#he looks like someone glue two bits of carpet to his forehead

[itsdeathofabachelor]

Love fanart where Jotaro looks like this

[fruitcoops]

Omg can you write about coops going live on instagram and answering TONS of fans questions? And just being domestic and cute together in general

I can, yes! This is partially the 450 celebration--to the lovely person who suggested writing a sequel to one of my favorites, please know that I love and appreciate you! Coop credit goes to @lumosinlove

Check out Part 1 here

“Is it working? I think it’s working.” An explosion of hearts covered the screen and Remus’ eyebrows rose. “Yep, definitely working. Hello, Instagram! I’m Remus Lupin, winger for the Lions.”

“And I’m Sirius Black, center and team captain.” Sirius waved at the phone. “We had a great time answering your questions last month and we figured we’d come back to do it again, since there were so many people we couldn’t get around to in those few minutes.”

“I can already see a bunch coming in. Should we start?” Remus asked, turning to him with a small smile.

“You go first.”

“Alright, first question….” He squinted at the screen. “How long have we been together? We’ve been dating for just over a year now, but we’ve known each other for three-ish.”

Sirius snorted when he read the next question. “What do we do in our free time? It’s cute that you think we have free time. Um, we read a lot. Sometimes I’ll play video games with the guys.”

“If we have a free weekend, we’ll go hiking or take a short road trip. Practice takes up four or five hours a day, so we’re very low-key, which I think surprises people.” Remus scrolled down a bit. “What are our favorite foods?”

“Don’t say it.” Sirius said immediately. “Don’t you dare.”

“Fine, fine.” Just as Sirius began to answer, he coughed, “pineapple pizza.”

“No!” Sirius smacked Remus on the arm with a pillow as he laughed. “Menace. My favorite food is pasta, because it’s versatile and I’m not a heathen. All of you who are agreeing with him, stop it right now. I’m very disappointed in your tastebuds. Next question…do either of us cook? We do, yeah.”

Remus gave him a look. “Do you, though?”

“That’s a funny thing to hear coming from the man who said he’d die for one of my grilled cheeses yesterday,” Sirius countered.

“Fair point. Yes, we both cook, but I generally do it more often because I enjoy it.”

Sirius looked back at the camera with sad eyes. “He kicked me out of the kitchen last week.”

“You kept stealing bites of soup!” Remus laughed. “It wasn’t even done, you could have gotten salmonella!”

“You can’t get salmonella from soup,” Sirius scoffed. The comment section went wild. “…apparently you can. Huh.”

“Next question, before we get too off-track. Who is the more dramatic one?” Remus folded his hands and rested his chin on top. “I’m giving you three guesses and the first two don’t count.”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “You’re plenty dramatic.”

“Uh-huh, sure.”

“Moving on! Oooo, this one is for me specifically.” He shifted closer, wrapping an arm around Remus’ waist as he read. “Sirius: does Regulus—you spelled that wrong by the way, there’s only one ‘g’—does Regulus still live with you? If yes, how does that work?”

“I’m telling him someone spelled his name wrong,” Remus said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “He’ll get a kick out of it.”

“He’ll be so pissed,” Sirius agreed. “Nope, Reg moved out a few months ago and now lives with Pascal Dumais, but it was really neat to have him around. He’s still got a room here and it was nice spending so much time with him after we didn’t talk for a while. He’s awful about vacuuming, though.”

“Aw, people think that’s cute.” Remus smiled as he read the responses. “Ohoho, people are getting nosy. What do we argue about the most?”

“I’m not sure, actually. Maybe chores?”

“I was going to say practice time. We’ve gotten into a couple tiffs about watching tape or running drills after we get home.”

“That’s true.” Sirius frowned at the screen. “For those of you who apparently think that’s all one-sided: it’s really not.”

“He came downstairs to get me at ten or eleven at night the other day. We’re both hockey nerds, so it happens from time to time.”

“Are we going to keep doing tiktoks? Oh, for sure, they’re a ton of fun.”

“Absolutely. Where else am I going to get the inspiration to glue things shut just to irritate him?”

Sirius shook his head with a smile. “Diablotin.”

“Nothing like being called a gremlin by your fiancé,” Remus laughed, tapping the screen. “Okay…who’s the best in bed?”

“I’d say we both sleep really well,” Sirius said. “You talk sometimes, which is really funny.”

Remus glanced over. “Do I really?”

“Yep. I think you were grocery shopping the other night. You kept saying orange juice very adamantly.”

“Interesting. I agree, though, we both value sleep.”

“There are too many questions!” Sirius scooted forward and sifted through them. “To jay-mac 2001, we both love kids and might have some in a few years. No, mermaid queen, we don’t really have friends outside of hockey because we don’t have lives outside of hockey—” Remus leaned his forehead on Sirius’ shoulder as he laughed. “—but I’m sure that will change someday. Oh, here’s a fun one: what are our love languages?”

“Our what?”

“Love languages. Like the Buzzfeed quiz Pots made us take last week.” The screen lit up and Sirius looked offended. “Of course we know what Buzzfeed is! We’re 25, you fuckers!”

“I think mine was quality time.”

Sirius pulled Remus’ arm further around his shoulders and leaned into his side with a smile. “It’s physical affection,” he singsonged, making him laugh. “Your turn.”

“Have you finally found your song?” Remus read aloud. “I think so! We did an interview a while back and there was a question about our ‘couple song’, which we didn’t have at the time.”

“That didn’t answer the question, sweetheart.”

“Oh! Shit, sorry. It’s La Vie En Rose by Edith Piaf.”

Sirius read the next question and snorted. “This is convenient. Who swears more?”

Remus looked away. “It’s, uh, a tie.”

“That’s such a lie.”

He sighed. “It’s probably me.”

“You taught a literal baby to swear.” Sirius turned back to the camera with a wicked grin. “Harry’s first word was ‘Loops’, but his second was ‘shit’ and there’s an eighty percent chance he learned it from Re.”

“Changing the subject!” Remus cleared his throat, then smiled. “Aw, I like this one. What’s the compliment you get most often from your partner?”

“Does it have to be verbal?”

“Sirius.”

Sirius’ eyes went wide. “Not like that! Oh, fuck, I did not mean that! You always touch my hair, so I figured that was a compliment. Merde.”

Remus shook his head. “We need a supervisor again. Anyways, you talk about my freckles all the time and it’s adorable.”

“You’re adorable.”

“Sap.”

“Yeah.” Sirius kissed his cheek. “What’s the best date I’ve ever been on? We went ice skating at the local rink a few weeks ago and it was so much fun. I had never done that before.”

Remus’ eyebrows rose. “I thought for sure you would say the aquarium.”

“The aqu—oh, right! With the jellyfish arch!”

“Yeah!”

“Now it’s a tie, I can’t decide.”

“That’s fair. From spaceman93: who tops? We actually don’t have a bunk bed, though that would be cool as hell! Do you think Ikea sells them?”

“We should check.”

The screen exploded into activity again and Remus did a double-take. “Yes, we do buy our furniture from Ikea, there’s no need to sound so shocked. This person—I can’t read your username, sorry—wants to know which of us is more cuddly.”

“Definitely me,” Sirius said.

“For sure. I like cuddling people, but only a select few. I mean, I’m assuming you guys saw the Cap cuddles slideshow at our last game.” He laughed when Sirius turned pink. “Why are you embarrassed? It was cute!”

“There’s a hashtag now!” Sirius complained. “I have a reputation.” Remus rolled his eyes fondly as Sirius looked for the next question. “Ha! Do we ever get jealous?”

“Yes, but not for the reasons people might think.”

Sirius laughed quietly. “We went out to a bar for Kasey’s birthday a month or so ago—”

“Oh, please no.”

“—and a young lady was hitting on me, not taking the hint—”

“Jesus.”

“—so Re comes out of nowhere and kisses me full on the mouth in front of everyone.” He snickered and Remus hid his face in his hands. “It was kinda hot, not gonna lie. Really funny looking back, though. Your turn, sweetheart.”

“Who is clumsier? Ooh, we’re both disasters off the ice. I tripped over the carpet about twenty minutes ago.”

“I’ve run into every doorframe in this house at least twice.” Sirius grimaced. “If I could just tape my skates to my feet and always be on ice, that would be much safer.”

Remus cocked his head to the side. “I dunno, it would be hard to sleep in them.”

“I do that all that time.”

“That’s true, you take a nap in the hall at least once a week in full gear.”

“Reverse Edward Scissorhands.” They had to take a moment to stop laughing before Sirius turned back to the phone. “Mon dieu. Alright, what do we have next…when did you know I was ‘the one’? When did you know, mon amour?”

“Breaking out the nicknames, very snazzy,” Remus teased as he rested his chin on his hand. “I think it was just an accumulation of things, and then one day I went ‘oh shit’ and just knew. Sometime around New Year’s, maybe?”

“You only made it two months?” Sirius teased, nudging him lightly.

“Shush, you.” Remus nudged him back. “I knew I wanted to propose when I came home from hanging out with Leo and you were napping with the dog. You had done the dishes and left Avatar on so we could watch it together, and I opened the door and knew that I wanted that moment forever.”

Sirius smile was unbearably soft, and he kissed Remus on the cheek as hearts filled the comments section. “I’ve never seen so many keysmashes in my life,” he laughed when he looked back to it. “Hey, someone addressed one to you specifically.”

“Really?” He leaned forward eagerly. “To Remus, do you feel like part of the team yet? I do, a hundred percent! It helped that I was close with a lot of the guys from being the PT, so those friendships carried over really well. Being a player on the roster has only made that better and it’s the best job in the world.”

“Who has the better smile? We’re going to say each other, so I think we’ll leave that one to the comments—fuck, that was a bad idea, it’s moving too fast for me to read!” Sirius tapped the screen desperately, then gave up and waited for the scrolling to slow down. “Ask each other one question you’ve always wanted to know the answer to.”

“Do you actually want to get your ears pierced?” Remus asked. “You talked about it a while ago but I wasn’t sure if you were kidding.”

Sirius thought for a minute, biting his lip. “Y’know, I might. It was one of those things where it started as a joke and then I kept thinking about it. I’m not sure, hockey’s not the best sport to have things that can catch and tear.” They both winced at the idea. “My turn. What is it about pineapple pizza that you actually enjoy?”

“It annoys you.” Remus laughed as Sirius rolled his eyes. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding! I honestly don’t know why I like it so much. There’s something about the sweetness that goes so well with the regular pizza taste. Okay, last question for me: how many freckles do I have? Not many right now.”

“So many in the summer,” Sirius said dreamily. “That’s the best part of summertime and the only reason I like Florida. They might have bouncy ice, but it’s worth it to see the freckles pop.”

“Whew, Florida’s getting mad in the comments!” Remus grinned. “Get some real ice, then come talk to us.”

“Final question, then we really have to go. What does your partner look best in?” Sirius drummed his fingers on his knees. “His jersey. Or my jersey. He does own a pair of skinny jeans, though, and that was the closest thing to a religious experience I’ve ever had.”

“They’re comfortable.” Remus shrugged, but he looked rather self-satisfied. “That’s all we have time for, folks, but thanks for joining us!”

“Go Lions!”

[strange-lace]

Meltdown (Rewrite)

I suddenly decided to do a rewrite of an old story I did for my Monkie Kid OC here since then, she’s gone through quite a bit of changes and I found myself not happy with that story anymore.

Content warning for body horror (it’s kind of the main premise of this fic with Nagi’s shapeshifting powers going wrong). Enjoy!

Nagi had long since became aware that while her shapeshifting was very versatile, it had made her body unstable as a consequence. There was a limit to how much she could shapeshift in a day, how many transformations her body could handle before things got… messy. Both physically and mentally.

She had made a list of symptoms that she could keep an eye out for a long time ago, when it was still new to her. The list had long since been lost during her countless travels but the words were practically etched into her very brain.

Yet the demon seemed to have forgotten the list in most dire of times.

Her new family seeing her meltdowns for the first time.

It was the aftermath of another battle with the Demon Bull King’s forces where Nagi admits, she had already been pushing herself with multiple changes in her form. Shifting into a Bull Clone, numerous animals, Red Son, even a shadow on the wall on one point, all for the purpose of causing confusion for the enemy and allowing openings for MK and Mei to do their thing: causing complete chaos. She wanted to prove herself useful to the team while still remaining a hidden element, an ace up their sleeve if need be.

She was feeling strained after it all but in a pleasant way, like the ache in your muscles after a workout. Exhausted but nothing that she couldn’t handle after some rest or another shot espresso in her system. And the sight of her friends, her family, all gathered together in celebration made her feel a warmth in her chest that she hadn’t felt in a while. Not since…

It wasn’t important now. What was important was teasing her little brother figure for trying too hard to be cool.

“’It’s a beach man, why don’t you take a swim and cool off!’” Nagi mimicked, seamlessly shifting to the form of MK just for emphasis. “You had been waiting to use that one ever since you met Red Son, haven’t you?”

She let out a giggle in her own voice at the sputtering received in response before it devolved into a slight cough, a sudden tickle in the back of her throat. A tickle which soon developed into a full-on coughing fit that left her struggling to speak and had the others looking at her in concern. Now Nagi was the one with an embarrassed flush to her cheeks, gratefully taking the water bottle offered to her by Sandy.

“Looks like I got a little sand down my throat, no big deal!” She said, doing her best to give a reassuring smile while ignoring the strange feeling of… something in her throat.

Symptom #1: Sudden coughing fit followed by the sensation of something building up in the lungs.

Yet even with the water, the constant need to cough just wouldn’t go away. Pigsy and Tang were starting to go from mildly to extremely concerned, especially when the flush on Nagi’s face ceased to go away as they left the artificial beach and back to the shipyard. Not helping was the fact that Nagi was suddenly feeling very warm, to the point that Tang had yelped in shock when he felt her forehead to test her temperature.

If Nagi had sweat glands, she was sure she’d be sweating bullets despite it being a relatively cool day.

Symptom #2: Extreme fever, to the point of body feeling like it’s on fire.

“Nagi, maybe we should have you see a doctor,” Tang said, genuinely starting to fret at the snake demon’s state. Nagi was quick to shake her head at the idea, knocking off the cloth on her forehead that had been soaked in ice water to help with the fever. Going to a doctor was absolutely out of the question for her because, practically speaking, what could they do from someone like her? Human doctors were used to patients with non-regenerating skin, a sturdy skeleton, and ones with typical organs.

None of those things which Nagi possessed.

A part of her was more afraid of just what would be found if anybody had examined her.

“Don’t be ridiculous Tang, it’s just a slight fever! I’m sure I’ll be fine after some rest,” She wheezed, struggling to breathe as the sensation of something in her throat had become thick, cloying and making it difficult for any air to reach her lungs.

Sparks of panic began to bloom in her heart once things started to get fuzzy and blur, as if she was about to pass out. Yet Nagi remained wakeful and suddenly it hit her.

Symptom #3: Sight begins to blur as eyes become unstable.

Her list, how could have forgotten her list.

Shit, it was a meltdown.

She had to leave immediately.

“I just… realized that I have… something to attend to at home. Excuse me,” Nagi said while clumsily attempting to climb off Sandy’s sofa, managing to weave her way past MK, Mei, Tang, and Pigsy before being stopped by the brick wall that was Sandy. She could only wheeze as the room began to spin around her, droplets of something running down her face.

Oh no. That wasn’t sweat.

“Whatever it is, we can take care of it. You should probably just focus on resting Nagi,” Sandy said, placing a hand on her shoulder to reassure her that everything would be fine.

Only for his hand to slowly sink into her shoulder with a nauseating squish sound. And when he pulled away in shock, some of it stuck to his hand to form a goop bridge between the two which drooped lazily before falling to the ground. Nagi could only numbly watch, her hair beginning to droop from MK’s gravity defying spikes before another coughing fit suddenly hit. These were strong enough to force the demon to her knees, hands over her mouth as her lungs convulsed to get whatever was depriving her of air out.

She felt faint relief as she finally hacked up whatever it was clogging her throat.

Only to pull her hands away to see them now stained with a red goop which seemed to fuse with her rapidly softening hands.

Nagi only faintly heard the screams of horror surround her.

Symptom #4: Body begins to destabilize.

“Ah shit…” She mumbled, faintly noting the strings of goop that were trying to glue her lips together. Stumbling to her feet, guilt gnawed at her chest at the sight of the others no longer screaming but the room was still in absolute chaos. MK and Mei were raiding Sandy’s freezer out of hopes that ice could somehow stop her melting, oh right she was indeed melting, while Pigsy did his best to help Tang from getting sick on the living room floor. Sandy was still staring at the slimy remnants of Nagi’s shoulder on his hand, face frozen in shock.

“Sorry Sa-” Her words were cut off with a choke as the world suddenly shifted by only a couple inches, yet Nagi could feel that something had changed. The sensation of a tail sluggishly moving behind her and her ears being much larger gave her a good idea of who she had suddenly shifted to. Or maybe not, as she looked down to see her newfound fur was both peach and black in the pattern of shifting stripes. Her clothes were an unfamiliar mishmash of orange and dark fabrics that were struggling to not fall apart at the seams.

It only hit Nagi that she had hit the next symptom when her tail began to split into two and only seemed to worsen when she tried to reel it in. Her control was slipping through fingers like sand and she was nothing more than a prisoner to the whims of her unstable biology.

Symptom #5: Uncontrollable shifting, often resulting in traits mixing together to a painful degree.

She could only let out a mournful gurgle, regretful at the mess she was making on Sandy’s floor as fat droplets of her being dripped down like candle wax. Said man’s face suddenly lit up, as if hit with a brilliant idea, and Nagi let out a startled wheeze as she was suddenly picked up and gathered into Sandy’s arms. The man visibly struggled for a moment, genuinely surprised at how much she weighed yet persevering. She did her best to not look at the globs of… herself which fell off in clumps that splattered across the hardwood floors and carpet.

Quickly moving to his bathroom, Sandy carefully placed the demon in his large bathtub while making sure to plug the drain. Last thing he wanted was any piece of Nagi going down his drain. She allowed herself to be positioned in the tub, limbs limp and boneless though not out of choice as pain wracked through her body relentlessly. A whimper broke through her waxy lips as large, bull-like horns ripped through the sides of her head, metal material now circling her eyes.

“What’s happening to you Nagi? Is there anything we can to help?” Sandy asked, hearing the others entire the bathroom behind him as they looked upon the bathtub with concern.

“Meltdown… happens when I… use my powers too much,” Nagi wheezed, speaking a struggle as it become more and more difficult to keep her lips separate, the melted strands of her self getting closer to gluing them together. “Can’t do much… except wait it out. Burning up.” She sagged in relief at finally finishing her words, leaning her head against the rim of the tub. Her entire body was on fire, so much so that it was no wonder that she was practically melting.

The loss of sensation in her legs made her look down, only to see her legs begin to melt together into a mockery of a snake tail. Her fangs elongated, poking past her lips, and scales popping out in random patches from her fur, fire hot itchy pain that she had long since grown numb to.

Nagi let out a mix of a croak and squawk in surprise when MK and Mei barged in to start dumping buckets of ice into the bathtub. She could only jolt and squirm helplessly as the cold assaulted her senses, whimpering as she struggled to get out of the tub and away from the cold. Thankfully, Sandy was quick to pull her out of the bath and away from the ice, cradling her against his chest with no mind to her sticking to his hands.

“Kids, you’re not supposed to stick someone with a fever straight into an ice bath, we can’t risk putting Nagi into shock! We gotta start with lukewarm water and work our way from there, C’mon, get this ice out of the bath so we can use it for later.” MK and Mei were quick to follow Sandy’s lead, guilt heavy on their shoulders that they could have hurt Nagi by accident.

Once the tub was clear, Sandy carefully placed the snake demon back in and turned on the faucet. Nagi relaxed as the lukewarm poured over her melty tail, sagging in relief and letting go of the illusion that she had any bones. The mild temperature was a welcome relief to her fever, a sigh leaving her lips.

“There we go, that’s better!” Sandy chirped, patting Nagi on the head before going still again as more goop stuck to his hand. At this point, the previous slime-like residue had dried and caked on his hands, which he was doing his best to ignore until Nagi wasn’t on the knife’s edge of overheating.

“T-Thaaannk yo-” Nagi choked, feeling something almost pop in her chest and in a snap, Sandy’s tub was on the verge of overflowing. He hurriedly cut off the tap, just as surprised to see that a tub that almost looked comically large for Nagi’s small frame could now barely hold her in, the tip of her tail trailing to the bathroom floor. She could only let out a wheeze that was questioning the universe as to why she must suffer this constant discomfort and torment.

“Well that’s… new. You alright there Nagi?” Mo echoed his concerned sentiments, giving a curious meow by the door of the bathroom.

“Juuuuuuussst fiiiiinnnnne,” she said, her words slurring but not wanting to worry Sandy more. Nagi wiggled about to try and get comfortable while he slowly began to add more water to the bath of colder and colder temperature. As the water’s temperature began to drop, the snake demon’s shivering only got worse but Sandy noticed that the rate of her “melting” was slowing down too. He took that as a good sign if anything.

They continued this for hours with Sandy eventually switching places with Tang and Pigsy once the two noticed he looked exhausted.

“Ti… tiiiiirrrrred,” Nagi hissed quietly, struggling to keep her eyes open now that she didn’t feel on the border of falling apart anymore. Her mind and ability to speak was still as coherent as syrup but all the internal alarms were quiet now and she didn’t feel like she was approaching death’s door. “Wanna sleep…”

“I know you wanna kid, just try and eat some of this broth, okay? You need to eat something after all this,” Pigsy said, his tone soft as he held the bowl of warm broth to her lips. She whined but complied, taking cautious sips to put something in her stomach. Turns out being in agony for hours worked up an appetite as Nagi found herself close to devouring the bowl itself once it hit her how hungry she was now.

Thankfully Pigsy was able to pull away fast enough that he didn’t lose his hands by accident.

“Hey don’t eat Pigsy’s hands, he needs those! Take it slow, last thing we need you upsetting your stomach,” Tang joked, less unnerved at the sight of Nagi’s unhinging her jaw with the Monkey King’s face since everything she could do and would do in future paled in comparison to what he witnessed today. In a way, seeing her so vulnerable made her slightly less terrifying to the man.

Just a bit.

Nagi, nonetheless, did what she was told and slowly finished the broth. With her belly not eating itself in hunger and instead filled with warm broth, she couldn’t help the purr which rumbled in her chest. Eyes sluggishly began to close and this time, she didn’t bother fighting the pull of sleep and instead welcomed it. Sleep was always gentler with her compared to the abrupt darkness that was passing out from the agony of a meltdown.

Tang and Pigsy couldn’t help the sighs of relief once they saw that Nagi was finally asleep.

“So… we gonna talk about what happened or…”

“For now, let’s just help Sandy… clean the place up. We can talk about everything when Nagi wakes up. However long that takes.”

Tang let out another sigh before taking off his glasses to clean them. A nervous tic of his.

He could work with that. They could all work with that.

For now.

[clnriswood]

ARCHIE ANDREWS X READER

Big Little Town: Part One

Story synopsis: The once young reader used to be best friends with Archie Andrews before her abrupt move from Riverdale following her father’s unexplained passing. Now, years later, she returns to finish high school, only to discover that the young boy she’d once had a crush on is both her neighbor, and a not-so-young boy anymore. Together they re-kindle their friendship (and something more) and uncover the truth behind her father’s death and the return of his killer to Riverdale.

a/n: I’m so so excited to embark on this probably eight part journey! I really hope you’ll stick around for a fic packed with angst and mystery, haha! Please do tell me in the replies if you’d like to be added to a tag list! I’ll be updating as soon as possible. <3

X

It’d been years since she’d set foot in Riverdale. Despite her departure five years ago, the small town hadn’t changed a bit, and apparently neither had the near constant grey cloud cover. It seemed picturesque how quaint yet familiar everything was. The leafy viridescent trees that lined the streets, the tips of the fresh grass that peered out between the cracks in the sidewalks, and the Columbian style houses with their neat lawns and creaky stairs, one set of which the girl currently lurched across. She held a large brown box in her hands; within it were stuffed photographs, candle holders, and whatever other miscellaneous items her mother could cram inside them. As she made her way through the bright red front door, the smell of old wood and must went shooting through her lungs.

“Gee, who lived here before?” she said aloud as her mother followed close behind, setting a box down and staring into the abandoned space.

“A little family,” her mother shrugged, “the Coopers, I think?”

The girl shrugged and blew a piece of hair from her mouth, her muddy converse bringing tracks with her as she roamed the desolate soon-to-be living room.

“Doesn’t sound familiar,” she voiced loudly, seeing how much echo would feed back to her ears.

“They had a girl your age,” her mother continued, adding, “you’re mudding up my floors, honey.”

The girl stopped in her tracks and stared down at her feet, scraping them awkwardly on the edge of the cobblestone fireplace to rid herself of some dirt.

“Betty,” her mother finished. “Her name was Betty.”

“Knock knock!” an airy voice came instantaneously.

The two looked up in surprise, confusion crossing their features as they stared at the girl in the doorway. She had smooth blonde hair that was slicked into a neat ponytail, and her blue eyes were like giant ocean orbs against her pale skin. She wore a pink knit sweater against a white collared shirt, like something out of some horse girl catalogue.

“I’m Betty, actually,” the girl laughed shyly, procuring a bag with the familiar Pop’s Diner logo on it.

The girl raised her brows with surprise, “hi Betty.”

“I heard you guys were moving in today so I thought I’d bring some ‘welcome to Riverdale’ donuts to, you know, say hello,” she continued with a bubbly tone.

The girl, feeling awkward, hung her mouth open, able to only respond again, “hi.”

Her mother hit the girl lightly against the chest with a scoff of embarrassment. She stepped forward and extended a hand to Betty, exchanging the sweet treats for a polite handshake.

“This is my daughter, (Y/N),” she said, “she’ll be starting at Riverdale High soon!”

(Y/N) grumbled quietly to herself, clearly not thrilled at the idea.

“That’s great,” Betty beamed, “I can’t wait to see a new face around!”

“Oh, we actually lived here a few years ago,” the girl’s mother explained. “But we moved away when-”

The words seemed to stop there, getting stuck to her throat like glue. Betty’s blue eyes widened with confusion, so the girl took a nervous step forward and quickly swooped in for her mother.

“We moved away a few towns over, but Riverdale never stopped being home, so we came back in time for my senior year and my mom’s new job.”

“Oh,” Betty’s shoulders relaxed, her ponytail swinging to the side, “that’s great.”

“Yeah,” the girl forced a smile back at her new acquaintance.

“So, is it just you two then, if you don’t mind me asking?” Betty asked.

“Yeah,” the girl took another step, holding her mother’s arm and giving it a light squeeze, “my dad passed away a few years ago.”

Betty seemed weirdly unphased, saying, “mine too.”

“Oh?” she perked up.

“Yeah,” Betty said, more flat now, her blonde brows knitting at the thought of something that troubled her. Then, realizing she’d fallen silent, she beamed again, her glossy pink lips splitting. “It was really nice meeting you both! And (Y/N), I uh, left my phone number on the bag, if you ever want to talk.”

The gesture warmed the girl’s heart, and she smiled, for real this time, seeing the black ink scribbled on the paper.

“Thank you,” her and her mother voiced in unison.

“Of course,” she giggled, “see you soon, I hope.”

As Betty turned, her cute shoes tapping the old floorboards and her ponytail swinging, she waved at someone who was outside. Her voice drifted along behind her as she greeted the girl’s unknown neighbors with a bounce in her step.

“Hey!” she called.

A muffled male voice called back, but despite its, well, muffled-ness, something in it sounded familiar.

“I’ll see you at Pop’s later?!” Betty said from the top of the moss covered stairs, her head turned towards someone that was out of view.

Again, a male voice chortled back a positive reply. This time it sounded even more familiar, and the girl felt a weird tingle in her stomach, unable to place its speaker. But she didn’t have to think very hard about it, for Betty turned, giving her, and her neighbor, one last wave.

“Bye (Y/N), bye Archie!” she said before turning and skipping down the steps.

“Archie?” the girl repeated cluelessly.

And then, practically as the name rolled off her tongue, her heart lurched from up in her chest to down into the floor. Her mother’s eyes widened as they came to a mutual realization, and before the girl could even process the idea, her mother was wagging a finger at her with this huge knowing grin.

“Archie Andrews, that boy you liked in middle school, Archie Andrews?” she smiled wider, going in for one her annoying tickles and sending the girl stumbling backwards.

“Nuh uh,” the girl retorted, turning her head away to hide the visible red that was flooding through her face, “I know plenty of other Archie’s.”

“Ok, name one,” her mother challenged, hands moving to her hips in a very mom like way.

“Archie-” the girl started confidently, but her brain immediately short circuited, “-Andrews, OH MY GOD!” she covered her mouth with her hands and went running to the staircase, her mother yelling indistinguishable mockeries up at her as the girl went bounding up the carpeted stairs two at a time until she reached her white bedroom door. Her hands grabbed the brass handle, turned, and slammed the door behind her with such force that the empty room rattled around her.

Back before she left Riverdale, the red headed boy from her year had been practically the only friend she’d had. Being the weird introvert with the recently deceased father didn’t exactly help her case, making it all the more strange when the popular soon-to-be-jock decided to start trailing by her between classes and in the courtyard, usually followed closely behind by a highly optimistic blonde in a ponytail.

“Betty,” the girl realized, slamming her hands into her forehead when the pieces came together.

Pre-pubescent Archie Andrews was just about as middle school fantasy as it could get for a girl. He had these skinny arms and flashing white teeth, and oh my god did the fiery hair make a statement, the girl recalled. He used to force her to catch footballs with him at lunch, so, in exchange, she’d make him listen to her guitar playing after school while they waited for their parents to arrive. It was a blossoming but short lived friendship, for the death of (Y/N)’s father was followed shortly by her departure from the small town and its small town redhead. But the thought, the actual thought that he was less than sixty seconds from her at this moment, sent a combined panic and excitement through her, one so strong she felt she could throw up. The last time she’d seen Archie was before the summer of eighth grade, when she’d left without telling him she was actually going. Giving the sudden life altering change she was going through, the last thing she could handle was officially departing from the boy she liked. And so she waved at him from her mother’s car, the poor redhead totally oblivious it’d be goodbye forever as he waved back from the sidewalk, clutching the guitar she’d thrust goodbye into his hands.

And now he was right there, right across her window and through to his, she thought, raising her head in despair and feeling her throat tighten at once. Because, sure enough, he was literally right there. Archie was standing upright in his little room, and he was staring directly at the girl with a look of mingled confusion and shock written over his large brown eyes. Except it wasn’t actually Archie, she thought, unable to think a single coherent thought as her gaze fixated on the absolutely jaw dropping man that stood a few dozen feet from her. No, skinny little Archie was not this tall, muscular, sharp jawed creature who wore tight fitting tees that clung to his bronzed god-like chest. No way that was Archie that stood frozen like a mirror image to her. But that hair. That hair. There was absolutely no denying that those fiery locks could belong to anyone but him. These thoughts all took about three second to travel through the girl’s mind, and by the third, she did the only thing she could think of and dropped to the floor.

“Oh my god!” she squealed into the flowery carpet, her nose squashed against it uncomfortably.

“What the hell am I doing?!” she spoke to the floor like it would reply.

Obviously he’d seen her drop dead to the ground, but now that she was here she couldn’t exactly get back up, so she took the only acceptable alternative and just lay there like an idiot. If she waited long enough he was bound to get sick of waiting, right? Feeling her phone buzz against her thigh, she reached her nimble fingers into the back of her jean pocket and procured her phone.

new instagram notification: @archiebandrews has started following you.

“NO!” she screamed at her phone, so loudly there was no doubt Archie himself could hear it from his room.

Archie Andrews would like to send you a message.

This was it. This is how she was going to die.

[ Archie is typing… ]

(Y/N), I know you’re still there.

[ Archie is typing… ]

That floor hasn’t been washed in months.

The girl practically spat the carpet from her mouth, her hair getting tangled as she rolled up from the ground. Feeling like her body was on fire from the blaze in her cheeks, she dragged herself up, crossing her fingers that the boy couldn’t see her rosy flushed face from where he stood. He was closer to his window now, clearly his intrigue had brought him slowly forward. Seeing her rise from the floor like a pathetic phoenix would from the ashes, his brows lifted with a keen curiosity, and he found himself stepping closer yet, so he could get a better look at her. Feeling as though she might as well do the same, the girl approached the dirty glass frame nervously, stopping when her muddy converse touched the walls. Archie Andrews wore dark blue jeans and a loosely tucked white tee that curved around the unfamiliar ripples of his chest. His auburn hair was parted kind of in the middle and kind of to the side, framing his high cheekbones and square jaw handsomely. Some of his red locks fled from the neat array of others, one in particular falling across his forehead and curling attractively upon his defined brows. Everything about him was so different and just so, endearing; even the curvature of his rounded pink lips into their inquisitive half smile. And just as she studied him, he’d studied back.

The last time he’d seen the girl she’d had braces and choppy hair, the result of her hacking relentlessly away at it following her father’s sudden and mysterious passing. She hadn’t grown much height wise, but certainly everything else had. Her long straightened hair lay flat against the curvatures of her now rounded out chest, her cheekbones rested higher on her face in such a way that she possessed an attractive maturity, and her brows and collarbones had a matching sharpness to them that defined her features well. She wore tight fitting light wash jeans, torn patchily at the knees from her own falls, and a black tank top, matched with a chunky black belt similar to the one Archie himself wore around his sturdy hips.

It was...bizarre. It was like they were just recognizable enough to each other to be unmistakable, but also grown enough that it seemed they were like strangers.

It was Archie who finally, after what felt like years but in reality was a few seconds, withdrew his phone. The red headed boy stared intently at his screen, typing away quickly and sending a buzz into the girl’s palm. Broken from her daze, she lifted her phone, seeing on it his invitation to join him and his friends at Pop’s in the evening. She lifted her gaze to the auburn haired boy next door, letting out a long and heavy sigh. Honestly, she’d just gotten here and she wasn’t too good at the socializing thing, but it was impossible to resist those glittering brown eyes. Seeing the doubt playing through her mind, Archie tucked his phone back into his jeans, fingers lingering in his pockets as he softened his expression further.

The boy tilted his head sweetly, mouthing “please?”

The girl’s heart seemed to pound so hard she could feel it smacking around her own chest, and so she nodded reluctantly, parting her lips to say yes but instead finding them hung partially open. And then he cracked that smile, that disgustingly perfect smile with the sharp canines and massive dimples, and she knew: it really was him.

[bluesfortheredj]

Hitsuzen.

Hitsuzen - A naturally foreordained event. A state in which other outcomes are impossible.

Chapter 8.

Monday morning always came around a little too quickly for your liking, but on the plus side you’d heard that Adam had called in sick so you could go about your day without having to suppress the urge to punch him in his smug face after his comments at the pub. You almost skip down the corridor at the school to your classroom and you can hear Sarah’s laugh behind you as she watches you full of enthusiasm for the day. The students question Adam’s disappearance but you quickly make the excuse that he has the flu and it’s as if he was never needed in the first place as you get on with your day leading the classroom once more. The smile barely fades from your face even at the last lesson of the day and you’re sat there beaming when the final student leaves the room; proud of what you’re achieving with Adam out of the picture.

“You coming?” Sarah asks as she pops her head around the door while you’re tidying up the classroom.

“Yeah, I’m just going to set some things out for tomorrow then I’ll be off. You go ahead and I’ll meet you at yours,” you grin.

“You’ve really taken to this like a duck to water haven’t you?”

“Well, I’m not one to brag but… yeah, I feel like this is what I was meant to do,” you agree.

“Looks like there’s more than just this that’s coming together in your life,” she winks.

Your phone begins to ring and you slip it out of your pocket to see Charlie’s name at the top of the screen, “speaking of which...” you chuckle.

Sarah gives you a wave before hurrying off to pick up the kids from the babysitter, then you answer your phone with a joyous hello.

“Ah! So your day went just as you imagined then?”

“It did indeed! Funny how everything runs so smoothly without Adam here.”

“Pretty difficult teaching a class from a cell,” he laughs.

“No! He’s there with you?!”

“Yep, came in last night, drunk again, and ended up falling into some poor woman’s front garden smashing a couple of plant pots as he went… she wasn’t best pleased so we took him in to sober up over night.”

“Shit,” you chuckle, “that’s bad. Not for me… but for him, definitely. How come he’s suddenly coming undone since this friend of his was found? What’s going on here? There’s something more to this, I just know it.”

“Alright Miss Marple, calm down,” Charlie teases, “leave it us, I don’t want you getting into any trouble because of this okay?”

“Okay,” you sigh, “how’s your day going anyway?”

You get up from the desk and begin to place worksheets on the students’ desks for morning, then head into the supplies cupboard where you kept donated lengths of fabric and other tools for the kids to use as you continue to chat to Charlie. You’re squatting down on the floor to find the spare glue gun sticks when suddenly the door slams shut and you hear the turn of the key locking you in the small space.

“What was that?” Charlie asks.

“Umm, I think I’ve just been locked in the cupboard...” you say quietly before calling out to the mysterious person, “hello? Who’s there? This isn’t funny, you need to let me out now.”

You wiggle the handle then bang on the door but the person hovering around outside doesn’t make a noise as they open up the vent just above the door frame.

“What’s happening?” Charlie questions, now panicked.

“I… Hey! What are you doing?! Let me out, now!” you demand as they poke a small piece of pipe through the vent, just out of your reach no matter how high you jump, “let me out! What are you doing?”

You throw your body against the door in an attempt to open it but it doesn’t budge, then as Charlie starts shouting down the phone at you, you begin to feel woozy from whatever was being fed into the air around you.

“(Y/N)! Talk to me!” he urges desperately.

“I think you need to get here,” you slur, “quickly.”

The phone drops from your hand onto the floor as you begin to slide down the door then your head hits the carpet and your eyes quickly close while your whole body becomes limp.

“We’re on our way! (Y/N), we’re coming!” Charlie reassures even though you can no longer hear him.

Him and John arrive within a matter of minutes, his long legs carrying him through the corridors to your classroom with ease, then he quickly unlocks the door to find you on the floor, your body completely still apart from a few shallow breaths. John rings for an ambulance as other officers arrive to inspect the scene then makes a quick phone call to Sarah to let her know you were being taken to hospital so wouldn’t be there to pick up Evie. Charlie attempts to bring you round and although there are some incoherent noises coming from you now that you’d been taken out of the enclosed space, you’re still not fully conscious.

“How long will the ambulance be?!” Charlie shouts exasperatedly at no one in particular.

“Nelson, it’s on its way” John says calmly as he kneels beside you and pushes your hair back from your face, “she’ll be fine.”

He was saying it to comfort himself as much as Charlie as well; you were like family to him and he was as concerned about you as he would be about his own daughter in all honesty, and Charlie could see it in his eyes, the worry and the pain at seeing you like this, knowing that someone out there had done this to you on purpose. The paramedics soon come hurtling into the room, ushering Charlie and John out of the way while they do a quick assessment of your vitals before getting you onto a stretcher and wheeling you out.

“You go, I’ll stay here,” John nods to Charlie before he bolts out of the room to catch up with you, “right, we need this place searched top to bottom; bins, drawers, everywhere! Does the pipe have fingerprints on? Where did the gas canisters come from? We need answers as soon as possible,” he instructs to the remaining officers.

Charlie remains by your bed side in the A&E department while they carry out tests to figure out what had got into your system, and your semi-conscious state is signified by quite a violent bout of vomiting with Charlie holding the bowl in one hand while his other one tries to scoop up as much of your hair as possible.

“Is she going to be okay?” he asks with a concerned frown at how much you’re being sick.

“This can be a normal side effect of inhaling so much isoflurane and nitrous oxide,” the nurse nods, noting Charlie’s utter confusion at the use of technical terms, “…otherwise known as anaesthetic gas.”

“Oh, right.”

“Luckily you got to her before she inhaled too much of it. She should be fine, but we’ll be keeping her in overnight as a precaution. I guess you’ll be informing her family?”

“I am family,” Charlie automatically says before clarifying, “I’m her boyfriend, I mean.”

“Then you’ll have to make sure to take good care of her when she gets home; she may be a little unsteady on her feet for a few days.”

“Of course,” he nods.

The nurse leaves with the now full sick bowl then Charlie’s phone begins to ring and he answers it to Sarah’s worried tone, “how is she?”

“She’s… uh, she’s okay. Not fully awake yet,” he says as he sinks down into the seat next to your bed, “she’s been sick a few times but can’t quite wake up.”

“Do they know what it is she breathed in?”

“Anaesthetic apparently, a mix of two gasses. She’ll be off work for the rest of the week.”

“Of course,” Sarah sighs, “at least it wasn’t anything more toxic. Uhm, can you speak to Evie? She’s getting a little anxious after we said mummy wasn’t well and I told her you were making sure she’s okay.”

“Yeah, absolutely, put her on.”

“Charlie?” Evie’s timid voice questions as Sarah puts the phone to her ear.

“Yes darling, are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m having dinner.”

“Oh, what are you having?”

“Pasta!” she says excitedly before turning serious, “where’s mummy?”

“Pasta sounds yummy, I’m sure mummy will want some when she feels a bit better. She’s at the hospital with me and some very nice doctors who are making her well again, she’s safe sweetheart, don’t worry,” Charlie reassures with a smile as he takes your hand.

“Is she coming here soon?”

“She will come there tomorrow Evie, I promise.”

“Will you come as well?”

“Of course! I won’t be leaving mummy’s side until she’s all better, okay? Tomorrow we will both come to Sarah’s and you can tell her all about the fun things you’ve been doing with Betty, yeah?”

“Okay. Can you give her a night kiss from me?”

“I sure will! And she sends one right back to you, and so do I.”

“Thankoo!”

With that Sarah takes the phone away and speaks one last time, “you look after our girl Charlie.”

“You know I will.”

He slides his phone back inside his pocket then pulls his chair closer to the bed so he can lean over and kiss your forehead.

“That’s from Evie,” he whispers, then kisses your lips softly, “and that’s from me. Evie’s at Sarah’s eating pasta and playing with Betty so there’s no need to worry about her. She knows you’re not well but she’s looking forward to seeing you tomorrow when I can get you out of here. Then I think we should all get some pizza in and watch a film of Evie’s choosing… what do you think?”

A small smile appears on your lips at the sound of Charlie’s voice and you nod in answer to his question even though you didn’t quite have enough energy to open your eyes and talk yet, but a quick squeeze to his hand is all he needs to know that you can understand what he’s saying.

You’re soon wheeled up to a ward where there’s a room waiting just for you, and Charlie flashes his badge as an excuse to stay the night with you even though he’s sitting in one of the most uncomfortable chairs he’s ever sat in before. It’s around 4am when you finally start to properly wake up and as your heart rate quickens with the sudden awareness that you’re in hospital, a nurse comes in to check you over and wakes Charlie in the process.

“Your boyfriend flashed his badge to get to stay here with you, y’know?” she smirks as she takes your blood pressure, “I’d say he was a keeper that one.”

“Yeah,” you chuckle, “he’s alright.”

“Must be strange for your daughter to not have mummy or daddy there tonight, but I bet she’s enjoying her sleepover,” she smiles.

“Oh, I’m not-” Charlie starts.

“Step dad,” you interrupt, “but yeah, she’s probably had a whale of a time without us and getting a load of treats!”

“Whenever my little boy returns from my mum’s house, he’s weighed down with sweets in his pockets!” the nurse laughs, “better check hers tomorrow, just in case.”

“Remember that Charlie, check her pockets,” you nod.

“I’ll pat her down, don’t you worry!”

The nurse leaves, shutting the door gently behind her, then you turn to Charlie with an inquisitive look on your face, “boyfriend?” you ask.

“Step dad?” he questions back.

You shrug, “quicker and easier than explaining the whole situation.”

“My thoughts exactly,” he winks.

He drags his chair nearer to you as he slips his hand over yours then explains the events that had happened in the lead up to the present moment, filling you on every detail down to what Evie was having for dinner, and even though you’re a little concerned about what happened to you, you know that you’re in safe hands with Charlie.

@lv7867 @lovemarvelousfics @fuckyou-imspiderman @aynsleywalker @timeandpixiedust @the-baby-bookworm @pink-lemo @chlobo6 @queenslandlover-93 @misslolasworld @killer-queen-87 @drivenbybri @itsametaphorgwil @what-wicked-delights

[hoodie-lover]

Berry’s Little Secret

Blue, or Blueberry as he was nicknamed because of his color scheme and chub, was quite the fighter. When Blue skipped, yes he skipped instead of walking or running, onto the battlefield those who did not flee were handed their asses on a shiny silver platter as Blue extended a hand of friendship their way. It got to the point where Underswap was protected by Blue and Blue alone, people knowing how fiercely he protected people he didn't know, trembled at the thought of hurting someone he knew and cared for.

Error, the World Destroyer, respected the blue Sans. No one knew what happened, but during the period of time in which Blue was held hostage by Error, the Destroyer had gained a great level of respect for him, even letting him go and giving him a non-poisoned chocolate bar. Neither spoke of how this occurred, but the destruction of AUs slowed, but didn’t stop, and chocolate was plentiful in Underswap.

Despite his reputation, there was one skeleton considered his equal, Dust. Not as powerful, but his lack of control made the two evenly matched, and he was more violent, contrasting with Blue’s skill. The strangest thing was the sexual tension they had between them. Dust flirting with Blue and Blue flirting back, Dust drooling when Blue spun during his flips, and Blue often staring at the curves Dust had when the mad skeleton summoned ecto during their battles to tease his opponent.

“I swear Blue, are you sure you guys aren’t dating?” Ink joked after the artist once again drank himself sillier than he usually acted.

“As if I’d date a crazy murderer!” Blue said, crossing his arms and huffing.

“Then why do you flirt back? And we all have caught you staring.” Dream said, cleaning up the bottles of booze Ink had emptied while Dream and Blue were out on patrol.

“I decided to flirt back to mess with him. And I can acknowledge when a person is attractive, looking doesn’t mean I have a crush. I’ve told you two this hundreds of times.” Blue said, sighing. “I’m off to bed.” Blue said, walking off.

“See Dream, you *hic* scared ‘im off.” Ink said, blacking out.

“And I see you need to sleep. I don’t even know how you got so much alcohol.” Dream said, picking up Ink.

“Creativity!” Ink shouted as Dream teleported to Ink’s room and threw him on the bed.

Ink’s room was big, it had a king-sized bed in the center and paintings all over the walls, there were also sewing projects on the floor, a hot glue gun stuck to the wall, and a flute stuck in a flower pot. The floor was a fluffy carpet stained with paints of all types and the walls were rainbows.

“Goodnight.” Dream said as Ink passed out on the poorly made and horribly stained bed.

Dream headed off to his room, which had pale yellow walls and wooden floors. A large window taking up almost an entire wall was across from the door. His bed was white with fluffy blankets and a dresser in the corner with a small mirror on top.

“Why me?” He asked himself as he changed into pajamas and laid on the bed, snuggling into the blankets as he fell asleep.

Blue waited until midnight, making sure everyone was asleep. He packed a suitcase with many pairs of clothes, toiletries, and electronics. His room was small with baby blue walls and a white carpet with a small bed that had a few sheets and a fluffy pillow. Blue was nervous, he did this stunt weekly, but he was still nervous about being caught.

He sent a text and a portal appeared before him. It led to Nightmare’s hideout, which was a small cottage in a small corner of dark woods. It was very crowded, but it had a soul unlike the large castle Blue generally lived in when he was busy with the Star Sanses, which his AU was thankfully oblivious of.

“Dad!” A small voice cried out and Blue was embraced by his son, Sprinkle. They had a dark blue hoodie with a purple hood, a purple bandanna, cyan shorts with purple stars and had one blue eye with a yellow pupil and the other blue eye had a red pupil.

“Hello Sprinkle. How are you?” Blue asked as he entered the cottage and was greeted by the Dark Sanses.

“Hello there my beautiful husband~. How are you?” Dust asked as he kissed Blue on the forehead.

“Awesome.” Blue said as he sat down on the couch and removed his gloves.

His hands were scarred, held together by bandages, and a ring with an amethyst gem and silver band rested on his ring finger.

“Will you tell us how you hurt your hands?” Cross asked, and Blue shook his head. “Fine.” Cross said and went to the kitchen to get a chocolate bar.

Nightmare came in the room and glanced at Blue. “Welcome.” He said before walking away.

“He still doesn’t like you.” Sprinkle said as he climbed onto his dad’s lap.

“Can’t expect everyone to.” Blue said as he held his son in his arms. “Guess what?” Blue asked and Sprinkle blinked.

“What?” He asked, bouncing a little bit in anticipation.

“I’m staying for a whole week!” Blue said as he grabbed his kid and threw them in the air before catching them.

“Yay!” Sprinkle said as he embraced his dad.

“A week?” Killer said, and Blue nodded.

“I really wanted to hang out with Sprinkle, since based on Papy’s notes we might be in for a genocide or two.” Blue said and everyone shrugged, accepting Blue’s lie with ease.

“Let’s go set up your room.” Dust said, and Sprinkle followed his parents to the guest room and they shut the door.

“Why are you really here?” Dust asked and Blue sighed.

“Is Nightmare planning something?” Blue asked, and Sprinkle sat on the bed.

“Always scheming aren’t you?” Dust said, growling and Blue rolled his eyes.

“I want to keep as many people safe as I can. And I know Nightmare is planning something big, I just need to figure out what.” Blue said. “We both know Nightmare is planning on breaking the agreement. It’s only a matter of time.” Blue said, unpacking a few items, but keeping most of his stuff in the suitcase.

“Yes I know, he’s been looking at Sprinkle and making threatening gestures his way.” Dust said.

“And you haven’t planned to run away have you? Too afraid to take your child’s life into your own hands?!” Blue said, snarling as Dust rolled his eyes.

“Mom, Dad...?” Sprinkle said, and the two looked at him. “Can we pretend to be a normal family for this week? I know you two have your rivalry, but can we...” Sprinkle said and the two skeletons ran up to him.

“I’m so sorry, we can have some fun with each other, and if we play our cards right, we can get you and your mother out of this.” Blue said and Dust sighed.

“To keep you safe, yeah. You’re pushing me to redemption, you little bugger.” Dust said as he noogied his child.

“I got it from Dad!” Sprinkle said and Blue giggled.

“Naturally.” Blue said, smiling.

“I know you only got into this situation to keep me safe, but I do hope we can make it out of this in one piece.” Sprinkle said.

“I do too.” Blue said and Dust nodded.

A knock on the door startled them, and Cross peaked his head in, a chocolate bar sticking out of his mouth. He took it out when he saw that he had the trio’s attention. “Lunch.” Cross said and stuck the candy in his mouth before closing the door.

“It’s midnight in the base. But a midnight snack never hurt anybody.” Blue said, and Dust howled with laughter.

“Yeah. ‘Got to sleep! We can have breakfast in the morning!’ what changed your mind?” Dust asked as he grabbed the top of the back of Blue’s pants.

Blushing like the fruit he is named after Blue smacked Dust right across the face. “Since I started this gig up, and staying with you my sleeping and eating schedule has been a mess. Even more so since most AUs have their own separate clock.” Blue said, readjusting his pants from the intrusion.

“Fine. Just don’t tell anyone you said that.” Dust said and Sprinkle got off the bed.

“Are we going to be ok?” Sprinkle asked, and Blue smiled.

“You’re going to be just fine.” Blue said, and Sprinkle noticed how Blue didn’t guarantee himself and Dust being ok.

The table was set up with salads and a variety of fruits. Most of it being grown at or near the cottage. Blue was a little upset he couldn’t make tacos, but he could deal with it. Maybe eating edible food would help him think.

“Glad you like this. We’ve been trying to grow our own food for ages, it’ll keep us healthy and whatnot.” Killer said as he chomped on a carrot.

“Or maybe it’ll help you avoid social interaction besides each other.” Blue said and everyone laughed.

“Where’s Nightmare?” Sprinkle said, holding onto Blue’s leg tightly.

“He said to bring him some food, apparently he has a big project going on and doesn’t want to stop working on it.” Horror said, popping out from behind the door to the kitchen.

“Thanks Horror.” Blue said, smiling as he ate some of the juicy fruit.

Sprinkle clung to Blue as the Dark Sanses ate their food, and he saw Dust keeping an eye on him the whole time.

“You’re kid is cute. Maybe he can finally open up to us.” Cross said as he pat Sprinkle on the head, making the kid flinch, and Blue and Dust growled.

“Ok. Fine.” Cross said, raising his hands in surrender.

Blue and Dust lead Sprinkle to the couch, keeping him between the two and Dust tracking the locations of everyone in the room. It was silent as everyone ate, the clock ticking as the seconds went by, and the clouds covering the sun as the wind beat against the stone walls of the quaint cottage.

Footsteps were heard coming from upstairs, Dust held his child close as Nightmare showed himself. “Hello, Blue. I want to see you.” Nightmare said and Blue got up, kissing Sprinkle on his head as he followed his best friend’s arch enemy.

The upstairs was dark and dusty. Cobwebs littering the corners and the windows were blacked out. Mirrors lined the dark hallway as Blue followed Nightmare, he led his spy to a room at the end of the hall.

“How are you?” Nightmare asked, sitting at a desk when Blue closed the door.

“I’m good.” Blue said as he sat in a chair in front of Nightmare.

The room was dark, candles lined the walls, but Blue could only see Nightmare’s glowing eye and outlines of bookshelves on the walls.

“That’s nice. How is my brother?” Nightmare asked, smiling.

“He’s good. Though a little overwhelmed from Ink’s drinking habits worsening.” Blue said, unwavering in his eye contact with Nightmare.

“You did good. I would have never thought getting Ink addicted to alcohol.” Nightmare said.

“Forgive me but he is not addicted. He often goes days without drinking, but when he does, it makes up for it.” Blue said and Nightmare scoffed.

“Still, thank you. Any idea when it would be opportune to strike?” Nightmare asked, tilting his head.

“When I leave. Dream will be tired and Ink will have a hangover. It is also the day I am to return to Underswap. Attacking a well known AU around that time, I suggest StorySwap, would be best for you. Unless you have other plans?” Blue said, wringing his hands under the table and out of Nightmare’s field of vision.

“That is absolutely perfect. I was planning on attacking that area anyway.” Nightmare said. “Now for my favorite part, got any drama?” The King of all Evil asked.

“Red is planning on asking me out, Lust is flirting with Reaper and Geno is most likely going to murder Lust for flirting with his fiance.” Blue said, and Nightmare appeared to lick his non-existent lips.

“That sounds delicious. I can’t wait to eat those emotions up.” Nightmare said as he hummed in delight.

“Am I excused?” Blue said and Nightmare nodded.

“You can go back to your husband.” Nightmare said, picking Blue up with tentacles and placing him on the other side of the door he opened with another tentacle.

“Thank you.” Blue said as he walked to the stairs.

Next

[thephoenix-hq]

☞ NAME: Remus Lupin. ☞ AGE: Nineteen (03.10.1960). ☞ BLOOD STATUS: Halfblood. ☞ HOUSE: Former Gryffindor. ☞ GENDER: Cis-male. ☞ FACECLAIM: Tom Webb.

+ THE STORY SO FAR +

As far back as Remus could remember, he had been taught to keep secrets. Don’t tell mummy’s frighteningly Welsh family that daddy can do magic. Don’t tell the muggle children in the neighborhood about the wizarding world. He was living two lives even as a child no bigger than four. It was around this time that everything changed, all at once. The small boy didn’t even remember it happening. He had been dreaming sweetly, awoken by the sounds of his mother’s cries and an intense pain he had never experienced before. The smell of tourmaline and the bright florescent lights of Saint Thomas hospital in Southwark surrounded him in a confusing haze.

The scars marring his body healed, but they didn’t disappear into his skin the way they always had before. They remained, though faint, a white imprint on his form forever, stretching and morphing with his growth over the years. The need to keep secrets grew stronger. The family of three moved from town to town, terrified of what might happen if anyone found out about the young boys condition. Despite the love his parents had for him, he was a lonely child. By the time he was ten, he had accepted the fact that it would be a rather lonely life indeed. When Albus Dumbledore showed up on their doorstep that year and convinced Lyall Lupin to allow his son to go to school, a happiness and freedom his sickly child had never known took over. Though once in school, the need to lie returned. Don’t tell anyone about your condition. Tell them your mother is ill and you visit her often. Lie, lie, lie. The three boys he shared a dorm with, however, were far too nosy and clever to fall for Remus’ musings.

They called him out, and for the first time in his life, Remus had given in. He had told the truth, no matter how petrified of the consequences. Naturally, as they would continue to do for years to come, they surprised him with their loyalty. For the first time in his life, Remus Lupin had friends - three people who he trusted and loved beyond his two parents. These were the people he considered on the insides of his walls; his parents, Albus Dumbledore and the Marauders. Over time, Lily Evans found her way in, being too clever for her own good and too close with Severus Snape to not know the truth. He allowed it because even when Snape tried time and again to convince her, she would always play dumb. Remus recognized this and thanked her for it. Once Remus loved, he did so deeply and unconditionally. He saw this as an asset in relation to James, but ultimately he couldn’t help but feel as though it were equally his greatest weakness. He avoided it - the loving - but once he felt it in any form, it wasn’t likely to go anywhere.

-  J U N E  1 9 7 9 -

When Dumbledore asked Remus to join the coalition he created known as The Order of the Phoenix, Remus answered unthinkingly. “Yes.” It felt like he was finally paying back a portion of what he owed Dumbledore. Though the old man disagreed heartily, Remus felt there was no one else more responsible for the happiness and love he acquired during his time at Hogwarts and he would do absolutely anything to satisfy his old professor. It was a loyalty that would never falter. Though there was some concern. Everyone in the organization would have to know the truth about him. He couldn’t keep secrets here for their success depended on their honesty with one another. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Remus would prepare himself to speak his darkest secret aloud to a room full of people he trusted simply because Dumbledore said he could.

←  C O N N E C T I O N S  → 

→ Marlene McKinnon

He called her Magnificent and she, ironically as ever, called him Classic. At the beginning of their sixth years, Remus trudged into a train compartment with never ending ink stuck to the bottom of his shoe. The only person taking up the space until that moment had been Marlene, who was suddenly and painfully fascinated by the nervous, babbling boy making a mess all over the carpets. She poked fun at him in a way that anyone else would think was casual conversation. But Remus knew from the moment she opened her mouth that she was quietly intelligent and dead clever. She reminded him of himself in an instant - soaked in undertones and, to someone as familiar with them as he, keeping secrets. He chose her that day, taking quiet pride in the fact that Marlene was the first person that didn’t force their way into his life, but he decided on his own he wanted to know. That was the beginning of a friendship that would tear them both apart. Due to a fateful prank between Sirius Black and Severus Snape that could have ruined everything Remus had worked so hard to obtain, he distanced himself from his closest friends and in that, grew closer to the Slytherin girl they all seemed very much against for no real reason other than her affiliation. There was a darkness in her that matched his own and it drew him to her in ways Remus wasn’t familiar with. They got too close to something he had forbidden himself from taking pleasure in, however, and he removed himself from her life like smoke, a tragic hero in his own mind (something she would blatantly disagree with, if he plucked up enough courage to ask). Remus is one of three people that knows why Marlene truly left Hogwarts in December of 1977. What he doesn’t understand is why she never came back.

← James Potter

It only took about a month and a half. When Remus first arrived at Hogwarts, he had just gotten through a full moon. He was tired, his bones ached, but he had a chest full of child-like hope that was overwhelming to him at the time. He confined himself to his dorm room. The three boys he shared it with came and went. He might show up to lunch and grab enough bread and fruit and cheese to get him through until the next day. It had been James Potter who stayed behind first. “I’ll catch up with you,” he’d heard him say to the others, a knot of nerves forming in Remus’ throat as he cowered behind the curtains of his four-poster. There was some rustling from the other side of the room followed by footsteps that undeniably led right up to the side of his bed. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists, but no words came. There was simply a clunk, retreating footsteps, and the click-clack of the door opening and closing. Tentatively, Remus peeked out over the side of his bed. A tray of food at been left on the floor in the spot he heard James stop. There was a hefty goblet of pumpkin juice with a heaping of meats and sweets. It was clear what James preferred to eat, looking at it. There was a note stuck to a piece of roast beef. Written in messy scrawl, he’d said, “I already found the kitchens. Show you if you want. - James Potter, your roommate (the expert flyer).” Remus woke up for breakfast the next morning and excitedly (though tentatively), called after the other three as they headed for the door. When they stopped abruptly and looked at him there was a mixture of confusion and disbelief from two, but a knowing, triumphant smile from one. When he said he wanted to come with them, a hopeful eyebrow that surprised Remus shot up James’ forehead. “Yea?” He asked and Remus, swallowing down the fear, nodded. He seldom skipped a meal after that. In truth, they were his favorite parts of the day.

→ Sirius Black

Remus was very good at reading people. He discovered this about himself very early on in his Hogwarts days. James was an open book. He wasn’t ashamed to feel or let his feelings be known. Peter was subtle, he preferred, like Remus, to keep to the background and observe his surroundings. Sirius, on the other hand, was a sea of emotion that he kept carefully concealed behind sarcastic quips and bouts of fire-like rage. It was in the twitch of his jaw, subtle tightening of grip, flash of eyes, or even in the way he held his shoulders. Remus could see the way Sirius fought his own demons. It was admirable because he knew of a similar fight within himself. Unlike him, however, Sirius never had to want in his youth. He had been brought up on certain stigmas and stereotypes that he struggled to fight early on. When they first discovered he was a werewolf, Remus could see clearly that Sirius pretended to be okay with it as a means to find more reasons to stand against his family. In truth, it was hard for him. He grew up thinking werewolves were scum. Now he was friends with one and though he tried, it stunted them a little bit. Remus had convinced himself things were better, Sirius had worked through his seeded discriminations, but a hateful prank pulled on Severus Snape in their sixth year changed his mind on that, and put a permanent dent in their friendship. Though Sirius apologized and Remus forgave, because he loved his friends and would likely always give them second chances, he couldn’t forget. And every month, he felt a familiar sense of anxiety creeping in; could he trust him? Should he not? He would because James asked him to. James was the glue that held them all together; seeing his friends with bountiful admiration, always.

→  Peter Pettigrew

Remus attached himself to Peter because they were both quiet. They kept to themselves when James and Sirius weren’t around, finding solitude in the silence like the other boys never could. Remus appreciated Peter’s quiet hilarity. He seemed timid, but truthfully he was observant. He wanted to be in the background. It had become clear to Remus in their fifth year when his animagus took the form of a rat. Peter was resourceful, clever, quiet down to his swift movements that seemed to allow him to glide through a crowd as if made of vapor. He was an important facilitator in most of the pranks James and Sirius came up with, managing to go unnoticed among a crowd of people if that’s what he wanted to happened. He got his way through being devious and sometimes, though fleeting and a thought he entirely kept to himself because of how James and Sirius might react, Remus wondered what kept his good friend from being a Slytherin.

REMUS LUPIN IS CURRENTLY CLOSED FOR APPLICATIONS.

[a-jynx]

Flowers.. They Bloom. - 3/? : Sinister Fate

Summary: Soulmates. They’re just like flowers to be quite honest, they can be a beautiful thing. But they can also have some deadly meanings… What happens to Y/N when a certain man she thought to be her soulmate turns out to be the man she’d have yellow carnations blooming in her heart..?

Pairing: Jared x reader, Jensen x Danneel 

Warnings: Angst, cursing, Jared being a somewhat killer(?), mentions of almost forced sex, kinda fluffy near the end but not really, 

F.I.T & Series Tags: @waywardnewcomer, @iliketowrite02, @supernatural-teamfreewillpage, @natashacamillaus, @casiskween  @laceyn-1201 @i-hear-crazy-calling-my-name @sandlee44 @moosetakeer13 @death-unbecomes-you @winchesterxtwo  @thekingofselfloathing @deanwlover012 @geongie-forgot-their-password  @naps-n-papercranes @sebastianisbae82 @energizerbunnay   @ughs-posts  @kristin994-blog @stephtalksshitallthetime (Tags Are Open!)

(If you liked/reblogged the series I added you in case you wanted to see the other parts! But if you’d like to be removed just tell me! And if you wanna be added tell me! :) )

Enjoy! Feedback is the glue to my writings!

“Jared, this is serious! My daughter was supposed to be married today, and now this happens!” Cata hissed as I scoffed a laugh, running one of my hands through my hair in frustration.

“Do you think I planned on this happening?! No! I planned on marrying the women I love more than life itself, and now she supposedly has another soulmate?!” I hissed before turning my attention back to the bedroom where Y/N was resting with a… Hideous black rose resting on her chest.

“How did this happen... She was so in love with you-”

“And she still is! There has to be a mistake.. Unless there’s some special treatment where you can have two soulmates, I have no idea what’s going on!” I threw an arm over my head as Cata rested her forehead against the back of her hand, a look of concern on her face suddenly pulled.

“That’s.. Jared having two soulmates has never been heard of! And my daughter’s not about to be the first.” Cata spat as she glared angrily, my own blood boiling at the mere thought of someone else trying to take Y/N..

“Then why the hell is my wife in there with a black rose bleeding out of her chest cavity!?” I whispered angrily as she sighed through her nose, chewing on her lip as she glanced into the bedroom. Y/N laid on the soft bed with her hair forming almost a halo around her while her dress stayed sprawled out.

“There has to be an explanation for this like I said, no one’s ever heard of someone having two soulmates… But, Jared what if-”

“No.”

“Jared..” Cata’s voice was just a whisper, but I quickly cut her off.

“No, I refuse to believe that my wife isn’t my soulmate!” I hissed through clenched teeth, feeling my heart thumping hard against my chest as I tried to catch my breath. Cata just stared at me with pain glittering behind the angered tears forming in her dark eyes, she shook her head before sighing.

“Jared, I’m not saying that she isn’t your soulmate. I’m saying.. I’m saying that you might not be hers.” She continued her thoughts from earlier, using her hands to gesture between the bedroom door and myself as I felt my heart drop to the bottom of my feet.

“That.. That doesn’t make any sense! She’s mine and I’m hers, that’s how soulmates work! I would die for her, and she would die for me!”

“It’s what happened with her and Jensen, Jared! She fell in love with him, and he did too but for only a few moments - now, look at him, dating that women Danneel,” she paused with a huff of air before continuing. “I’m not saying she doesn’t love you, it’s apparent she does, but maybe.. Just maybe you’re not meant to be.”

I stared at who I thought was going to be my savior. The women that would go in and yank that black rose and its roots from her daughter, and save our marriage.. Save our fates. But I was wrong..

“You’re wrong,” I shook my head while stating this as she looked at me with furrowed brows and a pursed lip. “You’re wrong, you’re wrong, you have to be wrong! I love that woman with all of my being! All of my soul! Everything that I have I would give for her that’s how much I love her! She can’t be taken away from me, not by anyone!” I shouted as Cata took a few steps back, alarmed by my sudden anger towards the situation.

I had gone to her for help, but all she is doing it making it worse… Angering me more than I need to be right now; I needed a level-head..

“Jared.. Calm down, you’re going to wake up, Y/N! She’s already in pain, don’t wake her and let her see you like this..”

“I want to find whoever her soulmate is. I want them here, and I want them now.” I bit gently while Cata looked at me with wide-eyes, she must think I’m insane and honestly… I feel a little bit mad.

- Next Morning; Y/N’s POV -

I woke the next morning with a dull pain dwelling in my chest; the area where the black rose was now… Empty. The only thing left there was dried blood and a few dried and shriveled up petals from the inked flower.

“So.. It wasn’t just a bad dream,” I whispered out loud as I sighed, pushing myself up from the soft mattress I realized I was still in my wedding dress. That’s right. I never got to walk down the aisle..

“Y/N? Baby, you up?” Jared’s voice suddenly filled the room, causing me to jump as I turned towards the bathroom door, seeing him standing with a towel lose around his waist, and water droplets still dripping down his face from his long chestnut hair.

“Uh, yeah.. I’m up. And I’m assuming that we didn’t get to have our big day yesterday because of me..?” I sighed with a groan as Jared moved closer, stopping at the edge of the bed as he moved to sit on the edge next to me.

“Uh, yeah.. We’re technically not married yet, but that’s okay! We can get married when you’re feeling better, okay?” Jared’s grin was large and bright, but it felt.. Strange to see him smile like this. Like he was hiding something.

“What.. What happened yesterday anyway? I mean, I remember having a large black rose sprout out of my chest and now, it’s just.. Gone.”

“Honey, you just need to know that.. That I made it go away, okay? I made sure you were safe from anything, and I took care of it.” He smiled whilst whispering this, his large hands had moved from the bed to my own, wrapping them with his warmth as I allowed a tired smile to grow on my lips.

“Oh, uh.. Alright, well have you seen mom? I wanted to talk to her about the-”

“She went home. After making sure you were alright and safe, she flew back home..” Jared quickly answered as I went slightly wide-eyed, along with clearly dumbfounded..

“She.. Went home? Even after learning that.. That I had a black rose? That it didn’t disappear when I saw you?” I questioned more as I slowly slipped my hands out of Jared’s tight grip before slowly inching away, hoping he wouldn’t notice the small movements.

“Y/N, she flew home because she wanted too. It’s not like someone held a gun to her head to make her leave-” Jared chuckled at the small comment as I went again wide-eyed as I swallowed gently, feeling my heart jump quickly against my chest.

“Jared.. What did you do?”

He furrowed his brows and gently tilted his head as if he were some confused puppy.. But he wore a sinister grin.

“Babygirl, whatever I did, I did it for you! For us! I love you, and you love me, right!?” Jared gently laughed as he pushed himself up from the bed causing me to move to the other side, even if the dress did limit my movements slightly I knew… I just knew I had to get to the door.

“Jared, baby, just tell me what you did, okay? And.. And of course, I love you.. You’re my soulmate, aren’t you?” I sheepishly grinned as my bare feet gently moved against the carpet, the puffiness of the bottom of my dress hiding it well.

Jared furrowed his brows as he rolled his large shoulders back, standing straighter which gave him more of an intimidating stature. His muscles flexed as he narrowed his darkening eyes at me like he was stalking prey.

Darting my eyes to the door and back to him, I had to make a decision - even if that meant hurting him in the process. Taking a deep breath, I turned my body towards the door and pushed off with my left foot as I gripped tightly onto the fluff in front of me, trying to keep it from tripping me up.

I hadn’t realized how quickly Jared’s long legs could move as I felt just the ghost of his hand trying to dig itself into the back of my dress. Feeling his sudden hot breath on my neck, I tried to dodge his grabs until I was tugged backward. My dress coming up in the back as I yelped, my front slamming into the carpet as I growled, kicking my legs so he couldn’t wrap his hands around my ankles.

“Jared! Jared, this isn’t you! What the hell!?” I screamed as I fought back the tears blurring my vision, my heart in my throat and the rushing of my blood in my ears as I dug my fingers into the white carpet. The pain in my chest from earlier coming slowly back as I allowed some shouts to leave my lips.

“I love you, Y/N! You can’t leave me for that… For that fake! Whoever they are, they’re not your soulmate! I am! And I would do anything for you, haven’t I proved that?!” Jared shouted as I was suddenly flipped from on my stomach to my back flushed against the carpet, as I tried to put my arms between us I continued to scream and shout at him, some words not eligible.

My arms were suddenly pinned beside my head as he stared down at me with his once beautiful sunflower eyes that were now ridden with… Jealousy. Hate. Yet there was also hidden passion.. And all of those scared me.

“Jared, let me go! Let me go, please! Please, please, please!” I cried as tears cascaded down my cheeks, my jaw clenched as my teeth clicked tightly together. He dipped his head down and pressed his wet lips against my throat, sucking at my raging pulse as I tried to squirm away.

“I want to show you that I can love you! I want to show you that I’m loyal! I want you to see just how much I would give up for you.. And even, how much I would take…” His voice was raspy as he nipped with his teeth at my pulse, moving to press his lips to my cheeks and lips as I grunted and tried to turn my head away.

“You’re.. You’re insane, Jared.. What happened to you!? What made you snap?!” I screamed as I felt this pain erupt in my chest as I glanced down, seeing the once old wound from the black rose opening again but this time it… It was blue? A deep, rich blue even. Then it appeared - a bright, and deep colored Blue Iris.

Furrowing my brows just a bit as the deep blue with specks of yellow had drawn my attention away, but for an only a few seconds as I felt Jared’s weight shift causing me to scream out again while trying to wirth and rip away from his grasp.

“Jared, stop it! Stop it!” My screams just echoed and became pleads as the man I once loved, the man I once treasured, now became this.. This predator like man who’s only instinct is to keep.. I didn’t want to stay, I didn’t want to be kept here against my will! I’ve gotta fight.. And I’ve gotta win..

Swallowing my spit in a large lump, I allowed the tears that had built up to drip down the corners of my eyes as I tried to throw his hands off of my wrists, to get some kind of upper hand on him but it’s useless.. His hands wound somehow tighter against my skin, most likely bruising it as I just laid there.. Limply. My mind calling out to anyone - someone - to come and rescue me from this..

Feeling the wet lips of Jared’s brush against my outer thigh, I jumped and allowed more tears to leak down the side of my face. My jaw clenched as my lips trembled, small and choked cries tumbling from them as I glanced down, the Blue Iris making me smile as I tried to not focus on what was about to happen..

Jared’s lips pressed against the top of my thigh as I clenched the muscle, hoping it would take him off his path, but he just nipped at it with his teeth, only to continue what he was aiming for.. My Daisy. My innocence.

Sure, while dating we had sex and I loved it but once you got married and had sex.. It was like the first time all over again. And now? Now, it just felt dirty.. Wrong.. Because it was.

Leaning my head back, and closing my eyes as if that would help it all just - disappear. My eyes snapped open as the bedroom door was suddenly thrown open - two blurs came rushing in as Jared sat up, his usual beautiful suddenly gone… Dark.

“Get away from my wife you mother-” a deep voice growled as I squeaked, pulling my arms over my head as Jared’s, or dark Jared’s hands released their grasp on my wrist. A sudden fire was shot off as I gasped, turning onto my side as I turned my head to look over my shoulder, the Jared that had assaulted me now fell back against the floor, blood and this… Tar-like substance leaked from his chest.

“What the actual… Fuck!?” I screamed as I turned back onto my ass, scooting away from the dead body as I turned my head back towards the door. More tears blurring my vision as I felt a sudden pain in my chest; glancing down I noticed the flower slowly pull itself back into my chest, the dried bloody wound now healing as allowed a weak smile..

“My soulmate..”

The two words seemed overused by now, maybe even wrong.. But they were true. Turning my head back towards the bedroom door, I slowly stood with the help of my vanity. My legs turned into jello and as I was about to fall, I fell into arms and a chest but I didn’t want to look up.

“It’s me.. It’s your soulmate-”

“No, don’t call yourself that.. I don’t want a soulmate anymore, I want a forever.” My voice cracked as I tried to compose myself, still not meeting the eyes of whoever had saved me.. But I somehow knew him.. I knew who it was, but I was scared to meet his eyes…

“Then, I’ll be that forever. I’ll be your forever, just look at me.. Please.” His voice was a gentle whisper as the sound of something being dropped made me jump, pushing myself further into his chest. One of his arms snaked around my waist as the other slowly moved his hand beneath my chin, making my neck craned to look up and meet the eyes I’ve looked for the past years of my life…

“What the hell is going on? What is that thing, and why did it look and try to act like you..?” I whispered with a choked sob, not even noticing Jensen and Danneel in the room. They looked even more heartbroken than I was at the moment.

“We don’t know.. And again, we don’t know, but baby we have to go.” Jared’s voice was easy but stern as I nodded, not wanting to fight him.. Not wanting the same thing to happen again. I didn’t - couldn’t lose another man I’ve devoted so much of my life too... Not again.

Danneel had moved closer, taking my arm carefully as Jared and Jensen stood behind us, not moving as she leads me down the hallway.

Bodies.. Just piles of them almost lined the halls. What the hell happened within 24 hours that I don’t know about?! Swallowing thickly as I stared at the bodies of what looked to be my wedding guest, I turned my head to see Jensen and Jared talking.. Their voices too low for me to properly hear anything.

I watched as Dan helped Y/N leave the bloodbath that had happened overnight... Sighing through my nose, I reached for my gun as Jensen moved closer grabbing my shoulder I stood to move after the girls.

“You know.. After what she just went through, she’s going to need time..” Jay’s voice was low as I nodded, my bangs moving against my forehead as he frowned. I knew what he meant.. I mean, thinking that your husband went insane, killed your mother, and was about to force himself onto you and then most likely kill you afterward.. You obviously can’t get over shit like that.

“I know but she’s strong. Stronger than us, and she’ll help us with this,”

“How, Jared? I don’t think she even knows what the hell is going on here! I mean.. Can she really not see it? What her fate is?” Jay asked as I snapped my head towards him, placing my sawed-off shotgun on my other shoulder as I thrust my index finger into his chest.

“Her fate won’t come if I have any say in it, now come on, I’m not letting her go off again..” I sighed with the shake of my head before moving out into the hallway. Trying to keep my mind off the chilling image of bodies that resembled family and friends, and the stench of blood and the black tar that smothered the room.

She didn’t need that on her shoulders - really no one deserves that on their shoulders. But now that I had her, I’m not letting anything or anyone take her away, not again.. And God help the bastards that come for her to make her meet her sinister fate…

Part 4: Coming Soon 

[auroraphilealis]

Metamorphosis (7/10)

Metamorphosis (7/10) | Once upon a time, Dan Howell and Phil Lester were best friends. They did everything together, from hanging out at each other’s house, to sitting next to each other at school - but one day, Dan was torn away from Phil by none other than Phil himself. Five years on, and Dan still doesn’t know why his best friend threw Dan away. Was it the fault of the bullies who relentlessly picked on Phil, or was it Dan himself? Dan just didn’t know. So when a chance to protect Phil and get his best friend back arises, Dan jumps on it in a heartbeat, and uses his own confidence to boost Phil’s just enough to make the bullies back away. | Phan | Teen and Up | High School AU, Bullying, Getting Together, Make Over Fic, Kissing Booth, Kissing Lessons | 2,705 Words this chapter Disclaimer: In no way do I pretend that this is real or cast aspersions on Dan or Phil.

Thanks again to my beta etoilesdephan for her wonderful help editing this fic <33

(Ao3) (Previous)

Chapter Seven

Walking into Phil’s home again after five years of not being allowed inside was interesting, to say the least. Dan hadn’t quite been able to even hope for this day to come again, and yet here he was. Everything was just as Dan had remembered it too; the mahogany bannister of the stairway sleek and polished by a caring mother just across the way from the front hallway, the orderly, bright colors of the family room with the same purple loveseat and couch combo Dan had spent far too many nights playing board games with the Lester’s on, and the pleasant hum of a mother who worked from home on the best of days baking cookies in the kitchen.

The whole experience was surreal, and felt like coming home.

“Philip, is that you?” Mrs. Lester called from the other room. The sound of her voice sent happy tingles up Dan’s spine, and he practically vibrated in place as Phil toed off his shoes and tossed a happy grin Dan’s way. He seemed just as happy as Dan to finally have Dan back in his house, and that was enough to make Dan want to break down into tears. This was finally happening; he was finally getting Phil back.

“Yeah, mum, it’s me. Dan’s here too, if that’s okay?” Phil shouted back, for the first time all day raising his voice and speaking normally. He was safe here, that was undoubtedly true, and he radiated with a spirit Dan hadn’t properly seen in five years, not even that afternoon.

Home was true haven for Phil, always had been. The Lester’s were the most supportive, warm family that Dan had ever known, all a little strange and quirky, and raising their son to love himself above all else. It had always been too bad the outside world was so much crueler than them.

The kitchen went suddenly quiet and still at Phil’s question. The humming from earlier had stopped, and there was no gentle pottering around of someone fiddling with dishes and pans. For all of a second, Dan worried that he wouldn’t be welcome here, that somehow, over the course of the last five years, the Lester’s had come to resent Dan, but then, quite suddenly, Mrs. Lester came rushing out of the kitchen with a look of absolute stunned surprise on her face, and her lips quirked up in a half grin.

“Daniel?” she asked as she took in his presence at Phil’s side, their hands still slotted together innocently. Her gaze drank him in, and she blinked rapidly a few times like she couldn’t quite believe her eyes.

Then, her gaze seemed to catch onto Phil’s new appearance, sans glasses and with black hair, and she absolutely gasped, hand rising to her breast as if to still her suddenly racing heart. Dan laughed, bright and loud as Mrs. Lester stared at Phil, who looked unsure and awkward beside him.

Mrs. Lester gaze was appraising, thoughtful, happy, as she took in the sight of her son, and it was clear by the way tears sprung to her eyes that this had been all she’d ever hoped for; a Phil confident enough to embrace the things that he’d always wanted, and to try them, finally, for himself.

“Daniel Howell,” Mrs. Lester suddenly burst out, “You absolute saint, you!” she continued, and moved forward to pull both Dan and Phil into a bright, perfect, motherly hug. Again, Dan laughed as he was drawn into a pair of arms he’d long missed, and he reached around Mrs. Lester’s waist to hug her back just as fiercely. All the while, Phil moaned and whined from beside Dan, but Dan didn’t care because he was finally back with the family he’d loved for so long.

“Look at you!” Mrs. Lester was saying, patting her hands at Phil’s hair, cupping his face, and kissing at his cheeks. “So dashing. That color really does suit you, Phil, and look, I can see your eyes!” she cooed, smoothing her fingers across Phil’s newly exposed forehead and laughing at the way he squirmed away from her, blushing an incriminating red. “And you!” Mrs. Lester continued, drawing away from Phil to cup Dan’s face as well and have a good look at him. “How grown up you are. It’s so good to see you back here, Daniel, dear!” she exclaimed as she tilted his head this way and that, all while Dan laughed and Phil rolled his eyes with a fond smile from beside them.

It was all very silly, and yet all very homely, everything that Dan had been missing for so long.

“Oh my boys,” Mrs. Lester squealed as she finally pulled away properly. She had both of her hands pressed together in front of her, and she was very clearly crying as she looked between the two of them. Dan’s hand had been dislodged from Phil’s, but he took it back in his easily enough, just wanting to remain connected to Phil, and watched as Mrs. Lester threw her head back at the sight and laughed. “Just the same as always. I’m so glad to see you again, Dan. I do hope you will stay for dinner?” she invited.

Dan didn’t even have to look at Phil to see the way he was blushing and grinning, and he nodded his head with a simple “Of course,” because who could pass up on an offer like that? Besides, Dan was certain that his own parents wouldn’t mind.

Soon after, Dan was once again picking up the many bags of shopping he’d done that day, and was following Phil up the carpeted stairs of his home and up towards his bedroom. Just as Dan remembered, Phil took the stairs two steps at a time, something that terrified Dan, and when he commented on it, his friend merely laughed. The sound was so familiar, the conversation an echo of the past, that Dan couldn’t help laughing as well, taking the stairs up at a much safer one at a time.

When they reached the landing, Dan couldn’t help casting his gaze across the familiar floor plan, noting the Lester parent's room, and then Martyn’s, Phil’s older brother who he’d watched go off to Uni two years prior for the first time. Having to witness that from his bedroom window had been hard for Dan, who’d been so close to the family for so long. He wished Martyn were here now to see Dan and Phil’s reunion, but he knew, one day, he’d get to see Martyn again too. Finally, Dan turned to follow Phil into his bedroom, and didn’t waste a second taking a look around.

Phil’s room hadn’t changed all that much; he still had a Buffy shrine with a huge Sarah Michelle Gellar poster on the far wall of his bedroom, just across from his bed, the Sarah Michelle Gellar life sized cut out Dan had won for him in a magazine one year, and the collage of emo boy magazine cutouts glued to the walls shrouding his bed that Dan had helped him set up one week during the summer. Dan could practically see young-him laughing with Phil on his bed with messy fingers as they smeared glue everywhere.

The memory made him smile, and he stared at the familiar bluey-green bedspread Phil had always had, at his desk shoved into one corner, and his tv with all his gaming consoles stacked up at the far side. It was achingly familiar despite the new hosts of games and consoles Phil had acquired, achingly familiar in that there had been a time when Dan spent most of his days lounging across Phil’s rather massive bed.

No, not much had changed after all, and that was something Dan could admittedly be incredibly grateful for.

Finally dropping the shopping bags onto the floor for, hopefully, the final time, Dan turned his grin onto Phil and clapped his hands together. Phil looked a bit more unsure than he had earlier, a little more awkward and scared, as if Dan would judge his room’s decor, and was waiting quietly in the middle of his bedroom.

“Right!” Dan said, choosing to ignore this and break the awkward tension. “I didn’t get too much, just a new school tie for you, a few t-shirts, and a pair of sneakers, but I’ve kept all the receipts in case you don’t like them. Should we start with the tie?”

Phil didn’t argue. Instead, he took the tie Dan was offering him, and, thankfully not looking at the tie, slipped it over his neck without so much as thinking about the second tie currently already in this tie’s place. As soon as he realized this, however, Phil began to blush up a storm, and Dan laughed with an easy step forward.

“Here,” he said softly, reaching out with steady hands to undo the knot on the first tie and unravel it easily from around Phil’s neck, “Let me get that for you.”

Phil practically froze at Dan’s proximity to him, his eyes glued to Dan’s, and the look sent a shower of sparks throughout Dan. Rather suddenly, he felt incredibly warm right down to his core, and he could feel his heart fluttering along with a secretly longing he’d long since tried to suppress. He didn’t act on it though. No, he couldn’t act on it, and so he merely dropped the first tie of Phil’s to the floor, and reached up to do up the new one around Phil’s neck.

Phil didn’t stop him. Instead, he merely continued to stare into Dan’s eyes with a look of absolute confusion and terror that made Dan’s heart ache. Dan couldn’t seem to stop flicking his own gaze upwards to catch hold of Phil’s, back and forth as he did up his tie. Phil’s breathing, meanwhile, was uneven, and though Dan had a guess at why, he didn’t want to imagine Phil still being afraid of Dan in that way. Could he not see the longing in Dan’s eyes? The desire in his heart?

Perhaps it was best that he could not.

Once the silk fabric was done up properly, Dan dropped his hands and stepped away from Phil.

“Much better!” he exclaimed, shooing Phil over to his full length mirror. “It’s much thinner than your old one, and an actual bright red rather than that atrocious faded thing you had before. Better suited for school than what you had on, for sure,” Dan decided easily, bending over and taking the strip of fabric currently on the floor into his hands. He wasn’t risking the chance of Phil trying to keep it, but it didn’t seem to matter either way; Phil wasn’t paying Dan a lick of attention.

Instead, he was once again staring in awe at his reflection in the mirror, hands shaking as he reached up gently to fiddle with the tie and run the soft fabric through his fingers, as if he couldn’t believe it was his. The sight made Dan grin, and he actually laughed when Phil pulled lightly on the knot to loosen the tie just a bit more, matching the way Dan’s was largely loosened around his own neck.

“Now you’re getting it!” he exclaimed, and watched as Phil grinned in return, turning back almost instantly to take in his own appearance. The top two buttons of his uniform were undone, showing off the slightest bit of pale chest, and his shirt was baggy around his waistband, untucked as it was from Dan’s earlier ministrations. Even his trousers didn’t appear so straight laced anymore, and Dan felt proud of what he’d done. He’d given Phil a step in the right direction of confidence. Now if only he could instill that inside of Phil, rather than just decorating the outside.

He hoped this would work to do both.

“No one in their right mind would dare to make fun of the way you look now,” Dan decided, stepping up behind Phil so that his friend would see him in the reflection cast by the mirror as well. Slowly, Phil’s gaze moved to latch onto Dan’s, and Dan felt something warm settle deep inside of him. Softly, he grinned. “You look perfect.”

Dan could see Phil’s cheeks turning red again, knew before Phil dropped his head to look away that he would, and decided to give the poor boy a break for once. Surely, he’d embarrassed him quite enough as it was. Humming, Dan turned away and started to rummage through the other bags at his feet for the other articles of clothing he’d picked out for Phil. He could only hope that Phil would like them.

Dan’s fingers quickly landed on the galaxy print jacket he’d seen earlier, and he held it up with a huge grin, remembering again the spark of something he’d felt when he’d seen it. It had just screamed Phil, and while Dan hadn’t spoken to his best friend in five years, he could still hope that he’d managed to stay enough the same that Dan could still pick out the right kinds of clothing for him.

Besides, Dan was certain the purple jacket would look far better against Phil’s skin than the old, bulky black hoodie he usually wore. It had been bundled up and tossed into the bags alongside Phil’s new clothes not long after Dan had picked Phil up from the salon, covered in hair and generally the worst for wear, but it didn’t matter. Dan hoped that now, Phil would never have occasion to wear it again.

Turning around with the jacket outstretched in front of him, Dan said, “I saw this in the store and instantly thought of you. Do you like it?”

Slowly, almost reluctantly, Phil turned away from his reflection in the mirror to look at Dan and what he was holding. For all of a moment he looked surprised at the object in Dan’s hands, and then his expression exploded into one of extreme excitement. He didn’t even have to say a word for Dan to know just how Phil was feeling about it, and he shoved it forward easily enough when Phil reached out with grabby hands to take it from Dan.

“I love it,” Phil said as he shrugged it on, instantly turning to stare at himself in the mirror, and even turning a few times this way and that to see how it fit against his shoulders. It was perfect, just as Dan had imagined it would be, and with Phil’s newly black hair, it gleamed against his body like it belonged there. It made his shoulders look broader, and clung to him in a way that the black hoodie had not. Phil looked, should Dan dare say it, hot.

He swallowed thickly as Phil once again turned to him with the biggest smile yet, and did his best to smile back.

Phil looked absolutely stunning, his expression showing that he actually thought so too for the first time in his life. There was nothing Dan would not do to keep that expression there.

So he said, “You look amazing, Phil, fuck,” and watched the way his cheeks turned dark red all over again. He ducked his head, but Dan wasn’t imagining the fact that Phil also appeared pleased.

As the afternoon wore on, Phil tried on the other two shirts Dan had picked out for him, as well as the shoes. He was absolutely in love with the pokemon themed one, and endlessly delighted by the heat sensitive one, but his favorite thing by far were the pair of shoes. While Phil’s worn down converse’s were bright blue and definitely served him well, he’d been long overdue for something new, and the mix of red and white looked absolutely dashing on his feet.

The look of absolute glee that took over Phil’s expression as he stood in those made Dan feel as if he were on top of the world.

There had been a time where he’d thought he’d never get to share a moment like this with Phil again, but as the night wore on, and Phil threw his arms around Dan for a hug, whispering in his ear, “I’m so glad to have you back,” Dan felt like everything was finally going to be alright.

(Next)

[clubparker-blog1]

drama club: pt two (peter parker x reader)

THIS TOOK ME SO LONG TO WRITE AND IT’S PRETTY SHORT AND NOT EVEN THAT GOOD I’M SO SORRY

requested: not rlly lol

summary: after your awkward encounter a few weeks prior, you and Peter had been spending some time together at lunch.

word count: 1.6k

tagged: (none of yall probably remember asking to be tagged but i have u written down so) @kawaiianime03 @hai327 @ohheyitssophaye @evstor01 @sugajam-z @jelliclehippie @yoinkpenisparker

-

Lying oily and limp on a paper plate before him, Peter’s pizza slice looked like it was going to drown in it's own grease, nearly making him retch. He couldn't eat with the growing ball of nerves tangling in the pit of his stomach as he watched the doors to the cafeteria swing open and shut, pushing the plate away. You hadn’t come in yet, though you usually would have by now. Part of him was wondering if he should just get up and go look for you himself, beginning to picture you talking with the aspiring actors and actresses in the auditorium, wearing shitty costumes made of hot glue and cheap fabric as you rehearsed. The two of you had eaten together a handful of times since your literal run-in a few weeks ago, and Peter looked forward to it every time.

"Peter!" MJ’s groan was paired with a kick to the shin and Peter’s gaze shifted from the door to her rich teenage granddad get-up she adorned today. Navy plaid dress pants and matching bow-tie, black suspenders and a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a vest over it all and a coat in her hand. She sat down across from him with Ned, who had a plate of a sloppy, vibrant orange substance on top of rubbery rice in his hands. He smiled, the colour on his teeth.

Peter reached down and rubbed his leg, "What the hell, that hurt," He mumbled, eyes shifting back to the doors. He swore, for a moment, he caught a glimpse of you walking by. He hit his knee on the table as he fumbled to get up, electricity shooting through his chest and to his fingertips, making his heart pound.

“Hey, Peter! Where are you going? Can I have your pizza?” Ned asked loudly, already pulling the plate toward him.

“Nowhere, I’ll be back - and sure, go for it!” Peter almost shouted as he tripped over his own legs, catching himself on the side of somebody else's table and he felt his face burn. Apologising, he stumbled to the wide metal doors, looking out into the hallways. You disappeared around the corner in a blur the moment he did. His legs were carrying him the way he saw you go before he could think about it, not a trace of a plan in his mind. He didn’t know what he wanted to say to you, all he knew was that he wanted to see you, at least for a minute. He turned the corner, stumbling a little and letting out a gasp, capturing your attention. A little startled, you turned around, spotting Peter right behind you with an awkward, crooked smile.

“Uh, hey…!” he greeted, raising his hand in a sort of half-wave beside his face.

"Oh, hi... what's...what's up?" you replied slowly, as if the words just didn't want to come out. Peter shrugging his shoulders.

"Nothing, I just- yeah, nothing, er, you?" he asked nervously, tripping over his words. You found comfort in his nerves, as they echoed what you were feeling when he smiled at you hopefully.

"Yeah, not much, just uh...well, I was actually going to go practice my lines, but I don't think um...I don't think the person I'm performing with is here, I've not seen them, so I-" You bit down on your tongue to stop the words from tumbling out, face flushing red.  "Sorry,"

"No, that's okay, I-I could help you with your lines, if you want? I mean, only if you want, you know, I don't want to intrude or be annoying, it's just if you did need someone to run them with, i'd be happy to, but if not then that's cool too-"

"No, that'd be great, that'd be...great, yeah."  A soft smile spread onto your lips, a tingling feeling playing at your fingertips. Peter nodded his head, relief washing over him and he grinned.

“Awesome,” He replied, pushing down his excitement before it could bubble over and embarrass him. The two of you began making your way down the hall and up to the drama rooms with quiet steps, eyes on the ugly striped carpet lining the floors. Peter pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans to stop them from shaking when your shoulder brushed his.

The room was mostly empty when you reached it, two girls sitting in the corner with their heads close as they chatted, voices lowering when you walked in with Peter. The curly-haired boy waited patiently as you sat down in a wobbly chair and pulled your bag onto your lap, digging around. You eventually pulled out your crumpled-up copy of the script, all of your lines highlighted with bright yellow. You held it out for Peter, and he took it with a mumbled ‘thanks’, eyes scanning over the words.

“So uh… You just have to read all the bits that aren’t highlighted. You can read over it a few times before we get started, if you like.”

“What about you? Don’t you need the script?” He asked, looking up from the paper and waving it.

“I’ve memorised most of it, I should be fine. It’s just the delivery I need to work on.” You told him, pulling a smile to the corner of your mouth.

He nodded in understanding, looking back at the paper with nervous eyes, chewing the nail of his thumb.

“Y’know what, let’s just… go with it. I’ll read it as we go.” He said, holding himself as if he was unsure, his shoulders raised slightly.

You agreed and rose to your feet, the two of you beginning the scene. At first, you were both spoke slowly and quietly with sweaty palms and nervous eyes. Confidence seeped into your voices as you went on and grew more comfortable, despite the occasional giggle that slipped from your lips when one of you made a mistake.

Neither of you noticed the two girls in the corner walking out until the door slammed shut behind them, throwing Peter off mid-sentence. He quickly turned his attention back to the script he held in his hand, eyes darting around the sheet as his cheeks grew red with embarrassment. He struggled to find the right line, his skin crawling with heat under your patient gaze. Your mind wandered to the next thing you were meant to say for when he found his place, reciting the words in your head on loop. After finishing the fourth repeat, your mind fuzzed over, and you found yourself leaping forward with a sudden burst of confidence before you could even think about it. Your hands cupped his face and his eyes widened, skin warm to the touch. You froze when you came to your senses, fingers stiffening against his soft cheeks. Peter gazed at you with his lips parted in awe, heart racing in his chest. His thoughts intertwined themselves with each other, until they were tangled in a mess of words and emotions that surged through his bloodstream, and all he could do was stare. Though your words sat on the tip of your tongue, they refused to come out, neither of you making a sound. You could practically hear peter’s quick heartbeat in the silence that though short-willed, felt like it went on forever.

“I…” He whispered, blinking slowly as if to make sure he was awake. His cheeks were tinted with a crimson blush as he struggled to find his words, his fingertips twitching by his sides as he gazed at you. Without warning, he raised a shaky hand and laid it over yours, a nervous twinge of a smile curling onto his lips. Though the touch was timid, your chest tightened, a shy grin pulling at the corners of your mouth. The small gesture must have given him confidence, as he raised his other hand atop of yours as well, fingers shaking slightly. The both of you stood there for a while, simply enjoying each other’s warmth and presence with gentle smiles and shallow breaths. You leaned forward and rested your forehead against his, his eyes falling shut right before yours did. 

After a while, the silence that enveloped the room was softly broken when a little giggle fell past Peter’s lips. You grinned, opening your eyes and giggling along with him, as if the sound were contagious. Suddenly you were both laughing quietly, bliss lacing the sound as it tumbled from your mouths. You took note of how Peter’s eyes crinkled in the corners as he laughed, your heart skipping.

 The moment ended as quick as it started, the school bell ringing through the halls outside the small room.

“I guess that’s our cue,” You whispered, still grinning.

“I guess so,” He murmured back, his voice with an undertone of sadness. He wanted nothing more than to freeze time and stand there with you forever. “I’ll see you in English?”

You let your arms drop to your sides, scooping up your backpack and pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. “See you in English.”

[churchyardgrim]

I already posted this bit once before but here have an updated version with Extra Suffering, bc this prof character was created to be pathetic

The door cracks open approximately an inch and a half, revealing a sliver of face, pinched in suspicion.

“Who are you? Janitors? Telemarketers?”

Harker gets the feeling the man’s never seen either. “Doctor Pelman?”

The face blanches. “Students?” The door snaps shut, a muffled “Not on my life!” audible through it. Repeated knocking produces similar results, and one or two shouts for them to go away.

Harker rubs her forehead in frustration. “Doctor Pelman, we have questions!”

Through the door, “So do I! Plenty of them! Don’t need any more, thanks!”

“About the man in charge of Rotlieb.”

That gets them abrupt silence. It goes on long enough to worry, and then long enough that Erika’s able to pick the lock. When it finally opens it reveals an office in a permanent organic state of disarray, a downright impressive collection of antique globes, and a squirrely looking man halfway out a window that doesn’t look like it was designed to open.

Harker lunges, grabs, pulls.

After a brief scuffle they manage to get the doctor into a chair, Ifian standing helpfully in front of the pried-open window like a very colorful brick wall.

Doctor Pelman shakes his head, hands twisted together. He has the look of someone suffering long-term illness; his bio on the university site says he’s in his late 30s, but in person Harker’s having a hard time believing anything under 50. Under other circumstances, she’d chalk it up to academia.

“You can’t be asking me these things, there, there’ll be consequences.”

“Listen, we need to know,” she’s trying to keep her impatience from showing, not entirely successfully, “we need to know what we’re up against.”

That makes him laugh. “So don’t go against him! Get out of here, change your names, give him something juicy and valuable on your way out so he doesn’t chase you across the continent.”

Harker eyes him sharply. “Did that work for you?”

That shuts him up. Harker pushes on. “Look, I somehow have something he wants and if I could give it up without dying, we wouldn’t even be in this mess. But it’s not worth my life.

Pelman just shakes his head adamantly. “And it’s not worth mine to help you.” He looks up, eyes pleading. “Don’t you understand, he’ll know!

Harker’s jaw clenches, blunt teeth grinding together. “And if you help us he’ll never get to you! If we can take him down, if we can win—”

They’re both yelling now, straining to be heard, to be listened to, and Ifian steps between them as effectively as a mute button, cutting them both off. Erika puts her hands on Harker’s shoulders, pulling her back a step. She seethes, argument stuck on why won’t you listen to me, and it’s an effort not to lash out.

The goat is silent in her head.

There’s a frail-sounding exhale, then: “You know what he is, you must have some clues already.”

Ifian answers, “We did research, but there’s no way to tell what’s real and what’s fake. We found stories of vampire watermelons, it can’t all be true. And the stories my grandmother told are different than what the books say, there seem to be regional differences.”

Pelman sits back down, looking tired. “I don’t know about regional differences. Some of the myths are real, but for all I know they’ll only apply to him and no one else. Sunlight, silver, stake through the heart, that sort of thing. Maybe decapitation, fire. He doesn’t like garlic but it’s not going to stop him. Don’t bother with mirrors or crosses, they’ll probably just make him mad.”

He looks up, sallow and sad. “He eats people, you know that? Even if it’s not your blood he takes, he’ll eat your life, he’ll use your people against you and, and by the end of it he’ll have you thanking him for leaving you alive, with whatever shreds he didn’t see fit to take.” He swallows thickly, trembling. “He can’t be fought. He can barely be survived.”

Harker blinks slowly, quiet. Will this be her, after? Will she be this broken? He’ll use your people against you.

The conversation still rattles around her brain for a while afterwards, she barely tastes the coffee they get on the way home.

“That’s what we can use; what should we watch out for?” Erika had asked, ever pragmatic, covering all their bases.

“He’s fast, he’s strong. He could throw you around like dolls,” was Pelman’s nervous reply. After a slow inhale, he continued, “I-I don’t think that cane is for show, he limps, sometimes. He’s been around centuries, who knows what else he’s tangled with. He must have lost some fights, at least some. He’ll mess with your head, though, put thoughts in that aren’t yours, make you want things…”

He’d trailed off then, shuddering slightly and staring off into a point on the carpet that seemed to stretch forever.

Erika pulled him back. “And his situation? Is there anyone close to him we should know about?”

“I… I don’t know. He’s got minions, servants.” His brow furrowed. “The last time, there was a kid…”

The women glanced at each other at that. “A kid?”

Pelman nodded. “I don’t know why, I don’t… I don’t remember what he said to her. God, a kid in a place like that…”

There’s children involved now? Christ… Harker sucks absently on her straw for a minute before realizing she’s only getting foam and air.

She sighs, chucks the empty cup in the nearest bin, and shoves her hands in her pockets. Ahead of her, Erika is keeping up a running stream of verbal thoughts on what they just learned; she’d been taking notes on her phone, and shows Ifian a passage or two, asking for input.

Harker lags a step or two behind, lost in thought.

————————————

Days pass.

It’s late, edging on midnight, when there’s a knock on Pelman’s door. He looks up, having just gotten into the flow of grading; even through his obtusely constructed office hours, the nuisances commonly known as students still manage to find him for advice and questioning, and some of these papers are infuriatingly complex. He’s forced to actually read them, instead of merely passing off a grade based on font choice and title.

His guest knocks again. He groans internally. “Enter.”

Then he leaps to his feet, boredom fleeing before alarm. “You, I— I wasn’t expecting—”

“I have been occupied, as of late,” Gregory drawls, sweeping into the room as if he owns it, “with a matter of great importance to me.” Red eyes flick to him, feeling like a physical force. “Imagine my surprise when I learn my quarry had paid you a visit.”

“I, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” but the lie sticks in his throat like glue. Gregory rests his cane against the desk, holding his weight awkwardly, and advances.

“What did you tell them, Victor?”

Pelman steps back, reaching for balance. “N-nothing, I— who? Tell who?”

Gregory’s cool hand touches his collarbone, slides up around his neck, pushes him back the half step against the bookcase. “What did you tell them?”

Pelman squeezes his eyes shut, pulse pounding in his ears. Those women, he can’t. He can’t just give them up so easily.

But he can no more resist this almost-man; the hook this thing buried in his brain tugs, pulls out a litany of words speared on its end, trailing like colorful handkerchiefs. His mouth moves of its own accord, and it’s all he can do to hold back just a scrap, keep a shred of information for himself, and pray Gregory doesn’t go looking further.

He does not.

He is too busy putting pressure on Pelman’s neck, squeezing until he rattles an inhale. “You wretch,” he hisses, “do you know what you have jeopardized—” He cuts himself off, exhaling sharply. The pressure on Pelman’s windpipe lessens, long fingers loosening. He wheezes, swallows roughly.

“You are getting expensive to keep, Victor…” the vampire hums. “You have less and less to give me, and then you go and make foolish decisions like that…”

“I—I—I can come up with more,” Pelman babbles, self-preservation instincts kicking into gear. “I’m, I’m almost done with those diary pages, just give me more and I can translate them. Th-the tenure panels aren’t that important, I can't get someone else to do that, I can… I c-can…”

He trails off, stuttering uselessly; Gregory had slid the hand cradling his throat up, tilting his head up and back, humming pensively. Pelman’s heart makes a painful leap. “No.”

Gregory leans forward, nostrils flaring to take in the scent of Pelman’s skin, parchment and nervous sweat. The professor presses himself back painfully into bookcase, a shelf digging painfully into his spine.

“No, no no no please, please I—”

“This is your own fault,” Gregory whispers, breath damp against Pelman’s throat. “You could have sent them away. You could have lied. You could have even brought them to me directly. Instead you betray me, and you know I don’t take kindly to that…”

The touch of his lips makes Pelman flinch, an obscene parody of a kiss.

The bite is quick and clean and makes Pelman release an aborted sound of pain, pinned soundly to the shelves behind him. It hurts it hurts, searing through him horribly, making his extremities tingle. Gregory’s weight against him is insistent, one thin arm snaking around his waist.

“Please, st-stop…”

He moans weakly, sweat shining on his face. The pressure under the pain intensifies, the unhurried sucking sensation making his stomach turn. He’s lightheaded, overwhelmed, and his hips jerk sporadically as his mind is washed out of everything but a litany of no no no (yes yes yes.)

After a solid eternity, Gregory’s mouth recedes, his long tongue passing over the wound languidly. “Mm, good.”

He releases Pelman, who promptly crumples, sliding down in a barely controlled fall. He presses a hand to the still-oozing bite, whimpering. Still conscious, though. That’s an improvement.

Gregory turns, his searing attention lifted from Pelman, and stalks to the door, snatching his cane from its resting place against Pelman’s desk. “I will expect your assistance with this matter, I have to fix the mess you made.”

“Yes…” Pelman murmurs, hazy; whatever he says.

The door clicks shut, and he is alone.