#i have not *seen* anyone talk about fucked-up vegetables. only Creatures.

[scribefindegil]

question: does Dungeon Meshi have fucked-up vegetables?

[secondhand-trash]

Kinktober 2020 — under the table

A/N: omg it has been half a year since I last wrote any ghost!shinsou this is why I should never do series- but anyways here is out first fic for kinktober, kicking it off with the return of ghost boyfriend!^^

Warning: oral (receiving), fingering

Word count: 2641

Q:

What kind of street do ghosts prefer to live on?

Shinsou sat on the kitchen counter crossed leg as you paced around the room, mumbling to yourself as you checked off everything that was laid out.

“Remind me, why are you suddenly in need of learning how to cook again?" 

You turned around with a sigh, shoving your hands into the pockets of your apron. (The purple apron with cats printed all over it was Shinsou’s, he had spent hours looking for it when you suddenly came to him saying that you needed to learn how to cook a decent proper meal within a week.)

It all started when you got a message from your mom one Sunday afternoon. You were sitting cross legged on the living room floor, all the old records left in the house by one of its previous owners sprawled out all around you. You had decided that it was not ok to just stack all of them up in the corner and pulled your ghost boyfriend to sort everything out so you could store them properly. He had protested but got shut down when you made the very valid argument that he literally didn’t have anything else better to do, to which he claimed that you were abusing his status as a ghost to get him to provide labour. 

You were still trying to explain to him why arranging everything by alphabetical order was a better way of sorting than doing it by genre when your passionate rambling was disrupted by a ping from your phone. Shinsou watched as you picked it up with a smile, then freezing in place when you read the message, and your eyes going from dead to contemplating to panicking in a matter of seconds.

He shifted to sit closer to you when you put your phone onto the ground, your eyes as wide as saucers while staring blankly ahead.

“Is everything ok?” he asked, giving you a light tap on your forearm.

“Toshi,”

“Yes?”

You blinked, before opening your mouth slowly, “Can you teach me how to cook?”

Fast forward a few days ahead and there he was, pondering how long it had been since he last tried to cook anything. Shinsou was not a master chef by all means, but in the short period of time when he was alive and actually needed food to survive, he had trained himself to be somewhat of a decent cook in order to save money from buying takeout. He never really thought much about it but now that he watched you struggle to chop up an onion with oddly placed hands and slicing down cutting only the thinnest slice at a time, he realised that he had never seen you cook something more elaborate than sunny-side up on instant noodles since you moved into the house he haunted.

“You can always order take out and then transfer them onto your own plates or something,” he leaned to the side, his brows locked together at how clumsy you were, “I’m sure your parents won’t notice.”

You turned around with an exasperated sigh and he immediately reached out to warn you from waving the knife around, “Yes but this is the first time they’ll come over and I want to show that I, you know, have my shit together!”

“If you keep swinging that thing around then you won’t even have all five fingers together,” he clicked his tongue, hopping off the kitchen counter when you flashed him a sheepish smile as you slowly put the knife down. He walked over, blinking a few times at the poor onion that looked like it just suffered from a failed beheading. He sighed pitifully, and you happily handed him the blade when he extended his hand to you. 

“Here, I’ll show you how it’s done,” his fingers were arched up against the vegetable as he skillfully sliced them up, “did you microwave the potatoes as I told you to?”

“Yeah, I put them in there directly.”

He paused, “Didn’t you put the dices into a metal bowl?”

You tiled your head, not understanding why he would bring that up. “Yeah?”

"...metals will explode in the microwave.”

“Oh fuck-”

-

You solved the issue of your hopelessness in the kitchen by not going in at all. 

Shinsou took up the task of cooking on the night your parents would be visiting after witnessing you almost burning yourself on the stove from boiling water. Humans could be such fragile creatures sometimes, he thought to himself as he picked the pot up from the fire with his bare hands, feeling not even a tickle on his deadly cold skin. 

He still thought that you were being way too dramatic with the way you checked the table every time you passed by and adjusting the utensils on top even though the difference would not be noticed by anyone that wasn’t you. 

But still, when he saw you getting yourself into near death situations from the smallest of tasks, he decided that if he couldn’t get you to give up your plan of serving up a homemade supper then he would take the matter into his own hands. 

Your mortality was far more important over his cynicism and the last thing he wanted was to chain you down in this house with him for a cause as dumb as you accidentally blowing the kitchen up.

“Kitten,” he sighed as he put down the salad bowl in the center of the table, holding onto your fidgeting hands, “you are starting to make me nervous and they can’t even see me.” 

You paused, and he felt the dread building up in his chest when he realised that he had said the wrong thing as your eyes widened. “Oh god, what if they can see you too? How should I explain to them that I’m living with someone? I-”

Your rambling was interrupted a ring of the bell that echoed through the house. You sucked in a deep breath, squeezing his hand tight as if you could calm yourself down with the coldness of his skin.

“Should I hide?” he asked when you got to the door.

You ran your hand down your face, your knuckles popping out as you gripped onto the metal doorknob. “They can’t see you, right?”

Shinsou felt a strange stir in his chest when he saw the dramatic change in expression on your face the moment the door was opened. Shivers crept up on him when your parents looked around the house, their gaze going directly past him even though he was standing right next to you. He sighed. He had gotten so used to you that he had instinctively expected to be noticed when most people would not even pick up on his existence at all. 

“Who were you talking to just then?”

“What?” you let out a forced chuckle, hoping that the panic that flashed through your eyes would not be recognisable, “No, no one. It’s just me.”

He was left at the side as you showed your guests to the dining room, walking straight past him. He stood there as the familiar feeling of being invisible caught up to him like a wave. 

Would you have introduced him to your parents had he been alive?

It wasn’t often that he thought of the possibilities had he stayed alive. In fact, he truly did think he had reached the point where he was content with the situation he was stuck in. There were lonely times, times when he was very much so here but didn’t feel like it as the world past him by, leaving him as nothing but a fragment in the past that was sealed within these walls. But then you showed up, and then suddenly he had company. Someone to hold at night, someone to laugh with, someone who would correct him when he did the wrong steps while clumsily following dance tracks. Everything seemed to be great, even though he still had limits to be bound to.

“This is amazing,” an unexplained irritation welled up in his chest at the surprised gasp of your mother reached his ear. “did you really make this yourself?”

“Of course, I’ve been learning how to cook since I moved out!”

It was always odd to watch a family interact from the point of view of a complete stranger. He could see everything more clearly but also knew nothing about the dynamic or the nuance behind each word. He thought of his own family for the first time in years as he watched you smiled cordially at the table.

He wondered what they would think about you too.

Perhaps he had underestimated how much years of loneliness had affected him, or he just wasn’t keen on being reminded that no matter how real this all was, you two were still very much so on the different side of life and death, and the sudden emptiness was suffocating him. 

It was like you had forgotten that he was still there too, and he wasn’t happy about it.

You sat at the table, pushing the food on your plate around as you eyed your parent’s reaction nervously. They seemed to be enjoying it, giving “your cooking" compliment after compliment. You would have to really reward Shinsou for his help later on, you thought to yourself as the knots in your stomach slowly loosened up.

Where was he now? Did he really hide up? You tried to glance around as subtly as you could manage, seeing if you could catch a glimpse of violet hair poking out from the corners.

You dropped your knife when you felt something cold touching your calf. 

“Is something wrong?” 

“No, everything is fine,” you forced out a smile but inside you were panicking. What the fuck? What was he doing under there?

You nearly couldn’t hold in the gasp you were about to let out when his head slid up from your calf to your knees, pushing them apart. Your hand instinctively gripped onto the edge of the tabletop, not able to move away in fear that your parents who were sitting right opposite to you would pick up on the way your jaw was clenched.

You had no way of ignoring his touch as he gripped onto your thighs. His ice cold fingers sent shivers down your spine as he danced them across your warm skin, each tap and each stroke of his fingertip along the root of your leg had you sitting straighter and straighter against the back of your chair.

“So, what have you been up to lately?”

“Oh, nothing much-” you coughed when his finger brushed past your clothed slit. You tried to close your legs shut but you were stuck with him being right in between. Your breath hitched when your panties were peeled off, your now bare cunt clenched around nothing reflectively when the layer of fabric was suddenly gone.

You felt terribly vulnerable with your legs being pushed back and for a split second, you were hyper aware of even the tiniest twitch of your muscles. Your parents didn’t seem to notice that you were sitting awfully stiff in your seat, your legs feeling like they were about to cramp up with how hard you were trying to close them up.

“Mm-” you bit down on your lips when he licked a long strip up from the very bottom of your folds all the way up to your hooded clit, his tongue pulling away with a flick against the small bud.

“Did you just say something?”

“Oh no, you must have misheard,” the muscles around your face was twitching as you tried to remain a neutral expression as he continued to alternate between swirling and pressing down on your clit with the tip of his tongue.

Fuck him for knowing your body so well.

Your legs were shaking under the jolts of electricity that shot up from your core all the way up to the back of your neck. He seemed to only get more vigorous with his licks and sucks, lapping up on the wetness that was starting to seep out of you. Your toes curled and uncurled, gripping onto the floor to your desperation as his cold breath fanned across your sopping pussy. Each drag of his tongue had you spasming, the lack of temperature on his lips numbing your senses as he dipped his tongue in with each flick. 

“Anybody you are seeing?”

All movements paused. His teeth graced past your clit tentatively, as if questioning what you were gonna do. You gulped, feeling the tip of your ears burned up.

“No-”

You jolted forward when he placed a hard suck on your clit. Your parents eyed you with a confused stare and you gripped onto the glass on the table, bringing it to your trembling lips to take a sip. 

He slipped his tongue in, dragging it along your walls at a rough pace. The corner of your lips was twitching, dreading the fact that your parents seemed to take your choked answer as a sign that you were hiding something. You gritted through your teeth, trying hard to not let any of the moans that were threatening to slip out leaked.

You could hear the slurping, like he had done a sloppy job concealing each pop and lap on purpose. It was like the two of you were in your own world, and the other people were intruders sitting there with a veil separating the two of you. He paid close attention to the way you reacted to each touch, the muscle of your legs flexing under his hand as the heaving of your chest got heavier and heavier.

You could almost feel blood on your lips from how hard you were biting down when he slipped his fingers in, matching the rhythm of his tongue with the pumping of his digits. You brought your napkin to your lips, covering your parted mouth.

You nearly screamed into your napkin when he crooked his finger, the prodding of his joints inside of your spongey walls had your muscles clenching down. 

His mouth left your folds with a lingered lick before pulling his fingers out with a languish drag, his lips ghosted along your inner thigh until he was gone completely. No more touches on your skin, not even a puff of air anywhere near you. He was just gone, vanished into thin air with nothing but your fluttering folds and the mess between your legs to remind you that he had very much so been kneeling there and making you crumble down just moments earlier.

You gave a slight shake of your head when your parents once again questioned the way your face scrunched up, your hand shaking as you dropped the napkin down onto your lap.

Stupid fucking ghost and their disappearing acts.

-

“We had been worry about you when you said you want to move out but it seems like you are doing fine, perhaps we really worried too much...”

“I told you so,” you said as you opened the door.  Your smile was rigid on your face as you walked your parents to the door, trying very hard to ignore the dullness between your legs, “come back at any time!”

Your smile dropped the moment the door shut in front of your eyes. Turning around on your heels, Shinsou was right there, a lazy smile tugging on his face with no remorse.

He had his arms crossed, leaning all his weight on one leg in a posture that was not fitted for someone who nearly had you moaning out loud in front of your parents.

You grinned, and he felt goosebumps rising on his skin at how innocent and sweet the smile was.

“You’re sleeping in the guest room tonight.”

Back to the masterlist

A:

A dead end

[a-detraque-barista]

Prophecies

Yandere Werewolf Maknae Line x Witch Reader

Genre: yandere, werewolf au, witch au, eventual smut

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings: witch hate (??), polyamorous, a little bit of yandere if you squint, that’s about it for this chapter

Synopsis: You get lost on one of the most infamous werewolf pack’s territory looking for your broom. Next thing you know, there’s three werewolves eating cake with you in your dining room.

It was early morning when the air was brisk and the sun was just barely peeking over the line of trees. A strong gust of wind blew all of the fallen twigs and leaves into the air. Your hand stood still above your head as you searched the ground. Growling, you dropped your hand without thinking causing the brush to fall into your hair. You huffed before shaking your head free of the tiny twigs and small leaflets.

The one time out of very few that you decided to fly over the Bangtan territory you get shot down leading to you losing your broom. You’ve never seen this part of the woods from the ground so you were practically lost. The Bangtan pack were known for their deep hatred for witches such as yourself. Well, kind of like yourself. 

Yes, you were a witch, but you weren’t like those goblins that live in candy houses and eat children. You stood out from the atrocious creatures you had to call your kin. Your skin was neither green nor a sickly gray, you were tan from working in your gardens of flowers and fruits and vegetables. You had no warts on your face or cracking. Even your eyes were different. All of the other witches had green or black eyes. And you, your eyes were purple. Better described as a lavender shade.

However, werewolves didn’t care if you were different, they’ll still do their best to kill you. The W&W Rivalry has gone on since the beginning. Millenniums ago, when the world was first created by the gods and goddesses of the universe. No one ever explained why witches and werewolves despised each other, it was just agreed upon. You believe that the Rivalry should end but that would cause even more chaos if brought up to anyone. Word tends to travel around fast through these woods. 

A growl broke you from your thoughts. Turning around slowly, you were now facing a silver furred wolf. It’s light blue, almost gray, eyes met yours and the snarl left its face. A beta. Its legs straightened from the predatory stance telling you he was no longer ready to pounce. 

The wolf cautiously took steps towards you as if it didn’t want to frighten you. On instinct, you turned around and ran. You were confused as to why the wolf hadn’t attacked you but you weren’t going to wait and find out. Running out into an opening you saw the infamous packhouse that was home to none other than Bangtan. Quickly, you changed your direction and ran to where the woods started again. 

You heard the slamming of a door and forced your legs to run faster. You may not be able to outrun them but all you had to do was to get back into the woods, then you’ll be able to lose them. The pounding on the ground from their paws had you beginning to panic. If they catch you, it’s over. 

Just as you stepped into the line of trees, you heard someone yell, “You forgot your broom!”

You stopped in your tracks. They had your broom and they knew how important a broom is to a witch. A witch’s broom was everything. It was not only transportation, but it was also how you paid for ingredients and everything a witch needs to survive, and it showed your status. You could hear the wolf behind you coming closer even over your heartbeat pounding in your ears. 

You could practically hear the wolf chuckling as it stood behind you. With its nose, it nudged the middle of your back like it wanted you to run. It was like it wanted you to play. You wouldn't fall for it though. You knew it wouldn't end well if you did. 

Taking a deep breath, you turned around and looked the wolf dead in the eye to see amber eyes staring back at you. This wolf had dark brown fur, almost black. But it wasn’t an alpha. Alpha’s only have black fur like the midnight sky and red fiery crimson eyes. This must be a general. Almost as strong as the beta but still no match for the alpha. And this particular wolf didn’t seem as nice as the other.

It huffed and circled around behind you to stand on your right. Its tail came to hit you in the ass to make you move forward. You started walking towards the packhouse that wasn’t far enough away. The wolf kept with your pace but kept a good distance from you. The wolf definitely didn’t like witches. 

You stopped in front of where the man that had your broom in his hands stood in front of the house entrance. The man in front of you was stunning. There were absolutely no imperfections visible on his face. The mole near the tip of his nose stood out to you but it was like it complimented his features even more, which you noticed twitch. Witches seemed to have a certain scent according to werewolves. The wolf that had escorted you walked behind the cracked open door to reappear in human form. He was hot but kind of intimidating. His black hair flowed past his eyes and he also had a mole, but his was right below his bottom lip. He seemed to be the youngest. You forgot how beautiful werewolves were.

And finally, the third wolf, the one who found you first comes to stand next to the one holding your broom. The most gorgeous man was now standing in front of you with no shirt and staring at you. Making sure you kept your eyes on the ground, you spoke quietly, “Can I have my broom back please?”

“Looks like she’s not dumb enough to make eye contact,” the youngest one practically glared at you.

You went to ask again when the familiar feeling of a threat nearby stopped you. Your head snapped up, your eyes wide. Quickly scanning the trees for any sign of movement. Taking out your hand you mutter, “Ostendo.” You whipped your arm from left to right and caused the trees to become transparent.

Wolves. More fucking werewolves.

“How the hell did they go undetected!!” the alpha roared getting ready to shift into his wolf form. 

He stopped as he saw you raise you your hand into the air. Black smoke wisped around your hand and down your arm as you said, “Sopio.”

It sent a shock wave through the ground and knocked down almost all of the werewolves. The few that didn’t fall only stumbled before beginning to sprint towards you. Two of the three men behind you shifted and headed straight for the oncoming enemy. Then suddenly more and more wolves came running towards the fight. The alpha stayed behind you before coming to stand next to you. 

“Did you lead them here?” It was blunt and straight to the point.

“Of course not! I’m just here for my broom,” you tried your hardest to make sure he knew you were telling the truth. The last thing you wanted was to start a fight with an alpha.

He stayed quiet before looking down at the broom. It was only a few seconds before snapping it over his knee. The crack resonated for miles. Everything came to a standstill. Nothing moved, nothing made a sound. All the wolves, Bangtan and the enemy alike turned to you and the alpha. You stared at the two pieces lying on the ground. The only thing that began to stir was the wind. It grew stronger by the second, the fur on wolves, your hair, even the blades of grass began to sway with the wind.

“You werewolves are all the same,” you glared into the alpha’s eyes and his widened seeing your pastel purple irises. “Obeo.” 

Both you and your broom disappeared and the blowing wind died down. The enemy wolves retreated, not understanding what had happened. And the three wolves that had found you gather in the living room.

“Nice job alpha, you scared away our mate,” the man with pouty lips growled, not caring that he was talking to his alpha with a disrespectful tone.

“Shut it, Jimin. Was I wrong to suspect that she was the reason those bastards were able to sneak in?” the alpha grumbled while he rested his chin on his fist. “Jungkook was the one who said he was gonna break her leg if she ran.”

The said wolf spun his head to look at the alpha, “At least I didn’t snap her broom in half and made her disappear, Taehyung. If I would’ve broken her leg she wouldn’t be able to go anywhere very easily.”

“Well, fighting won’t solve anything. We just need to find her,” Jimin stood up to walk to where he knew the lead hunter would be lazing around.

❄❄❄

It’s been three days since then. You’re home focusing on connecting more splinters and cells of your broom. You’ve made a lot of progress but you still have a lot to go. You had to go out and get some sticky frog’s mucus but it was what you needed to help repair your beloved broom. 

After fusing as many particles as possible, you take a breath and go outside to tend to your flower garden. It was full of the fall’s annual florals. Leyort, Ovore, Demon Cornel, and Heart’s Clover. All of these could be used in potions. The Demon Cornel can also be used as incense that makes the whole house smell like autumn.

You had just gotten done with picking the last of the apples from your mini orchard that was close to your garden. Suddenly, you felt someone watching you so you scanned the area but saw no one. Maybe it was only a spirit looking for somewhere to stay. Spirits that have recently passed in the woods don’t realize they’ve died. So it could just be a deer or something wandering through the forest, looking for food. 

Walking toward the cart you placed the two baskets in the back before grabbing two more empty ones. You headed over to the four rows of pears and began to harvest them. And after, you went over to the vegetables, cabbage, onion, both white and green, and tomatillos. Only so much can grow in the fall. All the good ones won’t be in season until the summer. So until then, you have to buy them from the market...once your broom is repaired. 

You placed the last of the baskets into the cart and begin to pull it towards your cabin. Still feeling the boring gaze, you decided to invite them in, “Whosever out there you’re more than welcome to come in rather than to stalk me!”

And so you took two baskets inside at a time. As you grabbed the last two you looked up to see the three werewolves from three days ago. Of course. Why wouldn’t they leave you alone? Hauling the last baskets in, you left the door open and set the baskets on the counter. 

Looking in your fridge you tried to think of things you could make for three werewolves including you. You still had some pork shoulder so you can make pork blade shoulder ramen. You heard the three wolves shuffle in and close the door behind them. As you put the meat in the frying pan after letting the oil heat up, you turn around to look at the men standing awkwardly in your kitchen.

“You can sit down, ya know.”

And so they found their seats at your small dark wood dining table. You went back to the pork and flipped them over to start boiling the water. They never said a word as they watched you cook dinner. As you began portioning the ramen and pork evenly at the table, the alpha spoke, “I’m sorry, about your broom.”

He said this as he stared at the slowly forming broom sitting on a stand with burnt candles surrounding it. The other two wolves looked at it as well. They looked almost, perplexed at the sight. So you explained, “Witches can repair their brooms if they have the right materials. It’s too much of a hassle to get a completely new one.”

The boys turned back to you and watched as you sat down and put your hands flat together. Witches were raised to thank their ancestors before every meal. And you began to eat your delicious ramen. 

“Are you gonna keep staring at me or are you gonna eat?” 

“Do witches have mates?”

You stopped eating and set your chopsticks down to look at the werewolves who were staring at you.

“Kind of. It depends on what the witch’s prophecy says,” you explained before taking a drink of your water. 

“Prophecies?” the beta questioned as he looked to you for more information.

“That’s a complicated topic. Let’s introduce ourselves properly, first. I’m (Y/n),” you smiled and waited for them to tell you their names. 

“My name’s Jimin!” the beta said excitedly and even raised his hand.

“I’m Taehyung,” the man in the middle that you remembered to be the alpha.

And lastly, you turned to the last one you muttered, “Jungkook.”

“I’m assuming you hate witches,” you said bluntly and surprised all the males sitting at the table.

“Yeah, I do.”

“That’s too bad, you don’t seem like a bad guy.”

“So we were talking about proph-” Taehyung began to change the topic but you interrupted him and stood up with your empty bowl to bring it to the sink. 

“That can wait for another time. Now I have to repair my broom some more. You guys are more than welcome to stay if you want,” you refused to talk about your prophecy. Your prophecy spoke of nothing but nonsense. You would not allow that forbidden thing in your house, so your mother kept for safekeeping. She didn’t want you to destroy it.

“We’d hate to intrude, but I am kind of curious to see how you repair it,” Jimin said softly and walked up behind you as you kneeled down to the height of the broom. 

Dripping some of the frog mucus onto the broken ends you held your hands just above the wood. Your hands began to glow blue and more of the splinters connected to show half of the broom now good as new. You sighed as you dropped your hands. “Only a few more days. Then it’ll be fixed.”

When you stood and turned around all three men were standing close to you. “I think we’ll stay, if it’s not too much trouble,” Taehyung muttered.

“Of course not, I invited you to stay didn’t I? And I know the trip back to your packhouse isn’t a short one,” you smiled at Taehyung making him blush.

"How come you can't fix it all at once?" Jungkook grumbled from the dining table.

"Because there's a lot of magic that goes into creating these brooms alone, it takes just as much, even more magic to repair them. Especially if it's such a clean break."

Taehyung gained a darker red hue on his cheeks as he sat back down at the table. 

"Do you guys like cake? I made some earlier. It was for a friend but he couldn't make it today," you smiled as you waited for a response and stood next to Jimin.

"We would love some," Jimin beamed as he followed you to the kitchen to help cut slices and put them on plates. "So, who's your friend that you were talking about?"

"Hm? Oh, you're talking about Namjoon. He's a wizard that I met a while back at the market one day," you and Jimin set the plates down and then sat down yourselves. 

You weren't worried about telling them Namjoon was a wizard. Wizards were very neutral in politics and races. They never intervened unless provoked and that's why you got along with Namjoon. He was understanding and saw that you weren't like the other witches. However, you could feel the tension begin to become thick.

“Why didn’t he show up today?” Taehyung’s voice had dropped as he stared at you while Jungkook was stabbing his slice of cake and Jimin had slouched in his chair.

“He said the trip back home was taking longer than expected, so can’t really blame him,” you shrugged as you took a bite of your cake.

The rest of the time was silent as no other questions were asked. It seemed strange to you that they would care about why he wasn’t able to come. Did they know him by any chance? You were in no position to ask questions, especially when they hated witches in the first place. But one question wouldn’t leave your head since they walked in, “Why did you guys come here?”

It’s quiet as they tried to think of a response. They didn’t want to scare you away with mate talk. But they needed to be with you. Witch or not you’re their mate who needs to be protected and loved by them. Jungkook still had mixed feelings about you being a witch, but he needs you. And they’ll have you.

“To make up with you, of course,” Jimin takes your hand in his and smiles. A visible shudder ran through his spine.

Your eyes widened and your lips parted. That was the last thing you expected to hear. Not even members of your family or close friends came to make up with you over pettier subjects. All of this was too much for you, not being used to so much interaction in one sitting. “I need to go take a shower. There’s a tv in the living room and blankets in my room. I’ll be back,” you were surprised all of your words didn’t come out in one heap of syllables as you quickly made your way to the bathroom.

“Did I scare her?”

“Probably.”

“Shut up, Jungkook.”

Jimin stood up to go follow you so he could apologize about making you uncomfortable. He just couldn’t help it. Your hands looked so soft and small compared to his, he needed to hold your hand. His body reacted to it as well when it sent a shiver up his spine. Werewolves were very touchy with their mates, Jimin had already been a clingy person so now it was tenfold when it came to you. He was happy just holding your hand. Imagine actually cuddling you, he would be in euphoria when that day came.

“Oh Jimin, did you need something?” you were about to walk out of the bathroom because you had forgotten to grab a towel when you came across Jimin walking in the hallway.

“Huh? Oh right, I just wanted to say sorry if I made you uncomfortable back there,” Jimin spoke quietly as he looked down at his shuffling feet.

“You’re apologizing?” Jimin nodded his head. “There’s no need to. I was just overwhelmed was all. I’m not used to somebody holding my hand and people talking to me this much. It felt...nice when you held my hand.”

Jimin had looked up at you for the first time and saw that you were only in a tank top and underwear. His face became hot as he looked up to you to see you smiling, not realizing what you were wearing. 

You had spent years living by yourself so it was normal for you to walk around the house like this. You had accidentally done it around Namjoon too which after that he couldn’t look at you without blushing for a while. 

“Well I-I uh, just-just wanted to say sorry and now I’ll leave you to do whatever,” Jimin’s whole face and his ears were red at this point. He headed back towards where his other mates were still sitting at the table. “I just saw our mate in panties and a tank top.”

The other two looked at him like he was crazy before asking him a boatload of questions. Jimin kept zoning out, he had never seen such a pretty sight.

[hebescus]

some things stay forever somehow

eyyy it’s the 4th day!

this was actually a scrap, i sent the rough version of it in the 7K discord server and they liked it??? so i just decided to fuck it, i’m taking this seriously so here we are. Enjoy this unecessarily oddly detailed lil piece.

@alistairwrites here’s my lil piece i hope you enjoy it!

—

The wind blew through his hair, the warm ambience and the crackling fire sound relaxing him as he absentmindedly leaned to his cousin’s side. Varian always loved campfires, there’s something oddly familiar about their warmth, it felt like he just belonged there, in front of the crackling fire. Campfires always gave him this odd feeling of longing, yearning, but fulfilled at the same time. And he always craves that feeling.

That’s why he was really excited when Eugene–his cousin–asked him to join a small camping event together. He knew nobody but Eugene and Rapunzel–his girlfriend. It was a college event after all, and he was still in senior high school. Plus, socializing wasn’t the reason why he came, so he didn’t bring himself to care.

So far, the first night was nice. Eugene and Rapunzel introduced him to a few of their friends and he actually really liked them. He cried laughing by Lance’s story, he had a great time discussing things with Cassandra’s critical and smart opinions, and more. Well, they were obviously different from Nuru or Yong who were his age but he had a great time with them.

“You seemed really intrigued with campfires, kid. Care to share something?” He snapped out of his daydream to find Lance sat on the ground next to him, he didn’t even realize Eugene left a minute ago. He smiled, warmth crept on his body thinking about all the feelings he felt.

“I don’t know…it just felt like I belonged here. I always want to come back, I feel satisfied to be here. But at the same time I…I long for something, there’s like something’s missing but I don’t- ah, I don’t know Lance,” he rambled. Lance gave him a nod as if a sign that he wanted Varian to continue. “I love the warmth, the noises, the ambience…I never felt better when I’m here, It’s confusing, really, I don’t even know why,”

“Hmmm, I see,” Lance answered. His eyes fixated on the burning woods a thinking expression. “I know this might be craaazy for you, but someone from my orphanage once said that if you feel some kind of familiar, longing, addicted feelings about certain something or situations, that means you have a special experience with them in your past life,”

“That sounds like a kids bedtime story if you ask me,” Varian shrugged but he immediately felt bad for being a little bit ignorant, so he corrected his words, “I mean, that’s real sweet, but-”

“Well, I’m not finished yet! They even said that you met someone that makes you feel more connected to the situation, and the longing feeling just gone, that means they were connected to that situation in the past and was important to you,” he continued. “They even called it soulmate, if you even believe in one,” Lance raised his eyebrow, a confusing look between agree or disagree with that statement. And Varian…well, he just cringed. Hard.

“Yep, I don’t like how that sounds,” Varian laughed. “But that’s just my personal opinion, I don’t really believe in that kinda stuff,” Lance hadn’t given him any clue whether he actually agreed with that statement or not, after all.

“Ah, it’s fine, really. A science based guy like you must like something logical, right?” Varian nodded and gave him a small smile before he continued. “I mean, that’s just a little thing you gotta plant in your head because who knows? Maybe it’s real, we just haven’t found out just yet,” he said with an unreadable soft expression. Eugene was not wrong when he said Lance was their dad friend. After that, someone called Lance for help and then he was alone again with his thoughts and the campfire.

“Shit- hey!” Varian’s silence was distubed by a squeal from behind him. He looked back and saw a man being strangled by a wild raccoon who looked like he was trying to steal a fish kabob from the man’s hand. He couldn’t see them clearly–thanks to the night lighting–but he could make out what’s going on. “Ey! Get off me!”

“Uh hey! You…alright?” Varian wasn’t really into the idea of talking to people that’s not introduced by Eugene or Rapunzel, but the man seemed like he needed a little help.

“Can’t you see?! This little- ugh, creature trying to steal my last kabob!” He answered while trying to balance his food and fight the raccoon off. Varian chuckled at that sight, reconsidered his childhood dream of wanting a pet raccoon.

“I think you should just give it to him,” Varian laughed.

“Are you crazy?! This is my las-” Varian cut him off by holding up a plate full of kabobs that Rapunzel gave him earlier.

“Not a big fan of fishies so…you want some?” The man grinned, quickly dropped his kabob to the ground and let the raccoon eat it as he practically ran towards the other boy.

“Oh God, yes, this is like- very good, thank you-” the man said as he snatched the plate out of Varian’s hand, immediately chewing the vegetables and sat next to the blue eyed boy.

Varian took a proper look at him as he ate. He didn’t look much older than him, he had a strong jawline and sharp looks on his face, circular glasses hung on his nose, blond hair neatly tied above his undercut, and…he looked kinda attractive for some reason? Or maybe he just liked the way that faded green sports jacket clung on his white printed tee and ripped blue jeans that complimented his long legs- and why the hell you care so much about that, Varian?

“Listen, I know I’m hot, but staring at people who’re eating is rude,” the man said with furrowed eyebrows, still chewing his food. Varian would think it’s kinda cute if he didn’t just call him rude.

“Is it though? I’m sorry then, I never saw anyone being attacked by a raccoon for a freaking kabob before,” he shrugged playfully. The older just laughed, Varian nearly thought he got a special connection with kabobs because God damn, he inhaled it.

“Well, I’ve never seen you before, hairstripe. Are you new or something?” The man asked, already on his last skewer. Varian was confused by the nickname for a bit before he realized that it’s probably from the blue streak. He dyed it two years ago and still refused to change it.

“No serious business, I just love camping- Well, actually, I’m just joining my cousin, Eugene. You know him?” he shrugged, but then he realized he haven’t introduce hims-

“Yes, of course. That means you’re…uh, what is it- ah! yes, Varitas?”

“Actually, it’s Varian,” Varian tried to not roll his eyes and let out a chuckle instead. 

“Ohh, yeah, Varian- I’m sorry. Flynn talked about you a bunch of times,”

“Flynn?”

“Yeah, that’s…kind of an inside joke nickname we gave him,” he answered, placing the empty plate on the ground. “Well, nice to meet you, freckles. I’m Hugo, your cousin’s partner in crime," 

—

The first night went very well. They kept talking to each other until it was late. Late enough that everyone who’s playing games with them at some point went back to their tents, someone even gave the leftover kabobs–luckily for Varian, it was chicken–before she headed off to her tent. The raccoon came back, Hugo reluctantly shared some vegetables with them while Varian laughed and randomly decided to name them Ruddiger, which ironically is Varian’s middle name. 

That night, Varian learned that Hugo was only a year older than him. He was a freshman, the youngest person in Eugene’s circle–they knew each other from being in the same basketball club. He also learned that Hugo majored in science, just like he wanted to be. He loved camping for the campfires just like Varian. Although, he learned much more about the older from his observation. He loves calling people with nicknames, he had this unique trait such as naming most of his stuff, he would snuggle on his jacket when the wind got chilly, he would scrunch his nose when he disagreed about something, and he was really smart. He didn’t know why he paid that much attention to the little details, but for now, all he can say is that he was indeed interested in this guy.

—

The second night rushed in. They were exhausted from all of the fun activities they did in the day with some friends. They went swimming, played a bunch of sports, they even had a little acoustic session at sunset. But at the end of the day, they would sit there in front of the campfire, Varian with his comfortable beanie and Hugo with his warm jacket.

"Today was really fun, don’t you think?” Varian asked softly. His thought ran around the events that happened that day. It gave his stomach some funny feelings. It started when Hugo gave him his shirt after swimming–no one told Varian to bring any backup clothes. He swore he saw a pink tint on his cheeks and a really soft little smile on his lips before a friend turned his attention away from the younger. Then their hand would brush against each other while trekking, occasionally interlocked them together on a steep path. He also still remembers when Hugo hugged his head and yelled at his friend for accidentally hitting Varian’s head with a volleyball. He somehow couldn’t get enough of the feeling of his fingers on his hair.

And then the little acoustic session. Oh God, he didn’t know what to feel about that. He was challenged by Cass to sing because she knew he didn’t like to sing in public. He didn’t care that much at first, but once the first line came out of his lips, Varian just lost his ability to speak. Who knew that the kabob guy he met last night had an extremely angelic voice. It was a really romantic song and the fact that Hugo kept staring at him the whole time just made his heart stop. He is in fact no head over heels for the guy he just met last night, right? 

“Yeah it is. I don’t feel like going home tomorrow,” he frowned. “I just want to be here…in the middle of whatever forest is this, by this campfire and the warmth- just doing nothing and…talking to-you. It’s nice to have a campfire company like you, hairstripe,”

Varian’s stomach went weird again and his freckled cheeks went slightly pink. But immediately fought it off with a little ‘thank you’ and changed the topic and had a whole new, endless conversation again.

One thing that he realized is that the more they talked, the warmer he got. He could feel this odd yet familiar kind of comfort and connection that somehow he only got when Hugo was around and he only knew him for one day. 

It was nearly three in the morning when one of Hugo’s friend came out of his tent, scolding them for being out so late and just initiated to extinguish the fire- for some unknown grumpy reason. 

But that didn’t stop them from talking about a random meme on Varian’s phone that got them laughing a little too loudly. Varian then started to ramble about this funny childhood story that was connected to the meme, when a rush of cold wind made his body shivers. He tried to fight it off by keeping on talking, but Hugo noticed that.

“You cold, hummingbird?” Hugo asked, starting to take off his jacket.

“A little, but it’s fine,” however, his body couldn’t lie as he tugges his short sleeves begging for some warmth.

“And you think I would believe that?” The older chuckled, shoved  his jacket to the other’s chest.

“How about you-” he was cut by Hugo’s facepalm as he T posed and showed every side of his hoodie. 

“I have layers, bean,” the blond said smugly while his hand slightly fixed the younger’s beanie. Varian smiled and put the jacket on. It was the second clothing that Hugo borrowed him but this one is definitely better than the shirt. It smelled like…Hugo. He didn’t know how to describe it, but he enjoyed it,

Maybe a little too much.

—

He decided that he didn’t want to be away from that blond boy. It was only two days but he swore he really really liked him. Yes, he finally admitted it. The second that jacket was clung on his body, he knew all the feelings just crashed together. And he was scared, because right now everything was packed and they were all ready to go home. He stared at the older’s back who’s laughing with his friends and carrying supplies to a car. He really didn’t want him to go.

Varian tugged the green jacket closer to his body, trying to memorize every warmth before he gave it back. He took a deep breath and walked towards Hugo.

“Uh, Hugh,” he called nervously.

“Oh, hey there, hairstripe. Need help with something?”

“Umm, no, I just want to say thank you…for these past two days, I really, really enjoyed it. It’s been nice to know you,” he smiled softly as his fingers started to unzip the jacket and take off the jacket. “And I guess you left your-”

“No, please keep it,” Hugo cut him off, his hand gripped the left pocket of the jacket and halted the younger’s move. “Olivia looks good on you,” Oh, did he mention that his favorite jacket was named 'Olivia’? Because Varian thought it was adorable. 

He was about to thank him when the older stepped closer and pecked his lips softly, leaving him absolutely breathless and flustered.

“See you later, goggles,” Hugo smiled, walking away from Varian and approached his friends. He had so many thoughts but the last nickname was kind of confusing. He called him sweet cheeks, blue, hairstripe, freckles, shortstack, bean, hummingbird, but where did goggles come from? It was weirdly…familiar. It was the same weird feelings with the sudden connection he got with that boy. 

He stayed silent on the road. Thinking about that handsome prick who stole his heart just like that, thinking about his lips on his own and how it should be longer than just a single peck, thinking about their connections, his weird last nickname…his head just screamed 'Hugo, Hugo, Hugo’ and he loved it. He loved every single thought about him.

Once he got home, he quickly greeted his dad and changed his clothes. He was about to hang the jacket to the back of his door when a piece of paper fell from the left pocket.

'xxx-xxx-xxxx,

Would you mind for another talk, sweet cheeks?

Love, Hugh’

He smiled at the paper like he never smiled before then he jumped around his room and quickly grabbed his phone. One thing he realized when he was typing the number; the second he laid his eyes on Hugo, the longing feeling of the campfire just gone, replaced by a satisfied, fulfilled warmth and connection that made the campfire felt better and better when he was around.

Guess Lance’s little story wasn’t a bedtime fairytale anymore.

—

The air was cold, but the fire warmed their body as they leaned on each other’s side. Nuru and Yong were fast asleep in their tents, tired from the long day of journey plus the challenging trial.

“Hugh,” the younger called, intertwining his hand with Hugo’s, today’s event brought their feelings together and they could never be more grateful. “If you can keep a moment forever with you. What would it be?”

“Forever?”

“Yeah, forever,”

“It’s pretty simple actually,” the older answered with such sweetness in his voice. “It would be now,”

“Uh…what do you mean by 'now’?” Hugo laughed at his lover’s obliviousness.

“To be here with you…in the middle of whatever forest is this, by this campfire and its warmth- just doing nothing and…talking to-you. It’s really lucky of me to have a company like you, hairstripe,” he answered softly.

“That’s…what I want to be kept forever too, even if we have another life I want this kind of moment to stay,” he slightly cringed at his sudden sappiness but he was too in love to care. “I love you,” he whispered as he leaned in to kiss the older.

“I love you too, goggles”

[nonasidesstuff]

the dimension travel au

aka Virgil’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week

so this is like half bullet fic half outline half word vomit but here it is!

this is based on a set of art drawn by @greenninjagal-blog that you can find here with the original version of this au

i dont mind if anyone wants to use any of these ideas just tag me/send me a link if you do!

this got SUPER LONG so its going under a cut

ok lets start with

virgil

his world is medieval-with-magic

the magic here tends to take on different elemental forms depending on the user

people who use magic are called witches

his is storm based (lightning, rain, wind, etc) and is good for both offense (shooting fucking LIGHTNING at someone is great in a fight) and gardening (the ability to call rain at will is pretty nice)

he can also make potions but in his world ANYONE with magic can make potions

the thing is,,,,, magic is illegal in the kingdom he lives in

so when he found out he had magic at like age 11 he fucked off in the middle of the night

he found another witch (a water witch) fairly soon after he left and they taught him how to control his powers and how to make potions

also how to hunt bc hed planned on living out of cities

5 years later hes 16 and has learned all he could and leaves to go to the woods in the middle of nowhere

his teacher had told him about a cottage they had built in a clearing in the woods and said he could go there bc they were leaving the kingdom

they left behind a lot of books on magic and he learned more reading those

the cottage was actually in pretty good shape? the roof was a little leaky but the furniture inside was fine

the outside was a nightmare though. overgrown plants all over

as the years went on he restored the area around the cottage and found a bunch of neat stuff

like a vegetable garden that had been overgrown and wild but still had healthy plants he could cultivate for food. there were also some spice plants that had gone out of control that he harvested and dried for later use

he found out the woods around his home were full of berries (wild strawberries and blackberries. shhhhhh idc if they dont grow in the same places this is a Magic World) and discovered that one of the trees in the clearing was actually an apple tree so yay fruit!!!!

so he was living the good life

cut to 3 years later

hes 19 now and a full-blown weather witch and potion maker

he has sectioned off his garden into 3 parts: spices, vegetables, and potions ingredients

unfortunately some ingredients just wont grow well in a garden and have to be harvested from the wild

virgil realizes hes running low on a couple of said ingredients and decides to make a run to the patches of potion herbs he knows of

he only gets halfway there

a swirling blue-and-yellow vortex opens up 20 feet in the air to the right of him and something falls out

something human shaped

holy shit its a PERSON

he rushes over to make sure this person is okay and.

they have reddish brown fox ears?????

and a reddish brown and grey tail????????

he pokes one of the ears and it twitches

holy shit theyre REAL????!!!!!!!!!

he gathers up this person and takes them home

he puts the strange person in his bed and tends to the minor injuries they obtained from falling 20 feet

this is when he realizes that this person is dressed,,,,,, very strangely

now, people in virgil’s world have some freedom in what they can wear. they can wear whatever the FUCK they want. virgil is partial to dresses and skirts himself

but what this person is wearing is different. the material was like nothing hed ever seen before and in a strange style

(it suits him. its really cute)

he slept for a little over 9 hours

(virgil slept on the floor)

and when he woke he was disoriented and woozy

so he ate a small meal and drank some water and fell back to sleep for another couple hours

when he wakes again, he feels much better and is able to introduce himself

“I’m Patton Baker! Where am I?”

patton

his world is like if you took every single magical girl/boy anime out there and mashed it into one world.

so its chaotic

theres aliens/demons/monsters attacking every other week

this attracts magical creatures like a magnet and they start giving magical girls/boys powers. these are called magical guardians

these people are public figures and are treated the same way idols are in our world (not allowed boyfriends/girlfriends etc)

its a tough job

patton became a magical boy when he was 14 and has been for the past 3 years

the powers his magical guardian are able to give are based off of endangered or threatened animals (yes im sort of copying tokyo mew mew shhhhhhhhhh)

patton became infused with the dna of the island fox

his transformation is triggered by a small tattoo-like marking given to him by his guardian. it’s on the base of his neck

he Absolutely has a magical girl transformation

when he’s transformed, he has the ears and tail of an island fox as well as claw-like nails. his hair is the reddish-brown of the fox and his eyes are silver

his outfit is light blue with silver and white accents and dark blue sleeves

when detransformed he has blond hair and blue eyes

his magical boy weapon is a bow that he can shoot arrows of light from

his group was based out of florida and has been going strong for about 15 years. magical teens come and go as they gain their powers and retire or, tragically, lose their lives fighting

at the moment there are six people including patton

their most recent foe is a monster that has the ability to make people and things disappear, and they’re not sure what happens to them

theyre fighting this thing at night when it happens. the creature has already taken the streetlights out and the teens are fighting in heavy darkness. patton, who has better night vision due to his fox genes, sees the monster about to grab the leader, and strongest, of their group

and he makes a choice

he pushes her out of the way and gets grabbed by the monster instead.

there’s a single moment of searing pain and then the world dissolves into swirling lights and dizziness

when he wakes he’s in a strange house. he introduces himself and the person who’s taking care of him introduces himself

he’s told he fell out of some sort of portal and virgil tries to help him figure out where he is in relation to his home but. virgil doesnt recognize any of the places patton is talking about. and patton doesnt recognize any of the ones virgil says

virgil asks patton about the fact that He Is Part Fox and patton talks about the magical system back home and thats when they realize theyre dealing with dimension travel

patton stays in bed for the rest of the day and by the next hes feeling much better! so he helps virgil around the house and they get to know each other

the day after that, virgil remembers that he really needs those herbs, so he tells pat hes going out for a bit to gather them

he gets about a quarter of the way there when Another Portal Opens and dumps out a person. this time right in front of him

this person is also wearing odd

clothing, but in a different style than pattons

he checks to make sure theyre not injured (they knocked their head a bit but other than that seem fine) and carries them back home

the person is unconscious in virgil’s bed for a couple of hours longer than patton was, but he wakes up entirely coherent

he introduces himself as “logan croft”

logan

his world is one full of magic

magical creatures of all sorts live there and magic is a welcome part of society

there’s elves, fairies, merfolk, unicorns, any you can think of

magical schools are also big parts of it

people who have mastered their magic to the highest degree are called mages

everyone else are called wizards

the way magic works in this world is with spells (think harry potter but without wands)

some people are born with more magic than others and as such have a harder time controlling it when it manifests at around 10

so theyre sent to magic schools where they learn how to safely do so

if they want to stay at these schools after they learn control then they move on to higher forms of magical education to continue learning

logan is one of these students

he was born with a MASSIVE amount of magic and when it manifested he. accidentally leveled his house

everyone was fine!!!!!!! but the poor boy had absolutely no control

so he stayed at a school for people with high amounts of magic and by the time he was 13 he had enough control to leave if he wanted to

of course this being logan he Absolutely wanted to keep learning so he moved on

he was so good actually that he ended up in the best magic academy in the world

he consistently learned magic at a faster rate than his peers and so by the time he was 18 (people normally didnt until they were like 21/22) he was a mage in all but name

so he was ready to take his mage exam

the mage exam is considered both easy and the hardest and most dangerous thing you could do

its easy in the fact that you only have to cast a spell correctly

its hard and dangerous bc its a spell that NO ONE outside of historians have ever seen before and you only have 10 minutes to memorize it. things go wrong Frequently

needless to say there arent many mages and people tend to either quit before reaching that stage or fail

and failure can be painful

so logan decides to take the mage exam

the spell they are given is a long string of words dug out of an ancient book of spells and historians arent entirely sure what it does

so ofc its given to the best in the academy

logan takes his ten minutes to memorize the spell and begins chanting

now in this world, when spells are used a runic circle made of light appears under the person casting

small spells have small circles and bigger spells have larger and brighter ones

the one this spell called forwards was massive and so bright that it blinded the exam practitioners (i think thats the word?)

when the light died down logan was gone

theyre unsure whether it went right or wrong but unfortunately theres no trace of where logan had gone so theres no way to see

when he wakes hes somewhere he doesnt recognize and is being taken care of by two people

they all introduce themselves and logan gets the story about what happened to him

and he realizes hes in a different dimension with different magical rules

naturally he wants to learn everything

so he and virgil have long discussions about the differences in their magic systems

(with patton chiming in every once in a while with how bonkers magical girl powers are)

after logan gets back on his feet virgil really REALLY needs those herbs and so he decides to go back out

logan tags along this time bc he wants to see the differences between the flora and fauna of this new world

they get about half way there and once again.

a portal opens

its light blue and yellow

virgil goes “jesus christ AGAIN??????? am i a MAGNET for these things??????????”

and a person falls out

theyre another animal person. this time with scales covering the side of their face and down their arms

virgil and logan carry this whole other person back home and as soon as they walk in

patton is like “janus????!!!!!”

janus

turns out

janus is from pat’s world!!!! and the same mg group!!!!!

he became a magical boy about a year before pat did and was merged with the dna of a golden lancehead viper

so hes been a mg for like 4 years

his outfit is white with yellow bows and a black cape thing with a yellow inside. his scales are bright yellow and his eyes are heterochromatic. one is a normal eye (brown) and the other is a bright gold color with a snake-like pupil

his marking is on the inside of his left wrist

his weapon is a set of knives made of light that he can call at will and either slash with or throw

he and patton got along rather well in the current time

in the past, they,,,, didnt

it wasnt violent but they were kinda snippy at each other and janus was aggressively sarcastic which pat Did Not Appreciate

but after working together for a few years they got to know each other better and saw each other through low points in their lives and became close

janus was still a sarcastic little shit but now its more playful

he likes to suggest “pushing it down a flight of stairs” for any problem

“man i have a big math test tomorrow with a mean teacher that i didnt study for im screwed”

“push it down the stairs”

“the teacher or the test?”

“yes”

he will also aggressively remind you that Self Care Is Good And Needed

(“patton youve been patrolling for hours every night this week. go sleep”

“but i-“

“go 👏 to 👏 sleep 👏”

“bu-“

“go sleep or im going to knock you unconscious and THEN youll sleep”

“ok fine”)

anyways the dimension monster came back and despite the whole group being more careful, it got janus

luckily (to every one else) this time they managed to defeat it

once again, the pain of dimensional travel fucking SUCKED and janus was unconscious for about as long as patton was

he woke and ate a small meal and fell back asleep for like an hour

when he woke up that time he was shocked and happy to see patton

they reunite and everyone gets to know each other over the next couple days

and then virgil remembers that he STILL HASNT GOTTEN HIS HERBS and they all decide to tag along when he leaves to get them

virgil just like sighs and said “nothing better happen this time i swear to god-“

and they make it most of the way there!!!!! virgil feels a little hope!!!!

then another portal opens

its red and green

(virgil: “GODDAMMIT”)

this time TWO people fall out

the group gather up the two portal people and take them home to heal bc

holy shit they are in bad condition

theyre unconscious for a solid 2 days

Roman and remus

their world is BAD yall

the world is very scientifically advanced, and a group if scientists decided that they wanted to prove the existence of alternate universes

and they did!

but they accidentally opened a portal to a hell dimension and they couldnt close it

so the whole world became an apocalyptic nightmare

this happened when the twins were 15

theyve been surviving on their own in an apocalyptic hellscape for just over 4 years now

remus is the close range fighter with a variety of Large Sharp Knives and roman hangs back and snipes the ones going in for remus’ blind spots with a modified rifle. or if he has to fight closer range he has a modified pistol

roman also is the one to carry their medical supplies bc remus did Once and never will again

they travel together bc even though they cant stand each other some days (remus makes gross comments a Lot and roman likes to complain about the lack of conditioner)

(roman once found an old bottle of perfume and dumped it on remus’ head. in retaliation, when they were relatively safe remus found a dead squirrel and chased roman around with it for a solid 15 minutes)

theyre still twins and theyre all each other have left

currently, roman and remus are running from a creature that caught them off guard while they were sleeping

it had managed to get a few good hits on them before they managed to fight back so they both have a couple injuries

roman has a long slice down his arm and remus has some real bad claw marks down his back

the two of them find a building they can hide in while they wait for the creature to move on and discover that its some sort of science lab

they decide to explore for a bit bc they have 0 braincells between the two of them

what they dont realize is that this is one of the labs that the scientists were using to build their dimensional machines

what they do realize is that the monster found them and it starts chasing them through the facility

the two of them are in really bad shape

malnourished after living on just what they can find for 4 years, both bleeding profusely from open wounds and various injuries from other run-ins with the creatures

they arent able to run as fast as they usually are able and so they get cornered in a room with a large machine

they back up to it to stay away as long as they can and

one of them presses a button

the machine behind them whirrs to life and the two are sucked into a portal oh so similar to the one that ruined the lives of everyone on their world

roman wakes first

he wasnt hurt as badly as remus so the portal didnt take as much out of him as remus

everyone introduces themselves and roman has the his first full meal in. a long time

(he might cry a lil bit but shhhhhhh)

and now that hes awake, virgil can give him a potion to help speed up his healing

thats when romans like “holy shit MAGIC?????”

bc there was none on his world

and they all talk and get to know each other

(the other four are Horrified at how awful his world was

bc like, patton and janus’ wasnt very good either but it wasnt an apocalypse

the next day virgil leaves logan in charge and FINALLY goes and gets his GODDAMN HERBS

nothing happens this time :)

and when he gets back remus is awake

hes fed and virgil gets him a potion too

the two heal and just kind of marvel at the fact theyre safe for the first time in years

also that theres GODDAMN MAGIC!!!!!!!!!!

they still can’t believe theres actual magic

the five dimension hoppers eventually meet thomas, virgil’s talking magic cat

(virgil: “he can think and talk like a human hes not my cat”

thomas: “im totally your cat stop denying it”)

he decided to wander around the forest for a while (he does this often) and only got back after all of the portal shit ended

he is the only cat with magic and says he ALSO fell out of a portal but it was a few years before he met virgil

i dont really know what happens after this

maybe they go try to figure out how to get home?

maybe they decide to stay and live in the woods for the rest of their lives

 maybe they decide “you know what? FUCK the government” and stage a coup to make magic legal

 whichever it is definitely has a lot of found family goodness

can you tell i started running out of steam like 3/4 of the way through

[tempportal]

repost with the rules, answer the 11 random questions left for you, and leave 11 more for the people you tag

Were you an Egyptology kid or a Greek mythology kid? (AKA, what was your Weirdly Specific Phase as a kid?) Bold of you to assume I only ever had one (1) Weirdly Specific Phase as a kid!! I had many more than that - Egyptology and Greek mythology are both definitely somewhere on the list, but Norse mythology, Celtic mythology, medieval Europe, ancient Greece, and the Aztec Empire were also my shit. i had so many weird, obscure interests from kindergarten to seventh grade and i personally think that was very sexy of me ✨

Describe your favorite accessory! a perfect replica of the one ring from LotR!! I wear it everywhere 

If you could have one mythical creature as a pet, what would it be and why? The very existence of this question implies that the answer isn’t always inevitably “a dragon” and honestly how fucking dare you

Tell me about one of your favorite threads! all of them 🥺 this blog will be one (1) year old in April and i STILL cannot believe actual human beings deadass want to write with my talentless ass

Do you believe in ghosts? (Bonus if you can talk about any ghostly encounters!) okay, first off, my house is straight-up haunted, so jot that down!! but when I was a little kid, I stayed out in the country with my dad sometimes - like in the deep DEEP country, where it was all farmland and forests as far as the eye can see, with the occasional church thrown in for Spice - and the farm my dad always used to take me out to had this big old barn where a very old man lived, and he told me that he was the farmhand for the last family who lived in the farmhouse. he was a lonely old man, quiet, bad leg, mostly just kept to himself, but every now and then I’d stay out too long in the woods and it would get dark and the old man would come out to find me and bring me back home. i can literally still describe his face, his voice, his clothes, in absolutely perfect detail. fast-forward MANY years, i’m seventeen or eighteen at that point, don’t see my dad at all anymore (because he’s an asshole, but whose dad isnt) and i casually mention the old man in the barn to my sister, and she deadass asked me, “what old man in the barn???” i describe the man for my sister. she does not remember him at all. now that i think back about it, i realize my sisters and my dad never mentioned the old man even once. i never mentioned the old man because i thought we were all just politely ignoring the fact that he continued to live on property that wasn’t his, and little six year old me ain’t no snitch. nope. old man in the barn was a ghost or some shit. i have never been back there since i was a kid and i am DESPERATELY curious to know if the old man is still there.       

What would your muse’s TUA fight song be? What would your TUA fight song be? i would very much like to see Five murder people to Holding Out For A Hero!! and Take On Me. and Manic Monday. and Have You Ever Seen The Rain. but for a more modern flavor, GJan’s Now You and Fleurie’s Soldier would be VERY sexy choices for a Five murder scene. and for me, i think Ruelle’s Game of Survival would be a fun and badass song to fight people to!! 

Who’s the first artist/band you want to see in concert whenever it’s safe? No concerts for me, thanks! Too much noise 😬

What’s one quote that lives in your head rent free? “we (forgive us) lived happily during the war” from the Ilya Kaminsky poem and “when all is said and done, you’ll believe god is a woman” from the Ariana Grande song

What’s your favorite meal to cook? casseroles and stir-frys!! it’s all about cutting and sautéing vegetables which is the sexiest kitchen task

If you could only wear one outfit for the rest of your life, what would it be? I literally wear jeans and a T-shirt (or a sweater in the autumn/winter months) every single day of my life so jeans and a T-shirt and/or sweater lmao

What would be the title of your autobiography? The Scary Mysterious Creature In The Bog Who Writes One (1) Reply Every 2 Months 😂

MY QUESTIONS: 

What’s the closest thing to real magic you’ve ever seen? 

What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever gotten away with?

What’s a quote that describes your muse really well?

How do you cheer yourself up after a hard day?

Tell me a skill you had to work really hard to get good at! How long did it take to master it?   

Is there a piece of media (book, film, television show, etc.) that will always stick with you/that you just can’t forget? Why?

What’s your favorite outdoor activity?

If you could spend the day with your muse, what would you do?

What’s your favorite family and/or holiday tradition?

What’s your desktop and phone background?

Pick a city that fits your muse’s Aesthetique ~

tagged by: @theseancekid 

tagging: @rumorsabound @immortalled @nvmbcrtwo @shestrong @conjuredead @mstinteresting @nirgama​ @tragicend​ and anyone else who wants to do it!!  

[chasseurdeloup-retired]

A Moment of Rest || Morgan and Kaden

TIMING: Before the cabin in the woods  LOCTAION: Woods PARTIES: @mor-beck-more-problems and @chasseurdeloup SUMMARY: A very normal picnic in the woods with a surprise guest.

“You could look happier to be out in the sunshine, you know. There’s not even any mushrooms in sight.” Morgan said. She spread out the picnic blanket in the shade, and settled down, a little smug today at being beyond heat exhaustion and squirming when she started to sweat through her cami. Corpse chill was so severe, she wasn’t even sure if she would sweat anymore. Morgan squished down the thought, determined to maintain it as a positive. She could look cute in any kind of weather. She didn’t even need ice baths like Deirdre did. Shaking back her hair, she gestured for Kaden to come sit. “In honor of us needing a serious break, and your favorite band of all time, I’ve got a mamma mia mimosa for you, a super trooper brain smoothie for me, and gimmie, gimmie, gimmie, gimmie waffles. Obviously, I can’t tell how much better they are from my last ones, but I’m feeling really confident about how I tweaked the batter. If nothing else, these are at least twice as fluffy. Come on, you know you want some, right?”

“I don’t even want to think about the mushrooms, thanks,” Kaden said as he found a spot on the picnic blanket across from Morgan. “I don’t even know how to begin explaining that one to Regan. She’s finally not five fucking inches so it’d be nice if we could get a two second reprieve from the fae bullshit.” Not to mention, he still wasn’t completely sure about the details on these mushrooms, he just knew he wasn’t ready to face whatever they were going to do to Regan. Part of him considered asking Morgan for advice but no, this was supposed to be a break. Maybe later. He sighed and was about to reach for the mimosa when he heard her little intro. Kaden sat there, blinking at her, fully ready to get up and walk the fuck away. “Erin fucking told you, didn’t she?” Putain. That was his guilty pleasure, not something he wanted out in public. It was embarrassing enough admitting it, he didn’t need ABBA rubbed in his face like that. Still, clear enough she meant well. Teasing. That’s all it was. Like they were friends or something. Fine. “Only if you quit making fun of me, dead girl.” He grumbled a little as he took the waffles from her. “And don’t tell Deirdre.”

“Don’t you know, Kaden? Up in White Crest you don’t think about fairy mushrooms; fairy mushrooms think about you.” Morgan didn’t know how to tell him her flippancy was the only thing keeping her from giving into the dread of being surrounded by those fucking fungi for months. But if he didn’t want an early ticket to the horror show, she didn’t blame him. She laid out all the tupperware and popped off the lids one by one. There was nothing in the make or decoration that signified anything ABBA related. She’d considered arranging berries on whipped cream to spell out the band’s name, but couldn't find any containers that would fit it just right, Lucky for Kaden.

“Of course Erin told me. We’re friends. But I think you still come out ahead of Ms. EDM Queen. I am ribbing you, but I also think there’s nothing wrong with liking ABBA...until you start making faces like that.” She wagged her finger at him, grinning. “And that’s a terrible request to make because she already knows. Sorry, but we tell each other...pretty much everything.” Morgan shrugged and took a deep, satisfying slurp of her shake. “It’s not that deep of a secret, is it? Will you feel better if I say I sing to Rogers and Hammerstein in my car? Or if I had my own brief ABBA phase when the stage Mamma Mia first came out?”

“You joke but if any town had sentient mushrooms, this is the one,” Kaden said. It was fine, Regan was sensible, unlike Deirdre. They didn’t have to worry about fairy mushroom crap. A pit dropped in his stomach out of nowhere, like some part of him knew he was lying to himself. Guess that was a problem for the future.

Kaden sighed. He hated that Deirdre had one up to embarrass him with. She would, too. At least with Erin they were fair and square. “There’s nothing wrong with ABBA, I just don’t want people laughing at me, alright,” he mumbled. It was stupid to admit, considering for the most part how little he cared about what other people thought of him, or at least that was what he told himself. The more he stayed in White Crest, the more he wondered if that was true. Reputations hardly matter if you don’t stay put in one spot for too long. But here he was all settled and cared and shit like that. There were so many days he wondered if that had been a mistake. And here he was, having waffles with a zombie. Probably a fucking mistake. He sighed and bit into the waffles. For a mistake, it was damn tasty. “Of course you sing musical ballads and shit, that’s completely expected from let’s talk about our feelings girl. Hell I bet you’d live in a musical if you could. Everyone belting out their private fucking emotions. I’d put money down that’s your idea of a good time.” He shook his head before taking another sip of Homs mimosa. Sounded like hell to him. Talking about feelings was bad enough. Kaden’s brow furrowed as he heard a soft small rumbling sound. Almost like a… bleating? Odd. “Do you hear that?” he asked.

“Oh, you’re damn right I would,” Morgan said. “You may not know this, but Deirdre and I kill at karaoke. Give me a moving, hummable love ballad, a solo in the rousing group number, maybe a breakaway hit ‘I want’ song. Maybe if I had one I could actually get more direction in my life going.” She took a deep slurp of her smoothie. “Are you saying that’s not your idea of a good time?” She pouted. She was going to relent a little, ask him about the waffles or, heck, whatever else he was interested in outside of work, when her senses perked at a strange sound from the bushes. “Yeah,” she murmured. Setting her smoothie down, Morgan got to her feet and started creeping towards the sound. The leaves rustled. Something was there alright. She positioned herself in front of Kaden, gesturing, sshhh. “We should probably stay quiet,” she whispered.

“Fuck no,” Kaden said with no hesitation. “I can’t imagine wanting to burst out into song or anyone appreciating that, either. All of that sounds tedious. I’ll stick to darts and trivia nights, thanks. Hard pass on the karaoke.” Plus, Regan couldn't sing (by her own admission) and he was fairly fucking ceratin a tone deaf banshee would make everyone else wish they were deaf. He watched, though, as she crept towards the sound. Guess they were going to investigate, huh. He stood and followed behind, nodding and remaining silent at her request. There it was again, the sound. There was no doubt what it was this time. The gentle bleating of a lamb. Which was impossible, there weren’t any farms out here. No livestock was going to survive on its own in White Crest, not out in the woods. He edged up next to her and peeled open the branches to reveal what was beyond them. Sitting there was a small, white lamb. Shit, they had to bring it in, probably take it to the shelter. He didn’t have any of his equipment with him. “Do you have a rope or something? A long string? Anything? We could try to get a loop lead around it,” he whispered.

Morgan gestured for Kaden to keep back as she came up to the bushes. “What are you doing? My limbs grow back, yours don’t!” She hissed. But Kaden peeled back the branches and-- “Aaaw!” Morgan squeezed his shoulder in excitement. “It’s so cute! What do you mean get a rope? Look how small and cute it is!” Morgan reached out a hand to let the fluffy little critter sniff her. It let out a soft bleat and licked her fingertip, testing to see if she was food. Morgan scooped the sweet creature up while it was occupied like this and inspected the little guy on their hands. “Oh, Kaden,” she cooed. “This cutie pie isn’t running off anywhere, are you honey?” The lamb bleated and wriggled in her grasp, ready to be put down. Morgan settled its forelegs on her lap and gave the lamb chin scratches for its trouble. She gave Kaden a look, trying to see if he’d put it together yet. “...It’s a little attached right now?” She prodded. “Because it’s a plant?”

It was always strange to remember that Morgan was damn near indestructible. Sure, Kaden had seen her tossed by a mime moose like a rag doll but so much of him still remembered when a vampire pulled her into the trees and nearly tore her apart. Thankfully, no such danger was there today. It was just a lamb. Well, mostly. It was… tethered to the ground? “Putain. Animal control is ruining me,” he said with a grumble. A year ago, the first thing he would have noticed was the supernatural element of it all. He also probably would have killed the lamb. With how cozy she seemed to be with it, he thought it best not to announce that. Kaden exhaled and plopped back down on the picnic blanket. “I thought it was a lost lamb. Like a real one. I was going to make sure it didn’t get away and bring it into the shelter because I thought it was normal.” That was certainly not the case. “I know what a vegetable lamb is, alright. I grew up knowing this shit, come on,” he grumbled before taking another bite of his waffles. The small supernatural animal across the way bleated and started sniffing the blanket and all the contents there. “Hey. Don’t eat my food; not for you!” he said as he tried to direct the lamb away from the berries on his plate.

Morgan couldn’t help but laugh. “Hey, at least we don’t have to spoil brunch by fighting giant spiders or running from creepy tics. It’s just one sweet little veggie lamb! And still has about another year left in its cute little life, judging from the size.” Morgan booped the lamb’s nose and pet its fur. “Oh, yeah, you’re a real big bad expert. What’s the protocol for this one anyway? It’s just so fearsome and terrible.” This, just as the lamb tried to take some of Kaden’s blackberries, made her laugh even more. Morgan lifted the critter out of the way and wiggled its forelegs in Kaden’s direction, ventriloquising sweetly, “Put ‘em up, Kaden! That’s my berries! I’ll fight you for them!”

She made a show of gasping with horror. “What a very rude vegetable! Should we pacify your gloriousness?” She picked up one of the berries from the tupperware and hovered it over the critter’s mouth. It bleated, thrashing and pleading until Morgan relented and brought it close enough to be eaten. “My mom had one once, apparently. They’re hard to grow in the first place. A lot can go wrong and it’s sort of gross when it doesn’t work out. But I’m not sure what this little guy is doing out here…” Bringing the lamb back to her lap, she pushed herself out of her thoughts and smiled over at Kaden. “How’s the food? And the whipped cream? I’ve never made it before and I can’t taste, but I measured everything really carefully.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’ve got a point there,” Kaden replied. He was sick of being told that normal was a relative word, but at this point, he’d take normal adjacent. And avoiding monsters that ate people, or well, at least actively planned to eat them, was an improvement to most days in White Crest. “Uh, you really want to know?” he asked, mouth pulled into a thin line, looking down at the lamb and then back to her. “Langley code is everything supernatural should go.” He knew those words would fall like a lead weight between them, but it’s not like he could change his past or his family or what he was raised with anymore than she could change what she was. And he was admittedly still a little uncomfortable how much he’d changed himself. He much preferred it when he didn't have to face that reality, it was much easier when he could ignore it, not have to examine what all his contradicting bullshit meant. Good thing he didn't have to think about it long. He couldn’t help but crack a smile at the lamb as she held it up and made it act out a scene. It was so easy to forget that she wasn’t human and that it wasn’t an animal.

Okay, alright, stupid thing was cute. Putain. “Yeah so I’ve heard.” He couldn’t imagine going through all that work for a vegetable version of a sheep when there were standard sheep. Not that he needed one of those either. He rolled his eyes before he held out some of the berries in his hand for the stupid vegetable. It bleated before timedly wobbling towards him, nose sniffing and snuffling to find the fruit in his hands. Funny how similar it was to a normal animal; the corner of his mouth pulled up into a smile all over again as he watched. “Hmm? Oh. Yeah, it’s great. Almost too sweet but that could just be me, I don’t have a huge sweet tooth surprisingly.”

Morgan went stiff as Kaden explained the Langley code. Her eyes did nothing to hide the gravity of what he’d said, the danger she and the vegetable lamb were ostensibly in. She couldn’t help but hold the lamb a little tighter, any number of arguments rising in her throat. We have as much right to be here as anyone else. We didn’t choose how we were made any more than you did. What even gives Langleys the right to determine what counts as ‘natural.’ Cholera is natural too. So was Ted Bundy. ‘Natural’ isn’t a basis for… Morgan stopped herself. It was almost disturbing how easily she forgot what he was. But he was her exception just as she was his. The space they shared as friends wasn’t any more “natural” than the magic keeping the vegetable lamb alive. It had to be crafted with intention and suspended with care. And then, when the moment passed, it would weaken. One day, Morgan feared, it might even break.

Morgan watched in silence as Kaden fed his berries to the small creature, beaming thoughtfully as it nuzzled his hand. Animals were innocent and trusting even when they shouldn’t be; Deirdre had explained that to her enough times when talking about her childhood farm. But the way Kaden handled the lamb, even nervous as he was, was so gentle. She struggled to imagine him stabbing the life out of a creature just because with those hands. “I guess it’s a good thing for both of us you’re only kind of a Langley,” she said quietly. Clearing her throat she pressed on, “I’m glad, though. About the whipped cream. A little surprised since French cuisine is so rich, but, hey, so is Southern food, I guess, and half of my family didn’t have much of a sweet tooth either.” She shrugged, reaching for some thread that would steer the mood back towards levity. Wherever it was, she couldn’t find it yet.

Kaden couldn’t help but bristle hearing her call him “kind of a Langley.” He didn’t know if he wished she was more wrong or more right. Either way he hated feeling like he was either failing or had wasted a good portion of his life. He wasn’t sure which it was yet. Every inch of him screamed at him to fight, snap back at her comment the way he had for so many years at anyone and everyone, especially those who disparaged him. Spit back something about still being a hunter, legacy, any of that. But something stopped him. Maybe it was the waffles, maybe it was lamb, maybe it was the expression on Morgan’s face mere moments ago. Maybe it was because he remembered everything that had happened with his mother’s ghost.

The lamb started to bristle its little lips around Kaden’s fingers to see if there was anything worth nibbling there and he let the thoughts fade away. “Rich and savory is one thing. And I don’t hate sweet things, they just need a balance,” he said as he plucked a berry of his plate and held it out in his hand for the lamb to eat. “Like a good piece of fruit, just ripe. That’s perfect. If it’s too saccharine, it hurts my teeth, all that.” As much as he wished that had pulled his mind from the previous topic of conversation, it didn’t. “Most of my family didn’t have much of a sweet tooth. Not that I remember too much by now.” He hadn’t meant to make it heavy again with talk of loss and death, as inevitable as it was around them. Still, he could try to shift. “I told you my uncle was in town, right? He’s German. Lived with him after--” After he lost his parents. Putain. “Anyway, picked up a decent fondness for good German cuisine, too. Feel like I almost always forget until I see him again, you know? Brings things back.”

“Balance, huh?” Morgan said with a fond smile. “I can get behind that.” But this strange tangent didn’t last long. Kaden hadn’t just lost his family, he’d lost them so young even his memories were faded. For all she knew, his awful ghost problem was the strongest memory of his mother was of her attacking him as that awful creature. She couldn’t help but think about her own mother yelling at her on the beach more than the painfully strained visits in her care facility and later, the home of one of Ruth’s old friends. Neither end was especially wonderful, but the burn was newer in one place than the other.

“I am sorry about your family, Kaden,” she said soberly. “I know how hard it is not to have anyone, to miss people like that, even when your relationship was complicated.” She leveled her eyes at him so he would know she meant it. She wasn’t sure if he realized she’d lost all her family either, that this wasn’t pity, but something about him she might actually understand. “I’m glad Oscar was there for you, at least. It sounds like you two are really close. That has to feel...I don’t even know. How does it feel…? Having him back in your life and accessible in a way he hasn’t been in awhile? Um, cooking and all?”

“Yeah. It’s-- It is what it is,” Kaden said as he tried to keep his eyes on the lamb’s little mouth greedily looking for more berries. It was his constant defense when someone talked about his parents like this. Still, something about the way she said that she was sorry rang true. Kaden could never say where the line was that made it clear to him when people understood loss or not, but it was there, invisible but stark. He didn’t know if it was anything more than just the loss of her own life, though he did recall she also was visited by the ghost of her mother during the whole coin debacle. He wasn’t sure it mattered what or when, if you knew the pain of it, you knew all the same.

“Yeah he was around a lot of my life. Always sort of looked up to him. But ever since I was, I don’t know, twenty or so, we’d split up, reconvene, catch up, repeat.” Kaden shrugged. “It’s always nice to see him. He’s really all I have left of--” Kaden swallowed back his words. Oscar was what he had left of family. His life before anything changed. “But this is, I mean, this is way more complicated than it used to be.” Nothing illustrated it more than this moment right now. He was chatting with a zombie over waffles while petting a goddamn vegetable lamb. There used to be a safety he felt when Oscar was around. Now he felt like the most dangerous person in town. And he hated feeling that way about Oscar of all people, the only person he could always count on to look after him. “Every time I’ve gotten myself into deep shit, I always knew I had someone to turn to. It’s weird not going to him now that I feel like I’m in trouble.” Because the trouble was him.

Morgan didn’t examine the impulse to reach out to Kaden. It came so quickly, and there was something so painful about the way he brushed aside his own loss with such ease, she wondered if he ever let himself feel it now that the wound was starting to numb, or let other people understand what he was feeling. Her hand settled on his shoulder and she squeezed carefully so as not to hurt him. “Yeah, it is what it is, but that doesn’t mean it’s not the worst, or that it doesn’t trip you up almost out of nowhere sometimes.” Life with Oscar wasn’t like anything Morgan could imagine. She craved to have her hands around anything precious she managed to have. But to have a touchstone you could pass by at all must have been special. Morgan was endeared, even relieved by the way Kaden talked about him, even as his mention of ‘complicated’ put a stone in her stomach. Right. Oscar and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad, good for nothing supernaturals that couldn’t possibly be people. Of course.

“I’m sorry that things are different between you now,” she said solemnly. At least for now, she thought, though she couldn’t bear to entertain the idea for long. “Do you have a plan, for how you’re going to deal with his visit here? I mean, is it going to be dangerous for you if he finds things out, or just...well, just more normative levels of terrifying encounters and really hard conversations?”

Kaden never knew what to make of physical contact. Well, when it was from people he wasn’t dating or trying to date. Even between family it had been strained. Or, well, perhaps not strained but it certainly wasn’t frequent. It was unfamiliar, but not unwelcome. Funny, her skin was cold, sure, but cold hands barely registered any more. “You don’t have to be, though. Sorry. I mean-- I don’t know.” Talking about what happened was something he was about as good at dealing with as physical affection. “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience, though. You don’t have to explain, just-- You can always tell.” He gave the lamb another berry and gave it a small scratch behind its ear. It was easier to just think of it as a real lamb, not supernatural. Focus on the parts that were normal.  

“Dangerous? For me, no. But that’s not what I’m worried about.” Kaden tried to swallow back the lump forming in his throat. It felt impossible for him to imagine what Oscar would do if he found out what Regan was, who he was friends with, the fact that he was keeping a pixie as a roommate, any of it. None of it was behavior that he’d ever imagined for himself, so how could he anticipate any reactions? He suspected, at the very least, that Oscar would try to kill them, encourage Kaden to. But maybe he could make exceptions. Or better yet, maybe he’d just leave town before finding out about any of it. He never had to know Kaden had changed any of his views. He could keep thinking his nephew was still a worthwhile hunter, holding up the legacy.

Right. Doubtful. Kaden let out a sigh. “But yeah, no plans. No clue what to do.”

Morgan gave Kaden another squeeze for good measure. “I do, yeah. Family curses of true suffering don’t exactly fuck around,” she gave a small laugh, breathless and humorless to mark all the anguish that had gone numb from her picking at them over the years. Kaden had probably coped by keeping silent, or leaning in extra hard into the ‘it’s fine school of thought.

“Well, lucky for you, I guess.” Morgan said the word gently, meaning it in earnest. “I just mean, you can use that. You can focus on protecting people you care about, and when the time comes, you don’t have to worry about having to save yourself. That can be really important. And, you know, taking care of people can look like a lot of different things. I think you should consider doing a little more than waiting for the sky to fall down, but I’m just paranoid that way. But, you know, if you’re clear with yourself and your intentions, if you tell yourself enough that you’ll protect Regan no matter what, maybe the right plan will come to you later. But then that’s just one hippie zombie’s opinion. What do you think, veggie lamb?” She lifted the fuzzy critter and steered it up toward Kaden so its bright, guileless eyes were level with his.

Kaden looked up and finally met Morgan’s eyes and gave her a nod in return. It was what he could manage. Too much and it would send the grief and pain flooding back, he was sure of it. No need for that. It wasn’t produc-- He froze, the thought rattled in his mind. It was something straight from his mother’s mouth. He wasn’t sure what to do with that. Or what it meant. He tried to let it roll off him. “Yeah, good point. Guess you don’t get to be free of it even when… you know.”

The way she was approaching the situation wasn’t in a way that had occurred to him at all. The thought of having to save himself from Oscar just didn’t--- His brows knit together at the thought. It didn’t make sense in so many ways; it was a scenario he could never imagine himself in. Needing to protect himself from Oscar. Standing against him. Not being just like him. Not wanting to be just like him. And what did it even mean to go against the small scrap of family he had left? What if he-- That possibility was too difficult for him to even begin to consider just yet. Seeing the veggie lamb sitting there brought him out of his thoughts and put a small smile on his face. “Hmm I think he doesn’t know how to plan for that sort of thing. But he’s also a lamb. Well, technically a plant.”

“You mean even when I’m technically un-cursed but still dead and a zombie?” Morgan said, her smile sad for all its warmth. “Yeah. That stuff sticks forever. Get it?”

Kaden seemed confused by something she said, and it took Morgan awhile to figure that he’d never been given a reason to fear the people who were supposed to take care of him. Or at least not enough that he was willing to admit to himself. She wasn’t sure if he was really lucky for that or not. She quirked her brow up at Kaden as he dodged the question. I see you doing that. She held his gaze a moment, debating whether she should give him this out or not. “Lamby over here is both, thank you very much. Lamby is one of two worlds and lives that way in peace. But, as much wisdom as Lamby almost certainly possesses, I think you’re right. He just wants more of your berries.”

[rthoney]

1: How tall or short do you wish you were?

2: What’s your dream pet? (Real or not)

3: Do you have a favorite clothing style?

4: What was your favorite video game growing up?

5: What three things/people do you think of most each day:

6: If you had a warning label, what would yours say?

7: What is your opinion on [insert person/thing here]?

8: What is your Greek personality type? [Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Choleric, or Melancholic]

9: Are you ticklish?

10: Are you allergic to anything?

11: What’s your sexuality?

12: Do you prefer tea, coffee, or cocoa?

13: Are you a cat or dog person?

14: Would you rather be a vampire, elf, or merperson?

15: Do you have a favorite Youtuber?

16: How tall are you?

17: If you had to change your name, what would you change it to?

18: How much do you weigh? [Only ask this if you know the user doesn’t mind!]

19: Do you believe in ghosts/spirits?

20: Do you like space or the ocean more?

21: Are you religious?

22: Pet peeves?

23: Would you rather be nocturnal or diurnal [opposite of nocturnal]?

24: Favorite constellation?

25: Favorite star?

26: Do you like ball-jointed dolls?

27: Any phobias or fears?

28: Do you think global warming is real?

29: Do you believe in reincarnation?

30: Favorite movie?

31: Do you get scared easily?

32: How many pets have you own in your lifetime?

33: Blog rate? [You’ll rate the blog of the one who’s asking.]

34: What is a color that calms you?

35: Where would you like to travel and/or live?

36: Where were you born?

37: What is your eye color?

38: Introvert or extrovert?

39: Do you believe in horoscopes and zodiacs?

40: Hugs or kisses?

41: Who is someone you would like to see/visit right now?

42: Who is someone you love deeply?

43: Any piercings you want?

44: Do you like tattoos and piercings?

45: Do you smoke or have you eiver done so?

46: Talk about your crush, if you have one!

47: What is a sound you really hate?

48: A sound you really love?

49: Can you do a backflip?

50: Can you do the splits?

51: Favorite actor and/or actress?

52: Favorite movie?

53: How are you feeling right now?

54: What color would you like your hair to be right now?

55: When did you feel happiest?

56: Something that calms you down?

57: Have any mental disorders? [Only ask this if you know the user doesn’t mind!]

58: What does your URL mean?

59: What three words describe you the most?

60: Do you believe in evolution?

61: What makes you unfollow a blog?

62: What makes you follow a blog?

63: Favorite kind of person:

64: Favorite animal(s):

65: Name three of your favorite blogs.

66: Favorite emoticon:

67: Favorite meme:

68: What is your MBTI personality type?

69: What is your star sign?

70: Can your dog roll over on command, if you have a dog?

71: What outfit out of all your clothes do you like to wear the most?

72: Post a selfie or two?

73: Do you have platform shoes?

74: What is one random but interesting fact about yourself?

75: Can you do a front flip?

76: Do you like birds?

77: Do you like to swim?

78: Is swimming or ice skating more fun to you?

79: Something you wish didn’t exist:

80: Some thing you wish did exist:

81: Piercings you have?

82: Something you really enjoy doing:

83: Favorite person to talk to:

84: What was your first impression of Tumblr?

85: How many followers do you have?

86: Can you run a mile within ten minutes?

87: Do your socks always match?

88: Can you touch your toes and keep your legs straight completely?

89: What are your birthstones?

90: If you were an animal, which one would you be?

91: If a flower could aesthetically represent you, what kind would it be?

92: A store you hate?

93: How many cups of coffee can you drink in one day?

94: Would you rather be able to fly or read minds?

95: Do you like to wear camo?

96: Winter or summer?

97: How long can you hold your breath for?

98: Least favorite person?

99: Someone you look up to:

100: A store you love?

101: Favorite type of shoes

102: Where do you live?

103: Are you a vegetarian or vegan? If so, why?

104: What is your favorite mineral or gem?

105: Do you drink milk?

106: Do you like bugs?

107: Do you like spiders?

108: Something you get paranoid about?

109: Can you draw:

110: Nosiest question you have ever been asked?

111: A question you hate being asked?

112: Ever been bitten by a spider?

113: Do you like the sound of waves at the beach?

114: Do you prefer cloudy or sunny days?

115: Someone you’d like to kiss or cuddle right now:

116: Favorite cloud type:

117: What color do you wish the sky was?

118: Do you have freckles?

119: Favorite thing about a person:

120: Fruits or vegetables?

121: Something you want to do right now:

122: Is the ocean or sky prettier?

123: Sweet or sour foods?

124: Bright or dim lights?

125: Do you believe in a certain magical creature?

126: Something you hate about Tumblr:

127: Something you love about Tumblr:

128: What do you think about the least?

129: What would you want written on your tombstone?

130: Who would you like to punch in the face right now?

131: What is something you love but also hate about yourself?

132: Do you smile with your teeth showing for pictures?

133: Computer or TV?

134: Do you like roller coasters?

135: Do you get motion sickness or seasickness?

136: Are your ears lobed or attached?

137: Do you believe in karma?

138: On a scale of 1-10, how attractive would you say you are?

139: What nicknames do you have/have had?

140: Did you have any pretend or imaginary friends?

141: Have you ever seen a therapist/shrink?

142: Would you say you are a good or bad influence to others?

143: Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts/help?

144: What makes you angry

145: How many languages do you speak fluently?

146: Do you prefer boys, girls, and/or non-binaries?

147: Are you androgynous?

148: Favorite physical thing about yourself:

149: Favorite thing about your personality:

150: Name three people you would like to talk to right now in person.

151: If you could go back into time and live in one era, which would you choose?

152: Do you like BuzzFeed?

153: How did you meet your spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend/partner? [If you have one.]

154: Do you like to kiss others’ foreheads or hands for platonic reasons?

155: Do you like to play with others’ hair?

156: What embarrasses you?

157: Something that makes you nervous/anxious:

158: Biggest lie you have ever told:

159: How many people are you following?

160: How many posts do you have on your blog(s)?

161: How many drafts do you have on your blog(s)?

162: How many likes do you have on your blog(s)?

163: Last time you cried and why:

164: Do you have long or short hair?

165: Longest your hair has ever been:

166: Why do you like, dislike, or have neutral feelings about religon?

167: Do you really care how the universe and world was created?

168: Do you like to wear makeup?

169: Can you stand on your hands or head for more than thirty seconds?

170: Did you answer the questions you were asked truthfully?

1. im ok with my height 2. Australian Shepard 3. not really.is a sweatshirt and leggings a style? 4. wii  5. probably like the 5 people i talk to every day, hamilton, music 6. i thought of like 6 different things.. 7. idk you pick something and ill answer it  8. fuck idk 9. YES BUT IF YOU TICKLE ME BE PREPARE TO BE KICKED  10. just pollen 11. straight  12. all three. 13. both 14. mermaid hehe i love swimming  15. no 16. 5′ 7″ 17. eliza idk i like my name  18. no 19. nope 20. ocean 21.  kinda more like my dad and stepmom are so like i kinda am too. idrk. 22. people umm idk 23. i dont know 24. i dont have one. they all kinda just look like stars to me.. 25. ^^ 26. wtf is that 27. heights. spiders. snake. most bugs in general. sleeping bags. 28. absoultely  29. no 30. H.A.M.I.L.T.O.N 31. i get startled pretty easily but like actually scared, a little less easly 32.fuck alot. ummm i think 14 not including all the fish ive had 33.well its anon so... 34. idk. 35. new york,  paris, austria, irleand,  36. in the same town i have lived in my whole life 37. meduim brown  38. both.. 39. naw 40. both 41. my mutals  42. my best friendsssss 43. i want another percing on my ear 44. ig 45. no 46. no thank you :) 47. i hate the sound of things being hit on metal 48. lin manuel mirandas voice <3 49. nope 50.NOPE 51. LIN. MANUEL. MIRANDA.  52. HAMILTON 53. im feeling good 54. the color that it is..... 55. idfk 56. listening for music 57. not that i know of  58. it means elizard hamilton 59. music. friends. art. thats probably not what it meant but idk  60. yes  61. being and asshole 62. hamilton and fanfics, mostly  63. idk what this means 64. DOGS. CATS. PANDAS. MOST ANIMALS. 65.i have wayyyy more than three tho..... 66.  idk. 67. i dont have one. 68. i dont know what that is... 69. aquaruis...? 70. no ones old and ones dumb 71. probably my pjs or my london tshirt and jeans/leggings 72. if anyone reminds me i will lol. i doubt anyone will read all of these tho. 73.yes but i dont wear them cause i cant walk in heals 74. idk.... 75. fuck no 76. yea 77. YES I LOVE SWIMMING 78. swimmingggg 79. wasps 80. every broadway show ever to be profretionally recorded. 81. i have two in each ear but i rarely wear the bottom one 82. paiting 83.any one of my best friends. 84. memes. depressed people. fandoms 85.166 86. fuck no. 87. nope. like %80 of the time they dont match 88. sometimes 89. amithest. 90. idk 91. daisiessss 92. idfk 93. 0-2 94.read minds 95. ..idk 96. WINTER 97. idk 98. this ass hole i used to be friends with. he was a racist dick and very toxic 99. i d k  100. idk 101. converse 102. Washington 103. No 104. idk  105. yes 106. some  107. nooooo 108. most things lol 109. kinda 110. idk 111. idrk 112. yea but just like tiny spiders 113. yessssssss 114. sunny unless its raining 115. i dont know. 116. i  dont fuccking know 117. blue...? 118. i wishhhh 119 personality 120. vegitables 121. watch hamilton 122. sky 123. sweet, i dont like sour things 124. dim 125. no 126. idk 127. my friends <3 128. what does this mean... 129. idfk 130. my brother  131. basically everything about me  132. sometimes but not really. 133. computer 134. FUCK YEA 135. no 136.what? 137. no 138. 6.7 139. ri ri, ri, genie, honey, riles, bitch, eliza, weirdo, trash, riley elizabeth gene (not my name) 140. no  141. once. but i was super awkward and didnt talk the enitre time amd never saw her again. i probably need theriapy  142. good 143. giving 144. racists, terfs, people who are assholes 145. 1 146. boys 147. what is that 148. my eyes :P 149. idk 150. lexi. peggy. alex. 151. early brodway era 152. yes. sometimes its a problem 153. LOL IM SINGLE  154. yess 155. yos. espisally when my friends hate it so i do it to mess with them 156. my family. talking about my life with my family. sharing things i like with my family, talking about who i like. 157. preforming 158. how i met my best friend. its a long story but ill say if anyone wants me to 159. 142 160. 3563 161. 7 162. 4641 163. i dont know 164. long 165. probably now is the longest its been. or like kindergarden lol 166. ? 167. no 168. a little 169. hell naw 170. yea.

HOLY FUCK THAT TOOK SO FUCKING LONG

thank you anon

[jensungf]

10 questions tag pt.2

hoo boi okay so ive been tagged in this a lot so im going to split it up into parts but this is alr a lot to read so if u read all of this u deserve a cookie so reply back with cookie and ima send u kithes and hugs

thank u to every who tagged me!! @byunbaekby @neocitybynight @bumblebeenct

aurora’s questions (these r from awhile back hehe

what’s your favorite dish from your culture?

i like phở gà (chicken noodle soup) or bún bò huế (hhh idk it in english)

vegetables or fruit?

fruits? i don’t like either

what’s the last book you’ve read and did you like it?

i think i had to read frankenstein for decathalon before corona hit and no i did not ugh

what inscription would you like on your tombstone?

heart nutted too hard or leyna [redacted] ; jk i actually dont know, i guess in loving memory leyna her love shall forever be remembered thru photographs bc even when the people change, the memories still stay or something (my brain is chaotic rn)

what should they teach in high school but do’t?

definitely financial literacy and how to do taxes and whatnot

who would you most like to sit next to on a 10 hours flight and why?

probs jisung or renjun bc lbr jisung and i would be the type to play smash the entire time and snack (and also if i fell asleep on his shoulder that shit would be so cute omfg) but renjun and i could continue talking for hours hahahah

what skill would you like to master?

cooking/baking!

what movie title best describes your life?

to all the boys i’ve loved before (ok not rly but i couldn’t think of much)

what’s the best way to start your day?

waking up well rested with my outfit planned and no rush getting ready to go eat brunch w my friends

what pets did you have while you were growing up?

i never had any pets hehe i’m allergic and mis padres say no

milly’s questions

where is the favourite place you’ve ever been?

i think i really like the city in toronto!! it’s super aesthetic and the vibes are amazing but i didn’t get to explore :( @longassride kidnap me pls

what is your best school subject, and if it changed drastically why?

it’s always been english haha but i’m not even that good

animated or live action films?

i prefer animated tbh the live action films i’ve seen don’t do any justice

do you play any instruments, how long for?

i play the bassoon and it’s been like 6 years (don’t need fooled i hate it)

have you told anyone irl that you have a blog?

yeah lmao a lot of my irls know and i let some follow me but we dont talk about it too much

favourite social media? 

instagram or tumblr

can you quote me something from your favourite book?

“There comes a time when the world gets quiet and the only thing left is your own heart. So you'd better learn the sound of it. Otherwise you'll never understand what it's saying.” — Just Listen, Sarah Dessen

what was the last tv show you finished in its entirety?

fuck i have no idea i don’t even think ive ever finished a tv show...  oops?

do you have an all time favourite nct fic on this site?

i have many so it’s so hard to choose but one of my all time favs might be @/starlightkun’s ayakashi series for jeno called featherbrain and @lovingyong’s tatbilb series for jaemin. i stayed up until 7am reading featherbrain and i didn’t stop rereading it for a wk bc it was everything i’ve ever liked in one story since i was super into otome games at one point and if i’m being honest, kelsie’s series helped move past a lot of hardships bahahah i could probably quote a few lines honestly bc they mean so much to me 

if you could time travel, when would you go?

the 90s!!

sunny’s questions

If you could pick one artist to soundtrack your life, who would it be?

niki bc she is queen and relatable !!!

If you could have a Magic Eight Ball that really would answer your questions, what would you ask it?

am i going to be happy and successful?If you could bring one cryptid (supernatural creature) to life, what would you choose?

If you could bring one cryptid (supernatural creature) to life, what would you choose?

honestly that’s so hard ugh i might say angels/demons (i know that’s two but the concept has always intrigued me)

Coke or Pepsi?

coke but i don’t like either

What is your guilty pleasure?

otome games hehe but i guess just reading ff/webtoons all the time

If you had a title after your name (e.g. Alexander the Great) what would you want?

leyna the lover or some shit like that haha i rly dont know

Would you rather have a band who narrated all your movements through song or the paparazzi follow you around?

haksjsk i think band bc it doesn’t always have to be a literal narration and paparazzi would expose my every move

If you could be a K-Pop idol, would you be? Whether or not you answer yes, would you date an idol?

no i wouldn’t because it’s too much of a sacrifice to give up everything and dedicate my life to the toxic industry. and personally no i wouldn’t unless i rly loved them and it happened naturally bc it’s again a huge sacrifice and it’s difficult on both ends

When it rains, are you inside watching from the window or outside twirling in the puddles?

inside haha i could never go outside during rain

If you could time travel to any time period, which would you choose?

maybe the late 80s or 90s.. it seemed like a lot of fun to interact with people without technology. drive in movies, cheap candy, rollerskating down the boardwalk, the fashion and music, the vibes

my questions:

what is your usual resting facial expression?

what was your favorite childhood cartoon?

would you ever have kids? if so, do you have any baby names ready?

whats your favorite way to talk to people? (irl, text, call, ft, etc)

what color fits your vibe and why?

what is your preferred way to be comforted? emotional support or finding a solution?

how long have you been on tumblr?

do you wash your clothes right after you buy them or right after you wear them?

do you have an ideal type or any celeb that matches your ideal type?

do you believe in soulmates?

you’re under no obligation to do this but tagging: @lovelyjsuh @nanasarea​ @neolights @jaemallow @jaetyhm @glossyjaems @cherrysung @yongiefilms​  @juyeonzz​ @lovingyong​ @gohyuck​ @longassride​

[queen-of-deans-booty]

Sam, Interrupted: Part One

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Word Count: 2,102

Warnings: typical supernatural violence, language, angst, blood, you know the usual

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Supernatural. All credit goes to their respective owners. Any and all comments on these are appreciated. I really want to hear what you guys think about this one!

Feedback is the glue that holds my writing together.

Tags at the bottom

The death of the two women in your life was still very fresh in your minds. They wanted you three to kill Lucifer with the Colt, and as much as you tried, it didn’t work. Jo died for nothing as did Ellen, but the event hasn’t left your mind since. Your mind wouldn’t let you forgive yourself for not doing something more even though Dean’s told you repeatedly that you did everything you could. Jo was dead the minute the hellhounds got to her no matter how much magic you used on her body.

Nonetheless, there were other people that needed to be saved. Other people that had no clue the apocalypse was near them. Other people that were more important than Lucifer since the archangel hasn’t shown up since that night. All you could do was focus on the case in front of you which just so happened to be in a psychiatric hospital where an ex-hunter summoned you.

In order to get into the hospital and do your job, you needed to go undercover.

In order to do that, you needed to tell the truth.

“You were referred to me by a Dr. Babar in Chicago,” Dr. Fuller stated, looking at the file in his hands.

“That’s right,” you nodded.

“Isn't there a children's book about an elephant named Babar?”

“I don't know. I don't have any elephant books. Look, Doctor, I-I-I think the doc was in over his head with this one,” Dean points to his brother. “'Cause my brother is,” he makes a motion with his fingers by the side of his head that usually meant “crazy”.

“Okay, fine, thank you. That's really not necessary,” he stuttered, grabbing his notepad and file. “Why don't you tell me how you're feeling, Alex?”

“I'm fine. I mean, okay, a little depressed, I guess,” Sam sighed.

“Okay, any idea why?” Dr. Fuller asked as he wrote in his notepad.

“Probably because I started the apocalypse.”

“The apocalypse?”

“Yeah, that's right.”

“And you think you started it?” Dr. Fuller asked, looking at you and Dean who just smiled innocently.

“Well, yeah, I mean I killed this demon, Lilith, and I accidentally freed Lucifer from hell. So now, he's topside, and we're trying to stop him.”

“Who is?”

“Me. And him. And her. And this one angel.”

“Oh, you mean, like an angel on your shoulder.”

“No, his name’s Castiel. He wears a trench coat.”

“See what I mean, Doc? The kid's been beating himself up about this for months. The apocalypse wasn't his fault.”

“It’s not?” Dr. Fuller asked, stunned.

“No. There was this other demon, Ruby. She got him addicted to demon blood, and near the end, he was practically chugging this stuff,” you chuckled, adding in your two cents.

“My brother's not evil. He was just... high... yeah? So, could you fix him up so we can get back to traveling around the country and hunting monsters?”

“I really have an itching to kill some demons and Lucifer. I mean, we did shoot him, but he lived and is now going to come after me because apparently, I’m connected to his aunt or something.”

“Lucifer’s… aunt?”

“Yeah. Her name is Amara.”

“Irma,” Dr. Fuller said when he picked up his phone and dialed an extension, “cancel my lunch.”

All three of you gave the doctor comforting and warm smiles which only concerned him more.

“Dr. Fuller thinks it would be best if we keep you three under observation or a couple of days,” a sickly happy nurse said as she led you down a hall.

She was speaking, but you didn’t listen to a word she was saying. There was something off about the dark-haired nurse. She wasn’t a demon or an angel… but she wasn’t human either.

“All of us? Me, too? And Y/N?” Dean asked.

“Yes, Sugar. The doctor thinks that would be best,” she smiled.

Sam and Dean got their own rooms, and when she was done with them, she walked into your room with a smile on her face. She went down to business and wrapped a blood pressure cuff around your arm, checked it, and then removed it.

“Alright, I'm just gonna give you a little check-up,” she smiled.

“Would you stop smiling all the time? You’re freaking me out here,” you mumbled.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” she playfully frowned before smiling again.

“What are you?” you muttered to yourself, not expecting her to hear it.

Though she did, and her smiled faltered just a bit before she reminded herself to keep it on her face always. Yeah, there was something definitely wrong with her.

“How long is this going to take?” you asked.

“Not that long. You just relax and let me do my job.” She was right, it didn’t take that long, and you were walking to the patient lounge with patient scrubs, shoes, and a blue robe.

It’s what Sam and Dean were wearing when you joined them.

“How was your Silkwood shower?” Dean asked you.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” you said in a small voice. Shaking off the horrifying experience, you decided to get down to business about why you were really here in the first place. “I can't believe I let you two talk me into this.”

“Hey, it's the least we could do. Martin saved Dad's ass more times than we can count. He's a great hunter,” Sam defended the man who summoned you here.

“Was. Until Albuquerque,” Dean grumbled.

“Besides, I just figure it's best we keep busy. That's all.”

“Better than what?” Dean asked.

“You know what,” you sighed, still not over Ellen and Jo’s death at all.

“Okay. Look... um... last few weeks, you've kind of been worrying me,” Sam admitted.

“Oh, come on, Sam. Stop,” Dean rolled his eyes. “Look, just because we're in the loony bin doesn't give you the right to head-shrink me.”

“Dean—”

“Ellen and Jo dying—yeah, it was a fucking tragedy, okay? But I'm not gonna wallow in it.”

“Dean, you always do this. You can't just keep this shit in,” you sighed.

“Watch me,” he chuckled before spotting the ex-hunter by the corner. “Oh, there he is.”

Dean left you and Sam, and you watched him go with a sad look. Ellen and Jo meant something to him, you knew, and it sucked he never wanted to talk about anything. Taking a deep breath, you and Sam walked over to Martin who smiled at your presence.

“Sam, Dean, Y/N, wow,” he stood and shook Sam’s hand. “Wow, you boys got big. You too, Y/N. You look good.”

“Thanks. You do, too, Martin,” you smiled.

“Uh... well, thanks for coming,” he motioned for you to sit, which you three did. “In the old days, I could've taken care of this thing with both hands tied behind my back... but, well... now...”

“What do you think it is that we're hunting?”

“I don't know yet. A ghost, demon, monster... animal, vegetable, mineral,” he chuckled. “Hospital's had five deaths in the last four months. Doctors keep calling it suicides, but they're wrong.”

“So, you’ve seen this thing?” you asked. Martin shook his head which lead you to your neck question. “Has anyone seen this thing?”

“Well, a couple patients have, uh... had glimpses, but there's not a lot to go on.”

“Are they reliable?” Dean asked.

“Oh, sure, why wouldn't they be?” Martin wondered.

Taking a look around the room, you noticed a woman danced and hummed around the room, and you knew whatever she said wasn’t going to be reliable. Looking back at Martin, you raised an eyebrow at him.

“I know you three think I'm a bag of loose screws. Now, you wouldn't be wrong. But I wouldn't have called you unless there was something here. I can feel it in my gut.”

“We believe you. Have you checked any of the bodies? Found signs of an attack?” Sam asked.

“Well, uh, no... I don't go around dead b-b-b-bodies anymore,” he flinched. Dr. Fuller approached you four and smiled at everyone.

“Alex, Eddie, Maria,” he smiled at you and the brothers. It’s not like you could use your real names here. “Well, I'm glad to see you're making friends. Why don't you and Mr. Creaser join us for group? Please. Right this way.”

Getting up, you followed the Doctor, but he stopped you and Dean from joining Martin and Sam.

“Actually, I'm gonna be putting you two in the afternoon group.”

“What? Why?” you asked.

“Well, to be frank, uh, the relationship that you two have with your brother seems dangerously codependent. I think a little time apart will do you both good,” he smiled.

He walked away with Sam and Martin, but you two frowned as you watched them go.

“What do we do now?” Dean asked.

“I guess we just hang here a bit until they come back. We can’t do anything without them. Well, I mean we could, but it’ll be like us chasing our tails.”

“Then let’s play,” he smiled, moving a chair out for you at a table with a checkers board on it.

“Don’t mind if I do,” you grinned, taking a seat.

Dean sat opposite of you and set up the board, giving you the red ones and him the black. When everything was set up, he made the first move, and the game started. When the score was tied, you held up a hand and got up from your seat.

“Don’t cheat. I’m going to use the bathroom,” you chuckled before walking away.

As you turned the corner, you looked back to see Dean speaking to someone even though no one was there to begin with.

After a long afternoon, you and Dean followed several patients down the hall, Dean’s hands in his pockets and staring at the floor. He was kind of depressed, but you didn’t know why he was. He claimed a doctor came to him while you were away to talk about his father, but you were only gone for five minutes. Just as you two passed by a door, it opened and Sam walked out and joined you two.

“Dean, hey. You okay?”

“He’s having a tough time. Please tell us you found something.”

“Yeah. A guy, Ted, says he saw the creature. We should talk to him. You wanna meet here in an hour?”

“Yeah, sooner we take care of this thing, sooner we can get gone. This place gives me the creeps,” he shivered.

Turning around, you come face to face with a patient who just smiled. Before you could say anything, she grabs the back of your neck and kisses you just like that. Your eyes went wide as did the brothers, and she pulled away with a seductive smile.

“Hi.”

“Hi…?”

“I’m Wendy.”

“Uh-huh,” you nodded.

She slapped your ass as she passed by you to leave, and you watched her with a confused look.

“Dude—”

“Not a word, Winchester,” you glared at Dean who lost his smile.

He cleared his throat and pretended what he saw didn’t affect him in anyway.

After hours, when you knew the nurses would be on their rounds, you and Dean met his brother outside of his cell. Sam had the lock pick he managed to sneak into the place. He knew of the guy that saw the monster you were looking for, and you were going to need to talk to him if you wanted to get this case over and done with as soon as possible.

“Well, it's about time. Nurses are on their rounds. We got, like, fifteen, twenty minutes. So, where is this guy?” Dean asked.

“Room 306,” Sam informed, leading the trio to the room.

It didn’t take long since Sam’s was near his. When you approached the door, you heard Ted screaming in fear. The monster must be in there, and your hands turned blue to get the door opened faster than a lock pick would. The brothers moved out of the way, and right before your hands could touch the door, Ted’s feet slammed against the window so that you couldn’t see inside the place.

“Hurry up! Come on, hurry up!” Dean urged.

Shaking your head, you placed your hands flat on the door as you let your magic do its thing to get the door unlocked. As soon as the door clicked, you opened it only to see Ted hanging from a pipe in the ceiling with a tied bed sheet around his neck.

“Damn it!” you exclaimed.

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[peter-pan-on-neverland]

Under the mistletoe

Request: Felix and Y/N never spend much time but when they step under a mistletoe the boys dare them to kiss. At first they hesitate, acting like they did not like it. But Felix visits her later when she makes dinner and he kisses her again??? (And if you want to they lock the door and fuck🥵)

Pairings: Felix x reader

Warnings: Smut, cute :)

The island was buzzing with excitement, for once all the boys were happy, getting along and having fun, there were no fights or arguments only laughter and smiles. Each of them preparing the island for a special occasion, Pan helped a group of boys string glowing fairy lights around trees, zig zagging them from one to another while Felix silently lurked in the shadows, wishing none of this was happening. Disgust filled his stormy blue eyes as every vein in his body cursed with hatred for this holiday he wanted no part of.

"Felix," Pans voice called out, holding authority, "Hang this up."

The leader placed a small plant in Felix's rough hands while all colour drained from the tall boys face, losing his patients. With a huff the second in command quietly stomped over to a near by tree, stretching up in order to tie the mistletoe to an exposed branch.

Sitting on an icy log I watched the scene before me unfold, it was clear that Felix was unhappy, but why? It would be weird if I went up and asked him, me and the tall, blonde boy didn't talk often and when we did it was usually about what was for dinner. However, I felt myself moving towards him, something compelled me, pulling me towards the giant. Lightly, I tapped him on the shoulder, the miserable looking boy turned to face me.

"Oh look," nick taunted, "Felix and Y/n are under the mistletoe."

Before I knew it all eyes were on us, my face turned a deep shade of red as they all chanted for us to kiss.

"I don't believe in stuff like that." Felix's voice rumbled through the camp, his eyes searching for something to look at other than me and the group of rowdy boys in front of us.

"Come on, Felix." Pan exclaimed, "it's only some fun."

The minute Felix's eyes locked with mine I could see something flicker in them, something I'd never seen before. His hand reach up, grabbing my chin before his lips collided with mine. This kiss left as quickly as it came, but so much was packed into it, desire, lust, joy, I couldn't tell if it was only me that felt those things when our lips met and it was too late to ask. Once my eyes fluttered open again he was already walking off into the forest.

The whole time, my eyes were glue to the blonde boy, watching him walk away without looking back as so many questions flooded my mind, did he not like it? Did he feel the things I felt when our lips met? Did I want to know the answer to that?

Trying my hardest, I pushed those thought to the back of my mind, getting on with my day as of nothing had happened. But the thought of that kiss pulled on my heart strings, I wanted more, I wanted his sweet lips on mine again.

I shook my head, pushing those thoughts to the back and never thought of them again, just because I liked it doesn't mean Felix did and it certainly doesn't mean hes interested in me in anyway but a friend, if that.

Instead of over thinking like I always seemed to do I tried to busy myself, walking over to the leader who was caked in green clothing, I asked him what needed to be done.

He pondered for a moment before opening his mouth, "There's nothing really, unless you want to cook dinner."

A smile spread across my face at the suggestion before making my way towards the shoddy kitchen, gathering up everything I needed. Pots, pans, knifes, forks, plates were all scattered on the wooden counter tops as I cut up the vegetables which I was sure none of the boys would eat.

I heard the door creak open, turning around I saw Felix, his hood covered his eyes as he looked down to the floor.

“Um....” He began, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck, “Could we talk?”

A smile crawled onto my lips, “Sure.”

His head raised, his blue eyes sought out my e/c ones, the boy couldn’t stop himself from grinning. 

“Well, it’s about that kiss.” He bit his lips, sending shivers down my spin, I nodded, silently begging him to continue, “I didn’t mean to walk off like that it’s just.....”

He trailed off, pain radiated out of his mournful eyes, “What is it?” I asked in a soft tone.

“I just... I’m not a fan of Christmas.” For the first time in my life I saw emotion creep it’s way onto Felix’s face, the frown on his lips was noticeable from a mile off.

“Do you... wanna talk about it?” My words were slow and steady, I was new to this situation. Everyone on the island knew that Felix was tough and could take care of himself, but this was different, he was letting his guard down around me which is something he didn’t so with anyone.

“It’s dumb really.” The second in command choked out as he went to take a seat on the counter top.

Cautiously, I sat down beside him, placing a hand on his broad shoulder, “I’m sure it’s not, you barely get upset Felix, so this must be a pretty big deal to you.”

It was evident from the boys face that he was fighting a war inside his own head, arguing with himself about weather or not he should tell me what was wrong.

After a moment silence they boy opened his mouth, “I, um... I got my heart broke... and if you tell anyone that I will kill you I don’t care that you’re a girl.”

We both let out a little chuckle at his words, “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.” Raising a hand, I crossed my heart.

The boy smiled at me, peering deeply into my e/c orbs, neither of us said a word we just sat there in comfortable silence. Mindlessly, he cupped my chin, forcing me to look up at him although I wouldn't have declined the offer to stare into his stormy eyes. Once again I found his soft lips on mine, this time the kiss was longer, more intense and passionate. My fingers curled themselves in his blonde hair, gently tugging him towards me as his slide around my waist, urging me to close whatever gap remains between the two of us.

A fire was lit up in my heart, exploding with happiness as if they were sparkling fireworks in the night sky. If I could freeze time and be stuck in one moment for the rest of my life, then I would pick this magical memory. I wanted to feel this way forever and be stuck in a continuous loop of bliss, when I came to this island I knew all my worries from before would vanish into thin air and I would be happy once again, but this, this was something different entirely.

Hesitantly, his hand slowly started to glide further and further down my back and I made no move to stop him, only kissing him deeper. I could feel him smirk into the kiss as he gave me a squeeze, causing a gasp to fall from my lips.

Pulling away, Felix looked me in the eyes, his lips had turned puffy from out mini make out session, “Now that’s how I really wanted to kiss you.”

I smiled at his cheesy play boy line, all the while still under the spell of his kiss, what had this boy done to me?

“I should probably carry on cooking.” I awkwardly grinned at him, “N-not that I don’t want to carry on it’s just that Pan might get mad at me.

The second in command held his hands to to mimic a surrender as we both hopped off the counter, making our way towards the door. My fingers wrapped around the door knob as I pulled the big wooden slab towards me, silently longing for him to stay.

Just as he was about to step out of the door he spun back around, locking the door behind him.

“Felix, what are you doing?” I asked the strange boy.

His big hands resting on my hips as he looked me in the eyes, “Come on, we both know you want me to stay and I want to stay too.”

Smiling up at him I shook my head at the insane creature before me, “What about Pan?”

“Let me deal with him.” He whispered and with the our lips glided together, my hands reached up to circle his neck as he pulled me closer towards him.

It started off slow and sweet, no sinful thought crossed my mind, but soon it started to quicken in pace, swiftly we became hungry and lustful. In one smooth motion the second in command picked me up before placing my on the table top, only breaking the kiss for mere moment so we were able to get our breath back.

Soon, his lips started to attack my neck, kissing all the way up and down my soft skin sending goosebumps to erupt all over my body. Felix sucked and nipped in all the right places, hitting every stop I needed him to while the heat in my pants got more and more noticeable. My breath hitched in my throat as I bit my lip, trying to stop soft moans from falling out of them.

“Stop holding yourself back.” The blonde boy whispered, his hot breaths tickled the shell of my ear which caused me to shiver in delight.

“Mmm,” Although the noise I made was as quiet as a mouse, it was still enough to make the tall boy visibly harden, “But what if people hear me?”

My voice had came out more like a whispered cry then confident and sexy yet there was something about it that Felix found thrilling.

“Well then you better make sure to scream my name loud so everyone on the island knows that I’m the one who makes you feel this good, besides, you’d have trouble holding your moans back anyway.” His comment made me cheeks turn ten shades of red.

Slender fingers reached up for my cloak, hooking around the hem of it at an agonizingly pace, slowly stripping it from my body, the rest of my clothes quickly following until I was left in just my bra and underwear.

Icy blue eyes rolled up and down my exposed skin while Felix wore a proud smirk on his face as he admired my body, lightly tracing his fingers over the curves and looking fondly upon stretch marks 

“Beautiful.” He whispered into the air, praising me, which only caused my cheeks to turn a light shade of pink and any self consciousness that once lingered had now melted away.

Licking his pink lips the boy slid his black cloak off of his toned shoulders while the rest of it fell to the floor as if it were a curtain in a theater ready to reveal the magnificent act. I couldn’t help but gawk at him, Felix wasn’t overly muscularly but he was definitely toned, I couldn’t stop my eyes from wondering down to his prominent “v” line.

A low chuckle fell past his lips, “Like what you see, Princess?” He huskily growled. 

“Princess?” I asked him as he placed kisses down my neck and traced them around my collarbone. 

“That’s what I see you as.” The boy stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, I had never been given a nick name by any one on the island, I was just Y/n to them.

All over my body Felix strategically placed hickey and love bites over my delicate skin, causing it to turn all kinds of shades while his fingers worked on unhooking my bra, letting it slide off my arms and fall the to floor. His eyes were glued to my body, just staring in awe at my bare chest as I cowerd slightly under his gaze. Instinctively, Felix’s hands reached up to touch them, the mini massaging he was giving them felt amazing while his lips carried on painting my neck.

His fingers gripped my hips as he pulled me closer towards him as my legs instantly wrapped themselves around his exposed torso, we were so close our chests and belly's were touching while our lips searched for each other.

The tall body had embedded his hands in my hair as my arms settled around his neck, resting on his shoulders. I could feel the bulge in his pants growing as his member pressed against my thigh, sneakily, I snaked my hand down giving it a little stroke.

Hissing in pleasure, the second in command tightened his grip around my body as I continued to play with him, all the while never breaking the kiss we shared. His teeth grazed my bottom lip, I wanted him just as bad as he wanted me, soon enough the blonde boy couldn’t take anymore waiting. Pulling away he looked into my eyes, the only sound that filled the room were our heavy breaths as my hand traveled down to the hem of his underwear. Our eye contact didn’t falter once as I slowly pulled them down his leg whilst he bit his lips.

His hard cock sprung free, hitting his toned torso and I couldn’t stop myself from staring.

“Like what you see?” He shot a wink my way.

I had no words, it was like my mouth was sown shut as I slowly nodded in response while an airy chuckle left his lips. Curling his fingers around the top of my underwear he slowly pulled them down my legs, giving him a front row seat in the mini show I seemed to be putting on for him. I could see the smirk crawl onto his pink lips as he rubbed his top up and down my entrance before slowly gliding in, moans sounded from both our lips.

“Felix.” I let out a shaky breath whilst he began grinding his hips, I held onto his shoulders for support as he rocked back and forth.

My back was pressed against the cool wall as his pace quickened, my legs wrapping themselves his waist as he continued to pound into me. His name fell from my lips more times than I could count, he was right, I was finding it hard to keep myself quiet.

He filled me up perfectly, my walls tightened around him as the sound of our moans filled the air and my fingers drew lines down his back.

I let out a whine as he slowly pulled out, missing the way he made me feel. His rough hands wrapped themselves around my waist as he pulled me off the counter top, bending me over it. My bare chest pressed against the cool table top as he slipped two fingers inside of me, causing a moans to pass out of my lips.

“Please, Felix.” I exclaimed, “Please put it back in.”

The boy was happy to oblige my request, gripping my leg he placed it on the counter top before sliding his cock back inside me, going in so deep. Grunts fell from the boys lips while he paced in and out of me, grabbing a handful of  my hair as he did so. Every now and then a hard slap would come down on my ass only making me moan louder and louder as I got closer to my climax.

My moans became more frequent and so did his, Felix’s thrusts became more and more sloppy as we continued. We were both about ready to burst, I could feel butterfly's fluttering around in the pit on my stomach as I released all over him, calling out his name.

The tall boys quickly followed, spreading his seed deep inside me before pulling out and a loud knock sounded from the other side of the door, causing us to jump out of our skin.

“If you two are done fucking in there could you bring out the food, we’re starving!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you guys enjoyed this, I'm not the best at writing smut so thanks for putting up with it, lol ❤

If you wanna be added to my tag list let me know 😊

Feel free to request anymore stories for Xmas cuz I'll be post every day up until christmas 🎄🌟 xxx

@nevereverlandboys @lonesome-loser @lady-of-lies​ @celestial-neverland

[san-station]

A Quiet Place AU / ATEEZ (Post-apocalyptic)

Chapter 6

↝Word count: 3.6k

Description: In a world full of silence and dangerous creatures seeking for blood, a group of friends have to survive for their own good and find the safe place they've heard about months ago.

Pairing: San x OC

WARNING: mention of death, depression, cursing.

・・・・・・・・

With every storm, there’s a rainbow somewhere.

It’s pretty odd to say that after Misuk’s death, the #439 day began as a peaceful day. That Monday Mingi, Wooyoung and Yeosang walked around the periphery recollecting some vegetables that were on our garden behind the old building, I joined a couple hours later just grabbed some fruits and keep an eye on the boys. We talked about how vegetables tasted better than ever and Mingi tried to figure out if the reason was some kind of radioactive answer. Wooyoung tried to hold his sharp laugh eating tons of strawberries, they tained his teeth red for six hours. We also found two raccoon bodies smashed in the middle of the tomatoes, so we figured we had to be more careful outside the building to prepare the runaway. Meanwhile, Yeosang and I recollected some carrots and oranges, the tension between us was visible, we made eye contact three times and the three times I almost growled at him, still mad about last night. I was trying to distract myself from the events of the day before with them, but the thoughts were only intensify by the animal blood near the garden. 

At night, we had dinner indoors, most of the guys were chatting about the few days we had in there, remaking a new plan for us to start heading to our supposed new home, Wonderland. However, Seonghwa seemed too caught up on his own world that he didn’t even touch his fish or veggies; and if stares could burn you, Seonghwa caught me staring at him. The worrying look on my face made him give me a smile to put an ease to my thoughts, he started to eat after I gulped a glass of water and gesture him swallow everything on his plate. I knew he was as affected as I was, maybe even more. Hongjoong had told us he felt guilty for not being able to protect Misuk when he was the strongest between the three of us, it made no sense if he also would’ve been killed. 

Things turned a little tense when Wooyoung mentioned our discovery on the tomatoes garden. 

"You're not allowed to go outside again this week", Hongjoong had said to me when I washed the dishes. He thought that my scent could have probably attracted the creatures near our house. I agreed bluntly as Mingi hugged my back and reassure that everything would be okay. 

On Tuesday, Yunho, Wooyoung and Jongho prepared an incredible meal with the supplies we brought, the amused moment was when they realized they couldn't cook without Seonghwa, who was out fixing a fissure in the water pipe, it was caused by that time when Wooyoung went to bathroom. Yeah, he was right, that shit was pretty messy. Literally.  I really wanted to go with him but he agreed to go by himself because “he was okay alone”. Saying I was hurt was an understatement… By the end of the day, I took care of gathering some supplies for our road trip, organized our food, water, clothes, pills and guns. We were obligated to dominate the art of shooting and targeting stuffs, luckily, we used them once in the forest yet we didn’t like to use them due to obvious reasons: noise. 

Anyway, as for San and Hongjoong, they never got out of the oldest bedroom till it was night time. San was carrying a notebook and some papers down his armpits while he grabbed a cup of the black coffee I made for Hongjoong and gave me a flash smile. Sometimes, San and I smiled at each other from time to time when our eyes met for too long, but he still was an idiot with big ego trying to make me mad at everything he did. I wasn’t sure of that new attitude of his, but it was better than his stearn and cold eyes.

On Wednesday, we all played Monopoly and remained in the basement for safety, if raccoons died the day before, we had to be aware of anything. So, we ended up hating Hongjoong and his fucking cute laugh as he robbed all of our money when we stepped in all his properties, Mingi kept fake-crying for an entire hour as Hongjoong took his little red houses from the spots he bought and he placed his purple buildings instead. Yeosang, Mr. Corrupt Bank, smiled devilish as he handed Hongjoong the last few dollars of the game. That little bastard knew how to play or he was a mastermind on cheating. San almost punched him and almost threw the game board as he perished in the jail longer than anyone else. We laughed till our bellies hurt, until our eyes cried, until our cheeks felt hot and our backs collided on the basement floor. The tension around us for the last three days faded away in that exact minute, we were just a group of young adults fooling around with our friends and classmates before Kihwang would come from his Art History class and would yell at us to start running over the place. But he never came, and we never ran, and all that we once knew as a normal life became a living hell as we played seek and hide with some freaking aliens. What a plot twist, bro. 

On Thursday, I made a peace alliance with Yeosang, not because either of us wanted to, we had to clean the basement with Seonghwa while the others were risking their lives outside looking for some fishy delight; before they left, Hongjoong made us pretty clear that we had to “put our shit together or else…”, we didn’t want to know the or else..., so we established that we had to figure how to stop looking for each other's throats and befriend one more time. Seonghwa was the mediator, so everything went just fine after some cursing, death wishes, some tears and a hug.

The guys came back three hours later, the river was near the abandoned city so the walk would be tedious. By the time they opened the basement door, Yeosang and Seonghwa were having a big discussion about a puppet show they started to put a smile on our faces.  After cleaning, I was worrying sick about everyone not coming home, so Yeosang thought it might be a good distraction. The show included my fluffy cat, Yeosang’s stuffed turtle, Seonghwa's big red Angry Bird character and San’s puppy, Shiber. 

“She has to marry Private Ryan”, Seonghwa grabbed his fluffy bird and placed my cat next to it. Yeosang frowned, grabbed the cat and placed it next to his turtle.

“Ehm, no, she has to marry Larry”.

“No one wants to marry Larry, Yeosang”, Seonghwa spoke as he, once again, took Manny, the cat, and put it aside the animals. I was staring at them the whole time sipping a glass of water in silence because I've already tried to speak and they almost ate me alive. They decided to have “fun” trying to create some kind of bad soap opera, oblivious that the real drama was getting closer and closer. 

“Fuck you, everyone wants to marry Larry, even Private Ryan”, Yeosang looked offended and hugged his turtle as if it was alive, he was trying to calm Larry down by caressing its shell. 

“How could anyone marry him? He’s too slow for this, the cat needs some real man that can fly her away from monsters”, the black haired man logically explained and grinn when he watched me hiding a smile. It seemed that the main characters didn't realize the boys were there, waiting for some answers about the childish show. San looked exhausted thought. Despites the arguments for my kitten marrying the turtle or the bird, San walked to the couch I was sat on, grabbed Shiber and Manny and sat next to me, interrupting the play. 

 “Let’s finish this”, he started, “Manny and Shiber are engaged, I don’t even know why you guys are fighting for. Besides, Private Ryan is gonna be the best man and Larry will be the flower boy, now shut up and let them be happy forever so we can rest on our beds, we're pretty tired and I need silence", San made the kitten and his little dog kissed for a second while he looked dead serious with his knitted eyebrows. Then, his features relaxed when a giggle escaped my lips and I covered my mouth with the back of my hand. San’s eyes stared at me with the edges of his mouth barely up and handed the plushies to me. I let the glass or water aside and hugged them together. Seonghwa gasped and Yeosang just glared at San’s Shiber. San stood up and left the living room with Wooyoung side by side, he had the biggest Joker smile I’ve ever seen and kind of creeped me out. 

The puppet show was over and we had a great dinner with the fishes they hunted. San let me sleep with Shiber as he now was Manny’s husband. What can I say? It was childish but cute. But suddenly, sleeping between Hongjoong and Seonghwa made me shiver, the warmth of the room disappeared slowly as my body lacked from the human contact. When my eyes opened, I was welcomed with pure loneliness and a cold room, I frowned. It was 2:35 AM according to my wristwatch, yet, I still could hear whispers coming from the living room, they were still taking about the trip. I was exhausted from the cleaning so I didn't think too much and closed my eyes one more time. I snuggled with Shiber between my arms the rest of the night. 

Now it was Friday, I spent the entire day inside my room due to cramps, in the end of the world a woman still has to survive that pain. My head was killing me and I hesitated everytime I wanted to go outside for some air or a glass of water; however, Hongjoong and Seonghwa made sure to warned out the guys to be careful when they came around my room to not cause any problem and disturb my susceptible self. I would eat them alive if they try to argue with me in that state. I could also sense that something was going on, or perhaps I was delusional and craving for some sweet, but they kept they guard on when I started to ask about what they were doing or how was the plan. Hongjoong tensed while he put the cup of tea next to the bed and Seonghwa was the first to approach. 

"Did you not sleep here?", I asked after they avoided the previous question. “I think I had another nightmare, you know, about day 1…” 

"We've been talking with the guys about the next move", the raven boy said and smiled. "Don't worry about us, take the rest of the day." 

"Yeosang sends his iPod", Hongjoong handed it with the headphones and kissed my head. "We'll talk later, Ji. You stay here and rest", then, they were gone, leaving me with Yeosang’s shuffle playlist. I didn’t ask anything else, however, a strange feeling inside my chest kept me uneased all day.

On Saturday I was ready to left the room, I was feeling a little bit better than the day before, moreover, the boys were cautious about my movements and talking.   

“Do you need anything, Ji?”, Mingi asked patting my hair with a soft smile on his face. I returned the gesture touching his well-fitted chest and crunch my nose.

“I’m okay, Mingi, it’ll be over soon”, I assured him as he engulfed me in his strong and long arms. 

“I’m happy I didn’t born as a woman.” 

That was all he said before I killed him with my own hands. Well, actually I punched him a little and made him my slave for all day long. Another odd thing was that Jongho finally talked to me, he looked very sad, thought, but it was an improvement. 

“Here are some pills Misuk always asked when she felt bad”, he handed me a little ziploc with five white pills.

“Oh… thank you, Jongho”, I gave him a quick smile and went to the kitchen.

 I stuck to Hongjoong’s side all day since I wanted to be aware of the expedition. Unexpectedly, he was acting weird, he had a certain manner to handle things sometimes and now he was avoiding my gaze, he rather talk about everything but the trip road, he even ordered me to go and paint some animals on the fourth floor after lunch when Yeosang called him to set up some kind of loose ends on the plan. He almost yelled at me when I insisted on helping with the route map, that’s what I’m talking about, that mullet boy never acted like that. I knew I fucked up with Misuk’s murder, yet it increased the continuous torment of the voices inside my head blaming me all over again. I wasn’t ready for him to demonstrate such an attitude about my culpability, thus I stopped and went to my painting room as all the eyes in the place watched my walk of shame. 

On Sunday every racional part of me started to fall apart. I woke up earlier than the boys, it was pretty unusual if I said. I made breakfast for all, some dumplings, fruits and a hella great coffee, maybe I thought it could be some payment to them for bearing my behavior; before anyone could see me, I grabbed my backpack, filled it with a bottle of water, a few dumplings and fruits, a blanket, some sunlight, my gun and Jongho’s pills. 

 I left the basement and went up to the fourth floor of the building, the sun started to rise from the window with its orange light and I smiled at it, I welcomed it with the few energy I had. It felt nostalgic, the quiet floor sometimes could be scary as hell, after all, I was alone in a building where no one would hear my screams from down earth. Moreover, while I put more and more space between the boys and myself, it started to feel like I wasn’t entirely alone, a thread connected us as we became a family after everything we’ve been through. Families fight, families made peace, I just needed a few hours away to understand that I was being skeptical over them hiding things, important things. And I knew we were going on the road the next day, but my chest ached with discomfort and concern due to Hongjoong’s distrust in my capacity to separate my feelings from our main mission: Wonderland. The tables had turned, I was so worry about Jongho being the one affected, but at the end it was only me and my persisting mouth. 

My hands weren’t able to draw a thing, they were rigid, inflexible, unable to even paint a curve. So my feet took me to the rooftop when the sun was finally set up in the sky, saluting with warmth and happiness that I couldn’t feel either. I put some sunlight while I rested on the floor and closed my eyes. The bright light kept my dreams from the shadows as my mind traveled to a parallel world where everything around me glowed, where my body felt loose, like floating through the space in the quietness of the periphery. My chest went up and down as I took deep breaths and a minute later I was fully relaxed, no worries on my minds, no negative thoughts about blood, or death, or sorrow, or guilt...  With every storm, there’s a rainbow somewhere, it just wasn’t raining any time soon. After a minute or two, the slumber won the battle between anxiety and disappointment and I submerged in the glowing sea of hope and dreams that onces were reachable in the impossible now. 

A few hours later, a big shadow blinded the bright sun and made me open my eyes a bit faster than usual, the blurry figure was looking at me from above with a tense jaw and fisting hands.

“How long have you been here?”, the man signed abruptly and my eyebrows knitted.

“What do you mean?”, I raised my back up a little and sat slowly, for a few seconds dizziness invaded my sight and I blinked severely as Hongjoong’s face became visible.

“Did you not see the time, Jiyeong?”, then I looked around. The sky was still light up but little shiny stars started to show up as minutes passed by. How long did I sleep? I was sure my nightmares depravated me without a good rest, but I wasn’t aware of how tired I really was. 

“We thought you’ve left a while ago”, again, he moved his hands harshly and it didn’t matter if we were quiet, his face expressed the anger he was holding inside. 

“Couldn’t you look up in here?”, I got up on my two feet and dust off my clothes. “Even so, why would I leave without you? I was waiting till you had your breakfast to go downstairs and finally began the travel”.

“We already had lunch, Jiyeong, it’s been seven hours…”, I was taken by surprise realizing how much I was off, my skin felt warm due the sun but it didn’t hurt too much. “Don’t do that again, okay? We-… I thought...”, Hongjoong sighed and bit his lip.

“What? That I’ll leave you just because you’re being a dick to me? Nah, I’m too rational to know that we need to stick together no matter what.”

He avoided my eyes one more time and I finally snapped. I approached him, grabbed the collar of his jacket harshly, making him stumbled in his own feet. Anger boiled my blood as my body reacted without warning. My knuckles were white as the strength I put on my hold was too much for myself. Hongjoong’s eyes were wide open and his mouth partly opened startled, we never had an encounter like that before and me being aggressive was never on my mind, yet I couldn’t stand it anymore. 

Suddenly, I let Hongjoong’s jacket go and signed with pure wrath.

“I’m tired of your shit, Hongjoong. All I’m trying to do is help you with the trip and here you are, treating me like I was some kind of girl that is too scared to hear men talk. I’m tired of being left alone. You realized I wasn’t in the basement like a minute ago and don’t try to lie to me”, Hongjoong was perplexed trying to catch up with my fast movements. He raised his hands and I shook my head. “You thought I was inside the bedroom after I cooked your breakfast just because you’re so caught up with the fucking plan that you don’t understand how shitty I felt this week. I know you don’t trust me, but don’t hide value information when we are a fucking team, Hongjoong…”

 I was panting, the thumping of my heart almost scared me, was it that loud? Would the creatures listen to it? Hongjoong’s dumbfounded face was a poem, he just stood there looking right through me and I stood there, letting him. Two minutes later, he signed.

“This is the first time you said Hongjoong too many times instead of Joong, so… I assume I really upset you”, he pressed his hands on his temples, passed it through his hair and stepped closer to hug me tighter than ever. I didn’t return the gesture, not even when I really needed to hold him. When he noticed, he sighed one more time and let me go. 

“I’m so sorry… it’s just that San and I’ve been changing some things we already had planned before the incident with Misuk and we had to arrange things by putting you too much pressure, most of us are against the idea of lending you such demands when Seonghwa is as well going through it…”, his sad eyes showed how anxious he was, he cupped my face with his hands and caressed my cheeks. A ghost smile appeared on my face and made him grin in victory. 

“This is not the first time we’ve faced dead friends or family, Joong. I’m stronger than this, it just happened to bring back old bad memories, that’s all”, I signed and shrugged, not wanting to think about them after my seven hours sleep.

“That’s all…”, he signed in response. He pressed his lips together as he squeezed my shoulders and stepped back. His eyes looked around quickly with a bothered gaze. “What if we talked inside? It’s getting darker and I- we need you safe…”, Hongjoong grabbed the bag on the floor,opened the rooftop’s door for me and extended his hand for me to hold it. 

“Only if you agree to make some of that horrible tea for me before we go…”, I crossed my arms over my chest and stopped a meter away from him. The mullet boy’s grin fainted and he swallowed hard, that made me frowned. But before I could ask, he nodded with a smile, hold my hand and made me follow him to the basement. A cup of tea wasn’t going to stop me from demanding answers, not when I could tell that something was disturbing him; after all, we were ready to leave the place that day and nothing could stop us, at least nothing that I was aware of.

(...)   

Masterlist

[marinaaniseed]

Dark ‘n’ Stormy Pt. 9

After yesterday’s false start, I binned the 4.5k angst-a-thon and started again. This one is better, I think. And shorter, too, at just under 4k.

It’s sort of an overview of what happens in the months following Thor and Brunnhilde’s ‘little chat’.

Not really smutty, but there is a little bit of stuffing. Sorry if that’s not your bag.

Spoiler: If you don’t like that, you will hate what I'm planning for Pt. 10.

I allude to a particular piece of art by @moopzies​ in this. I highly advise you to check it out (you’ll know which one).

There are some feels in this. I made myself cry a little, like an idiot.

Ehh, you know the drill. Love me (give me feedback :P).

Thor had told you the majority of his conversation with the Valkyrie. He’d left out the more ‘space-magic’ parts of it all, and the bit about the heir. Those were problems he’d need to address later.

You’d agreed that a consensus was needed and had offered to help, something that Thor was incredibly grateful for. It was overwhelming, he just wanted to hide away from it all. But in his heart, he knew this was who he was. He was the king of Asgard. He had been raised from an early age to fulfill that role. Yes, he had failed at what he was supposed to be, but maybe that was the point. Because the more he talked to you, the more he learned about Midgard, he came to realise that his father’s rule probably wasn’t something to emulate. It hadn’t been that great of an experience for most of the populace. They’d had no say in anything, just sent off to fight wars they had no stake in. Hela had been a power-mad tyrant, bent on conquering all of the realms, but who had made her that way?

A census was taken of Asgard, to see who exactly had survived and was still present. Thor hadn’t realised that there were so few Asgardians left. He should’ve realised, really. After Hela, Ragnarok, the massacre on the Statesman, it was a wonder that anyone had survived.

He had cried, seeing the number. 4,155. One-tenth of the population of Tønsberg. He’d commanded armies greater than that.

And you had held him, stroking his hair and listening to him. You didn’t offer advice, or try to tell him that it was ok. You just listened, and he was grateful for that. More grateful, still when you had buried him under fluffy duvets and blankets and brought him hot drinks, and bowls of hearty stews. Comfort food, you had called it.

Comfort was exactly what he needed. What he came to realise was that he couldn’t find that at the bottom of a bottle. He had tried for so long to be this strong warrior, able to carry any and all burdens. But that wasn’t true. He had failed at being that because it was who he thought he was supposed to be, not who he was. There was nothing wrong with who he was.

There were still a lot of bad days, but the balance was slowly shifting. He could feel himself smiling at more things.

He was so proud of you, the way you were trying to help him, to help Asgard. He wanted to help too. At first, he just helped financially. He got that new mattress and found that he slept better now that his weight was properly supported. He didn’t wake up so sore and so tired. And although there was no longer a dip forcing your bodies together, he was pleased to find you spooning him most mornings, your gentle hand rubbing circles onto his stomach. He particularly enjoyed it when your hand would accidentally brush against his morning wood. It was his favourite way to wake up. The thing that warmed his heart the most though was when you would grab around for him in your sleep. You’d fitfully reach around until you made contact with him. As soon as your fingers sank into the soft flesh, you’d immediately still. After all of the horrors he’d lived through, he was glad to be a source of comfort.

Of course, it wasn’t just his own home that he purchased items for. Midgardian tech had arrived, and you had taught them all how to use it. Now that most of Asgard could look things up on the Internet, it made explaining this planet to them much easier. His favourite thing had been when you explained video calling. He’d seen you do it and had thought it was marvelous, to be able to talk to your friends across the planet. He’d been disappointed that it didn’t work for contacting people on other planets yet, but he supposed in the grand scheme of things, Midgard had only learned about the other realms comparatively recently. And given their experiences, he couldn’t exactly blame them for not wanting to interact with the rest of the galaxy.

The video calling meant that he could keep in touch with his friends, now that the Avengers were no longer together. Banner had taught him some breathing and visualisation techniques to practice when things became too much. Rogers talked to him about what he had learned from the support group he ran after the snap. Barnes talked about Wakanda and goats. How caring for those animals had helped with his recovery.

In hindsight, he probably should’ve talked to you about the goats.

“This is Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr,” he’d said proudly, pointing to the two goats bleating away in his garden. He’d picked them up while you had been explaining the different peoples of Midgard to the Asgardians during one of your lunchtime sessions.

“Tann-what-now?” had been your response.

“Do you not like them?” he asked, disappointed.

“No, no. I just figured you would get a pet snake because I know you really like them.”

***

You’d not been as calm when he did get a snake. He hadn’t realised that other people didn’t like snakes as much as he did. You were still asleep when he’d brought the grass snake in, having found it in the woods, letting it slither over you. It flicked out its tongue to lick your cheek and that’s when you’d stirred.

He’d never seen a human, apart from maybe the two supersoldiers, move so fast. You’d bolted out of bed, sending the snake and the covers flying, dashing past him. The initial screams of panic had turned to screams of pain and he’d found you hopping on one foot.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, genuinely confused at your reaction.

“There was a fucking snake! In the bed! And then I caught my toe on the fucking doorframe!”

“Do you not like Loki?” he asked, picking up the disorientated snake. You’d hobbled off to the bathroom, a string of obscenities leaving your mouth as you went, slamming and locking the door behind you.

Thor had gone to his laptop to see if anyone was online to explain what had happened.

A lot of people are scared of snakes, Thor. Especially when they’re not expecting them to be on their face, Banner had explained.

Maybe naming the snake after your brother, the one that tried to invade her planet, didn’t help either.

“Y/N?” he’d called through the bathroom door. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realise. That was thoughtless of me.”

“It’s fine...just please warn me next time you decide to adopt a random creature.”

“Can Loki stay?”

“I guess. As long as it doesn’t try to destroy New York.”

A couple of ravens, a flock of chickens, plus some horses soon joined the menagerie, but you’d drawn the line when he suggested adopting a wolf. So he’d got two dogs, Geri and Freki, instead. Wolfhounds were close enough to wolves, right?

It felt good, being able to care for the animals. And if he was feeling particularly sad, and you weren’t there to comfort him, he would lie down and stroke one of his animal companions until he felt calm again. He still missed Asgard, his family, his life before Ragnarok, but this one wasn’t so bad.

***

It had been your suggestion that Thor could use his powers and his strength to improve New Asgard. He’d been confused at first, wondering how thunder or using Stormbreaker could help. But the more he thought about it, the more he realised that his calloused hands could help to build things, not destroy them.

The trees and flowers bloomed in abundance. Crops grew at an accelerated rate, livestock bore more young, and the sea contained more fish. He focused his powers on making New Asgard a fertile place. It was fitting, he thought, all this new life springing up where they had chosen to settle, to create a new life for Asgard.  

Brunnhilde had mentioned facilities they needed, homes, a school, a library. Those were things he could help with. He used his powers to convince the trees to grow strong, to grow quickly, before cutting them down with Stormbreaker. He always ensured new ones grew to take their place. Once the other Asgardians saw what he was doing, they joined in to help. That was just as well, he was no carpenter. But he could chop and carry. His strength had never gone away, but some of the muscle definition had returned.

That’s not to say that he had lost weight. No, on the contrary, he might even have gained some more. You’d taught him to cook some of his favourite foods, including pizza, and he enjoyed making them. Some days it was hard but there was something satisfying about eating something that he’d made.

He enjoyed making pizza the most, and not just because he enjoyed eating it. What he enjoyed was how you’d slip up behind him when he was kneading the dough, your hands dancing up beneath the soft cotton of his top to knead his belly, cheek pressed against his back. He looked up other foods to make that involved kneading, just to feel you there behind him, kneading away at him.

“Home-cooked foods are the best comfort foods,” you told him one day as you pressed your fingers into his full stomach.

“Why is that?” he asked. He knew you were right, he just wanted to hear your reasoning.

“Because they’re made with love. It’s giving a gift of love to yourself, in a bowl or on a plate.”

But he knew that the real love wasn’t in the way he chopped vegetables or the way he stirred broths. In was in the way you looked at him, the way you listened to him, the way you touched him.

How you said, Thank you for dinner, each time he cooked for you.

You hadn’t told him yet, not with your words, but he knew that you loved him. He could see it growing there, no matter how you tried to stop it. To you, it was a weed, a weakness growing in your heart. To him, it was a beautiful flower, determined to thrive despite the adverse conditions.

It was the May Day feast when you finally said the words he longed to hear.

A mead hall had been constructed - the idea had come from the man who ran the tavern, Leifr - and Thor was more than happy to supply the materials and do the heavy lifting. Leifr didn’t want his establishment to be ruined again this year during the feasts, and Thor couldn’t blame him. He knew what a mess the feasts could cause. The hall was used for other things though. You had taken to hosting screenings of TV shows, documentaries, and films, to try to explain Midgard to the Asgardians. For their part, the Asgardians found portrayals of themselves in Midgardian media to be most interesting. They delighted in telling you everything that was wrong with Stargate.

This was your first feast, Thor wanted it to be a special occasion for you. He had spoken to Lorelei and sourced the materials to create a dress for you.

On the morning of the feast, he woke you up with a cup of tea and some toast in bed, stroking your hand as you ate.

“I have a surprise for you,” he explained, producing a satin blindfold from his pocket.

“Oh, is it that kind of morning?” you’d almost purred at him, your fingers teasing up his thigh.

“No...not that I don’t want to,” said hastily, just in case you thought he didn’t want to make love to you. “It is a present. Something I’d like for you to wear today.”

Intrigued, to let him tie the blindfold over your eyes. Was it a necklace? No, he had picked you up, was carrying you somewhere. It had to be something bigger than a necklace. He set you down and gently removed the covering from your eyes.

“Oh my god, Thor. What is this?”

Hanging in the bathroom was an enormous forest green dress. Gingerly you extended your fingers towards it, soft and silky, just like Thor’s hair. Delicate lace, the same shade of green, covered the bodice, comprised the off the shoulder sleeves, trailed down the full skirt.

“It’s a beautiful dress, for a beautiful woman. Do you like it?”

He had agonised over this dress. The colour was more Loki’s style than his, but Lorelei had assured him it would be a flattering colour on you. He wanted to create a dress that reflected the spring - it was a spring feast, after all - and green had seemed the logical colour.

“Like it? I love it, Thor. Thank you, so so much.”

You threw your arms around him, pulling him into a deep kiss. He almost decided to carry you back to bed, but he knew there was a lot he needed to do today.

“Why don’t you take a bath? I have a few things to take care of,” he whispered against your ear.

“Don’t you want to bathe with me?” you asked with a mock pout.

“We have a lot to do today, darling. I bathed before you woke.” He wanted to join you, of course he did. Nothing could be better than feeling you caressing his skin with bath oils. But there were more surprises he needed to prepare.

While you were in the bath, Thor sat in the garden with Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr. His fingers deftly plucking flowers from the lawn, thanking them under his breath. He had been practicing with some of the women and was determined to make you a flower crown and necklace, to showcase you as a spring beauty. The old people of this land had believed that his father was responsible for bringing spring. That wasn’t true. What was true was that you had brought spring to his heart, warming it after what had felt like neverending winter. Like his heart was ruled by Jӧtunheim.

You had almost wept as Thor had braided your hair, decorating it with the flowers, and draping the necklace over your soft skin. The off-the-shoulder dress has been a good idea, he decided, and not just because of how it showed off your cleavage. He laced you into your dress, his heart swelling with pride at how beautiful you looked.

“I have lived for many years, traveled to many planets, danced with many women. None of them could compare to you,” Thor said, caressing your cheek. “I have witnessed the birth of stars, but their light pales in comparison to you. I have seen the Infinity Stones, but their beauty and their power is nothing to that which shines if your eyes. I have drunk the finest wines, tasted the most succulent fruits, but it is your lips that I crave. The most exotic flowers are so plain when stood next to the blush that blooms on your cheeks, and their scent cannot compete with yours. There is no silk softer, in all of the nine realms and beyond, than your skin against mine. I have heard words of love in many languages, but they mean nothing. When you ask me how I am, when you comfort me from my nightmares, when you sigh in contentment against my chest, there are no lovelier sounds than these. Y/N, I love you. I have never been more certain of anything.”

That was when you had cried. You didn’t feel particularly beautiful, tears and snot running down your face as Thor held you to his soft chest. That was when you knew that you were done for. The last bit of your resistance had been chipped away. You had fallen in love again, after so long. This gentle giant, reluctant ruler. He was the one who had made you feel like you were worthy of love again. You hoped that Alex would’ve approved.

Thor soothed you, his hands running down your back, the odd juxtaposition of his axe-calloused skin against the smoothness of your dress. He knew these weren’t tears of sadness, he’d shed enough to know what those were like. These were tears of relief, of something finally being let go, something that had held you back all this time. He felt a little bad for ruining your makeup but he was sure that you could fix it.

Pulling away from him at last, you saw the damp mess you left on Thor’s top.

“I’m-I’m s-s-sorry Thor,” you sniffled at him. “That was. I didn’t mean to. I just…”

“It’s ok, it’s ok. It was just too much wasn’t it?”

You nodded, still unable to find the right words to say. You knew they were there, somewhere, but there was a disconnect between your brain and your mouth.

“I meant what I said, every word,” he said, with a smile. “Go clean yourself up, I should get dressed too.”

***

Thor, too, had opted for green. You had secretly hoped that he would dress like that pinup art you’d seen, of a woman painting with flowers covering her modesty. His tunic and trousers were a much earthier green and brown, as though he had grown from the ground on which he stood. Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr came with you, for the children to pet. Geri and Freki came too, eager for any scraps they might receive under the table. You had scrubbed your face, carefully reapplying your makeup. Your eyes were red, as red as your lips. You hoped nobody would notice.

As Asgard’s mightiest warriors, Thor, Sif, and Brunnhilde were barred from the tournaments and games. They were more than happy to officiate, to judge the winners, and generally mingle. Some of Thor’s Avenger friends traveled to New Asgard for the festivities, and you were looking forward to meeting them.

The day passed by quickly, and you were careful to temper the effects of Asgardian drink with plenty of water. When it came to the feast, you were in awe of how much food there was. As much as possible had come from New Asgard, but even with Thor’s help, there was no way enough could be grown to feed that made people.

“Sit! Sit wherever you wish, all are equal here in New Asgard,” Thor shouted as he opened the doors to the great room. Taking you by the hand, he led you to a seat in the middle of the room.

“Is this ok? Don’t you want to be on the edge in case it gets too much?” you asked him. A lot of progress had been made, but large crowds could sometimes still be a problem for Thor, evoking too much of the battlefield.

“No, no. This is exactly where I want to be, with my woman by my side and my dogs by my feet. Too much of my life was spent sat separate from my fellow Asgardians. I wish to be among them.”

Throughout dinner, whenever he had a hand to spare, you felt Thor’s hand on your thigh, seeking reassurance, and you covered it with your own. It was a pleasure to see him so happy, enjoying himself and enjoying all of the food and drink there was on offer, fully in the moment instead of mindlessly consuming to drown out the voices in his head that told him he wasn’t good enough, that he was solely to blame for the horrors of the past. And, of course, you enjoyed the way his stomach bloated as his gorged on tender meats, creamy cheeses, and rich cakes. He was still going long after you had had your fill. The ale was beginning to take its toll and you let your fingers wander over to his leg, trailing up his thigh. The first surprise was when you discovered how hard he was. Thor choked on his drink when you brushed over him, but nobody else noticed, engaged in conversation, eating and drinking. The second surprise was when you reached his waistband. You could feel him trying to suck in his stomach as the material dug into him. That wouldn’t do, so you wiggled around until you managed to unbutton him, feeling the soft, warm flesh cascade forward.

“What’re you doing?” he whispered, face matching the wine in his goblet.

“Helping?” you whispered back. “You didn’t seem very comfortable.”

You were right, Thor had to admit, it hadn’t been comfortable. But now he was very aware of how much he’d eaten, his stomach pressing against the table. He put down the slice of honey cake with a resigned sigh. You hated seeing him upset, so you began to knead his stomach gently, just as he liked, and picked up the slice.

“Are you sure? You seemed like you were enjoying this,” you asked, bringing it to his lips.

“No, no. I have eaten too much, more than my fair share.”

“But it’s such a small slice, and it seems like you have room. What harm could it do?”

How could he refuse you? He wasn’t sure why he was so aroused, but he thought it was something to do with eating so much, and you feeding him didn’t less that feeling. First, it was the cake, but slowly other things made his way to his mouth, via your hand, bite-sized pieces of whatever was nearest to your eager fingers.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” you asked, as Thor licked some icing off your fingers, the two of you now completely oblivious to your surroundings.

“Mmm,” he nodded, sucking hard on your chocolate coated digits. “Are you?”

“Very much so,” you purred, looking as though you wanted to ride him right then and there at the table. Which to be fair, wasn’t exactly far from the truth. A sharp elbow to your ribs from Brunnhilde reminded you of where you were, causing the blood to rush to your cheeks.

After dinner, some Asgardian musicians began to play and many others danced in a space at the far end of the hall. You perched on what was left of Thor’s lap, counting down until it was socially appropriate to depart, so you could take Thor home and feel yourself under his weight.

Quill and Wilson discussed music with you. Barnes, with his roguish grin, had swept you onto the dancefloor and tried to teach you the dances he’d practiced as a young man. Barton offered to teach you, and the other Asgardians archery. They were all very attractive men, no doubt about it, but you only had eyes and hands for one.

Leaving the hall was no easy feat. Everyone wanted to talk to Thor, or pet the dogs, or both, but eventually, you made it outside, the cool air waking Thor from the food coma he was stumbling around in. It was a clear night, so you walked along the beach, Thor explaining the different stars and constellations to you, the goats and dogs, running around the two of you.

“This place is beautiful, Thor,” you said, looking out to sea. “Almost as beautiful as you. I bet lots of people get engaged here, it would be the perfect place.”

“I wish you could’ve seen the old Asgard,” he whispered against your ear, trailing kisses down your neck and across your bare shoulder, feeling you melt into his touch.

Between the sighs and moans as he kissed you, that was when you said it. The perfect ending to a perfect day.

“I love you, Thor.”

@morganhoran1671 @innerpaperexpertcloud

[xxbyimm]

The beauty and the beast - Kíli x reader

Alright! Here’s my next oneshot! This is a request for my dearest friend @soradragon, who asked me to do a Kíli x reader story! Because the piece escalated into many more words than I anticipated (naturally...), I have decided to cut this story into three parts, which all will consist of 1000-2000 words.  

Without further ado, here’s my first ever Kíli fic. I hope I got him right and you enjoy this story!

The beauty and the beast - Part I

Summary: The reader is a skilled fighter, using dual swords. She carries a small lizard with her, called Hedera. When she joins the company, Kíli immediately takes a liking to her. 

Tags: @theincaprincess @fizzyxcustard, @deepestfirefun, @legolaslovely, @yes-captainstark, @burningcoffeetimetravel, @peneigh-dzredfohl Let me know if you want to be added to or removed from my taglist!

Warnings: Kíli being smooth as fuck, but other than that not really.

                                                          ♦

In hindsight, you should have known Kíli had a crush on you the moment he laid his eyes on you. Everyone knew, even Thorin and Balin, who usually were oblivious (or just too busy) to notice such frivolities, couldn’t stop dropping subtle hints your way. But you were… well. Too you. You had been on your own for most of your life (save for Hedera), and had experienced kindness (or love, for that matter) sparingly. And although nothing had stopped you from being a kind, lighthearted person, you were somewhat awkward when it came to interacting with others. The unwritten rules of society often puzzled you and that was the reason you preferred to stay on your own.

But then you met the company of Thorin Oakenshield and everything changed…

                                                          ♦

‘I don’t understand!’ Hedera puffed. He was sitting on your shoulder, his long, pointed tail embracing you. ‘Why did we have to leave so soon? It was a great inn!’ ‘It was, until you decided it was a great idea to BITE the owner!’ you berated your companion. ‘He was taking away your plate!’ the green water dragon objected. ‘I was helping you!’ ‘He’s the landlord, that’s his job.’ You groaned, but you couldn’t help but smile when you saw Hedera eyeing a dragonfly zooming around the two of you. Winning arguments was easy when you had a friend whose instincts were ready to take over at any given moment. ‘Hold still!’ Hedera squeaked. ‘I see lunch nearing!’ ‘You’re gross.’ You told him as you watched him successfully catching the poor creature with his tongue and eating it with taste. ‘Seriously Hedera, what’s wrong with a richly filled stew?’ The lizard shuddered. ‘Seriously Y/N… how can you eat anything that comes from a boiling pot?’ ‘Yeah yeah…’ you murmured while eyeing your friend swallowing uncomfortably. ‘You like your lunch nice and crunchy. Need some water? Got a very much alive dragonfly down your throat?’ ‘I’m fine.’ Hedera closed his eyes. You grinned and petted the green scales on his cheek.

You had picked up Hedera from a farmer when he was just a little baby. This guy had found a large egg on his lands and when he had taken it home to figure what to do with it, the egg cracked. Naturally, the whole household had panicked when they witnessed this tiny and slimy creature covered in green scales crawling out of the shell. 

Hedera was lucky that you had been staying the night with these people, because when you heard the commotion, you had decided to take a look. After one look at those emerald green eyes, you couldn’t just let someone kill the little defenseless baby. You had taken him up in your arms and asked the family kindly to calm down. There was no need to kill a little lizard.

‘IT’S A FIRE DRAGON!’ The farmer had yelled at you, heaving his shovel up in the air. ‘PUT IT DOWN AND LET ME KILL IT BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!’ ‘Not a chance.’ You had growled. ‘This is an innocent green water dragon. If you want it, you have to come through me.’

Needless to say, saving Hedera had cost you your sleeping accommodation for the night, but to this day you were still glad you had saved the lizard from an untimely death. That night, as you tried to get some rest in the middle of the woods, you had called your little companion Hedera, after the Ivy that grew in your parents’ garden.

‘Why’d you stop?!’ Hedera suddenly complained, opening an eye. ‘Ssh.’ You hissed, prickling your ears. ‘There’s someone out there.’ The green water dragon shrugged. ‘So? Were near the shire, what could happen? A vicious hobbit attacking us?’ ‘You do know that lizards usually don’t talk, remember?’ you whispered, vividly recalling what happened the last time others were around and Hedera unexpectedly had opened his mouth to voice his opinion.

He had made a point then, though. Still, you weren’t sure if the effect of your talking green water dragon on others was hilarious or hazardous.

‘Oh, that.’ He noted. ‘Well, I was drowsy anyway with all our walking. Good luck if someone tries to kill us.’ ‘Hedera?!’ you complained. ‘You’re just gonna let us get killed because you’re mad at me?’ But Hedera already had disappeared behind you, crawling in the space between the collar of your tunic and your neck. His tiny claws tickled and you laughed. Although he refused to admit it, Hedera felt safe when he was close to you and it was the only place he slept soundly.

The leaves around you shuffled and you backed away, drawing both of your swords. As far as you knew, the shire never had harbored anything frightening or deadly, but yet one couldn’t be too sure…

‘Oi! It’s a girl!’ A cheerful voice rose from the dense foliage. ‘Nothing scary!’ You frowned. Nothing scary? Who was so bold to make such assumptions with one quick look? ‘Aye.’ A second, more husky voice joined the first one. ‘But still… is she friend or foe?’ ‘Dunno,’ The first male said, a little louder now. ‘Let’s just ask!’

Just ask?! Your grip on your swords tightened a little. Their voices sounded friendly and normally you’d say that these people had to be of the Shire folk, but the slightly rough undertone was unusual for halflings. Besides, as a certain grey wizard once had told you: hobbits usually were remarkably light on their feet. And this pair, or rather whole lot by the sounds of it, was not quiet. If it wasn’t a hobbit that was nearing you, you had no idea who was.

You didn’t have to wait for too long, as two dwarves barged through the vegetation. They wore thick travel coats and both were heavily armed. One of them had light, golden locks, some of which were bound together in thick braids. Piercing blue eyes were watching you curiously, but in a friendly manner. He had a carefully trimmed beard, adorned with a mustache braid on either side. The other dwarf had brown manes that seemed to roam freely around his shoulders, but you suspected a clasp on the back of his head was keeping most of it in place. He had dark eyes, in a shade of the deepest brown you’ve ever seen. There was a mischievous sparkle in them which took your breath away. He seemed like a guy who always looked on the bright side of life, someone who enjoyed living fully. And instead of a full-blown beard, this dwarf kept his facial hair modest with a light stubble. Your stomach fluttered.

‘Good afternoon, beauty.’ The dark-haired dwarf said with a lazy smile. ‘Where’s a pretty lass like yourself going?’ You narrowed your eyes to show him you didn’t believe a word he said, but your mouth curved in a stupid grin anyway. He was too handsome and he probably knew that. Plus, the fact he had called you pretty wasn’t helping at all.

‘I could ask you the same question…’ you blushed. ‘What are you doing here?’ ‘There’s a smart girl, brother.’ The blonde dwarf remarked. ‘Well, it was worth a try…’ the dark one smirked as he walked closer to you. ‘We mean no harm. We’re just an innocent pair of travelers.’ ‘With these heavy armory?’ you questioned while taking a step back. ‘I wouldn’t call you gents innocent.’

‘Fair point, again.’ The dwarf gave in and held up his hands. ‘Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Kíli, son of Durin’s Folk from the Blue Mountains. And this is my brother Fíli.’ The golden brother nodded. ‘We’re meeting someone in the Shire, that’s all.’

Since you were fairly familiar with the Shire and its’ inhabitants, you felt obliged to ask. ‘Who? And to do what?’ ‘No idea who.’ Kíli admitted with a laugh. ‘We were instructed to come here by my uncle, who if I’m right was told the same by Gandalf.’

‘Gandalf.’ You repeated and you relaxed a little. If Gandalf the Grey believed these dwarves of Durin’s Folk were to be trusted, you were inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt.

‘Kíli.’ His brother warned. ‘We’re not supposed to talk about this.’ ‘What?’ Kíli shrugged. ‘It’s not like she’s going to tell anyone, will you… ehh-?’ ‘Y/N.’ you said. ‘Y/N.’ the dwarf echoed slowly. The sound of your name rolled over his tongue and chills ran up your spine. You put your swords in the sheaths on your back and gestured towards the dagger Fíli was holding. ‘Those are nice blades you got there.’ ‘Forged them myself.’ Fíli told you and carefully tossed one your way. You caught it with ease without hurting yourself and the brothers shared an approving glance. ‘You seem to know your way around weapons.’ Kíli smiled. ‘Where are you heading?’ ‘Nothing special.’ You replied. ‘I just wander around Middle Earth and live off the lands.’ ‘Alone? Don’t you have any kin that look after you?’ Fíli wondered.

The tale of how you lost your family was a long one which you didn’t like to share, let alone with strangers anyway.

‘No, it’s just me.’ You lied. ‘So you live off the lands?’ Kíli said. ‘That’s a nice word for some good old thievery.’ A giggle escaped you. ‘That’s none of your business.’ ‘Aye, but you just might be exactly the person we need…’ Kíli grinned. ‘How so?’ ‘We’re going on a quest, but our company is still one burglar short.’ The dark-haired dwarf explained. ‘Uncle Tho-’ ‘Brother!!’ Fíli hissed. ‘What did I just tell you about-’ ‘Oh, come on!’ Kíli interrupted him. ‘We don’t know if the burglar Gandalf will provide us with is any good! We have to take this chance while it’s still standing before us. You know uncle had his doubts if the wizard could-’

To be fair, roaming around middle earth without a real purpose lately had become a little boring and even lonely. You sometimes caught yourself secretly longing for a place you could belong to, a home. A temporary job might be just what you needed.

‘A quest?’ you mused. ‘To where? Are you going to slay a dragon and win over a ladies’ heart?’ ‘No way! How does she know that?!’ Kíli exclaimed, turning to his sibling. ‘Brother, I don’t know how she found out, but since she already knows of our plans, we should take her with us anyway!’ Fíli just rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh. ‘Your brother doesn’t seem to be too keen on my joining.’ You remarked awkwardly. ‘Oh, don’t mind him.’ Kíli winked. ‘My old mate here just tries to be the responsible one, as always.’ ‘You should try it, Kíli, really.’ Fíli muttered. ‘You’re not the one who will have to face the consequences of your stupidity.’ ‘That’s because I’m the dashing one.’ Kíli told him. ‘Uncle Thorin just can’t stay mad for long… I’m just way too cute.’

‘HEY! Prince charming!’ someone shrieked. ‘You think you’re awfully funny, aren’t you?’

Oh, there you had it. Hedera had woken up and when it came to males (from any race, really), he was quite protective of you. He crawled from his hiding place and now was sitting up straight on your shoulder. ‘This is my companion Hedera.’ You introduced him with a sigh.

‘Wow! A talking lizard?’ Kíli sniggered. ‘I mean… it talks?!’ he jumped forward and studied Hedera, who was giving both dwarves the stink eye. ‘It talks, yeah.’ The lizard hissed. ‘You got a problem with me, pal?!’ ‘No, not at all.’ Kíli murmured as he prodded the lizard’s scales. He retracted his hand when Hedera successfully bit him. ‘Ouch!’ ‘Excuse his manners.’ You said. ‘He’s not used to strangers.’ ‘No, I can’t stand outsiders trying to touch me without my explicit consent.’ the lizard growled. ‘Keep your sticky paws off!’ ‘Duly noted.’ Kíli groaned in pain. ‘Damn, you have sharp teeth!’ ‘Don’t make me use them again.’ ‘You look like you’re not from this world, Hedera.’ Fíli said with interest. ‘I’ve never seen an impressive beast like you before.’ ‘I am a green water dragon!’ The lizard told them proudly and shifted on your shoulder. The spikes that run across his spine stood up a little, the green color of his scales reflecting in the soft afternoon light.

Really, even tiny green water dragons had an ego and could be bribed. You shook your head in disbelief.

‘And where did you pick up Y/N?’ Kíli asked. ‘See?!’ Hedera turned to you. ‘These gentlemen clearly have some sense in them, since they don’t automatically assume I’m your pet or whatever.’ ‘I never said you were…’ you countered and both brothers smiled. ‘I like them.’ The lizard decided. ‘We’re going on this quest.’ ‘Do I get a say in this?’ you asked your friend. The lizard shook his tiny head. ‘No.’

‘So, what do you say? Are you coming with us, Y/N?’ Kíli inquired. ‘Well, I-’ you began, but you almost lost your cool when you found him staring at you with these gorgeous puppy eyes. ‘Well, damn it. Are you this charming?’ you murmured. ‘Always.’ Fíli chuckled. ‘And I must warn you… Usually, he gets his way…’

Part II

[centerofstupidity]

Varney the Vampire Chapter 3

If you enjoy the content you are reading, please like and follow the Center of Stupidity blog.

Interested in reading the previous Varney the Vampire chapter snarks? They can be found here. 

Chapter summary: Our intrepid heroes the local village idiots shoot Varney. Of course, Varney is wearing thick plot armor.

Which means we get another chapter where characters standing and talking along with more melodrama.

In the event that this gets flagged, here is another place to read the chapter snark. 

"He is human!" cried Henry;

You just saw a guy with "metallic eyes" whose mouth was "dabbled in blood" after attacking Flora.

But you are still coming to the conclusion that Varney is human...

Wow, somebody has the I.Q. of Bella Swan.

And yes...

I know that prior to this story being published, vampire lore wasn't well known and culturally speaking vampires were a rather new phenomenon in England.

But if somebody saw what Henry had seen, their first thought wouldn't be "That guy was human and not a supernatural creature."

"I have surely killed him."  

He was wearing thick plot armor.

Marchdale agrees and says that they should go outside the wall and find the body.

And here comes a long sentence.

This was at once agreed to,

Hopefully this means we won't have another chapter where characters are just standing around talking to each other.

and the whole three of them made what expedition they could towards a gate

Who knew heading towards a gate was such a strenuous task?

which let into a paddock, across which they hurried, and soon found themselves clear of the garden wall,

According to Merriam Webster, a paddock is usually enclosed area used especially for pasturing or exercising animals.

And the Collins dictionary states that a paddock is a field where horses are kept or exercised.

So why would anyone have a garden next to a paddock?

First of all, you'd be smelling animal droppings.

And the end of the day, somebody would be walking the animals through the garden in order to put them in the stable or barn.

So...

so that they could make way towards where they fully expected to find the body of him

And I bet dollars to doughnuts that they won't find a corpse.

who had worn so unearthly an aspect,

Maybe because he is....

I don't know... Not human!

but who it would be an excessive relief to find was human.

Because a blood-drinking fiend is normal.  

So hurried was the progress they made,

That they were sweating like pigs!

that it was scarcely possible to exchange many words as they went;

Unless they suddenly lost the ability to speak...

They can still talk.

a kind of breathless anxiety was upon them,

Sorry, authors.

I don't care what happens to these people.

and in the speed they disregarded every obstacle,

Because in a potential dangerous situation...

It is sensible to be unaware of one's surroundings.

which would, at any other time, have probably prevented them from taking the direct road they sought.

Is the gate obstructed by litter or debris?

If so, why?

And if not, what would have prevented them from taking the direct route?

It was difficult on the outside of the wall to say exactly which was the precise spot which it might be supposed the body had fallen on; 

Unless Henry has the attention span of a ferret high on crack...

Henry should remember where he shot Varney.

And by knowing that, he could determine where the body should be.

but, by following the wall its entire length, surely they would come upon it.

I bet that they are not going to find a body.

They did so; but, to their surprise,

Found a leprechaun.

they got from its commencement to its further extremity without finding any dead body, or even any symptoms of one having lain there.

Varney is alive!

Well... For a member of the Undead.

At some parts close to the wall there grew a kind of heath,  and, consequently, the traces of blood would be lost among it,

According to Collins Dictionary, a heath is an area of open land covered with rough grass or heather and with very few trees or bushes.

And Merriam Webster defines it as a type of plant or uncultivated land usually with poor and coarse soil.  

Which means they are referring to a type of plant.

So unless it has the magical ability to absorb blood...

The three men should be able to find blood if Varney was wounded.

And now that I'm thinking about it, a vampire plant is a cool idea.

if it so happened that at the precise spot at which the strange being had seemed to topple over, such vegetation had existed.

Ugh. Reading this made my brain hurt.

So there was some vegetation when Varney fell over...

And now it no longer exists.

Even though we were told a few seconds ago that the plants made it impossible to see any blood.

So the three guys walk around the wall twice and they can't find anything.

"It could not have been a delusion," at length said Mr. Marchdale, with a shudder.

Also, that's not how delusions work. 

Just you see something, doesn't mean that it is real. 

And sometimes the delusions are very vivid. 

"Then what terrible explanation can we give?"

This sentence sounds weird. It is because they used the word "terrible". Right now, it sounds like one of the men are asking for a bad explanation. 

I think the correct word would be "other." But as Mark Twain wisely said:

"By heavens! I know not," exclaimed Henry. 

If you knew what was going on, then you wouldn't be bewildered.

"This adventure surpasses all belief, and but for the great interest we have in it, I should regard it with a world of curiosity."

*Takes a deep breath *

That's right, gentlepersons.

A person has been brutally attacked.

But the situation is described as being an "adventure."

Fuck this book with a chainsaw!

"It is too dreadful," said George; "for God's sake, Henry, let us return to ascertain if poor Flora is killed."

You mean that it is a good idea to do an investigation before coming to a conclusion???

"My senses," said Henry, "were all so much absorbed in gazing at that horrible form, that I never once looked towards her further than to see that she was, to appearance, dead. God help her! poor -- poor, beautiful Flora. This is, indeed, a sad, sad fate for you to come to. Flora -- Flora -- "

"Do not weep, Henry," said George. "Rather let us now hasten home, where we may find that tears are premature. She may yet be living and restored to us."

They all agree and hurried back to the house.

Henry, after some trouble, got the hall door opened by a terrified servant, who was trembling so much that she could scarcely hold the light she had with her.

"Speak at once, Martha," said Henry. "Is Flora living?"

  "Yes; but -- "

  "Enough -- enough! Thank God she lives; where is she now?"

Martha says that Flora is in her bedroom and proceeds to freak out.  The three guys rush into the room.

Several lights had been now brought into that antique chamber,

But they clashed with the decor.

and, in addition to the mother of the beautiful girl who had been so fearfully visited,

Somebody placed a creepy clown doll on the nightstand.

there were two female domestics, who appeared to be

using their cell phones and are on Twitter.

in the greatest possible fright,

Because after seeing Flora's mother in a sheer nightgown...

Somethings can't be unseen.

for they could render no assistance whatever to anybody.

Translation?

They are useless.

The tears were streaming down the mother's face,

Because some asshole randomly decided to cut a lot of onions.

and the moment she saw Mr. Marchdale, she clung to his arm,

She was doing a Bella Swan impersonation.

evidently unconscious of what she was about,

Um...

She suddenly doesn't know who she is?

and exclaimed, --

Shitty dialogue mixed with an exposition dump.

"Oh, what is this that has happened -- what is this? Tell me, Marchdale! Robert Marchdale, you whom I have known even from my childhood, you will not deceive me. Tell me the meaning of all this?"

Aside from the "As you know Bob" dialogue...

The mother called Marchdale by his surname and then used his full name.

This doesn't make any sense.

In Victorian times, especially in formal settings, people would be referred to by their surnames or titles.

But if people were friends, they would be calling each other by their first name.

So the mother would be referring to Richard Marchdale as Richard.

Also, just because you know someone from childhood....

It doesn't mean that they are a honest person.

"I cannot," he said, in a tone of much emotion.

"As God is my judge, I am as much puzzled and amazed at the scene that has taken place here to-night as you can be."

And in other news, the Pope is Catholic and bears shit in the woods.

Anyway, the mother bawled her eyes out. I don't blame her.

I would too if I found out that I was a character in a penny dreadful.

"It was the storm that first awakened me," added Marchdale; "and then I heard a scream."

Let's rewind, shall we?

Marchdale asked the two brothers what's going on.

Then Flora started shrieking.

The sound caused Flora's mom to faint.

Marchdale grabs her so she doesn't hit the floor.

He tells Harry/Henry to hold his mother.

Finally, Marchdale cries “Follow me who can!” as he heads towards Flora's room.

What does all this mean?

Flora's mother and the three men heard a noise. Which means, Marchdale wasn't the only one that heard screaming.

Also, Marchdale never previously mentioned that he was awakened by the storm.

Normally, the second point wouldn't be suspicious. But considering the fact that Marchdale lied...

It sounds like he is trying to create an alibi.

In conclusion?

Anyway, the brothers are quivering as they approach the bed. Flora is sitting in bed, being propped up with pillows.

She was quite insensible,

How is this unusual?

It would be MORE surprising if Flora was in a lively mood.

and her face was fearfully pale;

All you need is some glitter, and Flora would be a perfect sparklepire.

while that she breathed

Another vampire failed in killing a damsel in distress.

at all

If Flora doesn't breathe, she would be dead.

could be but very faintly seen.

Um...

People normally don't take deep and heavy breaths.

On some of her clothing,

There was yellow stains.

about the neck, were spots of blood,

How is that possible???

When Varney bit Flora, blood was gushing. 

Which means the nightgown and the bed sheets should be soaked with blood. 

and she looked more like one who had suffered some long and grievous illness,  

You mean when someone is mauled by a vampire, they aren't going to look gorgeous??

Thanks for letting me know!

than a young girl in the prime of life and in the most robust health,

"She was so fit that she could do a triathlon!"

as she had been on the day previous

Because according to Varney the Vampire's logic...

Only healthy people are attacked by vampires.

to the strange scene we have recorded.

It isn't a normal occurrence to be attacked by a vampire.

"Does she sleep?" said Henry

Because the first words that should come out of a person's mouth after someone has been attacked...

Is to ask if they are sleeping.

as a tear fell from his eyes upon her pallid cheek.

Ah, the single tear.

How nauseating.

"No," replied Mr. Marchdale. "This is a swoon, from which we must recover her."

Quick! Somebody fetch the smelling salts!

Active measures were now adopted

Because reviving a damsel in distress is urgent!

Cue the dramatic music!

to restore the languid circulation,

Uh, "languid circulation"?

According to Merriam Webster, languid is defined as being "sluggish" or "lacking in force or quickness in movement."

Correct me if I'm wrong...

If somebody has slow circulation, it means that they have a serious health problem.

and, after persevering in them for some time, they had the satisfaction of seeing her open her eyes.

Instead of being relieved that Flora is awake...

They seem annoyed that it took so long for her to regain consciousness.

Her first act upon consciousness returning,

Was to exclaim her undying devotion to Varney.

however, was to utter a loud shriek,

A shriek is hardly quiet.

and it was not until Henry implored her

"Implored her”?

I guess only a filthy peasant would have used the word begged or pleaded.

to look around her,

To find that the hills are alive with the sound of music.

and see that she was surrounded by none but friendly faces, that she would venture again to open her eyes,

...

.......

Previously, Flora's eyes were already open.

But now, her eyes were closed but she then opened them.

'Ello contradiction!

and look timidly from one to the other.

At least she looked at them "timidly".

It would be unbecoming of a lady to act like a New Woman.

After Flora shuttered, she starts crying and says:

"Oh, Heaven, have mercy upon me -- Heaven, have mercy upon me and save me from that dreadful form."

"There is no one here, Flora," said Mr. Marchdale, 

There is:

Mr. Marchdale

Harry/Henry

George

Flora's mother

Two female servants

In total, there are six people in the room excluding Flora.

What Marchdale meant to say was there is nobody here that will harm her.

But as Mark Twain wisely said:

"but those who love you,

"If they really hated you, they would have buried you alive."

and who, in defence of you, if needs were would lay down their lives."

"Despite the fact that you have the personality of stale toast, we would die to save you."

Now that I'm thinking about it... If this was an Anita Blake book, this would result into a sex scene.

So after Mr. Marchdale's declaration, Flora starts yelling "Oh, God!"

"You have been terrified.

"Mr. Marchdale, why are you repeating the obvious?"

"It is because the authors think that the reader has the IQ of a house plant."

But tell us distinctly what has happened?

Gotta love how they must be told "distinctly".

I guess only peasants would only ask what happened.

You are quite safe now."

"Ignore the fact that while you were mauled by an unholy abomination, we bumblefucked around. But believe me when I say that everything is going to be alright."

She trembled so violently that

She resembled a chihuahua defecating on the lawn.

Mr. Marchdale recommended that some stimulant should be give to her,

Because even though the unholy creature will most likely return to try and suck Flora dry, it is best that she be high as a kite.

and she was persuaded,

Because it is like her mama taught her: when somebody offers free drugs, you accept the offer and then ask for a straw.

although not without considerable difficulty,

Because it was the first time, she stuck a needle in her vein.

to swallow a small portion of some wine from a cup.

Because drinking something is a strenuous task.

There could be no doubt but

First it was certain but now it isn't. 

In conclusion:

that the stimulating effect of the wine

Alcohol is a depressant.  

was beneficial,

Because when someone has been traumatized, the best thing to do is give them booze.

for a slight accession of colour 

According to the Cambridge dictionary, "accession" is a time when a country officially joins a group of countries or signs an agreement. It is also used when someone starts a position of authority especially a king or queen.

While Merriam-Webster defines "accession" as a process that someone rises to a position of power or something being added (such as an acquisition).

Which means that "accession" is not a synonym for "spread" or "blushed."

So in conclusion:

visited her cheeks,

At least it visited her.

A churl would have arrived unannounced.

and she spoke in a firmer tone as she said, --

Spoke is past tense word for speak and said is a past tense word for say.

Both words are used when someone is talking.

Which makes this part of this sentence redundant: . . . colour visited her cheeks, and she spoke in a firmer tone as she said, --

Personally, I would remove re-write the sentence as this:

. . . colour visited her cheeks and she spoke in a firm voice.

  "Do not leave me. Oh, do not leave me, any of you. I shall die if left alone now. Oh, save me -- save me. That horrible form! That fearful face!"

There is only so much melodrama that a person can endure, so I'll try to summarize some of it.

Henry asks Flora what happened. Flora then refuses to tell him.

Her reasoning? If she did that, then she would "ever sleep again."

Eventually, Henry convinces Flora to tell them what had transpired.

She placed her hands over her face for a moment, as if to collect her scattered thoughts,

Last time I checked...

If someone placed their hands over the face, it doesn't stop them from losing their train of thought.

and then she added, --

"By the way, I'm bi."

  "I was awakened by the storm, and I saw that terrible apparition at the window. I think I screamed, but I could not fly. Oh, God! I could not fly. It came -- it seized me by the hair. I know no more. I know no more."

Uh "could not fly"?

Humans don't have wings. Flora should know this.

Honestly, it would make more sense if Flora said that she could not flee.

After Flora runs her hand across her neck several times, Marchdale notices that she has a wound.

After he points out the obvious, Flora's mom freaks out and brings a light closer to the bed. This causes them to all see the wound but it is now only two small puncture marks.

It was from these wounds the blood had come which was observable upon her night clothing.  

Especially since the authors are hell bent on insisting that Flora's wounds are the size of paper cuts.

Since Henry has the same amount of brain cells as Bella Swan, he asks Flora how she got the wounds.

Of course, this causes Flora to reply that she doesn't know but it felt like she "almost bled to death."

 "You cannot have done so, dear Flora, for there are not above half-a-dozen spots of blood to be seen at all."

When Varney bit her, blood gushed.

That does not cause pinprick stains.  

Mr. Marchdale leaned against the carved head of the bed for support, and he uttered a deep groan. All eyes were turned upon him,

Instead of focusing on the vampire victim, we should care about this guy being so anguished.

and Henry said, in a voice of the most anxious inquiry, --

"Have you something to say, Mr. Marchdale, which will throw some light upon this affair."

Instead of a period, there should be a question mark since Henry/Harry is asking Mr. Marchdale something.

Mr. Marchdale then insists that he has nothing to say and that Flora should get some sleep.

  "No sleep -- no sleep for me," again screamed Flora. "Dare I be alone to sleep?"

Anywho… Henry assures Flora that she won't be alone because he will watch over her.

She took his hand in both hers, and while the tears chased each other down her cheeks, she said, –

  "Promise me, Henry, by all your hopes of Heaven, you will not leave me."

  "I promise."

Henry and Flora are siblings.

....

................

Somewhere Cassandra Clare is all hot and bothered.

Anywho…

Flora laid down, sighed, and then closed her eyes.  

"She is weak, and will sleep long," said Mr. Marchdale.

Two things.

Flora being weak? No shit Sherlock.

As for Flora sleeping soundly? That depends. She could have a nightmare and wake up.

  "You sigh," said Henry.

Marchdale didn't sigh. Flora did.

"Some fearful thoughts, I feel certain, oppress your heart."

It can't oppress the heart of the mailman who lives at the end of the street.

  "Hush -- hush!" said Mr. Marchdale, as he pointed to Flora. "Hush! not here -- not here."

  "I understand," said Henry.

  "Let her sleep."

Can she though?

I don’t know about you, but if people were in my bedroom talking and yelling…

It would wake me up.

It turns out that Flora is in a deep slumber. Hard to believe, I know.

The idiots are quiet for a minutes before George says something.

He tells Mr. Marchdale to look at it.

He pointed to the portrait in the frame to which we have alluded,

Translation: Wink wink! The portrait that we subtly pointed out is significant.

and the moment Marchdale looked at it

He thought: "Man, that picture is nightmare fuel."

he sunk into a chair

Because as it turns out, it was a bean bag chair.

as he exclaimed, --  "Gracious Heaven, how like!"

Aside from being redundant...

It is also cringe-worthy.

"It is -- it is," said Henry. "Those eyes -- "

"Pierce right though me."

"I wonder if he is related to my mother in law."

"And see the contour of the countenance,

According to Merriam Webster, contour is a structure of something or is an outline of a irregular figure.

Usually, contour is used to describe architecture or a shape of a car.

Which means the right word to use would be silhouette not contour.

In conclusion:

and the strange shape of the mouth."

"Who knew that someone can have a hexagon shaped mouth?"

"Exact -- exact."

Why is he saying the same word twice?

 "That picture shall be moved from here.

The correct word is portrait.

A picture can be a representation of a building, a landscape, or a person.

While a portrait is a painting or a picture of a person, especially the head and the shoulders.

In conclusion?

The sight of it is at once sufficient to awaken all her former terrors in poor Flora's brain if she should chance to awaken and cast her eyes suddenly upon it."

Too verbose.

It would be better if he just said "The sight of it will frighten Flora if she wakes up and looks at the portrait."

"And is it so like him who came here?" said the mother.

Why does everyone in the story have the same amount of brain cells as Bella Swan?

In case you are wondering, Bella has four brain cells.

Of course Marchdale confirms that yes, it is the same person.

"I have not been in this house long enough to ask any of you whose portrait that may be?"

Wait a tick...

Marchdale is a friend of Flora's mother.

So he must have been to the house multiple times.

Which means that the first part of the sentence is absolute horseshit.

As for the second part?

It makes sense that Marchdale didn't see the portrait since it is in Flora's bedroom.

A man entering a lady's bedroom that isn't a doctor would have created a scandal.

"It is," said Henry, "the portrait of Sir Runnagate Bannerworth, an ancestor of ours, who first, by his vices, gave the great blow to the family prosperity."

"Sir Runnagate Bannerworth"?

Reginald, Reynard, and Rupert are actual names.

Runnagate is not.

A quick Google search reveals that runagate is a word meaning "runaway", "vagabond", or "fugitive".

So bravo authors.

You have the subtlety of Stephenie Meyer.

"Indeed. How long ago?"

  "About ninety years."

  "Ninety years. 'Tis a long while -- ninety years."

It is really annoying when characters repeat stuff that that the reader already knows.

Aside from being redundant...

It is also treats the reader like they are an idiot who need everything to be spelled out in 72 pt Times New Roman font.

"You muse upon it."

  "No, no. I do wish, and yet I dread -- "

  "What?"

"To say something to you all. But not here -- not here. We will hold a consultation on this matter to-morrow. Not now -- not now."

Part of this chapter was dedicated to talking about Flora and the vampire.

'Ello continuity error!

Anyway... Henry tells everyone else they can go to bed because he is going to watch over Flora.

Of course, he describes it keeping "my sacred promise".  Can anyone say melodramatic?

Henry also adds that "The daylight is coming quickly on."

"I will fetch you my powder-flask and bullets," said Mr. Marchdale; "and you can, if you please, reload the pistols. In about two hours more it will be broad daylight."

First, the daylight is quickly approaching.

But now it is going to appear in two hours.

Which is it authors?

This arrangement was adopted.

It was placed with a loving family.

Henry did reload the pistols, and placed them on a table by the side of the bed, ready for immediate action,

In other words...

You only reload a gun if you are intending to use it.

  and then, as Flora was sleeping soundly,

It is still pretty impressive that she is sleeping...

Considering the fact that people are talking and moving around.

all left the room but himself. Mrs. Bannerworth was the last to do so.

She would have remained,

Because mommy dearest was busy reading the newspaper.

but for the earnest solicitation of Henry,

At least the solicitation was sincere.

Because if it wasn't, it should be refused out of principle.

that she would endeavour to get some sleep to make up for her broken night's repose,

...

..........

Why can't the authors just say that Henry pleaded with his mother go to bed?

It is much more concise than this verbose sentence.

  and she was indeed so broken down by her alarm on Flora's account,

How is this surprising?

It would be alarming if Flora's mother acted annoyed that Flora survived.

that she had not power to resist,

Before, Flora's mom wanted to stay.

Now she can't wait to leave.

Because only losers care about consistency!

but with tears flowing from her eyes,

Um...

Do tears flow anywhere else?

she sought her own chamber.

How is that unusual? People usually have their own bedroom.

Unless they are sharing a room with someone.

...

Now I can't help but wonder if Flora's mother wanted to spend the night with Marchdale.

Think that couldn't happen? Plenty of bad romance novels have a scene where a man comforts a woman and it results in sex.

And now the calmness of the night

There was inclement weather.

Hell, it was described as being the storm of the century.

resumed its sway

At least it swayed.

We don't want it standing idly by.

in that evil-fated mansion;

Because any horror writer knows, a good story always sucks the suspense out!

and although no one really slept but Flora,

Because most people would be sleeping soundly after a monster entered their home and attacked someone!

all were still.

They were practicing the pose used by many Mary Sues: wait around until life showers them with happiness.

Busy thought kept every one else wakeful.

And in other news: people will eventually die and karma is a bitch.  

It was a mockery to lie down at all,

They all must have hated Flora.

Because they are "still."

and Henry, full of strange and painful feelings as he was,

If this was a Philippa Gregory novel, these emotions would be incestuous.

preferred his present position

Because angst makes him feel alive!

to the anxiety and apprehension

That the reader is supposed to be feeling but frankly doesn't give a damn.

on Flora's account

Rather than the account of Miss Smith, a spinster who is the local librarian.

which he knew he should feel if she were not within the sphere of his own observation,

...

Because two pistols are enough to stop a member of the Undead. Logic be damned!

and she slept as soundly

All thanks to Nyquil!

as some gentle infant tired of its playmates and its sports.

Because a vampire victim should be compared to a tired infant.

*Takes a deep breath *

Thankfully, this chapter finally ends.

[tonysopranosfeverdreams]

@glennatohowerton

42. “Why are you shaking?”

64. “Yell, scream, cry, please, just say something, anything.”

It was 3:27 am, the last time Dennis checked his watch, which meant that Mac has been out for approximately 6 hours.

 He was on a date with some  asshole named Sean, who appeared from the grindr profile that Mac had gleefully waved in his face over their shared cartons of Chinese takeout earlier that night, to be all of 25 years old, and, undeniably, a total beefcake. When Dennis  had made some snide remark about the kid probably needing to be home in time for curfew, Mac had just laughed it off in between mouthfuls of vegetable lo mein (stolen from Dennis’s plate), his eyes scrunching up at the edges. It made him look younger, somehow, vulnerable.  Dennis had stared at the table.

Mac had bounced out the door donning a dark green t-shirt, sheer and fitted so it clung to his muscles.  Mac’s hair was soft, ruffled, and he looked more confident and at ease than Dennis had seen him in  years, casting a bright  smile over his shoulder while Dennis not to wait up for him.  Dennis had nodded. Dennis had counted the beer stains on the beige living room carpet. Dennis had thrown a mug against the wall. Dennis had cut his fingers picking up the tiny pieces of china that covered the kitchen floor. Dennis had paced the length of the apartment over and over for approximately 45 minutes.

Inevitably,  Dennis finds himself awake in the middle of the goddamn night, taking generous swigs from a bottle of whiskey he had unearthed from the depths of the kitchen cabinet, and flipping aimlessly through channels featuring scantily clad women on a quest to find their soulmate while jump-starting their model careers and rich housewives whose faces were more plastic than flesh and bone- who talked too much but said nothing. He ultimately settled on some nature channel showing a series that documented different species of birds. Tonight, they were talking about blue jays, he noticed, watching as one of the stern-looking little  birds soared across his screen to settle on a tree branch next to another.

Blue jays mate for life, apparently. Dennis hadn’t known that.  The soft drone of the narrator served as adequate background noise for Dennis’s increasingly loud, alcohol-fueled thoughts.

It was fucking ridiculous, really. Dennis knew Mac had been with men in the past, so he really shouldn’t be so fixated on the happenings of Mac’s date. For all the grief Dennis gives him, he realizes that Mac is an objectively attractive man, and now that he’s happily out of the closet,  there’s no reason he shouldn’t be out playing the field, catching up on the feelings and experiences he’d pretended not to want for the past thirty years, embracing the parts of himself he’d tucked carefully away from the outside world (or only acknowledged in the dim backrooms of seedy bars, caught in the middle of glittering crowds of moving bodies on the dance floor, drunk enough for a moment that he forgot what he was so afraid of in the first place, under some spell  that inevitably broke the next morning. This thought makes Dennis’s chest constrict sharply, a dull, aching feeling he can’t quite pinpoint).

But now, Mac was healing. Mac was growing. Mac was out with a man with dimples and a six pack who was probably laughing at all of his stupid jokes, touching his arms lightly as he leaned in to whisper something in his ear, making Mac’s cheeks flush and his eyes gleam in the same way they would whenever Dennis would dole out a rare compliment or words of praise.  Mac was out with a man who presumably had a career and goals and real adult relationships, who could wake up in the morning and eat three meals a day like it was nothing, who would probably call Mac baby when he’s sober and let Mac hold his hand; someone who wouldn’t lash out at him with unnecessarily sharp words, but would make him feel good about himself,  who would give him Valentine’s presents and stay to make him breakfast in the morning. Mac would like that, Dennis thought.

Dennis pictures Mac as he always looked first thing in the morning padding quietly out of his bedroom blurry eyed and sleep-soft, expression warming when he lays eyes on Dennis. Imagines someone else seeing him like that every day. Dennis thinks of getting drunk with Mac, leaning heavily against his shoulder on countless late night walks home from the bar, peering up under his lashes to catch a glimpse of Mac’s face; his gelled hair falling messily across his forehead, mouth open in concentration on getting them both home in one piece. The smell of his old leather jacket mixing with his dollar store shampoo and cologne samples ripped from men’s magazines, his arm tightening around his waist when Dennis inevitably stumbled over an empty beer bottle or groove in the sidewalk.

He thinks of Mac as a teenager: the two of them sitting silently in his room after his father went to prison for the second time, Mac’s arms circled tight around knees, his gaze fixed vacantly on the paint peeling off his bedroom wall, sitting closely enough that the outside of their thighs just touched. He thinks of Mac as he might be when he’s older, with more specks of gray painting his dark hair, more wrinkles around his eyes, but with the same unchanging, almost childish smile.Thinks again of Mac dating, maybe even getting married, someday. Growing old with someone.

At this point, Dennis realizes he is having difficulty breathing, his breaths coming out shorter and quicker than they normally would, his heart beating so loudly  he swears it echoes in his ears. The adrenaline sets in. Dennis goes to take another swig of whiskey to calm himself down, before he notices the bottle is empty. Fuck.  He immediately senses that has to get out. He has to get out of this fucking apartment and flee to somewhere, anywhere else. He is vaguely considering going to the 7-11 down the street to pick up a 12 pack of beerbeer, and at least burn off all this weird fucking nervous energy when his thoughts are interrupted by sound of the front door opening.

Mac’s moving as quietly as possible, as if trying not to wake anyone up. Painted in the yellow light from the hallway, he kicks his shoes off and gently sets his keys on the kitchen counter, before he notices Dennis sitting on the sofa.

“Jesus Christ, Dude!  I had no idea you were awake,” he all but squawks “Fuck, man, you almost gave me a heart attack”

“Sorry,” Dennis offers, tonelessly.

Mac exhales through a tired grin, stifling a yawn with his fist as he steps closer to Dennis,  flinging himself into a chair opposite the couch and stretching his arms over his head. Dennis’s gaze lingers the curve of his upper arm, his fingers resting lightly against the back of the chair.

“Oh man, at first I was super worried I was gonna get catfished, and it was gonna turn out to be like a  gross old woman or some shit like you see on tv, you know?” Mac makes a disgusted face, lip curling up dramatically before laughing. “But then I get to the Rainbow and it turns out Sean is like. An actual personal trainer, and he sells his own line of like, protein shakes, I think?  And like, I’m pretty ripped dude, but I mean this dude is absolutely shredded, like way more bigger in person than the pictures.”

As Mac proceeds to talk more about his date (who apparently had been very interested in watching Mac’s Project Badass tapes, though Dennis expected this was mostly to get into his pants), Dennis finds his focus drifting.  Mac has a stray piece of glitter decorating the skin just above the collar of his t-shirt, Dennis notices absently, glimmering mildly in the faintly lit room, and drawing attention to the part of his body where the meat of his neck meets collarbone, surprisingly delicate.

Dennis looks down at the floor, then forces his eyes back on the tv screen, barely registering  the shapes of the tiny, brightly colored creatures collecting twigs to build their nest together. Vaguely, Dennis wonders what would happen  if something went wrong. If nature maybe fucks up now and then and one of the birds can’t figure out how to build nests properly, was born without the instinct, or just doesn’t know what to do when the time comes, and he fucks it all up? What happens to him then? Does he just fly away?

Mac must notice that something is off, because he stops talking.

“Dennis. Dennis dude, are you okay?” He looks genuinely confused, as his gaze skates across Dennis’s face. Suddenly his eyes widen, his brow creasing with worry.

“Dennis? Why are you shaking?”

Was he? Dennis hadn’t noticed.

“I’m going to get you a blanket, man. Just wait here a second.” Mac’s wringing his hands, biting his lip as he stares at him earnestly,  like he does when he realizes Dennis hasn’t eaten all day or when Dennis finally emerges from the bathroom after having locked himself inside for the better part of the night.

The softness, the sincerity of the expression makes something in Dennis snap, and all he hears is static electricity, all he sees is red.  Just as Mac  turns to go get the blanket from his room, Dennis calls out to him:

“So fucking typical isn’t it? You’re so desperate for affection you’ll open your legs for  the first decently attractive person who gives you the time of day, as if they actually give a shit about you” he punctuates the sentence with a cold, strangely strangled sounding laugh, schooling his expression into one of mock pity.

“ Anyway, this guy was probably just bored, looking for a quick lay to kill some time. Absolutely pathetic.”

Mac freezes from his position in the doorway, his back stiffening, and Dennis’s entire body goes suddenly cold with dread. But Mac just stands there, with his back to Dennis, as the seconds tick unbearably onward.

“Come on!” Dennis croaks, desperate now to evoke some kind of reaction. “Yell, scream, cry, please, just say something, anything!”

Mac turns slowly back to face Dennis, and when he does, Dennis sees an array of emotions plastered on his face; there’s pain etched into his features, and anger, but worst of all there’s this strange acceptance, like he had half expected Dennis to lash out like this, like he’s had years and years of practice. His voice is carefully controlled when he speaks next.

“Yeah, well, if I’m so pathetic, if I’m so desperate, then why the fuck did you come back in the first place? We were finally starting to get back to normal or like, I don’t know maybe an even better version of normal when you waltzed back in without any kind of explanation or apology for leaving us alone for over a year, Dennis.” Mac’s voice cracks, the way it does when he talks about his dad in prison, the way it does when he can’t but help but allow his carefully maintained facade of toughness to drop for just a moment.

Dennis sits frozen still, stunned. He wasn’t expecting this. He doesn’t know what he expected. Dennis doesn’t know if he’s imagining it, but Mac’s eyes are glossy when he continues

“There were… weeks, Dennis. When I couldn’t get out of bed, when Charlie would come to make sure I was….” he flounders  “to make sure I was okay. And even after that I was trying so hard not to think about it I did so much stupid shit just trying to forget about y-to forget about it ” He clears his throat, raises his head slightly to look Dennis in the eye. “I was in a really bad place, man.  You leaving didn’t just affect you.” He pauses, wiping the back of his hand across his eyes. Dennis swallows, suddenly, against, a growing lump forming in his throat.

“And now you’re back and you keep talking about how much you hate me, or how annoying I am, or how much you wish you didn’t live with me?” he chuckles bitterly. “So what I’m having a hard time understanding is- why? Why, Dennis? Why did you leave your kid and your cushy life with Mandy and come back to Philly, back to our home if I’m so goddamn terrible?”

Mac has these bright pink splotches  high on his cheeks, his chest heaving with barely restrained emotion.

Dennis is paralyzed. He wants to flee. He wants to reach out and touch Mac. He wants to become as small as humanly possible, so small that no other person can ever see him again. He feels wetness forming on his cheeks, has no idea how it got there.

Mac’s body visibly deflates as he takes in the scene before him. He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck for a long moment, features softening. Moving quickly, he steps closer to Dennis, reaching out to touch him, hand  hovering near his shoulder before he thinks better and it drops to its side.

“Fuck, man. It’s late.” he forces a watery laugh, hand running through his own hair. “We’re just tired, saying shit we don’t mean.” He won’t quite meet Dennis’s eyes. “I’m going to go get you that blanket.”

Mac exits the room, and swiftly returns with the soft blue flannel blanket from his own bed, wrapping it loosely around Dennis’s shoulders with gentle, careful movements. He sits next to Dennis on the couch, leaving enough space that their legs don’t touch, but Dennis can still feel some of the warmth radiating from his body.

“Did you know that blue jays mate for life?” Dennis asks, abruptly. Mac pauses in his fussing with the blanket to lean back enough to look into Dennis’s eyes, cautious and confused. His whole face shifts, like he’s on the brink of something, but can’t fully bring himself to understand exactly what’s taking place.

“What? I don’t-” he starts

“Their whole life,” Dennis manages, feebly maintaining eye contact, his nails digging into his own thigh as he forces himself onward. He chokes on his words for a minute before continuing.  “ It’s just the one.”

“Dennis,” Mac breathes, his eyes wide with confusion, and fear, and something that looks suspiciously like hope. He reaches out and this time grabs Dennis’s hand where its curled into his thigh, squeezes it tight. “You’re okay. Dennis,  it’s going to be okay.”

And for the first time,  Dennis thought, maybe it was.