#for now take my vampires I could only animate in the same hours they are awake <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[dawnlotus-draws]

JRWI : The Suckening Animatic!!! :DD

VAMPIRE CAMPAIGN OUT NOW YAYAYAYAY

Shilo plays dead, ep 1 animatic

I love this campaign so much already, I’m so excited for a full season of these guys.

[ghcstao3]

vampire x monster hunter……….i am so respectfully asking for more (im foaming at the mouth)

(original post) i shall do my best. again i got a little out of hand with word count. cw blood (of course)

-

John knows he should be happy about Simon's return.

He knows he should be happy to be reunited with his once-best friend even if it's after over a decade, because all this time he'd thought Simon was dead. He knows he should be happy that Simon would return here, of all places, to make amends, to catch up, to do whatever it is old friends are meant to. He knows this.

And yet... John can't help but feel on edge.

John is happy, of course he is. It isn’t often he’s surprised as he was when the knock at his door had been Simon. It isn’t every day an old friend returns from the dead. But he can only be fed the same excuses over and over so many times before he grows wary in Simon’s presence, which is really, truly the last thing he wants.

Being told I'm not hungry, I'll eat later would only be of any worth if Simon had said it once or twice, and not for every meal offered. It might be a cause for concern if Simon did not still appear consistently healthy and sated in spite of it.

Not to mention the sneaking out at odd hours. New creaks and groans have since developed in John's old house, ones Simon wasn't aware of, clearly, until the first time he makes his mistakes. It all just... worries John. Frightens him. Of course people change, and certainly over thirteen years, but it all seems to raise far more questions than there are answers that Simon is willing to give.

And then all of the sudden it makes too much sense, and John finds himself wishing Simon had never come back.

With the regularity at which people disappear in and around the town, John doesn't notice any difference after Simon's arrival. No increase or decrease, no change in occurrences that might tip John off to a new creature needing to be hunted.

This particular hunt was meant to be carried out like any other; John was heading out alone as the creature he was after didn't pose so much a threat to require help, it would be clean and quick, then he'd return home. He leaves a note for Simon, who may or may not have gone out himself, grabs his gear and vanishes beneath the cloak of a cloud-filled night.

Vampire, is what little information he'd been provided with, and so vampire is what he prepares himself for.

John has long since been a stranger to bloodshed. Really, it's necessary he not be squeamish, especially when so often he comes across scenes like this—this being the messy feasting of what could only be a newer, more inexperienced vampire. The unfamiliar hunger like nothing else usually makes them far more reckless when it comes to finding food.

This fledgling isn't any different, judging by the large smears and smatterings of blood leading right to John's culprit.

A figure sits hunched in the dark, accompanied only by the sound of tearing flesh. When John had first been learning, the lack of breathing that should be present when drinking so fiercely had made him uneasy, but now it merely serves as a reminder that he should hold his own breath, lest he catch the vampire's attention.

John wields a silver dagger, creeping forward as carefully as he might in approaching a wild animal—these monsters are just about the same, anyway.

But John underestimates how elevated this particular fledgling's senses would be. They pause the moment John takes a step toward them, sitting up straighter, immediately alert. Their face remains obscured, but John can see them cock their head, presumably listening for his pulse.

He expects an attack. Expects a fight so as to not become the next course.

What John hadn't expected—or maybe a subconscious part of him had—was for the figure to rise slow and cautious, head bowed in what John might dare call shame. What he hadn't expected was for the vampire to turn on their heel and have John met with none other than—

"Simon?"

His head remains hung, silhouette still impossibly imposing. It's hard to discern much in the low light, but John imagines Simon's irises are currently a scarlet red as opposed to their usual warm coffee brown, if evidenced by the blood that covers his face and drips from his chin.

"Johnny." His voice is hoarse, but it's most certainly Simon's. He can probably hear the way John's heart picks up pace, be it out of fear, or be it out of use of a nickname Simon has so far avoided since their reunion. "Johnny, I'm sorry."

“Simon, wha—“ John frowns and finds his guard falling, yet his grip on the hilt of his knife only tightens. “I don’t—“

“I can’t help it,” Simon rasps, begging. “I can’t… I learned how to control myself, I did, but when I’m around you…”

Simon is directly in front of John in the blink of an eye, frigid hands curling around John's, around the dagger. He allows the tip of the blade to dig into his abdomen, unflinching as it pokes past clothes and just barely breaks skin. John holds steady, more than capable of pushing it further, but unwilling to hurt—or kill—Simon until he's given a reason to.

Never mind the mangled corpse on the ground just a few feet away.

"How long?"

"Johnny—"

"How long, Simon?"

Simon doesn't meet his eyes. They're dark either way like this, in this lack of light, but John still feels like something isn't quite right about it.

"A few months. A year, maybe. Two," Simon confesses. "It's all muddled."

For reasons John can't describe, somehow it stings knowing this... affliction has only been short-term. Because instead it could have been an explanation for Simon's disappearance—let alone that of his family's that he still often wonders about. Because instead it could have been a reason for Simon to have stayed away for so long even as an adult.

But it's not.

"Then why come back now? And why come back here?" John hisses. "You're a fuckin' dafty, y'know that?"

Simon's mouth parts, and for the first time since his arrival John finally catches a glimpse of his fangs; razor sharp and promising a swift but violent death for John should Simon's instincts get the best of him.

He then seals his lips in a thin line, swallowing whatever words he may have had prior. Simon offers a solemn nod of his head, his theme of shame so insistent.

Against John's better judgement, he retracts the knife. Tucks it away, and forces space between them. The overwhelming stench of iron is beginning to make him nauseous.

Softer, much softer than Simon deserves at the moment, and far too reminiscent of a past long gone, John says, "You were supposed to be the leveller-head between us."

Simon huffs. "'Be easier if constantly listening to your pulse wasn't driving me mad."

Oh.

"Oh." The pounding in John's ribcage does him no favours in picking up speed again. Then, suddenly realizing where and why he is, John attempts to steel himself, clenching his jaw and taking deep, slow breaths to calm the flutter of his heart. "Well, quit listenin' then."

Simon regards him curiously, in a way so painfully familiar to a past life.

A silence stretches on between them, tense and riddled with uncertainty. John tries, pointedly, to ignore the elephant still in the room, but between the blood and the smell and the looming issue of them being a vampire and a monster hunter, it's nigh impossible.

But even still—John thinks it'd be less right to kill Simon now, than to let him free. To bring him home.

John sighs, suddenly and immediately overcome with fatigue. He pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger for just a moment, rubbing the skin to unsuccessfully self-soothe. He wishes there was some sort of... protocol, for this. Maybe then things could be easier. Could make more sense. Just for once.

"I'm not—" John pauses, takes a breath, shakes his head. "I won't kill you, Simon. Not... now, at least."

Simon nods. "That's all I can ask for."

"Good, because that's all you're getting." It's a lie, and they both damn well know it, but just a little longer would John like to linger in ignorance. "Now just... clean this up before anyone sees. We'll talk about this more in the morning, alright?"

"Alright."

John offers a tight smile, whether or not Simon can really see it.

"Right. Goodnight, Simon."

"Goodnight, Johnny."

John hovers only a second, hooked on that nickname as he's always been, before he finally pivots on his heel and starts off the other way, turning a dutiful blind eye like he really shouldn't be doing.

He had missed Simon, he really had—but he's afraid to start wondering if this will all be worth the trouble, in the end.

[yeahtimesten]

a playlist for art donaldson ✩ ₊˚🎧⊹♡

a cute lil playlist for artie bae :3 this is what i think the vibes would be in a relationship with him. it’s a lil cutesie, cheeky, vintage, and sickeningly sweet

hello it’s me - todd rundgren think of me you know that i’d be with you if i could i'll come around to see you once in a while or if i ever need a reason to smile and spend the night if you think i should

touch tank - quinnie he’s so pretty when he goes down on me gold-skinned eager baby, blue shirt out the laundry

steeeam - shelly touch me the right way baby and i’ll do it again i’ll do it again

sara smile - daryl hall & john oats when i feel cold, you warm me and when i feel i can’t go on you come and hold me it’s you and me forever

la la love you - pixies all i’m saying, pretty baby la la love you don’t mean maybe

cape cod kwassa kwassa - vampire weekend is your bed made? is your sweater on? do you wanna fuck? like you know i do

to know him is to love him - amy winehouse and i do, and i do, and i do oh, i'll be good to him, ill bring joy to him oh, everyone says there’ll come a day where ill walk alongside of him

sweet - cigarettes after sex it’s so sweet, knowing that you love me though we don’t need to say it to each other, sweet knowing that i love you, and running my fingers through your hair it’s so sweet

real love baby - father john misty i want a real love, baby there’s a world inside me got the key, just use it, just if for a minute

this must be the place - talking heads out of all those kinds of people you’ve got a face with a view i’m just an animal looking for a home and share the same space for a minute or two

i live for you - george harrison all this time my thoughts return to you give my love, that’s all i can do wait in line til i feel you inside yes it’s true, i live for you

there is a light that never goes out - the smiths take me out tonight oh, take me anywhere i don’t care, i don’t care, i don’t care

harvest moon - neil young because i’m still in love with you i wanna see you dance again because i'm still in love with you on this harvest moon

bed chem - sabrina carpenter where art thou? why not uponeth me? see it in my mind let’s fulfill the prophecy

bodyclosetomine - bones first time i met you your beauty almost made me pine now all i want is your body close to mine i swear on everything, i will do you right

our house - crosby, stills, nash, & young staring at the fire for hours and hours while i listen to you play your love songs all night long, for me, only for me

a/n - yayyyy i hope you guys fuck with this vibe!! lots of song on this list that are coming from his point of view. sara smile is definitely him when he’s had a rough day at practice or is stressed about finals or going thru insecure thoughts and he just neeeeeds you with him in bed stroking his hair ;-; or ur having a bad day and he’s just reassuring you how much he loves you and needs you and wants to see u smile

[a-heart-of-kyber]

No, no cuz listen.

@dealingdreams and I have discussed how Qimir/The Stranger gives trapped animal vibes. And she mentioned how maybe it was something similar to Ben wherein someone spoke to him from a young age in his mind.

(Kylo theme plays in the distance)

(It literally also played while Kelnacca...had someone else...in his head.)

And idk where, but someone pointed out that his cave has those Cortosis veins. So it, or maybe even the whole island, potentially has a similar veil of protection as the helmet aka blocking thoughts/energy etc.

Which means, if that's the case, this dude is hiding and has been hiding for a long time.

He only seemed to take on the "Qimir smuggler rat man" persona because Mae wasn't doing what she was supposed too and he wasn't even sensed by the Jedi in the force. Overall, he probably assumed he had laid low long enough to go unnoticed without the helmet.

Then he made himself very obvious, and if someone were looking/feeling/sensing they probably found him. Aka, his display on Khofar led Plagueis to the Unknown Planet.

Cuz remember...the helmet broke. He didn't have it on for hours after that fight.

I am personally not going to assume EU stuff is canon until it is made canon. So, while it could be Bal'Demnic, that has not been confirmed. Additionally, just because it could be Bal'Demnic it doesn't mean Plagueis has tapped that resource yet. It could still be unknown to even him until right now.

Now, whatever happened between Qimir and Vernestra, we know she thought he was dead. Aka, he was either actually dead or very close to dead.

(Additionally, this would mean that he initially had no reason to hide from her if he could assume she thinks him dead. So, if he has been hiding, he's been hiding from someone else.)

Plagueis most likely scooped that boy up and treated him like a science project for a bit. Screwing with him mentally in the process (a nice bit of further Sith ideological brainwashing). Then, of course, Qimir became the Apprentice.

(This would make him a bit of an analog of Darth Venamis. Far from the same, but taking bits of him...but also, surviving/escaping being an experiment.)

Which could mean he has been fed the Sith code and the Jedi code by those masters, but he has already had traumatic experiences with Both sides...leading to this lack of care for rules/wanting freedom.

(Aka Power of Two, not Rule of Two "rules rules rules if you never follow them, you never have to break them.")

And Qimir has repeatedly been compared to a Vampire in interviews and has comments and imagery within the narrative that lean that way as well.

(The floating/disappearing, "it was a very long time ago", the implication that when Sol knew him Sol was probably a child...being carried away in a swarm of bats-I mean moths)

I know so many people think Plagueis is involved with Osha and Mae...but I don't think he is, yet.

At the moment, I still think he's there for Qimir.

(Also, I'm not really pro having this guy show up for 3 seconds and suddenly literally everything is about him and he did it all. If he already did everything, where is he meant to go within the narrative exactly? If he already knows how to create life and Has Created Life?...anyways)

I think he's checking in on his potentially immortal or at least inhumanly long-lived test subject... I mean Apprentice (who may or may not have actually been resurrected). And, somehow, said Apprentice has linked up with a woman who was created using the force.

These two are literally Plagueis's version of Christmas.

P.S. I think he wants an acolyte for exactly the reasons he said. We have been repeatedly shown and told that Qimir/The Stranger speaks the truth...or, at least, his truth.

But...this doesn't necessarily disprove my other idea that he wants to draw out Vernestra have her go against Plagueis so he does not have to do that.

Going back to the idea that both of these Masters are powerful and they have both screwed him up royally.

And despite this, he can still fight blind in the force.

He is extremely balanced for someone who realistically shouldn't be if he's fully dark.

[sourcherryandsprinkles]

Can I have xavier x vampire!reader where xavier really wants her to bite him and feed on him? pls thank you

I’ve been trying to post this for a few days, but there’s an extreme cold snap in Canada and it's making the arthrosis in my hands/fingers more sensitive and aching, which slows my writing... 

Warnings: mention of blood (is that a necessary warning?)

my taglists are here + you can requests here at any time

—

You were making your way through the library when Xavier pulled you aside by the arm to talk in private between two shelves.

‘’If this is how you flirt with girls — dragging them into a dark corner —, I'm not surprised you don't have a girlfriend, Thorpe. Your technique is giving psychopath vibes, you might want to revise it.’’

Xavier ignored your jab and let go of your arm. ‘’Since when do you speak to Rowan?’’

‘’Since when is who I speak to any of your business?’’ you fired back.

‘’Your eyes are red,’’ he pointed out.

During the day, you had concealed them behind a pair of dark sunglasses. They were mostly to protect your eyes from the burn of the sun, but you also used them to conceal your hunger to the others. Even in a school full of outcasts, bright red irises were difficult to miss.

The sun was down now, so you had taken them off. You should have kept them, but the weight of the day was on your shoulders and you couldn't care who saw your red eyes. You weren't the only vampire at Nevermore — everyone knew what red eyes meant.

‘’Is that why you were talking to Rowan? You were flirting with him to try and lure him into being your blood bank for your next feed?’’

You pulled your eyebrows at the ridiculousness of his words. ‘’What? I was not flirting with Rowan.’’

‘’But you do need to find someone to feed on.’’

‘’My vampire needs are none of your business,’’ you hissed, terminating the conversation.

The next morning, you woke up more irritable than the day prior. More hungry too.

It was difficult to focus in class, your body screaming for blood. You even had to hold your breath during botany class, the delicious smell of your table partner’s blood calling at you and making it difficult to control your bloodlust. Pouncing on your table partner’s jugular in the middle of botany class was not appropriate behavior.

When lunch came around, you asked Yoko if she knew any feeding banks in Jericho. Unfortunately, there was none. She suggested hunting outside the school’s woods — there were deers, rabbits, and other small animals —, but your body was not receptive or fast enough to catch a prey.

Another day passed — you were getting weak. You were so weak that you couldn’t sleep last night. You didn’t attend your classes either.

The lack of feeding severely weakened the body, the same way a human body would if they didn’t get enough nutriments. Although their diet was different, some — small — things were the same. That weakened state also made you more vulnerable to vampire hunters. Fortunately, there wasn’t any around Nevermore.

Using all of your remaining forces, you pulled yourself out of bed and attempted to catch a rat. There was some around Thornhill's greenhouse, they should be easy enough to catch. But you failed miserably and ended up collapsing by the greenhouse, weakened by the blazing sun.

If your mother would see you, she would say you were an embarrassment to your kind you were. A vampire of your age should know how to take care of themself. Should know when to feed and be able to fend for themself.

You stayed there for hours, hidden in the shadows, feeble and powerless. Ms. Thornhill always came to her greenhouse at night. Perhaps she could help you then?

Much to your dismay, it was not your favorite teacher that found you, but the last person you wanted assistance from. He was heading to his art shed after class when he found you sitting by Thornhill’s greenhouse.

You cursed under your breath as he stopped in his tracks. You didn't want Xavier Thorpe to see you like this, weak and sickly. He kneeled down to your level, growing deeply concerned. Your sunglasses were covering your eyes, but Xavier knew they were still red behind the dark lenses.

‘’Do you have a dying wish?’’ Your head tipped forward heavily as if you were going to pass out. ‘’You need to feed.’’

If you hadn’t been so weak, you would have given him a snarky come back.

‘’Unless you are secretly a pro hunter and can catch me a rabbit—’’

‘’There’s me,’’ he blurted out.

You shook your head in earnest. ‘’I'm not biting you.’’

It would solve your hunger, but biting someone at this level of starvation was dangerous. It's easy to lose control and take too much. If you take too much of his blood, he would pass out. Or worse, die.

‘’If you don’t, you’re gonna die and I’m not letting you die,’’ Xavier insisted, loosening his tie and undoing the first buttons of his uniform shirt.

His neck came into sight and you could hear the blood pumping inside Xavier’s untouched jugular. You gulped, forcing yourself to look away. ‘’I could kill you.’’

‘’I’m trusting you not to lose control.’’

‘’It can get messy.’’

‘’Don't care.’’ His green eyes crossed yours, showing you how fucking serious he was about this. About wanting this. ‘’Do it,’’ he said, tilting his head and waiting for you to take him, to bite him.

You flicked your eyes down to his jugular again — your stomach tightened. Foreign to the feeling, a soft gasp left Xavier's lips as your fangs sank into his skin, piercing the vein of his neck. You felt the blood flood your mouth, tasting heavenly on your tongue. You held back a moan. Was it simply because you were starving, or was it Xavier's blood that tasted differently — that, you didn’t know.

Xavier felt the pressure as you sucked, easy at first, and then a little more desperately. He tipped his head back farther, trying to arch his neck more, to give you more room. Blood spilled down his neck, staining the collar of his white shirt, but he didn’t seem to care.

You tugged sharply at his hair, pulling him closer to your mouth while you suckled his blood.

Aside from the objective pain, Xavier felt an euphoric rush from the bite. Lights had flashed behind his eyes as fire had raced through his body. He never felt more alive.

Despite how pleasurable it was for both of you, you retracted your fangs from Xavier’s neck before you took too much. You licked the wound to help the blood coagulate and let go of him, enough satiated. You could’ve taken more, but you didn’t want to risk it.

‘’You’re gonna feel a little light headed for a few minutes,’’ you warned your blood giver.

Xavier blinked, feeling himself losing balance. He sat beside you. ‘’Holy shit.’’

Your tongue darted out, licking a smear of blood from your lip. ‘’You good?’’

He hummed in response, still feeling the high from the bite.

Minutes passed as the both of you recovered in silence. Your strength was starting to return, the blood you just drank finally taking effect.

The wind had risen, making the leaves rustle. You glanced at the sky, seeing it beginning to darken. Ms. Thornhill should arrive soon. She couldn’t see you like that — all bloodied.

‘’We should move,’’ you said. ‘’And clean up.’’

Xavier agreed. Your lips and chin still had traces of blood. Although he found it really hot, you couldn’t go back to the academy looking like that.

‘’Let’s go to my art shed. It’s not far and there’s water and rags to clean up.’’

You followed Xavier's lead, your steps a little slower than usual, and stopped before a small wooden shed. It looked abandoned and old — it probably was.

‘’Is this where you take the girls you want to impress? Because it looks like a psychopath’s kill den.’’

A small smile cracked on his lips. Xavier undid the lock and opened one of the two barn doors, waving his hand to let you in first.

You smelled the paint and other art supplies before you saw any of it.

You heard a small click and the room came to light. Dozens of canvas of various sizes, sketchbooks and graphite drawings, and a tall easel. In the back, there was a long table with pots of brushes messily lined up - there were more dirty than clean ones. Countless tubes of paints were scattered in all corners of the room, some of them uncapped and likely drying. The trash basket beside the easel was overflowing with paper towels, paper and empty paint tubes.

‘’Nice paintings,’’ you said, looking at the monster on one of the massive canvases.

While you were admiring the paintings, Xavier was looking for a clean-ish rag. There was a bit of paint on this one, but it'll do the job. He also grabbed the water bottle he forgot last night so you could wet the rag.

‘’Here.’’

You thanked him.

There was no mirror, so you tried your best to clean your face.

A few steps away, Xavier was taking off his uniform layers. The bite had stopped bleeding, but the mess of blood and soiled fabric had dried and was now stuck to his skin. He winced as he took off his shirt, the area sensitive.

Although it was barely audible to the human ear, you heard his sounds of pain and turned in Xavier’s direction. Your eyes trailed down to his neck where the blood was dried and guilt filled you. He looked like he got attacked by a wild animal.

An animal with sharp fangs and a thirst for blood.

You discreetly watched him in silence, the rag still in your hand, and drew your lip between your teeth. You wanted to pounce on him.

‘’You missed a spot.’’

You snapped out of your staring. ‘’What?’’

Xavier stepped closer and took the rag from you. ‘’Here.’’ He tipped your chin to get a better angle and gently cleaned the blood you had missed. His eyebrows were pulled together in concentration and you could feel his breaths feathering your skin every time he exhaled.

He lifted his gaze and your eyes locked for a second — green meeting red. You tried your best to ignore the way his breathing had picked up and how his mouth was no more than half an inch from yours. His hand stilled, and he closed the distance between your lips.

You moan into the kiss and Xavier let go of the rag to cup your face, the kiss quickly turning desperate and hungry. His tongue was already in your mouth, gently caressing yours. He could taste the unpleasant metallicity of his blood, but he didn't break away.

Before today, making out with Xavier Thorpe was never something you had thought about. You found him snobbish, annoying and nosey. But now, his hands were on you — all over you —, and although your body temperature was of cold nature, you felt like your skin was on fucking fire.

Your left hand slowly trailed all the way up his back until you were touching the back of his neck while your other glided up his bare chest. You felt the envy to sink your teeth into him again, but before you could make a move, Xavier broke the kiss with a displeased groan, unlike you, needing oxygen.

His eyes never left yours as he ran a hand through his hair, out of breath. They were burning with desire. ‘’This vital need for oxygen is a curse.’’

A light chuckle left your lips. You grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him again.

—

Wednesday taglist: @sofiaadler @partyfly @hoodforcalum @thelilacmourning @ellessecretobsession @su-alteza-emia @achoo---uu @not-leaprvt @xaviersgf @peterparkerdilf @roadworkaheadisurehopeitdoes @dragon-chica @coldtacozinepanda @wrldofsage @eddiemunsonsluvrrr @capriaura @officialsaturn @babyfiva @maevaomizzolo @kelloggs-world @whosljt @ajpanda181 @belovedrey @emerycrt @elizabitchsshit @heaven-hiding @lilithlikestoread @est-liber @moonisu @dessxoxsworld @parker-nite @bellblake121890 @vesperazhier @kaldurahms-lover @beeebo234 @nephilimsss @mayuphoenix @sweetheartlizzie07 @watermelon-18 @snixx2088 @555stargirl555 @robinscardigan @chumchum19 @lilttblog @aphex2winn @heizenka @mystargirl-interlude @hwrtsiren @babygirljay20 @wildflowerlyss @strangersomeone @openfandoms @charlottelaffin @iheartmaddyperez @starless-starkov @ali-r3n  @poppet05  @ell0ra-br3kk3r  @rhaenyraswife  @teaganthemorningstar   @aphex2winn @moompie   @ifevilwhyhot @oliviah-25 @spenglerslime @wetwilliam02 @yellowcupcakes @haileyismoo @theyslayallday @wrldofsage @manofworm @rhydianissuperior @supersanelyromantic @nicangel13 @toylewestinnyc @meme-queen-1999 @rottenstyx @mxxny-lupin @idli-dosa @silenzju @ar40s @sweeterheartxamerica @renaissancewhxre @jordierama @lilppsblog @harrystylesfp  @katsuki420 @ravenssh1t @izzy-laufeyson @iluvwomenblog @kenzi-woycehoski @arunaposeidondottie @liidiaaag   @lilaconner @katsukis1wife @momoewn   @amithesimpoffandoms @chaotic-fangirl-blog @hawkegfs   @lyxrix @mommyruuetrue   @acornacreacure @lucassinclairsgf @youdontneedtoknowthisinformation @aabananaa @starrrslove @marissapearle @sshesang @scarxvodka  

All and more taglist: @spiokybirdstarfish @kenqki @liidiaaag @hawkegfs  @gillybear17   @areaderinlove @acornacreacure @black-rose-29 @fudge13

[so-long-soldier-writes]

Never Let Me Go (pt.1)

kai parker x reader | heretic!kai | part 1/3

summary: you're getting used to the coldness in your apartment. the chill that lingers in the air, the absence of his presence. for four months you wait for him, willing for the past and cursing those who've altered your future; wishing for the way things used to be, and hoping they wouldn't be lost beyond repair. but the next time you see him, out on your doorstep, you realize you can't just pick up the pieces, you have to restart the whole puzzle.

tags: post s06e22, heartache, emotional hurt / mild comfort, angst, arguing

word count: 2k

a/n: it's been one of the worst weeks of my life, so here's a little angst. i hope to have more out soon, and aside from the other two parts of this (well, one, bc the third part is smutty), some softer things!

You sigh deeply as you climb into bed, alone, for the billionth time. Your bed used to be warm, full, and safe, and now it’s just cold. For a while, you couldn’t even stand the feeling and had to sleep on the couch, but then one month turned into four, and you had to go back to the bed at some point. 

For four months, your boyfriend was trapped in a prison world by one of your best friends. When he finally got out, he brought chaos along with him in the form of one curse and a hundred deaths. One of those, being his own. Luckily, he had drunk the blood of a vampire, which brought him back, but not quite as the same boy he used to be. 

The first night after his transformation, he returned to bed with you. By morning, he was gone. When asked what happened, he couldn’t really say. His emotions, already confusing, were even more out of place, and he couldn’t predict even his own usually sporadic actions. A taste for blood and a ringing in his ear kept him up all night, and the sight of you made him afraid. If he’d hurt you, he would never forgive himself. 

So, for the last three weeks, your bed has been empty just as it had when he was gone. Frankly, you have no idea where Kai sleeps, or if he even does. The rest of the heretics have taken to an old abandoned house on the town’s border, but you doubt he’s there. Worry keeps you awake most nights, and the only reason you fall asleep is out of pure exhaustion. You love him, but lately you feel like he loves you less. 

Tonight’s like any other in your new routine. Watch an episode and drink down a glass of wine. Or bourbon. Or even vodka, on worse days. Curl yourself into a ball when you finally do go up to bed. Cuddle into the stuffed bat that Caroline gifted you after she found out what happened after the 1903 visit. She knew it hurt you, what Bonnie did. Even if it was “for the better”, she knew it broke your heart. 

You kiss the head of the little animal, then heave a heavy sigh. Sleep could overtake you in five minutes or five hours, depending on what your body demands. After three minutes, you start counting sheep, calling on the help of more animals to guide you to REM. 

Forty-six sheep have jumped the fence when there’s suddenly a bold knock at your door. You scramble in anxiety, but then freeze in an attempt to hear better. 

Maybe you imagined it. Maybe you had finally fallen asleep. 

But then there’s another knock. 

It’s probably Damon, you think. He’s disturbed you several times in the middle of the night. He probably lost a hold of his mother and is wondering if you’ve seen her. Or it’s Caroline, seeking advice whilst forgetting the time on the clock. Or maybe it’s your upstairs neighbor, angry about you taking his usual parking spot, since he took yours the day before. 

Your head runs rampant with possibilities as you urge yourself to answer the door. Your blanket is still wrapped around your body, though you leave your bat in bed.

When you open the door, you’re stunned to see none other than Kai Parker standing there, smiling, despite pain clouding in his eyes. 

“Kai?” You ask, voice quieter than you intended.

“Hi.”

“What are you doing here? It’s late.”

It’s weird to see him. Honestly, you had to run back your memory and try to think if your last conversation ended in a break-up. It hadn’t. 

“Can I come in?”

He’s been invited in; he was on the first night. Still, he asks now.

“Okay.”

You shut the door as he enters. Then, pulling the blanket closer to you, you nod to the couch. He follows, but you sit on separate ends.

“You look warm,” he says. 

You bite back a reply to say you feel the opposite. In fact, your whole apartment feels cold without him. “What brings you here?” You repeat instead. 

“I miss you.” He shrugs off his boots, but leaves the jacket on. “And I’m sorry.”

You furrow your eyebrows and he immediately sighs.

“Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. The only time we’ve talked in weeks is at the grill, and even then, I’ve been distant.”

“Mhm. So why now? What changed?”

“I promised you I’d be the best boyfriend I could be when we started dating, and I know for a fact that I haven’t been. And things have been difficult lately, y’know, since 1903, and the wedding, and the… everything. There’s been a lot of change. A lot of adjustments.” He’s stalling and you both know it. 

“Make your point, Parker,” you say coldly.

“I was sitting at the grill, just now, watching this couple. They were both drunk off their asses and being all handsy, and the bartender kicked them out for it, and everyone in that bar knows what they’re doing right now. But on their way out, they had to pass me, and heard them both tell the other they loved them, and it made me think of you. The first time you told me you loved me. The first time I said it back, and the first time I recognized I felt it, even if I didn’t understand it. Made me think of you, and our relationship, and what I’ve seemingly abandoned, but I promise, I never wanted this to become of us.” Tears well in his eyes as he rambles. You’ve never seen him cry. “Everything I said, that night after I left, was true. I’m so scared to hurt you that I don’t even want to put you in a position where I could. And on top of that… don’t you hate me?! I ruined your life, Y/N. I ruined your best friends’ lives, I killed my whole family. Why don’t you fucking hate me?!”

“Do you want me to hate you?”

“No! I love you, and you’re the only person who has ever loved me, but I’m a fucking horrible person.”

“Everyone in this town is fucking horrible, have you seen it? People, in general, are flawed and vicious, and yet most people have at least a few to whom they stick, and love, and are loved back.”

“You’re not like that.”

“But I still have flaws.”

“Your only flaw is loving me.”

“Kai-”

“Don’t-”

“Don’t fucking interrupt me,” you snap, getting upset. “If I want to fucking love you, I will. I don’t see it as a flaw, no matter what you’ve done. I’m so pissed off at you right now, how you come here and act like loving you is a chore, when you’ve been the absent one. I haven’t slept well in five fucking months because I’ve been worried about you. I don’t care what fears you have about hurting me. If you feel that way, then let us work through it. I’d rather have at least been given the chance to help you than for you to just block me out. I do love you, and while I have to convince myself every day that you still love me, it doesn’t make me love you less. I fucking wish I could. If I could, I’d turn off my fucking humanity and not give a shit, but I can’t do that, so I sit in this apartment and rot.”

He opens his mouth, but then stops and bites his tongue. Smart. 

“I can’t take this anymore, emotionally.” You finally say. “I need you here or I need you out.”

To avoid his gaze any longer, you stand up and head to the kitchen. He watches you turn on the Keurig and retrieve a cup, but doesn’t say anything. You turn your back for two seconds to grab the creamer from the fridge, and when you turn around again, he’s there, pulling sugar from your cupboard. You jump, not used to seeing him move so fast, and for a moment, forgetting heretics could. He swallows hard, seemingly taking it as a sign you’re afraid of him. 

“Give me that,” he gestures to the carton in your hand. His tone is gentle, there’s nothing demanding about it. 

For some reason, you do. You stand there, watching, as he crafts your cup of coffee in the way he always would. He has a way in the kitchen that you’d never understand. 

He snaps his fingers, and immediately you bring him the cinnamon from your spice rack. It’s muscle memory, part of your routine. 

He then puts the cup under the stream of hot coffee as the Keurig works its own magic. Eye contact is avoided at all costs. He stares down at your marble cabinet. Your eyes are trained on his arm. 

When the coffee is done pouring, he sets it in front of you to cool. For a minute, you won’t touch it. For a minute, he can explain. 

“I still love you. And in an attempt to not hurt you, I hurt you worse than I could’ve imagined. It’s not an excuse, but 1903 did something to me. I shut down, emotionally, I think. It felt hopeless, any chance of escaping, or of seeing you again. My only company were the heretics that had been there for a century and had no idea, whatsoever, of how to escape.” He’s running out of time. You watch the steam cool off the top of your cup.

“I told them about you, and how much I loved you… because I was feeding them. I woke them all up and let them drink from me. Those scars all healed when I turned, but my arms and neck were littered with bites. God, I’m glad you didn’t see it. But I was so bored, and lonely, and wanted to know if they had any idea of how to get out. Again, they didn’t. But then, one day that we were plotting an escape, I remembered how we got Bonnie out, and realized it would be applicable to that time, considering Quetsi-what died in the days of the Greeks.”

You almost chuckle at that.

“But when I got out, I was so hellbent on revenge, that I did what I did, and I know I did everything wrong, and I should’ve just come to you, but my brain isn't… wired that way.” He hesitates to say that detail. At the end of the day, he’s still a sociopath. If revenge is on his mind, it’s the only thing on his mind. 

“And so I’m sorry about all of it. I swore I would protect you, and that included protecting you emotionally, and I’ve failed at that. I don’t want out, I want to be here, if you’ll have me back.”

You take a sip of the coffee, now cool. The flavors are perfect and warm your cold soul up just the way you’ve needed it for months. 

“I’d rather have you with me than anywhere else,” you admit.

“Every day without you has been a living hell.”

“Where have you been sleeping?”

“Sometimes with the heretics. Sometimes in the old Lockwood cellar, or just the woods. A couple times…” he stops himself.

“A couple times?”

“Outside your apartment. In the bushes. Where I could hear your heartbeat, but could keep a safe distance.”

“Kai…”

“I really hope you watched a lot of sad movies, and that they were the reason for your tears.”

You bite your lip. You both know you didn’t. 

“Y/N?”

“Hm?”

“I’m sorry.” In half a second, he’s in front of you, rubbing his thumb along your chin. 

You still don’t look at him. “Please don’t leave me again.”

“I won’t. I swear-” he stops. He swore to you last time. “I promise I won’t. I won’t leave you, ever.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Tears flood your eyes once more as you wrap your arms around his body. You bury your face in his chest, and he pulls you close. Hands find their way to your hair, massaging your head comfortingly. With time, you find your way back to the couch, coffee in hand. But despite the strength of the coffee, you’re asleep in no time. You’re finally back in the warmth and safety of his arms. 

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

The Performer: Part Two

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2.4k

Summary: Hold on. Just hold onto what's good. Don't let him see how broken you are. Spencer becomes heartbroken when he realizes that you don't want to see him but you'll see everyone else. How can you see yourself through his eyes like this?

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill

Season Five Masterlist

Author’s Note: just another reminder that I know this isn't how prisons work in real life but this is how my prison works for the sake of the story. I know fighting in prison has more stricter rules than what I'm going to be putting.

I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there are any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them.

x

Derek takes in the sight before him. The newest murder victim was found on the side of the freeway where everyone could see her. She wasn't covered, she wasn't laid to rest, she was just dumped there like trash. If you were here, you'd be able to see what happened to her. You'd be able to see the unsub's energy. It's weird how much he relied on you until you weren't there anymore.

"Highway crew found her just as the sun was coming up," Kim says.

"How long has she been here?"

"Probably an hour. She's barely cold."

Emily notices something on her stomach, and she wears some gloves to lift up her shirt. On her stomach, two words are carved into her skin.

"The Liar."

"It's the same message. It wasn't just meant for Tara. I wonder what it means, then. Detective Kim, can you have your crime scene techs keep us apprised of the processing? We're ready with a preliminary profile."

"That's quick."

"So is this unsub."

The rest of the team and Kim head back to the police station to give the profile with Spencer. He isn't too sure about the profile but knows it has to come out now or more people are going to die.

"We aren't looking for a vampire in the supernatural sense, only in the sense that this unsub has a very strong desire, a need, for human blood. Fortunately, vampirists display several characteristics that will be helpful in finding him. He will have cut himself repeatedly. It's called auto-vampirism, essentially becoming his own first victim. It's the way by which he first tasted human blood. Most vampirists are incredibly ashamed of this and will wear long-sleeved shirts in order to conceal it. Secondly, there will be a long history of animal abuse starting with smaller animals such as insects and rodents, and then working its way up to larger things like dogs and cats. Though this is a well-recognized component of the homicidal triad seen in other serial killers, in the case of the vampirist, it's more pronounced. There will, interestingly enough, not be any animal torture as with other psychopathologies. The killing isn't the point, it's merely a means by which to obtain the blood," Spencer explains.

"Look hard at your animal control section records, as far back as you can. They will probably have some record of this unsub as an adolescent. This guy also most likely lives in a poorly kept older home. He needs a house for the privacy, not an apartment. It takes some time to drain a body completely of blood. Uninterrupted time."

"This unsub also most likely lives with an elderly woman like a grandmother, a mother, or even an aunt."

"How could you know that?" Kim asks Rossi.

"This type of mental illness, accompanied by extreme schizophrenia, dominates a family's entire existence," Emily answers. "It often leads to a broken home, and a woman ends up as the primary caregiver. The men generally leave."

"Oh, and one more thing," Rossi says before the conclusion, "this type of disorder cannot be hidden for long. I guarantee you someone out there already knows this unsub is very, very sick."

The worst part about cases like these is the waiting game. The waiting after the profile is given out because leads aren't going to come in right away. JJ is on her way over to Tara's friend's house when her phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Hello, this a collect call from Virginia Correctional Center for Women for inmate Y/N. Press one if you'd like to accept the call."

JJ frowns but she answers the call nonetheless. Why would you be calling her instead of Spencer?

"Y/N?"

"Hey, JJ," you whisper.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but why are calling me? Shouldn't Spencer get this time?"

"I can't face him when he knows I don't want him here."

"He heard the word Twilight and almost cried. I felt so bad for him."

"Yeah, I've been wanting to watch the movies with me. They're cheesy but I wanted to share that with him," you sniffle.

"Yeah, he's pretty upset."

"It's better he be upset than for me to see myself as this broken woman through his eyes. I might be selfish for that but I can't handle any more pain right now. Rossi is the only one that knows but I'm not doing too good in here. There's a reason why psychics like me don't go to prisons. I feel everything, JJ."

"I can't imagine what you're going through. I wish I was there to help you."

"JJ, you're too good for prison. Please keep an eye on him. I know he'll hate me for it but he needs you right now."

"Of course. I hate to break this up now but I have to go. I'm following a lead."

"Okay. See ya."

You hang up on JJ reluctantly, wishing you could have a few more moments with her. Hearing their voices is what keeps you grounded. If you're not talking on the phone or with visitors, you're back in the yard, drowning. You wonder what the team is doing and what kind of case they're on.

"Agent Morgan," Kim says, "we've identified this morning's victim. Her name is Erin Hickman. She worked for a caterer at an event last night. They're still there cleaning up."

"Let's go."

Derek, Kim, and Emily head over to the outdoor restaurant where Erin was working. They're still closing down as Kim said, and Derek easily finds the manager of the place.

"Excuse me, Ms. Masters? I'm Lieutenant Kim, LAPD."

"Is this about Erin?" she asks, already knowing.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Is she really dead?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry. These are FBI agents Morgan and Prentiss."

"FBI?"

"Did Erin work for you?"

"Yeah, until last night. She walked out on me in the middle of the party. She was here one minute and gone the next."

"Was it uncommon for her to be irresponsible?"

"Look, I don't want to speak ill of the dead, but she had a problem with drugs. Like, a big problem."

Someone walks by the trio with a handful of CDs, and Emily does a double-take when she sees what's on the front cover. She stops the man, grabs a CD, and shows the other two. On the cover is the same man that was on Tara's walls, and the album name is called "The Liar".

"Morgan. Rossi and I saw a poster of him in Tara's house." She takes out her phone and calls Penelope who is eager to answer. "Hey, Garcia, give me everything you've got on a singer named Dante."

"Dante, the vampire guy? I was just about the call you."

"Do you know him?" Derek asks.

"He's the one thing that all of our victims have in common. They have cyber shrines set up for this guy. They worship him. They're obsessed with his music. His new album comes out today. 'The Liar'. Isn't that what was written on them?"

"Uh-huh."

"Okay, all of our victims, including the first two, were diehard fans. Tara and her best friend, Gina, were practically running his fan club."

"What about Erin Hickman, our latest victim?"

"I haven't run across her name yet."

"Okay, we need to talk to this Dante guy. Can you get us an address?" Derek asks.

"That's gonna take a little while," Kim says. "These celebrities are protected by layers of privacy. It's like finding information on a deeply--"

"22423 Greenvale Circle in Holmby Hills. GPS coordinates are uploading to you now," Penelope cuts Kim off. "His name is Paul Davies, by the way."

"Run him for a criminal record, too."

"You got it."

"I'd hate to think what she could find out about me," Kim chuckles once she hangs up.

"Oh, I prefer not even to consider it."

The trio heads over to Paul's house immediately which is located in the rich part of the neighborhood. There are nice cars in the driveway, the house looks like a mansion, and with high trees that block out the paparazzi. It makes sense that someone like Paul would live in a place like this. What doesn't make sense is the part about him being the unsub. The unsub doesn't come from money like this, and the profile suggests the unsub isn't well-off.

"I hate to ask this, but are your profiles this far off sometimes?" Kim wonders.

"They haven't been yet. This probably isn't our unsub, just a piece of the puzzle." They turn the corner and see all the nice cars on the driveway, and Emily whistles lowly. "I could get used to this. This is definitely not poorly maintained." Among the expensive-looking cars, there is one that is beat up and much older. "One of these things does not belong." She takes out her phone and calls Penelope. "Hey, Garcia, can you run a plate for me?"

"This isn't our guy, is it?" Kim asks.

"I highly doubt it."

Derek and Kim walk to the front door and knock, and the one known as Dante answers it. However, instead of in goth clothes, black and white makeup, and fake fangs in his mouth, it's a man who has freshly washed hair, a scarf around his neck and looks nothing like the guy on the album covers.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" Paul asks in a British accent.

"Dante?"

"No."

"You're not the singer?" Derek asks.

"Dante's not my name. He's a character I play. So, who are you guys?"

"We're investigating a murder--"

"Sir!" Emily cuts Kim off. "Would you mind coming in to answer a few questions?"

"Prentiss, what are you doing?"

"That car is Erin's car. The victim's car. Would you mind coming in, sir?"

That put everyone on alert. To avoid a whole stink, Paul goes with the team without fuss hoping that no one from the media will know about this. They're doing their best to get the unsub and prevent deaths while you're still in prison trying to protect your friend. Ever since that bitch beat you up, you've been careful to keep yourself and Ashley in view of the cameras or guards at all times. You're not in the same cell, thank God, so you don't have to worry about your safety in there.

The woman, you have no idea what her name is nor do you care to know it (even though people call her Big Sue), is always watching you two. She won't come near you if you're near another guard or in view of the cameras because she doesn't want to be placed in solitary confinement. Anyone who is caught fighting goes in the hole. The bigger the fight, the longer someone stays in there by themselves. You've heard of someone staying in there for two months straight, and she doesn't want to do that.

Ashley is the kind of person who hates violence. She is a pacifist and would much rather run from a fight than confront the bully. If you were to leave, who would protect her? You need to make her realize that all she has to do is stand up to the bully once and they will back down. Big Sue does this to people to make herself feel better, but she's nothing more than a small dog. Bark loudly once and she'll back down.

You walk into the cafeteria and search for Ashley. She is sitting in your usual spot waiting for you. You look to the right and see Big Sue with her group of friends. She is the leader of one of the gangs on site. Her gang isn't to be fucked with, especially the leader. However, you're not backing down.

Big Sue notices Ashley alone and decides to fuck with her. Not on your watch. You find yourself in almost a run to get to Ashley before Big Sue can. You slide in between the two women and face Big Sue who looks pissed at your presence. Ashley cowers in fear at what might happen but you're not going to let Big Sue touch her.

"Walk away," you warn.

"Do you want another black eye, bitch?" she snarls.

Some of the other women look your way but not enough to grab the attention of everyone in the room.

"Oh, I was being nice before. I didn't want to hit back, but touch her or even go near her, and I'll dropkick you so fast you won't know what hit you."

Now everyone is looking at you. A threat like that to one of the gang's leaders isn't the wisest decision. Some of the guards look over but won't do anything because an actual fight isn't happening. No one is moving, eating, or making a sound because they want to see what's going to happen. Either you're going to get your ass kicked or she is, and they don't know which is going to be worse.

Big Sue nods twice and turns around as if she is going to go back to her friends. Instead of doing that, she immediately turns back around and goes in for a hit. You duck just in time to avoid another hit. She stumbles forward having expected to hit you. You move out of the way and give her some room to collect herself. She is so full of anger that she will do anything to take you down. She won't stop and think what is the best move, only that she needs to hit you.

She runs at you to tackle you to the ground but you jump out of the way and kick your foot out so she trips over you. The more she fails, the angrier she gets. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Where she hits, you dodge. You dodge so well because you can see her energy and anger tell you where she is going to hit next. You punch her in the jaw hard enough to throw her off balance, and you grab her arm and twist it behind her. You shove her face-first into the ground and twist her arm tightly behind her. She cries out in pain and tries to move but can't because you've got her pinned. Everyone gasps at the shift in dominance.

No one will look at Big Sue again. No one will treat her the same. She might even be demoted in her gang. Whatever is going to happen, it's not going to be good for her.

"Tap out!" you yell. She cries in pain and slams her open palm against the floor. Guards come rushing in and pull you off her. They're not gentle with you either as they drag you away. "Stay the hell away from her!"

Ashley stands up and watches you leave with concern weighing heavily on her shoulders. You're taken to the solitary confinement room and thrown inside like you're a ragdoll.

"Maybe a couple of days in here will change your attitude," the guard says before shutting the door on you.

At least now you can think clearly.

x

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[multiplicationdivision]

Surfing at Edict’s Bay was odd ever since the Great Shifting.

So many odd things had changed, yet normalcy was quick to return.

It was like the Empire State Building had always literally been the tallest in the world, a country of minds emboldening it to stretch on for literal infinity. The catacombs now whispered with the undead, but the undead turned out to mostly just be creepy in the religious way.

The bat cave 100 miles north had shifted to embody the connection of bats to vampires in the populace’s perceptions, but a task force and a sizable amount of stakes had quickly gotten that shit under control.

Other surfing locals had sharks or stingrays.

Edict’s Bay had starfish.

The starfish had once been a problem on-native, but a cocktail of the local population’s view of cute little animals that could regenerate perfectly and a flavoring of the local biology department’s knowledge of the original species’s invasiveness and potent venom had yielded it. The oddly friendly yet reclusive Splitting Starfish.

Risk came and went and the Bay’s starfish’s migration was closely monitored, but nothing was completely knowable and the town’s surfers were always prepared for a little risk.

Today’s risk had been an unlucky one.

Just a single infested kelp had drifted past and pricked them all.

Eddie didn’t seem that bothered, taking his new twin in stride.

“Honestly feels surprisingly good” one of him said, the two-headed man relaxing on their board. “Can’t really complain when I’ve just acquired another of my best feature” the left bragged. “The guy’s already reading my mind I swear” the right said, using their left shoulder to push the left head tight against his in fast growing affection. It was no surprise the two had already sourced a few double headed wetsuits from god knows where, likely having made it custom for today.

It certainly had helped Luc, who had torn his previous wetsuit from the sheer force of his body widening. He’d been the only guy who’s been left nude out in the open as his venom rapidly got to work. One minute he’d been a nervous wreck of a guy, a moment later he was panting through half-shared lungs in sync with another him as they lay on the sand, a torn mess of wetsuit around them.

Luc seemed anxious about the whole thing, but an over enthusiastic echo of Eddie’s was helpful in reassuring. Hell Luc even started to quietly talk with his other half, the two discussing with little smiles that grew as the guy visibly grew to like his now shared body. Adorably stumbling around every now and then as the Eddie’s coached him through moving as one person, as if they had any more experience in it.

To be fair, Eddie did know a guy who’d been through this all before. Eddie’s best friend had purposefully double torso-ed himself with a quick trip to the tide pools and had filled Instagram of him enjoying his time with his new body mate, likely having infected his friend with the conjoinment obsession in the process.

Joey had the most drastic change of the tens of surfers affected. Just enough venom in his veins for a near perfect split, although the lifeguards had been long accustomed to the situation to have a vial of the venom on hand so the guy wouldn’t be force to share a foot with his doppelganger.

Now he sat in a strange tension with his clone, neither of them speaking to each other, yet both refusing to part.

“Fucking hate that you brought me out here Chuck” one of him said, the other almost agreeing before noticably stopping himself. The two were separately vocally against their new doubles, yet continued to orbit their counterpart. Going so far as riding squeezed on the same bike before returning in matching jean shorts and tank tops. Looking suspiciously exhausted and with more than enough red marks across their body to betray why they’d taken 3 hours to change.

Chuck himself was just enjoying the others experience it all.

“Feeling like finishing the process?” his other head asked, watching his surfer friends joke around as they repeatedly tested his to incorporate their now doubled group into a functioning dynamic.

“Eh, don’t really need another Chuck around”, he said, well aware of the 3 other hims lazing around back at home. A loosely guarded secret of his, mostly balanced between the slight embarrassment of being a person who repeatedly forgets to follow migration reports as well as being a person who is very relieved not to need to need to train anyone else for his shop.

It would probably break the thinly veiled illusion of him being super humanly fast at completing tasks were a two headed Chuck to switch places with his single headed duplicates.

Unless they quickly homogenized the others to their condition. They’d probably catch another starfish in a water bottle or something just in case the others were interested.

They would be.

It wasn’t long before one of the many identical lifeguards spotted the peculiarities of the group and got their half assed reports of the events. Made them each promise to stay far away from the starfish next time as if the lifeguards weren’t walking contradictions of the recommendation.

Like the guy hadn’t skipped each of them his number, being an idiot in the fact that his copies each had the same idea.

Chuck had been there and done that with one of those lifeguards, lord knows which, and it was likely only the Lucs would take the man up. An anxious man, but a ruthlessly horny one at that.

Chuck was just planning on staying in tonight. Probably pull a Joey and welcome his body mate with style. Likely get a few other Chucks in on the celebration, maybe welcome a few new Chucks in with the starfish he was definitley going to keep in a tank at home.

Once you adjusted to shit like this, it hardly hurt to escalate a little.

It was after all, the new normal.

[damagedintellect]

Dazai Osamu x reader

💌 Reading into the palms of isekai bullshit: Chapter 6 💌  

Summary: You were no stranger to isekai bullshit. It’s not like you had a problem with it. The genre took over the anime scene for years now but you try to stay away from thinking about how you would handle the situation. The last time you thought about inserting yourself into your favorite show you wrote a 100k word xReader fic for your favorite characters and you didn’t want to spend all your time consumed by the brainrot again. Never again, you promised yourself that was the last time you’d let the devil on your shoulder win. You clicked on chapter 1 to start the adventure over again but when you opened your eyes and saw Dazai O-FUCKING-samu getting choked by Kunikida you honestly hoped it was a dream.  

Notes: Another isekai so I can play around with BSD like dolls.   

 This will be the last update for a while because Artfight starts in a few days and it takes place during the whole month of July. The theme is Vampire vs Werewolves which has me laughing my ass off, IT'S LITERALLY BSD THEMED I CAN'T IT'S TOO MUCH!!! I'm planning on siding with Vampire's since *SPOILERS* home boi is under the vampirism.

💌 Word count: 2,457 💌 <= Previous Chapter | Next Chapter =>

Everyone celebrated the fall of the guild that night. You shared a few drinks with Yosano and Kunikida but noticed that Dazai was missing. He must be at the art gallery with Hirotsu. Things were only going to get harder moving forward. This will probably be the only time you could have a drink and relax. You don't even want to think about it because you have a feeling Ranpo is going to threaten you for answers during the cannibalism arc but at the same time he’s seen that your knowledge isn't always indefinite. It's either that or once again Chuuya is an outlier. Before you could refuse it, one drink turned into two and the next thing you knew you were sitting in Yosano's lap as your arms were tangled with hers as you shot back your sixth or seventh bottle. Both of you were cackling about something Ranpo said as Kunikida was bringing you both water. You don't think you drank the water either. You only vaguely remember sharing another drink with Yosano before attempting to get back to the dorms. Kunikida was escorting Yosano while Ranpo begrudgingly helped you up the stairs. He was complaining that his room was directly below yours and he would have to walk twice as far. You told him you could make the ten feet on your own as he cheerfully bid you farewell for the night. The last thing you remember was inserting your key into the lock before you passed out.

Dazai decided to grab a drink at Lupin's after meeting with Hirotsu. There was a lot to think about after the fall of the guild and he knew he needed to take a break before looking into the rats. He had an eerie premonition he'd be crossing "his" path again but for now he needed to de-stress. Feeling the smooth burn down his throat calmed his active mind somewhat but it wouldn't be enough alcohol to get him tipsy. He rarely let himself get that loose so after the drink he casually strode home taking in the quiet walk observing the interesting nightlife.

When he got to the top of the stairs he knew something was off. He felt a presence but who could be out and about at this hour. All he knew is that thankfully it wasn't Chuuya. When he turned the corner he saw (Y/N) on the floor, key in hand just outside his room. Dazai couldn’t help the chuckle that passed his lips. She must have had drinks with Yosano. The doctor had a knack for drinking everyone under the table. Odd that you were on the floor outside his room but if he had to guess Ranpo got lazy. Dazai knelt down beside you to see if you were awake. The moment he was eye level with you he lightly tapped your shoulder as he spoke.

"Silly little Belladonna, you can't sleep out here. Let's get you to bed okay?"

You slowly stirred from the movement but it was clear you were too far gone. "Dasaiiii!" you slurred as you threw yourself on him nuzzling into his warmth. It had been cold on the floor. You were sad after your key didn't work and you were too exhausted to go to someone else's room. Thinking back you had your phone in your pocket you definitely could have called for help but it slipped your mind until right now. Once you lost your ability to stand you opted to sit down for a bit. That's when you fell asleep so this must be a dream. "Of course I'd dream of Dazai. God mmm pathetic." You scoffed at yourself, not hiding your smile because you didn't realize you were thinking out loud.

The brunette laughed at your outburst but quirked an eyebrow at its context. Past his name you mumbled the rest. "You're pathetic?" He was curious as you shuffled closer to him pulling away enough to look him in the eyes, he didn't move.

"I'm pathetic cause mmm in love with Osamu,” You said it so soft and gentle he thought he misheard you until the panic set in your voice. “Dream-zai you can't tell him! Because-" You stopped talking trying to come up with a reason. Ultimately you didn't know why you shouldn't tell him. Yeah of course rejection was a possibility but the way you see it your love is more unconditional. At this point you would rather Dazai be Dazai than have the feelings be mutual. You wanted him to know someone cared without expecting anything in return and that he can have what he wants without it being taken away. Or at least you think that’s what he wants, wait what were you talking about? Oh right! "I hav to tell hm so don't say anyfing or I’ll kill you myslef!" You pushed your fist to his chest as a threat.

Dazai blinked. You love him? Why? He's tried to threaten you, teased you and has tried to annoy you at every opportunity since you started working beside him at the ADA. It worked well for everyone else to be kept at arm's length but he guessed your little game was the difference. It did mean that you both shared some, moments. Why were you always so difficult and why did he feel warm like he wanted to believe you. His heart was beating erratically and not by his doing, he hated it. "We should get you to bed, you're already speaking nonsense." He helped you off the floor but you clung to him. It was cute but it made ushering you inside his room harder than it needed to be.

The moment you got inside you flopped down on his futon unprompted. The look you gave him at the prospect of him joining you was adorable and it made his heart clench as he frowned, getting you some water. You were much more honest when you were drunk. He almost missed the playful banter to get you to spill your secrets. He still couldn’t put a finger on how your intuition was flawlessly comprehensive or at least from what he’s tested and witnessed. Chuuya refused to give him any details of your meeting. He expected as much but there was a sliver of hope that Chuuya might spare a few details. Instead the redhead didn’t bother which could only mean that you were able to answer his questions otherwise he would have given Dazai an earful about how he was just wasting his time. Which brings him back full circle at how much could you realistically know by looking at people’s palms? It’s been eating at him slightly every day because there was no logic behind it. The fact that you know so much about him and his past yet you so proudly claimed to love him vexed Dazai. Which begged the question,

“Why do you love me?” He handed you the glass as you happily gulped down every last drop. “Dream-zai has to promise not to tell Osamu first.” You held out your pinky for him to take. Everytime you called him by his first name he felt miffed, there was this incessant tingling across his skin that made him feel warmth in the pit of his stomach. He knew you were only using it to distinguish between what you thought was the real and fake Dazai but it was starting to drive him up the wall that you couldn’t tell the difference. Then again he couldn't tell if he liked or hated the way hearing his first name from your lips made him feel. When he extended his pinky he noted how sweaty his palms were. Why was this happening to him he didn’t understand.

“For the longest time he couldn’t see the value in living and I can sympathize with that, I don’t know if he still doesn’t but he thinks he isn’t worthy of it and for someone so intellectually gifted and self aware it’s cute that he’s so emotionally inept. With his smile he could get away with murder and he knows it, he knows he’s not a good person but still chose to side with helping people and is willing to sacrifice everything for it. But it must be lonely to push everyone away because deep down he’s terrified of losing everything important to him. He refuses to have wants and desires without trying to rationalize or justify them in some way and that’s stupid.” You laughed eyes half lidded, not even sure if any of this is making any sense to Dream-zai. The water seemed to help sober you enough to speak in full sentences at least but you still slurred a few words here and there.

Dazai on the other hand has been marveling you wide eyed at a complete loss for words. Where did all this come from? He’s even more confused now and his heart was working overtime to the point it ached. He needed you to stop talking before his “symptoms” got any worse. He couldn’t fight the urge to reach out as you were blissfully unaware continuing your line of thought. 

“At the end of the day I don’t think he knows that love can be unconditional. That people don’t need a reason to care for him-”

It barely registered that he placed his lips on yours but when it does you smile. Your eyes slipped shut as you slumped backwards on the futon. It took Dazai a minute to process everything that just happened as he threw himself on the floor next to you both hands clawing at his face as the realization hit him like a bus. It was the only way to get you to shut up. That was a lie and he knew it but it’s what he kept repeating to himself as his blood ran cold. He wanted to run away but if he did then you’d get suspicious. Would you even remember? This was supposed to be a simple game of chicken. It wasn't supposed to end with him developing feelings of any kind, but no one has ever been so painfully honest with him before. His heart was still racing as he was trying to find an out. He got up and started pacing. He looked back at you, he knew what he must do.

The next morning your head was killing you. It was a mistake to drink with Yosano but at least you can say you did it. You tried to sink back into the covers but you noticed it was hard to shift your position almost like someone was holding you in place. You remembered Ranpo accompanying you back to the dorms. Your eyes shoot wide open as you fight the dizziness. The more you moved the more you felt the need to purge the contents in your stomach. You took some deep breaths as you weighed out your options. You decided to slowly remove the hand around your waist first but when your fingers felt bandages your mind was sent into a different panic. Part of you was relieved it wasn’t Ranpo but this wasn’t any better. The more you woke up you realized you were only wearing your undergarments. WHAT DID YOU DO LAST NIGHT!

Before you could spiral any further, strong arms pulled you closer as Dazai’s sultry morning voice almost lulled you back to sleep. “Good morning love~” he kissed the crook of your neck “How’re feeling?”

You leaned into the pleasant sensation for a moment as you snapped back to reality. You could panic all you wanted in your head but you couldn’t let him have the satisfaction. “Like shit but I really should have seen this coming honestly.” You shifted to lay on your back feeling the liquids slosh around. You were going to be sick. Dazai was laying on his side using one hand to prop himself up and  using the other one to curl your hair behind your ear and out of your face. He was looking at you like you were his world. It was charming if not almost unsettling since you don’t remember anything from last night at all. “So Love~” You mimic the pet name “Care to fill me in on what we got up to last night?” Based on Dazai’s current lack of shirt and snarky demeanor you could only imagine that you guys finally had at it but it doesn’t bridge the gap for how you ended up here with him.

“Ah so you don’t remember.” Dazai acted smug but hearing that was a huge relief to him. The last thing he needed was for you to remember him being mildly flustered by your words alone. He let his finger trace along your jaw tipping your chin up at him. “Want me to jog your memory?” 

“Depends on who caved, but you could always give me a demonstration.”

How peculiar, he wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction. You must genuinely not remember anything from last night. Out of all the ways he planned for this to go down he half expected you to see through him immediately as you have in the past. Maybe the alcohol was to blame? Whatever the case he intended on using this to his advantage as he leaned in to close the distance between you. The longer you guys spent fooling around the more time Dazai had to ignore his responsibilities. Victory was sweet, the kiss however taste of stale liquor. 

He smirked as he pulled away “Last night you waited outside my door and threw yourself at me confessing your undying love for me-” You started laughing but stopped feeling a wave of nausea. You sat up gesturing your hand for him to give you a minute to assess whether you should go throw up or not. Even if you could keep all the fluids inside you it was probably better that you did. It would be less for your liver to process later. Dazai seemed to understand as he helped you to the bathroom. He even helped get your hair out of the way and rubbed circles on your back while he mentioned this is why no one drinks with Yosano anymore. Once you got most of it out, you wipe your mouth with the back of your hand. “Going back to last night, I call bullshit.” He was being too overly dramatic for you to gauge any semblance of what really happened.

“Aw but I thought you trusted me~”

“I do, which is why I'm not even going to bother with what I don’t remember.”

He frowned, you weren’t playing fair at all.

[wxlfbites]

• The Unexpected Imprint •

[ Paul x Bella fanfiction・PG-13・Paul POV ]

Isabella Swans' whirlwind romance with the vampire, Edward Cullen, has come to an end when he and his clan leave Forks, Washington after a birthday party gone wrong. Months of depression are quelled by the presence of Jacob Black, but he doesn't fall in love with her... Paul does.

Chapter Two: The Redhead

The pack met at the clearing where we had killed the leech with the dreads, all of us phased and ready to take down the red headed one next. Sam had ordered us to be ready for the hunt at a moments notice the night Jared and I told him that we'd caught her scent close to the treaty line, and the Alpha's orders were never disobeyed. Two days after we'd done that perimeter check, Sam caught the leeches scent again, this time in our territory. We could hear his howl from miles away. I'd been at the Clearwater house, Harry's water heater had blown and I knew a thing or two about repairs, Embry and Jared had been with Emily down at La Push beach, watching some rare comet, Jacob was slumming it on his couch, which must have been nice, and Quil, the newest member of the pack, had been in his wolf form since his first phase just hours earlier; he was reveling in it. It took mere minutes for the five of us to reach each other.

"The redhead's after Bella," Jacob thought quickly. "The Cullen's killed her mate and now she wants to kill Bella for revenge".

An anger flared inside me. I could feel Jacob's own rage and anxiety, but this was more than that. I had met Bella only a few times, she wasn't anything special, nothing stood out about her. She was Jacob's friend, that was all. Yet the urge to protect her rushed through me the way it did when my brothers lives were in danger. Everyone looked at me for a moment, they knew what I was thinking without even thinking it.

"She crossed up the mountain, the scent is fresh so I doubt she's gotten far," Sam thought, shaking his head to get my thoughts out. He snarled, disgusted by the idea that she'd made it into our territory.

"Well let's go then!" Embry snapped.

"Not yet! We can't afford to let her get away," Sams' tone was urgent. "She'll be expecting us all to follow her scent trail, we need to split up and catch her off guard".

"Jacob and I can ambush her, we'd be able to cut her off", I suggested.

"Good, take the north side" Sam huffed, his claws digging into the dirt with anticipation. "Jared, Embry, Quil and I will push her up to the peaks where you'll be waiting to take her out."

We all growled our agreement with the plan. It had to work, she'd evaded us this far, but I was confident now. That filthy bloodsucker would be so focused on the distraction Sam and the others would provide, she wouldn't even see Jacob and I coming. We'd have her in pieces before she even knew what hit her. With one last look at each of us, Sam took off. Jared, Embry and Quil followed close behind.

"Ready when you are", Jacob thought with a smirk and we bolted to the north, tearing through the ground beneath us.

We'd never said it out loud, but the pack knew all too well how strange it felt to be a giant animal. It was something you never got used to. It took some adjusting to see ourselves and each other in our wolf forms, even when the magic that made it all possible coursed so naturally and deeply in our veins. The wind whipping through your fur is not the same as it flowing through your hair, walking barefoot in the woods is not the same as digging your claws into mountain rock, ripping your enemy in half with your teeth is not the same as getting into a fist fight with some asshole at school. I wonder how Emily rationalized being in an interspecies relationship. I heard Jacob laugh wildly in his mind.

"What are you laughing at?" I snapped, pushing my body into his to throw him off balance.

"You. It's not like they do anything nasty when Sam's phased." Jacob shook off and caught back up to me.

"How do you know?"

"Focus!" Sam's voice was distant but strong. I held my head low, as if I were a small child and my father was reprimanding me. I knew I'd overstepped with that thought.

[Page 1]

The adrenaline fully took over when we reached the top of the mountain; I had to get my head in the game. I huffed and panted, the air so cold here I could see my breath in front of me. My body vibrated with the anticipation of getting to kill the bloodsucker. Any minute now my teeth would break into her crystalline flesh, shattering it with my bite.

"Be ready!" Sam and Embry thought together.

"She's coming," I heard Jared call.

Jacob and I took our positions. The wind blew her sickening scent directly at us and I knew she was close. I planted my paws in the snow and grew almost deadly silent. She burst over the peak in the blink of an eye and I saw the uncanny smile on her face. She knew. I sprung, jaws wide open. She seemed to fly through the air above me, just out of reach. In the split second it took me to regain my footing, Jacob had clamped his teeth down on her pants leg and slammed her down onto the ground. She was flailing as Jacob tried to pin her; her face engulfed in the flames of her hair. I had to kill her. It had to be me. I had to protect Bella.

I froze. I had to protect Bella?

"Paul!" Jacob screamed, a strain in his voice as he tried to keep the leech down.

"Paul!" Sam had caught up to us now.

I shook my head and snarled. "I'm good!" My hesitation was all it took for the leech to gain the upper hand. Somehow Jacob had lost his grip on her and she slid right out from under him. A snake escaping a bird of prey. I steadied myself, this wasn't over.

"She knew we were waiting for her!" I thought as we pursued her.

"How did she know?" Sam thought loudly back.

"I don't know, but she was smiling like she knew".

"She said something to me" Jacob chimed in. This took all of us off guard. "She said 'I do love it when men chase me'".

We all cringed at this. She was acting like this was all a game to her. It sent us all into an even hotter rage, we would not let her play with us. Sam led the pack, I followed close behind with some bit of shame for even letting her escape in the first place. I could see the vampire ahead, zigzagging through the trees lower down the mountain. She was heading toward the ocean, her escape plan no doubt. We had to catch her before she reached the beach. I felt my paws carry me faster than they ever had before, coming shoulder to shoulder with Sam now.

"She'll get away", I snarled.

"No, she won't," Sam reassured. I wasn't so confident anymore.

She flew into the branches above, which seemed to slow her down a bit; another move in her game. Sam and I got so close, if she had been on the ground, either one of us could have had her. She was taunting us. Soon we'd reach La Push and she'd be gone again, our opportunity gone and our efforts a complete waste. Who knows when we'd get another shot like this. I pushed myself harder, there was nothing stopping me from breaking every bone in my body. I could feel it too, my joints screamed at me, my lungs felt like they'd burst at the seams, and my paws begged me not to hit the ground any harder. I didn't listen. I would kill this thing if it was the last thing I ever did. I passed Sam, which I could tell surprised him, it surprised me. I don't think any of us had ever outrun him. I shut my thoughts off, shut the rest of the pack out. It was now or never in my mind. I let out a deafening snarl and just before we breached the edge of the forest to La Push beach, slammed myself into the next tree in the vampires course, uprooting it entirely. She faltered for only a moment, but not long enough for it to make any difference. She flew from the trees and landed in the black sand like a cannonball, her body heavier than it looked. Sam and I were close at her heels but it was useless, we hadn't been able to touch her since she'd freed herself from Jacob's hold on her. Bella was right when she told Embry and Jared that this one was fast. Probably the fastest I'd ever seen.

It was over. I knew it, Sam knew it. We skidded to a halt as the vampire disappeared into the water before us. Jacob and the others were just making it onto the beach when Sam threw his head back in a frustrated howl. We all joined in, our own frustrations amplified by our shared hivemind. What the hell were we going to do now?

[End of Chapter Two]

[catmansquad]

The Thirst (P3)

Part 1   Part 2

The Vampire Antics continue...

It had been a very long night for you, cowering in your own home, definitely hoping that the sofa in front of your door would be enough to keep the scary, yet handsome man with the red eyes and fangs out. You had spent frantic hours on your phone, scouring every bit of information you could possibly find about Vampires, specifically how to defend yourself against them. It was now why the doors and windows into your home were now lined with salt, and you cowered in a circle of silver cutlery that had been a Christmas gift from a long time ago, with a small bottle of garlic cloves, and were currently wondering if cramming a hastily-purchased rosary bead into a bottle of sparkling water would be enough for it to be considered “holy”. Your phone had become your lifeline, you had kept the nature of your concern from your friends, but had requested their company all the same. Even in the dead of night, your fear had been palpable enough that they had agreed to be over in short order.

The knock at your door gave you hope, and you felt your phone buzz with an incoming message. Groaning with exertion, you shoved the sofa aside, pulling back the locks and bolts, unhooking the chain, fully glad to see the familiar company of your friends in your time of need. You glanced at your phone just as you pulled the door open. “On our way”. You glanced up, the door open and you met the familiar face of the dark, handsome man in his fancy clothing, white collar splattered with glints of red, like tiny rubies. He smiled, the peep of fangs poking out. ‘Hey.’ When you tried to slam the door, he moved quickly, almost imperceptible, hand slamming tight onto the other side and you nearly staggered against the sudden resistance, even one-handed, his strength was frighteningly immense. ‘Let’s not be like that. I just wanted to talk…’ His words were smooth, tone sweet and gentle, like he was comforting a skittish animal. The tiny squeak of terror escaped you, as you tried to keep what little of the door you could between him and you at the angle it was at. ‘No… No, no, no…’ You pleaded to him softly, and he raised an eyebrow in question. ‘What’s wrong…? I just came to talk about what happened, there’s no need to be scared. Can I come in?’ You realized you had the literal home advantage; Vampires couldn’t enter homes without being invited, he couldn’t cross the threshold until you gave him permission. ‘N-no.’ You managed, feeling your confidence grow. ‘No, you’re not coming in- you can stay there…’ His fingers drummed on the door, and you watched his eyes close as he exhaled a soft sigh of frustration, then easily shoved the door open and pushed straight past you, straight over the line of salt, and straight into your home. You were starting to dread that perhaps Tumblr hadn’t been the most accurate place for finding information to ward against Vampires.

Miguel hadn’t taken being doused in water much better, brushing the droplets from his coat and giving you a glare of mild irritation. ‘Don’t do that.’ Hurling garlic at him had not gone down any better, they bounced uselessly off his chest, and he merely stood there to take it, arms folded with a look of mounting annoyance slowly creeping onto his face. It was at your last-ditch attempt, that whatever patience he had finally withered. ‘Stay back!’ You demanded, the tiny silver crucifix held out between you and him. Only then did you remember half a dozen of the things at Avis’ meeting had done nothing to deter him, despite Hobie’s reassurance. You felt the kitchen counter press against your back as he stepped close, pulling it from your grasp and throwing it over his shoulder to clatter somewhere behind him. That large, powerful body was pressed against yours as he leaned in closer, voice a whisper by your ear. ‘… My Gods are sun, struggle, and war… Smoke, sorcery, and night… I have long since made peace with them over my nature… Now, come sit down before you get hurt…’

You had all but fallen onto the sofa, guided there by his strong arm at your side. Now he loomed over you, arms folded again, regarding you thoughtfully. ‘… Are you going to kill me now?’ Your terrified whisper was responded by another questioning glance. ‘… Why-? Ugh. Never mind. I just came to talk to you… I’ve been doing a lot of talking tonight, chasing down all of Avis’ little cult and setting their heads straight.’ He hummed thoughtfully, and looked you right in the eyes, gaze piercing, intense. ‘But for you, I’ll make an exception. Since… I do, actually, like you. So; which would you prefer, my favourite little mortal; the beautiful lie or the bitter, ugly truth?’ He paced softly in front of you as he let the question settle, back and forth, shoes squeaking softly on the wooden floor each time he turned, eyes never really leaving you. Finally, you found the strength to speak up. ‘… You’re a Vampire…’ He stopped pacing instantly. ‘Ah, you want the bitter truth. Yes, I am.’ You recalled the memory of that night once again. ‘You… You fed on me…’ ‘Yes.’ The simplicity of his admittance both horrified and enraged you, the emotions must have crept onto your face for how he shrugged. ‘You wanted the truth; that is it. I was thirsty, and you were my choice for the night. Your temperament makes your blood very sweet.  I hadn’t expected to become… Attached to you. I meant what I said, dear one; I still want to take you shopping, promise you a fine dinner…’ The anger still bubbled in you, it rose higher until it exploded. ‘Dinner?! You fed on me! You treated me like I was a juice box! You’re just a monster! A-A filthy leech! A monster in fancy clothes-!’ The growl in his throat killed both your words and the anger inside you. You were in a room with a dangerous predator. Alone. ‘How dare you! How dare you speak to me like that! I took you home, I fed you, I cared for you, I looked after you! I could have taken what I wanted and left you- bleeding to death in a dark alley!’ His anger was bright, eyes red and fangs bared in fury, you sunk deeper and deeper into the sofa as he stalked towards you, ranting. ‘I have watched for centuries as your kind make the same mistakes over and over again! I have walked the world, seeing death, disease and war…! I have loved and lost… So much…’ He turned away in a sharp spin, a hand over his face, fingers tenting on his forehead, muttering in his native Nahuatl before regaining his composure.

‘… No, I’m not angry with you, dear one…’ You wanted to reel away from him as he sat beside you, but some presence anchored you to the sofa, his arm rested across your shoulders, his eyes that soft reddish-brown. ‘I do what I have to, we all do… My kind and yours…’ You sat with him, gently relaxing into his embrace, your fears slowly slipping away. ‘W-was I a good juice box?’ He pulled you close, almost into his lap, his other arm wrapping across your waist. ‘You are more to me than just blood, dear one… I take happiness wherever it crosses my path, I would not offer to reveal my nature to just anyone, now would I…?’ You gasped at the feel of a soft kiss on his forehead, once again was he the charming man who threatened to spoil you rotten. ‘I will not hurt you… I never intended to…’ His voice was a gentle breath, voice low and soothing. You watched Miguel look up sharply, a smile creeping across his features as if he was listening, then you heard the sound of a car approaching. His eyes glinted with mirth and mischief. ‘… Perhaps you’d like to introduce me to your friends? They seem to be in quite a hurry.’

There was time enough to clean away the worst of your failed warding attempts before your friends were knocking on your door. It had taken all of five minutes since they sat down to be calmed and put at ease, with little more than Miguel’s charming smile. Perhaps too charming. By the time they did leave, all of them were thoroughly convinced that the man was your boyfriend and were happy for you. You pushed the door shut, locking it and turning to find Miguel, smiling smugly, ends of his coat pushed aside and his hands on that sinfully tight waist. ‘Heh… So, I’m your boyfriend now…’ ‘Y-you convinced them of that!’ You spluttered, watching him grow even more smug, fangs now readily apparent. ‘Mm, I didn’t hear you refuting that claim. So… Should we make it official? A little shopping spree before our date? I’ll let you choose the time, my love… I am in no rush- I have plenty of it…’ You knew you were blushing as he stepped closer, one thumb stroking softly across your cheek as he kissed your forehead again softly. ‘… You look so adorable when you blush…’ He stepped back, pulling a notebook and pen out of his coat pocket and flicked through it, scribbling something before tearing the page out, a number written upon it. ‘Do let me know… Have a good evening…’ You waited until he shut the door behind him for your legs to turn to jelly.

-----------

“My Gods are sun, struggle and war… Smoke, sorcery, and night” - He is speaking of Huitzilopotchli and Tezcatlipoca, respectively.

[sanchoi21]

Escaping Reality

Ash Ketchum Vampire x Reader Part One

WARNINGS: Mentions of vampire's bite and blood drinking. Otherwise it's fluff.

VAMPIRE - A mysterious being which haunts the nights, lived in an abandoned castle in the middle of the forest. His name was Ash Ketchum, once who gracefully lived amongst his family and the members of Dark Blood clan which were soon destroyed by humans due to their misconception about these creatures. Now the one and only survivor and prince of the vampire clan lived alone in this castle which was once his warm household. Living alone in darkness without anyone except your pet pikachu was definitely not easy. He had to hunt animals for blood as he can't afford to kill humans. He thought it was cruel. Though he resented the cruel sentiment of distrust among humans he still didn't hate humans as a living beings. He hated the crime and not the criminal.

Thus he often visited the human town at night to get rid of his loneliness. He observed humans as they carried out their nightly routines and eventually slept. He was getting bored watching the same thing always but that day he saw something new.

A girl in her 20s with beautiful golden locks was sitting by a flower shop gazing at the moon and flowers. She seemed very sad by the broken and tired look on her face. Though she looked tired, she still was definitely the most beautiful girl Ash had ever lead his eyes on. The girl was probably looking for an escape from her monotonous life. Just like him who wanted to escape his reality and dream about his happy family again. Something about her he found very similar to himself so he decided to approach her. It was a risk but somehow he thought it's still worth it.

He approached her in his long cape which reminded her of the veil of darkness. As Y/n saw him climbing down from the roof she was surprised as to who would be there at this hour but still continued observing. Once he came closer, she could finally take a good look at him. He had a great physique and his blood red eyes were something which she had never come across. He was indeed very handsome, so handsome that many females as well as males will flock around him for his favors.

Y/n Pov

The mysterious man who looked out of this world, asked me in a calm yet soothing tone, " Are you sad my lady? Had a long day?" Something about his accent was quite off. He seemed to be in his 20s yet this accent was used centuries ago, but I still replied as I found myself enchanted by him. "Yes I had a really long day. Same monotonous life which I wish could change. What about you? Were you alone too?" Hearing my questioned he seemed a bit surprised but answered none the less, "Yeah I always have been." I could feel the sadness in his voice, I know that feeling. Though I am surrounded by people I am still lonely, as none of them ever understands me. "So let's change that for tonight!" I said merrily and took his hand and led him to the flower fields behind my house.

Ash Pov

How can anyone be so carefree and take a predator like me with her? Her scent is the sweetest I have ever experienced! It's becoming so hard to resist biting her. But I won't bite her no matter what. I don't wanna lose her.

The field was full with beautifully blooming red roses, lavenders and daisy. I was enthralled by it's beauty. As the moon light shined above us I could see that the garden was well taken care off. For me she was the most beautiful flower among them, which shone brightly in the moonlight. She gestured me to take a seat beside her on a bench. As we both sat down I couldn't help but gaze at her.

Third Person Pov

They both sat beside each other saying nothing but feeling each others presence. For the first time in their lives they felt so much alive. As slowly their loneliness was fading away they found themselves leaning in for a kiss. But none of them resisted and kissed each other gently, letting all their emotions out. Surprised, Ash pulled apart.

Ash: You know you shouldn't kiss someone you just met.

Y/n: And you are the one talking?

Ash: I am serious! You don't even know me! I can be quite dangerous!

Y/n: Ash I know you and also the fact that you are a vampire.

Ash: How?

Y/n: Your blood red eyes, your odd accent, the clothes you wear and the way you were all this time staring at my neck. It's just way too obvious.

Ash: Then aren't you scared?

Y/n: Why would I be? It might sound a bit ridiculous but you are the first person that has ever asked me if I was sad? No one has ever cared about me. I found you quite similar to myself that's why I called you here. I found comfort in you and I also feel quite safe around you. I somehow know that you wouldn't hurt me. Even if you bite my neck it's fine as I know the pain doesn't last longer than the pleasure accompaning it.

Ash: I guess you had read too many vampire fantasies? But yeah it's true. Wanna try out?

Y/n: Yes sure provided I don't turn into vampire.

Ash: You won't as there's a different ritual for that. I approached you because I felt the same way. I saw myself in you.

As Y/n slid her blouse as Ash blushed at the site. He took her permission and soon leaned in, heavily breathing her scent.

Ash: You smell so good!

Y/n blushed

Y/n: Then I guess you should have a taste.

Listening to these words drove Ash crazy and he couldn't control himself. He still managed to gently nibble and then bite her neck. As he started sucking out her life force he could tell that it was the sweetest blood he had ever tasted in ages. NO! He never had tasted anything like that. Y/n soon started moaning with all the pleasure that he was giving her. Hearing her moans Ash snapped out of it and detached himself from her comforting neck.

Ash: A-Are you ok Y-Y/n?

Y/n: Yes I am. Pl-please c-c-continue.

Seeing her in this state Ash couldn't help but smirk devilishly. He teased her.

Ash: Does it feel that good, my lady?

Y/n's cheeks burned

Y/n: Y-y-yeah i-it d-does.

Ash found her very adorable, he kissed her and after having a little more of her sweet blood he stopped. They both blankly stared at each other.

As all these emotions gave both of them narcolepsy they soon fell asleep in each others arms and in each others presence.

Next Morning

Y/n Pov

I was soon woken up by the bright sunlight hitting my face and the sting in my neck. Soon I saw beside me that Ash wasn't there instead there was a story book written as the Vampire's Flower. Looking at this I smiled wryly as I came to know that it was yet another of my fantasies to desperately find an escape from reality. Yet the sting in my neck said something else. Picking the book, I got up but a piece of paper and a blood red rose fell out of it. I quickly picked it up and read it.

It read, "Let's meet again soon, my beloved Y/n."

-only yours

Ash Ketchum

part 2??? maybe? Let me know if you want it.

[yumikattodl]

Diabolik Lovers Blood Bloued Dark no 3

꧁My reality... I lost everything... And can't go back. Not after all this time...꧂

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

Yumi murmured in her sleep. Slowly, she opened her eyes, realizing that she would have to get up for breakfast. Oh, Yumi didn't like getting out of bed, it was torture for her.

Yumi liked to sleep so she could be in her dream world.

Which, was just for her, everything there seemed to be without any evil. No one, there would hurt her because it was her world. Yumi, slowly rolled, out of bed stretching.

The dark blue-haired girl went to the chair and took her school uniform from it. It seemed to her that the skirt was too short, bye red-eyed girl sighed heavily. She did not like to wear skirts at all, no dresses. It was not her style at all.

She picked up her school uniform, going to the bathroom to put on what she could call a school uniform. She walked slowly into the bathroom.

Closing the door behind her. The only, place good for reflection, to say the least, yumi thought. She sighed, heavily once again putting on her uniform, first the jacket, black in color, then the skirt. Yumi took a moment to look herself over in the mirror.

Maybe, it was her reflex that she needed to see how she looked. She picked up her blue and white pajamas lying on the floor, grabbed them in her hand, then walked back into her room. Putting down, things on the chair, she picked up her phone, unplugged it from the charger checking the time

5:30pm. Yumi had slept through breakfast and dinner. Now she had to go to dinner at 6pm.

Yumi, honestly would rather sleep now like she used to when she lived in the dungeons in eden.

Yumi still checked to make sure her phone had 100% charge Yumi took to her pocket hid her phone and left her room. Walking to the dining room she thought about kou " He will be cruel again?to her after all, they didn't even know each other he was so selfish." It seemed to Yumi that all the vampires in this mansion were like that. "Cruel selfish. " But, she didn't want to admit it was true.

꧁She had hope and that's what's lost the most. Just like the mermaids who led fishermen to their doom with their singing.꧂

The navy blue haired woman walked down a staircase lined with a huge navy blue carpet and descended from the first floor. The mukamich residence had a western style.

꧁Yumi in this residence felt like an animal, trapped with no way out.꧂ Grabat-hair knew how an animal in a trap felt.

꧁They were the hunters and she was the helpless animal.꧂

Yumi came down the stairs turned right saw a door ajar. She went in there after thinking for a while.

She took a seat next to the kou. Because there was a seat there, it was vacant, there were still 2 seats vacant but those looked like a guest seat which was better not to occupy.

- Kou don't take all the shrimp for yourself!!! - yuma's voice rang out.

- Ha! First come, first served! - Shouted the blond kou trying to take but yuma raised his hand higher and kou did not manage to take the shrimp from the plate.

Kou made a sad, face. Which at the same time looked adorable.

In its own way. And yuma- kun put the shrimp on the plate, azus'y.

─You, eat too ─ he spoke towards yumi, ruki came in with a plate of shrimp.

Kou immediately grabbed at the food. Yuma shouted at him not to take anything for himself.

─ It's all right," said Yumi, looking at her plate. Yumi didn't take much food like the day before.

She took very little. Maybe, say, a handful.Which did not escape the attention of yum'y and kou. But, both of them through dinner said nothing about it.

꧁ Wasn't yumi hungry? Didn't she taste ruki's cuisine - kun? ꧂ They could only guess for the rest of dinner. ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

After yumi -san's dinner, I decided to take a walk around the garden.

She thought nature was wonderful. Yumi still had an hour to school before she would, with the vampires ride in the limousine. Most in the world, now she wanted to avoid going to school, she was afraid. His persecutors.

꧁People can be terrible sometimes. It only takes so little, and they begin to be, jealous. For a good reason. ꧂

While Yumi was in the garden, she noticed ripe strawberries, and as much as she wanted to try them, she vowed to herself that the next time she was in the garden, she would definitely try those delicious strawberries. She would definitely try those delicious strawberries.

Then she walked slowly back to the mansion. When she entered, she met her "boyfriend"

Kou at the entrance, was he waiting for her? She was puzzled by this thought but, thinking of the kou as her boyfriend scared her a little. Kou can be really scary.

─ Hi, kitten," he said, pleased.kou's voice. He was happy to meet her.

─ Kitten, will you help me clean the kitchen today? Today it's my turn and I don't feel like it, so please do it for me.

The kou said, glancing at the girl with dark blue hair, who was shorter than him. Yumi hated cleaning, but she loved sleeping so that she could forget about her problems for a while.

Yumi hated cleaning and loved to sleep so that she could forget her problems for a while. I'll do it for you, Yumi was afraid, kou said.

꧁A life of fear is the worst thing that can be ꧂ ─ Thanks, kitties! I'll make it up to you later. said the blond boy cheerfully.

kou.

Yumi was afraid of that pay. After which, the blond man disappeared from her sight.

Yumi hurriedly went to the kitchen to wash the dishes, a chore she hated. The dark blue-haired girl hoped she could wash the dishes quickly because she hadn't even packed for school yet.

As Yumi washed the dishes, she dropped a plate and it crashed to the floor. Yumi trying to immediately pick up the glass pieces of the plate, cut her finger right away, blood flew from her finger.

On the floor, the vampires could smell it right away.

What's going on here? The vampires could feel it immediately. He came into the kitchen. He looked at the dark blue-haired woman and knew what was going on. Kou, again He put someone else in charge.

Ruki - kun, I will explain! -

─ I was cleaning up and the plate slipped. ─ I was cleaning up and the plate slipped and broke, Yumi explained. Ruki, at that moment, was more tempted by her blood. Ruki wasn't crazy about Yumi, but when it came to blood, she had to have it.

In that case, you must be hopeless at cleaning. He did not miss Yumi, but when it came to the blood, she must be hopeless at cleaning up. Yumi's eyes glazed over at these words, but she would not cry.

꧁ Was she really hopeless likewas she told? ꧂

People, after all, are not born defeated you have to acquire these skills yourself.

─ I'm sorry, but there are no perfect people in the world.

─ I'm sorry," said Yumi, but Ruki didn't seem to notice. Ruki was arrogant and a bit self-confident.

He walked with an air of superiority. If they wanted to, they could get along.

But they were both too self-confident and arrogant to do so. A worthless man who is good for nothing," said Ruki, taking her bleeding finger to his face and biting her finger. Blood, Yumi was delicious. Sweet.

꧁In this mansion, if yumi wanted to survive she had to, quickly, learn that, there is no room for sympathy for her here. Vampires will never sympathize with her it drives them. ꧂

Yumi wanted to cry after Ruki's words, she wanted to show them that she was up to something but she had no way. I am not a "worthless person".

─ I am not a "worthless person", Yumi said, trying to defend herself.

If people were worthless, they wouldn't survive. "Did ruki hate people? Did he have reasons for that?"

The vampire was in the middle of a long road, but in vain, through her pleading, she felt an even greater pain.

But, in vain through pleading she felt even more pain, Yumi wailed in pain. Ruki, hated begging, it only showed weakness.

Ruki took yumi's finger out of her mouth, then bit her neck.

─ People are so pathetic. The vampire said. The blue-haired woman tried to pull herself together, but it was no use.

It only increased the pain.

─ Really, you are worthless. When you get lonely it only increases the pain.

Tears flowed from yumi's eyes. She wanted this hell to end. What was she being punished for? to be punished, to be in so much pain.

─ Worthless... ─ ─ She repeated before she fainted.

"Mukami, they remembered the wounds inflicted on them by people they couldn't forget. They were steeped in pain.

Mukami, they thought humans, were heartless. "

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

"They broke her. She, slowly breaking downThey inflict the wounded. "⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

[priohuq]

Okay, this is gonna be the kinda post that probably none of you follow me for, but you do follow me and now you must reap the consequences of that decision.

I've been watching Blood+ recently. It's an anime from 2005 vaguely based on Blood: The Last Vampire.

That's all the background context I care to give here, you have access to the same wikipedia I do.

Minor spoilers and major rambling follow. So if you like anime about girls killing monsters with a katana, maybe go watch it first. I'll wait.

Recent episodes (Here meaning, episodes I saw recently, regardless of actual release date) haven taken place in London/The UK. And, I was quite surprised at how accurately it seems to portray the UK?

Burger King, beer and soccer all exist internationally, but who the hell knows about Boots outside the UK? (If it's actually very well known then I'm about to find out just how sheltered from humanity I am and cry a bit.)

I also noticed some of the background noise on the streets of London seemed to actually have English voices in it?? Could have just been a stock sound effect, or maybe one of the creators went so far as to actually go to the UK and recorded some audio while there. Either way, it's a level of detail I really didn't expect to hear. I also have no idea how to look into what actually happened behind the scenes, if such things are on record.

Anyway, I get to episode 35 and I see this building.

The sign is way too blurred for me to read, but something about this building makes a spark in my brain. The scene that follows this shot, taking place inside the building, suggests that it's some kind of taxidermy museum. I'd recently had a conversation with a friend, about a museum I'd get taken to as a kid, which also had a lot of taxidermy in it. So I guess it was on my mind. (If you're curious, it was the Horniman museum. The walrus there taught me how to fear.)

My autism fully engaging, I take to google maps to see if this is even a real place. I went through EVERY MUSEUM IN THE UK with taxidermy in it. There were actually only like five, it really didn't take long.

It exists. Sadly lacking the sign with a zebra on it. It's the Natural History Museum at Tring and it contains dead things.

While looking into this place on wikipedia to write this up, I found that until 2007, it was called the Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum, which seems to match what the unreadable blurry screenshot above might say. The museum was initially the private collection of a Lionel Walter, 2nd Baron Rothschild, who happened to also be a big fan of zebras it seems.

My guess is that at least one person involved in the production of Blood+ had been to the UK, maybe even this museum in particular, and it ended up in the show. Again, I haven't looked up behind-the-scenes info, and don't even know if it's on record.

Something I do find interesting, is that in my admittedly very brief google searches, I couldn't find any references to this. Part of the problem is that "Blood" is also a word, so my searches were pulling in some medical related results. But even the Fandom (ick) wiki for Blood+, in the synopsis for the episode, just calls it a museum. That same wiki has pages for the Metropolitan Art Museum in New York, and the Vietnam History Museum in Hanoi, as they appear in other episodes.

I doubt I'm the first person to find this information, but I guess the cross section of people who saw Blood+, people who recognise or hunt for British museums they see in anime, and people who talk about these things on the internet is very small.

Seeing real places in media can be fun. I once spent a few hours looking up locations shown in Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth on google street view. On a different occasion I came across a collection of google map pins for the different locations in Steins;Gate.

I don't know how popular Blood+ was, or how good this museum is. I just find it weird that I couldn't find any record of this connection at all. But it's also more than possible that people did notice it, and I just couldn't find it. It feels like it should at least be a poorly worded item on an IMDB trivia page.

[impostorsshow]

I'm thinking about my 7 year old oc again

My "little" rant is below the read more so I don't clog up your feed and there's descriptions for the art with a bit more information in the alt text thingy. I add alt text with personal comments to most of my posts but I saw a post somewhere saying most people don't even realize the feature exists, so I'm just. I'm stating it here it exists I use it

While Jessica was experimented on by an entire institute, there was one main person overseeing the experiment, and that was the guy up there. The original experiment was to see what happened when you combined animal DNA with human DNA, since in this fake world genetic science is a bit farther than ours today, and this particular facility had successfully given animals different attributes, such as a rat gills and and chicken a tail like that of a cat. Despite both those creatures dying within hours, this corrupt motherfucker decided to try and get a human subject, and Jessica's family needed the money. Thankfully, not only did the test of giving her dog dna [idfk I'm a cat person give me a break on the breeds] worked, it turned out she was much harder to kill, and had not grown as expected from a 14 year old girl who's going through puberty and in turn growth spurts.

Anyway yada yada she broke out find out she's immortal whatever. Other notes :

She has a brother. I forgot his name but he did have a name, and was later submitted to the facility before her family found out she was missing at the age of 19 and survived, but he gained a compromised immune system and I might give him mobility aids. His color scheme is mainly green and yellow and I always think of those aesthetic pictures of the shoreline when I think of him. Jessica meeting her brother [now technically 23] is a very big help to her recovery, and while her brother is accepted and loved in their home town, Jessica can't bring herself to come back and usually asks him to visit her on the edge of town or at her house, usually bringing along friends. Eventually the main scientist dies by her hands and she covers it up ["cmon gromit, we have to hide the body! There's not cheese and crackers in hell, gromit!" /ref], and a few years later the facility is shut down due to malpractice and Jessica slowly starts to actually visit the town and her parents. They never have the same relationship they used to, but her parents are just happy she's safe and sound and being taken care of.

Jessica will eventually outlive Flora and inherit her belongings, as Flora lived alone her entire life, her photography career and later Jessica being more than enough to make her happy. Jess would start managing her social media when she got older, and never had the heart to delete anything, inviting her distant family to the funeral and arranging for her to be buried in the woods near her home. She's still visibly 14, and would simply live later with her brother in Floras old home and take care of it the best she could. Her story is about moving forward, and as such, you could say she has an infinite epilogue, rather than my other ocs who never get an ending, and the ones that do are frozen at the very end of it, not meant to go any further.

Jessica isnt meant to be aroace, but I heavily imply it because her never aging causes complications, and this isn't really a vampire example. She and her brother are the only one of their kind, and her brother is still destined to fall at some point, aging slowed dramatically rather than completely stopped. I used to consider giving her a love interest for hours on end, but eventually her being 14 would interrupt it and I just gave up. Flora however, is aroace, sex adverse and is the reason she chose the lifestyle she did.

Speaking of Flora, dispite living in the middle of nowhere in the woods, she's quite the extrovert. She loves nature, and used to be a wildlife ranger before her photography career took off, and often travels around the world to capture wildlife. When she found Jessica and found out she had run away from home, and didn't ask any questions after until they had more trust built up between them, simply providing shelter and care that eventually became a permanent roommate situation. She slowly worked up to taking jobs around the world again, but now that Flora had someone to come back home to, she booked her flights to make sure she could be home as much as possible. I think if Jessica was a normal girl and somehow found her way to Flora, they would spend weeks in Paris and Britain together, Flora never leaving Jessica behind on her trips. Unfortunately, werewolf science experiments would never get past TSA.

I don't know if I've ever said this but hey I'll say it again she used to have actual wolf dna, hence werewolf, hence Jessica Winterwolf, but I learned to draw wolf ears from gacha life and I genuinely didn't know what to do about it and couldn't think of another way of drawing them without them looking like cat ears, so I just made them floppy like a pug. Also Winterwolf is because winter is Jessica's favorite season.

Similarly with Jessica's ears originally being gacha life, I actually conceptualized her fully for the first time with a designed I liked in there, and one of the bits that stuck was the fact that she has crescent shaped pupils that are a lavender shade.

Her existence was heavily inspired by a series named "Harrowed Past" which has now been taken down by the creator, but the characters still live on, you can probably find it if you search up "pip and twitch thedragonhat" which I think is who made it?? Oh well I'll edit the post later if I'm wrong. Twitch was actually the first piece of art/fanart I ever made with the purpose of getting better at art, and I really wish i still had it, but I can't even find a picture i took of it or anything. Unfortunately, the character is really hard to find since his name is shared with the giant streaming site Twitch. I haven't watched the guys stuff in a long while but I think he uses twitch as his main vtuber for streaming nowadays which is cool.

[elgascreamslikehell]

Trick or Treat! 🧟‍♀️

You're the treat! ❤️❤️❤️

But that's a little trick for you!

****

'Bobby, what's about your costume?', - Athena laughs, putting the last jack-o'-lantern on the table.

'I'm a Christmas decoration.', - he's trying to be serious but not that he's good at this: 'You see, I have lights and ornaments and mistletoe.'

'I see. And did you see the date? It's Halloween'

'I know. Trust me. It would be fun', - he breaks a smile and leaves a light kiss on her cheek.

Idea of a Halloween party came to them last week, so preparations were quick, but at least Bobby won over Athena's plan of dressing up as a police officer, her 'I'm technically a sergeant, so it's a fun costume' couldn't stand a chance. 

So now she's dressed up as a vampire and to be frank Bobby finds it rather seductive than scary but who's he to judge - with all this Christmas lights and stuff. On the other hand, and hell it's hard to get used to - that's his wife. If he can imagine that six years ago? Not even close. 

'Everything will be fine, Bobby, hey, if you find it interesting - why do you even question your team? Anyway, we need some time with brains off, right? And now, please, set up the fire, you know it takes some time'

***

First to show up are Hen and Karen, dressed up in something... Something... Athena exhales: 'What are you two?'

'We are NORMAL', - they laugh. They are both in striped suits but Karen's stripes are horizontal and Hen's - vertical. Hen smiles: 'It was my wife's idea, you know she's a sweet little nerd, so... Normal in geometry is something perpendicular so we're perpendicular and at the same time we're normal cause in a real life we are anything but normal and okay, even i hear it's gibberish'

'It's fun!', - Karen is quite stubborn on this: 'Okay, so we're first? And where's.. hm?'

She scoffs when there are mistletoe leaves touch her head

'Well, girls, you know the rules', - so that's why he dressed up like this? Athena smiles. 

'Yes',- Hen tries to move: 'It works only on Christmas'. 

'Take today as Christmas in disguise, Hen. It's an adult Halloween, we could make adjustments!', - there's totally something behind this idea but Athena can't see what. And it makes her a little nervous.

Hen tries to argue more and then Bobby turns his lights on what makes her laugh, because apart from lights this thing sings. Very badly 

'Okay, okay! Just turn it off, I have no idea it has a sound and it's awful!'

She kisses Karen on the tip of her nose and laughs when she hugs her.

Then the hallway is too crowded to stand over every couple, so Bobby is just walking between guests, now and then taking out his mistletoe and turning on the singing lights, making everyone laugh uncontrollably. And Athena just watches him, smiling, which makes him come to her with this mistletoe several times in a row.

Finally she corners him: 'Okay, spill it. Why? Do you take all this 'adult' thing too literally?'

He frowns, trying to look offended: 'No. I just set the mood' , - she's not convinced: 'For what?'

'You'll see'.

***

Of course Buck is late. He promised to give Eddie a lift so ...he spent half an hour laughing over his costume

'What's the hell, Eds?!'

Eddie, bright red and visibly mad, answers for the fifth time: 'It's a cowboy. From the anime Chris watched on Netflix. Wasn't it you who shared the subscription with him? So it's your fault!'

'How come? I never told him to watch it!', - Eddie is still a little mad: 'Still. It's your fault. By the way, why are you dressed up as a cowboy?'

Buck exhales. He has an explanation but it could revive the lightning memories and he doesn't want it today. Not for himself, not for Eddie: 'No reason, just thought it could be fun'.

***

When they show up everybody are already a little tipsy and very festive. 

'Okay, guys, you're late, so...', - Maddie finally sees their costumes and freezes for a second before bursting with laughter: 'Anyway! Take your pumpkin shot and go play with us, you need to come up with an idea of where your costume would be appropriate! Every idea we can break is punished by another pumpkin shot.', - she smiles wider. Looks like she herself hasn't come up with a strong enough idea yet, what is reasonable, she dressed up as a Peppa pig - apparently Jee Yun finally starts to have fun with the shows.

***

'I think it's cheating', - Chim scoffs. His costume is Mazzy and it took Buck some time to get, he was pretty sure it is an Oscar the Grouch or Grinch or their unexpected baby. 

'What?', - Eddie finally smiles. Buck can't stop looking at him.

'Buck is a cowboy. It's easy. And you are just a guy in a suit!'

'I'm a guy with a gun. In a suit.',- he smiles wider and Buck's heart misses a beat. Hell. It's bad. He shouldn't. 

And here is Bobby. His shots - and he has a lot - were just pumpkin spice latte, but nobody can say he's not enjoying this evening. 

Athena catches his eye and suddenly everything is in place. There are two cowboys and a mistletoe. What can go wrong?

***

'What's that?',- Eddie looks confused when he sees greens over his head. Buck, standing less than a foot to him, chuckles:

'Really, it's not even Christmas yet! And Eddie is standing here alone, so it doesn't count!'

'Well',- It's Chim: 'He stands there with you'

Now Buck is also confused. And blushing profusely.

'I'm not sure... It's... Erm...'

Eddie interrupts him with a very suspicious - for Buck's taste - smile: 'It's just a game, right? Or you have something strictly against it? I mean...'

And there's Maddie: 'Evan, what's wrong with you? You know the rules, and you saw Chim kissing Josh and you laughed, now it's our turn'

Both of them - Chim and Josh -  frowns synchronously, making others just laugh more.

It's not the issue. He really has something against it but not for the reason you all think. 

'Buck?',- he missed a moment, when laughing stopped and now Eddie's voice is too loud in the silence: 'Did it offend you? Even i think it's just a silly joke'

Silly joke. Right. Man up, Evan Buckley!

'No, I'm fine! Come here! We're totally better than Josh and Chim'

'I'm not sure it's a...', - Bobby has no chance to finish his sentence.

Buck jumps into the kiss like people jump into the water. He thinks, it can't be that bad. He thinks, Eddie can be patient for once. He thinks...

But then there's hands around his face and Eddie answers so passionately Buck just stops thinking.

***

'How do you think, if they mentioned that I took mistletoe away like three minutes ago?'

To be fair - they didn't.