#dexter vex x reader

[skultrashfics]

Could you please do a Dexter Vex and reader fanfic? The crush I have on this man is not okay and there is so little content

AAAH My favourite boy! I’m very happy to get a request for Dexter Anon! I hope you enjoy :) 

Pairing: Dexter Vex x Reader Word Count: 2267 Themes: Fluff, Nightmares, Confessions 

The wind was howling violently outside, you could hear the trees shaking as they struggled against the brute strength of the breeze. Clutching your knees to your chest you sat on the floor beside your bed trembling a little. You had been placed in The Midnight Hotel for your own protection by Skulduggery as you had been caught up in the middle of some large misunderstanding and for some strange reason, there were assassins out there looking to kill you. They had come pretty close until Ghastly and Skulduggery had stepped in, saving your life. Not really understanding the ins and outs of the investigation, you were simply hidden away until further notice. Now as you glanced up towards the window you could see a grey clouded sky and not a bird in sight. This was faintly reassuring as Ireland had been sunny and the sky was clear, so you knew you had to be pretty far away from there by now. But that wouldn’t make the bruises on your face or body disappear any faster. Your thoughts were interrupted by a gentle tapping on the door, “Hm? Oh come in…”, you responded. Anton Shudder walked into your room with a tray of food laid out quite pristinely, he placed it on your bedside table and joined you on the floor. “I understand you are in a bit of trouble and your mind must be wandering a lot so feel free to stay in your room. But the fire is warm downstairs and you can always get a drink at the bar, ok? It’s all on the house”. You nodded softly not making any effort to respond. Shudder took a deep breath, “right then”, he said standing up once more. “Oh also, we are in Amsterdam… just thought you may want to know”. 

After a couple of days had passed, you began to feel a little more comfortable in the hotel. The ever-changing scenery was rather enjoyable and Anton always tried to talk to you even when he seemed a little busy. The limitations of your bedroom had led you to explore more of your surroundings although you were not permitted to leave the hotel itself- for your safety of course. It was another rather uneventful day when you decided to head down to the bar. The hotel was just as quiet as it always was, that was until the door was suddenly being thumped on very loudly. It made you jump and you clutched your chest in panic, immediately you went running back up the stairs only to go barraging straight into Anton. He stepped back from you holding his arms up, very uncomfortable with the sudden contact. He shook his head calmly, “Don’t worry this can happen sometimes. Other people need refuge too”, he explained walking toward the door but it was obvious he had his guard up. Once it opened Anton’s expression changed to one of surprise as he was greeted by a big enveloping hug, “Oh Anton! I’m so glad you answered it would have been really weird if it was someone else!”. Anton was struggling to get out of this grasp and grumbled, “Just great, now get off”. Stepping away you saw none other than Dexter Vex stroll into the lobby with a wide grin on his face. His hair was longer than when you last saw him, but he still had the same playful demeanour. Upon seeing you he smiled and waved, “Hey y/n! Long time no see? What are you doing here?”. Anton closed the front door behind Dexter and sternly pulled him aside, “It’s complicated but she has a lot of people after her head right now. So please keep a low profile”. Dexter raised an eyebrow and then approached you slowly, he could tell something was different about you, “What have you gotten yourself into y/n?”, he said studying the bruises that were more apparent now he was closer. You recoiled away a little embarrassed, “It’s not like I can’t fend for myself. They came after me while I was asleep… there were too many…”. Dexter mentally kicked himself for bringing up a blatantly sensitive subject. He then turned to Anton and smirked, “Well I can always keep you guys company! As long as you can get me a drink!”. 

You all spent a while talking and being social, it was nice to be able to forget why you were here. Dexter was telling you all about his time exploring hidden caves and finding long lost treasures (which turned out to be some really really old books). Everything was pretty calm until the hotel clock caused it to shunt away to its next location. You stared at Dexter wide-eyed, “Oh goodness you must have stayed too long! I’m sorry Dex”. He laughed gently and patted your arm, “Nah it’s alright. I was plannin’ on staying a while. After all, I did say I would keep you company”, he added with a sly wink. Anton rolled his eyes in disgust, “Could you keep the flirting to a minimum? I am still awake”. You giggled and shook your head not believing that any of it was serious. You had always taken Dexter to be the swashbuckling playboy type of person and did not allow yourself to get provoked by such remarks. After playing a game of cards and loosing fantastically you decided to retire to bed. “I better get some sleep”, you mumbled as you stood up from the table. It was the first time you had been tired in days and you relished the thought of undisturbed sleep. Dexter smiled at you and stood up himself, “allow me to escort you milady”, he graciously offered his hand to you. You only laughed and batted it away turning to face Shudder, “Goodnight Anton… and thank you”, you blew him a quick kiss and then walked alongside Dexter back to your room. Shudder sighed as he watched you go, silently hoping that Dexter could keep his hands to himself for a night. As you approached your door you yawned again and stretched, “Well goodnight Dex… thanks for walking me”, you went to open your door and were stopped as you saw a pouty faced blonde poking his face in front of yours, “Don’t I get a kiss too?”. You hummed thoughtfully before pressing a light kiss to his forehead, “There. Goodnight”. He smiled contentedly and stood up straight while you went into your room and closed the door. “Goodnight y/n…”, he said in a hushed voice before putting his hands in his pockets and walking off to his own room. 

Dexter’s eyes snapped open as he woke to hear screaming. He bolted out of bed and immediately headed toward your room, taking care not to graze the edge of the wall as he turned a corner. Without taking the time to ask questions he slammed open your door and saw you still in bed, struggling against the covers and crying out. His heart hammered painfully in his chest and he knelt down by your side and wriggled the covers off of your arms. Grabbing your hands in his he spoke to you calmly, “y/n It’s Dexter. You are safe I promise. Nobody is going to hurt you…”. Your eyes opened full of tears as you looked around in a panic, “Shh shh It’s ok. I’m here. You’re in the midnight hotel remember?”. He spoke soothingly to you as the nightmare faded and reality began to take over once more. As your breathing slowed down and your mind became less hazy you leaned over into Dexter’s chest and sobbed, remembering that the events of the nightmare were also a traumatic memory. He held onto you while you cried and turned to see Anton in the doorway looking rather panicked himself. ‘Bad Dream’, Dexter mouthed to him and Shudder breathed out a sigh of relief. Seeing the state you were in Anton nodded at Dexter and went away to prepare you a warm drink. Dexter went to stand up himself but you continued to cling onto him and he almost fell over, “Hey I’m not leaving… it’s ok”, he whispered reassuringly as he gently pushed you over and made room for himself on the bed. At this point, you did not care if he was just flirting because it was comforting and you could not bear to be alone again. Resting your head on Dexter’s chest you felt it slowly rise and fall while he rubbed your back reminding you that you were safe. Exhausted from crying so much you quickly fell asleep again. Shudder came back with a hot mug of soup, then realised that maybe he had taken a little too long. “Is she alright?”, he asked Dexter gently and he gained a nod in response. “Just tired… but I don’t want to leave her alone right now”. Anton frowned, “I know you are not that kind of man Dexter, but no funny business ok? She is too vulnerable right now for your antics”. Dexter looked deeply hurt by Shudder saying this outright, “I knew she was here”, he said eventually. “I asked Skulduggery and went to the next location of the hotel, ok? I heard she had been attacked and well… I wanted to be the one to protect her. And-”, he cut himself off and closed his eyes in thought. Anton stared at him confused, “Are you telling me, that Dexter Vex is genuinely infatuated with someone? You really care for y/n, don’t you?”. Dexter nodded and that was all Anton needed to see, “alright then, as my friend I trust you”, he sighed before closing the door to your bedroom again.

In the morning you felt rays of sunshine behind your closed eyes and it was beautifully warm. Sighing happily you rolled over delighted at being able to sleep and you pulled your covers closer and then felt a sudden tension. Something heavy was stopping you from snuggling into your blanket. With confusion, you opened your eyes to see Dexter asleep facing you, snuggled up in your bed. You froze for a moment not remembering how he had gotten there and you worried that maybe you had drunk too much last night. His face looked so peaceful and albeit you had to admit to yourself that he was spectacularly handsome, “Not a bad sight to wake up to”, you giggled to yourself. “Not so bad yourself”, came the reply that put all the tension back into your body. You buried your head in the covers blushing relentlessly. “Please tell me you are still asleep”, you whined softly realising that now all you could see was his sculpted chest and abs highlighted by the morning sunshine filtering through the covers. Dexter chuckled, “Oh no I am wide awake y/n”. You groaned to yourself in embarrassment and resolved never to show your face to the world again. “Do you remember what happened last night?”, he enquired. Your face shot up out of the covers and stared at him, “Don’t tell me that we… that-that I…”, you were beginning to get very flustered and Dexter stared at you in confusion, “What?...OH. No no no no that is not what I meant”, even he seemed a little embarrassed now. “You had a bad dream… so I woke you up, you cried a bit and then fell asleep on me”. You seemed a lot calmer at this explanation, “O-oh… you stayed here all night just for that?”. He moved his face a little closer to yours, “Well yeah… I had to keep you safe y/n”, he leaned forward and ever so lightly kissed the bruises on your face as though he were trying to heal them. You closed your eyes as he did so, smiling at the warmth you could feel. “I am so sorry that this happened to you y/n, but I promise I will not let it happen ever again”. He then kissed the tip of your nose, and then the top of your lip a little shyly and then he wrapped his arms around you kissing you properly. It took your breath away, to say the least especially when he pulled away from the kiss to tell you that he loved you. You blinked at him in surprise, “Dexter Vex don’t go throwing around words like that when you don’t mean them…”, you said sternly. He shook his head rapidly and took your hands in his, “I mean it. Y/n I have been in love with you for so long now and I am sick of pretending those feelings aren’t there. Truly”. His gaze told you how serious he was and you thought back on all the time you had spent together before the attack. He was always so charming and kind to you, but you hadn’t really thought you were special. You didn’t let yourself think that. But right now in this moment, you felt safe again and you felt loved and you felt every bit as inclined to stay by his side. “Dexter I don’t know what to say... “. “Say that you’ll stay with me, or at least let me stay with you… until you are allowed to leave again?”. You laughed through your nose and kissed him happily, “Only if you promise to stop teasing Anton, ok?”. Rolling his eyes Dexter wrapped his leg over you and pulled you closer to him, “Believe me… after this, I am not going to be the one doing the teasing”.

[cheezritsu]

Elegy for the Living

Fushiguro x reader

One of the tenets you’ve created for yourself when you became a jujutsu sorcerer was that you would save everyone—criminals, bullies, junkies, the like. You were no god; judgement was never yours to give. And yet, Fushiguro Megumi is trying his damndest to break every single one of your beliefs, brick by hard, infuriating brick. It’s all fun and games, until it’s not.

Alternatively: enemies to lovers and back again, in five easy steps.

A/N: currently in the process of writing an Enemies to Lovers Fushiguro fic so here’s the first part:

It’s possibly only seconds after you’ve finished battle. Seconds, he thinks, because his chest is still heaving, because you haven’t moved an inch, not even to pick up the weapon that’s been left behind after the final blow. (His blow, which made lamented card float lamely into the grass. It sits there, the five of cups, his disapproving frown aimed at you.)

Your feet are still, as if nailed to where you stand. The clouds begin to drop rain over the two of you, the run off puddling around your grimy combat boots. That’s how long you stay staring at the dismembered figure; you can only assume it was once a person by the puzzle pieces of body parts left behind after the attack. A hostage, a possessed person, a cursed item. A human being. Or, what was one.

Megumi’s steely eyes hold no reverence, instead watching your movements as you mindlessly reach into your uniform pocket, pulling out a small carton. You shake the box once, and the slim stick reveals itself.

Megumi’s skin prickles. “Hey,” he says, stepping closer to you as you continue to numbly place a cigarette between your lips. “We need to get going. Ijichi’s coming with the car soon, we have to meet him back at the entrance.”

There’s a flicker of blue light that emits from your fingertips; cursed energy, ignited like a flame. Megumi sneers at the misuse, watching in disgust as you take the first few puffs. “Unbelievable,” he mumbles. You tear your eyes away for only half a second to give him a withering glare, and then they’re back where they started.

But they twitch. There’s anger that fuels the blue flames licking your fingertips, and you can’t help but wonder.

“Why’d you attack it with divine dogs before I could secure him?” You don’t even acknowledge his look of bewilderment. “If I’d been able to separate them—“

“You couldn’t have.” He snaps. The tightness in his jaw is visible; it makes the sharp line his face even more defined, while at the same time marring the his boyish handsomeness. Does being a hardass come naturally? Or does he force himself to be this way? You mull over the question as he berates you, catching his customary reply:

“You’re not even close to being strong enough to save everyone.”

Megumi’s truths are white noise, barely decipherable from the drizzling rain. Underneath the awning of this abandoned high school, you’re safe from the onslaught of rain, but the body is not. It sags as water soaks into the clothes—a seifuku, black with white stripes. Blood floods the grass, trickling in rivulets down the sidewalks, sloshing into the gutter. You breath in, as if you’re sighing, taking a long drag of smoke that makes your lungs burn and your eyes finally shed the tear that’s been welling in the corner. The body’s going to bloat in a few days if it keeps raining.

Megumi, not privy to your inner thoughts (and frankly, unsure you even have any,) grabs your left arm. “Are you even listening?”

“How come whenever demons attack it’s always in shitty weather? Ever noticed that?”

Perhaps it’s the way your fingers separate, all of them equally spaced out as your right hand reaches up to drag the cigarette from your lips, that makes Megaumi pause. As the cigarette slides between your digits, a trail of blood stains the pure white. You haven’t wiped your hands yet. You go cross eyed from looking down, examining where the blood on your hands stains the cigarette. Your eyes glaze over, as if throughly entranced.

Megumi tears his eyes away, lest he be caught up in the same hypnosis. “We don’t have time for your stupid questions.”

You scratch your forehead with your thumbnail, humming slightly. “That just means you don’t know either.”

Cold wind sweeps through the thin fabric of his uniform. He looks at you with a pinched frown. “No, it means I don’t care. Let’s go.”

He’s done asking you anything. He heel turns away, leaving you—to do what, exactly? Your unerring stare never leaves the quartered girl, her mouth open to the clouds, like the dammed souls of hell crying for their saviour.

(Did you think that savior would be you? The mocking voice sounds unsettlingly like Megumi.)

Or perhaps, more likely, in her final moments of living she screamed for the safety of her mother, like any little girl would. Like she would.

“Damn,” you sigh, finally squatting down to collect your card. Your knees create a symphony of cracks, and you groan like an old war veteran when you stand back up.

When you spot Megumi, he’s leaning against one of the poles under the awning, his attention turned to the road. He doesn’t see you light another cigarette, inhaling slower this time to ride the drug out.

He only slightly turns his head when your feet start idly sloshing the water where you stand. The pointed toe of your shoe draws words he can only guess before they wash away.

“What are you doing?” He asks, both to get you to stop and from a deep seated curiosity. “Writing,” you say briefly. The cigarette dangles precariously from your barely open lips, your hands splayed out beside you to keep balance.

He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, I gathered that much.”

“Then why did you ask?”

“What are you writing?”

A quick bite of a response loads itself on your tongue, but you hold back. Instead, you divulge the truth to him, knowing it’ll make him angrier.

“Things that deserve to be forgotten. Pain,” deft strokes write the kanji, and Megumi sees it take shape. “Agony. Memories. Sorrow.”

You finally take the cigarette out, the stick already half burnt. His eyes narrow upon it, his blood boiling as you waste your dexterity on vent poems in the rain. Perhaps this is your most vexing quality; your almost childish insistence to succumb to whatever emotion moves you at the moment. You’re as fickle and fragile as the wind, pretending you’re made of stone.

“Why do you do this to yourself?” He suddenly asks, though not for the first time. The first time he asked was far less judgemental than it was now. “Why do you always make things worse?”

Worse for who, you have to ask. You cough, trying not to outwardly cackle in his face. The idea of bringing Megumi misery makes you nearly giddy. The bubble of excitement dies down the moment your eyes catch his expression: brows pinched, eyes flashing dangerously until they give a lidded glare, his mouth turned in an upward sneer. The look saves just for you, just when you’re alone.

“I don’t think anything could get worse than this,” you tilt your head towards him, pointedly blowing smoke. “Besides,” you tack on. “Why do you care?”

“I don’t.” You laugh again at his response, and his shoulders tense, expression slipping into a boyish anger. “It’s not about you, it’s about the fact that you exacerbate your bad emotions like you want every other demon in a five kilometer radius to find us.”

“Exacerbate,” you snort childishly. “Now that’s a five dollar word.”

His posture has straightened, shoulders defensively squared and facing you. “When are you going to admit you’re not made for this, huh?”

Your shoulders shake with another laugh, this one hollow and bitter. He stands in front of you, expectant, voice laced with an air of maturity he doesn’t have the right to posses. Not even if he was born decades before you, a millennia before you.

“Made for this,” you repeat slowly. “Like the gods themselves crafted you, Fushiguro Megumi, from the mud under my shoe to fight demons.” You relish in the hitch in breath you elicit from him, even if it is followed by the individual cracks of his knuckles. You meet his gaze, and your combined cursed energy signature fluctuates; those same demons in the five kilometer radius must be fainting in its wake.

It doesn’t deter either of you. You’re both as still and stubborn as bulls. It feels like having a stare down with your own reflection, and it is agonizing to know this truth. To know he is your mirror.

“You weren’t made for this either, Fushiguro. You made yourself. So you must forgive me for not suppressing any and all emotions, like you.”

The curl to his lip drags upward even further, like the snarl of a wolf catching its prey. “You can barely keep it together after a grade 2 mission, and you want to come at me?” There’s something cruel in his eyes when he says it, something that wants to dissect your flaws and put them in a glass cage to repeatedly gawk at. Your eyes drop to ground, unable to bear the lens he views you with.

“You’ve lived with sorcery and demons for so long, and you’ve never gotten used to it. So why do you keep pretending like you can do this when you can’t?”

You blow smoke towards your feet. It vanishes quickly, evaporating into thin air. You stare into it, as if your memories are scripted in fog, abs you can make them disappear just as easily.

Megumi scrutinises your face for every micro expression that flits across your features, and he’s disappointed when all he sees is confusion. Like you don’t know the answer either.

He clicks his tongue, training his eyes back to the road. You stay staring at your feet, unblinking, lest you close your eyes see her decomposing body behind your eyelids.

A sudden realization shocks you as you bring the cancer stick to your lips for the first time in minutes. You’re only a quarter of the way through, leaving it forgotten. But there’s a warmth in your veins and a steadiness to your hands, some non-nicotine induced high. You smile callously at Megumi, who stands stiff as a board, pretending not to glance at you from the corner of his eye.

Unfortunate, you think. Seems I’ve found a better drug.

You take a drag off the cigarette. It’s feels like nothing in comparison. You burn through half of it, so that when you open your mouth, smoke curls out like a simpering dragon; elegant, dangerous, intoxicating. Megumi gapes as you grin, and something in you burns.

“You’re fun to argue with.” You snuff the cigarette between your calloused fingertips, putting out the ash in the box careful not to litter. Megumi’s expression is so priceless, you laugh when you say “Let’s do this again sometime, yeah?”

[capricornus-rex]

The Haunt of Redemption (5)

Sequel to: A Path I Can’t Follow

gif belongs to @endiness​

Chapter 5: The Past Has A New Face | Cal Kestis x Reader

Summary: It has been months since your last encounter with Cal, at that time he was a fledgling Inquisitor. In an ironic twist of fate, you cross paths and blades with him once again, and he’s keen on turning you into an Inquisitor as well—unless you bring him back to the light first.

Tags: Dark Side! Cal Kestis, Inquisitor! Cal Kestis, Redemption Arc! Cal Kestis

Also posted in AO3

Chapters: 1 - 2 - 3 | Previous: Chapter 4 | Next: Chapter 6 | Masterlist

5 of ?

A part of you wanted to calm down and subtly scan the area for enemies; the other wanted to just keep running until you find your way back to the ship.

The cacophony of animal sounds continued to sing through the woods. Your hearing hoped for rather than searching for any manmade sound—a twig snap, rustling of plants or leaves, anything. You moved on when there was nothing.

You attempted to reach Cere again, but there was nothing.

“Aw mother of fuc—!” you hissed, but were quickly cut off by the sound of the leaves crunching against the forest floor.

You sharply turned around, lightsaber ignited for nothing, but you continued to listen for it.

Come on, [y/n], forward. You coaxed yourself in your mind.

In the distance, the sound of an explosion echoed and reached the forest where you stand now. You haven’t exactly prepared your heart and mind for the worst yet. In truth, you never prepared yourself for something like this to happen so soon.

The first thought that came into your mind was the Yewa Docking Bay.

“Lora… Kaleen…” you gasped.

Eventually, you found the main path again and followed it.

Yes! You thought. You’re so close now.

The fragment of hope that you held came and went when one of the TIE Fighters fired a shot in the forest—its blast was coming to the general direction of your obstacle course, presumably trying to flush you out of the woods and into a clearing. The shot was somehow close to your current location, dust blanketed the path ahead as well as the path where you came from.

“We can’t be trapped here, BD, we gotta go!”

The ominous snarl of a lightsaber caught you frozen in your tracks. The source was unseen but you can feel it close to you. Taking cover from behind the rock, your thumb searched for your saber’s switch as you prepared for a surprise attack.

You stifled your coughs, careful to not give yourself away to any potential enemies, as you fanned out of the haze that enveloped you.

Stalking the forest floor with a great deal of caution, you held your lightsaber defensively in front of you—the way you held it made you look like a scared Padawan learner in a basic defense stance. Your heightened sense of space caused you to turn around and find a dark silhouette standing in the other side of the wall of dust. You stood your ground, gripping your lightsaber well and positioning yourself in a stance.

When the smoke finally cleared, the figure revealed itself but only for a short second—you didn’t even get to catch a glimpse of whoever it was. The figure disappeared with the haze. Confused, your eyes frantically searched for the figure among the trees.

You feel someone standing so close behind you, their lips could be felt within a mere inch from your ear.

“[y/n]…”

A twirled attack was easily deflected. As soon as your eyes registered the sight of the person in front of you, a whirlwind of emotions flooded you. Never have you ever felt so unsure what to feel that you wish it’s was just as easy as picking one emotion out as you please.

“Hello there, [y/n],”

You’re absolutely dumbfounded. Your breath shuddered as you attempted to suck in air, your eyes widened even with your sights narrowed at the person you thought you knew all this time. You were focused in examining his entire person—he was far beyond the Cal you last saw in Koboth, you barely recognize him with the dark gradient in his and his stubble.

Your heart skipped a beat.

On a tremendous level, you hate to admit that you find him appealing.

Well, fuck me sideways. The expression of your own voice in your head was a combination of frustrated, smitten, and growing hysteria.

Cal completely understood your predicament right now. He could sense your resolve fluctuate, the confusion and shock factored to it. He smirked at the discovery, there was a glint in his green eyes full of intent.

While in a convergence of blades, you afforded to take a good look at how much he’s changed before he pulls away for the next attack. You caught yourself before you fumbled to the floor, you cannot allow him to get the upper hand.

The last time you traded strikes was seven months ago, you wonder just how good he’s gotten all this time… and you were about to get a firsthand demonstration.

Based on his movements, he never strayed from the lightsaber form he’s been originally using ever since; there were hints of new attack patterns and techniques that you’ve never seen before. You wagered that they’re something that he picked up from his training.

“I see you’re still sharp. Impressive,” he purred.

You shifted your weight on your deflect and pushed him out so you could step away from him to regain your bearings. However, you’re not as sharp as he thought you were. The sudden reunion affected your emotions, then subsequently your movements in the duel; it was a struggle for you to conceal it from him, eluding him was a challenge in and of itself. If he managed to touch even a fiber of your clothes, his Psychometry will trigger and he’ll exploit whatever he’s harvested against you.

The shrubs, the trees, and the rocks became your allies all at once; aiding you in eluding this fearsome, youthful Inquisitor. There are some parts of the obstacle course that you may use to your advantage—such as the large, fallen logs whose bottom gaps are sizable enough for one to slide under, all the while concealing you as you make your escape or hideaway.

Cal followed suit, this was no different from the various environments he’s faced in his past campaigns. By the time he got to the other side of the log, you were nowhere to be found—little did he know that you were hiding among the tall grass, prowling closer as he stalked through the path.

“You didn’t really kill those people back in Magyon, you were manipulated!” your disembodied voice rang in the trees.

He looked around, searching for you while you continued to banter.

“Oh, is that what you tell yourself at night, when you go to sleep? Is it because you don’t want to face the reality now?”

Like a predator, you come springing out, lightsaber at the ready, but this is an Inquisitor you’re facing right now. You’ll have to up your game a bit more. A rush of energy flowed across every vein in your body, granting a burst of power and strength when trading strikes with Cal. You went with a flourishing attack until his deflection brought both of you leaning sideward to the ground; still improvising and maximizing the environment, you quickly pulled away and then skidded your boot hard against the earth—particles of the soil pricked Cal’s eyes and caused him to break from his form.

Just when you thought you had the chance to finally deal damage at him while he’s open, you stood corrected as he blocked you at the last minute while half-blind.

“Fighting dirty, aren’t we?” Cal hissed, you expected him to be vexed, but there was a mischievous purring in his voice.

“Just a style I peppered in!” you snapped back.

Cal patted off the dust that caught in his eyes. You afforded him the dignity of recomposing himself before you could attack again. You wonder if he felt that you couldn’t bring himself to strike him down—meaning, actually fatally wounding him with your saber.

He may not have vocally expressed that he was mad, but you saw it in the way his attack patterns shifted and evolved. The blows got heavier and the strikes were stronger; he even zoomed around the battlefield the same way Trilla and the Ninth Sister evaded your attacks back then! He refused to let the distance close between you. It was getting difficult to dodge him, but more so in getting close to him just to swing at him.

“Huh, I thought you’d see that coming,” he sniggered, expecting you to be able to catch up with him even though he’s zooming from point to point.

You were slowly getting nauseous as you spun in place, anticipating him and from where he’s going to attack you. Your defense was slowly breaking as he tires you out, but he saw that you’re refusing with all your willpower.

Stay still, goddamnit! You hissed in your mind, desperate but mostly annoyed with this new trick. Personally, you hated this when you faced either the Second or Ninth Sister.

“For how long will that endurance of yours last?” Cal jeered, his figure disappearing and then appearing here and there.

“As long as it takes until I knock you down!” you barked.

“You were always the achiever between the two of us,” he stopped his teleporting, he splits his saber and throws both of them to you.

That was a more extreme throw-attack compared to any of the Inquisitors you’ve faced. Luckily, one saber is enough to deflect both—credit is due to your dexterity. When one of the sabers returned to Cal’s hand, the second found its way to the connector and a quick twist sealed them together.

Your next move was your undoing. Coming at a running attack, he takes the chance while you’re still off guard—he extends his hand to you and suddenly you couldn’t move your entire body.

You are literally frozen—saber hand pulled back, seemingly ready for an overhead attack. You try to pull away but you just keep bouncing back into place.

WHAT?!

“How did you—?”

“You’re not the only one mastered the Force-Halt,” he snickered, quite proud of himself to break the news to you.

Short, panicked breaths escaped your lungs; you tried to move even just a finger but you could only do so much as twitch and that’s that. Cal approaches you while you remain as steady as a statue. A steely glower intently fixates on you. The closer he gets, the more out of control your heartbeat became.

Was it fear?

Were you actually stimulated by this?

Cal brings his hand to you. The first thing that came into your mind that he’s going to use one of his abilities on you. Your entire person shifted left and right, as if trying to scamper free from this hold, but to no avail. He ignored your helpless escape attempt.

He ran a gloved finger across your cheek. His touch was something you longed for, but this felt different—it was from someone you knew, but it still felt strange. He withdrew his finger, motioned his hand to turn and your entire body rotated in the same direction as his hand. You didn’t realize that you’ve already reached the first half of the course—where it’s close by the ship and in view of the town below.

“No…!” you sobbed when you saw towers of smoke waft from the settlement.

Standing behind you, Cal sweeps your hair to the back of your shoulder, exposing your neck, he brought his lips close to your ear; you could’ve sworn you felt the hairs of his stubble prickle on your cheek, the warmth of his breath blowing at the crook of your shoulder, hence the hairs on your nape stood.

“You know, I could make this all go away,”

He didn’t expect an answer and continued on.

“After they’re done with that quaint, little town, we’ll find the Mantis next and we’ll take the Holocron from Magyon.”

“You wouldn’t!”

In your mind, you still focused on breaking free, you pondered if his Force-Halt was exactly the same as yours that he simply copied or if he’s managed to improve it to overpower yours.

“You don’t believe me? They all follow under my directive. If you come with me, everyone—especially those in the Mantis—shall be spared for sure, and perhaps those who aren’t dead yet in the village,”

“And if I don’t?” you hissed and he smirked in reaction.

He slightly bends over so his face is level with yours, the gap between his lips and your face is just as thin as a thread when he turned his face to you as he spoke. His eyes trailed up and down, studying the contours of your face, the beads of sweat that riddled your temples, and the way your eyes struggle to avert from his gaze.

“You and I will watch the whole town burn and capture the crew, they’ll be charged with sedition by the time they’re caught. Either way, I’ll still get the Holocron one way or another,”

“Oh, so you’re making me choose who dies and who lives like how the Grand Inquisitor pitched it to you? How generous. Not exactly a win-win for either party, though,” you snapped.

He smirked at your rebuttal, he wasn’t—in the slightest bit—offended. In truth, he missed your sarcasm. Oftentimes, he imagined what life would be like if you were in the fortress at Koboth, either as an Inquisitor initiate or just a plain captive.

“I see your snark aged well,”

You scoffed a prideful chuckle, “You aged well.”

“So, [y/n], what is it going to be, darling?”

The sound of the greater waterfall crashing nearly muted the explosions of the cannons’ impact to the buildings in the settlement and the thousands of voices screaming in pain until they vanished into silence. You focused on the waterfall—it was a crazy idea, but it was your only choice. You could feel his influence ebbing, you’re surprised to find that it was shorter than you expected; you took the opportunity right away—once you’ve broken free, you jabbed him on the abdomen with your elbow, catching him off-guard and then bolting it towards the edge. You looked back over your shoulder one last time.

“GET READY FOR A DROP, BD!!!” you howled as you dropped to the water.

Cal recomposed himself, ran to the edge and peered over at the river. The thick spray of mist fogged his view of the water itself, practically cloaking you as the craziest, improvised escape plan ever hatched has been executed. There was no visible sign of you in the water from Cal’s point of view. Stormtroopers come running through the forest eager to report.

“Sir, they’re gone!”

“What do you mean gone?”

“The Jedi’s ship! We lost it when it took off!”

Frustrated, he resorted to having the town garrisoned first. After that, Cal made it absolutely clear that he’ll find you no matter how far in the galaxy you’ve gotten. The Stormtroopers led him out of the forest and escorted him to the town where he prepared his business.

The impact was sharp, you let the wild current of the river carry you downstream, your head popped into the surface every once in a while to get some air—before the rapids knock your head back under the water. It wasn’t long until you’ve reached calmer waters. You swam up to the surface and finally got a chance to catch your breath.

“Cere? Come in, Cere!”

“[y/n]?! Where are you? Imps sieged the town and—!”

Relief washed over you—aside from the cold water—when you heard Cere’s voice loud and clear. You swam to a shoreline downstream to continue your conversation.

“Listen to me, it’s Cal! It was all Cal,”

“You don’t mean…?”

“I’ll explain everything in the ship. I’m in the river after the bigger waterfall, are you near?”

“Kid, wear anything darker and we might mistake you for a boulder in the water!” Greez cut in just to get his joke at you across.

Greez’s jokes always boosted the beacon of hope that Cere’s voice personifies. The engine hum of the Mantis became louder and louder, you could feel its thrusters blowing at the water and trees around, but you couldn’t see it.

“Merrin, of course!” You exclaimed, recalling that she can cloak the ship.

Emerald glitters flickered as the Mantis gradually materialized on sight. Merrin and Cere appeared on the end of the entry ramp and kicked down a ladder at the edge.

“Hurry, [y/n]! I’m not supposed to reveal ourselves!”

You swam close to the suspended ladder and climbed as the ship slowly maneuvered to face forward and then disappeared into thin air again thanks to Merrin’s magic. The invisible Mantis darted through the skies, heading off-planet before the enemy discovers that they’ve been eluded. Your knees felt wobbly from the altitude and so dragged yourself to the seat in the cockpit to really catch your breath.

“You mind telling us now what just happened back there?”

“I’ll explain in a sec,” you raised a weak hand at them, gasping for breath as the adrenaline was too much for you to handle.

Despite being physically exhausted, your fingers worked their magic whenever they touch the buttons on the dashboard; you were optimizing the speed thrusters for your getaway—and you perfectly knew that Greez doesn’t like it when you get closer to the middle part of the dashboard.

He slapped your hand going for the button that will activate the top speed of the Mantis’s throttle.

“Whoa, whoa, hey! What the heck are you doing, kid!?”

“What, you don’t plan on getting away? An Inquisitor’s fleet just terrorized the town!”

Greez, Cere, and Merrin exchanged glances as you prepped the Mantis for the trip. You punched it and the captain had no choice but to accelerate and get the hell out of the planet before the Imperials find their missing ship.

[skulduggery-pleasant-bp9]

Playing with a Coroner and a Detective is not wise - Skulduggery x Male!Reader Universe MASTERLIST !!

Summary: Gordon Edgley is dead. M/n is Stephanie's older, adopted, Brother and he has real anger issues when it comes to his Family, which are only, Stephanie, Melissa, Desmond and Gordon. Thanks to some stupid psychos, M/n and Stephanie got introduced to a world of Magic. How will M/n react to it ? Will he like it ? Will his Family grow or will it become lesser ? Read here to find out !

CHAPTERS!:

Part 1 - Gordon’s Testament

Part 2 - Danger

Part 3 – Take us with you

Part 4 – China Sorrows

Part 5 – Tailor Bespoke

Part 6 – Convincing Ghastly

Part 7 – The Elders

Part 8 – The Coroner is ticked off

Part 9 – The Vault

Part 10 – M/n’s Workplace

Part 11 - Inspections

Part 12 - The Plan

[skulduggery-pleasant-bp9]

Part 9 – Not your fault

WARNING!: Mention of Murder, Cursing, Mentally and Emotionally unstable Reader, Violent thoughts, Reader snaps AND MORE ! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED !!!

Skulduggery looked Erskin dead in the eyes, he gulped at that.

“Remember that I won’t be mad, Erskin. I didn’t come here to punch anyone, not even you. So please tell me the truth.”, Skulduggery softly told the frightened male.

Erskin nodded carefully.

“Were you there, when my Family was murdered ? Did you see what Serpine did to them ? Did you...see me get outraged ?”

Erskin froze up and he stared at Valkyrie. The room was dead silent. All of The Dead Men looked away at that, knowing that Erskin WAS there. But they refused to babble out anything.

“You said you didn’t tell him.”, he whispered to her.

“I didn’t. But Eliza Scorn told him something and revealed with that, that you might have been there.”, Valkyrie stated.

“Scorn ?”, he asked.

Skulduggery nodded softly.

“Please tell me the truth, Erskin. Have you been there ?”, he asked the panicking male.

“U-uhm...”

“I am not here to hurt anyone. You have the soul vision on, yes ?”

“A-ah...Yes I do...”

“Then you see that I am not at the verge of getting angry. I am just as uncomfortable as you, but I really need to know the truth now. From you.”

Erskin started to shake and he looked away.

“Y-yes... I was there that day...”, he whispered softly.

“Since when ?”

“S-since the be-beginning... Y-you ran off and left the rest of us ! I-I thought you might need some help !”, he stuttered out, partly panicked.

“Erskin, calm down. I am not angry, nor am I going to get angry. Look at me, kid.”

He slowly looked at him and saw the pain Skulduggery had in his own eyes.

“Explain it to me, everything. Take your time when you start talking.”, Skulduggery said calmly.

Erskin took a few deep breaths and his shaking subsided slightly. Anton and Ghastly got up and sat next to him on the floor. Anton gave him a side hug and Ghastly held his hand, both of them knowing, that Erskin was extremely scared.

“You left us...I saw you leaving in a hurry. I thought you might need some help and decided to follow you. We arrived at some building and you froze in place. I wanted to know why...you NEVER froze in place in the war before. I kept my distance from you and hid behind you, behind a tree. That’s when I saw Serpine and your family. They were...in terrible shape. Your Son...he saw me. I-I wanted to help, wanted to do something. I jumped out from behind the tree, ready to pull out my gun, but I froze up instead... Serpine already started to...torture them to their slow death. I couldn’t move. No matter how much my brain screamed at my body to do something, I couldn’t.”, Erskin explained, tears falling down his face.

Skulduggery’s transparent face screwed up in phantom pain, but he wanted him to explain, so he had to deal with it. Erskin looked at Skulduggery.

“I really tried to move, I swear ! But I couldn’t ! I froze up at a moment where you would have needed me and I’m sorry ! I fucked it all up !”, Erskin sobbed out.

Anton hugged him tighter and Ghastly rubbed Erskin’s back. The rest of them had a pained face too, unable to imagine the pain Erskin was feeling, but able enough to understand that it wasn’t easy to talk about for him, that it was hurting him deep in his soul.

“God...Your own Son must have been disappointed with me.”, Erskin hiccupped.

“What do you mean ?”, Skulduggery asked, voice thick with emotion.

“He saw me. He saw that I wanted to help and kill Serpine. He just stared at me. He BEGGED me to do something. The damn look he gave me said everything ! And I just had to disappoint him ! He wanted me to pull out the gun and pull the trigger and I just couldn’t ! He gave me an understanding smile before he died, but it feels like he was actually disappointed with me ! He was my best friend ! I didn’t want him to die !”

Skulduggery was in shock, like the rest of The Dead Men and Valkyrie. Erskin didn’t tell anyone about that.

“Even after they died, I was still rooted in place ! And then you screamed and looked ready to start a rampage out of rage ! It was too much for me at once and I had no idea what to do ! A second before you grabbed the dagger, I saw that it was poisoned. I wanted to scream, my mouth was open, but before I could yell at you to NOT touch it, you already did ! That’s when I knew that I will lose YOU too ! I couldn’t let that happen ! I saw how you suddenly dropped to the floor, but before Serpine could get me, I ran for the hills and back to our camp.”

The rest of The Dead Men stared at him in shock, Valkyrie in horror. Serpine was hell bent to get Erskin too. Ghastly and Anton were the only ones who knew about that part.

“I risked my life to get a book about Antidotes, that can cure people from deadly poisonings. I found the one I was looking for, refused to sleep, eat and drink, just to find the damn thing. When I saw all the things that I would have needed, I knew that I needed help. I asked Hopeless for a lot of things and bothered Anton, Ghastly and Dexter to help me make it. For some reason, I think Hopeless knew what I was trying to do, what I’ve seen. I told them all that you went on a solo mission, so they won’t get worried. I was hopeful that I can save you and no one had to know that you were on the brick of death.”

All of The Dead Men, besides Skulduggery, nodded in agreement. Valkyrie just stared at Skulduggery.

“They didn’t like it that I pressured them to hurry it up, because they had no clue why I was in such a hurry. When we finally had it done, I also found your location. Before they could ask me, what it was for and why I needed it so badly, I bagged the damn thing and ran off. I was running to your location, sneaked by, killed and avoided enemies. It costed me time though and I knew I was running low on time already. I didn’t calculate in the wall that I had to get over though and even though I hurried and slipped like 50 times almost to my death, I came 20 seconds too late to help you. You were already dead when I arrived... Serpine said you died 20 seconds ago, so that was how I knew. The next day you were openly burned on a lance and that was when everyone knew what I tried to do, why I was in such a hurry and what I knew, that they didn’t.”

They all nodded again, besides Valkyrie and Skulduggery. Skulduggery had a pained expression on his face. He felt horrible for how Erskin must have felt, what he had to witness and what he blamed himself for. He sighed deeply and looked at Erskin with soft eyes.

“None of this, was your fault, Erskin.”, he then said.

He stared at Skulduggery in shock.

“B-but I just...STOOD there and fucked everything up !”, he protested.

Skulduggery shook his head.

“You didn’t. As I told you a few days ago...China was there when Serpine killed my Family. She saw you and made you stay frozen in place. You didn’t freeze up from horror or shock, you would have acted, if China wouldn’t have stopped you. She and the rest of the Diablerie captured my Family and brought them to him.”

The Dead Men stared at Skulduggery with wide eyes and Erskin stared at Skulduggery with ripped wide open eyes too.

“Who told you that ?”, Ghastly asked.

“Eliza Scorn did. She had a grudge against China Sorrows and bombed her Library and apartment. She told me what China did and she knew that Erskin was there too and China made him freeze up and feel horrible about it, thinking that he was just incompetent to function properly when needed.”, Skulduggery explained.

“And you believe her ?”, Saracen asked.

“I believe her.”, Valkyrie answered.

They all turned to look at her.

“I asked her why, when she talked about Erskin, she softened her voice. She said he keeps secrets, but in Mevolent’s reports stood that Erskin was there and witnessed Skulduggery’s family’s death. He was also noted down as emotionally and mentally unstable child. She also added that China disgusts her for making a 50 to 60 year old, mentally and emotionally sensitive child, believe that he had to blame himself for things that were taken out of his control. She informed me that he was still considered a child when he was below 100 years of age.”

“That is true. Erskin wanted to be treated like a Teenager, even though he would have only been one with 68 years of age. We fulfilled his wish though, because he started to get sad that we still treated him like a kid.”, Dexter agreed.

“She really told you all that ?”, Ghastly asked.

Valkyrie nodded.

“Skulduggery was already in his car when I asked her, but yes. She did tell me all that. She wanted us to tell Erskin that it wasn’t his fault.”

Erskin stared into space and everyone looked at him. His left eye twitched and his face darkened.

‘Oh shit. That was too much information at once ! He is going to snap !’, Vile yelled at Skulduggery.

‘Means ?’

‘He is already planning China’s death and when he killed her, he will go on a rampage and kill more people. He will go insane and when he is insane, he has no control over himself !’

Suddenly Erskin sprung up and went to his drawer in his room, he got out his gun and loaded it.

“Erskin put the gun down. It is no use.”, Skulduggery said calmly.

“No use ?! This Bitch made me watch everyone die from your Family, including you ! She made me feel like shit for years ! Don’t tell me you plan to forgive that Hoe ! She helped in killing YOUR FAMILY ! She is responsible for YOUR DEATH ! She triggered a lot of shit that I hoped I would never have to deal with ! She helped to pull me into depression ! SHE RUINED MY LIFE ! AND YOU PLAN TO FORGIVE AND SPARE THAT HOE’S LIFE ?! HELL NO !”, Erskin exploded on him.

His eyes held pure rage and hatred. Such pure rage and hatred, The Dead Men have never seen in Erskin’s eyes. Valkyrie started to back up from Erskin.

“It was long ago, Erskin.”, Skulduggery tried to reason with him.

“SO IT WAS WITH SERPINE ! DID YOU FORGIVE THAT PIECE OF SHIT ?! NO !”

“He didn’t change, nor did he ever feel regret.”

“OH ?! AND CHINA DID ?! THAT BITCH ONLY STANDS ON A SIDE THAT IS WINNING AND WORTH HER TIME, TO SAVE HER OWN SKIN ! SHE IS A FUCKING SNAKE ! AND YOU WANT TO REASON WITH ME THAT SHE CHANGED OR FELT REMORSE ?! PAH ! GIVE ME A BETTER REASON !”

“Yes, she did bad and I doubt that Skul forgave her. I doubt he even plans on forgiving her. But please, she is not worth your time and effort, Erskin.”, Valkyrie tried to reason.

He turned to her with a dark glare. He pointed his weapon at her, but didn’t plan on pulling the trigger.

“You, keep yourself OUT OF THIS ! You have no IDEA what I went through, just because of that disgusting Bitch ! This piece of absolute filth ! I already hated her when she was still alive and ‘helping’ us from time to time, but now...oh, now I just want to GOUGE HER EYES OUT !”

Erskin’s eyes started to glow brightly and everyone was in fright. Skulduggery got up and approached him. He knew Erskin would never hurt anyone from them. He touched his arm with the gun and pushed it down.

“I know you are pissed off and that is totally okay, Erskin. But please let us regain self control, yes ? I do NOT forgive her, nor am I planning on it. But she is not worth our time and effort. Karma will come for her. We just have to be patient. Now please...calm down.”, Skulduggery told Erskin.

He glared at him, but somehow he started to get back to his senses. What Skulduggery didn’t know, was that everyone saw how pained Skulduggery was right now and rage and anger, seemed to make him even sadder. Erskin took a deep breath and then dropped his gun. Skulduggery picked it up and gave it to Ghastly, then went back to stand beside Erskin.

“Anything else you have to tell me about that damn Hoe, before I get pissed off again ?”, he asked in a monotone.

“She and the rest of the Diablerie came from time to time in my cell and watched as Serpine tortured me.”, Skulduggery informed.

Erskin sucked in a breath. He left Skulduggery’s side and went to his drawer again. He screamed and swiped the side lamp and decorations with brute force off, making them hit the wall and shatter to pieces. Then he slumped on the floor, in a sitting position, facing the wall and stayed dead silent.

Everyone stared at him, waiting for him to say something or to move a muscle, but he didn’t. Skulduggery sighed saddened.

“Give him his five minutes. He needs time to process everything.”, he informed them.

They all nodded and waited for Erskin to be back with them again. After 10 minutes of silence, Erskin got up from the floor and turned around, sniffing. He looked at the damage he made and then at Anton.

“Sorry for that, Anton.”, he apologized.

“It’s alright. This stuff is easy to replace, don’t worry.”, Anton waved him off kindly.

“Can I...have a hug...?”, he asked Anton.

The man got up and approached Erskin, pulling him into a tight hug, Erskin returned it just as tightly.

“Are you feeling better ?”, he asked the male.

Erskin nodded and took a deep, shaky breath.

“No episode incoming ?”

“No...Just feeling empty right now...”, Erskin whispered into his ear.

Anton frowned and the others saw his frown. They grew worried.

“It’s okay. At least you were afraid of nothing, little Brother. It was not your fault, just as Ghastly, Hopeless and me told you over and over.”, Anton tried to soothe him.

“Tired...”

Anton understood that Erskin was emotionally drained. He nodded.

“Of course... Do you want anyone to stay ?”

“No...Wanna be alone...”

Anton nodded. Then he let go of Erskin.

“Everyone, out of the room. Erskin wants peace and quiet. He is emotionally drained and tired.”, Anton informed.

Everyone, besides Erskin, Skulduggery, Anton and Valkyrie left the room. Anton watched Erskin go to bed and then sat next to him on it.

“Do you need anything ? Water, food ?”, he asked Erskin.

“Painkillers and a glass of water for later ? I think I will wake up with a massive headache...”

Anton nodded and left the room to get the requested things. He quickly came back and put it all on the nightstand next to Erskin’s bed.

“Thank you...”

“Sure. Sleep well. Call one of us, if you need anything after you woke up, okay ?”

Erskin nodded and then closed his eyes.

Anton looked at Valkyrie and Skulduggery and motioned for them to leave with him. They did as asked and soon they all met in Anton’s room.

“I...never saw him like that...”, Erskine got out.

“Me neither.”, Ghastly replied.

“None of us ever saw him like that. The cup overflowed by Erskin this time.”, Anton told them.

“That was silent rage.”, Saracen stated.

“So what ?”, Dexter asked.

“Silent rage is the worst kind of rage. You never know what the person with silent rage is going to do. You can’t read their expressions all that well.”, Saracen explained further.

“He is right... I had no idea what he was gonna do with the gun. I was even afraid that he either shoots himself or Valkyrie.”, Ghastly voiced his thoughts.

“Silent rage is dangerous. Such people are unpredictable.”, Erskine added.

The rest, besides Valkyrie and Dexter nodded.

“He was terrifying. I thought he will pull the trigger.”, Valkyrie said still shaken.

“He could never hurt any of us. Not of his own free will. If he would have hurt us, then because he is forced to.”, Skulduggery told everyone.

“From where would you know that ?”, Ghastly asked.

“He told me many times, before I died. He could never hurt us and if he ever does...then because he is forced to or it isn’t him at all.”

“Why would he tell you that a lot of times ?”, Ghastly asked.

“You remember when we were in Kildare ?”, Skulduggery asked Ghastly.

He nodded.

“We had a big fight and you all thought that Erskin wanted to shoot Hopeless, who ducked in last second. You thought someone might have been behind him, but you didn’t see anyone, remember ?”

At that, everyone, besides Skulduggery and Valkyrie, hummed.

“You were mad at him and he used the excuse that he mistook Hopeless for an enemy, high from all the stress and adrenaline. Right ?”

Again nods.

“That was a lie. Hopeless knew why Erskin made it seem like he wanted to shoot him. There was someone behind Hopeless, but only Erskin could see through their disguise. Someone had the ability to turn invisible and tried to kill Hopeless from the back, Erskin saw them and shot. He gave Hopeless a look that told him to duck. He did so quickly after Erskin pulled the trigger. He wanted us to leave instantly, because he didn’t want any of us to worry about more of these people. Hopeless went back there a few hours later and found out why Erskin made it seem like he wanted to shoot him, but told him to duck at the same time, with just one look. He told me, but wanted no one else to know about it.”

They stared at Skulduggery in shock.

“Erskin was worried since, that I would throw him out, abandon him... So he told me many times that he would NEVER hurt anyone of us, besides he is forced to or it isn’t him at all.”

“So we had enemies that could cloak themselves without any objects...and we had no clue....”, Saracen said in shock.

“That’s why Erskin sneaked out at nights ! He kept an eye out for them and killed them off. You all remember the loud gunshot and we all ran out of our tents ?! We all checked on Erskin first and he was in bed, we didn’t find anything ! He got rid of the body in the lake, that was nearby our camp and rushed back to bed, pretending to have been alarmed by the shot as well !”, Dexter threw in.

“Yes ! Of course ! This makes sense now, why Hopeless told us to leave him be ! After that first incident, he trusted Erskin to be careful and to take care of the rest of these people !”, Erskine threw in, in realization.

“To think back and have believed that he planned to hurt one of us...”, Anton thought loudly and shook his head.

“I am surprised you never figured it out.”, Skulduggery stated.

They stayed silent and looked at the ground in shame. They never thought that they had sunken this low... Erskin was their little Brother, for fucks sake ! They accepted him as their little Brother and they sunk that low, just because he was outraged. How could they do that to him ? He was one of them !

-Three hours later-

They all conversed about things that might be concerning them soon and when that all died down, they read books or did other things. It was so boring without Erskin there.

The door to Anton’s room opened and inside came a worried looking Erskin, he seemed partly asleep. He didn’t know that everyone was in the living room of Anton’s room. Anton just came out of the kitchen and spotted him there.

“Erskin ! What’s wrong ?”, he asked him worried.

“Where is everyone ? I looked for Ghastly, Dex, Saracen, Erskine and Skulduggery with Val... They were all...gone. Did they leave already without saying goodbye ?”, he asked slightly hurt.

“No, no, no. They are still here, don’t worry Erskin. They are all in the living room. We didn’t feel like sleeping or being in our rooms separated.”, Anton calmed Erskin down.

“I...didn’t scare them away ?”

“You didn’t. Go to the living room. Everyone misses you.”

Erskin nodded and made his way to the living room. He spotted everyone and Valkyrie was the first one to notice Erskin. He put his index finger at his lips, motioning her to be silent, his eyes gleamed with mischief. She stayed quiet and Erskin sneaked up on Ghastly. He was behind him and then...

“ROOOOAAAAARRRR !!!!”, Erskin screamed.

Ghastly fell off of his armchair, screaming in fright. The others followed his example and fell to the floor, Skulduggery sat still and laughed with Valkyrie next to him. Erskin then howled in laughter too and held on tightly to Ghastly’s armchair.

They turned around and spotted Erskin. Ghastly got up with an evil grin, just as Anton ran inside.

“What happened ?!”, he asked.

“Erskin scared them.”, Valkyrie reported.

Anton grinned and then laughed loudly.

“Good job, little cub !”, Anton praised.

Erskin grinned at Anton and then ran at him, making them both fall to the floor.

“Ooof !”, Anton grunted as they hit the floor.

“Thanks !”, Erskin chirped at him then.

Anton smiled and wrapped his arms around him. Erskin got an evil smile on his face and playfully smacked Anton’s cheek. Anton gasped and they both started to playfully wrestle on the floor.

“Erskin did that in war times with Anton a lot. Anton is used to the smacking, it means Erskin is in a playful mood and wants to mess around.”, Skulduggery informed Valkyrie as she stared in shock at them.

“Ah...”

“He is in a childish mood right now. Don’t make him feel bad about it, he can’t control his mood swings.”

“I will end you, Erskin !”, Anton playfully threatened.

“Try me, old man !”, Erskin chuckled back.

They continued to wrestle around and playfully hit each other. Soon enough Erskin got Anton on his stomach, arms behind his back and legs disabled to move.

“Ha ! I win, old man !”, Erskin teased.

Anton playfully pouted.

“Next time I will beat you !”

“Sure, old man.”

Then Ghastly sneaked up on Erskin and started to tickle him. Erskin yelped and started to laugh and fall off of Anton.

“Nohohohoho !!! Ghahahahastlyhyhyhyhy !!! Stahahahahap !!!”, Erskin laughed out.

“Never !”

He continued to tickle him and Erskin was screaming in laughter and tears fell down his face, begging Ghastly to stop tickling him. After a while he stopped and Erskin slowly calmed down, then pouted.

“Ghastly, you are a Meanie.”

“I am always mean.”

“Yes, you are. You suck.”, Erskin said and stuck his tongue out at him.

The others all laughed.

Masterlist HERE !

[skulduggery-pleasant-bp9]

Jealousy made a Monster – Father!Anton x Son!Reader

WARNING!: Attempted Murder, Violent thoughts, Cursing, Violence, Blood x Injury, Blood x Gore AND MORE ! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED !!!

Anton Shudder, Ghastly Bespoke and Erskine Ravel went back to the Irish Sanctuary. Keiran followed them, without them noticing, right behind Keiran were the rest of the Dead Men, because Fox begged them to trust him, desperately.

Something was off about all of this, since they went together into the war against the other Sanctuaries, and Keiran was worried sick for his Dad. Keiran Fox might be a grown up, but he didn’t want to lose his Papa yet. Because of this, the Dead Men agreed to follow them, without them noticing, to help.

Soon enough they got back to the Sanctuary and Keiran sneaked inside first, the others stationed themselves outside, to make sure no one got in.

As Keiran was inside, he saw almost immediately Erskine sneaking up on Ghastly, with a dagger in hand, Keiran whipped his head around and soon spotted the black Cleaver, who was formerly the white Cleaver, too, who had his eyes trained on Anton.

He had to act fast ! They didn’t know !

“Ghast ! WATCH OUT !”, Keiran yelled loudly.

Ghastly instantly whipped around and saw Erskine attacking him with the dagger, he caught Ravel’s wrist, with the dagger in hand, quickly. Ravel cursed.

More Cleavers came inside.

Anton summoned his Gist, which was a bad idea. The black Cleaver went to attack him, knowing Anton will be unable to move and is unprotected. Keiran ran for his Father, in blind panic.

‘INSIDE ! HELP ! TRAITOR ! DANGER ! WHITE CLEAVER !’, Keiran yelled in his mind, reaching out to Skulduggery.

“PAPA !”, he screamed.

Ghastly looked at Anton and saw the black Cleaver, running at him, scythe unsheathed.

“Anton, GET DOWN !”, the tailor yelled.

But Anton couldn’t move, like always. He can’t move while his Gist is out, it takes too much effort, that he could pass out. Keiran sprinted faster and ran, with a slight jump, full force, into his Dad, protecting him from the scythe, taking the hit and making his Father fall to the floor. Keiran stayed protectively over his Father, back vulnerable.

The Gist looked at its Host and Kin, seeing the damage Keiran had gotten instantly. His back was cut by the black Cleaver’s blade. It would have beheaded Anton, if Keiran wouldn’t have interfered. The Gist got more angered at that, than it was before already, and attacked the black Cleaver.

Anton used a lot of effort to turn around to lie on his back, then he stared at his Son in concern. His face was screwed up in pain. Anton wanted to ask, what was wrong, but froze when he saw blood running down Keiran’s arms. He was HURT.

“Keiran ?! Are you alright ?! How bad is it ?!”, he yelled worried sick.

“M-my head is still on my sh-shoulders, P-Papa.”, his Son managed to mumble out.

Anton’s eyes widened at that information. They went for his head and his Son saved him from his early death, taking the hit himself. He looked at his Gist, that just managed to tear the black Cleaver to shreds and then came to aid them. It whined softly at Keiran, concerned. A very rare, close to impossible, development for a Gist to care for its own Host’s Kin, but Anton’s Gist was always different.

“R-return to Papa. I-I’ll be fine...”

The Gist listened to Keiran and returned to Shudder. Ghastly wrestled with Erskine, on the floor, in the meantime. Erskine seemed to be winning. Keiran got up and saw that Ravel was about to push the dagger into Ghastly’s neck.

“N-no.”, he tried to stand straighter and then ran at Erskine.

No one hurts his Family.

Before Ravel could stab Ghastly to his death, he was thrown off of him. Ghastly quickly got up.

“KEIRAN !”, Anton yelled in panic.

He was badly wounded on his back and he still went to fight, he could make it worse ! At this, his Gist went wild in worry, demanding to be let out again for help.

They wrestled and Ravel managed to stab Keiran’s right shoulder, deeply, making the male yell in pain. It made Anton’s Gist just wilder, wanting to rip Ravel to shreds. Ghastly speed – walked over to them and kicked Erskine, with all his might, in the head.

Erskine fell off of Keiran and was passed out. Then the doors flew open and inside came the rest of the Dead Men, running, with weapons drawn out. Madame Mist cursed.

Keiran may be in pain, but he was pissed.

“KILL HER ALREADY ! SHOOT HER ! SHE TRIED TO KILL GHASTLY AND PAPA WITH ERSKINE’S HELP !”, Keiran screamed in anger.

Mist’s eyes widened in fear and she tried to run away.

BANG !

Her eyes went even wider and she fell to the floor, coughing out blood and trying desperately to catch her breath, only to notice that she will die. Dexter’s gun still smoked, his glare deadly and his face was darkened, his mouth making a disgusted and outraged expression.

Valkyrie never saw him this mad before...

Then they ran to Anton, Keiran and Ghastly. Saracen was with Anton.

“Are you alright ?!”, he asked worried.

He nodded.

“But Keiran is not.”, Anton replied worried sick.

Dexter and Skulduggery were with Ghastly, checking on him, while Valkyrie was with Keiran and gasped at the damage she saw on his back.

They all turned to her and Skulduggery rushed over, instantly. He got out his phone and called Doctor Synecdoche, telling her that he needed her help immediately in the council room of the Irish Sanctuary. Then he quickly hung up and mumbled as he tore off his suit jacket and used it to slow down the bleeding.

“I need more help, the cut is big and deep, his right shoulder seems to be injured too.”, Skulduggery informed the rest quickly.

Anton rushed over next and Dexter followed. They pulled off their coats and pressed them on the wound of Keiran’s back, trying to slow down the bleeding there too. Ghastly took off his coat and tied it tightly onto Keiran’s right shoulder, which made the male hiss in pain.

“Synecdoche will be here anytime soon, she is hurrying.”, Skulduggery informed.

Saracen glared at the passed out Erskine, in hatred.

“What about him ?”, he asked coldly.

“Put him in handcuffs and leave him there.”, Skulduggery replied with an ice cold tone.

Saracen nodded and did as told. Then Synecdoche came rushing in with a few more helpers. She stopped and gently pushed Dexter aside, then looked at the damage.

“Oh wow, this is serious. Get him to the medical wing ! We need to fix him as fast as possible !”, she yelled.

The helpers got quickly to work and the Dead Men backed away to let them do their job.

“How did that happen ?”, Valkyrie asked Anton and Ghastly.

“He yelled a warning at me first and with that I survived, then he yelled for Anton, but he couldn’t move. He had the Gist out. Keiran ran into Anton and shielded him from the black Cleaver’s scythe with his back. I fought with Ravel, but it seemed fruitless as the dagger came closer to my neck, in last second, Keiran threw himself at him and tore him off of me, he stabbed his right shoulder and I kicked him in the head.”, Ghastly explained shortly.

She stared at Erskine in horror, which soon turned into disgust.

Anton quickly followed the Doctor, wanting to be there for Keiran. He HATED Doctors. He needed Anton to stay calm and not fight. The others followed too.

When they reached the room, they already could hear Keiran yell and scream at Doctor Synecdoche, trashing the place as it seemed. A lot of things crashed and clashed around.

“Keiran calm down.”, she said.

“NO ! DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH ME !”, he screamed.

Anton quickly entered and Keiran’s head snapped to him. Keiran’s face showed rage and fear at first, but as he saw his Dad, he seemed to calm down and feel ashamed. Anton approached him and patted his uninjured shoulder.

“Calm down and let them help you, Keiran. I’m here. No one can hurt you.”, he soothed.

The male nodded his head softly. Anton knew why he hated and feared Doctors. There was one Doctor, he was at. He was a psychopath and traumatized Keiran, since then he needed Anton by his side, to not freak out and kill a Doctor that meant well.

When Nye was working at the Sanctuary, Keiran refused to go. He rather went to Anton and Skulduggery to get his wounds at least stitched and bandaged, than to risk his own sanity with Nye. Not even Anton could keep him calm near that thing.

Synecdoche went to work quickly and explained every step she was about to do, to soothe Keiran. It did help him. Anton was thankful that she knew what to do, without him asking it of her.

-Two hours later-

“I am finished.”, she announced.

“Th-thank you.”, Keiran said softly.

“It’s my job to help. Now do not move any heavy objects, don’t get into such a fight again, don’t get your back injured in the next four days and everything should be fine. Okay ?”

Keiran nodded softly.

“Good. Here is the medication you will need for at least today. It will help to heal it faster.”, she explained and gave him the recipe and a small package.

“Thanks again.”, Keiran said.

With that they left the room and were in the hall, where the other Dead Men waited.

“How are you ?”, Ghastly asked Keiran.

“Better.”, he answered.

He looked at Ravel, who was awake and gagged, legs bound together too.

“He tried to escape ?”, Keiran asked.

“He did.”, Saracen answered.

The male nodded softly and then went in front of Erskine. He helped him stand up, which shocked the rest of the Dead Men. They were about to accuse him, but suddenly...

SLAP !

Erskine’s head snapped to his left and he fell onto his left side and onto the left side of his face. The other Dead Men stared at Keiran, who slapped Erskine. The handprint was already forming on Ravel’s right cheek.

Ravel looked at Keiran in shock. The boy, he helped to raise, with the others... He glared at him with so much rage and hatred.

“I hate you, Ravel. You led them into a trap, you worked with the enemy, you betrayed us, you tried to kill my Father and Ghastly. My Uncle. I really have the urge to beat you up until you are close to death. They were there for you all the time and you stab them in the back, like a dirty, slimy slug !”, Keiran yelled with rage at Ravel.

He stared at the young male in shock and shame.

“You DISGUST me, Ravel. I wish I NEVER met you. I wish you were NEVER born. And I will kill you, when I get the chance.”, he spat outraged at him.

Ravel never saw Keiran’s hatred like this and he didn’t like that it was directed at him. Keiran turned around with an outraged and betrayed look on his face.

“I’m ashamed that I wanted to be like you. One, of the eight Role Models, I had looked up to and he is a traitor. Do us all a favor and fucking die.”, Keiran said and then left.

Ravel stared at Keiran’s retreating form in shock. He saw him as a Role Model, he wanted to be like him too and he let Keiran down. The Torment lied to him ! He said that Keiran would be happy if Erskine did what Torment told him to do ! He said that Keiran never saw him as a Role Model ! He...he ruined everything.

He looked at his former friends, they all glared in hatred at him, besides Skulduggery, he didn’t have a face, but he was definitely outraged.

“Can I kill him ?”, Anton asked darkly.

Erskine knew he had no right to plead, but he wanted to explain himself. He pleaded at them with his eyes and looked down at his gag, to make them understand that he only asks them to let him speak.

Valkyrie glared at him, but sighed and took the gag off.

“Thank you.”, Ravel said softly.

“Don’t even start. Whatever you have to say, do it quick, before I gag you again. I really don’t like you anymore, Erskine.”, she growled.

He looked down.

“Of course. I...wanted to explain and apologize for what I just tried and did behind your backs, I know it won’t safe my life, nor am I asking for forgiveness or mercy. I beg you to do your worst after I explained myself.”

They still glared, but Val, Skulduggery and Ghastly were confused slightly. What’s the point in explaining himself, if he doesn’t expect to be forgiven or get mercy ?

“I was missing a few times in the war, if you remember, besides Valkyrie, she wasn’t there when we fought Mevolent’s forces. I was...jealous of you. Keiran always said he wanted to be just like you all when he grew up. He said it to everyone of you, but me. So I thought he didn’t like me or I was not interesting. He looked up to you all and...not me. I felt excluded and I liked Keiran. I was even more jealous when Anton was chosen, by Keiran himself, to be his adoptive Father. At some point, I met the Torment and he knew all of this. He said if I would do what I was doing today, then Keiran would see me as his Role Model. Blind as I was, I believed him. He fed lies to me and made my jealousy grow into distaste and blood thirst. I knew it was wrong, you were my friends and I fought against this jealousy, cherished every moment that I had spent with Keiran instead, but after the war, I barely saw and heard from him, with that my jealousy returned. I got worse. I never knew that I already was his Role Model, that he looked up to me already.”

They stared at Erskine in shock.

“If I would have known, I wouldn’t have fallen for the Torment’s lies and tricks. But I do not expect forgiveness or any mercy. Do your worst. I deserve it. Kill me if you have to.”

“He never told you then ?”, Anton asked.

Erskine looked at Anton.

“What do you mean ?”, he asked confused.

“It was hard for him to pick between you and me. He saw you like a big Brother and me like a fatherly figure. He always feared that he bothered or annoyed you, if he would come to you or write you the first letter, so he waited for you to write. But you never did. You struck him as a person that can be nice, but can easily mask their annoyance with a fake smile, so he never wanted to bother you all that much.”, Anton explained.

“He was supposed to tell you.”, Saracen said.

“He never did...wait...what date was that ?”, Ravel asked.

“It was the 24th of October 1875.”, Ghastly answered.

“Oh... Well then I scared him off, I think. I was very stressed that day, had too little sleep and was easily annoyed. He must have seen me and then backed away.”

There was silence for a long while.

“I always looked up to you. I thought you would think it’s childish. So I never said that you counted in too. It looked like you didn’t like me all that much, so I didn’t bother you. You should have told me.”, Keiran’s voice came from the darkness.

“And you should have told me some things too.”, Erskine countered.

“Miscommunication is a pain in the ass. And it led to this too.”, Dexter sighed out.

Erskine shrugged his shoulders.

“At least none of you died and I will be punished accordingly. My jealousy doesn’t justify what I tried to do and did. I doubt you could ever trust me again.”

Keiran stepped out of the shadows and looked at Erskine.

“I will need a LOT of time to forgive you. And even MORE time to trust you again, BUT I am willing to give you a second chance. Everyone deserves one. Yes, your jealousy doesn’t justify anything, but you were partly brainwashed too, which makes you partly innocent too. I am at fault too, I should have had the bravery and told you that I was also looking up to you.”

“So...my sentence ?”, Ravel asked Ghastly, who was now technically Great Mage.

“Because of the truth you told us and what Keiran said I would put you to jail, with locked away magic, for ten years. You will get therapy to get rid of whatever remained of your jealousy and you will be released when you are considered ‘healthy’ again. Then you can work on getting our trust and friendship back. Don’t fuck it up, otherwise I won’t hesitate to give you over to Keiran and he will make you cry, when he is done with you.”, Ghastly threatened.

Ravel nodded, but didn’t smile. He had no right to smile. He was still a disgusting man. He tried to kill two of his best friends, that always stayed by his side, for something as stupid as jealousy...

Masterlist HERE !

[skulduggery-pleasant-bp9]

Part 7 – A small visit

WARNING!: Mention of suicide, Mention of homeless child, Mentally unhealthy and emotionally unstable Reader, Cursing, mention of murder/killing, AND MORE ! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED !!!

Read THIS to understand why the reader has a name !

Erskin didn’t lie, when he said he was probably not ready to face Skulduggery yet, but he HAD to make sure he is okay. It was an urge that he couldn’t turn off.

He stood in front of Skulduggery’s front door and knocked. He took a deep breath as he waited for him to answer. He was there, his Bentley stood in its usual place, so he was here.

The front door clicked and soon opened. Out looked Skulduggery without a façade.

“Erskin ? What are you doing here ?”, he asked with a hollow voice.

Erskin winced in his mind. He was emotionally and mentally drained from that information.

“Valkyrie told me that China had a part in...you know... I thought I better check on you, to make sure you are as okay as you can be at the moment. She is worried about you. You didn’t talk to her for two days now.”, Erskin explained softly.

In his head started a small panic attack and his heart started to beat a bit quicker than it should. He knew it was a bad idea, but he HAD to help Skulduggery. He helped Erskin so much when he was a child, now it’s his turn to help.

Skulduggery just stood there, not saying anything.

“Do you want to come in for a little bit, before you go back to the Hotel ?”, the skeleton detective then asked.

Erskin swallowed the lump in his throat and controlled his panic attack.

“Sure. If you want me to stay for a bit.”, he replied.

Skulduggery opened the door wider, stepping aside too, for him to enter and Erskin did enter. Skulduggery closed the door and Erskin took off his shoes.

“Do Anton and Ghastly know that you are here ?”, he asked.

“No. They don’t know that I left at all. I will get a scolding when I return, but meh. It’s not like they will kill me.”

Skulduggery nodded softly.

“Do you...want me to use the façade, so you can read my emotions ?”, he asked.

Erskin was shocked at that question. Skulduggery never asked him if he should. There was definitely something going on with him...

“No, you don’t have to. I can use my vision. I bet Valkyrie told you about that small trait that I told her. I CAN see souls. I can use my vision to read your emotions.”

“How would that even work ?”

“Well, it’s complicated to explain, but in short, when I see souls, I see their bodies and faces. You may be just a skeleton to the living eye, but if I use my vision, I see a transparent version of you, like you still look alive. I know I am horrible in explaining stuff... But it is the best I can explain it to someone...”, Erskin mumbled embarrassed.

“I get the image... You can control your vision ?”

“I can now since...I went to the Temple of Necromancers. When I learned Necromancy, I learned how to control my vision. How to turn it off and on by will. I just rarely do it nowadays. It feels like invading privacy.”

“You can use it on me anytime, Erskin. You don’t need my permission for that.”

Alright, WHAT happened to Skulduggery Pleasant ? This is so out of character for him. Erskin grew nervous and scared of what he will see if he uses his vision ability now. But...Skulduggery sounded so empty and sad...

“O-okay... Been a while so I’m a bit nervous. Haha !”, Erskin chuckled nervously.

Then he activated his vision sight and saw Skulduggery’s transparent soul looking down at the floor. His soul color was orange and you could barely make out his hair was once brown and his eyes forest green. The clothes he wore on the skeleton are also on his soul version and his hair was middle long and tied to a ponytail, slightly curly too, like soft waves.

He looked sad and ashamed. Erskin grew worried.

“What happened ? Are you that surprised about China ?”, he asked.

Skulduggery sighed and his eyes moved up to look at him.

“I didn’t expect her to...have done that to my family, nor did I expect that she was there when it all happened.”

Erskin froze up.

“She .... W h a t ?”

A sad smile from Skulduggery.

“You heard me the first time.”

“Where is she ? I will kill her myself.”, Erskin said darkly.

Skulduggery shook his head.

“Not important. I just...can’t process this information as good as I should. My family has been dead for a while now. It...shouldn’t matter anymore.”

“I know why it still matters to you. You loved your family very much, you were emotionally very attached to them, you cherished your wife and Son, your Son made your worst days to the best ones....They loved you very much too. Because of all of that, you, without knowing, became possessive and overprotective. Someone looked at them the wrong way or in a way you didn’t like, you made it instantly clear they were yours. But when the war happened, you couldn’t be there for them. You let them out of your sight for a second and they got snatched away and killed in front of you. And you couldn’t do anything about it.”

Skulduggery turned his head to his right and looked away. His soul face screwed up in phantom pain. It still hurt him to talk about it. Erskin frowned, but he had to say it, to make him understand why it still mattered.

“It still hurts you to talk about them and what happened, BECAUSE you are still attached to them, but not just emotionally now. You are attached to them mentally too now. After your unfortunate end...you watched everything go to shit and came back. You came back with rage and anger, yes, but also because of your family. The only downside was that, because your family was no more around and you went through a difficult phase, you had no one to help and support you, to stay on the right path. You stopped caring, because it finally sunk in that you don’t have a family anymore. It destroyed you mentally and numbed you emotionally for a long while. It took me YEARS to understand why you ignored and avoided me so much. It was the only conclusion I could find.”

‘Yet you still had many panic attacks and breakdowns...’, Skulduggery thought saddened.

“You didn’t know how to handle that. You tried to, but as soon as someone mentioned your family, you were ready to kill them. So they became a taboo to talk about. But...you can’t heal, when you don’t talk about it.”

Skulduggery looked at him again, with sad eyes. They looked like they were crying. Maybe he actually was crying, his soul form looked pained, it would make sense. Erskin came closer and took Skulduggery’s gloved hands in his own and looked at him.

“I understand that it is hard to talk about something that scarred you in every way imaginable. I don’t...understand your pain as good as Ghastly...I didn’t had many people that loved me in my family by blood, but I can relate a little bit. When you died...I was ready to die too. I guess you must have felt that way slightly too, when they left. But, life goes on and so do they with us. Yes, your wife and Son aren’t here physically anymore, but they live on with us. You don’t have to forget them, nor is anyone expecting you to not care about them anymore, but you really need to start to open up again.”

Skulduggery stared at their hands and listened closely. He never heard so much wisdom from Erskin.... So much wisdom that he himself doesn’t use.

“I don’t expect you to go to a therapist, nor that you talk with a sensitive, but Skulduggery...you have friends. Yes, they might leave one day too, but until then, they can help you. They are here for you. At least talk to them about such things, let them hear your troubles, confide in them a little bit. Open up and let them help you get better.”

He looked from their hands up to Erskin’s face. He looked at him too.

“Do you really think that...they can help ?”, he asked Erskin.

“Skul...I see them as my Family. You are a part of it. You all behave like big Brothers to me. Besides you, you behaved like a Dad. I believe they can help you, because they helped me too. You, out of all people, should know that you can have more than ONE family, without being unfaithful. YOU, The Dead Men, are MY family and we are not blood related. Maybe, I don’t know, you see them slightly as your family too. Maybe as the Brothers you never thought you’d have. I love you all and I care about all of you. Even though, I don’t show it very much. It’s...hard to show emotions, when you were raised, as a child, to not have any emotions. But I am trying.”

Skulduggery smiled a small smile and chuckled, while a tear rolled down his transparent cheek. Erskin smiled at him with glassy eyes too. Then he boxed Skulduggery’s shoulder softly.

“You can be such a pain, but god. You’re my best friend, even if I am not your best bud. If you would ever vanish from this world, I would miss you terribly.”, Erskin chuckled out with a shaky smile.

Skulduggery smiled softly and pulled Erskin into a hug. Erskin was surprised and didn’t move at first.

“Thank you, Erskin.”, he then said.

Erskin hugged him back carefully.

“Sure, no problem. Anything for a friend.”, he replied with a smile in his voice.

Erskin didn’t even notice that his panic attack dissipated. He never felt that happy since after the war, near Skulduggery. It was so long ago. Soon they parted.

“When do you think we can talk ? There is...more to what Scorn told me, but I think we both need a clear head to talk about it.”, Skulduggery asked.

“I mean, I was almost scared that you were totally out of it when I came here and told Val that I would need a month probably. But...hmm...maybe next week instead ? You also could come tomorrow, but I think you need a bit longer to have a clear head.”, Erskin suggested.

“Hmm...good idea. Next week it is then. And I will call Valkyrie tomorrow.”

“Okay. You can tell her I was here, but...please ask her for me to not smack me. I swear I didn’t lie to her, but I really had to check on you.”

He chuckled.

“I will tell her that. Until next week, Erskin.”

“Yep. If anything else is troubling you two, just give me a call and I will see how I can help.”

“Will do. Good night.”

“Good night, Skul.”

With that Erskin teleported away and back to Hotel Midnight. In his room was already an angry looking Anton and a pissed off looking Ghastly.

“Ah shit...”, he mumbled and slumped.

“WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ?!”, they both yelled.

Erskin winced and looked away.

“I killed the Vampire that didn’t leave Valkyrie alone. He got...aggressive and I had to kill him. He hurt her, tried to make her obey him...maybe even turn her. Then we talked a bit and now here I am.”, he explained.

They stared at Erskin and then felt bad for yelling at him.

“Oh, by the way. Skul and Val will come visit next week. There are important matters to discuss, but Skul wasn’t ready to talk about them yet.”

“And are YOU ready to talk to him in a week ?”, Ghastly asked.

“I do think I am !”

Anton and Ghastly gave him a serious look over and after a while of tense silence they nodded.

“Fine by me.”, Anton said.

“Alright then.”, Ghastly agreed.

Erskin breathed out in relief.

“But the rest of the Dead Men are coming to visit too, no buts.”, Anton stated.

Erskin’s jaw dropped open.

“Ugh ! Fine you two !”, he then yelled playfully frustrated.

“Admit it, you love us !”, Ghastly teased.

“You’re lucky that I see you as my Family. Otherwise I would have smacked the shit out of you two.”, Erskin said grumpily.

“We feel honored.”, Ghastly said with a hand on his chest.

“Very honored.”, Anton agreed.

Erskin pouted and flopped down in his bed. Anton and Ghastly joined him in a big cuddle.

“Night, little Brother.”, Ghastly told Erskin.

“Night you two big dummies.”, he replied.

“Ouch...our little Brother doesn’t like us, Ghastly.”, Anton informed the other with a fake sad voice.

Erskin smiled and playfully rolled his eyes. He hugged them both back.

“You two can be so stupid sometimes. But that is what I love about you two. Good night.”

Ghastly and Anton smiled and fell asleep with Erskin. They already planned to tease the living shit, out of Erskin, the next day.

-Next day-

-With Valkyrie-

She just woke up and looked at her phone again, still nothing. She started to get really worried now. She got up from her bed and started to dress herself up, then she went into the bathroom and got ready for the day. Her parents were out with Allison and her reflection was in school.

She just entered her room again as her phone rang. She sprinted to it and was happy to see that it was Skulduggery who called her. She picked up.

“Skulduggery ?! Are you okay ?!”, she instantly yelled.

“Hello to you too, Valkyrie. I am better than I have been the last two to three nights, thank you for asking.”

“Did you kill China ?”

“No. Why waste my time with that ?”

“Okay. Where is the body ?”, she asked, not believing him.

He chuckled and hung up. She stared at her phone with big eyes.

‘Did he just hang up on me ?!’

Then the window knocked and she saw Skulduggery in her window. She rolled her eyes, but smiled brightly. She opened the window, letting him in.

“I apologize, but I wanted to surprise visit you.”, he said.

“You big goof !”, she laughed.

He chuckled softly and then there was silence for a minute.

“I really didn’t kill anyone. But I had a surprise visit yesterday night. He also asked me to ask you to not smack him.”

“Who visited you, Skul ?”, she asked.

“It was Erskin. After you told him about me and being unresponsive, he appeared right at my front door.”

She looked at him shocked.

“He told me that he won’t be ready to see you until after a month ! What a lying asshole !”

“He wasn’t lying, Valkyrie.”

She glared at him, ready to protest, but he lifted his finger asking her to let him finish. She shut her mouth.

“He only came to check on me, because it is an urge he can’t control. He was probably panicking on the inside. He used his soul vision on me to see my expressions, so he knows if he is in danger or not. We had a small chat that cheered me up and he said we could meet next week. I didn’t tell him everything, just that China had a part in killing my family off and that she was there when they were killed. We both needed a clearer head for the rest. He was ready to kill China.”

She stared at him with wide eyes of shock.

“Okay...do we have to book a room then ?”, she asked.

“I think Anton already did. He will tell me when we can come over any second, I bet.”

And as if he knew, his phone rang. He pulled it out and it was indeed Anton Shudder. He picked up and put him on speaker.

“Hello, Anton.”

“Skulduggery. I booked you and Valkyrie a room that has two beds. You can have it Monday to Friday. If I find out that you hurt Erskin, I will personally ban you from my Hotel and never speak with you again. We both know how easily you can get violent. That is the last thing Erskin needs right now.”, Anton replied.

Valkyrie felt bad for Skulduggery. His own friends don’t trust him around Erskin, but at the same time she understood why. They were very close once and suddenly Skulduggery, without meaning to, only hurt and destroyed Erskin.

“I am not planning to hurt him, but sure. You can ban me if I lose control. Thank you for letting us know about the room booking. We will see to it that everything is packed in 5 days.”

“Sure. Until then, you two.”

With that Anton hung up. Skulduggery hung up too and sighed.

“It hurts you, that they don’t trust you, with Erskin being alone in a room with you, does it ?”, she asked softly.

“They have every reason to not trust me. I was very stupid as I came back from the dead. Worst is, I never realized it. I will have to prove myself to them, so I gain their trust again and that is just fine with me.”

“Now what are we going to do ?”, she asked.

“Take a break, pack our stuff and wait until Monday.”

“No cases ?”

“We don’t have any.”

She nodded softly at that. Then she hugged Skulduggery, who stiffened up.

“What is the hug for ?”, he asked.

“To comfort you and to show you that I am here for you.”, Valkyrie answered.

He hugged her back.

“Ha, Erskin said almost something like that. Said, that I should open up more again, at least to my friends. They might be able to help me to stabilize a bit better.”

Valkyrie smiled.

“Very true and wise words from him. Sad, that he doesn’t use these advices himself.”, she stated.

“He only hides away because I scared him off. I was the calmest, hard to anger, less violent person of The Dead Men, when I was still alive. He trusted me with everything he was ready to tell me about. I was the first one to know that he had abusive people around him, but he only said that it was his own parents when he was with us for 2 years already, so when he was 19 years of age. He told us about his biological Father, which was only that he had one and never met him. He never really went into detail how bad his family was, but to be honest, I think it would have made my blood boil.”

She nodded in understanding.

“He never mentioned names, was never ready to do that. He told us that he was forced to know about magic since he was three years of age and had no choice but to be here. He hid his emotions at first but he opened up to me more. I pretty much helped him to be open about himself with the rest of the Dead Men and my family. It was hard to get him to talk at first.”

“When did you meet him ?”

“When he was 11 years of age. My Son...found him. He brought him to me. He had no trouble to talk with him, but he didn’t like talking to adults. My Son had to make him warm up to me.”

“And he only came three times to see you all ?”

“I mean he stayed for a few days with us, but yes. The longest he stayed with my family was 2 months. And he only stayed, because it was raining, cold and muddy outside. The weather was really crazy those two months. My Son didn’t want him to get sick and I felt responsible for Erskin, so I let him in, fed him, cared for him, washed him and got him his own room. He mostly rather stayed with my Son, but I did catch him a few times in his own room. I guess he did need some space from everyone from time to time.”

She gave him a look.

“What ?”

“How did he get so attached to you if he was only there three times ?”

“He was with my FAMILY only three times. He told me where to usually find him and we met up often. I was pretty much his therapist and mentor. He needed my help, but was too afraid to ask for it, so I offered him my help. He instantly accepted and since then we built up a bond. It got very strong and he was almost ready to tell me everything...then the war started.”

“The war that you didn’t want Erskin to join with 16 years of age.”, she added.

Skulduggery nodded.

“Yes. I was afraid that he would lose his life. I admit it felt like he was my second Son. When he was 12 years of age, his magic was out of control and he was scared what he would do. That was the time I slowly tried to teach him how to control it. He HAD elemental Magic after all, it was easy to teach him something I had myself. When he was 14 years of age, he could control it without troubles and then we started to build up trust, so he can talk to me whenever he needs to. It took me a whole year and six months until he finally deemed me trustworthy enough. I helped him with a lot of issues I found out he had and he was almost ready to tell me things, he would have thought he would take to his grave, when he became 16 years of age. But then the war started and he wanted to join so badly, that I had to give in. It was very important to him and I didn’t want to destroy him by locking him away.”

She just stared and listened.

“You should have seen his desperation. There was no changing his mind. I warned him and he said he can deal with it. I knew he wouldn’t, but I let him join. I took him everywhere with me and started to train him to fight and use his magic against people. He was strong and a fast learner. When we were in the war for 5 months, we met the rest of our Team. One after the other and we pretty much fought side by side, I made friends with them all and as we took our first suicide mission, I saw that Erskin liked Ghastly instantly. I was friends with him before already, but he never met him then. I thought the scars would scare him off, but he liked them. Even complimented Ghastly about them.”

“Who was the hardest, Erskin had to get along with, from the Dead Men ?”

“Surprisingly it was Anton Shudder. He was a bit blunt and rough with his words. He didn’t like physical affection much and he mostly frowned. He took things very serious. He wasn’t as playful as the rest. Erskine, Hopeless and Saracen tried their best to always give Erskin a smile, when he looked at them, to assure him that he did nothing wrong. Ghastly and I always fooled around with him when he needed it, Dexter was always acting like an idiot to make him laugh and Anton...had a hard time to adjust. He needed a while to warm up to Erskin. He thought he was acting childish, but when I explained his situation to everyone, via Erskin’s permission, he understood why he acted the way he did and he tried very hard to show emotion and be a bit more careful with his words. Erskin always treasured his birthdays with us the most. He liked Anton’s hugs, even though they were rare and he hated hugging people. Erskin was an exception.”, Skulduggery told her with a chuckle.

She smiled at that.

“After my death...I think that was when it finally sunk into Anton’s head, that Erskin was still a child and that he needed someone to look after him. His outburst in the woods, after I was burned, must have opened his eyes. As Ghastly said, he and Anton played the Mother hen, after my death. Anton was still a bit...cold and rough with Erskin, but after I was gone, he seemed to finally get that his behavior still didn’t help Erskin. Anton did a 180 degree turn from when we met to now. I am thankful that they took care of him when I couldn’t. And I am happy that Erskin grew close with the rest. But it doesn’t change the fact that he was ready to tell me things he would have never told anyone else, only for me to change so much that I broke him.”

Valkyrie frowned saddened.

“I was planning to adopt Erskin after the war, when I was alive. I don’t know why I changed so suddenly, but...I totally forgot about that part when I came back. I don’t think I can repair the damage I caused him in the war. I doubt he will tell me anything ever again. Lord Vile was right.”

She perked up at that statement.

“About what was he right ?”, she asked.

“After my return from the dead, I forgot about Erskin. I just...I FORGOT about him, Valkyrie. Like the time didn’t matter that I spent with him, even though it did matter to me. I forgot that he was...that I treated him like one of my own children. I forgot our bond. I forgot about everything. All I knew was war, rage and revenge.”

Valkyrie stared at Skulduggery as he spilled it out. So Lord Vile told him that he stopped caring. She was shocked that Skulduggery admitted to it and that he was very devastated about it, but she was more curious as to why Lord Vile made him feel guilt for killing innocent people. Was it because of Erskin ? What was Vile’s reason ?

She hugged Skulduggery again, tighter this time. He hugged her back.

“I made him suicidal...”, Skulduggery whispered in utter guilt.

Valkyrie froze, eyes wide open in shock.

‘What ?’

Masterlist HERE !

[skultrashfics]

reader x dexter slow dancing in the living room 😭😭 (i’m listening to nothing matters when we’re dancing by the magnetic fields and it popped into my head)

Here you go Anon! Thanks for introducing me to the song :) <3 

Pairing: Dexter Vex x Reader Chapter: 2/? Word Count: 1055 Themes: Fluff, Dancing, Romance 

Awkwardly Anton had woken you up for breakfast, subtly making sure that you were alright being alone with Dexter. That morning had been nothing but embarrassing for you for all different sorts of reasons, but you pressed on after kicking Dexter out of your room so you could get dressed. You were not about to hop on that train just yet, especially not when you were so self-conscious about how badly your body had been stained black and blue with bruises from the attack. 

You showered and got dressed, pulling on a cute pair of floral trousers that flew around your ankles like a skirt, with it you wore a small yellow top which accentuated your figure and hit the bruises particularly well. You were pretty pleased with yourself and headed down to the small dining area in front of the bar to see Dexter and Anton in the middle of a friendly chat with their breakfasts half-eaten. Beaming you sat down beside them, rejuvenated with energy after sleeping so well that night. “Good Morning”, Anton nodded to you and you nodded back in response. “Breakfast smells great today Anton! I love welsh rarebit”, you inhaled the scent from your plate heartily before picking up a slice and eating it. Dexter chuckled at you, “Ah she’s got a point nobody makes it quite like you Anton”. Shudder was shaking his head trying to hold back what seemed like a laugh, “Both of you stop trying to sweet-talk me. I know about everything that happens in this hotel. So I am warning you now-”, he pointed his finger at the both of you raising his eyebrows suggestively but he was dead serious. Dexter held his hands up in surrender, “Hey I didn’t do anything! I swear. Besides it is a private room Anton, you can’t blame just me if something happens”. At this point, you were staring into your rarebit so intensely that it could have suddenly burst into flames. Your hands pressed down on your legs harshly as you refused to look up at either of them, ‘why did we have to talk about this now? Or at all?’, you thought. Dexter sighed and his voice relaxed as he was serious for a moment, “Nothing is going to happen, I’m not stupid. I don’t want to rush y/n into anything and I really do care for her. So that’s that. Ok?”. He held your hand under the table trying to help you relax, and it helped a little. Shudder nodded seemingly happy with how the discussion went, “Y/n I apologise, I did not mean to embarrass you at all”. Taking a deep breath you shook your head, “No it is alright. We are all adults here, but I do happen to agree with Dexter. What happens in my room is due to my decision and I will not be forced into anything and nor will I be forced out of it”. He two men seemed to appreciate how forward you were and Dexter squeezed your hand again smiling at you softly, “Well I guess you sure told me”. Even Anton couldn’t help but laugh this time and the mood at the table once again grew lighter. 

Later in the day, you were sipping some wine and reading a book in the sitting room, it was nice to take some time for yourself to think about everything that had happened over the past couple of days. How you had almost been murdered over a misunderstanding, how you had been escorted from your home to travel the world in The Midnight Hotel, how for the first time you came to terms with your feelings and were dating Dexter Vex. One of the most charming men you had ever had the pleasure to meet. Right now, regarding everything, life was beginning to feel pretty exciting. It was certainly different from how stable and routine it had been before. “Y/n?”, Dexter called out peeping his head round the door. He grinned immediately as he saw you and walked over gazing at you sweetly, “Would you mind if I sat?”, he asked. You gestured to the empty space behind you but he ended up sitting on the floor more or less in front of you, “Could I put some music on?”. He gestured to the old record player in the corner of the room and you smiled eagerly, “That sounds nice actually…”. As he dashed over he scanned through all the different records until he came across one that seemed particularly interesting. He popped it onto the record player and a soft ukelele melody started to fill the room. It was sweet and gentle and your heart skipped a beat as Dexter started singing along to the words, “Dance with me my old friend~ Once before we go…”, softly he approached you and held his hands out. You laughed softly and shook your head, “Oh no… Don’t go getting all mushy on me”, you smirked. Not faltering for a second Dexter brushed the book out of your hands and taking care not to lose your page he put it down and pulled you onto your feet. Softly and slowly he guided you round the room, keeping pace with the song. It was nice being led into small twirls and you couldn’t help but smile widely. He pulled you in closer and your arms were laid to rest on his shoulders while you swayed to and fro to the music. “You’ve never been more beautiful~”, he sang into your ear as you glided across the room. Closing your eyes you fully let him take control in his lead and you relaxed in his grasp as he sang, “Nothing matters when we’re dancing~”. The words of the song echoed around your head as you realised how wonderful this moment was. The way he held you made you feel so cherished and wanting to return the favour you looked up into his eyes and leaned up to kiss him. He kissed you back holding you steady as the song came to a close, “I love you y/n”, he whispered lowering his arms with your hands held firmly in his grasp. Blinking away a whispy blur of tears you rested your head on his chest, “I love you too Dexter”. 

[skultrashfics]

A Common Cold

So I lied, I am posting again starting today! XD  I have a cold and always want comfort when I am not well, so I definitely wrote this as a self satisfaction kind of thing >w< 

Pairing: Dead Men x Sick!Reader Word Count: 1,497 Themes: Cold, Being Looked After, SFW, Fluff 

You had bought that box of tissues merely as a precaution. The weather was getting colder and you always were susceptible to catching the first wave of the common cold. Now here you were, a headache throbbing in your temples and the itchiest of sensations tickling your nose. It already felt sore from how many times you had had to blow it and that box of tissues was already practically empty. You groaned as you rolled over in bed, kicking off your blanket as a wave of heat flowed over your body. Hearing your distress, Anton Shudder opened your bedroom door and a frown furrowed his brow, “Are you alright y/n? You’ve been in bed all morning. That’s not like you”. You met his eyes with a soft pout on your face. From the appearance of your scruffy hair and the ever increasing bundle of used tissues he deduced quite quickly that you had fallen ill. A soft sigh left his lips and he nodded, “Right then, I will call for backup”. As quickly as he came Shudder left and you smiled to yourself, you could always rely on your friends to look after you.  

Erskine Ravel peeped his head round the doorframe and was met with your sleeping form, a soft smirk crept onto his face as he gently walked into the room and placed a hot toddy on the bedside table. He sat on the edge of the bed and lightly tapped what he assumed was your shoulder under the blanket, “Sorry to disturb you, but this one is better to drink when it is hot my dear”. A small mumble came from the mound under the covers. Ravel leaned down closer to you, “What was that? I didn’t quite catch it”, he uncovered your face and chuckled running his thumb along your cheek, “Come now… try and sit up”. You squinted at the light as you followed his grasp on your chin and were directed upright. Blinking yourself awake you stretched out leaning your face into his hand further, “Drink? What drink?”. Ravel noted your hazy demeanor and couldn’t help laughing charmingly, “Just beside you on the table”. You lit up as you realised he had made you his famous mystical cold curing hot toddy, just the scent of the whiskey and lemon was helping to clear your sinuses. He moved his hand as you reached over to take the mug and watched you happily inhale the vapours coming from the beverage before taking a sip. It immediately warmed and relaxed your body while simultaneously soothing your throat, “That is amazing… thank you Erskine”. He nodded appreciatively before standing up again, “I will leave you to relax now, get better soon”. With a final flourish and a soft kiss on the cheek Ravel left the room closing the door behind him. 

After watching some Youtube and finishing your drink, you were starting to feel sleepy again but the lack of heat after such a hot beverage was making you shiver. You nestled into your blanket only to half jump out of it again as your door slammed open. “Ah SHIT!”, you heard Saracen stumbling over himself and grappling with the door. Gazing over at him you could see by the rosiness of his cheeks that he had also had a hot toddy, or two. Giggling you shook your head at him, “Saracen Rue, you are disrupting my beauty sleep”. Closing the door behind him Saracen laughed, “Oh please, we both know that neither of us needs ‘beauty sleep’ just look at us!”. He slumped down onto your bed and frowned softly, “You feeling any better?”. You shrugged your shoulders in response, “I’m feeling tired again… but I’m a little cold now…”, you had only just realised that your shoulders were shaking. Saracen noticed too and scooted up beside you, he spread out his arms and lay back, “Then I shall be your personal heater mademoiselle. Please take all the time you need, free of charge”. You laughed at him, but nestled into the crook of his arm anyway, “I have to admit, you are so much more cuddly now”. Saracen raised his eyebrow at this, “I keep getting that a lot lately… But I’m glad I can keep the ladies comfortable”, he added with a chuckle. Saracen readjusted your blanket and made sure you were wrapped up tight. “There we go, is that warmer love?”, he asked looking down at you but alas you had already fallen asleep. 

You woke up a couple of hours later to the sound of Skulduggery lecturing Saracen, “Why do I always find you in someone’s bed, Saracen?”. “Well I guess I am just too lovable for people to resist me. Besides, she said she was cold”. “And your response was to get in bed with her, real mature”. You started laughing and Saracen noticed you jiggling in his arms, “There see? Even y/n thinks you are overreacting”. You yawned and sat up smiling at Skulduggery, “Don’t worry Skul, I’m not pretty enough for Saracen to try anything like that…”.

At this Skulduggery tilted his head, “You’re plenty pretty, even when you are sick. But I needed Saracen to help me with a case and this is where I find him”. As his face did not display his annoyance his tone very directly conveyed it, “Leave the poor girl alone, we need to leave as soon as possible”. With great hesitation Saracen freed you from his bear hug, not before planting a kiss on your head, and made his way out of the room with Skulduggery. “See you soon y/n, hope you feel better”, he called out as he was dragged away by the collar of his shirt. You smiled and waved from your bed and once you were left alone you looked around, “Now what am I going to do with myself?”, you questioned aloud. 

As though he heard your call, Dexter Vex strolled into your room with a bottle of Lucozade and a couple of DVD’s. “Sounds like you might be happy to see me then”, he grinned waving around his gifts. 

A couple of bad movies later you and Dexter were having the best time building a blanket fort in your room. You had so many now that it was almost as though you were collecting the foundations for such a project. “Hey Dexter, could you pass me the pillows now?”, you called out from inside the impressive structure. “Sure thing”, he yelled back before throwing pillow after pillow into the fort. You laughed loudly as he practically buried you in pillows, “Stop stop! What if the fort falls down?”. He laughed more and poked his head through the makeshift door, “Well I've run out of pillows now so I don’t think that will happen”. You cuddled one of the pillows and sighed, “I didn’t realise I had so many”. Dexter joined you in the fort and smiled pulling you into a hug, “Yeah, this one is pretty big too! And heavy”, he groaned rolling over with you in his grasp. You squealed and wriggled in his grip, “I am not that heavy!”. Dexter laughed and blew raspberries onto your cheek, causing you to laugh and squirm about even more, “Eww stooop!”, you cried out in between your giggles. Someone suddenly clearing their throat made you both stop in surprise, you made your way to the entrance of the fort to see Ghastly standing there with a tray. He glanced down at you with a knowing look on his face, “I figured you would be hungry by now so I made some ramen- since I know you don’t like soup that much”. You smiled brightly and nodded, “Thank you that was really thoughtful Ghastly”. He placed the tray on the floor in front of you and you saw two bowls, “Dexter he made some for you too!”. This quickly caught his attention and Dexter made his way to the front of the fort beside you. Ghastly had turned on the fairy lights in your room as it was starting to get a little dark. The ramen looked amazing and you could guess that it smelled just as good. Then your door opened once more and the rest of the Dead Men came in to join you. They each had a bowl of steaming ramen, apart from Skulduggery who only carried a book. You all ate and listened intently as the men recounted the events of their day once they had left you. It was a wonderful way to spend the evening, the warmth of the light, the food and your friends helping you feel better. Everything felt perfect, until Saracen let out a sudden sneeze. Everyone in the room turned to look at him and he met their gazes with a wide eyed stare, “I-I’m fine... don’t worry”. You laughed softly, “Saracen are you su-” he sneezed again loudly and sighed, “Damn it”.

[skultrashfics]

Erskine Ravel x reader?

I figured he was a bit of a drama queen, so I hope you enjoy your Chance Encounter Anon =u= 

Pairing: Erskine Ravel x Reader Word Count: 1798 Themes: Romance, Fluff, Dancing, Chance Meeting 

Visiting the sanctuary was always a chore, there were so many people that had to make sure you weren’t a threat and then all the paperwork. It felt good to be finally leaving, especially with all the Grand Mages from the other countries butting their heads in where they didn’t belong. As you turned a corner you walked straight into Grand Mage Ravel and your eyes met with his own golden orbs. You began to stammer out an apology but he held his hand up, “It’s really fine don’t worry honest mistake. I do it all the time in fact, for example just now...”. 

You nodded softly and smiled, upon realising how close you were standing to him you stepped away softly, “I hope I haven’t caused you too much trouble”. For a moment you just stood there staring at each other in silence, until Ghastly also rounded the same corner bumping into Ravel who as a result was knocked into you again. You yelped and tried to keep your balance. Ghastly flustered about in his robes and grumbled, “I hate these stupid things! Sorry, Erskine”. He glanced over and noticed Ravel now holding you by the arms to keep you upright, “Are you alright?”, he asked. You nodded dumbfoundedly, “Y-yes…”. Realising that Grand Mage Bespoke was also staring at the two of you, you awkwardly parted. “I better be going. Um… sorry again”, you managed to mumble before running off toward the entrance of the Sanctuary. Ghastly watched Erskine as he seemed unable to remove his gaze from your figure. He glanced back and forth between you and Ravel and then proceeded to laugh, “Oh boy. I hope that’s not catching”. Ravel snapped out of his daze and turned to Ghastly, a confused expression on his face, “What is that supposed to mean?”. Ghastly smiled and patted his friend on the back, “Oh please… you couldn’t keep your eyes off that girl. Who is she?”. Ravel shook his head and smiled, “I have no idea…”. “Roarhaven feels unusually busy today”, you pondered over a glass of wine. Scapegrace tutted, “And yet there are hardly any patrons in the pub today. Honestly, I think it’s because Thrasher doesn’t know how to clean properly”. Thrasher made some sort of whining sound, “It would be nice if you helped”. To this Scapegrace scowled, “I am too important and too delicate to be mixing my hands in with those awful chemicals”. You couldn’t help but laugh at the duo, no matter what they could brighten up your day. The bell on the entrance door rang but you didn’t pay much attention to it. Scapegrace, however, was delighted and welcomed in his new customers eagerly, only to slowly lose interest, “Oh. It’s just you guys… what? Are you here to beat me up for your Skeleton friend?”. Ravel shrugged and glanced over at Saracen Rue, “What do you think? Should we?”. Saracen only chuckled in response and sat down at the bar, “Yes, but then who would serve us our drinks?”. Ravel laughed alongside him and went to sit down but stopped mid-air as he saw you glancing up toward the bar. Saracen looked over toward where Ravel was staring, “What do you know her?”. Ravel stood up again and smirked, “No”. He then made his way over to you as Saracen watched with unbelieving eyes. You smiled and stood up immediately, “Grand Ma-”. He swiftly interrupted you “-Just Erskine is fine, please. Especially when I am out of uniform”. He gestured toward the bar and you finished the last of your wine before making your way over. He sat you next to Saracen and he then sat beside you, leaving you wedged in-between the two men. “I’m sorry if this guy is creepin’ you out. He does that to all of us”, Saracen said to you trying to be friendly. You laughed through your nose and shook your head, “No I’m alright. Vaurien could you please get me three servings of my favourite please?”. Scapegrace nodded then gestured for Thrasher to do it. Ravel chuckled at you, “And what might the favourite be?”. Gently you tapped your nose, “Wait and see”. Saracen laughed but also looked greatly pleased when a bottle of Monkey Shoulder Whiskey was taken down off the shelf, “Nice choice. What is your name? Since you’re buying drinks”. Ravel cleared his throat gently, “You shouldn’t be so forward Saracen. Honestly”. Your smile grew wider, “Really it’s alright… my name is y/n. I met Gr-uh Erskine before in the Sanctuary. We sorta just bumped into each other…”. Saracen seemed to glance at Ravel with a knowing look in his eye, “Oh I see… at The Sanctuary you say~”. He seemed to be teasing Erskine who promptly changed the topic of discussion. After a couple of drinks, the two men had to leave on ‘official business’. As they made to leave Erskine smiled sweetly at you, “I hope to see you again soon y/n. Take care”, he gently grazed his thumb on your cheek before leaving with Saracen. You were left in your seat quite flustered and Scapegrace laughed, “Oh you should see the look on your face!”. Saracen turned to Erskine once they were further from the pub and punched his arm, “You didn’t tell me that she was such a looker, Erskine!” Rubbing his arm defensively Ravel sighed, “What? You think I didn’t notice?”, he glanced back toward the pub wishing he could return. The night of the big party had come, every one of notability had been invited to this grand event as part of a peaceful celebration between The Sanctuaries. As a Sanctuary worker, you had naturally been invited and given your work constraints finding someone to go with had proven impossible. As you made your way up the steps each one was becoming more and more difficult as you approached the entrance, you began to consider turning around and not going in at all. “Y/N!”, turning around sharply you were greeted by Erskine Ravel calling your name. He was dressed in an amazingly fitted tuxedo which was a dark blood red shade with accents of gold, It complemented his eyes beautifully. He approached you and smiled charmingly, taking in the gorgeously modest ballgown that you wore which gently hung off your shoulders and was coloured in the gradient of the sunset. “You look beauti- No astonishing y/n”. You graciously accepted his compliment and began to mention his suit when the other Dead Men approached him from behind, “See?! We told you she was real”, Ghastly and Saracen announced. “What do they mean-?”, immediately Ravel began walking you away from them, “Aha nothing! It’s nothing just ignore my friends they are all incredibly stupid”. From not too far behind, you heard a faint voice coming from Skulduggery, “I resent that”. 

The party was big and loud and extravagant, clearly, they had spared no expense to declare ‘peace’. Spending time talking to Ravel was nice, but he was often interrupted and pulled away by people of great importance that had to discuss urgent matters with him. You could clearly see it was irritating him. As a new song began to play you were suddenly whisked away from his side while he was distracted and pulled into a dance. You looked around at your kidnapper to find none other than Dexter Vex. As you began to dance he gave you a friendly smile, “Sorry for stealing you. But I had to see for myself, you are the girl Erskine keeps talking about, right? The one who bumped into him one day?”. You blushed deeply, “W-well I did bump into him…”, you were lucky that Dexter was so good at dancing otherwise you would have fallen over your own feet by now. He continued grinning and leading you in the dance, “I see… well, I’d say he is quite fond of you. Doesn’t stop going on about how pretty you are- although he is right” he added winking at you. “He is probably going to punch me for this. I would say it is worth it”. As the dance was coming to an end you could see Erskine looking around for you with an anxious look on his face. As he spotted you and saw Dexter you could see him mouthing, “That little shi-”, suddenly someone danced in front of you and you lost sight of him again. The song started coming to a close and you were about to thank Dexter for the dance when you were suddenly thrown off balance and fell into someone’s arms. “Oh I am so sorry-”, you began to apologise until you looked up and saw Ravel there holding you again. He laughed, “It seems I am drawn to you somehow y/n… would you care for the next dance?”. Smiling with relief you nodded noticing that Dexter had mysteriously disappeared. You felt Erskine’s hand encircle your waist as the music began, it felt like the dance floor had suddenly opened up and you began to dance together in this vast space. Gliding across the movements you noticed that the people around you had suddenly stopped dancing and were instead watching, “They are all looking at you…”, you whispered softly to Erskine and he laughed with modesty. “I don’t think that is the case here…”. China Sorrows had made her way over to Skulduggery and raised an eyebrow, “Who is that dancing with Erskine?”. Skulduggery turned his head toward her, “That is Ravel’s mystery girl… at least that is what everyone keeps saying”. She huffed smugly at those words, “I see”. Slowly you gained more confidence in your dancing and the intensity of your hold on each other grew with every movement. Ravel spun you gracefully and took care to make sure you were comfortable in the steps, as the music grew to its peak he lifted you into the air and your skirt wrapped around him as though you were both submerged in a cloud stained with the residual glow of the sunset. Slowly as he brought you back down to the ground your gazes grew closer until you finally felt gravity’s pull again. He stared into your eyes and laughed as though he couldn’t believe what was happening. Your heart fluttered faster than you had ever felt before as he pulled your chin up to face him and he lightly pressed his lips to yours. Suddenly a large bout of excited whoops could be heard from where the Dead Men stood which soon caused the ballroom to erupt into laughter and applause. You could barely contain yourself as your eyes once again opened to face Ravel and he chuckled a little embarrassed, “Sorry, was that a tad dramatic?”.