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linkspooky · 2 years ago

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What are your thoughts on the Al ghuls?

My second favorite dysfunctional family (behind Slade Wilson, his ex-wife, his butler, his children and Terra which I collectively call the DeathFam). The Al Ghuls specifically Ra's Al Ghul and Talia are my favorite batman villains, sometimes anti-villain, and in Talia's case sometimes Anti-Hero (My Girl's got range.) Since you asked my thoughts I will try to give them as organized as possible but warning there are a lot.

1. On The League in General

The League, the Lazarus Pits, and the mythology surrounding them is one of the coolest parts of DC Lore in general. In my opinion the best portrayals of the league are when they are one hundred percent genuine about their ideals. One joke I like to make is that Poison Ivy and Ra's are both environmentalists, but unlike Poison Ivy R'as actually has a plan and resources. Ra's love for the world and his desire to save it is at the core of his character, and the reason he will not let himself die, or let go in any real way because his work is not done.

One aspect I do not like about the league is that they are supposed to be antagonists, but I wish Ra's plan was more developed than "kill a whole bunch of people so the resources can be split amongst the survivors." That's such a disagreeable plan Ra's point to make about how the whole planet is dying and nothing superheroes do is really fixing that problem is kind of lost. It's also as dumb as movie Thanos idea to snap and destroy half the life in the universe. If I were to tweak it, I would make Ra's agenda more in line of a communist revolution. That is get rid of the capitalistic systems that drive the destruction of earth's natural resources for endless production and profit. That change would make some of the leagues motivations and methods much more sympathetic.

The league would still be villains however, because even if in this tweaked versions their methods are understandable they're still a big huge cult. Which is an aspect that a lot of fans and sometimes comic writers seem to miss. In the microcosm (Ra's personal family) and the macrocosm (the whole league) the league is a cult centered entirely around Ra's ego, his ideals, his wishes. Even if you can sympathize with their ideas of revolution and go "Hey, that might work" the League is still going about it the wrong way because they constantly prey upon vulnerable minors and people on the edge of society and then raise them up into loyal pledges to a cause. A lot of real life fringe groups do this too. In this version the league recruits members because it's easier this way, which is in line with Ra's character. The whole conflict with Ra's is that he just will not let go of control, he talks about how he wants an heir to take over everything but that's never going to happen because he won't even let himself die. You could fix this too, take the league out of Ra's hands, reform it, and it could be a more genuine force for good. So yeah, my take is less the league isn't good because they assassinate politicians and have more revolutionary ideals, but rather the league is bad because they regularly groom minors.

2. Ra’s Al Ghul

Here is a comic panel of Daphne from Scooby Doo sword fighting Ra’s Al Ghul, mostly because I love it.

Ra’s is THE Batman villain for me. If the Joker represents Batman’s completely anti-thesis, then Ra’s is Bruce, all of his ideals, his nobility, taken to their most logical extreme. He’s the definition of the noble demon. If you want to ready story arcs that I think show off Ra’s at his best, there’s the “Tower of God” storyline where Ra’s finds all of Batman’s measures against the Justice League he prepared in case any of them turned evil and then decides to use them himself. Then there is “Injustice 2″ which is one of the better depictions of Ra’s where he is at his most genuine to his goal of environmentalism and even at points sits down at the table to talk with the superheroes in a more peaceful manor on how they could be doing better.

If the Tower of God storyline did not explain it to you, Ra’s reflects Bruce in good aspects and bad ones. The same relentless dedication that Bruce has to saving Gotham, Ra’s applies to the whole world. Ra’s also like other batman villains shows how a generally positive trait like Bruce’s insane levels of dedication can easily turn into a flaw. Bruce has no powers just his martial arts training, but just will not give up under any circumstances. Ra’s determination gets him into a horrible cycle of corrupting himself worse and worse over the years both due to overuse of the pits and also frustration at a world that refuses to change, and also shows in his inability to surrender power in any real way.

The way Ra’s treats his direct family, and the league as a whole is also a dark mirror to Batman and the Bat Family. Now, I don’t believe that Bruce is raising up hero sidekicks as child soldiers... Suspension of disbelief people! However, Ra’s genuinely does treat all of his children as tools for his agenda. As much as he has the capacity to love them, their needs and desires will always come second to his use for them. Ra’s is undeniably a groomer not in the sexual sense but in the sense he is using his position of power raising up and manipulating these minors to shape them into what he wants them to be.

Ra’s also represents Bruce’s paranoia and the times where he abuses his position as patriarch of a family to manipulate his kids lives. Ra’s is undeniably the one who holds the most power in the Al Ghul family, and he uses that imbalance in power entirely to his own ends. What he creates is a cycle of generational abuse that lasts all the way until Damian. Ra’s also represents Bruce’s sometimes toxic ideas of masculinity turned up to 11. My man is a 400 year old misogynist. He is obsessed with ideas like divine birthright, dynasty, legacy as shown by the way he once again treats his children. His oldest son is disqualified for being albino and therefore having a defect, Nyssa and Talia are disqualified for being born women. The fact that Bruce represents his ideal heir and he is a man with money and power the peak of what society considers is masculinity is you know, telling of his opinions towards gender. Bruce and Ra’s are both carriers of family legacies, who devote all of their money and power to their genuinely good goals, but Ra’s seems to believe that might makes right, the money, resources and bloodline he has makes him inherently better or even chosen. Which cycles into the reason why he will never let go of said power.

3. Talia Al Ghul

Talia is my favorite member of the family, she is also hardest to talk about because she suffers from two things number one being wildly different depending on the writer, and two orientalism. Now I won’t discuss this much not because I don’t think it’s important but because I’m not qualified to talk on such subjects and a practicer of the “stay in your own lane” philosophy. The orientalism in Talia’s character is undeniably there, and also a part of a pattern in DC where female brown mothers are regularly villainized to make their white fathers look better. I think Grant Morrison’s take on Talia is inherent dehumanizing of her and kind of reducing her to a plot object, and also a deviation from the original ideas her character was meant to represent. I think also Talia has a habit of being reduced to her relationships to the men in her life rather than her own person with you know thoughts and feelings. Women have those. The league also as a whole is orientalist as a concept there’s really no getting away from that.

Just as an example of how Talia and Damian’s relationship could be better depicted than it currently is in comics. There’s a storyline in the fourth season of Young Justice that I really like (even though I don’t like the cartoon that much) which explores the family dynamic between Cheshire, Roy and Lian. Cheshire attempted to stay with Roy to raise Lian for awhile, until she went back to the lifestyle and could not give it up. Her sister Artemis eventually goes after her and it’s revealed that Cheshire left Lian with Roy not because she chose being an assasin over her but Cheshire believes she is inherently bad and harmful person and has too much in common with her abusive father and if she is in that kid’s life she will only hurt them. It also ends on a hopeful note that if Cheshire puts the work in on becoming a more emotionally healthy version of herself she could return to that household.

Now that that disclaimer is out of the way (please don’t yell at me for this I love Talia. If you want to discuss it further please use my askbox, I don’t like it when people reblog my posts to argue with me.) The most interesting aspect of the Demon’s Head is the generational abuse storyline. There’s no two ways about it, Talia repeats the cycle with Damian. That’s what makes abuse generational. Once again the whole storyline from conception of Talia having a secret love child with Bruce is kind of orientalist but you have to work with the plotline you got. At least until somebody retcons it.

Now I am going to go on a long diatribe on how Talia repeating a cycle of abuse that starts with Ra’s does not make her an inherently bad person. This is where I am qualified to talk because I’ve done a lot of research into this subject! Talia grew up in a cult. Not only that she was the direct daughter of the cult’s leader. In the microcosm Ra’s family is what you would call a Narcisstic Family Structure: a family centered around one person’s individual needs where the other’s needs go underlooked. In the macrocosm it’s a goddamn cult.

People view members of cults as either stupid, or immoral for joining because they imagine it could never happen to them, but the way cults work is by preying on vulnerabilities every single person has.

No one joins a cult voluntarily; they are recruited into it. There is lack of informed consent. Everyone has vulnerabilities. Possible situational vulnerabilities include illness, the death of a loved one, breakup of an important relationship, loss of a job, or moving to another city, state or country. [x]

Haruki Murakami wrote a book named “Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche.” It is a non-fiction book containing several interviews of victims in the aftermath of the Saren Gas Attacks. This is a real life event where the Aum Shinrikyo Cult convinced its members to release Saren gas in several subway trains. While the attack was viewed by society as an act of fringe extremists, the cult was made up of members who were educated people, doctors, lawyers, who were still somehow convinced this was a good idea.

The interviews highlight many intriguing aspects of the Japanese psyche. Work was a high, if not central, priority for most of the interviewees. Isolation, individualism, and lack of communication were also strong themes which were common throughout many accounts of the attacks. Many of the interviewees expressed disillusionment with the materialism in Japanese society and the sensationalistic media, as well as the inefficiency of the emergency response system in dealing with the attack.

The book also includes Murakami's personal essay on the attacks, "Blind Nightmare: Where Are We Japanese Going?" In this essay, he criticizes the failure of the Japanese to learn from the attacks, preferring to dismiss it as the extreme act by a group of lunatics rather than analyze the true causes and prevent similar events from occurring in the future.

I bring this up once again to reinforce the idea that anyone can be preyed upon by a cult, and Talia was literally born into that environment. Clts also operate with a specific method of cutting off their members from the outside world to cut off their ability to leave (BITE: Behavior Control, Information Control, Thought Control, Emotional Control). Talia grew up in an environment where most likely all her social interactions and her contact with the outside world was controlled by Ra’s and only Ra’s because in most versions her mother dies early in her life usually in some horrific way.

That’s not even getting to the kind of parent that Ra’s is. He is always a really outwardly loving parent to Talia, but that love comes with a big huge asterisk. Ra’s loves his children until they either have a defect, or they decide to be someone other than what he wants them to be, at which point he either cuts them off, or relies on emotional manipulation to regain control. Talia’s only parental figure was both extremely loving, but made it clear that love was conditional. Even if Talia tries to live up to Ra’s expectations of her and be what he wants her to be, she’s immediately disqualified from actually taking on the mantle she was groomed for her entire life by being a woman. Even the original concept of Talia’s character who is much more anti-hero than anti-villain chooses her father over Bruce at times because Ra’s conditional love is what she knows, whereas Bruce’s love for her is something she does not understand fully even if she desires it.

I’m going to bring up my favorite comic book character Terra here. Terra was also a character who her creators have said several disrespectful things about and she was not created by the best of intentions. However, Terra is a unique character because she is one of the few grooming and CSA victims who is allowed to be downright unlikable, to show her trauma in what are considered to be traditionally bad ways. She’s a character with flaws and agency and stuff. Terra represents a specific kind of fifteen year old kid who usually does not get help and adults believe is a lost cause. Characters who carry Terra’s trauma either magically get over it, or they are just reduced to weak, pitiful shells. I’d rather have Terra be the mess she is than either of those things. It’s honest to a reality that certain people face, and also shows victims who would not normally get sympathy.

I just went to great length to establish the horror of Talia’s upbringings so she’d undeniably be affected by it. I won’t even mention what kind of mother Talia is because wildly depends on the author, but the decision to raise Damian in that cult rather than try to leave is her perpetuating the cycle. This is something that happens in real life too, parents who are preyed upon by cults will either drag their kids into it, or raise them up in that same life when they are young and vulnerable. It’s undeniably something she did to Damian and deserves to be called out on.

If Talia shares Ra’s nobility and idealism she also reflects his bad qualities as well, his belief in special people, of causes that succeed individuals, of noble purposes. Especially since these are toxic ideas that Ra’s has essentially forced onto her. I don’t even think Talia is past the point of redemption or incapable of learning to be a better mother, because while abuse is a chain it’s also a chain that can be broken.

4. Damian Wayne / Al-Ghul

To begin with I don’t think Bruce is a good parent to Damian, and Talia is a bad one. They both kind of fail Damian in equal and totally different ways. I don’t believe Robin is a child soldier, but right away making Damian Robin is kind of a mistake because Bruce makes him Robin to try to fix some perceived flaw from being raised by the League, when really Damian is more or less just a ten year old kid reacting how any ten year old kid would if they were groomed their entire life and had that kind of destiny practically forced upon them.

The difference between Talia and Damian is of course, Damian got out of there which gives him a unique opportunity that Talia didn’t to make connections outside of the League and to the outside world and therefore learn to think in different ways then how he was raised to think. Damian represents the chance to break the cycle of generational abuse passed down from grandfather, to mother, to son.

Because like I said Damian reserves the right to call out his mother for not choosing to put him first, but at the same time Damian undeniably loves his mother. Even in the storylines where they have a strained relationship at best Damian is fiercely loyal to her because essentially Damian and Talia want the same thing which is to have a loving family of their own, and to be their own people outside of their usefulness to other people (cough, cough, Ra’s).

Damian’s character arc tends to repeat a lot but there are more modern storylines that are pushing Damian in this direction where his goal is a reconciliation of the past and to be able to move on with a healthier version of their relationship. Ra’s getting shot in the head helped a whole lot.

Damian represents a chance to break the cycle for both himself and his mom, because like I said Talia isn’t an inherently bad person, or a bad parent, she just like anybody else has an opportunity to grow and develop as a person especially if one day she gets to finally move on from the league. People can be influenced by circumstances, but also circumstances change and in better environments people have a chance to do better. Damian isn’t obligated to forgive either parent for the ways they’ve failed him but at the same time he clearly wants a connection with both of his parents, and is willing to work with them on it.

It is funny how Damian typically gets portrayed as the edgy Robin, because in my mind he’s actually one of the most normal ones. He acts like a thirteen year old boy, with the needs of a thirteen year old boy, he desires a normal life outside of capes and costumes. He just has been told he’s the chosen one all his life and that’s had an effect on the way he views the world. Damian has every chance to break the chain that Ra’s started though, and that’s probably where the comics should go if they didn’t repeat the same plotline with him like nine million times.

#league of assassins #league of shadows #batman #ra's al ghul #talia al ghul #damian wayne #al ghul family #demon's head #dc #dc comics #dc comics meta

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silver-tooth-the-panther · 20 days ago

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Can you do a small comfort vore writing with Douma? He’s my comfort character

(Of course I can, hun! Personally, I love how playful he can be. Certainly an entertaining guy who makes an amazing pred. Also, for anyone who has made a request, I plan on doing one every week. This is because Saturday is the only day I can really work on them. The follower is gender neutral in this fic.)

Well Rested

Warnings: Soft vore, brief mentions of violence

Word Count: 1212

During the old days of the Taisho era, small scale cults were nothing out of the ordinary. They ranged from rather peaceful gatherings to violent demonstrations of mob behavior. The Eternal Paradise cult leaned towards the violent side at first, but slowly changed over time. This was because of their leader, Douma, and the significant changes he went through.

What many didn’t know was that Douma was a demon, one of the most powerful ones in fact, and he was a major nuisance to his coworkers. He treated everything as if it was nothing but a game. Didn’t help that he had no care for life. This leader was often cruel and played with his food as if they were nothing.

This all changed when leadership changed for the demons. A young boy had slain the old demon king and became the first ever half-demon. Instead of ruling with an iron fist like his predecessor, the new king ruled with kindness and empathy. This changed the way demons saw themselves and the people around them.

This was very much true for Douma. Through these new policies, he was able to figure out who he truly was and what happened to him that made him so cruel. Now, he is much more kind to his followers and treats them like people instead of food. However, that is not to say he doesn’t devour them from time to time, but it is for different, and much more loving, reasons.

The Uppermoon was just resting in his main room, sitting atop his cushion like a local king. Humming to himself, Douma eyed the darkness of the room, seemingly looking for any means of entertainment. Birds sang beautifully outside, capturing the leader’s attention for a flicker of a moment.

Then, a soft, timid knock came from the door. “Master…?” The gentle voice of one of his followers called to him from the other side. The half-demon tilted his head and made a curious, soft rumble. “Come on in, dear.” He spoke in his usual warm tone, though now it was truly honest.

The follower walked in, wearing traditional night clothes and looking rather exhausted. Bags hung below their eyes, a look Douma has seen and experienced plenty of times. “Hello there, hun.” He smiled warmly at them. “What seems to be bothering you?”

They just shrugged their shoulders and sighed, walking closer to their leader. “I just can’t sleep. I don’t know why, but my brain just won’t shut off.” The follower winced softly, their quiet steps scooting shaky across the floor. Douma nodded, understanding their situation. Though he was now a half-demon and sleep came easier to him, it didn’t mean he slept well. In fact, he was a terrible insomniac. Reason being was because Douma suffered from feeling the immense pressure from the sins of his past. When he was able to fall asleep, it usually resulted in horrific nightmares. So, he understood their pain.

“I see….” He said in a soft, slow voice. “I’m so sorry, hon.” The follower just knelt in front of him, sighing heavily. “It’s not your fault, master. I just figured I could come to you since you seem to suffer from the same problem.”

Douma adjusted his position, resting his hands in his lap. “Indeed I do. It can be quite difficult to manage.” He explained carefully, for he could truly empathize with his follower. “I always have trouble sleeping, even on my best days. My husband is in a similar predicament too. There’s usually one thing that gets us to sleep though…”

The follower tilted their head in response, clearly curious. “What’s that? If you don’t mind me asking, master.” They nervously fiddled with their fingers. Red blush immediately flushed on Douma’s face, which was quite evident because of his pale skin. He then laughed in an embarrassed tone. “Whoops. Let that slip out.”

They just looked at Douma, being even more confused. “Sorry if that’s a sensitive topic, master.” The follower responded as they looked away sheepishly. Douma immediately shook his head. “No no, dear. It’s not a sensitive topic. It just…might be a bit scary for you. That’s all.”

The follower raised an eyebrow. “Scary…?” Their leader nodded, looking rather nervous himself. “Yeah…it involves….” He paused for a moment, wondering if he should even continue. With a soft sigh, he figured that this might help his follower. “It involves me swallowing him whole.”

Shock immediately spread across their follower’s face, leaving their mouth agape. Immediately realizing their fear, Douma raised his hand. “Like I said, it sounds scary, but it’s actually safe! I promise!” He smiled nervously, trying to defend his case. Then, his voice softened. “Enmu loves it…He finds it so comforting and he said it’s not hot in there. Just warm enough to be comfortable.”

Collecting their thoughts, the follower looked at the floor then at their leader. “Is it…really safe?” Douma nodded gently. “It is. Please, trust me.” The follower thought for a moment, thinking of the different options they had. Sighing, they realized this might be the best option they had. “Okay. I…I trust you, master.”

Douma smiled warmly at his follower before placing two hands on their shoulders. His grip was gentle as he handled them with care. “Thank you, hon. I’ll take good care of you, I promise.” With that, Douma gently lifted his follower up to his maw and placed their head inside.

The inside of Douma’s maw was a rather pretty icy blue color. The follower was more mesmerized than anything. Even his fangs didn’t seem to concern them. They looked around at the blue colored wall. Then, Douma began to gulp them down. Sending his follower into his gullet, Douma hummed to further soothe his prey.

Soft, yet strong muscles started to carry the follower further and further into their leader’s body. In most cases, they would be absolutely terrified, but they actually felt a sense of peace and safety here. Just as Douma said, the inside of his body was warm, but not too much to make it uncomfortable. Soon, they heard a rhythmic thumping noise, which they immediately recognized as Douma’s heart beating.

With a click of his jaws, Douma had completely swallowed up his follower. He then looked down at his full belly, carefully placing a hand on it and rubbing it gently. “Are you alright in there, dear?” The leader asked in a soft, gentle tone. He felt some subtle movements before they spoke in a muffled voice. “Yeah. I’m fine. It’s…comfy in here.”

Warm, blue flesh subtly moved around them, cradling their body ever so gently. The follower looked up to the ceiling of the organ. There, they thought they saw Douma’s heart beating through the stomach wall, which made them chuckle. Rubbing their hand along the walls, the follower felt truly safe and secure. “Thank you, master.”

Douma chuckled softly as he heard their response. “It's no problem, dear. Now, rest up. Both you and I need some sleep.” Douma laid down on his back, keeping his protective hands on his tummy. This was definitely a fair trade. Douma got a full belly while his follower got a warm safe space, but both got a good nights rest that night.

#half-demon! tanjiro au #safe vore #comfort vore #soft vore #vore writing #sfw vore #nonsexual vore #demon slayer vore

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notmuchtoconceal · 4 months ago

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American culture is an athlete worship cult. Nike, the Goddess of Personified Victory, is their patron.

To understand how idols and foreign gods get demonized throughout history, we can use this as a teaching moment. Picture being a nerd bullied by jocks (very difficult for most of you, I know.) Picture coming to the realization that jocks like to win. That some jocks are so singlemindedly fixated on winning, the resulting tunnel-vision makes them look possessed. Imagine in the resulting fallout reinforcing your own Ideal, or Highest Value (which one operates under and is motivated by, even Athiestically -- be it Love, Peace, Truth, Rationality, Desire, Freedom, the concept of You) and finding the courage, strength and active willpower to move on and continue to live in accordance with Your Beliefs, manifesting them into the world through Right Action which is authentic decision-making.

Now, imagine not really believing what you claim to believe. Imagine wanting to be kidnapped and indocrinated into the other team/tribe. Imagine wanting to be a winner, but being too weak, lazy or stupid to admit this is what you want, because you lack the strength to break your dependence on the false cult you were born into. Imagine doubling down and reinforcing to yourself that winning is bad and anyone who wants to win is evil. Imagine being terrified by the life and vitality manifest in even the most casual egoic striving of a more successful male. Imagine forming an inverse (read: Satanic) winner cult where you worship the concept of losing. Losing is right and being a loser is good. Not in the quasi-ironic sense of being an underdog and aware you were dealt a bad hand, for we implicitly understand an underdog to be playing the same game, but maybe developing more novel strategies or training harder. No. Imagine destroying yourself and worshipping failure because that seems easier than taking the difficult steps to change yourself and become the man you want.

Imagine singling out a single aspect of Divinity, for the Godhead is the Totality, and trying to live a life with that piece missing. Imagine living a life where you're constantly denying yourself success in all its forms because you've convinced yourself it's against your religion and feeling shame and self-disgust anytime you find yourself in a position to "win" by exploiting an opening or finding someone weaker.

Imagine making your own Devil, for you fail to realize the Devil is an aspect of God. That the men who bullied you were simply one-step above you and reacting to something within themselves through you. As if jocks really were the one-dimensional untouchable ideals you think they are, and the ones who feel like losers and beat you not themselves highly insecure, motivated desperately to be "winners" (at whose game, I ask you?) because they feel like losers. In a sense, all you've done is consent to be their shadow. You took the bait. You didn't think you can be one of them, but hating them brings you closer, at the cost of your soul.

Those who've done this spurn living symbiosis and have become plague carriers and parasites. A man who really worships Victory is Playing His Own Game, winning at His Own Life. He doesn't struggle with the difficulties of being both a player and a piece on the board because he's living in accord with his own Truth and performing Right Action.

Loser worship of this sort is what is historically known as "Necromancy", which like most words describing spiritual topics has two contradictory meanings. Christians are definitionally Necromancers in one sense, for their belief system revolves around the continuous process of Ressurection. A Necromancer in the opposite sense intended here is simply a worshipper of death. A hater of Life. One who sees Darkness as a means to revel in ignorance, rape minds and poison the land to deny you your autonomy and lived potential.

These people are the most stupid, worthless, miserable fuckers you will ever meet. They're Satanists in the worst sense of the word, not Adversarial to lead to Truth, but simply to spread their disease and kill whatever spark of life still exists within their empty husks cause any stimulation of the nerves which isn't rape is endless agony.

One who is in tune with Death in a positive sense sees it as a contrast and a complement to Life, much like a women to a man, or the geothermically inactive moon to the ever-fissuring sun. They don't wanna help you pass on or transition, they just want you and everything else to be fucking dead.

Understanding this, you can now play a fun game, seeing what might come up applying this information to any previously contradictory or volatile aspect of any world religion of your chosing, or just on people who are really annoying!

#nike #victory #false idol #necromancy #ressurection #fucking loser #usa! usa! usa!

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cryopathiic-a · 1 year ago

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In that part of the series where Akaza tells Douma to not touch him, and he responds with that iconic expression, do you think he was upset or maybe just shocked?

// Neither, if I'm honest, but that also depends on interpretation. I write Douma as someone who isn't inherently violent or prone to violence. But he is cruel. And his behavior towards Akaza, to me, demonstrates that. So! Let's dissect the anime version of the scene together :D ( because it's easier and because I prefer the artwork OAWIEFJA )

Douma took the second spot from Akaza in spite of being 1/3rd of his age and not remotely as skilled with martial arts or as diligent as a Kizuki. That's a huge blow to Akaza's ego. So Akaza is, predictably, very sour about it and Douma knows that he hates him and doesn't respect him at all. Hell, Akaza is even aloof towards other demons and prefers the company of humans ( RED FLAG!!! ) That's what at the foundation of their interaction. And when approaching him, Douma knows all of this. He might lack empathy but he's not stupid.

Now, a part of the fandom argues that Douma just wanted to make friends here. And in part I do subscribe to the idea, in the way that this is Douma's only way of trying to connect with others. But, there's two points I'd like to make that paint this interaction in a different light, because to me it's not as innocuous as it seems.

Douma has essentially never been treated as if he's on the same level as others and has learned to present a superificially kind and amicable face. In the cult, as the Lord Founder, Douma is always in control of his interactions with the cultists, whose lives he believes he is 'saving' by putting them out of their misery; so that tells us how he views other people in relation to him. He feels entitled to control their fate.

Here we can make the argument that Akaza is not a human, but a demon, and so Douma should view him as more of an equal in that regard. But Akaza is, undoubtedly, the Kizuki with the most humanity left in him. And that both draws Douma in ( his whole story is a quest for his own humanity, after all ) and repulses him at the same time ( because he views humans as pitiful and weak minded )

Watch how Douma gets all up in his face. His hold on Akaza is very oppressive. That could also be blamed on his poor understanding of personal boundaries, demonstrated by how quick he is to invade others' space ( grabbing Gyokko's head, hugging Shinobu, touching Akaza ) And there one could make the argument that Douma is a child who hasn't been handled properly by his parents and thus wasn't taught boundaries or is affection deprived.

There's probably a hint of truth to all of that. But what matters is the end result. Akaza asks him to remove his hand, first under his breath. Then, Douma turns around with an air of 'you had something to say to me shortie?'—

And to me that face confesses to what the true intention is. His smile does not reach his eyes. His gaze is gleaming. His eyebrows are raised in a mocking fashion. Bro looks like he's about to lick him. And everyone knows Akaza is notoriously reactive, so that face might as well have secured Douma the punch.

And, if I haven't convinced you about what this bitch is doing here, he goes and makes this face and his eye crinkles mischievously—

So that's where the inconsistency between what Douma says he is/wants and what he actually is/wants begins. Yes, I do believe Douma wants to make friends and I do believe he craves to relate to others and experience the full spectrum of sentiment. But he goes about it in dysfunctional ways, because that's all he's equipped with. His arsenal includes gaslighting and manipulating others, as well as provoking reactions out of them. It's not necessarily violent, but it is cruel. And sadistic towards Akaza, frankly, because he proceeds to heal the blows immediately in front of everyone and humiliate him in that way by making him look comparatively very weak.

TL/DR: To me it reads as a smug look. He's not upset, he probably expected the reaction, hell, even hoped for it. That's not to say it was done out of pure sadomazochism, because Upper Two is more complex than that. Douma does crave intense physical experiences, specifically pain. It's all part of his quest to feel something. I can imagine Akaza's punches are on the higher end of the pain spectrum, too. But, personally I do believe that Douma stands by his word here that this is 'how you nurture friendship' in his mind. With cruelty, which is the only way he has ever experienced human interactions by that point.

You know, in the same fashion as a kindergartener would pull another kid's schoolbag open to make friends. Or yank their hair. Or steal their lunch and run around the hallway laughing with it.

Kids can be strangely cruel, at times.

#(( EITHER WAY THANK U FOR THE ASK THESE ALWAYS MAKE ME SMILE <3 <3 ))#(( tl/dr: do i think douma is messing with him? yes. do i think douma likes him? in a weird way probably yes ))#(( do i believe akaza wants to rip his head off and stomp on it? absolutely ))#Anonymous #;ooc #long post tw

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nanenna · 29 days ago

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So I ended it there last time because this could go in several directions (Danny wakes up and sees the thermos, danny wakes up thinks it’s all a dream and sleepily rambles secrets, danny doesn’t wake up but something else happens, etc). I'm choosing this one, but if you wanna take it in another direction feel free.

---

Daniel's face scrunches up and he makes a kind of groaning sound. John quickly backs up, motioning Clark forward. Knowing this boy simply mistook him for his actual father rather than some kind of interdimensional cosmic horror imprinting on Clark makes this both easier and harder.

“Uuuugh, what stinks?”

“I'm not sure what you mean, son.”

“Danny,” Bruce whispers softly.

“Smells like rotten eggs,” Danny mumbles sleepily, already falling back asleep with John out of the room.

“We were just cleaning out the fridge, go back to sleep.”

“Did the hotdogs start a war again?” Danny slurs. At least that's what Clark thinks the boy said. He pays it no mind as Danny's breathing evens out, sometimes dreams are just weird like that.

Clark carefully tucks Danny back in, then just as carefully leaves the room as quietly as possible. They can't risk letting the boy wake up, not until John finds a way to do something about the king.

They all move back to the kitchenette, where John tucks the travel mug out of sight in one of his deep pockets.

“You're not gonna like this,” John starts with a tired sigh. He's already tucking a cigarette, unlit, into his lips. He's also fiddling with a lighter, though they all know he knows better than to actually use it.

“Tell us,” Bruce demands, the lenses of his cowl narrowed to mere slits.

“That kid is dead as a doornail.”

Clark closes his eyes in grief, they really were too late. He listens to the slow, steady heart beat just a few rooms over, knowing that even though the body is clearly still alive that’s not what John is talking about.

“He's also fully hale and alive. My guess is the ritual killed him and the ghost king possessing him is keeping him alive. Won't know for sure without a closer look.”

Bruce frowns, “But?”

“But the kid being asleep might be the only thing keeping Pariah Dark asleep, since he was pulled straight from the Sarcophagus of Eternal Slumber. And I can't risk getting a better read without waking him up again.”

“Rotten eggs,” Clark says. “He said he smelled rotten eggs.”

“Sulfur,” Bruce adds. Not that he needs to, they all know what that means.

John nods, “He can smell the demon on me. Best if I don't get close, we can call up others to come look at him though.”

“There's only so long he'll sleep,” Bruce says ominously. “Even teenagers only sleep so long, at most maybe two hours.”

“Problem is the kid's some kinda undead now,” John replies. “No knowing how he'll react to tranqs or sleep spells. Could put him out, could do nothing and us making a fuss would wake him, could put the kid to sleep and wake up Pariah.”

Clark sighs, “So in short, we're on an unknown time crunch to figure out how to safely remove the ghost king from this boy without waking either of them up and without killing the boy in the process.”

“Got it in one, mate.”

“There’s a further complication,” Bruce says. Likely he’s about to share some of the information Oracle has been feeding him off and on this whole time, just quiet enough that Clark would have to concentrate to listen in, but he’d rather concentrate on the soft breathing of the boy just down the hall. They can’t afford to be surprised by his waking. “Amity Park advertises itself as the most haunted town in America.”

“It don’t take being the world’s greatest detective to connect being haunted with the king of all ghosts.” John sighs and looks up at the ceiling. “Alright, plan?”

Clark looks to Bruce, he is their best strategist after all.

“Constantine, contact whoever you can. Superman, keep an eye on Danny. I’ll put together a quick presentation covering all the most important information Oracle is currently digging up, it seems the cult chose Danny as the ghost king’s host very carefully.”

“Right. Great. Wonderful. Splendiferous.” John sighs one last time, “Alright, I’m going to get as far away from the poor sod as I can and get on calling in back up.” John leaves without another word.

Before Bruce can leave, Clark turns to him and asks, "Do we tell his parents?"

Bruce breaths a little heavier, his shoulders drooping ever so slightly, the closest he'll allow himself to showing emotion while in the cowl. "What can we tell them at this point?"

Sleepy King

The Justice League Dark caught wind of a cult trying to summon the Ghost King. A being with power so terrible and great, that all of the chaotic Infinite Realms feared him. A true tyrant. Long ago it took the effort of ghosts equal to gods to seal him away into a permeant slumber.

And now this cult wishes to wake him and bring him to the living realm. It was a race against the clock to find the ritual site and all members were called on board, magic or not. Even Constantine looked stressed.

They did find the site.

But it was too late, the ritual was completed. The entire inner circle of runes glowed before being swallowed in a column of green light. The air filled with static and a ringing that made Supergirl crumble to the ground.

The light dissipated, but there was no great figure or being of pure evil. Instead there was a boy, a teenager. He laid on the ground curled up in his sleep. He was a ghost no doubt, dressed in regal clothing.

Despite this when he stirred, everyone froze. It seemed the cold hard ground woke him up. He got up slowly and yawned, revealing his sharp fangs. Once sat up he opened his bleary eyes to look around. He looked confused and tired, really tired.

"Where am I?" He mumbled. "I was trying to get some sleep." Constantine internally screaming, latches onto that last sentence. He glances over to Batman. He caught that last part too. Batman approaches calmly and crouches down in front of the boy king. Hardening his resolve, Batman takes on a gentle tone.

"Hey kiddo, sorry we woke you. Lets get you back to bed yeah?" The boy nodded in agreement. He pulled himself to his feet before looking around in a circle. "Where did my blanket go?" He asked rather sadly. Batman is quick to shed his own cape and drape it over him. "You can borrow my cape until we get you a new one." He nodded again, pulling the black fabric around himself.

John quickly summoned a portal door, while Batman led the King through it. John threw looks around at everyone. Everyone could tell he was mouthing the words. 'Find me a fucking blanket now'

Running on the logic of getting the king away from Earth, away from graves and the undead, that could give him power. The portal led to the Watch Tower.

Batman took advantage of the King's bleary state to send a base wide alert for all noncritical members to evacuate immediately. With a priority that death adjacent members leave first. "The stars are pretty." Bruce looked at the boy staring out the window in wonder. He almost looked like a normal kid, almost.

"Yeah they are, it's pretty late so we should get you back to bed." He nodded, going along with Batman's gentle coaxing.

He takes the boy to an unused bedroom. Making sure the room isn't dusty and that lights are dimmed. He glances back to see about a dozen different leaguers all holding blankets, one thought to bring extra pillows. The bed was pretty barren with only a single pillow and a thin bedsheet. So Bruce took a thick duvet, one of the fluffier blankets and a second pillow from his team before shooing them away.

The boy ended up keeping his cape, mumbling how it was warm. He tucked the boy in, before quietly exiting the room and turning off the light. He was pretty sure the King fell back to sleep before he even reached the light switch.

After the door shut, he made direct eye contact with John. "Constantine." They needed to figure out what the hell was going on.

#dpxdc #danny phantom #dc comics #justice league #nenna writes #fanfic #fanfiction #if this keeps going i may have to give in and post to ao3 lol

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incorrect-web-novels · 1 year ago

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The Cult Leader in the Clergy Academy

Okay, so I did read the first 20 chapters of The Cult Leader in the Clergy Academy. My thoughts are below the cut. I, uh, did not mean to ramble this much.

(CW: spoilers for the first 20 chapters, death, imprisonment, white washing, religion, SA mention, kidnapping mention)

First of all, I did originally read into this novel because the title was so incredibly similar to “The Demon Prince Goes to the Academy,” so I do want to compare them. They do have similar vibes, but I did like how Do Sun-woo, the main character, is actually 17 and not a transmigrator (as far as we’re aware). He is infiltrating Florence Academy to become a prelate with access to the secret prison that houses his mother, which is a very different goal than Reinhardt, who is trying to prevent the Gate Incident and survive. I think the infiltration is more interesting since it’s a direct action that Do Sun-woo wants to take, but it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense yet as to why he doesn’t even try a different method? Like, he knows the prison area is highly guarded, but it’s somehow easier to spend years trying to become a prelate???

He’s also just pretty flat. He’s not… bad… or anything, just has a weird line about “not knowing how to talk to girls, but his father taught him psychology, so he’s fine” and is pretty bland so far. He’s likable in the sense that he’s a good person, but I’m not really that hooked on his character yet.

The pacing, so far, is really strange tbh. It’s only 20 chapters, but everything is weirdly jarring. Like, the first chapter has him attending an opening ceremony that morphs(?) into a lecture about the Holy War that killed his father and imprisoned his mother (which is revealed later). After that, he goes to an underground chapel where he takes a microphone and is immediately met with cheering from presumably waiting Voodooists??? Who were just waiting for him to get back from school ig???

Also, it very much felt like he was ~secretly an idol~ instead of the leader of the Voodooists in the first chapter, which was just a weird tone overall. In chapter 20, Do Sun-woo is accused of bulling and causing a dangerous incident to portray himself as a savior, which, correct me if this is something regional that happens in schools, but at this point, he’s a student who gained an award for a shared military win? I don’t think anyone really cares about him at this point? Like, if he was an idol, it might make sense, but? Who cares??? It was just a weird addition imo, but anonymous communities & confessions does seem to be a thing that happens in other Korean novels; it just felt weird in this situation imo

It was even stranger since the whole novel seems to be set in a modern setting for absolutely no reason. Like, it would almost be easier to make it pre-technology so far. There’s no real application of modern technology except the weapon developer corporation, and it’s kind of like, “here’s this large amount of land we’re practicing killing monsters to gather mana stones and defending our carts. A lack of communication is a major plot point of this exercise. The next day, I’ll text my besties on my cellphone :) what do you mean we could be using technology for other things????”

Also, Do Sun-woo TAKES OFF HIS MASK IN AN ELEVATOR WITH CAMERAS. HE JUST TRUSTS THAT A RANDOM CEO WHO TRIED TO KILL THEM MAYBE AN HOUR AGO WILL DELETE THE CCTV FOOTAGE AND NOT LOOK AT IT AT ALL. AFTER HE TALKS TO HIM ABOUT HIS SON THE CEO’S SON HE GOES TO SCHOOL WITH. He even USES the credit card the CEO gave him RIGHT AFTER the CEO’s son calls and TELLS HIM WHAT HE WAS TRYING TO BUY. Like, I understand the CEO is very grateful, but how. How has he not been captured immediately???

Other than all that, however, the setting seems to basically involve Roman Catholicism (or possibly another branch of Christianity or Judaism, but they ARE called “Romanicans,” so…) and Haitian Vodou. The MC can channel the lwa/loa, such as Legba, Bossou, and Baron Samedi, which are spirits from Haitian Vodou. This is seen as “heresy” and “demonic” by the “Romanicans” who have Seven Heavenly Virtues - “humility, charity, kindness, patience, chastity, temperance, and diligence.”

Which, in my unprofessional and uneducated opinion, it is a brave and very questionable move to have the “Cult Leader” of a religion based on an African diaspora religion be named Do Sun-woo. I don’t remember any comments about his actual appearance, but there is never any mention of the in-book Voodooists having a different appearance or origin (and, like, I’m fairly sure he’s Korean like everyone else). To be fair, it’s also somewhat weird that (fantasy) Roman Catholicism is the official religion of Korea, but, uh, someone more knowledgeable should be having this conversation tbh.

Anyway, I do think it was a good idea to make a major point about how Voodooism is not weird and “other,” but it does come across that they just shifted the idea of an “evil religion” to Satanists:

Chapter 4:

"The Voodooist doctrine shared many similarities with the Romanicans. Both valued love and respect and sought to understand what it meant to be good. Obviously, both religions frowned upon crimes like kidnapping."

Chapter 10:

...the Satanists worshipped Satan and opposed Adonai. They were the main reason why the world was infested with demons and monsters….Their purpose was simple: bring Satan forth to this earth, use him to destroy the planet, and rule the broken world as kings…. Satanists strove to bring forth ultimate and empirical evil. They performed acts of plundering, murdering, and raping others on the regular and believed that their actions were "benevolent.

Which… feels weird, but I do think Koo-Jun Hyuk - one of Do Sun-woo’s new friends - is possibly a Satanist or has another important secret. If not, this potential foreshadowing is SO wasted:

Chapter 9:

"I would find him next to me sometimes, then gone, and then back at my side again. Maybe it was because of this, but it felt like Koo-Jun Hyuk was always next to me and far away from me at the same time."

Anyway, my final score is “weird but not a sin” overall with an asterisk on the (likely) white-washing. I genuinely would’ve continued reading the translation if there were more chapters up for free, and I may still do the “1 chapter every 24 hours” thing. It wasn’t bad, per se, and I am pretty interested in the plot - I wasn’t expecting to have this many complaints when I started typing this out lol. DPA is still better imo tho

#not a quote #the cult leader in the clergy academy #idk I can't explain why it was interesting so this comes off as more negative than I mean tbh. the cameras thing pisses me off so much tho #my posts #death cw #imprisonment cw #white washing cw #religion cw #SA mention #kidnapping mention

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moemoemammon · 3 years ago

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yay! requests are open! y'know that thing where the s/o being so weak for their partner? I wanted to request the demon bros being weak for their s/o? does that make sense?

like, for example, MC would pout a little, and say 'pwease 🥺' and the demon bros would be like, 'yes, go on, what do you want from me? would you like my-' they'd just be so weak for mc.

I hope that makes sense! also, if it's too much characters, you can just do mammon and satan :) thank you ;3

Their One Weakness: MC!

(Feat. GN!MC and the Demon Bros)

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

Lucifer

Lucifer is known as the cruel eldest of the brothers. A sadist whose word is law, whose will can only be bent by Lord Diavolo himself. And yet since you came to the Devildom, all you ever seemed to do was the opposite of what he asked. Yet he still came to love you. He wonders if he spoils you too much...

Especially when you always seem to get your way one way or another. When you proposed the chaotic idea of a massive get together between the House of Lamentation and Purgatory Hall, Lucifer immediately said no. It’d be way too noisy and he had things to do.

But THEN... You fixed him with those damn EYES of yours.... The big eyes filled with sparkles and hopes that pleaded to him.... stop staring at him with them big ol eyes-

Lucifer REFUSES to acknowledge how cute you are when you look at him like that. Well, verbally anyway. You look like a kicked puppy...and he loves puppies...

"............I suppose if we prepare right now and get a dinner menu ready, it could be possible. And if you pout any harder you might pull a muscle, and I doubt I could explain that to Lord Diavolo. Now, go tell the others what you have planned."

Mammon

Mammon is practically the biggest MC simp in the world. You always occupy his thoughts any time of the day. 'Oh, MC would probably like one of these'. 'MC's always eatin' this for lunch. I'll grab one.' 'This would be way less borin' if MC were around...'

But as the Tsundere 🤢 king of the Devildom, there's no way he'll admit to any of that! So what if he's head over heels for you?! That doesn't mean he's gonna be all weak in the knees the moment you-

Wait, you're saying that because he lost a bet yesterday and promised he'd take you out to Ristorante Six and pay for the whole thing, now he's gotta pay up?!?! No way! He doesn't remember what you're talking about, and that voice recording you've got on your phone is clearly fake!

Mammon's dead set on weaseling out of his promise, until you freeze him in place with your pouty face... then you hit him with a "please..?" and the Avatar of Greed swears he might die right then and there.

"Tch..! Damn it, I ain't got a choice when ya look at me like that!!! What're ya playin' at, pulling' my heartstrings like that?! Hurry up and get dressed so we can go! A-and ya better eat your fill, too!"

Levi

The founder of the top secret MC Cult Fanclub, there's not much that could keep Levi from becoming putty in your hands. He's used to idolizing the objects of his affection, and you're no exception!

So when it comes to bending to your will, he's definitely the easiest. Except when it comes to n-...normie stuff...

Seriously, do you think someone like HIM should be going to The Fall?!?! No way! Not in a million, billion, trillion years!!!! You shouldn't get him to go to that crowded club even if you dragged him there!!!

Then... you hit him with the cute act... You declare your loyalty to him as his beloved Henry, fixing him with a pleading look that shoots him straight through the heart, and... GAH, HE'S GOT NO CHOICE!!!!!

"At... at least help me choose something to wear..! I don't know how I'm supposed to dress for normie stuff like this!!! Aaah... I wanna stay home, b-but when you say something like that, I just can't win-!"

Satan

Satan openly admits to how he likes to spoil you. It's cute seeing how big your grin becomes when he gives you something you wanted, and how happy you are when he takes you out for the evening.

But there are some things even he doesn't want to do, like when you suggest going to a chess tournament with Lucifer. You've been pressured by Lucifer wanting to attend, but figured it'd be easier to sit through with someone else. So why not Satan, who'd mentioned liking chess?

Yeah... he'd go if Lucifer weren't involved. As much as he'd love to go and pull some strings to ruin the match for the dear eldest, he's got something else planned involving a well timed glue bomb and Lucifer's study. So he'll pass.

Or so he thought, until you started poking your fingers together and mentioned how you'd hoped you could both enjoy it together. Kind of like a date..? Gah, his heart and its weakness for unconventional dates-!!!!

"...I... suppose I could go. It’d be nice to study how Lucifer plays, so I can finally beat him. Don't you think the look on his face will be priceless? And if you're there as well, I'll be able to stomach watching his face for an hour."

Asmo

Asmo LOVES you more than aaanyone!! There's no one who loves you more, you know? Why, he wants to involve you in every aspect of his life, and actively tries to do just that! He's even tried dragging you into the tub with him a few times...

And when it comes to spoiling you, he loves it! He's always the one being spoiled, so it makes him giddy when he can give a little back. If there's anything you want from him, just tell him and he'll make it happen!

Eh? You want to play fangol? With HIM?? Um... pass. You know he just got his nails done, right? Asmo's not really a fan of running around with a ball and getting knocked to the ground, so... no thanks! ❤️

Wait, don't make that face! What're you looking so glum for?? He'll kiss your sadness away, and- Eh?! You don't want a kiss?? You really wanna play THAT badly?????

"....You really don't have me mistaken for Beel, right..? You really want to play with ME? ...Haaaah, fine! I'll play one game with you, and in exchange, you have to spend all of tomorrow with moi! Sounds good, right~? Now let me see if Satan will let me borrow some of his clothes...urgh..."

Beel

As a 'go with the flow' guy, there's not much Beel won't do with you, even if it's not really something he's interested in. As long as he has you around and a surplus of snacks, he's fine with anything.

Until you suggest going to Majolish to try on some stylish outfits. You mention how Beel wears variations of the same thing all the time, so it's time for an update! He thinks you're spending too much time with Asmo...

Beel isn't really into tight, itchy, stiff fabrics like the 'stylish' things they sell at Majolish, and decides he'd much rather go to Hell's Kitchen instead. He's hungry. Are you hungry?

'Stop changing the subject'? Ah.. damn it 😔 Wait, now you're saying you just wanted to buy fancy outfits because you were planning to take him to Ristorante Six?! You can't tell if he's blushing over your consideration or the idea of food, but now Beel's looking through the clothes with earnest.

"I didn't know you were the winner of that 'all you can eat' coupon lottery. When I didn't win I was pretty upset, but I'm glad to know it was you. Even if these clothes are weird, I'll wear them. Can you pick something good for me?"

Belphie

Belphie likes to spoil you in more subtle ways, instead of simping as hard as his brothers. He's still as much of a sucker for you as they are though, much to his dismay. All you have to do is smile and you've got him wrapped around your gross human finger.

But when you mention wanting to go biking with Lord Diavolo and wanting him to come along, Belphie suddenly discovers that his ears don't work anymore. Anyway, goodnight-

Hey, stop poking him like that. Can't you see an deaf man is trying to sleep here?? And what's with that face..? You're pouting so hard you look like you're going to explode. It's cute, but Belphie can close his eyes an not see it.

But then you scoot into bed with him and hold him from behind, and the sleepy demon starts feeling his resolve crumble. You have some dirty tactics, huh..? Getting all cozy with him just because he's got a soft spot for you...

"...............Why Diavolo of all people..? I'd prefer anyone over him. Ugh... Hey, they still rent out those two person bikes, don't they? I'll only go if I can ride on that with you. I'll sit right behind you and cheer you on, okay? ..What's with that look? I'm joking...maybe."

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pagesfromthevoid · 2 years ago

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Bite Me, Munson | e.m.

Vampire!Eddie Munson x fem!reader

She didn’t particularly want to be out after dark; she knew what lurked in the dark. Well, she thought she knew what lurked in the dark.

Word Count: 6.1k

Warnings: Blood kink. Mild choking. Biting. Cockwarming. P in V penetration (wrap it before ya tap it). Cream pie? Kinda. Outdoor sex. Porn with plot. Use of nicknames (my girl, pretty girl). No use of y/n

Author’s Note: Hahahaha fuck man I don’t know where this came from. Tagging @ablondieproduction and @acutely-autistic because they played a part in this slutty ass piece. Enjoy (ノ‥)ノ

“Hey, this is probably the worst time to do this, but like, I think we might actually die so…,” Eddie rubbed the back of his neck, glancing over at Nancy and Steve who were talking to each other in hushed tones.

She was sitting on the ground, trying to figure out how to load the hand gun she’d stolen from her dad. Her brow raised when he spoke though, and she looked up at him. “We’re not going to die,” she reassured, setting the weapon on the ground in front of her.

“Listen, I know you guys seem to do this shit all the time, but I…I have no confidence in this plan,” he admitted, moving now to sit beside her in the dirt. “And if it does go south, and this doesn’t work…I just…”

She stared at him, feeling her heart pounding in her chest. For the last six years —since they first met in ninth grade —she tried to keep herself from crushing on Eddie Munson. But it was hard not to when he practically snatched her up in the cafeteria freshman year, offering her a place to sit and a friendly smile (and also an offer to join a “cult.” Though, that ended up being the best part of high school). Being a freak with Eddie Munson was the best thing to ever happen to her.

Even after she graduated, and he didn’t, they still found time to hang out. She was in community college, and had moved into an apartment with two people from the school. Given the college wasn’t far out of Hawkins, it made things easier. He came over more often than she went to his; enough so that there was a drawer of his things in her room. And he spent the night frequently, usually after a long night of D&D when he had to drive her home and she insisted it was too late to drive all the way back.

It was strictly platonic. How did Robin describe her and Steve? “Platonic with a capital P.” That’s what she and Eddie were. Platonic with a capital P.

At least, that’s what she told herself whenever he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Or when he hugged her just a little too long. Or when he called her pretty girl.

They weren’t platonic with a capital P by any means. They never were.

“I should have told you sooner,” he finally concluded, looking at his hands for a minute. “Like, freshman year sooner honestly. I just didn’t know how to —didn’t wanna ruin whatever we had —“

“I don’t think anything could ruin what we have,” she interrupted, and Eddie finally looked at her. “We never really were good at the whole just friends thing, were we?”

“I thought I was making it super obvious…” He grinned some, bumping his shoulder with hers.

“I honestly thought I was overthinking everything,” she laughed, covering her face with her hands for a moment. “Six years, and all it took was a murder accusation and the Upside Down for us to finally tell each other. Oh my god.”

“Who knew you were such a badass, anyway? My girl, fighting demons and shit on the regular.”

She beamed at the title, smiling at him excitedly. “Your girl?”

He nodded once, blush creeping up his cheeks as he pulled one of his rings and held it out to her. “As long as you want to be.”

She held up her hand, letting him slip the ring onto her middle finger since it was too big, and she grinned at him. “I couldn’t ask for anything more, Eddie.”

*****

“No, no, no,” she cried, dropping to her knees beside Eddie, who was bloodied and devoured by the demobats. Dustin fell beside her, clutching her arm tight. “Eddie, no, please. What is wrong with you? Why did you have to cut the sheet?”

Eddie smiled weakly, mouth bloody and eyes glossing over as he tried to focus on her. “I-I didn’t run away this time, did I?”

Her breath hitched and she shook her head, tears falling as she pushed his hair out of his face. “No, no. You…you didn’t. You’re a hero, Eddie. My hero.”

“That’s all I wanted to be,” he whispered, coughing as Dustin started sobbing beside her.

“Eddie, please,” she begged, leaning over him now as her tears fell over his cheeks. “I-I just got you. Don’t leave me. I can’t —“

“It’s okay,” he managed to get out, taking a shuddering breath. “Take care of them, will you? My sheep.”

“You’re going to take care of them yourself,” Dustin insisted, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. “We just need…we have to get you out of here —“

“It’s…it’s too late for that, I think.”

Eddie’s eyes closed, and he took another breath. She reached for his hand, taking it and holding it against her chest as thunder cracked over the sky. Dustin let out a broken sob, but grabbed her, pulling her away now. Insisting they had to go.

“We can’t just leave him!” She screamed, fighting the teenager.

“We have to go or we’ll end up like him! He wouldn’t want that!”

“Just leave me here then!”

“NO!”

*****

Weeks passed. Hawkins was on the mend. Much like how the town always did, they pretended that nothing supernatural or evil was happening. Like the Upside Down wasn’t trying to pry its way into their world.

Nothing was normal. Nothing ever was, nothing ever would be, and nothing would ever change. Hawkins was cursed, and she should have left as soon as she could.

But she didn’t.

She couldn’t.

She couldn’t bring herself to leave the town behind, because it was all she really had left of him. Of what they almost had. Six years of friendship, of pining for one another and being too afraid to admit their feelings. Besides, where would she go? She hadn’t finished her associates yet, and she didn’t have any money now that her job was practically swallowed up into the pits of Hell.

The only solace she had was the drawer of things Eddie had left at her apartment. She lived on the outskirts of Hawkins, just barely outside the town limits. Her apartment was pretty much unscathed, though her roommates hightailed it out of town when everything happened. It wouldn’t be long until her landlord decided to start collecting rent again.

It wasn’t a lot of things. The ring he gave her, that she wore around her neck. A couple shirts and pairs of jeans. A jacket that he rarely wore unless she made him swap out his leather jacket to be cleaned. He had left a copy of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy on her nightstand, dogeared on the page he had left off on last time he was over. There were handfuls of guitar picks that he would just drop on her dresser when he pulled things out of his pockets, and she’d taken to carrying one in her wallet at all times.

She wore his shirts a lot; though she tried to keep them as clean as she could. If she washed them, they wouldn’t smell like him anymore and she couldn’t lose that.

There were a handful of times she almost asked Steve for Eddie’s vest back —but she never did. Especially not when she saw Dustin wearing it one day at the grocery store. There was no way she could take it back now. She had enough things of Eddie’s to hold her over emotionally until she finally cracked anyway.

Today was no different, really. She was wearing one of his Metallica shirts under a flannel shirt, having opted to wear it out and about as she ran errands around town. It had taken her most of the day to will herself out of bed, but the grocery store closed at 8 so she needed to get out of the house sooner rather than later. Her apartment was painfully low on food, and while she didn’t have much of an appetite lately, she needed something to hold her over.

It was like the town just…forgot they accused Eddie of murder. Or if they didn’t forget, they didn’t care because as far as they were concerned, he was missing or dead. While it seemed that the party managed to pin Chrissy’s death on Jason, and cleared Eddie’s name the best they could —it still didn’t matter. Because as she walked out of the grocery store, there was the missing persons poster —Eddie with his bright smile; defaced and made into the devil.

She snatched it down, stuffing it into her pocket as she stormed off to her car with her groceries in hand. For a while, she just sat in her car and sobbed into her hands. Screaming in anger at the town, screaming in anger at Eddie. Screaming in general, banging her hands against the steering wheel as she let out her anger at the world.

By the time she had calmed down, whatever she had that was frozen was certainly thawed and inedible. Giving up, and refusing to waste whatever money she did have, she set out to return home. The sun was setting, casting an awful reddish orange hue over the sky. She didn’t particularly want to be out after dark; she knew what lurked in the dark.

Well, she thought she knew what lurked in the dark.

When she finally got home, the street lights were flickering on and she was fiddling with her keys before finally opening her door. As she stepped inside, something crashed downstairs from her and she jumped in surprise. Her groceries scattered on the floor, and her hand shot out to grab the baseball bat she kept by the entrance now. It wasn’t as hardcore as Steve’s, but it worked fine for whatever purpose she felt she needed it for.

Creeping back outside, she gripped the bat tight in her hands as she peaked around the corner. Then she made her way downstairs. The apartment wasn’t anything fancy, being cheap for a college kid, so security wasn’t exactly the landlord’s forte. The halls were exposed to the weather, outside and easily accessed to anyone who wanted to cause trouble.

But as she stepped off the bottom step, there was nothing out there. Curtains drawn, doors shut. Nothing was there. But something ached in her chest, pulling her towards the back apartments.

This was a bad idea. Whatever she was doing —it was a bad idea. She should go inside, she should call Steve or Nancy or literally anyone else. She shouldn’t be doing this by herself. But that thought seemed to be pushed aside by the overwhelming need to ensure there wasn’t some Demogorgon looking asshole lurking outside her apartment.

Also the urge to hit something really hard was really motivating her to peer around the corner.

There was nothing there either, though. Just the back fields that led to the woods behind her building. Raising the bat, she looked around with narrowed eyes, frowning deeply. Something was in the woods; she could see it. It was cloaked in the shadows, trying to hide, but she could make it out just barely.

“What the fuck,” she whispered, stepping into the grass slowly.

As she finally stepped into the woods, away from the eyes of anyone who could save her, her grip on the bat faltered. Her panic was starting to take precedence over her need to hit something. And she was beginning to think she was just seeing things. There wasn’t anything there. She couldn’t see anything; it was dark. And she went into the woods, in the dark, alone. Why was she such an idiot?

Deciding that she needed to back out, that she needed to run, she turned on her heel only to be grabbed and backed into an oak tree. She screamed out, dropping her bat, but a hand covered her mouth almost immediately. Frantic, she tried to throw her weight into her attacker but that did nothing to deter them from holding her down.

“Stop it,” they practically hissed, pressing their hand into her mouth harder.

It felt like someone dropped a bucket of ice water on her. The voice —it wasn’t just anyone's voice. It was the voice she had spent six years listening to. Memorizing, dreaming about. Her eyes finally snapped up, widening as she stared into the darkened eyes of Eddie Munson. Panic set in as she stared up at him, heart racing as she tried to fight him off.

Eddie was dead. She watched him die. This had to be Vecna. She had to be cursed. Had she heard any clocks today? She couldn’t recall as her mind spun.

“C’mon,” he continued, crouching to look her in the eyes. “It’s me, pretty girl. It’s Eddie —I didn’t mean to scare ya.”

The nickname made her knees buckle as she stared up at him still. Tears welled in her eyes as Eddie slowly lowered his hand from her mouth, and dropped his other from her shoulder. She pressed herself further into the tree.

“You can’t be real,” she whispered, closing her eyes as she shook her head. “No, this isn’t real. You’re not real,” she repeated, rubbing the heels of her palms into her eyes.

“I promise I am,” he insisted, taking her wrists in his hands gently.

“I watched you die,” she snapped at him, tears falling again for the second time that day.

“No,” he insisted, eyes narrowing down at her. His grip on her wrists tightened just a bit too much, and she winced. “You left me there to die.”

“Ed-Eddie, you’re hurting me,” she whimpered, trying to pull herself away. “I-I didn’t want to leave you there. They made me, Eddie. I tried to stay, I tried to bring you home but —“

“But you didn’t,” he bit back, eyes flashing angrily down at her. His grip didn’t falter. “You left me there to rot.”

“But you’re alive,” she breathed out, eyes wide with fear. “H-how, Eddie? How are you…how are you alive?”

“I…did die —I think,” he explained, dropping one of her wrists. Though he held onto the other one still. “It’s a blur. One minute, I was gone and then the next…I was awake. And I was…I was starving.”

Her brow furrowed as he explained, but she reached up, trying to pry his fingers off her wrist. “Eddie, I-I really need you to let go.”

His anger seemed to have subsided for a moment, loosening his grip just enough for her to pull her hand away. But he quickly caged her in, hands on either side of her head against the tree. “Please don’t run away.”

“I’m…I’m not gonna run, Eddie,” she promised, though the fear in her eyes suggested otherwise. “What…what happened then?”

He searched her face, trying to figure out how to explain it —how to show her what happened. “I…I managed to find a way outta there; I crawled through and I…I went to Benny’s. But it didn’t…I wasn’t hungry for food.”

Her brows furrowed together, staring up at him in confusion. But realization slowly crept in, and her heart skipped a beat. “Eddie…are you…are you a…”

She couldn’t say it. She couldn’t believe it. But was it so impossible? Not exactly —if you had told her three years ago that she would be fighting demogorgons, she would have asked if you meant during a campaign. But she had spent the better part of the last few years fighting monsters and supernatural beings with her friends. Was the existence of vampires really that shocking?

Maybe not.

Eddie being a vampire, though? That was…that was more than shocking. It was impossible. It was terrifying. It was heartbreaking but it was…fascinating. Crazy. And truthfully…it was amazing.

Eddie Munson was alive. And he stood there in front of her, looking down at him with those same doe eyes that made her knees weak. Maybe his features were a bit sharper; maybe his eyes were a bit darker. He was certainly stronger —though he’d always been stronger than she was. Maybe he wasn’t the exact same but none of them were the same after experiencing the Upside Down.

He was Eddie, and he was alive, and it didn’t matter how, right?

Her conclusion was drawn with that thought, and her arms found themselves wrapped around his neck in a tight hug. Her weight was thrown against him, standing on her toes as she pulled him as close as she could, finally starting to cry at the realization that he was there –he was alive, and she had him back. Eddie’s arms snaked around her waist, crushing her against him as he lifted her off the ground. His face buried into her neck, instinctively, trying to keep her as close as he could when he realized she wasn’t afraid of him.

His sharp inhale should have scared her, knowing what he was now. The way his lips brushed against her jugular should have caused panic. But instead, she could feel the heat pooling in her belly; the arousal spreading through her body faster than it should. It didn’t matter that he could kill her; all that mattered was he was there.

“I thought I lost you,” she whispered, pulling away just enough to look up at him. Her forehead rested against his as he set her down. He was leaning down into her touch, one hand reaching up to touch the ring that hung around her neck.

“You’re wearing my ring,” he whispered back, smiling faintly down at her. She could see the curve of his teeth –his new teeth –through his smile. It made her heart race.

“I haven’t taken it off,” she admitted, “I…I couldn’t.”

“My girl,” he grinned, exposing his fangs even more now. His hand pulled away, resting now against her heart. “I can hear your heart racing. Are you scared of me?”

“No,” she breathed, covering his hand with her own. “Should I be?”

Eddie shook his head, though his eyes were glued to her neck –to the sound of her heart beating through her skin. He could hear the blood rushing through her. “I won’t hurt you, pretty girl. You just have to trust me.”

“I’ve trusted you since we were fourteen, Eddie.”

“I know.”

His eyes finally dragged up her face, slowly meeting her eyes as he licked his lips. Her eyes dropped to his lips for a moment, swallowing hard at the sight of his fangs and his tongue, before meeting his eyes once more. It was then that their lips crashed together, with him pressing her back against the tree as he took her face in his hands. Her hands gripped his wrists, lips parting enough for Eddie to slip his tongue into her mouth. The sound that escaped her when he did that only fueled the fire, his kiss becoming aggressive as their tongues tangled around one another.

Her fingers tugged at his shirt –torn and bloody from the Upside Down –before running her hands up his torso. He shivered at her touch, especially as her nails trailed along the scars that were left behind from the demobats and their attack on him. She pulled away from the kiss, trying to catch her breath as she looked up at him, a string of saliva connecting them still. He grinned still, devilish and teasing, as he slipped his jacket off and tossed it to the side. His Hellfire shirt followed close behind, leaving him standing before her in only his torn jeans and rings.

It wasn’t the first time she had seen Eddie shirtless, and God help her, it wouldn’t be the last either. Not if she had any say in it.

His hands reached out, fingers snagging her belt loops of her shorts to pull her close to him again. She didn’t fight him, allowing herself to be pressed against him again as her arms wrapped around his neck. Another bruising kiss, all teeth and frantic and needy, and he was lifting her up to wrap her legs around his waist without breaking it. The new found strength made it easy to keep her up, his hands gripping her thighs solely to feel the skin beneath his hands. Her back was pressed against the tree again, hands in his hair as she tugged at the curls with need.

Eddie growled —actually growled, not some metaphoric term to describe his sounds. But an actual growl escaped his throat when she did that. And she couldn’t help the moan that slipped through her lips into his mouth. Her hands briefly untangled from his hair, reaching between the two of them to pull the hem of her shirt —well, his shirt —over her head and toss it to the ground with Eddie’s clothes.

She was desperate for him, afraid this would be the only moment she had with him again. And Eddie could tell; could smell just how turned on she was by everything happening. It was amazing what senses were heightened when he changed. One hand gripped her thigh still as the other reached between the two of them, popping the button to her shorts open as she rolled her hips into his touch instinctively. He grinned down at her, fangs less threatening and far more welcoming than they should be.

“I’ve wanted to do this for so long,” he admitted, dropping her back to the ground just long enough to pry her shorts off. His fingers brushed just barely over her panty-clad pussy, causing her to buck her hips. “Wanted you for so long.”

She stood before him now —mismatched bra and panties, his ring resting in the valley of her breasts like it always belonged there. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and Eddie was so focused on it that he didn’t even hear her speak. But he did feel her reach out and tug at his jeans, bringing his attention back to her as she pulled him back to her. The bulge in his pants was suddenly something he was hyper aware of, feeling her just above where he wanted her to be. Her fingers were quick to unfasten his belt and unbutton his jeans.

Whether it was desperation or eagerness or both —it didn’t matter. All she wanted was him.

He batted her hand away though, taking her wrists now to pin them above her head against the tree. “D’you know how often I thought about you like this?” He asked, knee sliding between her legs, parting them. “Usually we were in bed but…”

“Take what we can get, right?” She managed to breathe out, looking up at him through her lashes.

“Next time,” he promised, his free hand taking a hold of her chin.

Her pulse picked up at the promise that this wasn’t the last time she’d see him. Releasing her chin, Eddie trailed his hand down her body slowly —resting briefly on her throat where he felt her pulse under his fingers. Then down, over her breasts. His fingers tugged on his ring around her neck, a feeling of possessiveness enveloping him for a second. She was his. And she wore his ring to show everyone that.

His ring wouldn’t be the only mark of his on her when he was done.

He let go of her hands for a moment to allow both his hands to grasp at her chest, squeezing her breasts through her bra before yanking the cups down, exposing her nipples. He leaned down, running his tongue over her right nipple and sucking it while pinching the other. She gasped, hands finding his hair once again. Her thighs rubbed together, trying to appease the need for friction as much as she could. But Eddie’s knee between her legs prevented it.

His knee pressed up, rubbing against her clothed pussy and she hissed in response, closing her eyes. Her hips moved against him, unable to help herself as his mouth moved to her left nipple. Though he pulled back just enough to tease her.

“Impatient, hm?”

“You have no —shit,” she gasped as his hands found her hips and ground her against his knee further, guiding her movements. “Eddie, god, please.”

“Love to hear you beg,” he chuckled, nipping at her breast one last time before he pulled back.

Admiring how drunk she was off of just his touching, Eddie palmed himself through his unbuttoned jeans. Her thighs squeezed together as she watched, bottom lip pulled between her teeth. Eddie didn’t bother pulling his pants all the way down, opting simply to take them down enough to expose his aching cock. His fist wrapped around it, stroking himself slowly as she fell against the tree, watching him.

Without prompting, she slid to her knees in front of him. But when she reached out to touch him, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back up, flush against his chest. As much as Eddie loved the sight of her like that, he needed more than her mouth.

She tried to argue, but he cut her off with a searing kiss and his hand between her legs. Her mouth opened in a gasp, and he wasted no time slipping his tongue back into her as his fingers slipped over the wet spot that had formed in her panties. Nimble and quick, he rubbed over her pussy, pressing the cotton between her folds as his thumb ghosted over her clit.

“Fuck,” he murmured, breath fanning over her mouth as he pulled back. “All this because of me?”

“Can’t believe you never noticed,” she teased back, rocking against his hand to get anything from him. Her arms locked around his neck. He raised a brow as he looked down at her. “Took you six years to realize how bad I have it for you.”

He smirked down at her, free hand yanking her closer by the chain on her neck. “Could say the same about you, pretty girl.”

The tightness of the chain around her throat, coupled with the fingers slipping her panties off only made her knees weaker as she bit her lip. “I-I just…fuck, I overthought everything.”

“You always do,” he reminded her, dropping her panties to the ground now, leaving her spilling out of her bra but otherwise bare before him. “Come’ere.”

There was no hesitation as she pulled herself into him again, kissing him hard. Eddie lifted her up once more, wrapping her legs around his waist. The head of his cock rubbed against her slick, poking at her clit as she moaned into his mouth. He pressed her back into the tree, grasping at her ass as he rocked his hips into her core.

“Always left your place with a hard on,” he admitted, the head of his cock leaking precum as he nipped at her lip. It was a little too hard; more than she was anticipating as blood drew. “Always thought about what would happen if I made a move.”

“You should have,” she moaned, not registering the blood that was spreading across her lip. “But we’re here now.”

Eddie hesitated a moment, the scent of her blood hitting him like a brick wall. He pulled back some, looking down at her mouth. He swallowed hard, grip on her tightening as he tried to control the urge to lick the blood from her pretty lips. If he lost control and hurt her…

He needed to distract himself; keep himself focused on anything but the blood that was rushing through her. They were here now; and he needed to be inside her. That’s what would ground him, he was certain of it.

Eddie adjusted, pulling her legs over his arms now to better angle himself. She gasped at the sudden change, but kept one arm around him as she reached for his cock. He threw his head back as she touched him, stroking him once —twice —before she guided it into her slick pussy. Eddie hissed, trying to keep himself focused; trying to take it slow. But he couldn’t —this was something he’d dreamt of for years now. Jerked off to in the night, in her bathroom when she slept in the next room. And now he was finally getting it.

Slow wasn’t part of his vocabulary as he thrusted into her, burying himself to the hilt. She cried out, throwing her back into the tree as she adjusted to his size. Her nails dug into his arms, the pain of his sudden intrusion subsiding into a delicious stretch that had her turning to a quivering mess under him.

But he didn’t move. And when she tried to grind into him, Eddie stopped her, shushing her when she whined.

“Just…fuck,” he whispered, taking a breath and resting his forehead against her neck for a moment. “Let me savor this. Let me feel you for just a sec, will ya?”

She nodded, swallowing hard as she clenched involuntarily around him. Her heart was racing, and the feeling of him filling her up like this was overwhelming her senses. Her pulse was loud in his ears, and Eddie thought back to the blood that was drawn earlier, from him biting her lip. And suddenly the urge was even worse. His cock buried deep inside her; her blood rushing through her. All he wanted was a taste. More than anything, he wanted to taste her.

Three weeks ago, he wanted to taste her pussy and every inch of her body. Today, though, it was her blood he wanted.

His tongue trailed along her jugular, pressing against the vein he could feel throbbing under his tongue. She didn’t seem to realize the danger she was in; or, if she did, it didn’t register that suddenly Eddie was wanting to devour her literally.

“Do you trust me?” He whispered into her throat, rocking his hips just enough to build pressure into her. Give her something to look forward to. She nodded, eyes closed as she tried to move against him. He held her tight though, whispering her name. “Words. Use your words, pretty girl.”

“Fuck, yes. I-I trust you, Eddie,” she whimpered, looking down at him as her hands tangled in his hair.

“This is going to hurt,” he warned, glancing up at her. His eyes had changed —darkened entirely to the point that the whites of his eyes were black. Dark veins mapped across his cheeks, and for the first time since the Upside Down, she felt true fear.

“Eddie, what —“

His teeth —his fangs grazing over her throat shut her up as her eyes widened and her hands dropped to his chest. Her pleading fell on deaf ears as he licked her throat once more, before finally sinking his teeth into her skin. She cried out, her pleasure commingling disturbingly well with the pain of his bite. It was hard for her to decipher if it was the pain or the pleasure she was crying out from; and that’s probably what scared her the most. Not Eddie biting her; not him using her to feed. But the fact she couldn’t tell if she absolutely hated it or absolutely loved it.

His hips pulled back as he fed, pulling out of her just enough before he snapped them forward again and filled her up once more. Her cry turned into a moan, unable to help herself, as he began to fuck into her. It was steady, careful, as her head fell back into the tree once more. The stretch of her neck made his access to her blood easier, and it dripped down her skin and his chin as he picked up his pace.

Her nails dug into his shoulders, clenching tight around him as he pounded her into the tree. But her head was getting fuzzy, and his mouth on her neck wasn’t releasing. Weakly, she hit his chest, trying to get him to stop. Her whimpers turned to begging, her hits becoming weaker.

It took a few more hits before Eddie registered she was even touching him —she was drunk on his cock but he was drunk off her blood. But he pulled back, blood dripping off his chin, cock still buried deep inside her as she slumped back into the tree. For a moment, he panicked; her throat was covered in blood but the bite was slowly closely on its own. She was breathing, looking at him through dizzy eyes.

“Eddie…” she murmured, voice slurred as she reached up. As he began to pull out, she pulled him in. “Kiss me, Eddie.”

Something stirred in his belly, and Eddie brought his lips to hers once more. Bloodied, swollen, and hard —but she split his lips open with her tongue, tasting the copper of herself on his mouth as she moved to try to grab his hips. Eddie got the hint, returning to his steady pace as he fucked into her again. Tasting her blood on his tongue, mixed with the lust that had been pent up for so many years was almost too much for her as the coil inside her wound up.

The tree against her back was biting into her skin, but it didn’t matter as she reached between them, rubbing her clit with one hand. The other was tangled in his hair, holding him in place as he slammed into her over and over again. It was skin against skin, bruising grips on her thighs, and bloody kisses that anyone could see if they walked not even fifty yards into the woods behind her home. But she didn’t care.

“Eddie —!” She cried out, pulling back some as he changed the angle just enough, hitting that sensitive spot inside her. “Oh, fuck me.”

“That’s what I’m doin’, pretty girl,” he joked, burying his face in her neck again, licking at the blood that was drying on her skin. He drilled into her hard, balls slapping against her ass as he felt that same familiar build up. “God, you feel so fuckin’ good. Like you were made for me.”

She hummed in response, fingers messy against her clit as his thrusts became erratic. “‘M close, babe. Fuck, I-I…” She hesitated, drawing in a breath before she grabbed his chin, forcing him to look up at her “Bite me, Munson. Please.”

His thrusts stuttered as he looked at her with surprise, but nodded frantically. It brought him that much closer to the edge. She wouldn’t have to ask twice, that’s for goddamn sure.

He went for the other side of her throat now, her head falling to the side as he kissed her jugular. Softer than he had been earlier, though as his teeth grazed her throat once more, he could hear her heartbeat pick up. He dropped one of her legs, letting it rest on the ground as his now free hand pushed hers out of the way, rubbing frantic circles against her clit. Both her hands were in his hair now as he bit into her throat, relishing in the taste of her blood on his tongue.

It didn’t take long for her to finally hit her orgasm; between his cock filling her over and over and his teeth in her flesh, her senses were overwhelmed. She cried out as she fell over the edge, nails dragging down his back as stars filled her vision.

The taste of her blood almost sweetened from her coming, drowning Eddie in ecstasy as he fucked her through her orgasm. His hips started to stutter, becoming aggressive before finally releasing his jaw from her throat. She whined, but he kissed her hard as he came, filling her with his cum. Her pussy clenched tight around him, milking him for all he was worth as she licked her blood off his tongue.

As they both came down from their highs, Eddie pulled away from her. His forehead pressed against hers. She was a bit lightheaded —both from the blood loss and her orgasm —but she looked at him with a lazy smile. Her hands loosened around his neck, though she kept her arms around his neck as he pulled out of her slowly. A whine escaped her lips at the loss of him. Carefully, he set her down, though her legs shook, so he held her close against him.

“God, I fucking love you,” he whispered, thumb wiping the blood from her lips.

She nodded once, holding onto his wrist as she leaned into his touch. “I love you too, Eddie. Everything about you.”

He grinned down at her, licking his lips. “So uh, you got a biting kink, huh?”

“Fuck, apparently.”

#eddie munson x reader #Eddie Munson imagine #vampire!eddie x reader #Eddie Munson #eddie munson fic #stranger things

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timelostobserver · 1 year ago

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The death toll had been.. well within the single digits, at least as far as the current year was considered. Their selection process had been getting more and more refined, especially in the day and age of the internet needing more scrutiny and a cautious hand. Theey knew what to look for, the best people to alow into the company.. and more importantly..

Who to make into Demons.

"I agree.. Funny how it's so much easier for us all to hide in plain sight compared to.. how many decades ago now?" Funny that the Time Demon was having trouble remembering such a bygone era now with so many things in the present moving so quickly. Hells, there was even a new, BETTER phone out almost every six damn months now.

Long gone were the days they hid in the shadows for their lives. Long gone were the days of blade wielding warriors who fought them tooth and nail. Those days were long since buried now, under mountains of blood and ash. And they, the demons, had come out on-top. The ranks had not shifted since those days, outside of the Lower Moons which always were in flux.

Well at least the lower four of that group... Enmu and Rui still remained. One handled the company logistics.. the other was more so the office mascot, given free reign to do as he wanted so long as he took meeting notes for Muzan. Speaking of.. The moment Hades entered his office, he was of course greeted by said little spider demon going through a few of his desk drawers. This was a common occurrence. Hades usually kept a bottle or two of marechi blood hidden away in here. And Rui often came in to grab one either for themselves, or Muzan on request.

It was easier to hide them in a place where Douma couldn't reach, after all.

"Oh, hey kiddo.." Hades simply smiled moving past the white-haired demon, giving him a pat on the head. Sure, many who remained from that by-gone era were breaching a thousand or more years old but.. It didn't stop them from treating Rui like a child. And the spider demon seemed to like that. Being treated like the little brother or a son in cases like Hades or even Muzan.

"Busy day?" He joked, before pulling a chair out for Astra to sit down.

'Not really. Muzan-sama's been locked in his lab all day, so I'm bringing him a snack. Perhaps it will improve his mood. I wonder what made him so angry today.' Hades nodded as the boy was holding at least two bottles in his hands.

"Hmm.. good idea. And it's likely some bad PR around the company because of Douma. Bad press spreads too fast in this day and age.. I swear." Considering the emotionless 'ex-cult leader' held a live stream while in the office, where many of them did not shape-shift into more human disguises. That certainly got people talking online. Analyzing, picking apart the footage.

Most thought it was just clever editing or something staged, but a few.. all too vocal news outlets were clinging to it. And it didn't look good on them.

'Again?' The spider demon sounded exhausted. 'Maybe I'll ask Muzan-sama if I can throw him in the sun.' Which caused a chuckle as Hades moved to sit on his desk chair.

"Before or after he tries to coddle you again?" Which caused a near gag from Rui. All before he looked to Astra.

'Oh.. Daki said she was almost done with those model things she was making for you. She wanted me to pass the message along in-case Gyutaro forgot to.' The little office mascot and messenger doing his job, after all. In his own way.

'She said about two more days, as long as she doesn't have any other projects dropped on her.'

[ ― ❝He thinks he's an influencer but doesn't understand that he's just a meme.❞ She raised her finger to her lips, as if she were shushing him, ❝Shh, don't tell him that. I enjoy watch him be teased on live.❞

❝He's causing too many problems. I'm about to yeet him into the sun just to save us the trouble of dealing with him--❞ She waved her hands around, showing her frustration, ❝Watching him get ratioed is great but honestly it's a skill issue if he can't figure out his phone constantly has child controls on it--❞ Her nose scrunched, her brows moving down.

❝By the way, has Daki got our v-tubing models done? I mean we can still stream uno this friday, but I keep getting worried that Kokushibo might make an appearance and the last time that happened we nearly crashed the streaming platform,❞ too many people trying to talk, running to certain channels. And it wasn't really fair that he had to hide in his own home on those days-- ❝Maybe we could make it a regular thing and even bring Muzan-sama into it so it's not seen as something that'll break the internet again.❞ She tapped her finger against her lips as she spoke.

❝Since the public enjoys demons and all sorts of supernatural things-- it might be very lucrative for us to press on this and get some decent press going about our creations. We could even debut most of it on stream because I know a lot of the younger generation doesn't watch press releases like they used to--❞ She was... thinking about ways to keep them relevant.

❝There's also this new app that does thirty second videos and it's getting very popular. I'll probably see about making an official one for us and post once a day or something--❞

And with that, Gyutaro was gone-- of which, Astra didn't mind at all.

She nudged Hades with her elbow. ❝The humans like us already. Could you imagine what it would be like to be movie stars? Or have little animations of us running around out there? I think it'd be pretty cool! We could even have it be our lives as true stories but to them it would be a cool fantasy kind of thing--❞ She was really interested in that. Maybe things could be fixed that way? The demon slayers were pretty much gone... but at the same time.... they would be laughed at and told that they were wrong. Kibutsuji Enterprises was entirely too popular for that to stick.

She jumped up and smacked the door frame on the way out.

Haha.

Hades could account for himself, but he couldn't account for Astra causing mischief. And that happened very, very often. They were called the disaster duo for a reason, as many seemed to forget.

❝I'll see what I can scope out. We'll see what Muzan-sama says about that because I don't want to turn someone and have him immediately say 'no'. That was really frustrating the first time it happened-- for everyone.❞ That wasn't something she liked at all. It wasn't that her choice was bad-- it was that they simply didn't have enough room. And both Astra's and Hades' positions were assured. It just depended on which poor soul decided to cause enough problems to be killed by Muzan. She couldn't remember if anyone had died lately-- that was more of Hades' thing to monitor.― ]

#[astra-stellaris]#[Reply]#[Modern Solutions: Modern Verse]#[Starry-Eyed Sister: Astra Stellaris]

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teamfreewill56-blog · 3 years ago

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Why did Douma kill Kotoha after she insulted him and ran away from him? Did he view her as a possession like " if you can't be mine then you can't be nobody else's"? Did he think she couldn't live without him since he said that "she couldn't do anything on her own"? He also said that she'd get beaten up again by her husband if she went back home, but according to the taisho rumors Douma had already killed her husband so he was lying. Did he lie to look better or was he trying to justify himself?

Hello! Based off the manga no I wouldn’t say his reasoning was “I killed her because I wanted her to be only mine.” None of his behavior or how he talks about Kotoha indicates that he viewed her that way. He did think that she couldn’t live without him, or at least someone to support her and since her husband was an abuser Douma seemed to assume that she would end up going into another abusive relationship.

So in that way he did justify himself because he thought he was “saving her” from a continually miserable life. The fact that he didn’t outright tell Inosuke and Kanao that he killed Kotoha’s abuser is curious to me though because that would be an easy way to try to make himself look good (it doesn’t mean they would believe him or feel grateful or anything) but it would make sense for his character and it’s also an easy way to justify himself as a “savior” and get further offended when they stay mad at him. He left it out though and that’s curious to me.

One of the other reasons I think he used to justify killing her is that issue of him being a demon who is a religious leader/cult leader eating his followers. A lot of his followers would have seen Kotoha and Inosuke with him. Not only that but he clearly favored her, I mean she’s literally sitting at the foot of his chair/shrine.

This would have played a role in him deciding to kill her as well because if she ran into the village and started telling people what was going on some of them could have believed her, or even if they didn’t believe her it wouldn’t take long for that information to reach a Demon Slayer and then Douma suddenly has a much bigger workload and stuff he has to deal with. With that in mind it would be easier to kill her because she can’t tell anybody if she’s dead. Also, Kotoha didn’t just accuse him of being a liar but also cursed him for what he was doing. Kotoha doing that made it clear that Douma wouldn’t have been able to get her to accept what he was doing or ignore it, even if he did give her a convincing lie, she had established she wasn’t going to believe him. For him that justifies killing her because she “gave him no choice”.

The fact that Douma literally states that “I didn’t intend to eat her. I planned to keep her alive until her lifespan ran out.” For me really solidifies that if Kotoha had responded differently when she found out, or had been willing to listen to him explain and try to understand the situation Douma wouldn’t have posed a threat to her or Inosuke. I mean there is no way she would, but it’s just really interesting how Kotoha was his exception to such an extreme extent, and not even just that he wouldn’t bother her but he was going to actively keep her alive. I’ve stated before it’s because he views her in the way a person views a pet but it’s still just interesting that Douma who didn’t even care when his mother and father were killed as a human, as a demon was like “No, this human woman and her baby get to live a good long life and I’m making sure of that.”

And I can’t call it sweet because Douma did view her as a pet and I still don't really trust what he would claim he feels emotionally towards someone but I find that choice really interesting, especially when you consider how different he and Kotoha were.

#douma and kotoha #this relationship is so fascinating #I love kotoha #I love the strange complexity that Kotoha adds to douma #not a healthy relationship at all but he thought it was #upper moon 2 #inosuke v douma #inosuke and Kanao v douma #Kotoha hashibira #inosuke hashibira #meta #analysis #anon asks #why did he kill her #he shouldn't have she was precious #cult leader #Kotoha was too pure

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totiredtowrite · 3 years ago

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Nonononono hear me out right? Imagine Oikawa, one of the most powerful demons around, snags a reader who wants to be a hero and just kind of says 'aight this ones mine now'

Powerless

Warnings - Mentions of killing, the word blade, a religious joke here or there, cursing, referenced nsfw, the req was short but I managed to make this long af, sorry if the ending is trash :(, might do a part 2

Note: I have one mood and this is it

Male Reader - Fem Readers DNI, Respect The Boundaries of the Writers. ✨This isn't about you✨

Demon King Oikawa Tooru.

Infamous for a...multitude of things. For one, his power. Two, the astounding number of people who lust after him. Cults and chapels have been erected in his favour, solely because of his attraction. Nobodies even sure if he's a demon of lust at this point, or if he's just naturally handsome.

And lastly, of course, his ego. His power gives him a big head, though that isn't undeserved. He's just as cocky as he's allowed to be. While it may seem like overkill to some people, they'll quickly find that all of his self conceit is well earned.

Of course, that makes him a big target. Any heroes career would be made if they could kill the demon king. Hell, some get publicity just by returning alive. Young, naive, aspiring heroes want to get his head on a platter more than anything.

And, of course, you were no exception.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛ 🃑 ┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

"I just don't think you're cut out for this, son."

At first you'd scoffed. Chalked it up to your mentor being crazy. After all, he was the one who trained you for this!

Nearing the end of the dead forest though, you were starting to wish that you'd listened to him. The energy, the atmosphere, felt like it was wrapping around your neck. You could almost see the dark tendrils around your throat.

The whispers of the forest- prominent, though unintelligible- faded the farther you got from the tree line. Anyone with eyes, ears, or even a nose could tell how corrupt the land was here. Dead birds, ravens to be exact, littered the grounds. Every few yards, you had to step over or around a carcass.

Your torch, near burnt out, clattered to the ground.

There wasn't any need for it anymore, the dim sunset illuminating the deathly area. A small shudder tore through your body. It's like you could feel eyes on you, even in the obviously vacated expanse.

The castle wasn't any better.

Cracked and broken cobblestone lined the pathway up to the doors, travelling up a rather steep hill. From where you stood, you could see the different layers. True to it's unholy resident, the castle was make of dark brick and stone. Sharp, jagged pillars jutted up at the tips of towers, pyres in small heaps littering the area. Some looked as if they were already burnt.

Your hand drifted to your side. There your sword hung, sheathed tightly in a leather casing. The sword was all you really needed, though a couple extra daggers and limited magic items were helpful. After all, it was the demon king. Just a sword wasn't going to kill him off.

You smiled at the thought of your sword being framed when you became a well-known hero, famous for being the blade to deliver the finishing blow.

Those thoughts were quickly disrupted as a bird fell to the ground at your feet.

You grimaced, gently kicking the corpse out of the way and continuing on the rocky cobblestone path. There hasn't been any sign of people for the last two miles. You knew that there was an immensely powerful demon king not even twenty minutes away from you, but it felt like there was nobody for miles on end.

Obviously though, no sane person would get as close to this place as you were.

With one final, (and tentative) step, you arrived at the front door. It felt like any and all sound was swallowed by the walls, all of your senses instantly on edge. Nothing felt right here. It almost made you want to turn around, but you've already made it this far. It would make no sense.

Drawing in another shaky breath, your hand made its way to the door handle. Not much skin touched it through your gloves, yet you could just sense how wrong it felt.

You could only hope that the next time you see these doors, you'd still have your head.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛ 🃑 ┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Nobody told Oikawa that being the demon king would be so...boring.

As opposed to what everyone thinks, it's actually rather monotonous. Wake up, go seduce some townspeople, maybe burn a village or two, kill some heroes who come by, and repeat. Nothing happened that he didn't expect anymore.

Hell, it's gotten to the point where he just smites heroes before they even finish their little speech!

In his defense though, their speeches were starting to sound the same. All the "you are an ungodly creature of darkness"s and "I must avenge my family"s just felt the exact same. They only wanted to kill him for the publicity, the bounty, or some stupid thing about their families legacy. He's so bored.

His thoughts were quickly interrupted, (thank god), by the sound of footsteps pounding on the floor. All at once the door to the throne room swung open, a sweating and panting Kuroo standing there. His black hair was wind tousled, sweat glinting on his forehead.

"Wow," Oikawa scoffed. "Somethings got you running."

Kuroo stood up straight, shrugging and attempting to appear collected. "What do you mean?"

Oikawa raised his brows.

"Right, there's a hero in the castle." Kuroo chuckled awkwardly. "Want us to take care of him?"

Oikawa perked up. Another hero? Really? He wasn't looking forward to doing the same dance again, though maybe this time it would be slightly different. "Let him in," he grinned. "Maybe this one will have something for me." He was never one to turn down opportunity.

Kuroo, plagued by a bit of disbelief, nodded and left the throne room. Presumably it was to tell the fox twins.

Another wicked smile split the Demon King's face, brown hair shifting as he tilted his head to the side. Somehow, he got the feeling that this time, something interesting would happen.

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You figured that the castle would be partly deserted, but this was just weird.

No sign of any living beings. Demons, animals, humans, nothing. Was it an ambush? Quite possibly. Still though, you continued on through the halls.

The inside, just like the outside, was made of dark stone and brick. The floors were marbled and grey, veins of gold running through it. It was actually relatively pretty. You thought that there would be skulls and bones everywhere, bodies even. The castle was well taken care of.

Your eyes narrowed suspiciously. Seriously, there was no one. You thought that the all powerful Demon King would at least have some guards stationed around. You were grateful for it though, the lack of protection making it easier for you to get into the castle.

In truth you weren't exactly sure where you were headed. You believed the demon king to be in his throne room, though where exactly that was remained a mystery.

Using your limited knowledge of how castles are built, you slowly tried to make your way to the center of the castle. The back center, specifically. You hoped that you'd find the throne room there, plus you were following the remnants of magic.

Even not being a magic user yourself, it would be hard not to feel the weird fluctuations of energy in these halls. Demons always left some kind of trail behind. Which, of course, made this weirder. Nobody was stopping you, but it was clear that there were being in the castle aside from the king himself.

A thought struck you as you reached two huge double doors. (They no doubt led to the throne room). Was it possible that the demons were letting you get this close? Of course, there had to be some kind of second meaning behind it, right?

Drawing in a breath, you flung the doors open.

The throne room was different than the rest of the castle, if only slightly. Grey marble and gold veins staying the same of course, the walls slightly lighter than before. If you had the time to look closely, you'd notice the oxidized bloodstains on the walls.

"Well well, look who's finally showed up!"

Your breath hitched in your throat, barely registering the door creaking closed behind you the moment you stepped forward. He was just as...no, more terrifying up close. The horns jutting out from the sides of his head, twisted upward, held a muted purple colour that shined in the equally muted light. His tone of voice was teasing, almost whiny.

You couldn't tell if his eyes were brown or red, but either way they glowed dangerously. "Well, boy?" He tilted his head, soft brown hair bouncing slightly. "You are here to kill me...aren't you?" His tone shifted. Deeper, more serious.

Your hand quickly made its way to your sword, eyes darting from his horns to his eyes.

He laughed. "Why do you keep looking at my horns like that? You are here for my head, are you not?" You wanted to nod, though he spoke before you could get an answer out.

"Wait a minute. You're here for something more...carnal, aren't you?"

Your eyes widened. "What- no! I'm here for your head!" Your grip on the swords hilt tightened. The rumors about his looks were true, (maybe even understating them), however that is not what you're here to do.

The teasing smirk dropped off of his face. "Oh. Lame."

Your brows knitted together. "Lame?" What was that supposed to mean?

"Oh nothing," he rolled his eyes. "So if you're going to deliver a speech, best do it now. Before I, you know, kill you real bad."

You only looked more confused.

Oikawa scoffed at your lack of response. "Jeez, come on, you know what a soliloquy is right?"

"Well yes but I don't think that really applies here-"

"Tomato whatever, get on with it!" He'd turned around, hands firmly gripping your shoulders.

Your breath stopped short for a second.

"Oh come one," his face moved closer. "Is a little proximity all it takes for you to freeze up? Maybe you aren't cut out to be a hero, boy," he snickered. His nose was brushing yours, breath minty and cold.

Without thinking, your sword was at his side in a flash of silver. Maybe it was just out of reflex, the need to defend yourself. The blank, shocked look on your face morphing into one of confusion. Why wasn't your sword moving further? "Was that the best you could do?" The king whispered.

Looking down, you realize just why he was so revered. He'd caught the blade in his hand, a trickle of black blood visible on his palm. No grimace, no noise of pain, nothing. "Hey, eyes up here sweetheart," one of his clawed hands was on your chin now. The wound, one that would cut almost anyone's hand off, didn't seem to throw him off his rhythm at all.

Horror and realization befell you as your eyes met his. You weren't ready. You didn't know what to do, except relax and let instinct take over. So that's what you did.

You let the sword fall out of your hand, causing him to have to catch it at an awkward angle. Using his moment of distraction, you reached into a bag at your hip. Sand. Sure, he was a demon, though it's not like his eyes were impervious to sand.

The dust hit him in the eyes, a startled, strangled noise leaving him. You turned, darting to the only open window as fast as possible. Jumping was not a good idea by any means, though maybe you could use the little magic you knew to your own advantage. You hesitated. You didn't mean to, but really it was just in your nature to be a little cautious.

Oikawa's eyes cleared just in time to see you fall out the window, hands darting back and forth and lips moving. Magic. "You clever little thing," he snarled, at the window in only a few seconds flat. He almost jumped out after you, but then he stopped. Sure he could follow you, but what would be the point? It makes more sense to simply leave you to come back on your own.

"Hey!"

You didn't look back at the sound of his voice, though you did catch the next words to fall from his mouth. "The names Tooru, by the way!"

You didn't say a word, focused on the cold burn of your heart pounding and your legs moving. You'd failed far faster than you thought you would, but you'd be back. You didn't even bother to step around the birds, only focused on getting out. After all, he'd let you leave. There wasn't any way you were taking that for granted.

Back at the castle, Oikawa's hands were still gripping the window's edge. He'd watched your form run until he could hardly see you, still gazing off in that direction. The twins were hovering behind him, wondering when the right time would be to speak. The bloodied sword on the ground, (and the grains of sand), were clear signs that you'd done something.

After elbowing one another for a minute, Osamu spoke up. "Would you like us to take care of it, Lord?" He pushed Atsumu back in an attempt to seem more dignified.

They got silence for a second before he responded. "No. That one is mine. Leave him be." The twins nodded in unison, leaving the room like they were never there.

You didn't do much. There were other heroes who'd done far more to him then you had, though still, something stuck with him. Maybe it was the utterly useless conversation you'd shared before anything actually happened. Maybe it was the vague potential he saw.

In any case, he was going to see you once more. Somewhere you'd least expect him.

Oikawa never was fond of leaving unfinished business.

#hq x male reader #m!reader #anime x male reader #x male reader #male reader #haikyuu x male reader #tooru oikawa x male reader #oikawa x male reader #tooru x male reader

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127-mile · 4 years ago

Text

Pairing : demon!Jaehyun x fem!reader.

Genre : demon!au / yandere-ish!au / fluff, angst, mature content.

Warnings : This is not what a normal loving relationship is like, this is a work of fiction. fingering (fem. receiving) unprotected sex (kids, please be smart) coming inside. non sexual choking. mention of deaths. explicit (kind of, it’s pretty soft) and non explicit deaths. blood. alcohol consumption. mention of drugs. manipulation. toxic relationship.

Word count : +10.1k.

Plot : Instead of having a guardian angel, you have a guardian demon. His methods are often more violent, but they are more straight forward. What does he have that the regular guardians don’t ? An obsession. You.

You didn’t think being assigned to a demon was a simple mistake, do you ?

A/N : This is part of the Halloween collab made by the incredible @neo-cult-ure. We had to choose a song, mine is Kill for you by Zolita.

Taglist : @plump-peach / @crtznstuff / @kriselynne / @yourmagnanimousholiness / @soothingjae / @peachjaem00 / @chanslaptopp / @luvlyjaemin / @jeongyoonohs / @junghoe / @nakayutasama / @ddaawwnn7

"Say my name." the voice in your ear is hoarse, and it echoes in your head. You feel the man's hands along your arms, and his fingers leave a scorching trail in their paths. "Say my name." he repeats one more time, and you make the mistake of opening your eyes. What you see is not human, the eyes are red, deep and empty of any kind of humanity, you see yourself in the void. "Say my name, and I will show you wonders that humans can only dream of." His voice is urgent, and though you are thinking, you can not remember his name.

The weight of the man's body against yours is both agonizing and reassuring, you must be losing your mind, and he is the reason. His voice, his perfume -a mixture of burnt wood, and something irresistible that you are unable to describe- and the power of his gaze from which you can't take your eyes off. "Come on, my sweet love, say my name." a shiver runs down yuor body, and you arch your back off the bed when you feel the man's tongue running down your throat, and god, you cant to feel more. He is more addicting than any drug you have ever tried.

The window is open, you can feel the cool breeze on your bare body and yet, it feels like you are burning from the inside. Drops of sweat pearl at your hairline. You open your mouth, but no words come out, only an embarrassing moan as the man's teeth pierce through the skin of your neck, but you don't have time to think about the pain because his tongue soothes the wound right away.

Once again, you find yourself unable to move, or to think and the man sits up but you refuse to meet his gaze once more, too afraid to lose yourself in his eyes. To lose yourself completely. "Until I met you, I was convinced that angels were the only creatures capable of such beauty, but you proved me wrong. They should be ashamed to show themselves when you exist, my love."

His voice is suddenly painful, and you feel your heart twist. Maybe it was a trick, because you open your eyes without hesitation, wanting nothing more than to make him feel better. But all you see is a smile. A bloody smile. "If you don't say my name, I'm going to have to force you to say it. It would be a shame to see your pretty tongue being ripped out, don't you think ?" his voice is cold now, as cold as the fingers he wraps around your throat. "Say it !"

Fear, you feel nothing but fear. But what are you afraid of ? To have offended him, or to die ? You do not know. Your breathing is getting slower, and your field of vision is darkening until you can see nothing but darkness, and feel nothing but the cold. Everything is cold, so so cold.

You open your eyes, a sudden coughing fit waking you up fully. Your eyes are full of tears running down your sleep-swollen cheeks and your lips taste metallic, you must have bitten them during the night. You put your hands around your neck where you thought you would still feel the pressure of the stranger's fingers, but nothing.

Your lungs are burning, and you sit up to catch your breath. It's long, and rather difficult but you get there. The room is only illuminated by the rays of sunshine passing through the curtains, and all you see are the small particles of dust flying around the room. Then, your gaze falls on something. Or someone, and a cry broken by your aching throat escape your lips.

As fast as it arrived, the shadow vanishes and you shake your head. You have barely woken up from a terrible dream, your mind is only playing tricks on you, nothing more.

"What the fuck..." you mumble, running your fingers through your hair. You feel the drops of sweat running down your spine, and you don't waste a minute getting out of bed. A cold shower will do you the most good, you think, heading to the only bathroom. Under the jet of water, you think about your dream. The man's touch seemed so real that if you focus you can still feel the burn from his fingers.

It's not the first time you had a dream with this man, it's not the first time he's asked you to say his name, but it's the first time he's become threatening, and scary. You sigh, and come out of the water after rising your hair. In the mirror, you notice a mark on your neck, and you walk closer with a frown. "What ?" the mark vaguely resembles a bite. Right where the man bit you. But it can only be a coincidence, right ? Maybe you did this to yourself during the night.

You come out of the bathroom wearing only a towel around your chest. When you enter the room, you have the unpleasant feeling of being watched. Yet when you turn, you see nothing but the mirror hanging from the door. You are going crazy, there is no other explanation. If your mother was there, she would tell you that it was the fault of your excessive consumption of caffeine.

You sit on the edge of the bed, and the drops of water flowing from the tips of your hair mix with the perspiration. Since when your room has become this hot ? The summer is coming to an end, you should not be suffocating.

You forget all about the heat when you feel something on your shoulder, but once again, when you turn around, nothing. Maybe you should have listened to Kun when he adviced you, and Ten, not to use a ouija board in the apartment without reading the instructions first. Maybe you called something malicious, and you are going to get possessed ? At least the thought helps you calm your heart pouding in your chest before breaking into a fit of giggle. Crazy.

The front door swings open, and you stop laughing immediately. You hear the sound of shoes swinging against the drawer and get up from the bed. You do not have time to go to the door because it opens on Ten, he is breathless. "I'm going to die. It's too hot !" he yells, before falling on the bed. Sweat made his blonde hair stick to his forehead, and you resist the temptation to pull them back. "I think the aircon is broken." you mumble while Ten nods.

"I tried to turn it on this morning, but nothing, so I went to the neighbords and they are having trouble with theirs too. I think it's the end Y/n." you roll your eyes, biting your lower lip. "By the way, did you bring someone back last night ?" he asks, sitting up on his elbows.

"What ? Of course not!" one of the rules of the roommates is not to bring anyone home without telling the other so that they can find someone to keep them for the night. "Eh, don't like, I heard you talking with someone." you shake your head, you didin't bring anyone back last night.. well not that you remember. "Maybe I was on the phone ?" the question is not for Ten, but for you. Because now that you think about it, you have no memories of the day before.

You came home from work, yes, but the rest ? You do not know. You went to bed, since you woke up in your sheets and in pajamas, but nothing else. "Are you okay ?" Ten asks in a worried voice, and you nod. "Yeah, I think I'm just tired from work." Ten doesn't look convinced, but there is nothing more he can do. "Yeah, well, you should take is slow. Have some rest."

Finally, Ten gets up from the bad and walks out of the bedroom. You take the opportunity to put on light clothes. You could've just stayed naked, but that is not possible with Ten in the apartment. You do not need to go to work today, and with the heat, you don't plan on going out, so you lie in bed, your eyes on the ceiling. You need some explanation about yesterday, about your dream, and the bite mark on your neck, but for now, you also need some rest.

"You know, if you want to see me, you just have to say my name, it's not that hard." the voice is back, and you feel an unpleasant chill going down your spine. You sit up in bed and notices that is is now dark, you must have slept for several hours. You are alone in the room, and yet, the voice sounded so close, as if the man was lying next to you. "Who is here ?" you ask in a trembling voice.

You do not expect any answer, that's why when a small laugh echoes in the room, you stop moving. "You should know that." the voice responds, and you wonder if you aren't just sleeping and having a vivid dream since they seem to be more and more frequent lately. "I've been following you for a while." the voice resumes calmly, and you blink.

"Haven't you ever had the feeling of being watched, of being followed wherever you go ?" you nod. "It's me. It's always been me. I'm always with you. It's my job after all." his work ? You are lost, and he seems to feel it as he picks up. "Say my name, and you'll understand, everything will me so much easier, I promise."

You frown, but why is he so insistent ? You do not even know his damn name. "Are you there because of the ouija board ?" you ask in a small voice, and the laughter that escapes from the void gives you goosebumps. "The ouija board ? My angel, this is only material, you can't call anything through a simple wooden board, especially not me." you suddenly feel stupid for asking the question, but you had to know.

"Your name.." you whisper. "how am I supposed to know it ?" you feel the mattress dips under an invisible weight and you culd up on yourself. "I've told you my name, so many times, but you don't listen. I'll make you remember it this time." you feel a warm breath on your face, and a pression against your lips. But before you can react, the ghostly touch slides down your neck, and the pain is the same as in her previous dream when he bit you. Except this time, it's not pleasure that you feel, but real pain.

"Open your eyes, and you'll have the answer you're looking for." at these words, a sharp pain makes you open your mouth, wide, as if one had just plunged your arm in boiling water. You try to scream but no sound comes out, the pain is too much, you are already losing all of your senses, you can feel your limbs going numb, and once again, the darkness sunrrounds you.

When you open your eyes, you are in bed, and the room is still illuminated by the sun through the curtains. You look at your alarm clock, and notice that you have barely dozed off ten minutes. You rub your eyes, your eyelids are heavy, you have the impression of waking up from a very long nap. It takes a good minute for you to come back to your senses, and when you turn your head, your gaze stops on a mark on your arm.

Not a mark. A name.

A name is like engraved in your flesh on several centimeters. You hiss when you run your fingers over the wounds, it's perfectly healed and yet so painful. You read the name a few times but do not dare to say it out loud, you are afraid of the consequences. You pull yourself out of bed with difficulty and leave the room. You have no choice, you can't keep it to yourself any longer, you need to talk about it, and Ten will have no choice but to listen to you.

You find him in the leaving room, lying on the floor, fanning himself with an old magazine. "Ten.." your voice must be shaky because Ten immediately straightens up, and he stands up when he sees you holding your arm. His first thought is that you fell out of bed and broke your arm, but when he cotices the lines of your skin, he stops. "What is that ?" you shrug, and when he approches, you whine for him not to touch.

"Jae.." you shake your head vigorously; "Don't say it, please." you are ready to beg for him to remain silent, but he shuts his mouth before you have the chance to do so. He takes your free hand and directs you to the sofa when you sit. He takes a seat on the coffee table opposite and looks at the name over and over again. "It's weird." Ten looks calm, unlike you. You are clearly panicking. You heart is hammering in your chest, and soon, you can feel the tears runinng down your cheeks. You didn't even know you were on the verge of crying until now.

"Hey, don't cry, it's fine." Ten whispers, cupping your face in his hands so his eyes meet yours. He reads nothing but confusion and fear. "What's wrong with me Ten ?" your voice breaks his heart, so low and quavering. "Seems to be your.. your guardian ?" you tilt your head, urgning Ten to continue. "Our guardian angel. They manifest themselves when they feel that we need help. But they are here long before, they are always near us to be sure that they can help us even is we cannot see or feel them. Saying their name is the only way to make them appear, but- but it's never like that."

He's talking about the mark on your arm, you know it. Ten had a visit from his guardian angel when he was barely 15, because he needed it, and he doesn't have any irreversible marks on his skin, and he's not traumatized by the experience, unlike you. "Guardian angels aren't meant to hurt you, it's quite the opposite." the more he talks, the more you feel lost. Why you ? What avec you done in your previous life to receive such treatment ? "Maybe there was a mistake, and you got a demon instead of an angel." Ten is kidding, but that simple thought could answer so many of your questions.

"But- but what if it was true ? What is if it was a demon ?" you ask, and Ten shakes his head. "If it was a possibility, don't you think we would know ?" you don't want to think about the possilibities of why you've never heard of this kind of thing, so you sigh, lowering your head. "Until we know more, don't say the name, and try to clear your mind of all this, okay ?" You nod, it's not like you have any other choice.

The following days are alike for you, except for the growing sensation of being watched and followed wherever you go. You try somehow not to look at your arm, but it's difficult. It's like a magnet. After the fifth day, you walk through the apartment door with a long sigh, it's been a long day. Ten is absent, he warned you that he would spend the evening with some of his childhood friends. Perfect.

You put your things in the bedroom, and you walk to the living room to settle on the sofa. You turn on the television, not to watch it, but to have some backgroun noises, and you look at your arm. What's the worst that could happen ? You shrug, and take a deep breath. "Jaehyun." you whisper, and when you see that nothing is happening, you speak in a louder voice. "Jaehyun."

The television turns off, and the lights flicker around you. You grab a pillow, as if it would help protect yourself in the event of a sudden attack from the stranger. "Jaehyun." you repeat one last time, and a shape begins to materialize in front of the sofa. The man's face is the last to appear, and yes, that's the face you've seen so much in your dreams. He watches you curiously, his head tilted to the side. He doesn't seem to believe that you can finally see him, that you finally called his name.

"You did it, you said my name." he says in a voice that's more softer that what you were expecting and walk over. If the sofa wasn't glued to the wall, you would've gone over it to escape. But when he sees your reaction, he throws both hands in the hair. "Don't be afraid, I'm not going to do anything to you." his voice is meant to be comforting, and you get up from the sofa to observe him, not without letting go of your trusty cushion.

"You said if I said your name, I would understand everything. Explain yourself, because I feel like I'm going crazy." Jaehyun feels the weakness in your voice, and he blames himself for it, but he couldn't take it anymore, he couldn't stay away from you any longer. Being near you is a vital need for the demon. "Calm down, I'll tell you everything." he sits down on the armchair, his legs crossed like a child. With a nod of his heads, he bids you to take a seat, and you obey.

"I must warn you immediately that I don't have the answer you are looking for. I don't know why you were assigned to a demon, and not an angel." if you had knows that you wouldn't get the answer to the question you deem the most important, you wouldn't have called his name. But you'll listen to him, and you'll see if you can send him back eventually. "All I know is that I've been following you for a very long time, and that I would never hurt you."

The demon has a soft voice, but that doesn't stop you from not believing those words. "You tried to kill me the other day, in my dream." Jaehyun shakes his head, a thin smile on his face. Speaking of his face, you notice that he is very handsome with pretty dimples making him look almost childish. He looks like an angel. "It's not what you think, you had to wake up, and you had to say my name." He gets up, and walks over to you. "I promise you, that will never happen in real life. You are under my protection, and nothing will ever happen to you. "

He was right, nothing happened to you.

When you say nothing happened to you, nothing happened to you at all. Your life was already not very exciting, so with the arrival of the young demon, it became even worse. The boys who dare to approch you are quickly sent away because of Jaehyun who does not seem to appreciate their presence around you. Even Ten doesn't spend as much time with you as he used to, and it hurts.

"Why are you ignoring me ?" you ask, dropping down on the sofa next to Ten who doesn't take his eyes off his phone. He shrugs, and you frown. "Tell me, what did I do wrong ? I miss you." you whisper, and Ten sighs before putting down his phone. Well, hetting his attention is a success, now the conversation. "It's your little dog. He follows you everywhere, it's impossible to have a moment with you without him showing up and threatening to smash my knees."

You shake your head. "What are you talking about ? Jaehyun has never threatened to smash your knees, he is not threatening anyone, he just want to make sure I'm safe." Ten's laughter is cold, and extremely sarcastic. "Please, this is not protection, this is unhealthy possessiveness." Ten sits cross-legged and watches you. "Jaehyun does everything in his power to keep people away from you, Y/n, including me, yet god knows I wouldn ever hurt you."

At the simple mention of his name, the demon appears in the living room. Ten jolts, and winces at the burning smell that seems to follow Jaehyun everywhere he does, but you are used to it. Jaehyun frown as he walks over to the sofa where he looks at the two of you. Seeing you together created something very unpleasant in his chest. Jealousy, yes, that's it. "What is going on ?" he asks, and you are always surprised to hear how much his tone of voice changes when he is not talking to you. From soft and soothing, his voice becomes cold and as sharp as a knife.

"Nothing, nothing is going on !" Ten growns as he gets up from the sofa. He could confront the demon about his behavior, but he doesn't want to do it in front of you. So he walks around him, looking at him with utter disgust, and he locks himself in his room, slamming the door on the way. "Did I do something wrong ?" Jaehyun asks, sitting down next to you, his head tilted. He looks innocent, but he is not, he's so far from being innocent. Even though you've never seen him hurt anyone, you know he's done it before, and can do it at any moment.

Yes, you learned to appreciate Jaehyun, but that doesn't stop you from knowing deep down that demons are up to no good most of the time.

"Ten told me you threatened to harm him." you say, and Jaehyun tenses up, but only for a second before he regains his composure. "What ? But why would I do something like this ! He doesn't like me, he's just looking for a reason to get rid of me." he mumbles, and you do not answer.

"What are you doing ?" Jaehyun's voice startle you, you didn't expect to see him in the bathroom doorway, watching you. "What are you doing here ? Shouldn't you be taking a bath in hell or something ?" Jaehyun is used to that kind of little mean jokes, especially when you are tired, so he choose to not respond. "Are you going out ? Where are we going ?" he asks with the excitement of a child, and you turn to him, shaking your head.

"I'm going out. You stay here." You explain, but it doesn't suit Jaehyun whose expression turns sour. "No, no, I'm coming with you. I can't leave you alone." you sigh. "The goal of a guardian is to give advice, to be sure that we are making the right decisions, not to follow up wherever we go." you mumble. It is not right that Jaehyun is everywhere with you. He has to protect you, yes, you understand tha part, but it's getting too much, he is invasible and you are suffocating.

"I'm not like other guardians." he growls, and you fold your arms accross your chest, looking at the demon's reflection in the mirror. You are too tired to argue. "I'm not asking for you opinion, Jaehyun you stay here while I go out. I don't need to have you glued to my ass."

You will later learn that you should never have said that.

Jaehyun was absent for the following days.

No matter how much you called his name over and over, he never answered. Even the feeling of being followed and watched stopped, and for a moment, you wondered if you had scared the demon away. And you got used to your new daily life very well. You shouldn't have.

Earlier in the evening, you were persuaded by Ten to joing him at a party organized by several of his co-workers to celebrate his promotion. Normally you would've stayed home to red, but tonight, you wanted to have fun. And it is for this reason that you currently find yourself pressed against the wall of a room of which you don't know the owner, kissing a boy of who you are not sure to have understood the name. Joe ? John ? Johnny ? You do not know, you couldn't hear it with the hubbub of the guests and the music.

You close your eyes when you feel the boy's hands slip under your t-shirt. His fingers are cold, which contrasts with your burning skin. "Coming was a great idea." he whispers close to your ear, his warm breath making you shiver softly. His lips slide down your neck for warm, and wet kisses, and you take the opportunity to unbuckle his belt and remode the button that holds his hean in place. With your foot, you slide it down until it falls loose around his ankles, so yuo can have access to the obvious tent in his briefs.

You stroke his cock through the fabric, and you smile as he tenses, his breath hitching against your throat. Your mouth open with a loud moan when you feel Johnny's teeth dig nto the skin between your neck and shoulder. The pain is extremely pleasant, and you press harder against his dick. "You are so hot." you smile, and play with the waistband of his brieds, snapping it against the skin of his hip. "So I've been told."

Soon, Johnny's lips are back on yours, and you can taste the alcohol he drank earlier, and he you had been drinking more than you had smoked, you would find it nice, but for now, the mix is pretty disgusting. Johnny breaks the kiss to catch his breath, and you looks into his eyes as you slowly pulls down his underwear. You frown when he opens his eyes wide, and before you can move, he is thrown back and slumped against the opposite wall.

"What the fuck!" you whisper when your gaze lands on Jaehyun. His eyes have nothing beautiful anymore, they are dark and frightening, like in your dreams. His breathing his heavy and rapid, he is enraged, you call feel it in the tense atmosphere of the room. "Jaehyun, what have you done !" you say when you finally come out of your torpor. As if he had just noticed your presence, Jaehyun turns to you and.. and he smiles. "I'm protecting you, my love."

"He was not hurting me !" you walk around the demon to join Johnny whose eyes are closed. Even in the dim light of the bedroom, you can see the blood streaming down his forehead. "Hey, hey, can you hear me ?" you asks. You are about to put your hand on him to shake him when Jaehyun grabs your wrist to force you on your feet. "He was going to hurt you, I felt it!" he says.

You try to extricate yourself from his grip, but he's much stronger. He pulls you against his chest, the heat emanating from his skin is strong, and he puts an arm around your waist to make you you do not move. "You can't trust them, Y/n, I'm the only one who'll never hurt you." His lips are close to yours, and like his body, his breath his hot.

Love ? You didn't know that a demon was capable of feeling anything like love. And why you ? What do you have more than other humans ? "Do you remember what I told you in your dream ?" He asks and you tilt your head, trying to remember. "I told you that I would show you wonders that humans can only dream of. And I will, but for that, you have to stay with me. You have to trust me."

You bite the inside of your cheek. Jaehyun is the dream boy. And when he behaves like a random human, you forget everything. But it is not an average boy you have in front of you, no, it's a demon, and yet..

"Is it true ?" you ask, and he frowns. "Do you really love me ?" he nods. "I love you, more than anyone will ever be able to love you." when he feels your fingers on his face, he smiles so fondly that he looks like a real angel. After all, demons are angels too, they just chose to follow a different god, you think.

"What are we going to do ?" you ask, glancing down at Johnny's limp body and Jaehyun sighs, annoyed at being cut off during such an intimate moment he's been waiting for. "I'll take care of it, you should go home." finally, he releases his hold on your waist, and you take a step back. You retrive your jacket that Johnny had thrown on the bed on entering the room, and you turn one last time when you open the door.

Jaehyun is hunched over Johnny's body, and if you weren't so confused by the whole situation and inebriated, you could swear you saw a red glow shine in the demon's eyes. You shake your head, and leave, closing the door behind you. In the hallway, you meet a guest who is about to open the bedroom door. "If I were you, I wouldn't go in there. Someone threw up, it's not pretty." the person, a boy with long blond hair growls and turns around. "Fuck, I saw no one in the fucking bedrooms."

You find Ten in the crowd, glass in hand, so you make you way to your roommate. You put a hand on his shoulder and lean in to whisper in his ear. "I'm not feeling well, I'm going home." he nods, before answering. "You want me to come with you ?" you refuse, explaining that it was his evening, he should take advantage of it and have fun. You promise to send him a message when you get home, and with that, you leave the house.

You take a deep breath when you step outside. The air is cold, and rain is starting to fall, just what you needed to cool your burning skin. You look at Ten's car parked in the driveway, and sigh when you realize you'll have to walk.

It is while walking in a dark alley of the city that you begin to regret the sensation of being watched from afar that Jaehyun gives you, because even if you have never admitted it, you feel safe. But now, you can't feel a thing, and you keep looking over your shoulder to make sure you are not being followed. But it must be your lucky day, because you arrive in front of your apartment in one piece, without having had any altercation with a drunk person.

The partment is empty, and silent.

You walk to the bedroom, and get rid of your wet clothes that smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke. You pull on a hoodie you find on the back of your office chair, and sit on the edge of your bed. All alone with your thoughts, you force yourself not to think of Johnny, and his inert body. You don't even know if he was still alive when you left, and what will Jaehyun do ? Is he going to call an ambulance ? Pass it off as an alcohol-related accident ?

You start to shake, your eyes filling with tears, you shouldn't have left, you should have helped Johnny. A sob escapes your lips, and it is at this precise moment that you feel a touch on your hands which are placed on your thighs. The contact is warm, and though you are still alone, you know it's Jaehyun. It's always Jaehyun.

"Jaehyun ?" you ask in a small voice, and you expect him to appear, but the touch on your hands disappears. After several unanswered attempts, you give up and slip under the blanket. You fall asleep in a few minutes, lulled by the sounds of the traffic outside.

You open your eyes when you hear movement near you. A form is watching over you next to the bed. "Jaehyun". you whisper, and feel a warm hand on your cheek. "You came back." your voice is full of sleep, and you push yourself on the side to make room for the demon. You have never invited him to bed, so he hesitates for a moment before lying down next to you. You lay your head on Jaehyun's chest. Is it because of the fatigue ? Alcohol ? Or the heat he gives off ? You don't know. You apprently lose the power of knowledge when the demon is around.

You feel the demon tighten, so you put a hand on his stomach. "I thought you weren't coming back, like the last few days." Jaehyun has to bend down to hear your voice, it's so low, and when he understands, he shakes his head. "I'm sorry I didn't come back." you shrug looking up at him. "I missed you, that's all."

The demon chuckles, and runs his thumb over your lower lip. "Pretty mouth tells dirty lies." he whispers, and you shake your head, sitting up. "You do not believe me ?" his lack of response is sufficient for you to understand.

You do something you never thought you would do, you kiss him softly. But the contact is quickly broken by Jaehyun who watches you in the half-light, incredulous. "Why did you do that ?" you sigh, you don't know yourself, but you still open your mouth. "You love me, right ? More than anyone can ever love me ?" when he nods, you kiss him once more, and he responds this time. If at the beginning the kiss was slow and gentle, it become a little more passionate, more feverish.

"Come on, you need to sleep, you've had a hell of a day." Jaehyun whispers against your lips, and you sigh. You lie down appropriately, and Jaehyun pulls you to his chest. It's strange to hear a heart beat in the chest of a demon, but you close your eyes. Yes, you had an exhausting day.

After this evening, the relationship between you and your demon changed considerably. If before you did everything possible to get rid of him, now you no longer seem capable to go a minute without him near you. Whether it's by being there, or just a reassuring presence. And Jaehyun is delighted. That's what he always wanted, to be there for you, and with you as much as he wants. For the first time since he first saw you, he no longer feels that nasty pressure in his chest when he sees you getting close to a boy, or when he can't be with you. He feels light, and free.

This morning, when he wakes up, he feels a weight on his hips. He opens his eyes groaning at the bright light in the room, but when his gaze lands on you, he smiles. He puts his hands on your waist, and you lean in to kiss him. Jaehyun wonders how you always tastes sweet, but he is not complaining, it's enjoyable, and addicting. Everything is addicting when it comes to you.

"What did I do to deserve such a sweet treat ?" he asks after breaking the kiss, and he chuckles softly when you case his lips with a pout. "You have to answer my question first if you want another treat." Jaehyun's hands slide under your sleeping shirt, and you shiver slightly. "Can you still manipulate my dreams ?" the demon remains silent for a while, but his smile is worth a thousand words. "Why, did you dream of something special ?" he asks, and you bite your bottom lip.

You lean down, nestling your face in the crook of his neck. He smells like sleep, and you. "I dreamed that you made me scream your name. That you kept telling me that I was yours, and that you would do everything in you power to stay close to me."

Jaehyun nods every now and then, and his smile growns. It's almost carnivorous the way he smiles. "That's exactly what I would do, if I could manipulate your dreams, of course." he answers, and you sit up. "Oh, so you didn't ?" he shakes his head, and you roll your eyes. You know he is lying, so you intend to make him pay. It is extremely unpleasant and frustrating to wake up from a wet dream. You buck your hips, and the demon groans weakly.

He opens his eyes, and you can see lust growing in that dark and frightening void. "If you haven't manipulated my dream, maybe you should show me if you are able to do that in real life." he smirks, and flip you onto the bed of hover over you. You laugh softly, pressing your hand to your mouth, it's too early to wake up Ten. "That's what we're not going to do." Jaehyun whispers, grabbing your wrist to pull it off your mouth. "I want to hear you. I want to hear every sound you make, my love."

He places a tender kiss on your lips, and he slides his lips down your neck. He repeatedly bites the skin of your collarbone, and then your throat. He loves your throat for some reason. Your hands rest in Jaehyun's hair, and when he looks up to ask permission to remove the t-shirt he's been playing with the hem of, you nod. The piece of tissue ends up on the floor. He kisses your chest, and he slowly moves down to your stomach, never lifting his lips from your hot skin.

He lowers the waistband of your pants, and he kisses your hips, he's soft, so far from what you have been expecting. You squirm with each of his kisses, and you feel so wet, it's embarrassing. "Can I ?" he asks, and you nod vigorously. He laughs at your eagerness, and he pulls down your pants and panties and the same time. They join your shirt on the floor. You suddenly feel very shy, and all you want is to curl up. Jaehyun myst feel the change in your behavior because he looks up.

"Do you want us to stop ?" you shake your head, and urge him to come back up, which he does immediately. When he kisses you, you circle his waist with your legs, your hands already working to remove his pants. He's already half hard, and you lick his lips. You could make this last for hours, but you really need to have him inside of you as soon as possible. Hell foreplay.

"You are so perfect." he whispers, and you slide your hand over his cock. You use the precum that has built up on the tip to stroke it slowly. Jaehyun lets his head fall in the crook of your neck, and his hot breath hits against your shivering skin. You're already sweating, and so is Jaehyun, yet you haven't done anything. You continue the movements of your hand until he is completely hard, following one of the veins with the tip of your index, and it is the turn of the demon's hand to find itself between your thighs. You bite Jaehyun's lips as his fingers spread your folds to collect the slick on the pad of his fingers.

For a moment -much too short- he plays with your clit with the tips of his fingers, and soon one of them is rubbing against your hole. Slowly, far too gently, he eases his first finger inside, and you moan weakly. "Come on, please .." you whisper, you do not know what you're asking for, but your brain is already turning into mush. It's Jaehyun's fault, his warmth, his scent, his hands, everything. He adds a second finger, then moves slowly back and forth, watching for any of your reactions.

When he crooks his fingers, and he reaches that little bundle of nerves that makes you roll your eyes and moan his name, he adds a third finger, and he speeds up, his thumb on your clit. "Stop stop, it's enough." you mumble, and Jaehyun withdraws his fingers. You whine at the feeling of emptiness, but is soon replaced by the head of Jaehyun's cock. He spits into his hand to lubricate his cock before returning to his original position. He puts his hands on either side of your face, caging you. And slowly, very slowly, he eases himself inside.

"You are so tight." you close your eyes, arching your back off the bed when he bottoms out you feel the bones of his hips flush against your ass, and you refrain from not whining to make him move. You spent the past few weeks blatantly ignoring Jaehyun, and now you are acting like you're going to die if he doesn't fuck you within a minute. "Move, please."

Jaehyun pulls out until only the head is still inside, and he snaps his hips. "Oh fuck." he growls. His voice is deep, and sultry, and it makes your head spin. You wrap your arms around his neck, and pulls his face to yours for a long kiss, it's only teeth and tongue but you don't care. The pace of his thrusts is fast, and you grip Jaehyun's hair between your fingers. He moans lowly at the pain, and it's a sound you don't think you can get enough of.

“Jaehyun, Jaehyun ..” you mewl when he snaps his hips a little harder. You let your legs drop from around his waist, and you already feel that familiar warmth in the pit of your stomach. You want to reach your climax as much as you want this moment to last forever. You grip his biceps, and when he gives a rather deep thrust, you dig your nails into his skin, hard enough to draw blood. Black blood.

Jaehyun curses under his breath, and you close your eyes. You who didn't want to wake Ten up know it was a waste of time, between your moans, Jaehyun's growls and the bed banging against the wall. Poor guy, he might give you a piece of his mind later, but you don't have time to think about it, too busy getting lost in pleasure. His rhythm is erratic, he must be close to his orgasm too.

"Are you going to cum for me, my princess?" he asks, and you nod. Jaehyun bites the skin of your neck, once more, and that's enough to make you black out. You see nothing, and hears nothing more than the beating of your heart and Jaehyun saying over and over that you are his, and only his. "I will never let anyone approach or hurt you. Mine."

When you regain consciousness Jaehyun is still inside you, but his movements are slow, coming down from his high. Your thighs are shaking, and you are sticky with sweat. Jaehyun lies on top of you, being careful not to crush you with his weight, and you run your hands on his back to stroke his burning skin. "It was good, so good." you whisper and he nods.

You remain silent, both far too busy coming back on earth after a mindblowing orgasm.

"I hate you !" the voice comes from the next room, Ten's. And you look at each other before laughing softly. Jaehyun comes out, and you scrunch your nose up at the feeling of emptiness, and at the sticky cum sliding down your thighs. "I'm tired." you mumble in a sleepy voice. You do not know what Jaehyun does next, all you know is that when you open your eyes a little later, Jaehyun is behind you, your legs are tangled, and his breathing is regular. You go back to sleep peacefully after that.

"You fucked a demon."

This is not what you expected when you left your room this morning. Your legs are numb, and your neck is painful from Jaehyun's many bites. Ten is on the couch, his laptop poised precariously in his lap. "I fucked a demon." you repeat, sitting down next to him.

"I didn't think you could fall so low." he says with a sigh, and you turn your gaze to Ten with a frown. You have had one-night stands with various kind of students students, and he never had the nerve to make that kind of comment. It's strange coming from Ten, but after all he's right, he's a demon, not just some stupid college student who sells drugs to pay for his porn's subscriptions.

"Oh, don't be like that Ten." you sigh, and he shrugs, refocusing on his computer. After a minute or two, you nudge him to get his attention. "Have you heard from Johnny?" you ask, suddenly curious about the condition of the poor boy who was unlucky enough to run into Jaehyun.

"Johnny? Why? Did you see him somewhere?" Ten puts his computer on the coffee table, and he turns to you. He's not making fun of you, he's serious when he talks. "What do you mean ?" you ask, trying to control the tremors in your voice. "No one has seen Johnny since the party."

The news hits you like a slap in the face, you thought he would be on his feet with a few missing memories, not that he would be actually missing. You get up from the couch, and without a word for Ten, you head for the bedroom. Jaehyun is still sleeping, so you pick up a pillow and swings it over him.

"Jaehyun, wake up!" it takes him several minutes to open his eyes, frowning. After a night like the one you had just spent, he expected a sweet awakening, and a few kisses, not being hit with a pillow. "What? What's going on?" you cross your arms against your chest. "Johnny. What have you done to Johnny? No one's seen him since..since the party!"

Jaehyun sits up, resting his back against the headboard. He rubs his eyes, and he takes his sweet time waking up before opening his mouth. "I did the right thing." if he thinks you are going to be satisfied with that answer, he is wrong. "The right thing? The right thing was to call an ambulance, not make him disappear! Where is he?" your voice is more urgent but you have to be silent so as not to attract Ten's attention.

"Why are you so interested in that?" he asks in a cold, sharp voice. He gets up from the bed with a smooth and graceful movement, and he walks towards you until you are locked between his body and the wall. "Do you like him? Is that why?" you shake your head, avoiding his threatening gaze. "Don't say such things! I don't like him, I just want to know why you did that!"

A low growl is heard, and if you could, you would try to become one with the wall. You squeak when Jaehyun's fingers rest around your throat. He takes a step forward, and he's so close that you can feel his breath against your lips. "You're mine, Y/n, I did what it took to keep him from coming back. And I would do it again. Again, and again. Until you figure out you don't need nobody. You only need me, do you understand me correctly? "

You grab his wrist as his grip tightens around your throat. You are already starting to feel the burning in your lungs from the lack of oxygen. "Jaehyun .. please I didn't mean to hurt you." your voice is weak, and so trembling that you wonder if he understood a single word of what you just said. "Mine." he growls before loosening his hold on your throat. You slide down the wall, tears streaming freely down your cheeks. You takes a long and difficult breath, it's extremely painful.

When you look up, Jaehyun is gone.

You feel stupid. You feel so silly for thinking that Jaehyun really loved you, and that you too could love him back. But you were wrong. It's not love Jaehyun has for you, it's an awful obsession. He doesn't show you what true love is, he manipulates you every day. And he knows how to do it, since you fell into his arms so easily after he ... after he killed Johnny.

Now that you have taken a step back, you realise that you should have been more vigilant, that you should have stayed with Johnny, and called someone yourself. You don't know what suddenly happened for you to give yourself to Jaehyun. Maybe that would have kept your life from turning into hell.

Jaehyun has made it his personal mission to make your life hell on earth.

He's always there, behind you, watching you rear, making sure no one is approaching you. When someone dares to approach you, you find yourself with blood on your clothes, and a corpse at your feet. Sad to say, but after a while you are no longer surprised. You no longer have nightmares, since nothing can be worse than your life.

Today is no different.

You woke up in Jaehyun's arms, feeling like you chest was crushed in a vise. Feeling his breath against the back of your neck is a sensation that you can't stand anymore. His hands give you chills when you thinks of all the blood they have shed. His smile is no longer angelic. And his laugh? You hear it everywhere you go. You can't do that anymore.

Lucky for you, Ten is the only person he hasn't touched yet. But for how long ? Ten is also the only person who can keep you grounded. Whenever he sees you falling back into your bad habit of letting yourself be bewitched by Jaehyun's sweet words, he is there to slap some sense into you, to remind you that you are better than that. If Ten wasn't there, you do not know where you would be.

When Jaehyun's grip on your waist loosens, you take the opportunity to slip out of bed. You take the clothes you had prepared the day before and leave the room. In the bathroom, you take a shower to get rid of the invisible dirt you feel every time Jaehyun puts his hands on you. You get dressed, and you find Ten in the kitchen. He's drinking a cup of coffee, and when he sees your face, he hands you his cup. You need it more than him.

"Are you sure ?" he asks, and you nod. Yes, you are sure, you have no other choice. "You can count on me." you walk up to Ten and places a kiss on his cheek, then turns on your heels. You put on your shoes, and after taking a long breath, you leave the apartment. You're not working today, otherwise you should have been planning this for another day.

When Jaehyun wakes up, he is surprised to be alone. The place next to him is cold, which means that you were long gone. He stands up, and he leaves the room. He searches the apartment, but all he finds is Ten and the disapproving look on his face. "Where is she ?" he asks and Ten shrugs. "She said she had to see a co-worker." that's enough to put Jaehyun in pure rage. Ten swallows hard as Jaehyun disappears, leaving behind that sickening smell of burning that he cannot get rid of. This is time for him to do something.

Doyoung is already waiting in front of the cafe when you arrive, and he smiles when he sees you. You approache, and you accept the hug he offers you. He's noticed that you haven't been yourself lately, and while he doesn't know the real reason behind this change in behavior, he's ready to help. Poor thing.

"You look tired." he says, and you sigh. You could cry, and fall into Doyoung's arms if you wanted to, but you can't, not now. "I am. Do you mind if we have coffee at my place? Ten is at work." he nods, of course he doesn't mind. You take his hand, and he intertwines your fingers. This feeling is now foreign to you who are used to the constant heat of Jaehyun's body, so feeling Doyoung's cold fingers is like comfort to you. Normality still exists.

The walk to the apartment is short. You make conversation with Doyoung who is completely oblivious to what is happening. You feel it. You feel Jaehyun behind you. You feel the holes he drills in your back with his gaze. You could even hear his heartbeat if you wanted to, heart ready to come out of his chest.

"After you." he says, like a gentleman, when you open the front door of the apartment. The apartment is empty, as you thought. Kind of. You walk towards the living room after letting go of Doyoung's hand, and you instantly miss the contact. You crave normal physical contact from a human being, it's crazy. "You want some coffee ?" he nods.

You walk to the kitchen, your hands resting on the edge of the counter, and you breathe slowly. You are ready to throw up, you are so nervous. Immediately, you find yourself leaning forward on the counter, one hand resting on you head to keep you from moving. "What do you think you're doing?" you've never heard Jaehyun be so threatening, yet he has been in the recent weeks. It's the last straw for him.

"I'm not doing anything Jaehyun, please let me go." the countertop tile is cold against your cheek, but it helps you keep your head in check. "You're really trying to make me angry! You haven't understood yet that you don't need anyone but me. I'm sure it's Ten, I should have gotten rid of him a long time ago. He's the one keeping you away from me." he releases the pressure on your head, and he walks to the living room.

When Doyoung's gaze lands on Jaehyun, he frowns. He certainly didn't expect the boy to grab him by the collar of his shirt and pull him up to him. "She's mine." the rest is a mix of screams and blood splashing on the walls. You watch the scene, and you don't move. You cry, you can't help it, and a sob escapes your lips when Doyoung's gaze meets yours one last time. "I'm sorry." you articulate. You had no other choice.

Jaehyun drops Doyoung's limp body, and he turns to you. He is about to take a step forward when he finds himself blocked by an invisible force field. "What is happening ?" he growls. He tries to move, but he is unable to come out of this small circle protected by something that is drawing a lot of energy from him.

"It's the only solution, Jaehyun." you murmur, voice broken by another sob. You look at the ground, and Jaehyun follows your gaze. He was so angry that he hadn't noticed the absence of the coffee table in the living room, and the white chalk drawing on the dark wood floor. A pentacle was drawn there by Ten when you went out to retrieve your victim. "Why why !" he screams, and you take a step back.

You know he can't reach you, you spent hours researching it, the best way to trap a demon, and yet you can't help but feel your organs tighten with fear. "I can't do this anymore, Jaehyun." Jaehyun punches his fists against the invisible force field, and the more he does so, the redder his eyes turn. If you get close, you're sure you could see the flames of the underworld reflecting.

"I love you, Y/n! I love you more than .." he starts, but you cut him off. "Yes, more than anyone will ever be able to love me. But that's not love, Jaehyun." you can't describe the anger you reads on the demon's face. "I've killed for you baby, who else could say that?" he's using a nickname you liked for a while, but that only reinforces your decision. "Killing for me wasn't the best way to prove me your love."

"I killed an angel for you! I killed an angel to be with you!" you open your eyes wide to his words. "You- you killed my guardian angel." he nods, a proud expression on his demonic face. So everything that happened was not because of a mistake, but because Jaehyun wanted to be with you. Because he needed to be near you. "You are a monster."

This is the obvious. Jaehyun laughs and you feel your blood boiling inside of you. "Ten, you can come, it's okay." The apartment was not really empty, Ten was hiding in his room waiting for the signal. He stops in front of Jaehyun, and he can't help but smile when he sees that the demon can't reach him. "Oh, the poor little demon can't do anything, that's too bad." you roll your eyes, of course Ten was going to tease him.

It is your turn to approach the pentacle on the ground, and Jaehyun. Despite all the anger in his eyes, you can also see how much love he has for you. And you know that no one can ever love you as much as he does, that's right. But you don't mind, you don't need love like that. You need pure love that will never hurt you. If you can ever trust someone after that.

"You know, for a while, I really thought I could love you, Jaehyun." you explain in a tender voice. "But you're nothing but a monster, you don't deserve to be loved. And you don't deserve to love. At least here you won't hurt anyone anymore." you look at the demon whose face break into something you can't explain, an expression you had never seen on him. It looks like..understanding, pain, and mixed with that natural anger. It's the last time you'll ever see this face, and deep down, it hurts, but it's for the better. You leave the living room.

Ten is in front of the door, with the suitcases you packed the day before. You are ready to start a new life, far from here, far from Jaehyun and the blood he shed in this city of doom. You open the door, and you and Ten walk out of the apartment. The last thing you hear before the elevator door closes are Jaehyun's screams. He is begging for release, begging for forgiveness, promises he can never keep.

"It's you and me against the world, once again." Ten says, and he takes you hand. Yes, it's just the two of you now. You, and a trapped demon.

Trapped, but for how long ?

#nct #nct imagines #jaehyun imagines #nct scenarios #jaehyun scenarios #nct smut #jaehyun smut #jung jaehyun #the tags better work istg

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shtern-and-art · 3 years ago

Text

In The Dark – a cryptid AU about Bad and Skeppy – part 1.

All text is captioned under the cut!

BACKGROUND

Story is set somewhere in the 90s – neon colors and the brink of major improvements in lgbtq+ status at least in US.

The place we’re in is a small nameless town near the forest, and let’s say it’s the US, but in my mind it has an old European country feel to it too. At least in the small old towns like this. With old buildings, and paved roads, and steep roofs, and everything.

The forest is very dense and not much light gets in the deeper parts of it, so it’s called The Dark Forest which may sound quite unoriginal. But no one really calls it that. With how many weird things happen in that forest, among the locals, it is mostly referred to as “bad forest”. To the point that it’s basically the common name for it now.

SKEPPY

Skeppy is a Thing. A supernatural thing. The sort of thing that, unlike most spn things, hangs out around humans a lot. Socialized thing. Because, due to his spn nature, he has a compulsion/tendency (and desire) to create small mayhem and chaos around himself, disrupt communities. And also because he’s a changeling and initially was brought up by people.

But the way he is, he can’t stay living in one place/town for too long, always having to bounce before people clock him, or stuff gets too intense.

He’s name is still Zak, it’s the one his human parents gave him. However, he officially changed it to something different in all records after leaving home at 18, cuz names are important for creatures, and having his real one out there might be dangerous.

Generally, he still goes by Skeppy.

Skeppy can consciously do minor mimicry and illusions (by light bending)/cause light dissociation/confusion in people and creatures around him/do other minor mind tricking fae stuff.

He is drawn to nature and shiny things, although nature can be just a potted plant, and a shiny thing – anything from a gemstone to pieces of broken glass. Skeppy doesn’t know this yet, but I’m pretty sure he can find more valuable gems and metals by pure instinct. But he never explored it properly, and he just thinks that he likes collecting pretty rocks. Skeppy has at least 3 of them on himself at any time.

Evidently, he is not fully aware of everything about himself, and he didn’t have much contact with other creatures like him.

He is just. Living his life. Going from city to city, trying to have a good time.

THE STORY

Skeppy comes to a new little town near the forest. Forests are good for him, even if he still prefers to be around people.

And he’s just chilling, trying to settle in and shake things up a bit, roaming the woods to kick up old local rumors about a werewolf.

Speaking of, the town has a LOT of old rumors with the fleur of a little-town-near-the-woods creepiness to them. Like a werewolf, yeah, and crazy cults, and people making sacrifices in the woods, all that jazz.

But it’s all alright, all quiet now. All those things are always told by an uncle of a cousin of a grandpa’s friend, and, you know. Older people. Not a lot of townsfolk believe in these stories nowadays.

So Skeppy freely roams for a while: both the town, and the woods.

BACKGROUND

Local tree logging business is starting up again – twice removed cousin of the old owners brother’s son inherited the company. He’s fresh out of college, and came to bring Industry and Movement back to the little town he visited couple summers as a kid.

Some decades ago the wood export was what kept the town moving and bustling. It chipped away at the forest for many decades, bringing jobs and new people and everything.

But something happened back then, some shady business: perhaps money laundering gone wrong, or some out-of-town mafia dealings that came with the trades. That’s what the papers said at least. For a while, there were complaints of not safe work environment, and lawsuits flying, and rabid animal attacks happening on the outskirts of town (that’s where the werewolf rumors started).

But it’s been quite some time since then. It’s all settled now, old news, and the new generation doesn’t care much, and the twice removed cousin of the old owners brother’s son can start everything anew.

There’s hope and change in the air and the factories are getting upgraded.

THE STORY

So yeah, Skeppy roams the woods, and townspeople nowadays are starting to roam deeper in the woods too! Both because the woods came closer to the town again, and because people tend to… forget. Some young people, at least, who have nothing to remember or fear in the first place. Having all their hormones to fly, and baseball bats to swing, and beer cans to shoot.

The deeper woods are dark, there are a lot of good old trees in their prime time for logging, that make a lot of dark shadows to lurk in. And those are very nice for Skeppy, who can easily fuck with packs of teenagers and with elderly berry pickers. He can make them see things, and believe things, and prop up some fake cultist memorabilia on clearings and wolf fur in the bushes near the pass. And then he’d chat up the middle-aged workers at evenings, and watch it all unfold slowly, rumors spreading across town, giving Skeppy that little, small glow of joy, which that freaky, but harmless trickery always brings him.

It’s all going well and good, even better than expected! Even with that weird forest spirit Skeppy always felt lurking deeper in the woods. That thing was alright. Just there, watching. And Skeppy didn’t do anything too bad or disrespectful, he was pretty sure.

So, when the watching becomes following, and following becomes stalking and threatening, it… doesn’t feel right. Deep in the woods, deers and rabbits keep watching Skeppy’s back, and the trees are so tall it feels like the forest floor is the bottom of the ocean.

When stags stroll through the dark to you, carrying dead animals’ bodies on their antlers, that’s a pretty bad sign, right? Almost as bad as when the shadowy figure, that kept clop-clopping around you for the last couple of weeks, starts chasing you through the trees. And Skeppy just started setting up another “pagan ritual” site near the old berry picking trail!

Turns out, the forest spirit is a dang forest demon or something! And is also an asshole, who doesn’t want Skeppy (with his little True Detective stick figures and mayhem) on his territory.

(This is pretty much where the comic happens! And, yes, Skeppy also being a creature doesn’t mean much. Because Skeppy is too annoying, and too human-like to take seriously.)

So yeah, the Asshole In The Woods chases Skeppy out of them, but Skeppy doesn’t skip towns after that, oh no. He is a stubborn bitch, and he’s already settled, and he even found a small job… and unsettling and leaving is incredibly easy, yeah, but he DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG. The Asshole In The Woods will see, he’ll understand. Skeppy is good at trick- well, talking himself out of trouble. Almost as good as he is at getting in it.

So, obviously, Skeppy keeps coming back to the woods whenever he can. And if the shadow demon asshole doesn’t come out to run him off immediately, he busts out his fake werewolf furs, props occult stick figures around, puts up tents like people were camping nearby, insults the trees, and duct tapes leaflets from local businesses on the them… Because irritating other creatures is just as fun as fucking shit up for people.

And this little turf-war settling is the most fun Skeppy had in a long, long while (possible death aside).

They meet up pretty regularly, getting various irritation and scare levels from each other. And the asshole shadow forest demon is creepy and all, but despite the big bad wolf attitude he never actually tries to kill or maim Skeppy. Or so it seems. So, it’s all going well. Yeah. Just better to lay off all the occult trolling, since it seems to make the forest asshole guy especially mad and uncomfortable.

(Basically this is the early trolling period, with Skeppy being annoying and pushing the boundaries, very close to how their videos of the time went).

And, again, Skeppy didn’t meet a lot of other cryptids, and the ones he found didn’t stick around for long. Because Skeppy is too much of a little shit, and “a low-tier human bootlicker”, anyway. So yeah, maybe Skeppy IS a little bit lonely. Been lonely for a while, now, hitchhiking around the country, never staying anywhere long enough to let people get that something is wrong in the air around him, or form any kind of lasting relationship. So what.

At least this asshole will not rat him out to anyone, or run away into the night with all Skeppy’s money. Probably.

So what’s the harm if sometimes they just argue instead of trying to one-up each other in magic trickery?.. Nothing bad will happen if, from time to time, they’ll just talk instead of shouting about who’s right and who should leave. It’s alright. It doesn’t even matter. No one in the town or spn world knows or cares about any of that. About both of them.

So they hang out more often. And if each time the forest asshole looks a little less scary, and more often takes his human-like shape, well. Maybe it’s just for convenience? Anyway, it’s easier to roll your eyes and turn your back on a fuming person, than a pissed off all-encompassing shadow, so Skeppy isn’t complaining. Especially if the person-shape is so nice to look at, too.

And Skeppy doesn’t know who exactly the forest asshole is, but in the town it’s always “bad forest this” and “bad forest that”. So, in Skeppy’s head, it becomes “Bad’s forest” – because he’s “the Bad in the Forest, heheh, get it, get it?”

Bad does get it. He isn’t as impressed as he should be by Skeppy’s genius puns and naming abilities though.

Speaking of Bad. He seems to be not really aware of what’s been going on in the town for the last couple decades. He tends to mostly hang out in the minds of forest animals, help them out a bit. Or nap. Nap a lot – days, weeks, years at a time, dissolved in the shadows. Unless someone (like can shooting teenagers, tree logging companies, or Skeppy) come around to bother his peaceful, dissociated, and at times even thoughtless existence.

Bad doesn’t mind though. Or so he says. The sleeping, that is. The people, them he really minds, people from the town especially. He really wants to be left alone by them. Discovering that Skeppy wasn’t from these parts of the country was one of the reasons Bad started to warm up to him.

The other major warm up was the first time Skeppy helped Bad scare off the messy annoying kids that were littering in the woods. But he convinced Bad to do it in a long winded, silly and fun (for them, not the kids :D) way. And after a while, teamed up like this, spooking and chasing people off, stopped being an irritating chore, and instead became something Bad looked forward to. Maybe even, put off his shadowy slumber for.

It’s been a long, long time since Bad actually wanted to stay awake like that. Wanted to do something, consciously, to talk to someone. That’s why he’s a “little rusty with all this communication thing”, he admits to Skeppy.

Bad never tells him how horribly bitter, and sad, and alone he was for years and years, huddled in the shadows. How he hid from that sadness, and from the people and their voices, and from the sound of their footsteps on the leaves. He ran away from them – in the soft, inhuman minds of the animals, and restless dreams, where his mind and sense of self stretched, and scattered across the forest, forgetting itself, and just living with all the living things. Of course, Bad doesn’t tell Skeppy about that. He always had his animals, and the secret springs, and little kids tying wishing charms on the branches of the old trees… Bad is fine. He just wants to be left alone.

Or at least wanted to. Because now, after staying awake for so long, it seems that he wants other things too. To troll snotty stuck up teens and kids. To learn more about new technology. To play with the shadows on the edges of clearings, and listen to the music player left behind by one of the kids he and Skeppy chased off.

And one day. One day sunbeams are dancing around the edge of the clearing deep in the woods, and Skeppy is lounging lazily in the grass, playing with his pretty glass shards, making light refract and reform through them, sending dozens of sun bunnies crawls and jump between the peaceful trees. That day Bad feels like his skin is warm, not cooled down by the shadows. And with that warmth – on his face, and in his chest – Bad finds that he can talk about it. That he can say it.

Bad tells Skeppy that back in the day, some decades ago (time is difficult for him to take note of)… that back then. He was a human. But he isn’t now, not anymore. Now he is part of the Forest. Kind of.

Because, see, something bad, really bad happened back then, and Bad got possessed by the, well. The spirit of the forest.

And he was living like this ever since.

Masterpost / first meeting /part 1 / part 2 / part 3

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