be fine.

dudawakmax asked:

You can be a vampire bun!

Matt: *giggles*

anonymous asked:

Wait, your Matt's a vampire? Huh, the one here just makes potions and glamours. - Mayhem Tom

Tom: … yeah he is, but he can do that too.

Tord: he once made himself look like pat just to fuck with the people in the cells… we watched the footage back later… it was terrifying.

Matt: my favorite thing to make are the potions that make your skin glow!

(he means actually glow, like a glow stick)

anonymous asked:

He mostly just sells his glamours to other creatures and beings to hide as humans. He does make a lot of potions for beauty and stuff though. - Mayhem Tom

Matt: i don’t like potions like that… it’s not real.

Tom: most supernatural creatures here just stay away from humans rather then go through the trouble of getting a glamour, unless they can shapeshifter like me or just look human enough like matt.

Tord: human’s don’t generally get told about the supernatural here. and if they do find out it had better be because someone told them of else… *neck snapping motion*

dudawakmax asked:

Wow wow wait. You turned yourself into Patty cake?

Matt: with a glamour, yeah.

anonymous asked:

We don't kill any humans that find out, we first see what they're planning. If it's dangerous, they lose several days worth of memories when witches specializing in memory wipes show up and just, make them forget all about the fact that 'monsters' live among humans. If they're beneficial, they can keep their memories. A lot of the monsters that think Tord is human don't mind him knowing. He just wants to learn and stop the ones that hurt others. - Mayhem Tom

Tord: i think the main reason they don’t wipe memories here is because they tend to overestimate rather then underestimate those who find out… if they found out once what’s to stop them from finding out again?

Tom: if a person is perceptive they stay perceptive no matter how many times they have their memory wiped.

dudawakmax asked:

Cool! Can the glamour change your height too? Like, turning me into mister eyebrows?

Matt: a glamour is more an illusion then a transformation… so yes it does change how tall you LOOK.

anonymous asked:

We try to avoid killing cause it could draw unwanted attention. Especially since some of the more dangerous creatures like to move here and hunt instead of just buying cloned meat from Bing. - Mayhem Tom

Tom: we just have specific “people” who come and kill them just like any other human would. these “people” essentially don’t exist in modern society so any evidence the police found would just lead to dead ends.

Tord: when i’m in power we’re changing that…

Tom: well duh.

anonymous asked:

Take over the world? You guys are pretty different than everyone in my world. No world domination plans here. I think. Might need to triple check with the Tord here just to be safe. Though the worst anyone's found in his room is his gun stash and where he hides his hentai. - Mayhem Tom

Tord: if there was any other way my system would work i’d take it in a heart beat but they’re pretty reliant on having a single leadership with all the necessary resources available.

anonymous asked:

Well, good luck with that then. I better put this machine back before the others realize I have it and want to try talking to you too. - Mayhem Tom

Tord: thanks, i guess.

Matt: bye other tom!

spooncryptid asked:

Hewwo!!

Matt: come get your pets. * holds out his arms*

spooncryptid asked:

//happily jumps up into Matt’s arms// yay!!!

Matt begins to vigorously pet you.

spooncryptid asked:

//purrs and snuggles into Matt//

Matt is content.

spooncryptid asked:

Mmm, so what’s happening today?

Matt: remember mayhem from yesterday? Well his tom was talking to us for a bit. After that tom left to go pick up the parts he ordered and Tord went to go get us dinner.

spooncryptid asked:

There’s another Tommy too??

Matt: appears so. He was rather nice even.

spooncryptid asked:

Is there another Mattie??

Matt: yep! He said his Matt is magic but not a vampire.

spooncryptid asked:

That’s confusing, how am I supposed to keep track of two of everyone?

Matt: he just put mayhem in front of his name.

spooncryptid asked:

Well they certainly are a lot of mayhem!

Matt giggles. He liked that joke.

spooncryptid asked:

Dyou know what Tords getting for dinner?

Matt: nope. all he said was that it was some kind of Americanized German thing.

spooncryptid asked:

Huh, I wonder what it’ll bt

Matt: all the weird stuff he’s gotten for us has been good so far.

spooncryptid asked:

Tommy doesn’t like the food??

Matt: oh tom loves the food! He just doesn’t want to admit it!

spooncryptid asked:

Why not??

Matt: I dunno. He’s stubborn?

spooncryptid asked:

That doesn’t make sense

Matt: I think he thinks that if he admits that it’s good he’ll be losing or something.

spooncryptid asked:

Hed lose a game?? What would he lose???

Matt: I don’t know. Tom and Tord are always like that. Like they are always playing a game neither knows all the rules to.

spooncryptid asked:

That’s confusing, how do you win if there’s no rules?

Matt: i don’t know that either… they don’t make a whole lot of sense.

spooncryptid asked:

They sure don’t

Matt: nope.

Tord: *coming through the door* oh! hello cryptid.

spooncryptid asked:

Hi Tordie! What did ya get for dinner?

Tord: some strange Americanized form of schnitzel with a side of potatoes au gratin and green bean casserole.

Matt: sounds good.

spooncryptid asked:

Mm smells good

Tord: i’d hope so.

Matt: gimme!

Tom: *enters room* whatever…

spooncryptid asked:

Hi Tommy!!

Tom: hey cat freak.

(it is said with affection)

spooncryptid asked:

Are you ready for dinner?

Tom: i guess…

Tord: …

(tord is getting tired of this BS)

spooncryptid asked:

Cmon, can’t you smell how tasty it is!!

tom is glaring… tord is gonna break something.

spooncryptid asked:

What’s with you two??

tom doesn’t know who made the food and is being bitter. tord doesn’t wanna admit who made the food cause he’s a paranoid little shit.

spooncryptid asked:

Why does it matter who made the food????

tom hates eating things when he doesn’t know who’s touched it…

spooncryptid asked:

If Tord knows about that then what’s the big deal about telling him? Why is it better to cause tension??

he’s embarrassed…

(can you guess why)

spooncryptid asked:

I have an idea...

do you now?

spooncryptid asked:

That’s honestly kinda cute but st ill

tord is shocked. he thinks you might know. he’s questioning how that could even be possible.

spooncryptid asked:

Mmm, I’m hungry! Let’s eat!!

tord is enormously grateful. they all sit down to eat.

spooncryptid asked:

Food food!!

tom: puts a small plate with servings of the sides and two small pieces of breaded meat.

spooncryptid asked:

//purrs softly//

matt is okay now, all he hears is soft purring.

there seems to be a section that got deleted here. basically spooncryptid revealed that tord was the one making the food, tord got embarrassed, tom pulled him out of the room and started making out with him and matt had to cover his ears because he could hear them.

spooncryptid asked:

//is just a sleepy cat hat//

matt sits down against a wall and leans into it and tom and tord re-enter the room looking very disheveled.

spooncryptid asked:

//stops purring and jumps down//

Matt: aaawww.

Tord: what are you two doing?

spooncryptid asked:

Nothing.. //sits in the corner a bit nervous//

Tom: … *is very suspicious*

Tord: right…

spooncryptid asked:

... sorry....

Tom: what are you sorry for?

spooncryptid asked:

Uh... not thinking.. before I say stuff....

Tom: *sigh*

Tord: okay. *looks very pleased with himself*

spooncryptid asked:

Mmm.... I’ll try harder to not do that anymore....

Tord: it’s fine.

Tom: why are you acting like you just got fucked? i just kissed you.

Tord: because it was a nice kiss.

spooncryptid asked:

//curls up in the corner, again//

mat turned into a bat and curled up with you.

spooncryptid asked:

//cuddles Matt//

tom turns himself into a tiny monster and tord picks both of them and you up and carries you all to bedroom to all go to sleep together.

spooncryptid asked:

Mm, goodnight...

Tord: night…

Tom and Matt: *cooing*

[random-thoughts-collection]

Supernatural | 13.13 Review

Supernatural - Devil's Bargain

written by Eugenie Ross-Leming & Brad Buckner, directed by Eduardo Sánchez

I feel like Ross-Leming and Buckner get at least one or two episodes each season where they try to stuff as much plot development as possible into one episode. This is one of these episodes and it suffers from too many villains and from a predictable and boring focus point. I’m afraid I didn’t like this episode, and while there are a few good things in there, this review won’t be positive about most of this episode’s elements – especially when putting them in the context of the whole show.

Recycling stories: Lucifer

“I am powered down. But you can't kill me.”

Bringing back Lucifer as the big bad (or one of the big bads) was never a plot development I liked. It didn’t work for me in season 11, it made less sense in season 12, and having him around in season 13 creates a plot that feels sadly repetitive while giving us a less threatening Lucifer, a less impressive Lucifer, a less effective Lucifer and a less intriguing character all around. See, we had that angel-gone-human plot before. We saw it in Anna’s story in season 4 who wanted it, we saw Castiel dealing with being human in season 9 and learning from the experience, and we saw Metatron going through it and hating it in season 10 and 11. Where is the point in wasting Lucifer of all characters on that plot, especially after season 12 dealt with him being powerless quite extensively? Reducing your powerful archangel to a beggar is not a new and special idea, making them into a caricature of themselves is not a good idea, and with all this in mind most of this episode felt like a waste to me.

And there are so many parts about the plot that don’t make any sense to me. What is the point of angels stabbing each other with angel blades if it doesn’t really do anything to them? Why was Castiel running away from Asmodeus’ hideout, only to run back to it afterwards? If Lucifer is so powered down that he has to beg for food, why can’t the cupid defend himself again Lucifer? And how and why would Lucifer be able to create new angels? I can imagine he saw God doing it, but I dislike the idea that he can just do it himself just because he has seen it. For Jack that might be acceptable, him being a quite unique mix of archangel and human, but I don’t see why Lucifer would have that kind of creational power. Just convincing the angels because he can give them their wings back would have made more sense to me. And here’s another complaint: Lucifer on that throne in heaven looked utterly ridiculous. The design of the whole room looks uninspired but not simple enough to really impress through simplicity. The kneeling angels look out-of-place as well, and if they’re the only angels left that’s really not much. But if there are more then there should have been more. As it is, Lucifer doesn’t look like the ruler of Heaven but more like a wannabe king of a tiny sandbox.

And one little side note on Castiel: his part in this episode was mostly okay and I really enjoyed how he knocked Ketch out – but you of all people don’t get to say “If he were lying, I'd have known it” because you are not good at detecting lies in general while Lucifer is the King of Lies. I wouldn’t blame anyone for not believing your assessment of the situation.

Mini-plots & bringing back all the characters

“That's proven to be, uh, monumentally stupid?” – “Indeed.”

One thing Asmodeus, Ketch and I can agree on: taking Lucifer as a prisoner was a stupid idea. But I’m currently wondering for what the Crowley substitute and Ketch are needed in this season’s main plot. Asmodeus tried to get Jack on his side in the first couple of episodes and it didn’t work, they discussed all his backstory with Lucifer and the Shedim, he imprisoned Castiel and Lucifer and that didn’t have any consequences… so far this plot feels pointless and is therefore very frustrating to watch. I hope they actually go somewhere with this, but I’m worried they’ll end this specific plot without any satisfactory conclusion.

In a way it makes sense for the Winchesters to temporally work with Ketch since he saved their lives. And the Winchesters have worked with their enemies before (Lucifer, Metatron, the hunters who killed them, you name it…), so it’s nothing new to them. But for the same reason I wish they would just refuse to work with their enemy for once. To let them feel their pain and hurt for once and not have to ignore it – and even let Ketch get away with it all after everything is said and done. Ketch is also a difficult element here because of the way they brought him back. That the Winchesters wouldn’t salt and burn him is absolute nonsense, and every time he is onscreen I am reminded of that.

Speaking of the past: Asmodeus introduced us to the archangel blade and I can’t help but think that it would have been useful to know about it when the Winchesters fought Lucifer for the first time. Am I to believe they never found it during all their hours of research? That is one of the major problems if you revisit the same plot over and over again. Instead of doing something different than evil archangels and demons all the time it would create less plot holes and continuity issues if they would explore different legends and myths. Can this show please stop with the super knives? And after bringing Castiel, Billie, Ketch and Rowena back from the dead in this seasons now we can also add Gabriel to the list. Why are people in this show afraid of death again?   I can’t feel any excitement about Gabriel’s return and I have no idea how they will explain him being alive.

Anael

“After The Fall, when we lost our wings, I wasn't devastated. I was liberated. I was finally free.”

Sister Jo – or Anael – was a nice change from the usual stuck-up angel. We don’t see angels that have some interest and even sympathy for humans very often, and although Anael obviously exploits them and has only her self-interest in mind, she reminded me a little bit of Anna when she spoke about how she felt after her The Fall and how she sometimes envies humans. It’s for different reasons than Anna, but it was nice to see. As a result she seemed more human than the usual Heaven-Corporation-angel, and less dull than the average angels we get to see. Chemistry-wise her scenes with Lucifer were a bit weird though, mainly because Lucifer is not intimidating at all these days – for the viewer at least. It’s hard to watch the characters on screen are afraid or at least worried about him when you can’t feel anything of this supposed danger at all. This makes the grace-sharing moments uncomfortable as well. I’m not surprised that Ross-Leming and Buckner felt the need to get some sort of sexual undertones in this episode, but I was mostly grossed out by it. There is no attraction between Anael and Lucifer so I don’t see the need for this kind of moment, and while Lucifer is described as a seducer in many works he definitively doesn’t look like this in his current beggar state. So while I enjoyed Anael being her own person, I hope we’ll see her in different company the next time she is on screen.

And on a second thought: in some versions of the mythology Anael isn’t just a lowly angel but an actual archangel. For the longest time I thought of Anna as Anael, but that’s now not possible anymore. I just wish that when this angel appears they would have made Anael a more powerful, more meaningful angel.

And the Winchesters…

“Yeah, well, most of what we do are long shots. You get used to it.”

…were barely in this episode. They were dutifully collecting the different threads of plot and tying them together, but aside from that there was not a lot to do for them. They formed a new plan and I suppose therefore the writers felt there was no need to address Sam’s current mental state any longer, they’re overseeing Donatello’s translation progress and they lost another fight yet again.

Can we be done with angels and demons now, please?

Next: Good Intentions (spoilers)

It looks like we will find out what Jack has been up to so far and also meet Mary again.  We will be seeing the alternate version of Bobby Singer again, and apparently at least Castiel finds a way to talk to Jack. The next episode is written by Meredith Glynn and most of her episodes were decently written, so I am optimistic that next week’s episode will be more enjoyable than this week’s episode. Admittedly, the bar is low.

[daysixdreams]

you bite and hold on until we all fall down | Sungjin [1/2]

you gotta see blood, girl

flangst, supernatural mystery, paranormal romance | ~5.6k words | werewolf!au | Blood  | Part Two

prompt: Hey can I get a werewolf!au for sungjin where he and the reader are in a forbidden relationship??? Please let it be as angsty and fluffy as possible!!!😉☺Thanks so much!!!☺😊😙  - requested by @taespiration

a/n: hope you like it? I took a few liberties with the werewolf aspect but i hope it still works? let me know what you guys think =) part 2 will be up next week. ish. 

“I hope there isn’t anywhere else you need to be,” I say as soon as Sungjin appears from the street corner. He’s dressed as usual: scuffed sneakers, dark grey jeans torn at the knees, black shirt, and that leather jacket he’s grown a liking to recently. As have I. It will be a sad day for humanity when the weather warms and to the back of the closet the jacket goes. Or maybe not. Summer does have its wardrobe perks.

He grunts and scrunches his nose. “You mean at eleven in the evening on a Friday night? Where else would I be?”

Clearing my head of the image of exposed collar bones and knees, I gesture toward the dark alley without explanation. Mostly because I don’t have a good one, but that does allow me to receive an unbiased opinion.

Sungjin turns to me with a barely stifled grimace. “Another dead body. Why am I not surprised.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You only call me when someone’s dead.”

“Oh, come on,” I contest weakly, “I call you for other things, too.”

Cleansing the city of evil is not the one-person job my ancestors liked to think it is. Especially when murder is involved. Even less so when you’re the only openly practicing witch in the country willingly offering your services to a special unit law enforcement agency for a consulting fee. Extra difficulty points when you’re next in line to inherit the responsibility of protecting the city. Raise that to the power of nine when you’ve spent your formative schooling years and part of your early adult life in another country studying for said witchcraft degree, thus alienating you from the culture and heritage you were born in.

Hence, Sungjin.

The incidental fact that Sungjin is a Lycanthrope is a happy coincidence I just happen to benefit from. Unlike a shifter, he doesn’t transform into a wolf neither through magic— his own or someone else’s— or through a curse via the rise of the full moon. Physically, Sungjin is human, indistinguishable from any other regular person— at least on the surface. On the inside, he’s a little more unique. Born as a natural channel for a spirit of rage, Sungjin houses a Wolf spirit, an alpha that makes him stronger, more aggressive, and resistant to physical damage and disease.

This means I get to walk around undetected with a guide/bodyguard. Heavy on the guidance, light on the bodyguarding. Sungjin knows I’m more than capable of defending myself. It’s embarrassing myself and doing something I shouldn’t that he’s worried about. And fine, I may have a history of getting myself into life-threatening situations but that doesn’t minimize or invalidate my skill. It just means that sometimes, I can’t go into these things alone.

Sungjin steps into the alley, and with the light of the full moon, large and silver, overhead, our shadows cast long and gangly on the concrete. I follow closely behind him extending my Sense. The easiest way to explain what Sense is is to liken it to an awareness of the paranormal and the supernatural, it’s not simply seeing, hearing, or feeling more the way Sungjin can. It’s that weird ghost of a feeling that makes the hair at the back of your arm stand on end, that niggling that you’ve forgotten something, and that odd just knowing something isn’t quite right.

“What do you think?” I ask. It’s never good when Sungjin takes this long to assess the crime scene. His heightened senses help cover what my Sense fails to catch— which is very little but ever since that one time with the raining frogs, Sungjin’s made this rule about never running into a scene until after he’s cleared the vicinity. I do as he says because you really don’t want a Lycan’s rage directed at you.

Further in, the expression on his face pulls into a mix of concern and confusion. “Well, whatever it is, it’s not good.”

The smell reaches us first, a sickly-sewer smell, rank and metallic. I knew it was a dead body even before I crossed the street, felt the void taking a life left behind in the energies surrounding the area, but I’m never prepared for it. My stomach quails and I press my palm against my mouth to keep from gagging. Up ahead, is blood. A lot of blood. It pooled thick and scarlet around a mound of bodies, two of them, both with their ribcages expanding outward like their hearts had exploded right out of their chests. I sway backwards despite my strict training and the walls of self-control I’ve built. Sungin’s hand, just barely touching the small of my back, anchors me to the present.

“You okay?”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “Yeah,” I answer, voice steadier than I thought it would be. I don’t ask how he’s doing even if I see the tightness in his jaw and the strain in his eyes. Sungjin hates showing vulnerability, and the last thing I want is to tell him I notice he’s not okay. On that vein, I right myself before I fall into his arm or something ridiculous like it. With his senses turned up to eleven, being touched becomes an unpleasant experience for him. I can’t imagine what it’s like for him now, seeing all this, smelling all this, experiencing all this and just being here at all. “Can you get anything useful?” I ask. “Do you think you can track...anything?”

“I’ll try. But we need to take a closer look before the local police arrive and process the scene.”

And then we’re out of the loop. Human crime scene units don’t exactly cooperate with, or are even aware of, the High Council of Elders that govern the Others— Magic folk, every other sentient being not quite your strain of plain regular human, you get the picture.

Sungjin and I circle the scene carefully, noting down all the details we can as fast as we could. I can remember most of the details, look back in my memories for whatever I can’t recall immediately, and cross-reference with Sungjin should the need arise.

“What do you think?” Sungjin asks.

“I don’t know, we’ll need more information. But something like this can’t be a crime of opportunity. There’s too much involved in making someone’s heart explode like that.”

“So that’s what you’re saying? Their hearts exploded? What about the defensive wounds?”

“I can’t explain the defensive wounds right now, but exploding hearts is the only way to explain why their ribs look like they were pried open from the inside. This is really powerful magic. We’re looking for a very specific individual and I might have ideas where to start asking around.”

Like me, Sungjin isn’t looking at the bodies anymore, both of us with our heads turned away and leaning toward the main street. “I’ll see what I can find. I’ll see you again tomorrow?”

I nod and we go our separate ways just as the lights from a patrol car pass by.

 ***

 The following morning, Sungjin drops by the bookstore just before lunch to exchange notes and updates. He comes into the shop, announced by the bright tinkle of the bell above the door, with a large brown bag of sandwiches and coffee, and a smile that rivals the sun. When he’s like this, dressed in a warm grey hoodie and denim jeans, it’s easy to forget he’s a natural born killer trained for the hunt.

“Hello?”

“Up the loft,” I answer. I’ve been looking through the old texts and reference scrolls for anything that might be useful for tracking down what kind of magic is needed to blow someone’s hearts up.

Needless to say, the bookstore is a cover. On the outside, it’s a 24-hour off-the-wall kitschy affair just off-campus. Your non-standard independent bookstore. You’d think 24-hour bookstore equates to study cafe or a euphemism for something, but it’s exactly what it says on the label. On the inside, it’s an actual bookstore with shelves lined so closely to each other the ends fade into each other’s shadows. The inventory is eclectic: used books in excellent condition, the nigh unheard of trade books, and nothing from the Top Anythings. Just a lot of books that make you feel like you’ve walked into a wizarding world. And it smells. Like old books, wood varnish, and bergamot that’s permeated through the old walls. The guy who takes the nightshift, Jae, loves it. 

“Find anything interesting?” Sungjin asks, climbing up the narrow spiral staircase.

I’m on the ladder, about a full storey up, retrieving a book on Thaumaturgy. The way the shelves are set, dizzyingly high and looming above, always make me think I’m climbing into another world unknown. I’m fairly certain the air is thinner up here, too. “I think so? I might have some ideas. And you didn’t have to bring me lunch.”

“I didn’t,” he deadpans. “Wonpil made me do it.”

Wonpil is his housemate, information I know of as a side effect of having worked with Sungjin for more than a year now. I’m not sure what Wonpil is exactly as we’ve never met, but the way Sungjin talks about him gives me the impression Wonpil isn’t human. Or at least he gives Sungjin an inhuman amount of mental stress.

I crane my neck to look at him from over my shoulder. I almost fall off, and Sungjin rolls his eyes at me. “Did you hear anything interesting from your network?”

He sets the paper bag on a work desk. “Get down from there before you fall. And then we’ll talk.”

“Let me get this book first.” With one hand, I’m holding on for dear life, while my other is pressed white on the lip of a shelf. I spot the spine of the book I’m looking for and lean until my fingertips graze the old leather. Obviously, the solution here is to go back down the ladder, move about an arm’s length to the left, and go back up to retrieve the book. But, no. I lean.

It all happens so fast. First, there I am leaning. Next, my finger catches the edge of the book dislodging it from the shelf, but only just so. Then the books are whizzing past me in a blur of colorful spines and the floor is zooming in at me in alarming speed. Before I know it, I’m landing in a tangle of limbs with the air knocked out of my lungs in a muffled oomph. The fall hurts, but not as much as it does on the inside.

Sungjin catches me, of course. Inhuman reflexes and all that. I look up just as he lifts his head to give me his most insufferable I told you so look. The fact that he is right is only secondary to the fact that I am sprawled on top of him— my nose on top of his chest, his hands on my upper arms, my knees splayed over his hips, and my eyes hovering over his parted lips. For a moment, I am distracted by his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat as he swallows. I know it’s taking him all his strength to make sure he’s not crushing me in his hands. Only Sungjin would take the impact of a fall and ask you if him saving you is hurting you. I look up and our eyes meet.

This is not the time for this, and yet it’s as if we are both frozen in the moment. Sungjin’s eyes are a deep, earthy brown with flecks of gold revealing the beast within. Yet when he’s looking at me like this, there is nothing but warmth and safety in his eyes. He’s afraid he’ll hurt me, but he’s the only person I trust to never do that. He thinks he’s a monster, but I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen him as anything but brutally soft. Like this, feeling the warmth of the soft fabric of his hoodie against me, and inhaling his clean oceany scent, it’s almost as if I can just be a girl, and he can just be a boy, and there could be something more. But in this world, attachment is both a vulnerability and a weakness. Sungjin and I, we have no room for anything but duty and honor-bound responsibility.

Sobered by the thought, my heart comes to a stop from its wild beating in my chest. It’s an easy roll to the side and we’re back up on our feet, both of us feigning nonchalance. I pick the book up from the floor, silently muttering an apology to the book deities watching over us.

“There aren’t a lot of ways someone can make someone’s heart explode,” I begin, “So we’re looking for someone really strong or really stupid. Definitely a wizard. Definitely premeditated. That kind of magic...” I shudder at the thought. “It’s dark. And angry.”

“And it’s personal.”

“Very.”

Magic in itself is a personal experience. It comes from inside you. Not everyone is born with the aptitude to tap into the energies of the universe to harness its power, and even for those who do it’s hard to explain. Magic isn’t just something you do. Magic is the flow of energy from one form to another, it can neither be created nor destroyed, only redirected and transformed. Magic is created by life, it is awareness, intelligence, and emotions. For magic to cause death, and in such a violent way, is the utter perversion of its very nature.

Through lunch, Sungjin fills me in with the information he’s gathered over the night and I update him with what I’ve found out so far. All in all, we know nothing about who could have done this, how, or even why. Only that the victims were two university students, a couple celebrating their first anniversary at the club. Witnesses say they were arguing, but what kind of argument would explain the kind of defensive wounds they had? They had been in a fist fight before their hearts exploded.

After lunch, Sungjin and I comb through our known networks and contacts through the Underground and the Magic Folk hiding in plain sight. We visit clubs and other establishments that catered to Others but find nothing. The old antique shop near the palace, always the source of local gossip and whispers offer us no new information, saying they heard nothing, know nothing of any dark magic being used around the city. No one seems to know anything about what’s going on. Which only means everyone knows about it but no one wants to talk about it.

“You’re asking about something that could get you killed,” the old pigeon lady by the church said to us. “I’d stay away from those deaths if I were you.”

Which only meant we had to work harder finding answers. This is easily becoming one of those days when neither Sungjin nor I feel much like useful members of the Magic World’s secret society of Guardians. At least for me, that’s the role I was born into. For Sungjin, his participation is by association. But he hasn’t abandoned me. Yet. Even on the days when we look and look and look and find nothing. All this magic and resource under our disposal, there exist days when we still come up with blanks.

“Do you want to take a break?” Sungjin asks just before sunset.

“I hate this,” I answer.

We’re strolling down a busy thoroughfare down a strip mall. Everywhere I look, it’s colors from fashion boutiques or cosmetics, or from stalls selling street food. The smells are the best part of this, sweet and spicy all together and all at once. The better food smells, the more likely it’s bad for you. Be it sugar or meat or something cooked in fat and oils. It’s life’s greatest irony. But then again, who knows. Maybe this is the sign from someone out there watching over us saying we don’t have to diet all the time. So I take it all in, the scent of food, perfumes, air conditioning, and a hint of beer and alcohol. I love my sense of smell.

You nose knows. I’m sure Sungjin would agree.

“How can folks not know anything? What are they so afraid of?” I say, resigning myself to the twilight. “Dark magic like that doesn’t go unnoticed. I felt it happen. You felt traces of it too, didn’t you?”

Sungjin nods somberly. “Whoever was there with them didn’t leave enough of themselves to track down. I’m starting to think our killer did this from afar. Which leaves a magic trace. And tracking down magic is your specialty.”

“I’m good but I’m not that good. There was barely a trace left. No dust or breadcrumbs to follow at all.”

He releases a small laugh from his chest. “Come on, I’ll buy you an ice cream. It’ll make you feel better.”

“Catching the killer will make me feel better.” But even as I say that, I follow Sungjin to a stall and pick out the flavors I want on my cone: strawberry, milk, and green tea. The girl behind the glass case carves the ice cream into a rose and hands it to Sungjin who hands it to me.

“This is for you,” he says with a smile so tender, I look away.

I don’t dwell on the split second our fingers touch, or on the lingering heat from where the rough pad of his fingertips come in contact with my knuckles. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

A blanket of awkward silence envelopes us, and I struggle to fill in the blank spaces. All those other nights with Sungjin, tracking a bad guy or searching for clues, not once did the silence bother me until tonight.

I clear my throat after he gets a cone of his own. “Is it just me, or are there more flowers than usual?” Specifically roses. Red roses. Single, long-stemmed red roses or large bouquets of red roses. Couples everywhere wearing matchy-matchy outfits.

Sungjin grunts and scratches the back of his ear. “You really don’t know?”

“Know what?” I scrunch my nose at the group of couples who pass by us. This place is known to have couples in varying states of lovey-doveyness everywhere, but something about tonight has them all extra ooshy and ugh.

“It’s Valentine's Day.”

“That’s today?”

“You seriously don’t know?”

“I don’t keep track of these things,” I counter, annoyed. “I can barely keep track of what I need to accomplish in a day and this case...it’s driving me crazy.”

Sungjin just hums and keeps walking alongside me.

“I’m serious. Besides, look at all these people. They look like they’ve all been brainwashed into celebrating the day when what’s there to celebrate? It’s all so...I don’t know. Fake. And manufactured.”

“If you say so.”

“Wait, is there somewhere you need to be tonight?” Like a date. I don’t pry into his personal life, only picking out the details he’s comfortable sharing, blurted out confessions I wasn’t meant to hear, habits I find out only because we tend to spend inordinate amounts of downtime together like this. Of course, he’s free to see people if he wants to. He probably should.

“I’m exactly where I need to be because if you die in a ditch, this city loses its last Guardian and I don’t think the High Council will appreciate that.”

“I won’t die in a ditch,” I mutter petulantly. “And you need a life. You should probably go find yourself a girlfriend or something. I mean, I’m a lost cause because, well, Guardian and all that applies, but you…”

“You and I both know that’s physically impossible for me.” Because he’d be too much. Feel too much. Give too much.

I shrug. “Maybe you’ll find someone who’s fine without being physical? There are all sorts of people in the world. Or maybe you’ll find another Lycan and you won’t be so afraid to touch her for fear of tearing her into pieces—” I pause mid-step and hold back a war cry.

“You just had an epiphany, didn’t you.”

I start down the street in a power walk just below the level of a jog, acceptable enough without rousing suspicion. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before.”

“Good. Now this time use your words and share with the rest of the class.”

“Those two students must have been possessed by a Horror.” Horrors are amorphous blobs of pure negativity, parasites that possess objects that in turn posses humans and Turn them into shapeshifting monsters. Part of my job is hunting down these pools of evil and eliminating them before they find a host and wreak havoc. Yes, my ancestors decided this is a one-person job. I may be magic, but I’m still only human.

“If that’s the case, why didn’t they Turn? They were human when we found them.”

“I don’t know yet,” I admit. Then, “That’s what we’re about to find out. We need to get back to that club.”

 ***

 Sungjin and I make it halfway to the club when I realize we’re being followed.

The trick to this is to keep yourself from reacting. Stay cool. Calm. “Could be just me, but I think someone might be following us.”

Sungjin doesn’t even raise a brow and his face is almost always out of his control. “Tall guy, black coat, face mask, sunglasses? I’ve seen him all day, I think. But considering this is standard Look at me, I’m cool look, who knows for sure.”

“You would know for sure,” I shoot back, “I’ve seen him just standing there trying really hard to make it look like he’s not watching us. And he has a very distinct set of piercings.” I notice these things now because Sungjin also has a very distinct set of piercings that are utterly fascinating to study if only it weren’t so inappropriate.

“It’s not like there’s anything we can do about it,” he offers, “Everyone’s out tonight, there are about a bajillion people on the street and when we get to the club, that’s two bajillion people.”

“You know, the sass? It doesn’t help. But fine, if that’s how you want to play it.”

“You can’t just go whacking people around,” he chides, “besides, what if it’s not that? Maybe he wants to ask you out tonight. He looks lonely.”

I snort. I happen to be good at whacking people, and other sort, around. It’s very effective. “Maybe he wants to ask you out tonight.”

“Well I am pretty good looking, aren’t I? Can’t really blame him.”

“Your confidence astounds me.”

“As it should. Let’s just play it by ear and see what happens.”

 ***

 A shiver runs down the back of my arm as soon as we reach the club’s vicinity. It’s a tactile feeling owing to my witching Sense. Nighttime always did amplify powers from creatures of the dark, and while Night and Day themselves are neither good nor evil, there’s something about the shadows and the moonlight that make things go bump in the night.

Sungjin and I drift around, our Cool Friend always at a respectable distance behind us. The club, called Daydream, is located underground with the entrance located in a narrow alley between two commercial buildings. You’d miss it if not for the long line of people, about fifty or so, waiting impatiently along the street. This section of the city is full of university students, another kitschy affair of the fashion forward, the nonconformists, and the otherwise artistically inclined. It was full of excited yelling, raucous high-pitched laughter, and music blaring from every imaginable direction. Lights flashed and danced, buskers filled the streets each of them inside their bubbles of merry chaos.

I feel it then, a near unnoticeable quiver like a metallic ping from an unplugged electric guitar. Stepping closer to the club amplified the feeling. Something is definitely going on in there. I can feel it in the thrum of the music and the concrete beneath my feet.

Sensing the change in my tension, Sungjin says “Something’s here, isn’t there.”

“Something for sure. How’s our friend?”

Sungjin inhales sharply and his eyes flash amber. “Still interested. I’m not entirely sure if he’s following us because he’s looking for what we’re looking for, or if he’s following us to make sure we don’t find what we’re looking for.”

“If only we knew what we were looking for.”

Sungjin rolls his shoulders. A gesture of frustration. “Only one way to find out.”

We don’t have to communicate the decision out loud. Sungjin and I are already on our way toward the back of the club to find an alternative entrance. The back of the building is dark with shadows the light of the full moon cannot reach. I keep my guard up, just in case. Next to me, I can feel Sungjin do the same, his now amber eyes alert for any physical danger. Just knowing he’s with me, feeling his calm assured strength around me, is more than enough to rest my fears.

Because no matter how long I’ve been doing this, no matter how much training I’ve endured to get to where I am or how confident I am of what I can do, it doesn’t change the fact that every day I risk my life and that I’m afraid of death.

But not as long as Sungjin is with me.

“Just stay close to me,” Sungjin mutters close to my ear.

“I’m not a child,” I shoot back, voice steadier than I expect. “I’m a trained witch. And Guardian of the City. I’m not helpless. I can defend myself.”

“I know,” he says patiently. “That’s why I said stay close to me. Did you ever consider that I need defending? You’re not the only one putting your life in danger here. Don’t be selfish.”

I stifle a smile. Now is not the time for this. “We’re just going into a club. With dancing. Do you like dancing?”

“I’m an epic dancer,” he says, leveling me with a look. “But we can go dancing some other time when there isn’t a probability of some kind of murderer or Horror in the club.”

We step in through the back door, me first then Sungjin behind me. Music blasts at us, a deep psychedelic trance mix all the patrons are swaying to. The bassline goes straight to my bones, anchoring the music to time and pulling me deeper into the pit. Like a hive-minded organism, the moshpit flails and writhes to the hypnotic beat and neon lights. Everywhere the strobe hits, it’s body to body, eyes closed and gyrating against each other. We tread carefully through the darkness, avoiding elbows and other extremities while navigating our way to the center of the dance floor. On stage is a DJ shrouded by the shadows, but it’s from there I feel the center of this dark energy. No wonder this club is so popular.

“Anything?” I ask Sungjin. I have to stand on tiptoe and tug at his sleeve so he’d lean closer for me to speak into his ear. I don’t even need light to know his ear’s probably flushed neon pink.

“Nothing you haven’t figured out yet.”

I don’t let go of his sleeve. “Is our friend still here?”

Sungjin closes his eyes and hums. “Shouldn’t you be tracking his energy signature?”

Stepping closer, I lay my other hand on his chest. His heartbeat is slow and steady in this sultry heat. My heart starts beating faster. “Sungjin…”

“Yeah?”

I look up at him, and my fingers curl and tangle into the collar of his hoodie. “You’ve been really good to me. No one’s been this good to me.”

His breathy laugh tickles my cheek. “That’s because you don’t know a lot of people.”

“You risk your life for me.”

“According to my last count, we’re split 60-40, but I’ll give you a chance to save my life if that will make you feel better,” he answers quietly.

I lick my lips. “You and me…we’ve never really...we’re not a we-we.”

“No, we’re not.”

“Why not? I know we’ve only known each other for a little more than a year, but after all we’ve been through? How come nothing’s ever...happened?”

“Reasons,” he exhales softly. “Work, mostly. And I am what I am, and…” He runs his nose down my cheek. “And you...it wouldn’t be right.”

I shift just enough to touch my nose to his. “But...technically...we could...if we wanted to. Even if it were forbidden, it’s so easy breaking the rules…”

“Are we deciding to?”

I push up on my toes and press my lips to his. Gently, at first. Very gently. Sungjin sighs into the kiss and pulls my body against his and I entwine my arms around his neck. The kiss turns hungry, deep. Hot and desperate. Sungjin all but growls into my mouth.

He pulls away first. “We’re working.”

“We’re always working,” I whine. “It’s all we ever do.”

He grins. “Doesn’t look like we’re getting more information out of tonight. We’ve been hitting dead ends from the start.”

“We can take a break for the night, right?” I feel a rumble of excitement deep inside me.

“We could. We should. We’ve been working too much.”

My face splits into a smile before I’m even aware. “We deserve a break, right? Why haven’t we thought about this before?”

“Can we go back to your place?”

I giggle into his collar bones. My heart is beating so fast. I can’t remember if it’s ever gone off this way before. “Sounds like a really good idea. You always did have the best of ideas.”

We start moving again, this time toward the exit. Hand in hand, we slip through the moshpit laughing silly at each other. When we emerge back out the alley, he kisses me again, pressing me hard against him.

“Sungjin,” I wheeze between the kiss. “Let go a bit, you’re crushing me.”

“I just can’t believe we’ve never done this before.”

“I know, it’s crazy.” It’s so crazy my heart hurts.

“I think I’m crazy.”

“Sungjin, let go. I can’t breathe.” But his hold on me tightens and my feet lift off the ground. I push against him. “You’re hurting me.”

Sungjin blinks and lets go so quickly I drop to my feet on unstable legs. He runs his hand through his hair and mutters to himself. “What just happened? Something happened.”

I look up, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Something weird is happening.”

I feel a sledgehammer in my chest. “Something good is happening. Why are you making it sound like it’s a bad thing?”

“I’m not saying that, I’m just saying...look at us.”

“I am.” I take a step closer to him. “I am looking at us. Don’t you like what you’re seeing? How long have you felt this way? And pretended not to? Denied the feeling? Because...this doesn’t just come out of nowhere. There could be something real here.”

“Listen to yourself.”

I launch myself at him and shove him as hard as I can. My heart hurts so much. He doesn’t even budge so I hit his chest with my fists. “You can’t just do this to me. You can’t tell me you don’t think we have something here that could be real. I’m not crazy!”

But even as I say that, the words bounce around in my head. Real. Crazy.

“Oh,” I groan. “Oh no.” My heart is still beating fast, but this time it’s from embarrassment.

“Hey, it’s okay. We got hit with something, maybe it was the lights or the music…”

“Oh no.”

Sungjin smiles warmly at me. “Hey. It’s okay. I got hit, too.”

Until his trigger words slapped sense into him. “I should’ve known better.”

“You’re right. I should’ve too…I shouldn’t have...you know. I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to apologize for,” I tell him. I clutch at my chest to calm my beating heart. “It wasn’t us. If it were...it would’ve been…”

“Different?”

“Yeah. Not like this.”

He nods. “It was a little too easy.”

“Shouldn’t it be easy?” I may not know much about love, but I know I’ll know it when I feel it. I’ll know it when it’s there...and it’s been there. But...

“Not for you and me.”

I take a deep, shaky breath. “How messed up is that?”

“Pretty messed up. You know for someone’s who’s tasked to keep the city safe, you’re terrible at avoiding traps. Physical, or otherwise.”

He looks away when I turn to him, and I study his averted face. “That’s why I have you.” And that’s why we can’t have each other.

A cold shiver passed through the air. Dark and twisted. Sungjin glances at me, and the color drains from both our faces. We run down the direction of the void and careen to a stop.

Two more dead bodies, a couple with their hearts blown out of their chests. Exactly like the first murder.