#i will Not sit here and just. fuckin Deal with my social issues n pretend they dont happen. for your bratty ass comfort

[littlebabycrybtch]

ppl rly still use the ‘not oppressed enough’ excuse to not care abt certain minorities like... imagine thinking that Not being racist or homophobic or w/e is like, an incredible thing of you and the only standard you should ever have to meet... like wow you arent a bigot thats so cool of you please pat yourself on the back immediately and never worry abt any other groups or issues ever again.... like sjdhfjksd imagine thinking not oppressing ppl legally and systematically means you should feel like you Won Morals or smth..... thts so fuckin LAZY its laughable like i. ‘[blank] isnt oppressed’ ok well, give yourself a gold star for doing the basic human decency shit and work on widening it so ppl who are suffering arent also miserable just bc You dont rly wanna care abt em... like bro if theyre gonna stay miserable w/o your help, you literally cannot keep expecting them to stop asking you to care... thats so WILDLY selfish im losing it this is Maddening like WHat the fuck is wrong with you and your sympathy skills if you think activism is just copying a handful of the ‘right’ stances and then boom you Reached the Good Person level, you won and never have to actively put in effort to care again, you Won you can stop having to try now thank god right,

[irwintry]

Lines

Warnings: swearing

Author’s Note: in the mood to repost calum

Word Count: 3k

part two

The first line appeared after you got your braces removed. It was long and dark down your skin, and while you were spewing excited words out to your mother, you knew that it meant very little. The longer the lines, the greater the distance your soulmate was away from you. The first line appeared to be about three inches down your wrist, which meant that whoever your soulmate was could be at least a whole state away or more. Any thirteen-year-old would freak out at the thought of having some knowledge of their soulmate's whereabouts, but you were one of the last in your friend group to have a line appear. You were just happy you weren't broken.

The length of the line encouraged insecurities within you. Someone you knew had a line the size of a millimeter. For all they knew, their soulmate could sit right next to them in social studies. It was safe to say that your three-inch tattoo was not spectacular. Nevertheless, it gave you hope.

The next line appeared two years later. The two-year wait sucked, but it had to do. This time, the line was a few centimeters shorter than the last. You gushed to your mother, showing her your wrist with pride. You took a look at her fading lines while she was examining yours, and you couldn't help but frown. She only had three short lines on her wrist. She was one of the lucky few that lived within a few towns of her soulmate, and they also happened to attend the same college. The last line on everyone's wrist would always be the shortest.

You wondered what your soulmate was up to. The lines only appeared whenever they were traveling, or so it appeared. Your family didn't move around as much, at least not within the two years since your first line showed up on your skin. You wondered what they were like, if they played any instruments, and if they enjoyed some of the same things that you did. You hoped that their favorite candy was Smarties® as well.

The night of your sixteenth birthday, you watched the two inch-line appear on your skin. Your family had taken a trip to California before deciding to drive up the west coast. You were in San Francisco by the time the line burned your skin, but only for a matter of seconds.

The lines appeared more often after that, and you were starting to grow worried that the thin inks would run out of space on your wrist. Only one line was shorter than an inch. You bought your parents dinner the day that happened. The others, on the other hand, always were around the same lengths.

You were pissed at your soulmate. From as early on as you could remember, you always hoped that you would have a story similar to your mother's. You didn't want a lot of line tattoos decorating your skin. The more lines you had, the more others would know how long you waited. You didn't want to be thirty with your wrists and ankles covered in random lines. By that point, they would mean nothing to you. They were starting to slowly mean nothing to you.

By your twenties, you were wearing bracelets to cover the lines up. You figured out that your soulmate could be someone who traveled a lot. Most celebrities had a billion lines covering their wrists because of how often they traveled. You secretly wanted your soulmate to be a celebrity.

Your left wrist was nearly finished, and soon (you assumed that soon would actually come) the lines would appear on your right wrist. You no longer updated your mother on your tattoos, nor really your good friends because they were tired of your complaining. Some friends.

Rumor had it that the lines appeared twelve to twenty-four hours after the so-called set time you and your soulmate were within a good distance of each other. There was no way to tell if it was true, especially for you. No matter, you didn't let it bother you. The bracelets kept your wrists covered enough to keep you from looking at them too often. You never cared about your soulmate as much as you used to.

-

"Yogi, Yogi, no­– "

The small Yorkie dashed in the opposite direction. So far, your first week in Los Angeles was going well. The young pup circled a lamppost and darted over to a large bush adjacent to you. Your feet could only take you so fast, and they did not prove worthy to your little Yogi's paws.

"Yogi, please," you begged. You probably looked like a damn fool trying to catch her. You were arched over like Quasimodo so you could hope to catch the miniature devil dog. "Bad dog, Yogi. Bad, bad–"

Your dog yelped and scampered away from the bush. A bigger dog had growled at the small thing, and finally Yogi waddled over to you calmly. You sighed, picking her up so you could place her back on her leash. That was the last time you would ever trust your dog off of her leash. She wagged her precious little tail as she panted up at you, her eyes brown and bright.

"Yes, I still love you," you said, "you little freak." You glanced around to make sure your scene hadn't attracted unwanted attention, and luckily, it didn't. People were probably used to weirdos like you around here.

Your wrist burned on your walk home, and by this point, it was only humorous to you. You wished you were Yogi instead. She never had to deal with soulmate issues, unless dogs had their own form of it. Maybe you were her soulmate. You smiled at that thought and turned the corner to your apartment.

Yogi began yapping again. The day you adopted her, you plugged your ears every time she barked. The poor thing couldn't help how annoyingly high pitched her barks were.

"Yogi, no." You tugged gently on her leash before looking around to find what she was barking at.

A few people had walked by, and apparently one of them had bent down to attempt to pet her. You really had to increase your personal special awareness. You gave the leash one last small pull before continuing on your way. Yogi acted like nothing had happened as she padded down the concrete sidewalk.

With one more turn of a corner, Yogi once again started barking. You let out a frustrated sigh as you bent down to pick her up, and when your spine straightened, you nearly gasped.

"Holy fu–, your dog is the cutest little thing," the man said, holding out his hand so she could give it a sniff. At least he knew not to pet a dog first thing before they figured a person out. "What's its name?"

You couldn't speak. Well, you didn't want to even try. It was Calum Hood. Calum. Hood.

"Y-Yogi," you sputtered, clutching her tightly in your arms.

Calum grinned and scratched her head. Her barking at died down by then, and surprisingly, she was actually letting him pet her. Maybe she knew that he was Calum Hood, too. What if your dog was just as star-struck as you?

He cooed as he scratched down from her ear to her back, his fingers grazing over your forearm and leaving sparks of heat. "Yogi the Yorkie. That's fuckin' brilliant. Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to swe– "

You chuckled. "I don't mind swearing. Neither does she, I don't think. She hears plenty of it back at home when I stub my toes on every piece of furniture." You bounced her in your arms.

Calum beamed and let out a chuckle himself. "That's me with Duke."

"Your dog?" You dumb idiot. Of course Duke is his dog.

He nodded. "Proud dad and dog owner. I love having a small dog, but I'll never discriminate."

You laughed again. You had to chill. "That's what I said! I've had fairly large dogs my whole life until little Yogi over here." Once again, you bounced her in your arms. She was loving all of the attention.

"That name is fuckin' sick," he said and looked up at you. "'m Calum."

Woah, woah, woah.

"Y/N," you replied with a friendly smile, to which he returned. "I think she loves you more than she loves me."

Calum shook his head. "Definitely not true. I'm sure Duke would love you more than he loves me if he were here, though."

After another second of scratching Yogi, Calum pulled away. You hadn't realized how close he had been until he stepped back a few feet. You missed his presence already.

"Would it be weird if I asked you a favor?" he wondered, folding his arms over his chest. You heard the leather creak with the movement.

"Depends on the favor." You were most likely going to say yes anyway.

"I travel a lot," he started, "and I always ask my friends to look over Duke-y while I'm away. Um, sometimes they're not always educated in knowing how to take care of a dog." Calum laughed. "Would you be interested in taking over, maybe? We could exchange numbers and I could let you know the days I'd be gone. Only, of course, if this would work and be okay with you."

You pretended to ponder for a moment, but you still knew that your answer would be yes right away. Even if your schedule was busy, you could always fit time in for Calum Hood. But, your schedule was not busy. "That actually sounds like a dream job," you answered with a smile. "I've always wanted to work at a doggy daycare-kind-of-place, but I guess one dog will do," you joked.

"You– wait, you serious?" Calum grinned. "Thank you, Y/N. I promise to pay well. Here– "

Calum took out his phone, and as he did so, you glanced down at his wrist. You could only see the top of his dark lines, but there appeared to be a lot. You were somewhat relieved that someone also had as many as you, though he probably was more numb to it since he traveled quite often.

You set down Yogi so the two of you could exchange numbers, though this time, you had her on a leash so she wouldn't run away. That was a story to tell Calum another time. Calum. You could not believe you were face-to-face with him. You could not believe you were exchanging numbers with him.

"Cool, cool," he said, placing his phone back in his pocket. The sleeve of his jacket pushed farther up his sleeve, exposing more of his lines. They were decently long. "Thank you so much." Calum clapped his hands together. "Gotta run, but I'll let you know when I need ya! Thank you, thank you!"

You waved goodbye to him before turning the other way. "All right, Yogi," you whispered down into her soft ear, "you did a little good today. I think you made up for earlier. How about two biscuits after dinner tonight?"

Yogi turned her body and slammed into your legs, her tail wagging like crazy at the sound of you saying biscuit.

"Okay, freak," you chuckled. "Let's go."

-

It happened when you were showering the next morning. In the middle of washing your face, your wrist burned for less than half of a second. You thought you were daydreaming as you looked down to see a small line barely visible to your eyes. You waited patiently, hoping that in a matter of seconds, it would burn again and stretch farther down your wrist. Nothing changed, no matter how hard you scrubbed at the skin.

You switched off the shower, grabbing your towel and skipping out of the bathroom with your wrist extended. You had your phone in your free hand as you searched for your mother's contact.

"Hel– "

"I found them, well, him," you said hurriedly. You glanced down at your wrist, still unable to believe it all. It was too good to be true. "Walking Yogi, I found him. Didn't find out for twelve hours. Can't believe that twelve-hour bullshit is actually true," you muttered.

Yogi whined at your feet.

Meanwhile, your mom was laughing at you. You probably sounded like a hysterical mess.

"He's famous," you said. "He travels."

"So, that's why you have a thousand lines?" your mother asked with a chuckle.

You rolled your eyes. "Not a thousand..." You sat down on your couch. You told her the whole event a few moments later, the words coming out as more of a vomit than anything coherent. You could sense her smiling through the phone.

"Cuter than my story," she mumbled. "How will you see him again?"

You sighed, feeling the nerves bubble in your stomach at the thought of having to go over to his place and see him once again. "He asked me to dog sit for him."

"No fucking way."

"Mom!" you scolded, but you were laughing.

"That's so perfect," she said. "Then you can get married and finally own a hundred dogs like you've always wanted."

"True," you agreed. "Since one of us didn't want a hundred dogs..."

"Before you make me feel bad any further, I have to let you go in a second," your mother said. "I'm about to go to a meeting."

"Okay, enjoy boredom." You patted the cushion next to you so Yogi could join you, but she instead waddled the other way. "Love you."

"Love you more."

You let out another sigh as you set down your phone. Your first instinct when facing this situation was to run away, but you knew you couldn't run forever. No matter how many times you'd miss each other, you'd somehow find your way back to one another sooner or later.

-

Calum sent you a text three days later, and you weren't sure he was one-hundred-percent sober. Nevertheless, he texted you, which meant something good at least.

y/n y/n y/n! i'm leavinf town tomorrow!! areyou still able to doggy sit?

You waited a minute or two to answer before sending him an enthused yes. You wanted to match his level of excitement. Once you looked over the text again, it hit you that, by now, he probably knew you were his soulmate, too. Now you were going to have to deal with that conversation. Unless... he wasn't even your soulmate. Maybe it had been someone else you stumbled into on your walk with Yogi yesterday. Or, it could be a twenty-four-hour rule, and your soulmate could actually be the girl at the Starbucks counter.

Fuck.

Calum let you know his address soon after you answered him. He followed up by asking you if you could meet him by nine in the morning so he could show you around and let you know about his feeding routine, etc. This made your stomach drop. You had been hoping he'd just have you show up after he left.

So, the next day, you found yourself on your way to Calum's (which, to be honest, was only up the hill where all of the wealthier places sat above the somewhat-decent apartments). You hadn't thought to bring Yogi along with you – so he could say hi again – until you were parking in his driveway. This was his driveway. This whole ordeal was going to drive you insane.

He greeted you with a smile and a gentle pat on the shoulder before leading you into his home. He introduced you to Duke along your tour, and you could hardly focus on anything he was saying with his beautiful pup before you. You were in absolute heaven.

"Thank you so much for doing this," he told you. "I have a feeling that you're probably more reliable than my friends."

You simpered, letting out a dry chuckle. "You have too much faith in me, Cal."

He smiled along with you but stared at you in silence.

Had you said something wrong? You wondered about it for a while until it finally dawned on you. You called him Cal. Maybe he had a thing about strangers calling him by a nickname most likely meant for close friends. Nonetheless, you felt guilty about it.

A few seconds later, he resumed showing you the places where the leashes, dog food, and toys were kept. He informed you that he would like you to check on Duke two to three times a day, and during one of those times, give the dog a decent sized walk. He assumed you knew exactly what "decent sized" meant since you also had a small dog.

"Is it too much to ask you to send me updates over text?" Calum asked as he gathered his bags by the door. "Oh, and before I forget, let me go get the spare key." He really did have too much faith in you, a stranger, to make sure his home and dog were safe. Especially since he was all well-known as he was.

"I can do that!" you shouted to him from the next room as he searched his drawers for another key. "If you're ever free while I'm here, I can FaceTime you. Only if ya want."

Calum walked in with a great big smile on his face. "I would love that. Thank you. I'll let you know ahead of time, too, that way you can have Duke meet Yogi, and I can witness it. Oh, my fuckin' god, you better FaceTime me then."

You chuckled, taking the key from his warm hand. Soft and warm. "I pinky promise," you said, holding up your pinky.

Calum held out his own pinky. The sleeve of his jacket pushed up his forearm as he extended it, and you nearly choked on your saliva when you noticed the lines decorating his tan skin. You failed to breathe as he gave you another enthusiastic thank you before saying goodbye to Duke. You kept your jaw clenched in order to keep it from falling open. With a simple wave, you bid him adieu and bent down to pet his beautiful puppy.

Once he was gone, you could finally let out a shaky breath. Calum was your soulmate through and through.

[gabis2r]

#6 Drunk Anti headcanon fic thing

@anothermarkiplierfan posted I wonder what Anti’s like when he’s drunk. 

It hit a sweet spot...  I need to talk about this. I’m inspired.

This began as headcanon and became fic.  Don’t know why.   But I got inspired at the thought of a drunken Anti.  

No real warnings.  It’s Anti so, no rainbows, but it’s fairly safe.  It’s LONG though. Grab snacks.

I feel the only place Jack would get drunk enough for this to be an issue is after hours at PAX with his friends. Or maybe after the Revelmode Charity stream in Brighton in December.  

Imagine him sitting in a room with Mark and Felix, playing shot Cards Against Humanity or shot Would You Rather with the camera rolling in the corner for later editing.  The girls in another, more adult room, drinking and sharing funny stories about lamenting their lives with Youtubers.

Initially Jack’s buzzing and getting increasingly funny as his social filter slowly erodes with the alcohol killing off signals from his frontal lobe; his conscience. Felix and he are roasting Mark for not being able to drink, but he hasn’t realised that the Viking in the room has challenged his Irish Celt pride. They’re competing.

There comes a point - and Jack feels it happen - that tilts his perception.  A stage jump into the next level of drunk. Tunnel vision.  He knows this one, it’s his cue to stop drinking, but his inhibitions are down, there’s a Viking to compete with and he’s not making the best decisions right now. Despite his vision being blurred around the edges he’s still having a riot with his friends. Sober Mark’s running circles around the pair of them and Felix is so drunk that he’s more of a car crash than usual and it’s the funniest fucking shit.  He’s sore from laughing so hard. He’s blaming the itchy eye on his blurred vision.

The tipping point only happens when he moves.  He reaches forward to pour himself another drink and the room lurches around him.  Everything greys as he fights a sudden hot rush of nausea.  He tells himself not to vomit, but this is different.  It’s not the drink that’s rising, it’s something worse.  He tries to fight it back and gain control, but he’s fucking paralytic so control isn’t his strong point. He’s fucked and he knows it.  It’s stronger, it’s claiming control and he’s weak from the alcohol.  He belts out a panicked “God, I’m sorry!” to his friends then laughs.

The laugh is gut churning and Mark is instantly on his feet.  Felix explodes into laughter at the absurdity of what just happened, but Mark’s not laughing. Mark’s not even smiling.  He’s slowly backing away from Jack’s seat and trying to silently hand gesture Felix to be quiet.  Felix is too drunk to figure it out until Mark asks Jack where Jack is.  

“Jack’s taking a timeout.”  He pops up into a crouch, pounce-ready, and giggles maniacally, “I’m here now.”

“Anti?” Mark asks.

“Bullshit!” Felix snorts, but the joke dies in his mind as he finally gets his eyes to focus enough to see that Jack isn’t simply a sickly shade, but the air around him is… muddy, it’s dark, swimming somehow.  But he knows he’s drunk so refuses to trust what he’s seeing. How can he trust his brain’s interpretation of Jack’s eyes?  They can’t be real.  They can’t be!

Mark’s voice breaks his descent into panic. “Waddya want Anti?”

“Fun.”  Anti leaps at Mark like a fucking velociraptor, all teeth and claws, but Mark’s sober.  He dodges just enough and uses Anti’s momentum to hurl him into the wall behind.  Anti’s not even fazed, he’s straight back to a sneering crouch.  “See?” he laughs, “Fun.”  He’s upright in a second, grinning and glaring at Mark with his head dipped.  His focus shifts to a drunk, wide-eyed Felix on the sofa and his head snaps almost ninety degrees to his shoulder. He lurches towards Felix and Mark lunges at him to intercept, but Anti dodges, staggers sideways and loses his footing, crashing to the floor in a snarled yelp of surprise.  “FUCK!”

Felix descends into flat-out panic mode, his drunken mind cyclically trying and failing to understand what he’s seeing, to grasp that Anti is here and just tried to attack him. His broken whispered chant that Anti isn’t real.  He’s a prank, a fan service.  Anti can’t be real.  

Anti hauls himself back to his feet, but momentum takes him forward and he staggers again, buckling down to the floor.  Marks stands over him and folds his arms triumphantly.  “Go home, Anti. You’re drunk”

“He’s not even REAL!” Felix yells.

Mark risks taking his eyes off Anti for a moment to offer Felix a slight sympathetic smile.  “Yeah… I advised Jack not to tell you, you wouldn’t understand.  You don’t have one.”

“One what?  What the fuck IS that thing?”

Mark shrugs lightly.  “I dunno.  A …moth, I guess.  The brighter some people are, the darker the moth they attract.  Anti’s the fuckin’ worst!”

Anti giggles. “Good analogy.   Does it help you sleep?”

Mark sighs at the creature on the floor.  “No,” he admits, “but if it helps Jack sleep…”

“Oh, he’s awake.” Anti sneers,  “I’m making him watch.” He pulls himself up again, leaping at Felix with teeth bared, but Mark reacts just in time, grabbing the back of Anti’s collar mid-air and yanking him back to the floor.  Anti screams in frustration, scrambles up, falls and screams again.  He manages to sit up, rocking and growling while gnawing at his fingers in temper.

Mark crouches before him, well out of arm’s reach.  “Sleep it off, Anti. Don’t make me call Him up.”

Anti pauses and grins.  “Your ‘moth’” he air-quotes, “is weak.”

Mark’s not stupid.  Dark’s strong, he’s capable, but Anti is something straight from Lovecraft’s nightmares.  He can feel Dark’s threats not to involve him, he’s refusing to admit he’s scared, but he’s cautious.  Drunken Anti is at a definite disadvantage though, so Mark calls his bluff instead.  “And you’re too drunk to stand, let alone fight.  You’re not winning this one.  Sleep it off.”

The rocking intensifies, a low growl pitches into a long wailing whine and, inexplicably, Anti burst into tears. “I don’t wanna! You can’t make me…”

Felix sits up, “Is he-?”  

Mark frantically gestures him to shut up.  He changes his tone to deal with Anti’s drunken moodswing. “No one can make you do anything.  But you know… You can exist alongside Jack.  You can-”

“No!” he snaps, twitching in frustration,  “You don’t. F-fucking. Understand. It hurts! He’s too fucking bright.  He burns.”

“Then leave him.”

“I’m trapped!” Anti’s shoulders sag in defeat, suddenly more desperate to talk than destroy.  “It’s like…” his eyes rake the room and Mark reaches for the vodka bottle, handing it to him, shuddering a little as long, thin, bloodied fingers slowly curl around the bottle. Anti takes a long, gulping swig and realises that he’s too drunk and relaxed to twitch so much.  It’s an odd relief.  “It’s like… I’m not a moth to a flame… I’m fucken’ Icarus! He was SO bright. And… n’ like… The Sun’s a prison… I mean, the drink weakened his bars… his conscience, and… and him, so I’m out n’ shit, but it’s just fucken day release, ya know?  I’m back behind fucken bars when he sobers up tomorrow.  Am I making sense?  I don’t feel like I’m making sense.”

Mark understands.  “You’re trapped behind his conscience.”

“S’too strong!” he slurs, succumbing to a twitch, “S’a prison.”

“He’s a good guy.” Mark confirms.

“Prison.” Anti nods, taking another gulp of Vodka.  “Doesn’t e-even know I’m there.”

“He knows.”

“Nope.  I talk at him all the time.  Give him ideas n’ shit. Urges. Fucken… radio silence.  Every time. Nothin’.”

“He knows. He gave you air time at Halloween.”

“Pretended… to cover up my appearances. Now there’s silence.  He’s shiny and bright and s-silent.  I just… I just want…” he takes a swig and waves the bottle in a grand drunken gesture, the twitches peaking again in his anger, “something! Some hint, some f-fucken indication that I’m n-not a-alone.  It’s bright and it burns and I’m so alone!  I’m alone in my own p-personal Hell!  He won’t even acknowledge me! I’m NOT going back to silence!”

Mark takes a large composing inhale and sighs.  There’s a tragedy in this and it’s not just Jack who’s suffering.  He pulls his phone from his pocket and dials Amy.  He tries to keep his voice calm and light while carefully explaining that he needs Wiishu to come check on her drunk boyfriend.  He has to explain that no, it’s not a drunken prank for the video and it’s not something to panic over.  

She’s on her way.  He has no idea how she’s going to react.

“Stop chewing your fingers!” Felix snaps, “Make him stop eating his fingers, it’s making me sick!”

Mark looks to Anti who’s still rocking, managing to look both devastated and horrific while gnawing on bloody fingers.  “Jack’s gonna need those, buddy.”

Anti pauses and studies the mess he’s made of his fingertips from different angles.  “These are MY fingers.” he states flatly, “Jack’s are inside. Safe. Whenever I retreat, mine are inside Jack’s, so I can use him like a puppet.” he chuckles sadly, “‘Cept it never works.”  He takes another drink and stretches his arms out.  “You ever notice how long Jack’s arms are?  Like… seriously… I had to stretch to fit.  He’s sooo long!”  He flexes his bloodied, spindly fingers and drunkenly grins to himself.  “I’m longer.”

Anti’s now at the terrifying monster equivalent of the ‘I love you’ stage of drunk. He’s muttering to himself and smiling at the vodka bottle. He poses minimal threat now and it’s oddly endearing. Mark has already decided he pities Anti by the time Wiishu knocks on the door.  

She doesn’t react to the news the way he’d expect, displaying more annoyance than anything else.  She approaches the slumped entity and kicks his foot.  “How drunk are you?”

“That’s not Jack.” Felix warns.

“I know.” she replies, kicking Anti’s foot again.  Anti looks up and curls his blood stained lips into a snarl.  “Have you been crying?” she asks with a grimace, “You’re fucking pathetic.”  Mark and Felix exchange worried glances.  

Mark tries to explain what Anti had confessed about being lonely and Jack not acknowledging his existence.  He told her that he’d hoped she could help in some way.

She folds her arms and glares at the drunken, bloodied mess on the floor.  “Why should I help you?  After all the nightmares?  After everything you’ve tried to make him do? Tried to put him through?  Fuck you!”

“Tried!” Anti snapped back.  “I tried!  And every time that he ig-ignores me I have to try harder cos he doesn’t even notice! I get louder and louder to be heard.  He doesn’t hear me!”

“He fucking hears you!  He thought he was going insane before Halloween.  Thankfully you fucked up enough to manifest and prove those urges weren’t his.  You’re an insidious little creep and fuck you for hurting him.”

“He’s fuckin’ f-fine!”

“Is he conscious?”

“Barely.  We’re drunk.”  He lets his head fall back, smiling up at her in satisfaction.  “But he can hear me now.  He’s drunk, but… he’s willing to bargain… cos I got the wheel and you’re pretty…”

Mark grips a handful of green hair. “You’re too drunk to hurt her, but if he hears you, he hears me.  Hang in there, buddy, we got this.”

Anti rips his head away leaving a few hairs in Mark’s grip and hisses at him. “You got shit!”

Mark, in his anger, leans in, “And what have YOU got?”

Anti’s grip on the vodka bottle tightens and Mark sees his error too late, but before Anti has chance to smash it into his face, Wiishu touches his arm, smiling kindly when he looks at her in shock.  She sits next to him and silently gestures for the bottle.  Cautiously he hands it to her.  She takes a small swig and hands it back.  “He only ignores you when you try to convince him to hurt someone.”

“It’s my n-nature.”

“I know.” she replies softly, “but he’d acknowledge you whenever it’s safe.  He actually has a soft spot for you.”

Anti doesn’t respond to this, his head twitching to the side as he tries to detect the lie.  

“You know it’s true,” she smiles, “he thinks you’re cool.  His community think you’re cool.  You just gotta… let him sleep. Tone it down. He hears you.”

“I n-need…  I… I’m so alone.”

Wiishu raises her hand subconsciously to stroke his hair in comfort and he jolts violently towards her fingers, juddering into the caress.  She only flinches for a second, then actually guides his head down onto her lap, running her fingers through his polarised green hair.  “This is better.” she whispers, “You’re not alone.”  Anti’s eyes close and he drunkenly releases the bottle to curl his bloody fingers at his throat.  “I’ll do you a deal,” she whispers, “Sleep now and when he wakes I’ll convince him to listen for you.  Maybe even find a horror game you can help him play…”  

Anti’s eyes remain closed as he drowsily murmurs, “Promise.”

“No promises, but I’ll talk to him.  Remember all the adoration you got from the community?  You can have that again.  You can communicate ideas with him. Get them all shitting themselves.  That’d be fun, right?”  Anti nods and smiles.  “Now sleep.  Let him rest.  “We got you.”

Anti twitches violently and Jack inhales sharply, murmuring, frowning against a nightmare, his clean, unbloodied fingers flexing beneath his chin.  “I got you.” his girlfriend whispers, stroking his faded green hair.

“Are we done?” Felix asks, “Can I breathe now?  Holy fuck!”

“Honestly forgot you were there.” Mark quips.  “You’re never that quiet.”

“And Jack’s never that scary.  I wasn’t hitting his radar. Too fucking drunk for this shit.”

“Go to bed. And for fuck’s sake, don’t tell Marzia.”

“Are they okay?” Felix asks, “Are you okay, Wiish, need a hand?”

“I’ll do it, you’re drunk. Get off the sofa.” He crouches before them, “Let me help you.”  Jack’s heavier than he looks, but Mark gets him onto the newly vacated sofa without waking him.

He fetches water while Wiishu makes him comfortable.  When he returns she’s writing a note.  

You were too drunk to wake, so I left you here I love you W

“That wasn’t your first encounter, was it?” he asks.

She looks up then back to her sleeping boyfriend and smiles,  “To some he’s a flame. To us he’s The Light.” she whispers, before kissing his head, “He’ll never be rid of Anti, but darkness can’t blow candles out.”

[aurulenthuntsman]

-- aurulentHuntsman [AH] 8egan pestering decastichAmazifier [DA] at 17:38 --

AH: Greetings, Kavi! ~}==>

DA: o hey

AH: How are you faring this fine afternoon? ~}==>

DA: lmao uh like ngl im p much blastd

DA: so i mean its a thong

DA: 8thing

DA: wow

DA: charasistic typos

DA: fuckin noice

AH: Hmm???????? ~}==>

AH: It seems a little early in the day for drinking! ~}==>

DA: hey listen

DA: friend

DA: man

DA: len me ur ear

DA: consider this

DA: concept: its night in at least 5 places rn

AH: A fair point... Time is relative! ~}==>

AH: And perhaps that is a social construct that we put too much weight into ~}==>

AH: But traditionally, early drinking is something of a red flag... ~}==>

AH: I beg your pardon if I'm being presumptuous, but is everything alright? ~}==>

DA: uh lol i mean hello no

DA: well yeh but no

DA: idk its complicated

DA: so

DA: shrugmojis

DA: jus think about me like the fun winemom on Facebook

DA: or like those old sitcoms where its funny

DA: and not a issue like yah kids w/e

DA: u n your bottlerockets and blowin up hotdogs in microwaves

DA: i'll go get my xanex and gin

DA: laughtrack

DA: or Karen

DA: you saucy bagel u

DA: fuckin #relatable #classic #same #mood

AH: I see... So, if it's purely recreational, then the fun would only be doubled with company, correct? ~}==>

DA: oh uh....... yah gimme

DA: 45 mins

AH: Certainly! ~}==>

AURYHN: *exactly 45 minutes later, there's a little CLUNK at his window... followed by another a few seconds later.* ~}==>

KAVI: *Shitpissufck now he's gotta... he's gotta... SHOWER. And clean up. He can't be a mess anymore that's enough of that. He got all gross and pathetic on Nellie and he doesn't think he can take looking like a goddamn fool in front of another one of his friends. He quickly got showered and stumbled about his room. Now he only SLIGHTLY smells like vodka. NICE.*

KAVI: *Jumps at the window clunk.... o fuq. He goes to the window and opens it*

AURYHN: *on the ground, waving up at him with a big stupid grin on his face* ~}==>

KAVI: *WOW that's far.... also he's a smiley guy.... lays right against this window sill... Leans and lays, sliding down to chinhands at him..... casually* hhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeyyyyy *calls while sliding*

AURYHN: ... HELLO, KAVI ~}==>

AURYHN: If you would please stand aside so I can climb in through your window, that would be much appreciated! ~}==>

KAVI: o

KAVI: yah

KAVI: *flumps back.... but at least he didn't see that*

AURYHN: *scurries up the tree like he had the night he slept over until he's swoocing through the window, landing gracefully on the other side.* I've arrived! ~}==>

KAVI: *Stays right here on the floor... WHY? HE DOESN'T KNOW..... but his leg is on the wall*

KAVI: *peace sign* sup

KAVI: hey

KAVI: ur sup

KAVI: is was up

KAVI: for me at least

KAVI: wbu

AURYHN: *stands over him, hands on hips, for a moment... before he drops down next to him with his feet propped against the wall as well.* Oh, you know! Exploring the city and what not ~}==>

KAVI: *Hello mountainous man tiddies, oh, hello the whole Auryhn* o... yeah sounds fun

KAVI: still gogogoin

KAVI: none naps n shit

KAVI: s'not good

AURYHN: *chuckles a little, turning his head towards him* I've managed to find time for sleep in my busy schedule... At your behest ~}==>

KAVI: *grins a lil* hah really? well damn... good yeah

KAVI: that's good, i'm glad you r

AURYHN: It was sound advice! After all... Early to bed, early to rise... Makes a man strong, wealthy and wise ~}==>

AURYHN: *grins cheesily some more, but then looks back up at the ceiling... not without a little side eye, though* I do hope you're exercising similarly healthy habits... ~}==>

KAVI: ............. *Feels the side eyeing and sweats mildly* i mean

KAVI: lol

KAVI: so

KAVI: i can

KAVI: i have some off dayz

KAVI: zzzz

KAVI: ss

AURYHN: Ah ha, so you are having an off day! ~}==>

KAVI: ...... *oh gdi* uhhhh

KAVI: alternattitvely.....

KAVI: what the fuck are on days even???????

AURYHN: Kavi, PLEASE ~}==>

AURYHN: You must know, I don't fuss over others often... ~}==>

AURYHN: I only wish to know if you're alright ~}==>

AURYHN: And if you aren't... then I would like to offer you comfort in whatever way would best help you ~}==>

AURYHN: You're my friend! And a very important one ~}==>

KAVI: *Makes a face... why does everyone have to be so supportive... why can't he just be sad and miserable and he kinda feels like shit for just dancing around it when Auryhn DOES give a shit. Even still it makes him sad to talk about and just the friendfection and the sad feels his face gets a little red.. sighs*

KAVI: *rubs his face up so he doesn't start crying again. So he just.... rubs the tears back in his eyes with his palms. Ace strats* me and.. Den, broke up. guess i'm bein a pissbaby about it idk w/e w/e

AURYHN: *oh... now he feels bad prying so much, but maybe he would have felt bad no matter what kavi said. he only knows this wasn't what he expected to hear, and he gazes at the other boy sympathetically* Oh... I... am sorry to hear that ~}==>

AURYHN: Kavi... It's only natural to feel so hurt over something like that, isn't it? ~}==>

AURYHN: *offers him a hand to hold* I certainly can't blame you ~}==>

KAVI: *Looks at the hand then at Auryhn, his brain still going way faster than his mouth can currently keep up but he looks incredulous? And definitely teary* how can u be so sure? how, how do you know i didn't fuck everything up? i can fuggin blame me easy,

KAVI: gee Kavi, maybe you can't shut the hell up about how goddamn gay you are for p much everyone??

KAVI: or maybe ya try so fuckin hard for the approval of others that you backflip off the fuckin deepend as far as people close to u are concerned

KAVI: oh, oh, here maybe you just plain weren't fuckin good enough to handle anyone on an intimate level because you're too wrapped up in your own shit to connect really?

KAVI: or just that you THINK relationships can fix anything and everything and that's myth goddamn busted because look at you!

KAVI: you can definitely blame me, i can blame me and it's deeper than that and why the fuck does anyone GIVE a shit for a fakeass dumbass when they just DON'T. KNOW. *And he's being hysterical... nice. Good job. Just. Gurgles and puts his hands back over his face, get back in there tears. Maybe it was for the best Auryhn kept seeing him like this. An Ass. His final form* i'm, fuck

KAVI: i'm sorry i, ffffffuugghhhh *gibberish and just rolls over, good bye forever*

AURYHN: *stares at him stunned for a good long moment. he doesn't have that much experience dealing with high emotion coming from other people... but listening to all this, he did understand one thing: how it felt to be critical of yourself, the need to always be impressive, the self preservation... he knew those pressures, even if he always denied them. seeing how they effected someone he cared so deeply

AURYHN: for, it sure put things into perspective for him.* ~}==>

AURYHN: Perhaps I don't know you quite as well as I think I do... As well as I would like to ~}==>

AURYHN: *flexes the hand kavi didn't take, deciding to place it on his shoulder* 8ut I have seen your compassion... When you treat me with kindness, do you mean to say it's out of selfishness? I dou8t that very much ~}==>

AURYHN: If you've made mist8kes, that's all that they are! You are not defined soley 8y your worst moments... Nor are you defined soley 8y your 8est ~}==>

AURYHN: I only mean to say... You should allow yourself this heart8r8k, Kavi ~}==>

KAVI: *While he tries to hide his shame and cry lowkey. super lowkey like... no one would suspect. He listens to Auryhn's words. Quietly sniffing and trying to keep his breathing even. They made sense.... which was good but he also didn't feel like he deserved those kind words. Like he's dropping this plate of Hot Mess(tm) that's his own damn self and no one is backing up with their hands in the air*

KAVI: ....why're u so nice..

AURYHN: *scoffs* You know, not many people would agree that I am... I know that for a F8CT... ~}==>

AURYHN: *sighs* But it is easy to be kind to someone who has been kind to you, I believe ~}==>

KAVI: *that's so.. cheesy but also.. it helps. He loves cheese. Sniffs again and wipes his hands on his shirt, trying to calm down* cheddar... pure... 100% milk gdi, ugh... i'm so gross rn

KAVI: you came here for a good time and now idk ur nice you probably don't feel attacked rn

KAVI: it's like playing the floor is lava and we're laying in this shit right now

KAVI: because we're on the floor

KAVI: no imagination required on that part

AURYHN: *snorts* Then what are we doing on the floor? Allow me to rescue you from a fiery demise! ~}==>

AURYHN: *rolls to sit before scooping up kavi with no real warning* I used to play "the floor is lava" when I was a wriggler ~}==>

AURYHN: And I would pretend to be a wise dragon sentinel in my castle upon a volcanic mountain! ~}==>

AURYHN: Which I later went on to insist upon a hive of my own... Though I could not find a volcano, the snowy Avalon mountains suited me just fine ~}==>

AURYHN: *carries kavi over to his plush pile and sets him down. there. he's safe here.* ~}==>

KAVI: *Oh he got scooped. His face is all red from the crying as he looks up at Auryhn while he talks and walks with him. The story is a cute one, he breathes out a short laugh then looks away. Not now dokis gdi* wow... hah

KAVI: yeah they, they did you good *sniff* that's pretty cute tho

AURYHN: *kneels in front of the pile, grinning at him* A young Auryhn would disagree... It was quite a noble pursuit ~}==>

AURYHN: But present Auryhn has the insight to agree that, yes, it was rather adorable... ~}==>

AURYHN: Also, are you comfortable? ~}==>

KAVI: its cute and noble lol he'd have to deal with it *settles back in all this gd plushness*

KAVI: also

KAVI: hell yes

AURYHN: Excellent! ~}==>

AURYHN: Would you like anything else? A blanket, perhaps? A pair of strong arms to cry into? ~}==>

AURYHN: *FLEXES* ~}==>

KAVI: .....

KAVI: yes

KAVI: *lifts arms*

AURYHN: *here he comes, leaning in for the snuggles. welcome to his STRONG embrace.* ~}==>

KAVI: *This is a nice embrace..... He cuddles into it. Nice.... :'S :') :'S *

AURYHN: *squeezes him close, resting his cheek against his head. the closeness makes his face flare with heat, but... that's hardly appropriate right now! he ignores it as best he can.* There there... ~}==>

KAVI: .....*SNRK*

KAVI: where is my broom?

KAVI: where are my pets

KAVI: i need my awkward distant pets

AURYHN: Your broom???????? I thought you were a wizard, not a witch ~}==>

AURYHN: *LAUGHS. he might not get the Reference, but he thinks he's hilarious...* I can provide you with sincere, close range pets, however ~}==>

AURYHN: *rubs at his back* ~}==>

KAVI: lol i'll take those..... and also i'll show you memes later *snuggles into him*

AURYHN: Memes, hmm? Well, I look forward to it... ~}==>

AURYHN: *rumbles a little in his chest. he tries not to chirr much, but... now seems like a good time to break out the comforting bug sounds.* ~}==>

AURYHN: For now, you relax ~}==>

KAVI: you'll regret it... but we're makin it happen *laughs softly and cuddles up here against these bug noises... he does like him some bug noises...* kk i'll do that

KAVI: you're cozy

KAVI: great cuddlemate

KAVI: a plus plus smiley face

KAVI: and thanks lol

AURYHN: You're welcome, Kavi... You're welcome for my comforting embrace... ~}==>

AURYHN: *gentle snickering, but he's starting to get relaxed enough to nap himself...* ~}==>