#fuck i feel like some random mutt trying to be a show dog

[canis-dies]

found something new to chew on :)

[mewintheflesh-2]

How would you go about designing fusions?

Like, I think my design for Razor looks more silly than scary (mainly the beak face why are beaks so hard) and I don't know if it fits with the rest of them.

Im honestly not 100% sure about the process of how I do it! 😭 I guess I just do?????? But I’ll try my best to explain my thought process even if it might be what you were already thinking/doing

I think mostly what I do is look for very prominent features on the Pokémon first, like for example, the legs of a Zoroark, its claws, and its face markings. That, and its ears. I also take notice of how on some parts of the body there’s longer fur jutting out of places like the elbows or the hips. With Mutt, who to be honest I haven’t made art of in a long time but I don’t feel the need to change him that much, I just compiled all of the features I thought defined the Pokémon and found ways to incorporate them into/onto the human body.

With Alexandra (Dragonite girl) I took the antenna, wings, and big tail as main points of the design I wanted to incorporate into her and found ways I liked it. I used them in pretty basic ways, but I did replace her ears with miniature Dragonite wings as well, as I was inspired by some art (of which I don’t know the fandom of) where there were bird-people with wings for ears.

If a Pokémon has distinct legs I will incorporate those by replacing the human legs entirely, and if the Pokémon has claws I’ll replace their fingernails with those instead. Pretty basic stuff though

I think almost all of the fusions that I’ve posted about so far aside from Parasect Girl have tails too, so that’s a little funny to me.

Also, I don’t always make every Pokémon part completely proportionate to the human body, with a certain fusion that will go unnamed, instead of shrinking fhe Pokémon’s “tail” to be how a normal sized tail would be for a human, I made the tail big and thick, which would no doubt get in the way of normal living, but that’s one thing that’s consistent with most all of the fusions. It disturbs their ability to live “like a normal human would” even if they tried their hardest.

Fusions can also take away senses and disable you to some degree. Like for example, Parasect Girl has extremely low vision and relies mostly on hearing to tell where things are/what’s happening. As a result her hearing has gotten very very good.

I think my main thing when designing fusions is that I’m not afraid/hesitant to make their bodies impractical/take away vital limbs for living/adding limbs that actively inhibit them. If you got your legs replaced with a dogs or a birds, wouldn’t you feel disoriented too?

One fusion I made also has a beak, a tentacruel fusion, but for that one I ended up making the squid beak act as weird lips. The actual “beak” design parts on the tentacruel ended up going other places, like jutting out of her arms.

ALSO another thing I like to do is spare no expense when it comes to adding details. Fuck “over designing” do what you want forever. Though that doesn’t mean that designs can’t get incomprehensible, it’s a somewhat delicate process (I guess??? It comes easy to me so I’m not sure.) ANYWAYS if you see an empty spot on the body and you’re not sure if you want it to stay empty or not, go ham and try out as many things as you want until you’re happy with it!! It might take a bit but what doesn’t when it comes to character design?

For a clearer example that might show my line of thinking more, I’ll generate a random Pokémon and brainstorm what a human fusion of it might look like.

Okay so I generated a Pokémon and I swear to god

SLUGMA BA- [gets shot]

This one is a little difficult since it doesn’t have too many distinct details if you just look at it at a glance.

let’s list off some features of it first!

Okay, so: Yellow pointed eyes, antenna like features coming from the head, very goopy, and also RED.

Also taking into account how hot the temperatures slugma gives off.

So. Let’s take a human, and try to fuse them together. More often than not when I get a pre-evolution fusion, I make them a child/just generally a younger person. However I think that for this we’ll just go with no age in particular.

So! First, I think the extreme temperatures wouldn’t fuse well with the human body, it would make them very melty/goopy. I would likely add little drips of their skin at their lips, and maybe even take away their legs in their entirety. Maybe they could just be a torso and melty pile of searing hot goop/flesh/magma beneath them? I think i would make it magma just to keep more of the Pokémon incorporated into the design. I would make the whites of the eyes yellow, make their eyes a more almond/pointed shape, and their irises either black or piercing bright red.

I think their hands would be a little goopy as well. Perhaps their hair would be melting/dripping over their head/face or maybe even acting similar to those visual heatwaves you see when it’s super hot outside! Now for someone who is literally searing hot and melting, I don’t think they would have any resemblance of clothes, but since their body is so melty, I don’t think it’d matter to be covered up too much. I think at some point as the flesh melts and drips off, it turns into magma. It’ll never be anything but complete magma when it falls off of the fusions body unless you actively take it off. (Looking at you FUSE. He’d probably be very curious how they’d taste.).

I think they’d have fire jutting out of their forehead in the shape of the fire antenna, or maybe it’d be their hair instead standing up and waving like flames in a strange way. I think they’d leave a constant burn/melting trail behind them, melting the floors as they slug around, and melting anything if they get too close. They’d likely have to be fed/given water similar to water tribe prisoners in ATLA (That one girl who taught Katara blood bending). Speaking of water, I don’t think they’d be able to get anywhere near it, it would hurt them severely, but that would mean they couldn’t drink water whatsoever. Maybe they don’t need water to live? Would they even have blood anymore? Or would it have all been boiled out of their body? Questions like these, questioning how Pokémon anatomy/natures would pair with humans/human behaviours is also important to designing fusions for me. I’m not sure exactly how important it is for it, but it’s definitely a part of what I think about when designing fusions.

Let’s try another shall we?

Wartortle! This is a nice design.

Something I immediately take notice of is the feathery ear like projections out of its head, along with its feathery tail. Boom, replace their ears with the feathery protrusions, and give them their feathery tail. I think their hair would also look similar to their ear protrusions, a wavy ocean look. Their arm hair, if they have any, would probably look the same, same for their leg hair. Wartortle’s also got white claws coming out of its hands, so those go onto the humans hands as well.

Then of course there’s the shell. You could make it look like a weird backpack, but that’s not something I would do personally. Especially since I’d want them to have the ability to hide in their shell. I would make the shell larger than their body, which would probably limit their movement quite significantly. Now about the front of the shell, I’m not sure how that would work out. If it’s proportionate to the back of the shell, then that would limit their movement even more. But if we strike a good balance of size, they can still move around decently while still being able to hide away in their shell. Now I like that a lot better. Their mouth would likely be wider than normal human mouths, and they would have decently sharp canines poking out of their lips. Their eyes would also be decently slanted and red, or atleast instead of slanted, would be in a permanent “im pissed off” look.

Okay so I actually really like the Wartortle concept a lot so I think I’ll keep them. TEEHEE >:3c

Oh yeah! Also another thing, specifically with Momo, is that Furfrou’s ears are pretty large/long compared to their head, so I exaggerated that to an extreme for her, making them go down to her middle-upper leg.

ALSO when it comes to clothes, pretty much all of the fusions have clothes that they wear, even if it’s just a shirt (See Mutt and Momo.). Unless it’s a Slugma fusion situation, they will pretty much always have atleast one article of clothing. I don’t put distinguishable human nudity in any of the fusions, the closest you’d get to that is Mutt if he didn’t have a shirt on, or like I mentioned, the Slugma Fusion.

I hope this helped literally at all!!!!!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 I’m not even sure if this made sense in any way at all aside from the impromptu fusion design brainstorming

[tomhardyspinkyfinger]

Dog Rescue

Masterlist

Request:

Love the Tommy fics! I was wondering about something with Freddie. I know he's such a jerk in the show. But maybe something smutty and sweet, where he's single and meets someone that stirs feelings in him he's not used to. Real feelings, etc. I need me some smutty but sweet Freddie.

A/N: Another request fulfilled! I hope you enjoy anon :) This one reminded me a lot of The Drop while I was writing it. Not really sure why I followed the plot loosely but I love dogs and I love hardy characters with dogs so I figured why not.

Warning: Language, smut, descriptions of drugs, talk of drug usage, animal abuse mentions.

Freddie was stewing in his own self loathing again. After his recent stint in prison his parole officer insisted on random and common drug tests. Freddie was grateful to be out of prison, but being off the snow was driving him mad.

Freddie sat in a park late at night, trying to force himself to eat the burger he got from the fast food joint down the block. He gagged at the first bite and instead decided to sit and feel miserable in his withdrawal from coke. While sitting in this dark park on an isolated bench, rustling from beside him disturbed his misery.

He looked to his side to see a scraggily mutt attempting to snag his half eaten burger from the bench. Freddie snatched it up and the dog cowered for a moment before sitting patiently at his feet, awaiting the food. He hesitated before unwrapping the burger from it's foil and tossing the sandwich to the dog.

While the dog ate Freddie closed his eyes and leant back on the bench, trying to regulate his body temperature by focusing really hard. He was shivering from the cold of the night but covered in sweat. The dog scratched at Freddie's leg and Freddie kicked the mutt off with a bit of force.

The unsettling squeak that left the dog after he kicked it caused him to open his eyes and get a better look at the mutt. It was rather cute, dirty but cute. It looked just like the tramp from the movie, Freddie thought. At closer inspection he realized the dog he had kicked had a few open wounds, nothing major but the dog seemed to be in pain.

Freddie tried his best just to ignore the thing, but the whining was getting to him.

"Alright mate, c'mon." Freddie muttered, taking off his leather jacket and wrapping the skinny dog, picking him up with ease. Freddie walked down the street, looking from his phone screen to the street names until he found the animal hospital he was looking for.

He entered the deserted office and rang the bell at the desk while holding the whining dog. A woman approached from a back room, her scrubs engulfing her body, her hair up in a messy bun. She looked down at the dog in Freddie's arms and leapt into action, taking it from her arms and rushing to a back room she emerged from.

Freddie followed cautiously, unsure if he should even still be here. He wiped the sweat off his brow and entered the room to see the woman was treating the dog.

"Is he yours? If so I'm calling the police on you for animal abuse, this poor dog is beaten to hell." She muttered while examining the dog.

"No the thing isn't mine, he was bugging me at the park." She glanced up at Freddie.

"You a druggie?" She questioned, still working on the dogs cuts. Freddie scoffed.

"The fuck makes you say that?" He asked, getting defensive.

"It's 2 in the morning, you’re dripping in sweat even though it's below freezing, and you said you found this guy in the park this late." She explained, wrapping up the dogs cuts after caring for them properly. Freddie huffed, she wasn't exactly in the wrong for assuming he was a drug addict.

"I'm in recovery, actually." He explained. She looked at him again.

"Recovery, right. I'm guessing it's not by choice?"

"Is the dog ok Sherlock? Or do you want to keep making assumptions about my life?" Freddie rolled his eyes at her. She ignored him and handed Freddie a bottle of some ointment.

"This goes on his cuts twice a day along with new bandages until the cuts heal, give him a bath after the fifth day of using it. He's covered in dirt, surprisingly no fleas so no risk of him infesting your home." She explained, scratching behind the dogs ear. The dog was laying on the table half asleep, clearly exhausted.

"No. The dog isn't mine I'm not taking this mutt home." Freddie said.

"Right well that's a shame, he isn't microchipped so he'll go to the shelter. If he isn't adopted within enough time he'll be put down. Unfair you went the lengths to bring him here to save his life only to write his death sentence." The woman spoke, giving Freddie the ultimate guilt trip.

"Good god woman! Fine give me the mutt I'll take it home. What do I feed it? Does it need it's own toilet for the first few weeks?" Freddie questioned cluelessly. The woman's eyes widened. She glanced at her watch and sighed.

"I'm still on the clock for a few more hours, just take him home for now and make sure he has a bowl of water, walk him before bed in in the morning so he can go to the bathroom, and hide anything you don't want eaten, chewed, or fifthly." She handed him a card with her information on it.

"Call me tomorrow afternoon and we can go the pet store together to make sure he has what he needs." She picked up the mutt and placed him in Freddie's arms. As Freddie was leaving she called out.

"Hey druggie, make sure you get a class of water in you before bed, a dead owner will be no good for the dog." The woman said. Freddie cracked a smile and nodded.

"Thanks. I'm Freddie, I'll see you tomorrow...?"

"Y/N."

"Y/N." He repeated with a smile before leaving. Once home, the dog was rather relaxed. Freddie assumed it was a long day for the dog, so when it curled up on the floor of Freddie's room and passed out, he left it to rest before climbing in bed and falling asleep himself.

The morning was awful. Freddie awoke to a slobbery kiss on his moist skin. When he opened his eyes, the mutt was in his face which was actually kind of nice for a change. What wasn't nice was when Freddie sat up and saw the room in disarray. What was once a relatively tidy room was a tornado of shredded clothes and shoes. When he left bed and entered the den, things were worse.

The dog had left a nice present on Freddie's rug surrounded by more shredded clothes, pillows and a few crisp bags the dog had managed to snag off the counter. After an hour of angrily cleaning while to dog watched with perked ears, Freddie decided to call Y/N.

"Hello?" Y/N's voice came through.

"Hi Y/N, It's Freddie. I'm going to kill this dog." Her melodic laugh filled the other end and started to calm Freddie.

"I'm guessing you didn't take my advice and the dog shredded the flat?" Y/N said, still giggling.

"Haha, very funny. Just please text me the address for this damned pet store so I can get this thing some toys." Freddie said with a smile on his face. Y/N agreed and they disconnected the call.

About an hour later, Freddie, Y/N, and the dog were wondering around a pet store. Freddie watched as Y/N threw in items Freddie found less than necessary. He picked up a fluffy toy duck and squeezed it. The dog perked up from the cart and snatched it from Freddie, squeezing loudly.

"For his size you'll need to be buying these big bags about twice a month." Y/N explained. Freddie's eyes widened as she put two giant dog food bags on the bottom shelf of the cart. Freddie kept pushing and watching as she threw more items in. The dog was lapping up each new item, sniffing everything in excitement. Freddie scratched behind his ears. Y/N noticed and smiled.

"He have a name?" She asked. Freddie shook his head.

"I was thinking maybe Sparky? Or Tramp?" Freddie suggested. Y/N chuckled for a minute.

"What about Cain? Cain and Abel, Canine.... crack cocaine." She suggested. Freddie let out a loud laugh in the aisle.

"You're fucked, babe." Freddie said, still laughing like he hadn't in months. She laughed along with him and they continued on shopping.

"How'd you know it was coke?" Freddie questioned curiously. Y/N shrugged.

"I've been in your position before. Five years clean now." She spoke while placing a collar and two dog bowls in the cart for Cain to sniff.

"Bloody hell, I'm only a few weeks clean and still itching, how did you get through it?" He asked.

"I literally threw myself into being a veterinarian, I studied every time I got the urge to relapse, and now here I am, clean and happy. That's why I talked you into keeping him, putting your energy into caring for him not only builds a healthy bond but it keeps you focused on anything other than snow." She explained. Freddie nodded and pet Cain again.

"Thank you for your help, really. I'm sure I looked off my fuckin' rocker when I came in last night. These last few days have been hell but I think I'm on the come up." Freddie explained.

"I'm glad. You didn't frighten me or anything, after a few stints in rehab I joined a group full of people like you going through the same thing. You just needed some guiding." Y/N shrugged like it was the simplest thing in the world when in reality, her meddling could have saved Freddie from a lifetime of addiction and jailtime. The went to checkout and paid for the items. Y/N led him to the machine that prints dog tags and started helping Freddie fill out his information.

"So have you decided on a name now?" She questioned again. Freddie smirked and typed in 'Cain'. The couple laughed as the tag printed. Freddie put on Cain's new color and attached the tag. They went there separate ways afterwards, Y/N encouraging Freddie to call her if he needed any help with Cain.

When Freddie got home he completely redecorated the flat. What was once a bachelor pad is now a fully renovated dog palace. Cain had over 100£ worth of new dog toys in his own designated toy basket. Along with toys was a new bed and blanket for him, new food, dog bowls, biscuits, a lead, and a few different collars to choose from. Freddie felt good about this, he needed something in his life to balance him and Cain would be it.

The two spent the day doing simple commands from the training book Y/N got Freddie. After a few hours Cain could sit, stay, bark, and play dead. Freddie was accomplished until Cain lifted his leg and peed on the arm of Freddie's couch. Potty training was next on the list.

After a few weeks Cain and Freddie spent every waking second together, going to parks, training, and building a bond as Freddie began to lose his dependency on drugs and alcohol. Y/N was there to witness it all. They took Cain to the dog park together every other day to check up on Cain's progress, but really it was a way for Y/N to check on Freddie and a way for Freddie to get to know Y/N better.

One night as Freddie and Y/N sat in Freddie's apartment after giving Cain a bath, Freddie got real with Y/N.

"I've been meaning to really truly thank you, Y/N."

"What for?" She questioned, scratching Cain's head, who slept between them on the couch.

"Everything. You helped Cain for me and forced me to keep him. Without him I'd either be dead, drugged up, or in prison right now. I'm not the best at expressing my feelings but I need you to know I'm grateful for everything you've done." Freddie poured his heart out and Y/N gently stroked his cheek at the end, leaning in and pecking his lips innocently.

"Watching you and Cain grow these past few weeks reminded me why I'm clean. You helped me as much as I helped you." Y/N spoke truthfully, she had been having dark thoughts surrounding relapsing before Freddie stumbled into her life. Freddie leaned in again and kissed her deeper this time, his hands on her waist. They both stood together, pulling at each others clothes. Cain popped his head up for a moment but decided he couldn't be bothered and went back to sleep on the couch.

The couple stumbled to the bedroom while continuing to pull at each others clothes until down to their underwear. Without disconnecting their kiss Freddie picked Y/N up, his hands sprawled across her back as he laid her on the bed. He kissed down her face and neck, moving to her ample breasts. She threw her head back and moaned when Freddie pulled her bra down and began sucking at her nipple, biting gently and eliciting louder moans.

He unclipped the bra and tossed it somewhere in the room, moving his mouth from one breast to the other, using his fingers on the one left without his mouth. She ran his fingers through his hair gently. He continued moving down, kissing as he went. She watched with hazy eyes as he lowered her panties and pecked her clit, teasing her. She moaned and spread her legs, showing her how ready she was for him.

He pressed his mouth on her opening and got to work, pushing his tongue in and out while his thumb toyed with her clit. He used his other hand to fondle her nipples between his fingers as he ate her with a purpose. She was mewling out Freddie's name, clenching her thighs around his head and gripping his hair. Before she could orgasm, he removed his mouth from her slit and kissed back up her body, meeting her lips as she tasted herself.

Freddie freed himself from his boxers and lined himself up and her slicked entrance. He looked at her for a moment.

"Please, Freddie." She moaned, holding his forearms that were at either side of her. He entered slowly and both of them let out loud moans. He began thrusting at a slow pace at first, letting her moan and mewl for him to speed up.

As per her wish he began thrusting his hips faster and harder, making Y/N moan louder and louder. He pulled out and flipped her onto her stomach suddenly, grabbing her hips and yanking them to meet his. He entered her again, this time going twice as deep. The room was filled with slaps and grunts as Freddie moved his hips in time with hers. He leaned over her back and intertwined his hands with hers, using his hips to keep pounding her the way she wanted.

"M'close Freddie." Y/N muttered out. He removed one hand and moved it under her, playing with her clit. Their moans continued, growing louder as they both reached the climax.

"Come for me then." Freddie commanded, out of breath. She complied, letting out the best moan yet, calling out Freddie's name for all the neighbors to hear. Freddie followed suit, entering his hot load inside of her. He pulled out and collapsed next to her, taking a deep breath. She laid across his chest breathing heavy as well.

"What do I need to do to have that happen again?" Y/N asked, out of breath. Freddie chuckled and stroked her head with his wide palm.

"How about going out with me?"

"Deal."

[wandering-travesty]

Off To The Races

 Zeke’s life wasn’t supposed to be like this. His father would have a spontaneous brain aneurism if he saw the daily goings on of the younger Yeager’s household on his days off. Horrid amounts of smoking outside, snow or shine, day-drinking without a second thought, and lonely, not by choice. He had honest-to-god tried to live the life his father wanted for him. He married a woman straight out of law school and knocked her up a few months after. They raised that kid for a year then repeated the process. They lived, laughed, and loved for a few years, then, as a surprise to no one, the divorce came along. His wife had run off with a lump sum of money and started a new life out of state. He got left with two kids, substance abuse issues, and a law firm to run. He was stressed, depressed, and by the holiest powers above, was he horny. 

 Ignoring the horniness for a moment, everything changed when you came around. Every inch of his world brightened, almost like a light at the end of a tunnel. You gave him some form of hope, and reminded him that life wasn’t all doom and gloom. You were still in college, looking for some extra funds to help pay your tuition; a lawyer that doubled as a father of two was the perfect target. You had shown up in your prettiest outfit, almost as if you were showing off for him. Being the kind of man he was, Zeke couldn’t help but hire you. Some sweet, fetching little thing coming up to his decadent doorstep in a tiny little tennis skirt and begging to take care of his kids? That was something he could never turn away. 

 So, you became the official caretaker of Zeke’s little angels. You truly adored looking after them while their, admittedly handsome, father slaved away at his big, important law firm. You rang the doorbell right as the kids were waking up, Zeke greeting you at the door already dressed in one of his repulsively expensive suits. You talked over scones and coffee and made the kids just about anything they wanted. He would leave, and you would get the kids dressed and out the door with ample time to catch the bus. You’d clean the house, make yourself some lunch, play with the family dog. The golden retriever was just another cliche. But you still loved the mutt, especially since every family member loved him, too. You could tell because Zeke had named him after some long-dead baseball player, meaning he would be enamoured with the thing no matter what.  

 It was fun, picking up on little details about Zeke, or Mr. Yeager, as you called him. He loved baseball and would talk about it for hours on end if you let him, and he hated strawberry icecream for some unexplained reason. He was the face of success for his entire life, from being a star pitcher on his little league team back home to captain of the debate team in high school; he had never really failed at anything or gotten robbed of what he wanted. He was a winner in everything he had ever tried. He had mentioned how high-strung his parents were, and how they’d gone through a divorce of their own when he was young. He and his step-brother never got along that well, and had actually turned out to be very different people. His family life was anything but smooth, and he feared his kids would look back on their childhood in the same light. You guessed that’s why tonight was happening. 

 “Alright, I’m entrusting my children, dog, house, and painfully expensive belongings to you for the night.” He was dressed to the nines, hell, the tens. He wore an umber sport coat, mustard turtleneck sweater, a thick black belt, grey slacks, chestnut oxfords, and the most expensive golden watch you had ever seen. His flaxen hair shined perfectly in the low light of the entranceway; it was official: you wanted to fuck him. Rather, you wanted him to fuck you. You wanted him to fuck you stupid and make you squirt all over that pretty watch, and his even prettier face. 

 “I’ve got it covered, Mr. Yeager.” His youngest son wrapped his arms around your legs as the dog rubbed his head into your palm. “Knock ‘er dead!” You gave him your cheesiest smile and thumbs up. He chuckled at you as his eldest son grabbed your free hand. 

 “You’ve got this, Dad!” He cheered, starting to drag you to the living room. 

 “Thank you, Atticus. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He gave a weak smile, turning to leave through the large oak door. It was awful, how badly he wanted to stay there with you and the kids. He wanted to chase Atticus down the hall as the rest of you ran after him, laughing all the way. He wanted to put on some old, boring movie only he wanted to watch and feel your breath on his neck as you fell asleep just after the kids and dog sitting on the floor below you. He wanted to feel your warmth in his bed. He wanted to see what you looked like backed up against a wall. Heaving after an especially passionate kiss. With your legs over your head, screaming his name. The sweat dripping down your face as you came undone beneath him. The little whimpers you’d make as he pulled out of you and cradled you in his arms. He wanted you, not this random woman off of some shitty dating site. He didn’t really want the booze, or the men, or the women, or the money, or the white picket fence, or his father’s approval; he just wanted - no - he needed you. Your game of cat and mouse, seeing which playful “sweetheart” or coy little “Mr. Yeager” would be the one to tip you over the edge of more than friends.  

 “Zeke? That’s you, right?” The tall blonde woman in a sleek black suit walked towards him with an outstretched hand. She could’ve easily been a full foot taller than him. Interesting.

 “Yes. Yelena, correct?” But she wasn’t you. He just wanted to get this night of false wining and dining over with so he could come home to you. You in his big, expensive house. Better yet, his big, expensive bed.

 - 

 You sat and watched the clock after the kids went to bed. It ticked and tocked, back and forth, over and over. It had been about an hour since you’d put them down for the night. You couldn’t wait for Zeke to get home for much longer. Butterflies buzzed through your stomach when you heard the doorbell ring.

 “Mr. Yeager?” You opened the door to the sight of your employer with his shirt halfway unbuttoned, glasses falling off his face, and hair an absolute bird’s nest. 

 “Hey, beautiful.” He purred, slumping onto your shoulder, trying and failing to be smooth. “What’s a pretty thing like you doing in my house, huh?” He looked up at you over the rim of his glasses. The way his eyes glimmered a dark shade of teal lit your entire body on fire. Feeling his full weight on top of you only made it spread farther.

 “Babysitting your kids, for starters.” You maneuvered your bodies to have his arm wrapped around your shoulder as you dragged him back into the house. “Apparently I’ll be babysitting you, too.” You mumbled, just then realizing exactly how muscular he was. You sat him down on the leather couch and started to walk to the kitchen to get him a glass of water. You didn’t have much experience with alcohol, but you believed water helped with it somehow.

 “Damn. Loving the view from back here, gorgeous.” He leaned forwards with his elbows on his knees, licking his chapped lips. You jumped at the sudden compliment. You couldn’t remember him being so…dirty before. You walked a little faster than you already were, wanting to get away from him before you made a stupid decision. You poured a tall glass of water, walking back to the couch where Zeke was now lounging, legs spread far enough to leave barely anything to the imagination.  

 “Hey there, doll. Got somethin’ for me?” He giggled, lowering his head from where he had been resting it. His eyes were something to behold, and the deep rooted confidence and downright cockiness behind them only served to make you shiver. You shuffled closer, a bit skittish at the sight of the beast before you. 

 “It’s just water.” You sat down on the table in front of him. “It’s supposed to help with your metabolism, I think.” Your voice was a higher pitch than usual, feeling an odd pressure in your throat every time you spoke.

 “What a smart little thing you are.” He praised. It felt genuine, and you started to feel hotter. You handed him the glass, trying your best to avoid eye contact. He took the glass, and almost as if he had sensed your intentions, took your chin between his fingers and forced you to look into his deep, ocean eyes. He leaned back a bit, giving you a better view of his exposed chest. There was a light layer of golden hair overtop of his expansive chest, and it seemed to trail down the rest of his body. You wanted to find out if that was true. Still holding eye contact with you, he tipped the glass and send the water spilling down his shirt. You knew that wasn’t just drunken clumsiness, but a calculated measure to get in your pants.

 “Whoops.” He said, eyes cold and emotionless as his words. “You better clean that up, sweetheart. We both know I can’t take care of myself in this state.” You moved closer to him, hands unsure of where they were going. You were shaking a bit, and you didn't have a towel on you. You decided the best course of action was to unbutton his shirt the rest of the way. You felt down his chest, gently tugging on his nipples. He let out a soft groan as you continued to feel him up. 

 “You’re gettin’ a little handsy there, baby. You want something from me?” He pet your hair as you moved further down on his chest. You kissed and gave kitten licks, appreciating every inch and curve of his muscular form. You couldn’t get enough of him, try as you might.

 “I fuckin’ knew it.” He pulled you by your hair to force you to look at him.

 “Filthy little harlot.” He squeezed you cheeks, forcing your mouth open. You looked confused until you felt a glob of spit hit your tongue. You swallowed like it was second nature. 

 “You’re just here for my dick, huh?” You continued to kiss and lick down his abdomen, savoring every ounce of him you could; the smell of cinnamon, menthol, and saltwater hit your nose, intoxicating you further and further the more you breathed him in. “I bet it’s all you think about. Especially when those fingers rub that pretty little cunt until you cum all over yourself.” You let out a whine, signifying exactly how right he was.

 “Yeah.” You dragged your tongue up his six-pack, savoring the slightly salty taste. “Think about you every night.” You licked a stripe down the same line you had just gone up. “Only way I can get to sleep.” He smiled the warmest smile you had ever seen him produce. Such a sweet little thing for him, getting off to thoughts of him railing you silly in order to have a good night’s rest. Your submissive, horny mind was so focused on him you couldn’t get to bed without him. You were perfection in human form. Truly a goddess sent from above. He would worship you in the most degrading way possible.

 “I knew you were dirty, I just needed to force you to show me.” He continued to pet your hair like you were some kind of beloved family pet. You felt so small under his touch; so fragile, as if one touch could blow you away forever. You loved the feeling more than life itself. You felt like you could never live without it again. Touching yourself while thinking about him wouldn’t do the trick; not after you had felt the real thing.

 “That’s it, honey, kiss me like you mean it.” He teased, knowing exactly what was running through your head. Sure, he was no master of seduction, but he had bedded plenty before, and he knew exactly how talented he was. He had learned from years of experience; years you hadn’t yet lived. You would learn it all from him. Those little college boys he could smell on you every so often wouldn’t cut it anymore. He was meant for you, and you for him. He knew he already had you trapped, but playing with you was so fun. Poking and prodding and mocking you all while you worshiped him like he had hung the moon in the sky.

 “You love this body, don’t you, slut?” He pulled your hair suddenly, earning a yelp that went straight to his aching cock. “You know, I’ve only been keeping in shape for you. I knew from the moment you saw me that was the main appeal, and lord knows I’d go through hell to keep you around.” That was true. He knew others would settle for mediocrity, but a flawless little angel like you deserved better than mediocre. You needed someone to match your talent, beauty, and wit. He didn’t believe he equaled you in anything but maybe wits, but still, he was good for you. At least, you seemed to think so, considering you were giving tiny kitten licks to the tip of his recently freed dick. The tip was red, swollen, and leaking a sinful amount of precum. You sucked it all up, taking the engorged head between your plush lips. You felt like heaven, but the ache in your pussy felt like hell. You slowly began to go the full length down his cock. Zeke was right: you had messed around with college boys before, but none were as big as him. Your gag reflex wasn’t prepared, causing you to choke and sputter on it. Zeke grinned slyly.

 “Say my name, sweetie.” He wanted to treat you right, but it was so enjoyable to indulge his sadistic side.

 “Mr. Yeager.” You choked out. You knew how much he enjoyed that title; the feeling of authority it brought him made him hard as a rock every time. He groaned in pleasure, sending shivers down your spine. That knocked him off his rhythm for a moment, but he was right back on you the minute he regained some sense of self.

 “The kids are right upstairs, peacefully sleeping, while you choke on my dick like a dumb little slut.” The thought made you feel so dirty. You shifted on the ground, squeezing your thighs together and trying to get some friction. “And you do it so well, baby. I couldn’t ask for better.” He sighed.

 “That’s it, pretty girl, don’t hurt yourself down there.” He slowly pulled you off his cock by your hair. He didn’t want to admit it, and really didn’t show any signs, but you had him on the verge of cumming down your throat. But he didn’t want his precious seed there. Hell no! He wanted you stuffed to the brim and properly bred.

 “I’ve wanted you for so goddamn long, you don’t even know.” The look on tour face was something beyond pleasure or pain. It was a mix of both with a side of...fear? “What, scared of taking something this big, doll?” You shook your head.

 “Don’t worry, daddy’ll get you nice and wet for him.” He slowly came to hover over you, lifting you up and sitting you down on the couch. He spread your legs, undoing the button of your shorts with his long, thick fingers, bringing his mouth to your zipper and pulling it down with his teeth. He pulled them down your legs, bringing his face to your core. You felt hot on his mouth and nose. He licked a wet stripe up your clothed core,

 “God, you taste like honey, sweetie. I’m so fuckin’ lucky.” He pulled your panties to the side, relishing in the sight of your puffy pussy. You were beautiful in the murky yellow light of the room. You folds shimmered with slick and he could see your cunt clench around nothing, so obviously desperate for his dick. That’s right, his dick. Only his. From now on.

 He dove into you, savoring your tangy flavor. Pussy was a taste all its own, each having new, intense, rich tastes he could barely describe. To be perfectly honest, Zeke was a sucker for a wet little cunt in his mouth, and you were the perfect subject. Every suck to your clit, every kiss and lick to your folds, every darting flick of his tongue into your aching little hole; it had you moaning and whimpering like a ditzy little slut. Your mind was hazy with ecstasy.

 “Don’t get too loud now, dollface. Don’t wanna wake the kids now, do you?” His words brought you back to Earth, forcing you to remember you were being eaten out by a father of two. It felt so filthy to know you had been bringing up his kids, acting as a faux wife, and now you were being treated like one, eaten out of your mind and promised a thorough breeding.

 “Not that I don’t believe you would get off on being watched. I bet you love that idea, huh?” You jolted at the words and the sensation of another kiss to your cunt. “It might sound a little sick, but I could invite my brother over, see if he has as good a taste as mine.” He’d be willing to invite Eren over for a test run of…you? You knew they didn’t get along, so it was surprising, but that only turned you on even more. Imaging them fighting over you like hungry wolves on the hunt. They’d ravish you without even thinking. If this was Zeke, held back, on his own, you could only yelp and whimper at what kind of monsters the two of them would be together.

 “Nah, that little shit doesn’t deserve you.” He smirked into your sopping wet core. Eren never appreciated the finer things in life, still to young to understand the joys of pussy eating. No, he was more for the fuck and chuck kind of lifestyle. You deserved better aftercare than a point towards the door. “Some of the guys at my firm, however. Bet they’d turn you out real nice. They’re all just about as big and pent up as me. We could all show you a real good time." That would be about…three, four, even five of him? All fucking you at once with the same vigor and deep seated intensity. You head buzzed at the thought. "You’d like that, wouldn’t you, whore?” You couldn’t keep up with him in this state. You were completely fucked out without even being fucked at all. Before you knew it, you were cumming all over his gorgeous face and beard. He was taken slightly aback, but he licked it all up in five seconds flat. He was a professional.

 “Answer me, doll.” He delivered a harsh slap to your thigh. He enjoyed the ripple it gave and the red mark his hand had left.

 “Yes, Mr. Yeager.” You stuttered out, barely above a whisper. Torturing you would be fun, but not tonight. No, he needed to be thorough with your pleasure and ensure you would never leave his side again. He gave a few light slaps to your slippery pussy, making your thighs shake and mouth move without making a sound.

 “That’s what I fuckin’ thought.” He slowly stood up, giving you a perfect view of the shining god before you. His body was something sculpted by the old masters; a true work of art. Before you could fully appreciate the image of perfection in front of you, he bent down just a bit, pushing your thigs back as far as they could go, squishing your tits under them. He enjoyed the way your pudgier parts stuck out, giving him more parts of you to pinch and suck on as he fucked into you. His was no doubt the biggest cock you’d ever taken, and it wasn’t easy to have inside of you at first. Your walls clamped down on him so tight it was almost painful. But as he slowly pushed in and out, pleasure began to overtake the pain and you started to loosen up just a bit.

 “Just relax, sweetie. Daddy’s got you.” Of course he had a daddy kink. It made perfect sense, as did yours. Hearing him say that in that truly comforting tone made your head spin with pleasure.

"God, you are so fucking tight." He continued to fuck into you at a savage pace, not seeming to care if you screamed or cry, rather relishing in the fact that you were. You were so young and tight and sensitive, it drove him mad. He was sure he could never go a day without your pussy again.

"You fit me like a vice, sweetheart. You trying to milk me dry? Huh?" Your mouth was hanging open, drool spilling out. It gave him ample opportunity to spit in your mouth once again.

"Swallow it you filthy slut." He lightly tapped your face.

"This is exactly how I wanted you." You could barely hear him, blanking out at the intensity of his continuous pounding of your poor little cunt. "Been thinking about this for months."

"Might just knock you up, sweetie. You already take care of my brats so well, what's one more?" You squealed at the thought. He wanted you to have his babies. He wanted you to be his new, permanent play thing to fuck and fill up every night.

"Yeah. I wan' your babies." You slurred your words, inebriated by the feeling of his cock filling your tight little cunt. He gazed down at your fucked out form, finding a sick sense of pleasure in how far gone you were all thanks to him. You moaned far too loud for someone in a house full of kids. You couldn't hold back, he just felt too damn good.

"You gonna cum, little girl?" He had almost a mocking tone when he asked that. You nodded your head, squeezing your eyes shut. He kept up the pace, abusing your g-spot, not letting up for even a second. He set out to make you feel incredible; like the perfect little plaything he knew you to be, and he wasn’t going to let his slightly aged stamina get in the way.

"That's it, you look so pretty, baby. What a good little slut." He looked down at you with heated intensity. "My little slut." He continued his brutal pace almost as if you had never cum at all.

"Oh, 'd you think I'd quit just 'cause you finished? No fuckin' way." You squealed as he continued to thrust inside you, still drunk on the idea of being full of his cum. You wanted him more than you had wanted anything in your life.

"'M gonna make you squirt all over me. Ruin this nice, expensive couch." You were screaming his name at that point, unable to form a thought that wasn't Zeke and his perfect dick.

"Such a fuckin' cocktease all these months. This is what you get for it. Tummy full of my cum." He slowed his pace as he looked into your eyes with the intensity of a man drunk on desire.

"All those times you flipped your skirt up so I could see your cute little panties." He thrusted into you harder than he had before. "All those times you called me Mr. Yeager in that innocent tone that drove me up the wall." He thrusted harder than you had ever thought possible. You felt him hit your cervix. "Every time you acted like you didn't know what you were doing. Like you didn't know what I wanted." He continued to pound into you. You felt so full, so good.

"You're getting tighter, baby. You gonna squirt while daddy fills you up, huh?" His pace was brutal and you were seeing stars.

"That's it, pretty baby, cum all over me. Let me fill you up." He humped into you a few final times before shooting his load into your cunt. You screamed at the feeling of your cum squirting out of you as his cum squirted into you. You were so dizzy and so full. You were happy. You were safe and taken care of and filled to the brim by the man you loved most.

 “Hey.” You saw Zeke’s stunningly handsome face look down at you. His cheeks were flushed, forehead sweaty, sculpted chest heaving. But his eyes were transfixed on you with a look so filled with love and passion it made you feel like you were floating. “How you holding up, princess?” That was a new name…not that you minded. “Didn’t go too rough did I?” He panted in between his gentle words, the main drawback of giving it your all.

 “Actually.” You huffed a bit, just then realizing how difficult it was to talk, or move, or breathe. “Think you coulda’ gone harder.” He chuckled, the same look of complete infatuation lingering in his oceanic eyes.

 “Yeah?”

 “Yeah.”

 “You sure?”

 “I’m tougher than you’d think, old man.” He laughed at you, appreciating how you could still be the sweetest little thing he’d ever met after being pounded half to death.

 “Alright, I’m not even thirty, you little minx.”

 “Calling me a minx isn’t helping your case, Zeke.” His eyes lit up with recognition.

 “First time you’ve called me that, angel.” He smiled like an idiot in love, because he was one.

 “Maybe it’ll be the last, if you keep acting like such an animal around me.” You slapped his shoulder with as much strength as you could muster, which was basically none.

 “Well, if you don’t like the rough treatment, how about I treat you like the perfect angel you are? Treat you to a nice, warm shower and a cuddle session with yours truly. How about that?” He gently rubbed your cheek, taking in how wonderful your afterglow was.

 “Sounds nice.”

 “Alright, let’s go, angel.”

 “Okay, Mr. Yeager.” You giggled at how quickly his face darkened and lips tightened into a frown.

 “Ever the tease, you are.” He carried you to his shower bridal style, no doubt a sign of things to come.

[mamabearcatfanfics]

Second chapter up now on AO3, or read on below!

“Pizza delivery for one Kagome Higurashi!” The bright grin on the wolf demon’s face immediately fell when he saw who opened the door. “Oh, it’s you mutt. Ain’t you got a home of your own to go to? Or is the salary Myouga the flea’s paying you so miniscule that you’ve been reduced to couch surfing?” He chuckled at his own joke. Inuyasha did not join in.

“Hand over the pizza and fuck off”, he said pleasantly, holding out one clawed hand expectantly.

“I didn’t see your name on the delivery order”, said Kouga, making a show of checking the receipt then trying to peer into the apartment behind Inuyasha’s broad shoulders. “Nope, no mention of a mutt named Inuyasha. Only Kagome. For all I know, you’re a freeloader trying to steal Kagome’s hard earned dinner.”

“Yeah, she’s eatin’ three pizzas and a serve of garlic knots all by herself. Even though she’s the size of a wet kitten. Hand it over wolf.”

The stalemate continued, Inuyasha continuing to block Kouga’s view, and Kouga refusing to hand over the pizzas. Finally Inuyasha rolled his eyes and hollered for Kagome, who appeared in a pair of soft blue flannelette pyjamas and fluffy slippers, drying her damp hair with a towel.

“Oh wow Kouga, that was really fast! I didn’t expect you to deliver it in person!” she said, her blue eyes lighting up at the stack of cardboard pizza boxes he was carrying.

“You’re my favourite customer Kagome – I’m always going to deliver your pizza in person.” Kagome laughed a little uncomfortably.

“Aw, that’s sweet. Um, let me just get my wallet so I can give you a tip.”

“I’ll give him a tip”, Inuyasha grumbled, stepping aside so Kagome could pay Kouga. “You should wash behind your ears more often wolf, you stink.”

“Inuyasha!”

Kagome’s elbow caught him in the ribs, making him grunt. She pulled out a crisp ten dollar note to pass to Kouga and squeaked in surprise when his much larger hand wrapped around hers.

“Forget the tip. I’m finishing up work in an hour or so. How about I come back and take you out for a drink?”

Kagome smiled kindly at him, valiantly trying to tug her hand free, and failing dismally.

“Ah, um, Kouga, that’s very kind and thanks for the offer, but as you can see” she said, glancing down at her pyjamas and slippers, “I’m not going anywhere else tonight. I know it’s Friday, but it’s been a tough week at work. All I want to do is sit on the sofa, eat my pizza and just relax.”

“So, tomorrow then?” Kagome’s smile slipped a little, and she did her best to ignore the rumbling growl beginning from her inuhanyou friend looming protectively behind her.

“Um, I have plans. For the entire weekend”, she added quickly when it looked like Kouga was going to inquire about Sunday. Kouga sighed in obvious disappointment and then placed a lingering kiss on Kagome’s knuckles, before taking the money out of her hand and handing over the pizzas.

“Another time then mon chéri. Enjoy your meal!” Inuyasha slammed the door on him.

“What did I say to you about encouraging him?!” grumbled Inuyasha, taking the pizzas out of her hands and carrying them over to the coffee table. He dropped himself onto the sofa and flipped back the lid of the first one, making a disgusted face. “Yuck. Mushrooms. This one’s yours.”

“It wouldn’t kill you to eat a vegetable occasionally you know”, said Kagome, sitting down next to him, continuing to dry her hair. “And in what way was I encouraging Kouga? I told him no. I tell him no every time he asks.”

“That was a no?” he snorted. “You called him sweet and batted your eyelashes at ‘im. He’s gonna take that as a yes.” He flipped open another pizza box and breathed in the fragrant smell of pepperoni and cheese. “Kouga’s a wolf youkai Kagome. You need to be firm with him, or he’s gonna walk all over you. Say somethin’ more like ‘stop asking me out, because I wouldn’t date you if you were the last demon on Earth’. That should do for starters. And if that doesn’t work, lemme punch him a coupla times. Or at least start orderin’ pizza from somewhere else.”

“But that’s so mean!” said Kagome in an aghast voice. “Kouga is actually a nice guy! When I first moved in here, he told me where all the good coffee places were. Besides, his pizza shop is in the bottom of the building, I’m not going to order from anywhere else!” She hung her towel over the back of the sofa, now her hair was as dry as it was going to get. “He means well, he just comes on a little strong sometimes. And I’m not going to let you punch anyone!” Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

“Whoops Kittycat, your small town roots are showin’ again.”

“Hey! I don’t want to hurt his feelings, and that’s because I’m a nice person, not because of where I grew up!” she said, punching him as hard as she could on his bicep. Inuyasha barely moved, but looked at her pointedly.

“Nice, huh?” She crossed her arms and huffed at him and he sniggered. “What’s the current population of Wrightwood Kagome? I bet it ain’t even 5000, am I right?” He grinned at her when she rolled her eyes. “That’s what I thought.”

“I did live in San Diego for six months before I moved here”, she pointed out primly, reaching for a garlic knot. Inuyasha snorted, then folded his slice of pepperoni pizza in half and took a huge bite.

“Ah, that hits the spot”, he said indistinctly around his mouthful. “He may be a stinky wolf bastard, but he knows how to make a good pizza.” He wound a piece of stretched out mozzarella around his finger and slurped it into his mouth.

“Charming.”

“Hey, I’m all charm.” Kagome rolled her eyes, reaching for her own slice, then let her hand drop with a sigh.

Inuyasha glanced up, trying to read her scent. She was a lot calmer now, after her shower. A good thing too. For some reason, Kagome feeling upset made him twitchy, like he needed to do something to fix whatever had caused it. He supposed it was her size and personality. She was so little and so nice – it was no wonder he felt protective of her.

The four of them had settled into a regular routine in the three months she’d been living with Sango. Beer and chili dogs on Friday nights. Occasional trivia nights, with a stroll to the best pretzel cart in Queens on the way home. Regular card games at Miroku’s. She’d fit into their little friendship group like she’d always been there. And with Sango and Miroku’s current ‘friends with benefits’ arrangement, he and Kagome were left to hang out together more often than not, which was fine by him. At least he wasn’t playing third wheel anymore.

She was cute and funny, easy on the eye. Kind, with an infectious smile and bright blue eyes. But surprisingly, also kinda sarcastic, which made him laugh. And she’d stood up for him when someone had said something with a racist undertone while they were out at the pub. He’d grown a thick skin over the years, and was so used to tuning it out, he’d hardly even noticed it. But Kagome had, and she was a sight to behold. A tiny spitting ball of fury. He’d had to carry her bodily out of the bar, needing to remove her from the situation before her comments started an all out brawl.

“Inuyasha? Um, thanks again for walking home with me tonight”, she said softly. “You really didn’t have to.”

“Sure I did”, he answered, bumping against her shoulder. “If some creepy bastard’s following you, calling me is the first thing you should do.”

“So I should always call you? Not Miroku?” she teased.

“What’s he gonna do? Put the moves on them by flooring them with his boyish charm? Flirt them into submission?”. Kagome giggled, then sighed.

“I don’t know that he was following me, really. But he kept up with me, even when I walked faster, and I just got that feeling, y’know? That something bad was going to happen.”

Inuyasha nodded. Her voice on the other end of the phone as he’d answered had been a dead give away.

He hadn’t been expecting to hear from her tonight  – Sango was visiting her brother and was away for the weekend, and Kagome had been working late nights all week, so she’d texted him and Miroku and cancelled their usual Friday night drinks. Miroku had opted out also, and he’d been sitting on his sofa with a beer, watching Netflix, and scrolling through his Facebook feed, phone in his hand. And then she’d called.

 “Hey Inuyasha?” There was an edge to her voice he didn’t like. She sounded panicked.

 “Kagome? What’s up?”

 She was panting a little now, and he could hear her hurried footsteps on the pavement, and the jingling of keys, which meant she was probably carrying them in her hand. Kagome never did that, because she had them on a long lanyard secured to the buckle on her bag strap so she could always find them easily. He knew from Sango that was something girls were taught to do if they were feeling threatened.

 “Sorry, I’m going to be a little late!” He sat up straight on the sofa, ears alert as he looked around for his wallet and keys, then shoved them in his pockets. Something was definitely up.

 “Is everything okay? You said you were goin’ straight home tonight after work.”

 “Yeah, I got held up at the office, and then missed my train. But I’m almost at Veteran’s Park, the one near Jackson Mill Road, so I should be there pretty soon.”

 “Kagome… is someone followin’ you?”

 “Uh huh!” He could tell she was aiming for a bright happy tone, but was failing miserably. Shit. The thought of anyone mugging her or worse made his gut twist.

 “Keep talkin’ to me”, he said firmly, shrugging on his jacket and shoving his feet into his work boots. “I’ll be right there. Keep walkin’ and stay under the streetlights okay? Try and move towards people if you can. I’ll find you.”

 “Sure thing! I’m really looking forward to seeing you!”

 “I’m headin’ out the door, I should be there five minutes, tops.”

 He’d sprinted, keeping his mobile on speaker so he could hear her talking aimlessly about random stuff, the tone of her voice getting more and more nervous. He caused a few angry yells as he dashed past people, but he didn’t care. Kagome was his friend, and she needed him. He slowed his pace to a slow jog as he rounded the corner to the park, easily locating her by scent. She was terrified. He’d walked straight up to her and embraced her in a tight hug. He could hear her heart hammering in her chest, her hands shaking as she wrapped them around his waist.

 “Inuyasha…”

 Inuyasha could smell the bastard, loitering in the background, the stink of the other man’s lust making him want to hurl. He glared in the direction the scent was coming from, pushing back a snarl. He could go after him, confront him, but he didn’t want to scare Kagome any more than she already was, so he put his arm around her shoulders, leading her away. But he knew that guy's scent now. And if they should happen to cross paths again, it wouldn’t be his fault if the fucker tripped and fell directly into his fist.

 “Nice to see you Kittycat. Thanks for callin’ me to tell me you were going to be late. I appreciate it.”

 She’d pressed herself into his side, still shaking, and he’d done everything he could to soothe her during the ten minute walk back to her apartment. Making jokes, asking about her work, inviting himself to dinner, because he could tell she was still feeling nervous. He was so glad that she’d called him, and more than a little flattered.

“I’ll always come when you call. What are friends for right? Besides, you bought me pizza. That’s more than enough payment for jogging a coupla blocks and walking back to your place.”

“You probably think I’m ridiculous”, she sighed. “He probably wasn’t following me at all. I think it’s just because it was so much later than I usually walk back from the station, and it’s the first night I’ve been here alone, with Sango visiting her family.”

Inuyasha thought for a moment about confirming her suspicion that she was being followed. But he didn’t want to frighten her even more. Part of Kagome’s charm was her openness, her excitement about finally living her dream here in NYC. He didn’t want to spoil that for her. But unfortunately, part of living in a city was learning to move about it safely, and being more aware of your surroundings. Because there were always random assholes who wanted to take what you had. He could help her with that.

“If you’re ever late again like that, call me. I’ll be happy to walk with you from the station, even if I’m workin’. Myouga wouldn’t care if I had to leave the shop for a while to walk with you – he thinks the sun shines out of your cute little ass. And ya know, if you’re still feeling worried, I can sleep here on the couch.”

“Inuyasha, I can’t ask you to do that!” Kagome said, glancing down at his long legs and then the length of the sofa, one Sango had purchased from Ikea. “You’re way too tall, your back would be wrecked by morning. I will be fine, I promise!”

He studied her closely. Her words said she was fine, but her scent, and her expression, said she wanted him to stay. He could do that for her. It wasn’t like he had any other plans on a Friday night. Besides, if he left now, he’d just be worried about her, wondering if she was sleeping or not.

He made a show of stretching himself out, twisting around to throw his legs up on the sofa and crossing his ankles in her lap, then reached for another piece of pizza.

“Ooh, yeah, this sofa is pretty comfy. I don’t think I could be bothered to go home now. Besides, you can make me breakfast. I happen to know you’ve got bacon in the freezer.”

Kagome sighed. “You’re still eating dinner and you’re already thinking about breakfast?”

“Bacon is a serious business Kagome.”

Kagome leaned forward over his legs to grab herself a slice of pizza, which flopped downwards, losing a good portion of the topping as it slid off onto the cardboard box below it. He laughed at the pout on her face.

“Okay, you should know this if you’re gonna be a full time resident of NYC. You gotta fold your pizza. Like this, see?” he said, reaching for another slice for himself and folding it in half lengthwise. He took a big bite. “You get twice as much in a mouthful, and the topping don’t slide off.”

“You should open your mouth a little more when you chew dog boy, I didn’t get to see everything in there that time.”

“You think you’re funny don’tcha?” he smiled. The nervousness in her had settled, and she was back to her normal self. Everything was okay now.

“Yeah, I do actually.” She patted him on his ankle absentmindedly as she reached for another garlic knot. “You’re a good friend Inu.”

“Right back atcha, Kittycat.”

[cartooness]

Mystery March Day 10: Mistake (Her Name?)

Alright my dudes: I know. Tis I, Cartooness, posting a ficlet of sorts. Which I never do lmao.

BUT!

I had ideas OWOWOWOWOWOW

Warning this portrays Mystery in a negative light so if that’s not ya jam, go ahead and skip.

**I START HERE, I’M USING THE READ MORE FOR A DIFFERENT TIME >:3**

SO @nemesis-is-my-middle-name and I were chatting and this is what came out of it XD

In my AU (that’s where my Lavender Grey character comes from lol), since I first made it I thought “omg what if Mystery was like. ‘Afraid’ or just weary of her because of how powerful she is” but now that The Future is out, I’m all “holy fucking shit what if Mystery is almost *jealous* of her because the gang doesn’t want him around her”. They say it’s for her sake (but it’s also for their sake) because they don’t want her to be scared.

He’s both [weary and jealous of Lavender], he’s all “okay. This girl comes LITERALLY out of nowhere and I’m glad they’re giving her a place to stay, she is a child. But this is a very powerful child, one that overwhelmingly outranks me in that field. Why aren’t they afraid of her? Why is it ME that they’re keeping her away from?” 

I guess he knows what he’s done in the past was shitty, but he doesn’t know why this random ass kid owns their heart now when he’s the one who was there first. Ya know, like an asshole.

I wanna say that he makes her cry because he just lets all the negativity loose and he’s caught mid rant by ARTHUR.

So. Mystery has basically been fending for himself for a little while, no big deal. Except he can't stop thinking about that damned girl. What has she done for them? How has she won them all over so easily? Only Lewis was the type to be soft for children, but Arthur? VIVI? Being parental figures? The world has gone mad.

He saw them time to time in that mansion of Lewis's, and they all looked so happy without him. Vivi hadn't seemed to be going on missions anymore, which was beyond shocking. Why not, that child is so powerful any threats would back off if they had a single brain cell.

Not to mention Shiromori was now on the girl's side; he spotted her occasionally checking up on her and putting small blooms in her hair, typically while she slept. It made the child look more innocent than she actually was in his eyes. He remembered when he was the one getting flower gifts and such when Shiromori was on his side. And with a protector like her, the child was practically untouchable.

Mystery flirted with the idea of that girl getting hurt and them coming back to him for help. But he didn't let himself ponder too long, that would be cruel. But he couldn't help but think about it.

What *would* happen if harm came her way?

Would they mourn her if such a fate could happen?

Would they come crying back to him?

Or would they blame him for a tragedy he didn't cause. They just *loved* to blame him.

...

He couldn't stop himself anymore. He trotted his way to that stupid little happy home and sniffed out what room belonged to the girl, the unmistakable scent of raw power and flowers filling the air. He peered into her window, in his dog form, and lo and behold she was there. He yanked the window open and sat on her bed, not caring about getting that sickeningly "cute" comforter dirty with his mud covered paws.

"Oh! It's you, Mystery. Can... I help you?" She was a bit puzzled as to what he needed her for, she thought he was fine being on his own.

Actually my dear, you can.

"Oh?-"

Get out of their lives. You don't deserve anything they've given you.

Her pupils shrunk, taken aback from his remark. "Did I do something wrong? I don't-"

Don't play stupid with me, girl. You are the reason I'm not allowed to be with them anymore, that I've been scorned to never return. You just barged your way into their lives, into MY life and took everything I've worked so hard for away. They're so worried about their 'little princess' that they don’t realize how damn DANGEROUS you are!

Don't they feel that power you possess? Aren't they afraid of you? 

She looked like he ripped her gut out, her eyes welling with tears, irises ever so slightly tinting blue with sadness.

Don't you DARE cry, he growled, you won't get a drop of pity out of me.

"Mystery”, she started, sniffling as she tried to speak, “please tell me-" 

I'M ALREADY TELLING YOU, YOU IDIOT! HOW STUPID CAN YOU BE? YOU RUINED EVERYTHING FOR ME AND YOU’RE ACTING LIKE YOU DESERVE THIS LOVING LITTLE FAMILY? WELL YOU DON'T. *I'M* THE ONE WHO PROTECTED THEM, *I'M* THE ONE WHO KEPT THEM OUT OF HARM'S WAY, THEN YOU SHOW UP AND RIP IT ALL AWAY!!

WHAT ARE YOUR INTENTIONS? WHY DO YOU ACT LIKE YOU'RE HARMLESS? NOBODY WITH POWERS LIKE YOURS STAY IDLE. WHERE DID YOU EVEN COME FROM?! I KNOW YOU'RE NOT HUMAN, SO DON'T TRY AND LIE TO ME. YOU THINK YOU'RE *SO* SPECIAL DON'T YOU?

She was sobbing now, eyes visibly baby blue and tears running down her face.

FOR GOD'S SAKE, SHUT UP WITH ALL THAT CRYING AND-

"Mystery if you don't leave right now I SWEAR I will chop every God forsaken tail of yours off."

Shit.

A-Arthur I-

"Why the fuck are you here? What made you think you were welcome?" His fatherly instinct had kicked in as soon he heard noise from his child’s room and ran over in an instant.

"Lav, baby, go to the bathroom” he started with a kiss to her nose, “so you can go wash your face. I have some business to finish", directing his gaze towards the intruder.

I'm here to open your eyes, Arthur. What has she accomplished while I was gone? What’s been going on with you... five? It seems her army grows every day.

"That is PATHETIC, Mystery."

What is? I'm just stating-

"I don't give a shit about your opinion, you broke into a child's room and you're YELLING AT HER because what, you're fucking....”

He pondered why Mystery was here spreading grief. They did tell him to piss off so that Lav wouldn’t be in danger, and honestly they didn’t need to be so stressed with him in the house all the time either. It’s not a good idea to welcome back a recently possessed kitsune into their home when they were all recovering from the trauma he inflicted. Old and new...

New... is he... 

“Are you,,, jealous of her?" he asked, tone on the verge of shock.

Good lord, this boy.

Arthur, I am here because I care and I worry about you, Lewis, and Vivi. And it concerns me that you've thrown all my help away for some MUTT that doesn't belong-

"GET THE FUCK OUT!" Arthur shouted, trembling and trying not to scream so he wouldn’t scare Lav a few doors down. 

I will NOT, I'm not done yet-

"YES YOU FUCKING ARE.” 

The look of pain and anger was so clear on his face, and Mystery shut his mouth instantly.

"YOU *ARE* DONE BECAUSE YOU JUST RUINED THE VERY MINISCULE CHANCE WE WERE GOING TO GIVE YOU TO PROPERLY MEET HER. YOU’VE MADE ONE TOO MANY MISTAKES."

His voice was cracking, he wasn’t the type to do all... this. Just how much had this girl influenced them?

Arthur, please-

As if on cue, Lavender returned from the bathroom. "Mr. Arthur, am I in trouble?” She asked, big brown eyes looking up at him. “Mystery kept telling me that I did something wrong by being here and it didn't make sense to me."

"What exactly did he tell you, love?" he asked, eyebrows slightly softening just for her.

Oh FUCK. ((A/N: YEAH U DONE FUCKED UP YOU ASS))

She looked almost scared to answer; she was aware the kitsune could be merciless, and didn’t want to be attacked in the mansion Lewis had worked so hard on. Mystery was so angry at her and she didn’t understand why. 

"Well... he told me that I ruined his life because I guess I took his place or something. He said I'm dangerous because I'm more powerful than him, and.. he said mean things about me in general.”

Arthur’s metal hand flew up, ready to attack. 

“Mr. Arthur! W-what are you doing?-"

And Arthur hit Mystery as hard as he could.

There was an excruciating scream of pain, one that caused Lewis and Vivi to abandon the groceries they were bringing in to see all the commotion.

ARTHUR, YOU BASTARD! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?!

"YOU MADE MY CHILD CRY BECAUSE YOU HAD YOUR PETTY FEELINGS HURT? FOR SOMETHING SHE NEVER DID? YOU HAD THE GOD DAMN *BALLS* TO BREAK IN, YELL INSULTS AT A KID, MAKE HER CRY, AND THINK THAT YOU WERE IN THE RIGHT?"

Lewis rushed over, trying to calm his boyfriend down. "Arthur, mi amor, what- MYSTERY?! How did HE get here?!”

S h i t.

Vivi felt her heart drop to her feet at the mention of her ‘dog’s’ name. "WHAT IS HE DOING HERE? I THOUGHT WE KICKED HIM OUT!" she exclaimed, her stomach filling with dread.

Lewis, Vivi, if you just let me EXPLAIN-

Arthur almost made a hole in the wall with the pound of his fist. "So this little FUCKER broke into Lav's room to yell at her because she lives with us and he wasn't invited. I come over to see who's in her room yelling at her, and she's crying uncontrollably while he keeps going at her, spewing a bunch of BULLSHIT, and he thinks he can explain himself and why he's in the right."

"....what?" said Lewis and Vivi, shocked by Mystery's audacity.

Lav started to cry again, thinking she would be punished for this, and Lewis quickly pulled her into his embrace. "Mi florecita preciosa, you did nothing wrong-"

REALLY LEWIS? Mystery growled, feeling patronized, especially as Lewis tightened his grip. SHE'S NOT A BABY-

"Shut your snout right now", snapped Vivi. "Get the fuck out of our house and you BETTER not come back. You have ONE chance to apologize to her and that's it."

Can I come back if I do?

"YOU DON'T DESERVE TO COME BACK" growled Arthur, his flesh hand placed gently on Lav's head and his metal one pointing at Mystery, Lewis glaring so hard it could kill.

Nobody was on his side, and the look on the girl’s face almost made him feel bad. 

Almost.

Very well then. I'll be on my way and hope that your ignorance won’t become your downfall.

"Hey Mystery, one more thing", Lewis started. "If you ever come back with bad intentions, we will kill you ourselves. I swear on anything and everything that you will not come here with a DROP of malice towards her. Do I make myself clear? And don’t you dare try and act smart, we are giving you a LOT of mercy when you don't deserve it."

...then I bid farewell. What is her name?

"My name is Lavender Grey."

Thank you. Goodbye, Miss Lavender Grey.

[crimson-wrld]

Caged

Helloo my name on here is Crimson, you can call me that or Z. I found the whump community recently, it's always something I've enjoyed but just recently found the name for on a random check-in to Tumblr lol. I've followed a lot of cool blogs and done my fair share of lurking and reblogging before I decided now is the time to share one of my writings. I have also been thinking about making a new whump story, just for my tumblr here and maybe posting drabbles too.

I write a story over on Wattpad (lol) that is very whumpy and this is a snippet of my most recent chapter. Now here is some context because this is from chapter 38 meaning there are a lot of characters and I felt like it sounded better without changing them to their respective roles, so I hope it's not confusing.

The backstory is that the whumpees are being held in captivity by the whumpers. The whumpers are watching back a video of the narrator whumpee from the night before while making the whumpees serve them. Lucas did not know what happened and gets distracted by a part of the video, which is where this starts.

Whumpers (nicknamed) - Hardhead, Vicious, Baldy, Chip, Sasquatch, Crazy

Whumpees - Talon (narrator, also referred to as Mutt), Lucas (also referred to as Runt)

Caretaker - Sebastian (is a romantic partner to Talon the narrator)

((I've never done this before so I'm not totally sure how to write the CW and tags but I'm trying. Just know that this is heavy writing))

CW: brief implied past noncon, brief noncon mentions, past noncon drugging mention, brief slut-shaming language, captivity, choking, manhandling, hair pulling, claustrophobia, sensory deprivation, multiple whumpers, multiple whumpees, dehumanization, suffocation, stress position, collared, restraints, muzzled/gagged, blood, sleep deprivation, hallucinations, thinking they're going to die (please let me know if I missed anything)

"This is my favourite part!" I hear Hardhead exclaim loudly, then the tv becomes louder, so blaringly loud that it sounds like I have my ear flush against one of those really big box speakers. Lucas continues grabbing a case of beer from the fridge but we both turn our heads toward the tv at the sudden volume change.

It's the part where the drug kicks in and Hardhead has me on his lap facing the tripod camera, hand squeezing the life out of my neck. I can hear myself desperately struggling for air, trying to plead for help, something... for it all to stop- but the drug turns my words into mush. I can see it from another perspective this time, I can see my face losing colour and the sort of foggy memories of it come flooding back.

Then I see his hand trail down my stomach. My arms are weakly flailing out and trying to pull his other hand off of my neck. Then his hands are on my privates and in real life, I look away from the tv. Tears are falling down my face as I hear him verbally teasing me on the video, calling me a whore and laughing at me as I try to breathe. I was so drugged I don't even remember that.

"I bet you like that, dirty whore, don't you?" I hear him say. I start to bring my hands up to cover my ears.

The sound of a gasp and shattering glass fills the room and I jerk my head up to Lucas. He's holding the fridge door open and is staring at the tv, mouth agape and face horrified. It's like a train wreck- he just can't look away. The pack of beer he was holding is on the floor, bottles now in a million pieces scattered around, beer puddling in the tiles and spreading all over the place.

"Shit," I say, staring wide-eyed at the mess on the floor.

"What the fuck was that?!" Vicious yells from the living room.

Lucas snaps out of it then, looking down at the foam bubbles and liquid and glass all culminating together.

"Oh no--- What do I do?!" He whispers, voice cracking in panic. My heart is pounding in my chest harder now. Without much thought, I make a hasty decision.

"Don-don't worry-- I'll take the blame," I say, stepping closer to the broken box so it seems more believable. I hear the couch creaking and steps nearing the kitchen.

I just don't want to see him get hurt.

"Wait don--" Lucas starts to say but falls silent when Hardhead and Vicious walk through the door.

I can hear Hardheads voice echoing in my head, "Rule four; listen. Do what I say. If you don't, I'll punish you- if you make a mistake ill punish you too."

I know I've only known him for about two days, and the situation is deathly far from ideal, but I kind of see him as like a little brother, and I feel the strong obligation to protect him from these terrible terrible fucking people.

"What the hell are you two dogs doing in here?" Hardhead yells, looking down and seeing the mess between our feet. "Which one of you bitches did that?" He yells louder, his face getting angrier.

They take their beer really seriously.

Before Lucas can say anything I look Hardhead in the face and speak in my still semi-croaky voice, "I- I did it. I'm sorry Master." I say bowing my head after.

Lucas looks at me with wide worried eyes speaking, "No! I--"

"Shut the fuck up Runt! Go grab a mop and clean this shit up." Hardhead demands. Lucas brokenly stares between me and Hardhead. I can see the guilt on his face.

Viscous taps his foot, grumbling, "Do it now, Runt."

Lucas looks back at me again, and I give him a nod of encouragement. He frowns and reluctantly leaves to grab the stuff to clean.

"Now Mutt, you sit." Vicious instructs, hooking his finger through the collar loop and pulling me down, letting go when I allow myself to fall to my knees the rest of the way. I feel some of the glass slice into my knees and legs and I hiss, not daring to move though.

"I'm sorry Master's- it just, just slipped," I plead, seeing if I can maybe lessen whatever this punishment is going to be.

Hardhead chuckled evilly, "Oh you're gonna be sorry." He crossed his arms over his chest and takes a single step forward. Lucas gets back into the kitchen now, keeping his eyes trained to the floor as he starts sweeping some of the glass from the floor a little further away.

"Nevermind that for now Runt. Let's have a show. There's something I've been wanting to try for a while now. This is the perfect teaching moment..." he says creeping right up next to me. He grabbed me by my hair tightly and pulled me awkwardly behind him into the living room where the rest of the men are still finishing the rest of the video. Vicious follows closely behind, tugging Lucas by the arm.

I rub my head when he lets go and tosses me to the floor. I hit the ground with a groan, the wounds on my chest bursting with pain, quickly scrambling to get on to my knees though, so I don't get in more trouble. I remember they like me in this position when I got into trouble before.

I whimper when I feel the glass in my knees push in deeper, and I try to pull as much as I can out when they turn away. I manage to get most of it out and I hold my hands over the wounds with pressure to hopefully stop the bleeding.

"Tie him up please," Hardhead says to Vicious, louder than the rest of the conversation. Then he opens the door to the basement and quickly disappears down the stairs.

Vicious smirks, saying, "Don't mind if I do." He opens up a drawer of a dresser on a wall nearby and pulls out a few bundles of rope. They keep that stuff everywhere- because they're sadists.

He stalks toward me until he's behind me, and he shoves me onto my stomach. I reflexively put my arms out in front of me so they don't get crushed and see there's now blood smeared on my hands- more than I expected.

Vicious planted one of his knees on my back to keep me down and the other knee on one side of my body to trap me even more. He grabbed my arms and forced them behind my back. I grit my teeth when he tightly ties new ropes over the deep wounds from yesterday's ones. Then he takes hold of my elbows and jerks them closer together. I gasp and let out a surprised yelp. This would hurt regardless; because elbows are not supposed to bend that way, but it also brings my injured shoulder into an extremely uncomfortable position. I squirm and struggle without even realizing, kicking my feet slightly and raising my head, mouth open in a silent cry of anguish.

All I really notice is Lucas onlooking the scene with a deep frown, twiddling his fingers before a hand tangles in my hair and shoves my face into the rug on the floor.

"Calm it down there, doggy," Crazy laughs, pushing my head down more than should even be possible. The shag rug tickles the side of my face and I squeeze my eyes shut as I feel more rope wrap around my elbows. They pull taught, but not touching, and only because I'm not flexible enough to do that, because if I could, Vicious would have done it. There's no slack though, the rope is so tight that I can't move my arms apart at all, and he tied the space in the middle too, so I couldn't try to move them closer either. It's very uncomfortable, and my shoulder throbs harshly. Involuntary whimpers escape my lips. The men find that funny.

Then the knee on my back disappears, Crazy keeps his hold on my head, and I feel hands reappear on my legs, tying just above the bend of my knees and then my ankles too. I can't stop focusing on how tight the bonds are.

Once Vicious finishes, Crazy lets go of my head, and grasps me from under my arms, lifting me back up and positioning me back on my knees like a kid playing with a Barbie doll. I let out a long breath of resignation. My hair is now a mess on top of my head and hanging in my face, reminding me of the bed head Sebastian says is so cute on me.

Hardhead comes back upstairs with a tote bag in hand. He must've gone down there to gather the stuff for whatever he wanted to try. The fact that it was something he wanted to try out scared me more, because I had no idea what it could possibly be.

He closed the basement door and walked a few steps toward another door about three feet down the wall. He opens it up and reveals something that makes my heart drop.

It's a cage.

A metal wired dog cage, only big enough to fit a medium-sized dog. It's rectangular, and the roof is short, way too cramped for a human.

I start freaking out, tugging against the ropes and jerking my body around, struggling futilely to get away.

"No, wait!" I cry as Hardhead starts walking toward me. I struggle more, tears falling down my face, trying to tilt backward but Vicious and Crazy hold me down in my place.

"This is what happens when you fuck up," Vicious says evilly, and I look around the room desperately, like there's anything I can do. The men are amused, and joking amongst each other, clinking beers and watching the scene unfold. I look to Lucas, and he's crying too; silent tears, pooling from his brown eyes. They're filled with so much guilt.

"I'll do i-" He starts to say, but when I realize what he's doing I cut him off.

"It's fine Lucas!" I shout panicked and wide-eyed. That's one thing I'm not going back on; I don't want him to get hurt.

When I speak Vicious violently backhands me, so hard that my head snaps to the side and I sob out.

"Shut up." He growls, then he tightly grips my jaw and straightens my face out so I'm looking forward at Hardhead instead of at Lucas, holding me there.

Hardhead comes toward us, dumping the contents of the bag onto the floor. It's a random assortment of things and I don't like any of them. Among those things is a muzzle- a fucking muzzle. My heart just pounds harder and harder, the tears just fall faster.

Hardhead crouches in front of me, right up close into my space. He reaches behind my neck and grabs hold of the collar. He unclasps the back piece and I almost feel a breath of relief coming until he pulls it tighter.

"This is an extra punishment for escaping," he says pulling it tighter and fumbling with it until he fastened it closed, "I'd say about two more notches is good, for now."

I feel my breath escape me, it becomes even more of a chore to breathe in-- it's miserable. I hate the feeling of being manhandled like this, having to let them touch me, feeling so helpless... no control.

I just want Sebastian to hold me and tell me it will all be okay.

Hardhead picks up a bag of cotton balls from the pile on the floor and he stuffs a few of them deep into my left ear. I try to pull away but Viscious just tightens his hold and corrects me the way they want me. The sound in the room distorts, everything is muffled on one side. He pushes the cotton in as much as possible, then places some sort of earbud on top that wraps around the base of my ear and fastens it so it won't fall out. My fighting does nothing to stop them mirroring this on my other ear.

I can barely hear anything after that-- only very slight chatter, but I can't make out what any of it means. A hand touches my cheek from behind me, and I don't even hear it coming. I jump and turn to see Crazy laughing. I don't hear that either, which is like a blessing and a curse at the same time. Vicious lets go of me when I turn.

On my way looking around the room Lucas catches my eye again. Chip is next to him this time, pulling him close to his side, like in a hug, but it's obviously not in a comforting way. Lucas is sort of shrunken into himself, but when he notices me looking he puts his fist to his chest and rubs it in a circular motion.

He's signing 'I'm sorry.'

I shake my head at him.

It's not his fault... and it's not mine either.

I look back at the closet. The cage feels like it's looming over me--- it terrifies me.

My vision goes black, and at first, I think I've passed out, but that's obviously not the case because I'm clearly still conscious. Then I realize that I've been blindfolded when I fell the knot tighten at the back of my head, hair pulling into it painfully. I flinch when they touch my face to adjust it.

"No, please..." I start to beg, "I'm sssorry, I'm so-rry-- p-please." My pleading is interrupted by sobs and hiccups. I can hardly even hear myself speaking, I mainly just feel the words rumble and vibrate in my chest as I speak them, and I don't like that feeling by itself.

I gasp for breath, facing wherever I think Hardhead is standing and continue again.

"Please I-" I was cut off by something being pushed into my mouth. I recoiled backwards instinctively, being stopped by someone standing behind me. What I now realize is a bit is shoved further in and I'm forced to bite down as my mouth is enveloped in leather and the leather straps pull taut against my skin so tight I feel like they're cutting in.

The muzzle...

Nothing happens for a few seconds. I feel a slight movement, then hands on my legs, and hands on my sides. One of the fingers hits the burn by my ribs and I let out a muffled whine, feeling the floor disappear from beneath me. I try to struggle again, fighting against them as hard as I can, though it's useless, and I quickly have to give up because the tight collar, the bit in my mouth and the leather residing over it leave me breathless. I suck in air from my uncovered nose desperately, having to focus on it alone because of how hard it is.

I'm not even claustrophobic, but the thought of being stuffed in that cage, in the closet, alone... scares me so much. It's even worse because I'm being deprived of nearly all of my senses.

Then I'm being set down and bent forward, pulled around and shoved until I feel the cold metal of the cage against my legs. They have me sitting on my knees again, bent so that I fit under the short roof. I can feel the wires against the skin on my exposed back and the back of my head as well.

I was thinking it couldn't get any worse when my head gets pulled downward harshly by the collar. I get surprised and jerk up reflexively only for someone to grab me by the hair and push me back down lower. I feel hands fumbling at the front of the collar and occasionally a bit of rope touching against different parts of my neck for a minute before they and the hand in my hair go away. I try to lift my head back up but I can't- it's held in place. They must have tied a rope from the collar loop to the bottom of the cage.

I realize they still aren't finished when my tied wrists are pulled up next. They get tied to the part of the cage where the roof meets the side. My hands are flush against it and some of my fingers are forced to stick out. The same thing happens to the rope on my elbows to the roof of the cage, making my arms nearly form a ninety-degree angle.

I'm left still and locked into the stressful position, then there's a slight vibration, followed by a larger one, then... nothing.

It must've been them closing the doors- shutting me off from everything completely, except for the cold metal beneath me and the throbbing, pulsing, pain. I can't decide if this is better or worse than what was originally planned for me today.

I mean it should be better, right?

There's no warm breath over my shoulder and on the nape of my neck, no hands trailing over my body, no breathy groans in my ears, no chapped lips over my skin and my mouth, no hands pulling my hair, nobody forcing themself onto me...

There's just nothing.

So why is my heart still racing?

Why does it feel like the walls are closing in?

I don't know. I don't know why I want to stay in and leave at the same time- why I can't decide even though the options seem easy.

I feel like it's only been a minute or so when my arms start to ache and my shoulder develops a raw stabbing pain, not unlike the way it felt when it was originally injured. I attempt to shift my position to relieve the ache, which is where I come into even more of a problem.

If I lean forward and bring my head low, which id hoped would allow my arms to move down more, it pulls on my shoulders. The rope securing my arms to the top of the cage makes sure my arms can't move when the rest of my body does, and therefore threatens to pull my shoulders out of their sockets, which especially doesn't bode well on the one that already has been.

When I try to do the opposite and lean my head backward, a similar problem with my arms arises, but to go along with it, they've somehow tied the collar so that it pulls tighter when I pull my head away from the floor, completely cutting off my airway. It feels just like when Hardhead was squeezing his hand around my throat.

If I return to the middle like I originally was, I realize that I have to give my effort to keep my head in the right position, or risk losing my arms... or suffocating.

I decide that I definitely want out.

Seemingly on cue, the pain of everything else seems to slam into me full force, like all the adrenaline of the situation has fully crashed. If I have to hold this position... then I don't know how long I can last... and I don't know how long they're going to keep me in here.

Tears soak through the cloth blindfold and I can't manage to get my sobbing under control, which in turn spirals away the focus I had kept on my breathing. I start to panic, my chest tightening. I'm going to die.

Holy shit. I'm going to die.

I have a hard time doing it, but I scream, as loud as I can through the muzzle. I can't even tell if I made any noticeable noise or not, I can only feel the rumble in my chest, hear my own racing heartbeat. I have to wait a second before I do it again, jerking my body as much as I can -which isn't very much- and squeezing my eyes shut tight. My mouth feels dry because of the bit pushing on my tongue, the pain in my throat comes back full force. My attempts to move make the new cuts on my knees hurt. Everything hurts.

I can't fucking breathe.

Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop.

In my moment of total desperation I think about it- Sebastian- think about him, his soothing voice.

"Breathe baby, breathe," I can hear him say, "Just focus on me Cuci, in... and out."

I remember how he helps me through a panic attack, ''I'll do it with you, just copy me,' and I can almost see him in front of me, appearing in the darkness, taking deep breaths in for me to mimic.

And I do.

I suck in a large breath through my nose, following the fake Sebastian that I'm so inclined to think is real. I'm staring into his blue eyes, and he's staring back into mine. He raises his hand, and lightly places it on my cheek, mostly resting over the tight leather, and he whispers to me, but I don't know what he's saying, all I hear is the noise. I want to lean into his touch, but I cant-- I want him to hug me tight, and kiss me, but I can't ask him to either. He looks so real- but he's not... right?

I can't tell, but it doesn't matter, I just match his breaths until they're back under control- the tint bit of control I have over them. He whispers more to me, leans forward and gives me the lightest kiss on the forehead, then disappears, a puff of smoke into the air, like it was blown from Hardheads very own cigarette.

I wanted to laugh, a bitter laugh... it can't have been that long yet, and I'm already losing it. But obviously, I couldn't. I can't do anything.

I don't know how long later it was when my tears had dried up, the hallucinations had been plaguing me for so long. I could feel cold hands on my sides, my hips, feeling over my shivering body, grabbing at the shorts, and I couldn't tell if they were real, but I couldn't even manage to care, because I had to focus on breathing and keeping my head up.

I'm so fucking tired. My throat is dry-- it burns, I can't feel my arms, my legs sting, my wrists and ankles never had time to recover from yesterday, the direction of me trying to move rubs against my burns, everything sore, my feet are numb from sitting on my knees for so long, I'm seeing random shapes and hearing random things. I'm losing my mind.

I just want to lay my head down, close my eyes, relax, sleep.

Please let me sleep.

It gets to a point where my eyes drift closed, and it gets harder and harder to open them back up each time. So hard I eventually resort to leaning forward slightly every time I start to drift asleep so it relights the pain in my shoulders and forces me to stay awake. I just have to remind myself; if I fall asleep ill pull my shoulders out.

I'm exhausted. My brain is fuzzy. I don't know how long I've been in here in this stress position. I don't know how much longer I have to hold it, but I hope it'll be over soon.

If they let me out ill be good, I'll be so good for them. No mistakes...

So good...

[mysticaltigersorceress]

(Cute) Harbingers of Chaos

A/n: So this is my piece for @some-piece‘s AU challenge!! My choice of characters was: Silvers Rayleigh, Shanks, Wire, Kuzan (Aokiji), and Shachi. I’m going to do a (college) library AU. All fluff and fun, no warnings!! this turned out long than i meant lol, but most is under the cut.  feel free to add to the masterlist basi uwu

Word Count: 1.8k (i know, i thought it was gonna be shorter, but then, well, whoops lol)

Notes: Shachi x Reader (vaguely lol), gender neutral reader, and 2nd person pov

Summary: Reader works in college library, chaos caused by adorableness, Bepo is a massive pupper lol, plans went askew

AO3: Find it here on archive uwu

When you began your shift at the New World University Library, things started off as per usual. Armed with mints in your pocket and a single earbud in your ear, you started on your to do list, first of which was shelving books. Making your rounds through the library, you gave a few smiles and half waves to some of the students you recognized, but soon enough, you were lost in the music and books. Things were going quite smoothly too, that is, until a tall ginger in a whale hat dragged you out of your world, literally. 

He yanked you around the corner of the shelf with a crazed look on his face and frantically looked around before crouching down and grabbing you by both shoulders.

“You work here, right? Have you seen a tall guy in a white hat? Super scrawny, possibly high and definitely needs to lay off the coffee?”

“Sorry, what? I- no. Could you–” A loud BOOOOF cut you off, and all the blood drained from Whale-hat’s face. He released you and rocketed away faster than a bar of soap in the bath, cursing about flightless wanna-be posh birds. Not quite knowing what else to do, you sprinted after him. 

Students were fleeing the plaza at the center of the library, while just as many flocked in with their phones to film whatever was happening. Whale-hat was shoving his way through the throng and you dived after him, apologizing to the disgruntled students as you went.

Whale-hat broke free of the crowd before you, and the people cut off your escape before you could follow. You could hear someone yelling about wasted food, a bunch of incoherent shouting, and a frick ton of barking for somewhere any animals besides service dogs were not supposed to be. You weren’t exactly sure what was happening, but it smelled of trouble, and you could get in a LOT of trouble if this didn’t get resolved quickly!

“COMING THROUGH!” You held your arms around your face and bulldozed through the last students in your way, breaking out into the open– 

Something big and heavy to slammed you to the ground, gave you a few licks and ran across you. 

“POLAR BEAR!” One shadow jumped over you, quick as a whip.

“THAT'S A DOG IDIOT!” Another shadow soared overhead. “STOP CHASING HIM, HE THINKS THIS IS A GAME!”

“Oh my god, are you okay? I’m so fucking sorry about this!” Whale-hat paused his pursuit just long enough to help you up and make sure you could see straight. “PENG YOU IDIOT, YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO KEEP HIM OUTSIDE!”

“LET’S SEE YOU TRY TO CONTROL AN EXCITED DOG WHO WEIGHS AS MUCH AS YOU!!!”

Whale-hat ran off after you assured him you were fine, and you took in the scene before you. (Properly this time, no giant dogs to obstruct the view). 

The dog in question (definitely able to be confused for a polar bear by size alone) was bounding joyously throughout the plaza, making new friends who would give him pets before he noticed the meat-kid and scamper excitedly away again. Behind Meat-kid were Whale-hat and his friend, trying desperately to call over the dog.

“IS THAT YOUR SHITTY DOG!?” A blonde guy yelled from across the plaza, remnants of a meal scattered around his feet. “IT JUST ATE ALL OF OUR DAMN FOOD!” Why had they decided to have a picnic in the library? And why was the dog close enough to raid their picnic?

“COME HERE POLAR BEAR!” The meat-kid got close enough he dived for the dog. You thought he would actually catch the dog, but the dog dodged at the last second, leaving a student available for meat-kid to tackle instead. You barely held back a snort at the sight of limbs flailing askew and they disappeared from view.

You scowled to compose yourself and took a deep breath; this had gone on long enough. Crossing the plaza, you snatched part of the lost meal and whistled and made some kissy noises. “Here boy! Come here! Want some food?” You patted your leg excitedly and crouched down, trying to lure the fluff monster over.

By some miracle, he heard you over all the noise and bounded over to you, graciously gobbling up the treat and basking while you showered him in rubs and praise (and took a hold of his collar). Whale-hat and his friend wheezed as they ran up to you, gasping out apologies and thanks as they reattached the leash and tied it to their belt. Was– was that a great idea?

“YOUR POLAR BEAR STOLE MY MEAT!” The meat-kid bounced back over to them, hunger and indignation emblazoned across his face. (Talk about the living embodiment of hangry.)

“That's a dog Strawhat-ya." From behind Strawhat came a tall lanky man with bags the size of hammocks under his eyes, freshly soaked in coffee and wearing a white fuzzy cap. 

White hat. Tall. Probably needs to lay off the coffee. "Is that–" 

"LAW! There you are!" Whale-hat laughed and interrupted you, "We were just taking Bepo out for a walk! And we brought you some–"

Law pulled something out of his pocket and chucked it in the opposite direction. Bepo bolted away faster than a squirrel in a nut factory, dragging poor Whale-hat’s friend behind him. You watched alarmed as the dog/human sled combo created a scene which reminded you of bowling pins in a bowling alley. Law then held out his hand expectantly; Whale-hat swallowed hard and reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet and a pack of... salted licorice? He handed the candy and a few bills over, and the lanky zombie disappeared with Strawhat bouncing after him.

What on earth was happening? 

"Oi, shithead! What are you gonna do about my ruined food!? Poor Nami-san and Robin-chan are gonna starve because of you and your shitty mutt!" The blonde growled at Whale-hat, glaring him down in a way that might have been scary, had he not been several inches shorter than the one he was yelling at.

"A, that's not my dog, and B, if Bepo wanted to eat it, then it probably tastes like shit anyway!"

They both started arguing loudly over each other, and you buried your face in your hands. This certainly wasn’t how you wanted today to go. But now, it was time to get this mess straightened out.

"Alrighty boys, listen here,” you growled, “I will look over you," you pointed harshly at the blondie, "having food in the library and I will look over you," you poked Whale-hat in the chest, "having a dog in the library if you both get this mess cleaned up. NOW."

Both their eyes went wide and they lowered their heads and apologized before scampering away to clean up the spilled food. That’s odd, you never thought you were that intimidat– 

“Sorry for the trouble,” an arm wrapped around your shoulder and you found yourself looking at the face of a very cute girl with orange hair, “I’ll make sure those idiots make it up to you.” She winked then strutted away.

You blinked as she disappeared. What the hell just happened? Could this day get any weirder? You shook your head and went to monitor the boys as they cleaned up. Several minutes of cleaning (and attempted flirting on the blonde’s part) later, the floor was clean, and you left them to pick up where you left off in your regular librarian duties.

Days later, you hadn’t run into any of them again, (though you think you might’ve seen Law passed out in the medical section), and it was all starting to feel like a weird fever dream. 

That is, until you received a text from an unknown number while you were at work in the library. 

This you? (Accompanied by a gif of you, being tackled by a big white furry smudge.) 

It looked hilarious, but you were torn between laughing and wanting to cry. Was this all over the internet now? Were you a meme?

You could just say no, wrong number… But what were the chances some random stranger had a gif of the incident and then texted you?

Maybe. Who’s asking?

The typing symbol appeared and disappeared several times, but after a few minutes it didn’t appear. Well that was anticlimactic.

“Uh, hi. Sorry, I just wanted to check if the number Nami gave me was right, or if she was just trolling me.” A voice came from behind you and there he was: Whale-hat! Wait, who the heck was Nami, and how had she gotten your number to pass along?

“Who gave you my number?” 

“The girl with the orange hair from the other day?” He frowned. “You didn’t give her your number?” 

“Not that I recall…” 

“Oh.” His eyes kept meeting yours then darting away again and he shuffled on the spot. You decided to have a little mercy on him.

“I never caught your name,” you extended your hand and introduced yourself properly.

“Ah, shit! I’m Shachi. Sorry about what happened the other day. We didn’t expect Bepo to cause such a mess.” He scratched the back of his neck and gave you an apologetic bow.

“It’s not your fault those students thought having a picnic in the library was a good idea,” you chuckled. “By the way, is your friend okay? The one who got dragged away?”

“Oh, Penguin’s fine! A couple of bruises and stuff, but he’ll live.”

“So, where did you get that gif?”

“Oh, you haven’t seen?” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, “Someone got a good video of the whole thing and it’s already got about half a million hits! I can send the link if you…” He trailed off remembering this might not be something you wanted to be famous for. 

“Right, um…” Shachi blushed and shoved his phone back in his pocket. “I actually was here more than just to apologize and show you embarrassing gifs of yourself.” He tucked his hands behind his back and glanced around. “I mean, it can be part of the apology but I was going to ask if I could get you coffee or something sometime but if you don’t want to that’s fine. Nami was threatening me that I need to be a gentleman– BUT NOT TO ASK YOU OUT, I wanted to do that anyway before this whole fiasco happened, but then you know, this happened, and I–”

“You’re asking me on a date?” you felt the corner of your mouth twitch up.

“I– yes?” He smiled nervously at you. 

You couldn’t help a small giggle. This felt waaayyyy too much like a scene from a bad fanfic, but it still made your heart go uwu. 

“Okay. I have to get back to work, but text me later and we work out a time.” You waved and pushed your cart away. A wide grin split his face in two, and he waved back before running giddily away. 

~~~

“I told you the Bepo plan was a sure fire way to get a date!”

*THWACK*

“That wasn’t how the Bepo plan was supposed to go! You owe me big time!”

[nosferatyou]

I was tagged by @lazingonsunday and @shes-outta-sight to do one of the long tag, get to know them, type of things. Which I absolutely love by the way. I don’t talk about myself much.

What was the last thing you read?

Well I was editing the latest chapter of my fic of that counts? If not some random josh one shot a couple hours ago lol.

Favorite Movie?

Man it’s ever revolving. It was Django Unchained for a long ass time, but now I think it’s Baby Driver.

Favorite Book?

Misery by Stephen King. I read it years ago and I have a lot of good memories tied to it. Me and my friend became closer through his works and this was the first one I read. It’ll stay close in my heart.

Dream Date?

It’s one I’ve been on before but just Vinyl Shopping. It’s simple and easy but music in a relationship is important to me. I gotta make sure they have good picks. But there is something so soft about it all.

Do you have a crush?

Sadly no. But I’m fully in Joshes lane rn if that means anything?

What are your hobbies?

Oof okay. I mostly draw like all hours of the day. But I very actively keep up with guitar and bass. I write as well. I make videos for my friends. I collect old and beat up vinyls. Lot of art stuff

Favorite time of day?

Night time. Like from hours 10-3. That’s my true alone time and it’s something I cherish and look forward to everyday.

If you could look like anything, what would you like to look like?

I don’t wish to change anything about my body. I think I’d be silly to. But man I wish I could actually afford clothes I’d like to wear. Real bellbottoms you know? I want that vintage shit.

Are you romantic?

In a secure relationship yes. I show too much emotion too fast in the beginning. But boy oh boy when I get romantic. I get very touchy feely. Man date ideas. Lot of carefully curated playlists.

Favorite type of weather?

That time in like August/September when I can wear jeans and maybe a light jacket. But it’s still warm, you know?

What do you like talking about?

Music. I talk about it all day long. The foundation behind it. The artist. I could discuss guitars and instruments with people all damn day. I just. I love everything about it. But also GVF is my hyperfixation rn and my friend is ready to shoot my head off if I speak another word about Jakes guitar playing.

What are your turn ons?

Ngl I’m akin to a boy with long hair. It’s my vice. I’ve only dated long haired musicians. But I just want someone who radiates some kind of light you know? I’ve seen too much darkness. I want someone genuine and real. Is it too much to ask for a positive person?

What are your turn offs?

I’ve dealt with a lot in my past. Basically anything that’s negative. Ignorance mostly. I don’t want someone who refuses to learn. It’s stupid. I just want honesty and someone with an open mind. Anything else is a no go.

If you got a tattoo what would it be and where would you get it?

Okay so. I really want tattoos. I designed something about a year ago I want really badly but it’s so expensive. Thinking rationally. Right now I’d really like some line art of bust. Idk what tho.

Do you have any pets?

3! 2 dogs, Ruby and Nellie, both too six year old mutts. Nellie is the weirdest god damn dog I’ve ever had. And ruby is basically a fox dog. And then there is Friday my cat. He can be a bitch boy but he’s a sweet boy who’s just being a cat. (I also have ten plants but most people don’t consider them pets)

Dream Job?

I’m still searching for that. Recently my heads been floating towards playing live shows as a guitar or bass player. But I’m no where near the point of even considering. I’m pretty shitty. But how Cool would it be to play that violin bow with my guitar on stage?

Dream place to live?

Not considering any potential jobs. I just want to live in a big log cabin somewhere on the outskirts of a town. Out in the wilderness and free to just live.

Dream vacation?

I’ve never been to Europe. I’d love to just road trip around in a van honestly. But before that visit my great grandfather grave in Scotland. He was a kings hand and did a lot back in the day. I’d be cool to see. But then I’d fuck around in Europe.

Do you have any piercings?

I’ve got my nose and ears pierced. I’m pretty happy with that

If you had kids what would you name them?

Man I don’t even want to think about that.

What are your best traits?

I’m a great listener. I’m extremely compassionate. Will do anything to help friends. And I feel like my music taste isn’t half bad.

Worst traits?

The compassionate thing tends to bite me in the ass. I’ve got a lot of emotions. I also have 20 things I want to do all at once all the time. I loose sleep because of it. There is more but I’d go on too long.

Worst fear?

Weirdly enough any type of natural disaster. When I was way too young I watched “The Impossible” and then shortly after learned about techtonic plates and I never forgotten about it or where they are.

What do you want to eat right now?

Brownies. And a fucking burrito.

Best vacation you’ve been on?

I went on a road trip to Chicago recently and I just makes so many good memories. I saw ninja sex party’s 10th anniversary, which was fantastic. But I got to visit a friend all weekend. But my favorite part was the ride back. The whole time we just talked but also sang to old 50s songs and just had this moment of unity. I still think about it

Favorite City?

I haven’t been to too many places yet so I’m gonna go with my hometown, Nashville. If you look past all the tourists. It’s got a very rich musical history and in certain places you just feel it. I loved living there and it made me who I was.

Favorite social media platform?

Tumblr. It’s really the only one I ever check anymore. Plus I’ve made some great friends on here.

Favorite article of clothing?

My fucking bellbottoms. I wear them whenever I can. They give me so much confidence.

Do you play any sports?

Fuck no. I have no coordination whatsoever.

Favorite meal of the day?

Lunch. You have a lot more options. Plus I just like the vibe

What are you excited for?

Starting the tenth I have a lot of good things coming my way. In that week I get to finally end this semester, the new Harry styles album releases, I get a new bass, and I get to see fucking Greta Van Fleet. None of you know how excited I am for that. Pit tickets. Jesus it’ll be good.

Not excited for?

Finals. And an um.. upcoming funeral.

When was the last time you cried?

I honestly can’t remeber and that really scares me.

Dream house?

I basically answered this earlier but gimme that big ass log cabin.

Something you hate about this world?

Don’t get my started. I hate that everyone hates themselves all the time when they have no reason to. I hate that 8 people have most of the worlds money and are doing nothing to help global warming. I hate the man that’s in power and what he’s helped cause. I hate everyone who refuses to accept literally any fact. I hate that my future is bleak because of some old ass white men.

Something you love about this world?

I love the light that radiates off of certain people. I love that our generation has hope and that some people are actually trying to make change. I love the raw creativity I see in others and I love that we are bringing back the resurgence of peace and love.

What scents do you like?

Old records and books. Its the simple pleasures.

What kind of sleeper are you?

Typically heavy but sometimes I Sleep so little it feels like I got nothing at all.

Cat or dog person?

Don’t make me pick! I grew up with both, and very partial to both.

How long would you survive in a zombie Apocolypse?

I wish I could tell you. I’d like to think I’d live awhile but I would probably be the ones who look like they have hope and then accidentally get taken out.

Are you trusting?

I used to be. I realized recently how thick my walls really are.

What fictional character do you identify with?

Sorry to be boring but nothing is coming to mind. But then again I never felt akin to anyone really?

What labels do you commonly get?

In high school I was called “the quiet one” if that tells you anything.

What song would be your life anthem?

Sunshine on my shoulders by John Denver is the only one coming to mind. I think I just want the feeling it gives me to be what I feel all the time.

What issues are you dealing with right now?

Two friends in the last month Um. Took their own lives. One being an old friend. I’ve never dealt with death. My brain doesn’t know how to handle it. I also think I might have ADD. But. That’s the tip of the iceberg rn

How can someone win you over?

Typically I’m drawn to people who are the loudest in the room. I like that their confident and can speak their minds but what wins me over about them is when they really open up. When I learn about the real then rather than the face that they put on. Most of the time it goes that way.

What’s something people don’t know about you?

I’m making a short film with some friends who go to Columbia. Should be out soonish.

I tag

@pvre-mourning @peacelovekiszka @fretavangleet @aint-no-denying @sosozoso

[popatochisssp]

Fur a Good Time, Call... 2/15

Series: Undertale, Horrortale Relationship(s): HT!Sans/Reader Chapter Warnings: none 

You work at an animal shelter. You love all your fuzzy buddies and can’t imagine a better job for yourself than looking after cats and dogs all day, even when the work is hard and often gross. What can you say? You’ve got a lot of love to give!

You’re just not quite sure yet how you feel about the new monster who’s been helping out these days, and this riddle wrapped up in an enigma is something you just can’t resist investigating…

AO3 Link

Humerus

You didn’t actually see much of Sans in the days that followed.

His schedule was really more of a non-schedule, something so freeform and seemingly random that if there was a system in place, you certainly couldn’t figure it out.

He did good work whenever he showed up, though, which was a lot more than could be said for some of the other well-meaning volunteers who ended up being more hindrance than help. You figured that whatever leniency your manager gave that let him just sort of come in whenever was probably deserved.

Of course, it was entirely possible that he was around and you were just missing him. You’d been more or less absorbed with your latest pet-project and noticing much of anything around here, even a giant skeleton in slippers, was probably asking too much of your attention span.

On the bright side, you were delighted to say that Buddy was doing great!

A quick buzz and a bath to the new stray had revealed a merle coat and stunning ice-blue eyes that the whole shelter fell in love with almost immediately. With even just a few days of regular meals his scrawny body was starting to fill out, and when his tail got to wagging and he relaxed enough to show off a winning doggy smile it was obvious to everyone that you had a handsome little man on your hands.

So far, though, it seemed that Buddy only had eyes for you.

He was okay around most people; a little shy and nervous, maybe, but he certainly hadn’t bitten or lashed out at anyone. He was just a noticeably more relaxed dog when you were somewhere he could see you.

It wasn’t much of a surprise since you had been there to calm him down that first day—you had a feeling Buddy might show a similar response to Sans—but it was clear that you’d become a safe person to him.

For that reason, it was decided that it was probably in everyone’s best interests if you were the one to handle most of his training and socialization. The bulk of your day-to-day duties was shifted around to other people for the time being and that was that: you’ve been Buddy’s best buddy ever since.

He was currently panting hard beside you, glancing up at you every few steps as if to say, ‘I did good, right?’

“Yes, Buddy, you’re a very good boy.” You gave him a quick scritch along the scruff of his neck—his favorite spot—and opened the door to let him back into the shelter. “Good first walk.”

You’d taken him around the neighborhood the long way, partly exercise and partly a test. Walks were a great way to suss out little things about a dog that were impossible to notice interacting with it just in a kennel, and you found that those details helped you write up the best adoption descriptions possible.

Buddy, for example, loved to sniff everything and had even tracked down a scent all the way to a squirrel dray up a small tree. The one floppy ear of his could be a sign he had some hound-blood in him, which was always better to write than just ‘mutt’ or ‘???’

You’d guess that he also had some feline ancestry of the scaredy-cat variety because as soon as an actual squirrel had popped out and squawked at him, Buddy had hurried away quite suddenly, pulling you along with him. Probably better for a household without other pets so the poor little wuss didn’t get harassed all day long.

“You made it, see?” you cooed, leading him back inside and tweaking his pointed ear. “Gonna get you some water and then you can lay down and catch your breath. Good boy.”

Except…maybe not?

Buddy didn’t seem to want to go back to the dog room and his kennel just yet. Even tired as he seemed to be, he was dragging you down the other hallway and sniffing along the tiled floor with focus.

“What, Buddy? You find a really good smell?” He must’ve because even a gentle tug to his leash didn’t seem to sway him from this new path, just like with the squirrel from earlier. “Okay, guess you’ll show me.”

You could probably spare a couple minutes on a detour and you were more than a bit curious to see where Buddy wanted to go.

Ending up in the laundry room shouldn’t have been much of a surprise. Especially not with a pile of unwashed bedding sitting out right there on the floor.

“Oh, no wonder, that’s a great smell.” A little grin split across your face at your own sarcasm. “Well, it is for you, I guess.”

Buddy did seem pleased by his discovery. His tail was wagging as he enthusiastically nosed through the folds of a tawny brown blanket, nudging it this way and that, and you couldn’t help but smile.

Getting to see a dog that was so scared and hurt barely more than a week ago start to get better; a sweet, silly boy like this having some fun snuffling around in a dirty quilt….

This was why you loved your job.

When Buddy’s tail went still, though, you paused. “What? What is it?”

Obviously, he didn’t answer you so you moved a little closer to the laundry pile, trying to see for yourself. Hiding there in the earth-toned pile, beneath Buddy’s pointing muzzle was a surprising splash of color.

You reached for it and picked it up. Even as Buddy’s tail started to wag again—‘See? Look what I found!’—you tilted your head in confusion.

The thing was…a rock.

Blue-green in color and very rough to the touch, it glinted a little in the light when you turned it in your hand but otherwise seemed to just be a big hunk of stone. Sitting in the dog blankets. Where rocks…usually weren’t?

“What the hell.”

“oh, that’s mine.”

You whirled around and who should be standing there but Sans, huge and looming and having made absolutely no sound with his arrival, like always. You blamed the sudden adrenaline spike for what you blurted out next.

“Shit, you’re quiet, has anyone ever told you that you should wear a bell?”

It seemed like you’d surprised him with that. The upper ridges of his oddly malleable eye-sockets raised up and his red pupil shrunk from its normal size. He stared at you long enough for you to realize what you’d just said and stars above, was ‘rude’ your default setting?!

“God, I’m sorry, that was—”

A snort cut you off, followed by a full-on chuckle.

“a bell?” Sans echoed, his grin seeming to stretch wider across his skull. “heheheheh… no, that’s a new one. not sure i get the appeal.”

You almost started to apologize again before you caught the emphasis. That was a joke! He must not be too offended by your lack of manners if he was joking with you.

You laughed a little instead and watched Sans perk up, his eye-light dilating back to normal.

“maybe it does, uh… ring a little true,” he admitted. “did i scare ya’?”

“Oh…heh, maybe a little….” You looked down to see that Buddy had fully abandoned the blanket and was now vigorously sniffing at Sans’ feet and legs and everything clicked. “Oh! He smelled you! That’s why he dragged me in here.”

“hm?” Sans looked down too and recognition flashed across his face. “oh, hey, pal,” he greeted, bending to scratch at Buddy’s ears. “ya look good.”

So far, Buddy hadn’t really liked it when hands got near his face. He’d let you do it, though—you and apparently Sans, who Buddy was totally fine with while he sniffed the ever-living hell out of Sans’ sleeve.

“you found my rock, huh? good job, i been lookin’ for that.”

Right! You held out the chunk of stone in offering. “Here,” you said. “It was under that blanket, I guess you must’ve dropped it.”

Sans straightened and took the rock back from you. What completely filled your hand settled neatly in his palm and his smile turned a little sheepish. “nah, it was in my pocket. but, uh…” He pinched the bottom of his hoodie, highlighting the pocket that the very dog who now came up to smell it had bitten through on his first day here. “i tried to stitch it and called it good, but i guess not so much.”

The rock had some serious heft to it when you held it. You didn’t doubt that it would test a rushed repair-stitch to the breaking point, but… “Why didn’t you just put it in your other pocket?”

“and squish my ketchup?”

“……what?”

Sans seemed happy to show you. He swapped his rock to the other hand and scooped out…god, what had to be at least two dozen little ketchup packets from his pocket.

“don’t always have a rock,” he told you, as if he were actually explaining something, “but i always got these. they were here first.”

The absurdity of the situation hit you all at once. You were standing in a laundry room, holding a dog who was still smelling everything while a skeleton two heads taller than you was very soberly justifying why a condiment collection had seniority over a rock in regards to pocket-storage.

You thought bursting out laughing was completely appropriate.

“Pfft, what the fuck,” you said through helpless giggles. “Why do you have those? Why do you have either of those things? Oh my god…”

Far from offended, Sans looked delighted by your laughter. “i like ketchup,” he said with an easy shrug, putting the packets away. “as for this…” Sans paused a moment to look at the stone in his hand. He almost seemed to be debating something with himself. “well, i, uh… i’m actually…a little bit of a geologist? so i like rocks.”

Your eyebrows shot up. “What, seriously?”

“yeah. helped out with the CORE a little, back… back Underground.”

The CORE—a technical marvel of geothermal energy production and totally unrivaled by anything manmade so far. According to the news, it had provided heat and light to the trapped monsters even when they had literally nothing else, and top scientists were still studying it trying to replicate its function. It was slow-going research because according to the former monster Queen, everyone who’d built it was dust and gone.

Obviously not entirely true.

“You’re kidding,” you breathed. “That’s amazing.”

Sans just rubbed the back of his neck. “mmm… wore a lotta hats back then. ‘jack of all trades,’ y’know? not into the other technical bits so much anymore, but i still like the geology stuff.” He cracked an awkward smile at you as he added, “it rocks.”

You laughed and watched the tension leave his shoulders. You realize pretty quickly that you may have found the key to befriending Sans that’s been eluding you all this time: he’s volunteered more (completely fascinating) information about himself in the past few minutes than anyone else had learned in weeks, and it all started when you laughed at his jokes.

That certainly wasn’t hard to do. Sans was a funny guy when you actually got him talking and you found yourself really not wanting it to stop.

A glance at Buddy down by your feet and then the clock up on the wall—early afternoon—and you had your idea.

Impulsively and before you could lose the confidence, you say, “Hey, so… I was gonna go get Buddy settled and then head out for lunch. Would you…want to come? The place I usually go to is close by and I’d be happy to treat.”

You’d clearly caught Sans by surprise again. “……really? why?”

You didn’t quite get his confusion but, “Well… I kinda feel like I should get to know you.” You fussed a little with the leash in your hands, trying to spend your nervous energy. “I mean, you’ve been here for how long and I’m only now finding out you’re funny? That’s crazy. Plus I’m going anyway, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to, that’s totally fine, I just thought….” You didn’t know what you thought and you realized you were on the verge of rambling so you let the sentence trail off.

The offer was out there, you’d made the attempt. That was something to be proud of, even if he said no!

“…i dunno,” Sans said eventually and you bit back a sigh of disappointment. “see, i did just lose my apatite.”

“That’s okay, I—…”

The emphasis. You stared at the rock in Sans’ hand, which he helpfully waggled when he caught you looking.

“……is that. Is that actually apatite?”

Sans looked like he was bursting to tell you, grinning with eager anticipation. “yeah.”

“……”

This time when you completely lost it laughing, Sans joined you with a quiet chuckle that had you covering your face and shaking your head.

“Oh my god, did you plan this? Did you set this up somehow, just for that joke?” you demanded.

Sans snorted but shook his head, “nah, happy accident, i swear. probably the happiest accident of my life, though, that was perfect.”

Still smiling, you looked up at him. “So, lunch, then? Yea or nay?”

“hell, i don’t turn down free food. sure. just gotta put this in,” he nudged the laundry pile with his slipper, “and drop my rock off at home where it’s less funny. lobby in fifteen?”

You blinked in surprise. “You live that close?”

Sans made a face and gave you a so-so motion with his hand. “but,” he winked, “i do know a shortcut.”

And then he was gone again, just like before.

Buddy visibly startled, jumping back up from where he’d been sitting (like a good boy!) and whipping his head around to you, like you could somehow explain to this animal that didn’t speak your language all the nuances of an apparently teleport-capable skeleton.

“I don’t know, man,” you told the poor dog, “I’m in the same boat as you. Let’s just get you that water, okay?”

Buddy actually let you lead him all the way to his kennel this time. He lapped up half of the water you put in his bowl and then padded straight over to his cot where he plopped down with a big, dramatic sigh.

“Yeah, yeah, your life is so hard,” you teased, which Buddy seemed utterly indifferent to so you left him where he was and went to go clock out for lunch.

-

True to his word, Sans was waiting for you when you got to the lobby, greeting you with a crooked grin and an awkward wave.

You mentally laughed at yourself for ever having thought this guy was scary when it seemed like everything he did just proved what a total goober he was.

“You ready to go?” you asked him. “Any last minute jokes you want to get out before we leave? Sight-gags? Puns?”

“heheheheheh… jeez, we haven’t even hung out yet and ya already got me pegged.”

“Am I wrong?”

“nope,” he freely told you. “i was tryin’ to think of somethin’ but ya showed up too early. i’ll let ya know if i come up with anything on the way over.”

And with that, the two of you headed out the door into the lovely, sunshiny day.

The weather was great and you made some small talk about that before telling Sans a bit about the place you were going—a little cheap and a little dive-y, but it was close to work and the food was good so you went there pretty much all the time.

Sans nodded and ‘hmm’ed in all the right spots but you got the slight sense that he wasn’t fully paying attention to you. His eye-light kept casting up to the sky; the endless expanse of azure blotted with fluffy white clouds floating past on the breeze.

You couldn’t bring yourself to be offended by Sans’ distraction. Stars only knew how long he’d spent thinking he’d never get to see a sight like that.

His focus immediately switched back to you again once there was a roof over your heads and he watched you peruse the short menu on the wall. “know what you’re getting?”

“Yep. I’ve got a usual,” you told him, “I think I’ll stick with that. You?”

He looked at the menu himself, processing it for a minute before shrugging. “eh. i’m not picky. anything you’d recommend?”

You turned to face him fully, looking him up and down. Feeling unaccountably playful, you asked, “Trust me to order for you?”

He just eyed you, half-puzzled and half-amused. “sure? knock yourself out, i guess.”

Decision made, you went up to the counter and ordered your usual, “And a triple bacon cheeseburger with everything on it, fries for the side.”

You paid and got your order ticket and went back off to the side to wait…where Sans was unabashedly staring at you in awe.

“how did you know?” he asked. “triple isn’t even up there.”

You were probably radiating the smuggest aura right now, but you couldn’t help it. “I told you I come here a lot. The chef is cool, he doesn’t mind throwing an extra patty on there if you ask for it. You’re a pretty big guy, I figured a double might not cut it.”

“and the rest of it?”

“Anybody who carries around as much ketchup as you do is basically guaranteed to be a garbage disposal when it comes to food. No offense,” you added quickly, though you didn’t entirely think Sans would take offense to that. “That, plus you’ve got a pretty big grease stain on your shirt, so….”

Sans looked at the stain and then at you before starting to snicker at himself. “oh my god, you really do got me pegged. you’re not gonna sherlock me the whole time, are ya?”

“I’ll try to refrain,” you offered magnanimously and then sent him off to fill up your drink cups at the machine over on the wall while you stayed to wait for the food.

It didn’t take long for your number to be called and you settled your tray down at a booth Sans had scoped out for you. You found that it was only a little surreal for you to be at your favorite eatery, sitting across from a skeleton that you happened to work with.

After a few more words of small talk about the food—so good, probably in the Top Five of all the burgs he’s ever had, great pick— you find you’ve gathered enough courage to start the social part of the outing.

“So,” you say lightly, picking at your meal, “the CORE. That’s some pretty groundbreaking stuff.” Sans huffs a tiny laugh at the pun. “I kinda gotta ask why a guy like you is at an animal shelter, of all places.”

“mostly this,” he says, reaching up to knock his knuckles against his skull, right next to the broken part of it. “see, i guess when half your head caves in, that makes it start workin’ different than it used to.”

The candid answer sobers you quickly. “Oh.”

“yeah. takes me a little longer to work stuff out than it used to. i forget things easier. got a fun little issue where i just sorta fall asleep sometimes. i got some human medication for it that helps, but it still happens. i’m sure you’ve noticed it.”

You…have.

In the time Sans has been at the shelter, he’s almost always had a follow-up question on a task he’d been given, or needed another run-through on a procedure he’d already been shown.

You hadn’t seen it yourself, but you’d once heard a couple volunteers chuckling good-naturedly near the coffee pot in the break area and saying they should bring a mug to the stock room for Sans; the poor guy must’ve had a late night if he’d passed out halfway through doing inventory.

“Yeah,” you admit, feeling…very guilty all of a sudden. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. That’s…pretty personal…”

But Sans shakes his head. “nah, don’t be sorry,” he says. “i just like havin’ my cards on the table. i’d be a liability workin’ in some lab with my head the way it is, for sure, but i was outta the science game long before it even happened. it ain’t as tragic as all that.”

“No?”

“nah. i’ve done a bunch of different stuff since then and none of it had anything to do with my degrees.”

You almost asked about that—degrees, plural—but you find yourself more curious about the other jobs he’s tried. He’d called himself a jack of all trades earlier and you wonder just how much that covered.

As it turns out, it covered quite a lot. In between bites of his burger, you get Sans to tell you all about the times he sold concert tickets, rented out a telescope, and ran an illegitimate (?!) hot dog stand.

(You don’t ask what he did during the famine. Even you know it’s a faux pas of the highest order to ask a monster about the famine.)

“i think my favorite was the comedy routine,” Sans says eventually. “had a little time-slot at a fancy resort every other week. that was a lotta fun.”

“I am not even a little surprised you were a comedian,” you say flatly, but with enough of a teasing note in your voice that you see him smile. “Is that something you wanted to get back into?”

“mmm…probably not?” He picks at his ketchup-drenched fries a little. “it’d be nice, maybe, but i dunno if i trust myself to be up on stage for a whole set, these days. nothin’ sadder than live reruns.”

You blurt it without thinking. “The things you take for granite, I guess.”

He’s quiet for just a bit and you worry you may have overstepped there…but a second later he bursts out laughing. The sound is deep and genuine, so much more than his understated little chuckle and you couldn’t have been prouder to be the cause of it.

When he finally looks at you, you swear that the red light of his eye is sparkling. “oh man, good one. hope I remember that, Pap’ll hate it.”

“Pap?”

And you thought you’d found Sans’ conversation button before.

It turned out that jokes were only the second best way to get Sans talking; the best was his brother, Papyrus.

You’d had no idea a skeleton could look so animated until you had Sans smiling, gesturing, practically vibrating with pride across from you as he told you all about his sibling.

Papyrus is the coolest guy ever, athletic and smart and so organized Sans can hardly believe it. He used to be a bit of a chef, but lately he’s had more of a budding (heheh) interest in gardening and their yard looks so colorful now, it’s crazy. He’s also studying to be a nurse and working part-time at one of those big home improvement stores until then.

“we get that money from the human government, y’know,” Sans points out. “we both do, so it’s not like he even has to work? we could coast awhile on what we got and be fine, but Papyrus goes out first thing and picks up a job ‘cause he likes to be productive, and then he starts going to school for an even harder job just ‘cause he wants to help people.” Sans is positively beaming at you. “isn’t my brother cool?”

Well, of course. That should go without saying, but you can’t help but think of Sans, too; how he volunteers at the shelter, spending his unpaid time doing hard, dirty work to help fuzzy people that can’t even thank him.

“It seems like it runs in the family,” you say sincerely.

Like most of the times so far you’ve said something he didn’t expect, Sans needs a couple extra seconds to process it. When he realizes what you said, though, the most curious thing happens.

The light of his eye is a vibrant cherry-red… but the color that spreads impossibly across his cheekbones is a soft gray-blue, like slate or steel.

You can’t help but find it… bizarrely pretty.

“eheheheheh…” His nervous laugh is almost as nice as his normal one, though it does make you want to pat his hand a little and tell him it’s okay. When he immediately changes the subject in the least subtle way possible, you have enough mercy to let him. “so, uh. what about you? what’s your story? why the shelter?”

“Sorry to say I don’t have much of a story. Well,” you amend, “not an interesting one, anyway. I, uh, I’ve always liked animals and I kinda knew from the start that I wanted to work with them, so… it’s pretty much just always been this, for me.” You look down and fiddle with the straw of your empty drink, and laugh, “I’m nothing special, really.”

You immediately wonder if maybe that was a little too self-deprecating. You can feel Sans looking at you and try to decide if you should go for an unsubtle subject change yourself or just wait to see what he says.

You're more than a little relieved when Sans makes the decision for you.

“well……i wouldn’t terrierself up about it. you seem like somebody with a lot of petential.”

Your laugh that time is totally genuine, surprised out of you. You look back up, grinning, and can’t quite resist a pun of your own. “Are you fur real, right now?”

But of course, there’s no out-punning the master. “i’m pawsitive.”

You both dissolved into giggles like you were two middle-school girls instead of the grown (maybe not so) mature adults you were.

-

Eventually you both finished your food and it was time to go. Sans had that load of laundry to finish and you wanted to do some more clicker-training with Buddy—you were sure you could teach him to shake and you weren’t giving that up without a fight!—so you headed out for the short walk back to work.

The trip over is quiet, but companionable and it isn't long into it before you find yourself chasing another crazy impulse.

“So… do you want to exchange numbers?” You feel awkward even asking. It’s maybe only the third or fourth time in your entire life that you’ve been the one to ask for a person’s number, but, “This was fun and I don’t really have anybody at work to go to lunch with. It’d be cool to…keep in touch?”

Sans scratched at his cheek. “guess you’d want me to pay for my own food next time, huh?” He made a show of considering this, which made you snicker. “don’t suppose you’d consider lettin’ me open a tab? i’m good for it, i swear.”

“Why do I doubt that so much?”

“careful, now, these completely accurate judgments of my character are gonna start hurtin’ my feelings.”

You rolled your eyes with obvious amusement, much to Sans’ apparent pleasure.

“i’m kiddin’, i’m kiddin’, that sounds great. i don’t have a lunch-pal, either.”

You go to get out your phone for him to put his number in, but he’s faster—possibly because it looks like he had his in his ketchup-pocket. He hands it to you unlocked, with the messages screen pulled up.

“just text yourself, it’s easier.”

You do, keying in your number and sending a skull emoji to yourself. You felt the answering buzz of your own phone a moment later but paid it no mind, trying to think of a good name to put yourself under in his contacts.

Your actual name would be boring, but you didn’t want to pick something too out there just in case Sans would look at it later and have no idea who you were supposed to be.

It wasn’t long before you got it. You happily typed, ‘Good@Dogs’ next to your number and saved the contact. You’d have to think of something fun to put Sans as later.

This would be good! It had been a long time since you had a work-friend…or really any kind of friend…and it would be nice to have somebody to go to lunch with sometimes, and to send funny memes to. You had a feeling Sans would appreciate memes.

Plus, maybe you could meet up for other stuff outside of work, like if a cool movie came out or something. You might even get to meet the infamous Papyrus at some point!

There were so many good reasons to have Sans’ number and absolutely none of them were that he was a total sweetheart of a skeleton that seemed to get cuter every time you spoke.

You ignore that thought and go to hand Sans’ phone back, only to pause.

In the minute or so since you’d stopped talking, Sans had gotten distracted by the sky again. He was just standing there on the sidewalk, watching the clouds and soaking up a sunbeam with the corners of his eye-sockets crinkled just so.

Sans suddenly looked like the biggest, boniest cat you’d ever seen, lazing in the sunlight on the verge of a nap. It wouldn’t have surprised you one bit if he started purring and it made you feel….

You cleared your throat. “Sans? Your phone.”

“huh?” His focus turned back to you and the phone you held out to him and the moment was gone. “oh yeah, thanks.”

He took his phone back and you were on your way again.

Oh, no. Sans wasn’t cute at all.

Prev Chapter | Next Chapter

[holy-kpop-hoe]

Appaloosa || Pt. 1

Disclaimer: co-written with @violentredroses

Pairing: sheriff! Yoongi x reader x outlaw! Namjoon

Genre: angst, smut, drama, romance

Word Count: +5k

Warnings: references of death of a loved one, references to injuries, fist fight, Yoongi loses his mind, minor smut at the end;

Synopsis: Yoongi’s life as the sheriff of Appaloosa City takes a turn with the return of an old friend. When the woman he loves goes missing, Yoongi will have to make a decision between his duty and his heart. Either way, he is bound to lose something.

Pt.1 –> Pt.2 –> to be continued

Also posted on AO3

(Special thanks to my beta readers and reviewers @kpopcinnamonswirlroll @supersailorrapmon @starryjo0n and @btssavedmylifeblr  Without your advice and opinions, this fic would not exist. Also, my beta that turned co-writer @violentredroses this fic wouldn’t be half of what it is without your help. Thank you so much to all of you! <3)

Soft snores echo through the brick building, mixing with the buzz of flies. A light breeze comes through the open door ruffling the papers on the desk and walls of the sheriff's station. Said sheriff sits on a wooden chair behind the desk, feet up on the table and cowboy hat covering his face. A brown mutt sleeps next to a jail cell, and inside a middle-aged man lays on a wooden bench, beer bottle in hand.

The smell of alcohol fills the room, mixed with the unpleasant stench of piss and sweat coming from the cell. The heat only strengthened the scent, but this didn’t disturb the sleeping men. After being there so long, they’d grown used to the stuffy air.

The dog's ears stand up hearing an outside sound, and he barks at the intruder bursting through the door.

“Sheriff, come quick, Madam Ho needs you!” the newcomer is a young boy, brown hair a mess and face red from running in the heat.

“Sir, wake up!”

The town's sheriff grumbles in his half-asleep state, taking his feet off the table with a thud.

“It better be good,” He groans when the daylight hits his eyes. “What's the problem, boy?”

“Some man is keeping Miss Rosa in a room,” he shrugs. “I tried to help, but Madam Ho told me to call you instead.”

“Hmm, I see.”

The man stands up and stretches his stiff limbs from sleeping in the uncomfortable chair, petting his dog that comes greeting him with a wagging tail. Grabbing a metal cup, he hits the bars of the jail cell behind him, wincing when the sound hits him straight in the brain. He unlocks the door.

“Rise and shine, Earl!”

The man asleep in the small compartment jumps and falls to the ground, empty beer bottle rolling away from him.

He slowly stands, a stream of curses directed at the sheriff falling through his teeth.

“Am I good to go?”

“Yeah, just stop picking drunk fights with horses and I'll never have to see your ugly face again.”

The older man laughs and limps out of the cell, making his way to the outside door.

“Yes, sir,” and he leaves.

The lawman grabs a whiskey bottle from a shelf and takes a big gulp, approaching the boy with uneasy steps and ruffling his hair. He smirks at the boy.

“You did well coming to me, kid,” he grabs a shotgun from a near wall. “Show me the way.”

He closes his eyes with a grunt as soon as they step outside, the torturous feeling of adjusting to the sunlight.

The sun is at his highest peak, Appaloosa City vibrates with activity. From street vendors to outsiders, people went about their daily lives. A quiet peacefulness often remains over the town, rarely disturbed or rowdy. Sheriff Yoongi Min never came across a problem he couldn’t fix in Appaloosa City. Wood buildings occupy the sides of the street, where the dust rises from the passing of wagons, people and animals. Children run around playing, men with stern faces and long jackets walk by on their horses. A group of women milked their goats under the shadow of a porch, the goats’ bawls hitting his ears.

The boy runs in front of him, eager to show him the way. The man is greeted by multiple people along the path, which makes him grin at the boy's growing impatience.

They finally get to the town's saloon, entering the main room through the swinging doors. The bar is filled with mostly empty tables and chairs at this hour of the day. The old bartender is the only person seemingly sober and awake in the building.

“Mornin’, sheriff,” the bartender stops cleaning the bar. “Madam Ho is waitin’ for you upstairs. I bet it’s just another drunk looking for trouble.”

“I don’t doubt it for a second, Billy,” Yoongi tells him, passing by random men sleeping at the tables. He's halfway upstairs when a woman appears.

“Yoongi Min, I thought I'd have to go and get you myself!” she is dressed impeccably in a black and red dress. Her hair up, her black corset shaped her form and highlighted her cleavage. It’d be tough for Yoongi to ignore them. “Come over here!”

“Good morning to you too, Jessi,” he, stopped by her side. “What happened?”

She huffs and leads him through a dimly lit corridor, closed doors on either side. They stop at one of the last doors, a small crowd of women in various stages of undress already at the front.

“Get out of the way, girls,” orders Madam Ho. “The man is here.”

The women get away from the door upon noticing their arrival, a red-haired one winking at the sheriff who just smirks in response.

Yoongi closes his fist and bangs at the door. “This is the sheriff, open the door!”

A muffled sound is heard from the other side until a man's voice is made clear.

“No, I'm not leaving without her!”

Yoongi sighs at recognizing the voice. It was not the first time he did something like this.

“C'mon Johnny, not again. Let her go, and I promise I won't take you with me this time.”

More muffled sounds get to his ears, and Yoongi sees himself starting to get impatient. In the three years he has been sheriff, things like this tend to happen. Men who delude themselves into thinking the prostitutes they pay to fuck actually love them.

“This is your final warning, Johnny!” he takes his fingers to his lips and whistles. “Open the door, or the next thing you know Holly will be biting your ass!” As if waiting for his call, the dog in question stops next to his owner, tail wagging. “Oh, look who's here!” He waits for acknowledgment on the other side, “Johnny?”

The door creaks open, a woman's face appearing instead of the one he hoped for. An amused smile is on her face.

“He ran away through the window, the pendejo.”

Yoongi smirks and enters the small bedroom, stopping by an open window. He looks three meters down, where a boy no older than eighteen is trying to jump over a fence. Yoongi laughs, shaking his head.

“You really have to be a fool to make the same stupid ass move a third time!” he calls down, grinning.

The boy freezes, shoulders falling in embarrassment and defeat. He slowly turns around, eyes on the floor.

“I...forgot.”

Yoongi scoffs. “Yeah, I can see that,” he says while extending an arm. “Get over here before I arrest you for invading private property.”

He follows Yoongi’s command, using his arm to pull himself up to the bedroom. Johnny nervously looks at the dog awaiting him once he climbs the window. Holly happily wags his tail upon seeing the familiar face. The women had long gone back to their daily routines, except for Madam Ho who stood by the door frame.

“I swear to God, Johnny Seo, I’ll castrate you myself if you don’t stop keeping my girls after hours!” she screams, hands on her hips and fire in her eyes. She poked her index finger into his chest as he paled, mumbling excuses under his breath. “No buts!” she sighs. Fixing her hair and extending a hand in his direction, she demands, “Pay me the money you owe me and go.”

Yoongi promptly drops money in her open hand. “Here’s your money, now let’s go,” he says, grabbing the boy by his shoulders and guiding him out of the bedroom.“You really need to stop this,” he tells Johnny once in the hallway.

“But I love her, Sir.”

“Yeah yeah, now it’s Rosa, last month was Tiffany, and next month might be Billy the bartender.”

They are going down the stairs, dog in tow, when the man behind the counter laughs loudly. “You again? Don’t you ever learn, son?” he asked upon seeing the person the sheriff was dragging.

The boy continues to look at the ground in embarrassment, ears red and posture slumped. Yoongi laughs with him. “You know our loverboy. He just can’t stay away,” he smiles. “Have a nice day, Billy.”

They pass through the swinging doors of the saloon into the heat outside. Yoongi continues guiding him through the mix of amused and curious people, all the way to the sheriff station. There he drops the boy on a chair and takes a seat behind his desk, throwing his hat on the table and taking a gulp from a flask in his vest pocket.

“Johnny, you really have to stop,” he says while trying to look the boy in the eyes. “Look at me when I’m talking to you,” he says sternly before they lock eyes. “They don’t love you, Johnny. You pay to fuck them and that’s it. No more, no less.”

Johnny slumps in his chair, an expression of defeat on his face. It wasn’t the first time he was scolded for wanting to run away with one of Madam Ho’s doves.

“Yeah…”

Yoongi raises an eyebrow. “Yes what?” he asks.

“Yes, sir...I won't do it again.”

“For the sake of your poor mother, I really hope not. If you want a girl so badly, try to get a farmer's daughter or something.” Yoongi took another sip from his flask,“Your mother would be happy to see you married to a nice girl.”

The boy just shrugs, already more relaxed, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Weren't you married once?” he asks.

Yoongi nearly chokes on the drink, coughing violently in hope of breathing air again instead of whiskey. “I was...engaged. Once,” he coughs again. “A long time ago.”

“What happened?”

The sheriff quickly jumps on his feet, raising the boy from his chair and pushing him to the door. “None of your damn business. Now go home to your momma before I decide to throw your ass in jail.”

Johnny is quick in leaving the sheriff station, saying goodbye and making his way home. Yoongi stays outside watching the boy go, taking a moment to just look around and put his thoughts in order. There wasn’t a day that went by without him thinking about Roseanne. About him. The pain and grief in his heart remained very present even after five years. Memories of that terrible night tormented him and filled his dreams with blood and screams. Yoongi wasn’t proud of the man he had become, constantly drinking and spending his money on gambling and prostitutes. But he was that man now.

His thoughts are interrupted by a young man guiding a horse he recognizes immediately.

“Howdy, sheriff,” greets the newcomer. “Here is your horse, all taken care of.”

“My girl!” he beams happily, running his hands through the neck of the white and brown Appaloosa. The mare lets out a greeting huff, rubbing her nose on his arm. “Thank you so much, Jungkook, “ he smiles at the younger man. “For a moment I thought I would have to put Shooky down.”

“It was just a colic,” Jungkook smiled. “Some walking on the paddock and she’s back to full health,” he explains, lightly patting the mare’s neck.

Jungkook Jeon was a young man in his twenties, with raven hair and big doe eyes. He had shown up in town looking for work about two months ago, with only a bag and the clothes on his back. He was surprisingly good with horses, so he’d quickly get a job on a nearby breeding farm.

“I'm glad she's ok,” said Yoongi. “So, how you holding up at the Kents farm?”

Jungkook scratches behind his head, a faint smile on his lips. “It's hard work, but at least I have a roof under my head and three meals a day,” he shrugs. “I like it here.”

Yoongi hums in approval, patting the boy's shoulder. “That's good,” he says, taking the reins from his hands and tying the mare to a wooden pole. “By the way, have you found the horses that ran away last week?”

Jungkook shakes his head,“Not yet, sir.”

“That's a shame,” says the sheriff .“Actually, it’s nice that you're here. I have some matters concerning your boss.”

“Well, follow me. Ben and Jimin are loading up the cart now.”

Both began walking in direction of a wagon a few meters away, where two men loaded multiple crates of supplies in the back. One of them stood big and tall, ripped muscles under dark brown skin. Thick lips stretched in a bright smile upon seeing the men approaching them. The other is way shorter compared, black hair showing under a hat and a lean body shining with sweat from the overbearing heat.

“Hey there, sheriff Min!” greets the shorter one with an eye smile.

“Nice to see you, Jimin,” says Yoongi with a tilt of his hat. “Hey, Ben.”

“Yoongi!” the tall man drops a box at the back of the wagon and approaches the smaller man. His big hand makes Yoongi nearly lose his balance in a few pats. “Tonight is poker night at Billy's. You coming?”

The sheriff laughs and shakes his head, “Every night is poker night for me, Ben.”

The men finish loading the cart with the help of Yoongi and Jungkook. Talking about mundane things and news from nearby counties, they finished the work in no time. After that, they all hop in the back and Jimin takes the driver's seat, flicking the reins and the mules began walking. The rest lays between the boxes and sacks of goods organized at the back, just enjoying the ride and the warm breeze.

“So Jimin, how does it feel to be back in town?” asks Yoongi.

Jimin Park was born in Appaloosa City, just like himself, but moved after the house fire that took his father’s life. He returned about two weeks ago and was quick at finding a job in the nearby farms. They always need cowboys to care for the cattle and protect the property.

“It feels...strange,” he answers with a shrug, eyes on the road. “All looks the same but I feel like everything changed in the four years I’ve been away.” He looks back at Yoongi and smiles, “You’re the sheriff now! How did that happen?”

Yoongi accepts an apple that Ben throws to him, brushing it on his shirt and looking at the fruit with a thoughtful expression. “Well, after - you know - I started helping the old sheriff and some marshals in law duty. One of them made me a deputy after about a year and a half,” he bit into the apple and continues talking, “Then sheriff Canton died - rest his soul - and the town decided I was the best replacement for some reason.”

“Our sheriff is a good one, boys,” Ben told them.“You know that gunfight in Rose Creek? He was there! This little guy shot down one guy from high up in the chapel! Headshot straight through, no lie!”

“Wow, that's impressive!” exclaims Jungkook. “I heard it was two hundred of the best gunslingers money can buy against a few lawmen and a bunch of farmers.”

Yoongi gives a last bite on his apple, holding what's left before throwing it far away.“Actually, it was eighty men against some of the best lawmen of this country and a town of armed people. It’s not as big as people make it.”

“Still amazing,” says Jimin.

They continued talking through the rest of the ride until they reached the farm. “We're here.”

A brick house is the main building, surrounded by smaller wooden houses and barns, paddocks and stables full of Appaloosa horses. Several men are seen working. They either train the stallions, clean the saddles or walk around doing other various tasks. Jimin stops the wagon right in front of one of the barns, where a group of men come and start unloading the back of the cart. Yoongi says his goodbyes and walks in direction of the main house. He's about to step on the balcony when the door opens and he's greeted by an unfamiliar face.

“Oh, hi,” she's young with a pretty face. An even prettier smile stretches out in surprise at the sheriff, who can do nothing but stare at her. “Are you here to see my uncle?” she looks around, a little uncomfortable when he doesn't respond. “Hmm, hello?”

Yoongi snaps out of his daydream with a shake of his head, a faint pink coloring his cheeks.

“Yes, hi, I'm here to see Mr. Kent, yes.”

She smiles again, the early awkwardness fading slightly. “He's in his office. Who should I say is asking for him?”

“Yoongi,” he says, taking his hat and bowing. “Sheriff Yoongi Min, Miss…?”

“Y/N,” she says, giving a small curtsy. “Nice to meet you Sheriff, please follow me. I’ll take you to him.”

She turns her back and goes inside the house, Yoongi close behind. They pass by a kitchen, where women are cooking something that makes his mouth water. When they pass the living room, he spots a lady reading a book to a child on her lap. A tired grin comes over her face once she spots the newcomers.

“Sheriff, what a nice surprise,” she drops the book by her side and raises from the chair. The child at her hip, she asks,“What brings you to the farm? And I see you've met my niece, Y/N.”

Yoongi tilts his hat, “I'm afraid being a man of the law is what brings me to the farm today, Elizabeth. And yes, your niece is quite lovely.”

“Well, it's always a pleasure to have you here, Sheriff.” The child suddenly starts crying, instantly calling for his mother's attention, “I'm sorry, little Harry has been feeling sick these past few days.” She raises her eyes again, “Maybe you can stay for dinner?”

“I don't want to be a bother…”

“Nonsense, it’s no bother.” She turns her attention to her niece, “Darling, please tell Nancy we'll be having a guest for dinner tonight.”

Y/N nods at her and leaves the room, Yoongi watching her leave. His gaze doesn't linger long before he turns to her aunt. ”I’m guessing John’s in his office?”

“Yes,” she nods. “You can go up and see him. You know where he is.”

“Thank you, Ma’am.”

Bidding her goodbye, he makes his way up the stairs to the man of the house. Mr. John Kent is the biggest, richest horse breeder in their county. Tall and lean, his salt and pepper hair show his age, wrinkles around his kind brown eyes. The bittersweet cigar scent hits his nose the second he opens the door. Sitting at his desk in front of a log book, John only glances up at Yoongi before returning to his books. “Morning, Yoongi,” he says in a gruff voice, “Is it that time of the month already?”

“Yup, ‘tax season’,” Yoongi shuts the door and stares at him. “You gonna hand it over or do I gotta use my badge?”

John leans back in his seat, hand slowly going down into the dresser. “I don’t know, Sheriff,” John says, “It’s been a slow month.”

“About to get even slower…” he locks eyes with him as he reaches down to his side.

“...Oh really?”

They stay perfectly still for a moment, eyeing each other hard. Suddenly, they lift their hands simultaneously, but John says it first. “BANG!” he beams at Yoongi, his fingers posed in the shape of a gun. “Gotcha, kid.”

“You win again, John,” Yoongi sighs, putting down his own finger gun.

“You gotta be quick with me, son. You gotta be quick,” he chortled. Turning to his drawer, he pulls out an envelope. “There’s the money. It’s all there.”

Yoongi moves to the desk and takes the envelope. He doesn’t bother opening it as he’s trusted John all these years. “Stay and have a drink, Yoongi,” John says, closing his log book. “You haven’t been down here in ages.”

“Been busy with Sheriff business, you know?” Yoongi takes a seat in front of him, taking off his hat and relaxing back. “Rounding up drunkards, pulling boys out of Madame Ho’s place, the usual stuff.”

“Oh, you sound like you got your hands full,” John quips. Pouring whiskey for them both, they clink their glasses and begin talking.

Dinner time finally comes around and both men make their way into the dining room.

The members of the Kent family are already at the dinner table. Elizabeth sat on one end of the table, while Y/N and two of John’s sons took up one side. The infant sat by his mother and their teenage daughter sat by an empty seat for Yoongi. Servants place a fine dinner before them complete with John’s best wine. The conversation started the usual way, Elizabeth asking about the town’s business and John commenting on the other horse breeders in the area. Yoongi couldn’t remember the last time he ate a real meal. One can only eat rabbit, beans and bread for so long. After dinner they took to the living room, Elizabeth having already put the youngest Kents to bed.

“So Sheriff, any problems with bandits lately?” asks Frank, John’s oldest son. “I was at Virgin Valley for business last week, and it seems that they've been having some problems with outlaws.”

“Bandits?” Yoongi shakes his head, “Not in my county.” He takes a sip of the brandy John poured him,“Virgin Valley is three counties north. I doubt they'll come here.”

“But what if they come?” asks Y/N. She’s sitting close to a window, eyes focused on nothing specifically. Yoongi notices how tense she looks, fists closed and eyes glossy. “What happens then?”

“I can assure you, Miss, no harm will come to you if they come close to town.” He continues looking at her, admiring how the room’s light makes her glow. He hadn’t seen someone this alluring since...No, he pushed that from his head. “I take my job as the sheriff very seriously, Miss.”

“I really hope so, Sheriff,” she answers back, now looking at Yoongi. “Well, if you'll excuse me, I’m going to sleep now.” Y/N raises from her chair and goes in direction of the living room door, stopping there for a few moments. “Goodnight uncle, cousins. And goodnight, Sheriff, a pleasure to meet you.” She leaves the room, and Yoongi keeps his eyes on where she’d stood.

“You have to excuse my niece, Yoongi.” John says with a sigh, “She’s still grieving the loss of her brother and father, my brother, at the hands of criminals. Her mother thought it’d be best for her to spend some time with us to take her mind off of things.”

Yoongi nods, lips in a straight line. “I’m sorry for your loss, John. I know how close you and Jimmy were.”

“Thick as thieves,” John nodded. “We used to run with your dad in the old days. Ha, those were the times! We’d spend days riding around, shooting at cans and chasing girls. Your dad and I grew out of that whole rebel phase. Jimmy didn’t.”

It’s not long before Yoongi says his goodbyes and leaves back to town, Ben accompanying him, both ready for poker night. Yoongi stops his borrowed horse in front of the saloon, tying the animal to a pole and leaving with a pat on its neck. The saloon is the only building buzzing with activity at this hour of the night, the sounds of laughter and loud conversation coming from inside.

Both men make their way through the swinging doors, people greeting them as they enter. Poker night appears to have started without them. Men sit at tables putting down cards, tossing money into piles or chugging down a beer throughout the bar. Scantily dressed women walk around looking for a new customer, a redhead walking to Yoongi.

“Hey there, Sheriff,” she grins. “Want a little bit of company at your table?”

“Not while I'm playing, Beth. I'd rather have you in a bed instead,” he smirks, pulling her a lips distance closer.

She giggles, “Oh Yoongi, you little devil. Just give me a holler when you're done with the farmers. I think I make for a much better time.” She winks and saunters away, already moving to another potential customer.

“She's something, huh?” Ben watches her. “I think she's a little sweet on you, Sheriff.”

“The only thing Beth is sweet on is my wallet. Come on, let's get to a table.”

Both men sit at a table with the usual customers, and poker night starts. Beers coming and going, winning and losing money, maybe some fun with a lady. That is the routine, and Yoongi can’t say he hates it. He just wishes things were a little different.

The Saloon turns into a place of furor after a few hours, the patrons way past a state of intoxication. The previous socialization was taken by commotion, and little arguments erupt and mix with the loud laughs and voices of men and women.

“You hijo de puta!” exclaims a man in a rough voice while slamming a hand of cards on the table. “You’re cheating aren’t you, cabron?”

“My dear Garcia, I’m the sheriff,” Yoongi smirks halfway of taking a sip from his bourbon. “I would never cheat.”

The burly man looks at Yoongi with a frown and a raised brow. “So tell me how you’ve been winning almost every game since you got here.”

“What can I say, I’m good with my hands,” he answers, winking at the woman sitting in Ben’s lap.

She erupts in a fit of giggles and Yoongi smirks, asking for another drink from the bar. Garcia just continues mumbling through his teeth, and a new game begins.

“So Sheriff, have you heard of the bandits causing trouble lately?” asks an old man, eyes focused on his cards while chewing tobacco. “I heard the bastards robbed a train next county over!”

Yoongi sighs, “I’ve heard of them, Patrick.” He throws down his cards, collective grunts coming from the rest. He collects the money from the table, and they start the next round. “From what I know they’re far from here, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Let them come, Yoongi,” Ben slurred, “I know you’ll send their asses to hell!” Hugging the woman on his lap, the two of them laugh together.

“If you say so,” he pats Ben’s shoulder. “How about you end the night here, hm?” He turns to the woman, giving her money. “Go show him a good time, darling. I’m paying.”

She smiles with a wink and stands, taking the big drunken man by the hand and leaving the table. The remaining men start a new game, the conversation flowing together with the drink.

“I’m telling you, Sheriff, those outlaws are no good,” Patrick continues as he tosses coins into the pile. “I heard they rob and kill at will,” he spits into the spittoon beside him before continuing. “People say they’re demons and the leader is the devil himself!”

“Patrick, they are just normal men who will one day answer for their crimes,” Yoongi scoffs. “They aren’t demons.”

“What do you know, boy?” this time it’s Garcia talking, his eyes focused on his beer. “I’ve seen them,” he looks Yoongi in the eyes. “My brothers and I were riding down here from Harrison County when we saw them two years ago. From what people said after, they disappear and reappear like smoke. When they rob a bank or a train, they leave nothing left but death and destruction. They’re like ghosts. Nobody knows their names or seen them barefaced. My brothers and I tried helping the people on the train, you know, getting on board and trying to stop it. But the bandits, they outnumbered us and we had to get off. Julio got shot in the leg so bad they had to cut it off.”

“You really have drunk too much, Garcia.”

“I know what I saw!” he banged on the table with a closed fist. “I almost died that night!”

“How are you alive then?” asks Yoongi with a mocking expression.

“God saved me that day, gracias a el!” He fully turns to the sheriff, a heated look in his eyes. “I was dying but I remember the red claw marks across his cold white eye! If The Rangers hadn’t found me I would-”

“Wait what?” Yoongi freezes, eyes locked on his face. He couldn't have just heard that. There was no way in Hell Garcia had seen him. “Say that back,”

“If The Rang-”

“No, before that!” There’s a fire in Yoongi’s eyes when he stands, getting closer to him.

“Red...claw marks…” Garcia hesitates, gulping at the sheriff's expression. “Across... his white... eye.”

Nothing would have prepared Garcia for what happened next. People would gossip after that night, telling how Sheriff Yoongi Min lost his mind and incarnated The Devil.

In a blind fury, Yoongi rains a harsh blow on his face.

“You’re lying!” he screams in the older man’s face, his fist connecting with his jaw for the third time. “YOU SICK FUCK! TELL ME THE TRUTH!”

A group of patrons step in to take the furious Yoongi from a crying and bloodied Garcia. Yoongi only sees red, memories he rather forget coming back full force. He recalls her blood slipping through his fingers and the hoarseness ripping through his throat. He saw the one person he hated the most. His white eye slashed through by claw marks came and went, and Yoongi screams even more rage shook throughout his body and his eyes are glossy with unshed tears. He should have killed him when he had the chance. He thought he’d died. He thought he’d gone over. The idea of him being alive...He gave another holler into the air before a hand touches his shoulder. He flinches to see Beth standing behind him, a worried look on her face.

“Yoongi, sweetheart, what happened?”

Yoongi looks at her, eyes unfocused and adrenaline kicking in. He needs something right now, and he knows she can give it to him. He grabs her wrist and she yelps.

“Yoo-!”

He kisses her hard, pressing her body into his. “I need to fuck you right now,” he says in barely controlled whispers. She nods and he doesn’t waste any time in dragging her upstairs.

Yoongi brings her into the nearest open bedroom. Slamming the door shut, he looks to her by the bed. He doesn’t waste a single second. He pushes her onto the bed and settles between her legs. Beth makes no objections to his eager hands and bruising kisses. Grinding into her a few times, he already hardened against her.

“Yoongi!” she giggles, “I’ve never seen you like this before! What’s gotten into you?”

“You don’t want to know,” he growls.

He kissed up her neck to her ear, where he tugged a bit too harshly. Beth didn’t expect what happened next. In a swift second, Yoongi tore at the chemise covering her chest, not bothering to untie her underbust corset. He lost himself in her. He focused on her perky breasts and hard nipples. He sucked and licked them until he had her squirming beneath him before moving downwards. She squealed with delight once his hand sunk between her legs, quickly rubbing at her wet folds. She was nothing like Roseanne, but she did in a pinch. Her tightness enveloped him nicely, squeezing his shaft in every thrust. He kept his pace quick and hard. It was as if every thrust pushed the memories further and further away. His mind swam in drink and sex, but he didn’t fight it off. He had Beth any way he could until he pumped out smoke. He knew he’d owe her much more than the usual fee in the morning.

He’d pay any amount of money to forget the night he lost Roseanne.

[proxylynn]

Underfell: File Name not Edgy Enough #9

Chapter 9: Puzzles WARNING: I WANT NO RESPONSIBILITY OVER SPOILING THINGS FOR OTHERS. THAT BEING SAID, THIS IS HOW FILE NAME NOT FOUND WOULD FUNCTION IN THE AU OF UNDERFELL. BEFORE YOU READ THIS, UNLIKE THE NICE TIME OF UNDERTALE, THIS WORLD IS KILL OR BE KILLED. THIS STORY WILL BE GRAPHIC, GORY, USE SWEARS LIKE NOBODY'S BUSINESS, AND DEAL WITH SENSITIVE SUBJECT MATTERS. FOR EXAMPLE, THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE READ THE FILE NAME RELOCATED SPOOF WILL KNOW HOW I PICTURE THIS VERSION OF LYNSIE COMING TO THE UNDERGROUND. IT IS NOT AN ACCIDENT. IT IS NOT BECAUSE OF SOMETHING DUMB. IT IS BECAUSE SHE CHOOSES TO END HER LIFE. SO TAKE THIS WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. I MADE IT BECAUSE I NEEDED TO LET SOME OF THIS EDGINESS OUT OF MYSELF. WHICH I GUESS MAKES UNDERFELL LYNSIE EVEN MORE TRUE TO WHO I REALLY AM. ANYWAY, ENJOY. ^_^ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Lynsie...Are you sure it was okay to not get fully healed?" "Flowey, I am not in the mood to deal with Sans's bullshit." "Well...You kind of..." "Don't you fucking dare side with him. I didn't start shit! I ate an ice cream pop. That's all I did. If he wants to think I was doing something suggestive, that's on him and his sinful mind. Not me. So if he wants to be a turd about it, fine." "I don't know. It seems like he was trying to help. Even if he was doing a crappy job doing so." "Oh, so now you trust him?" "Not completely. But monsters don't try to heal others unless they really mean it." "...*sigh* Give me time to cool off. He said some stuff I wasn't ready to hear and I need time to process. Okay?" "Understood. Hard to think that mom would..." "Don't! Don't even say it! I will drop you if you even dare say those next words and not come back." "Uh...H-Hey look! A random signpost. We should read it." Flowey laughs nervously and I roll my eyes. I don't like feeling this way. I want to calm down. I guess I can try doing things his way for a bit. It'll let me clear my head even if only for a little while. So I go over to this thing. Almost instantly we are looking at this thing in puzzlement. "You seeing what I'm seeing?" "I am but I am so unsure right now." [Warning: Dog Marriage] [Yes, you read that correctly.] "Is that really something to be warned about?" "I think it means the dog guards here are a pair. So two dogs in one encounter." "Oh, so like that time those three Moldsmals tripped us up." "Or that time Migosp, Vegetoid, and Loox attacked." "Is three the max limit that can attack me? Because it really feels that way." "Yeah, it's a built-in rule to the Fight Zone's magic." "There are rules to it?" "It doesn't seem like it because most fights are straightforward, but there are a few that were made a very long time ago. Like the max per fight is a 3v3. But a little-known rule is that none fighting people can enter the zone mid-fight and not be involved." "How does that work?" "When a fight starts, a special kind of magic activates. This magic is called the Fair Fight Field and it takes the form of a grid that only the ones involved can see." "I was wondering what that thing was." "The grid makes sure that those in the fight are the only ones to be there. Keeping others out that would join in and fight as well. This is the part that gets odd. Those with negative intentions can't enter the field, but those with positive or no intentions can enter it." "Good luck on that ever happening here." "True. The odds of that happening are about as rare as someone helping you in a fight." "Wait...So you wouldn't help me?" "Not if I don't have to." "Awww...You do care." He groans and I keep reading. [SMELL DANGER RATING] [Snow Smell - Snowman WHITE Rating - Can become YELLOW Rating] [Unsuspicious Smell - Puppy BLUE Rating - Smell of rolling around.] [Weird Smell - Humans GREEN Rating - Destroy at all costs!] "So I'm a weird smell? Do you think snow and blood will cover that up?" "*shrug* Maybe? But why is the word green in red?" "Dogs have a form of color blindness. Maybe that's the way they can see that color." "Huh. Did not know that." "HUMAN!" Papyrus comes following our not so discrete trail. "Hey, Papyrus. Something the matter?" He paces his way up to me. "SEEING AS YOU'RE NOT DEAD, NO, NOTHING'S THE MATTER." I look at him funny and he glares. "DON'T GIVE ME THAT LOOK. I DON'T CARE IF YOU ARE HURT OR NOT. ALL THAT MATTERS TO ME IS THAT YOU ARE MY TARGET AND NO ONE ELSE'S. I DON'T WANT THE DOGS IN THIS AREA TO STEAL WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY MINE." I can't help the small blush that creeps onto my face. His possessiveness touches on my inner need to feel wanted. Even if it's not the best reason to have this feeling, try telling that to my stupid needy soul. "Well then...I am pleased to hear that. Because frankly, I don't think these dogs are worth my time." He cocks an eye at that but the smirk he has tells me he liked what he heard. "So...Where's your bro?" "SANS HAS BEEN SENT AHEAD TO INFORM THE MUTTS THAT YOU ARE TO BE LEFT TO US TO HANDLE." "Are you sure that they will listen to him? After all, you did say it was odd for someone to listen to Sans." "HMMM...YOU DO HAVE A POINT. VERY WELL. I SHALL PERSONALLY ESCORT YOU TO EACH PUZZLE AND PREVENT THOSE CANINE NOBODIES FROM DISOBEYING THEIR COMMANDING OFFICER." "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you don't whack them on the nose with rolled up newspaper when they are bad dogs." "REPLACE THE WORD 'NOSE' WITH 'BODY', THE WORD 'WHACK' WITH 'BEAT', AND THE WORD 'NEWSPAPER' WITH 'BASEBALL BAT' THEN YOU'D BE MORE CORRECT IN THAT IDEA." "Damn! Royal Guard Papyrus doesn't play around." He smiles a bit with pride before stepping past me. "COME ALONG, HUMAN. THE NEXT PUZZLE IS NEAR." It's weird. He makes me feel chipper. Like, I know he's an ass. But he has these moments where you can forget he's an ass and can be a bit pleasant almost. "Sure, Papyrus. Anything you say." "OBEDIENCE? NOW THERE'S SOMETHING I CAN GET USED TO." "Don't be a jackass and you'll find I'll be very willing to listen." "NOTED." I follow him for a bit till he stops at double row of spikes blocking the way. "Yo, what gives?" "WE'VE STOPPED BECAUSE THIS IS THE NEXT PUZZLE. TO PROGRESS ANY FURTHER, YOU MUST FIND THE SWITCH THAT LOWERS THESE SPIKES. OTHERWISE, YOU AND I AREN'T GOING ANYWHERE." I give him a look. "I bet the switch is in that other part of the area we didn't even look at." He flinches and I scoff. "For real? You guys made it that easy?" "N-NO. THE SWITCH IS CAREFULLY HIDDEN AND BLENDS IN WITH THE LAND. THERE'S NO WAY YOU'LL FIND IT SO..." "It's in the snow, isn't it?" He gets this look of embarrassment and rage mixed together. A clear sign telling me to leave. "I'll go flip the switch. Be right back." "*STERN* YES. YOU GO DO THAT." I travel back up the way we came and make a right where three trees hide a square indent in the snow that sits in the middle of them. [There's a switch hidden in the snow.] "It's insulting that they made this one so easy." "Could've been worse. That microwave one was stupidly crazy." "I get the feeling the last half of these puzzles are going to be lame." I step in the center of the square. [Click!] [The switch is stuck now.] "...Did this thing just call me fat?" "Before you freak out, try pressing it again." I step off and step back on. [Click!] "Okay. Now I'm not so annoyed." I step back again. [Click!] "*YELLS* QUICK DICKING AROUND OVER THERE!" The two of us snicker and return to bothered Papyrus. I surmise his mood based on the folded arms and foot tapping. "Something bugging you, oh great and terrible, Papyrus?" "*GROWL* GET MOVING, HUMAN. THERE ARE THREE MORE PUZZLES BEFORE WE REACH TOWN. AND THE NEXT PUZZLE IS BROKEN INTO THREE PARTS WITH INCREASING DIFFICULTY." "So you do know how to make a proper puzzle? I'm shocked." He readies his hand to strike me again but pauses mid-swing when I wince at the impending hit. "THAT MOUTH OF YOURS WILL GET YOU KILLED. YOU'D DO BEST TO LEARN HOW TO KEEP IT SHUT BEFORE I LOSE ME PATIENCE. AM I CLEAR, HUMAN?" Is he showing restraint? Best not poke this bear and take what little good he offers. "Yes, sir." He motions me to start moving and I obey. He walks behind me as we make our way past the spike line and over a small bridge. The path continues to our right and all seems well. This isn't the case for long as two figures begin to approach. Papyrus puts his hand on my shoulder and pulls me to be at his side. This must be the dog couple. They are near identical in appearance being white furred dogs with red eyes. Both having round snouts, floppy ears, muscular builds that have scars from what I'll guess is fights, and clawed paws. They wear black hooded tattered robes caked with dried bloodstains that have the face of their spouse printed on the front. Their main differences in appearance being the male's thick lowered brow, cowlick, and pseudo-mustache, while the female just has emphasized eyelashes. They both wield large battleaxes that are decorated with eyes that show features imitating those of their owners and fanged intimidating painted mouths. "STAY PUT, HUMAN. I'LL DEAL WITH THEM." "You don't have to tell me twice." They almost end up walking right past us if it weren't for one of them catches the faintest hint of smell. "What's that smell?" "Where's that smell?" I guess blood and snow don't make a foolproof scent shield when in such small amounts. Not even Papyrus's bones divert attention. But I can guess the attraction to bones was beaten out over time. "If you're a smell..." "...identify yoursmellf!" "SUCH ABSIMUL ARTICULATION." "You read my mind." They start sniffing the air as we step away, trying to leave before they give us any real attention. But the sudden stares in my direction alert us to that being not an option anymore. "Hmmm...Here's that weird smell...It makes me want to eliminate." "...Eliminate YOU!" Papyrus summons a bone and I start to growl. "YOU WORTHLESS DOGS WILL NOT LAY A SINGLE PAW ON THIS HUMAN." "We're not single." "We're married." "*GROAN* YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT! DON'T PLAY STUPID!" The brandish their axes. "Weird smell means human." "Humans must be eliminated." Single-minded creatures these dogs be. "Whine. Whimper. Beg. No mercy for the weird smell!" "Misery awaits you. Kneel and suffer!" "I THINK IT'S TIME SOMEONE PUT YOU FLEABAGS DOWN. PERMINATELY!" "Hang on..." I hold his bone down and he snarls harshly. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" "You don't need to kill them." "OH? AND WHAT DO YOU PROPOSE THEN?" I motion him to bend down and I whisper where an ear would be if he had any. "HMMM...NOT THE MOST IDIOTIC IDEA I'VE EVER HEARD. BUT STILL FOOLISH." "Come on. What do you have to lose? If this fails, you get to kill them. I'm sure the second in command to the Royal Guard can easily dispatch two dogs. So why waste your magic, energy, and time on such nonsense?" Papyrus gives me a stern look while in thought. "I SUPPOSE YOU DO HAVE A POINT. SUCH LOWLY THINGS ARE BENEATH ME." "Then we have a deal?" "YES. DO AS YOU WISH, HUMAN." He lets the bone fade and I scoop up some snow. "Yo, doggies. Wanna play fetch?" That seems to strike a chord with the dogs. "Fetch?" "Human's play fetch?" Using some of my blood to smear onto the snow, I make two reddish snowballs and tease them with it. "See the balls? Smell the balls? You want them, don't you? Don't you, puppers?" "PUPPERS?" "Mock me after, not during." Papyrus goes to speak, but seeing as the dog couple is now wagging their tails in excitement, he remains silent and allows me to continue. "You want the balls? Say you want the balls." They bark and drop on all fours. "Then go fetch!" I hurl both snowballs as hard as I can back from whence we came and they shoot off after them. "We should go now before they come back." "AGREED." We continue onward. Papyrus covers our tracks with more snow and that should keep the dogs from tracing our scent. "TELL ME, HUMAN. HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT WOULD WORK?" "'Elementary, my dear Papyrus...They are dogs. And dogs are governed by the most simple of instincts. Even with training, a dog will want to do what it naturally wants to do. Such as getting petted, going for walks, and of course, playing fetch. I merely exploited this and thus, we are able to go about our merry way." He chuckles and pats my back. "CLEVER GIRL. YOU SURPRISE ME WITH SUCH DEVIOUS TACTICS. I MUST REMEMBER TO TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN WE MEET ON THE BATTLEFIELD." "Do not take me so lightly. I will not use tricks on you." "REALLY?" "Mostly because I don't wish to fight you." "HEH HEH...FRIGHTENED ALREADY I SEE?" "Fear has nothing to do with it. I just know better than to mess with the guy that halved my HP with a simple smack." "MMMM..." "What? What was that for?" "NOTHING. JUST THINKING OF HOW MUCH I'M GOING TO ENJOY CRUSHING YOU IS ALL." "Hey, don't think just because I don't want to fight you that'll mean I'll go down easy. I took on an LV level 3 Boss Monster and won." "IS THAT SO? WELL THEN...IT SEEMS YOU MIGHT ACTUALLY MAKE THINGS INTERESTING AFTER ALL." "What does that mean?" "I NOTICE YOU ARE AT AN LV LEVEL OF 1. NOW WHILE YOU DO POSSESS A RATHER DECENT ARRAY OF STATS, YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE HAD AN EASY TIME AGAINST A MONSTER AT LV LEVEL 3. WHICH CAN ONLY MEAN ONE OF TWO THINGS." "Oh, do tell." "ONE, YOU CHEATED." "I did not!" "OR TWO, YOU WERE SKILLED ENOUGH TO COME OUT ON TOP." "That one. That one I did." "HOWEVER...IF YOU DID WIN SUCH A FIGHT, THEN SURELY YOUR LV WOULD HAVE INCREASED. WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE YOU ARE A DIRTY CHEATER." "Bullshit! I am not a cheater! I won all my fights fair and square! The only reason my LV is still at 1 is because I don't kill anyone I fight!" He stops in his tracks in confusion. "YOU DON'T KILL YOUR OPPONENT?" "No." "WHY?" Now I'm the confused one. "What do you mean why? I don't want to kill anyone and I don't have to in order to win." "BUT YOU'RE WASTING EXP. THE MORE YOU GET, THE STRONGER YOU WILL BECOME." "I've been getting strong fairly well without resulting in murder, thank you very much." "THEN YOU ARE DOOMED TO MEET YOUR END HERE, HUMAN." "What did I tell you? Don't think just because I don't want to fight you that'll mean I'll go down easy. I have no intention of dying. I have someone that cares about me too much to let her down. So whatever mind fuckery you or your bro plan on doing to mess me up, well just forget it. Ain't nothing gonna bring me down!" "CHECK ME." "W-What?" "I SAID, CHECK ME." I have a bad feeling about this. [CHECK selected.] [Papyrus – HP: 4000 ATK: 200 DEF: 200 – He likes to say: "Nyeh heh heh!"] I feel all the blood drain from my face and he grins with arrogance in knowing that he got me. "DO YOU SEE NOW, HUMAN? THOSE ARE THE STATS OF NOT ONLY AN LV LEVEL 6 MONSTER, BUT AN LV LEVEL 6 MONSTER THAT CAN AND WILL ENJOY EVERY MOMENT BREAKING YOU UNTIL YOU ARE BEGGING ME TO PUT YOU OUT OF YOUR SAD MISERY." I have made a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad mistake in leaving the Ruins. "WHAT SAY YOU NOW, HUMAN? DO YOU STILL THINK YOU CAN FACE ME AND LIVE?" [You feel like you're going to have a bad time.] "I'LL TAKE YOUR SILENCE AS A NO. REALIZATION CLEARLY GRIPS YOU. NOTHING THAT WILL POP INTO THAT HEAD OF YOURS WILL BEAT ME. NO TRICK IS TOO CLEVER. NO SKILL IS TOO PERFECT. YOU ARE WHAT YOU ARE. AND THAT, HUMAN, IS WEAK. AND ONCE THE SMOKE CLEARS AND YOU LIE DEAD IN THE SNOW, I, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS, WILL CLAIM YOUR SOUL AS MY PRIZE. WITH IT, I WILL ACHIEVE MY ULTIMATE GOAL! WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE! RESPECT...RECOGNITION...I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO TAKE MY RIGHTFUL PLACE AS CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD! PEOPLE WILL BOW IN MY SHADOW! I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF MY ENEMIES BLOOD EVERY MORNING. I WILL BE THE ONE! I MUST BE THE ONE! I WILL SHOW YOU ALL WHO IS THE GREATEST MONSTER OF ALL TIME!" He laughs maniacally into the wind and I am filled with so much regret right now. This dude is nuts. A tiny bit sad in his motives, but way too crazy for me to handle with this level of ambition. I'm just gonna slowly walk away. Maybe he won't notice if I... "LEAVING SO SOON?" I flinch with a nervous laugh. "Leaving? N-No...No I wasn't leaving. I was just...going to get ahead start on the next puzzle! Yeah! We have so many puzzles to do! Best not waste more time. Hehe..." He eyes me funny. "YOU'RE AS BAD AS SANS WHEN IT COMES TO LYING. BUT...YOU'RE NOT WRONG. WE'VE SPENT ENOUGH TIME DADDLING." He drags me a bit further to a spot where fifteen stones are set up like an H with two blue Xs in the open spaces. A sign is near it. [Turn every X into an O. Then press the switch.] "Okay...And how I do that exactly?" "THE XOXO PUZZLES ARE PUZZLES WHERE YOU HAVE TO TURN ALL THE BLUE X'S INTO RED O'S WITHOUT STEPPING ON THE O'S AGAIN OR ELSE THE TILE TURNS INTO A GREEN TRIANGLE. PRESSING ON THE SWITCH FOUND IN EACH PUZZLE RESETS THE SWITCH IF THE PUZZLE IS INCOMPLETE. PRESSING ON THE SWITCH WHEN ALL THE TILES ARE RED O'S SOLVES THE PUZZLE AND TURN THE PUZZLE INTO GREEN O'S. THERE ARE THREE VARIANTS OF THIS PUZZLE THAT CAN BE FOUND IN SNOWDIN FOREST. THIS IS THE SIMPLEST OF THE THREE. I EXPECT YOU TO SOLVE IT WITH NO ISSUE." This first version of the puzzle only contains two tiles that need to be stepped on and the switch is nearby. Seeing as there are spikes once more blocking the way, completion of this puzzle gets rid of the spikes. I walk over one X and jump over the center rock to land on the other X. Now both are red O's and I hit the switch to make the spikes drop. "Tah-dah!" "EXCELLENT. WE MAY PROCEED WITH NEXT STAGE." We continue on for a bit till the path becomes blocked by a snarling armored dog. This dog's fur is a light cream color, red eyes, and its red tongue appears to be perpetually lolling out of its mouth. It wears gray metal armor with a black band around the waist and wrist areas. It holds a serrated sword and a spiked shield with the Delta Rune emblazoned on it. "STAND DOWN, LESSER DOG. THIS DOESN'T CONCERN YOU." Lesser Dog growls defiantly. "ANOTHER STUBBORN MONGREL. CARE TO DEAL WITH IT FOR ME, HUMAN?" "Really?" "JUST BE QUICK ABOUT IT." "As you wish." I step forward and Lesser Dog bangs its sword on its shield. "Cute. Now...How to go about this? Hmmm...Flowey?" "You called?" "What do we have in there that doesn't contain chocolate or tomato?" "Let me see..." Flowey roots around for a bit before pulling out a bag. "Will a bologna sandwich work?" "Perfect." I snatch the bag and tear a chunk off. "*whistle* You hungry, pupper? Want a treat?" "AGAIN WITH THE PUPPER?" "Don't hate because I get shit done." Lesser Dog's growling lessens and it cautiously takes a few steps toward me. "It's okay. I'm not gonna do anything. You can have this." Once Lesser Dog is with an attack range of me, it holds the shield up at the ready and moves closer with that sword aimed at my chest. Slowly it leans it's head out to my outstretched hand and sniffs the food before lapping it up. Its tail is wagging, a very good sign. "Good, right?" "*tiny bark*" "Want more?" "*bark*" I tear off more sandwich and feed Lesser Dog. We repeat this till the food is gone and Lesser Dog has gotten more trusting. This allows me to begin petting it. Oddly though, the more I pet Lesser Dog, the more its neck begins to grow. And each pet is met with that annoying box smarting off to me. [You barely lifted your hand and Lesser Dog got excited.] [Lesser Dog is barking excitedly.] [You lightly touched the Dog. It's already overexcited...] [You pet the Dog. It raises its head up to meet your hand.] [You pet the Dog. It was a good Dog.] [Lesser Dog is overstimulated.] "OKAY, HUMAN, YOU CAN STOP NOW." [You pet the Dog. Its excitement knows no bounds.] [Critical pet! Dog excitement increased.] [You have to jump up to pet the Dog.] [You don't even pet it. It gets more excited.] [Lesser Dog shows no signs of stopping.] "HUMAN, THAT IS ENOUGH." [There is no way to stop this madness.] [Lesser Dog enters the realm of the clouds.] [You call the Dog but it is too late. It cannot hear you.] [...] [You can reach Lesser Dog again.] [You pet Lesser Dog.] [Lesser Dog is lowering.] "I SAID, STOP!" "I can't! I must pet the pupper!" [It's possible that you may have a problem.] [Lesser Dog is learning to read.] [Lesser Dog is unpettable but appreciates the attempt.] [Lesser Dog is whining because it can't see you.] [Hello there.] [Perhaps mankind was not meant to pet this much.] "I SWEAR TO ASGORE, I WILL BREAK YOUR HANDS IF YOU DON'T STOP!" "But I have so much love to give!" [It continues.] [Lesser Dog is questioning your choices.] [Lesser Dog is beyond your reach.] [Lesser Dog has gone where no Dog has gone before.] [Really...] "THAT IS IT!" Papyrus literally has to remove me from petting Lesser Dog so the poor thing can retract its neck. In the entire event of the petting, Lesser Dog's neck stretched all the way to the cave ceiling and came back down before going back up again. I have no clue how it did that, but I'm glad it's not in pain from doing all that. It whimpers and whines, wanting more petting but Papyrus shoots it a glare that makes it flee. Poor thing retreats ahead of us with its tail tucked between its legs. "AMAZING...EVEN IN THAT ARMOR, IT MANAGED TO LEAP OVER THE SPIKES." "Awww...Poor pup wanted more pets." "NO! NO MORE PETTING! YOU HAVE A PETTING ADDICTION. AND THE ONLY WAY TO BREAK YOU OF SUCH A HABIT IS TO GO COLD TURKEY." "That and to keep my mind off the idea of petting." "YES. WHICH IS WHY YOU WILL NOW FOCUS ALL THOUGHT ON PART TWO OF THE XOXO PUZZLE." He puts me down in front of said puzzle. It's the same as the first one, only now there twenty-five rocks in a weird shape and fifteen X's. Even the sign says the same thing. [Turn every X into an O. Then press the switch.] "I see you made this one more interesting." "HMMM... HOW DO I SAY THIS? WHEN WE STARTED ALL THIS, YOU WERE TAKING A LONG TIME TO GET GOING. SO...I DECIDED TO IMPROVE THIS PUZZLE BY ARRANGING THE SNOW TO LOOK MORE LIKE MY FACE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE SNOW FROZE TO THE GROUND BEFORE I COULD CRAFT IT INTO THE PROPER SHAPE. NOW THE SOLUTION IS DIFFERENT BUT STILL AS CHALLENGING. AND, AS USUAL, MY LAZY BROTHER IS NOWHERE AROUND." "How far ahead did you have him teleport anyway?" "eh, not too far." There on the other side of the spikes is Sans. He waves innocently at us and Papyrus stomps his foot in annoyance. "DAMN IT, SANS! WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?!" "don't get snippy with me. i've been doing what ya asked." "THE HELL YOU HAVE! I TOLD YOU TO MAKE SURE THE DOGS WOULDN'T INTERFERE." "what do ya think i've been doing? i took care of greater dog and i got lesser dog away from his post. only now he's back there, thanks to you. did the dogi cause you trouble?" "DOGAMY AND DOGARESSA WERE DEALT WITH BY THE HUMAN." "r-really?" "SHE EVEN DEALT WITH LESSER DOG. SHAME SHE DIDN'T KILL THEM. SHE COULD USE ALL THE EXP SHE CAN GET." I move away to start the puzzle while they do whatever shit they will likely do. The second version of the puzzle is a larger puzzle, true, but not as challenging as they probably intended it to be. The puzzle can be solved by walking over the tiles correctly in one continuous path, but there's a simpler way to do it. I go over each X and step over any rock that blocks me. This solves the puzzle in a shorter time than it would be had I walked around the damn thing. I walk over to the switch and almost push it until something shiny gets my attention. I mosey over to the tree at the start of this little area and move some of the lower branches. "What the hell?" [There's a switch on the trunk of this tree.] "A secret? Should I...Duh! Press the button." [CLICK] Nothing happens. I shrug as I go to the normal switch and push it, causing the spikes to drop down. This gets the bickering brothers attention. "huh, looks like the kid found the safety switch." "CONGRATULATIONS, HUMAN! YOU PASSED THE SECOND PART." My eye twitches. "Safety switch? Why was there a safety switch?" "SIMPLE REALLY. TO STOP THE MOTION DETECTER FROM RELEASING THE SPIKES INTO YOU WHEN YOU ATTEMPTED CROSSING." "What?" All Sans does is shrug as if to answer me for the both of them. I slap a hand over my face and sigh. "The two of you will be the death of me." "THAT IS THE IDEA." "more or less." "EITHER WAY, THE NEXT PUZZLE BEGINS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS AREA. SANS, YOU DID REMEMBER TO DEACTIVATE THE MACHINE, CORRECT?" "yeah, yeah, it's off. though it acted funny." "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" "i don't know. it was like it didn't want to be turned off." "DON'T BE STUPID, SANS. IT'S A MACHINE. IT DOESN'T HAVE A WILL OF IT'S OWN." "whatever. it doesn't matter if ya believe me or not. ya never do." Papyrus looks less angry and now I'm intrigued by this sudden shift. "hey, kiddo..." Sans calls to me and I sprint over to join them. "What's up, skele-dude?" Me using that kidding name again seems to help ease him. "can ya give us a sec to set the puzzle up?" He sounds better. A little less gruff but still edgy. I nod my head. "By all means...You two take your time. I'm not going anywhere." They walk into the next area and Flowey pops out. "Snack break?" "Yep. I sit down in the snow and Flowey brings out the bag of cookies. [Five minutes later] [HP ████████████████████████████████████ 36/36] "It's amazing how food and drink can heal HP." "Yeah, but that's just it. Only the HP is restored. Any physical damage is needed to be healed by other means." "Still cool though." "Totally." "How does my face look? Still jacked up?" "Hmmm...Not really. I think Sans healed you physically first before working on your HP." "..." "You okay?" "That...That was nice of him." "Are you still mad at him?" "...No. I'm over it now. I've cooled off long enough." "Good. Because grumpy you is rude." "Sorry." We finish off the cookies. "Mom makes epic cookies." "What's this white stuff?" "White chocolate. My favorite is dark chocolate, but this ain't bad." "Chara loved chocolate too." "I have way too much in common with that boy for it to sound normal." "Has he been talking to you?" "Not for a bit. Been pretty quiet since we left the Ruins. I think he's letting me keep my energy for dealing with these people." "A smart move. Who knows what'll happen next out here." "Yep. But he's always listening. So don't think he's gone because we don't chat." I stand up and dust off the crumbs. "You ready for this?" "About as ready as one can get." "Try to be a bit more positive about this. It's not like you're the one that'll be getting hurt." "You know I have your back in case things get too bad, right?" "But only when I say so...I don't want you to become a target." "You big softy." "You know it." We do a fist to leaf bump and I make my way into the next area. This spot is rather dark, very little of anything here apart from the brothers and a tile puzzle made of forty-eight deactivated squares that appears to be connected to a strange cracked box looking machine. "HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH NYEH! HUMAN!" "Hey, Papyrus. Sup, Sans." "sup, kid." "HUMAN, YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE THIS PUZZLE!" "Am I? And why is that?" "BECAUSE IT WAS MADE BY THE GREAT DR. ALPHYS!" "Who?" "the human's never left the ruins, bro. she's never heard of the quack." Papyrus gets a little flustered. "REGARDLESS...YOU SEE THESE TILES !?" "I do." "WELL, ONCE I THROW THIS SWITCH...THEY WILL BEGIN TO CHANGE COLOR!" "Cool." "EACH COLOR HAS A DIFFERENT FUNCTION!" "ya may want to write this down." I look at them funny as Papyrus takes a deep breath. "RED TILES ARE IMPASSABLE! YOU CANNOT WALK ON THEM! YELLOW TILES ARE ELECTRIC! THEY WILL ELECTROCUTE YOU! GREEN TILES ARE ALARM TILES! IF YOU STEP ON THEM, YOU WILL HAVE TO FIGHT A MONSTER! ORANGE TILES ARE ORANGE- SCENTED. THEY WILL MAKE YOU SMELL FRUITY! BLUE TILES ARE WATER TILES. YOU CAN SWIM THROUGH IF YOU LIKE, BUT IF YOU SMELL LIKE ORANGES THE PIRAHNAS WILL BITE YOU..." "Pause!" He looks angry. "WHAT?" "Piranha? Really? Where the hell did you get piranha? It makes no damn sense." "EXPLAIN?" "Although often described as extremely predatory and mainly feeding on fish, the dietary habits of piranha vary extensively and they will also take plant material, leading to their classification as omnivorous. Which is why I'm not arguing over the whole 'smelling like oranges will get them hungry' thing. My issue with all this is how the flipping fishy fuck do you have piranhas down here. Piranha are a freshwater fish that inhabits South American rivers, floodplains, lakes, and reservoirs. This mountain is not in South America. So either those aren't piranha or they're genetic fakes made to look like them." Papyrus looks at Sans and Sans laughs. "hehehe...i fucking called it. she's such a quack." "*GROWLS* WHATEVER THESE FISH ARE, THE POINT REMAINS THAT THEY WILL ATTACK YOU IF YOU SMELL OF ORANGE." "Understood. Please, continue." "ALSO, IF A BLUE TILE IS NEXT TO A YELLOW TILE, THE WATER WILL ALSO ZAP YOU! PURPLE TILES ARE SLIPPERY! YOU WILL SLIDE TO THE NEXT TILE! HOWEVER, THE SLIPPERY SOAP SMELLS LIKE LEMONS! WHICH THE PIRAHNAS, OR WHATEVER THEY ARE, DO NOT LIKE! SO THAT MEANS PURPLE AND BLUE ARE OK! FINALLY, PINK TILES. THEY DON'T DO ANYTHING. STEP ON THEM ALL YOU LIKE. AND PLAID TILES ARE..." "boss, i don't think those were fully installed yet." "REALLY?" "yeah." "FINE...HOW WAS THAT, HUMAN!? WERE YOU ABLE TO UNDERSTAND?" "Red, yellow, and green are bad. Blue is safe as long as it's not next to yellow and I don't touch orange, but it's okay again if I get purple. Purple and pink are fine as well. Did I get that right?" "...YES." "good memory, kiddo." "THEN THERE'S ONLY ONE LAST THING TO MENTION. THIS PUZZLE...IS ENTIRELY RANDOM!" He is way excited about this. I can't help the smile I get thinking he's being cute in an evil maniacal way. "WHEN I PULL THIS SWITCH, IT WILL MAKE A PUZZLE...THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE! NOT EVEN I WILL KNOW THE SOLUTION! NYEH HEH HEH! GET READY...!" "Bring it on!" Papyrus turns the machine on and the tiles light up. Slowly they start to flicker between different patterns. The three of us watch and witness dozens or colors flash. "Dear lord...You're lucky I'm not flash sensitive or I'd be having a seizure right now." "ARE THOSE BAD?" "They can kill a person if not handled right." "damn! ya really weren't kidding when ya said humans die easy." "Told you so." The lights speed up faster and faster. I begin to feel a little sick when finally it stops. We all just stare at it. It's insane. The "randomly generated" outcome the machine creates is simply a line of pink tiles bordered by red tiles, which according to the rules, I can walk right across without trouble. "SANS..." "yeah, boss?" "WHAT WERE THE ODDS OF THIS HAPPENING?" Sans goes over to the machine and looks it up. "according to this...the odds were 1 in 36,703,368,217,294,125,441,230,211,032,033,660,188,801." Papyrus balls his fists in bubbling rage and Sans moves away from the machine nervously. "pap, i know what you're thinking...but if ya hit the machine, we'll have to pay alphys for it or do some crazy favor. is that something ya want? do you not remember the cosplay parade? that bitch still has photos hanging over our heads. i ain't about to give her more. are you?" Papyrus seethes. His annoyance is making his bones steam in the icy air. With no real way of venting this rage, he stomps away as I walk over the tiles to stand by Sans. "He looked super pissed." "yeah. i should probably try to calm him down before he offs some random shmuck." He puts his hands in his pockets and starts to leave. "Sans, hold up a sec..." He stops and looks over his shoulder. "what?" I feel nervous about this. But I want this settled. "ya got something to say to me or what?" "I'm sorry." That gets to him and he turns fully to face me. Now even more nervous and hold my arms. "huh?" "I said, I'm sorry. I acted like a bitch. I was cold and pissy. Even when you were trying to show a little, let's for the sake of this say concern because your bro ordered you to heal me, I was still apprehensive about trying to be all nice again with you. I...I didn't know how to handle the stuff you said and I..." "hey, relax. i get it." Is he being cool? But I had so much more to say. "Y-You do?" He rubs the back of his skull. "since ya mentioned it...i...i am willing to admit i might have jumped the gun there earlier. i said some shit i shouldn't have. it's just...this is really awkward and junk." "Oh thank god. *sigh* I thought it was just me." He smirks a bit. "not used to talking about this stuff on your end either?" "Dude, I'm digging my fingers into my arms to keep from freaking out." "kid, i'm doing the same thing. got a stress ball in a death grip in my pocket. might've broke it had we kept going." "Hehehe...We're screwed up, aren't we?" "oh, big time. hehe..." "Hey...um...This might sound silly, but...Could we, maybe, go back to how we were before? Like when we would just be chill at the door." His expression holds some form of worry. "w-w-what do ya mean by 'go back'?" "You know. Go back. Like, how to say this...Like a reset? But on this day." Now he looks like he's about to shit a brick. "So what do you say? Let's wipe this whole indecent between us away and start fresh." I offer my hand to him and he looks at me funny. "what is this?" "Monster, don't you know how to greet a new pal?" His sockets widen before he laughs and takes my hand. "oh man, kiddo...ya really had me going there for a moment." I tilt my head confused and he plays it off. "so this is our reset? heh...ya gonna pants me again?" "Only if you shock me again, skele-dude." "nah. lesson learned the first time." I snicker till loud yelling gets our attention. Seconds later, Lesser Dog runs past us like its life is in danger. "Papyrus?" "yep." "Shall we?" "got nothing better to do." I bow and motion towards the way Papyrus went. "After you, my good sir." "why, thank ya kindly...lynsie." I'm stunned for a moment and he blushes a bit but doesn't let me see for long as he walks away. "come on, kiddo." "You said my name..." "don't mention it." "Awww...Dude, we really are cool!" "again...don't mention it!" I giggle and follow him. Little does anyone know, but the machine comes alive, the screen lit up. "OH NO...THIS SIMPLY WILL NOT DO." A thruster pops out of the bottom of it and it blasts off, rocketing its way back to Hotland. Sans and I are in a weird state of awe. In the area of Lesser Dog's post, the dog appeared to have made many snow versions of itself. Rather impressive things really. But in the venting his rage, Papyrus has been quite relentless in killing the snow-dogs. Numerous sharp bones stab the bodies and the heads have been broken off only to meet the blunt end of Papyrus's fists as he pummels the snow into mush. "I am so dead." "better the snow than you. or me for that matter." "Wait...Does he..." "hit me? not that like, no. a smack to the back of my skull, sure. but nothing that can really hurt me." I don't like the sound of this. "hey, pap! i think it's dead! ya can stop now!" Papyrus pays no attention to us. "he might be at this awhile." "Over a randomly generated puzzle algorithm?" "it's more about that he's having fun playing with ya and the puzzles are like games. but that last game didn't allow him to play, so he's having a fit about it." "Now I can see the young in him. How big is the age difference?" "not much. but he's always been like this. very...what's the word...intense? yeah, that sounds right. when it comes to his emotions, they're always strong." "You must be relieved you have a brother and not a sister." "oh, you have no idea! i don't think i'd be able to handle the mood swings." "Amen, dude." "...aren't you a girl?" "I prefer tomboy. A tomboy is a girl that has characteristics or behaviors considered typical of a boy." "i can see that. the only thing girly about ya it that rack of yours." I shove him into the snow. "Dick!" "...starting to see more of the girl in ya." "Can we get this puzzle stuff over with? I can't stand this cold." "why? is it bone-chilling?" He makes pun of me while getting up and Papyrus slows down a little. "Dude, if I was any colder I'd have ice in my veins." Papyrus stops and just stares. "too bad you're not a skeleton. things like that will just go right through ya." Papyrus summons a bone and slings it like a boomerang into Sans's legs, knocking him over. "what the fuck?!" "WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT MAKING PUNS WHILE I'M AROUND?" "so now ya can hear us? go figure." Papyrus then aims his glare at me. "YOU! THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING. I WILL NOT HARM MY BROTHER FOR HIS JOKES, BUT YOU HOLD NO BOND WITH ME. SO THE NEXT JOKE THAT I HEAR COMING FROM YOU WILL BE YOUR LAST. HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?" I only nod as he took all the words from me. "GOOD. VERY GOOD. SEE, SANS? SHE IS ABLE TO LISTEN." "like the kiddo said before, she ain't a dog." "I KNOW THAT. SHE'S FAR MORE OBEDIENT THAN THESE MUTTS." And just like that, we know for sure that Papyrus is back to his normal douchebag self. "HUMAN! ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THE FINAL XOXO PUZZLE?" I help Sans up and then shrug at Papyrus. "I'm as ready for it as I can be." "VERY WELL...SANS." "that's my name, try not to wear it out." "*GROWL* SHOW THE HUMAN THE LAST XOXO PUZZLE. I SHALL GO AND AWAIT YOU BOTH AT THE END OF THE FINAL CHALLENGE." Papyrus takes his leave, passing the last remaining snow-dog and shoving it off the edge of the area into the unknown below while walking away like a boss. "he's so cool." "He's a prick. But a cool one." We stay put for a bit before Sans decides to head to the next area with me close behind. The last XOXO puzzle is massive, taking up 90% of the space. There are only twelve X's this time and no rocks. This one is made entirely on ice. "How in the..." "this one, i'll admit to being the brains behind." "If that's the case, then I'm surprised by that pop quiz you made before." "by the way...how the hell did ya get the answers right on that?" "You made it about Papyrus. I remembered what you'd say about him and took knowing him into account to make my answers." "smart ass." "Flattery will get you everywhere, Sans. Now about the puzzle?" "oh...it's the same as the others. ya gotta step on the x's to make the o's and then hit the switch. but the hard part is, there's no safety net here. if ya slide off the edge, ya fall to who knows where. what ya gotta do is slide from one x to the other without having to slide on an o or result in making that into a triangle. completion of this puzzle creates a bridge that allows ya to slide over to the other side of the area. trying to make it over there without completing the puzzle will have ya falling into the gap." "Okay. So there's a pattern to slide in that won't result in me falling. Give me a moment to see it." "no rush, kiddo. the longer ya take to do this, the longer i don't have to do my job. it's a win-win." He jokes about that, but he ends up watching me think and point my finger as I map out stuff in the air. "cute. what are ya, five?" "...It's a nautilus shell spiral." He flinches. "how did..." "Do ya really have to ask?" He rolls his shoulders and sighs. "go on. do your thing, kid." Starting at the farthest left-side X, I touch it and then slide over to the next X in front of me. From this X, I slide to the X across it on the right and then slide to the one heading back to the safety of the snow. This goes on for some time. Sliding to the left, forward, forward, right, back, left, forward, left again, and then going forward for the last time to hit the switch. All the red O's turn green and land reconnects with the path tunneled by the long black spooky trees. "I did it!" "yay." "Can you repeat that with more feeling?" "yay...you did it. whoopee." "That's just cold." "yeah. it wasn't very ice of me." I snicker. "See ya over on the side?" "ya know it." I give him a wave and push into the strong slide needed to exit the area. And wow am I glad I didn't do a weak slide. This path is long as hell! It feels like it goes on forever. I consider taking a nap until I finally pop out the other side. "hey, kid. what took ya so long?" "No clue. Felt like I'd be sliding forever." "it looks like it too. ya got quite the bunch of snow on your head." "I do?" "hmmm...looks to me like someone plopped a mound of snow as a base, then made a hat, then made a house on top of that, then a dog, and bird tops the whole thing." I eye him funny before feeling my head. Indeed there is a bunch of snow. How the hell did this happen? I try to pick it off me but it crumbles to bits. "Damn it. I wanted to see it." "no worries. i got pictures." "When did you take pictures?" "when i put the snow on ya." I open my mouth to ask another question but hold my tongue. No point in asking stupid questions when I'm dealing with a guy that can teleport. "Good one, buddy. Gotta see those later if that's cool." "sure. but right now, i need ya to do me a quick solid." "Such as?" He points ahead of us and I see a tiny dog sentry post. "this is where greater dog is stationed. while you and pap were puzzling away, i took the liberty of burying him in the snow." "And the problem is?" "while doing that, i drop some money and i really need it back. the issue is...i don't remember exactly where it all is." "How much is there? That way I know how much to look for." "30g." I salute. "Consider your gold already found." "good girl." "Hey, if ya don't mind me asking, but what's over there?" I point to the path going down to my right. "oh down there? nothing really. i mean, there is a mysterious room that nobody can get into. but it's probably some leftover from when the forest was being explored and colonized. other than that, loner monsters hang out there. some of which are out of your league in power, so i'd stay away if i was you." "Understood. Don't go there...yet." "that is not what i said." "I know. But I wanna see that room. So I'll stay away until my HP and DEF are way better. That way, I'll live longer." "you'll live longer by not going there." "But..." "don't. for the sake of the old lady, i want ya to promise, you won't go down there." I bite my lip and sneer. "Damn you and your knowledge of my weakness." He smiles. "it's what i do best. now say it. say ya promise." I sigh in defeat. "I promise you, Sans. I will not go down there." "thank you. now then..." I nod. "I know. I'm on the hunt." I walk forward towards the doghouse and what are multiple mounds of snow, nine to be specific. So I start at the beginning and work my way to the end. [It's a snow poff.] "Not this one." [And this...Is a snow poff.] "Or this one." [This, however, is a snow poff.] "Cute. Very cute." [Surprisingly, it's a snow poff.] "Very funny." [Snow poff...] "Starting to tick me off." [Is it really a snow poff?] "What else would it be, asshole?!" [Behold! A snow poff.] "God damn it!" [Eh? There's 30 G inside this...what is this called?] "Thank you!" I leap with joy and victory. "Hey, Sans! I found...your..." Sans is nowhere to be seen. And odder still is there is one snow poff left. By process of elimination, that is where Greater Dog is buried. Best not deal with any more dog problems, but I can't leave the poor pupper in the snow. I walk past the snow poff and make sure I'm a decent distance away from it before I start my little plan. I gather up some snow and make a heavy ball before hurling it at the mound. The snow poff topples and a tail pops out. Feeling the wind on its fur makes more of the dog dig itself out. Eventually, I see a massive creature that somehow Sans was able to bury completely. Greater Dog is a red-eyed wholly white furred dog. It wears mantle-gray spiked armor, adorned at the wrists are apparently functional snarling dog faces and the spear weapon it holds even has one. This thing is a beast! Or, that's how I saw it as until it fell over. The armor's legs had frozen and I nearly bite my tongue off holding in the giggles. Greater Dog itself looks to be a large breed of dog, but only fills the chest portion of the armor, letting its head and tail stick out while controlling the rest of the suit through unknown means. It's adorable. I want to pet it and give it love. But I know I'd never hear the end of it from Papyrus. So I leave the pupper be before it notices me. Taking the idea of petting out of my head, I return to the path at hand and become puzzled instantly. I'm looking at an incredibly long dangerous bridge, yes. But it's not a bridge. It's been painted to look like a bridge. The rope hand railing is real, but the floor is fake. Nothing makes sense. My paranoia of heights is triggering. I can't move. This lack of movement and overall silence draws Flowey out of the bag. "Lynsie? You okay?" "I looked down." "Huh?" "I looked down!" Flowey looks at what I see. "Wow! We are really high up." "Not helping!" "You...You're really afraid?" I nod rapidly. "But you know you have to cross this, right?" I nod again. "Hmmm...I have an idea. But you really have to trust me on this one." I nod more till vines wrap over my eyes and blind me. "F-Flowey?!" "Calm down. You can't move if you see how high we are. So I'm going to steer you." More vines move my arms out forward and at the feel of rope, I clamp my hands shut tight. "Alright. You hold the rope and step where I tell you." I nod and he slowly has me take small steps. I'm so scared that I'm shaking, but that can also be from the cold finally getting to me. "That's it...A little further...You're doing great..." "I hate this so much!" "Don't worry, I got you. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you." "HUMAN!" Flowey panics and flees into the bag, allowing me to see once more and I am about to lose my freaking mind because I was so close to the end! Sans and Papyrus stand on the other side, blocking me from the town I see not too far away. "THIS IS YOUR FINAL, MOST DRAMATIC, MOST SCARY, MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE OF ALL! BEHOLD! THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!" A spiked ball tethered by chains, two spears, an annoyed dog, an oil drum fire pit, and an old looking cannon appear to be aimed at my shivering form. "WHEN I SAY THE WORD, IT WILL FULLY ACTIVATE! CANNONS WILL FIRE! SPIKES WILL SWING! BLADES WILL SLICE! EACH PART WILL SWING VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN! ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE OF VICTORY WILL REMAIN! ARE YOU READY!? I! AM! ABOUT! TO DO IT!" I can't move. I can't make myself move. I'm too frightened to move. All I can do is watch and wait for certain death to hit me. Yet...Nothing happens. Sans takes notice. "well? what's the holdup?" Papyrus flinches. "HOLDUP!? WHAT HOLDUP!? I'M...I'M ABOUT TO ACTIVATE IT NOW!" I can't stand this tension! I drop to my knees unable to keep my legs stiff enough to stand. "that, uh, doesn't look very activated, boss." "WELL! THIS CHALLENGE! IT SEEMS...*SIGH* I CAN'T DO THIS." "boss?" "LOOK AT HER, SANS. SHE'S PETRIFIED. IT WOULD TOO EASY TO DEFEAT THE HUMAN LIKE THIS. NO...NO, IT WON'T BE ANY FUN AT ALL. WE CAN'T USE THIS ONE! I AM A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS! MY PUZZLES ARE VERY FAIR! AND MY TRAPS ARE EXPERTLY COOKED! BUT THIS METHOD IS TOO DIRECT! NO CLASS AT ALL! AWAY IT GOES!" On the command, the instruments of death go back to wherever they came from. "SANS, WHY IS SHE STILL FRIGHTENED? THE DEATH TRAPS ARE GONE." "i think she has a fear of heights, bro." "*SCOFF* REDICULOUS...HUMAN, THIS BRIDGE LOOKS DANGEROUS, BUT IT'S VERY STABLE. IN FACT, IT'S JUST A ROCK FORMATION I PAINTED OVER. I THINK IT LOOKS MORE DRAMATIC THAT WAY. I ADDED THE ROPE, TOO. FOR A MORE REALISTIC FLARE." "i don't think that matters." "DON'T WUSS OUT ON US NOW! YOU ARE LITERALLY RIGHT OUTSIDE OF THE TOWN!" "Fuck you! I'm not moving!" I couldn't move even if I tried. Papyrus doesn't like this response. "SANS...I AM BECOMING DISAPPOINTED." Sans gets nervous. "h-h-hang on a sec, pap. i'm sure we can work something out." "WELL...LIKE WHAT?" Sans starts to sweat profusely. "uh...um..." "LOOK, I WAS EXCITED TO PLAY THIS LITTLE GAME OF PUZZLES AND SUCH SO THAT I COULD HAVE A GLORIOUS BATTLE FOR THE HUMAN'S SOUL AND PROVE TO ALL THAT I AM THE GREATEST ROYAL GUARDSMAN! BUT ALL THE TIME I PUT INTO THESE PUZZLES...IT'S KIND OF LIKE THROWING A WILD PARTY..." "without traps and fire?" "EXACTLY! IT'S POINTLESS! MAYBE YOU WERE RIGHT TO BE LAZY ABOUT PUZZLES." "m-me? right about something? really?" "YEAH! WHAT AM I SAYING?! YOU'RE STILL COMPLETELY WRONG! FLAMES AND VIOLENCE ARE THE ONLY REAL WAY TO DO PUZZLES!" Are they having a weird brother moment? "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT!?" "Nothing." "THAT'S IT...I'M ENDING IT. RIGHT HERE. RIGHT NOW." Papyrus holds out his hand and his eyes begin to black out, though the left starts to flare red. "pap! wait! you can't kill her!" "WHY THE HELL NOT?!" "because!" "BECAUSE WHY?! GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON WHY I SHOULDN'T OBLITERATE HER!" "b-because...because...um..." Sans looks at me, down on all fours and scared like a small animal. That's when an idea comes to him. "you can't kill her because...it would be what undyne is expecting you to do." "WHAT?" "think about it, bro. we're all trained to kill humans. what's so cool about that? but capturing a human and turning it against its own kind? now that would be impressive and an incredible show of skill." Papyrus lowers his hand and his white eyes return. "YOU HAVE MY INTEREST. EXPLAIN FURTHER." "just look at her, pap. she's a prime human with decent stats and almost no LV. think of the potential. with enough training, i bet she'd make a fairly decent pet." "HMMM...AND WHAT IF SHE TRIED TO BITE THE HAND THAT TRAINS HER? HUMANS ARE DEADLY, SANS. EVEN THE WEAK ONES." "that's the kicker, she's a pacifist! even if she lashes out there'll be no intent. it'll be like getting scratched by a kitten." "I DON'T KNOW..." "you can smash this in undyne's face and gloat that you did something that she never could." "SOLD! HUMAN! I HAVE DECIDED YOUR FATE. YOU WILL BECOME THE PET OF THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS!" I want to make a snide remark but I am too focused on not blacking out from stress to care. "SANS, GO GET THE HUMAN AND BRING HER TO THE HOUSE. I'LL GO READY THE CAPTURE ZONE FOR IT'S NEW PRISONER." "you mean the shed?" DON'T UNDERMIND THE CAPTURE ZONE! AFTER ALL...IT'S WHERE SHE'LL BE STAYING." "you're right, bro. and when you're right, you're right." "DAMN RIGHT! THIS WAS ANOTHER DECISIVE VICTORY FOR THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS! NYEH! HEH! HEH HEH!" Papyrus heads into town with renewed vigor and Sans sighs heavily with relief. "holy crap...heh...that was WAY to close. you don't even want to know what he was about to do to you." Sans looks at me and I'm bleeding out my nose. "kiddo?" "Too...much...stress..." "the fuck is happening?" "Gonna...pass...out..." My head is spinning and the dizziness takes hold. Sans comes running when my head smacks the floor. I feel him grab me and even shake me, but that's it. Everything shuts off for me in a matter of seconds.

[martinmcg]

KING ROOK

I grew up in a housing estate that was built on a gently-rising hillside. The top of the hill was ringed with trees, ancient sessile oaks, wych elm and horse chestnut. You wouldn’t call it a forest, it’s not that big, but it’s a bit more than a few random trees. We called it Hangman’s Woods because in the old days they didn’t bother building a scaffold in town, they just dragged people from the courthouse down the road, stuck a rope around their neck and pulled them by the neck over a branch of the biggest oak in the wood.

Justice. So they said.

The rooks were probably there then, watching and waiting for a feed. They still rule the place today.

These were big birds with heavy black beaks and bodies matt as coal dust but their hoods shone like satin and framed beaded eyes that saw everything.

Every evening the rooks welcomed the night with a great performance. The clamour, at first just one or two birds, grew quickly as groups returned from their day’s scavenging. Soon dozens and then hundreds and eventually maybe a thousand rooks swirled in one black cloud around the treetops. In the valley below the housemartins and swifts zipped and flitted between the rows of our houses, but we all lived in the shadow of the rooks.

Finally, at some unknowable signal, the gyring mass would all at once drop from the sky to their roosts in the trees. For a few minutes the branches swayed and rattled as the birds settled down. And when, at last, all went quiet, night had come.

*

Al McCourt was waiting for me when I got home from the last day of my Saturday job in Woolworths. He was leaning on the fence outside our house and annoying the dog, Nipper, who was lying on the concrete slabs of the short path between the gate and the house, ears flat, teeth bared, growling like an angry bear. It’d have been impressive if the mutt had been more than ten inches high.

“Shut up, Nipper!”

The growling stopped, but Nipper didn’t take his eyes off McCourt. He could hold a grudge that wee dog.

Al was a prick. He was thin-faced with a nose like the thick end of a hurley and a way of standing side-on so he was always looking at you out the corner of one eye. His voice was high and wheedling and it made the back of your neck crawl like metal scraping metal. He didn’t care that people hated him, he seemed to take pride in the way they shuddered at his approach. He mistook fear for respect. But Al was also my uncle Seamus’s man, and that meant that no one got to give him the kicking he obviously deserved. Except for the one night, a couple of years before, when the Brits had caught him out on his own.

They beat the shit out of him.

McCourt walked with a limp to this day. He wore it like a badge of honour and claimed a fortune off the DHSS for it. He was never out of the Citizens Advice place.

Economic warfare, Seamus called it. Taking the Brits for every penny.

Scrounging, my Da said.

Anyway, the day the Brits put Al McCourt in hospital was about as close as the two communities in Ardowen ever got to a moment of harmony. If we could have turned his beating into a spectator sport the whole Troubles might have ended there and then. We could have made a few bob too.

McCourt pulled himself up to his full height, flicking a pebble at the dog as he turned to me. I wasn’t tall but he barely came up to my chin. He scratched at his ear through a mass of greasy hair and grinned.

“Your uncle wants to see you,” he said. “Pronto, Tonto!”

I hated being called Tonto, a childhood nickname because my freckles made me a “redskin”.

“No can do, kemosabe,” I said, shaking my head. I wasn’t going to let the little shit know he’d annoyed me. “I’m away out the night.”

That wasn’t a lie. It was the last Saturday before we all left for university and I was going to a disco in Cookstown with Paddy and Aidan and the lads from school. We were going to get lashed and see how many girls we could persuade to let us stick our tongues down their throats. And maybe cop a feel. You never knew what we might get away with before we crossed the water. That was the plan for me and Paddy anyway. Aidan’d be out the back dry-humping his girl from Ballygawley and then trying to persuade us he’d really done it.

“Y’can get your end away later, wee Connolly,” McCourt seemed very pleased with himself, like he knew something I didn’t. “Your uncle says it’s urgent.”

“Can I at least get a wash and a change first?”

McCourt shrugged.

“The back bar–”

“-in O’Neill’s,” I cut him off. I knew where Seamus would be, it was where he always was.

“By seven, Tonto.” McCourt turned away, his bad leg dragging behind him like some doomed bird’s broken wing. “Don’t keep the big man waiting.”

“Yeah, and fuck you too,” I whispered softly as I opened the gate.

*

Nothing on the estate was safe from the rooks. Cats, small dogs, rabbits – any kind of unwary pet or careless wild thing was a potential target. A ruffling of feathers, a chorus of rough croaks and something vulnerable would squeal. Afterwards the rooks would stride casually across the road or on the little patch of scrubby grass that was our Croke Park, our Old Trafford, our playground, and they would dare us to challenge them, their beaks still glossed with blood.

I was the first baby born in our estate. It was newly built, still smelling of concrete dust and paint, the white stones of the pebbledash gleaming in the weak spring sunshine. The whole place had been a frantic response to a civil rights campaign that was rapidly turning into the bloody Troubles. It was a hopeless attempt to jam shut a box from which the nightmares had long since fled. Years later it would turn out that all the houses were slowly sliding down the hill into the bog in the valley below. You can take that for a metaphor of how rotten things were back then if you like but it was also the truth.

Whatever came later, my Ma was proud of her new home. They’d moved from a two-up-two-down built into the side of a railway cutting so steep you practically needed a ladder to climb the street outside. That house, she always said, had been so small you couldn’t peel a spud without opening the back door. The new house had three bedrooms, an inside toilet and a garden. She loved that house.

My parents moved in while the houses around them were still being built. I was born, she said, before the paint was dry. And before people learned what it was like to live with the rooks.

It was a bright spring morning and Ma left my pram in the garden – for all the violence on the television it was still a safe thing to do. She left me there and went back into the house to clean or cook or do whatever one of the thousand other things she did to make our lives that little bit better.

When she came back, just a few minutes later, a huge rook was sitting on the handle of my pram, staring in at me.

She screamed and rushed forward, waving frantic arms, trying to scare the bird away.

The rook just stared at her.

My Ma stopped.

Small, bottomless, eyes took her in and then turned down to me as I lay gurgling in the pram. There was a moment of stillness. Then the bird spread its wings and launched itself into the air and setting my pram rocking.

My Ma described the rook as a monster – vast as an eagle, darker than the night.

“The King Rook,” she’d called it and my dad had laughed his head off at her.

But I know the King Rook is real. It left me a gift, a pebble, smoothed and polished by running water until in shone like a jewel that my Ma kept for me. And he came back, again and again. Sometimes he took my things. He took my Action Man from the garden, my toy car from the playground, a schoolbook with my homework in it and a cassette of songs I’d taped off the Sunday afternoon chart show.

I knew it was the rook because, whenever he took something, he always left a gift behind.

A pyramid of snail shells, each one punched neatly open with a single round hole and emptied. The pale skull of a rat. A delicate blue egg, hollowed and cleaned. One morning, planted in the centre of our tiny front garden like a banner or a sign of ownership, I found a single black feather with a gloss so perfect that it reflected light like a mirror.

And there were other things. Bloody things.

They were magical signs. Signs that no matter how bad things got around me – and there were times when things got very bad – I was protected.

The King Rook was watching over me.

*

O’Neill’s bar was a fortress. The windows were protected by shutters made from thick-gauge wire that were kept permanently closed. The inside of the windows had been blocked up with breezeblocks and a string of bulbs, white Christmas tree lights, hung in the gap between the wall and the glass to make the place look a bit less grim from the outside. It didn’t work. The pub’s walls – rebuilt after a UVF bomb attack – were thick reinforced concrete skimmed over with rough plaster and painted a grimy brown and there were bright lights and cameras covering the car park and every approach.

I didn’t want to miss my bus to Cookstown so I’d rushed getting ready. It wasn’t, officially, opening time yet and, for form’s sake, the outside door was closed when I got to the pub – not that that meant anything. I pressed the bell and looked up into the camera. The buzzer went and I pushed my way in. Michael Molloy was sitting on a stool in the hall, a baseball bat leaning against the wall beside him, and he nodded me through as I turned left into the public bar.

When things get going, the front bar in O’Neill’s is a busy place, full of people enjoying a laugh and a drink. Later on there’d be a bit of singing and a lot of noise but it was early yet and quiet as the hardcore set about their beer and shorts with a steady desperation. The Sacred Heart lamps we called them, laughing behind their backs, because the drink had given them all red noses.

Even this early the smoke was hanging thick between the yellowed walls so that it obscured the big pictures of the local heroes, Thomas J Clarke – one of the Easter Rising crowd – and Martin Hurson – one of the hunger strikers – that took pride of place behind the bar. Between the pictures was an ornamental harp that Sean, the owner, had made in the woodwork lessons he got while he was interned in the Long Kesh. He’d painted tiocfaidh ár lá in white Gaelic lettering on the brown varnished wooden base.

Sean smiled at me as I walked through to the back bar.

“Pint?”

“I’m not staying,” I said.

“Smithwicks?”

I nodded, resigned.

“I’ll bring it through.”

The thick fug of cigarette smoke was about the only thing the back bar of O’Neill’s had in common with the front. The walls were painted a dark green that seemed to swallow the light and there was a damp and rotten stink from the drains of the toilets next door. It was grim.

My uncle Seamus sat in his usual place in a booth with his back to the wall, so he could see who was coming in. The only other way out was a long narrow corridor that lead to the toilets and ended with a door so heavily wrapped in metal armour that it took two people to drag it open. There was a peephole cut into the door and a monitor, showing a picture of the back car park, sat on a shelf above the lintel.

Half-a-dozen hard men sat nursing whiskeys and pints at other tables. They all wore black leather jackets and aggressively stone-washed jeans and a few sported impressive displays of what they, no doubt, imagined to be authentically Gaelic facial hair.

“What’s the score, wee Tonto?” Seamus said.

“Ach, the usual, you know me” I said, trying to keep it light. “How’s about you, Uncle Seamus,”

“Same old same old,” he said. “Come in. Sit down. You don’t want to be making me nervous now, do you?”

“No way,” I said, and laughed.

Seamus was a funny fella. When he was in a good mood, he had a great sense of humour and always had some story or a comeback. In a country where slagging off your neighbour was practically an Olympic sport, there weren’t many could beat my uncle. Of course there weren’t many that tried either. You didn’t want to be the one who went too far or said the wrong thing. It wasn’t a mistake you’d make twice.

Seamus didn’t look like much at all. He was a short, slightly stocky man with a shiny bald head and a neatly-trimmed, snowy beard. He dressed well, favouring slightly old-fashioned tweed suits and he devoted special attention his shoes – always the best Italian leather and always polished to a gleaming finish. You could have imagined him as a dapper off-duty Santa Claus – if Santa had turned out to spend his spare time moonlighting as a psychopath.

You never forgot the first time you saw Uncle Seamus lose his temper.

He was a man who moved in circles where a lack of regard for the well-being of others was an entry-level requirement, but even amongst that crowd Seamus stood out. He was fearsome as an individual, precisely and thoroughly vicious, but it was his talent for dreaming up acts of exquisite brutality and the enthusiasm with which his brigade of volunteers made those dreams real that had made his name.

The Cripple Feeney could tell you about what Seamus and his lads were capable of doing. Or rather, he’d write down what Seamus did to him, and then he’d make that sick sucking sound that he does instead of laughing when you went pale reading his words.

Sean came in and put the pint of Smithwicks in front of me.

“That’ll tighten you, Tonto,” he said, a bit too loud, and slapped me on the shoulder. He was nervous. I could smell the sweat on him even over the cigarette smoke. “Can I get you anything, Seamus?”

My uncle shook his head but said nothing. He stared at Sean, his face blank, his pale eyes fixing the barman. I looked between the two men and then looked down, determined not to get drawn into whatever was going on. I liked Sean, I felt sorry for him, but I didn’t want any bit of it.

“Dead on, so,” Sean said and let slip a peal of laughter that was pitched too high. “Well, if you need anything, you know where I am.”

“Oh I do, alright,” said Seamus and then said nothing else.

Sean turned to go, stopped, turned back as though to speak, and then shook his head and left.

The silence dragged. I picked up my pint and took a heavy gulp from the glass even though the head hadn’t quite settled out. My throat was dry. The beer was cold and sharp and I needed it.

One of the lads on my left – one of The Cripple Feeney’s brothers – mumbled something and another one, I didn’t know him, snorted and laughed.

My uncle turned his head and the silence snapped back into place.

I took another drink. The pint was two thirds gone.

“Right, Tonto,” Seamus said at last. “I’ve got a wee job for you.”

He nodded and the stranger who’d been doing the laughing came over and put something that was wrapped in a greasy cloth on the table between me and Seamus. He went back to his seat, my eyes stayed on the thing on the table. It was small but obviously heavy.

Seamus reached over and with fingertips, as though determined not to let the thing soil his hands, he pushed the lump of metal towards me.

I reached for my pint again and closed my eyes.

Fuck.

*

I spent my thirteenth birthday at the same place as I’d spent all my birthdays since I’d been old enough to go to school – at Colm Hagan’s birthday party.

Colm Hagan’s dad and uncle were lawyers. The richest Catholics in the county, everyone reckoned. When I was young they bought the hill and Hangman’s Wood and they chopped down a dozen big trees to make room to build two big, ugly, square-sided houses that looked down over our estate.

Colm Hagan joined my class and, it turned out, he had the same birthday as me. At first we both though that was cool and for a while we were friends. Then came our birthday and Colm Hagan invited the whole class to his fancy house and I found myself spending my birthday there because that’s where all my other friends had gone.

What could we offer? A slice of Battenberg cake, a fig roll, a glass of orange squash and a game of musical chairs – if they were lucky.

When Colm was nine he got two go-karts and his dad built him a track through the woods so he could have races. I’d have chosen his party over mine too.

We stopped being friends.

He probably never even thought about it.

I hated him.

But not so much that I was happy when I found his dead body, eyes pecked out, lying at the foot of a big oak in his own back garden on the day we both turned thirteen.

The party had been great. Everyone was having a brilliant time. We watched Colm play Elite and Chuckie Egg on his BBC Micro and then we rode around the woods on our bikes so Colm could show off his BMX and there was loads of food. By the time the cake came out I’d had enough of watching everyone else having a good time so I crammed a load of wee sausages and bread in my pockets and went out to feed the birds.

I’d emptied my pockets and was heading back to the house for more when I found Colm, lying face up on the ground next to his bike, with a big purple bruise on his forehead and his skin as pale and thin as paper.

On his chest, lying on the crest of his Man United football jersey, was another gift for me.

Feeling the bile burn in my throat, suddenly glad I hadn’t wanted any cake, I picked up the liquid sack of Connor Hagan’s eye and slipped it into my pocket, shoving the slick cord of the optic nerve in after it.

And then I started shouting for help.

*

“Ah you’re fucking joking!” I said, but no one was laughing. In fact everyone else in the room was suddenly very serious indeed – like birds waiting for the barely moving thing before them to sit still and become carrion.

“It’s just a wee parcel I’m asking you to help me deliver, Tonto,” Seamus said. “Would you not do this for me… and for the struggle?”

I bowed my head.

“Remember what the Brits did to my sister,” he said. “God rest her soul.”

“Don’t bring Ma into this!” My voice rose sharply and I looked up. Seamus met my gaze with a flat stare and dared me to hold it. I looked away, feeling the hot blood rush to my cheeks.

I was screwed. I could see from the look Seamus was giving me that he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. I was family, and that bought me some leeway, but Seamus couldn’t let anyone get away with anything that looked like defiance. He had a reputation to maintain. If I wasn’t careful, I’d be lying, blood-soaked and maimed, on the other side of that armoured door. Seamus wasn’t going to let a pup like me challenge him in front of the others, sister’s boy or not.

“The Brits’ll go through everything. You know what they’re like,” I whined. “They’re bound to find it.”

“Why would the Brits be interested in some fucking student?” Laughing-boy, the one I didn’t know, asked.

“Because I’m related to him,” I said, nodding at Seamus. “Fuckin’ twat!”

Laughing-boy stood up and took a step forward, his fists balled.

I pushed back my chair, rising to meet him.

“Stop,” Seamus barely whispered. We both froze.

“Sorry,” I said to Seamus. The other fella mumbled something and sat back down.

“Of course they’re going to check you, Tonto,” Seamus said. “Just stick the thing in one of your wee friends’ bags. What they don’t know, won’t hurt them.”

“If they get caught–”

I started to protest but Seamus cut me short.

“They won’t,” he said. “And if they do, sure I’ll look after them. They’ll be grand.”

He pushed the heavy thing across the table to me.

“Now do as you’re told and piss off out of my sight.”

*

I didn’t get to Cookstown or the disco. I met the lads at the bus station and told them they’d have to go without me. Paddy moaned for bit about ending up on his own but I mentioned Seamus and Aidan told him to shut up.

I watched the blue and white Ulsterbus pull out of the station and cross the old railway bridge. Aidan and Paddy sat in the back seats and made wanker gestures at me until they were out of sight. Then I went home.

*

I have collection spread in front of me now. If I concentrate hard, I can still feel the sense of security it once promised. I can still feel like someone is watching over me, that I am protected. But it’s getting harder. My dad calls it rubbish, and sometimes I can see it with his eyes.

This will be my last day in this house. Tomorrow I will leave for university. Tomorrow night I will be sleeping in a different country and I will be surrounded by people I was always told were my enemy. I know I won’t be able to come back, not for long time. Some part of me already knew that this was never going to be my home again and part of me can’t wait to get away.

And part of me does not want to go.

It’s the end of September. The summer has been long and hot and, even though you can already feel the days shortening, today has been warm. The evening sky is bright and sharp with only the spreading contrails of jets looping north on their way to America dividing up the expanse of deepening blue.

I wrap each piece of my collection carefully in sheets from yesterday’s copy of the Daily Mirror and place them in a plastic tub that used to be my Da’s lunchbox. Then I put the tub carefully in the centre of my rucksack so it will be safe on the journey.

I drag Seamus’s package out from beneath my bed. I hold it for a minute between two fingers, staring at it from different angles. How can something so small feel so massive? Just picking it off the table in O’Neill’s back bar has ruined me, changed the track of my life, and yet it hasn’t even been used. What more damage will be done if I follow Seamus’s orders?

I hate it. I hate him.

I put the thing down on the bed. Pick it up again. Put it down. I put on my coat then take the rag-wrapped thing and jam it into my inside pocket.

I have made a decision and I am relieved to find that I have no doubts.

I go down stairs, kiss the picture of my Ma in the hall, like I always do, and wish she was still here, like I always do. My Da’s there too, at the bottom of the stairs with the paper, heading to the toilet. I give him a hug as I go past and tell him I love him. His surprise quickly turns to fear.

“What’s going on?” I hear him say, but I’m outside before he can drag me back.

The rooks are coming home to roost, the first few already circling high above the woods, and tonight I want to watch them for the last time.

Al McCourt is sitting outside our house in an Austin Maestro that’s the colour of stale piss. He leans out the window, his face twisted into a smile.

“Going somewhere, Tonto?”

“Just going for a walk up in the woods,” I say, nodding to the hill. “You coming?”

Al eyes the hill suspiciously. The light is starting to fade. The dead eyes of the Hagan’s houses, long abandoned their gardens slowly being reclaimed by the wood, stare down at us. The gyring mass of birds is thickening.

Al knows those birds, knows how they flock, how they prey upon the people of the estate. And, because he recognises them, he fears them.

“Don’t you be playing any funny games,” he says.

I smile at him and turn away.

Let Al choose his own fate.

I am going to climb the hill into Hangman’s Wood and go to the spot where I found Colm Hagan. I want to see the King Rook. I’m bringing him a final offering, but this time I want to choose what I get in return.

I want him to let me go.

“King Rook” was first published in the Irish science fiction magazine Albedo One #45

KING ROOK was originally published on Welcome To My World

[askmyboys]

Noxis

Trigger Warnings: Mentions of Abuse, used for fighting, etc- Noxis was not treating too nicely

also whoops, i projected some shit onto him myself kldsdjfkslf lmao

sometimes angers, sadnesses, and traumas are projected o n t o the ocs

| Name: Maddox used to be his name but it was changed to Noxis

| Nickname: Nox

| Gender: Trans FTM (but he also uses It/Its pronouns too, those sound cool to him)

| Age: Definitely mid 20s somewhere (I’d say like 25 or 26 p much)

| Height: 6’3”

| Species/Race Anthropomorphic Dog (he’s pretty much a mutt)

| Fur Color/Body Type: His fur color is dark brown and he’s pretty skinny tbh

| Hair Color: His hairstyle is a mullet first n foremost and he’s dyed his hair a Emerald Green color

| Eye Color: Left eye is Prussian Blue and the right eye is a Dark Green color

| Appearance: He wears a black t-shirt first of all, some black ripped up and distressed looking skinny jeans with chains hanging down them, he also wears combat boots as well with dark green laces. He also wears a black spiked collar with a ring in the middle amongst all the spikes, he wears spiked bracelets on his wrists, his left ear is folded and his right ear is kinda half-pointing, he has some piercings in his ears, a piercing on his tongue, and an eyebrow piercing, likewise he’s got black claws (he used some nail polish and painted some claws dark green), his toe beans are an Emerald Green color as well with his middle ‘fingers’ essentially being that Prussian Blue coloring (wow going bold for the colors here ooo), his nose is also a dark green color as are the insides of his ears and his tongue as well, he’s also got razor sharp bear trap like teeth.

He’s got a few scars here and there, most can be VERY easily seen, others are pretty much not easily seen unless you get close to him, the most PROMINENT scarring are around his mouth, his face/head, nose, and a few more prominent looking scars are on his arms, legs, body, etc- he’s… Been through a LOT…  (also top surgery scars too don’t forget those- he’s also got a long bushy tail (he cut a hole in the back of his jeans for his tail to fit and move around a little bit)

| Personality: Oh b o y… This boy is VERY angry, aggressive, and practically almost feral at this point, he can still talk technically speaking but still, he’s very snippy/snarky, sarcastic as all hell, e d g y edgelord on our hands but eh there’s a reason for that even if it is not an excuse for him treating all humans like he does, speaking of those fuckin shitheads- he HATES humans absolutely DESPISES them, he won’t attack them or anyone unless they attack first, despite all the bark, he really is no bite… He doesn’t even LIKE fighting.

He doesn’t wanna hurt anyone really! ...He just wants to push people and others like him away because secretly? He’s fucking TERRIFIED of EVERYONE… He’s been hurt and betrayed by strangers before but what’s REALLY hurt him? He’s been betrayed and hurt and p much damaged SEVERELY by his own family! Those people were supposed to love him unconditionally! Those people were supposed to support him and take care of him! Not fucking abuse him, not fucking lie to him and tell him ‘everything’s going to be okay’ that ‘I’ve got your back’ and then turn around and hurt him so badly! Parents are supposed to care for you and love you unconditionally! He just wanted them to love him! He just wanted them to care, to be there for him!

(oops I put my own traumas, anger, etc onto my oc and I OOP-) anyways- He h a t e s his parents for how they’ve treated him, for how much they’ve betrayed him, for e v e r y t h i n g they’ve said and done to him, while they never PHYSICALLY abused him there was a lotta mental and verbal shit that happened, so now he tries to push everyone away so he doesn’t get hurt anymore, he wants to keep others away with anger, aggression, snarky and sarcastic remarks, he makes others think he’s just a straight up asshole but it’s to protect himself really, it’s all a defense mechanism in a way, deep down he just wants to stop the hurting, he wants to stop all the anger, the sadness, everything- He just wants to feel safe and happy, hell just OKAY in general! But, eh, he has a feeling its too late for all that now- might as well just keep up the act.

He’s also got a LOT of anxieties, depressive episodes, etc- Overall he’s just been through a LOT and I mean a LOT of shit-

| Side Facts: He usually stays in his home and keeps to himself, sometimes he’ll go out in order to get necessary items n shit like food/drinks, etc- But usually he’s at home, writing, playing video games, listening to music, or just- Watching random shit online, music, games, writing, videos- it takes his mind off a lot and can ease his stress immensely.

He owns a collection of various knives (is this just me in furry form? Lmao-) not for anything in particular but just because knives are fuckin cool- he is trying to learn witchcraft tbh because he finds that super cool, also wants to learn Irish Mythology and Greek Mythology a HELLA lot, he LOVES a good book from time to time, especially horror- like y e s please, he loves to watch horror movies too (...i sw e ar, im not projecting haaa)

Also, aside from putting my own traumas and feelings onto this boy, he IS his own character and he’s been through a LOT more than just parents- let me explain! So despite being a mutt/mixed breed/etc Noxis or Maddox more formerly known as was considered a VERY rare species, his colorings were unnatural compared to p much everyone in his area, they all had typical normal colorings, so of course people treated him weirdly as did others of his species, they essentially treated him like an outcast almost while others…

Well, people would pay a HIGH price for something like him… But I’m getting ahead of myself here, Noxis eventually ran away from home and that’s caused him to get into pretty bad situations, he’s been kidnapped a few times and sold as nothing more than a pet really or just something to look fancy in a home, basically a trophy/show-off item for the people in question, or in others cases he’s p much been captured and used for fighting because he looked like a tough breed who could hold his own, evidently this is where most of his scarring came from was from being put and used for fighting.

After all the fighting he eventually managed to escape from there and he honestly, while he does have a new home now VERY VERY far away from where all the bad shit, all the traumas, and of course he lives far away so his parents won’t ever find him, where nobody knows who he is or what, but he still doesn’t trust these people and shit either way- Like I said, he’s been through a L O T of shit, and it’s some pretty heavy stuff, likewise- Noxis fucking H A T E S being touched, anytime someone gets close to him you’ll definitely notice a flinch but he’s gonna hide it behind anger and aggression and just tell you to fuck off or something like that, now if someone raises a hand… That causes much more than just a flinch, his whole body language changes (the owners who d i d have him for a prize and the fighter dog owners ESPECIALLY weren’t kind or nice to him in the slightest soo yeah) say its a species like his own, another dog- if they bare their teeth that p much just brings back those flashbacks- while he usually runs away if they start charging him well he’s going to have to fight, despite hating confrontation and fighting he WON'T let himself be killed.

Noxis honestly definitely needs help, he needs someone to show him not EVERYONE is out to get him, that the world isn’t an ENTIRELY shitty place, he just needs someone to show him love, compassion, and understanding ...And a therapist, y-yeah- definitely needs a therapist, on the bright side at least he got his top surgery and bottom surgery! Hooray for trans doggo!! That’s a positive plus and a big fuck you to his parents and a lotta others, so there has been t h a t good around for him ...even though he didn’t trust humans and still doesn’t, I mean… He took a chance essentially, for all he knows they coulda dissected him ….eh- it’d be better than being owned as a prize or fighting mutt he supposed- either way, he’s pretty content with his body now so that’s a definite plus, i just didn’t want to end on a sour note!

[foxfyrez]

I guess I’m putting this up here too. So here’s Chapter 1 to my shitty fanfic

To be honest running from cybernetic dogs wasn't the best thing in the world. Silent just showed up to do her job when these dogs found her and started chasing her throughout the underground city. It was not the best day. She had no idea where to go because she was new to this environment and almost ran into all the dead ends. She didn't want to run out into the open where people were, but she was tired of getting stuck in dead ends.

So now she was out in the open on the streets with five mutts chasing her. She avoided crowded areas with them trailing behind her, nipping at her heels. She shoved past people and tripped a few times while weaving back and forth through crowds she accidentally managed to get into. "Goddammit!" Silent cursed, seeing that the dogs wouldn't give up.

The dogs howled and charged at her, using some sort of jet booster and collided into her, knocking her into something. Two of the dogs were knocked out a bit due to ramming into a brick wall while the other three were still awake. The dogs began to snap at Silent's neck as she used a steel pipe to keep the creatures at bay though it only stopped one of them. The other two went after her leg and side causing her to scream.

Silent yelled, knocking back the larger dog with the steel pipe and looked at the two currently chomping down on her body. "That fucking hurts!" She tried prying off the dogs from her body to get away when she noticed the larger one getting back up again to come after her. She had no way of escaping this beast so she braced herself for the impact.

Suddenly the dog was hit by the front of a pinkish purple car. It slumped over the side slowly.

"What the fuck?" Silent questioned before using the steel pipe to pry off one of the dogs and shove him back far enough so she could smash the pipe into his head, downing him in an instant. Now that left one dog that was chewing on her leg. "Back off you mutt!"

The dog growled at her, clamping harder on her leg. It refused to let go.

Silent reared the pipe back again and crashed it into the dog's head, hearing something crack loudly and the dog yipped in pain. She felt relief in her body once it released her leg, and she staggered backwards. "Finally." The adrenaline was keeping her from feeling the pain.

A low growl caught her attention. One of the dogs from earlier let out a horrendous snarl and lunged for her, mouth open wide to clamp down onto something.

"Why won't you just fucking die!?" Silent yelled, ramming the pipe down the creature's throat and impaling it to the concrete near the purple car. Silent caught her breath as she heard the sound of a car door opening.

"Holy shit, that's fucking impressive girly." A southern accent had filled her ears. "But don't destroy them all, I need them for our roundup event."

Silent couldn't care less and just waved him off before jumping out of the way as the leader of the dogs lunged at her once more, missing and bouncing back right for her. "Goddammit!" She yelled, jumping over the purple car and ran right back into the open street to flee from the dogs. She was getting tired of this!

After running through the city, Silent took a detour through all the junkyards. She was scraped up from sliding across broken pieces of junk and random metals. Her leg was beginning to ache from running around a lot. She was going to have to patch herself up later. If she could get away from these dogs that is..

A snarl interrupted her thoughts as a particularly large and nasty dog ambushed her from the front and chomped down on her shoulder. It was the damn leader from earlier!

Silent let out a cry of pain. She struggled to break free from the beast, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. "Get off me!" Silent ripped the beast off her aching shoulder and dashed off up to the large mansion she spotted earlier. Once she was up there, she heard some voices. "Oh great, people are here."

"And I told you I wanted this junk out of here this morning!"

"But sir, there's been multiple reports of Kane's robot dogs in the vicinity!"

"Then get rid of them! Every single moment I spend with you means less time with my babies!"

Silent overheard their conversation while catching her breath. She panted harshly, trying to stifle her breathing in case it was too loud. She leaned against an old car hood. Her shoulder started to ache in pain.

A sudden snarl brought her attention back to the situation at hand. The leader of the robot dogs appeared in front of her, licking its muzzle which was stained in Silent's blood. The beast roared, pouncing on Silent and shoving her out into the open where the two men were previously chatting.

Silent gasped as the air was shoved out of her lungs. She rolled a few feet away, stopping right in front of a man dressed in red and white.

"Woah! Who are you, little missy?" The man exclaimed, nudging Silent with his cane.

Silent groaned, looking up to see a man dressed in red and white. "Run!" She choked out, getting up and pulling out a huge scythe out of nowhere while growling deeply at the junk in front of her.

The man was startled but soon settled back. "Run from what exactly?"

Before Silent could answer, a pack of robot dogs (the same ones who chased her) appeared from behind the junkyard and soon began circling Silent. The leader stepped forward and let out a deep growl. It snapped at her, trying to aim for a piece of her.

"That answer your question?" Silent growled, swinging her blade down on one of the dogs. It pierced through the beast's head killing it instantly. She retracted her weapon from its head and looked for the other two dogs, spotting them going after the man.

"Hey! Get back!" The man held out his cane to ward off the dogs. He pressed a button causing the cane to generate electricity. "Back off!"

The dogs circled him, looking for an opportunity to charge in and take him out. One of the dogs reared back and lunged at him.

The man cowered, covering his face with his shoulders and his hands guarded his body. He waited for his demise only it never came. He opened one eye to peek around, "I'm not dead?"

"Hopefully not." Silent said, slicing the dog in half with her scythe. She let out a breath she was holding in. "When I said you need to run, that means run." She looked at the man, "Uh..."

"I'm the Duke of Detroit. You've probably heard of me, yes?" He struck a pose.

"Sorry, this is my first time in Motorcity so I don't know you."

"So you're not a Motorcitizen? You from Deluxe?" The Duke eyed the girl up and down, noticing she looked nothing like a Deluxian. Deluxians wouldn't dress the way she does and carry the weapon she has. She didn't look either Deluxian or Motorcitizen, so where was she from?

"I don't know what Deluxe is. Let's just say I'm out of town." Silent answered, holding onto her scythe out to attack the last dog which seemed to be the leader. "This gonna get nasty." Silent muttered.

The beast roared jumping on top of Silent while snapping at her head. It's claws dug into her skin, creating deep tears in her flesh. Drool flying in different directions as it tried to rip Silent's head off.

The Duke whipped his cane out and bopped the beast on the head. "Back!"

The beast looked up at the Duke in annoyance, growling at him slowly.

Silent took that chance to pierce through the beast's neck with her claws. It felt weird and mushy inside of its neck, and she didn't like it.

The beast let out a strangled yelp, shivering and shaking as it began to slowly stop struggling before finally stilling and slumping over Silent's body. The beast's blood dripped down her arm and onto her face.

Silent made a disgusted face, pulling her arm out of the creature's neck. She sighed for a moment, "If you're still here Duke, could you push it off me?"

"No can do sweetheart. I can't get blood on my outfit, it's hard to clean."

Silent made a noise of disapproval and used the rest of her remaining strength to push it off her body. The scarf on her body formed into giant clawed hands and forced the beast off of her. As soon as she was free, she jumped up and dusted herself off. The scarf returned to normal.

The Duke was in awe at the scene that played before him, and he began to clap as he stepped towards her. "Well done little missy! Well done!"

Silent let out a yawn, stretching her back as she remembered her aching shoulder. It seemed to have stopped bleeding, but it still had a dull throb. She looked at her leg to see it slightly still bleeding, but there was no pain. She needed them cleaned.

"Since you're from out of town, how about you start working for me?" The Duke put his hand on her shoulder and leaned in closely.

"Why should I?" Silent felt uncomfortable with him standing this close to her.

"Because you're new to Motorcity, and you don't know how things work down here. I could show you. Also, you'd get more experience working as my bodyguard since I'm out and about down in Motorcity." He replied.

Silent gave it a thought, "Sure, why not. Got nothing better to do."

"Congrats, missy, you're hired."

[dreams-of-headcanons]

Hallo!! I love your stuff and, since your ask box was open, I thought I'd finally get over my own nerves and send something in! So... how would the US skelebros and the UF skelebros react to their S/O actually being kidnapped? I though it might be a good angsty-fluff combo :3 Thanks in adavance! I really do love your work :D

Hello ( ´ ∀ ` )ﾉ I’m glad you enjoy my content! I’m sorry it took me so long to get to yours. and to everyone else’s I haven’t got to yet (>_

Trigger Warning: violence, mentions of sex trade, torture

Disclaimer: s/o comes out unharmed in all scenarios

Underswap

Blueberry

Berry is worried sick. He found out in one of the worse ways possible. He had just come home from training with Scales(Us Alphys). He had even picked up a bouquet of your favorite flowers. No special occasion. He just saw a flower shop on his way home and decided to get some for you. When he went to stick his key in the door of your shared apartment the door was ajar. His soul dropped instantly but he tried to remain optimistic, hoping you had only left it like that by accident. But that’s not like you at all. Maybe you heard him coming and left it like that on purpose? His fears are confirmed when he steps inside and finds things knocked over, clearly showing a struggle. He lies the flowers down on the table and calls the police immediately. They take his statement and any evidence and leave. Once Berry is left alone he’s in shock and disbelief. Who did this? Why? Why you? You didn’t even have any enemies and neither did he. Not that he knows of at least. The police check in with him in a few days but haven’t had any luck. Berry has been tending the bouquet of flowers, hoping you’ll be found before they die and trying to keep his own hope alive. It doesn’t take long before his patience snaps. He’s trying to let the police do their job and not interfere but he doesn’t feel like they’re trying very hard. He’s mad at himself for not starting his own investigation sooner. As soon as Scales finds out she, Angelfish(Us Undyne), and Stretch all become a part of his team. Berry loves you and if he loves you that means these three see you like family, even if you and Berry aren’t married yet. Scales goes on the aggressive and starts interrogating any suspicious characters. Berry goes with her and they pretty much play good cop bad cop. Angelfish and Stretch provide tech support. Angel gives wires to Scales and Berry so they can record their interrogations. The rest of her and Stretch’s time is spent hacking into security cameras around town until they finally find something. They can’t make out faces because it was night in this particular tape but she KNOWS the person being thrown into the back of a car is you. The recording happened near your apartment complex and she can see an item/piece of clothes that she recognizes. She calls Berry immediately and gets a license plate number. She suggests telling the police about it but he refuses. He doesn’t want to rely on them anymore and reminds her that they could find out about her hacking. She could get in trouble whether her soul was in the right place or not. Stretch teleports Berry and Scales as close to the location as possible. The two can hardly contain themselves as they sneak in and they both feel sick to their stomachs when they realize that the place trades sex slaves. Berry immediately loses any control he had and pins the nearest guards to the wall with blue bones and demands to know which room you’re being kept in. He and Scales leave them hanging, not caring if they bleed out. When he finds you he’s clinging to you and practically sobbing with relief, especially when you assure him no one had touched you yet. They make an anonymous call to the police about the sex slave ring and after the whole incident is over Berry moves you and himself to a safer place and starts putting traps up around the house and calling in at random to check on you while he’s gone. Expect a trip to an adoption shelter on your next Birthday.

Stretch

He was on a date with you when it happened. You were walking hand in skeletal hand when someone leapt out and snatched you away from him. He tried to go after them but someone else knocked him out with a blunt object to the back of his skull. It wasn’t a very populated area but there were a couple of nearby witnesses that called 911 and gave what information they could while medics made sure Stretch was okay. He was admitted to the hospital for the night and Berry came to make sure he was okay. But that night, as much as Stretch likes to nap, he couldn’t sleep. Not a wink. Not while he knows you’re in danger. Who were those people? Why did they do this? Was this some sort of punishment? As soon as he was let out the next day he wasted no time. He didn’t check in with the police. Screw relying on them. He goes straight to Angelfish and asks her to check the security cameras in the vicinity of where it happened. The two of them sit down together and he refuses to eat until they’ve got something. It happens faster than he expected before they’ve got pictures and tape of you being dragged away. Angel enhances the pictures as best as she can and he recognizes one of the offenders as your jealous ex and he knows where they live. Before Angel has a chance to stop him he’s gone. He pops up right behind your ex in their house and scares the living hell out of them right before they’re pinned to the wall with bones. Stretch’s hood is up and the shade it provides along with his blazing orange eye light gives him a menacing aura. He forces what information he wants out of them and leaves them with a bone chilling threat that he won’t be so lenient if they ever mess with you again. He knocks them out and leaves them as he goes and rescues you from their basement. The Sick Psycho. He takes you home, puts on some of your favorite shows/movies, and doesn’t leave your side for the rest of the night, comforting you any way he can. From now on he keeps his guard up almost to a level that makes him seem like he’s from a Fell universe.

Underfell

Red

He knew something like this might happen eventually. He just doesn’t know how they managed to get past his defenses so easily. A lot of monsters and humans don’t like him but most of them are too dumb. He either pissed off the wrong person, they had help, or it was pure dumb luck. He found out when he got a taunting phone call asking for a ransom. He could hear you sassing one of your captors in the background and calling his name when you realized they had him on the phone. The smart ones always want some sort of revenge over money so he’s pretty sure it was dumb luck by now. He’s also kind of relieved. It’s still bad that you’ve been kidnapped but he’s glad you’re not a target for revenge. Because that means you’ll come out of the ordeal mostly unscathed. However, the ransom they demanded before hanging up on him isn’t something he can afford and he’s too impatient to waste time collecting it, so he goes to Blaze(Uf Grillby). Now Blaze normally charges a pretty hefty price for his aid but Red is a patron and close friend, so he already gets a discount to begin with and when he tells Blaze that you’ve been snatched he cuts the price in half. Blaze gives him a suitcase filled with convincing fake bills. An person/monster with average intelligence will take about 1-2 minutes to figure it out but these dumb sounding bastards will probably take 5+ minutes or never realize it at all. Either way Red hands it over and you’re shoved into his arms as the two jackasses that snatched you excitedly play with the fake money. Red just stands back, with you behind him, watching them. It’s pretty amusing and he’s trying to contain his laughter. He almost feels bad for them. Almost. He’s so amused by their moronic behavior that he teleports you home and comes back. By now they’ve discovered that the money is fake and as soon as they notice him he’s greeted with anger. He dodges them easily while taunting them with his guffaws and when he’s had his fill of fun he goes back to being serious. And with you safe at home he can finally show some of his pent up anger. How dare these pieces of shit touch you. He doesn’t feel like he’s worthy of having such great s/o as you sometimes. You’re such an awesome person and these two twits definitely aren’t even worthy enough to even breathe the same air as you. Before the two know it they’ve been impaled and suspended by their limbs with bone attacks. Red cusses them out and tortures them by stabbing non vital parts of their bodies and twisting the bones until they’re begging for forgiveness or death. When he’s finally satisfied he lets them down and leaves, not caring if they bleed out or not (bit of a yandere streak there, Red). He hopes you won’t mind the little bit of blood splatter. Because as soon as he gets inside the house he’s throwing his coat off and smothering you with love.

Edge

Oh boy. Oooooooh BOY. Somebody done fucked up. Somebody is also a top tier moron. Edge came home from training with Stingray(Uf Undyne) and found his little shared home with you looking like a hurricane had passed through. At first he’s mildly irritated, thinking maybe you had just been fooling around or that his brother had done it. He’s pisssssed when he finds a very obviously placed ransom note. They attempted to make it anonymous but he knows who the dumbasses are. The Underfell dog guard. Even though everyone is on the surface now they’ve always held a grudge against him because they wanted higher positions in the guard before it was disbanded. They were jealous of him and never got along with him. How DARE those WORTHLESS mutts touch THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS’ datemate!? He doesn’t even finish reading the note before shredding it to pieces and storming out of the house. If they think they can get away with this they are VERY wrong. He’s not gonna bring what they want no matter what it was and he knows all their most frequented locations. He goes into stealth mode until he’s found you. He’s seething when he reveals himself and they’re surprised at his arrival because they hadn’t told him where they were yet. They were expecting him to call the number they’d left on the note so they could use a voice changer to talk to him. He wastes no time in subduing them, leaving all of them with 1 hp and teetering on the line between life and death. They were stupid to mess with him and he doesn’t care if they dust or not. He takes you and leaves. Once he gets you home he completely ignores the mess that’s waiting for him(he swears they left it this messy on purpose because everyone knows how he hates messiness) and carries you straight to bed, flopping down on it with you and nuzzling his skull against your neck. He won’t admit it but he was the tiniest bit scared and he really missed you in the short amount of time that you were gone. Even if he knew it was only the dog guard being dumb with him he couldn’t stand being apart from you. What? Crying? He’s not crying! How dare you suggest such a thing. Those totally aren’t tears. But he also doesn’t have a valid excuse for what they might actually be besides tears. Expect lots of cuddles and breakfast in bed the next morning. Somehow he already has the entire house clean by the time you wake up too, whether you had planned on helping him or not. He didn’t want you to have to help him anyways. He wants you to rest.