#anytime he plays with our arms he never uses his claws or bites hard and the same seems to be true here

[a-lonely-dunedain]

finally got to introduce Halbarad to Puddin, went far better than expected! Puddin wasn't upset about Halby at all and they've just been playing most of last night and all morning

[a-square-minus-one]

Honey 8

The outline for this chapter was much longer but I didn’t have time to actualize it :( More to come soon! <3

Raven can sense that things are going to go wrong the minute the tip of her toe lands gently against the pavement. She rushed over to the park, making it there much quicker than any of her teammates in order to scope out the situation. And immediately she feels anxiety wrap its fingers around her spine through her skin. She stands in front of four of her brothers, who stand in a semi-circle formation. Malchior is leaning against a tree off to the side, grinning. She looks around. They emptied the park?

“Sister, nice to meet you,” Wrath acknowledges, looking characteristically serene against the bright blue sky. He stood as if his ginormous, bulging body was weightless. Raven eyes Gluttony who’s a part of the circle but standing a little further back. His cheeks hollow as he sucks roughly on a lollipop. He’s skinny enough for the wind to blow him over even though Raven suspects he probably eats enough for eight or nine athletes in one day. He stands a foot and a half shorter than Lust and the difference is even more extreme between him and Wrath who must be at least a few inches taller than Cyborg and impossibly wider. She runs her eyes to Envy who's eyeing her from head to feet, lip twitching. His chin is tilted up and his arms are crossed over his chest. 

They aren’t fighting anyone. 

Or killing anyone. 

Or making anyone fight or kill each other.

The wind rustles the leaves in the trees around them.

“You called my team over for a conversation?” Raven asks, peaking at Malchior who winks at her. Judging by the way Lust and Gluttony are looking at the sky behind her, her team has just reached the park. Raven doesn’t look back to know they are currently getting into formation behind her.

“You came. We never beckoned you,” Wrath says, hands behind his back. Raven rolls her eyes.

“But you knew the presence of all five of you, in the open, would alert us,” Raven  clarifies. Wrath nods once, smoothly.

“Indeed.”

And then no one moves. Or says anything.

Wrath assesses her whole team much like she assessed them. A small smile plays on his lips.

“We do not have to fight one another sister.”

Raven arcs an eyebrow. 

“Join our side. We can spare your friends. Perhaps you can negotiate positions of power for them in our new world.”

“Yes because deals with the devil are almost always honored.” 

Raven notes how Wrath’s smirk never reaches his eyes. It’s more of a slight tick in the corner of his lips. It’s the most unnatural part of his appearance. He’s completely comfortable in his weight and height.  “Very human of you to make things so dichotomous. Devil bad. Human good. You know very well we can only play with people’s natural tendencies. We could never make something out of nothing.”

“Very demonic of you to think manipulation is so much holier.”

��There can be honor even amongst the worst of beings.” 

Wrath purses his lips, looking off into the distance. He rubs his hands together.

“Dragon,” Wrath says once, continuing to look off into the distance. Suddenly Malchior’s giant chest is expanding towards them, his claws pushing pounds of dirt into their face as he digs them into the ground. Terra is quick to stop the mounds of dirt from hitting her teammates. Raven has only a few seconds to put up a quick barrier as she watches Malchior inhale a giant breath. Even with the barrier the whole team is still smacked with an incredible wall of heat, like they had just opened an oven. Flames flicker up the edges of the wall of her black energy.

“Dragon!” Raven yells through her gritted teeth, looking back at Garfield. Garfield rolls his shoulders a couple times. “Anytime now,” Raven says, pushing against the force of Malchior’s fiery exhale. She focuses her attention forward, ensuring her friends are protected 

“I do this everyday,” Garfield drones. Raven rolls her eyes and looks back. She’s met with the muscular underside of Garfield’s belly: The sun reflects off of his shiny scales. Her barrier falters completely but Malchior has stopped blowing. 

“That’s-“ Raven starts, her eyes trailing up Garfield’s long neck. The sunlight behind his head is blocking her view of his face.

“Sexy,” Terra finishes for her and she has to swallow because the word fits a little too perfectly in her sentence starter. Raven shakes her head and flies up the length of Garfield’s neck. He meets her halfway and bends his head to her. She quickly straddles one of the ridges on his forehead. She places her hands on his head.

Garfield, you’ll be able to hear my voice in your head but I’m not going to be going through anything. I’ve just put up a field-

Raven’s distracted as Garfield blows fire at Malchior’s underbelly. Suspiciously close to his-

Garfield!

What? The prick loves talking about his dick so much, might as well put a spotlight on it.

I should explain the link a little-

What’s there to explain? I can hear you, you can hear me... 

Gar-

Rae, you can poke and prod- 

Garfield pauses to deflect Malchior’s fiery breath.

-whatever you want. Poke and prod whatever you need to so we can stick this asshole back in his fucking book. I trust you…but it’s kinda hard to chit chat. I’m new to this whole dragon thing. 

...I won’t invade your thoughts.

Didn’t think you would. Garfield thinks flippantly before charging at Malchior. Hold on tight. 

Garfield takes a quick, open clawed swing at Malchior, immediately forming three, long, oozing stripes in the dragon’s neck. 

Okay this guy clearly knows nothing about hand to hand.

Raven is rocked forward, her head smacks against Garfield’s.

What the-

Raven notes how the ground shifts like waves beneath them before she’s rocked backwards.

Fly off the ground, He’s trying to dislodge me.

But Garfield was already hovering above the shaking ground before Raven finished her sentence.

Clearly that man has never seen me with a few Jacks in me. If I can keep my balance then-

You’re a messy drunk; now pay attention!

Hey! Cyborg says I’m a great drinking buddy!

Cyborg? Also a messy drunk!

Hey, you’d be a messy drunk too if you-

Suddenly Garfield’s head swings around like a bobble head. He’s gurgling. Raven clenches her thighs over the ridge on his forehead and narrows her eyes towards Malchior who is a football field away. Malchior’s claws are clenched around an invisible object.

“Azarath Metrion Zinthos!” Raven calls out, wrapping Malchior’s arms in dark energy and locking them over his head. Garfield coughs, little sparks passing his lips.

Did he just? Choke me?

Will you pay attention now?!

How was I supposed to know he was going to choke me?! He was nowhere near me!

He can astrally project! 

He should see a therapist about that.

He should see a therapist about a lot of things. Astral projection is not one of them. Watch-

Garfield dodges Malchior’s frontal attack. 

-out…

Raven puts up a shield as Malchior shoots fire at her. Garfield shoots fire at Malchior’s open wound. The black dragon hisses and falls back.

 The man is terrible at hand to hand combat.

He’s...not.

Garfield grabs Malchior by the tail and tosses him, cutting a bunch of trees in half.

Are you really defending your psycho ex?

Raven purses her lips. Garfield. This is too easy. 

Raven looks around. Starfire is locked in a grip with Wrath. Nightwing and Cyborg are tag teaming Lust and Wrath. Terra is mostly just trying to block Gluttony’s attack; no one has taken the offensive against him. Aqualad is jumping between each group and filling in whatever gaps are left open.

She believed fully in her team’s potential to stop her brothers. But something wasn’t right. Garfield was able to toss Malchior like a rag doll and they’re the same weight.

He’s barely casting any spells.

You’re always saying that a good spell requires a lot of energy.

For me. Malchior has done this for centuries.

Malchior charges at Garfield. Garfield takes two quick steps backwards, kicking up chunks of Earth that Terra uses to block the two benches Gluttony hurls at the team. Garfield bites at the wounds in Malchior’s neck. The black dragon howls in pain, aimlessly spewing a stream of fire past his lips. Directly past the bulk of Garfield’s body.

Raven watches intently as the flames meet their mark several hundred feet away from Garfield. She almost brushes off Malchior’s poor marksmanship as a result of his incredible hubris. It’s a weak, last ditch effort to inflict pain from a losing opponent whose head is heavy with unwarranted pride. She’s about to move her eyes back to where Garfield’s teeth are sunk into their opponents neck when she notices something almost imperceptible in the flames. A shape. Two little deformed circles, almost parallel to each other. She squints her eyes. That’s odd.

And then it hits her.

Those are eye sockets.

Malchior had casted a spell.

They hadn’t emptied the park.

Everyone was camouflaged. 

Garfield! 

Garfield sinks his teeth deeper into Malchior’s neck. Malchior spews out another thick stream of fire. 

Garfield! The park isn’t empty.

Garfield spits Malchior’s neck out of his mouth, blood immediately begins oozing out of the black dragon’s wounds.

What?

Raven looks around. Trees were knocked over. Car windows were broken. Street lights were bent in half. Sidewalk had been ripped from the ground. Her eyes land on a playground three hundred feet away. Entire chunks of bright yellow and red steel were turned on their sides. She feels hot liquid rises in her esophagus, burning away at her body. Her skin suddenly feels too tight.

The park’s not empty. Malchior just made everyone invisible to us.

Garfield grabs Malchior by the neck and shoves his head into the ground.

“Uncast  the spell,” Raven threatens, using her powers to hover the sharp end of a street light over Malchior’s eye. Malchior looks towards the rod, chuckles and crumples it. Garfield shoves his head deeper into the ground. Malchior spits some blood into the ground. 

“You tethered me to that book. The walls were my only companions! We could have ruled the world!” Malchior screams, spitting blood in her face. She grabs him by the neck herself. 

“Uncast. The. Spell,” Raven says, trying to reign in her desire to tear the dragon apart limb by limb between each word. 

“No.”

Raven, you have to tell the rest of the team before they accidentally hurt anyone else.

He’ll transform you. 

Not if I detach his head from his body first.

Raven notes how Garfield tightens his palm around the semi-conscious dragon’s neck. 

Garfiel-

Get Aqualad. He’ll cover my ass.

Raven makes quick work of teleporting Aqualad over to the group.

“The park’s not empty. Malchior cloaked everyone in an invisibility spell.” Raven tells him before he can even steady his feet. “You need to stay with Garfield while I inform the rest of the team and figure out how to reverse the spell.”

Be careful Garfield.

She places a gentle hand on her friend’s forehead. 

I’ll do my best. 

[beetlebitchywitch]

So hi! I wrote this fic back in December as part of a Secret Santa with the Dante’s Inferno AU crowd, and I got @neitherworld! And since some people are being RUDE and claiming self-shippers are just too cowardly to ship Beetleb@bes, here’s the fic I wrote of her OC Bambi and Movie Beej on a special night at Dante’s to show how fun of a character she is. Enjoy!

WARNING: Mild nudity, some sexy stuff, I’d say rated M but not fully NSFW

Like any normal night at Dante’s, the bass was thumping so heavily Bambi could feel it rattling her posture collar. Her eyes scanned the show floor, catching Madame’s gaze for only a moment before she was off to scold a random ghoul for getting too handsy during his lapdance. Up on the stage, Mal was winding around the pole in a way that enchanted everyone in attendance, though the way Lorelai’s wings glittered under the spotlight as she danced her famous “feather fan” number drew just as much attention. She grumbled good naturedly under her breath as she turned back to face the bar- honestly, those two had such natural moneymakers, and here she was stuck with a stupid jello neck. Whatever, her tits made up for any lack of “exotic” flavor. Speaking of flavor, the bright pink cocktail on the bartop was calling her name, set down gently by Niphera with a soft smile. Bambi squealed, bringing the drink to her lips before pausing for a moment, sending them a sly smile.

“NiNi, what’s in this exactly?” she asked, thrumming her perfectly manicured nails against the bartop. She knew how much her...electric personality could overwhelm them, so she tried her best to keep her energy to herself while holding a conversation with them.

“Nothing that will get you too drunk for your next set,” they chuckled, wiping down a glass absentmindedly. “You know Madame doesn’t like it when you perform after drinking too much.”

“Oh, what does she know?” she huffed, the cocktail sloshing a bit as she crossed her arms. “I happen to think that a little liquid courage makes my performances even better!”

“Perhaps. Or it could be like the time you yakked in a mafioso’s lap and had to use a week’s earnings to pay for his dry cleaning.”

Just the memory made Bambi pout even harder.

“Stupid prick, demon earns 20 times what I do shaking my ass by dealing in some shady shit and he has the nerve to take money outta my paycheck? And now I have to get cut off like some little baby impling.” She sighed deeply. “Whatever, this shit looks tasty anyway. Thanks, bubs.”

“Anytime,” Niphera said softly, getting back to pouring their next order of drinks. “Besides, it’s the least I could do on your birthday.”

Bambi’s eyes widened above the rim of her glass, which she excitedly put down with a beaming grin.

“My birthday? Goodness, how ever did you know about that?”

“Well, let’s see,” Niphera said with a sarcastic, but good natured bite. “Could it have been the notes under all of our pillows reminding us of your birthday? Or perhaps the sash you’re wearing right now that says ‘Birthday Girl’?”

Ok, so maybe Bambi could be a bit over the top. So she wanted a little extra attention on her special day, ain’t nothin’ wrong with that!

“Well, I’m glad my gentle reminders worked! Because today is my day and if I wanna celebrate it by getting wasted on Netherbooze and taking my top off, then that’s how I’m gonna do it!”

“Your top’s already off, Bam.”

She looked down, and then paused.

“...So it is...my bottoms then!”

With a heavy sigh, Niphera moved to the other side of the bar without a word, an unspoken cue for Bambi to leave them alone. Their relationship was odd, but Bambi did her best to make it work and respect their boundaries...most of the time. Sighing, she turned back to her drink, taking a few messy gulps and giggling when she could feel rivulets of booze trickling down her neck and between her tits. If anybody was watching her, they were sure getting a good show.

“Well hey there, little fawn. Ya sure seem to be enjoyin’ yourself.”

Bambi froze, her happy grin immediately turning to a small scowl. Of course he would be the one to show up looking for some tail and interrupting her night.

“What do you want, Juice?” she asked absentmindedly, “Can’t you see I’m a little busy?”

“Oh yeah, sure as hell can, sugar tits. I gotta admit, of all the fine specimens in this place, you sure do have the nicest rack,” he rasped, pulling out a slim cigarette and lighting it by setting the tips of his fingers on fire. He took a deep drag, holding it for a moment before letting out a hard cough, not even hiding his amused smirk when the smoke blew into Bambi’s face, causing her to break into a coughing fit. She glared up at him even as her lungs spasmed, questioning whether a slap to the face or a knee to the nuts would be more fun for her.

“Well,” she interjected, letting out her last few coughs. “You sure know how to treat a lady, don’t you?”

“Come on now, babes, I don’t see no lady here,” he said with a grin, taking another puff of his cig and thankfully blowing it behind him. “But I do see a smokin’ hot broad in need of a good time.”

“Since when do I have a good time with you?” she retorted, sticking her tongue impishly. She was exaggerating, of course- her and Beetlejuice had plenty of fun teasing and playing cat and mouse before retiring upstairs for a quickie, but tonight she was not in the mood. She was tipsy, she looked drop dead gorgeous with her tits out and smothered in body glitter, and she felt like a bad bitch, so she wasn’t about to let some shambling corpse turn her into his pet for the night. She turned back to her drink, fully intent on ignoring him completely until he went off to hump some other unlucky girl’s leg. After a few moments, when she could still feel his presence behind her, she grunted in annoyance, turning back around. “Ain’t anybody ever tell ya it’s impolite to stare, stunad?”

“Ooh, I didn’t know the little deer had claws,” he laughed, only infuriating her more. “Besides, ya ever known me to be polite? Remember who you’re talkin’ too, babes.”

God, she was getting so fed up with this conversation. She was not gonna let some lousy, rancid, good for nothin’ ghost ruin her big night. She turned her stool towards him and shot him with a withering stare, which infuriatingly only seemed to amuse him further. She was about to give her a piece of her mind when- “Well, would ya look at that. Didn’t realize I was talkin’ to the birthday girl.”

Her eyes widened, them flitting down to the sash practically crushed between her tits.

“Yeah…what’s it to ya?” she asked warily. Her and Beetlejuice had clearly never been fond of one another, so she doubted he had anything good up his sleeve for her, and goddammit she just wanted to enjoy her fucking birthday! “I swear to Satan, Juice, if you pull any funny shit I won’t even have to call Ivan, I’ll rip that pencil you call a dick off from between your legs myself.”

While she hoped she sounded even the tiniest bit threatening, she was met with a bellyaching laugh from the ghost with the most, causing her to pout and cross her arms indignantly.

“One helluva performance, dollface, but ya don’t gotta worry. Not even I would pull any tricks on a lady’s birthday. In fact…”

She watched with a difficultly admitted curiosity as he began to rustle around his filthy coat, cringing only slightly when puffs of dirt floated to the floor as he aggressively searched his multiple pockets. Seemingly finding what he was looking for, he rustled around for a few seconds more before pulling out-

Oh.

“Holy smokes,” Bambi murmured in awe, staring at the absolutely stunning diamond ring clutched between Beetlejuice’s fingertips. With a high pitched squeal, she bounced up and down on the stool, reaching out to snatch the ring from him and slide it onto her finger. “A little snug, but damn that’s one helluva rock! Juice, what-”

“Least I could do, since it’s your birthday and all, kid,” he said dismissively, looking...sheepish? Bambi smirked, grabbing onto the lapels of his coat and pulling him in close, noticing how his eyes immediately fell to her exposed tits now that there was only a foot between them, wide with shock that she was actually seemingly coming onto him.

“Is that all you wanted to give me for my birthday, BJ?” she asked sweetly, her words so laden with honey that you’d think they were in a beehive. Immediately, his demeanor flipped from shock back to his typical shtick, growling softly beneath his breath as he wrapped both arms around her waist, reveling in the softness of her skin.

“I can think of a million things I could do to that pretty little body that’d make this birthday one you’d never forget, little fawn,” he growled softly. This close, she could smell the musty dampness of him, though it never perturbed her, letting out a tiny squeal of a giggle as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Just one question, Juice,” she whimpered teasingly, letting her tongue drag lasciviously across her lower lip. She could feel the ache in him as he held her close, but it was always her MO to tease before letting him have her...if she would let him have her.

“Anything, doll,” he assured her, clutching her waist tighter with desperation. “Ya wanna go topside and wreak some havoc? Come home covered in blood and fuck while we’re all messy? Come on, babes, say the word and I’ll have ya back before Madame can notice yer gone.”

“Mm, that does sound nice,” she mused, sliding one hand down his cheek and chest before walking her fingers back up slowly, daintily, feeling his need for her increase with every gentle touch. “But BJ, I gotta know…” She cupped his jaw and pulled him in close, her lips hovering above his ear as she spoke with the softest whisper. “...Is the rock real?”

She had her answer just by the way he stiffened in her arms. Fucking cheapskate.

“Now hold on, babes, ya don’t understa-”

Before he could even finish his sentence, she was out of his arms and grabbing the last half of her drink, splashing it in his face without a care. God did it fill her with power to see him standing there, floundering with booze dripping down his skin and suit and taking a layer of grime with it. She smirked, hopping down off her stool with her typical bounciness.

“Find some other pussy to give herpes to, Juice,” she quipped happily, as if she hadn’t just threw her drink in his face. “If ya wanted a cheap slut, you shouldn’t have come knockin’ on my door...I’m keepin’ the ring though. It may be fake, but hey, so is half of me!”

And with that, she was back off to the floor, sliding up a pole without a care in the world as the crowd cheered around her, and Beetlejuice just continued to stare. She knew he’d get her back for this someday, but for now, she had to say that, either living or dead, this was the best birthday she’d ever had.

[twoidiotwriters1]

Starcrossed Losers 2.V (Josh Wheeler xF!Reader)

A/N: Now that I have more time on my hands expect a whole lot more of this baby coming your way :) -Danny

Words: 2,243

Series’ Masterlist

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

Listen to me :)

Listen.

I'm not trying to defy my boyfriend's authority around here, can you really blame me for what I'm trying to do?

I don't get how the others aren't freaking out about this, like, those kids have eyes everywhere and now there's some freaky cult controlling them, right out of a dystopian story! Though I guess our whole situation may seem dystopian in general, I mean look at us, bunch of kids pretending to know what we're doing.

Either way, I'm just doing a quiet field trip, Nathan will come back with news of whether Sam will help or not, and we'll just look around the place... nothing more.

I don't have a death wish. I promise. Katie's death isn't weighing on me, I don't want to join her anytime soon, I'm actually quite happy, all things considered.

Then why am I here, the first hour in the morning, waiting for Nathan to come back?

Maybe I'm feeling like I have some adrenaline here that wasn't used and after going to one place and another now I can't stay still. And also because those AV kids might really need our help.

I find Nathan halfway to the school, he's not alone, Sam, Mona and Maya are with her. I groan a little at the sight of my former friend, and I can tell by her expression she wasn't expecting to see me either.

"Goodmorning, my queen," I smile at Sam, bowing a little just to make the ambience lighter.

"L/N," She bows back, her mocked solemnity making me grin in return. "Nathan has told us the issue, but only the basics. Care to tell us more?"

I tell them everything I know, I even play for them the last minutes of the newest episode, I see my worry reflected on Sam's eyes and I know I came to the right place.

"I knew Melissa," Sam said grimly. "She had the talent to see the positive things out of everything...  You have the map?"

"I memorized it."

"Cool, then let's go."

"What?" I blink. "Hold on, Sam, we can't just show up."

Sam frowns. "Why not?"

"Didn't you hear the recording? I don't know what the fuck happened there but it sounded like they were heavily armed, or at least that they are very violent."

"Well, you have a sledgehammer, Nathan has his crossbow, Mona has..." She looked over her shoulder. "Mona has herself. Maya has a pocket knife..."

"What about you?"

She shows me a taser and winks. "Think we're good to go."

"I don't know..." I bite my lip.

"Okay, here's a suggestion," Nathan starts. "Let's not fight yet? I know for a fact that Alex would kill me if you die."

"And?"

Nathan looks at me with this truly confused glance.

"I don't want you to die, Y/N."

I beam at his comment, however, Maya makes sure to ruin it right away.

"Yeah well, you haven't been around her enough lately, have you?"

"Neither have you, Maya," Sam gives her a warning look. "Y/N, we won't force you to go with us if you feel it's too risky, just tell us where to go."

"I won't let you go alone! It was my idea!" I exclaim, then pinch the bridge of my nose with a little exasperation. "Fine, we go. But we have to be quiet and we won't attack unless we really have to."

Sam and Nathan agree right away, Mona and Maya grunt and scoff, but I guess that's a yes.

We start moving then, only to stop five minutes later.

"Do you guys hear that?" I lift my hand so everyone stays quiet.

"Hear what?" asks Maya.

I hush her again, and turn to my right, recognizing the bright backpack peering from a trashcan.

"An!" I hiss in annoyance.

I quickly skate to the trashcan and lift the lid, revealing the tiny figure of Angelica looking up to me with a guilty smile.

"Surprise?"

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same," She frowns. "Josh told you to leave it alone."

"Since when do you listen to Josh?" I scoff.

"Since I realized a bunch of nerdy weirdos aren't worth risking my tribe!" She rolled her eyes. "They're probably dead already, Y/N! We should go back to the mall!"

She whines and pulls my arm as if to trying to drag me, I snatch my arm away and glare at her.

"I can't leave more people behind, not again."

Well, maybe this is about Katie a bit.

"You think those kids will thank you?" Angelica insisted. "They're losers! As soon as they find a better place they'll squirm away to the safest cave, there's a reason why rats survive longer than heroes, Y/N."

"I swear to god, sometimes what comes out of your mouth doesn't make any fucking sense," I reply. "Go back to the mall and stay there, if Josh asks, tell him I went to the school to finish my negotiations with Sam."

"I won't lie, he'll kick me out with you!"

"He won't kick me out!"

"Why not? You think he'll stop just because you make out a few times during the week? He could easily do the same with any other girl– No offence, but if he got over Sam Dean he can get over–"

"Stop!" I say, really not looking forward to hearing the end of that sentence. "You're already in trouble by knowing where I am, so you either come with me or you get lost but choose now because we don't have time for your temper tantrums!"

Angelica stares at me with that little frown she does before taking down her backpack and grabbing her taser.

"Fine," She growls. "But you better move your annoying ass faster, you're way easy to follow even while wearing those stupid roller skates."

"I was trying to be quiet," I argue.

"Wait, she's coming too?" Mona frowns. "We can't be babysitting while we search for a cult."

"I don't need a babysitter," Angelica rolls her eyes. "I could kill you in a heartbeat if I wanted to..."

"I'd like to see you try–"

"Okay!" Sam interrupted. "Let's just... keep going..."

As we keep going Nathan and I engage in a comfortable chat, it's weird to see him again, but not as weird as with Alex, I guess that by now I'm just used to find random people from my past. I'm not trying to avoid it, I don't mind being reminded of my past now that I have things to look forward to. I'm not sure exactly what, but I know I have a future, and maybe that future lies here or somewhere else, but as long as I stay alive I have one, and that's enough.

Nathan and I kinda have the much-needed talk about the elephant in the room, how we were an almost something, surprisingly enough, there are no hard feelings coming from either of us.

'Well the wind it brought my sails to you And my course was true We talked about the lovers we had How they never followed through Oh they never follow through'

"I still regret leaving you like that though," He tells me. "It's not that I was sick of you guys, I just... I don't know, felt like I was wasting my chance somehow?"

"Your chance?"

"Yeah, I mean during high school I was just the 'nice guy', you know? After the nuke I thought I would find something else to be but I'm still the nice guy, I let you escape when you stole half of our weapons, and now I keep Maya from doing fucked up things with the tribe when she thinks no one's paying attention..."

"That's a good thing to do," I try to cheer him up.

"I wish I could be more like you," He smiled fondly at me.

"What do you mean? The artsy girl?" I snort.

"You weren't the artsy girl– I don't know, you were just... you. I never felt like you had to belong anywhere to be worth something... I'm not like that."

"Maybe I never tried to belong, but I was lonely," I sigh. "I obsessed with reading of other worlds, imagining alternate lives that my actual real-life just felt... out of place. I always felt something was missing. The only time I had the feeling that my life was going somewhere for the first time was when... when you asked me out."

Nathan smiles at me, and even though I feel a little guilty about it, I can't help but feel glad that I can witness such a breathtaking smile from so close.

'You told me how the life you lead Is a made up thing How you wish you were as interesting As half the things you read Oh as half the things you read'

"Ah, I don't know," He sighs, looking away from me. "I guess I wasn't made to be part of a tribe, I really liked my time as a loner, you know?"

"Then why did you stop?"

He smiled again. "Because I also really liked you."

I blush at his statement, but I try to remain as neutral as possible.

"Well, if I'm allowed to say it, love is a really stupid reason to quit a good life," I admit.

"What?" He laughs. "Didn't you join your tribe because of Josh?"

"Not only because of Josh!" I defend myself. "I also joined because I had a purpose, I take care of them."

"Well, but most of them can take care of themselves now, don't they?" He teased. "C'mon, the only reason why you stayed is that Josh has you wrapped around his finger."

I frown a little at that.

Nathan kinda has a point, right? Alex already has my notebook filled with first-aid treatments and indications, most of the kids now know how to fix a broken bone. Do they really need me?

"Hey, not that it's bad," He adds, nudging my arm. "If I had what you have with Josh I would stay too, you guys seem happy."

Are we happy?

'I'm a wanderer I've always been undone And the shadows cast upon my soul Are clawing from the sun'

How much of this happiness will last once we get used to each other? And how much of that happiness is what it's keeping us together right now?

Are we really done with running away from places and being alone? I said I was, Josh said he wanted to stay with me. We said we'd be together. We are together.

Angelica's words come back to me in full force: 'If he could get over Sam, what makes you think he wouldn't be able to forget about you too?'

'I'm sure it's nice to think I'm something that you need But I promise when the sun ascends you'll see that's just a dream I'll never come around'

Do I really trust in love enough as to let it build the rest of my life? My future depends on whether Josh and I stay as a couple, and out of the two of us, I'm the one who'll lose the most if we break.

I obviously enjoy my time with Josh, and I really like him... but is liking him enough reason for him to stay? Or he'll leave as soon as I push the right button?

Just like with Sam...

'I must admit that the faith I had Is fleeting fast Cause you told me how you never let go And how that keeps you in the past'

No. I won't start this again. Josh already proved himself thousands of times. He chose me, he stayed with me. More yet, he came back for me when I left.

"It's here," I say abruptly, stopping dead in my tracks.

Everyone stops behind me. Ahead of us, there's a huge mansion, not too far from where Josh's old safe place is. It looks empty, but there's a security camera that luckily isn't pointing our way. I signal the group to give a few steps back and we hide around the corner.

"Okay, we need to get closer, we need to make sure they're–"

"Psst!"

I stop and straighten in my place.

"Did someone just 'pst' at us?"

"Psst!"

"Oh shit," Nathan looks up to the window above us and quickly prepares the crossbow. "Don't move!"

"Hey hey hey, it's fine!" The girl's voice says from the second floor. "You guys need to get out of the street right now, they're going to be here soon."

"What?"

"Come in!"

"Yeah, like we're going to listen to a stranger," Maya scoffs. "How do we know you're not with them."

"I know you," She says simply, then she turns to look at me and smiles. "I know your boyfriend. I talked to him once."

"What?" I tilt my head. "You mean after the nuke or..?"

"When you left the mall, he came to see me," She adds calmly. "Come in, I won't hurt you."

Her words make something inside my head click:

"Mavis?"

Taglist.

@letsbe-queer @slythermyg​ @loving-u-3000​ @one-loud-mind

[selfships-in-spanish]

I’m about to be horny on main for a sec and say for magic world au the boys doing some magicky stuff during sex to make it that much better is so hot to me

OKAY, YOU AND FILTH ANON HAD THE SAME HORNY BRAINCELL AND SENT ME ASKS ABOUT MAGIC AU. LOOK.

FILTH ANON 🍆 WAS BROWSING TODAY. I noticed there’s no filth for the Magic au. Allow me to fix this mistake. Our favorite wizards going at it with Ona and they decide to throw some magic in the mix. As in, using magic for bondage, making her more sensitive to touch, etc. all up to you B)

jsdfalskfskl THANK YOU HAHAHAH

But true! It’s true we didn’t have any smut for the Magic World!AU 👀 So I really had to remedy this situation…

I may confess that between the whole confinement in Spain and the uncertainty of employment (I was changing jobs and then we were all hit by this :_D) I’m a bit in a rut, and well, Animal Crossing came out, sooo… (If you wanna play, send me a DM!!)

But have some mischievous wizard boys having fun with our darling girl B)

As always, a million thanks to @tinmiss1939 for being an amazing friend and fixing the mistakes!! :DDDDDD Go follow her, she deserves all the love

Connor and Richard concluded the conservatory had a special magic in it. It couldn’t be another way, some ancestral magic or unknown spell, but they always found themselves drawn inside, lured by the calmness, the beauty of it. The fact that they enchanted it themselves to appear bigger on the inside than on the outside had nothing to do with it.

Well, maybe because of who was taking good care of it.

Since being under her care, the conservatory regained its lost majesticness: the plants grew under her touch, flowers bloomed, life found itself in what once was a gloomy and decadent place… They couldn’t thank Merlin enough for the day they bumped into each other.

But the conservatory certainly had its magic. 

It was a sunny day, and Richard enjoyed reading a book inside the conservatory with the sun rays warming his skin. The cushions were Ona’s making, rummaging through old closets and discarded pieces of fabric that were repurposed to be beautiful and plush pillows and cushions. It made the bench comfortable, so much that it made him fall asleep more than once, gaining himself a snicker and a nickname from Ona, something along the lines of ‘sleeping beauty’. But Richard didn’t know if it was because of the sun, warming him and his veins, or the sweet and fresh scent of the wisterias and sweet peas in full bloom, or the soft and gentle humming of her voice as she worked, that made him stand up and walk over the talented gardener.

Ona didn’t notice his presence, too absorbed into her work (and Richard was too silent, which scared her more than once), so Richard took that opportunity to admire the most beautiful flower in the entire conservatory. Her snow-white curls were everywhere, and Richard noticed she used her adorable hairpins to take some strands out of her face. Ona had her gloves full of rich and healthy soil, and judging by the smudges in her arms and face, she didn’t remember to take the gloves off anytime she had to scratch and itch. She finished tying a little rope to a stick to help a plant heal and grow after being accidentally stepped on by Connor. Once done, Ona stood up, wiping off the sweat of her forehead with the reverse of her gloved hand. She shouted all kind of colourful curses when she saw Richard next to the massive grown rose bushes, book in hand. As usual, Richard startled her by his silent presence.

Richard apologised, walking over her with a small smile on his lips.

“Aren’t you in a good mood today, you sneaky ninja-wizard?” ah, that was another nickname.

“Maybe I am.”

“Huh.” Ona rested her hands on her hips, brow raised and curious as to why. He could be moody sometimes, so this happier mood was hard to see.

Richard’s eyes rested on a smudge over her nose, following down her cheek. He smiled fondly this time, walking over where she stood with his book secured in his hand. Ona narrowed her eyes, but curiosity made her stand her ground. 

“You got something here.” Richard lifted his hand, thumb gently cleaning the soil on her face. Ona held her breath, completely taken aback by his actions. Did he smell the enchanted roses? “I should enchant your gloves so you don’t smear dirt all over yourself.” Ona heard the teasing note in his voice.

He did not take his hand away.

“Where would the fun be at, then?” Ona’s own voice felt a tad breathless.

“True.”

His thumb was caressing her cheek.

Ona never knew what compelled her to stand still, to get lost in his blue eyes as his fingers moved over her jaw, gently brushing them against her skin until he lifted her chin. Ona could not deny the magnetic pull she felt towards the two wizards, how she would notice the longing looks, the excuses to touch her hands, to be close to her as the time that Connor said she had a bug in her hair and–

And Richard was inching closer.

His thumb brushed her bottom lip, marvelling at how soft it was. His eyes were a calm and peaceful sea. Ona closed hers.

It was a chaste kiss at first, his lips pressing into hers as he enjoyed the feeling and sweetness of the act, but after months of pining after her, nights where he wanted her by his side, their side, to see her curls on their pillows and sheets tangled around them… The need for more clawed its way up, making Richard drop his book to the floor with a thud, not giving a single damn about it, because it was more important to wrap his arm around her waist, the other hand freeing her chin to curl it on her nape, pulling her in and deepening the kiss.

Her sweet moans and whimpers spurred him on. Her arms wrapping around his neck to have something to hold onto fed the flames inside of him.

It wasn’t until they both needed to breathe that they pulled away, but not with Ona chasing Richard’s lips which made the wizard chuckle softly. He rested his forehead on hers.

“You have bewitched us, body and soul.”

Ona let out a small and soft laugh, teasing him for being such a hopeless romantic. She didn’t complain, though. It was… nice. Richard’s gentle smile made her heart jump. Such a beautiful smile had been seen by a very select few.

That kiss opened the gates towards a new relationship between the wizards and the non-gifted. Everything changed. Ona didn’t feel alone at night anymore.

But she never suspected what an appetite both wizards would have. They had endured months of finding relief only with their dreams (and their own hands) while the object of their desire was unaware of their feelings.  Now that their love was returned, they never wanted to leave the house or even their rooms;  the wizards would summon up food and water, waving their hands for clean bedsheets and instantly ready baths.

Ona also didn’t know how absolutely creative they could be in bed.

And how devious they could be outside of bed.

That’s how she found herself one day inside the conservatory, re-soiling on her workbench a little plant that withered on the past few days. A tickling sensation started over her nape, sending a full-body shiver down her body. It went away. Ona turned around, frowning. It must have been the wind from an open window.

But the tickling returned, now brushing slowly down her spine. Her back arched, breath catching in her throat.  It went away again. Ona let out a shaky breath, having an idea of who may be behind this. But she let herself play into their game. The phantom touch returned once again, this time joined by another one. The invisible hands brushed up her thighs, going up her sides and slowly wrapping around her body like serpents. They squeezed her lightly, making her drop her tools on the table as she gasped loudly. It was a pleasant feeling, a secure sensation, so she let herself be engulfed by it. 

A pair of hands joined the ones already playing with her body. It made Ona’s breath stutter, feeling how it teased her on her inner thighs, brushing her hip bones and going up her torso, pointedly avoiding her breasts. The other pair continued to sneak around, to further wrap themselves around her body, now going after her thighs and squeezing. Ona gasped again, having an idea of who might be behind those particular phantom hands. The first touch was a teasing, playful touch, liking to drive her up the wall to then abruptly stop, leaving her on the edge. Much like Connor. She felt her lips tug into a smile; the game was probably his idea too.

The second pair of hands brushed her neck, going up in soft caresses until they reached her jaw, feeling how they gently cupped her face. It was sweet, tender, verging on intimate, and she knew Richard was behind those. The hands moved again, feeling a thumb on her bottom lip, caressing her slowly until it shyly made its way inside. Ona groaned, feeling a slight pressure on her tongue, and she eagerly opened up more to wrap her lips around the invisible fingers.

Connor’s invisible hands, because now it was obvious who was who, trailed up her inner thighs again, squeezing her flesh until they reached between her legs. Ona felt herself clench in anticipation, but she didn’t know Connor was in an even more mischievous mood  than usual. The fingertips almost brushed her lips, but chose to stay out of them. Ona tried to rock her hips, to get those fingers in her folds, but the invisible hold on her kept her from doing that. She growled in frustration, lightly biting the fingers in her mouth. Her rebelliousness was met with a light but sharp slap on her ass, making her jerk forward and moan around the fingers in her mouth. The invisible hands let her fall forward on the workbench, feeling them relax in her torso but tighten around her hips and legs, making her arch her back and brace herself for what was to come. 

A cold and slippery sensation found itself trailing up her inner thigh. Ona gasped, unconsciously trying to turn around to see, even though she knew nobody was there, but the hands on her mouth and jaw kept her where she was. It felt as if it was a tongue, the tip drawing random patterns on her skin, leaving a cold and wet sensation on its path, and Ona also had an idea of whose tongue it was. It went from leg to leg, going up, almost touching her soaked folds… only to disappear.

Ona was going to strangle Connor.

Now there was a hot and slippery sensation, going from her neck to her collarbones. It gently swept over her skin, raising goosebumps all over her body. The cold tongue returned, working in tandem with the hot one, making its way up her body, passing over her navel, working up until it reached her breasts. The tip wrapped itself around the right nipple, the coldness making it harden instantly, and eliciting a moan from her. The hands on her hips finally, finally, moved between her folds. Fingers ran up and down, teasing her slippery nub, and Ona felt herself clench once again. The cold tongue left her nipple, going to torment the left one. This time, though, the hot tongue decided to latch onto the right nipple, occupying the now vacant space. Ona thrashed in her bonds, arousal striking her like lightning. It was a maddening sensation, to be teased like this, and being unable to take matters into her own hands. Ona knew the wizards liked the power, liked to be the commanding ones, and as much as she liked to be in their hands and at mercy in situations as this, one day she was going to turn the tables and make them beg.

But that was for another day.  Today was absolutely not going to be that day.

For now, she was going to be teased into incoherency by wandering hands and devilish tongues.

The hand in her mouth disappeared, moving to join its sister on spreading her buttocks. The tongues disappeared too, and she felt the thrill of their unknown location go straight into her core. The fingers in her folds became bolder, teasing her hole before they delved in. In and out, in a scissoring motion, until they curled into a spot that made Ona moan unabashedly. The hands spreading her buttocks made her feel exposed, even though she was still fully clothed, and it send a wave of arousal through her. And then she felt it.

The hot and cold sensation came back, the hot swiping up, teasing her holes, and the cold swiping to her clit. Ona moaned with wild abandon, and she didn’t know which direction should she rock her hips. It was either into the motion of the hand or of the tongues. They decided for her, the invisible bonds holding her into place as they increased the intensity of their onslaught. Ona held onto the workbench edges for dear life, unconsciously arching her back further to make those fingers brush that particular spot again and again.

Ona knew her mewls echoed around the conservatory but she honestly didn’t give a single damn about it. It was only her and the wizards at home, and they were the horny little shits behind this, so they better heard her. She got her answer when the cold tongue stuttered into its ministrations, knowing Connor was losing his precious concentration. It seemed they were pretty close. Good.

Pure, unadulterated filth came out of her mouth. Begging, moaning, panting… everything she knew that made them both mount her like wild beasts on a rut. Ona grinned, knowing she accomplished her mission when Connor became more determined with his fingers and tongue. He pulled up his own tricks, and it was Ona’s turn to curse his clever tongue.

She was close. So close. Ona felt her orgasm creep up to her, the molten lava in her loins threatening to spill all over her body. 

It was Richard who propelled her into it, getting his hot tongue inside her soaked hole alongside Connor’s fingers. Her body became completely still as she let the waves after waves of pleasure engulf her entire body, a choked gasp coming out of her mouth.

If it wasn’t for their invisible bonds holding her in place, her knees might have given out.

A hand came up to her face, caressing her cheek and lowering to her chin, gently persuading her to turn her head in the direction it wanted. She saw the semi-materialised magic, as if it was an ethereal and swifty arrow pointing her to the direction she should go, to a path covered in beautifully grown monsteras, fiddle-leaf figs and hanging potuses. After taking a couple of breaths and discarding her gloves, she followed it, more caresses encouraging her. Her panties were sticky, she was sweaty and needed to take a nice and refreshing shower.

Ona recognised that path, knowing it led to a beautiful indoor pool next to the absolutely breathtaking bay windows with the sun coming through them.

Connor and Richard were inside, both having a drink in their hands. They were the perfect picture of power, of dominance and self-assuredness. Ona saw a magnificent wooden tray floating in the water with another untouched glass and an opened bottle of expensive wine. Connor took a sip, winking at her while doing so. Richard smiled softly at her, setting his own glass on the wooden tray.

“I’m sure we can tempt you to a nice and relaxing bath?” Richard’s purr made her sigh contentedly, nodding.

As she stepped closer to the pool’s edge, Ona could feel their magic unbutton her trousers and untie her boots, gently taking off her clothes, until she stood nude in front of them. She could feel the wizard’s hungry stares on her, beckoning to step into the warm pool’s water and join them.

Ona could already feel the warmth of the water soothe her aches away. As she approached them, the wizards sat up, Connor waving his hand so the untouched glass was filled for the newcomer. He took her hand, kissing it before pulling her to him. Ona fell into his arms, giggling.

“I take it you liked it, didn’t you?” Connor muttered the words  into her skin, his lips brushing against her neck. Ona’s pleased sigh made him smile.

“I don’t think I need to say it, considering how loud I was, but I may be inclined to stroke your ego a little bit.” Ona took her own glass of wine, letting the rich and deep flavour of it coat her tongue. It had been Connor’s time to pick, it seemed.

Connor chuckled, lightly biting her collarbone. Ona felt Richard move behind her, his fingers brushing away her curls to place a sweet kiss on her nape, slowly making his way to her right shoulder.

“There are more things we can try, if you’re amenable to it. For example, an invisibility spell in the park at a sunset picnic.” Richard’s hands slowly descended her sides, resting them on her hips. Ona’s eyes widened at the proposal.

“Are you suggesting public sex?!”

“I wasn’t, I was thinking something more along the idea of us being invisible and enjoying you, but now that you mention it…”

“Oh my God, you absolute menace.”

Richard chuckled into her skin, his hands descending until his fingertips reached her mound, deliberately teasing her.

“Let me persuade you into thinking about it, my dear, if you let me”.

Ona set the glass back on the wooden tray, knowing she would need her hands free to brace herself for what was about to happen. Completely in sync with each other, Richard let his fingers find her clit, while Connor busied himself into sucking her left nipple into his mouth.

If they persuaded her like that, she might say yes.

[meganshinsou-tm]

Shared Walls. (m)

↳ chapter nine: control

❧ genre: pro-hero shouto, coworkers to lovers, happy ending

❧ chapter warnings: none

[multi-chap masterlist] [previous chapter - next chapter]

Shouto's two toned eyes slowly fluttered open to bright sunlight filling the bedroom. The hero honestly wasn't a morning person on his days off, always trying to stay in bed until the last possible minute before realizing he would need to get up and do something productive. He groaned and rubbed his eyes and went to get up to close his blinds just a bit more until he felt another body stirring next to him and letting out small quiet sounds.

He looked down to see you cradled into his chest and lap, your thighs flushed with each other. Todoroki finally remembered the night before, the confessions you made to each other and falling asleep with you in his arms. The whole weekend caring and worrying about you had him so exhausted and sleeping with someone for the first time in what felt like forever made him sleep deeply and very well. You head rested in the crook of his arm, his hand threaded through your soft hair. The sea blue and grey eyes widened when he looked down more and realized your top half was bare and all you wore were a pair of black cheeky underwear.

"What did I do," he thought to himself, positive that you feel asleep with a shirt on the night before. 

His eyes trekked across your shoulders and took in the sight of your mangled skin as it was closer for him to really examine. His heart broke a little as his fingertips lightly ghosted the scar tissue of the claw marks left behind. He wondered how someone could ever want to hurt you so badly and be proud of it. Scars or no scars, your skin was still flawless in his eyes. You looked so soft and plush making him yearn to touch you more.

Taking a leap of faith, his hand flattened under your shoulder blade and slowly glided along the curve of your hip. His fingers softly gripping the edge of it once he reached the hem of your garment. You seemed to hum at the feeling, he was using his left hand so it was like he left a trail of warmth on your skin. Releasing your hip, his fingers then danced along your lower back where he lightly applied pressure and massaged up your spine. Your back arched into his touch, making your ass brush against his crotch, as it did his hand stopped and his fingers stiffened on your back but he controlled himself from digging them into your skin and waking you any further.

Shouto's mind was swimming in the sight before him as his own imagination added more pictures to the mix. He took a deep breath to try and calm himself and his steadily beating heart. Once under control again, his hand continued to lightly wonder your skin and back to the starting point at your scars. His hand flattened once again under the marks and his thumb brushed them. A soft and sleepy purr come from you and your body inched closer to his searching for more warmth since he was pulled away from you during his admiration. The male couldn't resist anymore and he leaned down close to your back, his lips brushing against the marks that you were so ashamed of. All we wanted to do was show them love, hoping that in return you would come to accept them. Finally, his lips pursed together and he placed the lightest of kisses along each single scar. The fringy tips of his hair tickled your skin and made you giggle quietly. He felt your body shaking and smiled.

You turned your head and Shouto smiled even more. (E/c) sleepy hues sparkled at him, your cheeks slightly pink from their warmth and the laziest but cutest smile crossed your lips.

"Good morning RokiRoki!"

Shouto wrapped his arm around your waist, careful not to graze your breasts and pulled you closer into his chest. He placed a sweet peck on your forehead and his hand in your hair brushed aside your bangs that hung in your eyes.

"Good morning, I'm sorry if I woke you, I'll let you be if you want."

"Please don't, I like when you touch me Shouto."

Your sleepy eyes softened and you smiled again, turning your head back around and nudged your back into his chest, trying to signal for him to continue. He took your silent request and fulfilled it, his hand rubbing your body again, you breathed out a content sigh. "How did you sleep Shouto?"

"Really great actually, I didn't exactly realize how tired I was."

"Aww, that's my fault Shouto. You've been taking care of me all weekend and haven't really been able to rest, I'm sorry."

Shouto shook his head behind you and placed his chin on your shoulder. "Don't apologize (Y/N), I'd do it all over again. I know it's under terrible circumstances but I've enjoyed this time alone with you."

You smiled and nodded, the two of you continued to lay together making small talk as he massaged your back. Todoroki loved being able to freely touch your skin without any awkwardness. It felt so natural to have you so close to him, talking about random things and genuinely enjoying the other's company. He could stay right here forever with you in his arms, listening to your voice and hearing your sounds. Feeling the warmth of your body pressed with his as he kissed your skin diligently and breathed in your sweet scent that smelled of vanilla and cocoa powder.

"(Y/N), how did your shirt end up coming off?"

You chuckled and felt his arm wrapping around your waist again. You took his hand in yours, intertwining your fingers together as he laid back down. You molded perfectly into him and his head rested on top of yours, his hand playing in your hair again.

"Well, I don't know if its your quirk or if you're just naturally hot natured but I got extremely warm from the blanket and you being so close so at some point in the middle of the night I guess I just tossed it off. If you haven't noticed I'm just extremely comfortable around you Shouto and we're both adults, it's not like we haven't seen or slept with half naked people before right?"

Shouto smirked and agreed. Your fingers traced along the back of his hand that wrapped around you as you grew silent again not showing any sign of getting of out the warm and soft bed anytime soon. Todoroki's eyes closed as he nuzzled his face in the crook of your neck squeezing you tightly. 

"Shouto, isn't it Monday, my brain is still kind of groggy on what day it is."

"Yes, it's Monday. If you're worried about work, don't be. I called my father yesterday and informed him of the situation. He advised that we both take the day off to rest."

You smiled and awed at Enji's kindness. "I told you I'd butter him up! No one can resist my charm RokiRoki!"

The hero chuckled against your skin, his warm breath fanned across your neck and his low husky voice made you shudder physically. 

"Are you cold (Y/N)?"

Sheepishly you laughed and shook your head. "Uh – not exactly Shouto."

Todoroki was somewhat intrigued by what seemed to make you tremble, if it was the temperature or you just being uncomfortable, he wanted to know so that he could fix it. He was still somewhat aloof when it came to reading people.

"What is it then?"

You giggled and shrugged your shoulders. "It's just, certain things you do have an effect on me. Your quirk glitches when I make you nervous or flustered right?" Shouto agreed with a hum. "Well when you make me nervous or flustered my body reacts differently, maybe I'll shudder like I did or –"

"Bite your lip." Shouto replied, not questioning though but stating as a fact.

You laughed and raised your free hand to ruffle Shouto's soft locks that mixed with yours. "You're very perceptive Roki!"

The male smiled and you could feel his lips brush against your neck along with his breath again, a quiet gasp left your lungs and your head tilted slightly more into the pillow beneath you. 

"I guess you could say that, but I just enjoy watching you."

Your eyes widened at his statement and at the feeling of his fingers tracing circles on your stomach, making butterflies dance on the inside. Your skin suddenly felt like it was on fire but thankfully it wasn't Todoroki's quirk, just your raging hormones rejoicing underneath your skin as his lips trailed along your neck and the back of your shoulder. The hero was a gentleman for the most part, but he could be suave as fuck when he wanted to and it drove you insane. His expression and voice would stay the same as his eyes stared into your soul when he'd make suggestive comments or jokes.

Sinful thoughts ran through your head, making you question if this was the best place to be? In the same bed, halfway naked with your employer. You wanted so badly to say yes and to beg the man to have his way with you or at least finally give you a real kiss but before you could take any further step you needed to know if crossing that professional line would be okay even though your feet were already in the water.

"Shouto, if you're going to say things like that and touch me the way you are, I need to know one thing."

"What is it," he replied pulling his face and body somewhat away from you.

You sighed and clutched the blankets close to your chest and covering yourself before turning to lay on your back. Shouto sat up on his elbow, his free hand cupping your cheek and brushing the soft flustered skin.

"I know last night we said things to each other, it's undeniable, our feelings. And we're only human and have other desires as well besides just emotional. Before we both cross that line any further and give into them, what will that mean for our business relationship, will I need to find another job or will you get in trouble?"

Todoroki smiled and leaned forward, his face inches from yours. His blue and grey eyes glistened and made you melt, your own eyes looked down at his plump and soft looking lips making you bite down on your bottom lip. He chuckled and placed a finger on the piece of flesh, pulling it from between your teeth.

"You're nervous, don't be. I'd never do anything you don't want me to (Y/N), although I'll admit I find it hard to control myself around you. As for our 'business' relationship, nothing would change. Workplace relationships are very common nowadays, as long as it doesn't interfere with either of our work ethics then it's 100% acceptable."

You nodded and relaxed from his words but didn't move an inch as his finger still lingered on your lip. He leaned in closer, your noses brushed together and he moved his body closer to yours. Heat engulfed you both and a puff of steam escaped his lips. You giggled and placed a hand on his own cheek. 

"Are you trying to control yourself right now Shouto?"

"Yes."

Your own thumb brushed across his bottom lip, it was softer than you expected. Your eyes wondered his blushing pale cheeks and the pieces of hair that dangled before his beautiful eyes. With a smirk you pulled him in closer, brushing your lips against his, testing his control to the max. He stayed still and let you tease, feeling your plump lips against his own and leaving a trail of fire against them. The hand on your face trailed down your body over the covers and rested on your hip, his entire body was burning up as he maintained himself, fingers itching to touch and lips yearning to taste. You were surprised by how well he was able to fight off the urge of planting that kiss you both desired. It was obvious that the ball was in your court and all you had to do was say the magic words.

"Shouto, I like when you look at me, and touch me," you relayed onto his lips. He groaned and nuzzled his warm lips against yours, trying to keep his composure and starting to breathe heavier. You giggled and pressed the tip of your thumb between his teeth finally giving him at least something to latch onto while you teased a bit more.

"I'd like it more though, if you finally kissed me."

Shouto nipped on your thumb and released it. "If I kiss you, then I'm not sure I'll be strong enough to stop myself."

You rolled your eyes and wrapped your fingers into his red tresses. "Just do it Shouto!"

Nothing else needed to be said as Shouto was eager to fulfill your demand. His lips finally closed the last small fraction of distance and pressed against yours, molding together perfectly. You hummed into the passionate and tender kiss, his lips weren't cold or scorching hot, but a perfect warm. Your lips danced together slowly and lingered, tasting the other finally and it was extremely sweet and indulgent. Each time you both thought of remotely breaking away your lips would be immediately recaptured by the other. He couldn't get enough and neither could you. Shouto gripped your cheek and a smile formed between the kiss, you took it as his surrender and pursed your lips together one last time lingering a few more seconds before finally breaking at the same time.

Your chests heaved up and down as you panted into each other's mouths trying to catch your breath. He smiled at your swollen lips and placed one last soft peck to them and then to your cheek. You giggled and kissed his cheek as well and turned your back to him again, scooting into his chest. He embraced you and kissed your hair, pulling the covers over the both of you.

"Can we stay in bed all day Rokiroki?"

Shouto hummed and wrapped his arm around your waist, finding your hand again, interlocking your fingers.

"If that's what you want to do sweetheart."

[anotheruselessfangirl]

Chapter 10

Hello! It’s been longer than usual so apologies for that, work, life, you know, the old stuff. But chapter 10 is now up on Ao3, I hope you like it. I really enjoy writing about these two more and more. Here’s your preview:

10-Trip

-We have a whole day of travelling ahead. You can sleep for a while, Mia.

I searched his face for some sign of naughty intentions, but he was just making a thoughtful offer. I tilted my head a bit, eventually accepting it. I thought it would be nice and only take me a few minutes to fall asleep, considering how comfortable I always found him, yet his armour wasn’t really helpful. The front of it covered his entire torso, and it was just cold and hard, the opposite of his warm, soft chest where I’d rested before. So instead of closing my eyes, I just stayed there, contemplating the landscape.

-You seem bothered.

“How did he even notice so easily?” Yes, I was kind of disappointed. A nap in Nobunaga’s arms sounded so pleasant and now it didn’t look like it would happen anytime soon. Though, I couldn’t just say that to him.

-You don’t need to worry so much about me.

-Is that so? Then I expect you’ll be in a good mood tonight. We’ll be sharing a room at the manor. We can entertain each other better there.

I narrowed my eyes at him –Is that all you ever think about?

-I do enjoy our time together. And you make for an excellent pillow- he started fondling my thigh over the fabric of my pants.

-I’m not a pillow!

-And yet you’ve given me such pleasant rest.

I gave him an angry look. I hated it when his teasing managed to make me feel hot. But Nobunaga caught me by surprise when he suddenly kissed me.

-Mm! – I protested and he pulled back. It was just a second and yet, I gasped when he parted –What was that for?

-Don’t pout, Mia. I prefer to see you smile.

I snorted –Too bad that’s not up to you.

-Should I kiss you until you do?

-N-no! – the idea made me aroused all of the sudden, but it was not the time nor the place –You can’t just kiss me whenever you want!

-But your lips are my territory. I shouldn’t need to remind you.

“Ohhh, curse you and your stupid game. How could I ever get myself into it? I wish somebody had warned me how much I’d pay for it”.

-And my domain doesn’t stop there- he grabbed my wrist and brought my hand to his soft lips –This is where my conquest started.

I tried not to sigh too much at the feel of his kisses, but his face and the whole show was so near me, it made every other sound disappeared. All I could focus on was seeing his lips move over each fingertip with delicacy, nipping at them slightly. It was inevitable to remember the first time he did that, and notice how different his touch was now, the look on his face. He wasn’t focused on making me react, only on gently caressing my fingers. I could tell he was enjoying it, and it made me even hotter.

Then his hand caught a lock of my hair, brushing it away –Next, I conquered this.

Realizing what came now, I was taken aback with astonishment –We’re on a horse back!

-It is a shame- he breathed on my neck, before kissing it a well, ignoring my complaint. I had to bite my lip, putting all of my effort into not panting too hard.

-Mmm, that’s not what I meant- I was starting to get carried away, when my eyes opened and caught a glimpse at the curious looks of the soldiers on us. I gasped in surprise and lowered my head to hide behind Nobunaga, who gave me a puzzled face.

-What is it?

-Everyone’s watching! – I whispered, and yet he ignored it, moving to the most sensitive spot he’d conquered.

-And? All I care about is you- he murmured in my ear, soon kissing it as well. I couldn’t stop the cry that left my mouth, not just for his action but his words. The way he spoke when he was so close was pretty much a kink of mine by now. I put my hand on his shoulder, seeing that when he kissed my ear, at least he covered my face from the looks of the soldiers behind. They weren’t that near after all.

-And do you remember the night I conquered this? – he asked hoarsely as he caressed my back.

“How could I forget? With the outfit that you made me wear”. Deep down, I almost wished I had it on now, so that I could feel his callous hands on my bare skin.

-And then…- his hand descended to my rear, and that was where my tolerance stopped.

-Hey! No. Not here.

-Didn’t I tell you? You can’t escape our deal– before I could complain, he sealed my lips with his. Taking advantage of my inability to protest, he fondled me with more emphasis, squeezing my cheeks at times. Even in our kiss, I could feel him rejoice by the way I jumped when he pressed me. This was definitely not a show I wanted to make in front of so many people.

-Okay, that’s enough- I had to break the kiss, but he just went back to my neck, his hand never leaving my rear –You keep doing this, and I’ll make you pay for it.

-A bold threat- he sounded very amused as he whispered, unaware of what was coming over him –How will you make me pay?

-Just remember you asked for it- I knew he wasn’t taking me seriously, considering the way he kept nipping at my ear. It would only make it all the more funny when he found out what my plan was.

-Mm? – he hummed, holding my lobe in his teeth. But I had a mischievous smile on.

-If you keep touching me, I’ll tickle you.

He tensed immediately -What? No…!

I laughed really hard at the way he backed up and put his hands on his neck to protect it, giving me a very upset look.

-I-I’ll kill you! I threatened I would…

The fact that he was so confident before and now could barely speak straight, made me laugh even more. His face was just a spectacle and I thoroughly wished I could take a picture of it.

-Oh, what? Like the warmth but can’t take the heat?

-This… this is no laughing matter, Mia. I’m serious.

-How can I not laugh? You look like a kid when I tell them the tickling monster is coming.

-Tickling monster? – he acted confused. I raised my claws at him and roared the way I used to when I played with my little cousins. Nobunaga backed up even further with fear, until I had to hold him by his arms.

-Be careful! You’re going to fall off!

-I’m just trying to escape from you.

I giggled at how cute he looked when he was so desperate –I won’t really tickle you, Nobunaga. I promise.

He slowly went back to his position. His face came closer to mine again, but all I could do was laugh. Somehow, my amusement hit him as well, because he started giggling with me, making my smile widen. It was relaxing and even lovely, having him so near and just laugh together.

-My wife might be a curse instead- he smiled while putting an arm around me in a way that was definitely not a hug.

-What are you doing?

-I’m preventing you from doing anymore of your tricks. Now, if you tickle me and I fall off, you’ll be dragged down with me.

-Ohhh, you’re no fun- I jokingly pouted and he grinned.

-That’s the point. Now you have to behave yourself.

As a protest, I made a face at him, sticking my tongue out. But it was inevitable to laugh any way.

-Who’s acting like a kid now? - he joked –It seems it was a mistake to use you to cure my boredom. I almost fell off my horse.

I frowned at him, getting quite mad again –Well, that’s what you get for using people’s bodies as entertainment.

-It wasn’t your body I was interested in. It was you.

Glancing at him, I noticed his attitude was suddenly different. I realized the meaning of his words, and my cheeks lost no time in feeling hot again. The way his eyes stared at me could’ve made me melt any time. The expression in them was so intense, I felt like they pulled me right in. His face was so close, our noses touching, that it just felt right, so I leaned in and kissed him. It was only a peck, but when he didn’t try anything else, I realized what I’d done. I backed up with wide eyes, and the smug grin he had on made me all the more coy.

I shook my head and looked down in embarrassment –Don’t get ideas!

-It’s too late- he leaned in my ear to whisper seductively –I really can’t wait for tonight.

I bit my lower lip, trying to stop the flustered smile that wanted to come out. Now I was also very impatient for our evening together.

[formerprincess]

A tale written with fangs and claws || Chapter 49

Chapters: 49/? Fandom: Teen Wolf (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken, Corey Bryant/Mason Hewitt Characters: Liam Dunbar, Theo Raeken, Mason Hewitt, Corey Bryant, Nolan (Teen Wolf) Additional Tags: Alpha Liam Dunbar, Slow Build, Friends to Lovers, Dunbar Pack, Bisexual Liam Dunbar, Werewolf Theo Raeken, Alpha Theo Raeken, Canon-Typical Violence, Smut, Mates, Liam and Theo are mates, Top Theo Raeken, Bottom Theo Raeken, Top Liam, Bottom Liam Dunbar Series: Part 1 of Morning Dew Pack

Landon now lives with the pack. Will everything go smoothly? Liam doesn't want him to know about werewolves, how long can he keep this secret from his little brother? And taking care of Landon is not the only thing the pack needs to pay attention to.

Liam felt bone-aching exhaustion when he entered the house with Theo and Landon. The encounter with his biological father and the emotional rollercoaster before clearly had more effect on him than he thought at first. But for Landon, he would be strong, act like he was having everything under control, and so he smiled at his little brother and gently squeezed his hand when they arrived home.

The pack had gathered in the living room and they happily greeted the Alpha couple. When they saw Landon however, they made inquisitive sounds. Liam smiled. “Guys, this is Landon, the boy I met through the Big Brother Program. Landon, those are my friends, I showed you pictures of them. Now you meet them for real.” He introduced every single member and they all waved and welcomed Landon who waved shyly and clutched Liam’s hand.  “Hi,” he said softly. “Landon’s staying with us,” Liam informed his Betas and Mason looked happy but surprised. “Did they finally allowed you to meet outside the school? That’s awesome, I thought it would take a little longer. But it’s cool, a sleepover, who doesn’t love that?” But Liam shook his head in reply. “Landon’s staying with us. Period. He’s not leaving again.” Mason blinked. “Come again? What?” Liam inhaled softly and reached out to gently run a hand through Landon’s hair. “In recent terms of events today it turned out that Landon’s father is Emmet Dunbar,” he announced and Landon looked at him and smiled weakly at his older brother. The pack erupted in confused and shocked sounds, clearly interested in the story behind that, and Liam really wanted to give it to them but...

Not in front of Landon. 

He knelt down. “Are you hungry, buddy? Should get you something to eat first, alright?” Landon nodded and Brett spoke up. “There are some sandwiches on the table in the kitchen. Feel free to take, we made them for the whole household.” With a grateful smile towards the tall werewolf, Liam guided Landon into the kitchen. The dogs had been rested in front of the patio doors and enjoyed the sun on their fur but when the two boys entered, they got up and trotted over. Landon’s eyes lit up. Just like Liam himself, the younger loved animals and he had loved the pictures of the pups.  “They look like wolves.” “Yeah, but they are pretty nice. Hold out your hand, they won’t bite you,” Liam instructed Landon when the child was a bit hesitant to come close to the animals despite clearly liking them.  Landon reached out now and let Aka and Koda sniff his hand. Both decided immediately that he was friendly and eagerly pushed against his hand so he started petting them. Landon giggled.  Liam took it as his chance. “If you want a sandwich, just take one from the table, okay? I will be right back, just need to have a talk with my friends in the living room,” he told his baby brother who nodded absentmindedly and ran his fingers through the Tamaskan’s soft furs. 

The young Alpha slipped out of the kitchen and returned to the living room where his Betas were still gobsmacked.  “If Emmet Dunbar is Landon’s father, that makes you...,” Tim made a motion between the kitchen and Liam with his index finger, “Oh boy!” “It makes us actual brothers, yeah.” Liam let out a shaky breath and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “I didn’t know until today. Landon saw my jersey and started crying. I didn’t know why but then suddenly Emmet showed up and dragged him out of the school. I came home and asked Theo for help, Landon suddenly called, we drove there...I had no idea what would happen. I just knew I couldn’t leave him with that man.” He hunched his shoulders and shook his head. “Emmet hasn’t changed. He’s still a drunkard and still hits his son. The only difference between me and Landon is, I had a mother who saved me from all this. He has nobody.” “He has you,” Theo chimed in quietly.  Liam looked at him and nodded softly. “Guess you’re right. And look, guys, I know none of us is trained enough to raise a child and I’m sorry I brought this upon you but I had no other choice.” “You don’t have to be sorry.” Lori shook her head. “If it’s family, you protect, blood or not. We all are family and since he is your little brother, he might as well be our little brother. We will protect him and take care of him in and make sure he now can have a happy childhood away from any abuse,” she stated firmly and the others murmured in approval.  Mike nodded. “She’s right.” “So you don’t mind having him here?” Liam was relieved by that.  Mason smiled warmly. “He’s your little brother and what you already told us about him, even before you knew he was your little brother, is just so sweet. He will be a joy to have around.” That reminded Liam of something else. “By the way, I haven’t told Landon about werewolves yet and I want to keep it that way for the first time being. I’m aware this will be kind of hard but I’m not sure how well a nine-year-old child handles that. He has been traumatized enough already, don’t need to add to this. I’m sorry, guys, but I don’t want him in the known about supernaturals yet and I’m sorry if this makes your life a little bit harder.” “It will be fine.” Maya shook her head and smiled. “It’s not like we’re still fighting with our control. We have it covered so we won’t scare the little one. Don’t worry about it. We all get where you’re coming from.”

Liam was well aware it wouldn’t be easy, none of them had experience with raising a child, but he now knew his brother was safe and surrounded by love. And if this pack had something to give, it was love. Landon just gained lots of brothers and sisters. 

“Thanks, guys. I’m going to show him around,” he announced to his Betas and then walked back in the kitchen where Landon sat on the floor and still petted Aka and Koda.  “Hey, buddy, let me show you where you sleep, okay? It’s not a room filled with toys and fun stuff yet but we can get you new things in the next days. Sounds good?”  Landon looked surprised. “I get things?” “Course you do. You’re my baby brother, you deserve nice things. What kind of brother would I be if I didn’t buy you toys?” Liam smiled softly and it only widened when Landon got to his feet and wrapped his arms around Liam’s waist.  “Thank you, Liam.” “Anytime. Now, come on, let me show you everything.” 

He gently stirred Landon in the direction of the stairs and led him upstairs. On their way, he explained where every pack member lived and then showed Landon the last guest room they had.  Landon laughed and crawled onto the bed. “Such a big bed and it’s all for me?” “It sure is, buddy, all for you. You’re not the tallest, just like me, but let me tell you, having a big bed is nice. And you don’t have to share it with anybody.” “Do you have to share your bed, Liam?” “Yeah, with Theo.” The young Alpha chuckled. “But I like sharing with him, so it’s totally fine.” The child nodded solemnly. “I see,” he mumbled. “Now, listen, my room is that one.” Liam pointed at the door. “Landon, if you ever need something, no matter the time, you can come and see me there, okay? Whatever it is.” Landon looked at his hands and nervously played with his fingers. “You won’t mind?” He finally asked hesitantly and bit his lip. His blue eyes were filled with worry when he finally dared to look up.  Liam smiled warmly when he now shook his head. “I won’t mind. I’m here to protect you, may it from a bad dream or bad people. So you can always come and share when something bothers you. I know you’re not used to it. Your...our father is not a very lovely person but I am. Got that from my mom. And you are very lovely as well, I already learned that about you.” The younger boy smiled at his big brother and then moved closer to hug Liam again.  “Thank you, Liam.” “Don’t mention it, Laddie.” Liam carefully hugged his baby brother back. 

****** "Are you feeling better, now that your brother is with us?” Theo asked while he pulled his shirt over his head. It was the night of the same day they took Landon away from his abusive father and the mated couple was getting ready for bed.  Liam rubbed his neck. “Yeah. I don’t think I could have slept one minute knowing he still lives with this bastard.” He sat on the bed after he stretched. It had been an emotionally exhausting day and he was really feeling it now. “Thank you for grounding me. Without you, I would have beaten the crap out of Emmet and probably send him to the hospital.” Theo stepped to the bed and put both hands on Liam’s shoulders. “I’m proud of you for keeping in control so greatly. It was actually impressive, given what Emmet put you and Landon through.” “That’s in the past now. I want to look forward and make sure Landon now has the best childhood he can have. He deserves to be a happy little boy. Better late than never.” Liam smiled at Theo and Theo returned the smile before he reached up and ran his fingers over Liam’s cheek. “You okay though? Look kinda tired.” “I am tired. Long, rough day. My bed is calling out for me.” “Do you want to use the bathroom first? I can take a shower after you’re done,” Theo immediately offered. Liam smiled at his mate’s concern but waved it off.  “It’s fine. Take your shower, I can brush my teeth afterward.” “You sure?” Theo raised one eyebrow in question. “Yeah, I am. Get your ass into the shower, Raeken.” Liam reached up and gave his boyfriend’s behind a soft slap. The older laughed but then walked into the bathroom.

Liam snickered and stretched out on the bed. He heard the shower getting turned on and Theo closing the door after he got into the cubicle. Theo would take some minutes, so he might as well close his eyes and relax while he waited for his turn. He could brush his teeth while Theo was in the shower, he knew what his man looked naked and wet after all, but lately, there seemed to be a problem with the pipes and when one used the bathroom faucet, it took the water pressure away from the shower. He didn’t want to leave Theo with just a little trickle to wash away the soap and shampoo so he had to wait. 

The Alpha made a mental note to call a plumber to check for the source of the problem and listened to the water running. He was asleep before the water got turned off again and Theo returned to the room. 

He woke up the next day before Theo and slowly got out of bed. The house was quiet so Liam figured he was the first one awake again. On his way down, however, he met with Caden who sneaked out of the bathroom and was on his way back to Ever’s room. He hesitated when he saw Liam and laughed nervously.  “Uhm, should I have asked you before staying over?” Liam grinned. “Did you use protection?” He asked back and Caden blinked. “Course we did.” “Then carry on.” He grinned when Caden bolted back into the room and then Liam trotted down the stairs, filled the dogs' bowls with fresh water and food, and even started to brew coffee. He had taken his phone with him when he left his room and now lazily checked some messages while he sat down on the patio. A little green dot showed him his mother was online and Liam knew he had to have this conversation sooner or later. So he pressed the button for a video call and waited for Ilona to accept the call.

Her face appeared on the screen moments later and she smiled. “Good Morning, baby.” She waved and Liam waved back with a soft laugh.  “How are you, mom?” “I am fine, just about to meet with some of my friends later on for brunch. What about you? Are your classes still stressing you out? What about your team? Any new wins yet?” “Classes are still demanding, you know it. No, no new wins yet but we’re working on it. Before I graduate, I will hold the trophy, mark my words.” He raised a fist and Ilona laughed.  “That’s the spirit!”

Mother and son had a laugh together but then Liam grew serious again. “Mom, there’s something I have to talk about with you.” Ilona frowned. “Honey, what’s wrong?” Now that he was talking to his mother, Liam had no real idea how to tell her. It was a sensitive topic and he didn’t want to hurt his mother. There were so many bad memories connected to this man and she didn’t deserve to live through it again. But he couldn’t keep his newfound family ties from her.  “I told you about this boy I got paired with in the Big Siblings program, right?” “Yeah, you did. He sounded like a really nice little boy and I’d love to meet him one day if that’s possible.” “Oh, you will definitively meet him,” Liam muttered under his breath.  Ilona perked up. “What was that? I didn’t catch that.” “Nothing, I...” Liam sighed. “I recently found out...I mean, yesterday, I found it out that....” He stopped again and gnawed on his lower lip.  “Liam, talk to me. Whatever it is, you can talk to me about everything.” “I know that. I just...don’t want to hurt you.” “Baby, give me some credit. I handled you being a werewolf just fine, right? Whatever it is now, I will handle it just as fine.”

He exhaled loudly. She was right, his mother was a tough cookie. “Okay. Well, as I said, I found out yesterday that...” Liam decided to rip it off like a bandaid. “Landon is Emmet’s son!” Ilona’s frown deepened and then she looked highly baffled. “What?” “Seems like he got married again after you divorced and had another son three years after your divorce. But Landon’s mom died during his birth and it was just him and Emmet. I didn’t know it until Emmet picked him up from school yesterday. I didn’t...It was crazy, mom!” Now that he started, everything was bubbling out and Liam couldn’t stop. “I went to Theo cause I had no idea how to react. What was I supposed to do? I just found out I had a little brother. What’s the right way to handle this? But then Landon called and asked for help and Theo drove me there and...He didn’t change, mom! He is still the same abusive, drunk bastard he was back then. And...” Liam bit his lower lip and clenched his eyes shut for a moment to regain his composure. 

When he opened his eyes again, he found his mother staring at him wide-eyed, hands clasped over her mouth. And Liam continued: “I wanted to beat him up. A part of me wanted to punish him for everything he had done to you, to me, and obviously to Landon. I was just so angry. But then I thought about you and how hard you worked to make sure I never became like him. Theo being there helped too, he anchored me. I didn’t want to be like that guy and so I let him go. But I took Landon with me. He’s with us now. No way I’m letting him back to a father who hits him.”

Liam had not realized he was crying but when he ended, he felt the wet streaks rolling down his cheeks and wiped them away hastily. He saw his mother doing the same and she shook her head.  “My sweet baby...” “I know it’s probably not the right thing. I should call the police and child protective services but they would take Landon away from me and I don’t want that. We will take care of him, me and my pack, and he will have a happy childhood from now on.” 

“Liam,” Ilona said softly, “Liam, look at me.” She smiled when her son followed and looked at the screen. “I’m not going to tell you to call social services. This situation is difficult, almost unbearable, and I’m more worried about how you feel all about this. You met your father again, a man you haven’t seen in over a decade. What did this do to you?” Liam shrugged. “I’m confused? There is so much going on in my head. I guess a part of me always thought I would meet up with him one day and have a real talk about everything. Maybe I even hoped he would have changed and understood what he did wrong. Now I know I will never talk to him ever again if I didn’t have to. He will never change. Alcohol is more important to him than anything or anybody else. He’s that weak. I don’t want him in my life. But I guess, I came out of the meeting okay. And hey, I gained a little brother out of it. A real little brother.” “Something you always wanted. I still remember how bummed you were when your dad and I told you we won’t be having another child. Now your wish came true.”

He laughed and wiped away the remaining tears. “Are you okay? I didn’t want to rip up any old scars, you know? You’re my mother and I want you to be happy.” “Liam, I am absolutely fine. You told me something about my ex-husband and this is terrible, especially that he learned nothing from past mistakes, but I’m not traumatized. I didn’t meet him again, you did. But when you tell me you’re fine, that’s all I want to hear.” “I am fine, mom, I really am.”

Liam heard the patio door being opened and when he turned around Landon hovered in the doorway. “Liam?” He asked hesitantly. “Hey, Laddie, come here. I’m having a video call with my mom and would like you to meet her.” He extended his hand and Landon slowly followed the invitation so that Liam could pull him in. “That’s my mom Ilona and mom, that’s Landon.”  Landon waved shyly and looked between mother and son. “Hello. You are very pretty,” he informed Ilona. “Liam looks like you.” Ilona squealed. “It is so nice to meet you, Landon. You are such a polite kid. Oh my god.” “He is, right?” Liam laughed and squeezed his brother’s shoulder. Landon beamed at him.  “Look at you, you look so cute together. Big brother and little brother. How adorable.” Ilona was enraptured.  “Mom.” Liam chuckled softly but he secretly loved it. She was right, after all, and to be a big brother felt good. 

****** It was two weeks since Landon had moved in with the pack and it had gone smoother than Liam initially expected. A few toys and plushies had found their home in Landon’s new room and true to his promise, Liam had helped pick out a nice light blue frame for the picture of Landon’s mother. It now stood on the nightstand so she could watch over Landon (Landon’s words). 

But even the picture could not keep everything away from the nine-year-old and one night Liam was shaken awake by a tiny hand on his shoulder. He blinked and slowly Landon turned sharper in front of his bleary eyes. 

“Landon, buddy, what’s wrong?” Landon sniffled. “I had a nightmare, Liam.” He hiccuped and pressed his donkey plushie closer to his chest. “The room is so dark tonight.” It tore Liam’s heart into two to see his brother in this state and he felt a new sense of connection to his mother when he thought back how often Liam stood at her bed and cried over a nightmare. Especially after the divorce, the nights had been bad for little Liam.  He now did what his mother had done during those times. He moved further into the middle of the bed and cast a look over his shoulder. Theo still slept peacefully, undisturbed by the nightly visitor. Good.  “Come here, Laddie,” Liam invited his brother and lifted the covers. Landon didn’t even hesitate to crawl in with his big brother and curl close to Liam who tucked the covers back around the two of them again.  He kissed Landon’s forehead. “Try to sleep, okay? You’re safe here and I make sure no nightmare can get to you here.” Landon nodded and Liam put his arms around the scared child before he closed his eyes. Just giving Landon the safety of somebody he could cuddle up with, to know he was not alone. It helped Theo when he had nightmares and always helped Liam himself as well so he hoped it did the trick. When he listened to Landon’s heartbeat, it surely did. The little heart slowly calmed down again and he didn’t sniffle anymore. 

They laid there in silence before Landon suddenly whispered: “Liam?” “Yeah?” “I hoped to find you one day after dad mentioned you for the first time.” He smiled softly. “I’m glad I found you. I always wanted a little brother just like you.” “Oh, really?” “Yup.”  Liam felt Landon cuddle closer to him. “I’m really happy you’re my brother, Liam.” “I’m happy you are my brother too, Landon.”

****** Liam had to admit, having a whole pack to babysit a kid had perks. They took turns in picking Landon up from school and they all helped the boy with his homework. Mason and Sadie were great when it came to mathematics and science, Liam obviously was the history nerd and loved to help Landon in regards to this, Theo helped him with language, just to name a few. And the more time Landon spend surrounded by people he loved, the happier he became. He got out of his shell more and more day by day and it wasn’t uncommon to hear him laughing happily or see him running around. Sure, what he had endured for almost ten years left their traces and there were moments when the trauma caught up with him, just like it did with Liam from time to time. But Liam saw the positive effects of the loving environment. Landon even looked healthier and not as pale as he had been when Liam first met him. 

The relationship between the brothers bloomed and they got along absolutely amazingly. They got to know each other after not being part of each other’s lives for ten long years and they even managed to find some similarities. Both liked fish but hated salmon with a fierce passion, it made them both nauseous. And Landon enjoyed painting with his fingers just as much as his big brother. Theo had just smiled fondly when he came home one night and found them at the kitchen table, fingers stained with chalk and the table covered with their masterpieces. 

But despite getting along so well and discovering things about each other every day, Landon still managed to surprise Liam. A nice example of this happened when Landon came home from school today. Nolan had picked him up and Liam heard them already in the garage from where they chatted animatedly. But then the door to the kitchen suddenly burst open and Landon dashed through. 

“Liam, Liam, today in Art class we had to draw our heroes. Guess who I drew?” “That’s another thing the two of you have in common, he gets just as excited about things as you,” Sadie chimed in from her place at the table where she ate a banana. Ever next to her nodded. “Yeah, he can be as much of a happy puppy as you, Lee.”  Liam just chuckled but paid them no mind and rather answered his brother. “Who did you draw?” He crossed his arms in front of his chest and thought about it. “Captain America?” Landon smiled and shook his head.  “Hm, Iron Man?” Another shake of the head.  “Scarlet Witch?”  And again Landon shook his head.  Liam pondered on it. “Oh, I know! Wonder Woman!” Landon giggled but again shook his head.  Liam laughed. “Okay, I give up. Who did you draw?”

The child gave him a very sincere look. “You,” he calmly declared and it caught Liam completely off guard. He stared. “Me?” He finally asked after what felt like a lifetime.  “Yeah, because you are my hero,” Landon explained earnestly. Sadie and Ever squealed at that and Liam knelt down so he was eye to eye with his brother and could pull him in a hug. He knew they got along pretty great and he adored his baby brother but he had not known Landon felt that strongly about him. Liam a hero for his younger brother? That came as a surprise. A very happy one.  “I love you so much,” he whispered into Landon’s ear and felt his brother hug him tightly.  “I love you too, Liam. You are my hero and no superhero can ever be as great as you are.”

Theo stepped into the kitchen. “Did I hear somebody say superhero?” Landon weaseled out of Liam’s hug to eagerly nod and tell Theo what happened. “We had to draw our heroes today and I drew Liam because he is my hero.” The First Beta smiled and looked form the child to his boyfriend. “I can totally see why, you are absolutely right, Landon. Want to hear a secret?” He crouched down. “Liam’s my hero too,” he told the boy and then winked at Liam.  The young Alpha blushed bright red. “Hush! You’re making me blush!” “But it is true,” Theo insisted. “You can hush me all you want, doesn’t change the fact. You, Liam Emerson Dunbar, are mine and Landon’s hero. Right, champ?” Landon nodded and high-fived Theo. “Right!”

And while Liam might not see himself that way, seeing his mate and his brother get along so perfectly made him very happy. Both were important to Liam and he couldn’t imagine his life without them anymore so seeing them get along was essential to him. Theo was a great brother-in-law for Landon and vice versa.  “You two are nuts.” “What do nuts mean?” Landon asked curiously.  “It’s Liam’s way of saying he loves us,” Theo explained professionally. 

****** "No, Mason, I don’t know what kind of clams serve as an aphrodisiac. I wasn’t even aware clams can do that.” Liam pushed the door of the little deli open and stepped out in the streets again. He talked with Mason on the phone who was currently planning a romantic dinner he wanted to surprise Corey with.  “Do you need those? Really?...No, Mase, I don’t want to hear the story about Aphrodite and how she was born out of a clam. I know that story.” It was hard not to laugh at his best friend’s antics. Mason acted like this was their first date. It was cute how those two could already be married and still as much in love as they had been on the first day.  “Yes...yes, Mason, I am pretty sure the dinner will be a success, even if you don’t serve those clams.”  He heard the scratching of pen on paper and then Mason began a rant about chocolate covered strawberries and edible underwear. Liam decided to cut the conversation right there. “I am not going to buy edible underwear for your husband! The only one I would buy those for is my boyfriend and we’re both not into it. See you at home, Mase!” He ended the call and shook his head with a small laugh. Mason was definitively the crazy one in their friendship and that meant a lot coming from the werewolf. 

Liam pushed his phone in the pocket of his jeans. He just hoped Landon wasn’t around when Mason gave a lecture on the different flavors of edible underwear. Poor boy would probably be scared for life. He was way too young for that! Liam wanted to keep his baby brother innocent for a little while longer, hence why he also didn’t tell him about werewolves yet. It opened a new terrifying world and Liam didn’t want to rush things. Landon should keep his childlike innocence a few more years. 

The young Alpha stepped onto the street. He had driven to university with Theo this morning and then later took the bus to run some errands. Now he would also take the bus to get home.  He barely registered some movement out of the corner of his right eye and it took his brain valuable seconds to register a car driving closer to him. The streets had been quiet before, otherwise, Liam would have never crossed it. He may be a daredevil when he was fighting supernatural baddies but when it came to road traffic Liam was careful.  Two arms wrapped around his midsection and yanked him back. His bag crashed to the floor and the car sped by while Liam and his savior stumbled to the ground. And then Liam sat there on the sidewalk and the blood was rushing in his ears while his brain yelled at him how fucking close that had been. He turned his head and there was Caden, looking just as shocked as Liam. 

“Damn, are you okay, Liam?” “Yeah, yeah.” The young Alpha nodded. His heart was still thumping like mad but he was okay. “Thanks to you. I didn’t see the car driving down the street. Too lost in thoughts. I really need to learn to be more careful sometimes.” Caden stared at him before he suddenly shook his head. “No, Liam, you don’t understand: The car was standing in the street the whole time until you stepped out of the deli, then it started to drive slowly and when you stepped onto the street, they sped up. They wanted to run you over.” He frowned, a deep crease between his eyes. “What?” Liam could not really believe this. But Caden’s heartbeat was even when he talked, he wasn’t lying. “Why would anybody want to run me over with their car?” “I don’t know but that was too sudden to be a coincidence.” 

It would be an understatement to say Liam was confused. He had no idea how to handle it or what to make out of it. Was there actually a way to deal with someone seemingly being after your blood?  “We need to talk to the Betas.” He got up and walked over to his bag. Thankfully the car had also missed it and nothing got broken inside.  “Are you here by car?” Caden had got to his feet too and now looked inquisitively at Liam.  “I took the bus,” Liam negated. “I’m here by car, I can drive you,” Caden offered and raised his keys. And really, if Liam had the choice, he would take the car. It was faster anyway.  “Okay, then I’ll take you up on that offer.”

The car ride to the house was filled with them both talking over the almost accident over and over again. Liam still could not wrap his head around the fact someone had wanted to run him over. Then again, he knew it was entirely possible and werewolves could even die from it.  “I don’t think it would have killed you, the car was too slow for that, but it would have seriously injured you for sure,” Caden gave in his own two cents when they parked in front of the house and headed for the entrance.  Liam hummed. “You’re probably right.” He unlocked the door and stepped inside. Corey just walked down the stairs and greeted them happily.  “Cor, where’s Landon?” Liam asked.  “In his room.” The chimera hesitated. “Is something wrong?” “I need all of you Betas in the living room. We need to have a pack meeting. Gather them!”

He realized he was giving orders but right now Liam couldn’t care less. And maybe his Betas had heard him or Corey was just that good at alerting them all but only minutes later they were all in the living room.  “We’re having a pack meeting and he is here?” Mike asked and gave Caden an appraising look. Ever swatted at his arm and gave him a warning look. She was on Caden’s side, for obvious reasons.  “Caden saved me from getting run over by a car not an hour ago. In my books, that makes him pack,” Liam explained and effectively ended the argument between his Betas which had been about to start. They just stared at their Alpha instead, stunned into silence. Liam gestured towards Caden. “I mean if you want to be.” “I’d love to be part of your pack. Thank you.” Caden smiled softly and Liam took a look around.  “Everybody having any objections?” They shook their heads, except for Theo who sat on the armrest of the couch and frowned. “Do you have any doubts about that?” Liam inquired and poked his boyfriend’s shoulder.  “Sorry, I’m still hung up on getting run over by a car. What happened??” “Oh yeah, well, that is a good question. I wanted to cross the street and suddenly the car drove towards me. If it weren’t for Caden, I probably would not be standing here right now.” “Again, I don’t think they meant to kill you. The speed was just too slow. They probably wanted to injure you.” “They? Did you see them?” Ever asked him. Caden shook his head.  “No. I just walked down the street and the sun was reflecting from the car so it caught my eye. That it was just standing in the middle of the street didn’t seem strange, maybe they were waiting for someone and the street wasn’t busy. But then Liam appeared and the car slowly started rolling. Still not strange, maybe the driver had just been looking for something. But then they sped up and I thankfully was close enough to pull Liam back. But I didn’t see who was sitting in the car, I’m sorry.”  “Hold on, the car sped up when Liam appeared?” Theo’s frown deepened and there was a flash of gold in his eyes. His wolf clearly picked up the threat against his mate. Liam reached out and put one arm around his mate’s shoulder. Contact might help to calm him.  “Yeah, when he stepped into the street. Course it could have been random but that would be way too random, know what I mean? To me, it appeared like Liam had been the target of that,” Caden shared his insight.  “So the question is: Who would have any motivation to run Liam over with their car?” Corey questioned.  “Well, we know some hunters who used this method before,” Brett muttered bitterly.  Nolan made an unconvinced face. “I’m not so sure they were hunters. A hunter wants to kill a werewolf, not just injure them. Caden said it wouldn’t have killed Liam, even less since he is an Alpha.” “Maybe the person driving the car didn’t know that? Maybe they still think Liam’s a Beta,” Mason interjected. “Still. Hunters usually don’t attract that much attention towards what they do. It was the middle of the day, too many witnesses and the possibility of someone remembering the license plate,” Nolan persisted.  “If they weren’t hunters, who else could be out to get me?” Liam thought out loud.  “The same person watching us for a while now?” Sadie chimed in. “You said somebody followed you the other day, Ever had been watched, I felt somebody watching me.” “I don’t like that.” Tim shook his head. “That there is somebody following us and even going so far to try and seriously injure one of us.” “Wouldn’t be the first time, right? Celia did it as well,” Maya reminded everybody. “We just didn’t realize it until it was too late.” “Only this time they’re not as sneaky as they think they are. Or it is somebody who doesn’t know we are werewolves and have better senses than anybody else,” Mike muttered. 

“You are werewolves?” Liam spun around when the small voice came from the entrance of the living room. Landon stood there, one hand grasped at the hem of his shirt, and he looked completely blindsided. He felt his heart drop to his stomach. This was exactly the kind of situation he had wanted to avoid. Landon wasn’t supposed to find out that way; he was way too young for this. But here they were and while Liam wanted to protect his little brother, he also knew he couldn’t lie to the nine-year-old. That just wasn’t fair.

So he slowly nodded. “We all. Most of us are.” Landon’s eyes switched back and forth between Liam and the rest of the group but he didn’t run screaming for the hills and Liam took this as a good sign.  “Are you like the werewolves in the movies? Hairy and evil?” “No. We are good werewolves. We are not like the ones in the movies,” Liam explained patiently while he slowly walked over and crouched down in front of Landon. He never moved too fast so he didn’t scare the child.  “Are you afraid of us now?” Landon looked at his brother and bit his lower lip. His heart rate was going on faster but nowhere as fast as somebody’s in panic mood would be. “Can you show me what you look like?” He finally asked and still played with the hem of his shirt.  The twenty-year-old smiled softly and then let his eyes glow red. Claws and fangs grew as he partially shifted. Not into a complete wolf, that would probably be too much right now. Landon’s eyes widened as he watched and then he hesitantly reached out and grasped Liam’s wrist in his small hands to inspect his claws closer. Liam didn’t mind, his baby brother should take all the time in the world. As long as he was curious he wasn’t scared. 

The kid’s eyes went back to the Betas who all had flashed their eyes and then back to Liam. “Why are your eyes red and theirs not?” “Because Liam’s our Alpha, our leader,” Maya explained with a warm smile. “We are the Betas.” “Betas,” Landon repeated. He looked at Liam. “Alpha.” He nodded to himself and seemed to think this over. “How are werewolves made? Did you fall into a barrel with some radioactive waste?” “Some are born as werewolves, others - like myself- were bitten,” Liam told him with a little smile. Landon’s chemosignals had changed from being insecure to completely curious now.  “Bitten like Spiderman?” “Kinda.” Liam laughed.  “So you’re like superheroes. Do you also fight bad guys?” “Sometimes,” Tim confirmed happily and Mike smirked and bumped his shoulder against his best friend’s. Landon gasped. “That’s so cool.” But then he noticed: “Your eyes are not glowing,” he stated in the direction if Mason and Nolan.  “We are the humans of the team. Every team needs at least one human.” “And I’m a witch.” Ever raised her hand and let little lights dance around.  Landon giggled. “Wow! That’s awesome! You’re like The Avengers!”

“I have to admit nobody ever compared me to the Avengers and this is very heartwarming,” Brett chimed in, “But we still have to talk about the fact that somebody tried to run Liam...Hmpf!” Nolan clasped his hand over Brett’s mouth and effectively silenced him while he pulled the other back. “You’re not talking about Liam almost getting run over by a car in front of his little brother!” He hissed and then smiled brightly. “Don’t mind him, he was just clearing his throat,” he louder announced to the room. Liam had looked over his shoulder and shook his head with a little laugh but then turned back to Landon. “Hey, buddy, listen, you can’t tell anybody what we are, okay? It has to be our secret. There are people who don’t like us out there and therefore we cannot go public with being werewolves. You can’t tell your friends or anybody else, got that?” Landon nodded solemnly. “I won’t tell anybody your secret!” He mimicked zipping his mouth shut and the pack laughed. Liam swiftly swept him up and hugged him.  “You’re the best, Laddie!”

****** "Are you happy that Landon knows about werewolves now?”  Theo’s question made Liam smile while he finished drying up and tied the towel around his waist. He left the bathroom and looked at Theo sitting in the desk chair.  “It makes things easier. I mean, I still don’t want him to know everything, he’s too young to know about all the horrors out there, but we now don’t have to watch what we’re saying as much as we had before. That’s good. And he really took it well.” Theo smiled. “He clearly gets this from his older brother. Accepting people without much of a hassle. It’s proof of his good heart. You have to be proud.”  “I am proud of Landon. He is a great kid and he will turn into a great young man one day.” Liam smiled as well. His brother was truly a source of joy for him. “He is surely very proud of you as well. He admires his big brother very much. I can get behind that.” Theo got up from the chair and walked over to Liam.  “Oh, can you?” Liam teased.   “Hm. Absolutely.” Theo smirked and then he kissed Liam. “I’m quite proud of you myself.” His hands opened Liam’s towel and threw it away. “Let me show you how much.” Liam laughed but allowed Theo to pull him towards the bed and onto it. He pressed closer to his boyfriend and kissed him again before they lost themselves in passion and bliss.

Hours later, after he and Theo had fallen asleep tightly wrapped around each other, Liam’s eyes suddenly snapped open. He wasn’t sure what had woken him up and considered Landon standing by his bed after another nightmare as a possible reason. But when he listened to the heartbeats Liam realized all of his Betas and his little brother were asleep. Maybe Liam himself had dreamed of something bad? But he couldn’t remember and didn’t feel stressed whatsoever. So what had woken him up?

A crunching sound alerted the Alpha even more. He raised his head and strained his ears. His family was asleep but the heartbeats didn’t add up. One heartbeat too many!  Another crunching sound and a pebble got kicked away. Somebody was sneaking around the house!  Liam growled lowly and then continued to listen. If it was a burglar, he would protect his pack. But he didn’t hear any glass breaking or a door opening. And then the heartbeat diverged from the house again. Whoever had been outside, they had not tried to get in the house. Liam frowned. What the hell?

Theo distracted him when he rolled over in his sleep and whimpered. It seemed like he had the beginning of another nightmare and Liam leaned over him. “Shh, it’s okay, you’re safe,” he whispered and gently stroked over Theo’s cheek. Pressing his body against Theo’s he continued to whisper positive things into Theo’s ear until the Beta’s whimpers stopped. Liam kissed his shoulder and curled around his boyfriend to keep him grounded. Thus he also fell asleep again, the strange visitor forgotten. 

When Liam woke up the next morning, he wasn’t so sure the nightly encounter had really happened. Sometimes you dreamt of something and it felt so real but truly wasn’t. So he got out of bed and made his way into the kitchen after he got dressed.  Mike was down there, sitting at the table and quietly eating his cereal. He still looked half asleep and Liam let him be. Rather filled a cup with coffee and then stepped out into the garden to enjoy the morning air. It already looked like a nice summer day and the sun was already warming up the city. He held his face into the sun and smiled. The birds sang and it was really peaceful. 

After he stayed outside for several minutes, Liam was even more convinced he just had dreamed about someone sneaking around but then he turned around, about to walk back into the kitchen, and noticed some of the flowers in the flowerbed were flattened. He stepped closer and saw a clear shoeprint in the soil. It had not been a dream, somebody really had snuck around the house. 

Liam’s eyes flashed and he looked around but could not see anybody. Of course not. Whoever had been here was long gone but that didn’t mean Liam’s wolf was not getting agitated about that. The house was the pack’s home and anybody lurking around was a potential danger. Guess he had to be even more careful from now on. 

****** “How do you tell somebody you like them?” Liam continued to cut the bell pepper when Brett barged into the kitchen and asked this question. “With words would probably a good idea,” he said lightly. He then looked for the first time up and saw Brett pointing an accusatory finger at him.  “Don’t make fun of me, you're the one to be blamed for this mess!” Liam raised an eyebrow and balanced the knife in his hand right on the pinch. “How the hell am I the one at blame here?” He questioned curiously.  “You talked about relationships and finding the one. You made me realize I had those feelings! Why did you do that?” “I am sorry for wanting you to be happy. What was I even thinking?” “Yeah, glad you admit it!” “Brett.” Liam gave him a pointed look. “You’re acting crazy. More than usual.” He snickered. “But let’s start from the beginning. You like someone. Do I know them?” Brett made a face but in the end, he crumbled and nodded. “Hm.” “Guy or girl?” “Guy. What is this? Twenty questions?” Liam ignored Brett. If he knew the guy Brett liked it didn’t leave many options. Brett didn’t go to SU and Liam didn’t know the people his friend worked with, that must mean... “It’s somebody from the pack, right?” Brett narrowed his eyes but didn’t decline. Liam grinned.  “There are not many options. I can ask or you could tell me right from the start? What option will it be?” “I hate you! But if you must know, it’s Nolan, okay? Go ahead, laugh at me!” He crossed his arms in front of his chest and sat down at the kitchen island with a huff.  “Why should I laugh at you?” Liam didn’t get it. He put the knife aside and steadied himself on the counter. “I mean, Nolan is a great guy and so are you. You should definitively ask him on a date.” “Are you crazy? I can’t do that! I won’t even tell him I like him like that!” Brett looked at Liam as if he had just declared himself the new pope.  “Didn’t you come in here and asked how to tell someone you like them?” Liam had a hard time following.  “That was me not thinking straight.” Brett looked downright disgusted with himself but then his expression changed and he looked terrified. “I could never tell him. Because he probably would agree on a date and I can’t do that.” “Why not?” The young Alpha questioned, voice full of compassion. Something seemed to bother Brett and he wanted to help.  Brett shrugged helplessly. “I had one serious relationship in my life and it fucked me up. I can’t do that again.” Liam sighed. “My first relationship fucked me up as well. I’m pretty sure that’s what a first relationship is supposed to do. When Hayden left I thought I would never get happy again but look at me now.” “I’m not like you, Liam. I’m a superficial guy who is great with one-night-stands and casual fucks but when it comes to feelings I screw it up big time.”

“Brett.” Liam sighed. “You are a really great guy. You care about your family and friends, are an awesome big brother, and you stand up for yourself. You are loyal and you are honest, sometimes even brutally honest. Those are good qualities and maybe it’s time you allow yourself to find happiness in a new relationship.”  “Look, Liam, I may be a good friend, I try to be at least, but that doesn’t make me suited for a relationship. I’m not even romantic and every guy or girl would run away screaming sooner or later.” “Look, the way I see it if you deeply care about someone you make compromises. So what if you’re not the type of guy to bring them flowers? As long as you are faithful and you care about them, I’m sure they won’t mind.” “Hard to believe. Isn’t romantic an essential part of a good relationship?” “It’s to a certain part. Then again, there are couples who hate romance but are happy with each other. I wouldn’t obsess too much about being romantic.” “I am still not suited for a relationship.” Liam groaned. “You are stubborn, somebody ever told you that? So what if your first relationship went to hell? This is like lacrosse. You play against a team and the other team beats you. You may be frustrated, angry, or sad but you get your ass on the field again and you continue to train, you get better, and when you face off against the other team again, you beat them. Practise makes perfect, see it that way. Which doesn’t mean you should date around randomly but you should not let one failed relationship block you for the rest of your life.” Brett scrunched his nose. “Have someone ever told you that you are prone to pep talks? You’re not a sitcom dad or a fortune cookie. Gross! I came in here to wallow in self-pity and not to be motivated.” Liam smirked. “I’m the Alpha, dude, that’s my job.” Brett sighed as if dealing with Liam was the most difficult thing he had ever done. “Whatever, dude. Just don’t tell Nolan I like him, okay?”

And another chapter. I enjoyed writing more about Landon and Liam. Liam had wanted to be a big brother so badly for years and now he is one and it's just wholesome. Do you also enjoy Liam in his new role? I'm curious about what you think. I am also curious about what you think is going on. Is it a new danger and if it is one, who do you think is lurking? I mean it, reading your theories is great and really makes my day. It is interesting because you guys think of things I never would think of simply because I already know what's going to happen. But having other people talk about it is very entertaining and it also gives me motivation. I'm always trying to match or even surpass your expectations and I always hope you like the direction I take things in, even if it's nothing like you thought it would be. Or maybe you are completely right and think in the exact same direction I do, that would also be awesome to read. Whatever it is, I am happy to read from you.

Have a great weekend! ♥

[thefatedthoughtofyou]

And The Dead Follow ~ Part 3

Ao3

~ Derek’s POV ~

You can learn a lot about someone in two weeks. Two weeks spent only with one person, walking through a dead world, the two of you each other’s only company. But Derek was finding that you could be alone with someone for two weeks and not learn much at all.

Stiles liked to talk. He’d talk and talk and talk all day, always keeping his voice down. Every now and then slipping. When he slipped, he went silent. But only for a time.

Derek had been listening to him talk for two weeks and still felt like he didn’t actually know much. About a week in, Derek realized that this was, in fact, a purposeful thing. Stiles could talk and talk about anything and everything. Everything but himself. His past.

Truth be told Derek didn’t mind much. Stiles’ talking after so much silence was a constant reminder that he wasn’t alone. Stiles had pointed out that Derek didn’t say much himself, multiple times. But Stiles didn’t seem to mind that much either.

There was something about this kid. Something about the way he carried himself, so sure but ultimately so clumsy. His legs stumbling over things like a deer just learning to walk. But it was as if he’d learned to use that to his advantage. He learned to move the way he did and still remain quiet. He could flail and fall and make only the bare minimum amount of noise. Derek had never met such a quiet human. But there something else.

His bat.

Something about that silver bat made Derek uneasy. Something about the way it shimmered in the sun. But more how it shimmered at night. Like it was soaking up the moonlight and casting it out again, as if the bat itself was creating the light. Derek was sure he was missing something. Sure that this something was probably completely obvious. But anytime he got near it, Stiles moved it away. He did so subtly, gently. Like he had just decided to move it in that moment. Derek was sure that if he could just get his hands on it, or even smell it, he could figure it out. But all he could smell so far was blood. The coppery smell filled his nose whenever he tried to smell anything else so he gave up. But tried to keep the bat in view at all times.

Stiles made that easy for him. He was constantly letting Derek walk a few paces behind him. He’d mentioned something about Derek having his back. His voice flippant, that sly smile reaching his eyes as he turned away from Derek. Derek was glad. It made him feel useful. Even if Stiles was just joking an excuse.

~***~

Derek walked behind Stiles, his mind not on the bat, but on the sky. The moon had been growing every night. Tomorrow was the full moon and Derek was more worried than he had been since he was kid. He’d been alone since this all started. The moon felt stronger now. Like it was beating down on him and him alone. Like it was challenging his wolf to come out and play. Derek didn’t like to think about his wolf playing with Stiles. Or what Stiles would do if he knew. That Derek wasn’t a man. At least not completely. And least of all tomorrow night.

He remembered how afraid people had been at the end of it all. When the wolves couldn’t hide anymore. There weren’t enough people left to blend in. People figured it out quick once the dead began coming back to life. It was like a veil lifted. If the dead could walk, then all sorts of other things could be hiding in the dark. Everything changed. The humans’ eyes were opened and they couldn’t be closed. The few wolves Derek knew disappeared fast. And Derek? Derek just ran. He ran and ran and ran. Right into Stiles.

And now he had to decide if he needed to start running again. Or if he could stay with this odd human. This boy who kept a bloody silver bat on his back and who often smelled sad when he smiled.

 ~ Stiles’ POV ~

Stiles had been thinking about the moon a lot. And what it meant for the man he was sharing his days with. It was affecting the wolf more the he seemed to realize. Stiles had woken in the night to see Derek curled in on himself, his claws digging into his own arms as he struggled with whatever was going on in his head. Stiles wasn’t exactly sure how to bring it up. He knew the guy thought he didn’t know. Had seen him trying to hide things several times. But if helping Scott with his wolf had taught him anything, it had taught him to see things that wolves didn’t want him to see. His father had informed him all his life of just how annoyingly perceptive he was. Stiles smiled at the memory and made a hasty decision.

“Let’s stop for lunch man I’m starving.” Stiles said, walking a few more paces and then tossing his pack on the ground, his bat ringing when it struck a rock. Stiles kicked his things to the side gently and threw himself on the ground. Derek sat down gently across from him. Stiles was happy to see that he’d come a bit closer still today. He been sitting so far from him at first, Stiles had felt like he had to yell to be heard. Even though he knew Derek could hear him perfectly well.

He handed Derek some of the Jerky he’d had stashed in the bottom of his bag and they passed Stiles’ water bottle back and forth. They’d been looking for more supplies for Derek, but hadn’t come across any good scavenging yet.

“Are you gonna be okay tomorrow night?” Stiles asked, blunt as always. He watched the man freeze. His arm frozen in the air as he’d been handing Stiles back his bottle. He said nothing. Just stared at Stiles. Stiles reached out slowly, his fingers brushing against Derek’s, making him flinch. Stiles lifted his other hand, palm out, in a calming gesture, as he took the bottle slowly and set it down.

“Maybe I should clear the air?” Stiles raised his eyebrows. He watched Derek’s throat move as he swallowed hard, and then watched him nod. Stiles nodded back.

“Okay. I know you’re a wolf. And I’m not gonna hurt you. But I need to know if you’re gonna hurt me. Only when the moon is full, I mean. I know you won’t hurt me when you’re in your right mind. You’ve proven that. But the moon, it can really fuck things up.” Stiles widened his eyes for emphasis, Derek nodded again, his eyes wide, he looked years younger.

“Yeah. So I need to know. Are you gonna be okay tomorrow night? Or do we need to make a plan?” Stiles took another bite and chewed slowly, not staring back at Derek. He didn’t want to intimidate him. He wanted him to feel safe. He deserved that much at least.

“How did you-“ Derek’s voice cut off and he coughed.

“Your eyes were glowing when I pulled you out of the trap dude. Your claws were out too. There have been… other things. But those were the dead giveaways.” He smiled sadly and shrugged.

“The whole time? You’ve known the whole time?” Derek sounded winded, like he’d just run a mile. Or farther. Probably farther, Stiles had run miles with him and never heard him this winded.

“Yeah. I didn’t know how to tell you. And I didn’t know if you’d trust me if I just came out and started talking about you being a werewolf. And I wanted you to trust me. I think I needed you to.” Stiles said, his brow furrowed. He hadn’t meant to say that much but it was all on the table now.

Derek was silent for a long time. Stiles stared at the ground.

“I trust you.” Derek said, well, whispered. Stiles barley heard him, but he did. And his body relaxed at the words, letting go of a tension he’d been trying not to show. He looked up and Derek was staring at the ground now.

“Good. Derek look at me.” Derek shook his head. Stiles sighed.

“Derek, please?” Derek didn’t move. Stiles nodded to himself.

“That’s okay. Just listen then. Cuz I need you to hear me. Okay? I need you to really hear me.” He took a deep breath, Derek was still staring at the ground but Stiles could tell he was listening hard.

“I trust you too.” Stiles said. Derek’s eyes moved up finally, he was looking at Stiles like he wasn’t sure what to make of the man in front of him. Stiles snorted.

“Yeah. I get that look a lot. Or… I used to, anyway.” He shrugged, took a bite, and looked away again. He was watching the leaves sway in the breeze, the sun shining down through them hurting his eyes a bit, but he couldn’t look away. He could feel Derek looking at him and he didn’t want to look at that either.

“How do you know about werewolves?”

There it was. The questions Stiles didn’t want to answer. But knew that he had to. The question he’d really been avoiding all along. Because that question led to other questions. He sighed again and looked into is lap.

“Derek…”

“Please?”

Stiles looked up at the sound of his voice. He looked wrecked. And confused. And Stiles knew he owed him at least this.

“My best friend was a werewolf. He got bit by an alpha our freshman year of high school. We went through a lot of shit after that. Hunters. Druids. Banshees, though she was on our side. Just a bunch of supernatural shit.” He picked up a stick and broke it into little pieces.

“Ya know how people say high school is supposed to be the greatest years of your life? Well I always thought that was bullshit. And then I was actually in high school and I was right. High school fucking sucked.” He picked up the little stick pieces and tossed them into the trees to the right.

“Hunters?” Derek asked, he looked…worried, Stiles was pretty sure that’s what that look meant. Stiles took a deep breath, and nodded, his body tense. That old ache in his shoulder pulsing. He rubbed at his shoulder, pressing his fingers into the ache, harder than he should, making it worse probably. The pain kept him calm.

“Yeah. Hunters. There were a lot of them in our town apparently. Or maybe they just congregated there after shit went to hell. But they were there. Before the end, and after. They were always fucking there.” Stiles sighed and rubbed his hand across his mouth, hung his head low, and waited for the question he knew Derek was gonna ask next.

“What was their name?” his voice was hollow. Stiles closed his eyes, his past beating against his eyelids as the sun shown through them, and shook his head. He stood up quickly and shoved his things back in his bag.

“It doesn’t matter.” He threw the pack over his shoulder, grimacing a little, and tried to walk away. Derek was on his feet before Stiles could blink, his hand wrapped around Stiles’ arm, holding him back.

“It does. What was their name?” he sounded frantic now.

“Argent!” Stiles screamed. His chest was tight and he felt Derek’s hand fall away from him.

“Their name was Argent.” He watched Derek fall apart and then force himself back together in the span of a few seconds. Stiles’ hands were shaking. He couldn’t make them stop. Never could.

“What happened?” Derek’s mouth barely moved.

“What do you think happened?” Stiles asked, not able to keep the venom out of his voice.

“Same thing that always happens when there’s Argent’s around.” Stiles huffed and took a few steps before turning on his heel and looked at Derek. He could feel the tears stinging his eyes.

“Everyone died.” He said, lifting and dropping his hands, palms out. He smiled as the tears fell and turned and walked into the trees.

He walked for a long time. No sound at all behind him. He knew he could have handled that better. But he hadn’t talked about it. To anyone. Well, he’d talked about it with one person. And they’d betrayed him in the end, so he wasn’t exactly a stable person, so sue him. He was lost in his head when he heard the footsteps behind him and stopped.

He waited for Derek to catch up and started walking again only to be stopped by Derek’s hand on his shoulder. He looked at Derek’s hand and then moved his eyes up to his face, his bight eyes shining through all the dark hair covering his face.

“I have one more question, and then I won’t ask anymore about it.” Stiles swallowed hard. He was scared. He didn’t know what Derek was going to ask. And he wasn’t afraid of Derek. But he knew what the Argents had done to the Hale family. He’d done his research. And so he was scared. Scared that whatever Derek asked, he wouldn’t be able to give him the answer that he needed.

He nodded.

“Kate Argent. Was she there?” his voice shaking just as hard as his hand on Stiles’ shoulder. Stiles felt the tension and fear leave him at once. He nodded slowly. Derek didn’t ask. Not out loud. His eyes widened. His hand clenched tighter on Stiles shoulder.

“She’s dead.” Was all he said. At first. Derek just stared at him, eyes wide. Like he couldn’t believe it. And Stiles didn’t blame him. She’d taken everything from Derek. Stiles didn’t blame him for needing more. In that respect Derek was lucky. Because Stiles had more to give.

“I killed her.” His voice was quiet, he’d never told anyone this. And it wasn’t like he hadn’t killed other people, he had. But this one. This one was the worst. Because he could have let her live. He didn’t have to kill her. But he had. Because he wanted to. No more complicated. No more simple. He’d been full of rage, and he’d killed her.

Stiles reached behind him, pulled his bat out slowly and let it rest across his palms gently in front of Derek.

“Allison Argent made me this. She was one of the good ones. Her dad too, Chris. She made me this, at the end, because she said she knew I’d make it, and that she wanted me to. To make it. So she gave me a little help. I don’t let you touch it because it’s silver. And it’s engraved with wolfsbane and mistletoe. That’s why it shines like it does. She didn’t make it so I could hurt innocent creatures. She made it so I would be safe against the ones who aren’t so innocent.” Stiles’ voice was shaking, the bat nearly vibrating in his hands. Derek stared down at it.

“I watched Kate and Gerard Argent and all their little lackies… kill, all of my friends. One. By one. They moved through our town like a plague. Killing everyone. Anyone who got in their way. Human. Werewolf. They didn’t care anymore. They took them all. I only made it because my dad was the Sheriff. He locked me up. But I’ve always been good at picking locks.” He smiled and wiped at his face.

“They left me alive. Kate seemed to think it was funny. Leaving me there. Surrounded by the dead. And undead.” Stiles sniffed hard. His chest felt like someone was standing on it.

“Long story short, I caught up with her later. She was by herself. Stayed behind to pick off the stragglers in the town they’d just decimated no doubt. All I had to do was talk to her. I said one word and she was mine. She just needed to know I was there. I lured her into a trap. And I killed her.” He looked up at Derek. Looked at him hard. He slid his bat back into his pack and moved his hands to the sides of Derek’s neck.

“I cornered her. I wounded her. And then I beat her to death with the bat that her niece made for me. I hit her over and over until my arms were burning and then I hit her some more. Kate Argent is dead Derek. I made fucking sure of it.” Stiles pressed his hands harder against Derek and then let him go. He nodded, he wasn’t sure if he was nodding at Derek, or if he was nodding at himself. It didn’t matter. Not really. He bit his lip and stepped past Derek. He held his breath, waiting for Derek to stop him again. Waiting to hear Derek running the other way.

He felt nothing. And heard nothing. And then Derek was following him. The leaves crunching beneath their feet as they walked further away from their past. Stiles didn’t know if Derek was trying to escape his past as much as Stiles was. But it didn’t matter. Derek was with him now. And if he hadn’t run from what he’d done to Kate Argent, he wouldn’t run at all. They walked as the sun fell behind the trees. And then walked a little longer. Stiles’ eyes once again wondering to the sky, beside him, Derek’s did the same.

They walked like that for a long time. Just two living things, wandering through a dead world, looking at the moon.

[lovepmd]

sequel to this 

names and events subject to change for any reason or no reason

Inverse AU: “Whispers”

Dianne woke up the next morning to the sound of voices. She opened her eyes slowly and peered towards her window, it was a bit past dawn.

Good thing we’re on leave right now, or we’d be late, she thought. As the shiny stood up in her bed, she remembered the events of the night before. .....right.....

She stretched out her limbs and gently rubbed her claws against her jaw. It was still a little sore, but not as bad as she thought it would be. The voices continued talking, and the jangmo-o hopped off her bed and walked out of her room.

There in the front room of the house was Lulu, Hermes, and the cafe owner. Lulu was sitting at the table, her head down and quietly munching on an oran berry. The guildmaster and decidueye were talking to each other.

“Alright, thank you for coming out here so early,” Hermes reached out and shook the decidueye’s wing fingers.

“It’s fine, I’ll let her know about this.” The cafe owner returned, glancing over to see Dianne standing there. She simply gave the shiny a look that said good luck, and walked out of the home.

The sceptile looked over and noticed her standing there. “Ah, Dianne, you’re awake.”

Dianne nodded, stepping over to the table and taking a seat by it, reaching over with a claw to pull an oran berry closer. “Why was she here?”

“I felt that Lulu needed someone to talk to, and you know about the milotic that lives at the cafe?”

She nodded again, taking a bite.

“Well, we noticed that Lulu never went to talk to her before, and...we think she needs it now.” Hermes paused to look at the buneary. She was still quiet and looking down at the table. “But there’s...a bit of semi bad news.”

“What?” Dianne took another bite and tilted her head.

“Her outburst might’ve been in the middle of the night, but it was still inside the guild. It woke up more pokemon than I first thought. And more pokemon peeked in than I first thought. Long story short, the whole town knows.” Hermes sighed and crossed his arms. “I was hoping to keep this whole thing private, but with this town...it’s not easy.”

Dianne swallowed and looked over at her partner. She still looked tired, there was no cheery over-the-top-happy personality there anymore. And she definitely looked defeated and embarrassed. She said she wanted everyone to love her. To end up answering to her, like their queen. And now everyone was aware of her true personality and intentions. Her entire scheme fell apart in a single night, and it’s only her fault.

Well, that might not be completely true.

“I think it’s safe to say that she shouldn’t go outside anytime soon, at least not alone.” The guildmaster continued. “But we need her to go and do some therapy sessions. We’ll figure out a plan for getting her over there or vis versa in order to get it all worked out. For today, just...relax. Think of it as a simple day off.”

“Am I allowed to go outside, sir?” Dianne asked.

Hermes was quiet for a moment and sighed. “You can, but...be careful, alright? Let’s keep the details about what happened to ourselves for now. I’m sure someone out there will want to ask you questions.”

“And they should mind their own business,” Dianne muttered, popping the rest of the oran berry in her mouth.

Hermes chuckled. “I’m confident you can handle yourself then. I will stop by later today when I have time.” He looked over at Lulu and gently placed one hand on her shoulder. She tensed up a moment but didn’t look at him and remained quiet. The sceptile moved away and left the home.

“Why would you want to go outside?” Lulu asked after a few moments of silence.

“We still have to organize our bags from our last mission. I have a couple items to sell and to store.” Dianne got up and walked over to where her bag was hanging up on the wall.

“You can do that later, everyone will bother you right now.” Her partner pointed out.

“And if they do, I’ll ignore them or tell them it’s none of their business.” The jangmo-o pushed her head in between the straps of the bag and plopped it on her back, adjusting the strap with a claw. Satisfied, she looked back at Lulu. “I won’t be long. Want me to get you anything?”

The buneary shook her head and looked back down at the table. Dianne hesitated for a moment before stepping over to the door and going outside.

--

It was worse than she thought, but she wasn’t overall surprised. She always had a hard time keeping hidden around the town due to her bright scales, but this time felt different. Eyes peered at her from all over and the sound of whispering was almost deafening. 

“Did you hear about what happened last night?”

“They said she went completely insane!”

“She attacked her own partner? How could that happen?”

“Apparently she wanted to control all of us!”

“She always seemed so sweet and kind. We truly had no idea.”

“What does Hermes think about the whole thing? Will they get kicked out?”

“She shouldn’t be punished for being attacked! She needs a better partner.”

“Apparently Rai was there, but no one’s been able to ask him about it.”

“Just goes to show that you can’t trust others sometimes.”

Thankfully, all the shopkeepers, the banker, and the storage keeper didn’t press Dianne for details. They simply did their jobs, but she could tell. They’d give her a look, one that said I’m sorry, and continue with their jobs.

Dianne didn’t notice just how cloudy it was until she felt a drop on her head. She stopped walking and looked up at the sky. There was some dark clouds above, drizzling down onto the town. She could still see the sun nearby, and it didn’t look like a whole storm was going to roll through. At least not right now.

She looked around at all the pokemon rushing to take cover from the rain, though some simply kept to business as usual, not minding a little water.

“Dianne!”

The shiny flinched at the sudden yell of her name and looked around until she found the source. The wooper apprentice from the guild was running over to her.

“Tessa,” She addressed, turning to face the wooper as she skidded to a halt in front of her.

Tessa panted for a couple seconds then waved her tail to her front, holding up a bag hanging from it. “Here! It’s from both of us, I wanted to give it to you before we left on our training.” She smiled. “It’s an old puzzle game we used to play, it helps time pass by. We thought you two would enjoy it for your little vacation!”

Dianne stared at her. Did Hermes tell them that they were simply on vacation? Or did the child know about what happened? Surely she heard some of the whispers going on around town, it was impossible to miss. But here she was, innocent as ever, offering a gift.

The jangmo-o sighed and reached over, taking the bag and putting it onto her back. “Thank you, I’m sure we’ll enjoy it. Now go along, you don’t want to be late.”

The wooper grinned. “You’re welcome!” She quickly turned around and ran off, going back to the guild.

Dianne stood there for a moment before turning around and heading home. It wasn’t going to be easy, but she already decided to be there for her partner. No matter what anyone else says.

[sailormew4]

I'M BACK AND WITH TWO UPDATES?! WHAT REALITY IS THIS?

Story Summary:

Chapter Summary: Keith sees some people from his past, and he isn't exactly a happy cat.

~~ Snippet ~~

There's a lot things Keith hates being about a cat, but there's also some perks like landing on his feet, being agile, but the best would be having this sixth sense of danger. Anytime at his time at the high school he could just sense when a dumb teenager would try to grab him or pick him which usually they met with his claws - another thing Keith slightly enjoys having. Though he doesn't like having that feeling when he's vulnerable in Lance's house. His fur stands on its end as he holds back a hiss. He looks up to see none other than the Witch sitting on the couch.

Keith lets out a hiss as Lance looks confused at the attitude. Maybe Lance does know of his curse and toyed with him to get his trust, but some part of him didn't believe that. His posture is too stiff near Lotor, granted though everyone felt uncomfortable around that guy. Though it's better to be vigilant than let his guard down for even a second.

Lance looks at him then at Lotor as he asks, “Are you sure this is your missing cat? He doesn't look he's…. fond of you.”

Missing cat?! I'm no one’s cat! Keith lets out another hiss before Lance looks at him with a sad look, as Keith stops hissing for a moment. Why is he sad?

Lance strides over to Keith as he picks him up gently petting him, but is a touch harsher than his usual way of petting. Keith looks at him as he's slightly shaking being so near to Lotor. Lotor smiles at Keith as he extends a finger at him as Keith simply bites the finger.

“Ow! Why you little stra-” starts Lotor before looking at Lance who's terrified of Lotor right now. “ Strange kitty... I missed so dearly .”

'Wow. Don't hurt yourself with that 180 Witch' Keith looks at Lance who's staying as far away from Lotor as possible. Lance looks at him with a pitiful look as he places Keith right in between him and Lotor.

“Well Lotor, before you take Red back how about I give him some food and water,” says Lance as he quickly stands up as he walks in the direction of the kitchen with stiff movement before turning back to Lotor with the fakest of smiles. “Would you like anything to drink Lotor?”

“Some tea would be perfect if you have any,” says Lotor with a smile as he goes in to pet Keith, but Keith retaliates with a scratch. Lotor grimaces in pain holding his bleeding knuckles.

Lance quickly mentions how it might take a while as Lotor looks at Keith with an evil glare as he replies, “Of course. Take all time you need.”

As soon as Lance is out of sight Keith feels sharp nails run through his four as he hisses at Lotor. Lotor looks at him with a bored expression, but still has a smile at each wince Keith shudders from pain. The sound of a can opens and a teapot whistling causes Lotor to grab the scruff of Keith's fur as his bored expression turns into a deathly glare.

“You think you can escape me by running off and finding Leandro's reincarnation? Not a chance Kogane,” bites out Lotor with an angry expression before tossing him on the floor unceremoniously and yanking him by the scruff again.

Keith doesn't have time to react to the pain more concerned at Lotor’s conclusion. Lance is not Leandro. Lance is just Leandro's descendant. Anyone that knew Leandro well enough could see that Lance may look like him, but he doesn't act like him. Lotor growls at his silence as he yanks harder on Keith's scruff where he's certain a couple hairs must've been plucked out despite the curse. Lotor’s eyes glow a deadly gold as he puts Keith right in his face.

“You really think you can break my curse simply by waiting out with him? Oh nonono no . That's not going to happen, you lowly stray. Because I will win Leandro's love. In this lifetime and every lifetime. And you know where that will leave you ?” taunts Lotor with a fake pitiful smile before throwing him on the floor. “You'll be all alone again.”

Keith lets out a hiss, a mixture of pain and anger, as he turns to Lotor ready to scratch out those eyes and ruining all the beauty that he loves to brag about. Though before either of them can do anything a metal clatter breaks their attention. Keith looks back to see Lance with empty hands and Keith's bowl of water splashed all over the floor.

“Lance?! You finished…. earlier than expected,” comments Lotor actually looking like he feels bad about what he just did.

Lance doesn't reply before rushing over to Keith and holding him protectively before giving Lotor the coldest glare that Keith's never seen on even Leandro's face. Lance pets Keith soothingly and gently as possible to rid any of the pain that Lotor gave him.

“What are you doing to Red? I thought you said you were his owner. You're supposed to love and care for him! Not hurt him! I'm starting to see why he ran away!” explodes Lance not loosening his grip on Keith one bit before rushing over to the front door and flings it open before pointing to it. “Get. Out. Lotor. If I ever see you again near me, my house, or even Red. I will not hesitate to call the cops! So I think it's in your best interest you leave .”

Lotor looks gobsmacked at Lance's explosion and honestly Keith is too. Leandro's family were strong in religious beliefs, but they were kindest people anyone had the pleasure of meeting. Keith can't help, but purr in awe at it. No one expect Keith everstood up to Lotor. It's truly… enlightening to see it.

Lotor stands up in shock, but at of the mere change Leandro went through. It's actually a welcoming change. Lotor enjoys a person playing hard to get, so if Leandro became more outspoken in this life Lotor welcomes it with open arms. Though he does know his place as stands and walks out the door, yet not without stopping in front of “Lance” and Keith.

“I do hope one day we can clear this up my dear,” says Lotor before looking at Keith. “And maybe. someone won't stop us.”

“ Please leave,” says Lance ignoring Lotor’s comment. As soon as Lotor leaves Lance slams the door and locks the door.

Lance waits for a moment looking out the window making sure Lotor leaves. He holds out hope Lotor lied about being a neighbor, but nope of lives right across the street as he kicks down a ‘SOLD’ sign. Apparently, he's a new neighbor. Lance closes the curtains before taking Keith to the couch with him. He groans before looking at the time. He's got an hour before he's late to work.

Lance looks down at Keith with a sad look as he says, “Well, I can't leave you here with that psycho out there. Who knows what he might do.”

Lance looks at the time and his messages to see both Hunk and Pidge sent him about being busy (Hunk with a date with Shay and Pidge is hanging out with Matt). He can't trust any of the other neighbors in case Lotor is watching and goes there.

Lance pets Keith gently before placing him down as he grabs the bowl of food he left on the counter and places it in front of Keith. Lance sighs sadly, before smiling seeing Keith eating away.

“Yep. Better eat up Red. You're coming to work with me,” says Lance as he hopes that his boss isn't going to be mad at him bringing a cat in the Diner.

Keith loved diners when he was human. His favorite are the times he took Leandro the famous Lion Diner. He still remembered the time he took him there for the first time.

[bravevulnerability]

Person A and person B are close friends, both wanting more, but refusing to admit it. They go to a shop/store/etc. together and A is being hit on by a stranger. A becomes fed up and say that they have a significant other. B, nearby, overhears the whole conversation, waltzes over and slips their arm around A, kissing them on the cheek. What happens next is up to you.

She’s getting annoyed.

Ever since they returned from LA, it’s been different. Not noticeably so, Castle’s still behaved the same - hasn’t spoken of that night on the couch in their hotel suite, doesn’t know about what could have happened had he remained outside of his own room for just a moment longer.

But it feels different in some way, for her at least. Regardless of how much she hates it, tries to smother it.

If how hard of a time she’s having ignoring the burn of irritation that sears through her insides as the female shop employee flirts shamelessly with him, touching Castle’s arm and smiling bright enough to blind him, is any indication, though, she’s failing.

It’s enough to have her hoping that the bubbly brunette is their killer.

Beckett rolls her eyes, continues to scan the racks of clothing, but can’t help repeatedly flicking her gaze over the flashy signs and displays to see Castle smiling back like he does for the cameras. False, but well-practiced enough to pass for genuine.

Genuine enough to have the adoring sales employee gazing up at him with lust laden eyes.

Kate scowls and resumes her survey of dresses and gowns that she’d never wear. They entered the boutique under the pretense of just browsing, hoping to trick one of the employees into shedding some light on the murder of the store’s owner last night. But the woman at the register has obviously been more receptive towards Castle from the second they had walked in, so Beckett drifted off towards the merchandise to give him a chance to talk her up. She didn’t expect it to backfire so severely on her patience.

“Do you by any chance have a bathroom I could use?” she hears Castle asking, flashing the woman his most charming grin. The employee instantly grins back at him, fishes a key from the drawer.

“I’m not supposed to let customers use the restrooms, but for you…” She smiles sweetly as she passes it over and Castle winks in return, has Beckett internally gagging, but then he’s shooting her a look.

Heading into the back to snoop around, smart man.

“Sorry for neglecting you there, honey,” the woman calls to her, strutting around the front desk to join Beckett within the maze of clothes. “Anything I can help you find? You’ve got a body that could totally rock one of our custom dresses.”

“Just looking, but thank you,” Kate replies with a forced smile.

“That’s fine! But while we’re here…” the other woman begins, conspicuously shifting closer to Beckett and lowering her voice, sharing a smile with her as if they’re sharing secrets. “Your friend is super hot. Do you know if he’s seeing anyone?”

Beckett swallows, toys with the sleeve of a velvet mini dress, but it doesn’t stop her mouth from running. “Yeah, actually. He’s - very much taken.”

“Oh no,” the woman, Jennifer - her name tag reads - huffs before pursing her lips and glancing back to Kate with mischief in her eyes. “The good ones always are, right?”

“Yep,” she mumbles, casting her gaze towards the back entrance Castle disappeared through while Jennifer straightens up a nearby mannequin.

Beckett’s prepared to inquire about the store owner when the woman sways in closer once more.

“But do you know how serious it is? I mean, if he’d be willing to… stray?”

Kate arches an eyebrow at the woman incredulously, blurts the first words that scramble to her tongue. “No, he won’t be straying anytime soon.”

Jennifer’s mouth falls open, her pretty blue eyes going wide at the blatant implication, the unspoken from me. Apologies are already bubbling on the woman’s glittering pink lips, but before she can even begin-

“Find anything you like, sweetheart?”

Castle’s arm is slipping around her waist, palm splaying, fingers claiming the bone of her hip and sealing her snugly against his side. Kate suppresses her horror to glance up, meets his gaze staring down at her with far too much affection. And a sparkle in his eyes that has her stomach twisting while her heart flutters.

He is never going to let this go, never going to let her live this down. She is so screwed.

Kate clears her throat and shakes her head. “No, I’m - not really in the mood to shop today.”

“Oh, that’s probably my fault,” Jennifer cuts in with a wave of her hand. “I was distracting your girlfriend while she was trying to look. How about I grab you guys some special coupons for the trouble? We have some fantastic discounts!”

“That’d be great, Jennifer, thanks,” Castle answers warmly, but his gaze still lingers on Kate, his thumb tracing maddening circles along her hip. “Guess we’ll have to find a dress for that dinner date another night, love?”

Jennifer sighs, places a hand over her heart as she starts towards the registers. “You guys are too cute.”

Castle beams at her and Kate mimics his motion, wraps an arm around his waist, and waits until Jennifer has her attention on the drawer beneath the counter before she pinches his side.

“Ouch!” he huffs, swatting at her fingers. “I try to be a good pretend boyfriend and this is the treatment I receive.”

“Castle,” she growls, tilting her chin upwards to touch her lips to his jaw in lieu of a kiss while she speaks. She catches the hand at her waist with the snag of her nails. “Let. Go.”

“I think I should stick close,” he whispers, turning his head to brush his mouth at her temple. “Wouldn’t want to give anyone the impression that I intend to stray.”

Kate curses and drops her head to his shoulder, dislodges his hand and steps away. “How much did you hear? You were supposed to be checking out the back.”

“I did check out the back, there just wasn’t much to go over,” he shrugs, reaching for her hand again. She lets him have the twine of her fingers, solely for the sake of this new role she’s inadvertently cast them in. “Should we come back at a different time, when the manager’s around?”

Kate sighs, notices Jennifer watching them from the corner of her eye, taking her time at the cash register.

The devastating, primal heat in her stomach flares again.

She should feel more conflicted, taken aback by the need clawing at her insides, but the desire isn’t new. It’s worse, it’s been worse, and she’s sick of declining Josh’s request to spend the night because she’s genuinely afraid she’ll picture another man in bed with her.

But in that moment, all she can think about is watching him be with another woman again and she’s certain of only one thing.

Rick Castle is hers.

“Castle?”

He glances back from his continuing perusal of the store. “Yeah?”

Kate tugs on his hand and arches on her toes, catches a glimpse of the surprise sparking through his eyes just as her fingers claim the collar of his shirt and her lips graze his parting mouth.

“Just play along.”

It’s their second kiss, the second time she’s kissed him for the sake of a ruse, only this time, there is no hesitation, no trepidation in the meeting of their mouths. His arm bands around her waist with certainty, his hand in her hair sure as he angles her head, slips his tongue past her lips.

But the moan she lets slip free is just as breathless, just as uncontrollable as it was the first time he evoked the noise.

“I missed that sound,” he mumbles, the husk of his voice fueling the flame consuming her insides.

Kate glides one of her hands to the back of his neck, strokes her thumb along his ear. She wants to feel the rumble of his chest against hers again, the growl from deep within his throat, the heat of his mouth setting her on fire-

“Um, excuse me?” Jennifer clears her throat and Kate jerks back from him, unable to go far with the arm around her waist. “Here are those coupons.”

“Thank you,” Castle replies, accepting the coupons from the girl with a charming smile, the barely noticeable heave of his chest the only sign of his lacking composure.

Meanwhile, her flesh is visibly burning and her mind is ashes.

“We hope to see you again soon,” Castle adds, guiding Kate out of the store while Jennifer nods, but the sales associate no longer looks quite as thrilled by the idea of their return.

The fresh air helps clear her mind, cool her skin as they step out onto the city sidewalk, but Castle pulls her to a halt before she can break free of his grasp to start for her car.

“Gonna tell me why that was necessary?” he inquires, but Kate merely shrugs.

“She was watching.”

His head tilts to the side. “And? We’d already convinced her we were together.”

“Yeah, well, I was proving that you really weren’t the type to stray,” she defends, trying not to cringe as she hears herself, attempting to breathe steady when Castle leans in.

“For the record,” he murmurs, his lips just a breath away from hers, the heat of his words staining her skin. The intensity of his eyes sears through her, dark blue and drenched in arousal that she wants to get lost in. “If I was yours, Kate, you’d never have to worry about that.”

She bites her bottom lip, but he’s already pulling away, drifting back towards the car a few feet away.

Kate sighs, hates herself a little more in that moment.

“I know.”

[colleydogstar]

A Ranger’s Tale - 4 - The Necromancer

Story and all other character by @rollem-bones. As mentioned before, the log has a mix of 1st/3rd person tenses due to play styles.

Our story continues...

The Standing Stones are left behind after Pritchard explains to Donnell and Salicia the changes in the plan due to the arrival of walking dead and unsettled spirits. Donnell takes point as the four of you continue into the woods, veering off the clearer paths for ones less traveled. The smell of the forest is clearer with each step as you grow more accustomed to your shift in form. Pritchard remains after Donnell, and you nearby, while Salicia is tasked with bringing up the rear. "I will presume that the undead are not something that you're familiar with," Pritchard tells you, a hand resting on the pommel of the rapier he carries at his side. No fencing foil, the weapon is very clearly that by the heft and shine of the cutting edge. In some ways, it does remind you heavily how real things are, despite the fantastical happenings.

 Rhodie sniffs at the air, slowly getting used to the scents her new canine nose picks up. She shakes her head, "Where I come from, the undead are restrained to fiction. Either coming in minion style, or contagious, where a bite or scratch can result in death and joining their ranks. Very popular with the horror fiction genre, not really my cup of tea." She keeps a hand near her belt and knife, after seeing Pritchard's readiness. This really is going on, isn't it? So much to take in already.

 A twig snap. The sound of Pritchard's steady breathing. Salicia's steps behind you. Donnell is quiet, but you are downwind of him and can catch his scent. Something spicy was nearby. You aren't sure what it is, but it's a strong musk. Probably an animal of some sort. "I see. I can't say these will be contagious, though whatever animates them could certainly bring a fresh corpse to stand as a long dead one." He puts a hand on your shoulder. "Remain close to use should something arise."

 Rhodie's ears perk, head turning toward the snap, then looking back as she hears the steps of her new friends.. she hopes she gets to classify them as friends, they're all she's got right now. Her head turns toward the musky smell, before she closes her eyes hard and tries to focus. She tries to take a few steady breaths, almost jumping at Pritchard's touch. "Ah! S-Sorry. Yeah, I'm not planning to run off from you three anytime soon. Just.. trying to get used to these senses."

 Pritchard laughs quietly, nodding. "I suspect they're intense and quite different from what you remember. Donnell should be able to help you with that," he says. He puts his hand back on his rapier pommel. "I apologize for startling you. That was about the opposite of what I was trying to do."

 She lets out a small laugh, "Honestly, I'm a bundle of nerves right now, trying to deal with all this. Something was bound to make me jump at some point. But yeah, wow.. can smell you three, the forest, some kinda animal's musk, like, I dunno, a spice?" She shakes her head, "My nose is giving me all this input as a demi, and my brain is still trying to process it like a human, if that makes sense?"

 "It's a deer," Donnell calls out to you, sure he can hear you from up there. He stops and raises a fist. Pritchard and Salicia stop. The older demi sniffs the air, a distinct smell of potpourri wafts in the air. Incenses, spices and tobacco, like cinnamon and fire hangs in the air. "Dead are near. Prepared dead," the older man speaks. "Steel yourselves."

 "A deer, huh, never actually smelled deer outside of coo-" She hushes when Donnel raises his fist, stopping with the others. She sniffs at the air, scents that sort of remind her of some of the stores in the stripmall back home. Prepared dead, yeah that sounds like something that could be trouble. She grips her knife hilt.

 "There, Forward and leftways," Salicia calls out, making to push past you, axe held with her hand behind the beard of the blade. Donnell moves to the side, his own blade coming out. "Stay back and down, Rhodie," Pritchard says, taking your shoulder and pulling you away from Salicia and Donnell. Amid the trees, what looks like a person made of dried leather, cracking and heavily tanned, nude as the day it was born, rushes like a feral chimp toward the group, silent but for the sound of its feet and hands slapping the soft ground.

 Rhodie doesn't have to be told twice, as she moves to the back. She can feel her heart pound as she sees the creature..this former person... rushing toward them. She draws her knife, and keeps it ready. Always have your weapons ready with zombies, cause you never know how many there might be. "Geezus, that thing is real."

 Donnell drums his open hand on his breastplate, interposing himself against the rapidly approaching husk of a corpse. It never reaches him as Salicia strikes out from behind a thick tree, her axe drives it to the ground, splitting its back open and releasing a powder of incense and spice into the air.

 Rhodie watches in stunned silence, at the teamwork between Donnell and Salicia. Her eyes follow the incense into the air as it's released. Her ears flick, and she starts looking to her sides and behind just in case.

 Pritchard slips past you, releasing your arm as he approaches the body. "Simple construct, most likely a sentry to keep the animals away." He crouches down. "Rhodie, come here," he says. "Oh boy, the lad's teaching," Donnell cracks a joke, though he keeps his blade out all the same while Salicia stands a few feet away, scanning the forest for more signs of threat.

 The Setter moves forward to join Pritchard. Hearing Donnell crack a joke is actually helping her a little, as she still finds him a bit intimidating. She keeps her own blade ready, making sure not to cut herself by accident as she kneels down next to Pritchard. "So.. that's an undead?"

 "Prepared undead," Pritchard clarifies. "One type of many. The work of a necromancer. The body is preserved and prepared. The organs removed, and a ritualistic batch of herbs and other components are used to entrap a primal force inside of the creature." He points to the wound, where what looks clearly like cinnamon tumbles from the torn, leathery hide. "They don't do much more than tear with their hands, but a human hand that doesn't fear getting hurt or damaging itself can muster a great deal of strength."

 Rhodie nods, trying to take it all in. "So I'm taking it the trick is to gut it so that the trapped force inside can escape out, rendering the body inert?" She has to admit, that is the oddest use of cinnamon she's ever encountered. "No active pain receptors, so a simple cut or blow won't do much to delay them?"

 "You're perceptive," Pritchard says with a smile. "And no internal organs, no blood to drain. To fight it, you need to disable one before dealing enough of a wound to let its internal ritual be disrupted. Salicia's axe was more than heavy enough to tear deep into it." He stands up. "Animals will tear at it now, no need to leave concern for this. Rhodie, do you think you could follow a trail that smells of this?" he asks, pointing to the corpse

 "I try to be a fast learner when I can," Her tail has started wagging at the praise. She replaces her knife and looks up at Pritchard. "Me? I...OH! Right. I'm a tracking breed now." She looks at the corpse, then Pritchard, then back at the corpse, and nods. "OK. Gimme a sec." She leans down to take a closer smell of the body and elements used to animate it. Ok, Rhodie, relax, and let that new inner dog do its thing." She pulls away from the corpse, standing as she closes her eyes so she can focus on scents alone.

 The scent comes easily across your nose. You can smell it here, on the trees, moving away from you. Your mind translates the information. Older scents away from you, getting stronger, lingering on trees and the ground. They pull you along, sniffing. Here, to there, starting to dart from spot to spot on your spry legs, claws digging into the dirt, small breasts left to bound a little with your eager chase being given. You are, for a time, lost in the scent. Though you suspect your friends are behind you every step of the way as you dash through the forest to find the source of the aroma.

 She catches the scent. Rhodie thinks to herself 'OK, new me, you're wanting to run these woods, show them where to go,' as she lets that canine-side take over. She moves swiftly and nimbly, heart pumping, a thrill of exhilaration as she chases the scent.

 Away you run, following the scent until you find the scent growing stronger and stronger. You chase it. You have to. And in hunting it, you find a strong source of the scent. Bounding around a tree, you careen into something soft and leather. You tumble to the ground, a tangle of limb and fur and spill onto the forest floor. As your head comes back on straight, you find yourself looking at one of the dried out, sewn up husks of the dead. And nearby, a second, and a third starting to turn their sewn up faces in your direction. And that's when you realize you are all alone, too caught up in your tracking to keep with the others.

 Rhodie's tongue hangs out as she runs, having to admit that she's really enjoying this chase! Focus on chasing the scent, follow it! The grass and ground against her paws, the wind in her fur, and she can tell she's closing in on it. She's got this, she's going to find-"OOF!" Face first into something, and tumbling backwards. "Hnngh.. ow..." She shakes her head looking up at the zombie, and frowns... then she sees the other zombie. And the third. "Ah... guys? I think I found more! ...Guys? Guuuuuuuuuuys?" She looks around, then back at the zombies. "...Aw hell." Good job, Canine-Rhodie, you went too deep into dog. She begins scooting backwards, drawing her knife as she tries to get back to her feet.

 The undead you careened into starts to untangle itself back to its feet. The other two make steps toward you. Then all three rush toward you. You can fight here, but it might be more in your favor to do some running rather than trying to fight three monsters.

 Fight or flight, fight or flight, fight or.. FLIGHT, DEFINITELY FLIGHT. Other than Shaun of the Dead, she's never been a big zombie fan, and seeing them up close and personal has reminded her why. "GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" She howls as she tries to run away from the trio. She has no idea what direction she came from, and knows full well she might wind up more lost. But better lost than dead, right?

We'll see how well you fare with running. What aspects do you see to help you run? And stunts, should you have them.

 And run you do. Fast as your paws can carry you. You sprint at a pace that would've made you a star in high school, maybe even college. The body you've taken as your own built for this kind of springing and sprinting. You haul ass away from the undead, who you can hear trying to follow you from behind. They're damned quiet, however, with mouths shown shut and the old growth forest floor a soft one. You run and run and run, feeling the wind in your hair and a burning starting in your thighs when you feel a cold wind whip around you and you hear the sound of splintering wood and the whip whistle of something flying through the air past your ears.

 Rhodie's breathing speeds up, more due to fear than being winded, as her body feels like it could run the entire cross country course back in high school and then go for a jog after. She skids to a halt as she feels the wind snap past her, looking back toward the sound of the breaking wood, and almost instinctively ducks down in case there's anything else coming at her. "Crapcrapcrapcrap!"

 One of the dead struggles, held transfixed by several thin lances of ice that have partially splintered the bark of nearby tree. Two more come running for you. One jerks backwards as an axe hurtles end over end and embeds itself into the creature's chest with a wet cracking sound. The third you don't see almost reach you in your cursing as two heavy arms wrap around you to pull you away the moment the last one meets a cloud of razor sharp ice that hurtles around you. As you peek through the arms of a person you can tell by smell is Donnell, you see the three undead still technically alive, but pinned and soon split open like sackcloth dolls by Salicia and Pritchard.

 Rhodie struggles as she's grabbed, breathing panicked and swift until she catches the scent. "D-Donnell? OH THANK GOD." She looks out at the pinned zombies, iced and axed, and then buries her face in those arms for as long as he lets her. This has not been her day.

 You're scooped into the air like you're, well, a teenaged girl sized person. "Got you, gel," Donnell tells you before putting you back down after some time letting you bury yourself in his arms. He's still wearing a breastplate after all and it isn't the most comfortable of holdings. "You ran too damn far," he says, his voice is quiet, he doesn't want to chide while Pritchard and Salicia are busy putting down the undead. "They can't keep up, and I'm a bit heavy to be chasing young ladies. You may be one of the Wanderers, but don't go thinking you're something safe or special now. I've met one before who thought that way. They ain't here no more to help. You hear me?"

 Rhodie nods, "I just... I let the new instincts over take me. By the time I snapped out of it, I'd lost you three. I'm sorry." Her tail tucks. He's right, she knows he's right. ...Wait, he mentioned meeting one before, but now is not the time to follow-up on that.

 Donnell's hand claps heavy on your shoulder. "Don't be sorry, gel, be better," he tells you before giving your shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "My own daughter's about your age. Anything happens to you and I'll never be able to get it out of my head." He releases your shoulder and looks out to the others. "You two, the gel's going to show us where she found these three. Whomever's making these got blood on their hands. No forest takes this many people so fresh."

 Rhodie tilts her head, "You have a daughter in her 30s? Huh, didn't think you were THAT old, looking good for your age then." ...Aww, he does care. That's good to know too. She nods, and starts to retrace her steps. Focus, don't run this time, let your party stay with you. "They were back over here. I ran nose first into one of them."

 "Thirty?" Donnell asks, giving you a curious look. "Don't pull my leg, gel. Lest I ask you to tell your secrets to my wife," he jokes before you start off to hunt down the source of the scents. Returning back to where you saw the trio. And this time you keep closer to your team. As you grow closer, you happen to see some distance away, toward the edge of a lake, a small cottage set up on a short stilts.

 "No, really, I just turned 30 last October. Wait.. what did you THINK I was?" He holds up a hand and tries to wave it off. Focus on the objective here, Rhodie, or get killed. As they approach she narrows her eyes, and leans forward to stare at the cottage. "....looks like a residence. Bit raised up, but definitely a house or cottage."

 "No, really, I just turned 30 last October. Wait.. what did you THINK I was?" He holds up a hand and tries to wave it off. Focus on the objective here, Rhodie, Ooc She on the He -_-

 "You look barely old enough to join the Order," Donnell admits. "Still a wet behind the ears gel." Though, despite his explanation, you do lead on well enough for the others to see the cottage. "The cabin is Lord Silberschmidt's," Donnell says, stroking his mustache and staring at it from the tree line. "There is magic here. Being bent toward some will. I wouldn't doubt that the lord's cabin has been repurposed during the winter months," Pritchard adds coolly.

 Barely old enough to.. what all changes did she go through?! Rhodie snaps out of it when Donnel begins to explain who the cabin belongs to, and she frowns. "So that rules out taking off and nuking it from orbit, I guess." She pauses and thinks to clarify, "Ah.. get to a high ground and wiping it out from afar. So i guess a necromancer more than likely wasn't on the Lord's Guest List. What do we do now?"

 Donnell thinks. "Salicia. I don't wish to bloody your hands," he starts. The woman raises a hand with a smile. "Don't worry yourself old man, Rhodie," she says, "Want to come with me? I could use a fast pair of legs for this."

 Rhodie nods, "Yes, ma'am!" She moves to follow Salicia, leaning her head to whisper. "Salicia... how old DO I look?" It actually is kind of bothering her now. It shouldn't be TOO out there if she got younger, right? She did get turned into a dog girl after all.

 "Why do you ask?" Salicia asks. "Either way, you look old enough to be a woman, though I doubt you've seen twenty winters. Slip of a thing you are." She moves around through the brush at the edge of the lakeside clearing. She twirls a small francisca around her hand. "Now listen, I need my cloak, then I need you to go to the door and knock on it. See what attention you can get. Get the craven dead fondler to stand in the open."

 Not even 20 winters. So she's back to her teens. Great, Prime. She winces at the 'old enough to be a woman' bit. "We should probably discuss this after dealing with zombies and we're back to safety." She listens and nods, taking the cloak off and handing it back over to Salicia. "Knock on the door, be a huge distraction, lure out a creep. I think I can handle that." She heads for the door, but doesn't knock quite yet, waiting for Salicia's go ahead.

 Salicia stands at the forest edge. Her arm back and at her side. She nods to you. You know that somewhere that Pritchard and Donnell are also watching and waiting. You may not be alone, but now more than ever does it feel like being alone at a door of a cabin most likely containing a man who has literally made corpses walk and do his bidding.

 Rhodie takes a steadying breath. "OK.. Distraction... distraction... ah." He starts pounding on the door, and shouts. "BIKINIGRAM FOR SATAN! GOT A SPECIAL DELIVERY OF TELEGRAM BIKINIS FOR SATAN HERE! HEY! HEY! ANYONE HOME?! I GOT A BIKINIGRAM FROM A DR. STEEL OUT HERE AND SOMEONE NEED TO SIGN FOR IT!"

 A lake in the middle of a very old forest can get very, very quiet as afternoon has started sinking toward dusk. The moment hangs in the air as at the least three figures stare at you for your choice of outburst. Footsteps creak on floorboards on the other side of the door. Slow and methodical, patient in their approach. You can smell the scent of cloves and sweat and the iron tang of blood coming toward you from the other side of the cabin door.

 Rhodie's nose scrunches at the smell of blood. Yeah, definitely someone home. She keeps pounding, "LISTEN PAL, I CAN'T STAY HERE ALL DAY! I STILL GOT THREE OTHER DELIVERIES TODAY OR THE GOOD DOCTOR'S GONNA MOUNT MY HEAD ON A TOY SOLDIER!" She steps back from the door as she hears the footsteps get closer, readying herself for the next part.. unless this person just blasts her. That would kinda suck.

 "Whatever are you barking at, cur!" The door opens and a tall woman in a flowing black dress stands in front of you. Her skin is pale against the sheer fabric, and a stole around her neck creates a keyhole effect that puts a rather prominent amount of cleavage on display. Her hair, golden in the setting sunlight, hangs down around her shoulders as she looks down at you. From the forest, Salicia hurls her axe. The blade nears the necromancer, clearly about to claim her head when it sparks against the faint aura of sigils that glow and spin in the air, dropping the blade to the ground harmlessly. It makes the woman flinch away, and when she's looking back at you, it's with a distinct hellfire in her eyes.

 Rhodie just sort of stares as the axe bounces off. "Oh... thaaank goodness you have protection spells up to ward against assassin! The Doctor would have hated to see such beauty extinguished because of his timing of sending a love letter." She says, carefully inching away, clearly intimidated by the woman.

 "Your corpse will dance for me," the necromancer speaks. She raises a hand toward you. Fight or flight triggers in you, giving you the chance to get the first lick in, or running like hell away.

 Rhodie has a knife, but has no idea if those sigils are going to protect her from attacks or just thrown ones. "Sounds like fun, PASS!" She goes to dive under the extended arm, and use her knife to pin the woman's dress to the floor to buy some time to escape.

 The knife thunks into the floor of the cabin, stabbing through the long gown and into the floorboards. She twists and looks down at the knife. "Cur!" she shouts at you and coils her hand out at you. A cold wind comes into the air as she directs a beam of the purest black at you.

 Rhodie lets out a very canine YELP as she slams her body against the side of the cabin to avoid the purest black blast. Her canine side shouts to try and bite her, but trying to bite people shooting the blackest black times infinity at your head may not be the best option! She instead opts to get the hell out of dodge. Her run is on all fours for a moment as she scrambles back up to her feet, and runs as fast as her body can take her.

 As you run, Salicia is running in the opposite direction. The trio work as a team as you watch them. When the necromancer goes to pull the knife from the cabin floor, ice forms over her hand. Her free hand aims for Salicia, held up to ward against another hurled axe. The distractions, and being held to the ground keep her from escaping from Donnell's blade. She lets out a shriek that is cut short to a gasp, eyes wide, slumping, breathing out her last as her blood runs onto the floor of the cabin. Even from the treeline you can smell it. You can get a taste of the terror and the adrenaline in your nose. And the truth that someone has just died in front of you of an impalement by a man that not a few hours ago held you safely.

 Rhodie does not stop running til she's reached the treeline. She's away, she's safe, she.... just helped kill someone... Hooboy. The irish setter girl slumps to the ground as the scents her nose. Those scents, they probably aren't going to be leaving her mind for a bit. She looks back toward the cabin, and then turns away again, feeling sick.

 Time seems to tick on. The sun goes down and brings darkness with it. A hand touches your back. "Now there, gel. You been looking away some time," Donnell's voice speaks gently in its gruff tones. The smell of his tobacco smoke starts to edge the iron tang of blood. "You should come inside. We'll stay here the night. Salicia and Pritchard cleaning the cabin of the corpsetaker's materials."

 Rhodie tenses slightly, but is finding the smoke, even with her dislike of it, a welcome distraction from the blood. "Donnell... I just helped kill someone and I'm kinda freaking out about it." She shakily stands, using the tree for support. "Is everyone OK?"

  Donnell nods, taking his pipe into hand and keeping his free hand on your back. "You're just a girl," he says quietly. "Lost and in the rain." He looks back to the cabin. "Everyone is fine, you had a quick thought, pinning the showoff's dress to the floor like that. Held her still. And you stayed clear of that magic she was tossing around. You did good, gel. You did good."

 Rhodie nods, and holds out her hands. Not shaking as bad as earlier, but still not entirely still. She winces again at the girl comment, but knowing she helped counts for something today right? She shivers and begins the walk back toward the cabin. "...I'm not supposed to be a girl, you know."

 "Supposed to be?" Donnell asks, turning to walk alongside you. "What all does it matter what you're supposed to be? You are what you are, and that's what matters, gel." He looks at the lake. The body is gone, the blood on the wood is gone, but the mark is still in the floor. "All I see is a strapping young woman who would be fine to stand with the Order. A bit overeager and she bites off more than she's ready for, but give her some years and I'd warrant she'd give Sally in there a run for her money."

 "This strapping young woman was an average middle-aged man until last night," she says as she walks. Rhodie pauses at the mark, but shakes her head, and tries for now at least to move past it. "I'm gonna wind up dead like the last Wanderer you said you met, and I don't want that being on you all. You're letting me tag along, and all I can think of is wanting to go home."

Donnell has a little laugh. "The way you run, the way you handled that blade, the look of sick on your face." He looks up at you from the shoreline. "Come on here and take a puff of my pipe. And you tell me what sort of old man you are." There's an air of challenge in the demihuman's eye.

 That... gets Rhodie to laugh lightly herself, and she waves a hand, "Nooo, thank you. I didn't even smoke when I was human." She looks at her paws. "I don't know this body at all. None of it is familiar, and the senses are..." She looks to the older demihuman, "Can you teach me how to deal with...with..." She motions to her ears, and her nose. "These!"

 Donnell laughs, but he nods. "I can try," he says. "I just do. It's what we all do. You hear, you can smell. The humans and their lesser senses don't catch on. Mostly, you try and wait a bit so they catch on, use that time to think about what you're going to do when things happen. Humans always think they know what's going on. We know more, but letting them in on that don't do us

any good." he laughs as he talks. "You got springs in you, gel, means you can go fast when you want to, not that you got to. So take your time and think it out."

 Rhodie lets that soak in. "Yeah, the stuff I pick up on now I'd never have back when I was human. I just... gotta be able to process it." She flexes her toes as he talks about her speed and springiness. "Yeah... yeah I am kinda quick now." She looks out at the lake, and then takes a breath. "...Is there a mirror inside by chance?"

 Donnell just nods. Inside the cabin is a pleasant setting, clearly established as a fishing lodge. A large framed portrait of a stag headed man looks down over the small fireplace, wherein a gentle and warm fire burns. You find a mirror in a small room that you would swear looks like a relatively modern bathroom, however you know there was no plumbing from the outside. In it is a mirror, and there you can finally see the young canine woman you've become. Like Donnell, your features are not fully feral animal. Much as human faces aren't the same as other apes, there's a distinct, if subtle difference that clearly shows you aren't just some animal.

 Rhodie walks inside, pausing to look at the portrait. Clearly the Lord the others had been talking about, and owner of the cabin. She goes to the bathroom, raising an eyebrow at the modernness of it. "...weeeeeird..." Then there's the mirror. She closes her eyes and steps forward toward it, opening them to look at her new reflection. There's a major disconnect, not seeing her old self, and instead this new canine woman. She just stares, and the longer she stares the quicker her breathing starts to become. She can feel her hands shaking, but she grits her teeth, head raising up as she tries to clench her hands into a fist. "Still you, It. Is. Still. You." She says to reassure herself.

[weepingcoffeestudentfromhell]

Feel my wrath and extreme self doubt

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:

Feel my wrath and extreme self doubt

Catherine's Pov.

Another month passed with no news from Connor or Cedar. Even when Chiron went to check up on how they were doing, they never answered or responded to any attempt of interaction.

Truthfully that made me a little scared and less upset, but it had already been two months, so I decided to trust that Connor and Cedar could take care of themselves and I didn't need to worry over them as much as I had been.

Anna still stayed at the school over spring break and I felt a little jealous at the fact that she got to finish the year at our school and I had to stay here just because of my existence. Still, I understood where Chiron was coming from and how dangerous it still was for me out there, but I felt like I was ready to get back out there and try to live a half normal life again.

At least I loved it here and it was reasonably less lonely now that Percy was back here. He had showed up the next day after he messaged me and Tyson was a bit upset when he was called back to Poseidon's palace for more work and had to leave before Percy showed up.

Nico also visited more often now and whenever he came to camp we would always find a way to spar with each other. So far the score was Nico-4 and Catherine-6 and I admit I was a little proud every time he lost to me.

Yes, feel the pain of my wrath and extreme self-doubt. . .

He also sat with Percy and I at the Poseidon table so he wouldn't have to be alone, and he was noticeably happier. I still can't believe people were afraid of him or thought of him as creepy. Sure he was antisocial and had one hell of a glare, but other than that I saw a scarred kid who just needed to be accepted.

Hey look at that, I made a friend and I'm not lonely anymore, good job Catherine.

>>>>>

Later on Percy and I were hanging out before the campfire, playing around and sparing some out in the strawberry fields.

"Good." Percy said slightly out of breath when I warred off another attack from him and I was proud to see him at least a little exerted from keeping me away. "Now catch the water."

He sent a quick streak of water my way and I concentrated as hard as I could, lifting my hands and willing it to stop and shoot back at him. As it got closer and closer I became less and less confident and just when it looked like it stalled in its travel, it continued and piled onto my head.

"Ah Hades." I sputtered and threw my now wet hair up into a ponytail, wiping my face with my dark blue sweater sleeve. "I really thought I had that one."

"That's the thing." Percy said, a tad bit of disappointment in his voice but he still gave me a reassuring smile. "You're still thinking too much. Stop and just feel the water moving, feel its energy and try to match it with your own, only then will it listen to your thoughts."

"Gods Percy, you sound like every Chinese master cliche ever." I laughed and he rolled his eyes before lifting Riptide once more.

"Again." He said and I sighed, lifting Tiderasier to match his stance.

"Can't we take a small break." I complained and smiled at him angelically. "We can go get some leftover cookies that I hid under my bed."

He seemed at a struggle with his choices and just when he was about to answer, he was interrupted by the sound of three loud horns.

We both flinched and looked at each other, wondering the same thing.

What the Hades was happening.

We ran back to the center of camp and saw a bunch of kids heading down to the beach at top speed. Just when I was about to ask someone what was wrong, Lacey from the Aphrodite Cabin came running by and stopped when she saw Percy and I's confused faces.

"Connor and Cedar are back with the new demigod." She said quickly and I felt my heart rate pick up immediately. "But they were followed by some monsters and went around to the beach to get away from them, but they got in. Come on."

Without a second shot I started running towards the beach and when I got there I felt a little woozy.

Cedar was off to one side, passed out on the ground and barely breathing. Connor stood in front of a girl whom I assumed was the demigod. He had a deep gash in his side and blood was seeping through his shirt quickly as he fought off three hellhounds with just his small dagger.

He was weak and soon enough his arm dropped as he stumbled and the hellhounds started closing in on them again. Percy and I both sprung into action at that.

I went in front of Connor and the girl, lifting my sword threateningly as Percy went behind the monsters to keep them there. The one closest to me growled and snapped at me and I responded by slashing my sword across his nose, setting them all off at once.

Two came at Percy and he kept up with them while the other one I had slashed was quickly trying to take a bite out of my side, but I slashed and cut anytime he got close to me.

Just when I was about to finish mine off, there was a howl and another hellhound popped up next to this one. I then looked up and saw two other hellhounds in the crowd of kids, holding them back and keeping them busy.

I looked up to see Percy slightly strangling as one clawed at his arm and he was knocked over, thankfully not hurt because of his Achilles blessing. That seemed to be the last straw for him and he raised his hand, a tall stream of water beginning to form in the water, but before he could hit the beast, one of them came and wacked him over harshly, his body hitting a tree and him falling limp.

I was terrified.

Percy, Cedar, and Connor were all knocked out, There was no sign of Mr. D or Chiron, and everyone was slowly getting over powered by all the hellhounds attacking.

I guess seeing my camp being attacked and all my friends, family being hurt badly put something in me. Next thing I now there is a heavy, pulling feeling in my gut and I raised my hands, watching in almost shock as a giant tidal wave rose above all of us. I let out a loud scream as I threw my hands and the water crashed into all the hellhounds, surprisingly listening to me and weaving around the campers, only hitting the monsters and sending them all back to where they came from.

I stood there frozen as water trailed around my feet and slowly moved back into the sea. Everyone else was also frozen, staring at me with wide eyes and opened mouths. I almost wanted to laugh at their faces but I was still in shock.

The only thing that got me out of my trance was the tight gasp heard behind me.

I turned around to see the demigod lying on the ground, gasping and holding a deep cut across her collarbone and down her stomach. She seemed like she was going in and out of it so I ran over and kneeled next to her, calling out for an Apollo kid, but I didn't finish my sentence as I lost my ability to breathe and looked down at the demigod in complete confusion.

"Eliza?!?"