#anatomy is the glass cereal of breakfast

[seldompathic]

Womp womp

[writinghalstead]

you should consider doing a different ending to 'boy trouble' were she finds out she's pregnant and she needs to tell her brothers. there will be a different side to marcel. (got what he wanted and done one)

Hi, thank you for your request. I really enjoyed writing this one and I hope you will enjoy it too. This is a part 2 of a oneshot I wrote a while ago. If you want to read that one too, press the link below.

Boy trouble

I do write other scenarios too, it doesn't have to be a Halstead sister one. Feel free to send me your reqeuests!

Enjoy! :)

A Halstead!sister oneshot

Not proofread

Pregnant

Summary: When Y/N doesn’t get her period, she goes to Hailey for help. They find out that she is pregnant with Marcel’s baby. Now they have to find a way to tell Y/N’s brothers.

Word count: 2870

Warnings: mentions of period blood and abortion, swear words

----

It was six am and Y/N woke up form the feeling of cramps in her lower abdomen. She turned around in her bed, trying to ease the pain. The pain only got worse and a wave of nausea hit the girl, reminding her that is was that time of the month again. She got out of bed slowly and let out a soft groan. Y/N walked out of her room towards the bathroom at the end of the hall. She expected to see a red puddle in her underwear but she was shocked to see that it was still clean.

The girl sighed and ran her hands through her hair. She was supposed to be on the 6th day of her period today; she was a week late. It wasn’t unusual for the youngest Halstead to be a couple of days late but she had never been this late. She had expected her period to arrive today, especially with the pain she was feeling in her lower abdomen, so seeing that she was still not bleeding made her nervous. She was still seeing Marcel, even though her brothers had told her not to. She really liked this boy. But not being on her period made her think about the worst thing that could ever happen to her.

She decided to wait a little longer for her period to arrive and walked to the kitchen to get herself some breakfast. It was still a little early but she knew that she wasn’t going to get any more sleep anyway. The girl grabbed a bowl and put some cereal in it, along with some milk. She grabbed a glass of orange juice too and made her way over to the couch where she sat down to eat her breakfast while watching Grey’s Anatomy. Y/N was only halfway through her bowl of cereal when she felt another wave of nausea hit her. This time it felt different and the girl knew something was not right. She put down the bowl and ran towards the bathroom where she emptied her stomach.

‘No, no, no, no. This can’t be happening!’ she thought as another wave hit her and she threw up again. She sat there for a minute, wanting to be a hundred percent sure that her stomach was empty, before flushing the toilet. She didn’t have the time to wash her mouth because there was already a knock at the door.

‘Is everything okay in there?’ It was Will. He was the last person Y/N would want to talk to at this moment. He would doctor her every time that she didn’t feel well. It was really sweet of him and Y/N never minded him doctoring her but this was the last moment she would want to be doctored at.

‘I’m fine,’ the girl answered and turned on the sink to wash her mouth and splash some cold water in her face.

‘You don’t sound fine to me,’ her brother said as a matter-of-factly. ‘Can I come in?’

The girl sighed and gave her brother permission to enter the bathroom. As soon as he walked in he closed the lid on the toilet and made her sit while putting his hand on her head. ‘Your temperature doesn’t feel so high,’ he stated. ‘Are you just nauseous or do you have a headache too?’

Y/N sighed and looked at her brother’s worried face. ‘Will, I’m fine. It’s probably just a fever.’ She said with little conviction.

‘I want to take your temperature anyway,’ the redhead said as he grabbed a thermometer and put it under his sister’s tongue. ‘Is there anything I can do for you right now?’

The youngest Halstead thought for a moment before answering; ‘can you call Hailey for me? I want to talk to her.’

Will furrowed his eyebrows and looked at his sister questioningly. ‘What do you need Hailey for?’

The girl shrugged. ‘I just want to talk to her. It’s a girl’s thing.’ She lied. Will looked even more puzzled than he did before but decided to not ask anymore questions. He knew that his sister was not comfortable with talking about girl problems with any of her brothers. The eldest Halstead walked out of the bathroom to get his phone and when he returned, the thermometer beeped, indicating that Y/N’s temperature was taken. He checked her temperature first before giving her his phone. ‘

‘A 100, it’s not a fever yet, but I do want to keep an eye on you.’ He said as he gave Y/N his phone.

‘Ok, Will,’ she said quicky as she searched for Hailey’s contact. ‘Can you give me some privacy please?’ Will nodded and without asking any further questions, he left the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

The phone rang three times before Hailey answered. ‘Will? Why are you calling me so early, it’s six thirty.’

‘it’s not Will, it’s me.’ Y/N’s voice sounded more insecure than she wanted to, raising Hailey’s awareness.

‘Oh, hi, sweetie. What’s wrong?’ Hailey’s voice was already filled with concern, something Y/N appreciated about her. Hailey took care of Y/N as if she were her own sister.

‘Hailey..’ the girl breathed in deeply, thinking of a way to tell her her suspicions. ‘My period is a week late and I’m feeling nauseous and I just threw up. I’m scared and I don’t want to tell Will.’ Her breath hitched halfway through her sentence, making the girl realise how scared she actually was.

Y/N could hear Hailey talking to someone on the other side of the phone and then she could faintly hear her walking away, indicating that she was already, or still, at work. ‘Y/N, are you telling me what I think you’re telling me?’

The youngest Halstead nodded and realised that Hailey couldn’t see it. She tried to talk to her but she couldn’t find the words, tears running down her cheeks instead.

‘Y/N?’ asked a even more concerned Hailey. ‘Are you there?’

The girl sobbed and breathed out a shaky ‘yes’.

The other end of the line got quiet for a couple of seconds, making Y/N wonder if Hailey was going to be mad at her. She knew her brothers were going to kill her and she could handle that but she could never handle an angry Hailey. She was the only one she actually felt like talking to about girl problems. After a moment, the woman’s voice sounded through the phone again. ‘Who’s is it?’ she asked.

Y/N sobbed again, feeling ashamed that she even had to tell this. It was embarrassing. ‘It’s Marcel’s.’

‘Wait, the Marcel?’ asked Hailey. ‘The one your brother’s told you not to see anymore?’

The girl felt even more scared now, making more tears run down her cheeks. ‘Yea, that Marcel.’ She could hear a sigh coming from the other end of the phone.

‘You know I can’t talk you out of this, right?’ The detective ran a hand over her face thinking about how she was going to help her fiancé’s sister. ‘Have you taken a test yet?’

‘No,’ answered Y/N with a shaky breath.

‘Okay, my shift ends in two hours. I will pick one up from the pharmacy and then I will help you out, okay? Promise me you won’t tell anything to Will yet. I won’t tell Jay either until we know for sure, alright?’

The young girl agreed and shakily hung up the phone. She couldn’t even imagine how her brothers would react. Frankly, she didn’t even want to know.

-

Two and a half hours later Hailey walked in alongside Jay who tossed his keys on the kitchen counter. ‘I heard my sister was sick,’ he said as he made his way over the girl who was sat on the couch, buried in a warm blanket.

‘Her temperature hasn’t gone up anymore, but she’s still not feeling well,’ Will said as he laid his hand on his sister’s head again to check her temperature.

‘I’m fine you guys,’ the girl said as she looked at Hailey who nudged her head towards the bathroom. ‘I have to use the bathroom.’

Without looking at the two men, she quickly made her way over towards the bathroom where Hailey was already waiting for her. She was holding a pregnancy test in her hand and looked at the young girl with pity in her eyes.

Y/N sighed heavily as she ran her hands through her hair. ‘Alright, let’s get this over with.’

‘Do you know how to take this test?’ asked Hailey as she gave the test to the girl who took it with shaking hands.

‘Yea, you just pee over this stick right? And then it will tell you if you are..’ she swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat ‘pregnant or not.’

‘That’s right,’ Hailey placed her hand on Y/N’s shoulder, squeezing it softly before walking out of the room. ‘I will wait for you outside the door.’

The youngest Halstead nodded and took the test. She had to wait for a couple of minutes before she got the results. She had a gut feeling, however, that she already knew what the test was going to say. She invited her brother’s fiancé back in the bathroom when the test had the results ready.

‘I don’t want to check,’ she said with a shaky breath. ‘I feel like I already know what the result’s going to be.’

Hailey looked at the girl with sympathy and asked if she had to check the results. Y/N nodded and fearfully looked at the woman’s expression when she read the results.

As soon as she met Hailey’s eyes, she burst out in tears. The blonde detective spread her arms, inviting the girl for a hug, which she immediately accepted.

‘I can’t believe it!’ she cried. ‘Jay and Will are going to kill me. They will never let me see another boy ever again, hell, they won’t even let me out of the house ever again.’

‘Let’s not think about that right now,’ she rubbed the girls back as she tried to think of how they were going to handle this. ‘There is one more important thing you should consider right now.’

Y/N let go of her brother’s fiancé and wiped away her tears. ‘And that is?’

Hailey sighed and took a second to answer. ‘You know it’s not a good idea to keep it. But the decision is yours to make. Do you want to keep the baby?’

The youngest Halstead sighed heavily and started crying again. ‘I don’t know!’ she sat down on the toilet and rested her head in her hands. ‘I don’t know, Hailey!’

‘I know it’s a tough decision to make, Y/N, especially at your age. But I guess you can already tell what your brothers are going to say. I want you to make this decision on your own and I want you to know that whatever you decide, I will stand by you.’ She took a hold of Y/N’s hands and squeezed them softly.

‘I guess it’s time to tell them, isn’t it?’ the young girl asked as she looked at the woman in front of her.

‘You have to tell them today, but take as long as you need. I’m here with you.’

‘Thanks, Hails.’ Y/N smiled softly at Hailey, being glad that she could soon call her her sister in law.

-

After about an hour sitting in the bathroom, the two walked towards the living room where Jay and Will were sat on the couch, watching a hockey game.

‘There you are,’ Jay said as he paused the game. ‘You have been in there for over an hour, what happened?’

Hailey stood next to Y/N, squeezing her shoulder ever so slightly in a poor attempt to calm the now anxious girl down again. The girl knew she had to say something but the words didn’t come. Instead she started crying again, surprising herself that she still had tears in left in her body after all that crying she did today.

Both of her brothers got up form the couch and walked over to her, worry plastered on both of their faces. ‘Y/N, what’s going on?’ Will asked cautiously.

‘I-I have to tell you something,’ she said in between sobs as she started fumbling with the sleeves of her sweater.

She didn’t dare to look the two men in the eyes so she kept looking at their feet instead. She noticed Jay crossing his arms over his chest, which never meant anything good. After a long silence, except for Y/N’s sobs, Jay spoke up again. ‘Y/N, tell us what’s going on.’

‘Erm,’ she started.

‘And look at me,’ the detective added in a strict tone that she never dared to disobey.

The girl slowly looked up, meeting her brother’s green and worried eyes. ‘Well, I, erm..’ she wiped away a tear from her cheek before continuing. ‘Do you remember Marcel?’

‘That boy you fucked in our apartment without telling us?’ Will said while crossing his arms too. ‘We remember him damn well.’

‘Well, erm,’ Y/N lowered her gaze at their feet again, feeling the nausea kicking in again.

‘Damn it, Y/N, just tell us!’ Jay started to lose his patience and took a step towards her.

‘Guys,’ Hailey the two men in front of her and Y/N, while putting and arm around her. ‘Give her some time,’

‘Fine, sorry.’ Jay scoffed and waited for his sister to speak.

‘I, erm,’ the girl sobbed again but continued her story, ‘you told me that he wasn’t welcome in here anymore, so we thought that we could still see each other at his place.’

‘You slept with him again?’ Will asked as he took a step forward too.

‘Well, yes, and I erm..’ she looked at Hailey for a second, who nodded to encourage her to keep on talking. ‘I don’t really have a fever, it’s just that..’

‘ARE YOU PREGNANT?!’ shouted Will as he took another step forward and grabbed her arms.

‘Will,’ warned Hailey but she couldn’t be heard because Jay started yelling too.

‘Are you fucking kidding me? Hailey are you supporting her?’ he looked at his fiancé as if she had murdered someone.

‘I am not okay with her being pregnant, Jay, but I am supporting her because this is more difficult for her than you think.’

‘We are going to med right now,’ Will grabbed his keys from the table and grabbed Y/N’s coat before shoving it into her hands. ‘You are going to get this thing removed.’

‘Don’t push her, Will,’ Hailey grabbed the coat from the poor girl’s hands and grabbed Will’s keys from his hands as well. ‘She doesn’t know what she wants yet.’

‘She doesn’t know?’ Jay’s voice sounded so calm it even made Hailey get goosebumps. ‘What do you mean she doesn’t know? She is only sixteen years old. She isn’t capable of raising a child. She is still a child herself.’

‘She knows, Jay,’ Hailey said. ‘But it is a living being inside of her. It’s not only hard for her physically but mentally too. Please, let her think about it.’

‘No, they’re right,’ Y/N said softly, making everyone turn towards her. The girl looked up and looked each and every one of them in the eye. ‘I know what I did and that I shouldn’t have done it. This is my punishment for being so stupid.’ She looked at Jay and sighed. ‘You are right. I am not capable of raising a child. I should get it removed.’

‘Won’t you at least think about this for a week?’ asked Hailey. ‘You should discuss this with Marcel too.’

‘Marcel doesn’t have a say in what happens to our sister,’ Jay interrupted his fiancé.

‘Well, actually he does,’ said Will who was a little more calm than he was before. ‘She should tell him about it. It is his child too.’

‘How about we let Y/N think for a while and let her call him when she comes to a conclusion?’ asked Hailey.

‘I would like that,’ said Y/N softly as she looked up at her future sister in Law who in return smiled at her.

‘Fine,’ Jay scoffed again and turned to his sister. ‘But don’t you think there aren’t any consequences, young lady.

‘I understand,’ nodded Y/N. ‘Do I have to go to my room?’

‘No , you can sit with us. But only for today. You will be grounded though, and we will take your phone and call Marcel’s parents.’ Will said as he made his way over towards the couch.

‘And you will either go to the district or to med when you’re out of school, you understand?’ added Jay quickly.

‘I understand,’ said Y/N. ‘Thank you for letting me think about it.’

‘Of course,’ Jay put a hand on Y/N’s shoulder, ‘even though we’re mad at you, we still want you to feel alright. You’re still our sister and we want what’s best for you.’

Y/n smiled softly and spread her arms to hug her brother, who gladly accepted. ‘Thank, you Jay. I love you.’

He placed a kiss on her head ‘I love you too, munchkin.’

[ollieoliveo]

enneagram aesthetics; average health 1 - perfect red nails, a wine glass, sleepless nights, heavy eyes, perfect grades, stacks of books, marble statues, vintage cars, anatomy drawings, leather wallet, cold salty water, high end shoes, dusty hands, school lockers, side eyeing people, bullet journalling, alone in a movie theater, ivy 2 - braids, wildflowers, bandaids, freckles, sweaters, thrifted jeans, gentle eyes, delicate fingers, shadow puppets, reminders, home made brownies, doodling hearts on everything, lambs, halos, feeding birds, dappled sunlight, going to the lake with a friend, laundry baskets 3 - wide smiles, calloused finger tips, newspapers, expensive clothes, pretty handwriting, mirrors, butterfly wings, perfect skin, scoffing, plaster masks, eyes watching, puppet hands, shattered wine bottle, pressed glitter, to do lists, always a's, trophies, self help books, blisters 4 - poetry in the notes app, cutting your own hair, dark clouds, bubble baths, the swing set from your childhood home, wall covered in poster, does, messy hair, scalding showers, easter bunny costumes, rain, the beach, ancient churches, misted mirrors 5 - headphones, wikipedia, old macbook, connecting dots, museums, empty coffee cups, egg shells, dark chocolate, scribbles, wadded paper, closed doors, vhs tapes, record stores, lady bugs, star charts, glasses, barefeet, nail biting, knowing things no one else does, libraries, ripped jeans, rambling 6 - holding hands, apartment complex, old porch, house plants, dusky walks, the woods when you're alone, diner mugs, pancakes, note books full of doodles and nonsense, that sweatshirt you wear everyday, rain boots, moths, pajama sets, wet socks, clovers 7 - every type of cereal you can imagine, firecrackers, chunky heels, eclectic taste in music, easy laughter, funky 70s pants, spontaneous road trips, roller coasters, concerts, trying everything on the menu, alphabet soup, always has sunglasses, last minute plans, sunsets, right before the plane takes off 8 - broad shoulders, fists, curse words, sticks for swords, black coffee, old jackets, aching hands, lion's roar, brick wall, crop tops, arguments, weightlifting, scraped knees, worn out sneakers, friends for life, sturdy boots, punching holes in walls, hair pulled back tight, crossed arms, defensive stance 9 - dried flowers, creamy tea, old blankets from your grandmother, soft rain, quiet breakfast, old books, golden sunlight, lace curtains, pressed lips, mismatched socks, cold toes, tucked knees, old stair cases, moss in a creek, fog, windy days, hanging sheets to dry, folded clothes you haven't put away

[emgoesmed]

11/18/2020

I revisited Notion after not using it for a year and I’m loving it.

I was super stressed for a couple reasons yesterday and didn’t get anything done so I do not feel prepared for my anatomy exam this afternoon at all. It’s open book thank god but I do feel like a ~fake~ med student as a result.

2020 Study Challenge:

Morning routine

wake up

floss & brush teeth

shower (if I didn’t the night before) & skincare (cleanser, toner, moisturizer)

drink a big glass of water and a mug of coffee or tea, breakfast is usually a bowl of cereal or oatmeal

15 min of positive affirmations and previewing my to-do list for the day. (I’m trying to minimize social media use in the morning so instead I’m replacing it with this. It’s a work in progress.)

Evening routine

I don’t have one ... ideally I would shower, brush my teeth, drink water, and read a book for around 30 min before going to sleep.

[ghostsray]

kin assigned fenton pt. 2

(i hope those of you who read my fenton-phantom au fic wanted more because it’s gonna be a multichapter fic now :) this is supposed to be based on @darks-ink‘s phic phight prompt, but while i was writing it i forgot what the original prompt was, so i forgot that they werent supposed to gain each other’s memories...oops. i hope that’s fine)

(ao3)

summary: phantom makes some friends :)

.

After day 10 of being stuck inside someone else's body, Phantom finally got used to waking up in the human world.

He opened his eyes to be greeted by the now-familiar star-shaped stickers stuck on the roof. He was starting to hate those plastic stars. While he at first appreciated how neatly Danny had placed them in the shapes of constellations, now they only served to remind him that he was still living Danny's life while the real guy's ghost was in who-knows-where.

Phantom sat up in bed and squinted as the rays of sunlight hit his eyes through the window. He had learned in science class that the sun was a star, and Phantom hated it as much as he hated the fake stars on the ceiling. He missed the blissful darkness of the Ghost Zone. Everything was so dang bright in the human world.

Phantom threw back his (really Danny's) covers and got up. After a week and a half of living as a human, he had settled into a morning routine. Get out of bed, ignoring the terrible pull of gravity on your stolen human body. Go to the bathroom, pointedly refusing to look at the mirror to see Danny's face. Do your business without feeling too weird about your nut not being yours, wash your hands and brush your teeth, go back to Danny's room and change clothes. Stop and gaze at the photograph sitting on Danny's desk which you never moved since you found it, showing Danny and his friends, and wonder where Danny's ghost was.

It's been a week and a half since Danny disappeared after their fight with the toilet ghost. The toilet ghost had unsurprisingly reformed in his haunt in the Casper High restroom, which Phantom knew after one startling bathroom break, but he seemed content just to chill without causing trouble. Danny never reappeared. Phantom honestly felt annoyed at Danny for leaving him to handle his life on his own, which felt very awkward when he knew next to nothing about it.

Or maybe not. Phantom hissed and pressed a hand against his temples as an image assaulted his brain. The smell of the wilderness, a dog's fur under his hands, firewood burning while he and the other Fentons sat with their Aunt Alicia around the firelight, the stars shining above them. Phantom pinched his arm and twisted it, and the image disappeared.

He knew a thing or two about human anatomy, and he knew that he currently had Danny's brain--including his memories. The longer he spent in this body, the more memories he gained access to. How much longer until he remembered all of Danny's life? And if he gained Danny's earthly memories, will he lose his own memories of the Ghost Zone? Will he even be able to tell himself apart from Danny?

Phantom tried not to think about it too much.

He went downstairs to the kitchen. Danny's parents (Maddie and Jack, he had learned were their names) were, as usual, tinkering with some anti-ghost weaponry at the table. Phantom focused on anything but those weapons and tried not to feel too threatened by them. They didn't even work on him, not while he was in their son's body.

There had been a few small ghosts that came through the portal since it had opened, but they never lasted long before either Fenton captured them. Phantom didn't know what they did to the ghosts, and he was too scared to peek into the lab to find out. All he knew was that he sometimes imagined hearing echoing screams rise from the basement. He was just glad none of the ghosts had been someone he knew so far.

Jazz didn't seem bothered by the weapons. She was eating her breakfast while simultaneously reading a book about psychology. At first, Phantom had assumed she studied psychology because she still thought he was crazy for believing himself to be an ex-ghost, but he quickly realized that she simply liked learning about the subject.

He sat down, ignoring the tremors that came from being too close to the ghost hunters, and didn't speak as he ate his breakfast--eggs and bacon, which wasn't as sweet as cereal, but not bad. Apparently, Maddie and/or Jack often accidentally got some ectoplasm from their research onto the food they cooked, which gave it the tangy aftertaste of ecto-plasm. That only made Phantom feel more nostalgic for his old afterlife.

Jazz looked up from her book to check the clock in the kitchen, scraped off the remainder of her meal, and stood up. "Ready for school, Danny?" she said.

Phantom tensed his jaw. "Yeah," he said and stood up with Danny's backpack. He tried not to show any discomfort at being called Danny. After all, he had given up trying to convince the Fentons of his true identity after that first day.

Just like the previous ten days, Jazz drove him to school. He watched the scenery that passed by through the window. He used to find it captivating, how different the landscape was from the Zone and how many humans and animals were alive in this world. Now, he just wished once more that he could return home already.

The now-familiar building of Casper High appeared in front of them, and they exited the car after Jazz parked. Phantom let his stolen body go on autopilot as it moved toward class. Honestly, he used to think the Ghost Zone was boring, but the human world was even more mundane. He just went to the same classrooms every day to learn something about the same old subjects.

As he passed by a hallway, he caught a glimpse of a black-clad girl with a black ponytail. He felt his body tense up as he met Sam's violently violet eyes for a brief second. Then they turned away from each other and moved on.

It was awkward, being anywhere near Danny's old friends. Sam and Tucker were the only other humans who really knew about Phantom, and it didn't make things any easier between them. Imagine your best friend was dead and some stranger took his place, which nobody knew about but you...

They didn't talk much.

"Okay, that's it," some girl said next to him. "What is going on between you and your friends?"

Phantom blinked and turned around to look at her. She had blonde hair with a flower pin holding it away from her face, and she was crossing her arms and looking directly at him. It took him a few slow moments before he asked, "Are you talking to me?"

The blonde rolled her eyes and said, "Yes, I'm talking to you, Fenton. You, Manson, and Foley used to be inseparable. Now, it almost seems like you guys are avoiding each other. So what's up?"

Phantom winced and fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. How could he possibly describe that the reason they weren't friends anymore was because he was someone else? After failing to come up with a decent explanation, he decided to use the good ol' method popular among ghosts and growled, "None of your business."

The girl blinked, then smirked. "Wow, Danny. You're a lot tougher than I remember."

Phantom clenched his jaw and turned away. Even with him gaining Danny's memories, it was getting harder each day to pretend to be him. He really wished Danny would come back already, if only to give him some pointers on how to live his life.

He barely made it past a row of lockers before a fist suddenly slammed against a locker right in front of him. Phantom jumped back and looked up into the angry blue eyes of one Dash Baxter. He slumped. "Oh. You again."

Dash gritted his teeth and growled, "I've been holding it together for a week, but I really need to take out my anger on someone."

"What is it this time?" Phantom said noncommittally. "A failed test?"

"It's the fucking locker," Dash said, his breath burning in Phantom's face.

"A...locker?"

Dash grabbed Phantom by his shirt and raised him, his blue eyes glaring holes into him. "The fucking locker! Ever since a row of 'em was mysteriously dented, I had to get a new one near the band room. Which, sure, no biggie, right? But god, every Wednesday there's band practice, and those geeks have to come near me with their stupid spittle and annoying loud instruments. And guess what day it is today?"

"Wednesday?" Phantom guessed.

"Fucking Wednesday!" Dash slammed Phantom against the wall of lockers, which made his head vibrate with pain. At least Phantom knew why Sidney hated bullies so much. They really, really sucked.

Dash was about to give Phantom another painful attack, but just then the bell rang, and everyone filed to class. Dash gave Phantom one more shove before letting go and sneering. "Saved by the bell, but not for long. Get ready for a beating later."

Phantom had a sarcastic comment in mind, but he knew from experience that angering someone stronger than you was never a good idea. So he just glared at Dash's back while Dash stalked away. As he did, Phantom thought he saw what looked like a wisp of smoke following after the jock...but when he blinked, it disappeared.

.

Phantom scratched his head as he glared at the math worksheet on the desk in front of him. Of all the subjects, geometry was the worst. He never thought that it was important for him to know (maybe because shapes continually shifted in the Ghost Zone), so he never bothered learning it. Apparently, Danny's memories didn't do him much good, either.

Tucker sat next to him. When Danny was still around, that seating arrangement was probably awesome--two best friends sitting right next to each other. Now, it was just awkward. He and Tucker did their best to pretend that the other didn't exist...which was why he was surprised when Tucker leaned in and whispered, "Want some help?"

Phantom looked up at him in surprise. He was watching him from behind those thick glasses of his. The human fidgeted and added, "Don't get me wrong, I still think your whole...situation is weird. But no one deserves to be tortured by school material."

Phantom pursed his lips and looked back to his paper. Of the two of Danny's friends, Tucker had always been the more open. Sam, on the other hand...maybe she already wore black daily before Phantom entered the picture, but he couldn't look at her and not think that it looked like funeral attire, worn for the death of her real friend.

"Sam hates me," Phantom whispered.

"She doesn't hate you," Tucker responded. "She just misses Danny. So do I."

Phantom gazed at the printed numbers sadly. "I don't know where he is. The last I saw or heard from him was on the same day you guys last did."

He didn't need to look at Tucker to know that his words disappointed him. There was a tense silence between them for a moment, then Tucker broke it by saying, "You need to find the cosine."

"Huh?"

Tucker tapped his paper and said, "The first question. You need to find the cosine of the triangle to know the missing angle."

"Oh," Phantom said, feeling stupid.

Tucker spent the rest of the period whispering methods to help him solve their geometry problems when the teacher wasn't listening. Phantom kept sneaking glances at the boy. Tucker's eyes were glued to the schoolwork, refusing to look at Phantom, probably to make it easier to pretend that he wasn't inside his best friend's body. Phantom didn't mind. It was more than enough for him that Tucker even considered talking to him.

Class ended, and Phantom and Tucker gathered their things and stood. Phantom waited for Tucker to leave, but he stayed around while everyone else filed out the classroom. Phantom fidgeted.

"Thank you," he said, figuring that was what the human was waiting for him to say. "For, you know. Helping me out."

Tucker pushed his glasses up and scratched his neck. "I figured it wasn't fair for me to judge you for...being you." As in, not being Danny. "From what I gathered, you didn't ask to be in your situation, either."

"Ancients, no," Phantom confirmed. "I hate being alive."

Tucker raised an eyebrow. "I thought ghosts generally want to be alive again."

"Why'd you think that?"

Tucker shrugged. "It's what's always shown in horror movies."

Phantom didn't know what sorts of ghost myths were broadcasted in human-made movies. He almost opened his mouth to argue, but he hesitated.

Did he hate being alive? He hated being thrust here from the Ghost Zone against his will, and he hated having to live someone else's life. But not everything in the human world sucked. It was definitely more peaceful than the Zone.

"I think I just hate being alive as someone I'm not," Phantom said.

Tucker softened. Phantom wished he didn't. Ghosts rarely showed sympathy to each other, and the way Tucker looked at him was closer to pity. Phantom averted his eyes and busied himself with Danny's school supplies.

"Well," Tucker said, "I can't imagine what you're going through, but it sounds like a lot. I know you're not Danny...but that doesn't mean we can't be friends."

Phantom looked up in surprise and found Tucker smiling at him timidly. He hadn't thought about how lonely he had gotten since getting stuck inside Danny's body. He missed his friends from the Ghost Zone, and Tucker missed Danny. Maybe befriending each other could fill a hole in both their hearts.

Then he saw the doorway behind Tucker and faltered. There stood a girl with a black ponytail wearing black clothes, like funeral attire, and staring between the two with a look bordering on betrayal.

Tucker followed his gaze and froze at the sight of her. "Sam!" he called out, but Sam had turned away and was walking rapidly down the hallway. He glanced back at Phantom, but Phantom had shifted his focus back to Danny's schoolthings. Tucker hesitated for one second before dashing out the classroom after Sam.

Phantom tried not to feel hurt. He knew Sam felt guilty for inadvertently causing the whole switch between him and Danny. He just wished she didn't act like it was his fault. He looked around the classroom and found himself alone...aside from one other student.

As soon as Phantom caught him staring, the redheaded boy quickly looked away and pretended to pack away his things. All he succeeded in doing was drop his pencil, and he cursed and dropped on his knees to pick it up from where it had rolled away on the floor.

Phantom recognized the boy. He was the only other human besides Tucker and Sam who knew about him because he was there during Danny's ghost fight. Wesley, he'd heard the teacher call him. This was not the first time Phantom found Wesley watching him, yet the human never approached him or said anything. It was unnerving.

Phantom walked toward Wesley just in time for the boy to stand up and come face to face with Phantom. Wesley squeaked and jumped back, dropping his pencil again.

"I'm not going to hurt anyone," Phantom said.

Wesley leaned awkwardly against the desk behind him, trying and failing to look casual. "Why? Were you planning to?" he replied.

"No, so you don't have to be scared of me."

"I'm not scared," Wesley said, his voice a little too high. Phantom was unimpressed.

"I'm a ghost."

"You mean Danny is a ghost."

Phantom bit his lip. Right, he wasn't a ghost anymore. One would think he would get used to that idea after spending a week as a human.

He looked at the floor, where the dropped pencil sat. He bent down, picked it up, and offered it to Wesley. Wesley stiffened before warily accepting it from him. Yeah, he was definitely still scared of him.

Phantom held back a sigh and left the classroom, not looking back at Wesley. He wished he had one of his ghost friends to talk to. He turned his head to the side and inwardly groaned when he saw a familiar stocky figure approach...Dash.

Luckily for him, he was not the closest nerd in Dash's path. An unfortunate, scrawny boy with glasses backed away as Dash came near. Dash grabbed him by the arm before he could run, and Phantom winced in expectation of the beating Dash was about to deliver to the poor human.

The beating never came.

"Mikey!" Dash greeted in a--was that a friendly tone? "What are you so scared for? I just wanted to thank you for your help on our chemistry homework."

Phantom could tell from Mikey's befuddled expression that he wasn't the only one who found Dash's behavior odd. "Um...you're welcome?"

Dash grinned and patted Mikey's head. "Anyone ever tell you you're a great guy?"

Mikey was growing outright terrified of Dash's out-of-character action. "Did you hit your head? Aren't you going to stuff me inside a locker? Look, here's an empty locker right here!"

There was a violent twitch in the jock's face at the mention of locker-stuffing, but it quickly reverted to a grin as he said, "Of course not! I've realized my mistake. No more bullying from me."

Mikey still seemed wary, but he started to relax. "Really?"

Dash laughed heartily and slapped Mikey's back, causing the small nerd to stumble. "Oh, just go already. Wouldn't want to miss your next class, would you?"

Mikey sent one last confused look at Dash before fast-walking down the hallway. Everyone who was standing around and heard Dash's conversation was also staring in confusion, but Dash gave them all a bright smile before continuing on his way with an oddly cheery step. As he passed by Phantom, Phantom managed to catch a glimpse of his eyes.

His irises were gray.

Phantom thought that there was something familiar about the way he spoke, and the eyes only confirmed it.

He wondered if desiree had been reading his thoughts...because it looked like his wish just got granted.

.

Down a hallway, a student was taking out his anger on a vending machine. "Come on," he grumbled, kicking it. "I just want one soda!"

A shadow descended upon him, and he turned around frightfully to be faced with the infamous star quarterback. "D-Dash!" he greeted with wide eyes. Like everyone else in school, he knew Dash's short temper and his tendency to take it out with violence.

But Dash didn't seem angry in that moment. In fact, he was smiling, the expression strange on his usually sour face. "Hey, there, pal. Let me get that for you," he said and walked forward to the vending machine.

To anyone else watching, Dash used some subtle trick to get the machine to spew out a can. But to Phantom, who stood a distance away watching him inconspicuously, it was apparent that "Dash"'s trick was of a ghostly nature.

'Dash' held up the soda can and offered it to the student generously. "Here ya go! One free egg cream."

The teen raised an eyebrow at him. "Uh, you okay, Dash? You're acting...weird."

"I'm acting nice," 'Dash' said, still wearing his warm smile. "No longer do you have to fear me as a bully, because I've put that life way behind."

"Wow, really?" he replied and accepted the soft drink tentatively.

"Of course!" 'Dash' spread out his arms eagerly and said to all the students milling around, "In fact, why bother with one drink? Free egg creams for everyone!"

He stuck his hand into the vending machine again and caused several cans to flow out. The move was so obviously ghost-powered, it amazed Phantom how inattentive humans were. All of them were too busy grabbing a soda cheerfully.

"I have no idea what an egg cream is, but thanks, Dash!" one jock said.

"No problem-o," 'Dash' replied with a grin and a wink, then lifted a can to his mouth for a sip.

Phantom decided that enough was enough. He had watched this ghost parade around in Dash's body for several periods, never approaching him because he had no idea what to say--Should he tell him about his situation? Would he even believe him? It didn't matter. If he didn't make a move now, the school day would be over, and the ghost might still stay inside the bully's body.

He made his way through the crowd gathered around the vending machine and walked up to the person wearing Dash's face. Once he got close enough, he whispered, "They don't have drinks like these in the Ghost Zone, do they?"

'Dash' choked on his soda. He hacked and thumped on his chest to expel the soft drink from his lungs. "Stupid human body," Phantom heard him mutter. Then he looked down at Phantom with a scowl that almost made him look like the regular Dash again. "Who are you?"

Phantom eyed the humans around them. They weren't paying any attention to them, but still... "Maybe we should talk somewhere more private," he said in a low voice.

The ghost in Dash's body grabbed him by the arm, then pulled both of them through a wall. Phantom stumbled as he let go. "Really? Using ghost powers in plain sight?"

The ghost waved Dash's hand carelessly. "Please. Even if anyone did see us, most humans don't even believe in ghosts."

"So it is you," Phantom said, "Sidney."

Sidney, because that indeed was him, narrowed Dash's eyes at him. "How do you know me? You can't be a ghost because I don't sense anyone overshadowing you."

"I am a ghost...or, I used to be." Phantom ran a hand through his hair. "Ugh, this is weird to explain, and I don't even know if you'll believe me, but...it's me. Phantom."

"Phantom? What makes you think I believe you?" He was watching him intently, no doubt wondering how a human could know not only his name but also his missing friend's name.

"Remember when you found out I was going to vandalize someone's lair and went after my ass for that because apparently that's bullying, but when you found out it was Aragon, you changed your mind and joined in with me? You specifically wrote "Aragon is a Mickey Mouse" in grafitti before we had to run away when his guards found us."

The gray eyes widened, and Sidney breathed, "Holy Ancients--Phantom?"

The next thing Phantom knew, he was being crushed in Dash's burly arms. Sidney had never been a physically strong ghost, but he sure as hell was possessing a physically strong human body.

"I can't believe it! Where have you been these past few days? No one's heard from you--I thought for sure you were toast!"

Phantom struggled in his bone-crushing embrace. "Human body," he wheezed. "Have to breathe."

Sidney sheepishly let go, and Phantom was able to take in gulps of air.

"But I don't get it," Sidney said, frowning. "How come I didn't sense you in there?"

Phantom bit his lip. "That's the part that's hard to explain. Somehow, I don't have any of my ectoplasm anymore, but I'm, well...stuck? I'm stuck inside this human body because, I guess...his soul sort of...left the same time my soul went in?"

Sidney tilted Dash's head and frowned. "What are you saying?"

Phantom sighed. "I'm saying I'm alive because I accidentally stole a human's body."

"That's..." Sidney threw Dash's arms out with wide eyes and exclaimed, "That's amazing!"

Phantom frowned. "No, it's not! I can't leave!"

"But, Phantom, you're alive! Do you have any idea what I would do to get a chance at being alive again?"

"But I'm living someone else's life!" He bunched the fabric of his shirt in a sweaty fist and said, "It's wrong. And confusing."

Sidney's enthusiasm died down a bit, and he said, "Right. The human world must be strange for someone who doesn't remember his human life."

Phantom raised an eyebrow. "I'm a Zone-born ghost. I didn't have a human life."

"Right," Sidney said again, his eyes darting to the side. Phantom frowned. He was pretty sure that he formed in the Ghost Zone, but the way Sidney acted was almost as if he was hiding something.

Before he could ask anything, Sidney said, "I don't get it, though. How did this happen?"

Phantom decided to file away Sidney's odd behavior to think about at a later time. For now, he answered, "I think it had to do with the portal opening in the exact spot I was in."

"Wait, portal? What portal?"

He could tell from Sidney's (or rather Dash's) surprised expression that this was his first time hearing about the portal, and that confused Phantom. "How did you get here?" Phantom asked.

"Haunted relic," Sidney responded, puffing out Dash's chest. "I left behind a mirror in my lifetime that is apparently still around in this school. I just needed someone to touch it so I can overshadow them." His eyes sparkled, and he added eagerly, "But you're saying someone created a portal? Does that mean I can visit this world in person?"

"No!" Phantom exclaimed. Sidney stared at him. He quickly gulped and said, "I mean...it's being guarded by ghost hunters."

"Ghost hunters?" Sidney laughed. "Come on, those are always fake."

"These ones aren't," Phantom murmured. He absentmindedly rubbed his chest, where the Fenton couple had tried shooting him--only for all of them to discover that their weaponry didn't work on him while he was in Danny's body.

"Then I'll just pass through at night," Sidney replied. "Even ghost hunter humans have to sleep, right?"

That made sense, but Phantom still felt uneasy. Admittedly, it was a little hard to feel calm when the organ inside his chest (his heart) was beating more aggressively than usual. "I don't know. I still think it's a bad idea."

Sidney's gray eyes narrowed at him. "Why don't you want me to come?" He jabbed an accusing finger at Phantom and said, "You decided to make this place your haunt, didn't you?"

"What?" Phantom's eyes widened. "No! You know I don't care about owning a territory. And this school's already haunted, anyway."

"Then why don't you want me coming through?"

"I don't know!" Phantom cried, his heart threatening to burst through. Didn't he know? His head ached as he felt another one of Danny's memories flash before him, which really didn't feel like the right time for this. But he saw what humans thought of ghosts. Danny wasn't the only human afraid of specters. If one suddenly appeared...the humans would freak out. And this was such a calm world.

Sidney's eyes scrutinized him while he clutched his head and winced. Finally, Dash's body relaxed. "Okay," Sidney said. "I won't cross through, but only because you're my friend."

Phantom gave him a grateful smile, which wasn't as pleasant as it could have been without the emotional turmoil. "Thank you."

Sidney seemed disgruntled about his decision, but he straightened Dash's letterman jacket and smirked. "For now, I might as well enjoy my time in the human world while I'm in this Clyde's body."

Phantom had been looking at Sidney, but he shifted his attention to Dash--the body he was overshadowing. His skin had grown pale since that morning. The breaths coming through his nose were slower, or maybe Sidney forgot how to breathe again.

"You can't stay inside him for long," Phantom reminded. "Prolonged overshadowing isn't healthy."

"So?"

That question caught Phantom off guard. "So...if you stay in him for too long, he might die."

Dash's face was pulled into an expression of scorn. "He's a bully. Everyone in school is scared of him. Maybe he deserves to die."

Ba-dump, ba-dump, continued Phantom's heart. He gave a nervous chuckle and ignored the sweat forming on his neck. "You don't mean that, do you?"

But as he studied Sidney/Dash, he realized Sidney did mean it. Why should a ghost care about death? Sidney was already dead, so killing someone wasn't a big deal. And it did put a permanent end to Dash's bullying in this school.

But Phantom had seen grief in humans. He knew how big a deal death really was, at least to their kind.

Phantom gulped. "Get out of his body. You can't let him die."

"Since when do you care what happens to human bullies?"

"Since--" Phantom figured there was only one way to get Sidney to stop. He hated pulling this card with him, but...he pointed at Sidney accusingly and said, "Since hurting him makes you a bully!"

Sidney recoiled. For a second, Phantom thought he would leave then and there, but he recovered with a scowl and said, "This is a special circumstance. It's just like vandalizing Aragon's lair. Some bullies deserve to taste their own medicine."

Phantom threw his arms up. "Then give him a wedgie! No need for anyone to die!"

Sidney was unnervingly quiet for a moment. Then he tilted Dash's head and said, "Being alive has changed you, hasn't it?"

Phantom had no response. He didn't know what to say to that. He didn't have to, because just then someone said, "Dash! There you are!"

He turned his head and saw a group of students in matching letterman jackets approach. One of them patted Sidney/Dash and said, "What are you doing with loser Fenturd?"

"Now, now," Sidney said and wagged Dash's finger. "Fenturd is no loser."

"It's Fenton," Phantom corrected.

Sidney's gray eyes were unreadable as they gazed at Phantom. Then they turned to the group of popular kids, and he grinned widely before saying, "Never mind that! What did you want to tell me? We should go have some fun!"

Sidney did not stop overshadowing Dash. He followed the gang as they went to do whatever Dash's friends normally did for fun besides bully.

As soon as they left, Phantom released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He slid against the wall behind him until he was crouching on the floor. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. He looked at his stolen hands and saw that they were shaking.

He felt scared...of Sidney. Since when did he feel scared of his friends?

The same time he started caring about what happened to human bullies.

Since he became a human.

.

Phantom guessed there had been a lot of renovating in Casper High since Sidney was alive, but one place stayed the same: Sidney's locker. He followed the path he recognized from Sidney's lair in the Ghost Zone and found the metal cabinet sitting in the same spot as it did in the school's ghostly counterpart.

Since Danny's body was infuriatingly short, Phantom had to stand on tip toes to peek into the top locker through the slits on its door. It was hard to make out anything inside when it was shrouded in darkness, but he managed to see the glint of something reflective. Sidney's mirror. His ghostly relic.

Phantom had considered seeking the toilet ghost's help in stopping Sidney; if the ghost considered the school his haunt, then surely he would consider Sidney an intruder, right? But when he went to the haunted bathroom, he found Sidney--still in Dash's body--chatting him up. Apparently, being both ghosts who died from bullying meant they had a lot of stories to share.

With that solution out of the picture, there was only one option left: getting Sidney's mirror. As his doorway to the human world, he would do anything to keep it intact. Phantom might be able to convince him to leave Dash peacefully if he had it in his hands...if only he could figure out how to do that.

Oh, how much easier this job could have been if he kept his ghost powers in this stupid body. He would just phase his hand through the door and be done. But Phantom did not have his intangibility, and he did not have the key to Dash's locker, which meant he could only gaze at the mirror sadly and plan Dash's obituary in his head. 'Here lies Dash Baxter: died because he failed to follow the school's anti-bullying PSA.'

"What are you doing?" a voice spoke, causing Phantom to jump. He whipped around and saw a familiar redhead. "You again," Phantom said.

Wesley looked at the locker. He was doing a good job of pretending not to be uneased by Phantom. "That's Dash's new locker, right?" the human said.

"Yeah," Phantom confirmed. "Uh, I definitely wasn't doing anything weird, though."

"Did the not-weird thing have anything to do with getting Dash un-possessed?" At seeing Phantom staring, Wesley rolled his eyes and said, "Come on, everyone could tell that Dash has been acting super weird."

"Well...yes. He's overshadowed." Phantom nodded at the locker and explained, "There's an object in there that's connecting the ghost to the human plane. If I could get it, I could stop him from overshadowing Dash, but..." He shrugged. "I don't know how to get it."

Wesley studied the locker. "Could you move out of the way?" he said. Phantom complied. He watched as Wesley pulled out something small from his pocket...a hairclip? A pin?

Phantom couldn't quite see what Wesley was doing over his back, but he was pretty sure he jabbed the pin into the lock and jiggled it around carefully. After a while, the lock fell away, and Wesley stepped back to allow the door to swing forward.

Phantom raised an eyebrow at Wesley. Wesley smiled sheepishly and said, "I get locked out of my house a lot. Single dad isn't always home, and I forget my keys..."

Phantom didn't question him. He looked inside the locker. Behind the messy stacks of books was Sidney's mirror, smooth and shiny in spite of how many decades it had sat in there.

Phantom reached forward and pulled it off the locker wall. Just like in every other mirror, he saw Danny's face stare back at him. Not even a ghostly mirror changed that. Reflection Danny's shoulders slumped.

"So, we break the mirror?" Wesley said.

"What?" Phantom looked up at him. "No! At least, not unless it's as a last resort. I just need to scare Sid--the ghost until he leaves."

"But...it would be easier if you broke it now, right?"

"Well, yes," Phantom admitted. As Sidney's link to the human world, it seemed likely that he would disappear as soon as the link was severed. But he had a feeling breaking something so important would also sever the friendship between him and Sidney--or at least, more harshly than how it would be from him forcing Sidney to quit a human. "But this ghost is my friend. I'm sure I can talk to him."

"So...you're friends with a ghost who possesses people," Wesley said. There it was, the tension in the human's body that signified his wariness of Phantom.

"That--that doesn't mean I'm a fan of possession or anything," Phantom quickly said. "I'm not possessing Danny because I want to."

"I know," Wesley said with a sigh.

Phantom observed Wesley curiously, but the boy's expression was guarded. "Are you Danny's friend?" he asked.

Wesley...blushed? and looked away. "No. We just share a few classes. He probably doesn't even know me."

"Then why are you helping me?"

He shrugged. "My classmate is possessed, of course I would help."

"But everyone hates Dash."

"Then why are you helping him if the ghost is your friend?" Wesley countered.

Phantom turned his eyes away. They landed on the mirror in his hands, and he moved them farther to avoid looking at Danny's face. "None of your business," he uttered.

An awkward silence descended on them, finally broken by Wesley as he said, "If you wanna catch Dash, he's in the basketball team with me. We're practicing in the gym after school."

After school...would Dash still be alive by then? He supposed so. After all, Danny had overshadowed Phantom for almost an entire school day, and he was still (sadly) alive.

"One more question," Wesley said. "What's your name? Your real name, not Danny."

"I go by Phantom--or, uh, I went by Phantom."

Wesley snorted. "Seriously? You're a ghost and your name is Phantom?"

Phantom glared at him and crossed his arms. "I admit, I'm not the most creative with names."

"No shit," Wesley retorted. He was smiling. He...wasn't scared of Phantom?

Wesley cleared his throat and said, "Well, I go by Wes."

"Keen-o," Phantom said, then immediately wanted to ecto-blast himself because Wes was looking at him weird. Fuck Sidney and his infectious 50s slang.

"Yeah, real keen-o," Wes said, and Phantom could tell he was holding back laughter. The bell rang. "Well...I better go. I'll see you in basketball practice, I guess."

Phantom nodded. Wes closed the locker and re-locked it. He hesitated before asking, "Won't the ghost know the mirror's gone?"

Ah. He didn't think about that. "I'll figure something out," Phantom said. Wes nodded and left.

Phantom looked down at the mirror. Again, he saw Danny's face.

Would wes have been as kind to him if he was a ghost? he wondered. Or was he only nice to him because he was Danny? Wes knew he wasn't Danny, but still...

Phantom shook his head. Worry about Danny's relationships later. For now, he had to deal with Sidney's mirror. After a thought, he placed it inside Danny's backpack and carried it with him to class.

If he remembered correctly, his next class was with Tucker. He entered the classroom and found the dark-skinned boy sitting at his desk. Just like in geometry class, he and Tucker sat next to each other--a seating arrangement that was blessed for Danny, cursed for Phantom...but maybe not this time.

Tucker perked up when he saw him approach. "Phantom!" he whispered. "Look, I'm really sorry about ditching you this morning. I meant what I said about becoming friends."

Phantom tried to remain neutral as he sat down, but he couldn't help the twinge of bitterness in his chest. "I thought Sam didn't want you to hang with me."

Tucker winced. "I'm sorry about Sam, but I swear, she doesn't hate you. It's just...it hurts, seeing you in Danny's body and knowing you aren't him."

"Thanks," Phantom muttered.

"No, I mean--there's nothing bad about you, it's just--you know, it's kinda hard wrapping my head around all this, even if it's already been almost two weeks--"

"Tucker, shut up," Phantom said. Tucker shut up. Phantom turned to him and asked, "Do you have a ghost weapon with you?"

"Huh?"

"Danny's parents are ghost hunters, and you're his friends, so do you have a ghost weapon with you?"

Tucker looked guilty. "We don't have anything against ghosts. Heck, Sam normally loves ghosts--before, you know..."

"Just answer the question."

"...I have a lipstick laser. So does Sam."

Tucker was watching him like he expected Phantom to snap. Phantom didn't care. Heck, the weapons won't even work on him so long as he was in Danny's body. Instead of feeling angry, he felt relieved; he pulled out the mirror from his backpack and thrust it to Tucker.

Tucker looked down at the object. "What--"

"That mirror's haunted."

Tucker pushed the mirror away from him as if Phantom just said it was on fire. Phantom barely managed to catch it before it could shatter on the floor. He glared at Tucker and hissed, "What was that for?"

"Why are you giving me a haunted mirror?!"

Phantom shoved it toward Tucker again and said, "I need you to guard it for me until school finishes. If I keep it with me, the ghost will know."

Tucker stared at him in befuddlement. Admittedly, his request was pretty sudden from Tucker's point of view. But there was no time to explain--Sidney/Dash just entered the room.

Phantom quickly hid the mirror under Tucker's textbook. A part of him hoped it wouldn't crack under the textbook's weight (school textbooks were ridiculously heavy) but he doubted a ghost-powered object would be so easy to shatter. As soon as the mirror was out of sight, he sat at his desk, looking casual.

Tucker followed his gaze to Sidney, and understanding clicked. "I knew Dash was possessed," he whispered.

"Overshadowed," Phantom corrected. "But yes."

As Sidney made his way to Dash's desk, his eyes lingered on Phantom. He didn't give any attention to Tucker. That was good.

Phantom's foot tapped below his desk as the teacher droned on about some history subject. He glanced at the clock. There were only a few periods left until school ended and the basketball team's practice session began. All he had to do was wait.

.

Phantom decided that smell was his least favorite of the human senses. Sure, there were nice smells, like flowers, and freshly-cooked meals. But there is also the horrible reek of sweaty gym locker rooms.

Phantom had to hold his nose to stop himself from gagging. Why did humans need to have such strong olfactory senses?

"Remind me why we're here again?" Tucker said next to him. He must have been used to the smell because he was breathing fine. In one of his hands was Sidney's mirror, and in the other was a Fenton™-brand lipstick.

"Dash has after school practice," Phantom answered. His voice sounded funny with him holding his nose, but he wasn't enthusiastic to let go. He turned to Tucker and added, "You didn't have to come. I can handle the ghost myself."

"Dude, like it or not, you're still in my best friend's body. I don't want to be the one to explain to Danny that you wrecked his body by challenging a ghost on your own."

Phantom ignored the wave of sadness he felt at the mention of Danny. Tucker would only need to explain things if Danny ever returned. Also if Phantom allowed his body to get wrecked. He sighed but did not argue with Tucker.

"There you are," Wes said, approaching Phantom. He was wearing Casper High's red-and-white basketball uniform. Tucker raised an eyebrow at him.

"Tucker, Wes," Phantom introduced. "He knows about me and Danny."

"Aren't you that guy from our gym class?" Tucker said.

"And math class," Wes mumbled.

One of the basketball players in the locker room heard them and came over. "Hey Fenton, Foley, what are you two doing here?" He smirked and added, "You didn't come here for a gay make-out, did you?"

Tucker gagged and said, "God, no, Danny's my best friend. I wouldn't do that to his body."

The basketball player laughed. Wes's expression was...unreadable.

Phantom decided to step forward toward the basketball player. He recognized him as one of the jocks that always hung out with Dash, which must have made him Dash's friend. "Do you--" he began, then remembered this guy was a bully and seemed like he was about to make fun of his funny voice, so he let go of his nose (ignoring the assault on his senses) and said, "Do you know where Dash is?"

"Right here," Dash's voice came from behind, and Phantom turned around to see Sidney/Dash.

Sidney's eyes rove to the mirror in Tucker's hand. His expression darkened.

There was a clap that alerted everyone to the adult human that just entered the room. She was a woman, and Phantom was pretty sure this locker room was for boys, but no one seemed to care. She must have been the coach.

"All right, pansies, enough time getting ready," the coach barked. "Time for practice."

"Yes, Coach Tetslaff," a few boys replied. Most of them followed her command and left the room, but Sidney-as-Dash stayed behind. He went up to her and said, "Actually, coach? I feel kind of sick. Do you think I could sit this one out?" To accentuate his point, he faked a cough.

Tetslaff looked like she was about to argue, but she saw him and paused. The prolonged overshadowing was starting to show its effect on Dash's body. He was pale, sweaty, and had rugged breathing. After a moment's hesitation, Tetslaff grumbled, "Fine. But just this once." She caught Wes standing by the doorway and barked, "What are you waiting for, Weston? You don't look sick to me."

Wes gave Phantom one more glance before he and Tetslaff left the room. That left only Phantom, Tucker, and Sidney-as-Dash inside.

He could tell Sidney was angry at him for taking his relic, but the ghost kept himself calm and raised Dash's hand carefully. "Give me the mirror," he said.

"First, let go of Dash," Phantom ordered. He tried his best to display confidence. Never mind that he didn't have a ghost weapon like Tucker, nor did he know any fight moves that did not include ghost powers he didn't have.

Sidney must have known how powerless he was, but he didn't make a move. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why are you sticking up for someone who bullied you?"

"Actually, he has a point," Tucker said. "Why are we helping Dash?"

Phantom glared at Tucker. Sidney chose that moment to lunge forward, but before he could even go two steps, Tucker uncapped his lipstick and pointed it menacingly at him. "Don't try it, demon," he said.

"He's a ghost," Phantom whispered.

"Shush. I know."

Sidney froze at the sight of Tucker's ecto-weapon. It didn't look very intimidating, but it must have given off some ghostly energy to convince Sidney to stay in place. He glowered at Phantom. "What are you going to do?"

Phantom pressed his lips. "Tucker, give me the mirror," he said. Tucker complied. Phantom held the mirror above his head and warned, "I'll smash it."

"You wouldnt," Sidney growled.

"Wanna find out?" He swung the mirror toward the ground, but before he could let go, Sidney quickly cried, "Stop!"

Phantom held the mirror in place, but it was shaking--actually, his entire arms were shaking. "I don't want to do this," he said in a quavering voice. "I don't know why I'm doing this."

He could feel both other pairs of eyes in the room pierce into him. Sidney's gray eyes scrutinized him. After what felt like an eternity, the ghost calmly said, "Okay."

"Okay?" Tucker repeated, surprised.

Sidney stepped back and held up Dash's arms in surrender. "Okay, I'll leave."

"That's it? I kind of expected a ghost fight," Tucker said almost disappointedly, turning to Phantom. "I didn't even get to use my laser."

Sidney scoffed. "A fight would involve violence, which is bullying. I don't do that."

"Wow," Tucker said. "You seem like a pretty nice ghost, actually."

Phantom and Sidney held each other's gaze, and Phantom could tell they both felt a bit of betrayal at the other's action. "He is," Phantom said. "He just needs to let the human go."

Tucker's jolted and tightened his grip around his lipstick when a cloud of smoke escaped from Dash. The smoke was sucked into the mirror in Phantom's hands. As soon as it left, Dash's now-blue eyes rolled into his skull, and his body crumpled against a row of lockers.

Phantom looked down at the mirror and saw its surface glow green before it settled back into a regular mirror, reflecting Danny's face back at him.

A loud snore pulled his attention to Dash, who was lying on the floor in what looked like an uncomfortable position, mouth open and drooling. He snored again.

Tucker snickered. "At least he's alive."

Phantom turned away from Dash and moved toward the locker room's exit. Tucker followed him. "So that's it?" Tucker asked.

Phantom paid little attention to the basketball team practicing in the gym before he emerged into the hallways again. "That's it," he confirmed. "Dash is alive, and Sidney's back where he belongs."

"I still don't get why you helped Dash," Tucker said. "I would've thought ghosts don't care about life and death."

Phantom slowed in his tracks until he stopped. He hung his head. That's the thing isn't it? he thought. I'm not a ghost anymore.

"Just go home, Tucker," he murmured.

Tucker lingered by his side for a second longer, but he must have been able to sense that Phantom needed some time alone, because he evetually left. His footsteps echoed across the empty hallways as he made his way to the school's exit.

That left Phantom alone with Sidney's mirror. He let his lungs expand--a feeling he was starting to get used to and was strangely calming. Then he walked toward Danny's locker.

There was no way he was placing the mirror back in Dash's locker, of course. It wasn't that he didn't trust Sidney to keep his word, but who knew what Dash might do to the relic in a moment of anger (of which he had plenty). So instead, he opened Danny's locker and hung the mirror inside.

Rather than close the door and leave, he kept it open and gazed at the mirror's surface. With his shadow blocking the locker's interior, and humans' poor ability to see in the dark, he could almost imagine himself staring back instead of Danny.

"I'm sorry, Sidney," he said to the mirror. "I don't know what came over me. I just couldn't let you hurt someone."

The mirror stayed quiet. Phantom sighed and leaned against the locker door he was holding. "Being a human is so confusing. I want to be back at the Ghost Zone, with you and the others. I never asked to be here."

There was another moment of silence, and then the mirror glowed. He watched as a fog appeared on its surface and swirled before solidifying into Sidney's face--small and geeky, way different from the one he overshadowed.

"You really can't leave?" Sidney asked.

Phantom didn't admit how much joy he felt at seeing a familiar face. "If I can leave, I would have done so ten days ago."

Sidney looked remorseful. "Right. I didn't think about how tough it would be for someone to return to the human world without any memories of it."

There he went again. His wording implied that Phantom had been alive before. Phantom frowned. "Why do you keep talking like I'm a death-formed ghost?"

Sidney hesitated. He seemed to pick his next words carefully. "You say you're a Zone-born ghost, but do you even have parents?"

"They moved on."

"Who has a core child unless they plan on sticking around?"

Phantom was starting to get irritated. "I don't know, maybe they finished their business sooner than expected."

"But no one knows your parents, if they really are ghosts. And you know how fast news spread in the Ghost Zone. Any ghost deciding to have a core child would definitely have counted as news."

"So, what? You think I died and forgot about it?"

"It's not unheard of. Ghosts who had especially violent deaths often forget their lives at first." Sidney shrugged and admitted, "Maybe I'm wrong and you really are Zone-born. But I find it a little convenient that you managed to learn human processes quickly enough to keep yourself alive for ten days."

Phantom didn't know how to respond to that. True, sometimes he did things in the human world that felt familiar in a way, but he always assumed it was due to him gaining Danny's memories. "If all that you said is true, why wait to tell me now?"

"You know why," Sidney said, his expression troubled. "Ghosts with violent deaths..."

"...are always violent themselves," Phantom completed. Sidney bit his lip and nodded. Phantom glared at the chemistry book in the locker and said, "But you don't think I could turn out like that, do you?"

"Of course not. That's why I'm telling you now. Because--"

"Because I'm a human now," Phantom murmured.

"...I was going to say it's because I got to know you better."

Phantom's eyes didn't meet the mirror. After a moment, Sidney sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to burden you with more identity crises than you already have. If you ever want to talk, at least I'm here to listen."

Phantom glanced up. "You mean we're still friends?"

Sidney looked almost offended as he said, "Of course we're still friends! What do you take me for?"

Phantom smiled, but his expression turned into uncertainty as he pointed out, "But I touched your relic and drove you out of a human."

Sidney grumbled, "To be frank, I still don't forgive you for that. But at least I understand why you did it."

"Why's that?"

"Because you're a human now."

Before Phantom could know how to react to that, he heard footsteps echo his way. He turned away from the locker to see Wes jogging toward him. When he looked back at the mirror, Sidney's face was gone, dissolved back into mist before it disappeared.

"You did it!" Wes was saying as he approached grinning. "Dash woke up after practice. He doesn't remember anything from the time he was possessed. Everyone is assuming he had a really rough fever that made him delusional." He caught Phantom's somber expression, and his smile fell. "Is everything okay?"

Phantom closed the locker door quietly. "I'm fine," he said, though he didn't feel it. "The ghost is back in the Ghost Zone."

"The Ghost Zone?" Wes echoed. Phantom turned his head to look at him, and any amusement Wes felt at the silly name vanished. He shifted his foot. "Sorry. I guess it must have been tough, facing off your friend."

Phantom's hand was still on the locker door. The metal was cool against his fleshy skin. "It's okay. We talked it out," he said.

Wes fidgeted with his hands. "Well," he began shyly, "if you want any human friends, I'm always free."

The tips of Wes's ears had gone pink. Phantom narrowed his eyes. He was beginning to recognize this human's strange behavior around Phantom. It was the same way Ember sometimes got around Skulker, not that he ever understood her infatuation.

He tilted his head and asked, "You have a crush on Danny, don't you?"

Wes choked. His face turned as red as the accents of his basketball uniform as he stammered, "W-what? A crush? No! That--that's ridiculous!"

Phantom didn't bother focusing on how flustered Wes was. Instead, he said sadly, "You know I'm not him, right?"

Wes calmed down, and he looked down at his feet sorrowfully. "I know."

Phantom turned his face away. Not for the first time, he wished he knew where Danny was. The silence between him and Wes grew heavy.

Phantom cleared his throat. "Well, if you do find Danny attractive, at least I know the body I'm in is hot."

Wes snorted, then dissolved into laughter. Phantom smiled. The mood lifted just a little bit.

Once his laughter died down, Wes rubbed his neck and said, "Want to walk home together? Or...I guess to Danny's home, in your case."

Phantom's smile fell. "You don't have to be close to me just because you like Danny."

"Dude, I've had more conversations with you in one day than I had with Danny in my life," Wes said, then immediately blushed and added, "Not that that means I'm crushing on you or anything...but we're friends, aren't we?"

Phantom felt a flutter of warmth at that, but it was small compared to his overall negative feelings left over from his confrontation with Sidney. "We are," he told Wes, "and thank you...but if you don't mind, I'd like to be alone for now."

Wes lingered in the edge of his vision before he finally said, "All right. I'll see you tomorrow, then." He turned and reluctantly walked away.

Phantom was left alone in an empty school. He leaned against a row of lockers and closed his eyes. Today should have been a good day. He met friends, both new and old. So why did he feel less than happy?

.

"Danny! Where have you been?" Jazz said as soon as he stepped foot indoors. She was crossing her arms and glaring at him.

Phantom ignored her in favor of looking around the otherwise unoccupied living room. "Where are Mom and Dad?" he asked.

"Out for groceries," Jazz answered impatiently. "What about you? If you wanted to stay after school, you could have called me!"

"Oh," Phantom said, feeling guilty for having forgotten about Danny's sister. She was the nicest Fenton to him, even if she didn't believe the truth about his identity. He reached a hand into his pocket and found it empty. "Actually, I think I forgot my phone at home."

Jazz pinched the bridge of her nose and muttered something incomprehensible. "Just--don't make me worry next time, okay? I had to learn from Sam that you were busy with something."

"Sam?" Phantom said, surprised. The two of them still hadn't spoken since the day Danny left. Maybe Tucker told her to tell Jazz.

Jazz shrugged and moved toward her room upstairs. "There's leftovers in the kitchen. You can heat them yourselves."

"Sure," Phantom said, fairly certain he had learned how to use a microwave correctly. Once Jazz left, he made his way to the kitchen. But he didn't have an appetite at the moment.

Sure, he was hungry. But his mind dwelled too much on Sidney and what he had told him, so he doubted he had the energy in him to make himself a meal. Instead, he went to the door in the back that led downstairs--to the Fentons' underground laboratory.

Phantom opened the door and stood at the edge of the stairs. It seemed to lead into nothing but darkness, but he could smell the whiff of sterilized ectoplasm and metal.

He hadn't been down in the lab since he first woke up there in Danny's body. Most of the time, the Fenton couple was there, and they intimidated him too much. But now they were outside.

Phantom gulped and descended the stairs.

The portal was right where he remembered it. He didn't have a chance to get a good look at it last time, having been too busy freaking out over his situation, but he vaguely recalled a glowing green hole in the wall. The hole was now covered by yellow-and-black blast doors, but he was certain it was the same portal.

There were several tables across the lab with various half-assembled and fully-assembled weapons on them. Phantom tried not to freeze up when he passed by them. At least he didn't find any dissected ghost remains.

He walked up to the portal and stopped. On the other side of those doors was his home...his old friends, Sidney included...and maybe even the real Danny. He could step through and be back home, but he knew he wouldn't be able to survive. Ghosts could be a vicious bunch if they needed to be, and he didn't have any ghost powers to defend himself.

He could only hope Danny was faring okay.

Phantom turned to head upstairs, but he paused in his tracks and winced as yet another memory assaulted him. But...something felt different about this one.

He felt someone's hand holding his. It was large, covering his completely--or maybe his hands were small. There was the sharp smell of antiseptic and the steady beating of a heart monitor.

The person lying in the bed in front of him was horrible to look at. His skin was covered with green blisters that almost seemed to glow. He gripped the hand holding his own and hid behind the standing person's body, trying to form a barrier between himself and the hospital bed.

The human holding his hand--a woman, he remembered--said something muddled through his memory and urged him forward to the person in the bed. He didn't want to get close. The bed towered above his small form, but the woman carried him and set him down on the bed next to the prone, blistered body.

The prostrate person--he was hesitant to call him a human--was breathing ruggedly. The green bumps on his skin seemed to glow with every breath he took. His eyes were closed, but as he watched with terror, they opened to reveal completely red, glowing eyes.

The last thing he remembered was crying and attempting to flee--then the memory ended, and Phantom was thrust back into the Fentons' lab.

Phantom gasped and fell onto the ground. Sweat poured out his body, and he shivered. Those red eyes were still lingering in his vision when he heard hurried footsteps descend the stairs.

"Danny? What are you doing down there?" Jazz's voice came.

Her red hair and concerned teal eyes appeared in his sight as she tried to help him up. Phantom weakly slapped her hands away and said, "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," Jazz argued.

True, he wasn't fine. But he didn't want to talk about it, least of all with Jazz, and he knew she would prod. He grumbled again, "I'm fine. I don't need your help."

He tried to stand up and immediately fell back down. Jazz raised her eyebrows at him. He sighed and accepted her help.

He leaned against her, shaking all the way, as she carried them up the stairs and back into the kitchen. She kept her mouth shut. Phantom was grateful for that.

She set him down on the nearest chair. He leaned his fists against his lap and breathed.

"Do you--"

"I don't want to talk," Phantom answered before she could finish.

Jazz reluctantly left him alone. He had to admit, Danny's sister wasn't a bad human.

Phantom finally got his breathing down, though his heart still thumped against his chest. What was that? None of Danny's memories he experienced had ever left him so shaken.

He thought back to what Sidney told him. He had been alive before, but he had forgotten all about his life. Now...

Phantom closed his eyes and gulped.

He had experienced a memory, but it wasn't Danny's.

[aion-rsa]

Rick and Morty’s Most Gruesome Deaths

https://ift.tt/3m2NOh1

The super-slick, super-sick Rick and Morty brand is known for many things: the warped, borderline-abusive dynamic between its titular characters, its deliciously dark humour, the gleefulness it takes in capsizing the conventions of a thousand genre tropes. Then there are the catch-phrases, and the colourful cast of supporting characters – everything from fatally-depressed Mr Meseeks to embedded family friends like Mr Poopybutthole. What really characterises it though, is death. That it’s not the first association you make with the show is possibly a by-product of there being so damn much of it that it stops registering.

There are long deaths, slow deaths, good deaths, bad deaths, sad deaths, funky deaths, perfunctory deaths, ironic deaths, iconic deaths, horrid deaths, hilarious deaths and hectares of borderline disturbing deaths.

Here are the most gruesome, in all their gory glory, season by season. (It’s a testament to Rick and Morty’s perpetually heavy ante that a little girl having her head sliced off by a Freddy Krueger substitute doesn’t even make it onto the list.)

I hope you haven’t eaten yet.

S1, E3 ‘Anatomy Park’ Come Flay With Me

Morty fails to save a fellow miniaturised man when things go south in ‘Anatomy Park’, a themed pleasure experience situated inside the body of a chronically unwell homeless man. The poor soul is sucked through the dying tramp’s windpipe and out through his mouth, the skin and flesh being stripped from his bones in the process, leaving him a peeled human spit-ball.

S1, E3 ‘Anatomy Park’ Space Guts

Things aren’t any less gruesome when the bloated corpse of the tramp is made giant by science. It ends up floating in space – because of course it does – whereupon it’s blown to smithereens, sending bone and guts spiralling into the void.

S1, E5 ‘Meeseeks and Destroy’ Who You Gonna Kill?

Morty not only finds himself preyed upon by parasite zombie versions of his family, but also has to watch as they’re trapped, burned, squished, melted and pulled into a piece of trapping technology that Rick clearly ripped from Egon’s ghost-busting manual.

S1, E5 ‘Meeseeks and Destroy’ Fairytale Ending

A fairytale giant – in the ‘Fe Fi Fo Fum’ mould – slips in his kitchen and slams his skull on a table-top. He bleeds out, a look of mystified shock frozen in his eyes, convulsing as his life-force ebbs away. RIP childhood.

S1, E6 ‘Rick Potion #9’ RIP and Mortal

In a sequence as chilling as it is gruesome, Rick mishandles some super-dangerous piece of kit and blows himself and Morty to Kingdom Come. Their crumpled remains, spattered with blood, smash against the wall; Rick’s eye pops out. Our own – thankfully unscathed – Rick and Mortys arrive from a doomed neighbouring dimension to bury them and take their place.

S1, E8 ‘Rixty Minutes’ Lepre-gone

You should never watch Inter-dimensional TV on a full stomach. In this advert, a cereal-hocking leprechaun – the mascot of this universe’s favourite breakfast cereal, Strawberry Smiggles – is pinned down on a tree stump by a little boy and girl, who proceed to slit open his abdomen and feast on his spilled-out innards; even squeezing out cereal shapes from his intestines and gobbling them like Pez sweets.

S2, E4 ‘Total Rickall’ Memory Massacre

Morty and family encounter shape-shifting alien parasites that reproduce through implanting false memories in a host’s brain. Their pus-fountained death throes – as their bodies wither, wilt, and burst in a screaming fanfare of tentacles – is pretty gruesome to behold, but thankfully you become desensitised to it pretty quickly.

S2, E7 ‘Big Trouble in Little Sanchez’ Rick Kills Himselves

At least Rick is an equal opportunities murderer. Even another version of himself isn’t exempt from his nihilistic rage. Here he gleefully smashes, drop-kicks and hacks up his own glass-encased surrogates, leaving a pile of bloodied parts strewn across the floor.

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S2, E8 ‘Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate’ Man vs Car

Another Interdimensional TV segment, another stomach churner. Literally this time.  A punkish strongman is crushed to death under the wheels of a car he’d hoped to repel, his blood and body parts thrown from the fast-spinning tyres like fireworks from a Catherine Wheel.

S2, E8 ‘Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate’ Jerrymurdering

Jerry is violently shot to death, leaving his face a drooping, lacerated, blood-dripping husk. Thankfully he’s in a technologically sophisticated futuristic hospital that presumably offers socialised healthcare.

S2, E9 ‘Look Who’s Purging Now’ Mashes to Mashes

When Rick and Morty don robo-suits and enter the Purge, expect blood. When Rick hoists a purgee off the ground and pops his head off like it was a bottle-top, sending a fountain of blood arcing into the air, it’s pretty damn disgusting – and admittedly also a bit cool – but for gruesomeness you can’t beat the sight of two people having their heads slammed together leaving a mess of pink-hued, brain-flavoured mashed potato.

S3, E1 ‘The Rickshank Rickdemption’ Pop Goes the Weasel

In the midst of some inter-dimensional Rick and Morty-based carnage, a poor Morty is crushed to death with one swift trample, as if he were nothing more than a tube of toothpaste. His dead body lies on the ground like a stuffed tiger rug, his hollow eye sockets and melon-mouth aflame with blood.

S3, E2 ‘Rickmancing the Stone’ Bad Beth

Summer flips a Mad Max-style baddy’s death-machine, maiming him horribly. He drags his torso towards her from the wreck, on a slime of entrails, pleading with her to put him out of his misery. ‘OK,’ she says, ‘But not because you told me to.’

S3, E2 ‘Rickmancing the Stone’ Give Him a Big Hand

For maximum yuk, you really can’t beat Morty smashing skulls to a pulp in a Thunderdome-inspired death arena with his beefy, vengeful and murderously sentient replacement arm.

S3, E3 ‘Pickle Rick’ Rat-a-tat-splat

I’m going to condense multiple deaths into one here, all perpetrated by that mighty, vegetable-based superhero, Pickle Rick. First, he slices off a rat’s head with a trap and harvests its bones and sinew to add limbs to his pickle body. Next, he proceeds to dispatch a whole army of rats with his makeshift power-tools in a variety of brutal and ghastly ways: pummelling brains; suspending bleeding corpses from the ceiling; cutting them into strips, and even cleaving them in two. Riotously disgusting.

S3, E3 ‘Pickle Rick’ Laser Tag

Pickle Rick’s human opponents fall just as easily – and horrifically. The best, and messiest, kill is when Pickle Rick bores a laser-shot through the heads of three of his enemies, and then proceeds to stare cockily through the tunnelled lens of charred goo like some pickle-based James Bond.

S3, E4 ‘Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender’ Falling Down

Speaking of Superheroes, let’s say hello and goodbye to Morty’s favourite team, The Vindicators, most of whom met a particularly savage end. First there’s Vince Maximus, who flies into a ceiling vent, and is shot to death in such a spirit of Rambo-esque overkill that his disembodied legs drop to the ground like a downed plane.

S3, E4 ‘Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender’ See You Later Alligator (In a Pile, Crocodile)

Then there’s Croc-u-bot, splatted into a green pulp by a springing trap.

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S3, E5 ‘Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender’ Ants in His Pants

And the perpetually angry Alan Rails, whose gullet is invaded by the shifting, morphing body of Million Ants, who first inflates him then detonates him in a riot of guts.  

S3, E5 ‘The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy’ Game Over

This one if possibly the most viscerally gruesome death in the entire show. A little girl is shot through the head by her giggling boy pal just as Rick deactivates the invincibility shield protecting everyone inside the dome from death.

S3, E5 ‘The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy’ A Bug’s Death

Another death that’s psychologically, rather than physically, gruesome. Three little bug-people sit toasting each other’s health and happiness. ‘Let’s just relax and enjoy our retirement,’ says one, as he’s snatched by a bird of prey and carried to his doom. The last thing we see of him as he’s ferried to his horrible off-screen death is the open portal of his screaming mouth.

S3, E6 ‘Rest and Ricklaxation’ Party Poopers

A furry party-entertainer and a bunch of happy young kids are engulfed in a toxicity field. An angry exchange ensues, which culminates in the brutal beating, beheading and evisceration of the entertainer. They’re also available for weddings and Bar Mitzvahs.

S3, E7 ‘The Ricklantis Mixup’ Morty’s Flush

Thousands of dead Rick and Mortys float eerily through space having been tossed from the airlock by a homicidal Morty.

S4, E1 ‘Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat’ Crystal Death Addiction

When Morty first gazes upon the death crystal we see a shimmering smorgasbord of possible deaths. If you’ve got a fast pausing-hand, or the eyes of a spider, you’ll see such memorably brutal deaths as: Morty being sucked through a spacecraft toilet and ejected into the cold, airless void of space; dropped into a nest of giant baby birds and torn asunder; decapitated by an elevator door; and even falling from a skyscraper and being whisked to death by helicopter blades.

S4, E1 ‘Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat’ Rick’s Crystal Maze

Rick carks it in some hellishly grizzly ways, too. He’s torn in half by Squanch, is eaten by a giant spider, has his head splattered open like a melon by a swinging log, and – in perhaps the most horrific segment – has his body churned through a rectangular aperture in a giant Play Doh maker.

S4, E1 ‘Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat’ Clunk, click. Dead Rick.

Rick soon after dies for real (but not forever) in a spacecraft crash following some death-crystal-related shenanigans, smashing through the windscreen and impaling himself on a spike.

S4, E1 ‘Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat’ The Wasp Factory

Extra points for top tier body-horror gruesomeness with this one. Wasp Rick lays eggs in giant Rick’s eye, causing fast-hatching grubs to spill out from his massive mouth. Seconds later, a horde of Rick-wasps hatches en masse from his face, splitting it open like an overboiled hot-dog. Yuk!

S4, E3 ‘One Crew Over the Crewcoo’s Morty’ Treachery Will Tear Us Apart

Heist artist Miles Knightley is torn apart like a chicken dinner by a medley of bizarre alien creatures – a cross between the ghosts from The Real Ghostbusters intro sequence and something that fell out of Clive Barker’s nightmares – whose piece de resistance is yanking the skin from his wet skull like it’s a bad mask. 

Are there any particularly gruesome deaths you’d like to add to the list? Or would you like to weigh in on which of these fatalities repulsed or horrified you the most?

The post Rick and Morty’s Most Gruesome Deaths appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3bCWI0f

[magic-and-moonlit-wings]

Chapter 31: Scrambling

Becoming The Mask

Only about two thirds of the Janus Order's Acadia branch made it to the meeting Stricklander called. His message said that, although the matter was urgent, they should prioritize maintaining their human covers. If slipping out to the meeting would draw undue attention, they were to wait and receive the briefing through other channels.

It was still more agents than they usually had on the base at any one time.

They met in the orientation room. The Changelings picked out seats, wondering in whispers what was so important, some of them grumbling about late-night meetings when they had to get up early the next morning. It would be Monday in half an hour.

Instead of a video, Stricklander stood before them in person. He wasn't wearing a mask. He rarely did. Masks were encouraged but not technically obligatory. Everyone already knew who he was.

"It's been an eventful weekend. Early on Saturday, Killahead Bridge was rebuilt. Bular attempted to retrieve the Amulet of Daylight to reopen the portal and free Gunmar's forces from the Darklands."

There were gasps and hisses of shock. They – the Janus Order should've been told about Killahead's completion in advance, shouldn't they? There were supposed to be announcements. There was supposed to be a warning. Some Changelings had humans they wanted to stash out of the way for the initial invasion. This sounded like they might have to do a rush job.

"Unfortunately, Bular's impatience proved his undoing. He is dead, presumably slain by the Trollhunter."

Stricklander whipped a tarp off a mound of rubble on a wide wooden dolly beside him.

"This is what could be gathered of his remains. He was in a sewer maintenance tunnel near the museum. The museum itself has been raided. Killahead Bridge is lost to us."

That was an unusually fatalistic attitude for Stricklander to take. This must have truly devastated him.

"Do we –?" That was Bernie Sturges, local head of the Alchemy, Chemistry, and Toxicology Department. Bernie gulped and tried again. "Do we know who the current Trollhunter is?"

"That knowledge died with Bular," said Stricklander solemnly. "The goblins who witnessed the battle were not able to report anything useful to that end. We have old intelligence that Kanjigar's son, Draal," there was a beat as several people looked at Nomura, perched perfectly still in the second row, "expected to succeed his father as Trollhunter, but we are currently unable to confirm whether this held true."

Near the back of the audience, Otto suppressed a growl. He could not give in to his own feelings. He had to read the room around him.

Otto could accuse Jim Lake, here and now; Lake who hadn't shown, Lake who was conveniently not on hand to be exposed carrying the Amulet; and Otto would be dismissed as irrational with grief.

Otto could insist on publicly questioning the goblins on what they heard and smelled and saw; the goblins whose idea of important information only occasionally overlapped with anyone else's, the goblins who could barely tell Otto what happened when he already knew most of it, the surface goblins who spoke a different dialect than the Darklands goblins and so most Changelings could barely understand them; and all he was likely to get coherently out of them was their vow to avenge Bular.

Knowledge of the Trollhunter's identity died with Bular. That message was clear. If Otto didn't tread carefully, Stricklander would arrange for him to be 'tragically slain by the Trollhunter' as well.

Arcadia Oaks was clearly Stricklander's territory. None of the other Changelings were questioning his version of events – or, if they were, they had the sense to keep those questions inside their heads.

This was where the Janus Order's cultish nature worked against itself. They were trained to be suspicious of everyone except for their superiors.

"In light of these events," Stricklander continued, "every Changeling with nonessential duties on this base is to go into deep cover. Immerse yourselves in your human lives. We don't know if the Trollhunter knows about us or if they think Bular was operating alone. I don't want any Changeling to be caught and killed, and I especially don't want an enemy to be led right to our base."

He allowed himself an artfully strained chuckle. Otto almost couldn't tell that the strain was the faked part.

"I would have emailed this information rather than calling you all here, if I felt I could trust the encryptions. Having also lost our best means to dispose of bodies, this would also be the worst possible time to draw attention from human espionage groups."

Otto followed Bernie to the wing affectionately dubbed 'the Potions Lab' after they were dismissed.

"Odd, isn't it," Otto commented, "that Stricklander gathered the body himself."

"Maybe they were close," said Bernie noncommittally, rather than suggesting – to Otto, of all Changelings, widely known as the goblins' favourite – that goblins might have done the work. "Neither of them would have advertised that."

Wrong. Stricklander would have lorded that over everyone if it were true. Bular would have let him get away with it, if it were true.

Bernie puttered around their lab, stabilizing and recording the experiments in progress. Otto looked but did not touch. He had no desire to lose a hand.

Even if the brews wouldn't do that, Bernie well might. They had asked once – well, she had, the gender-fluid Changeling was going by 'Bernadette' at the time – she had asked whether a polymorph could regenerate severed limbs. So far as Otto knew, this was not the case, but he had no interest in testing it personally "to create a more scientifically viable sample size".

Then there was the time Bernard had been pestering Otto for tissue samples to see if he could induce shapeshifting by prodding the tissue with a gaggletack before the cells died.

"It works on blood and cheek scrapings, but not hair or nails, probably because those parts are technically dead, even when the hair's plucked out with the follicle, but that's all with regular Changelings, see, and polymorphism introduces huge variables and I want to see what happens."

Changelings didn't know enough about their own anatomy for Bernie to feel confident performing surgery to take samples from internal organs, so at least Otto hadn't had to fend off requests of that nature.

Otto would have preferred to approach someone else first, but Bernie had been the only one to ask any questions when Stricklander told them Bular was dead, which suggested they might also be the most open to questioning their leader.

"I will be questioning the goblins on what they saw," said Otto, realizing he was being ignored.

"We don't have any truth potions or memory aids on site," said Bernie. "Never did confirm the truth potion was even real. It might just lower inhibitions and reduce capacity for complex thought. Which is the last thing a goblin swarm needs." They cleared their throat. "They're impulsive."

"Bular has defeated many Trollhunters. I wonder if the new one thought to poison their weapon. If so, I will need your help identifying the toxin."

"… Can you get me access to his remains? If we're not making him into Grave Sand, I won't have an excuse to examine him. We should rope Stephan in. I mean, crematoriums don't do autopsies, but he works with morticians."

Otto didn't know who Stephan was, but nodded anyway. His network was beginning.

Barbara woke up with her glasses askew. She must have forgotten to take them off before bed. She sat up and removed them, wiping the smudges with a handful of her bedsheet. She looked reflexively towards her bedside table.

No breakfast.

Right. Jim wasn't home.

She dressed and went downstairs. Even she couldn't ruin a bowl of cereal.

Unless she let the milk spoil, she realized, when her first bite was sour. She'd have to tell Jim to – she would have to go grocery shopping.

There was also an apple pie in the fridge. It wasn't the most nutritious choice, but a slice of pie was healthier than skipping breakfast entirely.

It was easier at work. Barbara was good at compartmentalizing (most of the time) and work meant she didn't have to think about – home. (Jim.) (Jay-Jay.) (How she hadn't brought a lunch and by the end of the day was running on bad coffee and a bag of vending machine chips.)

She would adjust. She would. It was just hard right now because it was a fresh change.

Jim skipped lunch.

"Claire doesn't want to see me right now," he told Toby. "I'm going to hide out in Mr Strickler's office."

"He won't wonder about that?"

"I … I need to talk to him about some stuff. I …" Jim looked around and leaned in closer to Toby and dropped his voice, not quite to a whisper. "I know I'm hundreds of years older than her, but I do think of Mom as … well, my mom. Mr S is a teacher, so he knows how to talk to kids who're fighting with their parents. Nana's great and all but I, I need to, to talk to a grow-up human who's more outside the situation."

"Didn't you say he also has a crush on Dr L?"

Jim's eyes widened and his breathing got shallower. If they weren't in public Toby might have hugged him – Jim liked an anchor when he got upset. He settled for patting Jim's shoulder.

"Well, all the more reason to tell him, right? So he knows now's not a good time to talk to her."

He was trying to cover something up again. Toby gritted his teeth and let Jim bail on him.

"Jim's not coming," he told Darci and Claire and Mary. "He's hiding in Strickler's office. I'm like, ninety percent sure Strickler's a Changeling, but Jim says he can't tell me who is or isn't."

Mary nodded and got up. "I'll go snoop."

"Wha–?"

"I got this."

"She's good," Darci agreed, waving goodbye.

Claire took Mary's sandwich and started cutting the quarters into narrow, bite-sized strips. Toby recognized that trick – the 'sneak food into class' sandwich. Pop one in when the teacher isn't looking, and push it into your cheek like a hamster if you got called on before swallowing.

"Not Enrique's a jerk," said Claire, softly and viciously. "He was crying, like, all night, and when Mom had me take a turn checking on him, he asked me to go out and get him a burger! I locked my door and windows before bed. I'm thinking about getting one of those knobs where the lock has an actual key so I can be sure he stays out of my room when I'm not home. This morning he tried to butter me up, offering to help me learn trollish, and I wrote down what he said to double-check with Blinky but I'm positive it's all swears. Some of it sounds familiar from when random trolls start yelling at each other."

"That actually sounds kind of useful," said Toby.

"Sure, if your teacher's not insisting, 'this is how you say hello and this is how you say I'm sorry and this is how you say please don't kill me'."

Mary leaned against the bank of lockers by Strickler's office door. She totally wasn't eavesdropping. She had her phone out and was sweeping through her old photos to decide if any should be deleted. It wasn't anyone's fault if she just happened to overhear what was said on the other side of the door.

The school walls weren't thick enough for soundproofing. She strained her ears anyway.

"Otto will probably make trouble. I've intimidated him enough he shouldn't openly expose you as long as he doesn't actually have you on hand as evidence, but I'm sure he's plotting against us."

"What if … I know you won't like this, but what if we snuck a Heartstone piece into his office?"

"You believe Otto can be bribed." Mr S sounded amused. He was probably twirling his pen.

"I mean more that it, ah, wouldn't hurt to plant some evidence implicating he might've really been in cahoots with us the whole time."

"… That point is worth considering. Do you think you can get another piece?"

"Probably," said Jim decisively.

"… You took more than one."

"… Yes, sir."

"Toby's right. Stickler's a Changeling, and I think he might be Jim's boss. They were also talking about somebody named 'Otto' who might make trouble."

"Should we tell …" Darci wracked her brains. Which of the trolls wouldn't get Jim in trouble? "Blinky, maybe?"

Mary, rushing through her late lunch, only shrugged.

"Did he say anything about Enrique?" asked Claire.

"No. But they might've before I got there."

"Or Jim didn't mention him because he didn't want Not Enrique to get in trouble," Toby suggested. He finished off his slice of apple pie. "Or to protect us. He said last night … well, you guys remember."

Toby had texted them about how Jim was supposed to kill anyone who learned his secret. Darci couldn't believe Toby could hear something like that and still chow down on food he knew Jim had made. Killing someone in the middle of a high school cafeteria wasn't exactly subtle, but there were time-delayed poisons and poisons that looked like normal food poisoning or allergic reactions, right?

"So …" Darci hated being the one to say it, but they couldn't save Enrique if they were dead. "Maybe we shouldn't tell anyone in Trollmarket about Not Enrique yet."

Claire looked like she was about to explode.

"The way Blinky talked about it when they thought we might be Changelings," said Darci, "it sounds like they … aren't exactly popular. Jim's their magically destined hero and he can't even be publically found a Changeling."

There were some metaphors in that situation that Darci did not like.

"I feel like we should at least talk to Jim, and maybe get Not Enrique more on our side, before talking to Blinky and AAARRRGGHH about this."

Barbara came home to a dark, empty house. She saw a light on in Toby's window across the street.

As she locked the door, she wondered at herself for not having the locks changed. She'd done that after James had left, in a fit of temper, and had only regretted it a few times before she no longer wanted him to come back.

Jim was right across the street. He had his key. He could come home at any time.

Maybe it was some kind of subconscious test of whether he'd actually respect her boundaries? Barbara didn't think she was that devious.

There was a chain on the door. She slid that into place.

Barbara curled up on the couch and hugged a pillow. She'd have to do something about dinner eventually.

Without distraction, she couldn't get the image out of her mind of Jay-Jay in that mirror, with the goblin fussing over him.

She cuddled the pillow more like a baby. She'd ended up in the neonatal ward today – a pregnant woman in a side-on car collision delivered early, thankfully mother and child and the other driver would all live and there had been no other passengers to worry about – and realized how out of practice she actually was with newborns.

If she got Jay-Jay back, what would she do? A blood test should prove he was hers, but how was she going to explain a baby? Would she have to leave town for a year and come back with a child, or fake a pregnancy and a delayed birth to cover why he was three months old already?

If she were a man it would be a little easier to cover up; just say he was conceived during a brief relationship and the mother had surrendered custody and didn't want to be involved.

Barbara could pretend she'd found Jay-Jay abandoned and wanted to keep him, if not for potential blood tests seeking his 'real family' that would expose her as a liar, and the bureaucratic hoops of fostering and adoption. That plan might've been feasible a hundred years ago, but not in the modern world.

She hadn't planned on having another child. She'd barely been around for Jim's childhood, and Jim, Jim was secretly an adult the whole time, and not even human with a human's social needs – how could she raise an actual human baby all by herself?

On some level, Barbara was grateful Jim had nicknamed Jay-Jay. It made it easier to mentally distinguish between them.

Even if she did keep catching herself thinking of both of them as her sons.

It had only been a few days, and Stephan Jorgensen-Warner already felt superfluous in Arcadia now that Bular was gone.

His human cover worked in a crematorium. His main duty to the Janus Order was sneaking bodies out before they were to be burned – cool and stiff, filled with formaldehyde, but still human flesh – so Bular's cravings wouldn't drive him to hunt constantly and draw attention.

Bular had still hunted and still drawn attention. Nomura had complained extensively about the museum guards getting eaten. But Stephan's efforts curbed it to within a manageable level. Stricklander always said so.

Then Otto Scaarbach the Polymorph and Bernie Sturges the Alchemist recruited Stephan, specifically Stephan, for a project, and for a moment he felt purposeful again.

Until he learned what they wanted him to do.

"I can't autopsy a rock."

He spoke with a level of disrespect he would never have dared in Bular's presence if Bular could hear him. He wasn't worried. Even if Bular was a ghost, he'd be spending his afterlife finally seeing his father again, not checking up on his own corpse.

"First, I don't know how to do autopsies. My medical training is basic first aid, how to set a bone, and what to do for burns. Second, he's in pieces. We'd have to rebuild him to get any idea of what the kill strike might have been. And that's assuming it was something that leaves a mark."

He'd seen trolls die in the sun before. It always made him grateful to be a Changeling.

"You can help us rebuild him," said Bernard. He was Bernard today.

Bernie introduced themselves to everyone they spoke to every day so others would know how to refer to them. At least around the base. Changelings switched physical species regularly; changing gender identity wasn't a big deal for most of them. The ones who did have a problem, Bernie either beat in the sparring ring or non-fatally poisoned after the first offense. There were not many second offenders.

"He's. A. Pile. Of. Rocks," said Stephan, gesturing at what had been the last Gumm-Gumm to roam the surface. "I wouldn't know what's what unless we start from the outside and work in, and even then, who knows."

"Otto can model."

"Wait, what?"

"And if he ever collapses, we'll have to start all over again, unless you plan to explain to the Underlord why you superglued his son's remains together."

"So, just to be absolutely sure I understand this, let's go over it again. You snuck into your house … to do chores."

"Yes."

"… Nope. Still not getting it."

"You literally just described what I did."

"Because it's ridiculous, Jim! It's, like, reverse hooliganry! You snuck into your house to do chores."

"I won't get caught."

"That is so not the main point of concern."

"Look, after James Senior left us," Toby had noticed Jim never referred to the man as his father, even before Toby knew Jim was, arguably, adopted, "Mom and I promised to take care of each other. She's all alone now and I worry."

Jim patted Toby's shoulder and forced a grin.

"It's okay, it's all subtle stuff. Replacing old bulbs, checking in with Draal, putting leftovers in the fridge, sweeping, dusting –"

"You're leaving food? How is she not going to notice that?"

"Because it looks like takeout. Chicken salad, fried fish, stuff you might pick up at a nice but not expensive restaurant. I bought some Styrofoam containers to put it in and I plate up the main and sides together and everything. She'll think she just bought it for herself and forgot about it."

"… Okay, new concern. You do know making someone doubt their own memories is a feature of gaslighting, right?"

Toby was relieved that Jim looked ashamed.

"Yeah. We're trained for that."

"They don't teach you to talk but they teach you to gaslight people?"

"We're taught to talk!" said Jim defensively. "Just, not right away. We're briefed on what we need to listen for when we're due to be assigned a Familiar. It would be a waste of resources to train Changelings who might not live long enough to serve in the field."

Talking to Jim about his past made Toby's heart and brain hurt. He shouldn't have brought it up right now. He wanted to argue Jim's points but it was probably more important to keep addressing the part where Jim was gaslighting his mother.

"Jimbo, if Dr L can't remember buying the food, is she really likely to eat it?"

"Inertia should take care of that. She's used to coming home to food already there. The takeout format is just in case she's awake enough to question it."

"Jimbo. That is. Literally. The problem here." Toby tried for another angle. "She's not sure she can trust you right now, right? And you're not giving her a choice about whether to trust you enough to eat your cooking."

"But she won't eat if I don't cook for her," said Jim, like he was being logical and Toby was the one acting irrational and stubborn. "Do you want her to starve?"

That was another gaslighting trick. Toby had been doing research. He wondered if Jim was doing it on purpose right now, or just imitating what the Changeling had been taught was normal and acceptable behaviour.

"She's a grown woman. She can feed herself. And she's at the hospital literally every day. If she passes out from low-blood sugar or something, she'll be getting the best treatment in five seconds flat."

"Not if it happens at home. Or in the car. If she's lightheaded from hunger, her judgement will be compromised and she won't notice she shouldn't drive and if she passes out at the wheel, she and a bunch of other people could die."

Toby pulled his blanket off his bed and wrapped it around Jim. Jim clung to it. Toby wasn't sure if hugging him would be a good or bad move right now.

"I promised."

Jim's voice was small. They might be getting to the heart of the matter now.

"I've broken so many promises lately. Keeping trolls a secret. Keeping Changelings a secret. Freeing Gunmar. Keeping you out of this. Keeping Mom out of this. I'm supposed to take care of people. It's what I'm good at. It's what I'm for. And I promised Mom I'd never leave her by choice."

Toby was in way over his head. He decided hugging Jim couldn't make it worse.

"But if she's not choosing to trust you … I mean, your choice isn't the only one that's important there." Toby had an idea. "Jim … I want you to promise me you won't go back there unless Dr L invites you. Or it's an emergency like the house is on fire or something. And no fair setting the house on fire to get back in."

Jim gave a watery laugh into Toby's shoulder. "Arson feels like it would defeat the purpose."

"Do you promise?"

If promises really were important to Jim, which seemed like a weird trait in a secret agent but Jim had already admitted he'd been compromised, then Toby had him.

"… One more visit. Tonight. To tell Draal what's going on. After that …" Jim's sigh was as shaky as his laughter. "I promise, Tobes."

It had been a week, Barbara realized.

A week since her world had turned upside down. Or gotten more layers; that might be a more apt metaphor.

A week since she'd discovered trolls and Changelings and a secret war and a spy in her home.

A week since she'd seen Jim.

Also, a week since she'd seen Zelda, who may or may not attend krav maga today.

Barbara had more questions now. She'd had a week to think, and now she wanted, needed, answers that only a Changeling could give her.

But she could not bring herself to face the Changeling she'd thought of as a friend, or the one she still thought of as her son.

But, she remembered slowly – it was hard to think of him that way when she hadn't seen his troll form – she did know one other Changeling who was still at the 'acquaintance' stage.

It took a while to find the number. She hadn't programmed it into her phone and the note had gotten buried in her purse.

"Doctor Lake," he greeted, in an elegantly neutral voice. Doctor Lake, not Barbara – back to formalities, it seemed.

"Hello, Mr Strickler. Um …" How to begin? "How much has Jim told you?"

"That he is currently living with the Domzalskis. I presume you knew as much and are not calling to inquire on his whereabouts."

"No, I – that I knew. I just … I need to talk to someone," she admitted. "Someone who knows about trolls and knows I know about trolls and isn't hiding in an underground city I can't get to."

"… I believe my schedule allows for an early lunch."

Previous Chapter (The kids find out Jim and Not Enrique are Changelings

Table of Contents

Next Chapter (Barbara and Walt meet again)

[bitchnuggettt]

a hypochondriac and a hypoglycemic jackass walk into a bar

M/M: Richie Tozier/Eddie Kaspbrak

Link to the Archiveofourown post for those who prefer the format!

He’s got hypoglycemia, Richie learns halfway into second term of Junior year.

Right now Eddie’s got this tiny fruit cup he’s threatening to crush in one hand, and Richie’s about two mouthfuls away from fully figuring out what kind of fruit is in it. Currently he’s caught between mandarin and grapefruit.

He wonders for a second if guessing right would impress Eddie enough to earn himself a couple of quick kisses behind the nurse’s back.

But no, Eddie looks reasonably infuriated, and decidedly not in the mood for sucking face. His brows are all twisted up and his glossy wide eyes are all fixated on the kitten poster on the far end of the wall. His nose is doing that scrunchy thing Richie likes to poke fun at but he figures that it’s not the right time to be doing anything of the sort.

Richie snorts then because he realizes that Eddie’s making the face he makes when he gets a shitty test score and is stuck trying to figure out how to approach the teacher about it.

“This isn’t funny.” Eddie snaps.

“I mean it kind of is.” Richie interjects. By the third spoonful he’s grinning with triumph and beaming, “Grapefruit!”

Eddie almost smiles just then, but instead he bites his lip and scrunches his up nose again like even the idea of entertaining Richie’s antics right now repulses him. Fair enough.

Eddie’s between his legs right now, and Richie’s more tempted than ever to just pull him even closer from where he’s perched up on the school nurse’s offices’ crummy examination table. It’s making his ass cold but Eddie standing almost a head shorter feeding him fruits and making angry eyes at the anatomy posters behind him is making his heart soar like crazy.

He’s finding it hard to distinguish whether it’s the low blood sugar making him dizzy right now, or just the warmth of Eddie’s tiny torso sitting snug between the torn up knees of his jeans.

He’d take a chance at slipping a discreet arm around Eddie’s waist if his hands weren’t shaking so bad. He knows it would just freak Eddie out.

His clunky glasses keep edging further down the bridge of his nose the longer they wait for the nurse to come back with an ice pack and a packet of saltine crackers she promised him.

In highsight, Richie thinks, he wouldn’t exactly classify any of this as being his ‘fault’, per say. He’s always been energetic and a little fatigued, and that had never been an issue for him, up until around a few week ago, when he started getting really fucking thirsty and slow and tired and groggy and generally more of a mess than usual.

Admittedly Richie’s just been finding excuses.

He reassures Eddie that he’s only dizzy because Mike’s boring study group lasted three hours this time around instead of just two - not because he’s starving just a few hours after lunch.

He tells everyone that he’s only leaning on Bev’s shoulder so much because Stan woke him up for church at the ass crack of dawn with Bill at his heels - not because Beverly has a sixth sense about this kind of shit and holds his trembling hands so that they’re out of Eddie’s line of sight like the gorgeous god-send that she is.

And of course his go-to excuse for why he’s so weak in the knees most mornings is that he spent the sweet early hours of dawn chucking increasingly heavy rocks at Eddie’s bed-side window and stage-whispering ‘Rapunzel! Let down your hair!’ until he gave in and let him inside - not because he skipped breakfast.

It’s easy to blame everything on that kind of stuff. It’s the kind of shit that tends to wear a guy out, everyone knows that.

But then he starts getting these god-awful headaches that just won’t fucking let him concentrate, and suddenly he can’t stand up without paling and needing to support himself. He’s never been able to focus much during trigonometry anyway, but lately it seems like every exponent might as well be a different language. At lunch he stops caring whether or not kids are staring and lets himself rest his pounding head in the space between Mike’s neck and broad shoulders, and he lets himself pretend it’s Eddie’s hand carding through his hair when really it’s Beverly’s.

Even Stan starts letting up, he smiles weakly at Richie’s low-par mom jokes and lets him have at the last few sips of his apple juice and backup trail mix because he knows how hungry Richie’s gotten in the past few weeks. Ben keeps assuring him it’s the sign of a growth spurt, but Richie’s sure it isn’t.

Eddie doesn’t much like being near sick people, that much is already established.

Richie figures if he keeps up the rouse that he’s fine and that everything he’s experiencing isn’t wearing him out the way it clearly is, then maybe he and Eddie can keep sucking face at odd hours, and maybe he can keep taking Eddie out to see whatever movie he wants at drive-ins, and maybe he won’t have to lie his ass off whenever Eddie shakes him into alertness after he’s spaced out for more than ten minutes.

Everything’s going fine, he handles the headaches, he handles how fucking tired he feels, he handles the body aches in the mornings and the hunger pangs at night and pretends he’s only letting Eddie run circles around him during gym to up his morale (honestly that kid can run circles around him any day, he’s ten times fitter than his physique let’s on).

He handles all of it with poise and grace and everything in between right up until everything gets fuzzy in the hallway on his way to fourth period, and suddenly it feels like the ground’s slipped right from underneath him and the next thing he knows he’s face-down on the floor and shaking, and by the time he fully comes-to, Bill’s hauling his limp ass to the nurse with a hyperventilating hypochondriac in-toe, and all Richie really knows is that his body’s sore as all hell. He guesses fainting and coming close to having a full-on seizure can do that to a guy.

Skip forward twenty minutes and here he is, with Eddie tight-lipped and crushing up a packet of ice until it’s cold like it should be. He meets Richie’s eyes and asks, voice going soft in worry in spite of how pissed he looks, “Where does it hurt?”

He actually has to think about that for a beat because his legs ache like a truck ran them over, and his shoulder feels like it got locked out of place and rammed back into its socket a couple of times in succession, synopsis: everything fucking hurts, but he settles on having Eddie hold the packet against his neck because that hurts like a motherfucker too, plus Eds has to tip-toe to reach him and if that isn’t the most endearing thing he doesn’t know what is.

Bill’s giving Richie’s contact information at the front desk and trying to reach his mom for him.

In light of everything that’s happened, a huge part of Richie is just relieved that he doesn’t have to pretend he’s okay anymore.

Eddie calls him an idiot right up until before his mom picks him up, and after school every one pays Richie a visit to do the same. It’s only until Ben takes out a few books he’s been excited about and Mike pours over them when things stop being about how much of an idiot Richie is.

Beverly and Stan start talking about the movie posters popping up on the streets, and Eddie tucks himself into the careful space between the rocky bed frame and the solidity of Richie’s sore back and starts gently kneading at his shoulders until Richie’s babbling dies down in his throat and he relaxes himself. He leans back until Eddie’s mouth is flush against the shell of his ear, where he breaks their shared silence and whispers, “You ever hide shit like this from me again, you’re a dead man, Tozier, you hear?”

And then softer, he adds, “You don’t always have to pretend that you’re okay when you’re not, Richie. We love you, I love you, and hypoglycemia is a serious condition. Do you know how many people die with that condition just because they decided to skip breakfast? Do you know how much of an idiot you have to be to die via low blood sugar? I’ve got a huge stock of granola at my place, you ass, the next time I catch you hiding shit, I’m shoving an entire box of cereal down your throat,”, then, after a second, “Jesus, I’m threatening you with snacks.”

And Richie has no choice but to smile at that.

[easysmoothierecipes-blog]

5 New Tasty Detox Smoothie Recipes

In this excellent guide for detox, we wanted to give you some smoothie recipes that will create a detox effect. First of all, let’s mention what the detox smoothie is and how the contents of the detox smoothie. Detox is to get rid of harmful toxins that are entering our body in various ways and are waiting to be taken out as waste material. The toxins in the body can be removed in a detox diet. To accomplish getting rid of toxins, foods such as red meat, fish, milk, dairy products, bread, and cereals should not be consumed during the detox diet.

But we need to underline that the human body is a complex system. Without knowing anatomy, without knowing the interaction of foods with different foods, medicines, supplements, it is hazardous to direct people to detox without having enough knowledge and experience of people’s illnesses. Therefore, if you are going to apply for the detox diet, you should consult your doctor.

WHAT IS DETOX AND HOW?

Detox should be both mental and physical purification. You should do detoxing consulting with specialist doctors because you can invite hypoglycemia attacks, fatigue, headaches, severe muscle loss, and many more. The person who takes minimal calories during the detoxification uses protein in the body because there is not enough carbohydrate to consume energy. Therefore, the metabolism also slows down as there is severe muscle loss in the system.

The only thing that accelerates the metabolism is the muscle density in the body, and the muscle is always massive. You’re losing weight quickly during detoxing, but a significant muscle loss occurs in your body. Then, when you start eating regular food, you will lose weight again because the metabolism slows down. During the detox, it can cause some severe illnesses, and surely the transition diet should be done, which accompanied by specialist doctors is very important.

Smoothie Recipes That Will Make A Detox Effect

If you want to be healthy, you need to be free of toxins accumulated in your body because of things such as malnutrition, pollution, or a sedentary lifestyle. You should also do this most healthily and naturally possible:

Eat 100% organic food.

Drink enough water.

Drink detoxifying teas.

Remove harmful foods from your diet.

Make detox smoothies.

We’re all exposed to toxins, so we’ll explain here how to make five detox smoothies to detoxify your body quickly and effectively.

Fuzzy Detox Smoothie

Chard is full of nutrients: folic acid, iron, fiber, and vitamin A are just a few of them. All of these substances are necessary to eliminate toxins in your body, strengthen your immune system, and prevent infectious diseases.

Ingredients

Two pieces of banana

One lemon juice

5 sheets of chard

3 stalks of parsley

3 cups of water (600 ml)

Instructions

Peel the bananas and put them in a pot.

Add a glass of water and cook for 20 minutes.

Drain.

Squeeze the lemon.

Wash the chard and parsley.

Add all ingredients to a blender, including bananas and the remaining two glasses of water.

Run until you mix well.

How is it consumed?

To effectively clean your body, we recommend that you consume 1 cup in the morning for the first job in 2 weeks.

What Are the Health Benefits of Chard?

It is an excellent source of C and vitamin K.

It is preventing iron deficiency in the body.

Increases the body’s resistance to diseases by strengthening the immune system.

It benefits the brain. Besides, the disease of our age is suitable for Alzheimer’s disease.

It helps control blood pressure.

The nervous system protects health.

Good for stomach ailments.

Relieves the digestive system. Prevents indigestion.

Regulates blood sugar.

It is suitable for coughing and coughing.

It has diuretic properties.

Cystitis, i.e. urinary tract inflammation, reduces the burning of the urinary tract.

It is suitable for anemia due to anemia. Promotes the production of red blood cells.

It’s good for fatigue and fatigue. It helps fatigue.

It helps the pain in the spleen and kidneys.

As it promotes blood clotting, it prevents bruising and bleeding in the body.

It has an appetizing feature.

Balances blood pressure.

Good against stress and depression.

Reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke.

PROTECT AGAINST SUGAR DISEASE WITH THE MARKET!

Diabetes has become a disease that many people complain about today. People with diabetes cannot eat everything. They must pay attention to what they eat. People with diabetes or diabetes can easily eat chard. This medicinal vegetable contains syringic acid and fibers that help regulate the blood sugar level. If you are at risk of diabetes or if you have diabetes, you should eat plenty of green leafy vegetables.

PROTECTS THE BONE!

It contains significant amounts of calcium, magnesium, and vitamin K. It is a plant that protects bone health. It strengthens the bones. It helps the growth and development of bones. It also provides strengthening of the teeth.

ANTI-CANCER FEATURES!

It is a vegetable smoothie with antioxidant properties like many green leafy vegetables. Antioxidants contain anti-cancer properties. So it’s protective against cancer. In particular, it helps prevent colon cancer. You can consume this healing vegetable smoothie to protect against cancer.

THE MARKET IS HELPFULLY AGAINST HEMORRHOIDS! If you are looking for a solution against hemorrhoids, you can try and use the market. If the bacon is prepared by spreading the porridge on top of the straw, it is beneficial for hemorrhoids or hemorrhoids. It is also suitable for skin diseases and swelling in the body.

PROTECT EYE HEALTH! It contains high amounts of beta carotene. As a result, it helps to protect eye health. Glaucoma, night blindness, such as eye discomfort, is good.

Peach Detox Smoothie

Peach is known for its water content and is full of antioxidants to help eliminate the toxins accumulated in your gut.

Ingredients

6 pieces of almonds

1 cup of milk (200 ml)

4 peaches

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 ml)

1 tbsp honey (25 g)

How to make Peach Detox Smoothie

Add milk almonds and leave for 4 hours.

Wash the peach and remove the seeds.

Then add all ingredients to a blender.

Run for 1 minute.

How is it consumed?

We recommend you to drink this smoothie for breakfast for 8 days.

What are the benefits and vitamins of peach?

It is rich in vitamins A, B, C, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, and phosphorus. Here are the effects of peach on your health and your beauty … In addition to thirst-quenching and refreshing effects, many benefits you do not know;

It is protective against cancer.

Reduces the risk of heart attack.

The kidneys also dump the formed sand and stones.

Cleans the blood.

It softens the intestines and removes constipation.

It produces positive solutions in hemorrhoids.

It helps the treatment of gout.

It is protective against diabetes.

Increases the body’s resistance while strengthening the immune system.

It has a calming effect that resolves insomnia.

Gives skin moisture and freshness

Provides health to mother and baby during pregnancy with vitamin C content

It is recommended that peaches should be consumed during pregnancy because of providing many essential vitamins and minerals. It contains vitamin C, baby’s bone, teeth, skin, muscle, and blood vessels to help to grow healthy. It also contributes to the absorption of iron, which is extremely critical during pregnancy. Thanks to its potassium and magnesium content, it prevents muscle cramps and general fatigue, which are common during pregnancy.

It plays a leading role in cancer prevention

Contains antioxidants in Turkey and the world through the most common lung, colon, peach that contribute to the prevention of cancers such as breast cancer, is one of the essential nutrients for a healthy life. It also has a positive effect on the healing process of patients with cancer.

Friendly intestine and kidneys

It supports the intestines in terms of rich fibers in its content. It is a regulating fruit for people suffering from constipation. It also helps to remove kidney and kidney stones.

Key to a healthy life with rich vitamins and minerals

Vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, copper, antioxidants and fiber-rich peach; It is also important for a healthy, shiny and radiant skin. It helps to eliminate the effects of depression as it provides benefits to the nervous system with the magnesium it contains. In addition, it contains vitamins A and C, which are very good for the eyes.

Nectarine of the same value for children with hairy fruit phobia

Nectarines may be recommended as an alternative to the peach, which some children refuse to eat because of their hairy structure. Nectarine is less hairy, harder, and more aromatic than a peach. In terms of nutritional value, peach is considered equivalent. Children’s nutrition can be added with peace of mind.

Kidney patients should take care when consuming

Because peach is rich in potassium, it is recommended that kidney patients who use a potassium-restricted diet should not consume more than 1-2 medium peaches per day.

Raspberry and Apple Smoothie

The combination of vitamins and antioxidants in the raspberry and the detoxifying powers of the apple will help:

It destroys toxins.

Improves your digestion.

It struggles with fluid retention.

Regulates the metabolism rate.

It helps you to lose weight.

Ingredients

2 pieces of apples

1 cup raspberry (150 g)

1 cup of water (200 ml)

How to make Raspberry and Apple Smoothie?

Wash the apples and raspberry thoroughly.

Remove the beans and chop the apples.

Then add all ingredients to a blender and run until a smooth consistency is achieved.

How is it consumed?

The best way to consume this detox smoothie is to drink 3 times a week. In this way, if you have anxiety, you will see the benefits of both detoxing and its calming effect.

Have you ever heard of raspberries before?

The benefits, preparation, and harmful sides of raspberries and raspberry tea have been investigated for you. Raspberries are also known as raspberries, sultan’s blackberry, and tree strawberries. The self-grown raspberry is a red, fragrant, and juicy fruit. You can benefit from the benefits of raspberries by consuming the fruits of summer.

What are the Benefits of Raspberry?

The raspberry that removes blood from the body also throws the toxins in the body.

Those who have diabetes and kidney disease can consume raspberries freshly.

Raspberry gives the body vitality when it is eaten.

Enables tissues to strengthen and tighten.

Used in fever diseases, raspberries help to reduce fever.

It is rich in vitamin A.

Tuberculosis is a source of healing in diseases of anemia and rheumatism.

It provides the removal of constipation.

When the flowers of the raspberry are boiled, and gargle is good for gum discomfort.

When the mask is applied to the face with raspberries, acne is removed.

Syrup made with raspberries is used in desserts.

It is effective in leukemia disorders.

How to Eat Raspberry?

You can enjoy the benefits of eating raspberry 5 – 6 in a day. Raspberry fruit with high fiber content is especially recommended for obesity patients.

Benefits of Raspberry Leaf Tea?

It provides a clearance of blood.

Effective in diarrhea.

Raspberry leaf tea relieves a sore throat when drinking tea.

Relieves bronchitis.

When mouthwashes are made with raspberry tea, inflammation in the gums becomes mild.

How to make Raspberry Leaf Tea?

Dried raspberry leaves crush the flour.

Leave 1 teaspoon of raspberry leaf in cold water for 1 hour and boil with 1 cup of water.

After boiling, wait for 5 – 10 minutes to warm up and strain the tea.

You can consume 3 cups of raspberry leaf tea a day.

Harm of Raspberry

If you take regular medication, do not consume raspberry fruit and raspberry tea without consulting your doctor.

Raspberry fruit is not recommended if you have a stomach or stomach ulcer disease in your stomach.

Detox Smoothie with Celery

Celery is a special option because of its high levels of detoxifying properties that will help to remove toxins quickly and effectively from your body. Also, it is a perfect vegetable smoothie with a detoxing effect.

Ingredients

5 celeries

2 tablespoons of honey (50 g)

2 cups of water (400 ml)

How to make Detox Smoothie with Celery?

Wash and chop the celery into small pieces.

Put the celery in a pot with water and cook for 5 minutes.

Cool for 10 minutes.

Then, put all the ingredients in a blender.

Run for 2 minutes until it is mixed.

How is it consumed?

We recommend that you drink the smoothie before breakfast and before bed for 5 days. This is the fastest way to remove toxins from your body.

Vitamin Store Celery

You may feel a bit regretted when you learn the high nutritional value of celery, which is often prejudiced because of its taste and smell. With celery recipes enriched with different flavors, you can become the source of this healing source.

Celeries are rich in vitamins and minerals, and they will be a very useful act in terms of a healthy life. Celery, which is frequently consumed by those who want to weaken with low-calorie content, has a high nutritional value.

Celery, which has an important place in European cuisine, provides an attractive taste with its original aroma. You can consume this vegetable in the winter months, which can be shown as a celery season, and you can protect your body in the best way in cold days.

Calorie and Nutritional Value

Celery is a very useful vegetable. It is owing to its low calorie and its rich nutritional value. One hundred grams of celery contains about 40 kcal as calories. Therefore, it has an important place for those who want to lose weight. The celery, which can be consumed as a salad, is one of the prominent foods of many diets.

With celery vitamins, it is becoming a unique source of healing, especially for the digestive system. It contains a high content of vitamin B and C vitamins. Celery, which is rich in minerals such as calcium, potassium, and sodium. It is among the vegetables that should be found frequently at the dinner tables.

What are the Benefits of Celery? What Good Income?

Celery with a low calorie is among the vegetables that dieters consume heavily.

When applied in the form of a skin mask skin, acne-like skin problems are thought to be good.

It activates the mind and contributes to the strengthening of memory. It is also effective in reducing fatigue thanks to the vitamins and minerals it contains.

Celery is one of the foods considered to have an aphrodisiac effect.

The high fiber contained in it helps the digestive system to function properly. There are also appetizing and digestive effects.

Celery can be infused as a tea. Thanks to the benefits of celery tea, it will be very easy to relieve the stomach.

Celery gut is a vegetable that is consumed as a supplemental food in addition to medical treatment.

Many components in its content help regulate the metabolism.

Celery is also useful in terms of blood pressure balance. However, serious illnesses, such as blood pressure, should be referred to hospitals.

It is rich in vitamin C and contributes to the body’s resistance, especially during the cold winter months.

In the case of excessive use or degradation, celery poisoning may occur. Like all foods, celery should be consumed in consultation with doctors.

Pineapple Detox Smoothie

Pineapple is the smoothie material that will make the best detox effect, and it contains a large amount of antioxidants and plenty of water, it helps to regulate your metabolism.

It also contains fiber to help you if you have any gastrointestinal problems or are trying to lose weight naturally.

Ingredients

1 small pineapple

2 stalks of celery

2 pieces of grapefruit

1 tbsp honey (25 g)

How to make Pineapple Detox Smoothie?

Wash all materials thoroughly.

Cut the grapefruit in half, squeeze the juice and add the juice to the blender.

Then add the rest of the ingredients.

Run for 1 minute or until all the lumps go out and into a soft tissue area.

How is it consumed?

This detoxifying effect will be consumed 3 times a week.

The best time is before you go to bed. Thus, your body will detox when you sleep.

In addition to the rich A and C vitamins it contains, potassium and calcium help our health in a wide range.

Health Benefits of Pineapple

The health benefits of pineapple with the large amounts of nutrients it contains don’t end up counting. Pineapple is beneficial to health in many respects, from healthy teeth to free radicals, anticancer properties, and heart health.

Pineapple is a very rich source of antioxidants. These free radicals cause cancer and heart disease. Thanks to its antioxidant properties, it prevents free radicals circulating in the body and helps to renew cells.

It is highly effective against microbial infections because it contains plenty of vitamin C and bromelain. In addition, it helps the drug treatment, especially against a cough.

It contains a rich amount of manganese, bone, and connective tissue strengthens. Daily consumption of pineapple in a cup provides 73% manganese in our body an average.

Pineapple is known to be an important nutrient for dental health. It strengthens the tooth enamel with its rich nutrients and prevents rotting.

Pineapple is especially rich in bromelain, which prevents sinusitis. This substance is effective in the treatment of sinusitis. In addition, gout, sore throat, and swelling are good.

We’ve said that it blocks free radicals that cause cancer, but it’s not content with it. It also strengthens cells against cancer cells and treats damaged cells.

It is among the most important foods for heart health. It regulates cholesterol levels as well as preventing free radicals that threaten heart health. It also protects against vascular diseases due to its antioxidant properties.

Pineapple is one of the most important supporters of the immune system with the help of plenty of vitamin C contained. It strengthens the immune system and helps all organs perform their duties in a healthy manner.

In general, all foods containing dietary fiber that contributes significantly to the health of the digestive system. Pineapple also contains a large number of dietary fiber, as well as supporting the digestive system functions in a healthy manner and protecting it from possible diseases.

Apart from many properties, pineapples are known for their anti-inflammatory properties. It usually contributes to the reduction of bronchitis due to bronchitis.

It helps to solve the problems of hypertension. A pineapple diet is generally recommended for patients with hypertension. A large amount of potassium pineapple also helps stabilize blood pressure.

Pineapples are consumed on a daily basis, as well as being protected from many diseases. The skin is very important in terms of health. With the help of the nutrients and antioxidant properties of the skin prevents infections. It is effective against the acne problem. It has the feature of strengthening the skin.

Recommendations: Pineapple contributes to our health with the help of rich vitamins and minerals. It is possible to consume both fruit and liquid. Because it is a tropical climate fruit, it is possible to find it in all months of the year. It doesn’t create a serious question other than excessive consumption.

You can check for more detox smoothie on our page.

If there is anything missing about smoothies, please search it via the search bar or comment below. You can follow our facebook, twitter, and Instagram.

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5 New Tasty Detox Smoothie Recipes

[youreyesholdgalaxies]

The Consequences of a Sleepy Dan

Words: 1,711

Type: Fluff, sleepy, friends to lovers, reality, kissing, to break my writer’s block.

Summary: Dan fell asleep too late, rather too early, and now he faces the consequences in the morning. Though they aren’t all bad.

Read on AO3

-----

The light outside the dark clothed windows in Dan’s room woke him up far too early for his liking. He’d been up late the night before, his brain frayed from sleeping so much nowadays and he ended up diving into the world of human anatomy to learn about how the brain works. Interestingly he learned that the two hemispheres of the brain could be disconnected from one another and the person could still go on about their daily lives as if nothing had changed. Dan had found this fact so fascinating he ended up on his computer until the early hours of the morning when he finally called it quits for the night.

Dan stretched out his limbs, his back muscles stiff from his odd sleeping position. Slowly, Dan got out of bed and made his way towards the lounge as he yawned. He was still unbelievably tired, it must be only a few hours after he had went to sleep, he thought.

Dan’s feet scuffed the ground as he walked towards the living room, bleary eyed and mind foggy with facts about the brain. The door to the living room was open, and light from the television flowed into the hall as Dan turned the corner into the room, raising his arm to block out the too bright light shining what seemed to be directly into his eyes.

“Well good morning sleepy pants,” His roommate chuckled from the far end of the sofa, watching as Dan stumbled into the lounge with his Pokémon shirt tussled and hair curling from lack of straightening. Phil smiled up at the younger man, thinking of how adorable Dan looked in the late morning light as he finally raised from the dead.

Dan yawned in response, and free fell, hoping to hit the couch and not the hard wood floor. As luck would have it, he landed on the couch with an umpf as Phil giggled out at how tired Dan seemed to be.

“Didn’t sleep last night or something, Danny?” Phil asked returning to the coffee in his hand and directing his attention the television program about whales. Dan lacked to respond, so the two just stayed in silence for a few more minutes. Phil watching his program and Dan trying to actually wake up.

Dan eventually stirred and opened his eyes to look up at his best friend. Phil was sat with one of his legs up and his arm that was holding the coffee cup wrapped around it. He was leaned back and sipping on his coffee, his glasses hanging low on his nose and his hair pushed back in a quiff. His geeky pajama pants hung too high to cover his ankles, ‘a side effect to being a giant’ Phil always said. His space t-shirt hung loosely around his arms as he focused on the television. Dan smiled at the cute sight of Phil’s mesmerized face as he learned about the whales, eyes wide with wonder. Dan waited another moment before he stood up to go make himself some breakfast as he heard his stomach rumbling, praying that Phil had actually left him enough of his own cereal to eat this morning.  He stood for a moment and glanced back at Phil, just as Phil turned to see where Dan was going. Dan’s face lit up in a soft warm smile.

“I left you enough you know, I’m no monster.” Phil said with a grin that showed off his tongue that poked out the side of his mouth. Dan smiled and shook his head. He made to leave, but leaned down and pecked Phil on the lips because Dan could never argue that Phil Lester was always adorable when he smiled like that. He turned to leave and walked halfway to the kitchen when it hit him.

Phil and I don’t kiss. We’re not dating.

Dan went ghost white as he stopped dead in his tracks and shook his head, finally waking up fully as he realized his mistake. Why had he done that? He was almost sure his small crush on Phil was long gone by now, he was no longer that shy nineteen year old he used to be, he was an adult now and he realized that he didn’t need to be in a romantic relationship with Phil to love him. Although, he knew that his love for Phil was a little bit more than purely platonic. Regardless, it still does not disregard the fact that he and Phil don’t kiss each other. Anywhere.

He racked his brain trying desperately to remember Phil’s reaction to his foolish mistake. He searched and searched but couldn’t recall, mainly because he turned away and walked down the hall as soon as he had done it.

He actually face palmed his head and continued to walk towards the kitchen as his stomach growled again in hunger.  He also knew that if he waited much longer, Phil would get up and look for him.

As Dan reached the kitchen he tried to rationalize the situation with himself. He and Phil had always had a very odd platonic relationship. They would always cuddle and even share a bed sometimes. They had even said I love you a few times here and there throughout their long history together. Sometimes, during scary movies, they would cuddle on top of each other, intertwine their legs together and grip their hands together as if their lives depended on it. They brought each other to their family holidays and their family and friends always asked how the other was just as much as they asked the boy they were speaking with how he was. They were Dan and Phil. The close of close friends.

And sometimes if Dan would have a nightmare, where he would whimper and cry in his sleep, Phil would wake up to the sound of distress and come into to Dan’s room, crawl under the covers and pull Dan into his chest, caressing his head and soothing Dan with his light soft words.

Still, they didn’t kiss.

Dan poured his coffee and leaned against the counter as he thought of the ramifications of this. In all honesty, he didn’t really see a change in their relationship. He stayed like that for a while, until his cup ran dry and he really hungered for cereal.

Dan was so out of it, starring of into space that he didn’t realize that Phil had come looking for him as he had been gone so long and the flat had gone quiet expect for the narrator of the whale program that had since ended.  Phil was leaned on the counter next to the sink and as Dan reached over to put the now empty cup in the sink, still eyes dazed into space, he looked to find a soft smiled Phil there.

Dan blushed and quickly put the cup in the sink and moved to make a bowl of cereal for him to eat. Phil watched as Dan got out the need objects and as Dan reached for the cereal box. Dan poured the remaining cereal into the bowl but made an unsatisfied sound.

“Philllll,” Dan whined, forgetting to worry about the event that happened earlier that morning. Phil was in front of him and he wasn’t yelling or confused. He deducted that Phil didn’t get held up on it so he didn’t either. “You did not leave me enough for a satisfying bowl.” He moaned like a child.

“Well I’m so sorry.” Phil commented, shifting away from the counter. “How can I make it up to you?” He mocked as he got the milk out of the fridge for Dan, handing it to him as Dan turned to pour it into his bowl before handing it back to Phil, who placed it back into the fridge shutting the door then.

Dan spooned a heap of cereal into his mouth and chewed a bit before muttering, “You can’t. You’ve ruined it. I’ll never forgive you.” He shoveled more cereal into his mouth and watched as Phil rolled his eyes at Dan.

“Well shit. Guess you don’t love me anymore now huh?” Phil’s face changed from an adorable smile to a smirk. Dan choked on the mouthful of cereal he was chewing, surprised by Phil’s word choice. Phil was immediately concerned and took the bowl from Dan’s hands and set it on the counter before slapping Dan on the back hard, trying to help his friend.  

“Ohh! Phil not helping!” Dan gasped out as he successfully swallowed his mouthful of partially soggy cereal. “My roof of my mouth hurts now because dry cereal scrapped across it thanks to you.” Dan stated with his eyes narrowing at the man stood in front of him. The two giggled a bit before full on laughing at how ridiculous the situation was. Phil was watching Dan’s face as the tanned man calmed down, shifting his eyes to meet Phil’s.  

Dan’s eyes softened as they met Phil’s and their wide smiles faded into small soft grins. God, they were like their young 2009 selves again in that moment. But neither minded. In fact, Phil was determined to get it right this time.

“I’ll kiss it better for you.” Phil whisper, cheesy as it was, as he leaned into peck Dan’s lips. Dan’s eyes blew open wide as their lips meet. As Phil moved to pull away, ready to apologize, Dan’s hand wrapped around his waist and held him there, prolonging the kiss. The two kissed for a bit, nothing but sweet pecks broken up with soft smiles and giggles.

Sometime later, as they sat cuddled close on the coach, on top on one another, no horror movie playing. Finally more than friends, Dan nuzzles into Phil’s neck and breaths in the smell of happiness, content in Phil’s arms.

Phil rubs down Dan’s back, pleased to finally be able to hold Dan close with no excuse. Dan giggles softly as he thinks of the long ago morning.

“What?” Phil asks softly into Dan’s hair as he leans down to peck it. Dan giggles a bit more, turning red in the face a bit before he mutters out a quiet yet confident.

“The roof of my mouth never got kissed better.”

[theo-la-dora]

Ink Stained: Chapter 3 Coffee Cups

Read here or on AO3

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2

Chapter 3 Summary:

In which coffee is used to neutralize curses, Laura should definitely reconsider her choice in jewlery and Carmilla has no concept of doors. Also, Betty needs bleach. All of the bleach.

On Monday, Carmilla waited for Laura on her doorstep.

Her hair was cut short, inky tips that framed her jaw like they'd done at the club and she held two take-away cups of coffee in her hands. When Laura saw her, she almost toppled over from surprise - which would’ve been unfortunate as the concrete sidewalk and Laura were not the best of friends on any given day.

“Morning, cupcake,” Carmilla drawled, seemingly amused at Laura’s wide-eyed, not quite awake state when the girl just blinked at her owlishly. “Thought you might need this.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” Laura blurted out, not quite ready to adequately process Carmilla being on her doorstep in a way that didn’t feel like pulling teeth, but always open for caffeinated beverages.

“Quite literally, I’m sure,” Carmilla quipped with a considering look at the dark circles under Laura’s eyes, causing the girl to sheepishly rub at them as they started walking towards the next underground station. “Another eighteen-hour workday?”

“Well,” Laura said, hitching her backpack up higher. It was quite a lot heavier now that she’d started carrying around bear spray everywhere. “Not all of us can turn ‘woman of mystery’ into our chosen career path, you know?”

“Pray tell, what’s your favorite pastime if you so categorically dismiss mine?”

Laura grinned up at her from beneath a knitted hat with a snowflake on the front. “Sometimes it’s not all that hard to believe you were a countess once, Miss Karnstein,” she teased.

“Lies.” One corner of Carmilla’s mouth twitched upwards. “It’s all lies.”

“I know. Because then you’d have manners, right?”

Unamused, Carmilla threatened to shove her in to the bustling traffic, not quite managing to hide her grin when Laura yelped. “I’m honestly feeling so attacked right now,” she grumbled, shaking her head fondly when Laura almost choked on her own giggles.

And the coffee. Definitely the coffee.

“Well, you did bring me coffee,” Laura acquiesced as they walked down the steps of the underground station. It was messy and full of people and Laura had to be careful not to stumble over them because the girl next to her was all kinds of distracting. “So that counts for something.”

“Oh, so I’m a good girl now?” Carmilla’s expression turned from playful to suggestive in five hot seconds and Laura’s face burned brighter than a fire engine. “Never knew it was that easy.”

“Yeah, that’s me,” Laura said, a bit sarcastically. “Easy.”

“Not a word I’d use to describe you, cupcake, but far be it from me to dictate someone else’s identity.”

Laura glared at her. “You’re the worst.”

“I thought I was a lifesaver?”

“You’re becoming more of a nuisance with every second.”

They’d reached the platform, the arrival board announcing that the next train would arrive in two minutes as the familiar smell of the Toronto public transport system surrounded them. “Did you know that I once followed you down St. George’s station? I felt like such a stalker that day and I swear you-”

Laura suddenly swiveled around to face a sheepish looking Carmilla who apparently found great interest in the life-sized advertisements on the other side of the platform and wouldn’t meet her narrowed eyes. “Carmilla…”

“I was curious, okay?”

“But why were you-“

“Is that my phone number?” Carmilla was evidently also quite skilled at the art of deflection, because she picked up Laura’s wrist, pushing back the sleeve of her coat to examine the black numbers more closely. “Oh, were you feeling sappy?”

Laura yanked back her arm with a glare that could rival that of an angry kitten. “I’m not the one appearing and disappearing like a sodding house-elf all the time,” she huffed out indignantly, ignoring Carmilla’s downright offended expression at being compared to Dobby. “So, you might not share the sentiment, but I actually think it quite reassuring that I can call you like a normal person and not wish upon a star or whatever you people like to do.”

“We write messages in blood, actually. It’s really quite efficient.”

Laura looked like she was two point five seconds away from imploding, so Carmilla quickly grabbed her other hand, produced a sharpie form god-knows-where and wrote another series of numbers down the inside of the still bare wrist before tying a bracelet with what looked like a bat wing around it.

“In case the number doesn’t work, wait there for me, okay Liebling?” she murmured, something unmentionable or other passing in her eyes before she curled her free hand around Laura’s neck and pulled her in for a kiss that tasted like coffee and ink and other promises. “And the bracelet should help keep you hidden from other would-be killers, so don’t take it off. I got to go now, figure out who’s been trying to kill you and shit.”

“Why are you-” The arriving train cut off Laura’s slightly dazed question and she could only watch as Carmilla pocketed the sharpie in the back pocket of her leather pants before throwing Laura one last smirk and sauntering up the stairs.

“Because apparently, I’m a good person now,” was the last thing Laura heard before the train doors closed with a thud. Under the circumstances, it was probably a good thing that the train was packed since only the sheer number of people kept her standing when she carefully pushed back the bat wing charm to look at what Carmilla had written on her arm and realized what it meant.

It was a series of coordinates.  

That same day, the mark on City Hall appears on the parliament’s building in Ottawa as well and the uproar that’s previously been exclusive to Toronto takes hold of the whole country.

+++

(Laura checks the coordinates on Google Earth and stares at the picture for almost half an hour.

It’s a cabin in the woods.)

+++

There was a necklace on Laura’s nightstand when she woke up Thursday morning. The pendant was a gemstone framed by metal ornaments and Laura couldn’t help the flip in her stomach when she saw it, sunlight catching in the red of the stone. It had to be another one of Carmilla’s presents, the prettier companion to the bat wing bracelet that was still tied around her wrist despite her roommate’s distaste for the thing.

“Shiny,” Betty grinned, looking up from a gigantic, ancient tome that took up three-quarters of their breakfast table with her reading glasses askew and some marmalade on her left cheek when Laura bounced into the kitchen. “You got yourself a girlfriend or something, Hollis?”

Tugging at the pendant, Laura couldn’t help the smile that spread on her cheeks. The thing between her and Carmilla was… messy at best – not just because of the potential heartbreak, but also because of the collateral damage that came with time travel and its marks which –

Not exactly an ideal conversation topic for breakfast, so Laura just did an awkward head-shake and blurted out, “Or something?” with bright cheeks.

Betty shook her head sternly. “No funny business in any shared living spaces, Hollis. I don’t care what you get up to in your room but I don’t want to have to worry about what’s previously been on my table when I eat breakfast.”

“As if you’ve ever used a table for eating in your life,” Laura fired back, pointing at the literary monstrosity in front of Betty with a bowl of cereal and almost spilling half of it over. “I’m pretty sure I saw you eat pasta in a shower once.”

“Hearsay.”

“I got the photos to prove it.”

“And I have video footage of you singing a love song to your Tardis mug after eating one of Natalie’s special brownies, so don’t get cheeky with me, young lady.”

Laura almost choked on her cornflakes. “Love you, too, grandma.”

“See? That’s what I’m talking about. No respect for your elders,” Betty said with about three pens in her mouth and stood up, closing the book with a thud. “So, I’m meeting some people at the library, let’s see if we can’t solve your little… Goethe problem there.” She pointed at Laura’s chest as if it was somehow offensive to her and Laura used her hands to cover herself despite being fully clothed.

“I feel like we’re talking about an Alien growing inside of me,” Laura grumbled into her cornflakes, squirming when Betty tried to pet her head but forgot to drop another two pens before doing just that.

“We’ll get to the bottom of this, Hollis. Even if I have to cut it out of you.”

“If that’s supposed to be reassuring I think you need to work on your empathy skills, Spielsdorf. That was all Sherlock Holmes kinds of awful.”

“I took a few anatomy courses in undergrad,” Betty shrugged. “I could do it.”

Strangely enough, Laura didn’t doubt that.

+++

Fiddling with the necklace pendant, watching it catch the sunlight streaming in through the kitchen window, Laura feels a soft kind of hope blooming in her chest as if everything can be alright after all.

(The feeling is strangely familiar but Laura can’t quite say why.)

+++

All day she kept playing around with the necklace, the rough texture and sharp edges a source of constant fascination to her fingers. Laura didn’t realize that something was wrong until she excited her favourite coffee-shop, a steaming cup of double espresso with milk and sugar in one hand, and her legs suddenly started moving of their own accord.

Down the streets and away from campus, faster and faster they took her with no care for traffic or other obstacles and her muscles burned, the liquid in her cup spilling over and burning her hand. She tried to talk, to somehow get her mouth to open but it felt stitched up and then glued together, gums molded like liquid plastic with the taste of sulphur on her tongue. Her eyes went wide, insides screaming and she tried to hold on to walls and street signs, even to people who just moved out of her way as if she wasn’t there and Laura tried to breathe, tried to just breathe –

Suddenly, an arm shot out of an alleyway to grab her and pull her with it and the sudden change of direction almost knocked the wind out of Laura. She was pushed against a brick wall, the smell of street and garbage overwhelming her when she could breathe once again. Laura had to blink one, two times before she could focus on the person in front of her.

It was a woman.

She was tall, dark-skinned and elegantly dressed, her blood red gloves the first thing to catch Laura’s attention as she tilted her head to the side and displayed two rows of perfectly straight white teeth that reminded her more of a shark than anything.

“May I?” the strange woman asked, one glove covered hand wrapping itself around the necklace pendant that Laura had been wearing all day. “Such a nasty little thing,” she whispered, her voice almost caressing the words. Laura was about to protest when the pressure around her neck increased and with a tearing sound the necklace gave way.

She almost toppled over.

“There you go,” the woman exclaimed, holding the necklace up with a satisfied grin. “Cursed, you see? One should never put on strange jewelry, moppet, it’s a recipe for disaster. As for this one…” She looked around as if searching for a place to throw it like Laura had seen people do with bombs in movies, before settling on the cup in Laura’s hand.

“Ah…” She took the cup and, tearing off the lid, she dropped the necklace into it. There was a hissing sound that made the woman only smile brighter as she put the lid back on. “All done. You can thank me now, little girl.”

“I- What the holy – That was my coffee!”

The woman shrugged. “I had to neutralize it.”

“With my coffee?”

“Well, to be honest any kind of liquid would have done the job, but personally I think the caffeine always gives it a nice touch. Not to mention that the atrocity there can scarcely be called coffee.” She scoffed, wiping invisible dust off her fur-trimmed coat. “Even battery acid tastes decent when drowned in milk and sugar.”

Disregarding the stranger’s coffee snobbery, Laura cautiously pointed at the cup as if it could explode any moment. Her limbs still felt weak from the strain they’d been put under as she leaned heavily against the graffiti covered wall. “So, that’s like Voldemort’s horcrux or-“

“In a manner of speaking.”

“So, I should probably thank you for saving my life then?”

The woman let out a long-suffering sigh. “You could. But I feel like you’re going to diffuse into tears any moment now, moppet, and that is not quite my style. So, you can just tell Kitty Kat hello from her sister and we’ll defer this conversation to a more convenient time. Because I have a witch to catch. Or maybe two.”

“Kitty Kat?” Laura blurted out, feeling her vision go blurry.

“Oh, don’t tell me you haven’t figured out that she’s more cat than human some days,” the woman chuckled and then her eyes lit up as she examined the cup again. “Isn’t that interesting!”, she exclaimed, moving her fingers so that Laura could see what she was talking about. “Normally, it should appear on your skin but apparently…”

Right across the coffee shop logo and the hot content warning was a red mark as if stamped on it.

The cartwheel symbol.  

“You are-” Laura just stared at her and the woman's smile stretched impossibly wide across her face before she disappeared with a snap, the coffee cup still in hand.

“-one of them, little Holly girl.”

+++

It takes her a long time to get her legs moving again and when she finally manages to get home, she just collapses on her bed and sleeps for ten hours straight.

(Laura's dreams are filled with burning pyres and choked lullabies that night as someone presses a Holly crown on her head, the sharp leaves piercing her skin.)

+++

There was a knock on the living room’s balcony door at half past eight on Sunday evening and it was a testament to all the weird things happening so far that Laura didn’t call the police, but instead grabbed the nearest kitchen spatula, positioned herself next to the curtained door and ripped it open.

“Took you long enough, cupcake,” a familiar voice drawled instead of the squirrel, the potential serial killer or even the life-sized moose she’d been expecting. Laura had to blink one, two times to properly register Carmilla sitting on the balustrade of the tiny balcony, hands buried in the pockets of her leather jacket and a smirk on her face.

“We do have a front door, you know?” Laura deadpanned, spatula still in hand.

“Now that would be boring, cutie,” Carmilla smirked, jumping up and slipping past Laura into the apartment like she owned the place in her shorts and fishnet stockings. “Cute pyjamas by the way.”

“Thank you?” Laura says, fiddling a bit nervously with the ties to said pyjama bottoms that had tiny bows printed all over them. “So, using a fifth-floor balcony as an entrance and half scaring me to death is just for entertainment value then?”

“Not everyone resorts to ice cold rivers to get their kicks,” Carmilla quipped and, taking in the stacks of paper, books and the lone laptop on the couch table next to a plate of cookies, added, “or, you know, investigative journalism.”

“I could have seriously hurt you, you know?”

Carmilla eyed the makeshift weapon from where she was sprawled on Laura’s couch and chuckled. “Doubt that, sweetheart.”

“Next time I’m bringing out the bear spray,” Laura grumbled, pushing combat boots off her favourite pillow and settling in next to her unexpected visitor.

“I’d pay to see that.”

“Yes, well unfortunately I’m not that sort of entertainment no matter how bored you are, so…” She managed to pull up her heavy, five-pound textbook on civil wars in the western world to function as a sort of barricade when Carmilla was suddenly a whole lot closer than before, eyes alight with a sort of mischief that had Laura gulp, thinking about a different night in different lights.

“Oh really?” Carmilla’s voice dropped so low that the hairs on the back of Laura’s neck stood up and she shivered. “There’s nothing I could do to induce you to…”

With a squeak, Laura pushed the girl off her using the heavy tome between them and almost fell off the couch in the process. “Work first, this…,” she gestured between them, cheeks bright red. “Later?”

Looking a bit disgruntled, Carmilla settled back on the other end of the couch, quietly muttering ‘What the frilly hell?’ under her breath when Laura handed her a much smaller textbook and with a shy smile asked, “Quiz me?”

“Are you seriously asking me to help you study?”

“You’re the one barging in here unannounced,” Laura said sternly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Only because you can travel back in time to hand in late essays or study doesn’t mean the rest of us can, so quit whining and help me. I got a quiz tomorrow and you’re an expert in history, right?”

“I feel like you only like me for my brain,” Carmilla complained, eyeing the book like it had somehow grossly insulted her.

“And I’d like you even more for your brain if it figured out who’s been trying to kill me,” Laura said sternly, crossing her arms over her chest. “Your sister sends her regards by the way.”

“You’ve met Mattie?”

“Is that her name? Nice woman, very – interesting. You know, in the could-eat-your-liver, disembowel-you-if-you-get-a-stain-on-her-Louboutin’s kind of way-”

“Laura…”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it a meeting per say as she didn’t introduce herself to me. You know, because she was too busy saving my life and all that jazz.”

“Mattie – saved your life?”

“Yes, does evil cursed necklace ring a bell?” The second attempt at ending her life had made Laura just the tiniest bit tetchy and it showed. “It tried running me into traffic but your sister dropped it into my coffee – which, you know, rude, but-”

“So, it’s not just some creep in a car then,” Carmilla sighed, pulling at her hair in frustration. “Which makes sense as I haven’t had any luck so far in tracing down the driver. So much for superpowers, I guess.”

“But how did you-,” Laura began but quickly cut herself off. “You went back.”

It wasn’t really a question and Carmilla just shrugged. “I waited further up the street because two of me in the same place is like trying to press same-poled magnets together, but yeah…”

“Wow, that’s… How does that even work?”

Carmilla looked uncomfortable. “It just does,” she said, an edge to her voice. “It’s not like consciously deciding on a specific time or date, you know? I think about it and then I’m there, no matter the time or place.” She shrugged. “It’s always been like this.”

“Been like what?”

Carmilla seemed to borrow further into herself. “Like this,” she bit out.

“And when you go back and change things, a mark appears?” Laura tried to contain her excitement at getting answers directly from the source because the girl didn’t exactly look happy about it.

“It’s not that easy,” Carmilla grumbled, sighing when she glanced at the eager look on Laura’s face. “A lot of the time the change doesn’t even manifest. Take me playing Nancy Drew for example, stuff like that doesn’t even cause a ripple most days because time is less domino game and more languid river – it takes a lot to make it leave its chosen path and I’m still just one person.”

“But if you do change something…”

“Then it usually shows,” Carmilla said, thumbing through the book Laura had given her as if an introduction to European revolutions was a scintillating topic.

If one liked decapitated people that is.

“So… you saving me from drowning should have left a mark then?”

At that, Carmilla looked up, something flashing in dark eyes and it was just the tilt of a head, that drop in volume but Laura nodded, her heart in her throat when she moved one hand to press it against her sternum.

Carmilla looked hungry for a split second, but then she nodded and turned back to the book. “Maybe we should’ve stuck with revising,” she finally admitted quietly and Laura let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

“Yeah,” she said. “Maybe.”

It was quiet from then on. Carmilla kept asking Laura questions in a bored manner, complete with teasing nicknames and small digs at this or that particular historical figure while stealing cookies from the plate. Laura just watched her get caught up in small rants when something irked her, Carmilla’s whole demeanor changing, coming alive and despite the mess they were in, she couldn’t help the sappy smile and the quiet happiness spreading in the space beneath the mark on her chest.

“What?” Carmilla asked when she caught Laura staring, a bit self-consciously rubbing away a few stray crumbs and Laura shook her head, ready to offer a quickly squeaked “Nothing!” when the front door suddenly burst open to make room for a books and bags covered Betty Spielsdorf.

“This is absolute insanity, Hollis. You can’t believe the incompetence of these people – is it really too much to ask them to be prepared and read the freaking material before we have a study session? No! They’re either stressed or their grandmother just died or their bloody dog is having-” Laura almost accurately timed the fifteen seconds it took for Betty to realize there was a third person present in the room and promptly drop her bags.

The girl had always had a flair for dramatics.

“Who is this, Hollis?” her roommate asked, stepping from the tiny entrance hall into the warm lights of the living room, a suspicious frown on her face.

“Betty, Hi!” Laura almost stumbled over her own two feet as she scrambled up to make the introductions. “This is Carmilla, she helped me study for my quiz tomorrow.” A quiet snort could be heard from the girl in question at that but Laura ignored her. “Carmilla, this is Betty. Roommate extraordinaire and my best friend since I started university.”

From the corner of her eye she saw Carmilla eyeing the balcony door and swiftly moved over to close it before the girl could get any ideas.

Carmilla just glared at her and stole another cookie.

“So, you two have been… studying the whole evening?” The sarcasm was practically dripping from Betty’s voice which, in Laura’s opinion, was a bit unfair. She opened her mouth to protest, but didn’t get very far when Betty took a step back, palm pressed against her eyes. “Oh my god, this is a date, right?”

Carmilla and Laura both looked at each other and then quickly away before starting to vehemently protest any such thing but Betty wasn’t even listening to them.

“Bleach!” she cried out, disappearing into the kitchen. “I’m going to need all of the bleach!”

“Is she always so…” Carmilla made several random hand gestures and Laura nodded as if that was a reasonable assessment to make.  

“She’s an… acquired taste, I guess? Wait until she starts reorganizing your drawers because the mess is giving her a headache or she and Mel start ganging up on you. Those two, I swear…”

“I can always just go, you know?” Carmilla said with a raised brow. “Doors or no doors.”

“Yeah, because that would be really inconspicuous.”

“Well, you’re the least inconspicuous person I’ve ever met,” Betty drawled, coming in from the kitchen with a bowl of steaming food before settling in a lone armchair. She raised a brow at Laura. “What? You’re letting her eat the cookies without protest. I’ve been living with you for over a year now and I’m still not allowed.”

Carmilla sniggered when Laura was reduced to flustered stammering at that revelation but quickly started coughing when Betty turned to her, announcing that “Vampirella over there isn’t really all that subtle either. What with the heart eyes and everything” which Laura thought was the most hilarious thing since watching Lafontaine try out their new taser in the middle of an Advanced Psychology class.

“She’s not a vampire though,” Laura was quick to point out, earning herself matching “Duh” expressions from both Betty and Carmilla. But something caught the former’s attention because she proceeded to take in their visitor with an unveiled scrutiny that had Laura shuffle her feet nervously.

“No, she’s not, but there’s just something about her…” Laura could see the exact moment it dawned on Betty and she counted two and two together. “Did you tell her?” she swiveled around to face Laura whose face had turned to stone, mouth unwilling to utter a single word.

“Tell me what?” Carmilla interjected, leaning forward, amusement gone from her face but Betty ignored her.

“Did you tell your time travelling girlfriend that you’ve got that mark on your chest since birth?” she continued instead, a considering, almost worried look on her face and Laura’s throat and fingers burned.  “Did you tell her it’s been growing?”

“Laura?” Carmilla’s voice was low and quiet. Dangerous even. “What the hell is she talking about?”

Laura gulped, fingers tugging at the hem of the button down she was wearing and she felt so numb –

“She’s right,” she said, head spinning as she started unbuttoning her shirt. No one besides her Dad and Betty had seen this before, because she’d been so careful to not let it show, so very, very careful. “The mark, it’s been…” She pulled the two halves apart, baring the words beneath her collarbones and the mark spreading on her sternum.

The panther skull surrounded by vines.  

“It’s been there as long as I can remember. But these,” she traced the words. “These are new.”

Disbelief and terror and something… else warred on Carmilla’s face before her jaw set. Laura wanted to reach out, to hold her back, but she couldn’t, was frozen there with her heart on a platter and when Carmilla disappeared with nary a sound, the only thing she heard was Betty dropping her bowl of food.

And the sound of it shattering.

+++

Carmilla doesn’t come back that night or the next.

Or the next.

Betty’s the quietest Betty can be in her worry and the TV’s blaring news about new marks appearing all over Canada but Laura doesn’t listen.

(She doesn’t sleep either.)

[so-called-xfiles]

I was tagged by my favourite photoshop user and fellow petty friend @dangerscully

1: Are you named after someone? I don’t think so

2: When is the last time you cried? I’m really not an emotional person I don’t remember. My best friend pointed out last week she thinks she has seen me cry less than 10 times in 13 years, one was a broken bone

3: Do you like your handwriting? I guess so

4: What is your favorite lunch meat? Lunch meat?… Salami (didn’t google) 5: Do you have kids? Aside from my cacti and the bacteria I’m currently growing, no.

6: If you were another person, would you be friends with you? Hmm i don’t know. Maybe

7: Do you use sarcasm? It has gotten to the point where I’ve been asked if I’m being sarcastic or not as they couldn’t tell

8: Do you still have your tonsils? Yes

9: Would you bungee jump? No, I’d like to keep my vertebrae in tact

10: What is your favourite kind of cereal? As the wonderful Leslie Knope once stated ‘Why would anybody eat anything besides breakfast food?’ So to answer: all cereal, any time of day

11: Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No 

12: Do you think you’re a strong person? Mentally I think I am. And I guess also physically being a gymnast, one of my greatest high school achievements was beating one of ‘the lads’ in a press up competition during gcse P.E.

13: What is your favorite ice cream flavour? Coconut. Or white chocolate chip

14: What is the first thing you notice about people? Probably if they’re bubbly and if they’re smiling. Which now I think about it is funny as my sister often addresses me as Morticia because quite often I’m the exact opposite.

15: Red or pink? Hmm pink

16: What is the least favorite physical thing you like about yourself? In comparison to my friends I’m relatively tall which can be an issue in photos.

17: What color pants and shoes are you wearing now? Black jeans, I was wearing black vans and currently I have giraffe socks on

18: What was the last thing you ate? Pancakes!

19: What are you listening to right now? A podcast, and not the fun kind.

20: If you were a crayon, what color would you be? I really don’t know, I’m mid snapchat conversation with my sister and after establishing it was a weird question she said black like my soul? So there you go

21: Favorite smell? My nanna and grandads house. Their garden in spring. A new book. After it has been raining

22: Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? My friend to remind her to pick up a lemon on the way in (for the pancakes)

23: Favourite sport to watch? Gymnastics and rugby league

24: Hair colour? Brown, like not light but not dark..

25: Eye colour? Dark blue/green

26: Do you wear contacts? Only occasionally when I do sport but I hate not wearing my glasses, so much so I have prescription sunglasses

28: Scary movies or comedy? Comedy

29: Last movie you watched? Mary Poppins. I’ve lost count how many times now

30: What color of shirt are you wearing? Black

31: Summer or winter? Summer

32: Hugs or kisses? Hugs.

33: What book are you currently reading? American Gods which needs finishing asap and uni is making me neglect it. Also To Kill a Mockingbird, I frequently pick it up at a random point and I guess it’s calming

34: Who do you miss right now? My best friend. My own bed. Not having to worry about deadlines

35: What is on your mouse pad? I honestly can’t remember

36: What is the last TV program you watched? On my laptop Grey’s Anatomy. I hadn’t watched the actual TV in a while until Broadchurch started again last night.

37: What is the best sound? Nature and the running water in the stream at the side of the house at home. Currently in a busy city so I miss the outdoors being quiet.

38: Rolling Stones or The Beatles? The Beatles, I grew up listening to them and The Cavern is a great place. We always say When I’m 64 is literally my grandparents (who, when they were ‘courting’, used to watch them before they were THE Beatles)

39: What is the furthest you have ever traveled? Florida

40: Do you have a special talent? Back flips are my party trick. And I remember weird useless facts

41: Where were you born? Up North

Tagging @conversationinthehallway and @scullbagg if you wish to answer :)

[dwainmacgregor-blog]

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