#all made by cane studios

[danveration]

Sleep well, amour.

Parings: Alastor x reader

Summary: You’ve been very intrested in Alastor ever since you met him. He invites you to see his recording studio, which you accept. Then you ask if you can stay and listen to him host! While listening, you fall asleep. How does he react?

Word count: 2844

Warnings: Ummm not really much? Alastor being Alastor! One mention of not being able to sleep sometimes, mention of seeing people in hell doing dr*gs, k*lling eachother, and fighting, mention of reader having bad social skills (?)

part two

A/N: UM!! this is my first time writing for alastor, so apologies if it isn’t the best. Please give me any feedback you want, I’d love to hear it! Also sorry for any spelling mistakes. I hope you enjoy :’)

Alastor the radio demon. You know of the things he’s done, you know that people are quite literally terrified of him. But for some reason... you feel a certain way towards him that you can’t describe, but it’s surely not fear.

You’ve had a some-what odd admiration of him since you landed in hell, only a few months ago. You got spotted by Charlie when you first got to hell. She noticed you looking around nervously and lost, and put two and two together that you must be new. She very kindly introduced herself which was refreshing because.. well.. it’s hell. Everywhere you looked people were fighting, doing drugs, and even killing each other. You were glad there were kind people even down here.

“Hi, you! Uh, you lost?” Charlie smiled you and waved.

“Um yeah! I’m guessing this is hell, huh?” You awkwardly chuckle. Social skills weren’t ever your thing, it seems they haven’t got better after you died, either.

“Yep! This is hell! You must be new? I’m Charlie! Charlie Morningstar. It’s so nice to meet you.” She smiled and stuck out her hand for you to shake.

“Nice to meet you, Charlie! My names Y/n.” You politely smiled back and shook her hand.

After that meeting, Charlie showed you to the hotel in which you eagerly accepted to stay at, her being the only sane thing you’ve seen down here. It was a pretty nice place, no 5 star hotel like back on earth, but it was something you’re very grateful for. Who knows what would’ve happened to you if you haven’t met her.

While she was showing you around, someone caught your eye. He was a tall man, very polite and respectful looking. He was dressed head to toe in old fashioned attire, with a cane to suit his charming look. He was smiling in a way that made you look at him like he was something you wanted to inspect under a magnifying glass.

He glanced at you and smiled larger, stepping over to you and Charlie.

“My, my! What do we have here? Charlie! You didn’t tell me that we’ve got more guests? It’s a pleasure to meet you, my dear! The names Alastor!” He spoke politely.

His voice was sort of.. Radio-like? You found it soothing.

“Haha yeah! I found them wandering around on the street this morning! They’re a newcomer, their name is Y/n.” She spoke back, excited to introduce you.

“Y/n! Well, my, my. That’s quite a lovely name!” He said. “Say.. do you listen to radio? I host a brilliant radio broadcast that’ll give you some real insight on this place!” He said enthusiastically.

“Oh.. haha thank you” You smile. “I do actually! I love radio shows.” You immediately feel drawn towads him. You cant tell if it’s just the new scenery or what.. but you want to just sit and chat with him for hours.

Alastor perks up at that. “Oh you do, do you?” He smiled more.

“Yeah! Back when I was.. uhm.. alive, I actually had a whole playlist of them! What do you do your show about?” You ask.

Alastor is delighted to have you take interest in his show. “Well, dear, I do all sorts of things on there! Yes, yes, you think of it and I’ve most probably done it! Most commonly known is the souls I entrap and prison, as I broadcast their screams of horror all over this horrible place and people get to hear the noises of their never-ending torture and demise. But! I also just made a wonderful segment on my mother’s Jambalaya recipe!” He stated.

While part of those sentences gave you chills, you still seemed to take interest in him.

“Well,” you chuckle. “I will certainly check it out!” You smile.

“Ah! Wonderful news, my dear.” He said while he twirled his cane.

Charlie was watching you interact with him and noticed how you looked at him, as if admiring. She smile and said, “well! We better finish the tour.”

She motions for you to follow her and you do, waving Alastor goodbye.

He waves back and yells, “goodbye, sweetheart! Lovely to have met you.”

After that, you wanted absolutely everything to do with him. You’ve also got to know the other people staying at the hotel. Angel, Vaggie, Husk, Niffty, and Sir Pentious. They were overall kind people. Husk found your interest in Alastor to be no good.

“Yeah, no. That, whatever thing you have created in your mind about him, isn’t true. He’s vile, Y/n. Trust me on that.” He grunts.

Angel thought you had some kind of kink towards “scary, creepy men.” Which wasn’t true because you didn’t even find him scary. You found him charming.

“Ah.. Alastor? Fucking sexy weirdo if I do say so myself. He’s got some reaaal problems but hey, if you’re into that-“ You cut him off by saying it wasn’t like that & that you don’t think anything sexual towards him.

One day, you were talking to Sir Pentious about his “crush” on Cherry Bomb. He completely denied it but you could tell from his blush and his nervous demeanour that he was very interested in her.

You were caught off guard when you heard that radio voice coming up from behind you.

“Y/n, my dear! I have a question for you.” Alastor came and stood beside you, looking down from where you’re sitting.

“Al! Hey, what’s up?” You ask, containing your excitement.

Sir Pentious excused himself quickly, seeing one of his “egg boys” were being played with by Niffty. She isn’t one to be gentle.

“So, I know how you’ve been listening to my radio show as of late, and I was wondering if you’d like to see where the magic happens!” He states.

“R-really? I’d be honoured!” You say, smiling.

“Ah! Lovely. Come now, this way.”

You get up and he locks arms with you and chats about his new microphone that he got.

Once you guys arrive, you’re shocked. It looks very professional and comfortable. It suits him heavily. There’s a big open window, a desk, some chairs and sofas, a bunch of technical stuff on the desk along with his new mic that you recognize from his descriptions, and a deer coat hanger?

“Wow, Alastor. This place is so actually so sick. I love it. And the new microphone suits you!” You say. “Thank you for showing me, really.”

Typically, Alastor would never show someone something personal of his, including his studio, but you are an exception. He isn’t sure what it is about you but he doesn’t seem to hate you as much as he does with anyone else. At first he was weirded out, but now he just embraces it. He also feels protective of you. He doesn’t know exactly why you’re even down here. For as far is he can tell, you’re an angel. Always being kind even to those who aren’t kind to you, always saying “please” and “thank you,” all that jazz. Jazz! You even like jazz music, his favourite. He told you that he lived on earth the time jazz music was popular. The 20’s and 30’s. That explains his vocabulary and how he dresses. You just find it more interesting and take time to ask questions about what it was like in that time.

“Why of course, my dear! If I’d want to show anyone here, it would be you.” He says, giving you his iconic smile.

You have a thought. “Hey, Al? Would it be alright if the next time you do a show, I could stay and listen?”

You hope he doesn’t think this is odd.

Alastor raises a brow. “Why would you want to do that?” He asks.

You panic, thinking you went too far by asking and now he’s going to cut you off or something.

“Ha! Kidding, sweetheart! Of course you can. I love when my broadcast is wanted to be listened to. Though I love it as well when they don’t want to.” He says.

You’re relieved, a bit scared, but still relieved.

“Say!” He says. “I was going to make one tonight talking about this silly technology box that thinks he is better than me! You know, expose all his lies and secrets to my listeners, and unwilling listeners. Maybe broadcast it all throughout hell!” He starts laughing manically. Then calms down and stares at you.

“Would you want to stay and listen, hm? I can do it now! I didn’t have any plans today going forward and well, getting it out sooner is better than later, I always say.” He asks.

You know he’s talking about Vox when he mentioned the technology box. Him and Vox have a sort of rivalry going on. Though Alastor seems to not care much about him, Vox is sure obsessed. He’s even gone so far as to making posters about him. Which areee.. not much of a resemblance.

This offer strikes you and you immediately perk up. “Yes! I’d love to.” You say.

You don’t think Alastor knows this but whenever you’re struggling to sleep, you put on his radio show and his voice comforts you to sleep. You’re sure if you told him, he would find it weird.

Little did you know, Alastor already knew. He walked past your room one night and heard static sounds coming from your quarters. He immediately was intrigued and put his ear close to your door to hear his voice. He was surprised, but not weirded out. He found it delightful that you found comfort in his voice. It’s not everyday someone does. Usually it invokes terror and anxiety on anyone who hears. This was new, and he didn’t hate it.

“Lovely! Let me get all set up. You can sit wherever you feel the most comfortable!” He says, adjusting his mic and pressing a buttons on his table.

You find a spot and sit down. Feeling honored to even be in the same room as him, let alone HIS room.

“Ahem! Welcome ladies and gentlemen-“ He goes off into his introduction, before winking at you and starting.

After about 20 minutes, you begin to feel tired and put your head on the side of the wall, still listening but with your eyes closed.

Alastor immediately notices and smirks, knowing how his voice effects you. He continues on and after about another 20 minutes, he finishes up. You’re asleep, slightly smiling.

He walks over to you and looks down.

“My, my. You really are an interesting one, aren’t you?” He whispers. He smiles more softly than he usually does and looks around to find a purple blanket hanging on his deer coat hanger, and gently places it on you.

He feels his heart fluttering while looking down at you and he immediately shrugs it off.

“Mm well, my dear.. I guess you can stay here. I’ll just be over there, transferring my broadcast to the other radios around town.” He says and points to his table.

“Sleep well, amour.” He speaks softly.

[thecordelialetters]

The Art of Science

Viktor x artist!fem!reader

WC: 1.4k

An unlikely meeting of a lonely scientist and a student of the arts finding the beauty in themselves and each other.

Viktor never considered himself beautiful. His dimly lit room contained the basic human needs, a bed, a desk, and a sofa, all provided by the academy. There were no big mirrors besides the foggy one that sat above his bathroom sink. He barely glanced at it other than to fix his bedhead. The bags under his eyes and paling skin were hard to look at. Viktor believed in his work; he couldn't care less about vanity when he poured his energy into the lab daily. In the same way, he cared about his looks he gave the same effort into cultivating relationships. Like the mirror, Viktor didn't spare a glance at someone who wasn't interested in conversing about his projects or his vision for a better world. You were the complete opposite. You took life one step at a time, a personification of stopping to smell the roses come to life. As an artist, you look to beauty in the everyday. Perhaps it was fate your paths crossed, usually, you never dared enter the science wing of the academy but you had finished your painting early and wanted to go on a stroll to clear your mind. It was intimidating being around the brightest minds in Piltover. Most of them looked down on your profession. What was art compared to science? They'd mock you as you passed them, believing their work was revolutionary and way more important than a simple painting. It unnerved you but you'd never show it. A string of curses left Viktor's lips at another failed attempt at the Hexcore. Progress day was just a few weeks away and he had nothing to show for. As he hit his hand on the table in frustration, the vibration pushed the lab door open. The light from the small room shone on your face as you passed. Hearing a man's frustration you cautiously peaked your head through the door. You couldn't see exactly who was in the room but you could make out his back. The man was slender but had broader shoulders clad in a maroon button-up and white vest. His hair was a deep brown that flitted out over his ears. The room was messy, not as messy as your studio. You could see the genius behind the papers strewn over the desks and the many machines being worked on with the smell of oil in the air. Feeling the unusual sensation of being watched, Viktor turned his head to the side finding the door had been breached open. With a cramped hand, smeared graphite from all the writing he had been doing, he grabbed his cane and made his way to close the door. He pushed the opening gently finding the scene of you sitting on the floor, scribbling furiously in your notebook. His amber eyes drifted over your, messy locks tied in a ponytail, paired with gentle features that harmoniously made your face look perfect if it wasn't for the paint smudges on your cheek. He took a peak at your sketchbook finding familiar figures on the page of him in the lab. "What are you doing here little mouse?" He spoke in his soft accent. You stopped sketching and looked up, eyes widening at his presence. "I um...I was just passing by. I'm (y/n) part of the arts department." You looked down at your drawing, cheeks flushed with embarrassment at being caught. The handsome inventor crouched in front of you to sit. He held out one hand, "May I see?" You nodded and pushed your book into his hands, eyes boring into his face. Even under the dimly lit hallway of the academy, he was much more attractive. The flicker from the bulbs danced on his high cheekbones and you swore you could see the specks of brown in his amber eyes. Viktor scanned the page in detail. It was fascinating how you were able to so accurately portray his figure and inventions. Every nutt and bolt and every curve of his body you conveyed beautifully. "This is amazing (y/n)." He gave you a small smile. You beamed shyly in response. Tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear you spoke up, "May I? Sit with you and draw you?" Albeit shocked at your request his eyes widened.

Frighted you might have scared him off you waved your hands, "If not its okay, I should be getting back anyways." You grabbed the book from his hand and shoved your supplies in your bag.

Before you could bolt away a firm grasp held onto your wrist. "You did not give me a chance to answer little mouse." He smiled gently looking down at you. "Come, sit next to me, I would love to be your muse." You smiled giddly and hopped up dashing into the lab. Viktor chuckled at your antics. He had not experienced meeting someone as sparkling as you. It was as if someone had collected a burst of a newborn star and embodied it into a girl. You carefully danced your way around the lab not wanting to knock anything over but also letting your curiosity draw you in. You turned to the sound of a chair scraping the floor. Viktor had sat down and began writing his research again. Dragging a chair next to him you position yourself at his side with enough space to give you the perfect angle of his face and upper body. The almost burnt-out candle on Viktor's desk cleared the way of the darkness while the two of you worked on your delicate craft in silence. The sounds of scratching pencils battled each other as your furious ideas filled the page. Feeling the way your eyes bore into his skin Viktor couldn't help but feel nervous. What if you actually wanted to leave and were staying here out of pity. Why would you want to stay anyways? He wasn't conversing with you nor was he doing anything worth viewing.

Unable to resist his interest any longer he turned to look at you. Your eyes met paired with the warmest smile he's received in a long time. Your smile made his heart flutter in a way that was concerning. Perhaps it was his condition acting up again. Silently you held up your notebook to his face. The breath in his lungs had dissipated. It was...stunning. Was that really him? The page contained 3 versions of himself. Every wrinkle on his face, the curve of his jaw, and even the bags under his eyes were present. Somehow you had made him look...decent, attractive even. "You flatter me too much little mouse, this looks far better than I do in person." You leaned forward pushing your book on the table. "No this is you. This is exactly what you look like." You brought up a slender finger and traced his features. "See this here? Is also here." One had felt his face the other pointed to different places in your picture. "You are beautiful Viktor." With a soft smile, the light flickered on your face showing the freckles that danced on your skin. "Well, thank you little mouse I like your drawings very much." You nodded and flipped the page to continue. The two of you worked in silence for hours. Neither of you spoke a word but the atmosphere felt like a home on a Christmas night. Quiet but comfortable, filled with some kind of magic. "I wish I had my watercolors." Viktor paused at your honey-smooth voice. "Why is that?" He questioned. His eyes fluttered back and forth over your figure. Fresh laundry, paint, and lavender filled his lungs as you let your hair down from your ponytail. "You have these gorgeous amber eyes that I just want to paint but I can't" You pout. Viktor laughed heartily at your confession. "Well, why don't you come tomorrow night. I will be here again and you can paint me." He took an insecure pause. "If you want of course." You nodded before looking at the time. "Oh my it's so late, I'm so sorry for keeping you. I should head back now." Viktor gently held your hand that laid on his shoulder.

"Do not worry, I was going to be here regardless. Actually, I would like to thank you, your presence was most enjoyable." You blushed and brushed a few locks of hair from Viktor's face. "Well, then I'm glad I could be of good company." Packing up your supplies you couldn't help but notice Viktor's disappointed face. With a smooth tear, you ripped the drawing from your sketchbook. Surprised he jumped up thinking you tore the picture.

"Here! Have it. It will be a promise I'll come tomorrow." Realizing you were giving the drawing to him, he gingerly held the drawing staring at the multitude of strokes that somehow compiled into his likeliness. He swore the room was growing warming, what else could excuse the heat filling his chest. "I'll hold you to that, little mouse."

Authors Note: This is currently unedited and a short but maybe Ill come back to it. I just got a burst of energy to write again.

[noemilivv]

hi, I hope you’re having a good day, I’d love to leave a request for Hazbin Hotel.

Could I request Alastor, Angel Dust, Lucifer, Vox and Lucifer (feel free not to do them all if they’re too many) and how they would react when their s/o finds them crying and comforts them and gives them a hug? I’d love some reverse comfort for them they’re my favs, also gn reader pls!

hello!! i’m having a good day, i hope you are as well!! this was a very interesting concept to think about, especially for alastor haha, it may be a bit out of character but i tried my best lol

Warnings: Potentially OOC Alastor, S1 Finale Spoilers, Swear Words, Mentions of Valentino, Mentions of Physical Abuse, Mentions of Injury (Scars, Bruises, Blood, Ect), Mentions of Depression, Mentions of Sex (No Smut)

Alastor, Angel Dust, Lucifer, Vox x Reader (Reverse Comfort)

Alastor

Alastor wasn’t one to express much emotion - other than his signature smile, let alone cry, but you caught him - even if it was barely

He felt like he was on the edge of pure insanity and psychotic, and he, the almighty Radio Demon, would’ve never expected something so little to give him his final push

After the fight between Adam and Alastor, he had lost his cane, his cane gave him almost every ounce of power and control his soul had gained since entering Hell, and he was going insane without it

You watched Alastor silently drift away from the crowded hotel lobby after Lucifer made some petty comment about losing his staff.

Despite that small part of you trying to convince you against it, you followed him.

You trickled behind him slowly to his room, all the way on the other side of the hotel.

He left his door open a crack, and you opened it slightly and stood in the doorway, and there he was.

Alastor’s usually neat and tidy hotel room was now a disaster with blueprints on the floor, you took a glance at them, some looking relatively old and some looked quite fresh, they were sketches and plans for a new staff - although you knew Alastor no longer had the magic the make it.

You hid as he came into your view, he was pacing the room, a very strained smile present on his face as tears pricked in his eyes, as he ran his fingers through his hair, tossing around blueprints and plans and other papers that seemed to be plans for a new staff, searching for a solution to his despair.

Slowly, you approached Alastor, patting him on the back softly before retracting your hand, remembering he doesn’t like to be touched.

He shook his head and sighed, the same drained smile was still present on his face, he looked down at you, and you never noticed the bags under his eyes until now… I mean, you knew he wasn’t one to typically sleep, but he never had bags before…

“I’m sorry, my dear.” He said, fixing his posture, and straightening up his suit. “One might say I’m a bit distraught at the moment. What is it you need?”

“Well.. uh, Al, you looked a bit sad recently, especially after what Lucifer said about your cane, and I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” You said, providing a bashful smile, at the fact that you’d be caught snooping.

“Ah, well, how awfully kind of you, my little doe. Just know, that I’m doing quite alright-” Before Alastor could finish his sentence you engulfed him in a hug, he paused for a moment, before slowly wrapping his arms around the small of your back.

His face was in the crook of your neck, as he sighed, you couldn’t see his face, but you could feel him give a soft smile onto your neck, not a grin, but a smile.

Angel Dust

You knew Angel’s job at the studio was far from easy, and shifts could last several hours at a time, but now? You were starting to worry…

He hadn’t been home in nearly two days. And it was starting to freak you out.

You sat in Angel’s bed in the hotel, snuggled next to Fat Nuggets, he let out a small snort as you cradled him in your arms. “I miss him too, baby.” You muttered, kissing his forehead, tearing up at the thought of all possibilities of what could’ve happened to him.

“Papa will be back home soon.” You nearly whispered, your voice cracking softly, you just wanted to see your boyfriend. The movie that was on in the background began to fade away as you fell to sleep.

You woke up again at about 1am from a slam of the bathroom door that was connected to Angel’s room. You blinked your eyes a few times, groggily, not entirely aware of what was going on until you heard sobbing coming from the bathroom.

You rushed the warm, pink comforter off of you, leaving Fat Nuggets on the bed asleep, urgently swinging open the bathroom door, finding Angel wailing, clinging onto the sink, halfway on the floor.

His shirt was off, and a few bruises and scars were visible. He let go of the sink, and slid down the floor, cradling his body.

“Handsome, shit..” You murmured, kneeling down to his level, you put a comforting hand on his knee. “Baby, look at me.”

You requested softly, now using your hand to comb through Angel’s hair, when you didn’t get a response, you used your free hand to tilt his face up to you, and the sight broke you.

His eyes stared into yours, afraid and hurt, there was smeared eyeliner under his eyes that traveled a bit down his face, there was blood coming from his mouth.

You felt tears prick in your eyes, you hated seeing him like this, “My love, can I hold you?”

Angel nodded as his body fell into your arms, you rocked him slowly, shushing his sobs, turning them into a small sniffles.

You pulled away from him to look at him, you wiped the smudged makeup off his face with your thumb, and looked at him. “Wanna talk about it, Angie?”

“You already know the deal by now, it’s just Val..” He said, wiping his eyes, hiccuping before continuing, “I had a rough week, and I wasn’t off-script, and he just said to improv it, and I just fucked it up.. and he, well..” He gestured to the bruises and scars on his body, referencing what happened, giving a dry chuckle, you tensed above him.

“Baby.” You started, cupping his cheeks, pulling him to look at you, “I don’t know how yet, but I will fucking get you out of this, I don’t care who or what I have to go through, but I will fucking get you out of this. No one gets to hurt you and expect to get away with it.” You vowed, as your foreheads connected,

“Sugar, there’s no way out.” Angel murmured. “He’ll find me..” He said barely above a whisper, his voice cracking in fear, your heart ached for him.

“I’ll figure it out, handsome.” You said, pecking his forehead, “Let’s get you cleaned up, okay?”

Lucifer

You’ve known since before you even started dating that Lucifer had depression, and you knew it hit hard, but you had never really been around to experience that before.

Whenever you could, you always tried to help him out with it, which was a bit hard since he had a tendency to brush it off a lot

It wasn’t until you came home to Luci having a depressive episode where you really got a grip on his depression

You came back to you and Lucifer’s shared home, you had just gotten out of work, and Lucifer was supposed to be at a meeting, key word, supposed to.

As you walked down the hall you heard sniffles coming from your shared bedroom.

You opened the door, it let out a small creak, and you noticed Lucifer curled up on the end of the bed.

There were tissues scattered on the floor on his side of the bed and on his night stand, his clothes that he would’ve worn to his meeting were in a messy pile on the floor, he was in boxers and no shirt, his hair messy, as he sniffled into the pillows, curled up in a thin but fuzzy duck blanket.

“Sweetie, what happened?” You asked sweetly, sitting down next to him at the edge of the bed, rubbing his scalp.

“I-I was gonna go to my m-meeting today, but when I went to get out of bed everything it just felt like I couldn’t do it.. and I started spiraling and I called Charlie and told her to go instead..” Luci explained through sniffles, clutching the blanket closer to his chest.

“Aww, darling.” You cooed lovingly, caressing his cheek, “How about this; I go run a nice, hot bath for the two of us, and then we can cuddle and take a nap, and then try to clean everything up. You can even bring in a few ducks if you want.” Lucifer perked up at your offer, nodding eagerly.

“Okay.” You smiled, chuckling softly, “Just keep your pretty little self here while I go run the water.” You said, getting up to leave, but you turned around as you got to the doorway. “Bubbles or no bubbles?” You asked with a knowing smile.

“…Bubbles, please.”

Velvette had sent you off to go check on Vox, normally he comes out of his security room to check on either her or Valentino, or you, and surprisingly he hadn’t today

You worked for the Vee’s but you were also friends, you were important enough to be basically considered an honorary Vee member, but you were unimportant enough to be cut from big social events and have a fair amount of work dumped on you last minute — And you were an assistant (as well as partner) to Vox

You knocked on the door to Vox’s office room, when no response came from the other side you slowly opened the door, and you saw a very stressed Vox.

His screen was in his hands, letting out small sniffles, but he would glitch here and there as the watery tears shocked his chords.

“Baby, you good?” You asked, standing behind him.

He whipped around, scrambling to wipe away any remaining tears, “Oh- Uh- Yeah- I’m fine.” He muttered, turning back around.

“Were you crying?” You asked, hesitantly, you’d never seen him cry before, other than sex, you both had only been together a few months.

“What? No! I don’t do that shit.” He scoffed, it was clear he was getting defensive, he didn’t like to be caught like this, but he’d rather it be you than someone else.

“Vox…” You pushed, maybe you shouldn’t have, but you did anyway. “Fine. Rough day, okay? Work is stressful as fuck.”

You wrapped your arms around his neck from behind, “Do you wanna lay down? Maybe take a nap? And you come back in an hour or two?” You suggested softly, Vox could be stubborn as hell at times, and you weren’t trying to push your luck.

Vox hesitates momentarily, before muttering a small, “I guess…”

[kiame-sama]

Drag Me To Hell- (Yandere!Alastor x Chubby!Fem!reader) pt 2.

Warnings; same warnings apply from Hazbin Hotel as to here, but if you know Hazbin, you're already prepared for what's coming, spoilers for episode 1 of Hazbin, a bit more "background" for reader, fem pronouned reader,

~~~~~~~~

"I swear, if you film me goin' at it with mister fancy-talk creepy voice here, you'd be rollin' in participants willin' to stay at this tacky hotel."

"Haha, never going to happen."

You glanced over from where you sat at Husker's bar, seeing Angel Dust make a few gestures to Alastor. The Radio Demon in question had a sneer on his face disguised as a wide grin, almost seeming annoyed with the consistent light flirting from Angel.

Angel would never have him.

Alastor- as you knew him- was not an overly sexual being, and anything that did come over him was fleeting if even substantial enough to act on. Besides, he was not one to expose himself to just anyone. It took decades for Alastor to come to you, and you were by his side more often than anyone else in his demonic life. You suspected part of why he was even willing to approach you about the matter was because you were already the equivalent of a lady in waiting to him.

His living diary. His secretary. His studio assistant. His bed-fellow. His ensnared soul bound eternally to be loyal to him alone. His favorite soul in the entire collection.

You weren't his strongest- if anything, you were his weakest- but you were his favorite.

"Hey," Angel started, "I have a question, if freaky-face over there is so powerful, then why can't he just make people stay here?"

"Oh, trust me," the light around Alastor faded and his antlers slightly grew, "I can!"

It was then Husker spoke up, a bottle in hand and a frown on his face.

"Why do you think I'm here?"

The hell-cat bartender was a familiar face to you. He was yet another soul in Alastor's repertoire and his contract was one that made you pity the gruff demon. You were there when it was struck after-all, not that Husker knew that.

Alastor didn't like going places without you, so he would often contain you inside of his microphone cane. In a sense, you were the spirit possessing his microphone. Where it went, so did you, meaning you were always by Alastor's side. Of course, you could be separate from it, he just didn't usually want you to be. An eternal summon bound by the shred of demonic power you had to your name.

"You actually think I'd be cleaning bottles and listening to you fucks bitch and moan all the time if he wasn't forcin' me?"

"I like being forced."

"Keep that to yourself, Niff."

The sudden interjection from Nifty actually made you laugh, knowing the twisted inner workings of another of Alastor's 'summons'. Nifty was more like you than Husker, far more intertwined to Alastor and his whims than others. Nifty was more of a pet to Alastor- not that you were any better- and she kept things tidied to Alastor's standards.

"Never change, Nifty."

She smiled at you and Husker rolled his eyes, wiping down the same bottle once again. Husker was damn good at being a bartender and listening, even if he bitched about it while it happened. Between the three of you, you all were used to Alastor and his general behavior in most situations. As Alastor's confidant and microphone, you knew him better than anyone else and even then there were things you didn't know about him.

"Darling, can we talk a moment?"

The words sent anxiety down your spine, but you were quick to answer the non-optional summons. Walking up to his side he lazily wrapped an arm around you, leading you away from the group.

"Yes, Alastor?"

"Ah-ah, what did we talk about?"

"Sorry... Yes... Dear?"

"Hm, I never get tired of hearing that. I just wanted you away from them for a bit, that's all~"

Part of you wondered if Alastor was being serious or not, but decided that he had done far deadlier things to other demons for far less than vaguely annoying him by existing. If anything, his new interest in 'pet-names' was a recent development that likely had to do with his growing jealousy. You had been with Alastor on his seven-year 'sabbatical' and now you both were among others like this. It was clear to you that he was finding himself a bit more possessive of you.

"Just happy to have you here, and trust me, I'll make sure you never leave."

[k20spock]

Gecko’s list of free video games you should play right now

Hi I’m gecko I like video games and I like not paying 60 dollars for them so here’s a list of some free games I’ve unearthed and liked. Enjoy

(most of these are small, more obscure games made by a few people or even just one person, so support the creators if you can!! Some of these do have a pay what you want model)

Hikeback (Itch.io) 

You see a hitchhiker flagging you down during a long, lonely drive through the countryside. No matter how you choose to handle the situation, you end up back on that road. And then again. And again. And again, until you find a way to escape a loop of violence and self-sabotage. Hikeback is a visual novel inspired by the fable of the frog and the scorpion, and it takes about an hour to reach the ending. It’s available on Windows, Mac, Linux, and browser, and there’s a detailed list of content warnings on the game’s itch.io page. One of my strongest recommendations, Hikeback is an incredible experience, and it was made in only ten days!!

Purrgatory (Itch.io) (Steam)

Find ways to pass the time in an inexplicably cat-themed but otherwise pretty dull afterlife, and befriend its other inhabitants. Purrgatory can hit hard when it wants to, but it’s mostly a relaxed point and click game that takes about a few hours if you want the true ending (which you do). And also I really don’t like recommending things going “it’s rep!!” and not elaborating on what the thing is actually about, but Purrgatory does have a mostly explicitly LGBT+ cast and Korean characters by a Korean artist. It’s been a few years since I played Purrgatory, but I remember it was an incredible experience, and since then, even more people can play it because it’s been fully translated into Spanish and Simplified Chinese! It’s available on Windows and browser.

How Fish is Made (Itch.io) (Steam)

How Fish is Made includes incredible retro-style graphics, a sardine flopping around in a machine with a choice to make, a singing, cane-wielding, tophat-wearing, tongue-eating parasitic isopod, and a free expansion/trailer for the studio’s next game that’s like if Katamari Damacy was evil and also had fish in it. That’s the best I can do for a summary. How Fish is Made is available on Windows and takes about 30-45 minutes, but will itch your brain for much longer.

Stop Burying Me Alive, Beautiful (Itch.io)

A visual novel in which you are stuck between trying to convince your girlfriend you are not dead and she should stop burying you alive, and playing rat-themed card games with a woman you find living underground. The game doesn’t always do a great job walking the line between comedy and horror, but there’s some strong writing depicting a failing relationship and very strong artwork that makes this an easy recommendation. Stop Burying Me Alive, Beautiful is on Windows, Mac, Linux, and browser, and takes about half an hour. 

Caper in the Castro (Internet Archive)

Ok this one is pretty different, but fuck it, it was originally released for free in 1989 (with a recommendation to make a donation to charity instead) and is still free so I’m including it. Not enough people are aware that you can play the first known video game by and about gay people on your computer right now for free and it has that classic adventure game bullshit sometimes but it’s extremely playable and also funny as shit. Like it’s not just cool history it’s actually fun (sorry Gayblade). You play as a lesbian private detective named Tracker McDyke looking for your missing drag queen friend and you can get most of the doors in the game open by shooting them. People have made full walkthroughs for this game and how to get it working if you have trouble so there’s no excuse. Play Caper in the Castro.

Under a Star Called Sun (Itch.io) (Liminal Magazine)

A browser game made in Bitsy that’s extremely simple and only a few minutes long, but that’s all it needs to create a succinct, gut-wrenching depiction of grief. 

Hotel Infinity (Itch.io)

If you need more short Bitsy games you can play in your browser that are about death, you’re out of luck after this because I’ve only got the two. Hotel Infinity is more lighthearted, tasking you with checking in on your ghostly hotel guests, and helping one check out. It’s simple, but sweet and affecting. 

Water Womb World (Itch.io)

Back to marine life-themed horror. Water Womb World is about a man’s obsessive search for the Garden of Eden leading him to the bottom of the ocean. There’s a few brief moments of annoyance in the gameplay, but the atmosphere and visuals are fantastic. Fantastic enough I bought the shirt, because I like cool shirts. It's available for Mac and Windows, and takes about 15 minutes. 

Hyperhell (Itch.io) (Steam)

A rogue-like bullet hell with a hyperpop soundtrack. It’s a mess, but in a good way. A run can (allegedly, I am not very good at bullet hells and I wasn’t able to get all the way to the end) be under ten minutes, but the game is very replayable with its different characters, weapons, bosses, and DDR and fishing minigames. You might have heard of this one already because maia has a cameo in it, but it really is a fun, if slightly painful for your eyes, time. It’s available on Windows.

Magicafe HD (Itch.io)

Under a technicality, I haven’t played this one yet, but that’s because I played the original text-based version of this game and I didn’t know the dev had converted it to a full visual novel until right now when I went to recommend the original. I’m certain this version is even better! It’s a cute, simple visual novel about a girl trying to get to her job at a magical girl themed cafe, while dealing with the struggles of secretly also being an actual magical girl. Available on Windows, and lasts about half an hour. The original is available on browser here if you’re interested. 

Dedz0ne (Itch.io)

Ok, wrapping up on a weird one since this isn’t really a universal recommendation. Dedz0ne is a Yume Nikki/Splatoon fangame inspired by Dedf1sh’s backstory and the atmosphere of Octo Expansion in general. It came out before Side Order so it’s not accurate to it, but it’s a really neat game with great visuals and atmosphere. It’s available on Windows

And that’s it for now. There will probably be a sequel someday because I am unable to stop digging through free games. Or maybe a collection of not free but extremely cheap games (like under five bucks) I like. Who knows! I hope you found something that catches your eye here!

[thefandomsfervent]

Viktor x Reader Personal Pigments (Part 13)- Pyrrol Red

This is a jayvik x reader fic now but it'll still be labeled as a Vik Fic until it's fully implemented. Ft. a teasing Jayce. Can't have a slowburn without fuel. Find my imagine that inspired it here. Previous and next chapter will be linked at the bottom. Thank you for reading <3

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They had both missed you. Both admitted to it, teased the other about it. The information was interesting. It sparked familiar feelings. Doubt. Confusion. And less familiar ones too. Fuzzy warmth. Safety. When was the last time someone had done that? Missed you?

You were thinking about a lot of things as you worked today. During that talk with Mel you had only just started the underpainting, and still now you were barely halfway done with it. Well, you were before you had started it over for the third time. Despite all your studyings, having filled pages and pages of the two of them, you hadn’t really done enough studies of the lab. You knew how you wanted them pictured. Ideas for it anyway. You knew what personal elements to include that would represent each of them. You knew that Jayce stood with his weight on the balls of his feet, for his ever straight posture. And that Viktor stood forward on his toes. Leaning to the left off his right leg on good days, bracing himself against his cane on bad days.

Yet the background irked you. It could be the lab, but where? Against the window, illuminated by the golden sun to accentuate the yellow in Viktor’s eyes and the tan of Jayce’s skin? Or by moonlight, to make Jayce’s hair melt into the background and illuminated by the soft blue glow of Hextech. It would make Viktor’s pale complexion look ethereal if you did it right. Both were good ideas, ones you had already sketched. Ones that didn’t sit quite right with you. It could be outside the lab too, but that felt wrong. For one, you hadn’t seen either of them outside of the lab other than passing in hallways or that one day where they had visited the studio.

Your thoughts wander at the half thought. To soothing circles rubbed into your shoulder. To smooth dry hands holding yours. The two of them had been kind to you, gentle with you. Allowed you into their space, their life, their… friendship? Partnership? Their not, not togetherness. You didn’t consider yourself a part of that. You were a viewer. Since that conversation they whispered their rare flirtations less. Instead, letting the words be loud enough that you could hear. The actions had been loud enough for you to notice in the first place. It was a soft comfort in your chest at the feeling. They cared enough, trusted enough, to include you in that. You cast them a sidelong glance.

They were going over something together. Jayce had his arm braced against the back of Viktor’s chair, leaning over him in a closeness that could be read as necessary. It wasn’t. You all knew that. A knowing made clearer by Viktor’s hand unconsciously toying with Jayce’s fingers dangling off the corner. The sun had shifted onto their backs, the yellowing light catching on both of their heads. It was almost domestic, the relaxed nature of both their bodies, words carrying over to you that you didn’t quite understand. You didn’t need to. If you asked, they would explain it to you in a heartbeat.

After your conversation with Viktor things had gone back to normal. The three of you working in the lab in tandem. If Viktor had told Jayce what happened, the latter hadn’t acted like it. His smile just as bright, his energy just as high when things went well, his comfort the same when things went wrong. Viktor, however, had changed slightly. You had caught him on a few occasions looking at you. More than just the curious glances he offered your first week there. You weren’t sure what was behind those golden eyes, and each time you had met his gaze he didn’t let anything slip. The occasional smile, but sometimes not even that. Unreadable.

It bothered you, not enough to stop looking, but it bothered you. It did not upset you. You liked it. It was confusing. It was confusing because you liked it. You were staring at their hands now, the way their fingers interlocked and let go. Pearls and gold. Someone coughs and it pulls your attention up. Whenever Jayce caught you looking at Viktor, or the two of them, he seemed as if he liked it too. Like now. His eyes glittering with a knowing mischief. The problem was you did not know what it seemed like he knew. You wave your brush in the air. As if to say “Just looking for art purposes, apologies.” It’s when he cocks a brow and stands, whispering “One sec Vik.” that you try not to panic. Viktor just squeezes his hand, waving him off with the other. You didn’t have hands on the canvas. You barely had anything past illegible wiped out lines that would only make sense to you.

When he gets over to your station he leans forward against the table. Large hands splayed on the colorful surface. "How's it coming Y/N?" His hazel eyes are on your lap, where you're fidgeting with your brush. It was clean, dry. No paint on it. No new paint on your canvas either. You decide to be honest to avoid whatever this interaction was about to be.

"Not well." He blinks at that. Brief concern before a different glint takes his eye.

"Having trouble focusing?" It's innocent. Playful. And it means nothing, you're sure of it. You try to ignore the blood rushing towards your cheeks. Your sketchbook was open on the table next to you. The pages were covered in notes and swathes of color. The flowers from your day outside sketched in the corners. Little doodles of gears in the margins. You grab it, thumbing through to a spread that had thumbnails of them in different poses.

"I'm not sure how I want you both."  Jayce has picked up on something, eyes widening. You aren't sure what so you keep speaking "To be posed. Or where to put you in space. The lab seems most appropriate but?" You tap at the pages of your sketchbook again. "Some mockups."

"Gods did she not hear how that sounded?" Jayce likes to think that you do but he's seen how clueless both you and Viktor have been about your chemistry and it makes him want to laugh every time. And he would if it would get the three of you anywhere. He knows very well that Viktor could handle teasing, and could dish it out himself. You? He didn't know you as well just yet. Hadn't fully stepped into that territory. At least the blush was cute. He takes the book off the table. It was heavier than he thought. 

The pages you pointed to had several small figure sketches of what he assumed were them in various places and poses. Each aspect in a different color. Some yellow, some blue. Some with spots that were erased over and over again, the paper pilling and buckling. He thinks back to that note you had left on the door. The words you had scribbled over. Did you even realize what Viktor had called you that night in your studio? Did Viktor? His thumb brushes over a more detailed drawing. He can see the lines of his fingerprint left on the paper, graphite dust darkening the page just a hair. It was of him and Viktor, the gear set between them. A cup of tea? Some flowers he couldn’t identify by the scale of the drawing but you had drawn out words and arrows explaining their meaning, color choices you wanted to do. Day and night in the same drawing, lighting them differently. You had redrawn this one the most, several smaller iterations of it spread across the bottom with different blurbs of color and text. 

“Jayce? Any opinions?” He looks down at you past the book. Your leg was bouncing impatiently. Nervously.

“Still looking. You have a lot of stuff here.” He goes to turn the pages at that, to see what else is weighing the pages down. But you stop him, shooting up from your seat. 

“No turning!” He’s shocked at your outburst initially. And then some teasing feeling pulls at the back of his neck, he wants to play. Like a dog being told to come back inside after running around and evading capture. 

“And why not? What other ideas do you have hidden in here?” You’re not taking the bait just yet. Still stood at your chair, eyes wide. Flustered.

“Some things are meant to be private.” You put a hand out, fingers reaching towards him. He almost lets you grab it. Almost. Jayce pulls it back. He’s inclining his head towards you now. A grin plastered across his face. He wouldn’t actually sift through it if you didn’t want him to. And he can tell that you know that when you see his smile. Your shoulders relax when you start walking out from behind your table. 

“Something juicy in here then. Viktor, do you want to see?”  

“Nothing juicy, just private!” You laugh this time when you swipe for it and he moves it out of reach again. 

“Did you know that Jayce signs all of his notes? Every single page.” Viktor is watching the two of you jump around like children with a content look on his face. He’d been looking since Jayce had asked if you were distracted. Seen you blush. Seen you offer him your sketchbook. 

“Viktor!” Jayce looks at him, embarrassment making him freeze. That’s when you can snatch your prize away from him. “Hey! You two are no fun.” He gives a soft-chuckle before saying, “I guess I lost this time.” 

“I am fun. And we are supposed to be working.” Viktor is giving him a pointed look while holding his own book of ramblings up. “Play another time.” Movement catches his eye, it’s you walking towards him.

“Thank you. Maybe you can help me pick a layout since someone can’t keep their hands to themselves.” Jayce laughs again, quick and joking apologies as he trails behind you. You show Viktor the spread that Jayce had been looking at. He gives it a onceover. He doesn’t know a lot about art and does not pretend to. He appreciates this glimpse into your process however. Something does catch his eye, a dark thumbprint pulled from a drawing. Larger than yours. Jayce’s. 

“Eh. You will figure it out. Maybe it is there already. Maybe it is not. But I do like this one.” He taps his own pencil to the drawing.

“Hmm.” You’re pouting. Like you did not know if you liked his answer or not. His eyes are drawn to how full they looked when you purse them that way. Then to Jayce, who is watching him watch you. 

“Anything else in there you want to share? We’d be better help if we saw more options.” Jayce’s hands slowly sneaking over your shoulder.

“Nice try.” You’re heading back to your seat. Jayce takes his usual post behind Viktor, quiet laughter still shaking his shoulders. 

“You are incorrigible. Let us all work in peace, please.” You don’t answer him verbally, but he hears you flip through your sketchbook and start scribbling. Jayce, however, leans down to his ear. Breath tickling the shell when he whispers something you can’t hear. Words warmed by that last of his laughter.

“Not sure how she wants us both?” It gets him a slap on his shoulder before Viktor taps the book on the table. 

“Work in peace Jayce.” The words leave him in a hissed whisper of their own.

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-------------.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙-Part 12-.-Part 14.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .---------------

------------‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ♡ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙· Master Fic List *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ♡ ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊--------------

[cryptidghostgirl]

Lets say that Alastor and cat-demon! Reader are friends, both of them are staying at the hotel. Alastor gives them catnip just to mess with them.

A/N I love this mischief. Also, I am 100% basing the character off of Catra from Nate Stevenson's She-Ra remake.

Prepare for Battle (Platonic!Alastor x Platonic!Cat Demon!Reader)

Pairing: Platonic Alastor x Platonic Reader

Warnings: None but please correct me if I am wrong.

Word Count: 1,276 (Sorry it is on the shorter side, most of my fics recently have been super super long and I needed to do something different.)

Master Lists:

Master Lists 

Hazbin Hotel Master List

Y/n had showed up around the same time as Alastor did to the hotel. She was a cat demon, like Husk, only much more humanoid. The only real traits she had to show for it were the claws, tail, ears, and, of course, the wild mess of her hair.

Much to everyone's surprise, Alastor had greeted her upon her arrival with a genuine smile, even a hug. A warm welcome by anyone's standards, not just the frigid Radio Demon's. According to Husk, the two had been friends for longer than he'd known either party, possibly even when they were alive although neither spoke much of their pasts. She was never involved in his work as an overlord, but she was always there, according to him. Y/n lurked, waiting, watching for the opportune moment. A mischief maker were the exact words Husk had used.

Y/n and Alastor balanced one another out. Where she was practically feral, he was calm and composed. When he lost his cool, she kept an even temper. When the pranks had started, they had taken everyone by surprise, even with Husk's vague warning. She had just seemed so together in an odd way, so imposing. Not in the way Alastor was but she still held her own. No one expected this sort of juvenile behavior from either of them but once it started, there was no stopping it.

The first one had occurred just a few days after the cat demon's arrival. It had been small, nothing too crazy. Alastor's microphone had simply been replaced with a bright red and white striped candy cane when he had left it leaning against the fireplace to go handle something for Charlie. It wasn't often he left the device unguarded but, he was only a few steps away from it and had figured there was no reason to worry when all the hotel's inhabitants were people trying to be redeemed.

Y/n had watched giddily from the couch, her legs crossed and sporting a failed attempt at a poker face, as Alastor had picked it up again. It had taken him a second to realize the switch had occurred and when he did, his eyes went wide. Y/n had burst out into laughter.

"Here we go again." Husk had sighed, shaking his head slightly.

Thats when the inhabitants of the Hazbin Hotel learned two things. One was that Y/n was not in fact a guest in the sense that she was trying to check out of Hell and into Heaven but rather a guest in that she was there to visit Alastor. The second was that the two had been engaged in a war of practical jokes for the past several decades at least.

From that point forward, the game was on. Each prank became more and more destructive, more and more insane. They took turns with it too, a highly civilized format for an extraordinarily childish pursuit.

Y/n brought out a different side of Alastor, one they had never seen before. It was a youthful side, a side of non-threatening laughter and genuine smiles. While unnerving in some ways, it made them all a bit more at ease with the notorious Radio Demon, to know he had friends and a bit of a soft side beneath his persona.

After the microphone switch, Alastor had tricked Y/n into sitting on a stool beneath a bucket of water. When he had dumped it on her, he had not only made a mess for Nifty to clean up but caused the cat demon to shoot up into the air, hissing loudly. Y/n had gotten him back by changing the locks on the door to his recording studio and used some of her own special brand of magic to block him from teleporting within. The result of this was a very irritated Alastor who broke a fresh hole through the wall. Y/n had been forced by Charlie and Vaggie to be the one to fix it, it was her fault after all, but she insisted it was worth it.

Next had been the vacuum cleaner. The fucking vacuum cleaner. Charlie had had to repaper a whole wall to get the claw-marks to go away after Alastor had used the machine to chase Y/n up it. For her revenge, Y/n had been crafty. She had rounded up a group of several demons she knew had it out for her dear friend and set them on the hotel.

Vaggie had tried her best to kick the cat demoness out after that one but, Alastor had, surprisingly, stepped in. He had fixed the wall with a snap of his fingers and they had both promised to tone down their competition, but never to stop it entirely.

It was Alastor's turn now and as he approached Y/n with a cup of tea, everyone knew something was bound to happen. It was out of character for the man after all, the random act of kindness. She was cuddled up in a sunspot on the couch, reading. So engrossed in her book, she barley looked up at him as she took the cup from his hand with a muttered word of thanks.

Alastor had retreated to the bar beside Angel and Husk with a satisfied expression on his face.

"What did you do now?" Angel asked as he watched Y/n take a sip from the cup.

"Just you wait." Alastor hummed in response.

Five minutes was all it took for the cup to be empty and suddenly, Y/n was on the floor. She reveled in the sunlight, her book now forgotten on the couch as she rolled around.

"What the fuck?" Angel laughed, turning to Alastor, "What the fuck did you give her?"

"Cat nip?" Husk asked, his eyebrows raised, "Really? I mean, that's low. Even for you."

Alastor shrugged.

"Charlie and Vaggie made us promise to tone it down."

Angel shifted his gaze back to Y/n who was wide eyed, staring up at the ceiling intently. The sun reflecting off Angel's glass as he raised it to his lips shot across the ceiling over her head and she immediately rolled over onto all fours, her tail flicking back and forth.

"She's certainly 'toned down.'" Angel noted, laughing once again at Y/n's antics as she tried to grasp the spot of light.

"She's gonna kill you." Husk scoffed, shaking his head slightly.

Angel moved his glass again and Y/n shot forward, clasping her hands around the spot of light once more. It was ten more minutes of the guys laughing and Angel fucking with Y/n using the glass to reflect light before she finally came back her senses.

She sat up from where she had lain on the floor moment's ago, a hand to her head.

"Jesus." she grumbled, "Why... how'd I get down here?"

"Three." Husk said, crossing his arms.

Y/n took her hand from her forehead, looking around the floor of the lobby curiously. Her gaze shifted to the sofa. Her book, the empty cup.

"Two."

Y/n turned to face Alastor, her eyes narrowed.

"One."

"You fucking drugged me you dickwad!" Y/n exclaimed as she pulled herself to her feet, "Catnip? Really? That's low even for you."

"Your turn." Alastor hummed placidly in return, seemingly undisturbed by her anger at the situation.

"I..." Y/n trailed off.

With another look thrown over her shoulder at the empty mug, she marched up to him. Determination glinted in her eyes, Y/n smiled, her teeth bared.

"You are so fucking in for it now."

[harleehazbinfics]

Home is where my Heart is.

Chapter 7: Stayed Gone Table of Contents | Profile

Word Count: 1014 A/N: yeah we're going to the singing bits yaaaay. just imagine her voice trying to meld into his and creating this like light airy but enchanting sound on top of his deep and dark tone. cuz yes we love blending and harmonizing in this family. also also alastor will be in bold and miledy in italics and both will be like this for the song. enjoyyyyy (thank you sm transcribers of the wiki id actually die if encoded all of that gshdajsdg)

“This is such a nice day,” I hummed enjoying my tea while Alastor sat opposite of me reading the paper with his coffee and enjoyed the mundane moment together.

Until it wasn’t, as a rocket launches below us. “Come show yourself, Alastor! Come face—oh, there you are. Face my wrath!”

“Who are you?” he jeers enjoying getting on his nerves while I smiled at the two. Al clearly doesn’t dislike him but instead enjoys toying with him, he doesn’t completely shut him down unlike an unpleasant certain someone. I actually find Sir Pentious quite cute how he tries to size Alastor up despite failing several times but he’s got guts I give him that.

“Who am I? Who am I? I am the great Sir Pentious! Inventor! Architect of Destruction! Villain extraodinare!” He announces while the both of us slide within Al’s shadow and appear in front of Charlie and the others.

“Ooh! He’s a bad boy!” Nifty calls as she appears on top of Al’s shoulder.

He takes Nifty and places her in my arms and replies, “Ha, well if all that's true, you'd think I'd have heard of you.”

“I attacked you literally last week,” Sir Pentious replies, only for Alastor to cock his head, “We've done battle, like... 20 times.”

 “Well, you must have been really bad at this,” he teases putting his cane down.

“Silence! Now cower! For when I've ssslain you, the almighty Vees will finally acknowledge me as their equal.”

“Ooh! Wait, who are the Vees?” Nifty asks while in my arms.

“Oh, nobody important,” both Al and I respond giving each other a knowing look.

While Al kept beating up the poor lad, I turn my eyes on the drone in the sky noticing the familiar logo on it. A devious smile creeps on my face as I place Nifty on the ground and shot it down with a lance made of water. It falls with a crash conveniently landing on my feet. I crushed it under my heel before turning back to the group.

“Thanks for another forgettable experience,” Al says pleased with himself while he leans on his cane looking down at Sir Pentious.

“Thank you...” he pauses before tearing off a piece of his tailcoat, “for letting your guard down!

“Oh, deer,” I mutter, wide eyed as I watched Al transform into his demon form and makes an explosion that causes the snake to fly off to the distance.

“Well, it looks as though I need a visit to the tailor! Best of luck, chums,” he announces, taking me with him.

“Wait, you're LEAVING?! Alastor! We need your help! We need you to do your job,” Vaggie yells gesturing to the hotel.

“We need a wall,” Angel deadpans pointing at the broken wall.

“Of course! Can't let my new project fall into disrepair already. What would the papers say?!” he exclaims.

With a snap of his fingers his shadows appear with building equipment. He turns away from the group and takes us to the pentagram. We enjoy a little stroll before getting inside the boutique, he got his suit redone while I looked at the new dress they had on display. I bought a couple dresses that caught my eye and exited the building together, only to be greeted by Vox’s unpleasant face singing on the television. We shared a look and went back to Al’s studio with a smile.

“Salutations! Good to be back on the air,” We greeted in sync blending our voices ever so often creating a seductive distortion.

“Yes, I know it's been a while since someone with style treated Hell to a broadcast.” Al starts off while I finish, “Sinners rejoice!”

“What a dated voice!” Vox yells.

I drape my arms around Al’s neck as he sat back on his seat in an easy going way while keeping the microphone to his face and replies, “Instead of a clout chasing mediocre video podcast.”

“Is Vox insecure, pursuing allure? Flitting between this fad and that. Is nothing working? Ha ha!” we tease him enjoying the annoyance in his voice.

“IGNORE THEIR CHIRPING!”

“Every day he's got a new format!”

“YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE FUTURE! He's the shit that comes before that!”

“Is Vox as strong as he purports? Or is it based on his support? He'd be powerless without the other Vees!”

“Oh, PLEASE.”

“And here's the sugar on the cream. He asked ME to join this team!”

“Hold on!”

“I said no, and now he's pissy! That's the tea.”

“You old timey PRICK! I'll show you suffering!”

“Uh oh, the TV is buffering!”

“I'LL DESTROY YOOOOU YOU LITTLE—"

His little temper tantrum leads him to short circuit causing the electricity in the entire pentagram to disappear.

“I'm afraid you've lost your signal.”

“Let's begin.” He sings menacingly slowly transforming to his demon form. “Let's begin.” I sang hauntingly on top of his voice, my eyes turn black leaving my glowing blue irises hypnotically.

“I'm gonna make you wish that I stayed gone!” “Tune on in.”

"When I'm done, your status quo will know its race is run!

Oh, this will be fun!"

I laughed in delight, celebrating our wonderful comeback to our radio show. Al gives me smile and stands there quietly enjoying my reaction.

“That was wonderful! We haven’t done that in so long!” I gushed holding onto his hands. “I thought I’d have to wait 200 hundred years to sing with you again.”

He laughs petting my head, “No need for drastic measures, my dear. I’m here to stay.”

I beamed a smile and gave him a brief hug. “I’m guessing you’ll be greeting our new guest,” I asked while fixing his bow.

“But of course! I need to welcome their little toy they reeled in for us,” he smirks, “Have a good rest. I’ll see you later.”

I wave him off before I went back to our room, relaxing in our bed drifting to sleep.

‘Mom! Dad! I found some flowers over here!’

Tears fall down my face as I recall much happier times.

[hyperref-lex-ia]

lots of common reactions i get as a mute person

all the following are peoples reaction when they assume i am deaf, the most common assumption

- flustered and lifts hands to try and sign and then lowers them when they realize they dont know ASL

- flustered and starts to sputter and talk before settling on mouthing things at me

- mouths “can you lip read”

- talks really loud at me (which wouldnt do much if i was deaf so idk)

- goes to find something to write on

- sometimes if i type on my phone in my notes when i need to say something other than yes or no people will go to literally take my phone from me to type back instead of literally anything else

- signs some of the more common sign, i get thank you a lot (especially in customer service situations, which is where most of these happen)

- if it is someone on the street saying something and they assume im deaf when i sign at them they usually just disregard me which is actually really nice

these next ones are when people dont assume im deaf, which is rarer

- talks to me normal

- talks to me like im dumb

heres a few nice incidents

- guy asked me if i was mute in spanish and i nodded and he asked if i knew spanish and i was like not really lol (live in a heavily hispanic area so i picked up on enough to understand) and he switches to english and shares about a talk he had gone to recently about mutism

- girl working at sonic assumed i was deaf and ran inside just to grab her phone to help me which i thought was really sweet so i just didnt correct her

- just today i was using the self checkout at a gas station and the guy behind the register sees me getting frustrated with the card reader and slides over a piece of receipt paper that says “tap works better” and i am like “i dont have tap” and i decide to just cancel the self checkout and move to him cause hes got good vibes and he holds the bag up and raises an eyebrow allowing me to have a choice in it which i dont often get. when i am leaving he signs “have a good day” super slow and obviously practiced a lot, and the fact that he obviously learned that just in case this happened made me really happy

- every time someone has happened to know ASL in public, its always surprising how many hearing/verbal people know ASL, almost always because they are CODA

- the enthusiastic gay man at my eye doctor who got so excited when he saw i signed even though he doesnt know it, because he thought it was so cool

- every person who goes “oh you speak ASL” and then immediately thinks about thay sentence and kind of 404 errors out as they realize you cant speak ASL

- the tiny middle aged mexican woman who has worked the store at my school the entire time ive been going there who knows me because i always go there for caffeine and snacks, and manages to always communicate with me despite a couple language barriers and will often berate me if i dont get water with my caffeine or if i dont get food, and who also wishes me happy holiday for every holiday that comes around, and was also very visibly worried when i had to rely on a cane for a few months

- my painting professor who always takes so much pressure off because hes so blunt, when i came in with a cane everyone danced around asking about it and he walks in and goes “what the hell happened to you??”, the most recent thing that made me laugh is we were talking and i was using TTS and as we are walking into the studios he goes “im gonna go talk with Ronnie, give your thumbs a break” and then we both started laughing

the worst interaction ive had

- had one of my professors numbers which happens sometimes because it makes life easier and she texted me out of the blue saying she “had a dream she was at my wedding and i spoke my vows” with heart emojis and i did not know this woman at all and i was like…what the fuck…not only is that unprofessional but also ableist

lastly shout out to my friends who translate for me purely off lip reading who dont know ASL

[thegreatwizardelwin]

The Sea Hare: Entr'acte

A Freminet x Gn! Reader

To chase your academic passion or to be there for the ones you love most; that is the challenge you have faced. Now, it is time to tell him.

“Freminet? Where are you headed?” Lyney stood in front of the door with his arms crossed.

The freckled boy stopped in his tracks.

“I’m going to go to the library to return these books.” he attempted to avoid Lyney’s scrutiny. 

Lyney narrowed his eyes and snatched up Freminet’s bag.

“Hey, give it back!” he protested, clambering.

“No! You’re always leaving the same time every day! As your brother, I want to know what you’re up to!”

“I’m going to…” he began, but trailed off. 

“You’re going to what?”

“Going to see Y/N.”

Lyney’s face slowly morphed into a smirk. He crossed his arms, tapping a finger on one of them.

“Oh? But aren’t they busy writing lines at this time of day?” he questioned with a knowing tone.

“They are… they like it when I read the scripts. I mean- they like having someone look over them. I’m not… reading them aloud or anything.”

“Freminet, getting all flustered about such a simple, unproblematic situation gives away a lot more than you think.” Lyney passed him his bag and stepped aside.

“You don’t mind?”

“Why would I? It’s good that you’ve found someone you want to be close with.” he grinned. “You two always got along really well, I should’ve seen this coming.”

Freminet fiddled with his bag.

“Yeah. You won’t tell Father, right? I’m not ready to tell her about it.”

Lyney nodded with sincerity. 

“I won’t say a word about your little ‘it’.”

Freminet sighed.

“Thanks. Can I go now?”

“Go have fun!” Lyney said, winking at him.

“Ew, don’t wink. We’re just going to hang out.” Freminet grumbled, walking out the door without another word.

He walked down the streets of the city with an eagerness that was rarely displayed for any other person he knew. 

I wonder if they finished Act II of the script yet. He pondered, his boots clanking on the cobblestone. 

As he passed the buildings and storefronts, he continued to ponder. His legs stopped him below the studio, for they knew better than his conscious mind where it was located. 

There was chattering from above. He looked up to see you sitting on a wide second floor windowsill with your back to the street, talking animatedly to someone inside your studio. Or, knowing you, you could have just been acting things out as usual. He smiled and shook his head, knowing he would find out soon enough as he entered the building.

The woman managing the front desk of the building glanced his way.

“Here to see Y/N again, Freminet?” she asked. Normally, she would stand and come escort him. Today she remained seated.

“Yes Ma'am.” he replied in his usual quiet tone.

“You know the way then. Floor B, room 3.”

“Thank you.”

He made his way up the stairs and down the hall. He could hear very faint voices and even melodies coming from some of the other studios, but all of the rooms were very soundproofed. 

He stopped at your door and knocked.

“Enter!” he could hear, knowing very well that you had to shout it so that it came across.

He opened the door and found you still against the window, an elderly man sitting in the chair at your desk, papers in his hands. 

You seemed a little disgruntled, but a fond smile quickly formed.

“Mimi! Hi~”

He placed his hand on the back of his neck.

“Hi. I’m interrupting something, aren’t I?” he speculated sheepishly.

“Oh, we were just discussing character arcs.” you said, waving a hand dismissively. “This is the lyricist I’m working with, Thom Bauer.”

The elderly man raised a hand in greeting, his mouth partially obscured by a whiskery grey moustache.

“Nice to meet you.” Freminet addressed him.

Thom stood, shakily, taking his cane.

“I’ve been talking your ear off long enough, Y/N.” he remarked. “I think I shall head back to my side and let you engage your new guest.”

“Oh, yes, alright. We can talk more tomorrow when you are up for it!”

“Yes. There is still much to do before you leave, and only so much can be done at once. Have a good night.” 

“Yes, good night.” you swallowed, looking to Freminet in the hopes that he didn’t catch the part about you leaving.

He did.

“What does he mean ‘before you leave’?” 

You stood from the window sill and stepped forward into his direct line of sight.

“It’s a lot to explain. And I will explain myself.” you crossed your arms with a little bit of self consciousness. “It’s a really big decision I had to make.”

Freminet frowned in a serious manner. You looked up at him for a moment, but were quickly reminded of the possible negative ways he might take this.

“I… I have been offered an academic trip to Mondstadt from the music college.” you announced.

His face brightened with intrigue.

“That’s wonderful! What determined it?”

“My performance at school and my involvement with the theatre. But-”

“So, what, is it so you can learn more about the music of another culture?”

“Yes, exactly. But, I will be gone for six months.”

Freminet grew solemn. He stared at you, taken aback and at a loss for any words. You pursed your lips, clasping your hands behind your back expectantly.

“Six months…” he uttered at last, “wow. Such a big trip and… we just started…”

“I know.” your voice was barely above a whisper. “I’ll write a lot. I’ll send pictures too, and- and I can send parcels! We can still keep in touch, for sure.”

“But we can’t touch. Or have conversations. Or spend time together.” Freminet hung his head.

You sighed, closing in on him and taking his hands.

“This won’t be the easiest thing we ever do. I really want to go see Mondstadt. I wish you could come too, but you have so much here in Fontaine, I know you couldn’t stay the whole time. So let’s just make the next week perfect, ok?”

“One week?” he exclaimed, panic rising in his throat. “That’s it?”

“Please, Fremi,” you squeezed his hands, “let me have this. It’ll be difficult for you, but we won’t always be together like we have been the last two years. I will be in constant contact with you through mail, and I’m sure they will allow me to take some visits!”

He raised his arm and put one hand on your cheek while the other ran through your hair. The gesture caught you supremely off-guard and you leaned into the touch.

“I still need you.” Freminet said, his blue eyes filled to the brim with longing, as if you had already left.

You placed your hands on his shoulders and rubbed them.

“I am well aware. I’m going to help you as much as I can; give you as much of my time in the coming week as I can.” 

He broke away from you, nodding, hiding his face.

You led him to your desk. 

“You wanna hear some good news?” you attempted.

“Sure.” he turned his focus to the desk.

You held up a stack of papers.

“I finished my first draft this morning.” you stated proudly, though it had to be mustered to suppress the anxiety that lingered.

He took them.

“This morning? How did you have time this morning to write before school?” 

“...Insomnia and ice cold water.”

“Bad Y/N.” he glared at you. “You keep yourself up writing.”

“I hear it enough from myself.” you sighed, fiddling with a pen as you sat in your seat watching his eyes dart over the words you had so passionately written.

He grazed over the lines for quite some time before he flipped to the very end.

“I-” he began, arranging his next words as he realigned the papers into a neat stack, “I think the end is so fitting! After the tragedies at the climax, it’s like a ray of sunlight through the cracks of a sunken ship.”

You grinned and hopped up, burying your face in his shoulder as you wrapped your arms around his waist from behind.

“Yay!” you blurted out, taking his approval to heart.

You heard the sound of paper rustling to the floor. You lifted your head and peered over him to see Freminet’s arms completely paralysed, the papers having slipped from them. His lips were parted, as nonplussed as the blush which had not yet set in. He looked as if he could shrink away. His abdomen was tensed, unsure about what to do in someone’s clasp.

“Sorry.” you said meekly, releasing him and crouching down to collect the papers which had not been stapled nor pinned. 

He closed his mouth firmly, breathing again and shuffling his feet.

“D-don’t apologise. I’ll get used to these things over time.”

“I shouldn’t surprise you so, nevertheless.” you perked back up setting the scripts off to the side. “You’re as flighty as a sea hare.”

“I am not that easily surprised.” he mumbled.

“Oh, yes~” you sat on the desk and crossed your ankles. “I keep forgetting you’re a strong, fearless claymore boy.”

He shot you a dry look before looking at the floor. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“Aww, he likes being complemented.” you hummed, leaning on one arm.

“Stooooop!” he turned away, crossing his arms indignantly.

“No, let me coddle you!” you leapt off the desk and captured him in an embrace. He straightened up, returning your affection. 

“This whole ‘boyfriend’ thing is… different. I feel like I’m diving in blind with zero experience whatsoever.” he admitted.

You placed your hands on both of his cheeks. 

His stomach fluttered and he looked at you like a timid kitten. His round, freckled cheeks warmed under your palms, squishing under your thumbs as you gave him a little caress.

“It’s a good thing you have a date who doesn’t mind your inexperience.” you commented.

He looked as if he might bolt at any second.

“O-... kay.” he whispered, his breath caught in his lungs.

You chuckled and moved your arms around his shoulders instead, resting your head against him.

“Cute.”

“Mmm…” 

“‘Wanna spend the night?”

“...Dinner first.”

+

You unlocked the door to your room.

“It’s a pleasure to have you over, Freminet. If you two need anything, you just come to me.” Ms. Maddie said as you let him in the room. You closed the door and whispered hastily to her:

“Thank you so much for letting him stay, Ms. Maddie!”

“Don’t make it a regular thing or I’ll have to charge him too.” she whispered back before she returned to ironing sheets in the kitchen for a new guest.

Freminet set his bag on the ottoman at the footboard of your bed as you entered the room.

“So, what’s your plan for the evening?” he asked, picking at his fingernails with uncertainty. He didn’t want to touch or look at anything in your room. He just didn’t want to be intrusive.

You were hanging up your outer layers on a hook beside your closet.

“Well, I’d like to shower and wash my face before we settle down.”

“Yeah, me too, I guess.”

You stopped by the bathroom entrance, noticing how he stood waiting for some kind of permission. 

“So. I’m guessing you want to take them individually?” you approached him, taking him by the forearm and sitting him down beside you on the ottoman. 

“Oh! Oh- yeah, individually.” he stammered, situating himself awkwardly.

You crossed the room, opened a closet drawer, and gathered some sleeping clothes in your arms.

“I will be back in about fifteen minutes. Um… you can… find something to do or just relax or… I don’t know!” you chuckled and then went inside the bathroom.

As soon as you were gone, he covered his face and made a small flummoxed sound.

Mother of pearl, I can’t believe I’m doing this!

Freminet stood and paced.

Sleeping with someone else? Alone? Will we get all cuddly? Will we…

He stared at your bed, knowing very well you would have to sleep in close proximity to fit comfortably. 

I’m freaking out.

He wandered to the window and looked out at the street below, lit richly by the mellow glow of other apartments.

He took the curtains in his fingers and contemplated, then drew them shut for privacy. The room instantly was darker; more conducive to quieting down and resting before one slept. 

He idled by the curtains, taking in your room in full, growing more at ease as he familiarised himself.

+

You dried your hair vigorously as the water ran in the other room for Freminet. The strands still clung together no matter how hard you assaulted them with the towel. 

You sighed in frustration, tossing it aside and giving your hair a shake.

You glanced about your room, looking at keepsakes of yours.

What could you give to him to remember you by?

One of your photos, for sure. And, maybe one of your accessories. 

Hmm.

You opened a small jewellery box beside your lamp. Shifting around the articles of fashion, you retrieved a ring with tiny crystals embedded in four points and engraved designs that connected them. 

It was a family ring, passed down from your grandmother. She always thought her rings looked good on your fingers, so she had given them to you whether you asked or not.

What better than to pass it on to the one you loved in your time of absence?

When Freminet emerged from the bathroom, looking like an otter after a swim, you hid it in the pocket of your sleeping pants.

You locked eyes for a moment before he quickly made his way to his bag and stuffed the day clothes into it. He then turned back to you with an uncertain, shy posture. 

“Um. Do you want to get comfy?” you suggested, gesturing to the bed.

“Yeah.” he replied, apprehensively walking around to the side he assumed he’d be sleeping on.

You had a running start, launching yourself into the pillows.

He stepped back, startled, before he laughed.

“You don’t seem tired at all!” he remarked, climbing up and under the sheets. 

“I am not tired! No, this is far too exciting!” you ripped the covers out from underneath yourself and joined him.

He closed his eyes and smiled contentedly as he pulled the blanket up to his chin and rested his head on one of your pillows.

“Do you want to get closer?” you asked softly.

He opened his eyes and swiftly, bashfully averted them to the stitching of the blanket’s edge.

“I mean… if you want to.”

“We can take this slower, you know.”

“No, I-” he broke off, shifting over without another word into the reach of your arms.

You brought your arm over him, your hand resting on his back. Your bodies immediately exchanged heat, making you yawn from the sudden sense of safety. Freminet’s hands were situated between you both, curled against your chest.

“Can you sleep like this?” 

“Mhm.” he replied, unable to hide his flustered face any longer.

“You are so silly~”

He closed his eyes again and scooted so he could nudge his head under your chin. His soft, wonderfully fragrant hair tickled your neck. He was far too overwhelmed by your presence to say another word.

You took the ring from your pocket and took his hand, trying each finger until it slipped down onto his right index. 

He sat up slowly.

“Y/N, what are you doing?” he exclaimed, staring at the gold band. “A-A ring!” 

You sat up too.

“I want you to have it so that you can keep a piece of me with you.” you responded quickly. 

He looked at you with wide eyes.

“It’s beautiful, but what if I lose it or I mess it up? I’ll feel guilty forever.”

“I can give you a chain to keep it on.”

He sighed and nodded at your words.

“Right. And I can wear it while you’re gone.” he stared at it, spinning it on his finger as the crystals glittered in the dim light of your room. “I get it.”

He flopped back down in bed with a squeaking sound.

“My first partner gave me a ring. That sounds so…” he pulled the covers back up, obscuring his face. 

You leaned over, lifting them up and kissing his head, evoking another overwhelmed groan from him.

“Romantic? Is that the word you’re looking for?”

“Stop it, let me go back to falling asleep.” he huffed, shoving your face away in a playful manner.

“Alright, alright!” you curled up beside him. You settled on your stomach with your head tilted so that you could still see his face. His sweet, slumbering face surrounded by the plush of his pillow. 

“Night night, Mimi.” you reached over, tucking his hair behind his ear. He rolled onto his back, giving you a sleepy smile. 

“Night.”

+

The Aquabus waited for you and the other classmates attending the trip. Large amounts of luggage were being loaded onto a separate bus, while many more were still to be hauled over by their owners. 

Left and right, families were bidding their farewells to their children and friends.

Your family was not present, nor did you expect them to be. They lived in the far countryside of Fontaine, in a very solitary place from which they seldom ventured away. 

That is not to say that you were alone at the dock, for all of your theatre and orchestra buddies had come to say their goodbyes. A good swarm of other students buzzed about those departing. 

And then came Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet, together as usual. 

You shared your hugs and well-wishes and send-off snacks with them until a melusine called for those leaving to board.

“Don’t forget about us.” Lyney said with sincerity. 

“How could I forget Fontaine’s greatest magicians, you goof.” you replied, laughing. 

He shrugged with a flattered smile, nudging Lynette who stood swishing her tail and watching with a bittersweet expression as you picked up your carry-on.

“I’ll see you all in 6 months, if not sooner.” you stated.

“Yep. Have a nice time! Send pictures and letters!” 

You nodded and waved to them as you began to walk away. That was until the sound of heavy, metallic, rushing footsteps came behind you.

“Y/N,” Freminet spoke, taking you by the shoulder and turning your attention to him, “I can’t go 6 months without giving you this.”

He grabbed you by the back of the neck and pecked a kiss to your lips.

Your eyes widened in surprise, and stayed that way for a good while afterwards. Even he seemed to be in a state of astonishment that he had the (forgive my language) balls to kiss you. 

“Well,” you began, taking a breath, “thank you. Thank you a lot, Fremi.” you embraced him once more, as tightly as you could. “Now I have something to look forward to when I see you again~”

He rested his cheek on your shoulder.

“I’ll be waiting.” 

When you finally let each other go, your nose tingled and your eyes grew watery.

“Bye for now.”

“See you later.”

The Aquabus left, trudging through the water away from the station. You could see even from a distance, the blonde watching you go. You friends, who had not known of your relationship, pounced upon you for a story. 

But your mind was still on the feeling of a small ring against your neck and the momentary spark of your beloved’s brave kiss.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GRAH ITS HERE. what do you think, is it good? Are you ~invested~? IF I should add a spicy scene to this fic, should I make an amab and an afab version? I don’t know my audience. HELP. ME.

anyhow, I got Lyney at 38 pity and his weapon at 40 exactly. I owe it to the fact I was playing Chapell Roan. My F2P soul hath been warmed, just as I hope this Freminet fluff hath warmed yours 🩵

[serasfanfiction]

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3| Part 4 | Part 5| Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10

The magnitude of the deal felt more earth shaking this time around. The beams holding up the tower shrieked in protest, shuddering as their bolts fought to keep from detaching from the side of the hotel. The hotel itself was marginally less effected, only the top two floors rumbling as the shockwave moved through them. By the time the wave of their magic reached the bottom floors and the ground itself, it was hardly noticeable, save the fact one would have to be blind not to have seen the magic itself.

The radio tower's occupants blinked at each other, both simultaneously realizing they probably should have sealed the deal somewhere other than a structure held up by a handful of beams.

Alastor drew his hand away, staring around at the mess they had made of his studio. Anything not bolted down or with a sturdy base had toppled over. The coat rack lay on its side, the blanket that had been thrown over it sprawled out beside it. The lamp and table had both been upended. One of the lamp's eyes was cracked, its light dimmed. The remaining eyes skittered around the room in alarm. Alastor's notes had been scattered across the floor, one of the halves on his staff amongst them. The icing on the cake was two of the windows were severely cracked, with a third having a handful of spider web fractures running through it.

Lucifer took it all in, wincing at the damage. He raised his cane, intent on restoring the room and repairing the integrity of the structure. Only to pause when Alastor placed a hand over his hands to stop him.

"None of that, your Majesty." He released the fallen angel in favor of retrieving the half of the microphone that had fallen to the floor and setting it with its other half. "I'm more than capable of taking care of my things if you would be so kind as to carry out my first favor."

Lucifer suspected Alastor simply didn't want anyone messing with his things any more than they'd already been messed with. He gave him a side eye in response to the possessiveness, shoo'ing the redhead back as he stepped up to the desk.

Alastor took a step back up, but only a single one. He wasn't hovering, per se, but it was apparent he was anxious to see his microphone repaired and returned to him.

Lucifer put him out of his mind, concentrating on the task in front of him. He reached out, fingers coming to lightly rest upon both halves of the staff. This would have been easier had it been an inanimate object, although it was likely Alastor wouldn't have needed to waste a favor if it had been. All angels had an innate ability to heal, some undoubtedly better than others. Lucifer's talents lay more with creation and rebuilding. Healing was similar, sure, but it involved forcing organic cells to divide and multiply far faster than they would have on their own until the wound had knit itself back together.

Then again, if it had been a wholly alive being, like Alastor himself, he would have just given it some of his blood and called it a day. With the new knowledge he'd gained, he was suspicious the deer demon had benefited in more ways than he'd known from those two previous feedings. The staff must have taken the brunt of the damage, if Alastor was still alive, let alone up and moving about. A direct hit would have killed him, for sure.

Lucifer closed his eyes, opening his senses to the very elements that made up the staff. The issue with damage caused by angelic weapons lay with the fact that they were blessed. God himself had created the steal that made up their spears, imbuing it with special powers so that his soldiers could carry out his will with little opposition. Weapons made from angelic grace weren't quite as powerful, as the angels made the weapons, rather than God, but they still weren't anything to sniff at. Weapon's made of angelic grace weren't a certain death threat to other angels, divine beings that they were, but it was certainly a very effective tool against sinners. To take divine will of any kind to something already damned was to ask for things to get very catastrophic very quickly.

Alastor really had no clue how lucky he was to be alive.

What gave them any chance of this working was that the staff knew how it was supposed to fit together. The two broken ends called to each other. Lucifer just had to bridge the gap so they could comb back together and they would be in business. Falling into autopilot as he allowed the process to guide him, he picked up each half. The break hadn't been easy or clean. The two edges no longer fit perfectly together. He had to pull from the blueprint within the staff's genetic makeup to coach the pole into being a smooth column again. From there, he had the equally hard job of convincing the two edges that they could reform again, but once they were certain it was possible, the two edges became magnetized, snapping and mending together until they were a single, solid structure again.

Lucifer snapped his eyes open. Sitting in his hands was the microphone of the infamous Radio Demon, whole and restored to its full glory with not a hint that it had ever been damaged.

Between one blink to the next, the staff vanished. Out of the corner of his eye, Lucifer saw it reappear in Alastor's hand. The sinner gave it a twirl, before tapping it to the ground to test its durability. Assured that it was indeed fully restored and could withstand some rough handling, Alastor brought the end to the ground with a hard, sharp crack.

Voodoo symbols lit the air around them with their sinister green glow. Shadows spilled out across the floor like ink, spreading up the walls until the entire room (and likely the entire structure) was engulfed in them. The only light remaining came from the soft glow of Alastor's eyes and teeth.

Lucifer, who needed no light to see, tracked the way Alastor's magic not just coaxed the various misplaced items back into their proper positions, but it also restored them back into their pre-damaged state. By the time the shadows dispersed like smoke and the symbols vanished out with a wink, everything was back to how it had been when they entered with not a single item or sheet of paper out of place. It was as if time itself had reversed itself before his eyes.

Grinning from ear to ear, Alastor tapped the microphone end of his staff. The sound echoed around them as it connected with the equipment, signifying that it was indeed functional again. Outside, the ON AIR sign flicked on for the first time since the extermination. Meeting Lucifer's gaze, expression predatory, Alastor greeted any listener with a radio nearby with: "Greetings and salutations, sinners. Did you miss me?"

He walked the scant distance between where he stood and his work station, deliberately walking around and behind Lucifer. As he passed, he ran a single finger along the fallen angel's back from shoulder to shoulder, merely because he could. "Of course you have," Alastor continued jovially. "Well, never fear, my wicked listeners, as your regularly scheduled broadcasts will begin again soon." Leaning over the controls, he pressed down on a more prominently visible button. What was visible of the ON AIR sign's light winked out as his short broadcast ended as fast as it began.

Seeing him in his element, Lucifer was certain this was the first time he'd ever seen Alastor sincerely happy to any degree. The very air around him seemed to have changed, becoming charged with possibility. It was a stark testament to how diminished he'd been up until that point. Alastor gave the staff a toss from hand to hand, as if refamiliarizing himself with its weight. Satisfied at last, he set it down in front of him, resting his hands upon it. Everything about his body language sang of his satisfaction. "Yes," he purred. "This will do quite nicely."

Lucifer opened his mouth, likely to come up with a witty retort, but never got the chance. It died on his lips as he was cut off by a sharp banging on the window to his left. As one, both turned to see what had made the noise.

Hovering outside, livid with her spear out was Vaggie. And she looked more than ready to break Alastor's windows all over again. She wouldn't have been able to, being on the other side of Lucifer's barrier, but she looked more than happy to try. They could just barely hear her as she shouted, "What the fuck did you do, Alastor?!"

Out of his peripheral view, Lucifer saw Alastor waggle his fingers at her in a wave, completely unconcerned as usual. If he didn't hope that the asshole really would get stabbed one day, Lucifer would have had a little chat about Alastor egging on people who could and would do just that.

Wincing, Lucifer imagined that if Vaggie was here, it was likely Charlie wasn't far behind. It was just as likely the only reason she wasn't outside the window herself was because she couldn't fly. With a wave of his hand, he dropped the barrier around Alastor's domain.

The moment it was dropped, Alastor darted forward. Lulled into a false sense of security by the redhead's previous helplessness, Lucifer didn't react in time to stop Alastor from wrapping a hand around his waist and pulling him in.

Prize acquired, Alastor pulled them both into his shadow.

Lucifer had not paid too much attention to Alastor's shadows, beyond acknowledging they existed and they could be lethal. He had noted how the redhead's personal shadow seemed to have a life of it's own, both working in tangent and separately of Alastor. Lucifer had only seen it twice, but he'd found it to be cheeky and only tolerable because it didn't speak. Unlike the demon who cast it.

Whatever Alastor had plunged them into - whether it be another realm or something else - felt wrong. It felt like being plunged into an ice cold bath, but on a metaphysical level. Darkness to a degree that the simple absence of light couldn't explain surrounded them on all sides. Out of the void came the feeling that they were being watched as they passed through.

Hands he couldn't feel, but still knew were there, curled into Alastor's coat until the fabric threatened to tear. The place screamed unholy. Every instinct in his body reared it's head, telling him that he - a child of God, disowned or not - shouldn't be there. He wanted to light a flame to chase away the darkness, if only he could figure out if he needed to use divine or demonic magic. Above all, he needed to get out. It was only because he wasn't entirely certain he couldn't escape on his own that he didn't actually just portal himself away.

Later, when he was able to think about that place without his mind shying away from it, he'd realize that something about the feeling of it was familiar.

But that would be then, and for now, the whole experience ranked as sheer nightmare fuel. How could Alastor stand it? Was it because he was human and/or a sinner? This place could drive a being insane.

When they reappeared in Alastor's hotel room, it felt like an eternity had passed as opposed to a mere minute or two. Lucifer took a shallow breathe, his whole body shaking like a bird trying to resettle it's feathers.

Oh, that was deeply unpleasant. He never wanted to do that again, ever.

Nonchalant, Alastor took hold of the hand clutching his jacket in a death grip. His smile oozed of false politeness. "Are you alright, your Majesty? You look a little pale."

As if he didn't know that place was messed up. Lucifer was distracted from wiping that smug grin off of the redhead's face by a loud bang against the other side of Alastor's door, the wood around the lock shattering as it finally gave up the ghost of keeping anyone out. The door slammed open, hitting the wall with such force that it ricocheted off of it.

Cherri stood with her foot still poised in the air, giving herself away as the person who had literally kicked the door open. Charlie hovered just behind her, hands in the air as if she had been trying to stop her. Angel stood to her other side, his main arms crossed, while his secondary hands were resting on his hips. "See," he was in the process of saying to Charlie, triumph both audible in his voice and visible on his face. "I told ya we could get the door open without the bombs."

"Yes, well, it would have been better if we didn't damage the door!" Charlie admonished, voice high pitched with stress. She turned her attention to the room itself, tensing as took in the scene in front of them. Lucifer watched her tense, fear twisting her features in a way he hadn't seen since her teenage years. "Dad! Are you alright?" She burst into the room making a beeline for her father.

Lucifer stepped away from Alastor to meet her, putting on an only marginally strained smile. "Of course, sweetie. Everything is fine."

Despite his reassurances, she checked him over for herself. When she was assured he was okay, she turned on Alastor. Her fingers twitched like she wanted to give him a similar inspection, but was holding back. "What did you do?" Her expression was a mixture of concern, anger, and guilt.

Alastor ran his hand down his coat, smoothing the creases out until it was as impeccable as ever. "How suspicious! What makes you think this is my doing?"

"Because it usually is." This was from Vaggie, who had appeared in the doorway while no one was looking. She pushed past Cherri and Angel, who were lingering for the promise of drama and maybe a little bit of curiosity over why the hotel was nearly knocked down for a second time in as many months. She marched straight up to Alastor, and then jabbed a finger into his chest when she was near enough to do so. "First Charlie and now Lucifer?! I knew we should have never let you stay here!"

Lucifer had been content to stand back and let Alastor take the heat. Maybe soil his own image a bit in Charlie's eyes. After all, Lucifer had been willing pay for his help. To make promises he was more than willing to keep, if it was within his power to keep. Alastor was the one who turned it into a binding deal, however predictable the move had been.

Then the implications of what Vaggie said sank in.

He could feel his control over his form slipping as he felt the anger rising. He reached out, almost not wanting to believe that it was true.

But there it was. The green chain of one of Alastor's deals hung from Charlie's wrist, damning evidence of the truth.

Lucifer saw red. His voice was cold despite the fire he could feel burning his tongue. "You made a deal with my daughter?!" The chain creaked as his fist tightened around it. He was going to shatter this little deal, take the remaining shards and shove them down Alastor throat. Then he was going to wrap his hand around his neck and--

"Dad, wait!"

The sight of Charlie suddenly filling his vision felt like being doused in cold water, enough to allow sanity to creep back in and take root again. "Charlie, I told you! You can't take shit from sinners like him." He glanced behind her, still able to see Alastor, posture tense and ears pinned back. His shadow was curled uneasily at his feet, ready to spirit him away at a moment's notice. Lucifer hissed. "They're nothing but parasites feeding off the rest of humanity."

For a brief moment, and only because Charlie had her back to him, Alastor bared his teeth, neither ashamed nor cowed.

Charlie raised her hands to calm him. She paused when one hand didn't raise as far as the other, catching on the chain around her wrist. Wincing at the fact that he was now physically restraining her, Lucifer released it. The chain vanished back into the ether. Freed of the restriction, Charlie lightly placed her hands on his arms, saying, "Dad, it's okay." She smiled to show she really believed it to be so. "He gave us information on how to protect the hotel. I'm happy to do something to help him in return."

Her smile, her trust, had the opposite effect, angering him further. "Charlie..." Lucifer wasn't certain who he was more angry with in that moment: himself for believing that Alastor might actually care about Charlie, in his own way, or Alastor for being none other than Alastor. All the signs were there: the redhead might like to play his games with Lucifer, but his interactions with the Charlie held a hint of genuine attachment to them.

Yet it would always be about power with him, wouldn't it? Could he even help himself anymore, when presented with an opportunity he seemingly couldn't pass up?

Lucifer's expression saddened as he focused on his daughter. His hands rose up to gently take hold of the wrist the chain was wrapped around, even if it were no longer visible. As a parent, he wanted to protect her from situations like these: where she was bound to get hurt. He knew he needed to give her space to learn from her mistakes, but how could he just leave his baby girl in the hands of a known sadist? "If he really had your best interests at heart, he wouldn't have needed to make a deal with you."

Charlie's eyes searched his, brows furrowed. "Dad, I can take of myself, remember?"

Because he never knew when to stop when he was ahead, Alastor interrupted them with, "There's no need for fighting, my dear. Your father is right." A red clawed hand appeared on her shoulder. Both of the Morningstars looked to see Alastor standing at Charlie's side. Alastor was giving her the same look he'd given her during his and Lucifer's swing dance show down over who was the better father figure for her. It made Lucifer's teeth itch with how false it was.

Charlie, on the other hand, merely watched him with confusion. "Alastor? What do you mean?"

As if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth, Alastor said, "Only that bonds built on mistrust make for unstable foundations." With a flick of his free hand, a glowing document appeared out of thin air, unfurrowing to reveal Charlie's signature plain as day at the bottom.

It was Charlie's contract.

"I think we can both agree," he carried on, knowing he had everyone in the room hanging on his every word, "That you and I have built such a bond of trust that this silly little thing isn't necessary."

Before anyone could react to that clearly manipulative statement, Alastor took the document, one claw on each of the top corners and ripped it in half. Without missing a beat, he tossed the two halves to either side of himself, the supernatural paper catching fire and burning away as if fell. A wisp of ash touched the floor before disappearing. "Charlie, I release you from our deal."

Lucifer stared, his emotions a storm of confusion and doubt. He couldn't believe what he had just seen. There was no way. Alastor would never have just released anyone from their deal with him unless he was getting something out of it. Alastor didn't do things for the good of other people. This had to be a game somehow. But what did he gain from it? Unease began to creep in as Lucifer tried to make sense of what he'd just witnessed.

The answer came when Charlie inhaled sharply, all but literal stars in her eyes. "Alastor! I'm so proud of you!" She threw herself at the redhead, wrapping her arms around him in a bone crushing hug. "Of course you can trust me!"

Lucifer realized with dawning horror that this, this was what Alastor gained from that little display of pretending to show faith and trust. Charlie had bought it hook, line, and sinker. His whole body locked up, the instinct to protect his child at war with the fear of excommunicating her by killing Alastor for the sheer audacity.

Worse, Lucifer had been right there and he had still failed to protect her from this sinner.

Alastor's expression softened with fondness as he tolerantly patted her head, enduring the forced contact with grace. After letting her have her hug, he gently pried her hands off of him, to which Charlie winced, saying, "Sorry! Sorry, I know. Boundaries."

The redhead gave her a light bop on the nose, to show he forgave her her trespasses. "It's perfectly alright. No harm done." He sent his microphone away to clear his hands, freeing them to clap together, as if he didn't already have everyone's attention. "Now, if everyone would kindly vacate my room, I have a very long To Do List to accomplish and there are only so many hours in the day to do it."

Angel and Cherri didn't need to be told twice, ready to make themselves scarce now that the drama had passed. Charlie moved over to grip Vaggie's arm as they walked together out the door, the taller woman saying with excitement, "Vaggie, did you see! I told you!"

It was a relief to see that Vaggie still looked doubtful, for all that it did nothing to slow down how quickly Alastor was entrapping Charlie little by little.

When it was just the two of them, Alastor turned to Lucifer, his smile maliciously pleasant. "Come now, your Majesty, out you go. One of those tasks is one you appointed me yourself."

It took every ounce of Lucifer's no small amount of self control not to lose his shit all over again now that they were alone. "You may have Charlie fooled, but don't think for a second I don't see through you."

Alastor leaned forward, his hand wrapping itself around their mutual deal. The physical reminder of how entangled they already were casting a golden, green glow upon his face. Bold to his core and with the fearlessness born of someone who knew he held Lucifer's number one weakness in his claws, he said, sweetly, "And yet, I've already got exactly what I wanted."

Lucifer slapped the hand away, as if allowing the chain to disappear would somehow make what he said any less true. "Thin ice, Alastor. Don't forget it."

He pivoted on his heel, refusing to see what the response would have been. If he wanted any hope of being able to work with Alastor, Lucifer needed to leave now before any remaining good will was burned away.

He ignored the way that Alastor's gaze burned into his back, the sensation lingering long after he'd left.

tbc

Part 11

[senditcolton]

So Tragic and Rare

"It's Almost Frightening" (pt. 23)

word count: 3.2k warnings: none! previous part 🧡 next part masterlist

Andrei’s eyes are fixed to his left, looking out the back window of Keely’s large Escalade with one of her security guards – Issac, he believes – sitting next to him. The city of New York passes by as the car turns left and right, eventually coming to a halt in front of Electric Lady Recording Studio.

And Andrei sighs when he sees a large crowd standing outside, their cameras trained on the car.

There is, of course, a large number of paparazzi but the mass of people includes other fans, both Keely’s and – dishearteningly – his own. He can see the bright red of a few Canes jerseys scattered throughout the crowd. When the news first broke, Andrei had been hoping that not much would change his sphere of their lives; that his fans would still give him the space they always had.

He shakes his head briefly, to knock the negative thought of the people that supported him turning so quickly. There was an equally likely chance that the few Canes jerseys he saw were being worn by newer fans who were unfamiliar with the unwritten rules of sports fandom.

The new garnered attention towards him and the Carolina Hurricanes was one of the many things that had changed after the news that he was dating Keely broke. In the month since that first headline, supported by paparazzi shots of him and Keely in one of her cars, so much had changed in his life.

Security at every arena the Canes had gone to had been beefed up because people were now desperate to see Keely Halloran’s boyfriend. He had to ignore fans holding posters with her face pressed against the glass during warmups. Not to mention the normally incessant updates on Keely’s life were now also focused on him. And the newfound attention directed his way was both extremely positive and wildly negative – just like Keely said it would be.

One of the hardest and most complicated parts of all this change were the talks that Andrei was forced to have with the entire organization: Coach Brind’Amour, his teammates, the social media team, etc.

The talks had been as varied as the reaction to the revelation that Keely and him were dating.

The people inside the locker room were chill about it, somehow implicitly understanding that this was not the way Andrei or Keely wanted their relationship to be revealed. They kept their questions to a minimum – even Seth Jarvis, who Andrei had to slightly thank for the knowledge of Keely’s very existence – instead focusing on their goal as a hockey team. The media team conversations had been less successful. Although Andrei made it clear that he didn’t want his relationship to be front-line news, the crew and employees were anxious to capitalize on the hype now surrounding the team. They wanted to play into it, not to mention that it was hard to hold off and ignore the sheer number of comments they received begging for Andrei and Keely content.

Andrei had to scoff when that point was brought up in these meetings. How did they think that he and Keely felt?

Andrei had managed to put his foot down – at least for a brief time. Since every one worked under the organization, the powers that be allowed Andrei the time to talk to Keely and figure out the next steps. They did, however, make it clear that he had only a short window of time and if he didn’t give them an answer or game-plan soon, they would start making decisions themselves.

That’s when he texted Keely asking to meet. And it was she who once again suggested he come to the recording studio in New York City. The same place of their very first ‘official’ date.

Crazy how much could change in seven months.

Back then, Andrei did not have to clear this brief trip after practice with Rod. He was able to walk down the New York streets himself, refusing Keely’s offer of her town-car. He didn’t need security guards by his side, just a hat and sunglasses. He could enter the studio unnoticed and uncaptured by cameras.

None of those facts were true anymore.

“Ready for your first pap walk?” Issac asks from beside him, Andrei’s attention fliting to him briefly before turning back to the crowd awaiting him outside the door.

Andrei doesn’t think he is but if this is what he had to endure to get to Keely, he would. He knows that he would move heaven and earth just to be in her presence, so he gives a small sharp nod of confirmation. He watches as Issac and one of Keely’s other security guards – Jason – step out and make sure the path is clear. With another deep breath, steeling himself for one final time, he pushes open the car door, stepping out onto the New York street.

The instant he appears, the shouts and screams start. Andrei can’t even piece together the questions being hurled his way, just the sound of his name being yelled over and over again. He keeps his head down, focusing on his white tennis-shoes, only glancing up to make sure that Issac is holding the door open. The last thing he needed to do was make a fool of himself in front of all these people in this wildly unfamiliar and frankly uncomfortable situation.

A small sigh of relief falls through him when the studio door closes behind them all, the raucous muffled. Andrei can still hear it leaking through the cracks into the lobby but the worst of it was over. His nerves are eased more by Jason clapping him on the back and Darcy, the receptionist – the same one from back in March – shooting him a gentle smile.

“She’s in Studio C,” Darcy tells him, her voice gentle and he responds with an equally soft ‘thank you.’

The winding hallways are familiar now, Andrei having been here multiple times. It was a comfortable almost domestic aspect of their shared summer, a few quieter moments outside of the travel and adventures. That wasn’t to say he didn’t love exploring the world with Keely. But he knew he enjoyed watching Keely work more. Sitting in the recording studio, listening to her singing, brainstorming, and creating – it was something magical. He was sure she felt the same way about him when she tagged along to practice rinks and gyms to watch him in skate and train.

The summer allowed them to find their footing and fall into each other’s lives and worlds so seamlessly. Then… this.

Part of him that wishes they could go back, return to a moment when it was just him and Keely existing peacefully in the world without the pressure of outsider’s perspectives.

But when he pushes open the room of Studio C, Keely’s arms wrap around him in an instant and the feeling of her warmth, the scent of her perfume, the sensation of her body pressed against his… that was all the peace he would ever need.

There is no stopping the way he melts into her touch, wrapping his arms around her in kind and burying his face in her soft curls. Andrei steps forward, never letting go of Keely – simply guiding her further into the room. Behind him, he can hear the click of the door closing, leaving him and Keely alone in the small studio.

It takes every part of his strength to even slightly pull away from Keely, just so he can see her face. His brown eyes connect to her beautiful blues and he can feel his heart ache behind his ribcage at the look of concern and sadness in those crystalline pools.

“I’m sorry,” she says, her head going to rest on his chest, the words still falling from her mouth. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

“Hey, hey,” comes his gentle reply, his hands gently running over her hair, soothing her. “It’s okay. We’re going to be okay.”

Andrei gently directs her to the leather couch pressed against one of the wood paneled walls, the two of them sitting down, their bodies now separate but still close; knees touching, his hands holding hers.

“It’s not okay, Andrei. None of this is okay. I’m – I’m just… I’m so sorry. We should’ve been more careful, we should’ve… I – I never wanted you to get mixed up in this. Not like this.”

Andrei’s hands tighten around hers in an attempt to quiet her racing thoughts. He can so clearly see that her mind is spinning and, in that moment, he realizes that he didn’t know how she had been doing since the news broke: if she was forced to have tough conversations she had to have, how much she was confronted by people about their romance.

He was new to this lifestyle, to the amount of attention that was now directed at him. But he was an idiot to think that Keely was unaffected by this simply because she had been living with it for longer.

The revelation sent shockwaves through her life as well, not just his. And yes, while she was able to put on a mask of apathy and bravado, he knew that underneath that was someone who was just as scared and overwhelmed as he was.

Especially how stark of a contrast this was to their rekindled romance over the summer. Those months they had spent together were beautiful and private – reminiscent of the beginning of their relationship but with more trust, more communication.

Now they were exposed, out in the open for everyone to see and comment on. Now they had to reckon with this.

“We’re going to be okay,” Andrei repeats, looking Keely deep in the eyes, willing her to understand. Hoping that his words seep through her skin, giving her some semblance of peace. He can see Keely only partially relax, her teeth still worrying the dry skin on her lips, her eyes directed to some point in the room, thoughts and attention clearly directed to the outside world. Andrei can almost see the scenes flashing through her head – thoughts of everything that has happened and everything that could happen.

“But…” she begins, trying to piece together her thoughts. “What people are saying – about us, about you. This isn’t how this was supposed to go. This wasn’t part of the plan.”

A soft smile appears on Andrei’s lips, silently laughing at Keely’s insistence of a plan. A plan that had never existed. Sure, they had talks about when and how to reveal their relationship to the world – mentions of Instagram posts or statements to trusted magazines. Nothing was ever set in stone though.

But he didn’t point that out to Keely, at least not now. Instead, he just nods his head in agreement, letting her find comfort in what she could.

“It wasn’t.”

“I – I never wanted this to happen. I know how much the tabloids bother you – what they’re writing about, how critical they can be…”

Keely’s voice trails off, her gaze still not directed towards him. Andrei can feel the jolt of panic rush through him at the sight: her eyes growing even more distant, her hold on his hands loosening.

She was pulling away. And that fear was confirmed when her next words echo around the room.

“I know that you never wanted this. I understand if you… if you want to take a break. Not see each other for a while. Let things calm down.”

“Keely,” Andrei says, his voice tight. “Keely, look at me. Please.”

Something in his tone – the concern, the worry, something – finally causes Keely to look in his direction, her eyes connecting to his again.

“I am not going anywhere.”

He says those word with every ounce of conviction that he can muster, puts in as much gentle force into his tone as he can, begging her to understand. Andrei watches as her shoulders relax, that distance in her eyes shifting, disappearing slightly as she focuses her attention onto him.

“But…” she starts, her voice still a little hesitant. “Before… it bothered you. A lot and it – it’s awful what they’re saying about you. And it’s worse than it was back in April.”

“April? Keely, that’s in the past.”

“But…”

“Sweetheart, we’re different people. I’m a different person. Now I know. When you walked into my house that day in June, I knew exactly what I was signing up for. All this – all this noise – is part of your life. And if I want to be with you, it’s just something we’ll have to face. Together.”

Andrei can see Keely soften more with every word, her body language relaxing almost completely. A small part of him thrums with joy at the comfort he can provide her. It was a testament to the life they had created together – a testament to their strength.

“And yeah,” Andrei continues, his voice becoming lighter, bringing the humor that always painted their interactions into this conversation. “This definitely wasn’t the best way for our relationship to be announced to the world. But, hey: when has our relationship ever been normal?”

The sound of Keely’s gentle laughter hitting his eardrums has always been beautiful but now, in this moment, it was one of the most relieving noises, cutting through the chaos that existed outside of this private room. They fall silent, the quiet enveloping them as they sit and digest everything that has happened.

“I’m sorry,” Keely says, her blue irises darting up to meet him. “For freaking out like that. That was… that was the past talking. I shouldn’t have listened to it.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about. It’s a hell of a situation. And a break is a possible solution. But…” Andrei says, gripping her hands tightly within his, a smirk on his lips. “I’m not letting you go that easily.”

It is Keely that now makes the first move. She adjusts her body, moving herself closer to him, curling her legs underneath her body. Andrei’s body allows her to find space next to him, his own body relaxing as Keely rests her head against his chest. His arm circles her as they lean back against the leather cushions, Andrei’s hand drawing deft circles on her side, the fabric of her t-shirt sliding against her skin.

“So,” Keely says, her voice breaking the silence. Andrei’s eyes dart down to her to find her already looking up at him. “What are you going to do?”

“What are we going to do?”

“What are we going to do?” she corrects.

“I don’t know,” Andrei sighs, “but we’ll figure this out. Just like we have with everything else.”

The silence falls again and Andrei lifts his eyes up to survey the room, wracking his brain, sorting through every possible option of how to move forward from here.

They could go release a statement to one of Keely’s trusted publications, their words filtered through her publicist and his agent. They could try to remain as private as possible, avoiding the cameras and ignoring the tabloids as best they could. They could go to their social medias and try to control the narrative as much as they could. There was also the option of distancing themselves – not a permanent severance but only existing together in places that were safe and secure: their homes, the recording studio, the tunnels of the Lenovo Center. Or they could –

Andrei quietly scoffs as the idea dances through his head. No. That was insane. Even in the early talks of going public, this option was never even mentioned. But…

“I have an idea,” he gently begins, the sound of his voice pulling Keely’s attention to him. “It’s a little weird so I don’t know if you’d be up for it.”

“Tell me any way,” Keely replies, her body scooting closer to him. “Besides, I can’t say whether or not I’d be up for it if I don’t know what it is.”

Andrei laughs, shaking his head in agreement to her logic.

“Well, I have the Rangers game tonight. And you, you wanted to attend your friend Abby’s album party here later tonight as well, right?”

Andrei watches as Keely nods her head, seeing her eyes swim and her brows furrow as she tried to figure out why he was bringing up their itinerary, trying to guess the idea that popped into his head.

“Well, what if we both go to each event?” he proposes, the words still painted with uncertainty at the insanity of the entire idea. He can see the proposal hit Keely, practically watches it filter through her brain and the realization seep into her bones.

“You mean?”

“Yeah,” he affirms before continuing. “You come to the Rangers game as my girlfriend. I come with you to the album party afterwards as your boyfriend.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Just because people know about us doesn’t mean that we can’t live our lives.”

“You know what that means though,” Keely asks, her voice strong as she lifts her body away from him to face him completely. “You understand that the more we go out, the more we’re seen together… we’ll just be giving them more to write about, our names the subject of more headlines.”

Andrei keeps his gaze locked on her, watching every expression that crosses her face, analyzing every single detail. He can see the concern in her eyes, the hesitancy, but he also understands that beneath that fear is her desire for certainty. Her need for confirmation that he isn’t just saying this to be funny or that he would take it back after some time has passed. That he means every word, that he understands what would happen if this is the decision they make, the route they choose.

He lifts his body upright, his hands coming to find hers again.

“I know. But I also know that we’ll be able to handle it, yeah?”

Andrei watches a soft smile tug at the corner of her lips. The two of them sit there, letting the silence fall over them again. Andrei just keeps his eyes glued to Keely, letting her sit and digest everything that was said: his crazy proposal, what it would mean for them if they went through with it, if she even wanted to go through with it.

He is ready for any possible outcome, any words to fall from her lips, be they affirmative or dismissive. But he didn’t need for her to say anything when he sees another smile appear on Keely’s face, her eyes jumping to connect to his.

Because her smile coupled with the light in her eyes… it was mischievous, devilish, bright, joyful. It was the smile that she had directed him so many times. It was a look that he had seen for the first time up in that hotel bar in Toronto.

There she is. There’s the woman he knew, the woman he fell in love with all those months ago.

“Well,” she says, elongating the word, that smirk still painted across her face. “If they want to write about us… let’s give them something to write about.”

a/n: and oh boy, are they about to give them all something to write about! and you all something to read about... later today!! that's right, it's another double drop day!

taglist: @fallinallincurls @laureniray @comphy-and-cozy@smileysvech@pyotrkochetkov@thewintersoldierdisaster@svexhenthusiast

let me know if you want to be tagged in this story or if you want to add yourself to my general taglist, click here!!

[sweetlikehoneystingslikeabee]

"Halloween at the Theme Park" pt. 1 Scarecrow Edition

Howdy hey :) Did you guys miss me? Sorry it took me some time to come back around BUT I'M HERE FOR THE SPOOKY SEASON. We're going to do a series of asks based on the same prompt of going to a theme park that does horror mazes in halloween (see: HHN at Universal Studio, Knotts Scary Farm, Fright Fest at Six Flags, etc). I'm going to do Scarecrows, then Rogue Party and finally Wolverine and Deadpool :). Other asks can delve into this prompt more if so wished.

TW: horror, horror mazes, theme parks, villain behavior, drugs, some suggestive content

General

He's an old man. Doesn't this seem to be a night for someone a bit... younger? The idea of gallivanting around a theme park with drunken 20 somethings looking for a thrill at 2 am... Of course he's normally awake at that time, it's more the principle of it. Genuinely he'll be surprised at the diversity of people that go and will cave if you ask sweetly enough.

Absolute curmudgeon about theme park pricing on food and merchandise. If you warned him at all ahead of time, he has wrapped and packed sandwiches he hid on his person. What, you think he's been a criminal this long in his life and he can't fool some minimum wage security guard looking for booze or weapons? Please, give him some credit. Eat your sandwich. Will not buy a souvenir unless it's something he noticed you were PARTICULARLY attached to.

Most places will give him a disability fast pass for mazes on account of him very obviously using a cane. Bum legs and long lines not mixing well and all that. This is a bonus for you given you're his plus one. If anyone has anything to say about him using a cane or in general being rude to either of you... The cane has a multi function of taking out knees. Which he will absolutely put on a routine of just being a clumsy old man to get out of it.

As for the actual horror of the horror attraction... He likes finding a good place to sit and watch the interactions people have with the scare actors. He wants to feel in the moment, listening to the banter and screams in the night. If any jump at him, he's much more likely to "talk" to their characters and interact than he is to jump or show much reaction. At most he gives a pleasant, knowing smile that nothing this person could do could ever compare to the horrors he's inflicted upon the citizens of Gotham.

He'll hold onto you when you go through mazes as some tend to be disorienting with lights (whether effects of a lack of). Tends to like mazes with a strong concept that you can follow the story throughout the attraction. No real preference for themes other than "oh god, not another clown." He's had enough of those in his career.

BTAS

You don't have to do a lot of convincing. Considering his field of study in fears and phobias when he was a professor, he finds horror mazes to be an interesting intersection of your interests and his. It's rather like running an interactive experiment as he's experiencing it himself. He likes to watch and gauge how much is being startled from a jumpscare vs. a true sensation of fear. You can practically see him taking notes in his head. Some of these might be good ideas to play off of for later...

He tends to scoff at the prices for any of it, from the spooky themed food to the merchandise around every corner- He still buys it, though. In his mind, this is a special thing for the two of you and he put money to the side exclusively for it. Seeing you get excited over any of the things he might buy you makes it worth it.

He gets a delighted sort of chuckle when a scare actor can manage to "get" him. For the most part he doesn't react strongly so someone getting his heart rate up is exciting! It makes him feel young again. Seeing you react gives him a bit of glee as well. He likes the feeling of you grabbing him in reaction. It's rather... well. He was never made to feel like a strong man in his life given his physique. It's comforting.

Traumatized from his time at Arkham Asylum and therefore will not want to do any mazes that are hospital or asylum themed. He finds them tasteless given the abuses many patients suffered historically and, in the case of Gotham, currently. And nothing with bats! No bat mazes! Shockingly, if there are mazes based on specific phobias, he's very excited.

He has a very small bottle of what appears to be spray sunscreen on his person, which is a very strange thing to carry since most of these events are at night. You might even wonder why until you see another guest being incredibly rude to a scare actor and security for simply doing their job. Then you see Jonathan spritzing the rude person with "sunscreen" as you walk by. It doesn't take long for the fear toxin to kick in.

Arkham games

He's unsure at first. It's not because he won't enjoy any of it, he's just positive he could do it better. What if it's disappointing because he's seen the city of Gotham bow their knees in terror to the master of fear? People going to this place for kicks? You and he should be the ones getting the only real fun out of other people being scared. (He will not admit that it's because he horribly dislikes being scared himself)

He'll say how expensive everything is but the moment there is a crow or a little scarecrow, there is a significant chance he's going to purchase it. It's for you, of course. He can rag on Edward for narcissism all day, but he can have his moments. It's cute, right? If you really didn't like it, he wouldn't. However, if you do, you have a new little friend. As for food... he might try to sneak something in. Either that, or he's scouring the park for the cheapest thing he can find.

Genuinely a little sore if any of the actors manages to spook him. It's so cheap, you know, just jumping at someone to elicit a surprise response (as if he has any place to talk). He could do it better. He could make this entire PARK QUAKE with fear- and you have to sort of put him back on topic this is fun. Is he having fun? Yes, he admits despite being embarrassed, it's fun.

It's when another guest is rude, bumping into you and laughing it off out of drunkenness. That's when it stops being fun. He couldn't exactly bring his glove set up to the park without raising many questions to security. He's also not ready to get his ass kicked by trying to hit the nitwit while he's unarmed. Yet you see him dig within his pockets and produce a small white bundle. Barely the size of a teardrop pinched between his fingers. Then he tosses it. It makes a loud crack on the ground behind the guest and sizzles a sickly green, releasing just enough fear toxin as the person turns around to give them a deep inhale. The two of you slip out into the crowd as they begin to have a panic attack.

In contrast to BTAS, will be a sucker for a maze that's set in a hospital given his own adventures that night in Arkham Asylum. Gives him all kinds of happy feelings seeing the ideals of that place twisted at the beck and call to fear. Sure, some might find it distasteful, but he finds it thrilling.

BTAA

You don't have to approach him, he already checked your schedule and bought the tickets. Likely to several parks. There is a faint chance he might be more excited to do this than you are. Absolutely offers you "product" to heighten the experience but isn't put out if you don't want anything. Oh, so you want to feel all of it raw and with clarity, hm? Sure, he wouldn't deny you that.

He can and will drop stupid bank on expensive souvenirs if either of you likes it. Talking about the kind of money he makes is so... gauche, so distasteful- But he's definitely making that kind of money so he'll tell you not to worry about it. In addition, being the weirdo gourmand he is, he's going to be trying themed food if there is any. Some kind of pumpkin concoction with fake eyeballs? He's on it.

Giggly when someone jumps at him. You can't tell if he's actually startled or overjoyed, or a combination of both. Either way, he's certainly having a good time. He'll absolutely try to get you in a situation where you get startled, whether it's by an actor or by himself. Hearing you shriek or gasp, oh it's delicious. There is going to be some very sneaky fondling there in the dark. There is a fair chance he'd have you there within some hidden spot in the mazes if he thought he could get away with it.

There's a group of young 20-somethings that cuts fast in front of you while you walk. You almost trip and one of them makes a smart comment to watch where you're going. It's annoying, but before you can say anything else, your partner tells you to wait back for a second while he talks to them. He speaks to the rude group and it looks like it's all smiles for a moment. You can't make out exactly what it is Jonathan is saying to them. Yet you can see their reactions turn from smug grins to uncomfortable and perturbed frowns. All while Jonathan continues to look so pleased with himself. It doesn't take long for the small group to disperse. He doesn't tell you what he said to them.

To be fair, he's going to like most horror mazes unless they don't meet his standards of story, sets, actors, scares, etc. HOWEVER, he will have a fondness for anything that has the hint or whiff of classic horror. It's a little too obvious to say he'd be thrilled at an interpretation of Basil Karlo's films in a maze format, but it's the truth. Unless it's done poorly of course, and then you'll hear about it for the rest of the ride home where he nitpicks the entire thing. Anything 80's slasher themed will also have him pick up TREMENDOUSLY. He's a little too excited. Expect a make out session afterwards.

[i-am-baechu]

❥・Title: Passenger

❥・Paring: Namjoon x reader 

❥・ Summary: Meeting a cute boy at the bookstore wasn’t new to Y/N. What was new was when the said cute boy asks her out and he’s Kim fucking Namjoon. Why would an idol want to be with someone in a wheelchair or someone who uses a cane?

❥・ Rating: Explicit (18+) 

❥・ Genre: Idol! Namjoon, bookstore worker! Y/N, disabled reader, toxic ex-friends, musician Y/N, fluff, romance, angst, comedy, and smut

❥・Author's Note: I had this done yesterday but I didn't like the story so, I re-did the story

❥・ Playlist: Passenger - Candice Glover ♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ

“Mom, can I please have this?” 

L/N Y/N glanced at the mom with a curious look as she put books on her cart. It was a normal Thursday afternoon, some kids were just getting off of school and coming in to study or looking for books. Y/N smiled at the scene as the mom got down to her daughter's level, “What is it?”

“It's a koala. Well, it's bt21 Koya. I don’t have this one.” 

The mom glanced at the keychain and smiled, “Sure, you passed your math test. You deserve something.” 

“Really Mom!? Thank you!” 

Y/N watched them walk away, “How cute.” 

Yuri walked over to her and smiled down at her, “It is cute. Wait, are you talking about the scene or the keychain?” 

“Both. Both are good.” Y/N pushed the cart slowly as she turned her wheel on the chair, “Where does this cart go?” 

“It goes in the back. I heard that Maria is leaving on Friday.” 

Y/N scoffed at this as she stopped moving, “Good. After what she did to me, I’m glad she got fired.” 

Yuri nodded her head as she stood next to her, “I am too. I am scared that she’ll do something. Maria and Chae were close, Chae might come after you.” 

Y/N rolled her eyes and shook her head, “This isn’t high school...why do they want to act like it is?” 

“Because that’s when they peaked. Just be careful, I’ll keep an eye on them too. I just don’t want you to get hurt.” 

“What more can they do to me? I already have nerve damage.” 

Namjoon leaned back in his chair and stared at his screen with a blank expression. It’s been two hours and nothing. Every time he typed something out, he deleted it. He just wanted to write a simple poem to get his thoughts flowing and so far, nothing. He cracked his neck and ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. A knock on the door made him glance at the dark wood and rub his forehead, “Come in.” 

The door opened to reveal Yoongi leaning against the door frame with a raised eyebrow, “It’s bad that I’m checking on you.”

Namjoon sighed with a chuckle escaping, “Yeah, I know. I’ve been trying to get inspiration but nothing.”

“Why don’t you go to that bookstore?” 

“That narrows it down.” 

Yoongi rolled his eyes and took his phone out of his pocket. He typed something in his phone and turned it towards his leader, “It's called Sea of Hope. It’s by a park and a cafe, I think it will be beneficial for you.” 

“Sea of Hope...I’ll check it out. Will you go with me?” 

“Sure, I have nothing else to do. Plus, Hae wants me to get her a new sketchbook.” 

Namjoon nodded his head and took out his phone with a sigh. Yoongi raised his eyebrow with a small smirk, “Waiting for her?” 

“I don’t think she's going to text me back.”

“You don’t know that.”

I do...I do, “Do you want to get a drink with me?” 

“Sure, let me get Hoseok too. He needs a break too.”

“Alright sounds like a plan.”

Namjoon watched Yoongi leave his studio and he leaned back in his chair staring at his phone. He sighed to himself and felt annoyed. Why did she ask about him if she wasn’t going to communicate with him? He was interested but clearly she wasn’t. How many times is he going to get ghosted? 

Y/N brushed her hair as she glanced at herself in the glass leaning against her cane for stability. She was in her late twenties with her wheelchair and cane to get around. She was born with nerve damage and there wasn’t much she could do but to live with it. There were days where she wished she could’ve ended it all but there was always something stopping her. It was her mother's smile and her father's laugh that kept her grounded throughout her life. Then she met her best friend in high school, Jung Ae-Cha. Just their simple love kept her moving forward in life.

She pushed some hair back and smiled to herself, “Okay.” 

She opened the door and called for a car, saying goodbye to her orange and white cat, Sonia. She locked her door and put her keys in her pocket when the cold air touched her warm cheeks. She had a small shiver and shook her head, it’s so cold but I do love fall... The drive there was short but it was enough time to watch the leaves fall from the branches. It was a sight to see. Watching a leaf dance with the wind was like watching a married couple take their first dance, it was always special no matter how many times you’ve seen it. 

The cafe was like any other cafe, it felt warm and it wasn’t just the tea. The windows showcased the large park with the flowers touching the cold glass. She sat next to the window and watched the kids play with one another. She couldn’t help but feel some sadness watching them run across the grass without a care in the world. 

“You shouldn’t think too hard, Y/N.”

She turned her head and saw Ae-Cha giving her a soft smile holding two cups, “I guess. Sometimes thinking is good for the soul.”

“It can be good but it can also be bad depending on the thoughts. Knowing you, the thoughts are bad.” 

“Not necessary...what kind of tea did you get?”

Ae-Cha set the cups down on the small table as she pulled out her chair, “I got myself a London fog and I got you a green tea with cream.” 

“Thank you. How was the trip here?” 

Ae-Cha sighed and shook her head, “I know moving to Italy would be exciting but my god, the flight here. I feel so exhausted.”  

“I thought your boyfriend got you first class?” 

“He did but the people around weren’t so nice. How’s work?”

Y/N rolled her eyes and put her cup back on the table, “You remember that girl I was telling you about?”

“Maria? Or was it Chae?” 

“Technically both but the story is focusing on Maria.”

Ae-Cha nodded her head and took a sip of her tea, “I thought you liked her? What happened?”

“She got mad that I was getting more hours than her so she tried to trip me and then she got Chae to make my life harder. She said, “We only need her to make the company look good.”

“I’ll slap her for you.”

“You could get sued.”

“You should sue the company for letting the manager discriminate against you. It’s not right.”

Y/N sighed and glassed at the park, “I know...but sadly I need this job.”

Ae-Cha shook her head and gave her a stern look (something Y/N was avoiding), “No job is worth the abuse.” 

“Tell that to the economy. I was already looking at another job.”

“That’s good. You need to leave that toxic place.” 

“I’ll try.” 

Namjoon sat down on the grass and stared out into the neverending grass fields. He looked down and gently touched the daisies that were around him. Each flower was a different color but the petals felt the same. He placed his backpack behind him and laid down staring up at the clear sky with the cold air touching his skin. 

It was another day with no work getting done and another day without getting a text. Maybe this online dating wasn’t meant for him. Maybe he should go look for someone without someone helping him. It was time to take matters into his own hands. He was going to find a girl. 

He glanced at the cafe and smiled, “Neverland..that sounds cute.” Namjoon had a small shiver when she felt the breeze again but it didn’t bother him. He actually loved fall. 

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

It was early morning and Y/N was opening up the store. Chae was on the schedule with her but she knew she wasn’t going to show up. Why would she? Her parents owned the bookstore and she hated her guts, it makes sense. She didn’t understand why Maria or Chae hated her. They were friends in the beginning but then something shifted and she didn’t know what it was. She’s tried talking to Maria (the more civilized one at least that’s what she thought) but she got ignored. 

Maria was someone that Y/N knew back in college. They only talked when they needed to but the conversations were never malicious. They were the opposite. Maria was kind and gentle to her whenever she saw her. Obviously, something changed. When she met her in the bookstore things were going well. She would go out to dinner with her or they would hang out at the cafe. Once she started to hang out with Chae, she changed. 

Maria was fired because Y/N laid everything on the table to Chae’s parents. She only mentioned Maria because she was scared to even mention Chae. Maria would make everything harder for her. She would make sure all the books she needed were higher than usual or she would make sure there was stuff on the floor whenever she had her wheelchair. Y/N tried letting it go because it was just childish and she didn’t need to be angry. It wasn’t until she had an accident. Maria tripped her and she fell. She asked Maria for help but she got laughed at. Chae was there and recorded everything. Their laughs clouded her brain that day and a decision was made. Now she was the target of Chae but she wasn’t going down without a fight. 

Y/N watched as people made their way into the store. Talking amongst each other with small voices that would make a mouse jealous. She was always jealous seeing groups of friends, she never really had a group. Sure she had friends throughout high school and college but they never stayed. Ae-Cha was the only that stayed but even with her, it gets lonely at times. This is one of those times. 

The way the girls laughed with each other and hit their shoulders as they laughed, it made her smile in green. She sighed to herself and picked up the go-backs, it was a small stack of books so it was manageable. She leaned against her cane putting some books back on the shelves. She turned her and her eyes landed on a group of guys. It was four of them but they had masks with sunglasses. She squinted her eyes at them because this wouldn’t be the first time someone stole from the store. She made a mental note about them but headed back to her desk to finish her morning paperwork. 

Namjoon felt her eyes and glanced at her, her curious eyes were bright as her lips were shining under the light. She was cute but that's all he thought. In his mind, she knew he was famous because of the stare. It wouldn’t be the first time that someone stared at him in public when he had a mask on, so much for the mask to cover his face. At least she didn’t come up to him to ask questions or anything like that. 

Jin raised his eyebrow and glanced at him, “Are you okay?”

Namjoon nodded his head and glanced over his shoulder to see her leaving, “That girl was staring...I think she knew we were famous.” 

Yoongi rolled his eyes and shook his head, “I think you're paranoid. She probably was just checking in on us or something like that. We are wearing masks, sunglasses and black hoodies. She probably thinks we're going to steal.”

“I didn’t think of that...” 

Hoseok let out a small laugh, “See, don’t assume someone knows you're famous. She’s just doing her job, that’s all.”

Namjoon sighed and nodded his head, “I know, I know. You just never know with people and I want to make sure we're safe in public.” 

Jin nodded his head and put the book back on the shelf, “I get it Joon. I saw you looking at her though, you think she's cute?”

Namjoon rolled his eyes at him and put the book in his basket, “Do you have your books?” 

“You ignored the question, you think she's cute.” 

“I want to look at more books, I’ll be in the back.”

The three older men let out a small chuckle watching him leave, annoyance with each step he took. Y/N signed off her last paper and looked up to see the guy with the mask and glasses. She tilted her head at him as he headed towards the back. He had an interesting aura but it was probably because he was going to steal or something. Some people came up with their purchases and she looked away from him. 

Namjoon grabbed the book that he wanted and smiled underneath the black material. He ignored his members and went to the front. He waited in line but he heard her soft voice, “This book is really good. The poems are kinda dark but it's still good.” 

“Oh really. I’ve read the other works of his but they weren’t dark. So this one is dark?” 

Y/N nodded her head and gave her a smile, “It is but it's really good. I’ve read it.” 

The younger girl smiled at this and took out her cash, “Thank you for helping, I appreciate it.” 

“Of course and if you don’t like it, you can always return it.” 

“Thank you again.” 

Namjoon smiled to himself as he watched the girl smile. Her smile was gentle and her voice sounded like the gentle wind in spring. She was cute, “I can help who's next.” 

Namjoon snapped out of his thoughts and bowed his head at the girl. He placed the basket on the counter, “Hello, how's your day?” 

Y/N smiled at him as she put the books on the counter (happy that he didn’t steal anything), “It’s been going good. Do you like history?” 

Namjoon smiled (even though she couldn't see it) and nodded his head, “Yeah, it’s a story about a feminist leader and I’ve been interested in it for a while.”

He’s interested in a feminist leader...it could be a way to pick up girls. He could be one of those guys.... “My co-worker read this book and liked it. You should get the other volumes.”

“I thought about it but it gives me another reason to come back.”

She raised her eyebrow but nodded her head, “That will be ₩ 88,077. Will that be cash or card?”

“Oh, card.”

“Alright, let me set up the card reader and when it’s ready just hover your card over the corner to have it read.” 

Namjoon nodded his head as he took out his card to do what she said. She doubled his bag and clicked the tender on the computer. She pushed some hair behind her ear as he glanced at her. She smiled and took the receipt and put it in the bag, “You have a good day.” 

“Y-You too, bye.” 

“Bye-bye.” 

Y/N watched him leave and tilted her head. “How strange.” 

After her shift, Y/N went to the music store next door. She waved her hand at the owner, Kim Jin-Young, and walked up to him, “How’s your day so far, Mr. Kim.” 

Jin-Young let out a small laugh and shook his head, “I told you to call me Jin-Young, Y/N.”

“I know but it's fun calling you Mr. Kim, makes you feel older.” 

Jin-Young rolled his eyes and glanced at the back door, “Do you want your guitar?”

“Yeah, I was checking in on it.”

Jin-Young smiled at this and went to the back room. He came out with a brand new acoustic guitar with flowers on the side, “I tuned it for you but you might want to do it yourself. Are you performing this weekend?” 

Y/N smiled and nodded her head. She set the cane against the counter to take the guitar with a smile, “Yeah, Ae-Cha signed me up a month ago. I had no idea but she thought it would be good for me.”

“I think it would be. You have really good lyrics and a beautiful voice.” 

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, “Shut up, I’m nothing like those K-pop idols.” 

“Some of them lip sync. Be proud of your talent.” 

“I suppose. Thank you for this, I appreciate it.”

“No problem, Y/N. I’ll be cheering you on Saturday.” 

“I’ll see you later, Mr. Kim.”

Jin-Young rolled his eyes and watched the girl leave with the guitar on her back, “Yah! It’s Jin-Young to you!” 

Namjoon leaned back in his chair and stared at his ceiling with a blank expression. His blank expression matched his computer screen and he sighed to himself. He glanced at his couch and saw the bag from the bookstore and smiled to himself. He got up from his desk and took out the book he got. He smiled to himself when he thought of the cashier but he shook his head. Maybe reading the book could give him a break from life. 

Namjoon finished the book that night and he came back to the bookstore the next day. Y/N recognized him because of his voice and the pair of sunglasses he had on. She didn’t check him out at the register but she did talk to him when he was walking around the store. She realized that he wasn’t using a feminist leader to flirt but he was actually interested in it. She smiled at this as he went on tangents about the leader. He even recommended books to her. He was interested and he read pretty fast because he’s back again today. 

“You read pretty fast.”

Namjoon jumped at the voice and looked at her. She was wearing a simple white short-sleeved shirt with her work vest and her hair was in a low ponytail. The vest had different buttons of things that she was interested in and he held in a laugh when he noticed a Koya on the dark green vest.  He nodded and showed her a random book on the shelf, “I was looking at a different genre this time.” 

She tilted her head at the book and let out a small laugh, “You want to read a teen fantasy about a vampire falling in love with a wizard?” 

Namjoon glanced at the cover and back at her, “I-I...”

“If you're into that then go right ahead.” 

Namjoon put the book back and shook his head, “No-No, I just grabbed a random book. I-I-”

“I can put that in the front for you.”

Namjoon felt his face get hot and he wanted to slap his forehead, “I want some poetry books.”

“So, why did you grab that book?”

“I just grabbed a random book to talk to you.”

“To talk to me?”

“I like talking to you...is that weird? It is weird, I’m sorry.”

Y/N felt flattered and she ignored her heart fluttering,  “I like talking to you too. I can show you the-”

“I’ll show him the poetry section. Y/N, you should be in the front. Not walking around.”

Y/N held in a sigh and turned around to see Chae glaring at her. She nodded her head and looked back at Namjoon with a small smile, “I’ll see you in the front.” 

Namjoon watched Y/N leave and he frowned at the scene. Whoever this girl was, it was clear she didn’t like the girl. The one thing he was happy about was that he knew her name, Y/N. It matched her perfectly. Namjoon turned towards the girl and smiled at her under the mask, “I can find it, thank you.”

“Are you sure? I would love to help.”

Namjoon fought back the urge to roll his eyes but shook his head, “No, it’s okay. Thank you.”

Namjoon left her standing there before she could say anything to him. He quickly went into the poetry section and sighed to himself, “Y/N...pretty name.” 

Y/N signed off some return receipts and when she turned around Chae was standing there with her arms crossed. The glare she was giving her made her skin feel like it was on fire, “Hi, Chae”

“Why weren’t you in the front? That’s your task for today.”

Y/N glanced at the paper in her hands and then back at her with a tensed smile, “No one was on the floor with me so, I had to walk around the store to make sure everyone was helped.” 

“Walk? You barely do that. You're slow, that's why you stay in the front.” 

“I have my cane, I can walk around-”

“I don’t care what you can do, you stay in the front. You’ll just get in my way and it's annoying.”

She knew she shouldn’t feel hurt by her words but it was hard, “Okay.”

“Okay? Is that all you can say? You should-”

“I’m ready.”

Y/N glanced over Chae’s shoulder and saw the mystery standing there with his books. She was grateful for him because she felt saved at this moment. Chae gave him a fake smile and nodded her head, “Y/N will be happy to help you.” 

And with that, Chae left. Y/N let out the sigh that she was holding in and smiled at him, “Thank you for that...you know my name, what’s yours?” 

Namjoon let out a small laugh and put the books on the counter, “Now why would you want to know my name?” 

“Because...I like talking to you.” 

Namjoon smiled at this and nodded his head. He took off his sunglasses and looked around before pulling down his mask, “My name is Namjoon.”

Her eyes widened at this when she saw who it was, “Kim Namjoon? Like from Bts?”

“Yeah...don’t tell anyone, please.” 

“I wouldn’t dare to do so. It would mean other people talk to you and I wouldn’t want competition.”

Namjoon let out a laugh and put everything back on, “It wouldn’t be a competition. I would only talk to you anyways.” 

“That’s good to know, Mr. Idol.” 

“Mr. Idol? That feels weird, just call me Namjoon or if people are around Nam.”

She let out a small laugh as she scanned the last book, “Nam? That’s not very creative of you.” 

“Hey, I’m trying here.” 

“I see that. That will be ₩ 94,248, Mr. Nam.”

Namjoon rolled his eyes and took his card out, “I regret saying that now.”

“I don’t...I was wondering...We have this festival tomorrow and it would be cool if you came. You don’t have either.” 

“A festival?” 

Y/N nodded and put the receipt in his bag, “Yeah, it's a small music one. You said you’ve been having trouble at work. Now that  I know it's music...I thought it would be beneficial for you.” 

Namjoon smiled and nodded his head, “Are you asking me out on a date?” 

Y/N’s face felt warm and she shook her head, “It’s not a date. A hang-out if you will.” 

“Then I’ll come to that hang-out, Y/N.”

“Good, Mr. Nam...I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

She watched him leave the store and she couldn’t help but smile to herself. He was interesting and she couldn’t wait to know more about him. 

Namjoon sat on the grass with Yoongi sitting next to him as he stared at the empty stage. Y/N already met Yoongi and Yoongi thought it was funny that Namjoon was interested in her. She was the opposite of him, she was more blunt with her comments while Namjoon wasn’t but it was clear they were both interested in each other. Y/N told them that she had to do something and walked away. The last thing that he saw was the rose gold cane shining.

“You like her?”

Namjoon glanced at Yoongi and took a sip of his water, “She’s interesting...” 

“Just say you like her. You're not waiting for the other girl, right?” 

“I deleted her number. She wasn’t worth the wait.”

“What was her name again? Hae told me that she wasn’t good news so I blocked it out.” 

Namjoon sighed and looked at Yoongi, “Hae, knew she wasn’t good? Why didn’t she tell me?” 

“She wanted you to learn your lesson, I guess. What was her name so I can keep an eye out.”

“Maria.” 

“The next performer is my good friend, L/N Y/N.”

Namjoon snapped his head to the stage and watched Y/N go to the microphone with a guitar and without her cane. She sent a smile to the crowd and gave a small wave to Namjoon. Namjoon returned it as Yoongi watched on the sidelines with a smirk on his face. Yoongi leaned towards Namjoon and whispered in his ear, “Did you know she was performing?”

“No...” 

She played a few cords and smiled to herself as the melody echoed throughout the park, Raindrops make me think of you, Fragments of you in them. Each drop is our memories. Good or bad, there are no outliers. Especially with you. I think that’s why I like rainy days. You're always with me, even in an empty room.”

The sad melody played and for Namjoon everything was at a standstill as he stared at the girl in front of him. She was playing the guitar and her soft voice pierced his ears. It was beautiful but it was so sad. The words to the song were poetic and they held the pain of the past. Anyone can relate to her words and he thinks that’s why he liked it so much. 

When she finished everyone applauded her and bowed. She headed off the stage making Namjoon run towards it, ignoring the stare from his member. He entered backstage and saw Y/N looking down at the ground with tears in her eyes as two girls stood in front of her, “Why would anyone like your song?”

“They probably felt pity for you because I mean look at you. Disabled and you barely can walk.”

Namjoon glared at this and let out a small cough behind the mask as his glasses hid his glare. The two girls turned around and looked him up and down with confused looks, “What do you want?” 

“I’m here for Y/N. I don’t appreciate you saying all those things to her.” 

“It’s true and it's time she learned. She’s just a headache to everyone.” 

Namjoon took off his glasses and sent a hard glare that made the girl take a step back, “You're a  headache by just talking. Now move.” 

She scoffed at this and glanced at Y/N, “He only did that because he felt bad for you. Remember that.”

The two girls left while Y/N stared at the dirty wood with a blank expression. Namjoon shook his head at their behavior and tilted her chin with his thumb, “Don’t listen to them. Idiots just echo each other to feel heard.” 

Y/N let out a sad chuckle and shook her head, “Sometimes Idiots say the truth....”

“Y/N, they're wrong. You're beautiful inside and out, no matter what people say. Everyone is different, and that makes everyone unique in their own way.” 

“Beautiful?”

She tilted her head at him and let out a small cough as he looked away, “Just don’t listen to them.”

“Should I listen to you then?”

“If that makes you happy, then yes.”

They stared into each other's eyes and she let out a small laugh, “Thank you...we should get back to Yoongi.” 

“Y-Yeah, where’s your cane?”

“In my dressing room. Can you help me?”

“Always...” 

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

Fall came and passed. It was spring when the flowers bloomed from slumber from the cold winter. Y/N opened her window to let the semi-warm air into her room. She glanced outside to see the bush that was near her house was already blooming with small pink flowers. She smiled to herself and pushed some hair back as she relished in the morning sun. 

She had known Namjoon for a while now and everything was good. In her dark thoughts, it was too good. He would always make time for her and come visit her and her cat. He would bring her favorite food and drinks while they sat in her living room talking about poetry. It was as if he understood everything she was saying and vice versa. It was lovely but again her mind loved playing tricks on her. 

Namjoon was building up the courage to ask her out but every time he wanted to, it didn’t feel right. The rest of the members were threatening him at this point to ask her out but he was nervous. He never really liked anyone before her, they were only flings. Y/N was different and he didn’t want to ruin anything between them. It would devastate him if he lost her. If he had to keep his feelings hidden longer then he would do so. 

Y/N got ready for another day at work and she was already dreading going in. She didn’t want to see Chae but at least she worked with Yuri today. She laid back on her back staring at her ceiling with a frown. It wasn’t until she felt softness at her fingertips and she smiled. She glanced and saw Sonias with her bright green eyes. Y/N softly scratched Sonia’s head, “Sonia, I wish I could stay home all day with you. Nothing to worry about, just cuddles.” 

Sonia let out a loud meow and cuddled into her side making Y/N melt, “I love you too but I have to go. You be a good girl. Namjoon is coming by later, he’ll have your treats. You know how he is. Always spoiling you.”

Another meow left her lips and she smiled to herself. She leaned down and kissed the top of Sonia’s head. She gently got off the bed and frowned when she felt pain in her leg. It was going to be a long day and she wasn’t ready for it. She walked down the stairs carefully as Sonia went beside her, slowing down when Y/N did. When she finally reached the last step she grabbed her wheelchair and slowly sat in it. A sigh left her lips as she tried to be positive for the day. It’s so hard to feel anything when you feel nothing. 

A knock at the door caused her to raise her eyebrow, “Who is it?”

“It’s Namjoon! Can I come in?”

Y/N rolled her eyes and a small laugh, “You know the code.”

Namjoon opened the door and saw that she was in the wheelchair and frowned, “Is your leg acting up?”

“When is it not acting up? It’s just a wheelchair kind of day. Why are you here?” 

“I wanted to drop you off.” 

Y/N smiled at this and looked down at her feet, “You want to drive your disabled friend to work?”  

“I want to drive Y/N to work. You're much more than being disabled.” 

“Wait, you can’t drive though.”

Namjoon rubbed the back of his neck and let out a nervous chuckle, “That’s why I asked Hyung to help me.”

“Which one-”

“Y/N~!” 

She smiled and watched the door open wider to see Hoseok giving her a wide smile, “Hello, oppa. Thank you for driving me.”

“It’s no problem Y/N. Namjoon woke me up early to-”

Namjoon hit Hoseok's shoulder and let out a nervous laugh, “Let’s get you to work.” 

“Thank you, Nam.” 

Namjoon rolled his eyes and let out a huff of air, “I told you not to call me that when it's just us.” 

“When do I listen to you? It’s fun making you mad.” 

The ride there was filled with soft music bouncing off the leather fabric. Y/N stared outside looking at the flowers with a softness in her heart. She loved spring, it was the time when things that were hidden away from the cold appeared. It was a metaphor for life and she wanted to stick to that. 

Namjoon saw that she was looking out the glass and smiled at her gentle look. He let out a small cough that made her look at him and raised an eyebrow, “Tonight I was wondering if we can write together again.” 

Y/N smiled at this and nodded her head, “That sounds fun. Are you going to spoil Sonia?” 

“She deserves it. She’s the only cat that behaves well and loves cuddles.”

“Does this exclude Yoongi?” 

Namjoon let out a small laugh and shook his head, “You know what I mean. Who do you work with today?”

“With Chae and Yuri.” 

Namjoon scoffed at this, “I don’t like Chae. She needs to be put in her place.” 

“I don’t have to deal with her any longer. Next week is my last week, so no worries.” 

Namjoon smiled at this and nodded his head, “Where are you going to work?”

“With Jin-Young. It felt right to move to the music store and it's near the cafe.”

“I’m glad you're leaving that bookstore. It was toxic.” 

She nodded her head as she looked out the window, “Ae-Chae, asked her boyfriend to sue Chae and wants me to go forward with it.”

Hoseok nodded his head at this as he gently stopped the car, “You should go forward with it. She discriminated against you.” 

“I just don’t like conflict...it’s so much money too. Ae-Chae said she would pay for it but I feel bad for that. I don’t think I’ll go forward with it because well I’m scared...”

“That’s understandable, Y/N. If you want to go forward, I’ll be happy to help you.”

She turned towards Namjoon with her eyes widened, “You would help me?” 

“I told you. I’ll always help you.” 

That night, Jin picked her up with Namjoon and the tension in the car was different. Namjoon was nervous while Jin was smiling to himself, it was clear that he had done something to him. They sat in her bedroom typing away on their laptops. Namjoon kept glancing at her over his screen while Y/N was typing and petting Sonia in her lap. 

“Nam, what did you write?” 

“I-I...I want you to go first.” 

“Okay...Falling snow with secrets of winter linger. Springtime is when the truth is revealed 

Warmth is replaced in the summer with your touch, But when fall comes loneliness returns. Four seasons isn’t enough to heal. A lifetime will do.” 

Namjoon nodded his head and smiled, “That was pretty. I liked the mention of the different seasons.” 

“I thought about it because it's the first day of spring.” 

“Ah, you were excited about the flowers blooming.” 

“I was, now what did you write?” 

Namjoon nodded his head and let a nervous sigh out, “I wrote this from the heart...I hope you like it.”

“If it’s from the heart then how could I hate it?” 

“The moment we met, I knew. Somehow the truth always comes out with you. The reason I survive is one of the reasons for my rebirth. My meaning of life. Hold me, with tears escaping into the abyss. Something so pure and true. Can even make the strongest whimper. My summer sky in the harsh winter, the first raindrop in a drought, a crumble in a famine. My strength, my clarity, and my heaven...Y/N will you be my girlfriend?”

Her eyes widened at this and stared at him with a shocked look, “Y-You want me to be your girlfriend?”

“I do...I really do.” 

Y/N glanced down at Sonia as she continued to pet her, “You want me even though I have so many things wrong with me?” 

“Y/N, I don’t give a shit if you have problems. I love you for you. Every little thing about you I’m in love with. Regardless of how you see yourself. I love you.” 

“You-You love me?” 

“I do.” 

She gently touched Sonia’s butt to have her jump off her lap. She leaned against the table and gently placed her lips on his. His eyes widened but he closed his eyes and tilted his head to deepen the kiss. He gently pushed the table away and grabbed her hips, picking her up effortlessly. His hand moved to the back of her neck and he pulled her closer. When they leaned away he pushed some hair away from her face and truly looked at her face. She tried to look away from his intense eyes but he would let her budge. He kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, her cheeks, and then the edge of her lips, “I love you Y/N.”

“I love you too...Nam.” 

He let out a deep chuckle and kissed her neck as her fingers went through his hair, “Always the one that likes to annoy.”

“I think it gives you excitement.” 

“It does.”

He gently pushed her down on the floor as he towered over her. Her hair perfectly framed her face as the nervousness in her eyes became clear to him. He leaned down and kissed her lips again and this time it was more passionate than before. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him in closer. He happily accepted it. Nervous as she was, she couldn’t help the feeling in her stomach that erupted because of his touch. His thighs slowly separated hers as he got into a better position. 

He was perfect and she was the greatest treasure that he could ever acquire. He lifted up her skirt and gave her a small smile, “Is this okay?” 

“This is everything I want...” 

It happened so fast but so slow at the same time. He buried his face into her neck, panting as he placed kisses on her sweaty skin. The thrusting that started off slow was no faster with each passing second. He leaned away and looked down at her pleasured-out face. Her lips shined under the light with her eyes closed tightly. Her moans became louder as she felt her body moving forward with each thrust. Her arms reached up to him and he knew what she wanted. He leaned down and gave her another deep kiss as she arched her back when she felt her orgasm approaching. 

Keeping his mind focused, he continued to focus on her. Lifting up her shirt and kissing the tops of her breasts. He was losing himself and he couldn’t stop, “I’m going to come, Y/N.”

“T-That’s okay.”

“Where do you want me to come?” 

“You can just do it on my thigh or stomach.”

He nodded his head and pulled himself out with a low groan coming out of his mouth. He started rubbing himself and a white substance touched her the inside of her thigh. She felt it drip down and out of curiosity, she brought her fingertips to it and gently touched it. She brought it to her mouth and tasted it. Namjoon's blissed-out expression registers what just happened and lets out a moan at the sight. 

“You’ll be the death of me.”

“That’s good to know.” 

He leaned to kiss her left shoulder and back at her with a smile, “I love you regardless of what’s happening. You're my everything. The moment I saw you with your cane in the bookstore I fell in love with you. I love you for you. Nothing less.”

A small tear escaped as she gently touched his face, “Even if I can’t walk some days.”

“I’ll carry you.”

“Even on days that I can feel anything.”

“I’ll become your nurse.”

She smiled at him and kissed the tip of his nose, “Then I’m yours.”

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

Two Years Later 

“Y/N! Are you ready?”

She turned around and smiled at Namjoon, “You think Army would accept me? I mean it’s me...” 

Namjoon let out a small laugh and sat next to her. He kissed the side of her head and pushed some hair from her forehead, “Why wouldn’t they?” 

“I’m not normal...”

“Y/N, you're the greatest thing that has happened to me. I love you. Remember what I said to you.” 

She let out a laugh and kissed his cheek, “Call me Nam.”

He rolled his eyes and kissed her forehead, “My strength, my clarity, and my heaven. I would do anything for you.” 

“I would do anything for you too...Let’s tell the world about us. I’ll stand by you no matter what. I’ll be your passenger through life.” 

He smiled at this and intertwined their fingers together as a diamond sparkled in the light, “Forever.” 

[felice-jaganshi]

Strawberry Scented Love

Radiodust Strawberry pimp au

Chapter 1 - A Fresh Start

Nature abhors a power vacuum… Vox himself had sung those words once with Valentino… but he never thought Val would be the one to lose power in the Vee's.

But, somehow Lucifer had found out about Val licking Charlie's arm and, well… Val had to make a deal to save his own life. Unfortunately, that involved giving every single one of his soul contracts to someone else, and giving his own soul to Lucifer.

Now he was weak and powerless. Useless. Pathetic.

So… Vox and Velvette cast him out of the Vee's, ready to accept the one Lucifer gave Val's contracts to as the new member of their trio after only half a day. Leaving Val in the gutters with all his shit. He swore vengeance, but they didn't care. It'd take him a century to regain what he'd lost, and they'd just keep growing without him. The gap would just get larger and larger… He was fucked.

 

Angel was asked to the studio by Vox. Apparently whoever was taking Valentino's place wanted to meet with Angel in private before the rest of the employees of the studio. Angel paced around his dressing room nervously.

Would this new guy be just like Val? Would he be worse somehow?! Would he survive? No, scratch that one, he would survive. Whatever he had to do, he would survive. 

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Crap, show time. He took a deep breath. 

“Come in.” He looked into his mirror, keeping his eyes on himself to control his facial reactions. 

The door creaked open, and a familiar red smiling demon entered the room. When Angel saw who it was he turned quickly, “Al?! What are you doing here?” He smiled, glad to see someone he considered a friend. “The new overlord who's supposed to take over is showing up soon, did ya come to get a good look at them?”

 

Alastor laughed, “Oh, if I wanted a good look at them darling, I'd just take a peek in a mirror!” This made Angel's heart sink.

“Wh-what? Al, you're fucking with me.”

“I am most certainly not my dear, I don't fuck anyone!” He chuckled at his own joke, a laugh track coming from his microphone on his cane.

A sense of dread washed over Angel. Oh fuck.

“Yes, I was gifted this studio and the souls inside it by Lucifer himself, as a form of truce between him and I, I suppose. So, would you prefer I continue to call you Angel, or would Anthony be better for our new arrangement?”

 

“Angel, please. So… I guess I'm under your command now. What do you plan to do with me?” He frowned and crossed his arms over his chest in a self hug, not flirting with Alastor. Not this time.

Alastor's ear twitched and his head ever so slightly tilted, “What a wonderful question! But I have one of my own first… Do you.. fear me, Angel?”

He must have been imagining things, but he thought for a moment he looked and sounded… No, no stop that thought Angel. There's no way the radio demon actually cares, he's just another overlord, just trying to lower your guard.

“Of course I do. Why wouldn't I? You're the radio demon, a powerful overlord. And now you own me as long as I'm in this studio, like my contract says.” Angel kept his tone level and cold. He didn't want to push Al's buttons, but didn't want him to think he was ignorant to the situation he was in either. “So, again, what are you going to do with me?” His voice finally wavered, barely holding his act together. 

 

Alastor sighed and stepped closer to Angel, “Oh you poor darling… you think I'm going to be a monster like Valentino don't you? What sort of horrible things did he do to make you so… skittish? We've become rather close at the hotel, close enough I consider you a friend… yet here you are cowering in fear of me…” He gently placed a hand on Angel's cheek, only for him to flinch “Mon ami, I have a very important job for you here, one I can only entrust to you.”

“What kind of job?” Angel sounded warry, “Only things you know I'm good at are fucking and fighting.”

 

“I have less than no interest in this industry. So I would like to request you to run the studio in my stead. Under my name of course.” His smile felt… genuine for once. “I want you to manage the business. You know better than anyone what these performers need to flourish and thrive. How to treat them, and make everything safe, efficient, and profitable… I wouldn't know where to begin.” He still held Angel's cheek in his hand. “Will you accept my offer?”

 

Angel was in shock. “I… I would be honored to… W-wait, it sounds like I'd be doing all the work Val did, what are you gonna do then?!” He suddenly realized he was being delegated to do ALL THE HARD WORK!!

 

Alastor pulled back his hand and laughed, “There you are my dear! That look of frustration is much better on you than a look of fear.” 

Angel pouted and blushed, “Hey! Don't make fun of me Al! You come in here acting all cryptic and shit, of course I'm gonna be scared outta my fucking mind! I'm used to getting beat to crap and fucked in here, not told I'm being promoted to head honcho by a strawberry pimp.”

Alastor raised an eyebrow, “Is that so? So you were expecting me to barge in here like some brute,” he grabbed Angel gently around the neck, “Manhandle you and assault you in every vile form?” He leaned in close, “That sounds about like what you had in mind?” He felt Angel's pulse quicken under his hold as he held his breath.

He pulled away slowly, “Sorry love, but that's not my style. I find bruises to be hideous. And I'm not terribly fond of those… other activities. Too sticky and wet.” 

Angel finally let himself breath again, “Fucking, damn it Al… You keep giving me mixed signals here, the fuck is wrong with you today?”

 

“Just testing out my new role as ‘Strawberry Pimp’, darling. I may not desire any of the things associated with this job, but I do enjoy the power and the new souls it grants me. As well as the money, not that I needed more of that. I might as well have fun with the role Lucifer forced on my shoulders.”

Angel rolled his eyes, “I see. So you're messing with me, to practice for messing with the others.”

Alastor's eyes sparkled, “I knew you'd catch on. Now, with your knowledge of the industry and my powers, help me craft this new persona and a new outfit for it. Hm, perhaps get you something more ‘business like’ as well, to represent your new position.”

 ~~~~~~~~~

They spent the rest of the afternoon together getting their outfits and story straight. Alastor would play the “lazy boss” and Angel would be his “beloved assistant”. Alastor almost sat on the couch in Angel's dressing room, until he caught a whiff of the scent of Valentino's smoke lingering on it.

 

“Ugh, are you terribly attached to this couch? Or any of the furniture in here really? I feel the whole place should be fumigated and aired out.” 

Angel shrugged, “Light it on fire for all I care, if you're gonna play pimp, get me a new one.”

“So bossy…” Alastor huffed, then snapped his fingers before lighting the disgusting couch on fire. “Hm, I'll have new furniture put in tomorrow, in the meantime, you can share my office. I already aired it out and had it set up to my tastes.” 

 

“You're sharing your space? Damn, what'd I do to get on your good side?” Angel smiled.

“Well, if we are to make everyone think you're my precious pet, the illusion of familiarity would be beneficial.” He turned away and opened the door, the couch done burning. “Now come along, there is so much more work to be done…”

[disneyanddisneyships]

Me Too

Summary: Charlie found another way to do group bonding time for the hotel patrons and workers! By taking them to the most popular dance studio in pentagram city where Alastor's ex works, owning the studio herself.

Warnings: tension. I won't elaborate what kind. Alastor probably being ooc. Not proofread.

Pairings: Alastor x Butterfly!OC, a bit of huskerdust if u squint. Chaggie ofc.

Taglist: @gyubby99

..........

Charlie jogged down the stairs excitedly, holding back a squeal as she skipped into the lobby to find all her friends, happily doing nothing in silence.

"I have a new redemption exercise for us!" She announced with a large smile plastered on her face.

Angel groaned.

"Charlie, we're all tired. I'm sure you can take a break from the trust exercise crap for one day," he complained as he fell back onto the couch, his phone in his hand.

"Angel you're gonna like this one I promise! I made a call, and one of the overlords is allowing us to use her dance studio! She's gonna help us with a dance that we have to work together to pull off!" Charlie explained.

"'Overlord'? Angel repeated, putting his phone down and sitting up straight. "Does this happen to be the Butterfly overlord?" He asked.

"Yep! Overlord of love! The best dance studio in pentagram city!" Charlie stated.

"Oh yeah. She and I go way back," angel stated before chuckling. "Say, is Mr creepy deer gonna come with us?" Angel asked.

"Yep! Everyone has to do this! Why?" Charlie tilted her head.

Angel snorted. "I'd hold off on telling him where we're goin,"

Charlie shrugged.

.........

"And where, pray tell, are you taking all of us, my dear?" Alastor asked with his usual smile, not entirely paying attention to his surroundings and the road they were on.

Charlie only smiled.

"Oh don't worry, strawberry pimp. Ya gonna LOVE this," angel spoke up with a smile so wide it reached his eyes.

"Please never call me that again," Alastor stated with a sneer, even though his smile remained in tact.

As the group walked on, alastor began to recognize things. Areas he had only been to with-

"Ta daaa!!!!" Charlie exclaimed as she stood in front of the dance studio that read:

Aponi Wings~

Dance studio

Alastor's eyes widened and he gripped his cane tighter, his teeth clenching and jaw locking.

"What in the world are we doing here, my dear?" Alastor asked, his smile straining as he tried to keep his voice steady.

"Thiiiiiis is our new trust exercise! I got the owner of the studio to help teach us all a dance! I was reading articles on how to help people be more of a team and it said dancing was a key way to do that because-" as Charlie chatted on, alastor stopped listening, flashbacks entering his mind of his last serious relationship.

"I'm afraid I will need to sit this one out as I do all the others," alastir interrupted.

"Hahahaaaa no can do! Thus is for the hotel! Cmon Al, please?!" Charlie begged as she looked up at him.

Alastor's eye twitched. He hated how he was beginning to.... care.. for these ridiculous people. Although he'd never admit he cared.

"Very well," he stated at last, telling himself in his head that the only reason he was doing this was because he wanted to see what a failure his ex had become after she dumped him.

Even though he knew the truth.

As the group walked into the lobby, Charlie couldn't help but squeal at all the dancers there. A few who recognized Angel as a regular.

"You've been here before?" Husk asked as angel waved to a few dancers.

"Eh. I know the owner a bit personally. She and I were great friends when she used to work for Valentino," Angel explained with a shrug.

"She used to work for Valentino?" Charlie asked.

Alastor scoffed. "'Work'.... more like abused every day," he stated with a scowl in his eyes at the various memories of her coming home to him with bruises and cuts.

"How would YOU know?" Vaggie asked as she picked up nifty to sit on her shoulder.

Angel smirked. "Oh him? Well he and Aponi were-"

Alastor cut angel off with a glare, his eyes turning into radio dials. Angel only rolled his eyes.

Charlie walked up to the receptionist in the front lobby, who pointed her down a hallway to where Aponi was teaching a class.

As the group walked, alastor took a breath. He hadn't seen her since they seaperated.. and regretted to say he was still very much in love with her despite what happened.

As the group opened the door to the studio, alastor saw her immediately.

Oh dear... she was as beautiful as the day he lost her....

But the pumped up music drew his attention away from her and more to the dance she was doing.

As always. Her moves were calculated, but free...and she looked truly confident in herself. Something alastor really never had the chance to witness.

As she danced she spotted the group and smiled at them before her eyes landed on alastor, a smirk playing on her face as she danced, her eyes never leaving his.

Alastir listened to the lyrics of the song.

Hoo boy.... he was going to be in for a lot of yelling.

As the music ended and aponi and her dancers struck a pose she let out a breath.

"Alright everyone, take a 10 minute break today! Go stretch and drink water! You all did so well!" She exclaimed with a smile as she walked over to the group, specifically alastor.

Angel smirked, the everknowing best friend of the overlord in front of them.

"Well well well. If it isn't the radio Demon," Aponi smirked as she leaned forwards, her eyes lidded. "You came all the way here huh? What did you miss me?" She asked.

Alastor scoffed. "Hardly. I was simply lead astray," he replied.

"Lead astray? Hm. Not the first time, deer boy," she stated before booping his nose. Alastor's eye twitched.

"I'm sorry I'm confused. HOW do you know each other so... intimately?" Vaggie asked with a look of mild disgust.

"Hm? Oh he didn't tell you?" Aponi asked before standing up straight and taking a drink of water. "He and I were engaged a few years ago," she finished.

"I'm sorry WHAT?" Charlie asked, her eyes wide as she looked from alastir to Aponi.

"Quite right! I even gave her this studio! I. Made. Her," alastor smiled smugly. "The only reason she's so popular is because I gifted her thus studio!" He exclaimed, attempting to get underneath aponi's skin.

"Hm. And the only reason people know who YOU are now is because of me.... thanks for the leg up on my popularity, radio boy," Aponi winked.

"I'm sorry. Wait. Hold on. YOU, dated HIM?" vaggie asked in utter disbelief. "WHY?"

Aponi shrugged. "I was desperate," she smirked, looking over at a fuming alastor.

Angel chuckled.

Oh this would DEFINITELY be fun.