#but this frame is regrettably pretty fucking cool
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#frieza#freeza#good frieza pictures#dragon ball z#third form#this will NOT be a regular occurrence i do not like 3rd form#but this frame is regrettably pretty fucking cool
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hey! if you're taking requests, would you consider writing something for eddie munson? something with a little mutual pining??
*comes out of hiding, writes an eddie fic, disappears again*
pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader word count: 2.7k summary: during a heat wave, you find yourself at eddie's trailer. turns out the two of you aren't as over one another as it would seem. warnings: (+18 MINORS DNI): mature themes, adult language, drug use / mentions of drug use, sexual tension & implied smut, use of pet names (princess), allusions to battling addiction, parental issues (deadbeat dad), a little angst, a little fluff - unedited - pls let me know if i missed anything!
The summer season this year was a lot hotter compared to last.
Starting as soon as mid-May, it brought with it harsh humidity, sweltering sun, and a drought comparable to the 1936 North American heat wave. It was the sort of hot weather that could quite possibly boil the blood of those who did not or could not find a way to cool down. And the news reported it was unfortunately only supposed to get worse.
You, like pretty much everyone in Hawkins, found the heat unbearable.
A week ago you sat in your room with the blinds closed, but sadly now that wasn’t an option because the air conditioning at your house broke and your dad was too conked out on the sofa to even look at it. Normally you would call someone to fix it instead and that is what you wanted to do this morning, however when you reached into your wallet you were greeted with a big fat nothing.
Actually, no. There was a note.
‘Add it to my tab. Love, dad.’ — Well, that explained where he got the money to get himself in the state he was in.
At that point in the afternoon, anywhere you could have remotely hidden from the sun was unattainable, especially and most regrettably the community pool which was overcrowded with stupid little kids. That is why you ended up where you did. Definitely not where you wanted to be, but in your own defence you were on the verge of a heat stroke and not thinking clearly.
With your index finger bent ever so slightly, you knocked three times on the trailer door.
You could hear a slight commotion inside, from abrupt coughing to shuffling footsteps and random clanking. When the door swung open, you caught a whiff of the reason why.
“y/n—” Eddie choked out, clearly surprised to see it was you standing on his doorstep. Surprised yet oh so very relieved.
“Can I come in?”
“Yeah, yeah, of course.” Eddie stepped to the side, allowing you to squeeze past. His gaze stuck to your frame, following you around his living room until you reached the rattling A/C unit at the window.
“I- eh, I’m sorry about the smell,” he uttered, running a hand through his hair, “I-I wasn’t expecting company.”
You hummed in response. Or perhaps you said it was okay. Eddie couldn’t really tell since his mind was working a little slower than usual (due to the activity he was partaking in not even a minute ago).
Although, he was alert enough to note how your whole body gradually relaxed as the somewhat fresh air blew against your skin. All of a sudden, and only for a split second, you looked incredibly at peace.
Eddie bit on the inside of his cheek, fighting back a smile. “You okay there, princess?”
Wait. Princess? Princess… What the fuck? He shut his eyes momentarily and clenched his jaw, hating his big mouth for letting the word slip. Like, yeah, he still thought about you sometimes, but it’s not what he called you anymore. It wasn’t his nickname to use anymore.
“Mhmm, better now,” you mumbled, seemingly unfazed by the moniker (you could argue the heat messed with your receptiveness), before shifting in your spot to look at the curly haired teen. “So much better.”
With the A/C now behind you, there was a slow gust of wind blowing through your top. The nickname debacle running through Eddie’s mind faded as quickly as it occured. Fuck— princess. How in the hall was he going to concentrate now?
“Good, goodie, good.” He bopped his head and licked his lips.
Oh sweet lord. He was doomed.
“Sooo… to what do I owe the pleasure?” Eddie inquired, plopping down on the couch.
You couldn’t help but notice how his t-shirt raised in the process, revealing his lower abdomen. It was your turn to crumble. God he was always so fucking hot. With his impeccable facial structure, perfect smile, big doey eyes that literally made you melt, long fingers, soft touch—
You cleared your throat, eyes lingering a little too long on his exposed stomach.
He noticed. He liked it. Fuck. Not surprisingly Eddie always liked that kind of attention from you, and he secretly thought it was a real shame he was no longer on the receiving end of it. Not as often as he used to be anyway.
“The air con at my place broke overnight and, well, I don’t know, I just couldn’t think of anywhere else to go,” you admitted, meeting his big curious eyes.
He extended an arm to gesture around the trailer.
“Mi casa es su casa.”
You smiled at him. “Thanks, Munson.”
Anytime… princess, he thought. Or wait, did he say that out loud? Lord. He needed to get a grip. There was nothing there, with you, not anymore.
Honestly, the situation between the two of you was odd to say the least.
Simply put, the curly haired teen used to be your dealer. Well, actually, your dad’s dealer. You did the grunt work while your old man reaped the benefits. It was a strange arrangement, even for Eddie’s standards, but you clearly had your reasons and he wasn’t one to pry. You appreciated that about him. He kept his nose out of other people’s business. These days in Hawkins, it was hard to come by folks that stuck to their own shit.
You actually ended up appreciating a lot of things about Eddie. And the feeling was definitely mutual.
The secret meet ups in the woods or at his trailer blossomed into a friendship, then into something more, and then into complete shit. Moral of the story, never do your dad’s dealer - that’s what you would say. Eddie, on the other hand, has very little regrets. The only one being letting you move on so easily.
You ran a hand across your forehead, wiping away any reminiscent of sweat. Bopping your head back slightly, lips ajar, the cool air from the A/C doing wonders for your sticky skin.
Eddie watched you attentively. With every passing second he felt less aware of his surroundings, completely losing himself in you as his mind now raced with thoughts, (memories), too filthy to say aloud.
Once upon a time he would have been able to leap across the room and plaster his lips against yourss then lick the trickling sweat down your neck, down, down, down, as your fingers tangled themselves amongst his curls, tugging lightly when his tounge reached— Fuck, he wanted to scream.
“Can I ask you something?”
Yes, yes, thank you. Eddie straightened his form on the sofa, trying to look as normal as possible, right arm landing across the cushions.
“Anything, princess.”
Princess.
“Did you sell stuff to my dad recently?”
The question caught him off guard. Shit, maybe silence was better.
He cleared his throat. “Uhm, not since you asked me not to.”
“Oh,” you hastily exhaled a sigh of relief.
There was a brief moment of silence during which you moved away from the window and glided across the room to sit next to him. Sinking into the spot, your head unintentionally rested against Eddie’s arm. The sudden contact caused his heart to skip a beat, but he couldn’t think about that right now.
“Is he—” Eddie began but you knew exactly what he was going to say.
“Yeah,” you cut off and looked up at him, “hence the broken unit at my place.”
His brown locks bounced lightly as he nodded, a little slower than intended because the scent of whatever perfume you had put on that morning just hit him. Combined with the heat (and also the drugs), well, full transparency, it took all the power he had not to lean across and kiss you.
Bad timing, bad timing, bad timing.
“You know, I-I could take a look at it for you,” Eddie offered, trying to literally think about anything different to how close you currently were, “if you’d like?”
“No way,” you protested, “You’re in no state right now. Plus I’d have no way to pay you for your troubles since dad took the cash out of my wallet.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! I am in tip top shape,” Eddie defended and you couldn’t help but scoff.
“Munson, you are one joint away from—”
He lifted his left hand, almost pressing a finger to your lips. “Unless you’re about to say - Munson, you are one joing away from a killer nap - I don’t want to hear it.”
You laughed while rolling your eyes. “That only proves my point.”
He pressed his hand to his chest, pretending to be offended. “Cheeky one, aren’t ya? I invite you into my home, let you use my air conditioning, and in return you just poke fun at me. I’ll be honest, princess, that’s a little rude.”
With that, he hopped up onto his feet and stumbled towards the fridge. You sat up a little wanting to make a snarky comment in response, but as you watched him manoeuvre around the small open kitchen, no words came to mind.
You watched as he reached for two glasses and inspected them under the minimal natural light to determine whether they were clean enough to drink from. Watched as he swayed on his heel, turning towards the fridge. Watched as he leaned slightly on the door of the appliance, head inside the cool interior, rummaging for something to drink.
A smile circled your lips. There was no denying that Eddie had this calming aura about him. Everything he did, even the smallest and most menial tasks, were soothing your soul. Once upon a time you would have thought this was love.
“Eddie?”
(God. The way his name fell from your lips was heavenly.)
“Yes, princess?”
Fuck sake. He really needed to put an end to that shit.
“Why did you stop selling to my dad?”
His head popped up at the question, attention once again landing on you. “I already told you. You asked me not to.”
You lifted your legs off the floor and onto the couch, bringing your knees to your chest and wrapping your arms around them. “Right, but, well, I guess what I want to know is why did you listen? Like, we weren’t anything at that point and I would’ve thought business is business, or whatnot.”
Eddie swallowed his breath. Partially because of where this conversation was heading, however primarily because you pretty much just flashed him. Holy shit. Unintentionally, obviously, but he saw your panties clear as day. Dark green. Lacy. New. Hot.
Nope. No. Fuck. Fuck.
What was going on with him? Navigating his thoughts this whole afternoon was considerably harder than one of his D&D quests. He could have sworn he was over you, and then you waltzed in here with your short skirt and sweet voice, he was hooked yet again.
Well, one could argue that for a blissful moment Eddie forgot the circumstances of your relationship, hence the trouble in differentiating in how he should and shouldn’t act around you right now. Because you weren’t really exes, you have to officially call yourselves something while you’re seeing each other to classify as an ‘ex’. You weren’t really friends, not anymore. Maybe just acquaintances or two individuals with a past.
God, he was an idiot. The two of you had so much potential. Why did he ever let it get to this point?
“I mean you don’t have to tell me,” you babbled, breaking him away from his thoughts.
Eddie straightened his form and closed the fridge, a chilled bottle of Coca Cola in his hand. He proceeded to then split the contents between the two glasses before making his way back towards the couch. He gave you one glass, making sure to alter his fingers when you reached over to ensure there was no accidental touch (because he simply wouldn’t be able to handle that right now).
He once again made himself comfortable beside you and took a big gulp of the drink, smacking his lips in the process.
Eventually, he looked at you again. “The truth?”
You nodded an unspoken ‘please’ and Eddie clicked his tongue in response before nodding slowly.
“The day you asked me, you just looked really defeated, you know?”, he began, “Tired and upset. I’ve never seen you like that before so I figured it must’ve been important that you asked and that I listened.”
He shrugged before continuing. “Couple days later your dad came to the trailer, he was definitely on something, and kinda seemed like he hadn’t slept in days, so I told him supply was low and he never came around again.”
Pause.
“I-I just pictured your face from when we last spoke and it hurt, you know?”
At that point, the two of you were clinging onto your drinks and staring blankly ahead. He wondered if he perhaps said too much and you wondered whether he would’ve been as honest if he wasn’t high.
Mostly however, mostly you were glad Eddie still gave you reasons to appreciate him more.
“He’s on probation,” you stated eventually, “That’s why I always got the drugs for him. If he got caught… I know he’s no exemplary father figure but he’s still my dad, and he can’t be my dad if he’s rotting in jail.”
Eddie glanced at you. “I didn’t know.”
“Not exactly something I advertise,” you pointed out and took a sip of your drink. Swallowing the fizzy gulp, you shrugged. “Sure, life is shit, and then you die.”
Eddie couldn’t help but laugh. One of those loud, genuine, and hearty chuckles. He didn’t mean for it to happen, truly, and again he blamed the devout friend still actively seeping through his system.
‘Life is shit, and then you die’, he swore that quote was going to be his next tattoo. Might even ask you to design it. He figured you’d like that. Brand him as your own. That’s all he ever wanted to be. Yours.
He thought he could only hope there was still a chance, but judging by how a smile broke your features as he laughed, and any tension you were feeling about the conversation you were having melted away, he had nothing to worry about. It was in your eyes, in the way your whole face changed from concern to joy. You wanted to be his too.
SImply a matter of time for forgiveness to kick in.
“You know,” Eddie began as the laughter died down, “I’m glad your A/C broke.”
On instinct, you smacked his arm. “Hey!”
“Don’t ‘hey’ me, princess!” Eddie exclaimed. “You’re seriously not even a little bit glad you ended up here today?!”
You shook your head dramatically and teased, “You’ll never hear those words from me, Munson.”
He scoffed and waved his arm, pointing to the door. “Then off you go, please, go back to your stuffy home while I enjoy a killer nap in my cool and cosy bed.”
Not wanting to be the first to break during this little charade, you handed him the half-drank Coca Cola glass and stood up. Your skirt capered with every step, Eddie’s eyes burning into the back of your legs. Was he really about to let you walk out of here?
“Always a pleasure, Eds.”
(The answer was no).
“Wait, wait, wait.” He hastily placed the glasses on the floor, almost causing a massive spillage, and hurried towards you.
“You don’t gotta say anything,” he chimed, stopping right in front of you, “In fact, my bed, as you already know or at least hopefully remember, is big enough for the two of us—”
The air suddenly felt tighter, as if the unit at the window suddenly stopped working, even though you could still very much hear it rattling.
“— And I am known to make exceptions,” Eddie noted before leaning in a tad bit closer with a sudden boost of confidence, “for the right people.”
For a split second, his gaze shifted to your lips and everything faded into the background. The sound of your heart thumping overpowered the surroundings and all you could think was how if he kissed you right now, you wouldn’t even be mad.
Instead his fingers grazed briefly against yours.
“Let’s go take a killer nap, princess.”
-
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The Winter Months: OCTOBER, Part 1
The wind blew through the barren trees, the only petals left from the previous season struggling to stay on their branches. The ground was no longer grass, but rather a medley of yellow, orange, and red leaves that fell from the looming forest above. The soft yet violent breeze was cold with a familiar change, yet it usually didn’t come this early. He knew this was all but good.
Wilbur walked back to the village, navigating through the masses of bark and stumps that were all too familiar to him. After all, this had been his home for his whole life. While on his way, the wind picked up and he adjusted his coat and hat to conserve heat. Leaves from the ground flew up into the air and created a swirl that could be described as a tornado of fall colours. The leaves wisped past Wilbur with the effortless force of the breeze. He watched them pass, admiring the beauty of the changing seasons while also knowing the winter would not be kind to him and his people. He continued to walk.
Eventually, he got to the town he called home. There were 8 buildings made of sticks, stones and mud, all designed to withstand the four seasons. 7 of the buildings were the houses of the 7 people that occupied this area, but the last building was the Community House, a place where they held meetings, discussed local issues, and planned their strategies for war (They were all generally peaceful people, but when threatened they were some of the best fighters in the land). Wilbur was making his way to the last, which was the biggest of the 8 and located right in the middle of the town. A voice stopped him before he could step through the door.
“Wilbur!” A young boy about 17 years old with golden hair ran towards him with a smile on his face.
“Tommy, right on time!” Wilbur said as Tommy slowed his pace and stopped in front of him. “I was just about to call a meeting. Round everyone up for me and tell them to meet here.” Tommy’s smile was replaced with a more serious tone.
“Is it about winter?” He asked. “We still have quite a while until snow comes. At least 8 weeks if I’ve been counting right.”
“You’ve been counting right,” Wilbur said. “But the leaves have fallen much quicker than normal and the air is getting colder every day, much more than it should.” Wilbur sighed, thinking about his next words. “Just get everybody to come as soon as possible, alright?”
“Yeah yeah, I’ll get everyone here in less than 5 minutes” Tommy said dismissively.
“Thank you,” Wilbur stepped inside the Community House as he heard Tommy’s footsteps run through the village.
There wasn’t a single soul Wilbur knew that was more stubborn and determined than Tommy. Sure, these traits often lead Tommy to most, if not all of his problems, but they were also his greatest strengths. When something needed to be done, Tommy was always the first one on the case, despite being the youngest out of everyone. Wilbur admired that about him. He wished he was like that when he was Tommy’s age.
Wilbur looked around the Community House, taking in everything about it; the nostalgic smell of the wood and charcoal, the mural painting that went all the way around the four walls, the chilled air inside, the-
Wilbur suddenly realized how cold it was inside. He looked at the fire pit in the center of it all with frustration. It would have to be lit sooner this year, maybe even tonight. Of all the seasons, winter was the one Wilbur hated the most because of how impossible living conditions were, let alone the sheer vulnerability and complete inability to fight. Being the leader of these people, he had to reassure everyone that everything was going to be ok, but in reality he was always on edge during the snowy months.
Wilbur looked up from the fire pit to the door, where the first resident silently stood in the frame.
“Will,” The resident stepped through the door, struggling to get his giant wings through the average-sized frame. “Tommy knocked on my door saying you were calling a meeting. If this is another prank of his, it’ll be the third time this month.” Wilbur chuckled.
“Keeping track, eh Phil?” Wilbur sat at the head of the Community House, right before the fire pit and directly across from the door. He gestured for Phil to sit. He did, tightly yet effortlessly folding his black wings behind him.
“Oh yeah, been keeping track since he was 10.” Phil said. “He’s always been a trickster, but at some point I decided to start keeping count. It’s been keeping me busy.” Wilbur nodded with a smile. It was true.
Philza was the wisest person Wilbur knew, and that wasn’t just bias because Phil was his father. Out of everyone Wilbur had ever met (and he met a lot of people), Phil was the one that taught him the most, from how to hunt and skin a deer, to how to flirt with the ladies. Regrettably, he was teaching all this wisdom and advice to Tommy since Wilbur had heard everything he had to say.
“What’s the meeting for this time?” Phil asked after a moment of silence. Wilbur snapped back to reality and realized he had been zoning out. He looked at Phil.
“I want to give all the details once everyone is here,” Wilbur said. “But it’s about the coming winter.” Phil nodded in understanding.
“Ah,” He said. And that was all. Phil was probably the only one who understood the stress Wilbur was under, for he was the leader of this town before Wilbur was. Usually a position of power is given to someone else when the current leader passes away, but Phil didn’t want to wait until his deathbed to teach Wilbur how to properly and successfully lead an army and protect his people. Instead, he retired from his position to teach Wilbur everything he knew. Many people, including himself and Wilbur, would agree that he did a good job raising a pretty awesome kid and leader.
“Tommy said there was a town meeting,” A young woman with pink hair came through the door and sat herself down on one of the benches.
“Yes, I told him to round everyone up for me,” Wilbur said. “I’m glad you could join us, Niki. I hope I didn’t disturb your baking.”
“No, you didn’t disturb me at all,” Niki said. “I actually just pulled a batch of muffins out of the oven. I put them by the window to cool right as Tommy knocked on my door.”
“Ah, perfect! Make sure to ration some of those for winter.” Wilbur said.
“Winter?” Niki asked. “Isn’t that still two months away?”
“...Well-”
“What flavour are the muffins?” Phil asked. Wilbur silently sighed and looked at Phil in thanks. He always somehow knew the right time to insert himself into the conversation.
“Blueberry. They were the last I had of what we picked this year. Any longer and they would’ve gone bad.”
“Good,” Phil said. “With winter coming into our sights soon, it's good to conserve food as much as possible. Those blueberries will last a little longer in those muffins.” Niki nodded.
“You’ll have to split one with me after the meeting.” Wilbur said, smiling at Niki.
“Of course!” Niki replied. “I’ll make sure to set aside the best one for you.”
Niki was the sweetest and kindest person Wilbur knew. You’ll never meet a more caring soul. She spent most of her time baking and making food for the whole village. It was mostly her work to make rations for winter. If it wasn’t for Niki, everyone would’ve died of hunger during the first snow.
“And you remembered to put out the fire in the oven this time, right?” Phil leaned his elbows on his knees and adjusted his wings. Niki gave a nervous laugh.
“Yes, yes!” Niki buried her face into her hands in embarrassment. “How could I forget after nearly burning down the whole village?”
“Hey, I already said don’t worry about that,” Wilbur said. “It was an honest mistake. And as the saying goes, ‘we learn from our mistakes’.”
“Yes, I recall you saying the exact same thing on that day.” Niki moved her hands down and rested her chin on them. The three of them laughed as they looked back on that day, which then was nearly a disaster, but now was just a funny story.
“Hey guys!” Another man entered the building. His hair was brown and curly, and he wore a navy blue dress that went all the way down to his ankles. Over the dress was a grey, light-weight jacket.
“Eret!” Wilbur greeted.
Eret was the plant-keeper. She didn’t want the title of a farmer because it sounded like he did more work than he actually did. So, his title was made the plant-keeper. During summer, he grew plants that grew various kinds of food, and that was when the plants most flourished. But during winter however, Eret had to do everything he could to make sure they were at the very least still alive for the next summer. It was a miracle if one or two of the plants could make a single serving of food during the snow.
“Welcome to the group! Stylish as always I see.” Niki said. Eret looked down at the dress he was wearing and gave a quick spin. The dress's thick fabric flew into the air effortlessly.
“Ah, ya know. I gotta present myself nicely to the plants.” Eret said, taking a seat beside Niki.
“Speaking of the plants, how’s the greenhouse going?” Wilbur asked. Eret copied Phil and rested his elbows on his knees.
“Very well, actually! Just a few more weeks with fall temperatures and we’ll be all set for winter.” Wilburs expression dropped. He cleared his throat.
“Has Tubbo been helping you?” He asked.
“Yes,” Eret replied. “He’s been a great help, especially with his ability. It’s made things move along much faster.”
“Good.” Wilbur said, folding his hands on his lap. “Once Tubbo gets here, I’ll discuss it further. He’s the only one left besides-”
Tommy burst through the door arguing with a boy who looked about the same age as him.
“What the fuck were you doing Tubbo!?” Tommy yelled.
“I was trying to get into his house! Meanwhile you were trying to burn his house down!” Tubbo yelled back.
“Yes because all he does is sleep all day and Wilbur told me to get everyone!”
“You were going to kill him Tommy!”
“Hey!” Wilbur stood up and everybody looked up at him. Tommy and Tubbo stopped fighting and stood still. “First of all, stop arguing with each other! Especially in the Community House! This is not a place to be joking around, do I make myself clear?” Tommy and Tubbo nodded, but Tommy was more hesitant. “Good. Second of all, Tubbo, explain what happened.”
“I was trying to-” Tommy began, but Wilbur put a hand up to stop him.
“I didn’t ask you.” Wilbur said calmly. “I asked Tubbo.” Tommy looked at the ground with the same energy as a 2 year old about to have a temper tantrum. Wilbur looked at Tubbo.
“Well,” Tubbo started. “Tommy knocked on my door saying a meeting was happening and that he was put in charge to tell everyone about it. I asked if there was anyone else he needed to visit and he said George. So I offered to come with him, just because.” Wilbur nodded. “We got to George's house, Tommy knocked, but nobody answered the door. A few more knocks, still no response, and Tommy started getting... impatient.”
“I was not-!” Tommy tried defending himself but Wilbur gave him a stern look that made him stop talking again. He looked back at Tubbo.
“So I proposed we could calmly go inside to see if he was ok, but Tommy interpreted that as ‘use my ability to cause the most amount of damage I can get away with’. I stopped him before he could do anything.” Of course he did, Wilbur thought with a sigh.
“Thank you for controlling him, Tubbo,” Wilbur said, sitting himself down again. “You two can have a seat.” Tubbo sat beside Phil, and Tommy sat beside Tubbo. Tommy was angrily mumbling to himself. “And Tommy, could you do me another favour,” Wilbur said. Tommy looked up, still pissed. “Would you mind lighting up the fire pit?” Tommy looked confused.
“What do you mean? It’s still October. We don’t light the pit until late November.”
“I said what I said. Light it, and I’ll explain.” Tommy rolled his eyes but did as he was told. With a flick of his wrist, sparks and flame emerged from his hand and engulfed the few pieces of wood and charcoal that remained from last year's winter. It wasn’t much, but there was enough fire there to heat up the building to a good room temperature. Wilbur cleared his throat.
“As you all know, it usually doesn’t snow until December. Late November at the earliest…” Wilbur looked around the room and could already see people's faces change as they realized what was happening. It wasn’t as hard as telling someone the news that someone they know has passed away, but it was still hard because it meant telling your loved ones that just simply surviving will be a lot harder this year. Wilbur continued speaking.
“And, as always, I’ve been taking weekly trips into the deep forest to examine the natural changes of the environment. This time around however…” Wilbur looked to Phil for support. Phil simply took a deep breath and gestured Wilbur to keep talking. Wilbur did exactly that. After a deep breath, he continued.
“It seems like the snow will be coming a lot sooner than other years.” Everyone had different reactions, but they all had one thing in common: worry. Everyone started either talking to themselves or the person beside them. And, as per the duty of any good leader, he needed to reassure them that everything was going to be ok, despite all the odds.
“But, I’ve already created some plans of what we can do to make sure this winter is just as good as the ones before.” Everyone looked up with intrigued and hopeful expressions. “However, it requires everybody's effort and ability.” Everyone nodded in agreement, and Wilbur was now hopeful himself.
“Firstly, Tubbo and Eret, the people on greenhouse duty.” Tubbo and Eret straightened and paid close attention. “Eret, you said with a few more weeks, the plants will be strong enough to withstand winter. However, I don’t think we have weeks. I predict we’ll have snow in the next 5 days.” Eret and Tubbo looked at each other with a common thought. How are we gonna pull this off?
“Tubbo, your ability is Earth, meaning you are especially knowledgeable about different types of dirt, fertilizers, and more. With the little time we have left, I’m requesting you find something that will make the plants grow faster to be prepared by next week.”
“Yes sir.” Tubbo replied.
“Eret, with your ability of light manipulation, I need you to store as much light as possible, more than what you normally prepare. With winter starting earlier, we should expect it to last longer too.”
“Of course.” Eret replied.
“Phil, if it starts snowing before the plants are ready, it’s your job to use your air ability for as long as you can to keep snow away from the greenhouse. And if it’s also possible, see if you can keep a piece of the sky cloud free so we don’t have to use up the stored light source right away.”
“Can do.” Phil replied, stretching his wings back.
“Niki and Tommy, I need you to scavenge for as much scrap food as possible. If you can find more ingredients for your baking Niki, even better. As I said before, we should expect this winter to last longer, so we need to prepare more.”
“Got it.” Niki replied.
“I have a question,” Tommy said. “By food scraps, do you mean like… dead rats and birds?” Wilbur sighed.
“Unfortunately, yes. But it will only be a last resort if we run out of our main rations.”
“Ugh, alright.” Tommy groaned. “Niki and I will be on the lookout for dead shit.”
“Fantastic.” Wilbur clapped his hands together and looked around the room. “Does everybody have a job?” Everybody collectively nodded, but Niki raised her hand.
“What about George?” She asked. “He isn’t here, so what’s his job?”
“Don’t worry about George.” Wilbur said. “Once dismissed, Phil and I will stop by his house.” Wilbur looked at Phil and he nodded. “Any other questions?” The room fell silent. “Alright, that’s that! Meeting dismissed.” Everyone stood up from their seats and started making their way to the door. Tubbo and Eret went to each other to discuss their job, as did Niki and Tommy. Wilbur and Phil were left alone in the Community House together.
“What do you have in mind for George?” Phil asked. Wilbur sighed as he got up from the bench.
“Well, because George doesn’t have an ability like the rest of us, his job will be a little easier, but just as important. He’ll be in charge of making sure the pathways and trails in the town and forest are clean before the snow comes. And when the snow does come, I’ll have him help shovel the snow off the roads.” Wilbur made his way to the door and turned to wait for Phil, who was only getting up now.
“Makes sense,” Phil said. “But why do you need me?” Wilbur and Phil started walking through the town.
“You’re aware of what my ability is, right?” Wilbur asked.
“Of course, mind reading. It was a big problem when you were younger, you know. I could never keep a secret.”
“Yeah, sorry about that.” Wilbur laughed. “But I’ve been noticing George has been missing more and more meetings due to his ‘sleep schedule’.”
“And you think it's not just that?”
“Yes.”
“But what else could he possibly be doing?”
“I never like to assume. I need more proof first.” Wilbur and Phil stopped in front of a house with red accents. One could say it looked like a mushroom house, a little home for fairies.
Wilbur knocked on the door with enough force that if anybody was sleeping, they definitely would have woken up.
“George!” Wilbur yelled. “Wake up! I got a job for you!” No response. Phil came up to the door.
“George!” Phil knocked harder than Wilbur did. Still no response.
“We need to go in.” Wilbur said. He turned the door handle, but it stopped with a sudden halt. “It’s locked.”
“Here, let me try.” Phil stepped in front of the door and took a deep breath. In the blink of an eye, his foot was floating in an open doorway. Phil calmly walked in. Wilbur stood outside in confusion for a moment, but stepped in soon after.
“George!” Wilbur called again. The main area of the house, which was the kitchen and living area, was empty. The only other place in the house was his bedroom. Wilbur slowly opened the door.
George’s bedroom was actually quite nice. A small, quaint room with shelves filled with antiques and found treasures and a bed with a red and white dotted blanket. The blanket was not flat though. There was something under it.
“George!” Wilbur went into the room and came beside the bed. Phil came through the door and watched. “George! How heavy of a sleeper are you, man?” Wilbur stripped the blankets off the bed. It wasn’t George under the sheets. It was a pile of pillows made to look like a human.
Wilbur looked at Phil.
They both knew.
~~~
George’s cloak caught on the barren branches as he ran blindly through the thick forest. He was used to having a trail to guide him, or a map at the very least, but not this time. The place he wanted to go was only marked as no-man's-land on all the maps he’d seen. He was headed in the general direction, but he didn’t have a specific route to follow. So blindly he ran, his cloak being wrecked and snagged by the trees around him.
Unlike the others, George didn’t have a power, or an ability as they called it. He was just a normal guy, and all he wanted was a life of luxury and peace. George always felt he was belittled and not taken seriously enough when living in Wilburs town. He was seen as the weak one. The useless one. The burden that others were forced to carry on their shoulders. So he went to the only other place he knew. To the people Wilbur constantly worried about. Wilbur was going to worry about George now, but not in the way of pity. For the first time in his life, George understood what power felt like.
It didn’t last long.
George stopped in his tracks when he heard a rustle in the bush beside him.
“Hello?” George said, creeping towards the bush. “Who’s there?” An arrow burst through the leaves, stopping only mere inches away from George’s throat. The person holding the bow emerged from the shrubbery, not taking his eyes off George.
“State your business.” The man with the bow said. George was still in shock from the life-or-death situation he found himself in, he was unable to speak. “Now!” He said. “Before I shoot this right into your throat!”
“Ok, ok!” George put his hands up for the man to see. “I’ve come to visit your leader. I have no weapons or ill intentions. I just want to talk.” The man slightly lowered his bow and looked at George’s face more carefully.
“...George?” Unfortunately, George was pretty oblivious most of the time.
“...yes?” He responded. A smile came across the man's face and he dropped his bow to give George a hug.
“George!” The man pulled away. “It’s me! Fundy!”
“Fundy?” George hadn’t seen Fundy since he was a small child. Wilbur would put George in charge of babysitting him when everyone else was busy. But now that he heard the name, George saw it: the fox-obsessed boy that could talk to animals. “Fundy! Oh my god! How are you?”
“Ah, well, surviving like everyone else.” Fundy said, picking up his bow again. “How about you?”
“About the same, I guess.” George said. “But I’m trying to look for a better place where I can live my life.” Fundy became skeptical.
“Did Wilbur send you? Is this some sort of way for him to get information on us?”
“No,” George replied. “Nobody knows I’m here, but nobody would care if I was gone either. That’s why I want to talk to your leader.” Fundy thought about it for a moment.
“You would have to be checked for weapons.” Fundy said.
“That’s fine.”
“You would have to be escorted by as many guards as they see fit.”
“That’s fine.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
Fundy walked George through the forest until they got to a town, but it was nothing like Wilbur’s. There were many more buildings, all of them bigger than the ones back home. They were made of concrete bricks instead of sticks and stones. It was better than George could’ve ever imagined.
A resident saw George and Fundy and ran towards them.
“Fundy,” He said. “What’s going on?”
“He’s requested to see the leader.” Fundy gestured to George. “I already checked for weapons.”
“And?”
“None, Technoblade. George said he just wanted to talk with him and nothing more.” Technoblade thought for a moment and then called for some more people. He looked back at George and Fundy.
“You may take… George, you said?” Fundy nodded. “You may take George to see him with two other guards. If anything goes wrong, it’ll go on your record.” Two other men came up beside George while Fundy took the front.
“Yes sir.” Fundy said, leading George to what looked like their version of the Community House.
It was a large building, possibly bigger than all of Wilbur’s buildings combined. It looked old and tested by nature, but it still held strong. Fundy, George, and the two other guards went in.
Large fire-lit torches hung on the walls inside the giant building, and in the center was a table that took up most of the building. Strewn on it were maps, weapons, and small bottles of god-knows-what. George didn’t dare ask what it was.
At the head of this table was the man George was looking for. He stood hunched over a piece of paper on the table with a quill in hand. Even without doing anything, his presence was the scariest thing George had ever witnessed.
“Sir,” Fundy stepped forward. “There’s someone here who wishes to speak with you.” The man at the table looked up and straightened to get a better look. Suddenly what looked like a 4 foot tall dwarf was a 6 foot tall warrior. George’s throat tightened.
“Is that so?” With the quill still in his hand, he walked over to George. “What’s your name?”
“G-George.” He stammered out. The man with the quill raised a brow as he stopped in front of George, just inches away from him.
“You’re from the other side of the forest, right?” He stroked the underside of George’s chin with the soft feather which made George instinctively look up at him. “That’s a long way, especially for a one-man army.”
“No, you’ve got it all wrong. I haven’t come to fight. I have no weapons, I…” George swallowed as the man leaned in closer. “I’d like to offer my services to you.” George said.
“I want to join you, Dream.”
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chasing sunlight | ten
pairing: ghost!ten x reader
words: 6.8k
genre: ghost!au, fluff, angst
warnings: language, mentions of death
a/n: this was supposed to be a warm up fic but it got long hh sorry for any mistakes!!
You slam the door shut to your apartment in a hurry to enter. There’s nothing you want more right now than to get inside your bed, and fall into the blissful escape of sleep. The room is devoid of any lighting, other than the lights from the surrounding buildings entering through your window, and you reach out to switch them on out of habit. You drop your bag to the floor and pause before making your way to the washroom to rub off the ink that your leaking pen had decided dump on your arms.
That wasn’t the only mishap of the day—you had almost submitted the wrong document, full of less than nice doodles of your professor, accidentally dropped your phone from the top of the staircase (you’re surprised it’s still somewhat working), and you almost got run over to protect a stray cat which ultimately ignored you after a short glance of thanks.
Living in the city, sometimes you wish you had grown up elsewhere—like the seaside or the hills. But you know that the sort of comfort provided by a city as busy as yours is hard to replace. It’s all too familiar, you’ve been here long enough to be a permanent part of the picture and you can’t see yourself anywhere else.
You ignore the light tapping outside your window; even rain didn’t have an effect on you these days. You change as fast as you can and soundlessly get under your warm blankets, the tiredness in your bones lulling you to sleep.
You glare at the unusual rustling outside your bedroom door. It’s too dark and too late for you to be mentally equipped enough and get out to check what it is. Plus, you’ve watched enough crime shows to know how simply checking the noise out can turn out. Not today, murderer, you think as you pull your blankets up till they cover all but the upper part of your face. The rain has stopped, leaving your windowpanes wet and the air cool, but you can’t pay much attention to it. The rustling continues amidst your lack of action, getting louder in fact. You groan softly and open your eyes.
Turns out, living alone means you have to go check out the noise; to make sure it’s not a stray animal or rodent, or other reasons. You know you keep telling your friends you want to die every day; but when you’re faced with this sudden possibility of death, there you are making sure you don’t do anything sudden, making sure your heart isn’t beating too loud. What the fuck does a robber want from your stupid apartment?
Fear laces your silent footsteps, as you grudgingly make your way to your bedroom door. You don’t switch on the lights—you don’t want a murderer or robber to get aggressive if they know you’re awake or something. You wait till your eyes adjust to the darkness, till you can somewhat grasp the situation.
The figure in your living room is darker than its surroundings. It looks like a guy with a fairly lean frame, and he continues shuffling around the couch. You watch quietly as you try to make out what exactly he’s trying to do, or if he’s taken anything. You breathe softly in fear of getting caught and while this is your place and he should be the one afraid of being caught, you still can’t help but wonder why anyone would ever bother robbing you, a college student who barely has anything in their pale apartment.
You let out a mild noise when a pair of eyes shifts its focus onto you. This is it, you think, this is how I die. But there’s something about him—there’s something strange, different about him, something that tells you he won’t harm you, something soft.
You turn on the lights to see a boy about your age, wearing a rather ordinary attire consisting of a beige sweatshirt and dark pants, and a bright red baseball cap covering dark tousled hair. He looks like a deer caught in the headlights as he scans your face, possibly for some sign of response you don’t greet him with. You feel less afraid after you see him—he looks just like any other guy, he could be in your college for all you know, and the innocence on his face provokes you to be bolder.
“Who are you?” you ask, furrowing your brows.
“M-me?” his response comes meeker than you expected.
“Yeah, you’re the one in my apartment!”
“Your- your apartment? Oh, please,” he scoffs.
“What?”
“Well, technically, I owned this apartment before you did.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” you say, more confused than ever, “Leave before I call the police.”
“Sheesh, you have no respect for the dead.”
Before you can ask what he’s on about, he makes his way towards you abruptly, startling you in the process. You take a step back, growing increasingly worried and he stops when he’s barely a few steps away from you. He stretches his arm towards you and nods his head, signalling you to come over.
When you don’t move, he sighs and adds, “Look, I couldn’t hurt you even if I tried. Plus, it’s getting a little weird standing with my arm out like this.”
You raise an eyebrow and gulp before making your way towards him reluctantly.
“Give me your hand,�� he says.
You do as he says after a moment of hesitation and your eyes widen when your hand passes right through his, meeting the cold emptiness of air instead of a warm palm.
“H-huh?” you manage to ask.
“Boo! I’m a ghost,” he says with a lopsided grin.
That was not a good idea on his part because the entire chain of events is so weird, you get the desperate need to take a seat back and revaluate everything. You slump down to the floor, sitting cross-legged, and the boy looks momentarily worried at your discomposure.
“You’re…a ghost,” you drawl out.
“Yes. Sorry if I startled you, though. I haven’t spoken to a human in so long,” he crouches down beside you.
“Ah” is all you manage. Well, it’s a lot to process but you think you can somehow come to terms with it. Adult life is weird enough already. But, you think, ghosts are a little unheard in the midst of urban civilisations and concrete-engulfed lives, where the streets are so animated that the dead could never fit in the picture. You snap your head towards him, startling him, and try placing your hand against his chest. It passes clean through again and you breathe out in sync with the dawning realization. Of course you’d find a ghost in your apartment during your busiest semester.
You remember the landlady warning you about this apartment room in particular. They all said it was cursed, haunted; that anyone who moved in was compromising their life. But did that stop you from getting the cheapest apartment near your campus? Of course not.
“I’m Ten,” he says, breaking you out of your thoughts.
“Uh, I’m—”
“I already know. I’ve been here since before you moved in.”
“What the fuck?”
“No need to be rude.”
You gape at him before finding the right words to form your sentence. “So you’ve been here like a creep, watching everything I do?!”
“No. Well, maybe sometimes I accidentally saw you change- but that wasn’t on purpose!”
“Oh my god,” you hug yourself, the blood rushing to your cheeks. “You are a creep!”
“I’m a ghost. I said I didn’t mean to!”
You huff before turning the other way. You get up and he follows your movement, standing up to his full height.
“What else have you seen?” you narrow your eyes at him.
“I don’t know what you’re looking for,” he tilts his head and pretends to think. “Do you mean like the times you dance around in your underwear to pop mu—”
“Ahh!” you yell and gesture wildly to get him to shut up before he embarrasses you further.
Ten grins before attempting to reassure you, “At least I won’t tell anyone. You know, since I’m dead.”
“Literally how does that help?”
He shrugs before moving over to your couch and falling onto it. You stand in place and look at him with your mouth slightly agape, still not comprehending how he’s so casual about everything. You always imagined ghosts to be at least a little bit more serious, if not total angst lords. But the boy on your couch—well, he’s just a boy, a boy who doesn’t seem like he could be full of destructive emotions like resentment or regret.
“See? I don’t even sleep on your bed,” his voice rings out.
You don’t know how that’s something he should be praised for. But he looks so harmless, you’re not sure how to react. When you think about it, he’s pretty much like a normal college student except for being, you know, dead apparently. Moreover, he doesn’t seem like a bad guy despite what you’ve seen so far of his rather snarky personality and you assume that if he’s lived with you all this while without doing anything resembling a ghost-like evil, he can’t be all that bad.
You go back to sleep mumbling an awkward ‘good night’ to Ten, wondering if he’d still be there in the morning.
A few weeks are more than enough to make you realize that you are in a regrettable sort of situation—that Ten alone is enough to make the devil proud. He doesn’t stop being a nuisance to you when you’re home, he talks louder if you ask him to be quiet, likes spooking you in the middle of the night and he barely lets you complete your assignments or do anything on your own for that matter with his excessive need for attention. He’s also surprisingly good at startling you—like when you once entered the apartment to Ten doing a handstand right in the middle of the room, yelling ‘Hi!’ or when he creeps up on you every time you’re trying to get a midnight snack or some cold water.
“But,” Ten whines at you typing away on your laptop, “I’m so bored.”
“Why can’t you do the things you did before you suddenly materialized?” you rub your temples.
“First of all, I didn’t materialize,” he says and moves his hand over yours to prove his point. “Secondly, you were more entertaining when you thought you were alone.”
Your ears turn red while he grins winningly, having pushed the right buttons.
“You just love attention, don’t you?” you grumble.
“Only yours, darling,” he says with a wink, making you redder than before.
Ten can’t leave the apartment, unfortunately. He needs something physical to tie himself to, to latch on, so he can keep his human sanity. He’s a lost soul otherwise, and you don’t know what lost is supposed to mean or the extent of that outcome, and Ten refuses to elaborate, so you don’t let yourself question it.
On a particularly gloomy evening, you find Ten playing with your old soft toy in your living room. It doesn’t strike you as unusual till you suddenly realize and stare at him for a few seconds.
“How are you doing that?” you knit your eyebrows together.
“Oh this?” he asks, raising the toy. “I can touch physical objects sometimes. Takes a bit of energy but I can handle it.”
You continue observing him absentmindedly playing with the artificial fur. His eyes don’t focus on anything in particular, just remain sort of glazed over while his lips are curled at the corner as if recollecting a lost memory. It’s oddly relieving to see him like this, looking more human, more real despite the translucence of his skin.
“What?” he asks when you forget to shift your gaze. “I need to feel something sometimes. I don’t want to go crazy.”
“Ah,” you nod. “Do other ghosts do this too?”
“Poltergeists live off this. That’s why they’re so dark,” Ten wrinkles his nose in disgust.
“Dark?”
“Yeah. The more energy you use, the more you try to interact with this world, the darker you get.”
“Oh,” you rub your arm awkwardly. “That’s kind of scary.”
Ten smiles brightly. “Aren’t you glad you have me?”
You are. You wouldn’t admit it to him, but you really are.
Ten’s latest hyper-fixation has been trying to get you to take him to the new art museum that opened a few days ago. He sits on the floor beside you, as the late afternoon transitions to a reddish orange evening, whining continuously as you try to focus on your assignment due this Friday (keyword: try).
“Ten. Stop,” you finally turn to him. “Why would I go with you to some art museum instead of focusing on an assignment that makes for half my grades?”
“Uh, because I’m cute?”
“Th- that’s not a valid reason,” you say, your ears turning red at the puppy look Ten is giving you.
“Okay, okay,” he begins, “how about we go out this weekend?”
“Okay,” you nod, turning back to your work.
“Yes!” Ten punches the air and gets up before beaming at you. “I haven’t been outside in so long,” he adds softly, the look in his eyes outrageously pure.
You feel a pang of guilt as you realize that he might have been stuck in this apartment for God knows how long—possibly since he…died. And you gain a newfound sympathy for him, thinking that perhaps you should have been nicer, despite his tendency to infuriate you so easily. Truth is, you want to know more about him, but the words wouldn’t ever come out. You couldn’t even ask him how he died, worried you might offend him or bring up something awful. You fall asleep with your head against your desk instead of completing your assignment, plagued by your curiosity surrounding Ten growing way out of proportion.
You wake up to darkness, only broken by the city lights that breach through the window, and the warmth of your coat laid delicately over your shoulders. With a strangled gasp, you check your phone to find a bright 1:04 displayed on your lockscreen. Your unprecedented nap might have left you weirdly reenergized but it made space for a familiar anxiety to settle in.
You leave your work after barely completing one-fourth of it, when you realize the absence of your usual companion. You turn on the lights in the living room, but Ten isn’t there. He’s not in the kitchen either—he’s barely in the kitchen, complaining why he should even be there if he can’t eat. He doesn’t seem to be anywhere you can see him, and you figure he must have retreated into wherever he goes when he’s not hanging around you; to the place he possibly goes to think, to be himself. The curiosity that started as a little spark slowly starts to grow into a dancing candle-lit flame when you can’t help but think more and more about Ten, who you would dare to call a friend if only you knew.
You suddenly want to know what his favourite ice cream flavour was (even if he can’t have them now) or what he likes to do when it rains. You want to know what he was like at school or if he has a favourite TV show, or if he likes the smell of fall leaves. You barely know anything about him; and it’s not entirely your fault either when Ten didn’t like sharing anything too personal or closely related to his past. It could be hurting him, so you laid off. Ten is hard to read—he acts a certain way one moment and he completely changes the next. Sometimes you think he has fifteen different personalities at once. You feel a tug at the edge of your heart now, wishing you knew more.
You wander off to the roof, trying to organize the muffled mess in your mind. City lights still shine bright after midnight if it’s a big city. You can see neon signs and billboards in the distance, and skyscrapers sprinkled with orderly lights from each room, looking like lines of stars wrapped around each building. They look small and insignificant now, but they loom over you each time you walk through the streets, blocking the skies and the sunlight to leave shadows of a manmade world. There are tiny cars on the highway far off and the warm glow of the street lamps doesn’t go unnoticed by you. You like to think that every little light in the city has a story of its own.
You’re a little startled by the figure clearing his throat next to you. Ten looks at you with questioning eyes when you regain your composure and smile at him. You don’t know why you’re so glad to have found him but you let it show with a sudden smile. He smiles back, a little unsure, and asks, “You like coming here too, don’t you?”
“Yeah,” you nod and make your way towards the concrete railing, Ten trailing right behind you.
You lean on the rail, your chin resting on your arms and let yourself be calmed by the numerous lights of your city, spread as if an artist had splattered paint over his canvas. Whenever you come up here, you wonder the same thing again and again. Here you are, at the heart of the city, yet you have never bothered to explore the intricacies of its veins and arteries. There are tall buildings, short buildings, coloured ones and pale ones; and all of them look like they’re part of some maze, beckoning you to come play through the streets in between. But you have no time; you let yourself have no time.
“Do you like the lights?” you ask Ten.
“Why else would I come here?” he smiles.
And that’s how the conversation starts. Ten likes matcha ice cream, and he likes to draw when it rains. He says feels awkward touching people so for him it’s not all that bad being a ghost—you’re pretty much alone and don’t have to go through awkward friendships. He really likes kittens too, and he wishes he could pet them; that’s the main downside of being a ghost stuck in a world full of so many kittens.
“You were a dance major?” you ask, your eyes widening.
“What? I don’t look it?” A half-smile is plastered across his face.
Before you can respond, he motions to you to play a song. You find one after scrolling through your playlist for a whole minute, shaking a little with the night breeze hitting your face.
Ten moves right at the first beat. He moves his arm, and his head and then his legs. It’s like watching an orchestra perform for the first time—wholesome and satisfying. The stars and the moon look at him as delighted as you do, following each flow and bend. And as beautiful as Ten’s movement is, you can’t help but shift your focus to how happy he looks. There’s an involuntary smile on his face and you find yourself beaming, too, as he continues painting with his movement. For him, it’s as easy as you breathing.
Ten tilts his head at you when the song stops and you pause for a moment to take him in before bursting into applause.
“That was amazing!” you say. Amazing didn’t even cut close but you don’t know a better word either.
“I- uh, thanks,” he laughs.
You end up sitting with your back pressed against the concrete, sitting beside Ten and just…talking. He has his legs sprawled in front of him as he tries to recall the face of his awful high school math teacher, contorting his own into a horrendous expression to make you laugh.
Ten hasn’t felt this normal in so long. He hesitated talking to you about what really matters to him because what even is the point? It’s not like you’ll understand, or help him somehow. Besides, it’s difficult to get the right words to come out or let the fear in his still heart subside when trying to convey something so serious. It never felt right and you couldn’t give him time either.
But now, when you look at him so attentively, like he’s not a side character, a faded presence, like he matters, he feels a swell in his lungs, spilling everything he’s been carrying alone for so long. When you talk to him, he feels like a friend, a human—still alive and tangled in the web of life. He suddenly feels connected again, and a warmth spreads across his chest in a gentle blaze; a flame that had faded to darkness a long time ago.
When Ten sees your head drop as you remember your assignments, he decides, Okay. That’s it.
“Wh—”
“Come on! Let’s go,” he insists, wildly waving his arms to emphasize.
“I can’t go out in my pyjamas,” you deadpan.
“The city doesn’t care,” he scoffs before disappearing behind the door.
While you stay frozen, contemplating whether to act upon Ten’s wishes or not, he pokes his head back in and flashes his dazzling smile at you—and you find yourself locking your apartment door a few minutes later (having changed into appropriate clothes of course).
“Wow, I’m really going outside,” he smiles. There it is again, that expression of his that makes you want to stop being so restrictive and agree to him, whatever he says.
Ten runs faster than you think and you have to push yourself to keep up as he disappears and reappears in between the crowds littering the streets. He looks back at you occasionally, a wide smile adorning his face as his eyes reflect the warm lights from the streetlamps and windows of giant buildings.
It’s a little strange how you forget any sort of darkness when you’re with Ten. He stands on the sidewalk, admiring the large LCD screens of the billboards on top of buildings advertising something insignificant to either of you. His head turns to follow the cars, the people, sometimes stopping at the barely noticeably trees; you follow his gaze to notice the lined-up stores displaying the lucky colours of red, and a sprinkle of gold, for the upcoming new year celebrations. But even if it is a new year, it won’t matter to Ten. He won’t grow older or have anything to look forward to, and you wonder how he holds on in such a depressing situation.
And of course, Ten has to ruin any strand of sympathy you hold for him. He waits in front of you while you catch up and when you look at him, the crinkle in his eyes is obvious. He points to a rat on a bleak poster advertising pest extermination and calmly says, “Hey, that’s you!”
You glare at Ten while he cackles at his own unfortunate sense of humour and wish you could actually whack him. It’s not his actions but the fact that it’s done deliberately just to annoy you that gets on your nerves sometimes.
You step inside a convenience store with the sudden onset of rain. It’s not a heavy downpour but only a light shower that you’ll survive, but something tells you to get in, and not walk back home in the rain. You purchase some cup noodles just for the heck of it, and while it warms, Ten does a happy sort of dance outside the glass. Rain doesn’t affect him, at least not physically, (“It’s not raining in the spirit realm.” “Like that makes a lot of sense to me.”) and he continues his silly tap dance till he tires of it to join you inside.
The showers stop by the time you get your meal (if you could call instant noodles a meal) and you sit outside at one of the little benches with Ten beside you.
“Is that spicy?” he asks.
“Mhm,” you respond.
“Bet I could have stuff spicier than that.”
“Sure, Ten.”
Ten gives you a look before tilting his head onto your shoulder. If strangers could see him too, you’d look like lovers on a midnight walk. The thought itself makes you blush and when Ten notices the pink, he quirks an eyebrow, no doubt planning to say something stupid.
“I know I’m really good-looking but are you bl—”
“Let’s go home!” you stand up a little too abruptly, startling Ten.
Your pace is quicker than normal, as your brain goes ‘no, no, no!’ at the idea that has inevitably attached itself to an obscure part of your mind. Whatever demons were dancing on your shoulders needed to leave before you let yourself think something stupid, before Ten could find yet another reason to make fun of you.
“Race ya!” Ten’s voice breaks you out of your thoughts as he dashes past you, looking at you for a brief moment to make sure you’re following him.
And that’s how you reach the apartment red-faced, your chest heaving up and down, struggling to take out your keys. You enter to beeline towards the kitchen and chug a cold bottle of water.
“You’re lucky you don’t have to breathe,” you point a finger at Ten.
He smiles faintly and responds with a “Yeah, I guess” before proceeding to sit on the floor in front of your couch. You join him and the silence that follows isn’t an uncomfortable one but you would more aptly describe it as a warm, quiet embrace.
You tilt your head back to rest it on the couch and Ten copies your posture. You look at Ten right when he looks at you, resulting in an embarrassed smile on your part. But Ten doesn’t care as a happy smile forms on his rosy lips and you get the sudden urge to move the hair out of his eyes, to touch his cheeks, feel the material of his sweatshirt, truly comprehend his being.
“You know, you’re not all that boring,” Ten says with an impish smile, and raises his arm towards you in a motion that would be considered petting your hair if he had any physical impact whatsoever.
“I would say you’re not that annoying but that would be lying,” you roll your eyes.
He shapes his lips into an exaggerated pout. His eyes occasionally flicker under the dim lights and you find yourself falling a little deeper into his reality. Is it ironic that Ten is so full of life? That he’s brought more colours and lights into your world than you had ever imagined possible?
There’s a sudden thump from the floor above you that snaps you both out of your trance and Ten squeaks, snapping his head into position. You look at him, amused.
“You’re pretty easily scared for a ghost,” you say.
“I wasn’t scared, I was just startled,” he glares.
You want to laugh and pat his shoulder, like friends do—but you don’t have an ordinary friendship. You can’t hit his arm while you’re laughing or pull his cheeks to annoy him, or grab his hand to drag him through crowds, or share food with him. You can’t hug each other when you’re happy or for reassurance, you can’t do silly things like styling his hair into something funny or paint his face. You can’t even be normal friends, let alone anything more.
It just doesn’t work that way and you find yourself getting lost in thought more and more till you lose focus and sleep takes control of your body.
When weeks turn into months, your awful semester finally ends on an okay note, but you and Ten are still the same; though the frequency of your midnight strolls has increased. It leaves the both of you a little happier, a little brighter. However, it does bring you to a dilemma of the heart that you would rather bury till even you forgot about it.
“Why don’t I see other ghosts?” you ask Ten, sprawled across your bed on a Saturday afternoon.
“Because I’m special?”
You throw a pillow at him fully aware that it’ll pass right through.
“Okay, okay,” he begins, “I guess it’s because they don’t really wanna be seen?”
“But you do?”
Ten keeps quiet, leaning against your bedroom wall with his eyes closed. The fine line between the shadows and the orange sunlight on the buildings outside your window waned as the sun sank further. You move your eyes to notice the golden sunlight falling on Ten’s face, illuminating the curve of his nose, his cupid’s bow and chin, and at times like this, he looks like something only an artist can dream up. At times like this, when he’s perfectly peaceful, he doesn’t look real, doesn’t look like he ever belonged to this world.
When the silence starts to get uncomfortable, Ten stands back up straight and looks at you with expectant eyes.
“Can we go to the art museum?”
“Like now?”
“No, in the evening maybe?”
You hesitate before agreeing, wondering why he wanted to visit that all of a sudden. It’s not like you’re against it, but it’s on the other side of the city and travelling can be really tiring sometimes. You don’t want to say no to Ten though; you’re finding it increasingly difficult to these days. He seems to be more pensive, barely responding to anything sometimes, and you’re worried something is wrong. That something inevitably bad is going to happen.
Ten rubs his forehead, sitting alone on your couch while you’re at the grocery store. He would have gone with you and he very well knows you would have let him. What is he doing? He can’t think straight, can’t focus on anything and he’s so miserably afraid he’s going to lose himself, lose his memories and thoughts that he doesn’t let himself talk to you as much as he wishes. He’s not allowed to do this—look at you like that, or feel the warmth in his chest. He’s supposed to be despondent and alone in this cage of a world he lives in.
Ten begrudgingly admits that because of you he wants to feel. The urge to touch, to be in contact with your physical reality grows day by day. He can’t even see in full colour like he used to when he was alive, and he’s desperate to see the pink of your lips and cheeks, the warmth of your skin in vibrant shades. He embarrasses himself with these thoughts and while they give him a reason to smile, he doesn’t want to lose himself in the darkness.
“Are you sure it’s here?” you whisper to Ten.
“You just saw it on your phone.”
“I’m really bad with directions,” you complain.
“I know.”
You glare at Ten but quickly sigh in relief when you see the large building in the distance. It’s appearance is minimalistic as if to say ‘you can come here but only if you want’ and you find it more pleasant than the heavily decorated buildings you would usually find in the area.
Ten takes longer to look at the exhibits than you, each one of them sending him into a new spiral of thoughts. You wait for him with your hands behind your back as you scrutinize what exactly captivated him so much, what he really saw.
The art museum isn’t what you thought art museums were like either. Each hallway has a theme, and when you enter a new one, you’re plunged into a new world. The breath leaves your lips in a gasp when the next hallway you enter is in complete darkness. You wait till your eyes adjust and you start seeing the even darker paint on the walls. When you walk further, you find paint that glows in the dark. Ten looks at the meaningless splatters of light amused while you’re lost in thoughts entirely your own.
You know ghosts are creatures of the dark (if you could call them creatures, that is); they’re not supposed to have any consciousness or morality. But here, surrounded by this artificial darkness, Ten is what shines the most. From his eyes brimming with an unknown delight, to the curve of his nose to the languid smile stretching across his pink lips, everything glows with a warmth you wouldn’t expect from the dead. No, the dead don’t glow, neither do angels or whatever souls are likened to be.
The last hallway you enter is labelled ‘Art imitates Life’ in classic cursive. It doesn’t have any paintings; it’s just full of windows letting you glimpse at the world outside. The sunset paints all of these ‘paintings’ a bright red, and it mixes perfectly with the fading blue, the city below adding to the depth.
There are two mirrors, one on each side of the exit, and you think it’s meant as a compliment. But you don’t see Ten in the mirrors as he stands beside you but he refuses to look, keeping his head down while he walks out.
The walk to the subway station is quiet, eerily so and you wish Ten would say something, anything at all. But he doesn’t and you’re left with unspoken words that should have been spoken.
“Do you want to talk about it?” you ask when you’re inside the safety of your apartment.
Ten hesitates before nodding, fiddling with the hem of his sweatshirt.
“I…I don’t know what’s happening lately. It’s like I feel everything and nothing at once.”
Your expectant silence urges him to continue.
“I miss my family,” he says, “but sometimes I can’t remember these details I should and it’s so terrifying- it’s like I’m getting lost and I don’t like- It’s like- like I’ll forget myself and I’ll really- I’ll really be gone.”
You don’t say anything, you can’t say anything as you fight the urge to take him in your arms when he’s like this, when he sounds so broken and confused.
“I’m so afraid,” he says, placing his face in his hands.
“I’m here for you,” you mumble despite the muddled thoughts in your brain.
“My legs hurt,” you grumble as you sit on the couch beside Ten. He looks a lot lighter after crying his heart out, enough to flash you a bright grin letting you know he’s okay.
“You’re so unhealthy you forgot how to walk,” Ten replies offhandedly.
You turn your head to glower at him and swat at his head, and in the sudden moment of contact, you are unsure of how to retaliate. You hold your hand, which turned red from the impact, with your other while Ten clutches his head, his face wrinkled in pain.
After the initial confusion subsides, you look at each other in a whole other level of confusion.
“How did you do that?” you ask at the same time.
“I didn’t do anything!” Ten responds quickly.
“Well, I didn’t do anything either,” you lean back.
Ten’s hand shakes noticeably as he lifts it up and you are quick to bring your own hand to hold his. His fingers are an icy cold, quite like how you imagined them to be, but you still suck in a sudden burst of air at the contact. You steady his hands first, intertwining your fingers slowly till you’re sure your warmth reaches him. When he still sits frozen, like he hasn’t understood what’s going on yet, you press his hand to your heated cheek and he breathes out slowly, as if he still has air in his lungs.
Ten leans in when he regains consciousness of his surroundings. It doesn’t seem real, it’s like he’s trapped in a dream but he swears it’s probably the best one he’s had since he died. Your lips are warm, so warm he can almost feel you breathe the joy of life back into him. He pulls away for an instant to look at the innocence in your eyes before leaning back into you, your warmth, your presence. He cups your cheeks for a better grasp and you shiver at the touch. He almost feels guilty but he’s allowed to have this, right? He’s allowed to feel, right? He didn’t choose to leave, he didn’t choose any of this—so he’s allowed these strange appearances of luck, right?
Ten’s lips are as comforting as they are cold, and you never felt exhilaration of this sort as you let him press his mouth to yours, enjoying the touch as much as he does. When he places a gentle finger on the back of your neck, the other hand on your waist, you gasp and his tongue winds against yours with undulating pressure while the beating in your heart gets louder.
Ten doesn’t speak to you for almost a week after the kiss. You don’t know how to approach him, where to approach him, and it devours you completely from the inside. When you do catch a glimpse of him, he escapes before you can come up with anything to say. The lack of his presence is unsettling as you try desperately to make amends to a tear that’s invisible you.
You surprise Ten when you clutch onto the sleeves of his sweatshirt. His eyes widen at the contact and when he tries to tug himself away from you, you pull him closer.
“Ten. Speak.”
A garbled sort of noise comes from Ten’s throat when he tries to speak and he turns the other way, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.
“Ten,” you urge.
“I’m sorry,” he says, “I’m so scared.”
You pull him closer to wrap your arms around his torso, your warm breath tickling his cheek as you look at him. He looks conflicted, as though he should be doing something he isn’t but you don’t pressure him further.
“It’s my fault,” he whispers, “that’s the only way.”
“What?”
Ten pushes you away to hold you by the shoulders, and although his motion is gentle, you feel the absence of touch painful.
“What if I’m killing you?” he says, “What if you’re dying because of me and that’s why all this is happening?”
You shake your head, “No. That can’t be.”
“It is!”
“Ten, listen to me. It doesn’t matter. If this is happening without reason, it’s meant to happen.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Ten says with a cynical twist of his lips.
“Ten, please.”
“You think you’re the only one in pain?”
You keep quiet at that. You could never comprehend what Ten went through, what Ten is going through. You can’t comfort him because you don’t know.
Ten lightly places his fingers on your cheek and rubs his thumb in circles.
“I want to kiss you,” he says, “I want to kiss you again and again and again—”
Ten’s breath hitches in his throat as he tries to control the heaving in his chest. He can’t actually breathe, he’s not alive and burning like you—it’s just hard to break out of habit. Ten meets eyes with you, finding the same comforting candlelit flames and he cups your face once more.
You lean in this time; his lips are warmer than before and you press your mouth against his harder, knotting your fingers in his hair undoubtedly messing it up. He groans softly, the sound low in his throat, but it’s not pleasure you seek from him, it’s the comfort. The comfort when he wraps his arms around you, when he kisses you slowly and delicately, when he pulls back to hear you breathe—even if it’s not going to be everlasting, you’re okay with it. You’re okay with going on midnight strolls and trips into the city with Ten, you’re okay with the friendly bickering and him teasing you till your ears are hot and red, you’re really okay if Ten is there.
“I wish it was like this forever,” Ten whispers against the crook of your neck as you run your fingers through his hair.
He’s told you a hundred times, maybe more, that the dead don’t work like the living. The living gain strength from happy things, like hopes and dreams; but the dead, they survive on darker things. That the dead could always potentially harm the living. But how could he say that when he himself exists as a stark contrast to that? When Ten is the one brimming with feelings of hopefulness and joy, and when you’re the one who seems to be holding to him for that spark.
But like you told him, it doesn’t matter. And it’ll be that way till fate decides otherwise.
#nct scenarios#wayv scenarios#ten scenarios#nct ten scenarios#ten#nct ten#ten chittaphon leechaiyapornkul#nct u scenarios#nct imagines#ten imagines#nct reactions#nct au#nct x reader#nct x you#ten x reader#ten x you#moonwrites#ghost!au#idk whats with me writing inconclusive endings#anyway the real ending is up to you i guess#because every ending i had was way too angsty#tw: death mention
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Witches, Chapter 15: orcas and penguins and pearls
It’s December, so I’ve got time to edit all these 13k chapters I wrote during NaNo! My buffer is assuredly smaller than I expected because it doesn’t take very many 13k chapters to reach 50k.
[Seelie of Kurain Chapter Masterlist] [ao3]
[Witches Chapter Masterlist] [ao3]
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What they actually have to do is not complicated at all. All they need is evidence of a murder weapon, any hint of anything that could have been used, because Orla is an orca and only humans and fae use tools to kill each other with. (As far as Phoenix knows. Maybe gorillas are getting more advanced. He might have free tickets for life to a circus but he doesn’t know anything about animals.)
If there’s a murder weapon, it means there was a killer that wasn’t Orla, because Orla is only an orca, not a shapeshifter.
And, well, okay, then after that they’ll need a prosecutor willing to indict, but Phoenix is going to take things one step at a time and not just because he’s coming up empty-handed at the question of any prosecutor who might take this one. Edgeworth might miss being able to stand in court but he cares too strongly about his work as chief prosecutor to take time away from it for an orca; Franziska is abroad, incredibly busy, and cares too strongly about her work with Interpol to take time away from it to kick Phoenix’s ass over a goddamn orca; and Apollo isn’t part of the defense team so there’s no chance of him seducing Klavier into abandoning good sense to indict an orca and also face Phoenix in court again, so his best shot is probably convincing Kay of the merit of the case and letting her drag Sebastian into it.
Sasha takes them for a very brief, circular tour around the top of the orca pool. “I know it looks real small in here, and it is,” she says, gesturing to the tank. Orla has circled it as they walk, keeping close and watching them. “We do a lot of training here, since we can leave the props all out but out of sight. At the front when you come in we’ve got with the aquarium maps a schedule of when Orla’s gonna be where. Here the guests can see her swim underwater, but we’ll only keep her in here for a bit since orcas like to be able to swim straight. So we’ve got the big big show pool, and since we’re right on the water we’ve got scheduled times that we let her out and go out with her in the ocean.”
“Like, take a boat out alongside her?” Athena asks. Sasha shrugs noncommittally. “She’s never just gone off and not come back?”
“‘Course not! She loves us, and the aquarium.” Sasha has a spring in her step as she walks and Phoenix, looking at the floor slick with water splashed up by Orla, bites back a fatherly warning to watch her step. It’d be too easy to slip and crack her head open, or fall in the orca pool. Fall in the orca pool after cracking her head open. “The captain found her beached and he fed her and made sure she was healthy and tried to take her back out to sea to her pod, but she just kept coming back. Ol’ girl got attached to him just like a barnacle!”
Her smile collapses from the corners inward, her eyes unfocused on a distant memory. “I can hear Sasha’s pain,” Athena whispers. “She really loved the captain.”
“Orla played with him all the time,” Sasha says. She’s lost her cheer. Athena might be the one who fully experiences others’ feelings, but Phoenix is pained, too. “She’d steal his hat and headbutt him and go tearing off, and he was the only one of us big and strong enough to keep up with her. She loved him! She wouldn’t kill him!”
Maybe - probably - it’s true that she loved him. And maybe - Phoenix realizes it with a sense of gnawing dread and familiarity - that still doesn’t mean she didn’t kill him. Humans are fragile, and powerful creatures that love them don’t always keep them safe. Sometimes it’s the opposite. Sometimes they don’t just die anyway, but because of.
(Does it help, has it ever solved a case for him, to consider whether he is a funhouse mirror image of the situation beforehand? It doesn’t. He does anyway.)
Sasha is in the midst of explaining now to Athena how they give Orla commands for performances - a whistle with a pitch too high for humans to hear, and specific patterns to correspond to her every trick. “Anyone who knows the commands could ask her to do a trick, not just me - you could, Athena.” Athena brightens, standing up straighter, her eyes moving from the whistle Sasha put in her hands to the orca. “Except the commands are a secret, sorry!”
Athena’s shoulders slump.
“You can’t just ask her to do whatever it is, in words?” Phoenix asks, secretly relieved that Athena isn’t going to get a lesson in orca-training because he’s terrified of how that could end. “Since you said she can understand people.” Or Sasha was just fucking with him saying that Orla was offended by his question.
“That kinda breaks the show immersion,” Sasha explains, “if you’re yelling ‘now’s when you do a backflip!’ The whistle’s less noticeable.”
Orla disappears beneath the surface, a moment later launching herself up out of the water and wheeling through the air. When she dives back down she slaps the water with her tail, hard, and a wave splashed up over the three people standing by her pool. Sasha frowns in concentration. “She understands some people, somewhat,” she admits, apparently reluctantly. “Except the captain. He’d have full conversations with her and she’d chatter right back. Cap’n always joked his mom was a sea witch.”
“Are you sure it was a joke?” Phoenix asks.
“Oh, I’m sure it wasn’t,” Sasha says. “But most people get acting like they were zapped by an eel when you say that, then laugh it away all awkwardly. Didn’t expect you both to be cool as sea cucumbers about it.”
“I’ve only worked with Mr Wright for three months but I’ve seen some crazy stuff in that time,” Athena says. “Three months” is definitely debatable - she’s worked with Apollo for three months, sure - but the regrettable amount of magical mishaps she’s been through aren’t. (Why, when he reluctantly agreed to give her office space, had he thought she wouldn’t get into any more shit?) “I could probably believe anything now.”
(An addition to his case notes: make sure Athena knows not every legend is true, so she doesn’t go chasing Bigfoot or the Jersey Devil.)
This first pass through the orca pool room doesn’t net them anything that in any way resembles evidence. They get information about their client, the importance of which he won’t dismiss, because they can’t exactly directly ask their client anything. Seals and whales that eat seals surely don’t speak the same language, or could they? Maybe they all have different dialects of ocean animal language, ones that are partially understandable by each other, but only partially. (There’s a word for that. He’s pretty sure there’s a word that specifically means that and he’s coming up empty.)
With nothing in hand to present to the prosecution, he and Athena leave the pool room, leave Sasha behind sitting on the edge emphatically explaining to Orla that the police won’t let her be moved back to the bigger pool because they’re afraid if they give Sasha an inch she’s going to figure out how to abscond with a two-ton whale. Phoenix crosses his fingers that won’t happen; the last time a client of his disappeared was - well.
Fulbright has set up his investigative base in the lobby near the glass tunnel; Phoenix watches fish swim above his head, bright little reds and yellows darting between huge silver ones, and among all of them, sharks that he’s surprised don’t just eat the rest. Security camera footage from the time of the incident, taken from the first floor, looking in at the orca pool, is downloaded to a police laptop set up on a bench. As soon as Fulbright’s back is turned, Athena pulls up the relevant segment and films the screen using Widget. “There’s nothing you can see that’s absolutely damning for our case,” she explains, slowing down Widget’s playback and scrolling through its projection frame-by-frame. It’s about fifteen seconds when the victim’s body isn’t ever visible, but Orla‘s head tilts down like she’s headbutting something into the props at the bottom of the tank, and plumes of blood billow up through the water. Someone stands in frozen horror, back to the camera, in front of the tank. “This isn’t decisive! What’s Fulbright talking about? Decisive?—”
“I agree,” Phoenix says. “It’s not proof of anything.” But they can definitely expect to hear from that witness who was standing right there.
Athena lowers her fists, abruptly silent, like she hadn’t expected him - even though he’s a defense attorney too, even though he agreed to this mad venture too - to listen to her. “We’ll keep investigating,” he adds, glancing over the police laptop again. The thumb drive stuck in it is shaped like the back end of a fish and labeled return to Pub O’ Danger. Presumably the location in the aquarium that the security cameras are managed from. “Shall we?”
Athena knows exactly where in the aquarium to go - of course she does - and she leads Phoenix up around, back past the orca tank, to the second floor where they find that the "Pub O' Danger" looks really nothing at all like anything he'd consider a pub. A few large decorative bottles, filled with seashells or jellyfish - are those real? - sit on a shelf on the back wall, and one giant one filled with more jellyfish hangs from the ceiling, along with a skeleton of some ocean creature. Or maybe a crocodile. It looks like a crocodile. "Athena," he says warningly, and she guiltily lifts her hand out of the touch tank. "We're here for a job, remember?"
"Of course I remember!" she protests, perhaps a bit too loudly, and Phoenix shakes his head at her. He scans the room again, watching Athena from the corner of his eyes, and thinking he doesn't see her she sticks her hands back in the tank at the center of the room to pet a starfish.
"A-hem!" Someone loudly clears their throat; Phoenix jumps, as does Athena, wrenching her hands back and flicking water up into Phoenix's face. "Do you mind? I'm rather busy here, and you are being quite loud, young lady."
The woman already in the room, who they didn't see off to the side, standing in front of a door marked with Employees Only, wears a long black overcoat and a white scarf over her blonde hair. "Who are you?" Athena asks.
“Goodness, young lady, don’t you have any manners?” The woman huffs and Athena blanches. Phoenix can’t really vouch for any of Athena’s manners, because they’ve had strenuous debates about what is and isn’t allowed in a courtroom, and no, Athena, asking the prosecution to “take it out back” is not, even if they are being jerks. “Aren’t you even going to introduce yourself first?”
She’s really got Athena thrown for a loop. “Oh, I, uh - I’m—”
“Never mind,” the woman interrupts. “I shall save time and space for more important things in my memory by simply calling you ‘yellow girl’, and him over there ‘blue boy’.”
“I’m thirty-four years old, you know,” Phoenix objects, and she ignores him as he expected her to, but at least he can say to his dignity that he tried.
“My name is Norma DePlume,” she continues. “An esteemed guest and frequent patron of this establishment.”
“I’ve got it!” Athena crows. “So you aren’t someone affiliated with the aquarium!”
Solid work on that deduction there, kiddo.
“And what exactly do you imagine you are?” DePlume asks icily.
Athena hikes her shoulders up toward her ears, her hands rising in fists at the ready. Widget might be useful for its functionalities in court, but its changing colors and blurted words aren’t close to necessary; all of its information on Athena’s emotional state, she’ll project plain as day on her face, in her posture. He doesn’t need to read her like he would opponents in poker - nothing is small when it comes to her habits. “I’m not a what!” she protests. Fair enough to get offended; it’s rude way to ask that question, even if what are you is one that’s technically valid to wonder. Better not to ask at all, and besides, Phoenix knows that DePlume didn’t mean it in the way that Phoenix wonders it, because he’s given her a once-over and she’s the one person in this room who’s normal. “I’m a lawyer!”
“And I, uh - run a law office.” Phoenix trips on the words. He sort of runs a law office. He badly runs a law office. It runs itself. It’s still easier for him to get that sentence out than to say that he’s a lawyer. What are you? Isn’t he supposed to know that now, again?
“Well, I don’t have the slightest interest,” DePlume continues, examining her gloves like she can see her fingernails to fix them.
Then why fucking ask what they are and risk offending a fae when they presume she’s asking what are you, human or not? Maybe she doesn’t know. Maybe she isn’t from around here. Maybe she doesn’t care if she offends anyone, human or fae or all the people at the crossroads in between. She certainly doesn’t care if she offends the two right here.
She’s damn lucky Phoenix doesn’t work cases with Maya anymore, even if Athena is growling, actually growling, in frustration and rage. “Just who does she think she is, Boss?”
“An esteemed guest.” The customer who is always right, and Phoenix is glad that the only vaguely retail career he’s ever had is one where he could kick the customers’ asses in a poker game after he offended their artistic sensibilities with his piano “playing”. His friendship with Kristoph was his customer service face: being pleasant to someone who wouldn’t hesitate to throw him under a bus or get him fired. Actually Kristoph did get him fired. And probably wouldn’t have hesitated to eventually get him fired from life.
Right. Murder. That’s called murder.
“I thought they closed the aquarium to members of the public, though,” Athena says, squinting suspiciously and turning back to Phoenix, waiting for him to validate her suspicions. “Why are you here?”
DePlume has a deep, haughty chuckle that balances on the edge of smug before tipping straight into the center of it. “O-ho! But I have special permission to be here, you see.” She sounds less like she’s actually amused and more that she’s trying to signal to them their inferiority, that they are amusing, trivial things beneath her concern. Athena is close to blowing a gasket anyway, so if that’s what she hears she can’t actually get any more heated.
Now that’s interesting. “And why is that?” Phoenix asks, doing his level best to sound like he’s only casually curious. She wouldn’t happen to have seen something, did she?
“Well, it’s of course because of the incide— good heavens, I’ve said far too much!”
The whole world blinks, pauses on an inhale - DePlume, turning away back toward the door she was lurking outside of; Athena, readying another objection - and the hum of the aquarium, the tank filters and the internal air, drops dead away, and almost instantly that still silence breaks with the stark cold rumble of chains and the two red locks that nail into place at the intersection of the chains.
God dammit. Phoenix breathes in, lets his anger hiss out among the background noise of the aquarium that has come back to life. “What’s wrong, Boss?” Athena asks. All she would have seen was his mood drop suddenly, more than a reluctant witness should make happen, because how often do they have a witness who isn’t reluctant?
“Psyche-Locks.” It might as well be a curse word. It certainly is a cursed word - words? (Does the hyphen make it one word or is it still two? He assumes there’s a hyphen. It’s how he visualizes it and that might be magic that plopped the word(s?) in his mind in a written form.)
“Bike socks? Cyborg clocks?”
Athena, what the hell is a bike sock?
“Pysche-Locks,” he repeats, enunciating it clearer and louder this time. DePlume doesn’t care what they have to say and probably already thinks they’re crazy, so talking audibly about magic isn’t going to make any difference. “They’re locks around a person’s heart that represent the secrets they’re hiding from me. An old friend of mine granted me a blessing that lets me see if I’m being lied to - that’s how it manifests.”
“Oh, wow,” Athena says. “I knew you had your eyes thing” - she points a finger to her own eyes and swings it back and forth to signify the changing colors - “but I didn’t know you can tell that people are lying, like Apollo, too!”
Like Apollo, god. Like Apollo. He’d taught Apollo the trick to watching for people’s tics and told Trucy to explain to him the same, on basis of blood and a guess - that he knew how Trucy’s blessing worked for her, that Zak said Thalassa had the same, and Apollo is Thalassa’s child too. Even if Truth was his boon granted by a different source, maybe it worked the same, he figured. And it did, but the larger question has been gnawing at him since. Apollo’s blessing wasn’t from Magnifi; it looks nothing like either Trucy’s or Thalassa’s, and Thalassa confirmed that Magnifi never met Apollo. And when Apollo confronted Phoenix for not telling him about Kristoph, he sounded genuinely confused at the suggestion that he could’ve had any experience with the fae in the past.
Some one of the fae loved Apollo enough to give him a blessing, but even for valuing Truth highly enough to give it to him, didn’t tell him that truth that they were fae and that he had this gift. It’d have to be love, wouldn’t it, because Apollo is human grown up in this world. He isn’t Thalassa, a tactical advantage to be played against an enemy; he looks nothing like his mother who is glamoured to the high heavens for spending so long in the Twilight Realm.
(Note to self: ask Thalassa sometime why Apollo didn’t grow up with her and the Troupe after his father’s death in the Summer Court. Also, bother her some more to see if she’ll say where the Summer Court is.)
“Boss?”
“I’m listening,” he says reflexively, even though if she’d said anything before that, he sure as hell didn’t actually hear it. Apollo, Apollo; Apollo’s a stable functioning kid who escaped growing up a Gramarye and his mystery can wait while Phoenix has a case with Athena. There is enough right here on his plate.
“Can you unlock these Psyche-Locks?”
Unlock, no; bludgeon into shattering with brute force, yes. Maybe that’s what the black ones meant, a warning that it wasn’t worth trying to break them, or that he couldn’t, because Kristoph isn’t great at poker but did know how to keep his cards close. “Yeah. It’s basically the same as cross-examining a witness; you hit them with evidence until they crack.”
Athena smacks her fist against her palm, massaging out her knuckles. “All right! Sounds like a plan!”
“Not literally hit,” Phoenix says hastily. She probably knows that, maybe.
DePlume knocks loudly on the employees-only door. “I know I heard movement back there!” she announces loudly to the door, or whoever might be behind it. “I demand to speak with you!”
“Er, what are you doing?” Athena asks, already moving from the matter of the Psyche-Locks to this next mysterious behavior.
“This aquarium’s veterinarian has an office here,” DePlume snaps. “And he has most ungraciously been avoiding me! I insist on being able to speak with him, and I will not leave until I get such an opportunity!”
“Okay,” Athena says, “but—”
“If you, yellow girl, wish to further badger me in your impolite ways, you will simply have to wait.”
Athena frowns. “We might as well investigate elsewhere in the meantime,” Phoenix says. If she’s not leaving until the vet does, and she acts this overbearing and demanding in every aspect, then there’s little chance the vet wants to talk to her and a much higher likelihood that wherever else they go in the aquarium, when they return, she’ll still be right here. “C’mon, kiddo.”
Athena’s boots smack off the floor louder than she usually walks, but as they move back through the aquarium, past tanks of sea dragons and lionfish and informative backlit wall displays about the represented species and ecosystems, her steps lighten and her pace slows. Light comes from the tanks, and only them, blue on Athena’s face, her eyes even brighter as wide as they are, soaking up every sight as though she hadn’t ever been here before. She’s eighteen, still a kid really, should be heading toward her senior year of high school or freshman year of university, not skipping half a dozen grades to have a law career for - what, exactly? Franziska had a father to live up to, Sebastian too, and Klavier an older brother. Athena carries with her righteous fury to find justice and save the innocent, with no catalyst that birthed it in her heart, no vehicle carrying her down this frantic road. He’s thought it before and will again, but she lives like she’s desperately chasing something always just out of reach. Something Phoenix can’t see.
He lets her smile at the fish a moment longer and then prompts her to get moving. “I wish I could actually visit without the crowds,” she says. “There’s usually so many people here, it’s kinda just eerie now.”
“A man did die here,” Phoenix says, but now that she’s got him thinking it, yeah, he doesn’t like this emptiness. Like wandering through the snow between circus tents, not a sound but their feet and fabric flapping in the wind, when a few nights ago he’d seen the full bustle of the crowd around a show. Like the bowl club in the quiet after closing, his voice echoing in the stairwell after a call to the police, the only sound in the den his heart pounding in his ears as he realized this was the final round, the hand already dealt, and this was his last chance to bind Kristoph to iron. “That eerie feeling isn’t surprising.”
The next sign of human life they find is one of the animal feeders, hauling along two buckets full of fish and alternating rhyming and beatboxing as he goes. Budding slam poet? Soundcloud rapper? “Hello!” Athena calls, her voice ringing loudly through the dark. The man yelps, dropping a bucket and spilling fish across the floor.
Once Athena has apologized for the fright, and he has requested that they purge his attempts at rapping from their memories, he introduces himself as Marlon Rimes, relatively new to working here, not always sure what’s happening on the best of days, and this is definitely not that. He does tell them that none of the aquarium staff have been allowed to go home, while any visitors not related to the incident have been thrown out. “Sasha had to get special permission to go out and get a lawyer,” Rimes explains. “Us staying overnight usually means we leave just after opening, but ‘just after opening’ is when the captain’s body was found…” He blinks furiously and rubs at his eyes. “Haven’t seen our vet, Dr Crab, around at all, though.”
Probably because if he is here, DePlume has him cornered in a back room.
Rimes gives them a few more tidbits of information that could be useful: he certainly believes the orca killed the captain and says that Sasha is the only one here who doesn’t, he’s lost track of a penguin named Rifle who has the run of the aquarium but didn’t come in to get fed at her usual time, and he has a friend he calls “Small Fry”, a high school student - maybe an aquarium intern? - who went off after Rifle and hasn’t returned. “She mighta been going back to the orca pool,” he says. “And, hey, if you’re headin’ back there, or just around, Rifle loves the smell of fish, so if ya have some she might come over.”
Athena’s face lights up. “I would love to feed a penguin! Would that be okay, Boss?”
I’m not your dad - you don’t have to ask me for permission. “As long as you’re the one carrying the fish.”
She seems much less enthused as Rimes plops some very stinky, very dead fish into her outstretched hands. “It’s so fishy.” She wrinkles her nose and cranes her neck to stick her face into her shoulder. “Whew!” Widget cries.
“Can’t be all flower smells and penguins working here,” Phoenix says. Even though he really did manage to keep a straight face saying it, his amusement seeps into his voice and Athena lifts her head with a sour glare. She wants to befriend the penguin, she’s got to deal with the consequences and the method of doing it. Like befriending a fae meant suffering her crouching over him at two am to ask him when he can get more ice cream because there’s none left.
Back at the orca pool, they find Sasha, and a walkie-talkie shaped like a sword that belongs to Rifle in order to locate her. Athena brightly suggests must mean Rifle is, or was just recently, around here; they might not have jackshit to work with on their case, but Athena’s going to feed a penguin if it kills her.
It comes close, when Orla bursts out of the water, chittering loudly and smacking her flippers against the surface. Phoenix flinches, and Athena, with more sensitive hearing, closer to the pool where the floor is wet and slippery, springs back with a scream. Her feet splash down in a puddle and slide straight out from under her, dropping her right to the floor. The fish spill out of her hands across the pool deck, a few landing in the water, and a few falling in her lap. “Oww,” she groans, showing no inclination to pick herself back up, and she must really be hurting if she hasn’t recoiled from the fish yet.
Orla whistles. She sounds confused, almost. Maybe apologetic? “You okay?” Sasha asks, extending a hand to help Athena up. “You’ve gotta be careful around here or you’ll slip right in!”
Athena groans again, scooping the fish up from her skirt back into her hands. “Yeah, no kidding.”
The large pirate hat balanced on Orla’s head, behind her blowhole, slowly slides forward and plops into the water. Orla hasn’t really moved, not enough to upend her headgear like that, but with the hat fallen away Phoenix can now see a penguin waddling along Orla’s back. She puts her nose to the edge of the pool, allowing the penguin to hop down to the floor. “Rifle!” Athena cries. “There you are!” She brandishes a fish at the penguin, who doesn’t even turn at the sound and movement and trots on unperturbed to the doors. “Hey! I have food for you! Don’t you run away from me!”
That gets Rifle’s attention. Its pace picks up to a run - away from Athena. “Now I think you’ve scared her,” Phoenix says, but Athena, not having learned the lesson about wet floors yet, starts running after her. Sasha exchanges a sideways glance with Orla but doesn’t say anything; if the penguin is running around outside of its enclosure on a regular basis, they probably expect or have a protocol for when it’s chased down by eight-year-olds. Or eighteen-year-olds. The penguin’s well-being is not what he’s worried for: for those stubby legs, Rifle moves fast, and Athena looks on course for another spectacular wipeout.
The doors swing inward as Rifle comes up on them, bumping it onto its back. How do they right themselves with those proportions - there must be some way for them in the wild, if they fall over, but Phoenix doesn’t actually get to witness the attempt more than a few seconds of flailing feet. “Oh my goodness! I didn’t know you were there!”
Athena pulls up short, watching the young woman who crouches down and gently lifts Rifle to set it back on its feet. Her eyes lift up to study Athena with several seconds of the most intense stare that Phoenix ever found himself under. Fae eyes only change color to red when their glamours drop, but he knows that scrutinizing gaze. It’s the one she gives everyone when she first meets them, assessing who they are, what they are, and whose side they seem to be on. So much woven into a glance, so much caution and suspicion, but Morgan raised her to be queen, and the throne in Kurain isn’t a shield that stops knives coming from behind.
“P-Pearls?”
“Mr Nick!”
He’s seen her more than he’s seen Maya these past eight years, but in his head she’s still the tiny child she was when they first met. Very little about her has changed in that time - she’s a little taller but still slight and petite, and her eyes are only a little too big for her head, her forehead no longer the same size as the other half of her entire face. And he blinks, and studies her again: her iridescent skin like the inside of a seashell, almost white but a dozen other colors, pale shades of blues and pinks and greens, shimmering with the light, with her movements, up to her horns that curve along her head and once they reach the points of her long ears, they curl up and loop in toward each other, forming almost the shape of her hair. She has six eyes, two where they should be and two smaller above each. All six blink in rapid unison, and she raises one dainty clawed hand to cover her open-mouthed, sharp-toothed shock.
“What are you doing here?”
She asks at the same time he does, their same single thought tangling on itself. Pearl giggles. Her laugh doesn’t quite sound the same as it always used to; some of her smooth refinement has been chipped away, and even a giggle is a little louder and rougher, a little less regal. She’s lived with Maya as her closest family longer now than she lived raised by her mother. That rubs off and for once in this instance he doesn’t think Maya’s influence is a bad thing.
“A summer camp from Kurain Village took a trip here,” Pearl explains. “I came with them because I’d never been to an aquarium like this, but then this incident happened, and I only just got done being questioned by the police.”
She says it so calmly, this incident, a man is dead and she isn’t fazed and she’s steadily watching Phoenix with her big eyes wondering if this incident suddenly makes sense, why it happened, if Phoenix is here. People drop dead around him all the time. She’s been there for a bunch of those, and even though that’s hardly a moral indictment of him - there’s plenty of other reasons to make those - he feels the need to hurry to explain that for once, he showed up after the death. “We’re here investigating the case,” Phoenix says. “Ms Buckler - Sasha - asked us to defend Orla and prove that she didn’t kill anyone.”
Pearl nods, and Phoenix feels a surge of appreciation for her. Finally, the one person who isn’t going to question this entire providing legal representation to an orca thing. All she knows about lawyers, she learned from Phoenix, and that Orla should be one of his clients doubtlessly seems entirely normal. “Who’s ‘we’?” she asks. “This lady here with you?”
“I’m Athena Cykes, attorney-at-law! I’m the newest member of the Wright Anything Agency!” Athena grins; the prospect of a new friend has given them a momentary reprieve from her frustration over Rifle. “Nice to meet you!”
Pearl’s expression lightens after the few seconds it takes to absorb Athena’s introduction, her very human manner of throwing out her full name first. Welcome back to this side of the veil, Pearls. “I’m called Pearl,” she says. It’s not her name, not who she is, just what others call her. She loves humans, tries in some ways to deliberately imitate them - he doesn’t know when or how exactly she got really into fashion, but that might be Trucy to blame - but names are names are rocky ground. “Or sometimes Pearly with my friends! How do you do!”
A moment later, something else sinks in, and Pearl jumps, actually jumps, and she hangs in the air just long enough to be noticeably weird. “Wait, Mr Nick! If you’re here to defend a client, that means—!”
“Yeah,” he says. “I’ve got my badge back.” Or a badge. A new badge. He’s got a badge again. My badge. Practice saying that some more.
He can’t summon the excitement that he should feel, but at least there’s Pearl, clapping her hands together, all the enthusiasm that he’s missing. “Congratulations, Mr Nick! That’s so exciting! Queen-Mystic Maya told me that you’d cleared your name but she didn’t tell me you were lawyering again!”
“That’s because those didn’t happen at the same time,” he says. “I only just passed the Bar. This is my first case - and my first day back.”
“Oh, I’m so happy for you! Have you told everyone yet? All our friends? We should throw a surprise party for you!”
“That’s not really a surprise if you’ve told me, Pearls.”
“Then - then we wait until you forget! Or we make you forget!”
He still has nightmares about forgetting himself, about walking into court with Maggey’s life on the line not just unprepared in terms of evidence, but his very head wiped clean of everything that would help. “I would prefer if you didn’t,” he says. “But I appreciate the surprise party thought.”
Pearl is distracted any further from protesting by Rifle, plucking at the hem of her robes with its beak. “How did you get her to like you?” Athena practically wails the question and Phoenix grinds his teeth together to keep a straight face, to say nothing, so that this time Athena won’t know just how amusing he finds her penguin dilemma. “What am I doing wrong?”
“You could try offering her some fish,” Phoenix prompts. She carried the stinky meat this far, she’d better not have forgotten about it.
“Hey, Rifle!” Athena waves a fish by the tail; Phoenix steps back out of range so she doesn’t fling it at him while she tries to get Rifle’s attention. “I’ve got food for you! Fish chock-full of love from me to you!”
She tosses it in Rifle’s direction, but Orla lunges, hefting her body almost halfway out of the pool to snatch away the fish. “Oh,” Athena says. “Okay! I guess I’m bonding with Orla instead!”
“Friendship blossoming via exchange of food!” Pearl says. “Isn’t it moving, Mr Nick?”
Yeah, that’s one way to put it. Phoenix wouldn’t really agree, but that’s one way to call it. And this really is starting to sound more and more like a friendship with a fae. The easiest way to make a bargain with Maya is to pay her in food. There’s no cheaper price for a deal than a meal.
“Orla doesn’t usually eat at this time,” Sasha says, frowning at Orla, who is making some chirping noises that sound like begging. “The captain’s the one who feeds her, every morning, and I don’t think he’d forget.”
That implies that the time of orca feeding is regularly before the captain’s time of death, if Sasha is talking about him forgetting, or not, and not the fact that he died this morning. Either he was preoccupied with something else before his death, enough that he didn’t think to feed the very large whale that he works with every day, or they’re all mistaken about his time of death. There’s no evidence at all to point to the latter thought, so Phoenix files it away as a last-ditch argument to pull out if he runs out of every other possibility in court tomorrow.
Athena brandishes another fish at Rifle, who ignores her. Orla chirrups again. “How did you do it, Pearly?”
It’s a good question, and a surprise to Phoenix, too. He can’t say that mundane animals and the fae get along well - he’ll never forget when Gumshoe offered to lend Missile to him and Maya, only for it to start howling and wailing so loudly that half the cops in the precinct poked their heads out to make sure that nobody was physically torturing the dog. And he wouldn’t be surprised if Matt Engarde’s cat was just generally the most unpleasant cat in the world, but it had ignored Edgeworth and gone straight to claw the hell out of Phoenix and Pearl, so he’s again inclined to guess that it was a fae thing. Maybe wild animals, like penguins, are different, but there was also the time Regent the tiger tried to eat him.
So yeah, a good question, one he’s been pondering himself. “Didn’t he say that Rifle is drawn to the smell of fish?” Phoenix asks. Rimes had given Athena the fish for that reason, and there is a bit of a strange fishy smell coming from more than just Athena.
“A - are you saying I smell like fish?”
Phoenix weighs his options for answering. The fae do generally appreciate the truth, even when it’s something rough. But Pearl already looks offended and ready to roll up her sleeves and smack him through two walls, so he’s got to tread lightly. “Uh, maybe a little bit, yeah…”
He tenses every muscle in his body and waits for the deathly strike, but Pearl just slumps over. “Oh,” she says softly, more to herself than anyone else. “I really do need to change my clothes.”
What’s she gotten herself into? Why, of all the visitors to the aquarium, was she kept here and questioned while almost everyone else had to leave? No easy answer comes as he ponders it, listening to Sasha, Pearl, and Athena talk about Rifle and Orla. It’s Pearl, of all people, who’s worried about Orla eating Rifle - maybe it makes sense that she would think about it, orcas being to penguins and seals what fae are to humans, but that’s exactly also why he’s surprised it would occur to her. It would occur to Maya, who for all her chaotic tendencies is well aware of the gaping divide between human and fae, but while Maya likes hanging around with humans, Phoenix has always gotten the impression that Pearl might want to be human.
(And Iris, he knows for sure, wishes she was human.)
“Our Orla’s a big ol’ sweetie,” Sasha says. “She puts up with Rifle picking on her! The captain said he only had to give Orla a talking-to once, when he first introduced them, but he was constantly telling Rifle not to be such a meanie.”
Chalk a few more points up under the sea witch thing was not a joke.
“They seem to be very good friends,” Pearl says. They probably remind her of Phoenix and Maya, except Rifle acts way more like Maya even though Orla is the one with the teeth.
She leaves to escort Rifle back to Rimes. Athena, pouting exaggeratedly, plops a few fish in Pearl’s hands and with pained, obvious longing, watches her walk away with the penguin. The rest of her fish she throws to Orla. It’s Sasha, after Pearl has left, who answers Phoenix’s unasked questions. “I’m surprised you know her,” she says. “I thought she was a friend of Marlon’s or something - heard that she was down in the staff hallway by the food prep room, and that’s why the cops were questioning her.”
“Huh.” She’d said herself that she had never been here before, and Rimes - Phoenix will have to remember to check if he looks like someone who lives in Kurain Village. “That’s really odd.”
“We’d better just go ask her then, right?” Athena says. “Unless you think she’d lie to us when we ask?” She watches his face intently, looking for a clue as to what level his friendship is with Pearls, whether she’d lie, whether he’d expect her to.
“She can’t lie,” Phoenix says, “and she’s not great at hiding things, either.” Through the years he’s found her to be no good at hiding anything from him - he’s not sure how Morgan thought she would ever survive Court politics. Or maybe it’s only him that she’s no good at talking around the truth with. “Maybe if we’re lucky something she knows can help our case.”
They catch up to her near the eel tank, as she’s saying goodbye to Rimes and sends Rifle along with him. “Hey, Pearls.” She flinches at his sudden call and in the dim light her skin flashes to a shimmering surface like an opal, her glamour dropped momentarily in her fright. He’s always wondered if that’s an actual built-in fae defense mechanism - if something startles her, startle it right back by showing her true face. “We just had a real quick question for you about your relationship with Mr Rimes.”
“My—?”
The thing about Psyche-Locks is that they used to show up when someone directly lied to him, by contradiction or blatant evasion of his questions. What was I doing when the murder happened, Mr Nick? Why do you think I was doing anything when the murder happened? But exact words - I did not kill Juan Corrida - left him in the dark. Maybe he’s gotten stronger since then, or Pearl has and by extension so has the blessing she gave him; and he’s seen locks on half-truths when there’s something more buried deep within. He sees them almost proactively now. Pearl has barely begun to speak, to echo his question right back to him, and there it is.
He’s afraid one day he’ll see locks without any prompting at all, that before he knows what to ask they’ll just appear. A visualization of how everyone of course has secrets, but he won’t know whether they’re related to a crime or not, and it’ll drive him out of his mind paranoid.
(It’s a common fae fate, losing their minds to paranoia. It’s practically built into their culture.)
“Pearls,” Phoenix says wearily, “why do I see a Psyche-Lock?”
It’s just one, thank god, one single lock sealed at the intersection of two chains. “Oh,” Pearl says, looking down at where the lock sits over her chest. She’s never been clear on whether she can actually see them or if she just otherwise senses the ones that Phoenix has already seen. “B-but there is no ‘relationship’ between Mr Animal Feeder and me!”
“I don’t necessarily mean romantic, Pearls.”
She laughs nervously. “But I, um - I still shouldn’t talk about it,” she says.
But she doesn’t say that she’s made any promises, specifically, to keep a secret. There will be a way to work it out of her. She gave him Truth, and he’s going to use it.
“What were you doing in the staff corridor?”
The answer is simpler than her behavior makes it seem; she got distracted by the gift shop immediately when she arrived, bought a cute penguin calendar to help her with her understanding of the concept of time, and got lost when she tried to get back to the aquarium exhibits. She found the food prep room, scared the hell out of Rimes on entering, and knocked a few tubs of fish over onto herself, her new calendar, Rimes, his calendar, the floor—
Really, he’s just relieved that her fishy smell isn’t because she’d started eating some of the animal food. Or gotten into a tank and started eating the exhibits. And her mishap has netted them a little more information: Rimes didn’t want anyone to know he was in the food prep room, and Pearl picked up what must have been Rimes’ calendar instead of her own when they extracted themselves from the fish. Meet the captain @ orca pool, 7a, under today’s date. A clue to the victim’s movements before his death?
“You said you came here with your summer camp group?” Athena asks. “Did they get sent out of here with the rest of the visitors? Do you need to let them know where you are, or get back to them?”
“Oh, no, I’m not with them,” Pearl says. “I just traveled here with the group but they shouldn’t notice I’m gone. I’d rather help you and Mr Nick now anyway!”
Air hisses in through Athena’s teeth and she looks helplessly to Phoenix for a verdict. Like now he’s supposed to be Pearl’s dad, too. If she wants to go somewhere, no force on any earth can stop her. Her mother bragging about her powers was a preface to her attempts to get rid of Maya, but she wasn’t wrong, either, is the thing. Pearl has subtle control over her glamours that Phoenix has never seen in one of the fae; her slight manipulations of attention are the kind that Klavier and Thalassa do. There’s a reason that no one, not Gumshoe or Franziska or Edgeworth, ever questioned Phoenix bringing a small child to court and crime scenes. Pearl makes herself seem like she belongs anywhere, and disappear just as easily when it’s time to move on. The biggest surprise is that Sasha and Rimes even noticed something amiss in her presence at the aquarium at all.
(It took Phoenix a while to actually realize what Pearl had done by giving him a magatama charged with the power of breaking glamours. Realize that she handed him the key to undo her greatest strength. Maya has teeth, and Dahlia curses, but in the end there’s little stronger than perception. Little Pearl, raised to be a usurper, raised to strike at what she feared and to fear all the world outside the royal manor, gave a human she just met a magatama and a blessing to see through her both literally and metaphorically. He was so focused on saving Maya he didn’t realize just then how much Pearl wanted to save Maya too, how much she loved her too, to make herself weak to help her.)
“So what’s next?” Athena asks. His silence has answered her as assent, permission for Pearl to stay.
What next? Everything. They’ve meandered around learning all about the care and keeping of aquariums and nothing about the case. “We still need some sort of actual evidence we can point to for anyone other than Orla as the culprit, and her that to Fulbright. And we’ll want to go back and get Ms DePlume to tell us what she saw.”
“If there’s evidence anywhere it’s gotta be in the pool room, right?” Athena asks. “¡Vamanos! We’ll search over and over until we find something!”
Or at some point presumably accept that nothing turning up means that Orla probably did kill the captain. But they aren’t there yet, haven’t hit that wall, so he doesn’t yell after Athena as she careens down the hall, boots squeaking as she makes a hard turn on the sleek tile flooring. Two officers stand guard outside the orca pool room doors, like they expect Sasha to try and sneak Orla out this way. They both flinch away as Athena bodily slams into the doors and tumbles back inside. Neither smiles when Phoenix offers a placating one.
“I’m gonna go check out that mess in the back again!” Athena calls, barely slowed, her sprint picking back up.
“Hey, I’m doing my best!” Sasha hollers back. Her grin tells the rest of them she isn’t offended, but Athena, not looking back, has to hear it in her voice. “There’s a lot of work that goes into this place!”
With a shriek, Athena hits a patch of water and her feet shoot straight out from under her. Another epic wipeout snds her clattering into the pile of props and orca toys. Phoenix presses his hand to his forehead. “Athena,” he sighs, “you are the reason every public pool has about twelve ‘no running’ signs.”.
“Ugh.” She’s slow to get herself back up, kicking a small prop dummy, marked by deep teeth marks, nearly into the pool, in the process of extracting herself from a skull-and-crossbones flag. “Yeah. But I’ve got us a new angle on it, right?” She brandishes a broken plastic sword that he hopes she didn’t break. Its other piece is nowhere to be seen, so maybe she didn’t. What she did do is scuff up the tape that marks the body’s location, which even before her was wet and barely stuck down in several places.
Pearl tilts her chin back. On anyone else it would be haughty, but she is regal until a moment later she inhales deeply and scrunches her nose up. “There’s blood here,” she says, nose still twitching, mouth pulled to one side in a grimace.
“I think I’m just bruised, not bleeding.” Athena rubs her elbow. Then she freezes. “You aren’t, uh, smelling blood, is that what you’re—?” The terrified expression on her face isn’t subtle, and with Pearl standing right next to Phoenix, him noticing means she notices it just as well. Athena steps straight back through the prop pile, over the fallen limb of the ceiling-mounted octopus, until she’s bumping up against a pile of wooden crates with nowhere else to run.
“No, it’s not you,” Pearl says. “It’s dried.” She closes her eyes and inhales deeply again, holding it in with her shoulders up. “Human, mostly.” Athena squeaks, but Pearl’s attention is fixed in the mess. Squatting, she shifts aside a few smaller plastic swords and a volleyball and then, with a soft but triumphant laugh, she holds up something above her head. Not that she’s holding it, exactly: the glinting circle hovers a centimeter above her fingers so as to not leave prints on it. It looks like a coin, another piece of prop pirate treasure, half bright gold that catches the light, and half dull red—
Blood. There’s blood on the coin. “Th - that’s—” Athena sounds faint. “That’s blood. That’s - do you think that’s the victim’s? And how did it get here?”
Phoenix accepts it when Pearl offers it to him. It certainly looks and feels like metal, but one side is emblazoned with a skull and the other an anchor - nothing usable as far as currency goes. “I don’t know, but this might be what we need. It’s blood outside the pool - not like Orla can leave the water. Hey, Sasha,” he calls. She springs up from where she’s sitting on the other side of the room and hurries over, slower and more carefully than Athena hurries. “Do you know anything about these coins?”
“They’re part of the show! Guess I missed a few when I was cleaning up. The cops gave me the go-ahead to put them away after they were done looking at - at—” Sasha crosses her arms tightly. “The coins were all scattered around - around by—”
“Around here,” Phoenix offers, motioning at the outline of Jack Shipley’s corpse.
Sasha nods, and with a shudder, straightens herself back up, propping a hand on her hip. “No time to be a sad blobfish about it!” she says. “Gotta snapper out of it! Captain always says, when it’s showtime, you’ve gotta put on a smile!” She very obviously doesn’t look back down at the tape, the way Phoenix, if not occupying his mind with something else important, takes a wide step over the carpet beneath the window.
“My mentor had a saying a lot like that,” he says. Sasha jerks her head up, barely catching her hat as it slides off. “She always said it was a lawyer’s job to keep smiling through the hardest times.”
“Sounds like a wise lady,” Sasha says, suddenly subdued again. Was the implication, the comparison from the captain to Mia, and the past tense, that obvious - the other thing they share, besides advice about keeping optimistic, that apparent? Hanging onto the words of a dead mentor right after it happened, yeah, Phoenix has been there too. She lets the silence rest a moment longer and then she adds, “I still haven’t managed to find all the coins. There should be about three hundred total.”
“Maybe some ended up in the pool?” Athena, now extracted herself from the trashed corner of the room, no longer trying to hide from Pearl, leans over the water from the top of the ladder. “I think I see something glittering down there. I’ll go in and grab them!”
She is really not learning her lesson today about having an ounce of sense in and around the orca pool. “No, you won’t,” Phoenix says. “Not dressed like that. It’s sixty-five feet deep and your clothes are going to make you sink and drown. Sasha, maybe you can — Athena. Put your clothes back on right now.”
Athena shrugs her shoulder back into her jacket, but she has the audacity to not look even slightly ashamed, just indignant that he would have the audacity to stop her from stripping to dive into an aquarium tank already occupied by a killer whale. What part of I’m her boss, not her father has the universe at large not understood? Apollo wouldn’t be putting him through this. He wouldn’t have to stop Apollo from drowning himself.
“Sure thing, Phoenix, I’ll go grab them!” Sasha peels her crop top off over her head and even though he knows that she’s got a wetsuit on underneath the vaguely-pirate kinda-punk-rock gear, he still looks away - it’s polite. She leaves her shirt and shorts in a heap on the wet floor, her shoes having been discarded pretty much as soon as they made it back to the aquarium from the office, and without preamble or preparation she throws her hands over her head and dives down into the orca pool. Orla had been watching them curiously, and she swims slow circles around the pool, slowly descending, keeping some distance from Sasha but not enough that Phoenix isn’t still incredibly nervous for her.
What’s the longest an ordinary human can hold their breath underwater? The answer for an ordinary human working as an orca trainer is surely longer than Phoenix could imagine, definitely way longer than he could manage, but he doesn’t actually have a number to know if a selkie in human form surpasses that. Sasha is difficult to see, blurry through the deep water, and making Phoenix even more anxious as time ticks by slower than ever and she doesn’t, and doesn’t, and doesn’t come back up. Then Orla sinks further, to Sasha’s level, and she grabs the orca’s fin and lets her rocket her back up to the surface.
“There were a ton down there!” she exclaims, understandably breathless from her venture, and dumping the coins on the deck. “I mean, not actually a ton. They’re all around seven pounds in all.”
“That’s still a hefty bunch of coins.” He watches Sasha hoist herself out of the pool, ignoring the ladder not far to her right. Seven pounds of coins, one with blood on it, scattered all around a crime scene and a corpse. What’s it mean? It’s always something - write nothing off as coincidence. Everything’s good for a bluff, if nothing else. Seven pounds of coins, blood, a corpse, no murder weapon so all the suspicion’s on the orca. Seven pounds of coins, blood, corpse, no murder weapon—
He watches Sasha carry the wet coins over to a small box and dump them in. “What if the coins are the murder weapon?” he says.
“How?” Athena asks. “How could you kill a grown man with a little coin like that? Is this a fae thing?” Pearl shifts her stance, her sandals squeaking against the floor and her robes rustling.
“One coin on its own wouldn’t do anything, you’re right - but if you took all seven pounds of them, and put them in a bag…” He deliberately trails off, leaving her room to logic out the rest of the thought.
“You could use it as a blunt instrument!”
“Exactly. Though I don’t see any coin bag around here.” Maybe in that mess of props, as though they haven’t already gone through it twice.
“If the killer took it, it would look even more like Orla did it, and it doesn’t matter now, anyway!” Doesn’t it? Actually, for the moment, she’s right. “The coin and this theory is enough for reasonable doubt! We’ve gotta go let Fulbright know! This should be enough for him to take it to trial, right?”
“Right,” Phoenix agrees. “And I still wanted to speak with that woman and find out what she saw. She’s hopefully still where we left her. Let’s go.”
“Rapide! C’mon, Boss! Pearly!” In her excitement, Athena has already forgotten that she was, and rightly still should be, afraid of Pearl.
Norma DePlume is still at the Pub O’ Danger, now doubting that the veterinarian she’s harassing is here at all, and her Psyche-Locks snap like tree branches beneath a heavy Kurain snowfall. It was one of the weakest efforts he’s ever seen. She barely tried to pretend she wasn’t a blabbermouth who wanted to spill everything to the first person who crossed her path.
(Still would’ve been nice if she hadn’t attempted the pretense at all and just said it.)
Her claim is that she saw the moment Orla took the victim in her mouth and shook him to death, which - didn’t Fulbright say that the orca rammed him to death up against the tank glass? Until they have an official up-to-date and updated autopsy report it doesn’t really matter but it’s nice to know he can still spot contradictions, still remembers how to fire those connections in his brain. A stroke of fortune means that Fulbright shows up right as DePlume finishes her tale of the violent orca brutally maiming the poor owner, who she had so tried to warn of Orla’s tendencies, only to be so cruelly blacklisted from the aquarium. (And got back inside anyway.)
“I think you can see from this testimony that there’s no way this can be anything but accidental death,” Fulbright says. “But don’t feel bad! It’s the thought that counts and you’ve done all you can, I’m sure!”
Is that supposed to be consoling? Kind of him to try, but also in legal matters, it really, really isn’t the thought that counts. “Actually,” Phoenix says, “I think we do have something.”
Fulbright listens intently to their theory about the bloody coin, while DePlume shrieks and recoils from it. “That’s not decisive evidence of a human killer,” he says, but over Phoenix’s protestations adds, “But your theory does seem enough to warrant further investigation. I’ll give the Prosecutors Office a call about reinvestigating from a possible criminal angle. When we spoke earlier there was one prosecutor interested in the case, if you could find some merit to it - maybe now he’ll be willing to take it to trial. I’ll let you know!”
Phoenix closes his mouth. Of all the batshit bluffs pulling through for him, he’s about to bring an orca to court. They’re not exactly going to be able to sit her in the defendant’s chair. “Thank you, Detective.”
“I really hope they’ll listen to him,” Athena says. “We’re so close now!”
DePlume snorts disdainfully. Pearl has a hand in the touch tank, allowing a crab to crawl up her arm. Nothing even close to fear enters her posture - she acts like she’s right at home here. A pearl happy as a clam in the sea. What’s in a name? Magic, and the fae shape themselves and others by what they’re commonly called.
Athena joins her at the tank, leaning over it far enough that her hair swings across the surface of the water. She could attach a bobber and lure to it and go fishing with her ponytail. The two girls talk in quiet voices, either hoping not to disturb Fulbright just outside in the hall, or to eavesdrop on how the conversation is going. Phoenix paces a large circle around the edge of the room, watching the jellyfish bob lazily in their bottle-shaped tank suspended overheard. Do they ever get bored? Do they have enough brains to get bored? Do they have any brain at all? He can’t make out what Fulbright is saying on the phone, just that he’s talking, and then silent, and then saying something else. Is the length of time this is taking good or bad? Fulbright talking up a convincing case, or the Prosecutors Office going into detail about why this insane venture won’t be permitted.
He reenters with a yell. “You won’t believe what the Prosecutors Office had to say!” Athena snaps to attention. Phoenix hopes this is the good kind of won’t believe, where they won’t believe that Edgeworth actually agreed to allow someone to take a goddamn orca to trial, and not the bad kind of no, you wouldn’t believe that even with some evidence and reasonable doubt they’re just letting this one go.
“What happened?” Athena asks, bouncing on her heels. Pearl eases the crab back into the tank and folds her hands in front of her, waiting expectantly but much stiller than Athena.
“When I explained what you found, and your passion for the case, they said that the prosecutor I mentioned earlier is willing to take it to court!”
Phoenix’s stomach unclenches and then twists up in a worse knot. Holy shit, the day he gets his badge back and he’s got a case. He’s got a case and it’s an orca. “Yes!” Athena pumps her fist in the air. “We did it!”
“Does that mean there’s a human suspect being indicted?” Phoenix asks. Sure, he and Athena have already taken up legal representation of the orca, but maybe there’s a condition somewhere in there, that even a prosecutor who thought sure, what the hell to the initial matter has a line.
“No, I’m afraid not,” Fulbright says. “And to be perfectly frank with you—” He steps closer, posed conspiratorially, but his voice gets louder as he says, “Prosecutor Blackquill said he just wanted to prove the orca’s guilt in court.”
Ah. Of all the prosecutors available, this should not be a surprise. The witch (witch?) with the hawk. What are the odds that Edgeworth’s having a conniption?
“S - Ss—” Athena’s words comes out more like a hiss, no clue as to what words she’s going for, and then the hiss rises to an indignant yelp. “Prosecutor Blackquill?” Widget blinks yellow and immediately cycles to dark blue and then red. Athena’s tone tips past anger to a distraught wail. “It’s Prosecutor Blackquill who wants to prosecute Orla?”
Poor kid. She must still be fucked up from the Tenma trial, facing down the samurai-convict and surely imagining that after that her life would be free of him. But Phoenix is - not looking forward to this, no, but this badge back on his chest is tied inextricably to Blackquill’s fate. For Edgeworth, and Edgeworth wants to help Blackquill. And to help, Phoenix needs to know Blackquill. Needs to face him himself, and not just watch Apollo do the same. “Thank you, Detective,” Phoenix says. “Thanks for getting this arranged.”
“You’re taking this rather calmly,” Fulbright says.
“I’ve been committed to defending Orla from the start,” Phoenix says. With a few doubts and second-guessing what the hell he was doing, but orca or no, doesn’t that happen every case? “It doesn’t matter who’s prosecuting her - I’m not going to back down, now or ever.”
“And I’ll be doing my very best to make sure that justice is served,” Fulbright replies.
It’s finally occurred to Phoenix why Fulbright is a familiar name, why it set off a weird itch he couldn’t scratch when he heard it back at the trial in April. Edgeworth had mentioned him at the same time he first told Phoenix about Blackquill. Fulbright’s the one who’s been backing Edgeworth from the beginning. Fulbright’s the one who volunteered to be Blackquill’s point of contact to the free world, to chaperone him about and keep others safe from him.
(“This entire matter would have been dead on arrival if not for Detective Fulbright,” Edgeworth had said. “I was fighting with the precinct over Blackquill since before I officially became chief prosecutor. They refused entirely to allow any of their officers or detectives to be assigned as Blackquill’s monitor. If Fulbright hadn’t volunteered I’d still be spinning up against an endless argument about liability and rehabilitation for a man who aggressively pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.”
“Understandable on their parts,” Phoenix said. “But you think there’s more to it than that.”
Edgeworth fixed a withering glare on him. “I wouldn’t be letting a killer prosecute if I didn’t.”)
Three months have passed since Blackquill first took the bench, but the negotiations started much earlier, and with all that time spent around Blackquill and discussing Blackquill and acting as the liaison going between Blackquill and the people discussing him, Fulbright’s got to have heard a lot of shit about him. The mundane, and the loftier rumors. After all that it’s got to be a surprise for Fulbright to run up against someone who’s not recoiled in horror at the mere mention of Prosecutor Blackquill, the way Athena draws back against the touch-tank, her hands gripping tight against the edge of it, holding herself upright.
What’s Fulbright’s impression of those particular rumors about Blackquill, the ones Edgeworth barely thought to mention? There’s no way to know for sure without asking - a person appearing untouched by magic might be the most superstitious, easily believing whispers about witches and monsters, and on the other side there’s Phoenix all tangled up in it but still with no idea what in hell Blackquill’s deal is. But the quick once-over he gives Fulbright tells Phoenix that he’s the opposite of the prosecutor he’s tied to, unchanging and unchanged through both sets of eyes. Statistically that’s what most people are supposed to be - according to Edgeworth, anyway - but it never fails to surprise Phoenix when he finds someone human and unmarred by the tricks of the Court.
“Hey, Mr Attorney,” Fulbright says, and Phoenix jumps nearly out of his skin, suddenly sure that he’s read straight into his mind, somehow, even though if mind-reading was any magic Phoenix had ever heard of, he’d probably be able to See it. “Huh. Funny, I thought for sure for a moment that your eyes changed color there!”
“Oh.” Phoenix’s voice comes out poker-table level, and he decides that a smile, even a small one, is trying a little too hard to put him back at ease, so he keeps his face blank. “Yeah, I’ve noticed the lighting gets pretty funny in here, too, what with…” He points a thumb at the jellyfish and shrugs.
He seems dense, the detective, but Phoenix isn’t going to doubt his commitment to justice. Not because he keeps spouting off about it at the barest provocation, but for what he’s done. For Orla, and for Edgeworth. For Blackquill.
They’re left with the hum of the tanks, the last splash of Pearl’s hand in the water, Fulbright and DePlume’s voices fading down the hall. She’ll be a witness for the prosecution. Phoenix would love to see the battle between her and Blackquill as he tries to prepare her testimony. If she’s this fired up about the injustice of the killer orca, what’s she going to think of a murderer-prosecutor?
“So,” Athena says. “You know how we need, like, the signed defense request from the defendant to put us on the docket? Who’s going to sign that?”
“We could get Orla’s flipper and a stamp pad?” Pearl suggests.
“I think we’ll just talk to Sasha,” Phoenix says. She’s Orla’s trainer - she’ll be the next closest thing to the owner, someone who can be a representative of some sort, acting on her behalf. “We’ve got to let her know, anyway, that this is going to court.”
-
Sasha is thrilled. Hopping up and down - Phoenix once again fights the impulse to tell her to take more care on the wet floor - she turns to Orla and asks, “Did you hear that? They’ve done it! Your case is going to court!”
Phoenix swallows a lump that tastes something like shame. Poor Sasha - she just lost a coworker, show partner, and mentor, had not even her other coworkers believe in her animal friend, and she came to him on basis of a cross-examination of a parrot a decade ago. That’s desperation, and he nearly turned her down. “I don’t want you to get your hopes up too far,” he cautions, and Athena’s grin, directed at Sasha, snaps down into a glare affixed firmly on Phoenix. “We’ll still be fighting an uphill battle in the trial tomorrow, but we’ll do everything we can.”
Sasha plops down on the edge of the pool, dragging a foot through the water. She watches Orla nose a volleyball across the surface. “I feel so bad that she’s got to stay cooped up in here,” she says. “The big show pool outside, since we’re on the waterfront it’s a pretty quick shot to the ocean, we’d take her out all the time, butI think they’re afraid that I’m going to try and sneak her out and free her into the wild to save her.” Honestly, that doesn’t seem that far out there as a possibility. “But she’s so sad in here without the captain to play with - I just can’t keep up with her. You should see her fastball when she’s playing volleyball!”
She must know the word, or understand Sasha in particular, because Orla dives down deep in the water and breaches the surface, jumping high and spinning and smacking the volleyball straight into the back wall. It hits with a booming smack and bounces all the way back to land in the water again. “Oh, wow,” Athena says, a breathless, shocked kind of admiration, but Widget squeaks out, “Yikes!”
“And orcas if they’re kept in captivity in places too small for them, they start going crazy!” Sasha throws her hands into the air and then smacks them down at the pool’s edge. “Whacking themselves up against the walls, and there’s real problems with fin droop where it goes like—” She holds up a hand, perpendicular to the floor, and then swings it down flat. “The captain was always so concerned to make sure she had enough space, and was healthy, and that we were learning from every other sea park that did stuff wrong—”
“Sasha,” Phoenix says.
“I’m smiling, I’m smiling!” She forces a pained grin, more of a grimace, onto her face. “But nobody else knows how to take care of her, just me and the captain. And it’s like he’s counting on me, but I can’t do it right.”
“It’s like any human defendant having to spend a night or a weekend in a holding cell before their trial,” Phoenix says. “We’ve survived it” - or at least I have, three times, and god forbid Athena or Pearl has to go through that - “and I’m sure Orla will too. She hardly looks droopy now, does she?”
“No,” Sasha agrees. Orla chirrups and Sasha reaches out and pats her snout. “Thanks, Phoenix. And Orla thanks you too.”
“I thought you said Orla only understands certain people,” Athena says.
“Yep, pretty much!” Athena’s apparent argument seems lost on Sasha, but a second later she picks it up. “Certain particularly weird people, and your boss is one of them.”
Ah. Great. Sounds like a certain proximity to fae magic is what does it. “Thanks, Sasha,” Phoenix says wearily. At least it’s a better prospect than the animal vehemently hating him for that same thing. If he’s not being attacked, he’ll accept being called weird by an orca-training selkie. “No, weird is good!” Sasha throws up a hand in some sort of rock on! gesture.
“Yeah, Boss!” Athena echoes Sasha with a peace sign. “We’re the weirdest law office in LA and we’re proud of it!”
Just in LA? Where in the rest of the world is she finding any office weirder than the Wright Anything Agency? In complete honesty, Phoenix wouldn’t want to meet them, not while he’s too much for himself to handle.
Sasha grasps at straws to keep the conversation going, reluctant to let them leave and return to having Orla as her only conversational partner. And Orla emits a soft, mournful cry as the doors close on the three of them, ushering them away. In the lobby, as they pass the tank, Orla dives down and puts herself on eye level with them, bumping gently up against the glass. Through the speakers placed around, her sad sounds waft out to them. Pearl meanders to a halt, drifts slowly back and presses a hand up to the tank.
“Mr Nick,” she says. “You have to save her. This isn’t right. This isn’t fair.”
“We’ll do everything we can for her.” Phoenix watches frost form on the glass beneath Pearl’s increasingly sharp fingertips. “Pearls? What’s wrong?”
“She’s called a killer whale, isn’t she?” She grates her claws against the glass before she pulls them away.
“She’s not a killer!” Athena snaps. Has she even noticed the claws? “She didn’t do it! That’s just a name!”
Pearl sets a hard-eyed stare on her. “Names mean a lot,” she says. “They knew what her name is and what she is by nature, didn’t they? And even if they trained her and she still likes them, that’s still what - she still…”
“She still has teeth,” Phoenix finishes for her.
“But she grew up in this aquarium!” Athena protests. Has the subtext missed her? Is she too fixated on Orla and her case to hear that? “She didn’t want to go back to the wild! She wanted to stay! She was raised with people!”
“They were raising her hoping to change her nature?” Pearl asks.
“We’re not still talking about orcas, are we, Pearls?” Phoenix interrupts.
“What else would we be talking about?” Athena looks between the two of them, her eyes narrowing further and further as neither of them express the same confusion as her. She hasn’t been pondering what Phoenix has this whole afternoon, doesn’t think oh, this again. She doesn’t think of Maya’s glossy black hair and killer smile visible in the orca’s shiny skin and mouth snapping open to catch a fish, and she doesn’t think of Phoenix as the dead man bleeding poolside or maybe the trainer who fiercely believes in her despite everything. “Pearly, I thought you believed Orla is innocent!”
“I do!” Oh, god, if this turns into a fight Phoenix does not know how he’s going to stop either of them. Either could snap him in half. “If Mr Nick believes in her, then so do I! But the way they’re treating her even thinking that she did, isn’t fair.”
Who is Pearl thinking about? This veiled way they’re speaking - is it about changelings, sympathies for the devil? Or Pearl herself, walking her personal tightrope between worlds and the fae way Morgan raised her versus the pieces of a human childhood Phoenix offered. Nature or nurture, he always wonders - what makes the fae the fae? They can defy their natures, they can rise above circumstances - that’s what distinguishes fae and human from orca.
Athena blinks confusedly. Phoenix presses his eyes shut and wishes that this conversation had never started. Forget it, forget what he’s thought since the beginning, the parallel running through a funhouse mirror. She’s just an orca. “She’s just an orca,” he repeats out loud. “I think we might be - humanizing her a little much?” Pearl raises her thumb to her mouth, sharpening her claw on her teeth. Phoenix corrects himself. “Personifying her. She’s smart, sure, but she’s still a wild animal and arguing about whether or not she can defy her nature and instinct is—”
“Orcas aren’t just animals!” Athena can harness her anger and turn it on one, and only one, person at a time. She’s playing against Phoenix now, not Pearl. “They have feelings! They have their own songs and languages specific to their own families and pods! They’re one of the only animals that goes through menopause because the older females stick around and help raise kids and look after the pod!”
“We’re not your opponents, Athena.” How long has she been this deeply passionate about marine life to have all these orca facts on hand to spout out. How much does Phoenix not want to be having the moral and ethical conversation about whether it would be wrong to punish an orca for killing someone, and if said orca can even have awareness of what she’s done, if she really did it.
Athena’s shoulders fall; her arms tuck in close across her chest. “I know,” she says. “It’s just, all of Sasha’s sadness, and nobody believing in her, and how Ms DePlume is, it makes me so mad!”
“Save it for the prosecution,” Phoenix says. “Hang onto it all, and then let him have it. Orla deserves someone to fight for her, instead of just writing her off like they were going to, but philosophizing about her is not helping us.” Is she smart enough to be malicious, or is that only people, fae and human, who are? That’s the crux of the question of whether or not she would deserve to be punished for killing a person, but how are they supposed to get an answer.
“Philosophizing - wait, so you weren’t still talking about orcas?” Athena asks. “I thought you both sounded way sadder than you were whenever we’d talk about Orla, but if it wasn’t just her what were you talking about?”
“Us,” Pearl says.
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The Neighborly Thing To Do
Life was a fickle thing. Chloe’s grandmother knew this and was sure to tell Chloe all about it every time she saw her. Chloe disregarded her grandmother’s words for the most part, sure she was hopped up on all kinds of meds. Now however, standing before this greenish looking almost complete-stranger, Chloe realized what her grandmother had been talking about.
It was her day off from work, just a casual day for Chloe to tidy up the loose ends in her life and relax. A day Chloe felt was well deserved. It was like her clients had been able to feel her day off approaching rapidly, each client somehow more of a prick than the last. Still, she had kept up her polite demeanor, kept from snapping at any of the entitled assholes she dealt with regularly. So when she woke up to the door being knocked on so hard Chloe was sure it would fall off its hinges, she wasn’t too happy about having to pry herself from the nice warm cocoon that her bed and blankets had become. Still, with a knock like that, whoever was at the door surely had something important to say.
It wasn’t until Chloe had stood in the entryway to her apartment for a solid minute staring off into no man’s land before she discovered the small bag of food at her feet. This had to be some sort of prank right? Chloe had been out cold, so unless she was sleep-dialing-a-telephone-and-ordering-food, then it probably wasn’t her. She sighed and picked up the bag sagging under the weight of the food inside of it, plucking off the receipt and taking a look at it. In the process, she noticed the chipped red nail polish on her fingers, making a mental note be sure and redo those later. Shaking her head slightly, Chloe focused back on the task at hand. Finding out where the food actually came from.
Chloe squinted at the receipt, before giving up and padding off to find her glasses. She had run out of contacts yesterday, and purchasing more was just another box on her to-do list today. She picked up the round wire frames from her bedside table and slid back into the kitchen in her fuzzy socks, almost losing her balance on the slick wood floor as she collided into the cabinet. Her second pair of eyes finally on her face, she scanned the receipt once more, this time actually find the rightful owner of the food’s name. Calum Hood.
Chloe had to admit, it had taken her a couple tries to place the name. She knew it sounded familiar, but she didn’t exactly speak to the man on a regular basis. Occasionally, sure. In passing? Why not? But not enough to recognize his name as her next door neighbor. Chloe didn’t bother to put on shoes as she stepped out into the hallway, dresses in her Nike pros and old Columbia sweatshirt. This was a regrettable decision on her part because it was right when her neighbor opened the door that she remember just how attractive he was. Although, there was something different about his appearance from the last time she saw him. It was softer, sweeter than his normal I’m-a-stone-cold-bad-boy appearance.
Chloe froze for a second, taking in his appearance. His cheeks were flushed an angelic looking pink, making her think of a sweet little puppy. But his skin, which first appeared to be glowing, upon closer examination was actually sweat. It was then Chloe noticed how heavily he actually was sweating. She figured he had just been working out or something, no big deal. Chloe was just ready to get her day started.
“Hey. I’m Chloe from next door. I’m not sure if you remember me, we met a while ago.” Chloe stood there awkwardly, realizing she was probably rambling at this point. It was hard not to, though. It certainly wasn’t Chloe’s fault that her neighbor was so fucking attractive. It took her a minute, but eventually Chloe snapped back into reality, ready to fulfill the purpose for her visit. “Anyways, I think you had your food delivered to the wrong house. So, here you go.”
Chloe held the bag out, awaiting his next move. Calum just stood there staring at her, and for a moment Chloe was worried that she was at the wrong apartment. It would embarrassing as fuck if she had gotten this dude’s name wrong. Chloe met his eyes, but then realized he wasn’t staring at her. His eyes had just glazed over, their normal steely-ness replaced by a glassy appearance. Chloe wondered why he was acting so weird since normally he was the type of person to make someone feel like he was picking them apart with just his glare. But when it finally dawned on her, realization hit Chloe like a truck.
Calum was sick.
And from the look on his face, he was also about to be sick.
“Oh no. OH NO. Not here.” Chloe felt a little strange about it, but she took matters into her own hands, placing her hands on his shoulders and spinning him around. She pushed him into the nearest doorway, hoping for a trash can, a bucket, anything. Her guardian angel must have been on point today, because the room she happened to shove the broad-shouldered man into was a bathroom. Just in time, too, because as soon as Calum entered the room, her promptly curled himself over the toilet and proceed to empty the contents of his stomach into the bowl. Chloe sighed, her conscious at war with itself. She knew the man definitely needed her help, but it was her one day off. Was it too much to ask that she get to actually enjoy it? Still, her mother had ingrained a very strict set of principles into her being from a very young age. Chloe debated with herself for a minute before deciding to call someone for him. First, though, she dampened a washcloth with cool water and placed it on the back of his neck. Chloe was usually the designated driver in her friend group, and she figured taking care of a drunk person and a sick person were basically the same.
Chloe then wondered back into the main area of Calum’s apartment, finding the layout mostly the same as her own. His phone had been left discarded on the couch, so Chloe picked it up. He had a few notifications from twitter and instagram, but no texts from anyone. Chloe knew it was sort of weird, but she clicked the button, surprised to find his phone unlocked. She then opened his text messages and clicked on the top contact, someone named Ash. She typed out a simple message, still weirded out that she was kind of invading his privacy. She opted to keep it short and sweet, just stating that he was pretty sick and need someone to help him out. She pressed send before she could think twice.
Chloe bit her lip, twiddling with her thumbs for a minute before wondering back into her neighbor’s kitchen. Calum was going to need to have something in his stomach if he was going to keep up like this. She opened the door to his fridge, finding a lot of old takeout and alcohol. It was actually sort of sad to Chloe, and she guessed that he was either painfully single or had just broken up with someone. Chloe knew that she had a few cans of Sprite in her apartment, having given up dark sodas recently. After weighing her options for a little bit, she quickly ran over to her place, grabbed the soft drinks, and was back before Calum had thrown up again. Chloe quickly transferred the drink into an insulated cup she found on the counter along with some ice.
She picked up both the drink and her neighbor’s phone before waking back to join him in the bathroom. He was sweating harder than he had been previously, panting with his head still hovering over the toilet bowl. Chloe noticed the rag she had placed on the back of his neck was starting to slide off, but when she leaned over to adjust it, she found that cool cloth that she had placed there minutes before was already warm. Chloe grimaced, her own memories of being ill resurfacing. She slid her back down against the counter til she was in a sitting position next to him on the floor. Without even realizing she was doing it, Chloe started rubbing small circles on his broad back, trying to provide the smallest shred of comfort for the obviously miserable man. She sat there for a few minutes, just her hand on his back and her wondering why she was still here.
Chloe was so lost in her own thoughts that her brain barely registered the faint ringing noise that was Calum’s ringtone. She picked up the phone with her free hand, looking at the recent message. It was the Ash person again, but to Chloe’s distress, he was unable to come over until late tomorrow. Apparently, Calum and the rest of his friends were supposed to go on some trip for the weekend, but Calum had canceled when he got sick. Chloe lifted her other hand in order to type out a quick response, but paused when she heard a small whimpering noise escape from Calum’s mouth. Chloe felt the corners of her mouth tug up at the edges a little, finding how vulnerable the huge man was in this moment quite endearing. Calum seemed to have caught his breath for the moment, so Chloe figured it was worth the risk to try to move him to the couch. If she could just get him to go to sleep, she could sneak out and get on with the rest of her day off.
“You feeling better?” Chloe wasn’t exactly sure how to tell him that she wanted to book it out of his apartment in nicer terms. So she figured that ‘you feeling better’ was probably a good start.
Calum just gave a small grunt in response, still breathing pretty heavily. Chloe had to admit, if she was in that state, she would want someone to take care of her. Maybe he wasn’t feeling quite as well as Chloe would have wanted, but she was still holding out hope that she could drag him over to the couch.
“C’mon bud. At least let me help you to the couch. The bathroom floor is way too uncomfortable to sleep on.” Chloe tried to make her voice as soft and comforting as possible. While it was apparent that she would be getting no help from Calum on the matter, she still needed him to be at least sort of on board.
Chloe sighed internally and helped Calum to his feet. She slung one of his arms over her shoulders, shrinking a little over the addition of his weight to her own. She didn’t know what she was expecting, though; he was 6’1” and quite muscular. Together, they stumbled over to his couch, only when Calum collapsed onto it, he pulled Chloe down onto it with him.
Chloe was seated on the couch normally, which wasn’t so bad by itself. No, the true issues lied with how calum was laying. He had plopped his head into her lap and slung both of his arms around her waist, hugging her waist tightly. The more time Chloe spent with the sickly man the more he was reminding her of a small puppy. Which was adorable. Great. Chloe knew, buried deep down inside of herself somewhere, she was secretly enjoying taking care of Calum. But on principle, she just wanted to high tail it out of there as soon as possible, trying desperately to salvage the rest of her day. Still, it was clear that the man desperately needed someone to take care of him, the evidence lying in the used tissues and discarded pill bottles and plates of barely touched food scattered all over the apartment. It would be the neighborly thing to do, plus if Calum had any complaints, he hadn’t voiced them yet. So Chloe decided to try and take care of him as best she knew how.
It was times like these Chloe was sort of upset that her mother ran a natural health store. The only things she knew were weird and obscure home remedies, the type that were sure to work as soon as you added the final ingredient of pixie dust and unicorn tears. Still, Chloe dutifully scrambled back to her apartment and gathered everything she thought she might need into her newly emptied laundry basket, including her softest and most comfortable blanket. It was one of the only things that made her feel better when she was sick, so she figured that maybe it would help Calum out a little, too. Chloe felt a bit of regret that she kept having to leave Calum and leave his front door wide open, too. Still, it was for his own good. Nonetheless, when she returned in less than five minutes, she breathed a small sigh of relief when she found him the exact same position she had left him in. He had slipped into a bit of a restless sleep, a soft rumbling escaping from his lips every few seconds. It was a sure sign that he was starting to get worse as time went on, seeing as he hadn’t been nearly this congested as far back as Chloe could remember.
Chloe set her stuff down and took a moment to collect her thoughts before she walked over to Calum as silently as she could and crouched next to him where he laid on the couch. His breath was so raspy and his cheeks so flushed. Chloe knew it may have been a little wrong, but the man just looked so fucking adorable. She gently felt his forehead and cheeks with the back of her hand. Chloe felt the corners of her mouth tug downwards when she felt how fiery hot his skin was against her own, the dampness that was provided by his sheen of sweat.
Chloe was no idiot. She knew illnesses like these didn’t just appear overnight; it just made Chloe wonder why Calum didn’t do or say anything about the illness that he surely knew was coming. Calum was a bit too out of it to question at the moment, so Chloe just settled for trying to lower his body temperature bit by bit. She took his actual temperature first, though. Chloe knew how dangerous it could be to just try and lower his temperature all out once. She had some concerns, however. She knew that many people swore by trying to let someone sweat out a fever but the rational decision was to try and cool him down, right? Chloe wasn’t quite sure if she was doing anything right, but she was trying her best. If Chloe thought she could slip away later, she figured that she would try and get in touch with her other grandmother, the non crazy one, and see if she could offer any advice. Still, right now she could only do what she knew. So, Chloe started by taking his actual temperature. The back of the hand thing wasn’t exactly the most reliable system of measurement for a fever. Calum, however had other ideas.
“Hey, Calum. I need to take your temperature. Can you keep this under your tongue for just a little bit?” Chloe was bending over at her hips, trying to get Calum to concentrate for just one minute. How did the dopey little puppy she had found so endearing turn into a stubborn fucking gremlin in about two seconds, worse than any toddler that Chloe had ever baby sat.
Calum proceeded to spit the thermometer out every time Chloe tried to stick it in his mouth, mumbling something over and over that sounded a lot like ‘cow.’ Chloe didn’t know what he was going on about, instead just focusing on the task at hand. She was about to quit when Calum’s hand met her wrist and caught it in a strong grip.
“Cal. Call me Cal.” Chloe met Calum- Cal’s eyes and found them to be focused and attentive for once. It was nice that while Cal had one moment of clarity, he chose to use it to correct Chloe on a nickname. Not question why she was here, not ask who she was, just correct her with a nickname. Perfect.
Chloe finally got tired of playing games with the man child and sat next to him on the edge of the couch.
“Cal, bub, I need you to cooperate for one minute, please.” As soon as Cal opened his mouth to protest, Chloe seized her opportunity and stuck the thermometer under his tongue, holding it there firmly. Cal’s coherency seemed to slip from him as soon as it had come because he stopped fighting everything Chloe tried to do. Chloe simply sat with Cal for the duration of the minute, brushing his thick and shaggy dark curls back from his face. Cal’s eyelids grew heavy on his face, slipping lower while Chloe lightly dragged her nails along his scalp. Finally she heard the rather aggressive beep of the thermometer informing Chloe that the device had finished it’s task.
103.2º Chloe knew that Cal had felt warm, but this was teetering a bit close to the 104º territory. She didn’t inform Cal of this, but she resolved to check his temperature every hour, and if it went above 103.7º then they would be paying a visit to the hospital. First, though, she would give a few home remedies a try. Just to start, Chloe got her personal blanket and the comforter off of Cal’s bed and layered both of them onto his compliant figure. She also found a black beanie sitting on the edge of his dresser and figured it couldn’t hurt to add that on, too. This man may have been deliriously sick, but between the plump fever-flushed cheeks and rich curls tucked haphazardly under the beanie, Calum was just about the cutest person Chloe was pretty sure to ever exist. He was sick nonetheless and Chloe once again felt her responsibility for his health take over.
She retreated back into the kitchen, digging in his freezer until she finally found what she was looking for. Ice packs. She took one out and, after searching for a minute, wrapped in one of his dish rags. Then she dampened a second rag and wrapped it around the ice pack, too. Chloe had tried to learn from her previous experiences and hoped that the ice pack wouldn’t melt before it could cool Cal down even the smallest bit. She also wetted a second smaller cloth to drape across his forehead, something to keep the sweat at bay. Gathering both sets of clothes, some various medicines, and some soup crackers, Chloe walked back to where Cal was laying, her arms laden with the items.
She dumped the contents of her arms onto Cal’s small coffee table, wincing at the loud clattering noises everything made as it made contact with wooden surface. Cal creaked his swollen eyelids open at the sounds she accidentally made.
“Ooh, my bad.” Chloe halfheartedly apologised for awakening him, knowing he could probably use all the sleep he could get.
“It’s fine.” Cal made the move to sit up, but stopped halfway through, obviously dizzy. Chloe swiftly moved to help him, placing one hand under his arm and the other on his back to steady him. Cal stated no thanks, instead offering up a grimace. Chloe knew that look. That was the ‘I’m-about-to-throw-up’ look. Chloe reacted on instinct, procuring a small garbage can and placing it in his lap. Cal just sat there, dry-heaving. It was an awful feeling, Chloe knew, but she assumed since he had nothing in his stomach to throw up then he must not have had very many fluids in his system either. Chloe went through all the pills and syrups, searching for one that wouldn’t harm him if he took it on an empty stomach. After finding one to help ease the nausea a bit, she gave him a little more than the correct dosage. To be fair, the dosage was for an averaged sized woman and not a particularly large man.
However, if Chloe wanted to give him more of the heavier stuff, then he’d need to eat something. She retrieved the drink from earlier from the bathroom and placed it directly into his hand. Cal seemed to get the message and dank quite a bit before placing it on the coffee table as well. Once she had laid him back down and gotten the cloths situated, Chloe once again walked back into the kitchen. The apartment was an open concept, thank goodness, so she was able to keep an eye on him as she got him some food. The question remained what.
From the contents of his apartment, it was evident that Cal spent very little time in it. There really wasn’t much of anything in here, decorations, food, or otherwise. In all honesty, Chloe found it just a touch sad. Her apartment was cluttered with mementos from her experiences and relationships. It just made her wonder why he didn’t have any. Chloe, after searching the contents of his kitchen and deeming nothing appropriate, once again slipped back into her own apartment and gather the ingredients for soup. She figured chicken noodle was a classic sick-o food, and therefore, she couldn’t go wrong with it, right? It was a pretty simple recipe, but Chloe was never the one to do anything half hearted. So instead of just opening a can of Campbell's and warming it up, she took it upon herself to make said soup from scratch.
Chloe had always considered herself a pretty good cook. She had never burned anything, was always able to follow a recipe; but this time? Well, not to brag, but Chloe felt that she had really outdone herself. The food wasn’t anywhere near done yet, but it was already smelling positively delectable. Chloe finished boiling the noodles, only cooking them partially so they could finish off and absorb some of the flavor, and dumped them into the broth. It was then she noticed a secondary presence watching her from where he leaned against the counter.
“Feeling better?” Chloe hopped up onto counter and leaned forward a little, bending to adjust her sock that happened to be falling down a bit.
“Feeling okay. Okay enough that I’m starting to question why my neighbor, whom I’ve spoken approximately two words to, is in my apartment making me soup and being way too nice to me.” Chloe snorted internally. Apparently, Cal was feeling well enough to be snarky. Chloe squirmed a little bringing her feet up to cross her legs as she sat there on top of the cabinet. She had actually been wondering the same thing herself.
“Well, after you almost threw up on me, it was oh so painfully obvious you needed some help. I did, in fact, try to contact one of your friends,” Chloe paused when Cal raised his eyebrows at her, and realized how much of a stalker she must have seemed like in that moment. “Someone named Ash texted to see how you were feeling. Stop giving me that look. Anywho, he said he was unavailable and I wasn’t.”
“Hmm.” Cal pursed his lips, seeming to think on her words for a moment. He still had that dumb black beanie on, the one Chloe had put there herself. At this point, she was about ready to just bolt out the door and move apartments all together. What in the actual fuck had she been thinking? What even was a conscious anyways? She had almost made up her mind to just abort the situation when Cal walked over and lead against the counter right next to her. “Thank you. For everything.”
Well, fuck. Chloe about just damn melted. The pure softness he was radiating was too much for her. Between the fever-flushed cheeks, timid smile, and silky curls, she was once again reminded why she was still here. How could she possibly leave?
She offered a small smile to Cal and slipped off the counter. Curse the damn soup for not taking longer to be ready. She could have sat there with him for an eternity, but instead decided to finish up with her task. She had never burned anything and she wasn’t planning on starting today. Before she could start searching through all his cabinets, Cal reached up into the one above her head and pulled down two of his bowls. She took them from his hands and gave them both a moderate amount. She knew he probably wasn’t all that hungry, but he still needed to eat. Plus, she figured if she could get him to eat about half of the portion she gave him, they would be doing pretty good.
Chloe turned back to Cal, the bowls in her hands and some words on her lips when new look appeared on Cal’s face. This wasn’t his resting face nor his I’m-about-to-throw-up face, either. Instead, it was one where his eyes went glossy and his face pale, a rather concerning grey hue replacing the feverish-flush. His lips parted, almost forming the words he was obviously desperate to get out. His body had other ideas, however, giving out from under him. Chloe let the bowls fall from her hands and clatter onto the ground, soup and noodles flying everywhere.
Chloe flung her arms out, desperately trying to catch him before he hit the ground. Her arms hooked under his own but instead of catching him, she was only able to break his fall, albeit a substantial amount. She was dragged onto the ground by his weight, his head once again in her lap.
Well, this was a cause for concern, to say the least. Chloe figured that he probably passed out due to low blood sugar, but at this point, a trip to the doctor was starting to seem better and better. She pushed his curls off his forehead once more and tried to determine their best course of action. There was no way Chloe could get him to his bed, much less the couch or the doctor. It seemed a little mean, but Chloe lightly tapped Cal’s cheek, biting the inside of her cheek and hoping for the best. This was such a strange situation to be in, but Chloe was in too deep to stop now. Much to her relief, Cal peeled his eyes open, seemingly disoriented. Made sense. He blinked hard and groaned, reaching his hand up to his forehead. Chloe just sat back a little, giving him a moment to collect himself before trying to move him. She was sort of anxious to get him back onto the couch. He made the moves to sit up, so Chloe pushed him up the rest of the way and waited a minute to let him get used to that. The she once again slung his arm over her shoulders and stood slowly, paying close attention to move at his pace while he got his feet back under him. He leaned heavily on her, keeping one hand lightly touching his forehead, but unable to focus on anything but the feeling of Chloe’s arm around his waist.
She helped him lower himself gently back onto the couch and brought the blankets back over him, even going as far as replacing the cloths and ice pack with newer, colder ones. Chloe watched as Cal’s eyelids closed again and the snores started up once more. Chloe was a touch disappointed that she had been unable to get any food into him, but sleep was a better alternative than throwing up. She stood for a minute, watching his peaceful expression, before hearing his phone ring and racing to answer it before it woke him.
“Hello?” Chloe once again felt strange about answering his phone for him, but today was already sort of out of the box. This wasn’t even the craziest thing that had happened today.
“Hi, is this Calum Hood?” A woman’s voice crackled through the speaker of the phone, sounding utterly professional. The voice was mature and strong, and, to Chloe, a hell of a lot older than her and Cal.
“No, he’s asleep right now. This is his friend, Chloe Van Dyne. Can I take a message?” Chloe wondered about the apartment while she spoke, carefully keeping her voice hushed so as to not wake Cal up.
“This is his physician, Dr. Park.” Chloe breathed a sigh of relief, thanking her lucky stars that she had called. It left the decision as to whether or not to take him over there in someone else’s hands.
“Oh, thank goodness you called. I actually had a few questions for you.” Chloe spoke quickly, almost desperately. “So, he fainted earlier, should I be concerned? Also, should I bring him in to see you? I think this illness is a bit more than just a common cold.”
“Slow down for just a second, sweetie.” Dr. Park chuckled a bit, finding the concern the young girl obviously had for her friend utterly charming.”He probably just fainted due to a low blood sugar. Just try to get some food into him. And no, there’s no need to bring him in. He actually already came to see me. Just make sure he takes his prescription.”
“There isn’t one?” Chloe felt her brows furrow together, almost automatically. If Cal knew he was sick and he had been to see the doctor, then why hadn’t the dumbass gone to pick up his prescription?
“Well then. I already called it in and he pre-paid for it, so you should just be able to go to the pharmacy and pick it up for him. I can give you the information if you’d like.”
After gathering the pharmacy information from Dr. Park, Chloe said her goodbyes and hung up. Her worries were thus far mostly relieved, and since Cal was still asleep, she figured she had a few moments to slip out to the pharmacy and pick up his prescription. It only took her a matter of minutes, so Chloe felt that she had time to go ahead and get some chinese food for herself as well. At least that part of her day off was still intact.
Chloe was once again relieved to find Calum still asleep on the couch. It was for the best. If he was asleep, he couldn’t exactly throw up all over the place. She read the directions on the pills she had recently picked up and, much to her chagrin, shook Calum awake.
“C’mon bub. Wake up.” She gave him a minute and went back to the kitchen for a second bowl of soup, ready to make him give eating something another shot. While she was in there, she cleaned up the spilled soup from earlier. He opened his eyes, groggy but not too tired. Chloe removed a pill from the bottle and went back to Cal.
“Open up.” She leaned over him and tried to pop the pill into his mouth. Instead, he leaned over and threw up. Right. On. Her.
Chloe sighed deeply and looked towards the ceiling. She rubbed her face over and bit her lip, thinking about all the things she could have been do if she wasn’t here, such as not getting thrown up on. How exhausting. Calum started to apologize, but she just held up her hand and shushed him. It wasn’t his fault he was sick, just that he had bad aim.
“It’s fine. I’m just gonna go change real fast, then I’ll be back.” Chloe started to head back to her apartment for the third time today. She really wanted to shower, but she had also wanted her day off to be productive and, well, look how that had turned out.
“You can shower here if you want. I have some sweats you can wear?” Truth be told, Calum just really didn’t want her to leave. He had seen her looks throughout the day, had even heard her grumbling once or twice about her day off being eaten up by taking care of him. If he was to be completely honest, he was worried that if she left right now, she might not actually come back. As much as he hated being sick, he had to admit that it was sort of nice to be taken care of by someone, especially someone he had been sort of fawning over for such a long time.
“Oh, um, okay then.” Chloe cocked her head, sort of uncertain about showering here. Still, she figured she might as well. There was a pair of leggings in the laundry basket that she had apparently missed when she was emptying it out, so she just borrowed one of his hoodies, a large forest green one with the word empathy written on the front. She was in and out of the shower in a matter of minutes and, after toweling off and drying her hair, she joined Cal on the
Couch, pleased to find the pill taken and the soup half eaten. As soon as she had gotten comfortable on the couch with her legs once again in criss-cross-applesauce style, Cal plopped his head back into her lap. She felt her fingers tangle themselves into his hair, working out the knots and furls. Chloe figured she’d be here a while so she grabbed the remote off the coffee table and turned on Netflix, pulling up The Office.
She was pleased to note that it was a part of Cal’s list. She liked a man with good taste. Chloe couldn’t help but smile a little, too, when she noticed that the Great British Bake Off was right next to it in his list. Like she said, she liked a man with good taste. She just picked up on the episode that Calum had left off on, having already seen the show multiple times. She chuckled softly at Michael’s bullshit and was sort of surprised when she heard Cal chuckling along, too. He probably needed to go back to sleep but instead of telling him that, Chloe instead just ate her food that she had picked up. It was almost seven already and it was only when her stomach started rumbling that she realized that she hadn’t eaten anything that day. All was well, but she was tucking into the chow mein like a fiend. Cal tried to sneak one of her egg rolls on a couple occasions, but she was quick to smack his hand away. He was already throwing up pretty consistently every ten or fifteen minutes. There was no need to chinese food as fuel to that fire.
While he may have still been getting sick, Cal was actually really enjoying the day. Chloe was, in Cal’s opinion, a godsend. He was now really pleased with the fact that the rest of the guys had abandoned him for the weekend. Cal loved his friends, but he would be the first to admit that they would be nowhere near as helpful as Chloe was, nor would they look even a fourth as good doing it. Maybe it was kind of dumb, but he had always remembered Chloe, whether on tour or when he was just hanging out in L.A. This wasn’t his ideal way of getting to know someone, nor was it that great of a first hang out session, but he would take what he would get in reference to time with her. They just laid there together late into the evening, her soothingly rubbing his back as he got sick. Again, not ideal, but also not that awful. It was a nice change of pace from the past couple of days, being sick and miserable all alone in his rather bare apartment.
Time ended up passing a little too fast for Chloe’s tastes, but she felt her eyelids gaining weight by the second. She was actually a little shocked when she glanced at her phone and noticed that it was already a little past eleven. Calum was already long gone, but she figured getting him into his bed was the least she could do. He opened his eyes automatically when she stood up, which made it a lot easier on her.
“C’mon, bub. Let’s get you into bed.” She stood him up and ushered him back into his bedroom, carrying the comforter and blankets in her arms. As he climbed under the sheets, Chloe spread the blankets back over him. She was so fucking tired, just ready to go back home.
Chloe crept towards the door, ready to make her escape. Yeah, Cal was still sick, but there wasn’t really any harm in leaving him here for the night and coming to check on him tomorrow, right? But, right as she had reached the door, she heard him.
“Stay. Please.” It was small and pathetic, Calum knew, but he figured he had a good excuse in being sick. Maybe it was selfish, but he couldn’t have possibly given less of a fuck, instead choosing to focus on how adorable she looked in his sweatshirt. It was obviously way to big for her, but that just added onto the charm of it all. Cal watched her make up her mind, watched as she tried to hide her smile and looked towards the ground.
“Alright.” Chloe didn’t know why she stayed. Well, that’s not true. She knew exactly why she stayed. She stayed because there was the tiniest, slimmest possibility that she was really starting to have feelings for him. And an even slimmer possibility that he had already maybe kind of sort of wrapped her around his finger.
So, she laid down back into the bed, already drifting off, but not before feeling Cal curl his body around her own. Maybe today hadn’t been a complete waste.
___
Chloe awoke the next morning to a loud crashing sound and a sort of high pitched male voice. She pried herself from Cal’s arms gently went to see what all the noise was about. She was still in Cal’s sweatshirt and socks (with her own leggings on of course) as she padded to the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She had awoken feeling absolutely refreshed and completely confused. She was slightly disoriented as she regained her bearings, yesterday’s events coming back the her. It was then she noticed yet another man of large stature, this one with bright red hair and hazel eyes. He had coffees in his hand, three of them. Taking into to consideration the fact that he was alone and there was only her and Cal in the apartment, she figured the third must be for her. And, since he was the only person that knew she had been with Cal, this must have been Ash.
“Hey.” Chloe spoke softly. Even though who she presumed to be Ash was banging around in the kitchen, she was still holding out hope that Cal would stay asleep. Even though she was already late to work, Chloe figured she would call in a sick day. Give herself another shot at her day off.
“Hey.” Ash turned to face her, kind of surprised. Ash knew that Cal had been pining over his neighbor for a hot minute, and while he wasn’t about to do his best friend like that, Ash had to admit that Chloe was super cute. Especially when she hopped up on the counter and pushed her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose, her hand hidden by the too long sleeves, save for her fingertips. “Here. For you.”
Ash presented Chloe with the third coffee, just as she had expected, and leaned against the counter opposite of her.
“Isn't that Cal’s?” Ash gestured towards the sweatshirt Chloe was still wearing. He knew good and well that it was Cal’s; he just wanted to know why she was wearing it.
“Um, yeah. He lent it to me after he threw up all over my own shirt yesterday.” Chloe rolled her lips into her mouth. She was so ready to leave, feeling that Ash was scrutinizing her for whatever reason. “You know what, I think I’m going to head out. I’m officially passing the baton over to you. His meds are on the coffee table.”
Chloe slid off the counter and gathered her things, deciding to leave the blanket after debating with herself for a minute. It gave her an excuse to see him again anyways. So, once she was sure she had everything, she bade farewell to Ash and walked out the door.
___
It was almost two when Chloe heard the timid knock on the door. It had been a couple weeks since the whole Calum debacle, so she wrapped her blanket around her shoulders and slumped over to the door, her entire body sore. She swung the door open only to find the last person she wanted to see sitting there.
“Hi.” Cal only said one word, but he said it really timidly. He didn’t exactly remember everything from when he was sick, so there was a very real possibility that he had said something he was gonna regret. Still, he needed to return her blanket. And to see her again. Although, he remember her differently. She hadn’t looked quite this dead the last time he had seen her, or nearly this angry.
“YOU.” Chloe was feeling quite the whirlwind of emotions right now. She had been wanting to see Cal for a while now, but not like this. She was sure she looked like Hell.
“You look like hell.” Nice one Cal, he thought to himself as he stood there.
“It’s your fault. You got me sick.” Chloe was about to say something more when she felt the familiar taste of salt over take her tongue. Unlike Calum had been, Chloe was a pretty self-sufficient sicko, but that didn’t stop Cal from following her into the bathroom and rubbing her back as she emptied the contents of her stomach, even going so far as to hold her hair back. Chloe was grateful, but all she could think of were her grandmother’s words.
Ah, life, you fickle mistress.
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Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad
That would have been a great title for my book if it wasn’t already taken. But I’ve come up with a better working title for this project. The title I came up with several years ago was “Serving Sentences” based on the fact that I first started putting this story to paper after finding my old high school buddy, Spencer Clauss, in prison and becoming pen pals over the next four years. On my first visit to see Spencer in prison several months after finding him, I made a pact with him that I would write him a letter for every letter he wrote me from prison. This began a four-year period of Spencer and I trading stories on a monthly basis and “serving sentences” to each other (pun intended) as we had agreed. Sadly, Spencer never heard the end of this story due to liver cancer, which claimed his life on June 4, 2018.
I started looking for Spencer after attending my 30th high school reunion in Seguin, TX in 2007, and asking some of our old pals if they had heard from him or knew anything about his whereabouts. The rumor among my pals was that Spencer was dead following a heroin overdose “a while back.” That seemed perfectly plausible, but I wasn’t satisfied with that answer until I could verify it as fact. I did all the usual google searches trying to find my long-lost buddy, but came up empty-handed. I gave up trying to find him for several years, when out of the blue, I had a hunch to do an inmate search on the Texas Department of Criminal Justice website. I typed in Spencer’s name and found him instantly - it was that easy - I just wished I had thought of it three years earlier. I also learned that he was in prison for the third time since high school. This time, it was for attempted robbery with a firearm. He was nine-years into serving a mandatory 20-year sentence with no parole. Spencer wouldn’t be a free man again for another eleven years, meaning that he’d be 66 years-old. After the horror of spending just one night in jail after being framed by Yvonne, I couldn’t imagine waking up in Spencer’s shoes. I still can’t.
Spencer was my first life experience of having someone close to me break bad. We met when I was 14 years old shortly after moving from Dallas to Lake McQueeney (just outside of San Antonio). Spencer was 15 and going on 25. He grew up on the South Side of San Antonio (which had a reputation for being a tough part of town), and he already had enough life experience to write a book. I was a square, straight-A student from a Catholic grade school in Dallas. I had been an alter boy and a boy scout, and up until I met Spencer, I had never uttered a curse word in my life. Spencer was fluent in cursing. He articulately used the word “fuck” as a noun, an adjective, a verb, an adverb, an exclamation, and a prepositional phrase, depending on the context he was making use of the word for. This impressed me, despite the fact (or maybe because of it) that English was my favorite subject in school.
Spencer had gotten in trouble living with his mother on the South Side, and already had a rap sheet as a juvenile. His mother sent Spencer to live with his dad on Treasure Island, an affluent community on Lake McQueeney, in the summer of ’73. That was the same summer my family moved to Treasure Island, and it wasn’t long before I crossed paths with Spencer. Everything about Spencer was “cool” - from hIs hair (he wore a dirty-blond afro), to his voice (he was articulate and he had a smooth delivery), to his clothes (bellbottoms were the rage and he wore them with swagger), to his personality (people tended to gather around Spencer, especially girls), and last but not least, to his motorcycle (a blue Honda SL100). With all that going for him, Spencer had me at “hello,” not to mention that I had a Honda SL100 of my own (mine was green). Spencer and I bonded over our otherwise identical motorcycles, and became best friends and riding buddies overnight.
Its no secret to my Facebook friends from Seguin that I was a “head” in high school. If you’ve seen the movie “Dazed and Confused,” you’ve seen the movie of what life was like as a “head” at Seguin High School in the mid-70’s. This is where being a Gemini helped me. Gemini’s are said to have twin personalities. I think of it in terms of being like a chameleon and being able to switch “colors” instinctively in order to blend in with your surroundings. This gave me a natural talent for maintaining separate identities, one for my parents and one for my friends, and being able to make a seamless transition between the two. Thus, I had my parents fairly convinced that I was still a goody-two-shoes even though I was hanging out with a certified juvenile delinquent and quickly learning his trade. As a freshman and sophomore in high school, I could ingest just about any mind-altering substance and still present myself as “normal” to my parents and teachers. This would keep me out of trouble at home and at school for the most part because, unlike some of my friends (and especially my brother, Randy), I functioned pretty well stoned and didn’t “knock off” (the 70’s term for looking stoned). I would lose this ability around the age of 17 (which is when I decided to go straight), which is when my friendship with Spencer fizzled out as quickly as it started. By my Junior year, Spencer had gotten into so much trouble around Lake McQueeney that he was on my parent’s shit-list and I was banned from hanging out with him. As a result, I went to elaborate measures to maintain my friendship with Spencer and stay under my parent’s radar. We would hang out on “the street” before school, go to lunch together (which usually consisted of a reefer followed by a honeybun and chocolate milk), and hang out at his dad’s house across the lake after school when my dad was out of town, which was often because he was an airline pilot. Spencer’s dad (Spencer Clauss, Sr.), was married for the first two years of our friendship, but when Cathy divorced him, he hit the bottle pretty hard and stayed out late chasing women every night while Spencer, Jr. and I drank his bourbon and got stoned.
Things took a dramatic turn for the worse when Spencer made the regrettable error of breaking into the Ski Lodge twice (a private club on the lake that both of our parents were members of). He got away with the first break-in, but he got busted for the second, and his dad and step-mom got kicked out of the lodge as a result. This caused great embarrassment to Spencer’s folks and precipitated their divorce, and it led to Spencer being “Public Enemy #1” in the eyes of the community. It also led to the aforementioned ban (by my parents) on our continued friendship. It wasn’t as easy to spend time with Spencer after the second lodge break-in, and he began hanging out with older losers and getting deeper and deeper into drugs. It finally reached a point in our senior year that I had a “come to Jesus” talk with him about where his life was headed if he continued down that road. He didn’t want to hear any of it (which he confirmed on one of our prison visits), and when I told him on New Year’s Eve of 1976 that I was getting stoned with him for the last time that night, and that I was going straight when the sun came up, he told me he didn’t want to hangout with me anymore if I was going to be “uncool.”
When school resumed after the holidays, I had changed into a new man and no longer hung out on “the street” before school, no longer hung out with my “head” friends, and no longer got stoned. I wouldn’t hangout with Spencer again for another 37 years (2014) when I started visiting him in prison…
To Be Continued…
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Ye olde smut time machine II
***Back in the day I wanted to prove I could write any genre of erotica. Of course, I did. Here's a tidbit of my take on a sadistic psycho dominatrix with multiple personality disorder. Enjoy. ***
He had a noticeably Estonian first name, with a surname which made me reminisce of a prodigious, departed stranger from a winter’s night tryst in Bruges. A marbled chest, of which The Louvre was unworthy and that smile. That smile which screamed “rape whistle, where are you!?” Inhibitions to the wayside in the name of conquest and danger.
Yet why worry? As always my trusty girl, the dagger of my dreams was by my side. “Baby Doll I love you.” No silly, it wasn’t this dusky manchild baying his affection in a not very subtle attempt to woo and conquer. It was Karo, La Karolina, adjusting unblemished eyeshadow before sliding my crimson tipped index and middle finger over each faultless framing brow. One soft luxuriant palm dropped to pat the pearl encrusted handle of the trusted dagger at my hip. ‘Baby doll, I love you.” A girl and her poniard should never be underestimated.
I had allowed my suitor to accompany me home. Coy moves along the way ensued. He would twirl me into his arms. A dip low enough for my highlighted tips to nearly touch the filth of the sidewalk below. Natch, you naughty boy. As much pleasure as you seem to take in your own personal grooming, treat the Goddess with respect. It was as if he could read my mind. Chiseled forearms steadied me back atop my stilettos.
Slam, I crushed him against the nearest brick wall. Looking into his filled with shock eyes I bit hard at his collarbone. An abrupt release of my incisors from his salty skin followed.“A love bite, lover.” No sense in being bashful, my mouth attacked his. Voracious, open mouthed seductions between two tongues. He was smitten. I was decisive.
Back at the Palais de Figaro I asked that he make himself comfortable. By comfortable I meant shirtless. I made my way towards the bar. One of those girlish saunters that sent the finest of my assets swaying for his delight. U’luvka vodka was in order. On the rocks. The humorous thing about U’luvka is that in my mother’s native tongue, Polish, it quite literally means legless. My head tipped in a ponderous moment. I wonder what this manly piece of cheesecake would look like legless?
Would it be like the odd little knight in the Monty Python movie. Filled with a false bravado as each limb separated from torso? Or would he succumb to his failure? Sobbing a mournful bale of regrettable sadness at his impending doom. Begging for his last breaths to be taken by the shiny, delicate blade of Baby Doll. Fuckwit.
Slim fingers silently searched into the bartop drawer, identifying an small folded envelope whose contents were emptied in a slight of hand motion into loverboy’s drink. Stir and prepared. I made the same coquettish steps back towards my new man, handing over his tumbler, then dropping to my knees.
I sipped at the glorious clear liquid while my free hand latched to his buckle. Chin lifting I urged, “Drink my lover. Pić oraz moją miłość.” A tender smile cracked before dropping my head to engulf the incessant growth of his virile manhood.
Some say it’s all in the wrist motion. That light twist and grasp as your head bobs ruby lips and porcelain teeth to graze past the coursing with blood veins of his shaft. There is the requisite gasp before beginning. “It’s so large Baby! Can I even fit it in my mouth? Oh my?” That’s right before you go deep, burying your nose into the musky essence of his mons pubis. For effect I will allow him the auditory pleasure of my gagging, as if I were a trashy porngraphic harlot. Yes, big boy. Roll your fingers through my hair, scrunching it, messing it up, ruining it, you indignant fuck.
I pull back, a faux heaving breath as the trail of my spittle dangles precarious like an Amazonian bridge in the wind from my pouted lower lip to bulbous head of his cock. Deft digits pump at the shaft, I go back to work, head jackhammering over his rigid molten shaft until my tresses cascade back like a winged phoenix behind me. Breathe. Assess.
There we go little boy. Those kind eyes are beginning to falter. Lids drooping like the shades of my bedroom window when the perv next door removes his trash, standing at the curb far too long for my liking. I give a shake of his once proud, now diminishing cock. A suitable result, enough to plaster a smirk to my face. I rise, towering between his spread legs as he falls faster towards slumber, arm stretch to swipe away the remains of his drink. Then I spit. Not once but twice. A projectile towards his weak shriveled wanker and one to his cheek. Lotharios are not made to be loved.
Used is their purpose. I watched his jaw draw slack and the first audible snores, throaty and masculine. Good enough for me. With my own drink now in hand I retired to the den, snatching the remote from the mahogany coffee table and tuning in the DVR for a marathon of Young and The Restless. Time was on my side. 1:14 AM.
Three hours of that inglorious bastard Victor Newman later I returned to my sweet prince. If a daily regimen of pilates, crossfit and yoga have done anything for me it’s made this slim, flexible body more than just a fuck toy. It’s made capable of taking care of any situation and more than capable of heaving twice my weight across lean shoulders for the fifty seven steps towards my pleasure room. Stilettos included, because no pain, no gain and balance training is unf.
My heart rate bumped a slight acceleration in what turned out to total fifty nine steps with this lumpy sack of potatoes slung over me. Was it lumpy or was it the cut definition of his rigid abdomen and toned like Adonis pectorals? Clinically speaking as a physician I must err towards the latter.
With a thud I dropped Mister Beef to the safety and comfort of the adjustable examination table. His jeans were thigh high like a lingerie on a Victoria's Secret model, easing my ability to yank them away for the proverbial toss to the corner out of sight. I liked him better this way. As he was brought into this world and how he, time and date dependent upon my mood, would depart from it.
The task of moving him into place went by with ease. I took time to marvel at his feet as I strapped them into the stirrups. Hairless with a crescent curve to the instep leading down to the display of his obvious penchant for pedicures. Pretty nails deserve to be painted. Twisting my head back towards the clock, 4:47 AM. Time enough to pretty up my pretty boy.
In all of my lust induced revelry I had failed to notice the one predominant trait of my newfound friend. Tattoos. Yuck. No rhyme or reason to them. Now, as an educated woman I understand we all have the right to choice. Yet, these. These were random with no story to tell other than possibly a bad decision on drunken night. I am an artist of pain. Preference is given to a clean canvas. Tonight I would take the sullied, and revile him further for poor choices. Whether he could hear me or not.
I sucked in a long, tedious breath through the nostrils of my perfect button nose. “Relax Karolina. Oddychać Karo.” My entertainment had yet to begin and already I was becoming a manic mess.
“He wants to enjoy your gift Karolina.” I walked beside my paramour, finger sweeping away errant hairs from his brow. “How serene you look my lover. At peace. Rested in wait for me to give myself to you.” I clutched each thick wrist in a firm hold, a brusk yank over his head to bind them encased in supple brown leather cuffs. “So pretty. So, so pretty my beautiful boy.”
Six o’clock came and went, the golden sun rising in the east as I stripped and adjourned to the sanctity of my poolside patio. Saturday morning meant Ashtanga yoga. Strenuous poses performed rapid fire between exhale and inhale. Vigorous and absolute focus like the steeled eye of a killer. Perspiration beaded upon my golden skin. Sensual drips sliding over me in a cascade as I bent myself into a fevered pitch. “Namaste Karolina. Namaste.”
Namaste is a word which I love because it has a rough English translation of “Bow to you.” I’ve never been known as one to bow but, I have a sincere appreciation for those who do. Bow to me, that is. My benevolent and guiding hand will lead them along their path. Is it towards righteousness? Hardly. I only deal in the sinners. The wanton. The divisive. The scum. “I, Karolina Figaro, born upon this earth of Italian and Polish heritage seek the guidance of our lord and savior in purging the earth of misdeeds until I take my last living breath. Amen.” I am a proponent of spirituality.
Spirituality and grooming. Mi amore would soon begin to awaken, becoming aware that our tryst to his delight would continue through the daylight hours. Lucky man. To have me catering to sexual needs. Bringing him hurtling toward crescendoed skyrockets of orgasmic bliss.
I cracked two eggs on the skillet waiting until they began to congeal and covered them to baste. A girl needs her protein and from dripped taste of my inamorato I needed a little something more. Breakfast complete I climbed the stairs to the bright lights and mirrors of my elegant white dressing room. A pop in the shower cooled my skin as I adjusted the jets, soon adjusting the water temperature higher until steam billowed at my feet, flowing lazy cloud-like circles above me. “Heaven. this must be heaven.” My mind clicked. “The time Karo. Damn it you insolent child. You have a visitor waiting!”
“Get ready girl. Get ready. Now ragazza stupida!” I could hear the stern voice of my childhood governess chiding me. I felt mortal, small, as weak and low as a meaningless insect. “Yes ma’am. I’m sorry ma’am.” I rushed ahead preparing myself and in the tradition of a fine Figaro woman, making myself a stunning display of feminity for my man. My man. I couldn’t even remember his name now. Just those god awful, disgusting gutter trash tattoos. Freak! You freak!
Penciling mascara around my luminous sapphire orbs brought me back on pointe. Babycakes was sure to be up, groggy no doubt but, awaiting me. I did the final preparations, sliding on only a pair of six inch Louboutins and flew towards the stairs. Hey, I needed the shoes. Don’t judge. Extra height, leverage, kinky fuckery. A man appreciates a lady in heels.
As I approached the room I slowed my pace. Stay confident Karolina. He’s going to love you. How can he not!? “You fucking whore bitch!” It was the first words uttered from his foul mouth in hours.
I felt hurt. troubled by his verbal lashing “Baby, is that any way to talk to me after all I’ve done to take care of you.” I rushed forward throwing my arms over his straining physique.
“Let me out of here you fucking cunt.” He screamed. That word. The C word resonating like the chime of a bell tower. It was cause for me to withdraw my earnest goodwill and tidings.
“Cunt? Did you call me a cunt you pathetic excuse for a mammal.” My hand cracked splintered pain across his cheek, a gob of my spit meteoric in travel towards his eye. “You sub-human piece of shit.”
Thankfully, my examination table is well stocked. I threw open a drawer, grabbed a ball gag, which in turn I jammed in his vulgar mouth. “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all darling.”
He truly did look like a Greek Olympian or Roman gladiator. Dark skin and solid muscles struggling against his restraints, fighting as if he were in a colosseum battling to the death. I could imagine him a victor valiant. A Goddess bestowing an olive frond upon his head. Then I remembered that he had called me a cunt in a not so nice tone.
“Time for your examination.” I sing songed the words just as I had when I was a lowly Johns Hopkins resident working with underprivileged pediatric patients. “Don’t you worry now lovely. Everything will be alright. Doctor Figaro is going to take wonderful care of you. Loving care.” Reaching into the still open drawer I slipped on a pair of latex gloves before grabbing a fresh tube of lubricant.
I gave my swain a benevolent smile hoping to subside his pain. “Don’t be embarrassed now. I’ve done this many time before.” The lube squirted onto my fingertip, thick and clear. “Let me warm it slightly.” Rolling it over my finger I felt the substance lighten then dropped my hand between his sinewy thighs.
Index pressing at the tight balloon knot between his bubbled buttocks, I began to circle clockwise. Urging, coaxing him to loosen. To not resist like a burdensome baby. I spoke with stern authority. “Let me slide it in. Do not make me force it.” I could feel his ass cheeks clamp together harder. Frustrating little shit. My free palm rose. Not one crack, not two, nor three. Five solid and crushing slaps to his limp little scrotum had Mister Gorgeous hearing my message loud and clear.
The barked order flew forth. “Push outward. It slides in easier if you push like you’re taking a shit. God! Everyone knows that idiot!” I grasped those reddened balls like low hanging grapes and twisted. “Stop being a little bitch. You want this as much as me.”
There it was. A slip past that first ringed muscle. Twirling my finger I began the process of loosening his insides as he groaned. “Delightful isn’t it?” I queried, accompanied by an eager smile. “There we go.” The digit slid deeper, his flaccid cock beginning to grow. “Mmm, you really do like it you naughty boy.” Loverboy’s hips jutted then instinctively clenched at my words. His bony hips lowering flat as an iron, in a thinly veiled attempt to subdue any further delving inside his virgin back door. It was time to help him find pleasure.
Grasping his excited tumescence, I began with languid strokes. Base to tip, insuring my thumb ran over that bundle of nerves under the head which would set his head spinning in sensual erotic craving. “There we go. Let it go. Let your hips rise to each stroke like you’re fucking my mouth. Close your eyes. Imagine us making sweet love in the ocean. Blissful waves crashing over us. Envision how you want to come inside me. Claim me. Make me yours.” His panting and engorged cock was the clue. He was soon to explode jets of his seed, like a fountain, spraying across that hot heaving six pack. “Stop!’ I quit pleasuring him and discontinued the enraptured loosening of his backside.
Sure that he wasn’t going to waste a drop I restarted on his ass. A withdrawal brought two fingers into play, scissoring his sphincter as he gasped in gratification. “Feels so good, doesn’t it? To get your boy pussy finger fucked? Do you want to be taken? Fucked?” the words were but a murmur from my lips. His consent evident in the higher, responsive thrusts.
I managed to step to the side of the table without missing a beat. Pulling from the drawer a heavy, black eight inch strap-on. I believe I heard an incessant no but, no means yes when you make love to a beautiful woman.
The harness slid up my slender, shapely legs. The same legs which many a man had worshipped and which would forcibly guide us towards a climactic denouement. Another squirt of lube and I tossed my soiled gloves, beginning to oil my own phallus before leaning forward to place it at his randy hole.
“Do you want to fuck baby?”
He shook his head vigorously.
“Do you want to get off?”
The shake continued.
“Let me pop that cherry and you can return the favor. Maybe. I’ll let you bathe me with that nasty tongue. Call your Daddy. Be your nasty little slut.”
Like that, the imagery of retaking his rightful place as a man overtook all thought process. My faux cock driving further into his milking, constrictive depths. His cock reacted to the prodding. That lightning bolt as the rubber thundered at his prostate. I could sense the tingle flashing throughout his body. That insidious, body enveloping way, much like hitting my own g-spot, which could make him squirt a cascade of his sinful juices. Withdrawal time.
I slipped back and held before pushing forward rhythmical. An insistent rocking motion as I latched to his hips. My pointy nails dug into the epidermis of his skin, ripping coarse gashes of pain that made his howls grow between the cosmic satisfaction of my downstrokes in his fiery little fuck hole. I was making him my decadent squirming bitch and he was all in. Hot.
My own salacious enjoyment could not be denied. Head falling, sweeps of hair a metronomic brush across my back. Feral moans emitted as I cupped my flushed perky tits providing a forceful twist to the coral pebbles. A storm of release was brewing. The sensation of touch like mind addling drugs to the overexcited nerves between my supple thighs.
“Say my name. Say Karolina. Say you want me to own your boy cunt.” I pounded harder.
“Say my name bitch. Say Karolina I adore. I love you Karolina. I am yours Karolina.” Nothing but tedious groans. Those tight nuts were back in hand in a nanosecond. Squeezing and caressing the fertile life out of them.
“No coming.” My eyes pierced through his. Into his cuckolded soul.
“Karolina.” I grunted guttural. “Say, you are my Goddess Karolina.”
And he did. Profusely exclaiming his assent to my commands with wide eyes and mumbled, gargling words. He was into our rite of passion. His body bucking, jerking on the edge of a stars shooting through the sky explosion of desire. Which is when I reached for the tray next to me, grabbed my beloved Baby doll, pressing down hard until his jugular bulged.
“Fuckwit.”
A sudden sound erupted behind me. Steel clanking a loud clatter as I became bathed in the glow of white light. My neck jerked, eyes hazy on the fevered edge of carnal obsession.
“Figaro..time for your lineup.” Those fucking dyke jailers. This dream was too good to be true. Oh, but soon. Soon enough I would be back on the street. Mommy said so. But, only the guilty do sleep in jail.
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five times kissed
Send “Five Times Kissed” for a drabble of – YOU GUESSED IT – 5 times our muses kissed | @ghoststorytm | Always Accepting (but slow)
1)
It’s an accident.
He and Bucky are sharing a bed because Steve would likely freeze to death otherwise. The bitter cold of a Brooklyn January night shows no bias, nor mercy, after all. It’s almost like they’re kids again; nudging one another, and accusing the other in hushed tones of being a bed hog. Bucky complains that Steve has an unfair advantage, what with those daggers he’s got for elbows.
Steve gets him in the ribs for that remark, and shortly after, the two settle down.
There is no quiet to be had, of course. Between the neighbor’s below, who can’t seem to decide if they’d rather be arguing or…Well, making up – and the wildlife outside of their apartment insistent on rummaging through the day’s trash, Steve is regrettably quite awake.
Bucky has long since drifted off into a peaceful slumber, and exactly how he manages to do so consistently is beyond Rogers’ understanding. He’d be envious if he weren’t already overcome with too many other, more persistent emotions. Mainly the overwhelming urge to kiss the soft-looking, slightly parted mouth now mere inches from his own.
It’s an accident. One minute he’s staring (and vehemently reminding himself that he can’t do this – and shouldn’t want to in the first place), and the next…He’s leaning in, lips quivering, and presses the most chaste of kisses to that whiskey-flavored mouth.
He regrets it immediately; tears away from his best friend, and slips out of the bed as quickly as possible without alerting the other male to his departure.
Steve is in too big a rush to notice Bucky staring after him from the bed they had previously shared.
2)
He can’t forget that first time, no matter how hard he tries. It plagues him in both his waking, and unconscious hours. How many hours of sleep has he been robbed of now, tormented by visions, and phantom sensations of lips and hands that he has no right to desire? Too many to count.
Steve is grateful that his friend was unaware of his moment of…What? Delusion? Weakness? He’s wracked his brain countless times, attempting to make sense of just what compelled him to follow through with such a disgusting desire. To take advantage of a friend like that is unforgivable.
Drinking is expensive, and dangerous for a man of his slight build (not to mention less than fantastic medical background), but Steve indulges tonight because he’s not sure he’d be able to bear watching Bucky dance with both their dates, otherwise. There’s a pretty blonde, petite, with a cherry-colored mouth getting twirled around the dancefloor before she’s pulled back in closer to Bucky than Steve could ever be. It’s so intimate, he can hardly stomach it.
Or is it his own guilt and shame that has him feeling so nauseous?
Regardless, Steve decides that he’s had enough – enough booze; enough stale, smoke-filled air; and more than enough watching his best friend be the kind of guy that all ladies moon over.
He stumbles out into the crisp night air, pulling his jacket tighter around his bony frame, and starts toward home on unsteady legs.
Only a hand comes down on his shoulder, halting his progress before he even gets five paces away from the too-loud club. “Hey! Where are you running off to, punk? Leaving your date like that, she’s gonna-” Steve swats the hand away far too sharply. He knows that Bucky’s done nothing wrong to deserve such harsh treatment, but right now, Steve’s too drunk and angry to care.
“She’s got you, Barnes. Why the hell would she miss a guy like me?” The words are spat in Bucky’s direction, venomous and scathing.
There’s no time to register what’s going on; one second Steve is standing with his back to the other man, shoulders slumped and spine bowed, and the next, he’s gulping down air in a desperate attempt to fill his lungs after having the wind forced out of them. His back is against cool brick now, and Bucky’s staring down at him with eyes far too clear for a man that’s had as much to drink as he has.
“What?” Steve snaps again, feeling strangely exposed; as if Bucky can see right through to the fear and insecurity ravaging him inside.
Bucky’s leaning into him now, one hand propped against the brick on either side of Steve’s head, and for a moment, the blonde is sure he’s gonna get socked in the jaw for mouthing off. The punch he’s anticipating never comes, though. Instead, in the time it takes him to blink, there are lips slotted against his own.
It’s searing, sloppy, and short-lived; Steve pulling away, and nearly cracking his head against the brick behind him in the process.
Bucky seems just as shocked by his actions as Steve, if the look of horror that flashes across his face is anything to go by. The brunette staggers back silently, cupping a hand over his mouth before turning on his heel, and bolting out of the alley.
Steve doesn’t wait up after returning to their apartment to know whether or not Bucky returns that night; but he does wake to an empty bed the next morning.
3)
Bucky ships out, and Steve is left behind, because that’s “what God intended”, or some shit. He doesn’t care much for such an illogical line of reasoning; at the end of the day, he’s been turned away time and time again because his body isn’t strong enough to withstand the rigorous training required to fight a war, much less actively participate in one.
Then he meets one Dr. Abraham Erskine, and his life is completely changed. For the better, Steve would argue. After all, he’s made fast enough to chase down the man responsible for the good doctor’s death; strong enough to withstand bullets; and his myriad of debilitating physical ailments just…Cease to be.
It turns out that war isn’t all Steve thought it to be. At least, not when you’re America’s shiny, new golden boy. Being placed upon a pedestal is something he’s unaccustomed to, and he hates it, but he goes along with the shows because it keeps the troops motivated. Steve doesn’t want – has never wanted – to parade himself around a rickety stage with a group of (admittedly lovely, and almost too sweet) young ladies while the soldiers around him continually go out and risk their lives.
He wants to go out there, himself, fight alongside these men for the good of everyone back home, waiting for their loved ones to return, and ensure the safety of this country.
When he hears word that Bucky’s life is endangered, well, there’s no longer any doubt in Steve’s mind that he needs to be out there. With the help of Peggy, and Howard Stark, Steve is able to get back to his best friend.
Seeing Bucky strapped to a table is unnerving, but it’s a relief just to see that he’s alive. Steve gets him up, and the two men fight their way out of the Hydra base. It’s a completely irrational thought, but once they make it back, Steve thinks that this is what he’s always wanted; to be on level ground with Bucky, fight alongside him, and protect him.
Their return to camp is met with mixed emotions. Survivors are welcomed back with open arms, and relief, while they mourn those that were lost to Hydra’s hands. Sleep is elusive, though every man is exhausted to his very bones. Steve is no different, having chosen to stray a short ways from the camp to gaze up at the sky, and count the stars he can see clearly now, with his enhanced vision.
A hand touches the small of his back so lightly it’s damn near imperceptible, and the blonde jumps, twisting to face his would-be assailant. There’s Bucky, looking momentarily startled before he manages to collect himself enough to muster a small, crooked smile.
“Thought I told you not to do anything stupid, punk.”
Steve’s mouth goes dry. Seeing Bucky on that table, prone and lifeless, had been terrifying. And now, having the other man before him, alive and impossibly handsome, even with a bruised face and messy hair is too much.
Averting his gaze, Steve offers a lazy, one shouldered shrug in response. “Good to see you too, Bucky.”
The tension between them is thick enough you could cut it with a knife. This isn’t the way he envisioned their reunion going, and he hates it, hates that this feels almost like they’re two different people meeting for the first time.
Steve sighs, drags a hand back through his hair, and returns his attention to Bucky. “Listen, Buck, I’m-” He isn’t allowed to finish his sentence, however, as quivering hands grip him by the shoulders to draw him down, and into a kiss that’s equal parts uncertain and demanding.
It’s over as quickly as it’s begun, leaving Steve breathless and confused, and a little hurt as he’s made to watch Bucky’s retreating form make the walk back to camp with slumped shoulders.
4)
“You look like hell, Steve.”
Steve lifts his head so quickly he’s sure to have gotten whiplash. Standing there in the doorway of his cramped kitchen is none other than Bucky Barnes.
It’s not the Soldier that he’s grown accustomed to seeing in his apartment, sitting stationary for hours at a time, staring ahead at the television screen without really processing any of what’s being broadcast. But it’s not quite the James Buchanan Barnes that struggled to keep Steve out of trouble in seedy Brooklyn alleys, either. This is a man that’s looking to discover himself – whoever that may be – and just wants some fucking peace while he does it.
Steve can relate.
By the time he manages to pick his jaw up off the floor, his mouth has gone dry, and Bucky looks about ready to bolt.
“Yeah,” he rasps, the corners of his lips twitching with a smile he’s doing a poor job of concealing, “well, at least I own it.” That comment earns him a snort from the brunette darkening his doorway. It’s an oddly endearing sound.
Bucky doesn’t move from the kitchen doorway for the next hour, while the two talk, and banter. Steve knows better than to think this is like old times – he’s been down that road before, and it only ends in pain – but it does feel good not to be alone.
A companionable silence falls over the two men, and after upholding about half of that hour long chat himself, Steve is content to let it wash over him. Bucky, however, is clearly not. The brunette shifts his weight a little; averts his gaze to the front door, as if expecting someone to come charging in; and idly touches the metal plates of his arm.
“…We kissed.”
Steve is too dumbfounded by this sudden announcement to formulate a more eloquent response than a strangled noise, as he nearly chokes on his own spit.
“You and me…Before.” Before HYDRA. The words go unspoken, but they’re understood nonetheless.
Steve hesitates just a moment before nodding.
“I don’t remember much.” Bucky speaks slowly, brow furrowed, as if he’s waiting to be scolded for bringing it up in the first place. His gaze is piercing in spite of the uncertainty laced in every word. “Just…Sensation, mostly. Warmth. Your lips were chapped.” There’s a slight quirk to one corner of Bucky’s mouth as he says this; the beginnings of a crooked grin, unfortunately quickly smothered.
Again, Steve merely nods, though his own smile grows in response.
For the first time since the beginning of their conversation, Bucky fully enters the room. His steps are slow and measured, purposeful, as he closes the distance between Steve and himself. Once close enough, he outstretches the hand of flesh and bone, and curls fingers in dirty blonde hair.
“Can I…?”
The air is all but forced from Steve’s lungs by that simple question. “Yes.” It escapes his lips a prayer.
Bucky is careful, so careful, as he lowers himself to slot their mouths together. Slow, measured, and purposeful, much like his stride; and Steve drinks it in, taking all that Bucky is willing to give, until he’s drunk on it.
The two separate, mouths slick and kiss bitten red, and stare at each other until Bucky looks away.
“You ever heard of chapstick, Steve?”
Steve socks him in the shoulder for that one.
5)
Steve honestly never thought he would choose to hang up the suit and shield. In truth, he always suspected he would get himself killed first; no doubt his teammates thought the same. But in the end, it was the best decision he could have possibly made. Not only for himself, but for him.
The gorgeous brunette seated across the table from him now is smiling as Steve outstretches a hand to caress his knee under the table, and even allows a little huff of laughter to escape those plush lips of his.
“You’re a dog, Steve Rogers.” Bucky accuses, voice warm and low in a way that has Steve counting his lucky stars, because only he gets to see this side of Bucky; the soft, intimate, playful, teasing side that makes him fall in love all over again.
There’s a rumbling hum of affirmation from Steve, who makes no attempt to argue or defend himself, as he gives the other man’s knee another light squeeze before withdrawing. His heart’s racing, and his chest feels tight – dear God, it’s like he’s a 90 lb asthmatic again – and Steve worries that he may just pass out before he gets to this next part. It’s so important that this go well, because he wants to make it perfect – Bucky deserves perfect – but when does life ever make it so easy for them?
The two have been sitting at their little dining room table for the better part of an hour now, just talking and sipping idly at wine that neither man could get drunk off of if he tried. It’s been…Nice. Steve can’t remember the last time that he was able to just sit and talk with Bucky like this, without fear of some impending crisis dragging him away from it all.
There are so many things that he wants to say; so much to thank Bucky for; so much to apologize for, too. But that can come later. For now, there’s something far more pressing that he needs to get off his chest.
Rising from his chair, Steve watches, barely biting back his smile, as Bucky assumes that dinner is over and checks his phone. Normally, this is the point in the night that one of them collects the dishes and takes them over to the sink to be washed. But not tonight.
A small velvet box is drawn from his pocket as the blonde takes a knee by Bucky’s side. To his credit, Bucky does shift his attention from his phone, curiosity evident in the way his brows knit together as he peers in Steve’s direction. Lips part, likely prepared to question Steve’s odd behavior, before realization dawns. And oh, what a beautiful thing it is to witness the moment in which Bucky takes notice of the parcel in his lover’s hand. Shock melds into confusion, and into what Steve hopes to be elation.
“Steve, what the hell?” Bucky sounds as breathless as Steve feels, right about now.
After taking a deep breath to steady himself, the blonde speaks. “I’ve loved you since I first knew what love was, Bucky. I put you through hell, and yet you stuck around, refusing to leave my side like the stubborn jerk you are.” Mirth glimmers in baby blue eyes, and Steve feels his chest tremble with his next shaky inhale. “I’ve come to realize that home isn’t a city, or a time, or even a building – it’s you. You’re the home I wanna come back to, Bucky. So…With all of that being said, will you marry me?”
Bucky looks like he’s about ten seconds away from either kissing Steve senseless, or punching his lights out. Naturally, Steve has a preference, but he opts not to vocalize that – probably for the best, too.
Just as he’s certain that he’s about to be let down easy, Bucky surges forward and hugs him so tight, Steve fears he may black out before he gets his answer. “You stupid punk…Yes. Yes, okay? Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Steve is familiar with heart defects, seeing as how he lived with one for a good chunk of his life, ‘n all, and he’s pretty sure that his heart’s fit to burst right about now. Clinging to Bucky in return, he grins from ear to ear, pressing a series of kisses into the crown of the other male’s hair. “God, Buck, had me scared there for a minute.” He whispers, voice a weak and shaky thing, barely able to escape his throat. There’s laughter on the tail end of that statement, however, because he’s too damned giddy not to laugh.
He leans back, taking Bucky’s hand in his own, and slides the simple gold band down the length of his flesh index finger. “Beautiful.” Steve’s baby blues are transfixed on the other man’s face, tracing every curve, and committing the way he looks in this moment to memory. There’s no doubt in his mind that he’ll never see a sight so entrancing as Bucky Barnes looking back at him with the utmost love and adoration, and a gold wedding band on his finger.
“C’mere.” Bucky offers no room for argument, pulling Steve in, and claiming his mouth in a kiss that speaks volumes. It’s a kiss that neither man will forget, for the rest of their lives; a kiss to mark the beginning of their next chapter.
After all, they did promise…Til the end of the line.
#ghoststorytm#[ put under a read more because THIS IS TOO LONG ]#[ and I'm sorry it took me forever to get this done alfkjw;ohifes ]#[ I wanted it to be special cause Ilu ]
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Please do “attempted rape” about Klance from Voltron (obviously:D) and if you don’t mind make Lance the one to suffer? I live for Langst
Anon: Could you please do Keith for attempted rape? And Lance comforting him, love your writing btw
Count: ~2kPairing: KlanceFandom: Voltron Legendary DefenderPrompt: Attempted RapeWarning(s): Cursing, Attempted Rape, mild torture, langst, alien OCs
Part II of “Made A Slave”
Remember when I said I’d make a continuation based on “Made a Slave” because of an Anon prompt? Yeah, this was it. The Keith request came in today so I decided to incorporate within one request. Sorry if it wasn’t what you were expecting, Anon! By the way, I made an error on the first prompt. The King’s name is supposedto be Lixvan not Delxian.
Get your own card @badthingshappenbingo
Keith’s nails bit into the fabric of his paladin uniform as he paced back and forth in the war room of the palace. It’d been two hours since King Lixvan had released a search party for Lance and another hour since they had arrived to the planet. And in those three hours, Keith had done nothing but stifle his anger and wear a path on the floor of the war room.“This is ridiculous, I should be out there looking for him!” He slammed a fist against the stone wall, a growl of frustration punctuating his words. “Lance is hurt and lost and what are we doing here? Waiting!”“We’ve been through this Keith,” Allura sighed. She sagged into her seat, as though drained by Keith’s emotions. She watched him wearily. “Expending all our energy combing the city would take too much time. We must at least attempt to relax.”“I know you’re worried about him,” Shiro interjected softly. “We all are, but you need to keep your cool. You’re not going to help Lance if you get yourself into trouble with the Magésti.”“I-I know that! It’s just…” He wracked his brain for the proper words, but only one stuck out. He leaned his weight against the wall for support, his heart hammering harshly in his chest. “I’m scared. I know he can handle himself but…”Shiro laid a comforting hand against his shoulder. “I know.”“We’ll find him,” Hunk stated. “We’re not leaving this planet until we do.”The others nodded their agreement. Keith felt the tension in his muscles loosen, appeased by their reassurance.
Lance’s screams reverberated across the chamber as Anphas crushed his hand beneath his boot. He rubbed his heel into his fingers until Lance’s screams cracked from the pressure. He cackled into the boy’s face, relishing the expression of agony that twisted Lance’s features.He shoved him aside, breathless from laughter.“Come now Lance, we’re only just beginning.”Anphas grabbed the boy’s ankles, skin bruised and bleeding from the ropes that had been tied around them, and pulled him closer until he was underneath him.Panic spilled across Lance’s face.“No, no, no!” He begged, voice rough and broken. “No, please, stop! Don’t do this—!”Anphas’s hand smacked over his mouth, muffling his cries. The Magéstan turned him over and leered into the younger boy’s face with an expression of pure mad delight.“You have such a pretty voice. I can’t wait to steal it away from you.”“Anphas!”Ezriel ripped the smaller male away from Lance and practically flung him to the wall. He crashed into a pile of supplies, knocking them over in a horrid display of noise and chaos.“The fuck, Ezriel?!” He screamed. “What are you doing?!”His partner growled in barely controlled rage. “Are you an idiot? He is a paladin of Voltron! His companions are in the palace.”“I told you to get rid of Zarax!”“He has been neutralized,” the blonde said gruffly. He turned his attention to Lance, who scrambled as far away as he could from the burly male.Lance huddled against the wall, careful not to let the cold stone touch the raw, agonizing mess that was his back but too terrified to care. His entire body trembled from fear, his skin clammy and soaked in a mixture of sweat and blood. He caught sight of Anphas unwillingly, who licked his lips.God, Lance wanted to puke.“Anphas, enough of this. The King requests our presence. You can play with your pet later.”Anphas scowled. “What does the little brat need me for?”“He knows we made a trip outside of the palace.”“Fine. But first,” Anphas fisted Lance’s shirt and lifted the Cuban boy to his height. A sinister smile marred his lips. “I’ll be back little lion. Try not to miss me too much, okay?” He thrust Lance aside roughly then exited the chamber.Ezriel pinched the bridge of his nose.Once they were gone, Lance hurried to the door. He pushed then pulled, but the heavy iron door would not move. He was locked inside.He pounded his fists against the door.“Keith! Shiro!” He rasped, his tears flowing. “Allura! Hunk…” He slide down the smooth surface, the scent of sweat, blood and metal invading his senses. “Pi-Pidge…” he hiccuped. “An-anyone…”Don’t leave me!He buried his face into his arms and sobbed.
Keith had never wanted to stab someone in the gut before they spoke until this very moment. Lotor came pretty close, but at least Keith had a reason back then. Anphas was different. He radiated an aura of such smug assholery that Keith seriously contemplated having an “accident” with the Blade of Mamora.The moment King Lixvan’s advisor walked into the room with his large, hulking companion, Keith hated him. He looked smug and greeted the King and the Paladin’s of Voltron with an air of such sarcasm—God, he just wanted to punch him.“Yes, your childishness? I mean, your highness?”King Lixvan’s childlike features furrowed into a regrettable frown. “Anphas, you and Ezriel made a trip to the outskirts of town about 4 hours ago. Did you find anything?”“Mostly grass and peasants.”“Did you happen to see anything fall from the sky?”Anphas stared at his sharp nails as though they were more fascinating than conversing with the King. “No, I don’t believe I did. The only things I saw was the decay of our good people under your leadership.”“Anphas, enough.” Ezriel hissed. “My apologies, Lord Lixvan. Has something happened?”“The Paladins of Voltron have lost a companion. I was hoping you two may have seen something?”Anphas shook his head. “Nope, we saw nothing.”Keith’s eyes narrowed. There was something about the guy he didn’t like. The way he openly mocked the King without fear, the way his mismatched eyes bounced between the rest of the paladins—something wasn’t right.Anphas’s stare landed on Keith. He sized the length of Keith’s whole body slowly before gazing into his eyes. He smiled.Something twisted sickeningly inside Keith.“Please keep an eye out,” Lixvan requested. “He could be injured.”It was barely noticeable, even the most observant of them could have missed it, but Keith saw the corners of Anphas’s lips twitch.“Of course, your majesty.” He bowed lavishly then exited the hall with his companion in tow.
Lance barely had any strength to move, but the loud click of the iron door unlocking sent a wave of adrenaline coursing through his veins. He bolted from the door to the nearest hiding place and crouched behind the clutter of junk.Anphas slipped into the room, giggling gleefully to himself. His laughter died the moment he scanned the room.“Oh dear, where has the little lion gone?” Anphas made a show of investigating the torture chamber.Ezriel watched him, unamused by his partner’s theatrics, but Lance held his breath. He desperately eyed the open door. The blonde stood in his path, but not enough to block him completely. If he was lucky, maybe he could sneak away?Before Lance could concoct a plan, he was yanked out of the shadows and tossed to the ground. Terror immediately sized control. He made a break for the for the door.“Ezriel!”The robust blonde smacked Lance in the face. The force knocked the wind out of his lungs and he collapsed to the ground wheezing. He heard the dreaded screech of the iron door closing in front of him, a visual representation of his only means of escape vanishing for good. He couldn’t stop his tears from flowing.Anphas was on him in seconds.“Thought you could run away, hm? That’s too bad.” He leered over Lance’s figure, his expression utterly insane. “Let’s play~”Lance tried to fight. He was weak from the loss of blood, exhausted from the whirlwind of pain and emotion; Anphas shredded the remainder of his clothes and pulled him close. He pinned the Cuban boy’s arms above his head then grinned.“Put on a good show for Ezzie, okay?”
He slipped his free hand between Lance’s legs.Lance screamed.Without warning, the iron door burst open.Ezriel charged into Anphas before their unexpected guest could and ripped him away from Lance’s vicinity. The younger Magéstan screamed in outrage; Ezriel whipped out his own sword from a place Lance had not seen and held it out against the interloper.It took Lance a moment to regain his senses. He stared into the angry, determined face of Keith, who held his sword drawn against Ezriel and Anphas.“I knew you were hiding something, you bastard.” Keith hissed. “What were you doing to him?!”Lance scrambled to Keith’s side, his words a jumbled mess as large, fat tears poured profusely from his eyes. Keith immediately knelt to his side. He kept his weapon pointed to his enemies, but the harshness of his gaze morphed into anxious concern for Lance’s well-being.Anphas suddenly chuckled.“I see what’s happening here. You’re his lover, aren’t you?” Keith turned sharp eyes to him, a dangerous growl rumbling in his throat. “Fair enough. I’ll share. Ezriel.”Ezriel zoomed into them before either boy could react. His large palm collided with Keith’s face, his fingers framed across his head until all Keith could see what the older man’s hand. The contact barely lasted a second. Keith swung his sword instinctively but Ezriel’s hulking mass was gone and so was Anphas.“What did they do?” Lance rasped. His long fingers gently grasped onto Keith’s face, wet, blue eyes anxiously scanning him for visible injuries, but he saw nothing.“Lance,” Keith sighed. “Oh my god, Lance.”Lance buried himself into Keith’s chest, his whole body trembling again. Tears poured from his eyes as he sobbed, comforted by Keith’s warm embrace.Keith held him close, wary of the ruined skin marring Lance’s back, but it felt good to have him in his arms again. Lance’s warmth, his sweat, his blood—Keith’s mind fogged. He nuzzled his nose into the crook of Lance’s neck and inhaled.Lance stiffened.“K-Keith?” He squeaked.“Lance,” Keith breathed. He held the boy tighter, oblivious to the wide-eyed terror dawning Lance’s face.He tried to pull away. “No, Keith, wait! Something’s wrong—what did they—“Keith shoved Lance to the ground face first. Something seemed inherently wrong with his actions, but a part of mind couldn’t piece what was so out of place.Lance struggled against him, begging him to snap out of it. He clawed the ground in a desperate attempt to escape but just like Anphas, Keith pinned him down.Suddenly, Keith felt his paladin armor was a hindrance. Here was Lance, ready and primed for the taking and he was still fully clothed. It was despicable. Keith ripped the black fabric of his paladin suit with the edge of his dagger. “KEITH, STOP! PLEASE!”Something snapped in his mind. Keith lurched away from Lance, his dagger flying loosely from his grip. It clattered noisily against the stone floor between him and Lance. They stared at each other with wide horrified eyes until, finally, it sunk into Keith’s mind.“Lance, I—“ His voice died in his throat. Guilt, terror, rage, and panic formed inside his chest like a hurricane. “Oh god, Lance, I…!”“I know,” Lance hiccuped. “I know.”With great effort, Lance closed the distance between them and pulled Keith into his arms. His hands trembled as he smoothed down Keith’s hair in an effort to comfort him.“Y-you weren’t yourself. You didn’t mean it.” Lance whispered. “I-I know. I know.”Keith peeled himself away from the quivering paladin. He pressed their foreheads together, thumbs gently caressing Lance’s wet cheeks.“Stop it. I’m here now. I’m here.”Lance broke down for the third time that day. He buried his face into Keith’s chest and cried out his sorrows. Keith held him gently. He stared aimlessly at the ground, the hurricane of rage and guilt settling for the moment.
#nada writes#langst#klance#lance voltron#keith voltron#vld lance#vld keith#tw: attempted rape#badthingshappenbingo#vld#anonymous#long post
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Kappa Sigma Life chp 1-8
Kappa Sigma Life: Chp 1.
“Nate!!!!!!, its time to wake up”, his auntie called form downstairs as he was already on his laptop going over his checklist for move in day at Maplewood university. Nate was looking at his dufflebag filed with clothes and his papers for transition and waited patiently for his laptop to charge. In three days he was leaving to begin his time away from home again. Looking at a framed picture of him, his auntie, and his uncle he sighed as he walked downstairs wearing his black cargo shorts and his eclipse of the moon shirt he got while away. His aunt looks at him cooking breakfast and asks if hes hungry for anything, “I made your favorite, pancakes and bacon, come on you know your hungry.”
Nate looked at her with a sly grin and felt his stomach answering a little embarrassed. “auntie you know im getting chubby again, I haven’t worked out since I came home and you keep showering me with food, how am I supposed to look good if im hanging my cut out.” his aunt laughed and flicks him on the forehead making him flinch. “you spent two years in rome and came home looking totally different, your always gonna be my husky little hyena, and your off to do big things soon at your new school, don’t forget what you spent 7 years of your life doing.” Nate fels his belly knowing full well he is still weighing the same and sits down and eats.
Enjoying his meal, his aunt sits beside him rustling his hair making him raise his eyebrow and question what shes doing. “im just thinking about how much you look like dimitri, spitting image from when he was younger. Nate puts his knife and fork down getting up and no longer hungry, heading out the door to his truck. His aunt follows suit giving him a box. Nate asks what it could possibly be and his aunt responds that it was a gift his uncle was gonna give him when he came home for the summer, but never got to give it. Nate opens it with a tear in his eye as he looks at a necklace with the shard of the original Hagia Sophia and puts it around his neck. Hugging his auntie he whispers “I love you” before driving off to his job at the local hospital helping in the mental health ward. Nate spent years in countries learning proper culture of minorities and knows several languages as well as history and volunteers his time with patients to ease their suffering when they have no family around. Regrettably he has few friends who understand and talks primarily to the patients who understand him. He goes in to see the receptionist Olivia stopping him. “I had no clue youd be here nate, I heard about Rome, im sorry it didn’t work out. nate shrugs it off saying hes happy that someone cared enough to ask.
Going to his office, nate spends much of the morning with patients and talking to them, only to be told to leave early by his boss, saying that he should enjoy himself instead of being so busy working all the time. heading out a friend of his texts him saying theres a party at his parents ranch later. A little excited he say he got off work early and can come by and pregame as much as possible heading to his friend dylans he quickly is approached by a large tiger smoking a joint and wearing a dark maroon flannel with his sleeves rolled up. “well well well Nathan Wileson, if I don’t regret the moment you actually come out to play, how are you bulky hybrid.” Nate rolls his eyes telling him he doesn’t like being called hybrid and already feels different enough without having to resort to clever puns or insults to get back at people.
Dylan hands him a joint and they smoke while watching fate/zero on Netflix. Dylan comments that hed totally go for saber since shes blonde and total badass. Nate responds back he prefers rider as hes big burly and looks like a really nice man whos would just cuddle all day long. Dylan chuckles saying nate always went or the brolic heavier guys over skinny dudes around. “I swear youd pop a boner for any sweaty guy who showed a guy. “oh trust me I wouldn’t get one from you Dylan, you smell like a horses taint and cant get laid if you were in ms. Sullivans house in a jockstrap.”
Dylans pushes nate and the two wrestle to the ground with nate pinning Dylan to the ground. “Down yonder Dylan don’t you ever work out.” “oh sorry if my auntie isn’t ex military, or my uncle was a general in marine corps….sorry”. nate smiles saying its fine as he needs the laugh and that he got over his over a month ago, but was too distracted by work. Dylan reaches under nates shirt squeezing his nipples as nate backhands him to the ground. “bro come one those are sensitive.” Dylan grins saying he always wanted to do that once before he left but never got the chance. The two break out rum and weed and drink and smoke until around 4 getting pizza and drinks for the party.
Nate expecting some excitement starts eating a pot brownie ready to loosen up. Dylan reminds him that in the outback everyone gets crazy when the sun sets. Nate recalls that hes the mixed one in town and had no need to worry. The two open the door with floods of animals coming in heading to the back decked out with string lights and tikis with loads of booze and food ready. Nate smiles knowing he may not see these people again for a long time and starts hustling through the crowd the brownie kicking in. “what’s up people lets turn this petting zoo into a fucking jungle!!!!” all the girls looking at him as he jumps on the table dancing in front of everyone. Dylan laughs and looks on “oh lord the party wolf is out again, nates always like this at partys especially when high enough.
Nate takes his shirt off showing off his husky stomach and body grinding to the music bringing the ladies up to him letting them grind on him. One of the girls going up to Dylan questioning what’s happening. “Isn’t he gay, like left for years to live with his boyfriend?” Dylan explains they broke up and a lot happened and nate is just having fun and the girls know that so theres no threat. One of the girls sees nate flexng his ass winking at her. “want the full ride itll cost ya darling, and trust me you can’t afford coach right here.” Getting down from the table, nate pours a water on his head cooling him down.
Dylan looks at nate panting and high fives him as the girls wink back at him. “Geez sometimes I wish I wasn’t into guys, id totally get some right now.” The two start drinking with nate still shirtless and notices a guy staring at him from afar and waves smiling. Dylan asks if he’s thinking of actually going for a local guy tonight. “well I am here only two more days after tonight, might as well get some before the headaches of classes.” Dylan remarks that Nate always was a straight a student and never once got in trouble despite a chronic weed smoker, traveled, a licensed life coach, and multilingual, he was a catch in a half for colleges. The boy comes up to him a young grizzly bear wearing a jean jacket and hells angel bandanna blushes as he says Nate put on a nice show. Nate sticks his tongue out and mentions that was just a trial run and wouldn’t mind doing it again.
The boy mentions his names ronny and asks If they can get to know each other better. Dylan bring them both to a spare bedroom where they proceed to kiss. Taking it slow Ronny mentions he’s heard of nates escapades at parties as the stripperific coach and was curious if he ever stripped all the way. Nate takes his shirt off and pounds his belly growling in excitement. “a fierce combo of a loyal wolf, reliability of a Hyena, and the slyness of a raccoon, I am Nathaniel Martin Wileson at your service.” Laughing Ronny goes up and kissing nate on the lips pushing him on the bed and taking his jacket and shirt off. Kissing nate he unzips his shorts and pulls them down revealing his hard cock. His eyes bulged he mentions its very thick, and mentions hes never taken a dick before.
Getting up nate kisses him saying that he doesn’t have to if he isn’t ready. Pulling down his shorts nate kisses ronnys stomach and hells him hes also pretty big and wouldn’t mind just doing oral and petting. The two lay in bed Ronny sucking him off and saying he needs a breather. They switch and nate sucks him in mutual oral soon after. Kissing his soft lips his wet snout on ronnys he smiles saying he needed the relief from his life and was happy to share the time with ronny. Ronny goes into his pants and pulls out a tube of lube and a condom giving it to nate. “im in my second year of college at 21 and still a virgin, I don’t wanna go another year with it, do it please.” Nat runs his hand up and around his body locking arms and telling him he will go slow. Slowly thrusting he slides his cock in as ronny moans in anguish over the feeling and sweats bullets. Getting in the bodyguard position arms wrapped around him and kissing his neck, Nate thursts as he feels the fur against his panting from the amount of passion. “oh god your big, it hurts”. Asking if he wanted him to stop Nathan slows down easing into ronny better and softer. The two climax and fall on the bed laughing, “fuck for my first time that was intense.”, Nate smiles as he kisses Ronny on the cheek, “want some cuddles”.
Smiling back he accepts and the two fall asleep, waking up the next day to Dylan telling him that his aunt called wondering where he was at. Taking a quick shower he puts his clothes on and drives home to see his aunt with his bags ready to pack up and leave. “you’re lucky you got everything ready already Nate, had some fun last night?” Nate laughs and tell her that nothing happened aside from some drinking and weed. Pointing to his hickey on his neck Nate pushes his shirt up saying hes fine and takes his bags hugging her goodbye. She mentioned it be better for him to leave early and register with classes so he doesn’t have to wait til after everyone arrives so he filled up his tank on the way back and was ready for the road only to pick up his bag and papers. Hitting the road early, he reaches the campus of Maplewood University in 4 hours and checks in with his advisor, and getting his classes. He signed up as a natural sciences/ humanities dual major as both pertain to the same classes and allow him to study culture and people more closely. He signed up for Israeli infrastructure, roman culture, china in the modern age, and urban sociology. Not being picky the advisor said he was a bright young man looking at his past grades and hoped he continues to surprise the college with his gpa when he begins.
Placed in a dorm specific for hybrids he goes to his complex knowing he will be given a apartment with three separate rooms. Good enough to spend time alone and study, or blow off steam on xbox. Going in he finds a large sloth sitting on the couch and smoking a bong looking back at him. “you a goody goody roommate or wanna hit.”. nate laughs and sets his bag down joining the large sloth man in smoking. He introduces himself as Arkad Slowmann from Isreal and was born with a genetic defect that makes him look like his ancestors way back when standing 7.6 ft towering over nate.
The two hit it off really well and even helps move his stuff in. nate decks his room with posters of paddy and the rats and fate series characters hooking up his flat screen and xbox together and setting his laptop and bookshelf together feeling at home. Going back he finds a bullbear coming into the living room carrying a bunch of bags. “oh hey whats going on, guess were all roomies.” “yeah guess we are….over yonder hes an otaku.” The boy drops the bags heavy as can be wearing a power symbol shirt with jeans and a silver rolex on his wrist reaching out and shaking nates hand. “names Luke Benito pleasure, mind helping me set up” arkad and nate look at one another and already stoned tell him he doesn’t have much.
The three converse about life on campus and realize despite Arkad being a music production/ demolition trade student, nate being in natural sciences/ humanities and luke being in graphic design/ IT, they all seem to have the prefences of music anime movies and people. Ordering food the boys spend the night smoking and eating watching Guillermo del toro movies on the amazon firestick. Heading to bed at 2am, luke tells nate that club fair is the next day and will be exciting to see the frats and extracurriculars on campus. Seeing arkad snoring on the couch, nate waves good night taking his shirt off and shorts and laying in bed in his boxers. “Whose place, nates place.”
Kappa Sigma Life: Chp 2
Nate wakes up the next day bright and early making a pot of coffee, looking inside the fridge seeing Luke brought four different creamers to stock inside. Picking his favorite hazelnut, he pours a cup and puts it in his travel mug. Dressed in basketball shorts and a simple navy blue t shirt he walks out jogging to the gym on campus. Jogging, the August sun beats down on a morning glare. “Over yonder, I should of brought my sunglasses, I cant see shit.” As he begins running he bumps into a young cheetah on the side as he turn left to the enterance. Apologizing he puts his hand out and sees his knee is scrapped. “hey im so sorry, let me help you inside they gotta have a first aid kit.” The cheetah swipes his hand away, getting up and walking inside, muttering “big oaf hybrid”. Looking confused nate shrugs it off and heads inside. Signing in with his student ID he hits the cycle for cardio and then does some leg presses, “auntie always said work out at least 3 times a week and jog every day for at least a half hour.” Lifting some weights, he notices a chubby lion trying to bench press, setting them down he walks over and puts his hands on the bar. “yo don’t you know its bad to never have a spotter.” The lion looks embarrassed and tells him that he never worked out before and he wanted to lose weight fast. “well your not gonna lose it overnight, try working slower and try going here at least twice a week at first, then up it a few days a week, and only do what you feel comfortable with, and if you want my advice, your build is perfect for a predator species like yourself. The lion smiles at him and asks if he can help him with some work out tips.
Not a gym teacher, nate tells him only what he knows and getting a worker to help him would suit better for his needs. The two converse while lifting and the young lion starts feeling an ache in his shoulder. Reaching in his pocket nate pulls out a bottle of balm he keeps with him at all times. “come on your done for the day lets get you feeling better. In the locker room the lion takes his shirt off and nate puts the balm on making him feel more relaxed. “woah that’s pretty fast acting, what is it?” nate explains its military grade balm for soldiers during training, and his aunt helped manufacture it while doing biological research on cell reproduction or something as he doesn’t know shit about science. Nate takes his shirt of and looks as the lion stretched his arm making sure nothing else is sore. “you know a hot shower wouldn’t hurt either.” The lion blushes and sees nate taking his pants off grabbing a towel placing it over his shoulder. “um I might be offputting here but you have a a really nice build.” Nate explains he puts effort into it and prides himself in staying at least fit if not a little husky. the lion wraps a towel around himself taking his shorts and boxers off following nate to the shower. “im a little nervous, these are public showers and I don’t feel very adamant in showing off as much as you are.” nate pats him on the shoulder telling him that if he doesn’t feel comfortable he should shower at his dorm as theres no shame in being embarrassed, as self esteem takes time to build. The lion asks what he means and nate tells him some advice.
“you took the courage to come to the gym with fit people everywhere looking to better yourself even though you feel inadequate, that’s the first step to garners a better love for yourself, understand these things take time and in a while, you will be able to come in here proud as your own species should and make these people look at you so adamantly that their questioning their sexuality.” The lion laughs, asking if nate can keep a secret. Nate tells him anything told in confidence is held tight in his lips. The lion explains he thinks he might be into guys but never tried anything before. Nate tells him again there is no shame in admitting curiosity so long as it doesn’t hurt another person. The lion chuckles as he looks nervously at nate knowing hes completely naked at the shower entrance. Looking down he cant help but gaze at his body. “sorry I shouldn’t stare that’s pretty rude.” Nate pats him on the head and tells him his dorm has a private shower in their room that he can use if hes still nervous. The lion cub smirks red in the face. “would you be there helping me wash, I cant really reach my back?” nate smiles and sticks his tongue out saying of course he would help.
Going to his dorm, nate walks in knocking on the bathroom door looking at the clock on the oven. “8:30, those two are still asleep, come on”. The two enter the shower and the lion feels the warm water hitting his fur as nate enters with him, the two embrace feeling each other’s fur against one another. Nate looks at the young man and introduces himself, “btw im nate, pleasure to meet you.” The lion contemplates and looks shocked he didn’t even ask for a name. “oh god im so sorry im in the shower with a guy and I didn’t even know his name!” nate strokes his chin and kisses him on the lips, “no worries little lion, just say it now.” The lion introduces himself as Geoff and comes from all the way from the west. Pressing himself against nate, he feels his belly saying hes so soft. “well good buddy im pretty fluffy thanks to my wolf side, and I don’t shed thanks to my hyena side.” Geoff notices nates dick twitching and looks down seeing it throbbing hard. He ask if its okay to touch it to which nate agrees . getting on his knees he starts sucking and looks up gagging . “don’t deep throat If its your first time Geoff, take it easy and if you cant you cant, theres always gonna need practice. Going halfway down his shaft georg slurps using his tongue as nate moans in pleasure holding his head in place pressing it gently inching closer and closer in geoffs mouth.
As he starts really enjoying it he hears ark knocking on the door. “Nate I gotta use the shower, you’ve been in there for a half hour. Panicking Geoff shoots up and asks what he should do?” nate explains that ark is a chill guy and wont be a prude, the two shut off the water and dry off as Nate puts his clothes on and opens up as ark is standing holding shampoo and body wash looking at nate like he he had fun. “I see first day on campus and already made your mark eh Wolfie.” Chuckling Geoff walks out and follows nate as ark walks into the shower. Ark behind the door thanks them for cleaning up the water and leaving the place a neat set instead of mess. Nate laughs as the two walk into the common area seeing luke reading attack on titan on the couch. “hey nate whose your friend?” nate introduces Geoff and the two share a common love of hating on erens need to shout titan every two minutes as Geoff looks at his watch saying that hes late to meet with his roomies for breakfast. He walks out when luke asks why he was here so early. Nate explains he invited him for a shower as he was stinky from the gym and needed to wash so offered him theirs in privacy to not make him nervous. “that’s weird dude, maybe ask us first if they can use it okay.” Nate scratches his head and feels warm in the common area, “geez did they shut the air off.” Luke looks at him drinking a cold glass of water, “yeah saving money doesn’t come on until much later.”
Taking his shirt off nate plops on the couch turning the tv on and flips on Netflix turning on American Horror Story coven. “god I love this season, so campy and all the witches are such sassy bitches.” Luke looks at him as he sits on the couch laughing at Queenie threatening to eat a skinny white witch and looks at him. “can I ask man, you have no shame in showing off your watching a campy season of a horror show, and you had a guy over to take a shower, are you….” Ark opens the door and interrupts both of them and interferes. “well yes I would say so Luke but is that really your business.” Nate looks at both of them shrugging and puts his arms on the back of his head. “Yes it is true I am gay, and proud of it.” Luke looks at him, “well that’s great that you are accepting of who you are, I bet your parents got used to it when you came out.” Ark flicks Luke on the back of the head, “not sorry for that but personal matters shouldn’t be pressed on, I could care less what sexuality he is so long as he respects us.” Nate laughs and compliments arks no shits given attitude. Luke remarks he’s just curious, and Nate replies back that his mother and father are not supportive and his aunt and uncle took him in with loving arms. Luke looks straight faced as Nate gets up and says he’s not interested in sad stuff and wants to go do something. Luke remarks the club fair is going on and they could see some of the extracurricular and teams on campus. Rolling a joint, ark notes it might be fun and they all smoke up before heading out.
High a shit at the fair, ark and nate are drawn by the smell of weed coming from the growers association and head over seeing a Bull and rhino passing out joints to people they think might help. The bull introduces himself as Danny and the rhino introduces himself as theo. Theo explains that they grow swell shit in a lab on campus as med students, he a agriculture student and Danny a Med student practicing physical therapy. Nate and ark look at the pamphlet and see that it’s a paid job to test out experimental strains smoking a pound a week and its legal. Nate smiles at ark who smirks back as the cheetah nate ran into beforehand sees the two and walks over stating that his brothers wanna talk to them. Looking back at him with a smug grin nate replies that maybe he should learn some manners as an large bulky elk comes by and comments on arks large build. “whats good sloth im riley, chapter president of Tau Epsilon and I cant help but notice you got a a great build, for a sloth. Ark replies that its gene regression and that his ancestors somehow mixed with his DNA with an extra chromosome making him a large man standing 7.6. the cheetah rolls his eyes at nate stating he noticed him working out in the gym and the amount of weight he was piling was impressive. “well what do you expect from a wolf, we do what we can”.
Riley looks at nate and ark stating that they shouldn’t waste their time with smoking and lazing when they can join the football team and make a good amount of rep for themselves. Danny stares daggers at riley commenting that even if he is quarterback he won’t be able to get a six pack, flipping off danny riley tries taking arks hand and brushes it off commenting that forcing someone to try and do something doesn’t get their way. The cheetah replies back to ark that he wouldn’t expect less from a hybrid smut, to chicken out at oppurtunites of a life time. ark just looks away and asks what the pay is for being a tester, only for theo to immediately respond “200 a week, and all the eeed is free to take so long as we give it to you, no going into stashes and taking what you wish, me and danny deal, you two just smoke, limited seating to 6 people.” Nate signs his name, “oh im so down, now we don’t have to worry about finding stuff on campus from sketchy dealers.” Danny replies there’s a lot of pushers lately trying to sell synthetic weed and its not good to go to anyone.
Walking back riley and the cheetah look at the crowd around their booth and see luke signing up as a linebacker. The cheetah “oh great another hybrid, how many are on this fucking campus this year?” . riley looks at him, “calm down Roland, this is good for funding even if we don’t use him in games having him as a brother is good for our credibility with the frats and the campus, plus we need a mule to get our shit to other people, gotta get ready for preseason.” Roland smirks saying he really doesn’t like the hyena as hes too gentle and happy, riley smirks and tells him that he has an plan for that at the party, and he just needs to get the two over to the houses. Giving him a bag of pills, he tells him hes gonna go get some dirt from the dorms.
Going to the dorms riley knocks on the door to find a mongoose opened up high from some pills. “oh hey riley what’s good?” riley asks if he knows of two guys a sloth and hyena/ wolf mix and if he knows anything on them. The mongoose replies that he thinks the sloth is just a stoner but saw a guy walking out of their dorm with Nate standing at the front waving him off. Riley smirks at him telling him that’s all he needed, the mongoose asks if he’s getting paid for this one, only for riley to respond that that he already gave him the info before asking for payment and walks off.
Luke ark and nate return with nate and ark looking at their contracts as testers saying itll be good to earn some cash. Luke was invited to a TE party and wanted to go but not alone. Nate and ark look at one another and contemplate going, only remember thatdanny and theor were handing out products at the party as a side business and seeing them would be nice. Relaxing and pregaming with the rest of arks stash the three walk to the house and see the place blasting with dance music, and sees a bunch of girls going to ark pulling him. “god damn your big, are you the new defensive end everyone is talking about.” Ark remarks he isn’t part of the team but wouldn’t mind hanging around the girls for a little while. Nate goes off to find theo and danny handing out joints for cash and danny gives him one to enjoy. “hope to catch you later bro, your first college party?” nate replies hes been to plenty and its no different. Theo nudges dannys elbo noting hes making that face again at nate, “aren’t you into the bulky ones now.”, danny remarks that he is tired of twinks and wants to meet someone whose fun but not thin, only for theo to remark he should check and see if hes into it first. Luke already drunk off of a bottle of rum goes up to them hearing the conversation and remarks that nate is gay and is proud to be open about it.
Heading to the smoking lounge nate smokes out a few bongs around a few people seeing roland come up and sit next to him. As he puffs smoke out he says hes a little close for his taste. Roland remarks he is interested in seeing nates stamina only for nate to brush it off as an advance saying hes making him uncomfortable. Roland holds his shoulders saying he wants to apologize for being an asshole earlier and plants a kiss on nate, sticking his tongue down his throat. Nate coughs pushing roland off and asks what the hell he put in his mouth as he felt something go downhis throat. “it’s a nice little candy, youll feel nice and loose later on. Feeling dizzy nate sumbles around only to feel a jol of energy rush through him and begins smiling like crazy. “oh god this doesn’t feel right but its kinda nice.” Roland laughs and says it wont be when the hallucinations hit. Running out the room Nathan looks around for ark or the others only to find theo passing out the last joints. “oh nate there you are, me and danny were heading back to my place to smoke, thought you and ark want to join…. Woah dude are you okay.” Nate replies the rooms spinning and hes seeing twisted colors everywhere. Looking at his eyes theo calls danny over saying nates tripping balls. Danny asks what he took and nate tells him a cheetah stuck a pill down his throat by kissing him nonconsensual.
Ark comes back out of the room shirtless and covered in hickeys by the two girls saying hes ready to leave. Looking at nate he wonders whats wrong with him, only for theo to tell him what happened and ark goes into the smoking room finding roland smoking and grabbing him by the tail dragging him outside. Punching him in the face over and over roland begs for him to stop, only for ark to look at him “didn’t nate tell you to stop.” Before stopping on his ball sack causing Roland to bellow in immense pain. Theo walks out and sees group of people staring at campus, only to see that there are lights flashing from the dorms. A girl notes that someones dorm got trashed from texts reading someone busted open the hybrids dorm and trashed it. Ark looking pissed tells theo to take care of nate while he goes back to grab luke. The two go back up to see their place in shambles and fag written on nates walls and sees everything is in ruins. The UP there tell them they will need to make a statement and say they can do it in the morning, going down to theos, ark lights up a joint on the couch asking theo how nate is, “hes fine resting in bed, his hallucinations were bad but he will calm down soon enough, what happened to you guys?” luke explains what occurred and theo shakes his head calling the incident a targeted crime and says they can stay with him and danny for the semester, Having spare bedrooms and no roommates helps. Thanking him luke looks to see dannys door open with him cuddling up to nate with his arm around him sleeping. Luke mentions they should tell nate everything, only for ark to reply that they need to wait for the morning and let him sleep off his high.
Kappa Sigma Life: Chp 3
Rustling in his sleep, nate awakens to turn over and see danny sleeping next to him. Confused he pulls the covers over and widens his eyes rolling out of bed trying to sneak out of the room. Danny rolls over and with a smirk looks at Nate raising his eyebrow asking if he slept. “look im sorry if anything happened man, but I don’t remember much after getting kissed and well I hope I was at least a gentleman about it.” Danny bellows in laughter as he explains that nothing happened and nate was too messed up on some mixture of lsd and molly so theo and him took him to their place to crash. “you were pretty messed up so I had you take a shower, got you out, dried you off, and the minute you landed in my bed I just saw you pass out, so left you like that, good thing for a queen sized beds right.” Nate scratches his head relieved nothing out the ordinary occurred and asks if anything else happened. “aside from you wimpering in your sleep and me cuddling you to make you better, nothing at all.” Nate sighs and turns to leave seeing his phone on the charger reading 9am. “well good thing I didn’t sleep to late, but I think im gonna take a personal day from the gym im still a little on edge.” Danny looks at nate as he leaves the room grabbing his boxers looking at his ass and smiling. Theo walks by the door seeing nate head to the bathroom and looking at danny, “hey been a while since you had a guy in your bed.” Danny looks at him chuckling telling him to fuck off, and theo walks off seeing nate standing at the bathroom door
As nate waits for the bathroom to be available. “yo theo, how many people live in this house?” theo explains that it was only him and danny but explains that ark has to explain some things that happened last night. “yeah I tweaked out and blanked out of my memory, didn’t do much thanks to you guys, im really grateful.” “no dude, you don’t understand and I didn’t tell danny all of what happened since you guys were asleep by the time we all got the news.” Ark walks out of the bathroom looking at nate and tells him he should shower and get a stiff drink cause there is a lot to discuss. Taking a quick wash and coming out. theo hands nate a glass of rum telling him to sit down, ark lighting a joint explains that the dorm was vandalized and everything was trashed making it unlivable, the University Police had taped off the area and explained that our residence will change until further notice. Nate takes a large gulp and breaths deeply. “okay that was a lot to take in, any idea on who did it?” ark explains that it must have been the footballers as no other group has a issue with them. Luke comes out of a room carrying a duffle bag wearing a Maplewood Beserkers jersey and tells the guys hes gotta go to practice.
Nate shrugs and tells luke to be careful around the TE boys as if they did target their dorm they might do something to Luke since he is a hybrid. “come on bro your looking a mix of who massive beasts, the bull and the bear, the Italian romantic, the otaku with the eye for art, Luke Benito.” Nate and ark look at one another and laugh harshly at his remarks, nate explaining that Luke is still without a woman in his bed and hes younger than the entire gang. Grunting luke walks up to nate asking if ark told him what happened. Nate tells him ark did tell him and remarks its feeling heavy. “yeah man we all feeling it, ill drop by later at the dorm to pick up some of my stuff, whatever’s left of it.” Ark tells nate they need to do the same and contact UP and make a statement. Theo and danny come in explaining they will take the guys out later to buy some new clothes and bedding and new luggage as theirs were trashed. Nate sighing immeditaly jolts up feeling his pocket. Pulling out his wallet and the necklace he wears he feels relieved that he didn’t lose that. Danny looks at the necklace which a rectangular piece of silver on a metallic black chain etched with roman lettering. “nice necklace bro, what Is it?” nate explains it’s a piece of the remains of the Hagia Sophia before its reconstruction, the silver is a piece of an altar demolished to make way for new repairs.
Ark makes a comment on that it must of cost a shit ton of money for one little piece, but marvels that the crafting is clear in design. Nate puts the necklace on going to dannys room checking his phone, missing a call from his aunt he breaths and dials her up. “ciao zia, qual è la parola, si è successo qualcosa nel campus, sì sto registrando il rapporto oggi, no non so se qualcosa può essere salvato, sì ho ancora lui la collana, okay ci vediamo presto, starò al sicuro, amo anche tu”
(hi auntie, what's the word, something happened on campus, yes I'm recording the report today, no I do not know if anything can be saved, yes I still have the necklace, okay see you soon, I'll be safe, I love you too)
Going out of his room he tells Theo and danny his aunt is dropping by to make sure everything is okay, with danny asking if he was speaking Italian on the phone. “yes she has a thing about privacy so I speak in Italian on the phone with her to ensure that no one can hear.” Ark remarks he could of just sent her a text, but nate remarks she is driving already and that be dangerous. Since it’s a four hour drive nate and ark decide to head to the dorm and see what can be salvaged from the wreck. Danny and theo look at them as they leave remarking that they should stay in case nates aunt appears. At the dorm, ark and nate see the tape over the busted door and crawl under going to their respective rooms. Nate picks up a safe that held his laptop and puts it in his messenger bag and sees his books are all trashed beyond recognition. “how can anyone be so savage over one little incident?” ark in his room can only take his stash and his computer as they two look around they see the entire apartment was beaten to a pulp. Nate remarks it looks like a stampede occurred and that there isn’t much they can do now. Coming down the hall they see luke sweating carrying his gear and looking tired. “yo guys, anything left for us to grab?” ark replies that the only thing left was lukes room and that there isn’t much they can do about the place and residence change won’t be a tough deal. Luke looks in his room seeing it shambles grabbing his laptop and walking out. “fuck that was a mess, but thankfully locking away electronics is smart.” Walking back down the three converse about the past incident and bring up that its quite a travesty but it’s not over yet.
Heading to the UP station they make their statement with nate explaining that a Tau Epsilon brother, a muscular cheetah slipped him a pill and tweaked out before crashing at a friend’s house. The police record their statement and tell the boys the watch themselves closely for the next week before classes start.
(at Maplewood, students in the summer get a week to explore campus and enjoy the parties before studies begin)
Nate takes a copy of the report and puts it in his bag thankful that the police believed their story and were looking into the matter of who started this incident. Going back to the house all five boys spark a joint and smoke up the room, only to hear the doorbell ring. Theo goes to the door to open it only to find a tall raccoon standing asking if this is where nate is. “uh yeah may I ask who you might be?”. The woman explains she is nates aunt Rebecca and received a phone call from the college stating he had his dorm vandalized. Getting up nate walks to his aunt and hugs her happy to see her, she looks at him and remarks that even with the shit happening hes still smiling. “well life isn’t about looking at whats lost, what you still have matters.” Shrugging she hugs him again, “im just glad your safe, gone one weekend and all hell breaks loose, call me overprotective but I cant let anything happen to you husky.” nate scratches his head exclaiming she always has to embarrass him in front of people. Looking at the group, luke tries hiding the weed and joints only for her to sit down asking for one. Confused by the room nate explains shes a avid smoker and got him into it at 16, theo rolls her a joint passing it and lights it. Taking a huge drag and puffing out rings. Rebecca explains shes going to the dean and getting the story straight, she wants all the details and not the ones UP give out, the full story. “this was a targeted assault, againt the hybrid dorm particulary, added to homophobia I can’t sit back and let that go.” She finishes the joint and goes to walk out, only for ark to ask what shes gonna do. “I am just going to calmly talk to the dean and get things straightened out, you boys aren’t even in trouble, but I wanna make sure whoever is responsible is given proper punishment.” As she walks out danny notices she is very scary and a bit sly only for nate to reply that she is ex military combatant and a biological researcher for the Dept of Gene Recovery.
Looking at everyone, nate laughs and explains she looks into the regressive gene syndrome in people and tries to find the root of the cause. Ark smiles saying he knew what the department was, just wanted to see what everyone else was thinking. Getting up he walks out going to campus, luke tries to get him to stay and not get into trouble, “bro I got a text from one of the girls last night, im heading to her place for a little afternoon fun, ill be back in a few hours or so.” Luke looks at ark head to toe and questions how a behemoth of a 250 lb land sloth could get so many girls. “its cause im fierce looking and draw them in, its called being an alpha.” Nate chuckles at luke and smokes the rest of his joint, only to feel danny run his hand up his shirt. “speaking of fun maybe we could do a little.” Nate puts his hand back on his lap and remarks hes not really in the right mindset and wants to wait a while, danny apologizes as nate goes to take a nap. Before ark leaves he tells danny that rushing things doesn’t work out for many people. Going to his room he sees nate shirtless in bed with the fan blasting against his fur. Danny goes to rub his arm as nate turns slightly. “im okay with cuddling if you want, but no physical stuff, I just wanna relax.” Danny takes his shirt off and wraps his arms around nate and closes his eyes nuzzling against his fur. “I wanted to know, when you were whimpering in your sleep, who’s Sergio?” Nate remarks he wouldn’t want to talk about it just yet and danny lets it go as they rest in bed with the shades drawn.
Theo walks by and remarks that its adorable that their sleeping together in bed. Luke walks by and chuckles that they look like two big furry body pillows for Danny to get up and shut the door in their face, crawling into bed going back to nate who smiles saying that was rude but hilarious. Going to the girls dorm, ark is dragged in by a doe and pushed onto the bed. The girl pulls his shirt off and feels his body all over. “god your chubby but firm as all hell”. Ark replies that its just how hes build dense and powerful. He flings her up to him kissing her as she takes her shirt off. “how you like it beast, rough or slow?” ark replies he will go whatever way she wants to as she reaches into his pants jerking him off. “rough it is then, and by god you really are huge, I was twisted last night and forgot how big you were.” She pulls out his dick from his shorts pulling them down and licks it on the shaft. Ark puts his hand on her arms and lays her down. Sticking his tongue out he goes down on her and he massages her tits enticing her for more. His cock throbbing, he lubes her up ready for playtime and thrusts it in her all at once making her scream in pleasure. “Yes ark, yes ark, give it to me please!”. Ark goes even deeper faster and faster as she begs for it rough. Pulling her ears she calls his name saying hes a master and he needs to tame her, ark kisses her shoving his tongue down her throat feeling her cumming, he pulls her tits making her climax laying her in bed. He finishes by jerking onto her tits and exclaims she should clean up. In the shower he presses her against the glass and goes for round two as the two shower together. Heading out the doe hopes he calls her again and it was fun when he pulled her ears. “I just know what girls like is all.”
Going back to the house he sees bags of stuff all over, theo has went out and bought all new posters clothes and luggage for them after losing most of their shit. Rebecca returns soon after looking at everything and asks for her card back, theo gives it back with the receipt and explaims a lot of the stuff was on sale. Rebecca replies its not a big deal they didn’t need to worry about cost and all they needed was to relax and stay clear of the football players, aside from luke who is a member. Ark remarks she must of earned a lot of money while on tour of duty, only for Rebecca to exclaim that the military doesn’t do shit for pay and getting bills paid took both her and her husband to compensate before getting into medical research. Going in her purse she lays out housing costs and many house on foreclosure for cheap, “start looking, and as of now im staying for a while, I can crash at a hotel while we get things straightened out got it.” Ark replies that they have no money for a house and couldn’t possibly expect her to lay out any cash.
Rebecca lays a check for 100000 dollars on the table telling ark that it doesn’t matter, all that matters to her is her nephews college and life. Theo looks at the zeros asking how in gods name she can afford a house. “my husband life insurance policy kicked in only recently so I got lots to spare, but that doesn’t mean im funding every little thing got it.” Ark agrees and looks at a large manor for 40000 with 8 bedrooms and 4 baths. Theo remarks that there isn’t much they can do with this home as its huge and what would they need the house for. “I want you boys to be safe and this is close to campus and heavily gated with a security system so don’t worry.” Nate walks in greeting Rebecca and looking at the housing listings. “Over Yonder, those are huge!”, “believe big guy, you guys are choosing which one to live in got it.” Nate looks at the one ark looked at prior and loves the old style colonial feeling and exclaims that theres enough room for everyone and then some. “you know guys, we could use this as a frat house, and considering were upbeat and party animals we could probably get the ball rolling on it.” Theo remarks that isn’t a bad idea but what would they stand for little lone call themselves. Nate gets on the couch lighting a joint and remarks simply, “Kappa Sigma, We represent Formality and entertainment.” Ark nods in agreement and explains he could dj most of the parties, nate is good with getting peoples attention, Danny is well organized with paperwork, and Theo can act as dealer for weed at the parties.
Luke comes in asking what the commotion is and is told the situation. He explains he wants to be in on it but cant just abandon the Tau brothers. Nate shrugs saying its understandable and that its his decision, while danny looks a little annoyed, “those assholes trash your dorm drug your roomie and fucked up your first weekend, how in holy hell have you be friends with them?” luke explains theres no proof they did it yet and its speculation, for all they knew someone must of gotten ticked and chose to fuck with them. Seeing the point luke takes his bag but holds his head feeling light, only for theo to grab him and help him up. “uh luke, you good little guy.” “yeah yeah im fine just a little woozy from practice they had us doing a lot today so think I need to rest. “ark comments that might not be normal post work out pain but something else, while Theo explains they have done a lot of sketchy shit trying to get the growers to help make some steroids for the new players. Danny looks into the room to see luke laying down and looks through his duffel bag, underneath his gear is a bunch of pill bottles labeled with roids and sees theres at least 25 capsules of them. He takes the bag and brings it into the living area dumping it onto the table showing everyone. “I think our little bullbear is becoming a drug mule, these are totally from the pushers, they use these types of containers all the time.” Rebecca shakes her head stating that they need to talk to him immediately. Theo goes to wake up Luke and brings him into the living room where he explains he isn’t undserstanding whats going on and that the Taus just gave him a new bag as an apology for wrecking his stuff. The group look at one another and realize that he must have been used as a little smuggler to the dorms.
Ark tells him he can’t be with those TE or they might end up costing him a lot more than his room. Looking in his bag luke sees the pills and says he cant believe they would give him this much stuff. Nate retorts “they use the newbies to smuggle shit into dorms, sell it to kids that need to lose weight then collect dues for brothers by recruiting them, rince and repeat.” Theo advises that luke should probably return the bag and jersey before anything transpires further, danny stops him explaining they will take the drugs and bring them to UP explaining the situation. “better off we go since they know us as growers and we have good word over the freshman, sorry guys just something that makes more sense.” Ark nate and luke agree and luke leaves the pills taking his bag and heading out once more to the Tau Epsilon house, leaving the rest to worry about him. Rebecca remarks hes a gullible kid with a lot of need to be accepted, with nate shaking his head “its sad but reality hits hard at the worst times.” As the day progresses nate and the others enjoy a good meal made by Rebecca seeing luke coming in looking solemn but with a grin on his face. “yeah I think I got us even worse with the football players.” Nate smirks and asks what he did, for which luke states he took his jersey and burned it at the tau house in front of the brothers and threw it into the chapter presidents garbage causing to set fire. Ark and nate laugh hysterically contemplating why they weren’t there for that.
Rebecca gets a knock at the door going and getting two garment bags in her hands from a delivery man. Luke sits down and eats happy he made his brothers laugh. Rebecca comes in with the garment bags and gets them on the chair. Ark asks what the bags are for and she remarks that the dean is seeing ark and nate tomorrow for their talk about being a frat and the new house and need to dress the part. “suit tie pants the works got it boys.” Nate and ark groan at having to wear tight clothes but put up with it. That night after hard drinking and smoking danny and nate lay in bed wide awake unable to sleep, danny roles over cuddling nate and telling him if hes okay with this tonight. Nate smirks and says hes in the mood for something else, while danny drifts his hand lower rubbing nates boxers feeling them bulging up, “god your right, you really are horny.” Nate replies he hasn’t done anything in two days and needs to let off some steam, especially after missing the gym. As the moonlight hits the bed danny pulls off nates boxers licking his cock shaft to head and feeling it deep in his mouth. “damn your experienced, that feels wonderful.” Nate pulls him by the horns and deepthroats his cock into his mouth while grunting. Moving up danny plays with nates nipples and twists them making his cock throb harder. The two of them lay in bed with danny on top of him massaging his cock against his ass, “let me do the work, you relax okay buddy”, nate blushes smiling as it’s a first anyone let that happen. Grunting and moaning as danny slowly sits on nates dick, he remarks its very thick and straight perfect for riding. Getting all the way in the two play with each others tender bodies with nate running his hand through dannys fur feeling the gentle caress of his firm paws on him, danny jerks his cock stating he hasn’t been with anyone in months. Nate replies that over now and hes gonna make him forget those months alone. Flipping danny on his back, nate gives him a stern smile and tells him its his turn to do some work and thrusts in him while stroking dannys cock making it precum. “damn your into it aren’t you.”. “I thought you were a happy go lucky husky boy, since when do you take charge.” Nate retorts “when I started grabbing this bull by the horns”, grabbing his horns getting deeper and deeper into him. Grabbing his sheets nate jerks dannys cock even more until it climaxing on his stomach. Nate ask if he wants him to stop and danny simply tells him to keep going and he can take it. Nate does so getting into lotus position and hearing dannys heartbeat as he pulls him close thrusting into him even harder. Danny calls out “oh Nathan yes, yes, yes, yessssss.” As nate cums pulling out his cock spewing cum out from two days, the two fall back on the bed remarking that it was incredible and they never felt that primal urge of love making before. “I myself usually go gentle and tender, but I just felt I wanted to get a little fierce and rough for once.” Danny remarks hes impressed by nates stamina and asks if he played anything in high school. “I traveled a lot honestly but I did play ultimate and disc golf a lot.” Danny asks about his travels and nate goes onto a share session about his trips to Europe japan and the Caribbean thanks to his aunt and uncle. “woah that’s amazing, I bet you learned a lot overseas.” Nathan gets up to head to the bathroom before turning around pointing at danny and looking at his dick remarking hes ready for another round. Danny laughs and gets up kissing Nate pulling him back into the bed. The two go at it until the wee hours of the morning and fall asleep feeling the sun hit their eyes. Nate goes and shuts the blinds telling danny they can sleep in. danny agrees and spanks nates ass as he closes them. “firm but supple that’s my kind of man. “well you got a muscly build on you and I love it, very big burly with a goatee and those horns, I’m guessing your Italian right. Danny remarks he actually bull/yak honestly and he has a lot of mixed blood but took more after his dad with his grandfather coming from Tibet. Nate gets back into bed kissing danny and exclaiming a lot of people should see the world as mixed instead of pure. The two kiss as Theo walks by, “good morning boys, glad to see your both up again.” Both look down and pull the covers over them as they laugh and smile wishing theo a good morning.
Kappa Sigma Life: Chp 4
Nate goes down stairs after cuddling with danny much of the morning with his aunt on the phone with one of the real estate agents calling about the house they wanted to buy. “yes 1950 colonial, the one on foreclosure, yes I have the money and yes I will buy today, it’s a beautiful home.” Waving to nate she sees him taking some coffee and going back upstairs. “remember nate I have to go to the house today and fill out paperwork, and I called the movers and told them to move the stuff in, everything should be done by around 4pm” nate gives a thumbs up seeing ark and theo rolling joints and smoking from a bong. “that’s new usually we use papers instead of pieces”, ark replies they need more papers and the need for pieces is adamant so they should hit up a shop in town later sometime. Rebecca comes in reminding ark and nate that they will need to meet with the dean the next morning so no late night shenanigans or they will miss their appointment. Ark shrugs saying hes used to having shit to do and nate is always a morning person. Theo offers Rebecca a joint of his new strain and she partakes before heading out. “remember boys im not going to be around today so no goofing off, look through the papers I have on the kitchen table and have luke call up the parents okay, we need them to see what kind of house you will be living in, proper and elegant, or so they will think.” Ark looks at nate asking what she meant by that as she leaves.
“oh the plan is we throw a welcome party to the adults in the day and show what we are as a frat dressed well and doing what we need to keep our grades up and responsibility but at night when they leave, we turn the place into the biggest hot box on campus, rigging the vent shafts with industrial heat enclosures and filling the house with THC. “is that really fucking possible?’ theo asks as nate grins at him telling him his aunt knows a few things from the military to rig a system up. Luke comes down and comments everyone is awake early. Ark tosses him the packet of the parents number telling he needs to call them. “what…..why?” ark replies that he is a brother too and needs to pull his weight. Nate decides to hit the gym and jogs seeing Geoff running a little ways farther, catching up the two laugh and high five one another. At the gym they help one another out with deadlifting and cardio, nate asking if he had been with any guys yet. “no sorry just ben busy practicing for the season, I joined the beserkers football team, they have me as a defensive end, im not fast but im tough to knock down, considering one of their players in hospitalized and another quit.” Nate scratches his head knowing exactly what hes talking about and comments he should be careful with the Tau brothers. Geoff states he knew what happened and wanted to say he thinks it was awful but not all the brothers are bad. “most are all freshman and just wanna play ball, not hurt anyone it’s the chapter president and that cheetah that cause problems, trying to push us to do really weird pills, I fake it and get mass on my own time not with enhancements” nate pats him on the back and comments it looks like he already lost a few pounds. “oh yeah cut out junk food and eat just straight food with protein so I lost like 5 pounds in a few days.
Nate comments that they will be starting a new frat and that if Geoff wants to join he would be welcomed as he is a respectable guy. As they finish up and head to the showers nate looks at Geoff pondering what could possibly happen to him at TE, with Geoff looking back at him and telling him he did find something out about the incident at the dorms. As it turned out a mongoose pusher hybrid told riley about the two of them leaving his dorm and thought that it was suspicious of him being gay little lone a hybrid, riley has a hatred for them for unknown reasons. Nate shakes his head saying that it really isn’t right they get targeted for simply being who they are. bumping fists in the shower and leaving, nate walks off and Geoff asks if they could ever have some fun again and finish where they left off. “when the drama blows over and we start our frat feel free to find me anytime anywhere you big leo, I might even have a friend who wants to join. Geoff blushes as he walks off running into riley who tells hi to stay away from hybrids if he knows whats good for him, and having word get out of his escapade with nate would damage the teams reputation. Looking away Geoff scoffs telling riley to get over his ego and that the guys are nice and Tau Epsilon is not exactly the epitome of good nature themselves.
Nate gets a call from Rebecca telling him that they are getting the house as they speak the furniture will be delivered soon enough, wifi and utilities were hooked up before the purchase and everyone should be set. The house cost only 40000 and the building will be paid off by Rebecca in payments , all they have to do is clean and keep everything neat. Getting to theo and dans, theo is calling up students on his buyer list about the party the following day, ark is looking at the deans agreement and meeting plans to discuss frat initiation, and luke is on the phone with his parents. “yes dad I left the football team, it wasn’t good that I was caught up in some shit and I wanted to keep away from it when our dorm got messed up, thanks for understanding, ill see you tomorrow, bye.” Luke looks at nate, “oh good for you to join us husky, go help with something.” Nate laughs and says he needed to work out and get the excess amount of drugs out of him. Ark hands nate the plans with the dean and looks it over. “you and I are gonna go tomorrow morning and get things started, hopefully we don’t get screwed.” Nate looks at ark saying nothing can go wrong so long as both of them are there. Looking at the table he sees gunpowder and ammo on the coffee table asking what that’s about. “some new experiment im doing for explosives as a demolition trade major I wanted to see what I can do, but the frat stuff came first so im putting it on the back burner for now.” Nate comments he cant go wrong with sulfur oxide and a little bit of combustible liquid in the center as it usually works wonders. Ark looks over to nate and says that he isn't using that beginner crap, and that he is using his own experimental blend of secret ingredients. “even a secret from me?” nate asks as he tries to look at what ark wrote down, with ark quickly hiding it and responding with a very low growl “yes.”
The group does their work as ark gets a call on his phone from the dean. “hello, yes, yes, yes, okay fine we will be there tomorow .” Ark explains that nate and him gotta get dressed earlier the next morning at 7 not 9 so they can get to the meeting earlier. “you serious?”. “dude moved it up so we better get moving ourselves. “ luke and theo shrug saying its one thing after another as they finish all the planning for the next day. Rebecca returns giving the key to the boys telling them the moving van is decorating the house and they should be able to move right on in the late afternoon. Thanking her ark lights a joint to relax and starts measuring his material on the coffee table while Rebecca looks on. “seems your skilled with chemicals and minerals may I supervise?” “I would welcome it thank you.” The rest of the boys leave to pack and Rebecca looks as they leave, “I cant thank you for being a good friend to nate, its not easy for him the past few months and he really wants this frat thing to go off without a hitch, and I want you to be chapter president.” Ark looks at her taking a puff, “wouldn’t nate be better off hes a good guy full of life and always has a plan.” Rebecca tells ark that hes a supporter not a leader and being a part of a good team of like minded people is good for him. “god knows that he always knew what to do for himself and others but never knew how to lead a team.” Ark states he sees her point and wouldn’t mind being president.” Rebecca looks over and places a gun on the coffee table, “I heard you were certified with firearms so im giving this to you for protection, I know you can handle it.” Ark looks at the FN Five-seven pistol and remarks it’s a very nice one. “nate has an M-9 and its supposed to be in his…….oh fuck…..NATE!!!!” nate runs out of his room, “Yeah auntie?”, “Where is that thing I gave you before school started.” Nate come down with a safe in his hands unlocking it and showing her the gun he kept.” Don’t worry I left it with my laptop and recovered it when we went back.” A sigh of relief Rebecca breaths heavy and nate looks at the gun on the table telling ark its nice to be prepared for anything.
A few hours pass and the group get the call they can move into the house, everyone has their bags packed and haul off to see a massive gothic colonial manor with the greek letter K and E on the center of the porch where they admire the crafting done. Rebecca shows them inside showing a massive living area with a walk in kitchen and a epic fire place and projector for viewing. “had the wall art custom made with bands games movies and class, the projector will be perfect for a sound system with ark as DJ, bar is right in the corner and the floor is hardwood to clean easier, Now go upstairs to your rooms. Nate hugs his auntie smiling, “god damn it you are the best.” “im just doing what Dimitri would of done.” He runs upstairs to see his room and ark smiles at her, “auntie raccoon loves her little pup.” Rebecca chuckles saying that he deserves this for being who he is and bringing a better light to the group. “throw a massive party tonight and bring the kids, tomorrow parents visit and a nice hot box to welcome prospects.” Ark replies already taken care of.
The night starts jumping as nate starts drinking and smoking with danny and the two welcome people around the house giving a tour of their place, luke is actually good at mixing drinks following recipes he found online, theo is passing joints out and ark is spinning tracks of symphonic metal making the house roar. The people crowd around the whole tables and looking at the letters on the wall as Kappa Sigma. Getting on the table, Nate calls out the mantra of the frat, “WE ARE KAPPA SIGMA WE STAND FOR FORMALITY AND ENTERTAINMENT.” Hearing the crowd roar the girls cry for him to take his shirt off, drunk and high he does so flexing and dancing on the table making everyone scream their name “KAPPA SIGMA, KAPPA SIGMA”, looking down nate sees bills flying to him from the crowd and undoes his belt, “wanna see more, pay up people.” The girls scream as he takes his pants off dancing in his boxers as danny looks on. “no matter what happens, im glad I get the real show at night.” Theo looks at him, “seriously were calling you horndog from now on.” The party jumps like crazy as nate flips off the table collecting his cash going to ark and feeling proud. “DUDE 400.” Ark takes the money splitting it in half. “lets keep this up man we can make a killing from your stripping.” Taking the money the party keeps going as ark stops spinning and enjoys himself seeing a elk/ rabbit girl stumbling around, helping her up he takes her downstairs to the guest room and puts her on the bed. Slowly closing the door he see luke looking inside, “oh my aren’t you a little rascal tonight, didn’t wanna take night off. “shut it luke the girls buzzed out of her mind im getting a bucket, wheres dan I need his help with this?” luke goes upstairs opening the door to see nate and danny naked in bed kissing one another. Dan retorts “knock first bull/bear.” Ark walking up remarks he should of locked the door or at the very least put a sock on. The two cover themselves with the comforter and luke closes it. “wow that was a sight eh?”, Ark “just tell him to get downstairs.” Theo walks by with a girl around his arm, ark pulls him “sorry for the cock block but theres a girl knocked out drunk.” Theo tells him to simply turn her to the side and get a bucket. Dan walks out in his shorts and follows ark saying the girl probably doesn’t know her limits or was given too much by the guests as luke was making sure to only give a 4 drink minimum. Seeing the girl on the bed they put the bucket turning her on her side, ark stumbles into an adjacent chair and falls asleep, danny remarks she will be fine and she can spend the night and ark will know if something happens.
The following morning nate gets up at 6 and wakes ark up where they both go get coffee, Rebecca giving them cups and telling them to get dressed. Ark goes back downstairs to find the girl awake and surprised, “you didn’t do anything did you, I don’t remember much.” “you blacked out we brought you here away from the party to rest, seems you didn’t vomit which is good, are you hung over.” “god yes and I guess I have to say, thanks but I gotta go im sorry for the trouble.” Ark asks if she wants some breakfast only for her to rebuff she needs to go, “thank you, uh…..”, “its arkad slowmann but call me ark or behemoth if you prefer.”, “no no ark is good, im sophie myers, thank you for the offer but I will pass, just wanna get back.” Ark shows her out and sees theo and danny asking how she felt, “shes fine but hung over thankfully didn’t vomit.” Nate goes to ark telling him they need to go.
the two go upstairs taking turns using the shower and getting ready. Nate goes upstairs opening the garment bag seeing a black suit with a navy blue button down shirt and a matching tie with black loafers. “god I hate dressing up but cant be helped.” Getting dressed danny comes into the room out of the shower and straightens nates tie. “Hello mr. wileson your appointment will be at 9am sharp do you need some coffee.” Nate laughs and tells him to shut it when he walks out and sees ark dressed up as well fidgeting with his collar looking uncomfortable. “Oy gevalt, this is gonna be tiring.” Nate retorts that it is a load of crap but if it gets them on the frat list, so be it. They go downstairs where rebecca gives them some papers. “remember you two, remain proper and firm on your organization, I already got confirmation from luke that the parents are coming today and they will arrive later in the morning around 10 to see their boys in their new home, fuck this is all happening so fast.” Ark remarks that it is happening fast and it’s thanks to her that they are able to do everything in order. Nate looks at ark dressed up, “stop playing with your clothes bro, we got to go.” The two leave and drive to campus seeing the dean welcoming them from outside the student services building.
“Greetings boys, please come on in.” ark and nate following suit and sit in his office in chairs as he pulls out his files. “appears you both have a good standing from your previous colleges as well as no records or demerits, that’s impressive, ark you were a part of your high school chemistry team and nate you played ultimate in the final year of high school as well as at your trade school in rome, very fine boys you both will be on campus, I don’t see a problem of you being a fraternity so long as you obey the rules, but as of now you can only be unrecognized and I will need to see your house and ensure it is not in shambles. Ark responds they will not leave the place a mess and they will be on their best behavior as the parents are coming tomorrow to meet the brothers, they have five reps already including himself and nate.
Nate responds that they stand for formality and entertainment, never welcome hard drugs and only use recreational marijuana only allowing those legal age to partake in their home, all alcohol is done by their brother luke who is a bartender, and danny is acting med student can help any student who does too much. The dean grins saying it seems they have their ducks in a row but they still need to discuss something as he had just received a notification that girl was in their home last night passed out. “yes a girl got too drunk so we put her to bed, and we made sure she was fine, no one violated her or anything, I made sure of that.” The dean pulls out the notification, “appears someone did a anomynous tip and said that did transpire, this is merely speculation and im looking into it but it appears whoever did the statement thinks low of you boys, nates aunt vouched for you and I will believe a member of our armed forced over the word of a stranger anyday, but this is still a formality.” Ark retorts that having a bunch of degenerates make false accusations and tarnish the name of another is something that has already happened to them once and following these allegations is not a fine line but crossing over the threshold to ambiguity. The dean agrees and say he will see to it that there is no further allegations against the group under false pretenses. Seeing the two off they decide to head back to the house, seeing as its only 8 nate gets a call from Rebecca to come to the gym with her for training. Groaning he hates sparring with her but he could use the excersise.
Heading off after dropping ark back, he finds two girls smoking calling him over. “hey big guy aren’t you cute in a suit, whats the occasion.” Pointing to the house he states that he is forming a frat with friends and needed to meet with the dean, the girls introducing themselves as mary and Selena state they could relieve some stress from him if they wish. Following them to their house across the street, they remark they saw him last night but were busy with a doe girl. Ark tells them he helped her when she was drunk nothing more, the three then go in to have a threesome, theo hearing the screams and moans form the front door. “god damn hes always getting some.” Seeing luke and danny dressed up, he remarks that its almost time for parents visit.” Rebecca and nate spar in kickboxing remarking he has gotten slow and over the last year. “I was in rome and spent most of my time working, what you expect.”, “for you to keep up.” Ark with the two girls around his arms looks at his phone, “9am, gotta get going.” Getting up the girls tell him to drop by anytime. Going back he straightens his tie and shirt going in seeing all three others ready. “wheres nate and Rebecca?”, theo tells him still at the gym, luke sends a message as cars pile in, showing that the parents came early, theo looking out “woah check out the military bike, is that your parents ark?” ark looks “yup good old mom and dad are here.” As they open the door danny welcomes a black bull and brown yak, “hey mom, hey dad”, his dad hugging him telling him he has an amazing place and shakes arks hand. “my boy you must be the president, damn you’re a strong man, im Marco and this is my wife Isabelle.” Ark welcomes them as the parents come in seeing theos mom and dad ecstatic to see their son, “ahhhhhh Theodore, how is the growing going?”, “fine dad, but please stop calling me that please, its theo, ark these are my folks Jason and Rachel turner.” Ark welcomes them as he notices his mom and dad walking in, “mom dad pleasure for you to make it.” Ark dad remarks his son grew a lot more than expected looking like a ceo of his own company, “some asshole clipped my bike on the way here, but that’s another matter how is everything.”
Ark replies its all nice and good hering from the back, “WHOS COCK DID HE SUCK TO GET THIS PLACE.” Ark pays no mind and gives the family a tour. Showing the rooms everyone is in awe at the architecture seeing that the wall art was taken down and stashed away. Hearing more profanity from the back ark glares at a wolf and hyena talking off about their kid being a fag. Ark looks at theo and asks if nate and Rebecca came back, “yeah coming back now they are coming through the back into the kitchen. Going in they leave the group to luke and danny who head them upstairs and nate comes in fixing his jacket and Rebecca wearing a black dress hears the vulgar remarks. “oh no don’t tell me their here, please don’t tell me… god damn it.”, Nathan looks up seeing his folks and sighing, “over yonder it had to happen eventually.” Ark replies if he wanted to leave he can but Nate simply tells him he can deal with them and they don’t owe him anything anymore. Going up he hears the vulgarity, “oh look the little cock boy came back, all high and mighty.”, “sir if you keep this up you will be vacated and sent to jail.” The wolf goes up to nate cocking him in the face causing his mouth to bleed, “you aint nothing boy, always been a regret.” continuing ark takes the wolf and hyena throwing them out and breaking the wolfs ribs accidently as he fell to the ground. Wiping the blood nate follows seeing the wolf hold his ribs pulling a switch blade out aiming it at ark. Nate walks over and pulls his gun out. “hows it feel being threatened by a fag.” The wolf pisses himself as ark tells them they are calling the police. Nate lifts the gun up pulling the trigger but has no ammo, the wolf shocked as nate pistol whips him in the face, “I don’t need you, never have never will now get out of my life and off my property.” The police arrive taking the two away as nate goes in hearing the screaming from both going upstairs to smoke and read. Rebecca tell ark he will be okay and needs just some privacy. Danny comes in and snuggles up to him kissing his forehead telling him that was badass hitting his own dad in the face. “eh been wanting to do that for a while.” Staying in bed the two cuddle until 5 when Rebecca comes to get them for dinner.
The parents are impressed by how loyal the brothers are to one another and how marvelous a home they have. By nine they clear out and Rebecca tells the boys its time to get the hotbox ready. Theo and danny start setting up as ark and nate change and hang the wall art back up, luke gets the bottles from the basement and start mixing recipes. Ark puts his sound system up and the group shut the vents as Rebecca inspects the hotbox already filling the house. The 5 already high get the party started at 11 with so many people coming in, theo giving joints out and danny showing off the projector. Nate starts doing his stripping with everyone cheering and throwing money. This time making 600 he splits it with ark and they start laughing out loud at the shit they had to deal with the entire day. “hows your mouth bro.” “fine fine lets just fucking party.” The group starts doing their own thing as luke makes perfect cocktails, and ark finds sophie toking in the living room. “returned to our den I see.” Sophie laughs and says its stuffy but nice in here, “I wanted to tell you that my brother made the statement not me, I told a friend and he told my brother.” Ark asks who her brother is to which she replies “riley, you know chapter president of Tau Epsilon, hes an asshole and does whatever he wants to get his way.” Ark agrees with a sigh and asks If she wants a drink. “no thanks ill smoke only tonight.” The two smoke and laugh going outside when she gets two high saying she never smoked before.”ah classic case of virgin lungs worst when it’s a hotbox.” Sophie laughs and says shes so fucking high right now. Ark helps her up when she gets dizzy and she kisses his cheek for being a gentleman, “don’t get the wrong idea, im not hooking up with you, im just being thankful.” Ark “I respect that. Now, lets keep you out here until your better.”
Nate and danny proceed where they left off kissing and hearing the music blasting from down stairs. “good thing we locked the door.” The two strip each other as dan runs his hands through his fur telling nate he wants it doggie style.” Pressing him against the wall nate holds his arms pinning him and kissing his neck and lightly biting his nipple. “hows that horndog, you like that?” danny moans as he wants more and places his hands against the wall turning around. pulling his tail with one hand and holding a horn with the other, Nate thursts into danny hearing him bellow that its fucking tight tonight. “that’s right, haven’t done it all day so we gotta get you loosened up. Burying his face in his ass he eats danny out as he strokes his cock and licking his hole. “oh nate that’s amazing, put it in puppy.” Nate wraps his arms around danny and slides his cock in pounding him against the door. Luke and theo hearing it walking away as they see the door bashing. Pushing danny on the bed he lifts his legs kissing his feet licking his leg as he slides his cock in again sideways in corkscrew. “this is much better, aint it.” Danny cries out that it feels so good as nate pulls his nipples and makes his cock cum all over the bed. “fuck nate yes, more more more, please!” nate pounds him faster and harder sweating bullets as he pulls out and jerks his load on his ass taking him by the horns and making him clean it up. “damn bull you really are one rodeo of sexual delights. “and you’re a fucking ray of sunshine after a storm when you fuck. Falling on the bed nate strokes dannys chin and tells him hes glad he was there when his parents got arrested. Danny slides his hands to nates and holds It kissing it telling him he felt he needed some help. The two fall asleep on the bed holding hands and nate dreams of leaving rome getting a letter two months after his uncles funeral from Sergio telling him hes breaking up with him. “if you wish to part from me because of a loss how will you ever attempt to come back.” Nate talks in his sleep, “was its actual romance to you or just another notch on your belt for two years.”, danny looks over seeing nate wimper a bit and holds him. “its okay sunny boy, I got you.” He sees nate smile and the two fall asleep content on the days events.
Kappa Sigma Life: Chp 5
Nate and Rebecca awaken early to go to the gym, Nate feeling a bit sore from the previous night’s session with danny. Rebecca looks at her nephew fondly telling her she’s proud of him and hopes everything works out for the Kappas, as she planned to leave in the afternoon and get back to the ranch. Nate looks at her a little sad, “daw but I cant live without my auntie raccoon.” “oh calm yourself with the sarcasm, we get enough of that from arkad, but in all seriousness, you’ve come an long ways husky.” “you know I don’t like that auntie, and seriously you always get way too into sparring.” The two train in kickboxing with Rebecca making Nate fall on his ass repeatedly before calling it quits, “stamina is perfect, your body was slow with the reaction time, what gives.” Nate sticks his tongue out and says he and danny have been trying it a little bit more rough lately, “great image of my loving nephew but its good to know your getting out of your comfort zone.” The two converse as nate notices Geoff coming in wearing gloves and a sweatshirt ready to work out, finding it strange that classes start in two days but the weather is warm as hell he pays no mind to it. Rebecca and him lift weights as he sees Geoff struggling to do curls and lilting the barbell. Going over he asks if he is okay only for Geoff to rebuff hes fine, and that he would prefer to work out alone today.
Concerned as he always wants to workout with nate, he lets him be until he hits the showers, Rebecca gets changed and pays her visitor fee and waits outside, “god I hope he didn’t find a guy he liked in there, I got to pack.” Nate washes down as he notices two hulking wolves glancing at him, “ignore the purebreds they can think whatever they want.”, noticing them leave he goes to the locker room to change to see Geoff sneaking into the showers alone, while curious he keeps his distance as he notices him pulling off his shirt with tufts of fur missing and his paws slightly burned. Going in he watches Geoff seethe in pain while washing down. Nate walks in asking if hes actually planning on going to the nurse. “its really nothing, just a frat initiation.” Nate takes his paw looking at it, “these are second degree burns, and you lost some fur, you’ve been taking the pills they gave you haven’t you?” Geoff looks at nate saying its for practice and the games are gonna be tough if your not brolic, plus he left his dorm after his roommate stole some cash and is crashing at the TE house, since hes becoming a brother. “brothers don’t burn their prospects hands and force them to get big through some bullshit pusher concoction, your coming with me okay, I gotta get you to my friend danny for a detox, you’re a mess.” “I don’t need it im fine. Nate feels his pulse and lifts some fur from his arm. “Your heartbeat should be fast not slow after a workout, and your fur is falling out in clumps, Geoff please, we helped luke, we can help you too.” “I thought you only welcomed hybrids?”. “we welcome all those who are good to people.” Geoff tears up and hugs nate thanking him, getting dressed he helps Geoff into the truck and heads back to the house.
Getting inside he explains to ark what happened, “I don’t fully understand what happens at that frat but I trust nates judgement you can stay in one of the spare rooms downstairs okay, go relax and were going to call one of the nurses over to look at you.” Danny looks at Geoff seeing his eyes are bloodshot and his fur has become pretty thin. “this is definitely classic pusher shit, highly toxic to random species but the fur can come back in a few days, so long as he doesn’t take anymore pills.” Nate looks at sees Geoff falling asleep sitting up, “take a nap little leo, you look like you haven’t slept in days.” “I haven’t, riley has us pulling double practice then initiation then I gotta cater the parties and then clean.” He falls back on the bed with nate and danny pulling the blanket over him letting him rest. “what a mess, Tau epsilon goes way too far merely for wins in the game.” Nate looks at danny asking when the nurse will arrive and was told by around noon. Rebecca goes to the living room where ark is making his ammo and sets a large cardboard box down in front of him telling him the frats clothes arrived. Opening it up ark picks up a forest green sweatshirt with the letters KE in greek in black letters on the front as well as a black vest with KE written on the right corner. “damn these are nice.” Rebecca states they gotta represent well or no one will know who they are. calling down the boys the five come down seeing the shirts and sweatshirts in the box. Danny takes a black sweatshirt with red lettering, luke takes a light green sweatshirt with dark green lettering, Nathan takes a royal blue sweatshirt with navy blue lettering and theo takes a red sweatshirt with black lettering.
“now you boys look like actual kappas.” Everyone stand together, group photo of the founders” the four boys stand together in front of the fire place in front of their frats wall art getting the picture taken as Rebecca says shes going to get it framed and hang it up later. The doorbell rings and the guys answer seeing the nurse coming in asking to see Geoff. “Another Tau prospect under the influence, third one this week.” going to the basement they see Geoff sweating in bed shivering. “this is going to sound messed up but hes the best case I had all week, give him this detox medicine now and he will be fine by tomorrow, all that influence will be flushed out in his urine.” Paying the nurse nate wakes up Geoff and gives him the medicine. “im sorry for making you guys bother over me, I’m very grateful I just didn’t want to deal with more animosity by riley again.” Ark comes downstairs and asks what happened. Geoff explains that he was caught by riley talking to Nate and he sassed him only to that night be forced to put his hand on a stove by two of the brothers while they laughed at him. “this morning I noticed my fur falling out and hid it with a sweatshirt and hoped it was nates of day cause he usually runs into me all week, I just didn’t know what to do so I hoped to have alone time and think.” Nate asks the brothers to leave them alone for a bit, wanting to talk to him alone.
Ark ushers the guys out and Geoff gets up needing to use the restroom. Coming out he feels betterand sits on the bed looking at his fur. “fuck I look horrible don’t i.” nate chuckles saying he will look better in a few days since felines fur grow fast, getting a serious look on his face he ask what Geoff planned to do now. “I don’t know what to do, I don’t want to go back, but I have no where to live other than the frat house and he doesn’t want strife if he leaves.” Nate puts his hand on geoffs shoulder, telling him he can stay at Kappa and become a brother, their first official prospect. Smiling he says hes already with TE, to which nate tells him to leave and give up his letters and move on, “but nate, they wont look kindly to that and they’ll cause more of a rift among the two frats.” “we already started off horribly with them for not joining football, anything else is just adding fuel to the fire.” Geoff gets up saying hes hungry and needs something to eat. Going upstairs nate makes him some chicken tenders and lets him eat, with ark coming in asking how hes feeling. “a lot better that shit worked wonders, but I expect the others to come by looking for me.” Ark tells him that if they do he won’t be going with them after what they did, while nate pats him on the head and wraps his names in a cooling balm soothing the burns. “that should help little guy.” Geoff blushes thanking nate for all hes done and looks at the brothers smiling at him. “okay now im a little embarrassed, you guys are awesome but It seems im the only purebred here.” Ark tells him that doesn’t matter as no matter what species you are, theres always room for more people like Geoff, kind and willing to accept comradery when needed, as the first thing they stand for is formality. Rebecca comes in to say goodbye giving the brothers their framed picture and hugs nate goodbye. “have a great semester husky, and remember ill see you in November break for memorial day.” “you got it auntie, I love you and thanks for everything.” As she waves the boys off she goes to ark giving him a letter, “give this to nate tonight its important he reads it.” Looking at the label the letter was addressed to rome but didn’t have a stamp on it, “yeah ill give it to him tonight.” Theo lights a joint offering one to geoff he says he will take anything that isn’t a pill and enjoys a circle with the brothers getting to know him. “well im 21, im a IT major, I love anime manga and a bunch of rpg games, my favorite system is Xbox, with my favorite game being Gears of War, I am secretary of Gaming Club, and I love playing sports, played football in high school but guess that’s gonna end soon, oh and I think if I had to choose a favorite movie its gonna be either Tron Legacy or Xmen First Class.” The guys nod and say hes seems like a nice guy, theo whispers in nates ear and nate excuses themselves as they gotta go somewhere for a bit and will return shortly. Luke interrupts, “damn we got two massive nerds here now, that’s fucking awesome!.” Ark tells him to settle down and relax before he gets aneurysm, “awe come on hes a otaku like me, he must have great taste, whats your favorite anime?” Geoff looks at him wondering, “ill have to say log horizon, just trapped in a game plots interest me but without the bullshit of SAO.” Luke eyes light up, “hes in I vote yes!”, danny whispers he thinks luke might be getting too into this, only for ark to agree immediately. theo comes back asking for luke to come with them as they will need his help. The three leave in the el camino leaving danny and ark with Geoff.
Danny looks at Geoff and smirk asking how he met nate in the first place. “oh first day on campus we met at the gym and made me feel more open about who I was, I was so nervous about being gay I wanted to shut myself out from people about it, but he showed me what being with a guy was like.” Geoff eyes widen and ask If they were together. “only for a bit I gave my first bj to him but ark interrupted before anything happened.” Ark laughs saying hes basically a behemoth and a cock blocker, leading to danny chuckling and Geoff looking at both of them. “you think he would go all the way with me, I mean I don’t wanna overstep boundaries but I cant stop thinking about him I don’t have any feelings but its just an urge to want him you know.” Ark says he wouldn’t know hes straight and looks at danny who looks away smirking, “well you can always go for it when he gets back.” In his mind its telling him to take it back and say he was kidding, but cant get the words out. Geoff smiles saying he should do that and finally get it over with, plus having nate as a first time wouldn’t be so bad. Ark says he will be sure not to interrupt this time while danny looks at ark asking if he can speak to him. The two step outside with danny asking if he really meant what he said. “of course, if he wants to sleep with nate and if he consents I have no problem, why do you?” “no I just didn’t expect a feline to go for a wolf, its not exactly common.”
Ark tells him if he thinks this is not a good move than talk to Geoff or tell nate how he feels cause he can tell nate would go for Geoff if not a relationship but more a fuck buddy like they have.” Danny looks at ark smiling, “I shouldn’t worry nate isn’t someone who sleeps around.” ark comments, “no but he isn’t against having a few fuck buddies and it seems you like him on an intimate level.” Danny blushes saying he doesn’t know what it is about nate that makes him just wanna cuddle up to him, “the sex is great and he can go mild to wild in any situation, I can talk to him and hes there when you need him, hes always smiling and makes it seem like reality can be better than what it gives you.” Ark laughs, “yeah hes a ball of sunshine most of the time until you piss him off.” Pondering for a moment, “that’s his frat name, sunny.”
Danny looks and says their getting off track, ark replies that there was no track and if hes gonna be upset than talk to nate about it cause they aren’t a couple and hes free to be with someone else if he wanted. Geoff calls from the room asking if he did anything wrong, “no dude your good just relax a bit.” Looking at Danny, “yeah thatll happen, don’t make the guy feel bad about something he cant control.” Danny goes in and talks to Geoff. “look I know you wanna fuck nate, but he and I are kinda fucking too.” Geoff blushes and says he had no idea they were a couple and didn’t mean to impose that. “no were fuck buddies and I just really like to be with him that’s all, I can understand you’re a virgin and want it to have your first with someone you trust and if you want to I guess it might be what you need.” Geoff states that hes never felt anyones embrace and nate was the first one to actually make him feel comfortable about his sexuality but persists that its not meant to be a long thing, a simple one night stand is all he wants and to finally just get the urge off his back.” Danny smirks and says “im sure nate will make it one to remember.”
Packing up the el camino nate, luke and theo get ready to leave, “man I cant believe you actually got everything for him man.” Nate responds if hes gonna be a brother his room gotta reflect him as a person and nothing more, and converting a guest room to a bedroom is simply adding some new features and a nice bed. They drive off as theo asks if the two of them are good friends, “hes a cool guy, too nerdy for my taste, but hes adorable, and I like bigger guys, not that you didn’t know.” Theo laughs as they all see danny swooning when nate takes his shirt off, only for nate to blush saying he really does enjoy his company, but actually thought about banging a feline before, ive been with bulls, bears, and wolves, but never a tiger or a lion, I hear they go either wild or mild which suits me perfect.” Theo breaks that he didn’t need his special sex history but laughs that Geoff is pretty much an adorable chubby lion and they should think of a name for him for the frat. “well im calling you hash cause your always growing the good shit.” The two laugh as the pull up to the house and text ark to take Geoff outside so they can fix his room up. Ark takes him out back seeing the pool and asks if he likes the house, “holy shit yes, this must have been a fortune.” “no not exactly it was actually cheaper on forclosure we paid 40000 and got enough space for everything.” Geoff makes it apparent he feels kinda out of place with the rest as nate is the only one he knows and seems to have a lot in common with luke so that might be good but still doesn’t know what role he can play for parties, “ah don’t be so nervous, honestly it be nice to do some game nights for a change of pace instead of parties and I think you’d be a good DM.” Geoff scratches his head and thanks ark for the encouragement.
Nate luke and theo hurry and rush in the packages upstairs to the bedroom and set up everything. Texting ark to come inside and bring Geoff upstairs, he does so showing a completely decked out room of gaming memorabilia a flat screen and a queen sized bed.
Geoff tears up turning around with ark throwing a brown sweatshirt with tan letters of the frat at him, “I dub thee, Courage, welcome to Kappa Sigma.” luke laughs as he hears the name saying its ironic cause hes literally more of a turtle in his shell than a lion, geoff looks at him wiht a smirk, “at least i can get what i want runt.” As the group celebrate with weed and drinks from the bar they get a knock on the door. Nate answers seeing its riley with some Tau brothers with him. “oh hey um sorry private party, come back later.” Riley tells him to shut up and says they have something of theirs, only for Geoff to approach them and throw his sweatshirt at their face, “yeah sorry forgot to give this back before I left, suck a dick you pretentious cum stain”. Riley tries entering confronting Geoff only for nate to pull his gun out and aim it at rileys face. “enter this house unrequested and harass a young man who you drugged and burned, this is considered private property and your trespassing, leave….now.” riley backs up with his hand up saying he didn’t expect some hybrid queer to have any balls.” Ark goes up to them and pulls Geoff away, “he’s our brother, fully recognized and respected you don’t even know the concept of that, come here again and you will not be welcomed with warnings.” Riley scoffs at ark telling him that things really are going to interest him as they begin to leave, he turns letting ark know he just instigated a turf war. ark rolls his eyes and shuts the door. Geoff apologizes once more and ark tells him its not his fault they deal with assholes. Everyone has a fun night as Geoff goes to nate blushing asking if he could do what he does at parties, the guys look and all agree even if he isn’t getting paid for it. Nate takes a huge swig of rum and gets on the bar taking his shirt off and starts dancing. Luke starts mixing and laughs at Geoff sitting on the couch, “yo look hes got a boner…!”. Geoff covers his crotch saying hes just admiring a good show. Nate gets down and gets on geoffs lap, “why don’t I start where we left off.” Kissing him danny woots at nate with ark looking at him, “seriously everything about nate turns you on.” Danny looks at him saying hes wrong, only for theo to point downwards, “your mouth lies but your dick cant.”
Taking Geoff by the hand nate brings him upstairs where they enter geoffs room kissing on the bed. “I know you want it courage, why don’t we go slow and if you want me to stop I will.” Geof leans in kissing nate, “one night of passion to feel what its like, nothing more.” Nate grins stroking his chin, “of course now lets start with that shirt. Geoff takes it off as nate feels his fur againt his gently kissing him and running his fingers through his hair. Rubbing his pants nates pulls them off exposing his erection with Geoff going and sucking him off, “just like before right.” Geoff nods saying he wanted it for the entire week. taking off his pants he lays nate on the bed asking if he wants him to ride it. “whatever you like courage, do as you please, im only gonna be gentle with you for your first time. sliding his cock in Geoff aches as it goes in him moving up and down his shaft he feels the ecstasy of love making and asks for more. Pulling his nipples nate makes Geoff purr as he leans and kisses him. Laying Geoff onto the bed nate slides in running his hand over his body and thrusts in. “oh my god this feels amazing, every inch.” Nate ask if its too much as Geoff tells him its perfect as they continue and switch to doggie style. Geoff cock throbs as it burst hands free, laying on the bed he asks nate to finish on him. Jerking he busts onto geoffs stomach telling him it was fun. “thank you nate for doing that, I really just wanted to lost my vcard before school started and it happened just in time. nate laughs as he lays in bed staring at the ceiling. “damn you were very generous.” “I now I wanted it to be memorable so I didn’t know much to do.” Nate tells him it takes time to learn what he likes and what he doesn’t, getting up he asks if Geoff wanted some cuddles, for Geoff to smile and tell him hes good and wants to see the guys again.
Coming out theo wraps his arm around Geoff congratulating him on losing his virginity before Luke, “looks like luke once again, is the runt of the house.” Luke scoffs at theo saying hes fine with himself and Geoff laughs stating that he doesn’t need to worry as he will lose it one day, even if they have to pitch in some money, ark and nate laugh loudly as they say even they don’t see it worth any money to pay for sex. The guys all drink together getting to know one another even more, when ark suddenly remembers the letter giving it to nate and his aunt told him it was important. The gang go to their rooms with nate seeing danny go to his own room. “hey horndog, aren’t you gonna cuddle tonight.” “I thought you were gonna be with Geoff?” Nate explains it was a one time thing and Geoff lost interest the minute they ended fucking. “its not like I have all that in common, yeah hes athletic loves to work out and hes a nerdy guy like me, but were two totally different people, hes withdrawn and submissive and well hes a ray of fucking sunshine knows what he wants and stands his ground. “and what do you want, nate?” nate goes in closer kissing danny, “you, you moron, come on.” Pulling him into the room the lay in bed watching Netflix as nate looks at his letter. “oh shit it was from Dimitri but never got sent.” “why not open it and read it man, it could be important or stupid, I don’t know your family well.” “if its my dad its stupid, if its my aunt or uncle its important.”
Ark looks at his phone checking his facebook, when he gets a message from sophie on messenger. “hey can I come by rileys pissed to no end and I cant handle it.”, ark replies that she can come by and just knock when shes here. Waiting an hour he hears the doorbell and answers to see her carrying a bag. “need a drink?”, Sophie nods yes and asks for anything strong. Looking at the liquor he mixes some rum and cranapple juice giving it to her as she swishes the whole thing back. “that asshole had the nerve to come to my dorm and ask why I came to your party to hang out, then calls me a piece of scum and breaks my lamp, threw his ass out and packed up, couldn’t risk having him come back.”. “sounds like hes a piece of work.” “oh no idea ever since we were kids, always trying to get everything his way, skeezball.” Ark remarks shes not gonna drink her problems away, “no dude, im smoking them.” Pulls out a bag of weed, “just need a piece.” They smoke the bag getting high and proceed to just gaze at the fireplace. “ark thanks for having me, this is really hard to say but I don’t understand how any person could keep being such an asshole, to the point where they target family.” Ark shakes his head saying riley will get his one day, but for now its about taking things as they come. Leaning on arks shoulder and drifting to sleep ark wraps his arm around her and closes his eyes. Both wake up an hour later and ask if there is a room she can use. Going down stairs sophie remarks its freezing as the air had been on all day. Ark replies he can keep her warm and she replies she wouldn’t mind sleeping next to a source of intense body heat. Getting into the bed ark nuzzles up to her and lets her fall asleep, “my god riley would shit himself if he saw this, but then again, I could care less, I just wanna get a nice nights sleep.” Both drift off and pull the covers over themselves.
Danny and nate lay in bed looking at the sealed letter after finishing fate/zero and asks if nate is ready to read it. “it’s the last thing he sent of course I am.” Opening it up he sees what Dimitri had to say. “
dear husky,
been almost two years since you left, the house is empty most of the time with your aunt out on expedition in the west, I wanted to tell you im proud you got onto the deans list over there, I wish I could of attended the dinner, but you know I prefer your aunts cooking. I wanted to write and say we miss you and my tour I almost over. I got you a little something for your birthday and I sent it to Rebecca to keep safe. Sergio seems to really got a hold on you, that clever wolf really cant keep his hands off of you. Almost 21 and it seems like you were moving in yesterday, but that’s not important, I want you to keep up the good work and ill see you in the summer, okay buddy. Remember if your homesick you can return whenever you like and bring Sergio too, hes a fine man, and also Ronnie and Dylan graduated from their vocational school throwing rager at the end of summer and if your around see them. Wishing you all the best Nate, I love you.
Sincerely yours,
Dimitri
Holding the letter nate looks sad but smiles and says it’s the same as he always was, proud and caring all the same. Danny looks at him and asks if hes gonna cry, nate grins saying he never would for Dimitri saying he died a hero for his country and it wouldn’t help, he needed to stay strong and keep going, like always. Danny smiles saying he really is adamant and stands his ground with nate holding danny tight. “I know I got the best cuddle buddy to help me stay that way, the best friend a guy could have, physical and open.” Rolling over and cuddling danny feels nates pay on him nuzzling his back. “yeah buddies, that’s what we are that’s what we will be.” Listening closely he hears nate whispering in his sleep, “thank you for everything, Ive never been this happy in two fucking years.”, smiling as he thinks hes talking about his uncle missing him. “thanks danny.” Looking over he sees nate smile sleeping soundly no whimpering or cries, turns over facing him placing his forehead to his thinking to himself, “I think I should thank you.”
Kappa Sigma Life: Chp 6
The weekend flies by as the boys settle in welcome Geoff and party like it there’s no end, only for the reality of college to rear its head and wake up nate at 7am by his alarm blasting ghost from the barrow on his phone. Shutting it off he sees Danny laying on his chest smiling, “well appears you laid on me for an change. Danny wakes up groggy drooling from his chin looking up at a smiling Nate as the sun hits his face, “hey sunny, why you up early?”, “Monday classes start and I got an 8:30am and a 10:30am right after, both with ark so I’m driving, want to go take a hot shower with me to wake you up.”, “sounds fun but I got only a practical class at 10-1pm today, so sleeping in, but damn would that feel nice.” Jumping on the bed Nate boops his nose on Danny’s face saying he rests and he will see him when they get home.” Taking a quick shower and filling his travel mug with coffee, he knocks on arks room asking if hes up yet for class. “Hey behemoth, we got to go, I’m driving to class in 15.” Opening the door is sophie telling Nate hes still asleep. “lateness on the first day isn’t good.”, Sophie ponders for a moment curious how to wake a sleeping beast up. Nate tells her to hold on and gets back up with a tray of food, “what is that?”, “literally the only thing that gets this big bastard up in time.” waving the plate ark jets up and takes it, “good I was starving, I went to bed high and needed munchies.” “Just get dressed we need to get to class.” Ark throws on his frat wear and meets with Nate at the Camino asking what books are needed, nate retorts no one said yet so its going to be done on the first day.
As they reach campus they head to the humanities building and enter their Land of Isreal class sitting in the middle and readying their books, nate notices ark is yawning and cant seem to keep himself awake, “oy gevalt this is gonna be a long day.” Nate hands ark a travel mug, “packed it this morning drink up.”, ark tastes it saying its actually really good, nate retorts that he got it from theo and its cannabis coffee, so itll give them a little high for dealing with the early morning shit. As the teacher strolls in he sees that the class is packed and looks at nate and ark cheering their mugs to a another day of bullshit. “there is no food, drinks, phones, or talking in this class, you are here to learn about the land of isreal and we have much to discuss, there will be no question of my teaching methods and you will be marked down if you are late, there is no late arrivals, no late papers, and there is no discussion of political views in this classroom, all items are on the syllabus and I do not make appointments to my office, you have to come at the designated times allowed.” Nate looks at ark, whispering, “first class here and we already got this kind of teacher?”, “like I said going to be a long semester.”
The teacher goes on in a monotone as ark records the class on his recorder and nate takes every word in his notebook, the two doing both so they can get the best advantage in the class, looking back he sees the two as the only ones taking notes and calls them out. “You all see that, the wolf and sloth up there, why aren’t any of you taking notes.” Nate and ark just chuckle saying its probably out of laziness or the teacher isn’t making it interesting enough. “excuse you both, I hear you’re the new frat on campus and aren’t recognized would you like to have a bad word placed on you.” Nate retorts that teachers don’t have that authority and only administration and senate members do and they never saw his name on the list. “well I know people.”, “how about you keep teaching and stop antagonizing students thinking you get them.”, both of them laugh as the teacher scoffs and continues the lesson, they hear whispers from everyone in class about how they seems really chill but don’t take shit, with both smiling that they are at least making a mark.
As class ends, the teacher passes out the first assignment and ark and nate see what kind of shit they are in for. “OVER YONDER…….a 10 page paper due in a week.”, the teacher explains that he wants them all to pair up and write a ten page paper on the perils of Israel’s lack of neutrality and the confines of religion of government superseding into the effects of the modern era . ark looks at the teacher blinking “in English please, it’s the first day.” The teacher remarks, “look at the sheet Mr. slowmann you’ll figure it out.” , “Putz”. The two walk out looking at the sheet heading to their Chinese Modernization class where everything goes much smoother, the teacher is very nice and only gave out an assignment of finding a piece of Chinese infrastructure and giving a one page description of it plus their honest opinion. Ark and nate sigh a relief as they understand the assignment and once again pair up, heading to the camino, nate says he can do the Chinese assignment in no time while ark works on research for isreal, “are you saying that cause I’m jewish?”, “yeah, you said your family lived in isreal and you visited multiple times, I never went to the west bank so despite my knowledge of culture and history you got a better basis of this than me.” “okay just wanted to see your understanding.” Nate smirks as they get in and drive off to the house where they get inside and plop on the couch ready to work.
Nate decided to do the Forbidden City, as it’s the most popular and easy to describe. “The interior is so intricate and the coloring choices were astounding regarding the type of building material they had in that era.” “That’s great Nate just get it done so you can help with this shit assignment for the fucking bigot.” “no problem, hey want some food its basically lunch time.”, “oh fuck yes please, there should be some baked ziti in there from two nights ago.”, nate jumps off the couch to the fridge to see it completely barren. “LUKE…….GEOFFF, GET DOWN HERE.” Ark turns his head asking what the issue is, “the freshmeat ate all the food, Danny’s at practical, and Theo is at the lab, you and I were at campus, and those two don’t have on campus classes today.” Ark goes to the fridge looking in and actually seeing it totally empty, “wait does that mean even the chicken parm Rebecca made is gone.” “especially that, everything gone.”, Geoff and luke come down in their boxers, with Geoff scratching his belly, “whats going on, we don’t need to be on campus and I already finished my IT course for the day, ark looms over him staring him down. “Did you eat all the food in the fridge?......” Geoff firmly awake, “I had the baked ziti it looked like it only had a day left, remember we smoked with theo last night, I got the munchies and you said, “go ahead It has to be eaten by tomorrow, just leave one piece, so I did,” ark ponders and remembers doing that but forgot since he was blazed off his ass. “then you said sophie could have the meatballs and Italian bread for a wedge since there were only two left, nate had some chicken parm and rotini, theo ate the rest of the fried zucchini, and luke gobbled up the sausage and peppers.” Nate and ark look at one another apologizing for the threats and yelling, and look at one another.
Nate states staring at ark “we better start leaving reminder notes when we smoke so this doesn’t happen again. “agreed.” Ark sends a message to Theo to pick up some groceries for the fridge as they are officially out of food. “fine, just let know what we need.” Ark lists what they need and sends while they get to work on their project. Nate finished the Chinese assignment and began researching the Islamic Judea conflict and finding it goes all the way back to the confines of Christianity, which isn’t much of a surprise. The two reach about five pages into the paper when ark closes his laptop saying his brain feels like its about to fucking burst. “yeah same, I think we did enough, lets just get some weed and smoke.” The two light up a joint and hear a knock on the door, nate goes to answer it seeing a young hippo asking if this is the Kappa Sigma house, “yeah, this is kappa sigma, how may I help you?” “I’m looking for Geoff, I met him online during our class and he invited me over to study.”, nates calls Geoff down and sees him in still his boxers, “hey will come on up I got my computers program ready for the assignment.” “awesome thanks I need the help, totally new to IT work, all I know is basic repairs no coding skill whatsoever.” “well come on up and let me show you the ropes.”, nate chuckles as he knows what actually happening. “looks like Geoff is becoming the little Casanova.” Ark replies that he has the best people to take after in this house pointing to him. “well that’s true you’ve banged more girls this week than a rhino at a rave.” Ark laughs as theo walks in with bags, “whats that about rhinos?” nate says it was just a joke about ark being sexually active a lot and asks if he needs help, “naw I got it, fit everything in 4 bags, btw the store was having sales so everything went great.” Ark gives a thumbs up as theo goes and stocks the fridge. “I got plenty of stuff for everyone and also I realized ark you’re an omnivore so I bought some sweet potato mix if you wanted some for dinner tonight, its got a four cheese blend. Ark looks and replies. “shit ill make pierogis.”, Nate replies he can also cook up some grilled chicken and mix it with herbs. Agreed ark finishes the joint and gets the cookbook off the shelf looking at the recipes. “oh yes, grilled chicken in a bbq marinara with four cheese sweet potato pierogis.” As they converse Danny walks in and sits down saying his practical class is a freaking nightmare. “I had to deal with some old geezer who kept saying, no don’t touch me I need a female, I’m not enjoying this, dude came to a free session and complains on who helps him.” Nate laughs saying that sounded awful but remarks he wouldn’t mind some physical training from him.
Looking at one another danny asks if hes going to the gym and wanted to join as his starting to lose his tone. Nate looks at him lifting his shirt and seeing dannys abs still there, “oh come on bullboy, your still a hot piece, but yeah you can join.” As they leave danny whispers, “and we can hope the spa is empty.” Nate grins saying that be amazing as they head out to the camino and drive off. Ark looks around, “luke wanna go play some videogames?” luke looks at him taking out call of duty 3 and popping it on turning on the projector. “now this I can get used to.” Hearing thudding from upstairs, luke asks ark what the actual fuck is going on, “geoffs got a visitor he met online.”, Luke sighs remarking hes still not been laid yet. “just ask nate, im sure hed do you the favor like he did Geoff.” “ew him, im not gay.”, “walking in on him and danny every so often and taking a few seconds to close the door begs to differ.” Luke blushes as he feeling the thudding even more, “the walls are silent but the floors however are not.”
Geoff presses will against the wall kissing him aggressively, “god damn I never topped before but your so big I wanna try.” “go as rough as you want I can handle it.” Lifting up will he slides his cock in making will ride him in his arms, carrying him to the bed to falls onto it thursting deep sweating bullets. “Missionary you chubby little guy?” “no lotus, its my favorite.”, getting into the position will rides Geoff as he holds him close feeling his skin pressed against geoffs fur he remarks hes pretty thick for a lion. “well its what it is in the world, im thick and meant for mating.” Digging his claws into wills back he screams in pleasure saying he really loves the rough play, looking in his eyes he lightly nips his neck sucking on it and hearing wills moaning crying out for more. Getting into the bodyguard position he squeezes wills nipples as he feels his fur matting from the sweat. Will cums all over the sheets and asks for it to be unloaded in him. Doing so he finishes falling on the bed tired “that was…….amazing, rough is totally better.” Will gets dressed saying he had fun and walks out, with Geoff asking if he wanted cuddles, “uh… no this was fun but its just sex, you don’t need cuddles after it.” Geoff sighs and smiles laying down as will leaves staring at the ceiling, “well I guess I should get used to that.” Seeing will leave, “ark, hey come back anytime to smoke or see Geoff, sounded like you had fun.” “it was but one time only really, im sure he gets that.” Ark looks at Luke and says he will be right back, going up knocking on Geoff’s door, “hey courage you okay?” cracking his door open he asks ark if he thinks hes cuddly, “well I’m straight but I can tell by your build, being muscle chub your very cuddly, and don’t mind that guy his probably a slut looking to lay, so don’t worry about it that he won’t come around.” “Uh he said he would do it again…..fuck.” ark scratches his head, “yeah, might want to talk to Nate when he gets back, I’m no good with this kind of thing.” “Don’t worry ark thank you for worrying though.” ark looks at him patting him on the head, “no problem little Leo full of courage let him roar, soon the silence begs for more little Leo little Leo hear him roar.” Blushing Geoff smiles saying he shouldn’t treat him like a kid, but ark laughs saying its easy and everyone thinks its adorable when he is nervous. Closing his door Geoff texts nate that he needs advice. Nate looks at his phone he kisses Danny under the shower. “Oh, poor Geoff needs some help when we get back.” “no issue there but for now your all mine.”
The two caress each other in the shower as Nate feels the water dripping from Danny’s horns kissing him feeling his tongue down his throat. Danny gets on his knees kissing Nate until he gets to his cock and starts sucking it. Holding his horns nate moans as he forces it deeper and deeper into Danny who asks if his going to cum quick this time, “public places aren’t my style so I make it fast.” As Danny sucks him off he pulls his nipples as Nate cums in his mouth. “Fuck that was a lot wolfie, but never complaining.” The two kiss as they head out and drive home, looking at Nate he asks why he doesn’t bottom, “its not something I like talking about right now, but I am open to it just not now.” Looking out the window Danny wonders what its like to top Nate, if he likes it gentle or rough, smirking a bit at the thought. Getting back Nate goes upstairs and head to Geoff. Danny goes to ark and asks if he knows why Nate isn’t bottoming. “You’re asking me a straight man, if I know the reason why Nate doesn’t like being bottom, if you’re going to ask that call Rebecca up for more information.”
Talking to Geoff he is seen lying in bed staring at his tv watching log horizons second season, “seems like you have good taste, so what happened courage?” “I met a guy online who wanted to play, and he was from my class paid no mind and we had really rough sex, I topped for the first time and it felt amazing, but he left me lying in bed alone and just went out, I kind of wanted to cuddle, thinking maybe it was great enough to relax with one another for a bit.” “Listen, some people only wants a quick fuck and that’s it, it’s not you at all, you’re a very cute little lion and lots of guys wouldn’t mind having you in their bed at night keeping warm.” Geoff smiles blushing asking if Nate would cuddle him, getting next to him Nate holds Geoff telling him that its only cuddles, no sex. Geoff agrees saying they had a onetime thing and cuddling is always on the table. “how are you so understanding, I mean you can talk to people, you help them, always in a good mood, but god you seem so cheery all the time.” “Why do you think they call me sunny.” Geoff realizes that nate had fallen asleep and does the same taking a nap. Noticing hes been up there an hour danny asks ark if nate is around. “Probably in Geoffs room, he wanted to talk to him.” Knocking on the door danny cracks it to see Nate cuddled up to a naked Geoff and sighs closing the door. Ark asks whats up, “hes in bed with him, napping.” Luke remarks that there were no noises as nate makes a lot of that and suggests its probably just to make Geoff feel better after his little play session with the hippo. Danny looks at both of them, “what?”, ark explains what happened and danny facepalms, “god im an idiot I thought they fucked, buts his just comforting a friend, damn.” Luke looks at him, “your jealous of nate being with another guy, even though you guys are just fuck buddies, you like him don’t you?”. Danny looks at ark and luke saying its ridiculous that he would like someone like Nate in that way, “hes cuddly and great in bed that’s it, we spend time in bed together for that reason, keeping warm and pounding out stress.” Ark points up seeing Nate at the railing looking down, walking to his room. Luke looks at Danny, “this is awkward, ark can we smoke outside.” “Fuck yes.” Danny looks at both saying he needs help only for ark to tell him that he needs to give Nate time to cool off and then apologize, because it looks like from what he said, it was no different than what happened to Geoff, so he should count his blessings.
Theo walks in with a bag of joints asking what’s going on, only for ark and luke saying they need a joint. Asking if Sophie is joining, ark replies shes got class until 4 and should return by dinner. Looking at danny he asks what happened, only for ark to tell him danny screwed up, opening the door Geoff asks where nate went off too for ark to reply in his room, “oh does he have homework or something cause he left to use the toilet.” Luke tells him he can find him in his room probably smoking only to see nate walking down with a bag of hash in his hand, “rebeccas stash figured we can all smoke it.”, everyone smiles as ark takes the bag smelling it, “oh god that’s good stuff, so potent. As they group together around the fire place, feeling the September air finally hit from the open windows and leave rebeccas bag for last waiting for Sophie, Danny heads upstairs as Geoff walks down to join. “hey where you off too, aren’t you gonna smoke, were putting on the saw series.”, “I thought you were pissed?”, “uh no I was tired and groggy, Geoff was way too warm so I left to cool off, and decided hey first day of class over lets do the stash.” “oh so I guess were cool then.”, nate “of course man you were just honest is all.” Danny smiling, “I am glad that your not upset.”, nate looks at him taking a puff, “now come on horndog, take a hit and relax.” Coming inside Sophie lays her bag down seeing the boys smoking, “well shit looks like the boys are chilling out finally, please tell me there’s plenty, law classes are shit.” Sophie partakes in a few hits and the gang watches the saw series laughing at the stupidity. Theo remarks all the deaths are freaking hilarious cause there so creative and sometimes nonsensical, while everyone laughs at jigsaws reasoning for killing. The group smoke til 5 and start dinner with ark cooking while Theo rolls more joints, the brothers clean and sweep the place up burned out and seeing the time. Ark sets dinner out and everyone grabs a playing saw again and Nate getting a call from Rebecca. Taking it somewhere else he comes back saying she just wanted to know if we needed more weed and how class went, telling her it went fabulously and the gang is having fun.
Sophie asks ark who Rebecca is, and he tells her how she is the reason they have a new home, a frat, and new set of ideals. She states she must be a class act and the guys all cheer saying it’s the truth. The night drags on as the guys take a dip in the pool conversing about how classes are going to be quite busy all semester as ark and Nate look at one another pointing out they are really smart and it wont be any different for either of them to change. Geoff cannon balls into the water spraying them in the face with nate laughing and ark sitting on his float smoking a joint. “damn ark do you ever stop smoking.” Letting out a puff he responds simply with a “NOOOOOOOOOOOOO” echoing into the sky. The guys relax as sophie comes by asking if she welcomed in. Nate smiles saying any cute girls who hate riley are welcomed anytime. Getting in she looks at Luke Geoff and Theo staring at her. “What is everyone staring at?”, Luke says they aren’t used to having any girls around more than at the parties, theo remarks she just looks really nice and thought she’d be stuck up like riley. “yeah my brother is a asshole, honestly its probably from a insecurity complex, and this stays with you guys. He used to piss his bed every day, and still does to this day. Oh, and he cries super hard when he watches the teletubbies, because he is scared of po, and the sun-baby.” Everyone laughs as nate actually stays calm and silent, “okay the one time hes not cackling and your feeling sorry for him.” “oh heavens no, hes a bastard who hurt one of our brothers, stalked us, drugged me, and used luke a drug mule, there is no excuse for him, but the reasoning is even worse.” They keep the secrets to themselves and start getting out feeling the autumn breeze coming over. Theo remarks hes cold as ice while everyone is just drying off, “how are you assholes not freezing. Everyone looks at him, with ark replying “fur be a godsend hash”. Later in the night danny uses his phone and texts Rebecca as he enters the shower what he said to nate earlier to get a reply, “It all happened in rome, wont give details that up to my nephew, talk to him about it rather than turning to everyone else.”
Getting out he thanks her and walks into nates room whos changing for bed. “hey there Horndog, ready for the cuddles train.” Sitting nate on the bed , he looks at him curious if he can tell him why he doesn’t bottom, in all honesty even if it hurt too much he would believe him. “I won’t lie, I will only tell the truth to you, it was back in rome when I was with Sergio, he was passionate and loving, telling me I was a perfect guy for him being husky and fit strong but loving and kind. When we made love I used to bottom for him a lot and I think I only topped once when he said he was too tired, but he kept giving it every day, it got to the point where I wanted a break to feel him for once, then Dimitri died and I needed to go home, I explained that I was going to be back soon and maybe he could come with me see the states, but he told me otherwise, trying to just get me to forget about him, he said the past isn’t worth weeping over and people die in war all the time, I knew he hated war and politics but it set me off so I punched him and left, stayed in a hotel where he kept calling me, ignoring him I left the next day back home on a one way flight, I wanted to stay with Rebecca and make sure she was okay. The funeral was emotional as most of our family from Italy came for the service, my grandparents knew of my sexuality and took some time but got used to it. They hugged me as I just stared at the casket knowing he wasn’t going to come back; I didn’t cry my mind was racing. I got a letter sometime later just stating Sergio was breaking up and telling me to have a good life without him, I then realized I was just a piece of ass to him and that made not promise myself I wouldn’t bottom for just anyone and I would be a total top, instead of switch.” “whoa you really shared all that just now, I don’t know what to say but, sorry for saying all of that, I was lying to them, or at least myself, this whole week we spent together in bed not just having sex, but keeping each other company and safe, I saw from the minute you were drugged out you were in need of someone to hold you and calm you, I hear you whimper at night and want to hold you, til you stop, I don’t try to listen but you really talk in your sleep.” Nate blushes saying he didn’t mean to leak out that information. “you’re a amazing guy, full of life been through so much and explored the variety of things around the world, and I was just drawn to you, I don’t know what im feeling honestly but….” Nate stops him by kissing him, “just stop talking you beautiful bull, im not even upset I can tell when you lie to yourself, you know how I am, and I’m glad you admitted it even if your still conflicted, I want to try again, with you and only you, my Italian bull.” Danny looks into nates eyes seeing a light in them as he smiles and kisses him back. He takes nates shirt off undoing his towel and laying him on the bed. “ill be slow and gentle my pup.” “thank you and if it hurts ill tell you.”
Danny proceeds to suck on nates cock as he pulls down his pants and boxers feeling his fur against his playing with his big nipples, “I can tell that makes you hard instantly.” “oh you know it horny man.” Lifting his legs, Danny licks his toes seeing Nate laugh while it tickles, seeing his ass he lubes up his middle finger going into him gently, “how that sunny, your blushing?” “keep going danny I trust you.” Going down he eats out nates ass as he playing with his nipples using his hands, hearing him moany he asks if hes ready. “yes and slow okay.” “ I know” sliding in holding the sheets feeling the pain and sighing in relief at the feeling nate lays back and feels dannys cock in him moaning in pleasure holding his hand as he makes love to nate. He lays over him in missionary kissing his neck making him call his name, “danny yes, this is perfect……please don’t stop.” Feeling him, danny keeps going turning nate on his belly doing him ass up as he holds the sheets, “I missed this so much, just with someone I can trust. Danny turns him back around jerking his cock as he thrusts, lets both cum my sweet, I love when you fuck me but sometimes I want to be top dog. He pulls out and strokes both of them Cumming and lays next to nate asking is they should shower. “Oh totally we smell like hot fur.” They shower with one another and embrace kissing, with Nate asking if danny wants them to be something else.” “I cant answer that right now, I love being with you but I want to see where this goes.” Nate nods and smiles saying being close and intimate with him is enough for now. The two go to sleep snuggled up as Nate smiles holding Danny’s hand close and kisses it.
The next day nate and Geoff head to the gym late in the evening after classes together and continue working out, Nate compliments that Geoff’s fur has grown back and his paws are healed nicely too. Geoff thanks him and they do their work out noticing that riley is in the corner lifting weights, “Geoff comments they should stick to cardio today and avoid the racks, “no we have a right to the gym like him and we aren’t going to act like a bunch of scared kids, you want to lift then we lift.” The two head over and start bench pressing as riley looks at them and looks back away. “What a weirdo.” Heading to the showers Geoff states he forgot his phone at the bench and needed to get it, Nate heads inside and takes a shower checking facebook hearing footsteps coming near him, as he feels them stop behind him. “Geoff please, not here….”, turning around he sees riley staring at him, quickly going to messenger hitting the mike on his phone riley starts chattering “you shouldn’t of taken my property bro, the lion and the bullbear were ours first.” “nate looks back at him stating “yes but like any abused animal, it needed rescuing from its handler.” Putting his hand against the wall he warns him to step back from the Tau Epsilon brothers if he knows what good for him or someone is going to suffer major humiliation. “Let’s see how much courage your friend has if that video got out, after all, he’s all beast in that video isn’t he?” “you realize your putting fuel on your funeral pyre making threats like that, and if done so, you’re the one who’s going to be sorry.” As he finishes his statement riley stares daggers at him, “tell the sloth my sister is off limits, I know she’s at the house, and if she isn’t at her dorm tonight, hell will break loose for the kappa’s, so try not being so adamant and swallow your pride.” Nate walks off as Geoff walks in with his phone, Nate grabbing him by the arm escorting him out, “hey I need to shower I smell like a….” Nate looks at him with a stern look, “we leave now, cause im sure ark just got my message.”
Kappa Sigma Life: Chp 7
As nate and Geoff return to the frat house, they notice that the front door is open and go inside to find ark with his hand through the wall, “good your back, now explain what happened nate, cause im ready to use a nail bomb on those Tau Epsilon asses.” “no were not using violence, although god knows its worth it, trust me, we need a plan and we need to be smart about it, we know there had to be someone here to videotape Geoff in bed, but we don’t have a clue who.”, Geoff buts in saying he knows getting red in the face, “that hippo I topped yesterday, he came into my room, he must of used his phone to record us without my knowledge.”, ark punches the wall again with theo telling him to stop before he hits a stud, “fuck that I need to relieve my anger here.” Looking at nate they talk about what occurred at the gym, “if that jackoff wants to treat people like property then lets show him the same feeling, eye for an eye.” Nate looks knowing what to do and calls his aunt, “auntie, code 873, one of our brothers, uh huh, okay, see you soon.”, ark nods in agreement knowing that nate is ready and lets everyone know they need to be ready for anything that might happen. Sophie looks at ark asking who is possibly coming this late in the evening, ark looks at her smirking, “our den mother.” Looking at ark she looks confused asking why he didn’t call his parents first, “they are never to be called, and shes ex military.” A few hours pass with everyone smoking and drinking quiet in the living room with Geoff looking around like hes at fault for something. “listen guys, you don’t have to do all this, its my fault I got recorded and if I get humiliated it’s not dragging you guys down.”
Ark and nate look at him saying hes not just someone they can let get embarrassed by some inferior bullshit artist who thinks hes better than anyone. “you’re a good guy and our brother, theres no way were letting that happen, if that video is released we get them all in trouble, you didn’t give consent.” Geoff looks down saying he was an idiot for thinking that anything could be normal for him, asking why it had to happen. Nate pats him on the head looking serious, “its cause there’s a lot of people that want to hurt others for not understanding what they get to be beyond their control, trust me I know how you feel, but you have to stand tall and fight back like the fierce lion you are.” the front door opens and Rebecca walks in asking where here husky is, “here I am auntie.” “Stand straight, salute, shake, now……give me big hug my sweet husky!” Nate hugs Rebecca smiling glad she arrived in time, “oh honey im so sorry for all this traffic was a nightmare and everyone on the road is such a cocksucker.” Seeing sophie she glares at her, “is that the elk you mentioned nate.” Looking back, “oh no auntie she’s a friend, his sister whom told us a lot of dirt on riley.
Chuckling Rebecca goes to Sophie and shakes her hand saying shes glad she made friends with her nephews frat telling if she does ever try going back on them, she will personally take her down. “Messaged received ma’am.” Sophie asks why Rebecca is here with Rebecca ushering in a tall tigress in military gear, nate ecstatic looks and crys out in joy, “IZZY, oh my god its been forever I thought you were on tour in Israel.” “came back home last month, right after you left, sorry I couldn’t send you off husky, but then again duty calls right buddy.” Everyone looks as she puts nate in a headlock and he bashes her foot on the ground. “Dirty fighter, that’s your hyena side you little shit.” “whatever wins a fight honey.” The two laugh as Rebecca tells them to settle down, “we got a situation you want someone tortured for claiming two as property, well this girl can do it, shes an expert in deception, hacking, and trained in military torture, Sgt. Isabella Rossi, or izzy for short.” Nate comments she still had that scarlet hair the boys swooned over, making izzy state that he was the ones turning boys heads at the parties and boops his nose making him turn red, “still haven’t changed you big ball of love.” Sticking his tongue out ark looks at them to get back on track. “we need someone to get this guy riley, chapter president of Tau Epsilon and captain of the beserkers, you think you can handle it.” Izzy looks at ark stating she can do that in her sleep, knowing a college boy will be way easier than a terrorist. Sophie wonders why Rebecca doesn’t do it with her stating, “the school knows who I am they know my description and my relationship to Nate, if I go its not going to end well for anyone, he might get expelled and you guys will be thrown out as well and possible jail time through association.” They all nod in agreement with izzy asking what happens if this goes south, nate glaring baring his fangs, “ILL SKIN THE BASTARD AND PUT HIS PELT AT THE FOOT OF MY BED.” Everyone looks at him with izzy whispering to Rebecca, “ah theres the Dimitri side pouring out.” the others look at nate startled, luke leans over asking if ark is as scared of him as he is, “no id be doing worse, with a nail bomb.” Sophie looks smiling at ark, “now that kinda turns me on.”
Rebecca tells izzy the address from nates messages and tells her to head out, “you guys are staying and no parties, got it need you laying low, and izzy livestream it to the Tau brothers, lets see their leader get knocked down a peg.” Everyone agrees and lets izzy leave taking her car, Rebecca sits and lights a joint asking the others to join her.” They partake in her stash and mention that there is a lot going on too much to understand. “where is this new brother, I want to meet him.” Everyone finally noticing Geoff was hiding behind danny and theo slowly walks up to Rebecca and introduces himself. “im Geoff IT major and effects artist for the frat, how may I help you?”. “so gentle, so timid, I can see why my nephew helped you, the TE brothers hurt you didn’t they, your scared.” “Yes, I feel like its my fault and….” “no its not you just got caught up in desires and had no control over what was to happen to you, do not think anything less of yourself, you’re a kind boy, and I can tell you wouldn’t hurt anyone of your own volition, now how do you know my husky.” “he helped me the first day on campus, made me realize that its okay to be who I am as a person and not care what anyone thought.” “he was your first wasn’t he.” Nate and Geoff both turn red, “maybe….”. “Don’t fret little Leo you’re in good hands now but please rest assured I can tell your panicking. Go relax in your room okay, Nate and Danny will keep an eye on you.” Danny and Nate usher Geoff upstairs as he looks back at everyone asking Nate why everyone is being so kind. “Its cause your our brother and they messed with you meaning they mess with us.”
In geoffs room the three watch some movies smoking a joint as Geoff starts shaking almost having an anxiety attack. Cuddling up to him nate tells him it will all be okay no matter what happens they wont let him get hurt or humiliated. “you guys are the best, damn I needed cuddles.” Danny joins in saying nate is the warmest of the brothers, “maybe we should call you cuddles instead of sunny.” “naw I prefer being a ball of sunshine.” Geoff looks at Danny and nate and closes his eyes falling asleep. Nate and danny look saying hes like a little cub needing protection. “don’t get me wrong danny hes really nice and sweet, but hes very shy and timid, it’ll be while before he can stand on his own, cause when he does, he gets knocked down harder than where he started.” Geoff opens his eyes looking at both of them smiling, “you know you guys are really awesome, im glad we all live in the same place, its having a big family of nutjobs.” Laughing Geoff gets up and looks at danny grinning, “see something courage, your pants are pitching a tent.” Looking down Geoff covers himself saying he couldn’t help it, he just gets horny and didn’t wanna try anything with nate again given they cant leave and they made a deal not to do anything like his first time. “ah but what about us.” Geoff blushing looking at danny as he holds up three fingers sticking his tongue out. “I always wanted to try that, kind of a fantasy of mine really.” Danny leans in kissing Geoff reaching into his pants, “if you don’t want to we can stop.” Nate kisses the back of geoffs neck as he wants more, he wants to feel better alone with people he can trust. Nate and danny undress him and lean him on the bed naked and undress. Looking at both of them smiling, “so what are two strong men going to do to me.” Nate goes in slow and kisses him grabbing his cock, “were just going to keep you safe got it, no games, no camera, no issues, just pleasure.” He goes down on Geoff making him moan and danny has Geoff suck him off, his thick cock deep throating in his mouth as the three lean on the bed huddled together. Geoff takes turns sucking nate and Danny saying their both huge and take it all. He lays down as nate fingers him making him grab his headboard begging for more, using his tongue he eats him out as danny has Geoff eat him out. “Damn lions tongue are rough, but feels amazing.” Nate lifts geoffs leg and slides in asking if he wants it rough or gentle. “gentle, ive never been in a threesome.” Leaning in he thrusts into Geoff kissing him feeling his mane and fur glistened with sweat moaning in pleasure. Danny eats out nates ass as he slides his cock in, “you fuck him, I fuck you.” Nate smiles saying only danny is the one able to do that. The the three fuck as geoffs takes nates hand wanting to change positions. Getting into the bodyguard they three continue what they’re doing , Danny leans back having nate ride his cock as Geoff sucks him off, jerking himself off. Feeling dannys cock in him, nate feels his cock bursting as he cums in geoffs mouth who swallows every drop using his tongue to clean it off.
Danny fills the condom after a while pulling out and the two kiss and jerk goeff until he cums everywhere. Falling on his bed they huddle together laughing that it was amazing to do with Geoff asking if the two can stay with him for the night turning red as he doesn’t wanna be alone, looking away. “that sounds stupid I know I just kinda don’t wanna deal with stress, cause I get horny and well.” Danny and nate kiss him on the cheek telling him its okay to want cuddles and they would much obliged. Danny looks at Geoff asking if he wants nate to wear clothes, “yeah good luck with that one.”, Geoff laughs saying hed rather have nate warming him all night, same to danny. The three pull over the covers and fall asleep with Geoff in the middle. Downstairs luke asks where the flying hell the guys could possibly be saying they been up there for hours. Ark looks at theo who reminds luke that the three are a little emotional so things may happen. Luke runs upstairs banging on the door with all three waking up. “Nate you get it.” “naw im too exhausted from courage.” “WHO IS IT?” Luke bangs again to try and bust it open. Rebecca comes up turning the knob, “seriously try that runt.” Luke opens it to see the three asleep snuggled together. Rebecca snaps a pic on her phone, “now that is the most adorable sight tonight. Izzy arrives back stating that the plan was a success and that they got what they needed done, “now get me a joint im so sick I had to touch him even if it was torture.” The group smoke and izzy asks where nate went. “hes upstairs with the lion and the bull.”, izzy smirks, “that’s nate for you, always being a cuddly wolf and a great friend.”, theo looks at her “more like lover than a friend right now.”, izzy looks at her drink stirring it asking, “well who wouldn’t fuck him?” everyone raises their hand saying its cause their straight. “well you can always think about, if you were gay or the other way around.” ark leans to Rebecca asking what izzys deal is, “she used to have a crush on nate through grade school, and hadn’t seen him when he left for our travels on tour, he came back senior year and instant attraction, went on what she called a date and kissed him, rejected her nicely for obvious reasons, now kinda has a bit of a what if it could happen thing going on, but moved on pretty fast.”, ark looks at her saying that nate isn’t one to just play for the other team with izzy laughing, “of course, I came here to help him only, no more no less, hes a great friend and I’m glad to help.” nate rushes out the room telling ark to check face book being woken up by the alerts he got, much of the TE brothers are blowing up about the torture porn broadcasted at the house and instinctively are looking for a tiger chick with red hair. “looks like I did well this time eh boys.” Nate gives a thumbs up from the railing with Rebecca sipping her rum, “nate, sweetie, pants please.”
Nate walks back in the room coming down with his shorts on, “can you believe how much shit is happening on this campus, riley is totally humiliated and the best his brothers are doing are sharing my dance video, which are just getting more positive comments.” Izzy comments she did really well but couldn’t find the porn video on rileys phone saying it must still be on the hippos. “his names will, and he can be found near the tech center, spends a lot of time there alone smoking pot for a break.” The group talk about what to do, with izzy offering to hack him and delete it, only for Nate to retort that having her out trying to do that will raise suspicion to the kappa’s. “they know your face and description much like Rebecca, if we do that we don’t look good if they make a report about it, truth or false.” They converse and decide that the video can wait as laying low is the best alternative. Getting a call Rebecca tells the boys to keep quiet, “yes, hello Martinez, uh huh, right very well.” Sighing deeply she tells Nate and ark they need to see the dean about the incident in the gym, both groan, “Oy gevalt how can this get any worse.” “Over yonder I bet this is going to drag on big time.” the night drags on as ark heads to sleep and sophie comes with him, cuddled in bed she remarks it was adamant that they did all that just for Geoff even if he is the newest member.” “nates a good judge of character, he knows how people think and act, didn’t want him getting hurt.” Getting on top of him she sticks her tongue out looking into his eyes. “you say your big and tough, but deep down you’re a big softie.” Grinning ark asks what shes gonna do about it, reaching into his shorts she grabs his cock hard. “make you tough behemoth, now what do you want to do about it.” “let you teach me a lesson miss Monroe.” She kisses ark as she undresses his running hands to the back of his neck, “I hear you do it rough, for once your doing it slow big boy.”, ark grins as Sophie jerks him as he squeezes her tits making her moan, “gently their sensitive.” She goes down on him making him moan in pleasure asking if he likes his shaft licked, “god yes that feels nice.” Getting on top of him she has ark eat her out and finger her intensely, “god those fingers are amazing, do more baby.”
Ark uses two fingers in her to make her precum from her hot pussy asking if she was ready for it. Getting on his cock she rides him stating she feels every inch and its spectacular for his size. “wouldn’t expect less from a 7.6ft sloth.” As she begins riding him faster he moans saying shes right and it actually makes him feel odd. “She clenches her pussy tightening onto his cock making him grab his sheets, “whoa whoa what are you doing?!!!!”, moaning that its different and feels so good. “your always in charge big guy, but I’m going to tame this behemoth once and for all. Tightening once more ark trys holding his urge to cum only for sophie to pulls his nipples making him unload, “AHHHHHHHHH, OH GOD.” Sophie gets off pulling the condom off seeing a massive load and licks his cock clean, “well looks like you’re came in first.” Ark gasping for breath saying that was the most intense sex he ever had. “elks have great muscle control and it makes for better loving.” Cuddling up to him she kisses him and tucks herself under his chin, “this isn’t love ark, I just needed to vent some rage, sorry for using you like that.” “Sophie that was worth it, let me know if you wanna try this again.” Sophie looks at him and says she would over and over again.
The next day nate and ark are brought into the deans office where Martinez discusses the effects of the previous night. “so he confronted nate in the shower, saying he had a video, and then we got word from the Tau brothers a torture porn was broadcasted by a random tiger woman at their frat blowing up social media, there is a connection and I don’t want you boys lying to me.” Nate and ark look at one another, nate responds “yes sir this is true the woman is a mutual friend and we had no idea she would go this far into it but as of now we understand the consequences.” Martinez shakes his head, “no I agree with what happened he needed to be brought down a peg but regardless rules are rules and since you boys weren’t directly involved I cant get you into academic trouble, however, I will need to work on solution between your frats, riley, stan, and will have been suspended for the homecoming game and placed on academic probation due to their actions against nate and Geoff, also they are being investigated about the drug fiasco.” Ark looks at the dean saying that it’s a wonderful thing to hear that, “however with three players down they cant play the homecoming game next month.” Ark and nate looking at him, “oy gevalt, please no.” “to punish your frat for the involvement with the girl, you two are filling in for the players or you get academic probation for the incident as well for causeing strife against students regardless of who started it, this isn’t about whos right or wrong, its about the escalation of what occurred.” Nate “over yonder, fine we will do it, but they need a new captain ark and I have no clue how to play.”, Martinez looks at them and tells them in their faces, “that’s why I am putting Luke Benito in charge, let the Taus be ordered by a Kappa for a while and see what its like to be controlled.” Ark and nate look at one another taking a deep sigh, in unison, “fuck my life.”
Kappa Sigma Life: Chp 8
Nate and ark return groaning as they walk in seeing theo on the couch making out with Izzy and Rebecca cooking in the kitchen. “hey boys how was the meeting.” Nate looks at her rolling his eyes, “well we aren’t expelled but were getting a fate worse than death, we need to plaay ion the homecoming game with the Homophobes of Maplewood.” Rebecca sighs saying that it could have been worse, but an mark on the Taus means they won’t bother with the kappa’s for a long while, and the guys responsible for Geoff are now seeing karma dealt well to them. “still wish we didn’t have to fucking play….OY GEVALT.” Nate reminds ark that the worse is yet to come as the other news is how they want Luke as the interim captain until Riley is back in action. Rebecca goes to the two hugging them knowing that they don’t deserve to be subjected to such a bullshit problem but the dean does have a point, “both sides escalated stuff, and even if your in the right,, there were going to be consequences to actions, just be happy it wasn’t what they got in the long run.” Nate smiles asking where his bull is cause he needed some stress relief, Rebecca tells him hes upstairs, to which he walks up and notices that the door is opened a bit, walking in he sees Danny and Geoff kissing on the bed looking at him smirking. “you guys couldn’t wait for me could you.” Taking off his clothes he hops into bed with them needed some stress released pronto. Theo looks at Izzy telling her it must be odd being with a herbivore and being a carnivore. “oh no sugar, its fun actually, like a little taboo, and you remind me of some of my friends back home, built tough and ready for a good ride, and smell like a garden too.” Theo looks at her grinning and continues kissing her laying her on the couch, for ark to kick him on the head while smoking a joint, “no sex on the couch, house rule remember, you want it take it to your room, were not turning the living room into a Warhol factory.
Getting up from the couch Theo takes Izzy to his room, she remarks that its beautiful mixed with pictures of plants and a booming stereo system. “Yeah I love me some good music, but agriculture brings me back home.” Laying him on the bed, Izzy mentions that she couldn’t help herself around a rhino, “I near your beauties cum several times do you not.” Theo smirks saying “why not try and find out darling.” Taking his shirt off izzy feels his massive body on her noting that he might be fat but hes very built, like a monster truck, taking the compliment, theo pulls his pants down asking if she likes what she sees, “oh my yes, its thick.” Playing with her tits, Theo tongues her mouth fingering her tight hole, “well shit, when the last time you got laid was?” Laughing she whispers, “never, my time was dedicated to the military but now that my tours over and I’m out, I want to experience life again.” Kissing her he notes that he will give her a first time like she never saw. Caressing her body he takes her in lotus position kissing her and pressing his face in her tits motor boating them, making her moan, placing her on her back he kisses her down her body sucking on her nipples, and holding her hands, “it might hurt a bit, are you ready?” “please slow and gentle.” Thrusting in Theo moves slowly making love to Izzy moaning all the while begging for more and for it harder. The two go at over and over that night, everyone hearing theo moaning and cumming a total of 13 times.
luke smoking a joint with Rebecca comments that the house reeks of sex and weed. “honey your just upset your not getting laid, you should try meeting another girl, or maybe try one of the guys, theres three in here, open to it.” “you know I’m not gay so why try and make it sound like I am?” “I saw your face when Geoff said nate was his first, you looked curious and a bit turned on a the thought, and let me tell you how many times he snuck off base to meet a local panda, gorilla, grizzly, or even a wolf, he always came home happy.” “so your nephews a butt slut big deal.” “no sweetie those were actual friends, I should have been clear, the panda and the grizzly were his intimate buddies, as I call them.” “okay I don’t get it your saying I should let nate fuck me, cause he fucked danny and Geoff?” “you must have been dropped, no you degenerate, I mean don’t be afraid to explore who you are, we let nate make his own choice and he always came back happy, always beaming with life and content with where he was, making friends along the way, helping people, and learning new trades around the world, not just sexual but important lessons in life.” Luke looks down saying he wishes he had that life, getting to travel with his family being loved and be accepted for who he is. “no…..you don’t, nate didn’t have the life you wish you could have, all that good stuff came after the bullshit, neglected, abused, and forgotten as a mistake, if we hadn’t taken him in, there’s no telling what might of occurred to him, so count your blessings luke, you have a family loving you, actual parents who aren’t afraid to call you their son.” Luke looks at her taking a puff of a joint, “so did you ever have kids, like where are nates cousins?” “Never had them, kept traveling to different places serving in the armed forces, couldn’t just have a family, nate is the closest to a son I have, and even then its only from a formality against restricted paternal rights.” Luke asks if anyone else knew of this only for Rebecca to rebuff that nate always looked up to her, and was the only thing in her life that got her through Dimitris death, “he left his life in rome to make sure I didn’t put a bullet in my head, he came home on a non stop flight, away from his boyfriend , just to make sure I was okay, he didn’t cry, he didn’t say a word at the funeral, I just heard him talking about how he will keep me safe, even in the harshiest times, I never saw him shed a tear, not when he was abandoned, not when he did something wrong, not at death, nothing, I took him to therapy when he was 15 and they said there was nothing wrong with him, just a strong willed boy who doesn’t take shit, well I was wrong, at night I could hear him whimper in his sleep, he was never comforted and thought he needed to be alone with his problems, instead of confronting him, Dimitri would stay up making sure he slept well, just looking and comforting him.”
“yeah I hear him whimper here too, but Danny cuddles him and its all better, I didn’t think he had anything wrong with him until you explained it.” “he has abandonment issues, people who cut him out that once were good to him, just gets to him, I don’t know if he ever fully gets over it but it doesn’t matter , he always pulls through.”. luke asks why she told him all of this only to be told its because at one point, nate could have been luke, self-conscious about himself, withdrawn, putting up a bravado just to ensure people may like him, its demeaning to who he really is and luke is putting on a balancing act hiding what he really wants. Looking down luke gets up telling Rebecca to sleep well and that hes going to just relax in his room. Rebeca tells him goodnight and at least think about what she said.
Nate Geoff and danny all lay down kissing one another and talk about the future of the kappas as they caress one another. “there isn’t much to worry now, riley is out of the picture, the taus are forced to put up with us, and we got our revenge, we don’t have anything to worry about, its all good.” Geoff looks at nate saying at least for now it is, but they should make sure they don’t overstep boundaries or else things can escalate further. The three disregard any semblance of what occurred and focus on one another. Geoff goes down on nate as he and Geoff make out, alternating between the two cocks. Nate remarks Geoff has gotten better at blowjobs since he came out, smiling Geoff licks nates shaft making him throb as he gets into doggie style as the two spit roast him. Nate pulls his tail as he fucks him hard from behind and danny plays with his nipples as he continues to get blown. Geoff slurps on dannys throbbing cock and begs for more. Flipping him over in missionary, nate fucks him while jerking his cock, making him grab the bed. Bending over danny kisses Geoff who grabs his horns forcing his tongue down his throat, “god your both amazing, thank you.” Nate tells him not to thank them yet as he pounds Geoff pulling his nipples, turning him sideways getting even deeper into him. “oh god its thick!.” Danny has nate pull out and takes a turn seeing geoffs hole quivering. “you ready for a another pound courage.” “give it to me horndog, sunny let me suck that cock clean.” The three continue to fuck and suck until theynate and Geoff cum filling Geoff with their load and take him to the shower to wash off, firmly gripping his cock, nate makes him cum all over making him moan and shake. “mmmmm been holding that in all day leo.” Geoff turns his head kissing both of them under the water, after drying the three cuddle as Geoff states hes gonna sleep in his room as he felt good but doesn’t want to intrude on their alone time.” on his way back wearing his boxers, he sees lukes door cracked open and sees him beating off to porn, “woah!!!!, okay I should not be looking at that.” As he leaves he hears luke moaning while looking at his phone, “fuck that’s a chubby tiger, kinda adorable.” Geoff scoffs saying hes a chubby chaser of woman, only to hear luke mention, “so is that what anal feels like.” Walking away, Geoff talks to himself that he shouldn’t say a word about it to anyone. Luke continues to watch the porn of two tigers fucking and cums on his stomach, “well that fucking happened I guess, fucking auntie raccoon making me deal with this shit.” Taking a tissue and wiping up he mentions that he found the chubby ones better.
The next day begins the practice and luke nate and ark are on the field ready to train against what the fuck ever, ark and nate prove to be good on both offense and defense while luke organizes the player based on past postions. “okay people look alive, we have a lot to prepare for and only a week to get this all done before the game, get ready for sprints.” Nate comments that luke is a fucking slave driver and ark retorts that he will get his when they make it home. By the end of practice everyone in tau Is looking at the three like a bunch of assholes. Nate commenting, “oh my god this is worse than death.” The tau brothers making remarks, “hope the hybrids never screw me.”, Luke mentioning “whats wrong maggots out of breath.” And ark blankly restating “Luke is going to die a virgin.” Finishing up the tau guys look at luke, “yo luke leave the wolf bring the sloth, we can talk strategy today.” “sorry guys we got our own place to shower and you’re a total bunch of assholes so no.” ark takes a ball and throws it clear through the goal post telling them that’s the only strategy they need, “my primal ancestry will dominate that’s all.” the coach appears telling the boys they all need to shower before heading home, ark and nate groan loader and head in, nate wrapping a towel around him walks in seeing the Tau brothers staring at him, as he goes to the corner to wash up next to ark and luke staying quiet. “hey keep your eyes to yourself wolf, don’t want your rape vibes coming over here.”, luke looks at nate ignores them washing his arms, “hey don’t talk to him like this, its your fault we have to do this in the first place asshole, you trashed our rooms.” “yeah only to send a message, he took our brothers away including you.” “never was your brother asshole, and you’re the one saying we were property.” Ark interjects remarking “you know I hear Christians love slavery, Is that why you refer to your prospects as property, cause im sure if I go into your room, theres a popup book of jesus written by a homophobe.” He hears one of the tau brothers whispering “how did he know?”, rolling his eyes the tau brothers look at nate telling him to stop showing off his ass, “im washing myself, if you don’t like it look away got it.” The taus remark back, “oh really you convert Geoff to your way of life and then your trying to take luke all for yourself, we see your game.” “you took it upon yourself to take a boys virginity and steal him from us.” Ark looks at them shaking his head, “Jeez, Tau Epsilon is like a cult of Stockholm syndrome victims...", nate finally losing his cool stares the brothers down, "You pushed drugs burned him and made him ashamed of who he is what gives you the right to press someone to be something they aren't and punish them for it", the tau brothers look away from nate stating they don’t wanna have him looking like he wants them, “trust me the only person id rather fuck is anyone else besides your frat.” As they leave nate scoffs as he packs his bag up heading to the camino, Luke asks ark if nate is gonna be okay. “honestly hes fine, but those guys are assholes, and deserve to be taken down a peg, but for right now let it go cause were not getting into any more trouble, got it, so keep your mouth shut and ignore them for the time being, don’t escalate.��� Nate gets in throwing his bag in the bed of the truck telling the guys to get in, they order pizza on the way home and everyone at the kappa’s eats talking about class. “well me and ark are getting a lot of shit done for isreal our Chinese class is easy as fuck and the teacher is awesome, but Israel forget about it the fucker is a bigot and hates ark for no reason, doesn’t care for me being snarky but I am bluntly honest.” Ark replies his class is shit he has no clue on history, acts like he knows Jesus Christ. “Dr. Johnson can eat a buffet of dicks literally.” The two groan as luke comments that they are going to have a great practice the next day as he notices ark rolling a joint, “oh ark don’t you know we cant smoke for a week before the game.” Nate and him just stare blankly and ark comments if luke tries taking away weed, hes going to be used for target practice with his new ammo.
The two share a joint to the face and get back to talking about future plans, “Halloween is right around the corner and we need a plan, we don’t have any theme and every frat is throwing ragers with different horror themes, tau is doing night of fear, KSO is doing music breakdown of dead celebrities and OKE is doing day of the dead, what are we doing. Looking around nate comments they should do a nice simple rave party, something fun lively, most of the students love and easy to get costumes, Sophie comments she wants to be belle and ark agrees to be beast if she wishes, “oh my god yes, such a big one at that too.” Luke looks at everyone and asks Geoff who hes going to be, shrugging he feels his belly, “someone chubby I guess.”, danny and nate look at him stating he should go as uncle fester from the Addams family, laughing he agrees and Nate looks at danny, “im going as apollo, favorite god of all time.” Danny remarks he will go as Hercules and the two can be a power couple of the pantheon, Nate looks at him laughing, “dawww you said couple.” Blushing danny looks away saying maybe he should choose something else, theo looks at him sighing, “just do it everyone loves seeing you both together, plus the roman god pairing is cute.” Danny flares his nostrils at theo telling him to stop. “hey not my fault you have a great body for a gods armor.” Izzy remarks that theo is quite a snarky guy, “well ark is ark, nate is blunt, lukes an asshole, im snarky, so fits.” Ark remarks he can make a melo death playlist easy to fit the occasion. The group rejoice at the plans as the end of September looms in and the October air hits hard, the pool closed for winter despite it heated, but Rebecca has a hottub put in for the gang to use for the fall. Practice work and school make the gang busy as hell, even cutting into fun time for ark, his list of girls keeps getting bigger and bigger but he always seems to rely on sophie to make him the tamed beast he needs to be. He noticed that he enjoys when shes rough with him and makes him want to obey, for some reason a behemoth like him is easily taken by a woman like her, they’ve used toys clamps and bondage feeling every part of them. He remarks that she is the only girl who sticks around after, but is also the freakiest in bed. Looking at her cuddled up to him one night he remarks she is extremely cute and doesn’t want to let go, but doesn’t feel like a relationship is needed. Sophie had only one rule about her, no multiples, she wasn’t a fan of orgies or threesomes, but ark didn’t care, as she was fine with his fuck buddies. Nate Geoff and danny all agreed that they would take care of each other’s stress whenever needed, usually together. Geoff love nate being gentle and rough and can switch in the blink of an eye, while danny was fierce and protective, he was drawn to them, not emotionally but physically. Theo and izzy began having more fun during the weeks, Izzy staying purely to keep tabs on the gang and to make sure bills were paid on time as Rebecca was called to California on new fossils emerging during and earthquake.
Ark and nate take to smoking in the hot tub after the practice considering that the plays and other shit of dealing with tau is hard on the body. “dude one more day then the game and we just fucking quit.” “oy gevalt and we got the dinner too.” “over yonder, fuck my life almighty.”
The game went off without a hitch and the berserkers won in overtime, in the showers ark and nate don’t want to go to the formal dinner but luke looking ecstatic says hes so happy he led the team. Nate looks at ark saying they could make fun of him but it be best to let him have it as he did work hard to organize everyone. at the party nate and ark stand in the back as luke is congratulated by the staff and coaches for a job well done. “hes a runt of the pack, but he did do well with the team don’t you think.”, nate loosens his tie saying he hates formal duds, but it is true that things have really changed the past month on campus, ark and nate see William from afar who goes over to them looking nervous, nate looks daggers at him stating that he isn’t welcome near them, as after what he did, there isn’t much that needs to be said.
“I know what I did was wrong, but there is no more video, the taus found out about me coming over, I thought Geoff was cute and wanted to play, then after it was over, I felt sick to my stomach and felt, hey I cant do this its wrong and immoral , so I left and riley forced me to stay and help with some sick mind fuck for Geoff leaving.”, ark looks at him, “you realize he was a wreck wondering what happened, blamed himself for letting someone get close and in the end there was nothing left to do but get back at all of you!?” “no really riley needed to be taken down hes a monster who is way more messed up in the head than you think, trust me, all I know is, I am leaving tau for good, focus on myself and my studies, and honestly I just wanted to apologize for everything.”
Nate tells him that he should apologize to Geoff and not them, rebuffing that he can come by to their house and make amends. Grabbing luke the four go home where they see Geoff playing COD on the projector seeing will and tells him to fuck off. Leaving them alone, ark and nate smoke out back and over hear the yelling and then things going quiet. They see will and Geoff hug and laugh when he lets will out of the house telling he will see him again soon, smiling he goes upstairs saying he’s glad he came by. Walking home will looks at his phone getting messages from TE saying that he better come back immediately as they saw him leaving with the Kappas, “fuck those guys, im going to the dorms.” seeing a person walking in front of him wearing a black hoodie, he scoffs as they walk in front and stab him with a bowie knife leaving him on the sidewalk, whispering that kappa needs to be removed. Getting his phone will dials 911 but passes out before he can talk to them.
The following morning nate and ark are woken by a bang on the door only to find university police and the sherrifs at their front door. A cop asks if the two know a boy named William Channing, ark answers, “yeah he’s someone we are acquainted with, why what’s the problem?”, the cop tells them that William was found stabbed on the sidewalk and passed away at the hospital in the early morning at 3am, and was reported to be coming from the Kappa’s house. Nate and ark look at each other and know that things have officially gone too far.
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Hiveswap Episode 1 Reaction Part 11: Livin’ the good life in the living room (living room exploration part 3)
Welp, the past 3 evenings have been really full, so regrettably we couldn't continue playing.
I'm feeling already pretty tired right now, and it's 9:30 PM, but whatever, it's time to make some progress here!
Right, we just finished in the left part of the living room, with the front door and the bear and deer and such. It's time to examine the piano now.
"Play a haunting melody" :D!!!!!! Homestuck reference secured.
I mean... I HIGHLY doubt she actually will, considering how the piano is filled with all those toys and so probably doesn't work anymore, but nonetheless I love the shout-out.
Ahahaha, yup, a very meta reference to Homestuck about setting the mood with an eerie melody. (Conveniently, the game IS already providing us with a haunting melody in the background :P)
Wait.
Is she suggesting the piano still WORKS despite all those plushes in there?
Heh, but Joey doesn't know how to play the piano. Then who does? Did Ms. Claire know how to play the piano? Does Jude?
Pogs && Piano ==> Pfff, a pog piano. The worst hell imaginable. :P
Cherub Key && Piano ==> Oh??? Another mystery to add to the Cherub Key mystery pile!
Well that's weird... I wonder what kind of music she hears then? Are we going to hear that particular music once she activates the portals, perhaps? Now you've got me really curious.
Also... I wonder if Dammek has a similar (as in, possibly exactly the same) key and has similar weird experiences with it prior to the events of Hiveswap/Hauntswitch, and if he considers it a heirloom from his Ancestor or something.
Tap shoes && Piano ==> WELP. Insert 'you tried' here.
Alright, good thing we can't examine that messed up stuffed wolf. :P
Well then, uh, let's examine the picture on the wall with Grandpa on it...
Pffff, that drawing of Grandpa's face is hilarious.
Also, that's a pretty interesting frame around the picture. Those shapes on the sides are pretty weird. They almost look like... faces? Like, they vaguely remind me of the Hero of Rage symbol.
I love how her comment on examining the picture is so sad and hilarious at the same time.
Oh Joey, so you'll be teaching animal rights and dancing class at college then? :P
Okay so, if we go more to the right we're heading into a new part of the room. Let's first see if there's anything more on the left?
...Okay no, then we just go back to the side of the room we were initially on when we came down the stairs, so there's nothing new there.
Alright then, let's see what's on the right side of this living room!
...
BLUE LADIES. Oh dear god, looks like this is the place where Grandpa's giving them their time to shine. LITERALLY what with that blue lady lamp. xD
Heh, that portrait just behind the lamp resembles the one that we saw Jade examine in Homestuck, probably as a deliberate reference?
...
Is that the fucking walrus from Alice in Wonderland hanging on the wall as a trophy? Oh dear god, now I've seen everything.
I guess it was a matter of time before Alice in Wonderland references made their way into Hiveswap just like they did with Homestuck. :P
Every lady looks really nice when looking that blue? I'm sure Nannasprite will appreciate the compliment ;)
Also yes, let's all imagine that the woman who was the model for this lamp actually wore a lamp cap on her head. Thank you for giving me that mental image, Joey. xD
Pfffff, one of the monsters is walking around outside, in a ridiculously silly way. Looks like we can't examine these doors to the garden though.
Alright, looks we've reached the furthest right part of the room, but we can press downward to look at the living room in yet another angle! Let's see what that is (I wouldn't be surprised if it's basically the same view as when we first got down the stairs, but now much more zoomed in on what was first the background of the room)
...Yup, that's exactly it!
N'aww, those handprints/pawprints on the door look like they're Joey's and Tesseract's, probably made by them while playing at some point.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot there was another blue lady lamp in this room. At least this one has a head. :P
D'aww, looks like Joey's got her own little clinic there.
...The face of that lion in the picture on the wall is really, really weird. Kind of reminds me of a Karkat face, actually. xD
Interestingly, that pony doll has multiple colours of manes.
Let's examine that bookcase from up close...
"That was three years ago" THREE YEARS?! (sorry, couldn't resist)
...Eesh. They never got around to cleaning up those books. I guess it doesn't help that Joey isn't much of a reader anyway, and maybe Jude isn't either? And it looks like Mom never got around to cleaning it up either.
Pogs && Bookcase ==> ...What the hell is slam sesh even?
*looks it up*
...Well that doesn't clear much up. xD The only somewhat reasonable thing I can find is "slam party", but that's clearly not what Joey's talking about here, hahaha.
Pet treats && Bookcase ==> Bad dog, worst mess. :P
Ballet slippers && Bookcase ==> Yes thank you for giving me the mental image of Joey making a *insert what the proper ballet word is for a stylish jump* over those books.
I wonder what's behind those doors, where that plastic tube leads that goes all the way from Jude's room to here?? plainWonder's guess that it is the kitchen makes sense.
Let's wait a bit before entering the door, but let's already try out the item combinations on it.
...Well, that doesn't work. xD
Okay, moving on then.
Batteries && Blue lady lamp ==> "It clearly has a power cord." Umm... does it? 'cause I don't see it. xD
I guess it's probably hidden behind that blanket somewhere?
Oh my god, what even are all those other item combinations. I feel like they had a field day writing the bits of narration for this one. :P
Ahahahaha, yes, imagine that the lion painting was made while Grandpa was being attacked by a wild lion.
"Teddybear Outpatient Clinic" Brilliant. And also adorable. :3
Also, a quick Google search seems to suggest "Arsala Teddybear" is not based on someone real (I mean, I highly doubt it's supposed to reference a dietician), but who knows. At this point, nothing would surprise me anymore. :mspa:
Interestingly, we can examine the clinic both when having zoomed in on the lion painting and when zoomed out.
...Huh, but we can't use any items on the clinic either way. Welp.
Oh boy... time to examine that winged bear clock monstrosity. xD
Interestingly, that clock reminds me of Doc Scratch's clock. This one probably doesn't have any magical properties related to God Tiers though. :P
plainWonder just pointed out to me that the clock reads 11:11! Those brilliant bastards.
That doesn't seem to the correct time though, considering that the sun is still setting outside and it's autumn it doesn't make sense that it's 11:11 PM.
On one hand that would make me think the clock's broken, but that pendulum is still ticking. Maybe it's just the hands of the clock that are broken?
Or the artist who made this decided to make a cool reference instead of paying attention to what time it's supposed to be in the game (or maybe it wasn't even decided yet at that point). :P
...Pff, okay Joey has surprisingly little to say about the weird clock. Let's see what the item combinations provide us with...
Pogs && Bear clock ==> Joey just really likes doing bear puns, doesn't she? xD
Pet treats && Bear clock ==> Oh jeez, I hadn't even realized the clock was actually IN the bear, not outside it. That is... disturbing.
Cherub Key && Bear clock ==> Oh!!! That seems like it might be referencing Doc Scratch's clock. That, and Caliborn's connection to Time in general, is the only link I can think of between this key and clockwork.
Hahaha, they were all really short comments about the clock though.
Oh yeah, some more African masks in the corner, just like the one that was hanging beneath the stairs!
Cherub Key && African masks ==> Ahahaha, this seems to be a subtle stab to all the eye injuries in Homestuck. Surprisingly, nobody got a key jammed into their eyes. :P
Ballet slippers && African masks ==> Oooh, I didn't know there was an actual difference between masques and masks! I just looked it up, that's pretty interesting that "masques" is used more in the context of the dancing/theatre world.
Heh! That blue lady portrait next to the door was hidden pretty sneakily, we almost would have missed that it was clickable what with it being off-screen for the most part!
Looks like there's some African arrows in that plant, haha.
Huh, that's weird. We can use items here after zooming in!!! That's strange, that probably means there's a particular item we can use here??? I wonder what that is.
....WOW. So the blue ladies are based on ACTUAL people that Ms. Claire knew??? I DEFINITELY didn't expect that, I always thought Jade's interpretation was correct that they were simply normal portraits that had been bleached by being out in the sun too long and that Grandpa only bought them afterwards.
Or maybe he did both of those things???
The fact that Joey seems to know some of Ms. Claire's friends makes it especially sad that nobody took her and Jude in after Ms. Claire died.
....
The plot thickens, none of the item combinations on the blue lady portrait DO anything! That's especially weird, considering how this item menu normally doesn't appear on zoom-ins.
Let's end it on that kind of mysterious note, and call it a day! It's 10:45 PM here already and goshdarnit I am tired.
Next time it's time to enter a new room!
plainWonder and I were discussing what the rooms behind those two doors could be, and I first thought of the kitchen and the basement, but he's got a good point there's also still the trophy room somewhere.
Maybe behind the giant doors there's the trophy room and behind the smaller door there's the kitchen, in which there's a door to the basement?
Makes sense to me!
And we'll probably find out next time we play. :D
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