#any time he growls at brian he gets the look

[enniewritesathing]

Love to think that during a Granite Falls trip, no matter what, Were!John gets the scrubbing down of his life from Brian and That One Bristle Brush.

this mfer has growled at Brian, insisting he isn't that dirty from his romp in the woods... until his mate gives him The Look and he resigns (very begrudgingly, btw.) Huffs with indignity. Pouts as he's dried off and put in a plush robe. Brian fusses a little but he gives him a smooch on the forehead... and he's suddenly okay.

[bloodyboi]

Yandere puppy boy who likes rubbing his scent all over your clothes and your body. He wants other hybrids and humans to know that you are his and his only.

Yandere puppy boy who hates your friends to the point you have to put him in a room so he can’t bite them. He almost bit off of your male friend’s hand all because he touched your shoulder. Why did you let him touch you when your puppy knows you belong to him?



Yandere puppy boy who loves to be a good boy to you. You ask him to clean? He’s doing it immediately. You ask him to stop drooling all over your underwear? He stops…only when you’re at home. He’s an obedient pup who loves his owner very well. He doesn’t want you to be mad at him, he can’t help but want to claim you for his own.

Yandere puppy boy who literally licks your neck when given the chance. He licks it slow, taking in your scent and the smell of your perfume/cologne you sprayed on yourself earlier. He gets pushed off you, and scolded for not being considerate at how disgusting it is. He whimpers for your forgiveness…but how can you stay mad at those adorable brown eyes that seem to shimmer in the summer light. You forgive him and immediately he goes back to licking your neck as you sighed.

Yandere puppy boy who tries not to jump on you and just breed you. The way your body is very captivating and looks delicious to taste. He wants to taste what’s between your legs, he sees it as a treat and wants you to let him have a bite. He’s practically drooling when you wear shorts, the way he stares at your thighs. He feels his pants get tight before going to the bathroom and handling his ‘little’ problem.

Yandere puppy boy who suddenly drops his sunny personality when he smells another person’s scent on you. His face hardens with a growl as he pins you to the wall and starts to mark your neck. He’s slobbering all over you and even trying to rip your underwear before you called him a bad boy. He stops and pouts before facing the wall like a bad toddler in time out. All he wanted was to mask you in his scent again.

Yandere puppy boy who tries to cook for you only to fail. He thought he could cook! He seen Brian the family guy dog do it, so why can’t he do in his humanoid form? Sadly you banned him from going to and in the kitchen as long as you were beside him to monitor him.

Yandere puppy boy who pouts when you ignore him. All he did was cum in your underwear..why were you being so cold? He just wanted his scent on something of yours so no other puppy hybrid would try to mate with you.

Yandere puppy boy who claims you as his mate ever since you saved him from the streets. He thinks that making you his lover and mate for life is a good repayment for saving his broken life before he found you. So he’s trying everything to make you his for life.

Yandere puppy boy who will kill anyone for you. Even your family. He loves you too much for you to be sad or any other negative emotion. If anyone bothers you, he’ll handle it like a good boy he is. Don’t worry! He’ll come home late at night with blood drenched on him as he smiles at your sleeping figure. You look so beautiful not knowing what he does for you. He cleans himself and lays in bed with you, holding you in his strong arms. He sniffs your lavender scent and basically hums lowly before falling asleep by you.

[kassiekole22]

Joy Ride

𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐

𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐

Pairing: Brian O'Conner X Fem!Reader

Description: Brian finds you walking home late one night and offers you a ride, which turns into a night-long joy ride around Miami.

Warnings: Fluff, Speeding, Friends Or Future Lovers? (You Decide)

Word Count: 2.2k

A/N: Sooooo, I watched 2 Fast 2 Furious for the first time a around a month ago and this guy has been on my mind ever since. I have always really loved Paul Walker so this was bound to happen eventually. 😂 I don't know if I plan to write more for him or if this will just be a one time thing, but I have been working on this fic for quite some time now and I'm happy to finally be posting it. More to come from other beloved characters soon! Enjoy the fic and if you want more Brian O'Conner fics in the future, let me know in the comments or inbox! 🖤 (Also did any of you get the reference in the name? 👀)

Main MasterList: 🖤

Kassie's Angels: @mornandil, @lorebite.

(If you want to be added to the taglist, let me know in the comments! 🖤)

𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐

2002

The air is pretty cool for a night in Miami, but I don't mind. I walk with my hands in the pockets of my hoodie, protecting them from the slight chill. It's nothing too intense, but I haven't been used to being in cooler temperatures for awhile now.

I walk quickly down the sidewalk as a few cars pass from time to time. The sounds of their engines make my fingers and feet tingle a little, my body missing the feeling of the steering wheel gripped in my fingers and the gas pedal under my foot.

I wrecked pretty badly during my last race, resulting in my car becoming too banged up to drive. Most street racers have other cars to fall back on. Unfortunately for me, my girl was all I had. Now I'm left to walk on foot until I can get enough money to fix her.

The ambiance in the street is pretty calm until I hear the familiar rumble of a very specific engine approaching my side. To my surprise, that iconic silver and blue Nissan Skyline pulls up, slowing down to drive at my walking speed. But the slick paint job or glowing underbody isn't what makes it difficult to look away. The driver is none other than the man who beat me in my last race, Brian O'Conner.

I'm met with a kind smile as he rolls down his windows, his bright blue eyes glancing up at me from the shadows of the interior. There is just something about that man that draws me in. I could never tell what exactly it was, but it pulled me in his direction like a bee to a flower every time I was in the same location as him.

"Ey, need a ride?" He queries in a rasied voice, nearly shouting over the Skyline's growl.

Though it's tempting, I don't want to throw a wrench in any plans he may have. Knowing him, he has another street race or date to get to at this hour. So, despite the aching pain in my feet that is screaming in protest, I respond casually, "Nah, man. I'm good. Home's not too far away anyway, y'know?"

Even though it wouldn't take him too long, it would be pretty pointless to drive only a couple blocks anyway. He takes a mere second to let my words sink in and find an answer, his eyes hopeful as they are taken off the road and landing on me once more.

"We don't gotta take you home. The night's still—" He checks his watch, and his eyes widen slightly as he realizes the time. "—Well, middle-aged, but that don't gotta stop the fun."

I can't contain a faint chuckle at his dumb joke, rolling my eyes as I do so. The next thing I know, my feet are subconsciously coming to a stop, and he gently lays on the brakes. His car is also stopping right beside where I now stand, but the engine still purrs softly to alert all of its consciousness.

"Ah, c'mon, girl. Let's live a little, eh?" He flashes me that dangerous half-smirk that beckons me forward into mischief. It now dawns on me that he might not have the intention of taking me home, which is intriguing in a way.

I contemplate my options for a moment. The only thing waiting for me at home is a couple bottles of beer and some cold pizza left in the fridge from the night prior. It seems like I've been spending most of my time alone lately. Maybe it would be good to spend some time in good company.

"Alright," I give in with a subtle but still noticeable sigh, backing down in my mental debate.

He reaches across and opens the passenger door for me as I round the car, its headlights illuminating me for a brief moment as I cross in front of the bumper before hoping into the seat offered to me. It felt weird being in the left seat and not having a steering wheel before me. I could never get used to those foreign imported cars. 

But regardless, it sure is a beauty. The leather interior smells oddly fresh and calming, with a faint hint of exhaust filtering through the open windows. It's clear he just cleaned her up. Brian was always the type to take care of his rides.

I pull the seatbelt across my chest and lock it in securely, mentally preparing myself for the wild ride I know damn well he is about to take me on. He looks at me and flashes me that cocky yet proud smile as he revvs the engine for only a moment before taking off into the night.

With windows down and speed carrying us, I feel like I'm floating on air. The soft breeze I felt only moments ago is now a fast wind in my hair, and the soft ambiance of the nightlife in Miami is now disturbed by a machine growl.

I glance over at him, and it's as if time slows for just a minute as I take in how happy he is. He's a simple man. He doesn't need the fancy things in life, just a fast car to make the corners of his lips part into that iconic grin I have grown to love.

"Wanna get fuckin' nuts?" He asks me, his voice taking me out of my thoughts and putting me back into reality. That's when I notice that mischievous look in his ocean blue eyes, their pupils blown wide with adrenaline.

Hm... Blue and full of adrenaline, like the blood pumping in our veins.

"What?" I blurt out, not fully comprehending what he is asking, until my gaze wanders down to where his thumbs hovers over the nitro buttons.

I look at the road ahead, seeing that it is completely barren of all life, and I can't help but smirk at the thought of what he is suggesting. It's a dangerous game—playing with speed in such a way—but a thrilling one, for sure.

Taking my eyes off the road ahead to look back at him, I notice the hopeful glint once again in his eyes, only pushing my thought process toward wanting to comply. So without a second breath, I cheer, "Fuck yeah!"

With a simple click of two buttons at once, we are off like a rocket in space. Suddenly, the street lights look like comets, and the lines on the road are just blurs of colors. It's oddly beautiful in a way, and I marvel at how it ignites my soul with such a unique feeling, which I can't possibly seek from anything else. My fingers dig into the sides of my seat as my heart pounds against my ribcage like thunder, both overwhelmed but thirsty for more of this intoxicating rush.

Though Brian only lets this last for a moment, just seconds passed that will remain with me for an eternity. We laugh as the car slows to a semi-normal speed again. My smile is so wide, I can feel my face begin to hurt.

But I don't care. I am just so high on the thrill that my mind is lost in a cloudy space of euphoria. It's crazy how the night went from a quiet walk home to taking a joy ride with one of my rivals, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Once our laughter dies down, the soft purr of the engine is the only thing heard yet again as we both seemingly get lost in our own thoughts. What is he thinking? I wish I knew. The only thing on my mind is how happy I am. It isn't until a couple minutes later that he speaks his mind, taking a deep breath before his lips finally form the words he has been pondering.

"We should do this more often," he suggests in that nonchalant tone he carries quite regularly for someone with such excitement in his life. "Y'know, hang out outside the racing world? You're a cool girl."

I can't repress how my smile softens for a moment at his words as my eyes flick over in his direction while a million responses filter through my mind. This guy is a legend—a local celebrity, if you will. To have this opportunity is an honor. However, I don't necessarily get the vibe of entitlement from him. Instead, his atmosphere reflects something else—something friendly and inviting.

"And you're a cool guy. I'd love to hang with you more often." I reply, trying to sound chill but coming off way more sincere than intended. Though he doesn't seem to mind, in fact, he seems to be pleased with my response.

The next thing I know, he is pulling into a public beach. Its sands are abandoned by any human life due to the lateness of time, though the footprints of the visitors that day still remain like ghosts of the past, their memories carved in the sand until they get washed away by the waves.

He locks the car in park, unhooks his seatbelt, and gets out. I watch through the windshield as he rounds the side of it to rest back on the hood. My eyes study him as he lifts himself to sit on the hood, not once looking back to see if I leave the car as well. It's almost as if he expects me to.

So to fulfill his silent expectations, I swing my door open and hop out after freeing myself from my seatbelt, nearly stumbling as the ground is unexpectedly unsteady where I stand. My feet sink into the sand, and I'm grateful I chose to wear boots tonight over anything else.

Once out of my sticky situation, I take a moment to appreciate the freshness in the air—the sweet smell of the ocean before me for just a second. After approaching him, I rest beside him on the hood, watching the waves crash before us. It reminds me that life is quite like the sea. It's unpredictable, a little scary at times, but beautiful in many unique ways. I release a soft breath, my body relaxing in this calming moment.

"I remember the first time I saw you pull up in that black Trans Am to the race. Fuckin' engine and bass on your stereo roaring over the sound of the crowd." He chuckles while he reminisces about old memories.

"Buni," I correct him as I smile fondly, thinking about the beauty that's currently under a tarp in my garage, just waiting to be repaired and set free on the road once again.

"Yeah, Buni." He parrots me in an almost teasing way. I know he finds the fact that I named my car ridiculous, but I can see it in his eyes that it amuses him all the same. "You're something else, (L/N). A damn good racer, though."

My heart flutters at the compliment, and I feel my cheeks heat up with this familiar warmth that only he ignites in me best. The soft breeze blows through my hair as I think of a reply, running through my strains like an angel's fingertips. But it's not the breeze nor the location that has me in such a calm and joyful state.

I continue to study him—the way his blonde curls blow in the breeze, the corners of his lips turning up ever so slightly to show his contentment, his biceps flexing ever so slightly as he crosses his arms over his chest. It amazes me how all the different shades of blue in his iris reflect the scene before us. It's like I could literally drown in them each time I gaze into them to admire their beauty.

"Yeah? You and your Skyline ain't so bad either." I finally quip with a small bit of sarcasm dripping from my tone after forcing myself out of where my mind has disappeared to for a short time. He smiles softly at my words, because it's evident how I really feel about him. He knows, and I know that, but I don't really care anymore.

We talk until sunrise and watch as the black sky fades into orange and pink, blending with the stars to make them barely visible. Though they are out of sight, I know they still shine brightly above us, like angels waiting for us in heaven. It's quite special—maybe even magical.

The sea reflects the morning sun as it rises from the horizon, its golden rays shining upon us as we remain on the hood of the car. It's just us out here in our own little world. If I learned anything from last night, it's not the place that makes a moment special, but the person you share it with.

I don't know where this road will take us. I know it will be a long one—with plenty of traffic and bumps ahead—but the ride will be an enjoyable one with a new friend in the seat next to me as we speed through it all. And if we happen to get separated some point along the way, I know in my heart that I'll see him again.

𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐⭒𖤐

[lordprettyflackotara]

Chapter Ten || Hitchhiker || The Proxies

tw: mental decline, depression discussed, toby’s a real creep in this one sorry, stabbing, blood, brief descriptions of gore, murder

<— previous chapter

It was not hard to see you were distraught. You stayed curled in your comforter, the safety of your bedroom the only source of comfort you could truly find. The boys tried to provide as much warmth and care as possible, going as far as to take shifts watching you sleep. Even with their watchful eyes guarding you, it didn’t make the nightmares go away. It didn’t make the static go away. It didn’t make the paranoia go away. Anywhere and everywhere you felt like you were being watched. You had disappeared off of the face of the planet, ignoring your job and Nova. The only two other people that cared about you.

You refrained from leaving the apartment, the fear of running into The Operator making you into a recluse. Toby knew there was no stopping it. The damage had already been done. The Operator had a fixation on you, there was no doubt about it. He toyed with the idea of how exactly he would come find you, with you living in a crowded apartment and all. The more Toby thought about it, he tried to put himself in his shoes. If he couldn’t get you out, what else would he do? As Toby’s gaze circled around your bedroom it hit him. He would lure you out.

There was no debate Toby didn’t like Nova. There wasn’t a tiny piece of him that felt any different. But he knew that The Operator would use her as a pawn in his game of chess. He slid off of your bed, his fingertips pushing some stray hairs out of your face. “I’m going to fix this. I-I’m going to fix you,” Toby whispered. You were fast asleep, your slumber only guaranteed for maybe another couple of hours. The insomnia you began to develop was becoming as bad as Tim’s. Toby slid out of your bedroom, tapping Brian awake from his slumber in your recliner. The blonde stood up, yawning briefly. “Where are you going kid?” He asked curiously. Toby grabbed his axe, slinging it over his shoulder.

“I’m g-going to fix this. Like I s-s-should’ve done a long time ago.”

Toby wasn’t nervous as he strolled up to Nova’s office. He knew it was vacant. He knew Nova was working late. Not only based on her beat up Toyota in the parking lot, but he also considered her consequential work ethic. For someone as paranoid as Nova, he would’ve thought she would’ve had better protective measures.

Nova sat in her office, worn down and exhausted. The desk lamp was the only thing keeping her awake, the excessive light blinding her sight from most of the room. In her hand sat a worn out pencil, the graphite scribbling the proxy symbol on a sheet of paper. “I used to draw those too you know,” Toby chuckled. He sat crouched on the windowsill, inviting himself inside once Nova’s gaze landed on him. She reached for her gun, shocked to find her secret spot empty. Toby held it up lazily with one finger, his eyes narrowing. “L-looking for t-t-this?” He questioned. He tilted his head to the side, before tossing Nova her python. Nova had no idea you stole it, her mind raveling as she tried to pinpoint when Toby broke in and took it. Or when he even had the opportunity to.

Immediately Nova held Toby at gunpoint, shutting off the safety without a second thought. “I was right all along. I knew it. You can’t have her Tobias,” Nova growled. Toby raised his eyebrows. “Yeah that’s right. I investigated all of you fucking freaks. Timothy Wright. Brian Thomas. Tobias Rogers. I know it all,” Nova spat harshly. Toby’s neck twitched, a giggle escaping his lips. “You know about The Operator then I ass-u-u-me,” Toby suggested. Novas eyebrows furrowed, as if she could’ve believe what the brunette was saying. Casually he strolled up to her desk, rummaging through the papers. Drawings of The Operator, ominous phrases, and eerie proxy symbols littered the pages.

“Oh b-boy. He sure does like you,” Toby mused, chuckling to himself. Nova readjusted her grip on her gun, brushing her hair out of her face. “How do I get rid of him? Explain yourself. Explain it!” Nova demanded. Toby let out a low whistle. He rocked back and forth on his heels, shaking his head. “There isn’t any e-escaping him. From the l-looks of it he’s embedded himself right in that brain of yours,” He concluded. He leaned forward, poking Nova’s forehead. Nova swatted his hand away, pointing her gun directly at his head. She rounded her desk, placing the metal right under his chin. “It’s not like it m-matters anyways. You’re not really the one he wants,” Toby informed her.

“What’s that supposed to mean you ticking time bomb?”

Toby seemed unnerved to have a gun pointed under his chin. He knew Nova’s trigger finger was growing heavy, yet he seemed unbothered. “Who else knows about us besides you? That’s t-tied into our l-little rebellion,” Toby questioned. Nova’s facade fell, her face growing pale. She lowered her gun. “Fucking hell. Why does he want y/n? Why does he want me?” Nova asked. Toby tilted his head to the side, shoving down his face mask. He delivered Nova a wicked grin, soaking in the fear that radiated off of her once she saw the side of his face. It was chewed straight through, the flesh absent and poorly healed. “I-I’m n-n-not sure. Why don’t y-you eat one of the blueberry muffins I m-made you and maybe it’ll jog my memory,” Toby suggested.

Nova cringed as she looked over at the trash can, piled with discarded papers. But on the very bottom, sat the untouched blueberry muffins. They had been sitting there for over a week, her stomach churning. She collected herself, glaring at Toby. “I don’t think so Tobias. You don’t get to win,” She hissed. She pushed the head of the gun harder against his chin, surprised the brunette had no reaction at all. “Y-you kill m-m-me you don’t get answers,” Toby chuckled. Nova frowned, knowing he was right. Even if she killed him off, thing one and two were one for vengeance. She cringed as she looked at her trashcan.

“I take a bite of the muffin, you give me answers right? Who’s to say you’re not lying?” Nova questioned. Toby shrugged, giving her a sly shit eating grin. “I guess that’s a chance you’ll have to take,” He snickered. Nova huffed as she trudged over to the trashcan. She threw her old coffee cups and crumpled papers aside. She cringed as she dug out the plate of blueberry muffins, the tinfoil now pulled back. Toby watched calmly as she took the paper wrapper off of one, her fingers shaking. “Y-you c-c-can’t possibly be t-that grossed out. You investigate corpses for a living,” Toby said sassily, rolling his eyes. Nova glared at him, shooting daggers in his direction. “I investigate homicides of innocent people you ticking fuckwad,” Nova snarled. She sighed, forcing herself to think of you as she took a bite of the expired food.

Toby took great joy in watching Nova’s face curl into disgust. She could taste droplets of the coffee she had drank days ago. Toby’s grin grew wider as she slowly chewed on the muffin. “Go o-on. Swallow it,” He purred. Nova contemplated shooting him right then and there, deciding against it. Oh, if only you knew how much she adored you. She forced herself to swallow, gagging on the taste as it traveled down her throat. “That wasn’t s-so hard. W-was it?” Toby taunted. Nova wiped her mouth with her sleeve, trying to get the taste out of her mouth. “Get on with it Tobias. I played your game. What does he want?” She questioned.

“What he’s doing to you is very different from what h-he’s doing to y/n. H-he just wants y-y-you to go crazy and kill yourself. But I see you’re a o-one tough cookie,” Toby praised mockingly. He went to grab her cheek tauntingly, Novas hand quick to swat his away. “B-but with her, he sees s-s-so much potential. The w-way she’s willing to die f-for us,” Toby explained. Nova’s eyes widened, her rage clouding her judgment as she repositioned her pistol. She pointed it at Toby’s face, pulling the trigger. Nova was stunned as nothing happened, her Python useless. Toby broke out into a mechanical laughter, one that only enraged Nova more.

“What the fuck?” She muttered. Toby grinned as he took the bullets out of his pocket, tossing them into the air. They scattered across the wooden floor, Nova quick to drop to her knees to collect them. With shaky hands she tried to reload her gun, Toby quick to squat down to her level. He gave her an egotistical grin, watching as she struggled to put the bullets in her python. “There’s a-a chance we can stop The O-Operator’s influence. B-but we can’t do it alone,” He said. This made Nova stop in her tracks, her chocolate eyes wondering over to him. Looking at him made goosebumps roam across her skin, his lack of a right cheek unsettling the closer he got to her.

“S-she’s going to need-d-d you. Even if we dont understand it,” Toby concluded. He rose to his feet, satisfied that he got his point across. Nova swallowed as she rose beside him, her gun now loaded with three shiny bullets. “What do I need to do?” She asked. Toby gave her a wicked grin, waltzing towards the open window. He grinned over his shoulder, sliding his mask back on, “Come with me.”

\/

“I don’t wanna do this guys. This is so stupid,” You protested. Hoodie and Masky had succeeded in getting you dressed up and ready for a nice dinner. What they had failed to account for was your protest. Despite their protection and consistent surveillance, it didn’t subside your paranoia. However, they couldn’t recall the last time you had a decent meal. Additionally, they couldn’t remember the last time they had seen you smile. They didn’t like Nova either, but between her and seeing you go insane, she was lesser of the two evils.

“You’re just going to have to trust us. This’ll be good for you,” Hoodie encouraged. You sighed, looking through the window of the fancy restaurant. Soft golden chandeliers lit each table, a thick white table cloth covering each one. The silverware looked like they were actual gold, each individual inside looking like a million bucks. You nervously tucked your hair behind your ears. “Okay fine. Just this one dinner. Then let me lay in bed for the next ten years,” You huffed. You stormed into the restaurant, Masky and Hoodie close behind you. “They should be here somewhere,” Masky muttered. You were under the impression you were only meeting Toby. “Who else is there? Guys I don’t want to meet anyone new,” You protested. That’s when you saw them.

Toby waved, a bright smile spreading across his lips. He wore a neat jet black tuxedo, his curls bouncing with life. Beside him sat Nova, a dark sapphire dress decorating her caramel skin. Her lips were dark red, smiling just as bright as Toby’s. You practically ran to her, attempting to not trip over your own heels or run into any of the waiters. You threw your arms around her in an embrace, soaking in her coconut scent. “What are you doing here?” You asked. You hadn’t seen Nova since you had ditched her at the hospital, stealing her python before dashing into the night. “Tobias invited me. I think it’s time the five of us have a serious discussion about The Operator,” She said firmly. You glanced at the boys for affirmation, Masky giving you a nod. “You know?” You whispered. Nova nodded, giving you a sad smile.

“You’re not the only person that slimy fucker has been terrorizing,” Nova chuckled dryly. The five of you sat down, your mood feeling evaluated for the first time in forever. You didn’t ask too many questions about Toby or Nova. Or why they both felt possessive enough to sit on either side of you. Toby’s hand sat on your upper thigh, Novas hand holding your own. You felt like you were missing something. Like something happened and they wouldn’t tell you. Masky and Hoodie were strangely transparent about their existence. “So you both only exist due to a series of unfortunate supernatural events that traumatized Timothy and Brian so much they developed you two?” Nova questioned. She poked her fork back into her pasta, swirling it as you nervously chewed on your steak.

“Thats about right,” Masky agreed. He kept his gaze on his own steak, cutting the meat with a sharp knife. “And what about you?” Nova questioned. She pointed her fork at Toby, who was thoroughly enjoying his chicken tenders and fries. “What about me?” Toby hissed. Nova squeezed your hand under the table. “You don’t have an alter so you’re insane right? You had a pretty extensive length of mental disorders according to your record,” Nova shrugged. You shot Nova a dirty look. “Hey lay off of the kid,” Masky intervened flatly. Hoodie quietly nibbled at his salad, watching the whole scene unfold.

You caught his gaze, the blonde subtly cocking his head towards the window. You almost missed what he was referring to, a streak of white dashing out of sight once you looked. “I don’t think I will. They have decent excuses but you don’t Tobias. So, explain it to me,” Nova spat. You removed your hand from hers, feeling Toby’s fingers dig into your thigh. “Nova that’s enough, it’s not your business,” You hissed. She refused to glance at you, her cold gaze still centered on Toby. “Considering he’s been making himself quite comfortable between your legs, I think it is,” She argued. You audibly scoffed, your patience running thin.

“It is not your fucking place to mother me-”

Your spitfire was cut short by Toby interrupting, “The only thing you need to k-k-know is that i’d never h-hurt her. But don’t think-k-k you’re in the same position.”

The table fell silent, your heart pounding as you stared down at your dinner plate. A wave of nausea washed over you, your face going pale. “Hey hey are you good?” Hoodie asked, changing the tables topic. You could feel your stomach churning. Masky rose to his feet. “He’s nearby. We need to go,” He said firmly. He threw a wad of cash on the table, uninterested in the social construct of waiting. You were more important. The five of you hurried out of the restaurant, Nova slinging your arm over her shoulders. Toby followed suit, the two of them helping you follow Masky and Hoodie.

“Staying in town is a negative. We need to leave as soon as possible,” Hoodie told Masky. Masky dug in his slacks pockets, searching for his beloved box of cigarettes. “We need to ditch the car. Too traceable. There’s a train down east street. We can go down south from there,” Masky suggested. You could faintly hear static, your head beginning to spin. “I don’t think she’s going to make it to the train. We need to stop by her apartment. Or mine,” Nova interrupted. Masky and Hoodie shared a look, both of them reaching in their suit jackets and sliding on their mask. It was unusual that someone were to interrupt their planning. Whether they liked it or not, the dynamic of the group was changing with Nova’s addition. You felt faint, gripping onto Toby for support.

“I’m gonna be sick,” You groaned. You tried to hold back your nausea, swallowing when you felt yourself gagging. You could hear Masky and Nova bickering, their voices growing more dull. “Her apartment is a death sentence!” Masky growled. Nova let your arm down, getting in his face. “So is having her get on a goddamn train when she’s five seconds away from passing out!” She snarled. It was then you noticed it, the flash of white from earlier. You tilted your head to the side. Was this an illusion? Was the person you were seeing real? The white was so blinding to you. Why wasn’t anyone else noticing?

You glanced up at Toby, whose attention was focused on Masky and Nova arguing. You tried to understand what you were seeing, your eyes finally able to make out a mask. It was a human shaped figure, running towards the five of you. You tried to make sense of who the target was, realizing that the persons gaze seemed to be centered on Nova. Its head hadn’t cocked in your direction once, despite you looking right at the person. In the dim streetlight you were able to see a flash from a blade, your mouth falling open to say something. Anything. Your body sprung into action before you could warn anyone, your veins pumping with adrenaline.

You shoved Toby away, pushing Nova out of the way as the attacker trudged forward. It all happened so fast, you hardly had time to process the flash of hot white pain that electrified your body. You fell forward, your knees hitting the pavement. The sharp pain lodged into your stomach, your eyes widened so large you feared they were going to pop out of your head. Time seemed to slow, your hand shaking violently as you touched your wound. A kitchen knife was lodged into your stomach, the blood soaking your dress. Your vision became spotty, your gaze finally looking upwards. Toby and Masky were on the attacker in the blink of an eye.

“It had to be done! She’s the target and you know it!” The attacker hissed. Hoodie grabbed her by her hands, shoving them roughly behind her back. Masky delivered a sharp uppercut to her jaw, knocking her mask off of her face. Toby knew Kate to be obedient to The Operator, but he never would’ve imagined she would’ve done something like this to them. You fell forward, choking on your own spit as Nova tried to hold you upright. “Dont touch it. You can’t pull it out,” Nova rambled. She grabbed your shoulders, laying you on your back. She held you against her chest, tears welting up in her eyes. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” She whispered. She brought her hand to your hair, stroking it as you watched the seen before you unfold.

“I’ll fucking kill you Kate! I’ll fucking kill you!” Masky roared. Black spots began to appear in your vision, each movement you tried to make only sending a wave of pain up your spine.

Masky delivered sharp and powerful punches to Kate’s face, a sharp snap echoing throughout his ears. Her jaw hung loosely, blood traveling down her nose. “This is the way it has to be! You know better than this Masky!” Kate argued weakly. She was no longer thrashing under Hoodie’s grasp, instead struggling to stand on her own. Masky grabbed her face, a painful whimper escaping her lips as he glared down at her. “You are so lucky my girl is watching, otherwise i’d gut you like a fish,” He snarled. He lifted his mask, spitting in her face. He struggled to keep his composure, fighting the urge to beat her to death.

“W-wait so you won’t kill me?” Kate questioned. Masky turned around, his devious gaze meeting Toby’s. The younger brunette had taken out a smaller axe he carried on his person, twirling it in his hand. Masky sighed, looking over at you for confirmation. He never wanted this for you. But as the blood pooled around your body, he shrugged off any feelings of remorse or reconsideration. “I won’t, but he will,” Masky replied plainly. He walked past Toby, the boy quick to raise his axe. Masky relished in the sound of the sharp blade connecting with Kate’s skull, another loud crack sending sadistic pleasure down his spine.

—> next chapter

[ladykailitha]

Icarus Part 7

Hey, guys! I hope you're all still enjoying this story! It's a blast to write.

Here we have Gareth's explosion and the resulting fallout.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

****

When Eddie got back to his hotel he had all three of his bandmates waiting for him.

Jeff had his arms crossed, glaring at the other two. “I’m here under protest, I told them you had messaged me that you wouldn’t be coming home last night but they still thought you were being kidnapped or some shit.”

Eddie raised an eyebrow at Gareth and Brian. “I’m a grown ass man who can do grown ass things like have sex with another man and spend the night.” He raised his had to stall the onslaught of questions that were no doubt about to screamed at him. “Of course I didn’t get papped. I never get papped. Jesus Christ.”

“We’re supposed to be working on our ninth album,” Gareth growled. “Fucking act like it.”

Eddie threw back his head and laughed. “You don’t get to say that this time. Not after what you and Bri did in London last time,” he hissed. “We had a chance to record in the actual fucking Abbey Road Studios and you two went on a three day bender where Jeff and I didn’t even know where you were. It got so fucking bad, you two have been banned from drinking at all this record.”

Brian had the decency to look chastised. But not Gareth, he doubled down.

“Which is why it’s so important that you don’t do it either,” he snarled back. “We don’t want to be kicked out of this studio too.”

“I was back before breakfast was being served!”

Jeff stood up and held out his hands. “All right, enough! Gareth this attitude is getting out of hand. No one has done more for this band than Eddie and you acting like he’s gonna do a runner at any moment is fucking ridiculous. And after all these years if he hasn’t run off yet, he sure as hell ain’t gonna now.”

“You need to work on your abandonment issues, dude,” Eddie snapped. “I have put my heart and soul into this band and I really don’t appreciate the constant insinuation that each concert, each album is going to be the last.”

Gareth stood up, fists clenched at his side. “You mean to tell me if Steve Harrington walked in here and offered to suck your dick in exchange for you quitting the band, that you wouldn’t?”

“Absolutely not,” Eddie said coldly. “And he would never ask. God.” He ran his hands over his face and began to pace. “His little brother is like our number one fan. You know that guy I took with me back to Hawkins?”

Gareth nodded curtly, but Eddie could tell he was starting to unbend.

“He loves our band,” he continued, pulling at his hair. “So that’s just one of many reasons why he wouldn’t. The biggest one, though, Gare.” He whirled around pointed directly at him. “Is that he knows what this band means to me and would never make me choose.”

His lip wobbled and the glimmer of unshed tears stuck to his eyelashes. “Because he loves me.”

Eddie sank to his knees, hands in his hair and began to rock back and forth.

“You take care of Gareth,” Brian said to Jeff, quiet but harsh into the silence that followed that statement. “I’ll take care of Eddie.”

Jeff nodded and bullied Gareth out of the room. The door closed and the remaining two could hear the harsh tones of the two who had left.

Brian got on his knees in front of Eddie and gently removed Eddie’s hands from his hair.

“Hey, Ed,” Brian murmured. “Can you look up at me for a moment? I need to make sure you’re okay.”

Eddie looked up at him. “That’s who I was with last night,” he whispered, his voice rough with emotion. “Steve said that he loved me and he kissed me, Bri. It was so special.”

Bri sighed and sat down cross-legged from him. “It’s that we’re all supposed to be sequestered and you snuck off, only telling Jeff where you went. So Gareth and I freaked out a bit.” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “Maybe a lot.”

Eddie ran his fingers through his hair, settling into a more comfortable position on the floor.

“Yeah, okay,” he said, his voice clearer than before. “That was stupid of me. But I don’t think it’s fair that Jeff and I are being punished by the label for something you and Gare did.”

Brian scooted forward until their knees were touching. “It’s not and I am sorry about that. My girlfriend had broken up with me at same time I learned that I was asexual and I was in a really bad place. But I shouldn’t have let Gareth talk me into that bender, there was no excuse.”

“I’m afraid if he has another outburst,” Eddie murmured, “that everyone is gonna want us to replace him. The label, our PR firm, even our Chrissy would be forced to concede that the band can’t continue with him in it. And I don’t want that. But I will not have my life dictated to by someone who is four years my junior.”

Brian let out a long shuddering breath. “You’re right. While we’re here, if he’s willing, we should get him some therapy. Because I don’t want to lose him either. You guys are my family and have been forever.”

“Back ‘attcha, Bri,” Eddie murmured. “Last night was so good and I had awesome news for everyone that I couldn’t wait to tell you guys.”

Brian chuckled. “Even more awesome then sex with Steve Harrington? Must have been off the charts then.”

“I snuck out to see The Fallen in concert,” Eddie said chewing on his lip.

“Of course you did,” Brian said rolling his eyes. “And of course if we’d all gone it would have completely ruined their last show because it would have been all about us and not them.” He stuck out his tongue. “You still suck though.”

Eddie laughed. “Just wait, it gets better.”

Brian waved his hand for him to continue.

“So I was also able to get backstage where I got to meet Abbadon–”

“Gareth is going to murder you and then bring you back to life so that he can murder you all over again,” Brian said dryly, shaking his head.

“Do you think he’ll grant me a stay of execution if I told him I asked Abbadon if he thought his band would want a chance to headline for us?” Eddie asked batting his eyelashes and clutching his hands to his chest dramatically.

Brian blinked at him for a moment. “I guess that would depend on if they said yes...” he said honestly.

“All of them have to agree,” he replied with a shrug, “but Abbadon was pretty sure that they would.”

Brian sat there a moment. He licked his bottom lip thoughtfully. “I think we should use it as leverage.”

Eddie’s head reared back. “What do you mean?”

“Tell Gareth that if he gets therapy, The Fallen will tour with us,” Brian explained. “But if he won’t, he has to take the tour off and go into rehab.”

“Oh.”

Eddie chewed on his bottom lip as he thought about it. “I think we should ask Jeff and if he agrees, then that’s what we’ll do.”

Brian nodded. “I love him like a brother, but this was the last straw I think.”

“Let’s call Chrissy in on this, too,” Eddie said.

“Yeah.” He let out a shuddering breath. “Okay, yeah. Let’s do this.”

****

They ended up staging an intervention and using The Fallen as incentive they all got Gareth to agree to counseling.

A therapist would come in twice a week and Gareth would have two hours sessions with this person.

They were carefully vetted by Chrissy and the rest of the band, but finally they decided on one that would help Gareth.

Dr. Sam Owens came in and Eddie, Brian, and Jeff all sat in Brian’s suite, waiting for him to be done.

They tried to work on music but it felt flat without Gareth there. They tried watching a movie but they couldn’t decide which one.

They simple sat in silence until it was five minutes before the session was up. Then they slowly made the trek to Gareth’s suite.

Dr Owens came out first.

“I can’t discuss anything that went on in our session,” he warned.

“It’s just–” Jeff said, distressed. “Are you going to work out with Gareth?”

Brian nodded. “We just want to make sure we don’t need to vet someone else. He’s okay with continuing to see you, right?”

Dr Owens softened. “I understand now. My apologies. Often managers and fellow band members ask– rather, they demand to know what was said.”

“Not cool,” Jeff said. “We’d never. We just want to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible, because we care. We want him to get better.”

Dr. Owens nodded. “Thank you. You should be all right to go in and see him. We didn’t get to anything gritty today.”

They all nodded and bid the doctor goodbye.

Jeff knocked on the door and was promptly told to come in.

All three of them slipped into the suite. Jeff and Brian surged forward and gave him a group hug.

It took them a moment but they realized that Eddie had been quiet this whole time, that he had hung back when they entered the room.

He stood in front of the door with his hands on his lower back, just watching them shower Gareth with affection.

But he didn’t know what to do. Gareth had really hurt him. Had made an event that had been so happy for him and turned it to ash on his tongue. His first time with Steve would always be tainted by Gareth screaming at him.

Steve had been so angry when he heard what Gareth had done and was ready to pull out of the tour, everyone else’s disappointment be damned. But Eddie had talked him down. Told him about the intervention. The deal that could be struck and Steve reluctantly agreed.

One therapy session didn’t make up for all the hurt and anger he had felt.

They all turned to look at him and Eddie felt like he was the one who was in trouble, not Gareth. His lip wobbled as he sucked in a breath.

He turned on his heel and would have ran if he hadn’t felt arms wrap around his waist.

“I’m sorry,” Gareth mumbled into his back. “God, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. You’re my best friend. My brother. I’m so sorry, Ed. Please don’t go.”

Eddie wrapped one hand around Gareth’s arm and pressed the other against the wood frame of the door. He laid his head on the door and let out that shuddering breath in a long exhale.

“You hurt me so bad, Gare,” Eddie whispered. “I don’t know what to do with that.”

He could feel Gareth nodding into his back.

“I don’t know how you didn’t drown like the rest of us,” Gareth said. “But I want to be more like you, Eddie. Please don’t go. I don’t think I could take it.”

Eddie huffed out a sigh.

“It’s because I saw what the worst of those vices did to a person,” he said, slowly turning around so that they were face to face. “And I made a promise to my Uncle Wayne and on my mama’s grave that I wouldn’t turn out like my dad. It hasn’t always been easy, in fact it’s been fucking hard almost all of the time, but I work at it.”

Gareth had tears streaming down his face.

“You’ve got to let me live my life, man,” Eddie finished. “I won’t let you ruin a good thing that I’ve got going for me because you have abandonment issues.”

Gareth let out a shuddering breath. “Yeah. I promise to be better. I promise to stick with therapy. Just promise you won’t give up on me.”

Eddie wrapped his arms around his friend and held on tight. “I promise.”

****

Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25

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[thechaoticdruid]

This Bites (5)

Astarion x Chubby! F! MC

Plot: Astarion gets Winnie out a tight spot with a new power of his! Our two lovers continue to bond and get closer as Winnie searches for the cause of her vampire's appearance in the modern world. They also go shopping! YAY!

Content/Warning: Dog attack, Sexual humor and suggestive content, tooth rotting fluff, night terrors?, Astarion being soft, mention of dead animals, Brian being an asshole as usual..

Chapter 4: Back here

Chapter 5: Hold still.

Chapter 6: Shit.

Winnie looked out the window, eyes wide as she saw Brian and Vanessa outside. Nessa was holding Ollie tightly to her chest as the little dog growled. The three of them were standing their ground as the same beastly dog from before approached. It was snarling with its lips lifted upwards to expose its sharp teeth, drool dripping from its jaws and onto the rope around its neck.

“Astarion, go to my room and hide in my closet I'll, I'll think of something.” Winnie stated.

“You want me to just let you go out there with that deranged beast!? Are you insane! That mutt will gnaw your leg off!” The vampire spawn snapped.

“We don't have time to argue! Go hide!” Winnie huffed before grabbing a broom off the nearby wall. The dog was huge and appeared to be a mix between a mastiff and Pitbull. Brian stood in front of Vanessa, shielding her from the dog as he shouted at it, trying to scare it off.  Astarion gritted his teeth. He didn't want Winnie to get hurt but following her out into the sun was a horrible idea. There definitely wasn't any way he could protect her as a pile of ashes. But he had to do something! That dog had a vicious look in its eyes, lunging with an intent to kill. Brian was able to kick it in the face and make it back up momentarily, but the beast was not backing down. 

Panic flooded over the elven vampire’s mind as he was frantically trying to think of what to do, if he had still been alive his heart would be pounding!  Then suddenly he felt odd…. There was this poof and everything around him got bigger.  No, he was smaller. His hands were replaced by these white little bat wings…

What in the hells!?

Unfortunately, there wasn't enough for Astarion to ponder his new form as Winnie had opened the door, holding the broom close to her as she prepared to try and help her family. Without thinking the small bat leapt up and grabbed onto the back of her shirt with his little claws, crawling under the back of her hoodie to protect him from the sun. Winnie didn't even notice him, too focused on the scene in front of her.  Her mother was safely locked in the car, away from the dog while Brian was doing his damndest to try and scare it away. It was safe to say that the canine was not the least bit intimidated as it snarled, slobber dripping from its jowls. 

Winnie soon rushed over, using the broom to separate herself from the aggressive mongrel. The dog lunged forward, biting into the broom with a bite so strong it threatened to break the wood. Winnie let out a startled squeak at the sight of the dog’s teeth.

“The fuck are you doing, Winnie!? You're making it worse!” Brian shouted. Though his voice didn't even register to Winnie as she was much too terrified of the dog to give a damn about what he said. The dog’s teeth clashed against the broom before it pulled back preparing for another attack when it noticed something peek out of the brunette-haired female’s hoodie. Keeping the hoodie over his head to shield him from the sun, Astarion peaked out at the dog with a tiny glare. 

The dog blinked in confusion before getting a whiff of Astarion's familiar undead scent and letting out a whine, tail dropping between its legs as it let out a bark.

“Smells wrong!” Astarion could hear the dog speak while in his new animal form. The dog suddenly turned and ran off, whimpering along the way. Winnie blinked in utter bewilderment. 

He just….Left? What the fuck was that about?

“Oh, thank goodness. Winnie scared it away!” Vanessa let out a sigh of relief. 

“I had it completely under control.” Brian huffed as Winnie’s mother suddenly opened the car door and got out. 

“Oh my God, that was close. Brian, we need to call animal control! That dog is dangerous!” She exclaimed, stepping out of the car. 

“It would probably be better if I shot that damn mutt.” Brian muttered. 

“Brian!” His wife crossed her arms. 

“Alright, alright woman! I'm getting my phone!” The brunette haired man huffed.

“Uh…. It might be best to go inside…? In case the dog comes back I mean.” Winnie suggested.

“I ain't afraid of no fucking dog…” Brian muttered under his breath as he fumbled with his cellphone.

“You're right, Winnie. Come on Nessa, let's go inside.” Winnie’s mother said before leading the young girl inside. Winnie quickly followed after them and moved ahead of them, hoping Astarion had gone and hid. The plump female was completely unaware Astarion had changed his form and hitched a ride inside her hoodie. The tiny white bat stayed completely still as his tiny claws stayed hooked into the back of her shirt.

“Winnie! Winnie! Can I play the new video game you got?” Vanessa asked, setting the dog down on the floor. Her eyes grew round as she looked up at the young woman pleadingly.

“Ah no kid, it's for adults. And I don't want your dad to get mad at me if you see something…inappropriate.” Winnie coughed and rubbed the back of her neck. 

“Ugh! It's not fair! I'm almost thirteen and this boy from my class is playing it!” Nessa huffed and crossed her arms.

“No means no. Goodness' sake, you're too young to play adult games.” Winnie replied sternly.

“And you're too old to watch cartoons but you still do it!” Vanessa sassed before storming off to her bedroom. Winnie rolled her eyes, muttering ‘brat’ under her breath. She turned to head back to her bedroom, but unfortunately Brian had come back inside and had her in his sights. 

“The hell did you say to my kid!?” He snapped, getting really close to Winnie's face, his nasty tar smelling breath hitting her like a brick.

“I just told her she can't play my new game because it's for adults.” Winnie huffed, eyes glancing back over to her room as she flinched away from him. 

“I saw her run to her room! You better tell the truth right now!” Brian raised his voice.

“Brian! Calm down! Winnie is telling the truth, I saw everything.” Winnie’s mother suddenly stepped in and stood between her husband and daughter. Brian muttered under his breath.

“Catherine, the girl is dangerously close to becoming a delinquent! I've seen those vile games she plays! They're not right!” Brian barked.

“You’re being dramatic. Winnie would never hurt a fly. Look, we've all just had a scare outside so why don't we calm down, go to our rooms and try to relax?” Catherine said before pulling Brian along. The middle-aged sack of piss continued to mutter under his breath, but inevitably gave in and followed his wife to the bedroom.  Winnie sighed in relief before quickly rushing to her bedroom, locking the door behind her. 

“Astarion?” She suddenly whispered out and looked around her room. “Astarion?” She called again before slowly stepping towards the closet, only to freeze as she felt tiny claws climbing up and down her back.

“What the hell is on me!?” She panicked, shivering in disgust before suddenly throwing her jacket off and onto the ground. Winnie looked in the mirror and checked herself but found nothing.

Brown eyes glanced down at her purple hoodie before noticing a little fuzzy white head poke out from underneath her coat. A little albino bat crawled out and looked up at Winnie with round red eyes. It immediately began to let out panicked sounding little squeak-like chirps and scurry towards Winnie.  She backed up a bit in utter confusion.  

" A bat? How did I get a bat in my jacket?” Winnie asked aloud. The bat continued to squeak at her as if trying to speak. He didn't try to flee or fly away which was very unusual. 

Then suddenly Maddie poked her head out from under the bed, slowly creeping towards the small animal. The bat turned to look over as the black cat prowled towards him, pupils enlarged and tail swatting back and forth as she prepared to pounce.  The bat let out a frightened squeak before attempting to crawl away as Maddie galloped towards him, pinning him down with her paw.

“Maddie no!” Winnie said trying to get her cat's attention, but the feline didn't acknowledge her.

She looked ready to bite down on the little creature until she got a whiff of his scent. Maddie sniffed him curiously before ultimately removing her paw from his little body. 

“Mew!” The cat began to purr before rubbing her face over the tiny bat. All the while Winnie was slowly trying to comprehend what was happening. 

An albino bat that Maddie seems to recognize as a friend?

Winnie had a gnawing suspicion, but it was so ludacris that she didn't know whether or not to trust it. Eventually the young woman knelt down on the ground and held out her hand. 

“Astarion…?”  She spoke up. The small bat immediately turned his attention to her before crawling over to sit on her hand and squeak. 

“This feels utterly insane…. but could you nod if it's you?” She asked. The little bat immediately nodded in response.

“How is this even possible? Spawn aren't supposed to be able to transform into bats.” Winnie sat down on the armchair, holding Astarion in her hands. He squeaked a few times as if trying to speak to her. “Star, I don't understand whatever you're trying to say…. All I hear are squeaks on my end…” 

Astarion’s ears dropped before Winnie scratched his head with a single finger. “You are very cute like this though.” The brunette-haired woman smiled.  “This could actually come in handy, but it would probably be best if you figure out how to change back…. Preferably when I'm not holding you of course.” Winnie stated before setting the small bat down on the bed.  

Astarion made a few little bat noises as he appeared to shake and strain a little in an attempt to turn back. When he changed before he was in a panic, so he wasn't sure exactly what he did that caused his transformation. Was it the fear of something happening to Winnie? No, that didn't seem right. 

Winnie sat on the bed beside him as she pondered exactly how this was possible. In the game he was only able to take the form of a bat if he ascended. And everything she'd seen indicated that Astarion was a spawn. Hell, he was even soft on her like he was with Tav in his spawn romance route. Could being in her world really give him new abilities? Winnie held her chin in thought before a theory formed in her mind. Astarion said that he fell in love with her over and over, and that he'd been reliving the games storyline repeatedly. That would mean that he's basically been experiencing all her save games .... maybe .... But Winnie never went through a playthrough where she ascended him…except oh….

There was this one time she saved before checking out the ascension route and it might have autosaved. Winnie was eventually broken out of her thoughts by a flash of red around the tiny bat before suddenly he grew back into his normal vampire elf form.

 “Gods below.” Astarion let out a sigh of relief. “I am certainly not accustomed to being so small and hairy….eugh…It felt unnatural.” Astarion shivered. 

“Oh, you figured it out! That's great.” Winnie smiled before looking over Astarion as he took a moment to compose himself. 

“This world of yours seems to get more interesting by the day. Although I'm not entirely sure what use this new form would have. Well other than allowing me to seek shelter from the sun from under your coat.” Astarion hummed.

“Bats can fly! It would probably be very useful if you needed to get somewhere quickly at night.” Winnie stated. “And the smaller you are, the easier it is to hide.” 

“Perhaps there may be some use to this form then.” Astarion smirked a couple ideas of sneaking around the house to torment Brian began to cook in his mind. 

“I'm still a tad concerned about how this happened…. It worries me a bit.” 

“What's to worry about? Obviously, my presence in this realm has opened up some wonderful possibilities.” Astarion chuckled with a smirk.

“I don't know how to feel about this…” Winnie looked off to the side. “Astarion, I should probably tell you about something I've been looking into. I've been quiet about it because I don't want you to get the wrong idea, but I've been trying to figure out what caused you to be well…Here…But I'm not trying to send you back! I promise!” Winnie stated. 

“Well, I do appreciate you telling me this. Although I'm not entirely sure why it's a concern of yours if you're not trying to send me back.” 

“Something caused it and I want to know why and if it's dangerous. Things like this just don't normally happen here. This isn't a magical place like the one you're used to.” Winnie sighed. 

“There you go worrying again. My poor paranoid darling. You know we should probably work on finding ways to relieve your stress.” Astarion grinned.

“Astarion.” Winnie pouted with an annoyed expression.

“What? I was just going to suggest a massage, perhaps a hot bath. Hells bellow, not everything I say is about sex, you naughty thing.~” Astarion crossed his arms but looked at Winnie with a mischievous grin. 

Winnie blushed darkly before rolling her eyes.

“We're getting off topic. The point is whatever caused this was not normal for my world and I want to know if it will affect us. That's why I've been trying to get to the bottom of it.”  Winnie huffed before falling back on the bed. 

“And what have you found?” Astarion, asked as he loomed over her. 

“Not much. I found the alias of someone who might be involved, but I'm having trouble finding more information about them.” 

“I know little to nothing about this portal device thing, but I'm willing to help well…somehow…” Astarion hummed and looked over Winnie with a sweet gaze.  

“Thank you. Though I'm not sure what would help.” Winnie hummed and stared up at the ceiling in thought while Astarion watched her, eventually laying down beside her.  

“Perhaps you could ask someone else for help? Someone from here.” The vampiric elf suggested.

“That would be a good idea, only I don't want to risk exposing you or looking like a complete lunatic…No one is going to believe that a fictional character came out of my computer….Ugh…” Winnie huffed before suddenly her cell phone went off in her pocket. She got a message from Becca asking if Winnie could cover her shift tonight since Becca had to babysit for her mother. 

Wait….Becca mods her games all the time. Maybe she'd know who ShadowMommy69 was at least…Or something about them anyway.

It wasn't a very strong lead, but at least it was something. Winnie probably wouldn't be able to actually talk to Becca in person until this weekend, but maybe she could figure something out. She needed to take Astarion to get some clothes soon anyway and stopping by to talk to Becca on the way wouldn't hurt. 

Winnie glanced over to see Astarion looking at her, eyes soft as his mouth stretched into an odd Grinch-like grin. “Eh…What's up with your face?” Winnie asked. Astarion blinked, broken out of his little dreamy daze. 

“Uh what? Is there something on my face!? Did I get a scratch while turned into that winged rodent!?” Astarion sat up, beginning to freak out and feel over his face.

“No, no, Astarion calm down. Nothing's wrong with your face, honey.” Winnie sat up and cupped his cheeks. His ears turned slightly pink at her pet-name. “It's just as pretty as always…” Winnie said, looking to the side with a blush.  “You just made a funny face is all.” 

“Oh…” Astarion calmed down, placing his hand over one of hers. His chest felt tight as he stared at her soft round face. He wanted to kiss her so badly. Winnie moved a stray curl out of his face before pulling her hands back and looking off to the side with a nervous cough. Her heart was racing. 

“Ah…So uh…We could continue watching a movie in here ... .I locked the door so no one should be able to barge right in and see you.” Winnie said as she twiddled her thumbs.

“That sounds wonderful, love.” 

~•~•~•~~•~•~•~•~•~•~~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

A few days passed. Winnie filled in for Becca and had to deal with the usual, stocking shelves, cleaning and occasionally dealing with a Karen or two. When she was home she had to stay on her toes to make sure that neither Brian or Vanessa ended up walking in to see Astarion, luckily his new little form came in handy. He was able to quickly change and hide under the blanket or in Winnie’s pocket. He also may have begun using this form to sneak around the house when Winnie wasn't home and secretly torment Brian. Because if he wasn't allowed to kill the bastard he'd at least make sure his life was a living hell. He'd toss random spices or sometimes even dirt or garbage into the man’s coffee.  He also tossed Brian's phone onto the floor, allowing Ollie to get it and chew on it. The pale elf certainly kept himself entertained while his beloved was away, but Winnie of course always had something that would stick it's ugly head around the corner to terrorize her. 

“Where is everyone?” Winnie looked around, finding herself lost in the woods. She couldn't remember how she got here or what happened last. It was cold and dark. And something was very, very wrong. There was this sharp panic shooting throughout her body. She took a few steps through the forest before stepping on something.  A human skull. Winnie looked around her seeing scattered bones all over the ground. His breath quickened and she felt purr dread wash over her as this peculiar eerie noise filled her ears. It was almost like a mixture between scraping chalkboards and some really high off key piano being played super fast.  She held her head at the noise, eyes glancing around for an escape route from the forest before suddenly it went silent and there was this shadowy figure staring back at her.  She quickly turned to run, but her feet seemed to take her nowhere. Trees kept passing and passing but the figure was still the same distance away and if anything was getting closer. Winnie opened her mouth and let out a silent scream as the shadow suddenly lunged at her, quick as lightning. 

“Oh God…” Winnie gasped as she shot up from her bed, panting as a bead of sweat dripped down her brow. 

“Darling?” Astarion’s voice suddenly brought her out of her terrified state as she looked over to see him sitting criss-crossed on the armchair with Maddie curled up in his lap. He looked at her with worried eyes and a soft frown. “Are you alright?” 

“Mew…” Maddie suddenly piped up, eyes opening as she looked over at Winnie before hopping out of the elf's lap and stretching.

Winnie was still panting a little, heart pounding as Astarion got up and took a seat on the side of the bed.

 “My love?” Astarion placed his cool hand over one of Winnie’s. Winnie took a deep breath and tried to slow her breathing.

“Sorry I just had a bad dream…. Something was chasing me and I couldn't get away.” Winnie said, taking a few more calming deep breaths. “I-I’m sorry if I disturbed you…You should probably get back to your meditations.” Winnie turned to face away from him. Despite her trying to brush it off Astarion could feel her heart pounding in fear. He bit his lip as an idea came to mind.

“Would you like me to lie with you?” The vampiric elf asked softly. Winnie looked back at him curiously, a blush forming on her cheeks. 

“If you want to…” Winnie stated before shifting and scooting over closer to the wall. Astarion wasted no time getting in and under the covers next to the human female. Winnie stared over at the pale elf as she laid on her side. Astarion looked back with a soft smile forming as he tucked some hair behind her ear. 

“I'm here. I'm not going to let anything hurt you.” He said softly as he ran a thumb over her cheek.

Winnie smiled a bit, eventually allowing herself to move a little closer to him, shifting around to get comfortable. Astarion snuggles up against Winnie, wrapping his arms around her as she shyly lays her head against his chest. It's completely silent but there's somehow something comforting about it. Winnie nuzzled her face into the cool skin of his neck before closing her eyes. 

They stayed like this up until morning. By then Astarion was curled up around her rather possessively, even had one of his legs hooked around her hip. Winnie could feel his hand gently rubbing along her back, cheek resting upon the side of her head as he snuggled against her soft cushy form. Winnie’s face was still nuzzled into the crook of his neck, nose gently pressed against his faded bite scars. His body felt firm, not as cushy and comfortable as her own, but she didn't seem too bothered by it. Astarion wasn't even trancing anymore, his elven nature only required him to need four hours of rest. He was simply blissfully soaking up Winnie’s warmth, eyes half lidded as he hugged her against him. 

Winnie eventually let out a yawn as her eyes slowly blinked open. She pulled back from Astarion's neck just enough to see his face.

“Good morning, beautiful.~” He purred at her softly, voice barely above a whisper.

“Morning…” Winnie yawned out before attempting to sit up, but Astarion still had his arms wrapped around her.  “Astarion, it's time for me to get up.”

“Just stay with me a little longer. You're so soft and warm.~” The vampire cooed, nuzzling his face into her chest and making Winnie turn deep red.

“Brian’s probably going to get up and tell me to do some chores or something…Star…” Winnie huffed.

“I'll gut him if tries to take you from me.” Astarion murmured, face buried in Winnie's plump bosoms. 

“I do believe you'd have to let go of me first to do that silly.” Winnie hummed, absentmindedly playing with Astarion's ivory curls. “Come on, I need to get up.” Winnie stated before pulling herself out of his arms. Astarion let out a displeased sound as Winnie sat up in the bed. The pale elf begrudgingly sat up and looked back at Winnie and pouted with round puppy dog-like eyes. The messy haired female took a moment to stretch out before looking back at the pouting elf.

“Uh…Thanks again for this…I'm honestly surprised you'd want to comfort me over it…..Kinda seems childish needing someone to crawl in bed with me because I had a nightmare.….”

“Darling…Of course I'd comfort you…I know better than most how terrifying your own mind can be.” Astarion cupped Winnie’s cheek looking at her lovingly. “And…I love you…” 

“How can you be so sure of that?” Winnie asked with a sad smile. Her voice is melancholy and full of doubt. 

“Because you're you. You've went out of your way to help me without gaining anything from it and that's how I know you're the same person I fell in love with over and over.” Astarion said, slowly leaning in a little. Winnie smiled with a deep blush. She was honestly rather speechless and a little skeptical, wondering if she was actually dreaming at the moment. If she was, she didn't want to be woken. The brunette haired female found herself leaning in as well, their noses now just barely brushing against one another. Astarion puckered his lips, moving in to kiss Winnie.

“Hey Winnie!~” Footsteps were heard followed by her door knob turning. 

“Shit!” The brunette haired woman’s eyes widened. Just as the door bursts open Winnie quickly shoves Astarion off the bed and behind her dresser before zooming over to the door, making sure most of her room was blocked from sight. 

Nessa stood outside the room seemingly dressed and ready to head out somewhere. The twelve year old stood at about a little over four feet with long sandy blonde hair and brown eyes. 

“What is it, Ness?” Winnie asked, looking down at the young girl as she messed with a few strands of her messy brown locks.

“Dad said that you're supposed to take me out walking today since I'm gonna take Ollie for a walk.”  Vanessa stated.

“Ugh….Why can't he take you?” Winnie huffed in annoyance.

“Because he wants to take a nap and watch his superhero show.” Vanessa explained, “Come one, you can even bring Maddie.” 

“I’m pretty sure your dad said you couldn't be around Maddie?” Winnie hummed.

“We don't have to tell him.” Vanessa said mischievously. 

“Heh, okay. Just give me a few minutes to get dressed and get Maddie ready.” Winnie said, gesturing to her clothes. She was still dressed in the red boxers and black tank she always slept in. 

“Okay! But hurry please!” Vanessa said before Winnie quickly closed the door. Winnie turned and looked back at Astarion who was sitting on the floor rubbing his head with a glare on his face.

“You didn't have to push me.” He grumbled, quietly.

“I'm sorry…I panicked…” Winnie moved over to look at his head with concern. She didn't see any wrong, not even a red spot.

“So…You're going out? Off on a leisurely stroll with your little sister, hm?”

“Stepsister and yeah…I'd rather not put up with her running off to Brian right now.”  Winnie looked off to the side.   

“I suppose I'll just remain here and nurse my poor head and wrist you so cruelly injured.”Astarion said dramatically, gripping his right hand with a sad pitiful pout. 

“I said I was sorry and I really am.” Winnie looked back at him with a pout, grabbing his hand glancing over his wrist before kissing it. Astarion couldn't help but smile almost immediately at the sweet gesture. The softness of her lips pressing against his hand made his ears turn a little pink.

“Mm, I quite like that actually.~ Oh alright, I forgive you.” He said in a sweet tone before ruffling her hair.  “Now go on, it's probably not a good idea to keep the girl waiting.” 

Winnie nodded before grabbing some clothes from her closet and heading into the bathroom to change. Astarion sat on the bed as Maddie crawled out from under it and turned to him with a small meow, as if to say hello. The vampire just hummed as scratched the cat on her little head, eliciting a soft purr as her tail slowly flicked about.

Winnie exited the bathroom, dressed in a black and white t-shirt with a skull and some torn skinny jeans that hugged her thick thighs rather tightly. Astarion lounged about on the bed, red eyes admiring the voluptuous female’s legs and backside as she bent over to pick up her shoes off the ground before getting some socks and continued to get ready. Once she was fully dressed she grabbed a backpack before getting the cat harness and hooking it onto Maddie, who purred happily at the attention. Winnie hooked a leash onto the harness before leading the cat out the door, leaving Astarion to his own devices.

Astarion let out a sigh, a little regretful he didn't just change into bat form and go with her, but he had something he wanted to do.  He waited for Winnie to leave the house before sulking about the single story, three bedroom home. Winnie’s mother had long gone off to work, while Brian slept lazily on the recliner in their bedroom. Astarion crept onto the room, grinning sadistically. He slowly made his way over to the sleeping man before reaching into his pocket and pulling something out.  Astarion's brows knit together as he raised his hand high over the sleeping human, preparing to do his worst.

He then uncapped the marker in his hand and drew a well detailed sketch of a penis on the unpleasant man’s forehead. The vampire bit his lip suppressing a giggle before stopping to admire his masterpiece. He then proceeded to glance around the room, noticing some thumbtacks on a nearby dresser. He grinned ear to pointy ear before grabbing hold of them and placing them into Brian's shoes. He then casually strolled out of the room before returning back to Winnie’s room.

“GODDAMNIT!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!” Brian’s voice was suddenly heard.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~~•~•~•~•~•

Winnie walked along the sidewalk as Maddie padded behind her on a leash, inquisitive blue eyes scanning about for any sign of a tiny creature to prey upon. Vanessa walked ahead with a skip in her step as Ollie happily trailed behind her, tail wagging as his tongue hung out making it look almost as if the little dog was smiling. They stopped a few times because Ollie wanted to sniff a specific patch of grass a few hundred times or because Maddie got distracted by a bug, but eventually they approached the end of the street.

“Ooh! I have an idea! Let's go to the gas station around the corner! Please!” Nessa begged. 

“I guess we could, since it's not too far.” Winnie said before continuing up the road. The air was warm, but there was a cool breeze gently brushing through her hair. She could hear the ringing of wind chimes as they passed a couple of houses before spotting two men in their yard.

“Another dead possum. This is the fifth one we found in the last three days, Bill! And my wife said she found three dead raccoons in the backyard! I'm telling you something is out there killing all them critters!” One of the men said. 

“Oh fucks sake Daniel, it's just some coyotes! It's their breeding season, they're everywhere.” 

“Bill, coyotes would have dragged off and eaten the bodies! These possums don't even look like they have any bite marks on em. They're just dead…” Daniel insists. 

Winnie tensed up a bit as she overheard their conversation. Vanessa however seemed to just ignore the two men and continue along the sidewalk.

“So what? You think this is some monster roaming around at night?” Bill laughed.

Oh God…..I hope that's not my monster…

Winnie bit her lip nervously as she continued down the road with Vanessa. She took a deep breath and tried not to worry about it too much. She'd talk to Astarion about it later. Everything would be fine as long as no one saw him outside while he was hunting. Eventually the two females led their pets around the corner and to a small service station that sat just outside the suburbs. Winnie scooped Maddie up and let her hitch a ride in her backpack before entering the air conditioned filled shop. Maddie stayed curled up in Winnie's pack, but occasionally poked her head out to look around.   

“They always have good pizza here. We should get some!” Vanessa suggested, holding Ollie in her arms.

“Hmm….The adult in me says we should probably go home and eat to save money….But…The pizza lover in me is telling the adult to shut up.” Winnie grinned before they walked over to get two small large single slices. Oddly, just as Winnie went to pay for the food she noticed a man watching them out of the corner of her eye. He looked so familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. He had combed back brown hair and was dressed in a rather stylish looking suit. He was looking at the two from outside the window of the store, smiling with a smug almost devilish smirk.

“Ma’am! That'd be 10.99!” The cashier said, breaking Winnie out of her trance.

“Oh sorry! I got distracted!” Winnie said before pulling out her debit card and paying for the pizza. Winnie and Nessa took their food before turning to leave. Winnie’s brown eyes immediately scanned outside for the man from before, but he'd completely vanished. 

It was almost as if he'd never been there at all.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

“Okay….Brian, mom and Vanessa are asleep. Now we need to sneak out as quietly as possible.” Winnie said, running a hand through her hair as Astarion slipped on the black hoodie she had generously gifted him. 

“I am rather excited for our second date.” Astarion said with a grin. 

“We're just going shopping…It's not much of a date activity.” Winnie said bashfully.

“Of course it can. I'm spending time with you, that's all that matters really.” Astarion replied before opening the window and climbing out, stealthily and skillfully. Winnie grabbed her pack and purple hoodie before looking down out the window nervously. She really wasn't in the best shape for sneaking out of the house by her window. 

“Come on, love.” Astarion whispered from down below. The drop from Winnie’s window to the ground wasn't exactly far enough to be dangerous, but it was enough to be intimidating.

Winnie shakily stepped out and onto some pipes that ran along the house. She closed the window on her way out before attempting to climb down the rest of the way, nearly stumbling and falling on her face only to be caught by her vampiric companion. 

“Oh, look at you, trying to fall into my arms.~” Astarion teased with a wink before setting Winnie down. 

“Let's just go before I end up dying by tripping or something.” Winnie said, face turning pink in embarrassment. The two set off, getting onto Winnie’s motorcycle and driving down the street and out of the suburbs. Astarion wrapped his arms around Winnie's soft plump waist. He was a little annoyed by the backpack wedged between them, but tried to hold tightly onto his darling to the best of his abilities. 

Winnie zoomed up towards the city on her bike, slowly down as they reached the CornerStore. Winnie parked her motorcycle before getting off. The night sky was clear and the stars were shining brightly. Winnie walked into the store with Astarion trailing after her, red eyes curiously scanning the store. As Winnie went over to speak to Becca at the cash register, Astarion snuck over into one of the isles. He poked around at some of the merchandise for sale. The elf spotted a small colorful object that somewhat resembled the strange contraptions the people of Winnie’s realm traveled in. Astarion poked it inquisitively before nearly jumping five feet up as the tiny device released a loud repeating honking noise. Astarion quickly got away from the device in case it was some kind of magical explosive, backing up against the other isle in fear. Eventually the device went silent. Astarion let out a sigh of relief before continuing to inspect the isles, eyes growing wide with excitement as he spotted what looked like a dagger! Gleefully he snatched it up, hoping to swipe it and keep it for himself, but as he looked at it closely he realized something was off about the blade. It was quite dull and didn't appear to even be made of metal. The vampire pouted before tossing the fake dagger off to the side with a huff.  

Hells below, they don't even sell decent weapons at this place. 

Meanwhile, Winnie walked over and greeted Becca. “Hey Becca! I was hoping I'd catch you on your shift.” 

“Oh, Hey Wyn! What's up?” Becca greeted with a cheerful smile, long red hair done into a pair of  twin braids that hung over her shoulders. 

“Okay so um….You modded BG3 right, I mean I remember you saying you modded most of your games so I was just wondering?” Winnie said, nervously messing with a piece of her hair. 

“Yeah I did. I added some hair mods, got that anti-abs mod for some of the male characters…A cheat engine and the romance-” 

“Cheat engine! That's it! Do you remember who made yours?” Winnie said, excitedly placing her hands on the conveyor belt as she looked over at Becca. Becca had a confused look on her face as she noticed Winnie's enthusiasm when she mentioned the ‘cheat engine’.  She was about  to speak when she suddenly noticed Astarion sneaking around the isles. 

“Uh…. Winnie, is that your friend from the other day?” The redhead asked. 

“Ah crap, sorry about him. Star! Get over here!” Winnie huffed a bit. 

“Coming lover!~” Astarion said with a mischievous grin as he winked at Winnie. The pale elf sauntered over to his embarrassed human love who was glaring at him slightly.

“I knew he was your boyfriend! Winnie, why didn't you tell me?” Becca whined.

“Well….I-I…I-I…” Winnie sputtered nervously, trying to think of what to say when Astarion wrapped an arm around her. 

“My darling, wants to keep me a secret from her step-father.  She's afraid he wouldn't approve if he knew.” Astarion added. 

“Oh shit, I didn't think of that. Brian has always been a bigot. He'd probably pitch a fit if he found out Winnie was dating a British guy!” 

“Ah yes….That's exactly what I am….”

Whatever the hells British means…?

“Becca, the cheat engine?” Winnie pressed, looking at her friend with pleading eyes. 

“Oh yeah, hmm let me think…..”Becca held her chin for a moment. “Ah, Shadowsomething69…Yeah they deactivated their account. The mod’s gone now.” 

“It's…. ShadowMommy69….” Winnie cringed at the sound of the name coming out of her mouth.

“And I've been trying to find them and maybe get in touch with them.” 

“Oh? Is this person a friend of yours?” Becca asked.

“No, I've never spoken to them, but I need to. Kind of a private thing though…” 

“Hmm…My boyfriend Anthony might be able to get in touch with them. He's a modder and he's pretty active in the modding community, he might be able to tell you more. I think he's actually talked to them, but I'm not sure.” Becca hummed a bit before her eyes lit up as an idea popped into her head. “Ooh! Me and Anthony we're gonna go out to the carnival when it comes to town in two weeks. You two should come with! It'll be a double date! Then you can ask him there!” 

“Two weeks? I don't know-” Winnie began but was quickly intercepted by Astarion.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea! Don't you think so, my sweet?” Astarion asked, looking at Winnie with pleading puppy dog eyes.

“I guess…so…” Winnie sighed.

“Awesome! I'll text you the details later and come pick y'all up in my truck.” Becca smiled before suddenly some old lady walked into the store.

“Excuse me! I need help finding some cat food!” The old woman asked.

“Of course, right this way.” Becca said before leading the old lady off.

“Well, I guess we should go now.” Winnie huffed before walking out of the store with Astarion following after. 

“What's the matter, love? I thought you'd be thrilled to go on another date?” Astarion quizzed.

“What if something happens between now and then? Like some world ending bullshit happens because I can't find the idiot that made a vampire pop out of my computer.” 

“Sweetie, you're making me look optimistic. And that's worrying.” Astarion placed his hands on Winnie's face.  “I'm not going to let anything happen to you, my love. I swear it. And besides I've dealt with the end of the world once already, surely the second time won't be as bad as the first.” 

“Alright….But you do realize there are clowns at the carnival?” Winnie rose an eyebrow with a slight smirk.

“I…uh…Of course I do! But I'm not bothered by it! And I am certainly NOT afraid if that's what you are implying!” Astarion crossed his arms with a scoff.

“Okay….If you say so…” Winnie said with a mischievous giggled, “anyway we should get going. We've got shopping to do!” The human female said before hopping onto her motorcycle.

Astarion made a ‘hmph’ noise before getting on after her. The two drove into the city, being greeted by all the lights and noise of modern civilization. Astarion was still memorized by it all.

“These metal contraptions your people ride in, are they dangerous?” He asked as they zipped down the road, slowing down as they came to a red light. 

“They can be. But we got rules to help keep people safe when we use them. Different sides of the roads you're supposed to be on and places you have to slow down. It's all systematic I reckon.” Winnie mused, feeling Astarion grip around her waist. “Of course not everyone uses them.” Winnie murmured glaring at a small car that just drove out in front of the red light. Astarion continued to ask a few questions as they continued deeper into the heart of the city. Winnie tried to answer to the best of her ability while keeping her eyes on the road. 

About twenty minutes later they arrived at a large building titled ‘SuperStore.’ Winnie parked off to the side, taking a deep breath as she got off her bike. He'll, even at 8:00 at night this place was packed.  Astarion got off Winnie's motorcycle and quickly grasped the pudgy female’s hand in his as they walked into the store. 

“Hells!” Astarion squeaked as the doors suddenly automatically opened, squeezing Winnie’s hand slightly. 

“It's okay Star, just doors.” Winnie teased with a grin. Astarion rolled his eyes.

“I can see that now.” He huffed before the two ventured into the store. The ‘SuperStore’ had everything you could possibly need, clothes, food, furniture, toys, electronics, you name it. Though this was pretty much the reason it always had people packed up like sardines inside. 

Winnie didn't care too much for the crowds, they made her anxious, but she had to clothe her vampire so sacrifices had to be made. Thankfully his hand wrapped around her smaller one made her feel a little more at ease.  Winnie glanced up as she noticed the security camera and television screen that was on the security camera. She blinked for a moment noticing it looked as if she was holding onto thin air on screen. 

Huh, I guess vampires don't show up on camera.

Winnie immediately took Astarion to the clothing section and immediately smiled from ear to ear as she noticed him searching through the clothing with the giddiest of grins.

“Hm what about this?” Astarion purred and held out a black cropped tank and short leather jacket on a hanger. Winnie grabbed some jeans to go with the outfit.

“Here, try it with this. There's a room you can change in over there.” Winnie said before pointing at the men’s fitting room. She waited as he went to try it on, a shiver going down her spine. 

Winnie could feel eyes on her, as if she was being watched. Hunted maybe. However when she looked she only saw what appeared to be regular old SuperStore shoppers. No one particularly intimidating, unless you count some dude walking around with saggy pants that look like they were about to fall off. But Winnie still felt this uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. 

Just nerves. You're alright.

She mentally told herself. Eventually Astarion walked out of the fitting room in the outfit. He looked rather stylish and the cropped shirt exposing his abdomen was rather enticing. 

“Well, what do you think?” He asked.

“You look good.” Winnie said, shyly with a blush. 

Astarion crossed his arms with a pout.

“Just good? Really, you can do better than that!” He whined.

“More beautiful than all the stars in the sky. There, satisfied?” Winnie replied.

“A bit sappy for my tastes, but it'll do I suppose.” The vampire sassed, playing with one of his curls. 

“Okay okay, now go and get redressed. We've got more outfits to look for.” Winnie hummed, waving the vampire off. The process repeated a few times Astarion got an outfit he liked before changing into it and demanding satisfactory praise from Winnie. And if he didn't get it he'd act like a drama queen until she said something he liked. This continued until they had at least five different outfits that were to Astarion's taste. 

Dear God, I'm about to spend 200 dollars on this man….

Winnie mentally whimpered, already feeling the stinging pain of her bank account getting lighter. 

She pondered the possibility of eventually pleading with the vampire to get a night time job, but then the idea of all the chaos he could cause completely squashed that idea. Winnie sighed and pushed the dreadful thoughts out of her mind as she continued to look around with her vampiric love. The two eventually came up towards the jewelry counter as the elf’s red eyes scanned over some earrings. Studs and small hoops in particular. The ones he appeared to be interested in were gold naturally considering his rather painful silver allergy.   

“See something you like, Star?” Winnie asked. 

“I've always wanted a pair of these. Unfortunately my..ahem… previous occupations never allowed it.” Astarion explained.  Winnie sighed a bit, probably about to regret what she was going to offer.

“Would you like me to buy them for you?” Winnie asked begrudgingly.

“Yes please!” Astarion giggled before planting a kiss upon Winnie's cheek.  Winnie blinked, face turning red as the biggest dopey grin spread across her face. Her annoyance about the money completely vanished. She then proceeded to ring the bell at the counter and summon the jewelry department worker.

“Hello, how can I help you?” A middle aged blonde haired woman stepped up to the counter. 

“Yeah uh ... .my…. partner would like his ears pierced please…Also some earrings.” Winnie said shyly. The woman immediately looked Astarion over, eyes widening as she noticed his teeth.

“Goodness are those fangs? Crazy things you kids will do these days.” The woman said. Astarion looked as if he was about to say something, but Winnie quickly spoke up.

“Well you know fashion can be pretty crazy sometimes! My boyfriend definitely had a wild goth phase a while back.” Winnie chuckled nervously, “anyway let's just get the ear piercing over with…Gotta get home before it gets too late.” The brunette rambled on.

“Alright, take off the hood, son.” The lady said. 

“Winnie my hair.” Astarion murmured to her. 

“Alright I'll get it, just hold still, I'll get it!” She said, pulling down his hood and fixing his pretty white curls. 

“Oh, good lord those ears!” The woman gasped, “Are they real?”

“Yes, he had a birth defect as a baby. He's real sensitive about it though.” Winnie whispered out the last part and the woman just gasped and nodded. Astarion glared over at Winnie with an unamused expression. A little peeved she wasn't letting him talk. Winnie just smiled and laughed nervously. The lady approached him, taking out the earring gun as Winnie stood by, watching nervously.

“AH! FUCKING HELLS!”

Unfortunately elf ears were extremely sensitive.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

“They look good, Star. Honestly you look really good.” Winnie complimented as they arrived home. Astarion was dressed in one of the outfits he'd picked out while Winnie had the rest packed into her trunk. 

“Everything looks good on me, darling.~” Astarion smirked, wind blowing through his snowy white curls as they rode home on Winnie's bike. Winnie let out a yawn, her eyes feeling a bit sleepy.  Winnie was so ready to get home and sleep.

Maybe even cuddle up with her vampire boyfriend again who knows? If she could just work up the courage to ask. Astarion had a pair of blood red studs in his elven ears which matched rather well with his eyes.  Eventually they reached the suburbs, slowing down as Winnie’s house was in sight. Slowly they pulled into the driveway, getting their bags out of the motorcycle’s little trunk and sneaking back around the house to Winnie’s window.

Astarion climbed up first and pulled the window open.

“Clothes, love.”  He whispered, before Winnie tossed him the bags. The vampire tossed them in before climbing back down. “Now you, precious thing.~” He purred, ushering for Winnie to climb up next. 

Winnie took a deep breath before climbing up, struggling a bit as she attempted to wiggle her way through the window, legs flailing a bit. Red eyes were glued to her plump rear end. 

As delicious as this sight is, I should probably assist.

Astarion placed his hands on the chubby female’s backside, pushing her up suddenly. She let out a squeak and dropped into her room, falling onto the floor with a huff.  Astarion swiftly climbed up after her, slipping in through the window with ease.

“And here we are, safe and sound!” Astarion sighed and stretched out while Winnie still laid on the floor, face down, ass up, as she tried to catch her breath from the climb up, panting like she had just run a marathon. 

“Um….Who are you?” A small voice suddenly asked from the other side of the room. Astarion looked over to see Winnie's twelve year old step sister, eyes wide with shock.

“Shit.” Astarion breathed out.

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

Man, I did not mean for it to get this long! So, what did you think? Did you know who the mystery man following Winnie is? Any concerns about Astarion making the neighborhood's critter population go down? Are you mad I had Astarion and Winnie's kiss interrupted? Oh, what am I saying everyone gets triggered by that trope lol.

~Druid

Taglist: @astarioffsimpmain , @marcynomercy , @iamsexytrash , @gaymistakeboi , @divineknightmare , @tinyfreakgirl , @tiedyedghoulette , @misscrissfemmefatale, @gianchan-de , @jaksfanficsaver , @the-disaster-in-waiting , @hp-art-studio , @im-just-a-simp-le-whore , @dajeong , @iamnotokei

[sleepy3012]

Hello nieghbor Fan Fic: welcome to your new home (part 2)

Summary: Enzo tries to find a way out of this place.

Enzo plays with the toys trying to keep himself from going crazy in the place. He had alot of thoughts in his mind, it felt like the room was closing up on him. How could he be this stupid he thought.

Just then the door to his "room" opened snd saw Leslie with a couple of tools on a tray..was this a hospital now?

"W..w..whats that..?" He asks in a nervous tone.

"Boss said to give u a bit of a doze" Leslie stated as he held up a syringe.

Enzo backed up onto his bed he did NOT like people pinching him NOR did he like shots.

"I....i dont like ..s..shots..Leslie" says Enzo

"I know..but its just a little pinch..u wont feel a thing kid"

Enzo witness Leslie coming closer to him which made him even more nervous.

"Just stay calm...this will just keep your mind a little busy and not focusing on escaping, look on the bright side you'll be able to go outside if you let me do this."

Enzo didn't even have time to move when he felt a sharp pain inter his left shoulder. Enzo felt like crying, he did want to cry.

Enzo wanted to scream, pout, and bite...but he didn't. He just sat there watching as Leslie injected him with something. Enzo couldn't feel his legs anymore, he felt his brian going all over the place.

He tried to stand up but Leslie did not let that happen, he pushed Enzo back down on the bed and kissed his forehead..

Dont try to move to much..it can hurt your body and dont try to think about Escaping because it'll make your brain hurt a lot." With that Leslie left the room.

Enzo wanted to think, he wanted to think about his sister, his friends, his parents, but he couldn't. His brain made it more difficult to do that.

Minutes passed and Enzo felt a knock on the door it was Principal Abanate. Not like Enzo could do anything so he just layed there motionless on the bed.

"How do you feel? Do want some water darling?" She asked with a warm smile on her face

Enzo just noded, he wanted to say somethibg but all that came out his mouth was groans and growls, he couldn't even under stand what his was saying at this point.

He felt Abanate sit him up and handed him a cup of water, before she could even react Enzo stated to drink so much that he felt like he was drowning.

But he didn't care he was thristy like a dog who has been in a desert for a long peroid of time without any water.

"The boss is going to come and give you a little present for you, I think you'll like it, and also why aren't you wearing any clothes?" She asks

Enzo felt a bit emberessed and just pointed at the basket with his old clothes inside, He remebers Leslie say something about Other new clothes and that it would suit him?

He barely remembers anything now he saw crow face come in and signaled Abanate to leave and she did, he wanted to move but couldn't as crow face came closer to him he pulled out a box.

It was black with a white ribbon on it.

"Go ahead open it" He said

Enzo slowly open the box and when he does he finds a bracelet, why the hell would crow face give him a bracelet?

"With this bracelet, it'll show me where you are at anytime. This way I won't lose you even if you go far far away. I'll. Still. Find you."

Those words made him shiver in fear but what if he took it off? It'll be easy peasy..WRONG

"And if you try to tale it off it'll give you a little..how do I say this...A little shock..wanna try?" Crow face stated with his voice in a playful tone.

Enzo idmedaly shook his head in fear, He tried to pull away but it was to late the bracelet was already on his wrist.

"I'll be back to give you some food you must be starving" with that crow face stood up walked to the door and left.

'No' Enzo thought 'I NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!'

Enzo tried to get up but stumbled down of the floor, He remembered that in his pocket there was a phone...not any phone the walkie talkie that could Contact the team!

He crawled his way to the basket and searched in the basket...Well it was his lucky day Because he found it.

Enzo sighed in relief and crawled his way to the door when he tried to open it..It wasn't locked. He crawled his way to an Exit Until Someone unexpected call his name.

"Enzo? What are you doing out here? It was Mayor Tavish

"Yeah kid let me carry you back to your room..maybe i'll even give you a nice warm showe-" before Leslie could finish

Enzo used all his strenth to get up and ran as fast as he could to an Exit, he didn't stop to look back he could hear Leslie catching up to him with his police stick.

Enzo turned on the walkie talike hoping someone to anwser, Enzo felt he voice gain back and he screamed to the walkie talkie.

"MARITZA, TRINITY, DELROY, IVAN? HELP ME!"

Enzo didn't stop running he felt like he was about to pass out he felt blood run down his nose he started to see everything in blur but again he didn't care he kept runing even tho it all hurted.

He did not stop runing he wanted a hug from his parents all he wanted to do was go home.

Thats all he wanted....

[0idril0]

Evan/Brian

It's been a couple of years.... Hi lol

This is just a filler, not really any whump.

-----

Evan scrubbed at his greying beard with a sigh, letting his the long cold mug of chamomile thunk onto the coffee table. 

It hadn’t even been 24 hours yet, had it?? 

A rattling cough drew his attention and he tensed, ready to spring to his feet but Nico didn’t stir further. He listened to the stuttering wheezing and chewed at his chapped lips, debating his next moves. The young man hadn’t moved since Evan had woken up from his brief nap, and he told himself not to think too much into it. If Nico had been in a hospital he’d have been intubated and sedated so he could rest and recover, it wasn’t any wonder that he was practically comatose now. Selene spooning some broth into his mouth last night had been the last time the kid had even twitched.  In fact none of his hodgepodge family had yet to stir this morning, Brian and Kristy were still curled together on a mismatch of blankets on the floor and Selene was still in the cabins kitchen doing who knows what. 

Clint was twitching in his sleep now, stretched out on the couch beside Nico. Lines of exhaustion were etched into the werewolf’s face and Evan watched as his fingers clenched at Nicos forearm before his body relaxed again. The bond would be sapping his strength, trying to feed energy into Nico. Not for the first, nor last time, Evan was grateful that Clint and Nico had been Mates. 

Didn’t want to think of the outcome otherwise. 

His own internal alarm clock was the only reason he was awake, too used to getting up before the sun rose to get to the clinic. Wearily he fumbled with his clipboard and pulled his glasses on to peer at the scrawled numbers, it was- he rolled his wrist, pulling the appendage away slightly so he could focus his aging eyes on his watch-fucking 6:30 in the morning- Jesus it’d only been 2 hours since Selene had sent him off to sleep- had they all really stumbled into his office yesterday at 9am? How had they even had the time to do everything? 

“Bless it…” the mumbled curse was quiet in the dimly lit living room and he squinted at the clip board. Selene had scratched a few numbers onto it during the night, the pulse ox and temperatures a continued line down the thin paper. Every thirty minutes, a new line. The numbers on his clipboard weren’t good, but they’d leveled out slightly throughout the night. The initial numbers scrawled in his handwriting were, quite frankly, distressing enough that he’d considered saying fuck it and calling an ambulance despite Clint’s protests. Only Clint’s insistence had stayed his hand. But only just. Every time he’d voiced the thought the werewolf had growled, eyes flashing in the dim light as he clutched at Nico’s limp hand.

The wolf didn’t like the hospitals after everything that had happened with Markus, and Evan couldn’t say he blamed him. He knew what magic could do for the kid. But he also knew what science and medicine could do. 

He fit the small blood pressure cuff back onto Nico’s skeletally thin arm and hit the start button before fumbling for his pocket to fish out the small pulse ox he’d been using to check Nico’s oxygen levels during the night. Both were cheap, and different from what he used in his animal patients, but the process was the same. Tedious, and necessary. He was honestly shocked the pulse ox worked with how Nico’s hands looked, and he suspected the only reason it was is because of the wards in his office and in the cabin helping in the subtle ways they could. 

The cuff beeped and Evan groaned, 92/40, 92%, HR 115, dutifully scratching the numbers onto his clipboard as he suppressed his mounting distress. Nico wasn’t doing well, no matter that he’d made it through the night here in the cabin. He needed more support than Evan could give him. The stupid temporal thermometer that Brian had picked up yesterday was hiding in a mass of discarded gauze wrappers on the coffee table and Evan grumbled as he pressed it to Nico’s forehead. 101.5. 

At least that number is better than yesterday. Evan leaned his forearms onto his knees and scrubbed at his eyes, trying to think of a solution. He could call Willow. The nymph was a healer too, but she was too deep in the bayou and constantly moving, It had taken over a week the last time he’d tried to find her. Not to mention he didn’t know what she could do that Selene couldn’t. Markus and Illyn were on their way, but they wouldn’t be able to make it until at least tomorrow if not the next day, storms delaying their flights from New York. Nico needed stronger antibiotics than he’d had on hand, oxygen, and definitely blood work. He had no way of checking a humans bloodwork, the chemistry panels at the clinic were set up for dogs not humans. The kid could be in kidney failure or MODS for all he knew, he certainly didn’t have a way to check and Nico had yet to urinate. And he needed X-rays to check his hip. He had no idea if Selene’s magic had fixed his hip or not, and it was always a possibility that he had other injuries. Magic was only so accurate.  Goddamn it… They needed blood work, ct scans, medication… They needed a fucking hospital. 

“Fuck..” 

Evan picked up his phone from where it had fallen on the floor, ignoring the dried blood staining the oak floors. The phone lit up and numerous notifications from his vet tech Noah telling him that his clients had come to get their animals. The last one was from early this morning asking him what the man needed to do with Sunny, who had gone home with the tech last night after Evan had placed a couple of frantic calls to his techs trying to get them to go deal with the mess at the clinic. 

He wanted the old golden retriever with him. And he suspected the dog would be a comfort to the stressed group. He fired off a  texted for Noah to bring him by the cabin when he was done cleaning up the clinic. Then he pulled up his contacts. He had numerous strings he could pull, but he wasn’t sure how some of them would react to what he was asking from them. He plucked at a stray whisker and threw a glance at Clints slumbering form. The wolf was stupidly well off, his frugal life style merely a symptom of how little the werewolf cared about commercialism. 

He could afford, and would want, the best for Nico. 

Even if it meant that he had to call someone he didn’t get along with. 

—— 

Brian groaned as Evan closed the front door, rolling over in time to see the man slipping out with his phone pressed to his ear. He stretched, grumbling as he sat up, trying to  shake off the fitful nap that he’d been able to catch last night. He went boneless for a moment after he stretched, vision swimming momentarily before order was restored and he was able to scrub at his face. The world around him was vibrating fitfully and he grimaced, swiping his gauze covered forearm across the drool crusted on his chin.  “Gross…” 

HIs forearm was throbbing a staccato beat, ramping up the unsteady music around him. He knew the injury would be healed in a couple of days, so couldn’t make himself worry about it as he turned to his friend laid up on the couch. After all, it was just a fucking scratch, not…. That. 

Nico had enough gauze covering his chest and arms to look like a mummy, and still there were open injuries on his face and neck that it made Brian uncomfortable. 

So his forearm hurting was hardly something he felt the need to complain about even if it threw off the rhythm in his chest. Brian let himself listen to Nico’s breathing for a moment and grimaced, the rasping was discordant, rattling harshly against the soft tinkling Kristy let off, and the resonant booming of Clints larger lungs. Everything about the music surrounding Nico was dissonant and wrong, like he in the midst of a horror movie and the killer was around the corner. It put Brian on edge. 

“Shit…” Brian squirmed out from underneath the quilts he and Kristy had pilled up on the floor and checked his phone, grimacing at the time. He was supposed to be taking a final in 3 hours, and he definitely wasn’t going to be making it. He had too much to do today. Including going to the glassmakers shop, which was making his gut roll with nerves. Abramm hadn’t been pleasant the last time they’d met, the man had been fiery and down right mean when he’d said he hadn’t seen Nico. He wondered now if it was because the man had been worried, and angry he was worried. 

He stumbled towards the kitchen and hesitated when he heard the rattle of dishes, and splashing water. Selene was the only one who wasn’t accounted for and Brian hesitated for another minute before entering the kitchen to find the woman scrubbing at a pan in the sink. There were cinnamon rolls, eggs and sausage on the kitchens massive island and Brian felt his mouth water at the sight of it.

No one had been worried about food yesterday, too worried about getting Nico stable to even think about disappearing to find something to eat. And then they’d just fallen where they stood, he and Kristy stumbling over each other as they’d pulled blankets and pillows off the various guest beds into the living room. That’d been just past midnight, and he felt like he’d hardly gotten more than 30 minutes of sleep. 

So to see the mountain of food in front of him…. His stomach grumbled unhappily at him as he stood in shock. 

“Whoa…” 

Selene’s head pivoted and she chuckled at his wide eyed stare. “Get it while it’s hot, there’s plenty more where that came from. And I’m going to the store once I'm done here and getting more supplies so don’t worry about eating too much, there’s going to be plenty to go around.” 

“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Brian grinned, plucking a steaming cinnamon roll from the pan. He knew Clint had had a hard time trusting her yesterday, but he could hear the melody tinkling from her and he didn’t hear a single thing that made him uneasy. In fact, her tune kind of reminded him of Nico when they’d first met, if not a little louder and brighter. 

He could sometimes get a really good read on people, just based on their sound. Martin had been the exception. The Siren had thought the man was just sad, not insane. He wished he’d listened to the mounting discord that had been creeping into Martin’s song lately…. Brian pushed that thought down and bit into the cinnamon roll groaning. “Fucking hell that’s good.” 

“Well I’m glad you like them.” Selene’s blue eyes were mirthful over the deep worry he could sense coming from her and Brian grinned back, covering his own. 

“Like them? They’re the best thing I’ve ever eaten- God-“ Brian shoved another bite into his mouth and reached for a plate, piling it high with eggs and sausage. “I have no idea how I didn’t smell you making this, I think my stomach has been trying to eat my spine in protest since yesterday.” 

“You were all pretty out of it when I woke up last night, you needed some rest.” Selene placed the pan in the dish rack, drying her slender hands on her apron as she maneuvered her way over to the counter to snag the coffee pot from it’s cradle.  “What’re you planning on doing today?” 

“I need to find Abramm,” Brian managed around a mouthful of eggs, nodding gratefully at the cup of coffee that Selene placed in front of him. “Nico was asking for him, and I think I know who- and where- he is. And I don’t think Clint should be leaving him right now.” 

“No, he needs to stay here.” Selene’s response was so fast Brian heard a gong as her anxiety  spiked. “He can’t leave, not until Nico’s more stable, that bond is one of the only things keeping Nico as stable as he is right now.” 

“Uh huh…” Brian stopped chewing, eyeing the anxious pull of Selene’s ice blue eyes. He didn’t think she’s be that concerned about Nico in such a short period of time. But what the fuck did he know, he’d been attached to the guy since they’d first met, why wouldn’t some random stranger who had never seen the guy upright. “Yeah… I figured he should stay, and I’d try to find this guy.” 

Selene pulled her dreadlocks around her shoulder and turned back to the sink, avoiding Brians searching gaze. “Good. So tell me about him.” 

“About Abramm??” Brian slurped some coffee from his mug, washing down the lump of eggs. “I’ve never met the guy.” 

“No, not Abramm,” Selene snorted, sending him a scathing look. “Tell me about Nico. Where’s he from, what’s he like?? I still don’t know anything about the kid, just what Kristy let slip on the ride over here and that wasn’t much to go on. Just that he was your friend, and absolutely nothing about what the hell happened to him.” 

Brian hummed, feeling like he was missing a note in Selene’s question but unable to place it. “Well we don’t really know what happened to him either, just that I found him tied up yesterday and somehow Martin is to blame… But Nico… I met him my first year at college, he helped me with some of my art history homework. He knew everything I needed like he was reading it straight from the book, dudes super fucking smart. I have no idea how he knew it all already, he said it was his first year too. But I think he just loved all of it so much that he already knew it, if you know what I mean. He’s a pretty great listener, and he’d one of the nicest guys. But he’s really quiet, doesn’t really talk about his past much.” 

“In fact he doesn’t really talk at all if he can help it.” Brian grinned, Brian didn’t feel bad about the lie, Nico hadn’t meant to tell him anything about his past, and he certainly wasn’t about to spill all of his secrets to some woman he’d only just met. That wouldn’t be fair at all. 

“I think he said his family was from Romania or something-“ Selene stiffened and Brian pretended not to notice, taking another bite out of a sausage. “But he’d met Daniel, the guy that used to own the glassmakers shop, when he was 19? I think? And he’d been working there for a couple years, and he lived in an apartment above the shop.” Brian shrugged,” Daniel died about 6 months before I met him, and left the shop and the apartment to him. I thought he’d just decide to sell and moved on without telling anyone. That Abramm guy hadn’t mentioned anything about it, but it’d only been a few weeks since the last time I’d seen Nico, I just assumed….He’s pretty private and I wouldn’t have been surprised honestly….” 

He pushed down the spike of guilt he felt at that fact, he would never forgive himself for not doing everything he could to find Nico when he realized that he was gone. He’d have been able to prevent months of torture if he’d just fucking looked for him.  Brian sniffed, putting down his mug and pushing the mostly consumed plate away. “He was super good at glass blowing though,” Selene’s eyebrows rose, something akin to affection coloring her gaze. “And Abramm is the master smith that works there now, so I guess they work together. To be honest, I’m not really sure how close they are. Nico and I didn’t get to talk about his journeyman ship much before he disappeared. We mainly talked about classes, and other college stuff.” 

Brian studied his mug glumly. He hardly knew anything about Nico now that he thought about it. Nico had spilled some of his secrets about his foster families, about how he’d met Daniel but he’d been pretty tight lipped about the shop. And Brian had only been to the apartment over the shop a couple of times before Nico had disappeared. He wondered if Nico would have opened up any if he’d pushed harder, but no, Brian snorted and pushed away that thought. Nico was closed lip and skittish, if he’d pushed harder he fears that Nico would have just shut down and disappeared. He did every time Brian had pushed him, like he was one of those dogs that ran away from their rescuers. Brian had just had to sit back and wait, and Nico would respond, inching closer, their trust growing the longer Brian was just around. 

But maybe he would have been safe from Martin then. 

Scratching at his tangled hair Brian gave the witch a grimacing smile, the best he could do at the moment. She seemed to accept that that was all the information she was going to get, and they chatted idly for a few minutes as Brian finished off his rapidly cooling breakfast. He thought about sending out a probing note, to try to find out more about the witch that Kristy had apparently known for most of her life but resisted. He didn’t want to use his powers to get to know Selene, or Kristy, didn’t want to abuse the trust that they’d been building. Like he had when he met Nico.  He wanted whatever they had to be fucking real. So he just talked, cracking a couple of jokes while the witch tussled with the extremely large pot on the stove and enjoyed the food. 

He stuffed the last bit of his cinnamon roll in his mouth and scooped up his keys from the counter where he’d thrown them last night.  “I better get going, I have no idea how long Nico will be asleep, and I don’t think I could stand it if Nico woke up looking for this guy again.” 

Selene hummed an agreement, walking with him to the back door. “I’ll be following you soon, I’ll steal Kristy’s keys, looks like there’s a grocery store a couple miles up the road that’ll have enough supplies for us.” 

Brian laughed, “Be careful with it, that car is practically held together by duct tape, we only used it yesterday because it’s the biggest.” 

Selene huffed, a disgruntled frown on her face, “Oh I know, I was trapped in it for hours yesterday. Be safe. Watch your back.” 

The Siren hummed out a note, winking. “I will be.” 

He rounded the porch and stumbled to a halt when he saw Evan pacing by his Jeep, phone pressed against his ear. 

“Right, Right, I fucking get it— But we need the help.“ There was a deep line of worry to the mans forehead and Brian sent out a short whistle, catching the mans attention as he walked up.

“Going to the glass shop.” He whispered, and Evan nodded, growling into the phone as he clapped Brian on the shoulder and walked away from the Sirens searching gaze.  

What the fuck. Brian climbed into his jeep, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling in his gut as he watched Evan yell into the phone again. Whatever that was, was going to be interesting. 

[tickels]

I am a SUCKER for some Ticci Toby x Eyeless Jack context and I'm just not on that side yet so I just thought I'd feed it a little bit. Some grammar errors so be wary.

Jack only let out a sigh as it watched toby not listen to its warning and just drink some of the coffee. shaking its head as it looked away for him, towards the door way where the noise was coming from. a small growl left it when it heard Jeff's voice.

"hah, go right the fuck ahead. I'll hold Tim and Brian back for you"

Jack snickered at the thought of toby beating Jeff up. that made the creature sort of happy, despite knowing almost everyone had at least once wanted to beat the smiling killer the fuck up.

Jack let out a deep hum, looking over at toby when it heard that. "probably something stupid again, like always" It shrugged, not really caring about those two at all. taking the mug as it took another sip, placing its mask back correctly over its face afterwards.

"..I.. don't know" Jack whispered, it didn't want to deal with the punishment or whatever that sick bastard had planned for the two. Maybe if it ran away.. it could escape.. not have the punishment at all but it knew damn well that wasn't happening.

"Jeff-" Before Jack could even finish speaking that name, the fucking bastard walked in the door, as always having that stupid cocky grin on his face. "morningggg, how was your night. hmmm Tobias" Jeff said his name with a teasing tone almost. moving to the other side of Jack though. "didn't think i'll see you here though, thought you hated the public, hmm"

Jack only shook its head as it looked away from him and continued with its drink.

"hmm Jeffery." Speak of the devil and he comes, er, something like that. He stared disappointingly that it didnt turn out how he wanted to. Toby then blankly stared at Jeff. When Jeff started to pick at Jack, he glared at him.

"Jeff shut up. Pick on someone your own size or get the fuck out."

Toby hissed, but it was too wet to hold any real heat to turn the conversation back to him; clearly shorter then Jeff.. not mentioning that Jack was taller then the both of them. He had felt bad that he had basically dragged Jack out here when it just wanted to get in and out.

"And here i thought you knew that being an annoying prick hasnt turned out well for you."

He had pushed himself off the counter and stepped forward a bit. "Or is it just your own id- idiocy?" Toby slipped over his words, wincing just a bit knowing thats something Jeff would immediately go for. Hell, most people would if they were in an argument with him.

It is somewhat embarrassing for him, having trouble with his voice is embarrassing enough. Toby isn't the one for verbal communication, conversations, arguments, ect. Of course having some slip ups with his words would immediately shut him down if they were to make fun of him for it. It's seeming like it would go that way this time around.

Jack's head right away turned towards the doorway when it heard the annoying from from the other man that had just walked in. Great.. A deep sigh left Jack as it chose to just try and ignore, looking away from him. back to it's drink. Although clearly that wasn't gonna happen.

A small scoff left Jeff when he heard Toby reply to whatever bullshit that he had said. "oh now why would i do that. that's no fun. " He rolled his eyes as he got closer to toby. smirking to himself, he wanted to pick a fight with toby, despite knowing he probably shouldn't since he got in trouble with masky and probably didn't want a hatchet in his head. but he wasn't that smart..

He ignored that part, rolling his eyes as he crossed his arms. his gaze locked onto the shorter male. A smirk right away crept back onto his face when he had heard him stutter. finding it funny for some stupid reason.

He faked stuttered with a snicker between a few words "O-oh n-no. whatever will I fucking do. i thought you were the i-idiot? clearly you are, failing such a simple mission. no wonder masky thinks your a failure at your job-"

Jack slammed it's cup down, finally doing something. A growl left the demon as it stood up, making its way over to the two or well more so to Jeff. "Jeffrey, I think its best you leave" Another growl left it as it got right infront of Jeff by now. who wasn't backing down either.

"tch, protecting the fucking dumbass now. huh. since when does the oh great emotionless demon care about someone. hm? how about you just go and be a good mutt and sit your ass do-" Before Jeff could finish what he wanted to say. Jack had grabbed onto the collar of his hoodie and was dragging him out of the kitchen, heading straight for the doorway. ignoring Jeff's yelling." asshole let go!!"

[spookymystery67]

I Wish I Could Walk In Heels

AN: Took me all day to re-read and edit this chapter and I'm still not 100% happy with it, but it is what it is. I hope you all enjoy it!

TW: Death, gore, zombie dogs, Brian Irons, language, angst, mention of sexual assault, ect. Typical Resident Evil stuff.

September 29, 1998-

Chapter 8:

"Why didn't you tell that man who the cause of all this was?" Claire asked you as she and the rest followed your lead through the streets to the orphanage. You've had to kill a few zombies and zombie dogs here and there. But nothing too extreme that your group of four couldn't handle.

"Because it wouldn't have changed anything. His wife would still be dead. His daughter would have still died. What would he have done with that information?"

"He could have fought with us. Instead of-" Leon started.

"Instead of killing himself? Look Leon, Kendo had already made up his mind right when his wife died and his daughter was infected. He had his chance last night to get out of here and decided to stay. He wouldn't have changed his mind. Not because of anything I would say to him. He didn't know me." You told him firmly.

"You could've-" You interrupt him once more, not bothering to stop your fast pace to the orphanage.

"You could have let Ben and I out sooner if you believed him. If the chips were nearby, you could have saved him. If I had paid more attention and seen Irons coming, I could have gotten Ben and Katherine out of here already. I could have stopped this whole thing a week ago if I wasn't a wimp and just shot William Birkin. Hell, Annette Birkin could have ended it if she shot him. The military could have. The police could have. Umbrella could have. So many possibilities, yet this is what is happening right now." You gestured out to the city as you paused in your step. "And there isn't much control I or any of us have over the situation. Bottom line, stop focusing on what you or I could have done in the past to improve what is happening now. Focus on what you can do right now to prevent shit from getting worse for us later. Okay?" You tell him.

He thought your words over for a moment before nodding in agreement. There is no point in focusing on what could have happened.

"You sound like you needed to hear that more than I did." He commented.

"Yeah, well, it's been a long week." You sighed.

"I just got here. So did Claire." Leon stated, trying to keep conversation going.

"I can tell, you're both nowhere near as filthy as I am." You snorted. "And Ada clearly just got here too. No way in hell she has been running around in those heels all week." 

"What's with you and my shoes?" Ada questioned, torn between amused and annoyed.

"I will admit, part of me is slightly jealous that you can walk in those so easily. I wouldn't be able to wear a pair of heels to save my life." You said, as you glanced at her. "And what's with the sunglasses? It's night time. Are you trying to maintain an air of mystery or something?" You teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"Sure. If that's what you want to think." Ada snorted. You nodded, a slight smile on your face.

Yes. That's exactly what she was doing.

"There's the gate to the orphanage." Claire pointed out. The gate in question had cartoon animals painted on it, so you knew she was right.

You paused when you heard a series of growls behind your group. You all quickly turned to look behind you and saw a horde of zombie dogs running in your direction. Too fast and too many for you to comfortably shoot at the moment.

"Run!" Leon yelled. Your group had no arguments as you all ran toward the orphanage gate as fast you could. Ada in the lead. Which, again, heels. How?

You quickly slammed the gate shut and locked it behind you. You gasped for breath and turned to check on everyone.

"Okay?" They nodded and you nodded back. "Alright. Onwards." You said as you quickly walked up the long cobblestone path to the front door and opened it, briefly escaping the rain.

The place was full of children's stuff. You had two choices on where you could go. Up the stairs or down the hall.

"Maybe we can split up?" 

Just as Leon suggested that, you heard a scream of pain. The voice sounded male. You all quickly ran down the hall toward the noise. A little girl ran into you with a gasp, before quickly hiding behind you.

"You little bitch! You'll pay for that!" Irons yelled, before pausing when he came face to face with you and your handgun pointed directly at his face.

"Hey, Chief. Long time no see." You spat, glaring darkly at the man. You notice burn marks on his face and smirk. "Nice job, Sherry." 

Sherry seemed a little conflicted with the praise. On one hand, she hurt someone. On the other hand, that someone was an awful person who was going to hurt her.

"Seriously, good job." Claire reassured her as she led Sherry further behind the group. Leon and Ada each had a gun in hand just in case Irons tried anything funny.

"Thanks." Sherry whispered shyly.

"Alright, you know why I'm here, Irons. Where's Katherine?" You asked, the gun held steady in your grasp.

He stumbled for a response, eyes darting every which way for a possible exit. Your eyes narrowed.

"Don't make me ask again. Where is she?" You were getting more and more pissed off the longer he hesitated. Your worry began gnawing at your stomach, making you feel a little nauseous.

"There's a girl on the table." Sherry said.

"You little-" you cut him off with a click as you cocked your pistol.

“Shut up. Where, Sherry? In that room?" You asked as calmly as you could, pointing toward the direction she came running from.

"Y-yes. But I don't think she's okay." Sherry hesitated.

Your heart dropped. You grit your teeth and clenched your jaw. You took a deep breath in an attempt to maintain calm. "Really? Well, why don't we go see? Claire, stay with Sherry please." 

She nodded. "Of course. Come on, Sherry. We'll wait in the lobby." She grabbed Sherry's hand and led her away from what is likely about to be a very violent scene.

"You two can do whatever you want. I'm taking Irons here to see the damage." You said to Ada and Leon. You grabbed Irons arm roughly and placed the gun against his head so he wouldn't try anything.

"We'll go with you. In case you need back up." Leon stated. Ada simply nodded in agreement.

Leon clearly wanted to assist you out of the kindness of his heart. You couldn't tell why Ada would help you. Those large sunglasses really do block any minuscule signs of emotion, making it extremely difficult to read her. You assumed that was probably the point.

"Alright, after you. No funny business." You told Irons as you shoved him forward, arm still held tightly in your grasp.

He reluctantly moved forward. He opened the door to the room and you shoved him forward once more when he hesitated in the doorway.

You walked in and examined the room, nearly wanting to throw up as you gasped at the sight before you, letting go of the man's arm in shock.

It was Katherine, lying flat on the table in her pretty white dress. Her skin was paler with a tint of blue to it. 

You hesitantly walked forward and reached out to check her pulse, flinching slightly when you felt her slightly cool skin. Her heartbeat was gone. She hadn't been gone long.

Katherine was dead.

Irons turned to run away once he was out of your grasp, but Leon grabbed him by the arms and Ada quickly pointed her gun at him, making him freeze once more.

Tears were sliding down your face for what seemed like the millionth time today. You had been so close. So close to saving her. But you were too late.

Despite your conversation with Leon earlier, your mind couldn't help but go through the what-ifs and what you could have done differently. For starters, you could have not stopped and wasted your time with conversations. You could have not stopped at Kendo's gun shop and looked through it to see if there was anything of use left. You could have just made a run for it from the police station to the damn orphanage.

What if. 

Could have. 

What could have been.

You sniffled and choked back a sob, turning to glare at the man responsible with pure hatred rolling through every fiber of your being. You hated this man. You loathed him. And you wanted him gone.

Your tears had fallen down your face and you wiped them away, not wanting to look weak in front of the man. You raised your gun at him, ready to shoot his fucking face off. Ada and Leon stood back and watched the scene unfold, guns in hand in case something were to go wrong.

Irons fully laughed at you, deranged and disbelieving. "You won't shoot me, girl. You couldn't. Even if you wanted to." 

You laughed bitterly. "I wouldn't be so sure about that." Your sharp eyes pierced through his. If you didn't know anything about this man, the psychotic look on his burned face would tell you exactly everything you'd need to know. 

He did this.

You walked closer to Irons and held your gun steadily toward him.

"You're going to confirm everything I know. Out loud!" You told him, the venom in your voice and gun raised directly at his forehead showing him how serious you are.

"And why would I do that?" 

"Because I will shoot you if you don't." You pushed the barrel of the gun on his forehead for emphasis.

He went to grab the gun in his holster, but you quickly reared back and pistol whipped him in the face, hard, knocking him back and sending him to the floor, grunting. 

"Toss the gun away, or the next thing I do with this gun is kill you!" You snapped.

He seemed to understand that you weren't joking around. Still sprawled on the ground with a bruised and bloodied cheek, burn marks on his now disfigured face.

He now looked on the outside how he was on the inside, in your opinion. 

Slowly, he grabbed the gun from his side and put it on the ground.

"Slide it to them." You motion with your head towards Ada and Leon, and he reluctantly slid his gun across the room toward the exit, Ada quickly picked it up.

"Stand up, and back up toward the wall." He did as you said, away from any doors or windows to run from, leaving you standing by the table with the body of your dead best friend. But you refused to look away from him.

"Now, I want you to answer everything I ask truthfully. Do you understand?" He nodded, eyes glaring into you. "Did you or did you not accept bribes from Umbrella to keep the police from investigating them?"

"I did." He confirmed.

"Did you or did you not, become in charge of the Raccoon City Orphanage to help disguise Umbrella's use of child test subjects and experimentation?" Leon gasped slightly at the question, not understanding how anyone could go as far as to hurt children in the name of science.

"I did." Irons eyes darted for an exit strategy, but stopped when Ada pointed her gun at him in your support. Leon followed her action by raising his own gun.

"LOOK AT ME!" You shouted angrily, causing everyone to jump and Irons to look at you. "Are you or are you not a rapist and a serial killer?"

"...I am."

"Did you or did you not kill your secretary this June after she uncovered your dealings with Umbrella?"

He glanced away, and you turned your gun and shot it at the wall on his left side. He jumped and shouted in surprise, raising his arms up higher. 

"I did!"

"Did you snatch eight young women off the streets and murder them?" 

"I did."

"Did you turn their bodies into taxidermy? Is that why the police couldn't find their bodies?"

"Yes, I did." His face showed a sliver of sick joy at the thought of it, making you and everyone else feel uneasy.

You walked a step closer, gun held steady.

"You locked Ben up and left him for dead." 

"I did." He spat at the mention of the man. The man who almost gave him away. Who almost ruined everything for him.

"You sabotaged the police department and killed many officers and pedestrians in the process." Your hands began to shake slightly, rage bottling up to an all time high.

"I did." The joy of his deranged features increased.

"You killed, Katherine." Your breathing increased as you attempted to calm your shaking hands and rapidly beating heart. 

"No." You paused briefly, confused. "No, I let her go." He continued. "Then I hunted her down through the halls of the station like a wild animal." 

Your shaking hands increased, heartbeat pounding in your ear drums, yet you continued to hear every word from the man.

"She almost got away. Almost. She would have, if she wasn't so predictable in going toward the cell blocks. She was running to save you. You should have heard the screams. She called for you. Y/n. That's your name right? That's the name she yelled as I dragged the bitch by her hair through the station." Irons mocked.

Tears burned at your eyes and your breathing had turned to hyperventilating. The anger that burned at your chest was practically painful.

"You were supposed to protect them!" You yelled furiously. You were not only implying Katherine, but everyone else who had fallen victim to the horrible man.

"I was never going to protect them. Katherine was a goner as soon as the mayor left her in my care. She was always meant to be my trophy. He just made it easier for me to get her." His laugh was cruel, any sanity within him long gone.

If he ever had any at all.

The laughing was cut off by a bullet to the neck. He froze in shock for a moment, all eyes turned to look at the smoking gun in your hands in surprise. 

You did it. 

You actually did it. 

His injury caught up to him and he collapsed to the floor, choking on his own blood as he took desperate gasps for air.

You pointed your gun down and glanced at the table to your right. You could have mistaken her for sleeping if her eyes weren't wide open. You slowly stepped up to her and used two fingers to close her eyelids for good. 

There, now she looked like she was at peace. Simply asleep.

If only.

Your eyes turned back to the man gurgling on the floor. No, the monster. He was far worse than those things outside. The things that used to be innocent people that you feel you have failed. Maybe if you had done something sooner. But what could you have done? Everyone with power in this city, in this country, was in on it. You and Ben were doomed from the start. 

You stared with distant eyes, ears still ringing from the sudden gun shot, as Irons looked around desperately for any chance of something, anything, saving him. You walked forward as he choked on the floor, crouching down to his level with a dark glare in your slightly red eyes and dried tears on your face as the ringing subsided.

"You don't deserve a quick and painless death. Even this is less than you deserve. It's a pity I can't make this last." You spat, rage still writhing in your chest. You watched as the blood ran down his hands that were desperately clutching at his throat.

"I never wanted to do this. I never wanted to murder anyone. You forced my hand, Irons. You've done too much harm in this world for too long. It's about time someone stops you." 

Fueled by rage and adrenaline, you grabbed him by his graying hair and dragged him out of the room, moving Ada and Leon aside as you walked through the lobby past Claire and Sherry. Pushing the front door open to the yard, you dragged the man to the front gate where the zombie dogs were previously blocked. You pulled the gate open and pushed the choking man through.

You whistled to gather the attention of the zombie dogs that had went elsewhere. The six dogs came running and growling, immediately gathering around the former Chief.

They brutally bit and teared and ate away at Irons. He jerked and yelled through his bloodied throat. The gurgling sound was truly pathetic. You watched with distant eyes as he was ripped apart.

 You didn't feel any better now that he was dead. Your friends were still gone. All those people were still dead. The only thing you may have accomplished just now was preventing Irons from hurting anyone else in the future.

You shook your head to get rid of your thoughts and quickly shut the gate. You took a deep breath to compose yourself, counted to 10, before walking back inside.

"Did you really have to kill him?" Leon questioned as you walked through the door. Him and Ada had moved to the lobby to wait for you.

You glared. "What should I have done? Let you arrest him?"

"Not kill him." Leon said. You sighed in frustration.

"Okay, we get it, you're a great guy. Never change, Leon. But something you should know about me, I don't let people who hurt the ones I care about get away unscathed. And frankly, Irons had it coming. One way or another he wasn't making it out of this city. I sure as hell wouldn't have taken him with me. Would you have?" You asked. 

You maybe could have been a little nicer about it. After all, it was a valid question. Did you really have to kill him?

Murder wasn't right. But your emotions and your anger had gotten the best of you. You never thought you would become a murderer. You never understood how someone could just go through with ending another person's life like that.

You shocked yourself when you pulled that trigger. When you dragged the man who was twice your size out the door to be eaten alive. When you ended his life for good. 

Maybe you were no better than Irons.

Leon looked conflicted. He knew murder was wrong. But all Irons did was hurt and murder people. Should he really be all that upset about it?

He stayed silent and you nodded. What's done is done.

"Great. Glad we solved that problem. Now, NEST?" You looked around for Sherry and Claire. "Where the hell did Sherry and Claire go? They were here a few minutes ago."

"Something spooked Sherry and she ran away. Claire went after her." Leon explained.

"Where?" 

"Over here." Ada motioned to the door. "Any ideas where this leads?"

You reach into your bag for the map of NEST you found when you first went. "That would be the entrance to NEST. I guess we'll catch up to them." You turned to look back toward the room where your friend still lied. 

"Do you want to say good-bye?" Leon asked. Ada stayed silent, letting you decide what you wanted to do next.

You shook your head after a moment. "No. It won't change anything. Let's just go." You started leading the way.

"It could give you closure." Leon said.

"Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do here. But stop. We have a job to do. Plus, I can tell Ada is getting impatient." You stated.

"I could still give you a few minutes." Ada offered. She wasn't as cold at that moment as she had been all night. You were thankful for her and Leon's offer, but you didn't think you would be able to hold it together if you saw Katherine again. It was best to move on. 

No matter how painful it was for you.

"No. Again, I appreciate it. But, no. Let's just move on." You turned your back to the room, not wanting to look any longer.

You walked down the tunnel to the elevator at the end. Once you all had gathered inside, you pressed the button and the elevator began its descent.

"So, what do you want to know, Ada? From what I've gathered, you know a lot already." You said, attempting to break the uncomfortable silence that had surrounded the small space.

"I know mostly everything that you know. I know that Annette Birkins is the one responsible for this mess. And I'm going to bring her down. What I need to know from you is where the G-virus is so I can do that." Ada explained.

The elevator stopped and you all walked out. You followed the map leading you further down the tunnels toward NEST.

"Well, I can show you Birkins lab. We might have to take a look around the facility, though. There were people taking samples of the virus to sell on the blackmarket. So I doubt there is anything left in Birkins lab." Ada nodded in agreement.

"How can they have a whole underground facility without the authorities knowing?" Leon questioned.

"Welcome to corporate America. Umbrella's controlled Raccoon City for years." Ada deadpanned.

"Yeah, Irons was Chief of police and worked with Umbrella, remember? No one was looking for a secret underground facility. Well, no one until Ben and I." You explained.

"You said you were there on the night this all started?" Ada asked.

"Yeah. Looking for intel. I had a man from the inside help me get in here." 

"Get anything good?" 

"Yes. Information on the viruses, and additional things, the scientists were working on down here. What Umbrella did with the kids in the orphanage. Dealings they had with authority figures. I had proof, but I lost it at some point throughout the week." You lied. 

You weren't going to tell Ada you gave the drive away to a S.T.A.R.S member. Truth be told, you didn't really trust her. Or Leon for that matter. They were strangers. The only reason you were still helping them was because they held up their end of the bargain and took you to Katherine. Even though it turned out to be too late, you still appreciated them trying.

"What was yours and Ben's goal? Why go through all this trouble?" Leon asked. You felt saddened at the mention of Ben, but tried to shake it off.

"Well, for Ben, it started out as a good story. He was a private journalist. Hired me when I was looking for a job." You reminisced. "But it slowly morphed from a good story to a need to shut the bastards down. To show the citizens of Raccoon City what their officials and so called "heroes" were really up to. To show the world. We had to stop them."

"A little ambitious for a couple of private journalists." Ada commented.

"Oh, we were in way over our heads." You agreed. "But we already got so far with the information we collected. We couldn't just stop. We had to see it through. And then, well, everything happened." You sighed sadly.

"Are you getting cold feet?" Ada asked. She couldn't tell if you wanted to continue with the mission or if you wanted to back out. She wouldn't give you the option to leave. She needed your knowledge. 

"No. I want to see this through. Even if it kills me. At this point, I don't think that is entirely out of the realm of possibilities." 

"We'll be fine." Leon said, clearly determined to make it and for everything to be alright.

"Hmm, an optimist and a hero, Leon? Never change. From what I've seen, the world could use more people like you." You said.

You made it to a door and Leon pushed you back slightly to open it first, just in case something dangerous was on the other side.

"Definitely Williams handiwork…" A woman said, crouched over a dead body. You all quietly make your way inside.

"Identify yourself!" Leon said, holding up his gun.

Ada held her gun up. "Annette Birkin."

"She's who we're looking for? The one who created the viruses?" Leon asked. You nodded.

"Not much time… Need to dispose of it." Annette muttered.

"We're here for the G-virus!" Ada said.

"Huh, that's not gonna happen." Annette scoffed. She noticed you standing there and furrowed her brow in confusion.

"I'm warning you, doctor." Ada said.

"Oh yeah?" Annette tossed a lighter to the body, setting it on fire and ran away.

"STOP!" Ada yelled. She rushed after her around the corner and you want to follow.

Gunshots went off and Leon quickly went to cover Ada, who was in the line of fire. You stayed ducked behind the wall, out of range. Leon fell to the ground, having been shot through the shoulder. Ada tried shooting Annette, but she ran past a thick, steel metal door as it shut.

"You'll never get the G-virus!" Annette yelled as the metal door shut.

"Didn't expect that from a scientist." Ada snarked. You noticed her sunglasses had been knocked off her face.

"Honestly, I'm not surprised." You said. Leon groaned in pain on the ground, catching your attention.

"Leon…" Ada ducked to the ground, leaning over to check on his wound. You followed.

"Forget about me… Just go… Stop her before she gets away." Leon passed out right after those words. Ada looked conflicted, before she finally decided to stay and help patch up his wound.

"Can you help me patch him up?" Ada asked you.

"I don't really have much knowledge on that stuff. I have a first aid kit though." You hesitated.

"That's fine. Just hand it here and do as I say." Ada said. 

You nodded and kneeled on the floor beside her and Leon, digging through your bag to grab the first aid kit you had.

"Here." You handed her the kit. She nodded her thanks and started patching Leon up.

"So, do you have to do this often?" You asked.

"Do what?" Ada asked.

"Patch yourself or someone up. You seem to know what you're doing." You said as you watched her work.

Ada shrugged. "It's basic training. Everyone in the FBI knows this." 

"Right. And in the FBI, do they also teach the women to kick ass in heels and wear sunglasses in the dark?" You teased. 

Ada snorted and smirked. "The heels again? No. That's just my thing. Why, you interested?"

"In what? You?" You asked stupidly.

Ada actually laughed at that. "No, in joining the FBI." 

You blushed in embarrassment. "Right. Uh, no. After all this, I think I've had enough of corporate America to last a lifetime."

"Hmm, so what are you gonna do? When all of this is over?" She asked as she began wrapping Leon's wound.

"I- I don't know. Lay low? Stay out of trouble for a while. Find some place to live." You shrugged.

"Any ideas on where?" 

"No. I honestly haven't thought about it much. I had a solid thing going on before the outbreak. I had my apartment. I had my friends. I had a job where I was actually doing something that felt important. And as weird as it sounds, despite all of the danger we were putting ourselves in, I was happy." You trailed off.

"And now?" Ada questioned.

"And now it's all gone. All of it. My apartment. My job…. My friends. I honestly don't know how to go on with life after this."

Ada sighed as she finished patching up Leon's shoulder. "One day at a time. That's a start." She stood up and held her hand out to help you stand. You took it.

"We'll go after Annette in a few moments. Take a breather." She said as she helped you to your feet.

"We'll just leave him here?" You asked, referring to Leon.

"Well, we can't take him when he's passed out. He'll be fine. The area is secure." Ada said. You hesitated before nodding in agreement. 

She's right. He's a big boy, he'll be alright.

[saintsir4n]

LOVE AND WAR

what johnny tran said to brian during race wars.

WARNINGS: violence and foul language

-

Security surrounded the explosive scene. Dom was hastily pulled off Johnny. The accusation that Dom narc'd on Johnny was enough to throw punches. Even Letty let her fist collide with Lance's face.

Brian rushed over the moment he heard. Carson was off racing and Mia was cheering along, unaware of what was happening.

Just as Dom, Leon and Vince were about to rush off, Johnny continued his taunts.

"Yo Toretto tell blondie, that Summer is still available to me. that their little boyfriend and girlfriend titles don't mean nothin'," the injured man spat out from where he laid on the ground, growling at the street team who halted in their stride.

the vicious words drew Brian in, he managed to push passed security just as the other guys all exchanged looks.

"What did you just say?" Brian stormed over, his anger was as evident like the rest of them.

Dom sent a nod to Letty, advising her to go off, just in case things got uglier.

"You heard me," Johnny bitterly laughed, wiping the blood with his mouth and pulling himself off of the ground, just as the blonde appeared in front of him.

"Nah I don't think I did. say it again."

"Summer is easy --"

Dom and Vince had no chance to stop Brian before he threw a punch to the man's nose, the crack echoed through the rowdy crowd.

Leon didn't realise the full extent of Brian's feelings for Carson. Sure they would all go to war for the girl, but he was more than angry.

Was it more than lust, or was it just possessiveness? Or did he even love the girl?

"Dom get the buster!" Brian heard Vince yell as he pummelled Johnny.

His rage was undeniable but before he could throw another punch, Dom and a member of security dragged him off the man.

"Keep talking Tran!" Brian thrashed around, glaring at the man.

Adrenalin was coursing through him, so he couldn't feel his throbbing fist.

"Cool off O'Connor," Dom pushed him with Leon and Vince in tow, away from security and the rest of the crowds.

"You gonna let him talk about your godsister like that?" Brian didn't understand why they weren't as angry as him.

"Watch it," Vince hissed.

Dom's stare hardened, "I said cool off."

"Did you hear what he said?" Brian pressed with a crazed look in his eye.

Leon stood back, arms folded, not sure what to do.

"I heard what he said and I saw what he did. he said things that he didn't mean, said shit that doesn't make sense. Jesse ain't here and he's gonna want what is owed to him, so until then keep your hands to yourself," Dom jabbed a finger in his direction.

"What he said about the raid Dom --" Leon was cut off with a sharp look from Dom.

Vince stressed, "Let's get outta here."

"You wait for Summer to win her race," Dom demanded, staring at the infuriated blonde.

"Where are you guys going?" Brian pressed, sceptically glancing between the three.

"Wait here!" Dom repeated, raising his voice then Vince forcibly ushered them all along.

Brian stood there huffing and running his hands through his curls. He knew he shouldn’t have lost his cool, but it was Sonny, his Sonny. He wasn’t going to let comments like that slide, even if it caused more trouble.

But that’s the thing, trouble followed him where-ever he went, it was only an amount of time before it caught up and everyone found out the truth about what he was really doing in LA.

-

(unedited)

considering that brian is a police officer and is trained, he would 100% be beating up any and everyone just for slandering his girl. even throughout the film series, we saw how he was fighting someone every hour.

[lordspiders]

so me and my best friend have been roleplaying together and building our own slendermansion au for a few years now and i thought i'd write some random little canon facts for yall even tho nobody asked.

• Jeff learned Spanish to shit talk the others without consequences. jane speaks spanish and brian knows a handful, but jeff doesn't know that.

• jeff has partial albinism and dyes his hair - that's why his eyes are red and his skin is so pale.

• ej was a medical student in his last year before he was sacrificed. he's about 28-32 ish.

•BEN 100% knows about the fanfics. he died at 13 but he's been dead for a while, so his looks and maturity are around 18-23 years old. he's a stoner

• smile dog is super intelligent and is jeff's partner, not his pet. they have a really close emotional bond. when jeff is emotionally involved with someone, he introduces them to smile.

• ej has a tail and some more cat behaviors - he purrs, hisses, growls, rubs his head against his s/o when he's feeling playful

• ej's very dna changed after he became a demon, he has unique fingerprints, blood, spit, dna, so forensics cannot track him.

•Tim and Masky have DID - masky is confrontational and helps tim be assertive and protect the body. he's a protector, he isn't evil - he's just not afraid to get his hands dirty to protect the body. Their system also has a few other alters that rarely front. Tim is the host, Masky is the co-host and is the most common fronter if tim isn't there, but they have a memory holder/trauma holder, a middle (13 ish), a gatekeeper, and a little who RARELY fronts. the gatekeeper is trying to get them to stop smoking but is struggling lmao.

• liu/sully do NOT have did. Sully is sort of a persona, rather then an actual alter. liu is struggling with grief and ptsd and just wants answers from jeff.

• brian loves playing with sally and genuinely enjoys their time together.

• the residents of the mansion keep LJ separate from Sally, as with any other potential children.

[mechanicalowls]

Want Me To

a terrornoss fic inspired by my possibly in michigan animatic

ao3 link

chapter 5 - the shadow man and the stand mixer

rating: m (for graphic depictions of violence, heavy language, possession, manipulation, and shadow man evan being shadow man evan)

chapter under the cut:

It didn't take any amount of supernatural powers to hear the echoing sobs of one of the wannabe girls; and a quieter voice attempting to shush her.

Brian shuddered in fear. The shadow man smirked, and pressed his palm to Brian's bruised chest. The jolt of icy pain set Brian straight, making him groan in discomfort.

The shadow man made a beeline for the smoothie counter the two wannabes were hiding behind. He wasted no time in grabbing both women by the roots of their hair, causing both to scream bloody murder. The one that had been sobbing violently fought the hardest, scratching at Brian’s arm and drawing blood in the process.

Brian winced, and the shadow man growled inside his head.

The other girl was thrown across the hall, skidding across the tile with a loud scream. The shadow man dragged the crying woman back behind the counter, taking no heed with the way she was slammed against the shelves in the process. Brian followed the shadow man's gaze, and he felt his heart drop into his gut.

He watched in horrified curiosity as the shadow man tangled the still thrashing woman's hair around the hand of the giant stand mixer. Her screams echoed throughout the entire mall, and Brian had to slam his eyes closed as he felt the shadow man flip the switch. The woman's screams mixed with the sound of the running mixer scalping her alive. He felt himself crouch down to look her in the face as her flesh was ripped from her skull.

You can look now, Bri.

He shook his head wildly, pressing his lips together firmly.

I said look at her Brian.

His eyes flew open involuntarily, and another wave of nausea overcame him. The woman, while obviously still alive, wouldn't be for much longer. She had been completely scalped, blood flowed freely from the exposed innards of her head. Her hair and skin were still tangled in the hand of the stand mixer, resembling a morbid rat's nest. Brian sputtered inside his head, fighting back a flood of vomit.

There we are. We can do better than this, can't we?

Brian did not like the playful tone the shadow man had one bit.

“What are ye goin’ to do now?” Brian asked, voice quivering in fear. He felt himself chuckle.

You'll see~

Brian gulped as the shadow man vaulted the counter and continued onward.

The other woman had booked it, of course she had. Any sane person would after watching their friend get their face collapsed with one punch; and even if that didn't trigger her flight response, watching her friend getting scalped by a smoothie mixer sure did.

Brian winced in pain as the shadow man lifted his arm. It was torn and bloodied, countless lines of bright red were etched across his flesh. The blood dripped from his arm, which only added to the growing nausea Brian felt. The shadow man didn't speak, instead studying the wounds with fascination. He ran his fingers through Brian's blood, smearing the crimson like he was painting. He brought it up to his lips and pressed the stained fingers into his mouth.

Brian simultaneously flushed and felt disgusted at the almost intimate act. He could taste his own blood, just as coppery and unpleasant as ever. The shadow man could taste it too, though. And the sound that resonated in his throat was an indication of just how he felt.

Just as hearty as I thought, Bri. Too bad it couldn't have been me that drew this blood from you.

Brian bristled and flushed even harder.

“Wh-what? What are ye- what are ye even talkin’ about? What does that mean?!” Brian sputtered. He feared he knew the answer already.

I think you know, Bri~ The shadow man replied with a predatorial lilt to his tone. He drank in the way the blood flowed freely from Brian's wound, staining his sleeve and dripping onto the tiles below.

Still, this just gives me all the more reason to tear these fucking cockroaches apart limb by limb. The shadow man sneered, still staring at the bloodied limb he possessed.

“Wha-”

They claimed something that was intended for me. They tore your flesh on mall property. On my property. I loathe this place, but it's still mine. I was supposed to be the one to take your blood. It was my privilege. They stole it from me like it was nothing.

Brian nearly lost it.

“So you are trying to kill me! Ya try to gain me trust with all this “treatin’ me nicely” bullshit just ta turn around and snap my neck without a second thought!” Brian snarled in his head. He would've berated the being possessing him further, but he found he couldn't speak. Try as he might, his mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

He had been silenced in his own damn head.

I was never planning on killing you, Brian. Especially not after you told me you weren't scared of me. But you're mine. You're my plaything. You're my special little human. You belong to me. The shadow man snarled aloud.

Brian was in shell shock. And yet, he still flushed at the shadow man's words. He didn't like the affect the word mine had on him.

“I don't belong ta anyone. Not ta you, not ta those assholes running around this place. You don’t own me and you don't decide what I can and can't do,” Brian snarled back. “Why do ya think ye can stake a claim over me? Or over anyone?”

The shadow man smirked and pressed his non-bloodied palm to Brian's chest. Instead of the icy zap of painful electricity Brian was accustomed to, something else happened that deepened his flush into a full on blush.

A bolt of coolness cascaded through his veins. Instead of the frigid, painful chill that zapped through him like a shock collar, this felt more akin to taking a dip in a pool on a hot summer day. Or like he was escaping a stuffy party by taking a breather outside.

It certainly shut him up, and it certainly made him reconsider his stance; if only for a second. Brian shuddered in what he realized was desire.

It felt amazing.

And it terrified him. It terrified him that he wanted more.

Atta boy. There he is~ The shadow man purred, caressing the bruise through his sweatshirt. Even the light brushing of his own palm against his chest made his heart flutter. Brian bit back a groan.

“What dija- what is-” He could barely speak. His face was red, and not just from the blood splatter.

The shadow man hummed without a further word, and they continued down the corridor. There were only three wannabes left, after all. Only three more opportunities to ruin this lovely little human that had ignited something within him.

It wouldn't take much more persuasion, the shadow man knew it. Soon he'd have this curious little thing completely wrapped around his finger, free to do with whatever he pleased. The only caveat being he needed to leave when the sky began to darken every day, lest he be claimed by the mall. The shadow man wrinkled his nose at the thought of not having his plaything at all hours of the day every day.

He'd find a work around for this.

[enniewritesathing]

memory management (🛏️1)

⏮️Previous || (📚Previous Stories) || Beginning ▶️

(There's no way. No. No no no. Yes. That happened. It fucking happened. But why can't I remember anything? Where-- no, that's not the right question. Or maybe...)

(Goddammit.)

(Just calm down. Breathe. It happened. It happened to Vincent, not you, he thinks. But that doesn't make it less fucked up under any circumstances. What happened to me? Did anything happen? No, that happened to me too!)

(John doesn't remember anything. Just the heavy feeling inside of his chest and the fever that racked his body days before turning... or at least...

No. Something's not right here.)

(John shakes his head. It's starting to bother him; a total blank spot in his memory. Or maybe...)

(He hears The Werewolf slowly approach but he doesn't turn his way. Something's pulling at the pit of his stomach in all directions. He's not ready to acknowledge it. Not until he gets the whole thing. But what else is there?)

John: "Vin... I think... I think I'm starting to realize something."

(The Werewolf grunts.) "Do you want to say?"

(John feels his expectant gaze.) "No. Not yet. I don't know where I want to start anyway."

The Werewolf: "I can tell."

John: "--don't apologize. Please."

(The Werewolf sighs. That was too much at once.)

(He looks at John again. Why is he feeling guilty?)

John: "Vin. This bed's here for a reason. Right? What does it mean? What happened here?"

(His voice is flat. He's shocked and fighting his mind with the knowledge of what happened. He's starting to understand.)

The Werewolf: "Do you remember anything about this bed? This place?"

John: "No. No. Yes, I have seen this type of bed before." (He pauses.) "Not in the way you'd think."

The Werewolf: "Ah."

John: (quietly) "Yeah. The monitors. The lights. Someone going in and out, checking. The... the smell of the room. It's bringin' up bad feelings."

The Werewolf: "What if I told you this is where we-- I spent the most time?"

(John turns towards him.) "Really?"

The Werewolf: "This is where I was 'locked down' when there were no active experiments performed on me; also where I can be observed from a distance."

John: "Locked down?" (Now there's something he remembers.) "The comas."

The Werewolf: "Yes. So, you do know."

John: "There was something about that in our notes Brian got me when we were figuring all this shit out. I know of them. They put us in one."

(The Werewolf growls softly; that's not quite what he meant.) "What do you know of them then?"

John: "It was a way to stop turning, to stop you from taking over. There's a certain point where you can't but I don't think I've ever seen it."

The Werewolf: "That's what you were told, it was to protect you. It is true; after a point, I don't have the power to take over. It did give you a chance to resist me; in the end, you always succeeded."

John: "And what did they do?"

The Werewolf: "In the beginning, they observed. As we got older, the method became dangerous -- it was beginning to become clear that it could kill us."

John: "They observed that too. Right? Of course they did."

(The Werewolf hears the anger in John's voice. Good.) "Because of that, it gave them an idea to develop a deterrent if I were to ever break out of the coma. In the event that I do, it would overwhelm our healing abilities and paralyze me."

John: "...that doesn't make sense. Use our ability against us? How?"

The Werewolf: "Chemicals. Injected. Inhaled. There was something in them that triggered our healing factor in the wrong way. It permeated in our nerves, our muscles, our lungs, our blood vessels..."

"...it put stress on our heart trying to counteract it. To lay there, knowing each tiny movement can set the chemicals in a chain reaction; our body responds in trying to clear it and overloads itself.

It becomes a race that there's no winner to.

You're helpless in your own body and you can do nothing as it betrays you with each beat of your heart..."

"It is strong, yes. But even that has its limits; it worked but the cost was becoming too high."

(John clenches his fist over his own heart.) "You fought anyway; I don't blame you. I would have done the same. Even if it was going to kill me."

"Hmph." (The Werewolf sits on the other side of the bed, facing away.) "You say that, but I don't believe you. You can try all you want."

John: "Is that what happened? You tried everything you can think of while you were stuck here. You failed in the end."

"Right?"

(The Werewolf stares ahead. It sounds so plain and simple coming from him. Convincing even.)

The Werewolf: (growls) "If I failed, then we would not be having this conversation. For the sake of this one..." (No. He's not going to admit that. Not right now anyway. He changes his mind.)

"I need you to understand; I did not give up. At any point."

John: (quietly) "Then what did you do?"

(The Werewolf looks up.) "I knew that those observers will do anything to keep me alive and I took advantage of that fact."

John: "Did they catch on?"

The Werewolf: "Eventually; the leader did. By that point, I made up my mind."

"I made a declaration. A promise to myself. A threat to others."

("A promise to you.")

// Next⏭️

[cursed-elo-images]

Elo as dogs. Who’s what?

Ooo! Okay now this is perhaps one of the most interesting asks I have ever received!

So, I’m going to assign the seven men different breeds of dogs I feel suit them the best, and I’ll assign the dogs personalities and behaviors that would resemble them to the best of my ability Tumblr-style hahaha. I’m going to create dog “OCs” and I’ll give them lore and I’ll describe how their lives are like basically.

I haven’t owned a dog before as I’m a cat person so I’m not too well versed in their personalities, but I have been around them a lot since I have family members that have them, and, I know for sure, that like us humans, they are all unique and diverse in their personalities, behaviors, and overall moods. I’m neutral to them, but I will pet and hang out with them if I get the chance. (The only breed I really like though are Pomeranians).

Jeff Lynne:

Jeff Lynne would be a miniature poodle. They’re slightly small, have fur around their round muzzles, and just look like him. (Standard poodles are more reminiscent of Brian May from Queen with their large, tall statures and long thin faces if I’m being honest lol)

This dog is very shy and quiet. Sometimes he can be finicky and moody, but that’s just because he tends to be reserved as that’s just simply how he is. Still, he’s a pretty nice and chill pet, and likes to play with tennis balls at times. For some odd reason he really, really likes music from the Beatles, Roy Orbison, and Del Shannon. He is also attracted to items that are the color blue. (All of his dog toys are blue and will growl if you give him one that isn’t blue) He hates the rain, is scared of thunder/lightning storms, and therefore he loves sunny, blue-skied days. He is also sensitive to fluorescent lights at times. He also is obsessed with model trains and is always eager to watch them go around and around. When he rides in cars, he actually enjoys getting stopped by trains and wags his tail happily as the warning lights go off, the barricades go down (if you stop at those specific types of crossings with him) and the train passes through. He dreams of riding in one someday (hopefully in trains that allow dogs haha)

Bev Bevan:

Bev Bevan would be a chocolate labrador. They are large, have wide square-shaped faces, and have brown fur. They also appear large and stocky, like Bev.

This dog is usually reserved and kind, but sometimes he can be very mischievous and likes to pull pranks. He also has a pretty deep sounding bark. He cares about his and other people and pets health, and is very protective of those he cares for. Despite his large size, he doesn’t like fighting and is usually friendly. He can be a bit ornery at times for fun though. He despises snakes and enjoys being around other large dogs. He’s also pretty friendly with dog!Jeff.

Kelly Groucutt:

Similar to Jeff, Kelly would be a poodle. But, since this individual was short in real life, and his hair was a bit shorter, he would specifically be a toy poodle—as they are smaller than miniature poodles—.

This dog is high energy. Like, very high energy. He barks a lot and moves around a lot. He has a very high pitched loud bark. He plays with dog toys all the time and loves to collect them. He likes climbing things and does what ever he can to release his never ending energy. He is super friendly and sweet and loves company. He doesn’t mean any harm and sometimes causes things to break due to his high energy levels. He is also a huge animal lover and is kind to all animals, especially foxes. A very small, lovely, and extroverted pet.

Richard Tandy:

Richard would be a golden retriever. Their fluffy golden blonde fur and reputation for being loyal just scream “Richard Tandy as a dog”.

This dog is very loyal and trustworthy. He is very well-behaved, as well as quiet, though he does have a very low pitched bark, slightly lower than dog!Bev. He usually likes being alone, and enjoys watching tv, especially sports channels. He does struggle with sports but he really likes partaking in them. Still, he is super hardworking and enjoys doing things for people. He usually has a relaxed facial expression and isn’t one to get aggressive, he is very much a hippie haha. He also likes piano music and sometimes attempts to play the piano and it’s just so endearing to watch him do that. He also likes hanging around with dog!Jeff and dog!Bev.

Mik Kaminski:

Mik would be a bearded collie. Just look at an image of Mik, and then at an image of a bearded Collie, and look back at that image of Mik and you’ll know what I’m talking about. The “beard” of the dog just reminds me of Mik’s as it’s not curly yet it’s also smoothed and curved. Also, the small, round yet slightly narrow eyes the dog breed has also remind me of Mik’s eyes for some reason.

This dog, similar to dog!Jeff, is very shy. I’d say even more shy than dog!Jeff. He’s also pretty quiet, similar to dog!Richard. He is also well-behaved and doesn’t cause any problems. He likes the sound of violin music and sometimes likes to bite the violin bow and attempt to play the violin himself. He absolutely loves being around horses and is very smart and calculating. He is very timid and gets scared easily. If you are a stranger to him, be very careful not to scare him or he’ll run away and hide. Despite their contrasting behaviors, he and dog!Kelly are best friends and love hanging out. I guess it’s because they’re both friendly towards each other.

Hugh McDowell:

Hugh McDowell would be an Irish Settler. They have long, flowing fur that reminds me of his long, slightly wavy hair style from the early 70s, and they’re also tall and thin. Their fur also has like a reddish color which reminds me of some Hugh photos where the lighting makes his hair reddish even though it’s actually a blonde-ish brown(?). They also have square shaped, defined muzzles, with far apart eyes.

This dog, like dog!Kelly, is very hyperactive. He loves running around and bites trees and plants a lot for fun. He’s also somewhat nocturnal, he enjoys staring at the night sky. He loves being wild, and sometimes knocks things down in a mischievous way. He can also get moody at times but deep down is very sweet. He also does things to make people laugh. Also, he really loves snakes, especially boas. He likes to make sure they remain safe and is protective of any snake he comes across. He’s really brave in that sense. He also gets really sad when he tries to find snakes but ends up not finding any haha. He really enjoys hanging around dog!Melvyn and dog!Mik. He also likes the color purple and enjoys wearing suits fitted for dogs lol. He also loves messing around with cellos and biting them haha. Rarely he can be seen trying to play them! But sometimes he breaks them by accident. Classical music really interests him.

Melvyn Gale:

Melvyn would be a regular collie. Just—the feathery, long, caramel colored fur of this breed with those friendly doe-eyes and the perpetual permanent smile collies have just remind me of Melvyn.

This dog is friendly. Very friendly. Unfortunately, some might think he’s overly-friendly. But who cares? He’s a really sweet dog, and just happens to be very vocal. He enjoys hugs and attention. He does bark and make noise a lot, but he doesn’t mean to irritate or annoy anyone, he just really likes to communicate verbally and loves people! He enjoys being around them and likes being their friend and socializing with them, like a stereotypical friendly dog! He loves other dogs and cats as well. He really likes hanging out with dog!Hugh and is practically his best friend. He also really likes cars and planes. He loves car rides and wants to ride on planes as well. Like dog!Hugh he also enjoys cellos and sometimes attempts to play them. He likes classical music and enjoys listening to it.

Thank you so much for this ask @stephi1is1awesome! I’m glad to broadcast my dog headcannons for ELO!

@wilbury-sam take a look at this! My dog ELO headcannons are here!

[ladykailitha]

Royal Pain Part 4

Hello! I am loving the response for this story. Thank you so much. In this one we get pouty Steve and chaotic Eddie.

Enjoy!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

***

To say Steve was vibrating out of his skin would be an understatement. Eddie had really killed it on stage. He was a little unsure about the music itself, but watching Eddie play said music got him on his feet and bouncing to the beat.

The rest of the band was great, too. But Eddie was electric. Like he was born to be in front of an audience. There was a passion to their sound that made all the music on the radio sound rote and boring.

Steve and Robin followed Miranda to the backstage.

The security guy eyed Steve and Robin warily. “Who you got there, Mandy?”

Miranda looked over her shoulder. “They’re with me. They’re friends of Eddie’s.”

The security guards eyes narrowed. “And if I call Eddie, he’ll tell me the same thing?”

Miranda rolled her eyes. “Always so fucking suspicious, Callahan. What you think they’re holding me against my will to get to Eddie?”

Callahan opened his mouth, probably to agree when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Eddie standing there.

“Let them through, Cal,” Eddie growled.

“Right away, man.” He moved aside and let them in.

As they walked Eddie explained, “Sorry about that, for some reason this asshole thinks he’s security for Metallica or some shit.”

They got the “green room” that already had Gethin already with the rest of the band, chilling.

“You were right, Gare,” Eddie said as he strutted into the room. “Cal had them held up in security.”

Gareth rolled his eyes. “I thought so. I’ve talked to management about getting someone else to do door duty, but they think he’s the best.” He waved his hands sarcastically.

Steve snorted. “I was at a store like that once,” he said moving further into the room. “Was so sure being extra super cautious was better anything else, because anything else was just being lazy.”

“Yes!” Brian said. “He gets it!”

Steve smiled.

Robin grinned at him, “Was this Scoops or Family Video?”

Every head in the room turned to Steve and Robin.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Eddie said. “Do you mean to tell me that you two lovely individuals worked at Scoops? In those ridiculous little sailor outfits?”

Robin and Steve looked at each other and shrugged.

“Yeah,” Robin said. “Steve hated the hat.”

“My hair was too thick for it sit properly on my head,” Steve grumbled, “so the damn thing kept falling off!”

Robin smirked and eyed him sidelong. “And you’re sure it had nothing to do to the fact that you thought it hid your best feature and you couldn’t get any bitches?”

The whole room laughed as Steve blushed. “Snitch.”

Robin laughed. “Love you, babe.”

Steve stuck out his tongue at her before turning to the room. “You guys all coming out to drinks with us?”

Eddie saluted. “All cleared for drinking. Except are dearly beloved designated drivers, Gareth and Miranda.”

Steve grinned. “Great! Robin and I took an Uber here, so we don’t worry about who’s driving home tonight.”

Everyone nodded.

“You two are going with Jeff and Miranda,” Gareth explained. “And Gethin is coming with the rest of us.”

Steve felt a pool of disappointment settle in his stomach. But he could see the logic in the match up.

“Sounds great!” Robin said cheerfully, bumping Steve’s shoulder with her own.

Eddie winked at Steve. “Don’t worry, big boy, we’ll have plenty of time to socialize once we get to the club.”

Steve had suggested a nearby club for their after party because the last thing he wanted to do was try to get to know Eddie better surrounded by people that judge the ever-loving fuck out of him. Because yeah, Steve loved giving stereotypes the middle finger, but he wasn’t immune to the snide remarks and sneering looks he got from people on the regular.

So he was really relieved when Eddie agreed to the change in location. He just assumed he would be going with Eddie to club and was a little cross when he found out they weren’t. He tried not to let it bother him as they all walked out to the parking lot.

Robin bumped his shoulder again, clocking his mood immediately. He smiled at her, but he knew it was weak. God, he was such a loser. He was quiet in the car as they drove to the club. Standing in line, his mood started to improve as Eddie turned his full attention on Steve.

“So what did you think of the music, Stevie?” Eddie asked once they lined up.

Steve thought about lying and saying how much he loved it, but he knew that would only get him into trouble later.

“I’m not really familiar with the genre to know for sure,” he said instead. “I would love for you to educate me though, broaden my horizons a bit.”

Which was apparently the right thing to say because everyone was nodded their approval.

Eddie positively beamed at him. “I’d love that! When would you like to meet up for that?”

Steve laughed delightedly. “Sundays are a no go, I have dinner with Dustin and his wife Suzie, but I close up my shop every day at eight. So really any time after that.”

Eddie grinned. “Is Monday at nine okay? What time do you open in the morning?”

“I don’t open until ten,” Steve said brightly, “so nine on Monday sounds fantastic, we can order in and make night of it.”

Eddie bounced on the balls of his feet excitedly. “I’m so there. Text me your address.”

Steve pulled out his phone and did just that. “There you go.”

Eddie pulled out his own phone and smiled at the new message. “There I am.”

Behind him Gareth and Gethin were making gagging noises.

Jeff smacked the back of both of their heads. “Ignore the children. Their mother didn’t raise them right.”

Robin laughed as Steve shook his head.

“It’s like Dustin and Mike all over again,” he said, resigned.

“Who’s Mike and Dustin or Dustin and Mike or whatever?” Brian asked.

Eddie bounced up and down. “Ooh, ooh! You’re going to love this Bri! Dustin and Mike are Nog and Tayr respectively.”

Brian’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. “No way! You know Nog and Tayr?”

Steve scratched his cheek and half shrugged. “If those are their D&D characters then sure, I’ve known them for ages.”

“Stevie here used to babysit them!” Eddie said excitedly.

Steve blushed. “More like made sure they didn’t kill themselves doing some stupid ass shit while their parents worked to make sure they had a roof over their head and food in their bellies. But yeah, good kids.”

They got into the club where the music was loud but not overbearing, the lights were dimly lit but not so dark you couldn’t see and the atmosphere was hopping without being oppressive.

In short, it was Steve’s favorite place to go.

Soon even the Corroded Coffin boys were bobbing their heads to the music as they drank and danced the night away. It was a fun evening that ended too soon if you asked Steve.

But the thought of Eddie coming over on Monday is was kept Steve from pouting all the way to the cars.

“You two are coming with us, pretty boy,” Eddie said with a grin. “Bri and Jeffie and Mandy aaallll live in the same general area so they go home together. Which means Gareth takes you home!”

Gareth who had wisely gotten the address to their apartment before they got drunk off their asses just shook his head fondly. With the help of a mildly tipsy Gethin, the two managed to get the three drunks pilled into the back of the car without much fuss.

Robin wisely sat between the two boys so they wouldn’t do anything they might not recall in the morning as she wasn’t as drunk as they were.

Eddie got dropped off first much to Steve’s chagrin. Robin kept slapping his arm every time he pouted.

Gareth just shook his head every time he caught them in the rear view mirror doing exact that.

Gethin and Robin helped a very ineberiated Steve up the three flight of stairs to their apartment.

Robin thanked Gethin and got Steve into bed. She flopped down next him and murmured. “We are going to regret this in the morning.”

“Not if I don’t wake until noon,” came the mumbled response.

“Smart.”

*

Eddie woke up the next morning with his head pounding a rhythm in his brain that was outside his usual Sunday morning hangover. The place Steve chose for them was outside Corroded Coffin’s usual wheelhouse, but it was fun.

The type of thing that Wayne had suggested he do. He was still planning on going to the park today for some doodling, but last night was good. Really good in fact.

He could tell that Miranda and Robin had become fast friends and he loved that. With Brian and Gareth not having romantic partners, Miranda often felt a little on the outskirts of the band. But if Robin and Steve kept coming to their shows, Miranda would have people to chat with.

He got out of bed and staggered to the bathroom to take a cool shower and shave. Once he felt mildly human again, he made some coffee and had cereal for breakfast.

He cleaned the apartment and did dishes. Once he was satisfied with the state of the place, he pulled on a loose t-shirt that had the sleeves cut off, making sure the tattoo was covered and applied sunscreen, even going as far as to put another bandage over it, to protect it. He just needed to get out and get fresh air, but not at the cost of ruining his brand new tattoo. Then he packed up his drawing pad and art pencils and walked to the nearby park.

It wasn’t really a park. At least not one maintained by the city, but rather a strip of green in an otherwise grey landscape of hell. There were always kids kicking around a soccer ball and teenagers laying on the grass smoking weed.

It was Eddie’s favorite spot to just doodle and people watch. He just let his hand and mind wander as he free-handed a bunch of sketches. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there just enjoying the breeze and the sounds of the city, muted around him.

He felt the growl of his stomach and looked at his watch. He had been sitting there for three hours. Yeah, it was time to eat. He put away his art stuff into his bag and hoisted it up on his shoulders. He felt really lucky today; he didn’t get hit with a soccer ball, he didn’t get harassed by Karens and the cops didn’t come by to scare the teenagers off.

Eddie got the fast food joint and ordered his lunch. He happily munched away while he visited the band’s social media. And if he grinned at the two new followers on their TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter accounts, you didn’t see shit.

He walked back to his apartment and let himself in. He went to go to the bathroom and as he was washing he hands he realized that he had made a grave error.

Eddie had done everything to keep his tattoo safe, but had neglected the rest of him. His cheeks, his shoulders, and the back of his neck were all bright cherry red.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

He dialed Steve up immediately. “Steve, I think I fucked up our appointment this week.”

“What happened?” Steve asked, more worried then disappointed.

“I protected my new tattoo when I went out to draw,” Eddie explained, “but forgot about the rest of me.”

“Let me text you where I’m at,” Steve murmured, “so I can check out the damage and see if we need to reschedule your tattoo appointment, okay?”

“Yeah,” Eddie said letting out a shuddering breath. “Thanks, man. Sorry about all this.”

He could hear the smile in Steve’s voice when he said, “Hey don’t worry about it. We’ll figure this out, I promise.”

Eddie agreed and hung up. How could he have been so stupid? He even had the sunscreen out for the tattoo for fuck’s sake. Why didn’t he make sure the rest of him was covered, too?

His phone trilled in his hand and he looked down at the message from Steve.

He supposed there was one silver lining in all this. He got see Steve a day earlier than planned.

***

Part 5 Part 6  Part 7  Part 8 Part 9 Part 10  Part 11 Part 12  Part 13 Part 14  Part 15  Part 16  Part 17  Part 18 Part 19  Part 20  Part 21 Part 22  Part 23  Part 24  Part 25 Part 26  Part 27  Part 28  Epilogue

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