#in my mind at least she now has hooves

[exist101]

WHAT IS STACY SHOE SIZE

BOLD OF YOU TO ASSUME SHE WEARS SHOES

[willalove75]

Alcina's New Maid. Lady Dimitrescu x Reader

This idea has plagued my mind for almost two weeks and I need to get it out of my head so I can function😅😂

Summary: Lady Dimitrescu brings you in as one of her maids, at least, that's what you thought she brought you to the castle for.

Warnings: 18+ minors DNI

Tags: flirty, fluff, slow burn, smut.

Notes: This might be a few parts idfk I just need it out of my head NOW 😅😅

Click here for the rest of the series

It's the early hours of the morning, the sun has just risen and you're out in the back tending to the garden. You bring the mornings harvest into the kitchen and greet your aunt and uncle, both sitting down at the small kitchen table.

"Good morning." You say.

"Good morning dear." You aunt says, your uncle grumbles at you. "Are you off to get the children ready for the day?" She says, less asking and more telling you.

"Yes, I was just on my way to take care of them."

"Wonderful."

You walk into the bedroom, three young girls in a deep sleep in their beds. You begin to wake the oldest, Ana, who is about 10, and make your way to the middle and then the youngest, Elena, the youngest in the family at only 4 years old. You help them get dressed and send them down for breakfast, you make your way into the other bedroom where the two twin boys are still fast asleep. You wake them up, dress them and accompany them into the kitchen. You prepare their food and serve each child, you try your best to personalize each meal for each child, although your family is not wealthy by any means, you make do with what you have.

Once the children are fed and the kitchen is restored to its usual state, you bring them outside as you sweep the cobblestone path leading up to the house. The children are running around in the yard and in the street, kicking up dirt and rocks as kids do. As you're sweeping you hear the bells, you drop your broom and rush over to the children and begin to quickly usher them into the house.

The bells are only rung when the Lady of the castle comes through the village in her carriage. You've never seen her before, but you've heard rumors of her ruthlessness, many of those brought into her castle are never to be seen again. To avoid her, or her daughters, who are rumored to be worse than the Lady herself, the townspeople ring bells throughout the village to signal her arrival. All of the villagers rush inside and lock their doors, fearful that if the Lady or her daughters even see you, you will be whisked away, never to be seen again.

You hear the stomps of hooves a short distance away as you try and wrangle the children and get them inside, one by one they enter the house and you realize you're missing one. Fear shoots through you as you look into the road and see Elena, bending down in the road, picking up the rock she was playing with. You see the carriage, mutant-like horses pulling it, hurdling towards the child. Before you realize it, you're sprinting towards her, just before she's trampled you dive into the road and knock her out of the way, the two of you tumbling away from the carriage. The horses rear, bringing the carriage to a halt. You scramble and scoop the child into your arms, cradling her close to your chest as you sit in the dirt.

"Oh Elena," you say breathlessly, "are you hurt?"

Aside from a few scrapes, she is fine, but more scared then hurt and begins to cry.

"Shh, you're okay." You whisper to her.

You were so focused on Elena, you didn't realize someone emerged from the carriage until you see the hem of a cream dress and black stilettos standing just a few short feet in front of you. You slowly follow the dress up with your eyes, by the time you expect to reach the face of the person in front of you, you realize your eyes are only up to their waist. You strain your neck up and finally reach the top of the woman in front of you, her face shielded by a shadow cast by her large hat. You wrap your arms around Elena tighter as you're frozen by fear, realizing you're sitting at the feet of the Lady herself. Her one hand draped across her chest, her elbow resting on her arm with a long cigarette holder sitting between her two fingers, a lit cigarette sitting on the end of it.

"And what do we have here?" Her sultry voice taking you by surprise.

You sit there, still frozen in fear, your throat suddenly dry.

"I do not have the patience today to be ignored." She says, leaning down towards you. Piercing yellow eyes emerge from the shadow as she moves.

"I- I am so sorry Lady." You say bowing your head. "The child- she- she's just a child." You say with a shaking voice, your arms wrapped tightly around Elena as you try and hold back tears of fear.

The Lady says nothing, you can feel her eyes burning into you as she stares.

"Please," you say as you sheepishly look up at her. "Please don't hurt her."

She stands up straight and the shadow covers her face again. She says nothing for a moment and then speaks.

"And what if I want to?" She says, her voice sending chills down your spine.

"Hurt me instead, whatever you want to do to her, do to me instead, please, I beg you, don't harm her."

You hear her smirk, even though you can't see her eyes you know they haven't moved off of you.

"Is she your child?" She asks.

"No ma'am, she is my cousin."

"And you would be wiling to die for you, cousin?" She asks as if she's more surprised at who you would be willing to sacrifice your life for than the fact that you're willing to sacrifice your life at all.

"Yes ma'am, my purpose is taking care of them, if anything were to happen to them, I would never be able to live with myself."

"Your purpose?" She asks.

"Yes ma'am. I serve no other purpose than to take care of the children, without them, my life has no meaning." You say sincerely. Since your aunt and uncle took you in, you've taken care of the children, you have no job, you're not suitable for marriage, you truly believe that the only purpose you have in your life is to care for them.

"How pitiful." She says. You look away and stroke Elena's hair, still trying your best to comfort the terrified child. The Lady bends down, you look up and she brings her hand to your chin, you close your eyes, terrified that she's just going to kill you where you sit. You feel a soft gloved finger under your chin, she lifts your face and you open your eyes and look at her, a shadow still mostly covering her face. "Pitiful that such a beautiful maiden is nothing but a servant for children. Children that aren't even hers."

Taken back, you stare at her, you know what you heard her say, but your brain cannot process it. "Beautiful? Did she call me beautiful?" You think to yourself.

"Tell me draga, where do you live?"

"Just across the way." You gesture to the small house behind her.

"And who cares for you?"

"I- I live with my aunt and uncle." You say, unsure of why she's asking you these questions.

"Bring me to them."

You nod your head and stand up with Elena still clinging to you. You walk past the cart and take notice of a buzzing noise coming from the inside.

"Girls," you hear the Lady quietly growl to the cart as she walks past. "Behave."

The buzzing quiets and you walk up to the house, your aunt and uncle standing at the door with horror on their faces.

"Oh Elena." You aunt says as she takes the girl from your arms and carries her inside.

You stop at the door and turn and look at the woman, unsure of what to do next, she stands taller than the ceilings inside, you don't think she'd be able to fit.

"Well are you going to invite me in?" She says, looking down at you.

"Yes, of course." You say and make your way inside.

"Girls." The Lady says and turns towards the carriage.

A massive swarm of flies emerges from the carriage and three girls emerge, all dressed in black robes, one with blood stains on her cheeks. The Lady removes her hat and hands it to one of them.

"Stay here." She commands them.

"Yes mother." They reply in unison.

She bends down and enters the house, kneeling on the floor inside. Finally able to see her face, you're almost taken back at her beauty, her inky black hair curled and held in place with pins, her blood red lipstick, glowing yellow eyes, you're less afraid and more fascinated. She looks over at you and sees you looking at her, you quickly look down as your cheeks turn a light shade of pink.

"How may we help you Lady?" Your aunt politely asks, a little afraid.

"Your niece," she says gesturing to you. "She tells me the only purpose she serves is caring for your children, is that correct?"

"That's all she's good for." You uncle says.

She slowly turns her head and glares in his direction.

"And why is that?"

"She has no skills, she's an orphan with nothing to her name so she's not suitable for marriage, no man will have her, and besides being a burden, all she can do is care for the children."

You look down at your feet as your uncle speaks, although you've heard those words your whole life, they still sting. The Lady purses her lips.

"An orphan?" She asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Her parents, my sister and her husband, perished in a fire when she was a child." You aunt says, you hear the three girls outside of the door giggle. "Our only choices were to take her in or-" she pauses and doesn't finish her sentence, everyone knows what she would have said, all orphans are sent to the Lady's castle.

"I see." She looks back over at you, you keep your eyes on the floor. "Well, if she is such a burden, I will gladly take her off of your hands." You look up at her with fear in your eyes.

"And who will care for our children?" Your uncle asks with anger in his voice.

"You're their father, are you not?" She snaps at him, he doesn't speak but he still has anger in his eyes. "If losing her will be an inconvenience, I will pay you handsomely for your troubles. Much more than a marriage proposal would fare." She laughs as she finishes her sentence.

"How much are we talkin'?" You uncle asks.

"Uncle!" You say in disbelief, you know he was never fond of you, but you never thought he would sell you, especially to her.

"Silence you wench! You have no say in this matter." He shoots daggers in your direction. You look at your aunt, tears filing your eyes, she looks away from you, not able to look you in the eyes.

The Lady's glare becomes more intense as she watches him reprimand you. She turns and looks at the girls out of the corner of her eye.

"Girls, my bag please."

"Yes mother." One of them says, disappearing into a swarm of flies, they fly over to the carriage and return, the girl emerging from the swarm with a large, leather purse in her hands. She hands it to the Lady and she pulls out a large pouch, handing it to your uncle.

"That would be half. I shall have one of my maids bring you the other half in a few days."

You uncles eyes light up as she drops the bag in his hands, it looked so small in hers, but easily fills both of his hands.

"Deal." He says, his eyes not leaving the large pouch in his hands.

"Uncle please," you beg.

"Enough, pack your things." He says.

You run into your room and lean against the door, tears falling down your cheeks, trying to stop the hyperventilating. You hear a small knock on the door, you take a deep breath and turn to open it, you aunt and Elena are standing there.

"How could you let him do this?" You say through tears. "She's going to kill me. You're sending me away to my death."

"I'm sorry, there was nothing I could do." She says, her eyes watery. You were never particularly close with either your aunt or uncle, you were always looked at as lesser than them. Although your aunt was kinder than your uncle was, maybe because you looked so much like your mother, regardless, neither of them seemed to care much for you.

"Don't go y/n." Elena says, tears in her eyes. You lean down and hug her.

"I'm sorry love, but I have to. I don't want to leave you, but I have to." Her little hands grab at your dress and you hold her close.

You aunt pulls Elena off of you and you pack your things. You don't own much, so everything fits into a small bag. You walk back out into the living room, your hands gripping the bag, trying your hardest to stop them from trembling.

"My Lady," you aunt says, breaking the silence. You uncle stares daggers at her, while the Lady looks at her curious of what she's going to say. "What can we do to ensure her safety? I- I don't want harm to come to her."

The Lady laughs, her deep laugh shakes the walls of the house, a terror fills your chest.

"You have my word, no harm will come to her." She says as she caresses your cheek with one of her gloved fingers. "And I am a woman of my word."

Her touch sends shives down your spine, the corners of the Lady's mouth curl as she feels the effect she has on you.

"Say your goodbyes. We must be going."

You turn and hug each child, you get to Ana and hold her tightly.

"Take care of them, okay?" You gently say. She nods her head with tears in her eyes and hugs you.

You get to Elena and you wrap your arms around her and kiss her head.

"I love you, please listen to Ana, okay? For me?"

She cries and nods her head, burying her face into your dress.

"Be brave." You say gently.

"I'm scared." She cries into you.

"I'm scared too," you say, looking into her eyes, "But we have to be brave when we're scared, when we have to do things we don't want to. Okay?"

She nods her head and hugs you again.

"I love you y/n."

"I love you too Lena."

The Lady clears her throat and you take a deep breath and let go of the child. You wipe her tears away and kiss her on the head again. You stand up and hug your aunt and turn towards the lady and nod your head.

"And what? You don't have anything to say to me?" You uncle says angerly. "You ungrateful, useless-" he stands up and walks towards you, the Lady reveals one of her sharp, long claws and puts it to his neck. You all gasp and your aunt tries to cover the children's eyes.

"I surely hope you treat your daughters better than that." She growls. She must have put the fear of the Black God into your uncle because for the first time in your life, he's silent, and terrified. She retracts the claw and looks at you.

"Let's go."

She backs out of the door and takes her hat from the girl holding it and places it back on her head. You follow her out the door and she leads you into the carriage. You look back at the place you called home once more and wave to the kids before climbing in. The Lady climbs in next to you, the carriage leaning to the side as she gets in. A massive swarm of flies enters the carriage and the three girls appear across from you.

"Oh mother she looks fun!" One of them says.

"Oh yes, mother can we play with her? Please?"

The third one grabs your arm, staring intently on the cut you got when you were saving Elena.

"She smells delicious mother, can we have a small taste? Please?" She begs.

"Girls, enough." She commands, the three girls immediately falling silent, the one releasing your arm. "She is going to be one of my new personal maids." She says, looking over at you, you feel her eyes on you and you keep your eyes on the floor.

The girls giggle and begin to chat amongst themselves. You hear whispers of them talking about a dungeon, who they were planning on taking down to it, whispers of hunting, you try your best to keep your nerves under control but the Lady seems to pick up on them immediately.

"No need to be afraid," she says looking down at you. "As long as you're obedient and you behave, you will never have to experience the dungeon, or worry about any of them." She says gesturing to the girls. She gently pats your leg, her hand can practically wrap around your entire thigh. The thought sends chills down your spine and you look out the window to distract yourself from thinking about it.

You reach the castle and you look out the window in amazement, you've never seen it up this close before, it's as breathtaking as it is ominous. You get out of the carriage and Lady Dimitrescu leads you inside.

"I presume you know how to clean, and well given you've watched after so many children for so many years?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good, I will introduce you to the head maid and she will give you your assignment and a uniform. You start tomorrow morning, I suggest you clean yourself up and get a good nights rest tonight." She says, eyeing the dirt stains on your dress from earlier.

"Yes ma'am."

She leads you into the kitchen and introduces you to the head maid. She excuses herself and you're lead to the maids quarters, you're shown your small room, although it's still bigger than the room you had at your aunt and uncles house. You're given fresh uniforms and the head maid hands you a sheet with your duties.

"You will begin in the library tomorrow morning, I will show you around for the first few days, but after that you must remember where to go on your own. It is also very important that you do not, under any circumstances, enter the Lady's study or chambers without her explicit request, understand?"

"Yes." You say, looking over the list of chores.

"I can't tell you how many new maids I've lost due to them wandering in there, either on accident or to snoop around. Do not do it. Understand?"

"Yes. Understood." You say, looking up at her.

She leaves and you shower and put on the clean pajamas that were left in your wardrobe. You lay down in bed, surprised at how comfortable it is, and before you know it, you're asleep.

You wake the next morning and put on your uniform and pull your hair back. You grab your supplies and meet the head maid. She gives you a quick tour as she leads you to the library, you do your best to remember which room is which. You make sure you engrain into your mind which room is the Lady's study and which is her chambers so you never accidentally end up in there. You get to the library and the head maid leaves you to work. You look over your list, you have to dust, polish, return any stray books, sweep and mop the floors. The library is large, but you figure the floors are going to take the longest. You begin by putting away any books you see laying around, carefully replacing them to their correct spot.

You hear a faint buzz across the room and the sound of giggles, it's incredibly unsettling, but you do your best to ignore it and keep working. You hear books falling to the floor, the sound echoing across the room and it startles you. You walk towards the sound, the closer to the mess you get, the louder the buzzing gets. Out of the corner of your eye you see movement and turn around, you see one of the daughters giggle.

"Oopsies." She says, covering her mouth as she laughs and disappears into a swarm of flies.

You kneel down and pick up the books and return them to their shelves. "Well, it's not much more different than dealing with the kids at home." You think to yourself.

Once the mess is cleaned you return to dusting and polishing. As you're cleaning you hear the shrill laughter of the girls as they buzz through the castle, although much more frightening than the laughter of children, you quickly get used to the sounds and eventually you don't even notice it.

You hear the laughter enter the library and you do you best to keep focused on the floors. You hear footsteps behind you and you turn to see the three girls, the redhead running up to you and getting right into your face, examining you closely.

"Daniela please, let the girl do her work." The blond says.

"Get out of the way!" The brunette says, pushing the read head away. "I want to get a closer look at her." She says looking you up and down. "Oh I bet you taste sweet," she says, licking her lips. "I would love to get just a little taste." She holds up a sickle. "Just a little taste."

"Cassandra mother will kill you if you lay a finger on her." The blond reprimands her.

"Ugh." She says lowering the sickle. "You always ruin the fun Bela, I wanted to make her squirm!"

The girls still tower over you a bit, you don't even notice the smile that crossed your face as they bickered, reminding you of the kids you practically raised.

"What are you smiling at?" Bela says, looking at you curiously.

"Oh, nothing, sorry." You say as you look down. "You guys just reminded me of the kids a little, that's all."

"Oh, were they bad?" Cassandra asks with wild eyes.

"No, not at all, they were amazing."

"Well that's no fun." The Daniela says. "I can't wait to see what mother has in store for you."

You look at her, unsure of what she meant.

"Oh Daniela hush, you don't even know what mother wants with her." Bela says.

"All I know is that if she ever brings you down to the dungeon, I want to be there so I can get a taste of you." Cassandra says, licking her lips.

"Do you know why mother paid to bring you here?" Bela asks.

"Honestly, no. I have no idea." You say.

The three girls look at you curiously, none of them seeming to know the answer themselves.

"Well, it was lovely talking to you girls, but I really should get back to cleaning, I wouldn't want to fall behind on my first day and anger the Lady." You say.

The three girls look up and giggle and disappear in a swarm of flies.

"I should be offended that you would think it takes so little to anger me." You jump when you hear the voice behind you.

"Oh, Lady Dimitrescu, I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were there." You stutter. "I didn't- that's not what I-" You fumble with your words, trying to save yourself.

She chuckles. "Oh draga, I am not offended. Not this time."

"Oh," you look down at the floor, avoiding eye contact. "Thank you."

She steps away and takes a seat on one of the chairs near you and crosses one of her long legs over the other.

"Is there anything I can do for you ma'am?" You ask, your eyes still focused on the floor.

"You are allowed to look at me dear." She says.

You look up and she leans forward, your eyes go to her massive chest as she leans forward, her dress perfectly showing off her impressive breasts. You immediately snap your eyes up, hoping she didn't notice. Her lips curl into a smile, "damnit. She noticed." You think to yourself. She sits back into the chair and opens the book you never noticed in her hand.

"There is nothing I need from you draga, not yet." Her yellow eyes feel like they're piercing your soul. "Please, continue, don't allow me to distract you from your work." She smiles at you and you shyly smile back.

"Oh, okay. Well, if you do need anything, please let me know." You say.

She turns her attention to her book and you go back to finishing sweeping the floors.

As you're cleaning you swear you catch her watching you, you try to focus on doing the best job you possibly can even though your nerves are extremely heightened at her presence.

You finally finish in the library, you look around and realize that Lady Dimitrescu is no longer in her chair, you didn't notice that she left, you're not entirely sure how long it had been since she left, but you're grateful that you were able to do a good enough job where she didn't say anything.

You gather your things and head back to your quarters to look for the head maid to see if there's anything else you needed to do since it was only the afternoon. To her surprise, there was nothing left for you to do so you had the rest of the day to yourself. You showered, changed into a new outfit and hung out in your room until dinner.

Once dinnertime came you made your way to the kitchen and got in line to eat. You could tell there was a pecking order amongst the maids, made up between the highest-ranking ones and the ones who have been here longest. You did your best to not step on anyone's toes as you waited in line. You could tell there were cliques among the maids, you tried to make yourself as invisible as possible as you tried to find an open seat with your tray in your hands. You notice a maid stuck her foot out to try and trip you, you carefully walked around her and avoid looking at her as you pass.

"You think you're better than me?" You hear someone say.

You had no idea who they were taking to, but you didn't think they were talking to you so you kept walking.

"You, new girl." You hear her say. You turn around and realize she was talking to you. "You think you're better than me?" She asks, anger in your eyes.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you were talking to me. But, no, I don't not at all." You say.

She walks up to you and smacks your tray out of your hand, your meal scattering across the floor.

"Know your place bitch." She growls at you. "Now clean up the mess." She says as she walks back to her seat.

Stunned, you stand there for a second before cleaning up what was going to be your dinner. You look over and realize that there wasn't much left and you head back to your room. You lay in bed, your stomach growling. "How was it easier to deal with the three girls than it is dealing with the other maids?" You ask yourself. You finally roll over and fall asleep, hoping there won't be any more issues with the other maids.

The next few weeks are about the same, the one maid knocking at least half of your meals out of your hand. You eventually figure out when she gets to the kitchen for meals and try to get in before she does so you can actually eat, it angers her, but you do your best to ignore her. You have more run-ins with the girls, they seem fascinated by you, and you couldn't help but be a little fascinated with them too. Lady Dimitrescu pops up a few times throughout each week in whatever room you're working in, it strikes you as odd, but you try not to think too much of it. You can't imagine that she has time to visit every maid as frequently as she sees you.

You were eventually given the task to take care of requests that the girls ask of you, although they really didn't ask for too much. You removed blood stains from their dresses, cleaned and polished their weapons, usually their sickles, helped them remove blood stains from carpets their mother specifically asked them to not get blood on, the usual, at least the usual for this castle.

One day you're cleaning the main stairway, leading from the foyer to the second floor. You hear the usual buzzing and giggles and you smile as the girls run amuck through the castle. A swarm of flies appears in font of you and Daniela appears.

"Y/n, I need your help!"

"What's up Daniela?"

"You have to tell Cassandra that I'm less messy than she is. She doesn't believe me!"

"Daniela, respectfully, I am not getting in the middle of whatever you and Cassandra have going on today. Plus, it's not nice to lie." You say with a smile.

You hear a laugh from the second floor and you look up to see Lady Dimitrescu staring down at the two of you from the balcony. Your cheeks turn red as you return your attention to your work.

"Ugh!! Mother! Make her tell Cass!" Daniela whines.

Lady Dimitrescu descends the stairs towards the two of you.

"She's right Daniela, it is not nice to lie."

Daniela bursts into a swarm of flies and angerly storms away and you try and hide the smile on your face.

"You're very good with the girls, I know they can be," she pauses for a moment to carefully pick her words. "A handful."

"They're not so bad, plus, they're like any other siblings, they all bicker the same, just over different things."

She smiles at you and gently hums as she walks down the stairs past you. You pause for a second to listen, you never realized she was able to sing, no less had such a beautiful voice.

"What else is on your to-do list today?" She asks as she reaches the bottom of the steps.

"Once I finish the stairs I just have to dust and mop the hall up here."

"And you are off tonight, correct?" She asks.

"Yes, my next night shift is tomorrow night."

"Delightful, I am going to need your assistance tonight."

"Oh, uh, yes of course."

"Meet me in my chambers after dinner."

You freeze for a second and look down at her, she looks up at you with a smirk on her face.

"In your, uh, chambers?"

"Did I stutter?"

"No ma'am. I'll be there."

"Excellent."

She walks away and you take a deep breath. You continue the stairs and try to finish as quickly as you can while still doing a thorough job.

Once you finish you shower and change into a fresh uniform, you hurry to the kitchen and quickly grab your food and eat before the maid that has it out for you throws your dinner across the kitchen. Luckily you're able to finish by the time she shows up, she sees you cleaning up your plate and she shoots daggers at you. You have no idea why she seems to have it out for you, but you try your best to ignore and avoid her. You go to leave the kitchen and she goes out of her way to walk past you with her tray in her hands. You look forward and try to ignore her, as you pass you feel a sharp pain across your arm and you yelp and put your hand over you arm only to realize you're bleeding. You turn to look at the maid and you see her turn her kitchen knife back in.

"Oops. Sorry." She says sarcastically.

You hurry to your room and wrap a bandage around your arm, you realize you have a little blood on your dress but you don't have time to change. You rush out of your room and make your way to the Lady's chambers.

[letsatomicbanana]

Have any headcanons about my boy Ink sans??

Oh boy, i sure do!

It's yapping time!!! but it's bellow the 'read more'

(spoilers: It's long as hell)

-First of all, Ink can not stand normal texturized clothing and textures (like cotton, fur, silk etc...) which is the reason to why their clothes are always created by him and is used a more paint-like 'esque' to it. (which is canon).

- Case in point, he suffers from 'unable to have normal fashion tastes' disease. He's the type of motherfucker to wear baggy pants under a dress, sandles with socks on, a crop top over a long sleeved shirt etc... They does not care nor follows society's fashion sense/brands, he only gives a damn if the clothes are comfortable or not lmao.

- Genderqueer, no explanation for that one (c'mon, just look at them) also AroAce but that's already canon.

- He definetly has a whole collection of autographs of random sanses that he managed to get. (The obvious one is fell sans but he prob forgot to who the other's belongs to).

- Besides from being able to speak french, they can also speak fluent mandarin and japanese!

- Has a whole collection of random objects he found while travelling AU's. It's not anything particulary useful or collectible (like toys etc..) more so 'things he found interesting' (like that one chesse from the ruins)

- Since he has a canon hyperfixation on Underfell, i like to image that he defends the AU with his whole tiny body, empty mind and non-existent soul (he can't STAND uf slander, it makes his blood boil lmao). Also, they treats fell sans like you would treat your favourite fictional babygirl male character as.

- Definetly engaged in the consumption of illicit drugs at some point in his life, you cannot tell me that this curious asshole never had any interest in drugs, even if it's just recreational consumption. Very open to any options, but they has a thing for marijuana, alcohol, and nicotine (it makes him ADHD go bonkers).

- Now that i've mentioned it. He has ADHD-C (combined type), probably got diagnosed because he saw a random 'Does your child have ADHD' pamphlets hanging around in the wall of some random AU they visited, which made him to be deeply curious (he thought they didn't had it) and eventually diagnosed with it. Note! He's currently unmedicated (i think he would have a problematic history with medications, if i'm going to be honest). (him having adhd is kindaaaa canon??? semi-canon at least)

- Also has undiagnosed Autism and ASPD (sociopathy) in which he has no idea that he has lmao (i made a whole post about this too). Note but i'm killing anyone who says that Ink is evil due to being 'sociopatic'.

- Doesn't engaje in social gatherings of any kind unless extremly necessary, he's energetic but an introvert at heart (this is canon btw).

- Has a better conection to inanimate objects than people, oh! and he's also Objectum!

- They're an ISTP! Which stands for 'Introvert', 'Observant', 'Thinking' and 'Prospective'.

- A lot of times deeply wonders to his apparent lack of family and AU, he won't admit but he's feels a sense of envy for other sanses that have brothers. They also often wanders through the vast multiverse looking for his original family/AU, but he can never find it :(

- Extremly sensitivite to any topics of discussion/conversation that relates to his soullessness, he also cannot stand being called 'emotionless' or a 'tragedy' because of his condition. Has a tendency in de'humanizing' himself over his lack of soul.

- Since he has a very hard time understanding social interaction, they often uses their interest in art as a way to form attachments with people, like painting them outfits or portraits (insert the 'Im bad at people, but i am good at tech' entrapta quote). Art is his special interest!

- He's a very dedicated brony and their favourite pony is Derpy Hooves/ Ditzy Doo!! She's literally him, for real! If he was part of the fandom at it's peak popularity in 2012-2014, they would prob be those famous fandom artist/musicians!

- Reast in piece Ink sans you would've loved Dungeons and Dragons. (/ref)

- Besides from their obvious interest in drawing/painting, he also has a deep interest in music! He canonically can play the flute but he also enjoys playing the trumpet, the piccolo and the clarinet!

- They're generally extremly under-responsive or otherwise sensory seeking to any kind of sensory stimuli. He's also a very oral artistic and often chew/bites on stuff for stimulation. Can often fall into Nonsuicidal self-injury style of stimming such as picking or pulling,when overwhelmed/underwhelmed.

- Another headcanon that he has PICA, where he often eats/craves for things that are not food, like crayons (canon).

[hypnoneghoul]

Sundown: Chapter 3

WC: 600

Relationship: SwissAlps

Tags: Transfeminine Mountain, AU; Cowboy!Swiss x Barmaid!Mountain, Fluff, Literal Sleeping Together

She shifts as she slowly wakes, too, nuzzling in closer to him. “Mhm…how’d my girl sleep?” he asks, pulling her impossibly closer.

Notes: This one is just a cute little fill :3

Read chapter 1 here or on AO3.

Read chapter 3 under the cut or on AO3.

Swiss has been in Sundown for two months now and it has been the happiest two months of his entire life. He is a changed man.

His insides twist every time he sees Mounty smile at him, he blushes every time she calls him her boyfriend. He’s never been anyone’s anything, not like that.

Swiss is completely and utterly gone.

He yawns as he slowly comes to, waking in the early morning to sun peeking through the carelessly shut curtains and muffled noises of the town starting yet another day. Swiss takes a deep breath, inhaling the fresh, flowery scent surrounding him. He buries his face in the source of that scent—the soft, dark amber locks of Mounty.

She shifts as she slowly wakes, too, nuzzling in closer to him to get that little bit more comfort before they get up and leave the warm bubble that is their bed.

“G’mornin’,” she mumbles into Swiss’ shoulder and he squeezes her waist in acknowledgement.

“Mhm…how’d my girl sleep?” he asks, pulling her impossibly closer. His morning voice is rumbly and gravelly and it never fails at making Mounty shiver. 

“Good,” she replies simply. “You’re comfortable.”

Swiss laughs and the barmaid’s heart throbs. He leans down to press a kiss to her forehead and his stubble scratches her lightly in the best way possible. A forehead kiss isn’t enough, though, and so Mounty tips her head back to demand a real one. Swiss is a weak man; he can’t not oblige.

They get lost in it a bit, as usual, not caring about the work they both have, the outside of their bed in general. They spend the next few minutes—or hours—simply staring at each other with smiles painted on their faces and kissing every five seconds like nothing beside them even exists.

Something beside them does exist, though, and it reminds them of that fact itself. Or rather himself, as Dewdrop comes pounding on their door. “Come on, Rain needs something from yours, Mounty!”

The pair giggles and kisses some more, but soon enough they do emerge from their room and walk down the stairs into the bar area. Dewdrop’s waiting there with a piece of paper—presumably some instructions from Rain—in one hand, and a glass of water in the other.

“Woah, Dew, you alright?” Swiss asks with a smirk.

“Yeah…why?” the other asks, a little confused. Mounty understands, though, and she smiles as she takes the paper from Dewdrop to go fetch what his partner needs.

“Water at nine in the morning? Not beer?” Swiss teases and Dewdrop scoffs, hitting him lightly on the shoulder.

“According to Phantom I should hydrate myself properly in the morning before work,” the man sighs. He’s obviously not happy about that. “Rain agrees and so I’m being blackmailed into it every morning.”

He cringes as he takes another sip and Swiss bursts out laughing at his face—looking like he’s just been poisoned at the very least. Just then Mounty returns and she points at Swiss, “Careful, I should be doing the same to you.”

Swiss stops laughing.

“Uh, anyway,” he clears his throat, “Dew, would you mind taking a look at Monty’s hooves when you’ve got a minute? I think she needs a trim now that we ain't wearing them down on the road.”

“Mhm, sure. I’ll be going now,” Dewdrop nods and leaves his—still half full—glass on the counter completely by accident. Mounty shakes her head and chuckles as she walks over to Swiss. He throws an arm over her shoulder and brings her close to kiss her once again.

“Ready for the day, sweetheart?” he asks.

“As long as you stay with me.”

[soulfulazrael]

My Hellaverse Religions and Marriages. Or how my Asperger made up some odd worldbuilding over the dumbest reason imaginable.

We all know this shot. We all hate this shot (well... I do)

And it's for one, big reason... what the hell are marriages in Hell? Well. I was wondering that too and honestly the answer is very simple... Who gives a shit? Viv wanted a contrived story with forced marriage where Moxxie looks like a total bitch so she did it as well as she could and since she could not do it well it came out how it did.

But it did made me think at least. What would marriages in Hell look like? And that lead me to a downward spiral of thinking up in a few hours how it works and why it works. And here is the result. Ladies and gentleman and all the inbetweens (I don't judge) I present my first rewrite post which I mostly do for myself as a note for future in case dementia catches me like it did with my grandparents. One is dead, the other is dying, but enough about my happy life. Let's get into autistic rambling.

So, before we get to the marriage system I have in mind, first let's delve into another thing. God. Or in this case. Deities. As in my version of HB/HH I write about in my AU there are several of them. All of which are different High authority figures of which the main ones are five and I will name all of them: First one is Lucifer

Who in this version is... not as nice. In fact he is very, VERY cruel being. One that has little qualms about lives of anyone else. A being of Chaos from the times of the Rebellion in Heaven which he lead against God after he corrupted humanity to prove to The Almighty of his superiority, of that he is deserving of love much greater than mortals. Cast out from Heaven alongside all those that took side with him.

Now in Hell he embodies Pride that shaped the top layer of Hell. He is a Deity that preaches ultimate freedom. He preaches the idea of that you deserve all that you want. That every feeling, every desire you feel is correct and that you alone are deserving of those no matter what anyone says, no matter who it hurts. All that is important is you. That is the crux of those who follow him. Hedonists, narcissists, cruel, chaotic beings of pure selfishness who believe in righteousness of their desires and standing up against any authority that wants to keep them away from fulfilling their dreams and when all dreams become reality, there is no other outcome than Chaos which Lucifer adores.

They are called Light Takers. For Lucifer is one who brings light and those who follow him, take said light and all that they want.

That is Lucifer and now let's get to the Deity right under him that sides with him more so than the other one, another creature of Chaos (also be mindful that this is just short summary of those things, I can go more in depth about each one in other posts). Satan:

I don't have a better image as my idea of how he looks is pretty different. I imagine him as a centaur like being with a lower body similar to a bull, more human like torso, a head similar to one on this app with mighty wings and 4 arms. A brutal, relentless deity, one who's philosophy is to spread death and prepare for fight against the Heaven. To drown the world in the blood of his enemies and for the bodies and blood to rise so high so that he can approach the Heaven's gates.

His followers are mostly Imps. Many of them sharing to lesser or greater extent this philosophy of slaughter. It gives them meaning to kill and make their own trail of Blood as they follow in the hoove steps of the Lord of Slaughter. Followers of Blood they are called. A numerous force of berserkers devoted to mindless murder and Chaos.

With all this Chaos there has to be a balance point though right? You'd be correct. As on the opposite end of the Chaos spread by Lucifer and Satan is The Lord Governor:

Lucifuge Rofocale. He is in my version very similar to this depiction, although he very rarely smiles. He is known also as Bitter Governor for his rivalry with Lucifer in which he is mostly ignored by the latter as he tries to gain control over the Chaos of Hell.

He is the creature who values Order more so than anything. He is the Lawmaker. He is the lord of Laws that he writes into his Great Book, many laws there are, some of which contradict each other, some forgotten, other irrelevant. All his. He is the cruelty of order and subjugation incarnate. His name itself Lucifuge is one that was given to him after rebellion in which he took side of Lucifer in order to create a perfect society of his own. A society that was never to be. He who runs from Light for he was a Throne Angel of greater light than any other, a Light so strong he could never know even a smallest shadow. Light that he hated above all and could never fully rid himself off of it's taint.

When he came to Hell his Pride alongside Lucifer's shaped the Entire Ring. Lucifer controls the Central parts where Pentagram City is located and Lucifuge controls outer rings of Pride where his 5 towers on borders of Pride spreading to the blood sky surround the Chaos of Lucifer. His desire of control made manifest. A control he spreads with his Emissaries. Those who follow him and his laws faithfully and spread them with unmatched zeal. And his most faithful and powerful servant is the 4th of the Main Deities. The Silent King of all Ars Goetia.

King Baal. His version in my AU is based on this picture. A creature with lower body of a Spider and torso of a man with head of a King with long hair at the top. Which ever direction he looks, his face changes shape, if to his right it takes form of a cat and left is the frog. Among the deities he alongside Satan were born in Hell and were since time of their Hell's manifestation bitter rivals and his beloved is Queen of Gluttony Beelzebub which is often a target of mockery. A spider who beds a bug instead of eating it, but no care to those words are given, no words... Only silence. Pride was originally meant to be his as it would embody his silence, but it was not to be as the Fall happened and Pride was born from the quiet grounds.

He was named an Ars Goetia by Lucifuge to whom he pledged allegiance to in Silent Promise and ever since his invisible web spread across skies of Pride, woven from threads attached to every life among Ars Goetia and to cut it is to be a Heretic condemned to suffering at the hand of Silent King. Baal's Faithful who are his followers are mostly Ars Goetia. All believing in Hell's security to be utmost priority. To make it safe at any means necessary. To make sure that Hell will be eternal and all who fall into it's flames will never escape it's torment. He is the one who keeps the Ars Goetia in check to follow the laws Lord Lucifuge laid out. For maybe side of Chaos has numbers and ferocity, but Order has power and stability.

A balance that is most crucial to never ending conflict festered by the most enigmatic and possibly most terrible of the Five. Mephistopheles.

Who's looks are as everchanging as interpretations of how he looks. A Demon who fooled the world into believing he was, but a made up Demon in a story about Faust. Always cloaked in shadows creature, that despite looking a lot of times like the most basic denizen of Hell, is anything, but. As his nature is a mystery to all who inhabit it. A creature of Darkness that remembers the time of the first words that is alien to both Heaven and Hell. One that gave Hell it's currency made of Souls it caught with contracts they make on earth. A Creature that always maintains the balance of both sides. Making sure there is never a conclusion to this bitter conflict and flames of Discord never fade. Something that is cherished by his Brethren in Dark.

To be Mephisto's Brethren in Dark is to commune and listen to Mephisto's words. You are what you are. There is no change to that. So live your life as you see fit. Make of your life anything you want. Be it for order or chaos. Be it for your desire or duty. What is important is to know who you are and to believe in his words. It is to be on the side of yours and his and all that you must have will come to you, but the price will have to be paid, but it does not have to come from you now has it? No... You use others as much as you are used. You know that very well. You always will. For you are rotten, but so is everything else. So is that so bad?

There are many other deities. Such as King Paimon, by many considered as one of the if not the mightiest among Kings. A being who's promise of seeing his Labyrinth makes many shudder at the mere thought. Or the Sins who's patronage seek those who live on their rings. But the choice is up to the Hellborn... aside from mostly Hellhounds, who mostly only reside and do labor for the Beelzebub. A Cerberus insect of endless hunger.

But there is one more path. On the side of neutrality is also another side. Hell. To listen to the will of Hell.

Listeners of Hell are those who feel the very wind among the bloody streets. To know intimately the desires of the ground you walk on. To serve Hell as it's listener and to reinforce it's will. This is path for those who seek a different path from all other deities. But to do so is to give all that you are to the home you have. Not to protect, but understand it. Breathe with it and to be a true part of it. Closer than many others.

These are all the paths Hellborn can... or rather have to choose. Because atheism is not possible in this realm. Hellborn have to believe in something otherwise it means they are a traitor to the Hell itself. Whatever one believes in it is up to the Hellborn in question. But the choice it is one Hellborn MUST make.

Now... after this little mythology lesson where does this lead in terms of marriages? Well. The marriage in itself is also a deal between deities. Each side has their own contract that has to be signed by the priest of their respective deity. And each priest is of different kind. Emissary is a political for the most part. Mephisto's Brethren could be of any kind. A soldier of Baal. Hedonistic royal of Lucifer. Berserker of Satan. If both sides worship same deity it means less issues, but both contracts are still required.

Both sides need to sign their respective contract and then place their cut hands on those contracts as they are connected by their blank sides. Letting their blood seep into them as both of them touch them. Letting their blood, believes and word to connect them forevermore, for them both to be servants together. That is unless one has a change of faith which may require redoing of the process at the chance of being shunned by everyone around. For it is a shame to be someone to turns away from their God.

So yeah... This is how I would personally write certain part of Mythology of Hell. I know I did not elaborate on certain other things like Paimon or Sins, but I think this is a good enough of a starting point to the mythology I want to make with 3 sides here. Chaos, Order and Neutrality. All with their own strengths and weaknesses. All with their own stories and people who worship them. All with their own traditions, beliefs and personalities... All of it... because I was iffy by the fucking Exs and Ohs priest. I need serious mental help. This is just sad to look at. Then again if you read this far, I guess we all lost here. Or maybe you liked it. If so then please leave a comment or something. I cherish those. And maybe think of who you would choose to follow.

[inthedayswhenlandswerefew]

Now I’m Covered In You [Chapter 3: Blood Moon]

Series summary: Aemond is a prince of England. You are married to his brother. The Wars of the Roses are about to begin, and you have failed to fulfill your one crucial responsibility: to give the Greens a line of legitimate heirs. Will you survive the demands of your family back in Navarre, the schemes of the Duke of Hightower, the scandals of your dissolute husband, the growing animosity of Daemon Targaryen…and your own realization of a forbidden love?

Series title is a lyric from: Ivy by Taylor Swift.

Series warnings: Language, sexual content (18+), dubious consent, miscarriage, pregnancy, childbirth, violence, warfare, murder, alcoholism, sexism, infidelity, illness, death, only vaguely historically accurate, lots of horses!

Word count: 6.2k.

Link to chapter list (and all my writing): HERE.

Taglist: @borikenlove @myspotofcraziness @ipostwhatifeel @teenagecriminalmastermind @quartzs-posts @tclegane @poohxlove @narwhal-swimmingintheocean @chainsawsangel @itsabby15 @serrhaewin @padfooteyes @arcielee @travelingmypassion @what-is-originality @burningcoffeetimetravel @blackdreamspeaks @anditsmywholeheart @aemcndtargaryen @jvpit3rs @sarcastic-halfling-princess @flowerpotmage @ladylannisterxo @thelittleswanao3 @elsolario @tinykryptonitewerewolf @girlwith-thepearlearring​ @minttea07 @trifoliumviridi @deltamoon666 @mariahossain​

Let me know if you’d like to be added! 💜

“I wish you could join us,” Nico says, almost sulks, snow catching in her hair. She’s riding a gorgeous white mare that the Duke of Hightower purchased for her. He’s in no hurry to gift you a horse. King Viserys—epochs ago, on your wedding day, on the blood-orange July afternoon when you looked into Aegon’s glassy, shadow-ringed eyes and knew exactly what sorts of demons you’d be sharing your life with—once promised you an Andalucian for each child you gave your husband. He hasn’t mentioned it since. It’s slipped his mind, most likely; that’s what happens to the king’s notions that concern the Greens. They stumble around in his skull for a while, find a window, jump from the ledge and free-fall into oblivion.

You smile up at Nico with your feet planted firmly on the ground like fertile roots and a hand resting on your belly. Five months along, over halfway there, farther than you’ve ever been before. The season is winter, but you feel like spring. You feel like blossoms unfurling, like ivy scaling walls of frozen stone. “Next year, with any luck.”

“But what if I’m with child by then?”

“Then you’ll get to return the favor and gallantly wave me off as I gallop into the distance, a vision of Boudicca herself.”

“Didn’t that story end with mass murder and suicide?”

“Nico, not everything needs to be said out loud.”

She laughs, raucous and jarring. Horses’ ears go back; crows take flight from stripped trees. It’s Christmas, and that means it’s also boar hunting season. The feast tonight will require a boar’s head to be served—a tradition that dates back to ancient Norse pagans, to faiths of earth and thunder and sea—and the court has assembled to procure one, the men armed with spears, the women riding along to cheer them on, hounds braying and circling agitatedly, servants sprinting around with jugs of wine. “Alas,” Nico says. “I cannot help it. I am Italian.”

Then she reels her mare around and trots off to join the hunting party. Once not so long ago, you had no true friends here. Now you have at least one. Two, if you count Aemond…although you can’t decide if Aemond is a friend. Sometimes he feels like less, other times much more. He grows close and then is far away again, a tide that’s always a few hours from receding. You watch Nico depart with hardly any heartache. Your relative incapacitation will be finished soon enough, your position vindicated. The clock is ticking.

Daeron compliments you as he canters by on Tessarion, heavy hooves leaving impact craters in the snow: “Princess, that’s a lovely gown.” Lavender, purple, the color of royalty, a declaration of your own worth. That’s not something you can rely upon others giving you. You’re between worlds at the moment: neither fully Navarran nor English, not an outsider nor a future queen.

“Thank you, brother. Good luck!”

Daemon reins up beside you, peering down with glittering dark eyes. When anyone ventures too close to Caraxes—whether horse or human—he snaps at them like a wolf. Surely there is no beast better suited to its master. “I think you’d look better covered in red. Isn’t that the color of your people, Navarre?”

“Prince Daemon,” you purr, one hand still on your belly, your victory in progress. “Enjoy the hunt. I know you get restless when you haven’t murdered anything in a while.”

He should quip back, but he doesn’t. He just grins, his gaze locked on yours; and his grin stretches wider until it sends a bolt down your spine like cold lightning. You have the sudden, dreadful impression that there’s a joke you aren’t in on. “You have no idea.”

Caraxes squeals and jerks back his head as Vhagar shoves between you, massive withers and haunches making space where none existed before. Caraxes nips Vhagar’s shoulder, drawing blood; Vhagar snorts in reply, a low rumble like a storm. Caraxes retreats, ears flattened, but Daemon pitches you one last crooked smirk as he leaves, a threat, an oath.

“Perhaps we should serve Daemon’s head at dinner,” Aemond says.

“He certainly looks like a pig to me.”

“You aren’t too disappointed, I hope. To have to stay behind.”

You smile, petting Vhagar’s silky muzzle. She has a white blaze down the front of her face, white stockings like patches of snow on rich spring soil. “It’s temporary.” What was Aemond like on my wedding day? You try to remember. All you can conjure is a vision of him staring at the floor as you linked your trembling hands with Aegon’s and the priest spoke, as if the match was so ill-fated he could not bear to witness it. It took you a year to learn that he didn’t disapprove of you after all. Something else weighed on him that day, something else dragged down his eyes like an anchor moors a ship.

Aegon passes you both on Sunfyre. “I’ll bring you back something, wife!” he vows, swaying drunkenly in the saddle, his chaotic silver hair shagging in his eyes. Fortunately, Sunfyre seems aware of his rider’s limitations; his steps are lithe and cautious, almost timid. His coat is a river of gold beneath grey skies. When Aegon urges the horse to go faster, Sunfyre ignores him.

You turn back to Aemond and raise an eyebrow. “Make sure he doesn’t break his neck?”

“As always.” And then Aemond is gone too.

The king will not join the hunt. He is getting too old for it—although no one would say that aloud—and Queen Alicent, ever-sacrificial, is staying behind in the palace with him, overseeing preparations for the feast. The other royals vanish into the forest: Daeron and Nico, Aemond and Aegon, Daemon and Baela and Rhaena, Jace and Luke, trailed by the rest of the cast of characters, Blacks and Greens alike. Joanna Montford was replaced by Agnes Stafford, who was replaced by Sibylla Beaufort, who was replaced by Cecily Chaucer. There is no shortage of young women whose fathers are rabid to push them into the bed of the man they call the heir to the throne. A servant brings you a cup of apple cider, and you sip it as snowflakes melt into the fur of your coat.

“It’s not personal,” Rhaenyra says. You whirl to see her and Syrax; they have appeared like ghosts, both pale and ethereal, both fearsome without being malevolent. “Prince Daemon’s taunts, I mean. Any of our antagonism. Distrust that swells into hated.” Her hair is long, loose, strands of ivory in the wind. Her eyes—clear water, cool and stoic—flick down to your belly and then back up to your face. She’s a lot like Aemond, you think, seeing the extent of their resemblance for the first time.

“It feels very personal.”

“I could have liked you in a different life,” Rhaenyra counters, like parrying swords. “You have just enough ruthlessness in you. A river, but not a sea. You thirst for freedom. You wear chains called obligation. But when my father named me heir, he painted a target on my back. Even if I renounced my claim, there would always be men willing to take up arms for me. I would always be a threat to Alicent and her children. Just by breathing, just by having blood hot in my veins. Either I will be queen…or I will forever be at the mercy of the Greens. Would you trust your life to the Duke of Hightower, if you were standing between Aegon and the throne?”

“No,” you admit. You can barely bring yourself to trust the Duke now…and you’re on his side.

“And so we are destined to be mortal enemies.” Rhaenyra shrugs; no great loss, she means. “I only wanted you to know that it would have been just the same if you had been sent to England from Portugal, or Sicily, or Castile, or Bohemia, or Genoa, or Naples, or France, or anywhere else for that matter. It’s not about who you are. It’s about what you’ve married into.”

And then she takes off on Syrax, joining her uncle-husband and her eldest sons in the forest, dissolving into a gnarl of branches like tangled threads. You retreat back inside Westminster Palace to do what you do best: watching, wondering, waiting for the future to decide to arrive.

~~~~~~~~~~

When the hunting party returns hours later, Prince Aegon is empty-handed. He’s also soaked to the skin. Water drips from his face, begins to freeze in his hair. He shivers and gripes as servants throw blankets over his shoulders and usher him away towards his bedchamber to be warmed in a bath cloudy with herbs and steam and rose petals. Cecily Chaucer hurries after them, her lovely brows knitted together with girlish concern. Of all Aegon’s mistresses, you like Cecily the best. She’s insatiable; she keeps him so busy that he rarely totters into your bed to paw at you before being reminded that you have been temporarily exempted from your marital duties.

“He fell into a stream,” Nico informs you, in equal parts disapproving and amused. “Aemond and Daeron fished him out like a trout.”

Your eyes scan the group: shaking snow from their hats and their coats, congratulating each other on obstacles jumped and animals killed, Prince Daemon accepting applause from his fellow Blacks for being the attendee to slaughter the requisite boar. A good omen for their side, surely. Servants carry the gigantic, bloodied carcass off to be prepared by the cooks. But one face is missing from the crowd. “Where’s Aemond?”

“Oh,” Nico recalls as she yanks off her gloves by the fingers. “He has something for you.”

“For me?”

“In the courtyard,” she says. Daeron approaches to collect her, taking her hand and kissing the back of it, his large blue eyes bright and adoring. He’s gentler than his brothers, more content, less complicated. And he’s proud of being a Targaryen. He’s growing out his white-blond hair; it’s already longer than Aegon’s. “I think you’ll find it…” Nico grins mischievously. “Perfectly bearable.”

You trudge out to the courtyard through the mounting snow, cold wind tearing at your hair and clawing pieces of it out from under your hat. Aemond is the only other person there…and he’s elbow-deep in a colossal black-furred monster. There is a pile of entrails on the snow beside him glistening like rubies, garnets, rosalines, wine. Servants ferry away bowls full of offal: a lung here, a rope of intestines there.

“What is that?”

Aemond stands and waves at it cavalierly, drops of blood flinging from his leather gloves. “A bear.”

“What am I supposed to do with a bear?”

“It’ll make a fine rug for your bedchamber. You can place it by the fireplace and lie on it on cold nights. Read your books, do your embroidery.”

“It was bold of you to assume you’d be able to find me a Christmas present on Christmas day. Not much room for error.”

“This isn’t your Christmas present.”

“Then what’s the occasion?”

“Congratulations.” He glances at your belly, rounded out like ripening fruit with his brother’s child. A stain of blood like fever rushes into his cheeks. He blushes very rarely, and only ever around you. No one else seems to know that he’s capable of it. “For being over halfway there. It must bring you great relief.”

“Yes, I suppose the Duke of Hightower won’t get to ship me back to Navarre now. In a crate, like an animal that couldn’t be tamed.”

“What a waste that would be.”

You shrug, stepping closer, though mindful not to squash any bear organs beneath your shoes. “I wouldn’t mind being sent home if there was anything for me to go back to.”

Aemond stares at you, alarmed. “You haven’t grown attached to anything here? In nearly a year and a half?”

“Well…there are a few things,” you say, smiling at him. Aemond smiles back. His long silvery hair is secured in a single thick braid, his gaze curious. You try not to imagine what is under his eyepatch; that strikes you as something he wouldn’t want you to think about.

“Vhagar,” Aemond teases.

You laugh. “Yes, mostly Vhagar.” You look up at the grey sky, thick with clouds like steel. “But I miss my family. I miss the heat, the mountains, castles and cathedrals the color of golden sand. I miss riding horses and sparring with my brothers. I miss being understood, being loved. In Navarre I was alive. But in England…ever since I arrived here…it’s like I’m locked up waiting for someone to let me out. But the prison is my own flesh.”

Aemond studies you. “It’s not for much longer,” he says at last, soft and solemn. “And I would change it if I could.”

“In any case, I really can’t go back, I think. It wouldn’t be like it was before. My siblings are marrying and spreading out across Europe. My parents are getting older. And if my husband discarded me for being incapable of producing children, no one else would ever want me. I’d never have my own household. I’d be doomed to be a spinster, forever dependent upon the charity of my parents or my siblings. Either that or in a nunnery. Although, truthfully, Navarre has some beautiful nunneries.”

“You’d make a terrible nun.”

“Because I’m too vicious or too lustful?”

“Vicious, without a doubt. Lustful…I don’t feel qualified to speak on.”

“Depends on who’s in front of me, I suppose.”

You contemplate each other across the gutted bear carcass, snowflakes filling up the space between you instead of words. Again, Aemond’s cheeks flood red. When he wrings his hands together, you notice that they’re shaking. His hair is sopping; beads of melted snow pool along the edge of his jaw, slither down his throat. He could catch his death out here.

You go to him, pull off a glove, and press your bare palm against his forehead and then his cheek: the scarred one, the ruined one. “You’re burning up, Aemond,” you say, worried. “Are you alright—?”

“Fine.” He shies away from your touch. But then, without thinking, he moves to tuck an escaped lock of hair back underneath your hat. As his thumb grazes your face, you feel the warm stripe of bear blood that he inadvertently marks you with. “Goddamn, I’m so sorry—”

“No, that’s perfect.” You smile up at him. “You know I secretly favor red.”

“Princess?” Nico calls from the doorway, and you cross the courtyard to meet her. “You’re still out here? You’re missing a riveting game of Tric-Trac—” She cuts off, her eyes going wide as they skate across your cheeks. “Sweet Jesus, how’d you get blood all over your face?”

You glimpse back at Aemond as you answer. “Carelessness.”

~~~~~~~~~~

You’re weaving ribbons the color of evergreens into Nico’s hair when he comes into your bedchamber, carrying a long thin box made of pink ivory wood.

“Oh, marvelous!” Nico trills, clapping her hands. “What’s inside?”

“Poems, I hope,” you say.

“I hate to disappoint you,” Aemond replies placidly. Half of his hair is pulled back from his face, the rest flowing freely. He’s wearing a dark, rich, jade-like color, just like Nico is, just like the Duke of Hightower and Alicent and Daeron will be. Someone has probably even stuffed Aegon into something green. You are the lone nonconformist in a deep purple like the skin of a plum. In truth, you can’t win. People will gossip no matter what you wear. Red makes them think of what Daemon calls you, of the wasted blood you’ve spilled. Green makes them speak of how you’ve yet to serve their faction properly. Black is out of the question. At least when they see you in purple, your name gets to live in the same sentence as the word royalty.

“Well?” Nico prompts eagerly. “Open it!”

You look at her, apologetic. So does Aemond.

“Oh,” she realizes, then sighs theatrically. “Alright. I understand. I’ll deport myself now. Ciao.”

Only when she’s closed the door behind her does Aemond open the box. The lining inside is crimson velvet. It cradles a sword. You gasp and lift the weapon out of the box by its hilt, then pull off the scabbard. It is lightweight, silvery, perfect. You can see your own reflection in the polished steel. There are shallow engravings down the length of the blade: mountain ranges, twisted oak trees, bridges and cathedrals, the flag of Navarre. You can only see them when you tilt the sword to catch the rage-orange glow from the fireplace.

“I had it custom made for you,” Aemond says, abruptly nervous. “So it wouldn’t be too heavy or too long. The hilt should fit your grasp precisely. I took one of your gloves for measurements.”

“A thief.” You marvel at the sword, twirling it a few times. The blade cuts through the air, soundless, seamless. “Aemond, this is…this is so far beyond what I deserve. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“It’s part pleasure, part necessity. You might actually need to protect yourself one day.”

“It’s a shame I’ll only be able to bully you with it under the surreptitious cover of darkness.”

“Just until Aegon is king. He wouldn’t care, I don’t think. He wouldn’t forbid you from training.” He gestures to the blade. “And the engravings are—”

“All things from home.” You beam at him. “From Navarre.”

“That’s what the common people call you, you know. The Princess from Navarre.”

You glide the sword back into its scabbard and return it to the box. “They must hate me. For failing to secure the succession.”

“I wouldn’t assume that.”

You take the pink ivory wood box from Aemond’s hands and place it in the chest at the foot of your bed, your preferred spot for squirreling away valuables. And then you lift out Aemond’s present: a vast tapestry that he helps you unfold to reveal the design of.

“It’s incredible!” he exclaims. “It must have taken you ages!”

“Well, all I’m allowed to do currently is needlework, so I’ve done a lot of needlework. I made one for Aegon too, although I’m not sure what his hobbies are besides drinking and fucking Cecily Chaucer. So his tapestry is mostly landscapes.” You point to various scenes on Aemond’s. “There’s King Arthur and Guinevere…and Sir Lancelot, arriving to ruin them. There’s Beowulf battling Grendel’s mother. There’s Robin Hood…there’s the Rollright Stones and Stonehenge…and in the middle is Saint George slaying a dragon. I made the dragon black, with little white whiskers if you look very closely. And I’ve named him Daemon.”

“They’re from the stories I told you,” Aemond says quietly, examining the tapestry. “On that afternoon back in July. When we took Vhagar out together for the first time.”

“It must have been memorable.” You smile. “And then the border is ivy and roses, mostly green, of course…except for one little red rose I added down here in the bottom corner. And that’s—”

“That’s you,” Aemond says. “Red like Navarre.”

“Yes.” Your voice is suddenly wistful, a little sad. “You’ve made me like the sound of that word again.”

“What? Navarre?”

You nod. “Hushed, gentle…” Reverent? Awed? Protected? Cherished? “Like a prayer. Like a poem.”

You help Aemond refold the tapestry, avoiding his eye. The only sounds are the crackling of the fireplace and the muffled echo of violins and lutes through the palace halls. Outside the window hovers a blood moon, a ruby in onyx, a drop of fury in an ocean of void. He takes his Christmas gift back to his own bedchamber, and then he returns to escort you to the feast.

“Oh, darling,” Alicent says when you sit down beside her at the high table. There are sprigs of holly in her hair, but her dark eyes are glazed and melancholy. They often are. Sir Criston Cole—a knight whose family are vassals of the Duke of Hightower—is her shadow, peering watchfully around the Great Hall. “Be sure to eat plenty of boar…and bread…very good for the baby. But no fish! And not too many vegetables. Here, let me get you some of your apple cider…” Alicent waves to a servant, and they promptly fetch you a full cup.

King Viserys gives you a distracted nod but no other acknowledgement. He is deep in conversation with Jace; Luke is gawping, mildly disturbed, at the severed boar’s head that adorns the table, cherries shoved into the sockets where its eyes were this morning. Rhaena offers you a kind, demure smile. Baela glares at you as she sips her wine. She’s the most war-worthy of any of the Black children; you imagine that Daemon will have a sword and armor waiting for her when the bloodbath begins. Surely she’d inflict more damage than either of Rhaenyra’s docile, dark-haired sons, like skittish lapdogs always looking around for someone to tell them where it’s alright to sit. Baela’s Arabian, Moondancer, is small but remarkably swift and agile. She’s the best jumper of any of the royal horses.

Far from the table, in the midst of dancing nobles, Daemon and Rhaenyra are enmeshed in whispers and caresses: he tilts up her chin, she grasps the small of his back. You feel a yearning, a hollowness beneath where your ribs circle your heart and lungs like a halo. Without thinking, you glance to Aemond. He’s been looking at you too; he pretends he wasn’t and begins sawing through a slab of boar meat with a serrated knife. Daeron is asking him about sparring techniques. The Duke of Hightower is parading Aegon around the hall to pay his respects to the nobility of Southern England, men who will kill and be killed for him one day before too long. Aegon is bleary-eyed and bungling, tripping over his own feet; the Duke is practically dragging him around from his scruff like a kitten.

“Sweetheart, will you dance with me?” Queen Alicent asks Nico, who immediately leaps up from her chair.

“Of course, Your Majesty! It would be my pleasure. It’s a shame that the king cannot join us. It must be difficult having a husband so much older than you are. Nearly your father’s age!”

Everyone at the table stops what they’re doing and gapes at her.

“Oh,” Nico begins haltingly, mortified. “Oh dear. I should not have said that. I cannot express the depths of my remorse.”

King Viserys booms out a laugh, and then Nico is smiling again. “Go on,” he tells her. “Enjoy the festivities. Keep the queen entertained when I cannot.”

As Nico and Queen Alicent descend to join the dance, you remain where you are, where you always are: on the outskirts, inside the glass bowl. But not for much longer, you think gratefully, running your palm over the swell of your belly. You eat as much as you can, but you don’t have much of an appetite. Your hips and ankles ache, your body forever adjusting to a never-before-known burden; there is torsion like a sailor’s knot in your lower spine. When the discomfort refuses to abate, you excuse yourself from the table and make slow, meandering laps around the fringes of the Great Hall, draining cup after cup of apple cider as servants bring them to you. The Duke of Hightower casts you a stern warning of a frown before he resumes wrangling Aegon. Aemond, still at the high table talking to Daeron, follows you with one intent blue eye.

“You can’t honestly believe he’d make a good king,” Daemon says, materializing out of the crowd like a bat at twilight. Enormous Scottish deerhounds—Christmas gifts from King Corlys and Queen Rhaenys beyond England’s northern border—trail after him, growling at you. Daemon flicks his strange, deep-set eyes towards Aegon. “He’s a drunk. He’s an embarrassment. He has no athletic prowess whatsoever. I’m sure you can confirm that from firsthand experience.”

“I can confirm that he hasn’t murdered his first wife yet, surely an attribute by anyone’s calculation.” You watch the Duke tow Aegon from one exchange to another, and for the first time, you wonder what sort of man Aegon would have been without the weight of the throne on his back.

“But of course, it wouldn’t actually be Aegon ruling if the Greens won. It would be Otto…and Alicent…and Aemond.”

Daemon puts great emphasis on this last name. You turn to him, startled.

“Oh, forgive me, have I said something that gets under your skin? Or…rather…into it?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Daemon grins, baring his teeth like fangs. “Of course you don’t,” he says. “Tell me, would you happen to know who Otto is planning on marrying him to? I’ve heard rumblings.”

“Someone with parents who have ample soldiers and equipment with which to mutilate you, surely.”

“Helene of Austria.”

“Helene?” The breath evaporates from your lungs, vanishes like brief winter daylight. “The daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor?” It’s an immensely powerful match. It’s a match so ambitious it has rarely even been suggested. You summon triumph to your voice, an arrogant glint to your eyes. “This is very bad news for you.”

“And for you too, I think.”

He knows, you think, terror-stricken, aware you aren’t doing enough to hide it. That I desire my husband’s brother. That I want Aemond. That maybe I even love him. You try to fling some flippant retort at Daemon; you cannot find one, it’s like scratching your fingertips along the bottom of an empty box. Victorious, he swigs his wine and begins to saunter away, panting Scottish deerhounds on his heels. And then you call after him: “It didn’t get you far, did it?”

Daemon halts mid-step and slowly—very slowly—turns back to you. “What?”

“All that Targaryen blood. All that bone-white hair and ferocity, charisma and swordsmanship. King Viserys still chose to reject you as his heir. He still doesn’t trust you to advise him. He still denied you his daughter’s hand in marriage, and you were spineless enough to let him. You left her alone to suffer first. With a husband who couldn’t satisfy her, with a lover who could only give her bastards. And now you expect the world to forget who you’ve always been: reckless, savage, deeply selfish. All those things you stalk around here so proud of are worthless, because you’ll never have what you really want. You’ll never have the throne. And neither will Rhaenyra. You are the same as I am, Daemon. I am an asset and yet a curse to Aegon; you helped win the North for Rhaenyra, but the South will never yield to you. They will fight you with everything they have, every man and horse and blade. But there is one difference between us. When I bear Aegon a son, my curse will be lifted. You will never stop endangering Rhaenyra, her cause, her inheritance, her children, her life. And if she burns, it will be at least half because of you.”

You’ve never seen him truly angry before, you realize now; you’ve never seen him without the undeniable upper hand. His grip rests on the hilt of his sword. “I should—”

“Go on,” you dare him in a fierce whisper, your fingers closing around his wrist. “Slay Aegon’s wife and child in front of all the court. It’s the kindest thing you could do for the Greens. Make yourself more enemies, win us more friends. Everyone suspects that you are a beast already. Prove them right.”

Daemon rips his hand out of yours. “Happy Christmas, Navarre,” he hisses. “If fate is just, it will be your last.” And then he storms away from you, Rhaenyra meeting him at the other end of the hall and speaking with him there—conspiring? inquiring? scolding?—in urgent whispers.

Nico pushes through the throngs of dancing nobles to reach you. “Are you alright?” she asks, a palm laid on your shoulder.

“Fine.” Helene, you think, rubbing the aching curve of your back with one hand, sipping apple cider with the other. They’re both trembling. Beautiful, wealthy, coveted Helene.

“Are you sure? You don’t look good. What did that bleached weasel have to say…?”

But you can’t hear her, because the pain in your spine is now reaching like poison through veins to spread across your belly, to tighten, to clamp down, to gnash with steel teeth like needles, like knives. Your cup tumbles out of your gasp, spilling apple cider across the floor. You yelp in pure shock at how unexpectedly the pain comes. And then you begin to understand what it means. “No,” you plead in a whisper. You stagger backwards until you hit the wall. “No, no, no…”

“What?” Nico asks frantically. People are beginning to notice; heads spin in your direction. Tears are springing from your eyes. Blood is snaking down your legs, slick and hot on the velveteen inside of your thighs. Soon they’ll all be able to see it: your agony, your ruin. The Greens, the Blacks. The Duke of Hightower, Prince Daemon.

Nico doesn’t understand. You don’t know how to tell her. I’ve killed another child. I’ve failed again. You can feel Aegon crawling back into your bed. You can see letters from your mother—so proud at last, so full of praise—shredding themselves into dust. And then it flashes like cannon fire in your mind, not just the loss of an heir but the loss of a life: a name that will never be given, a voice that will never be heard, steps that will never leave imprints in sand or soil or snow.

I have to get out of here. How am I going to—?

An arm circles around your waist, strong, shielding, taking as much of your weight as it can. “Walk with me,” Aemond says. And then he half-carries you through the nearest door and down a passageway, Nico struggling to keep up, chatter exploding at the feast you left behind.

As soon as you cross the threshold into your bedchamber, as soon as you are out of sight of ill-intentioned observers, you collapse to the floor. Your palms and knees bruise against wood; a wail tears from your throat. “Not again,” you sob. “Aemond, I can’t do this again, I can’t—”

Nico says: “Are you sure it’s a…?”

Aemond is kneeling on the floor beside you. He’s helping you pull back the hem of your gown. You see it on his face before you see it on your own skin: there’s blood, a lot of blood, too much for it to be anything but lethal to the child. It’s all over his hands and his clothes; it’s all over the floorboards.

“Oh God,” Nico moans, covering her mouth with both hands. “Oh…oh my God…”

“Get the physicians,” Aemond tells her. “Speak to no one else. Go now. Go!”

Nico rushes out of the room. You can’t stop sobbing. The pain is excruciating, not waves but one continuous, saw-toothed twisting, a feeling like being gutted, like you’re a slaughtered bear and someone has their fingers raking around inside your womb.

Aemond is trying to pull you to your feet. “Come on, I’ll help you get into bed—”

“Aemond, I can’t.”

“Yes you can—”

“I can’t!” you cry out, weeping helplessly. Then he stops trying to lift you and instead sinks down to join you on the floor. You clutch wildly at him—at his forearms and his shoulders and his long silvery hair—and he doesn’t flinch away. He draws you into him, his hands staining you with blood everywhere they land. You don’t care; you don’t want him to stop. You bury yourself in the warmth of his chest, his arms around you like the border of the moon, like a ring.

“Shh,” he soothes through your hair. “Shh, shh. I’m here. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Please don’t leave me. Please stay.”

“I’ll stay,” Aemond says, his voice hoarse. “Of course I’ll stay.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Scenes like fragments of a dream, things that later you aren’t sure were real:

The physicians and midwives delivering your dead child, Aemond tilting a cup of strong wine against your lips. Your ladies washing blood off you with dripping rags as Aemond stands with the physicians in the doorway. They think you’re asleep, but you’re not; you’re not awake either. You’re halfway here and halfway not. Parts of the room are foggy, others are as clear as glass, as still water. A physician is telling Aemond that the child was a boy, perfect in every way except the one that matters most. He doesn’t breathe and never will. Too early, too small, beautiful and doomed.

“Don’t tell her that,” Aemond is saying. “Don’t tell her anything unless she asks.”

Now it’s later—two minutes, two hours, it doesn’t matter—and he’s dragging someone into your bedchamber. They’re fighting him, they’re trying to cling to the doorframe so he can’t force them inside.

“Get in there,” Aemond growls.

Aegon replies: “I don’t know what to say to her, what the hell do I say—?”

Your husband is at your bedside, undoubtedly miserable but not in a way that makes you feel like he sees you. There is the scent of wine and sweat drenched with perfume, lemon and lavender. “I’m sorry,” you murmur like a faint wind.

“It was not your fault, wife.” Aegon’s eyes are bloodshot, his shoulders hanging low and limp. “It is a great tragedy, but it was not your fault.” And then he glances at Aemond to make sure he’s done the right thing.

Now your husband is gone, and Aemond is holding a cool cloth to your forehead. He speaks in little more than a whisper. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“Just send me back to Navarre,” you say weakly. “I can’t do this. Talk to the Duke. He’ll get the marriage annulled. I know he will. He can find another wife for Aegon, another alliance. He’ll be glad to be rid of me.”

“You aren’t going anywhere.”

“I’m ruined. I’m worthless. Just send me home.”

“You are home,” Aemond insists.

You watch the firelight as it flickers over him, smooth skin, brutal scar. “What happens next?”

“You’ll try again.”

“There’s no point, Aemond.”

“Look at me,” he commands, cradling your face with his hands. “You’ll try again. And again, if you have to. But you will have children. I know you will.”

His voice is breaking. His eye is glistening, tortured. This is how the father should be. This is how Aegon should be. “Aemond, why are you so hurt by this?”

“Because you are suffering,” he says. “And because they’re pieces of you.”

You lose sight of him, float for a while, return again thinking of Aegon and the Duke of Hightower and Daemon and Rhaenyra. “No one here really knows me. No one loves me.”

Aemond is standing beside your bed. “Nico loves you.”

You gaze listlessly up at him and say nothing.

“Aegon loves you, I believe,” Aemond continues, but he won’t meet your eyes. “In his own way.”

Still, you look at him. Still, Aemond doesn’t look back.

Say it, you think, desperate, aching, tears biting in your eyes. Say that you love me too. Even if it’s just as a sister, an ally, a friend. Please, Aemond, just fucking say it.

He doesn’t say it. Maybe he leaves, maybe you are submerged in unconsciousness, maybe both. The memory dissolves around the edges until it is a pool of star-flecked obsidian like the night sky.

But this next part you know with certainty was real, because it is something you can touch, like a millennium-old relic from Egypt or Athens or Babylon. You wake in the morning to find three items on your nightstand: a cup of apple cider, a cup of strong bitter wine for the pain, and a single piece of parchment folded and tied with a red ribbon. You blink confoundedly at it for a while as muted winter sunlight seeps in through the windows, not being able to make sense of it. And then you open the parchment. Aemond has written at the top of the page in his hectic, uneven letters: Ivy. You read his words and all the anguish that went into them—smudges from his own fingerprints, wayward drips of black ink—like falling down the rungs of a ladder.

Scream into me, I’ll be the jar for your fury; I’m starving

for anything that tastes like you. I’ve been counting the lines

on your knuckles, the boards of the floor, wondering if you’ve

figured out that I’d wear fractures and bruises like amethysts

if it means you’d touch me. For seventeen months you’ve been

the ivy on my walls, vines like the needle-width legs of a spider

carving out my past, every last notch and shadow—splitting ribs,

scraping marrow—until there’s no part of me left that can remember

a time other than this, your voice and your wit and the scraps of you

I’ve stitched into me. Ask me what I burn for and I’ll whisper like

the dawn: you growing over my skin until I’m covered, tendrils

twisting down to the bone, everything I was before

ash and myth beneath your hands.

[giorno-plays-piano]

Thorns In His Mouth

Part VII

Pairing: fae!Steve Rogers x reader

Warnings: obsession, dubious consent, minor character death, drugs (neither reader nor Steve are involved), slight eating disorder, mentions of tumor, high tech elves.

Words: 1.2k

Summary: Maybe it was a good idea to chat with a waitress a bit more once she brought you your order. Perhaps she could at least tell you with whom you should speak because you simply couldn’t force yourself to look at others, most of them already high, shouting something loudly or laughing or weeping. You could constantly hear the flapping of someone’s wings, weird whispers and noises, and the sound of boots and hooves that made your hair stand on end.

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI

_______

"But where are we going?" You hurried after the elf who was walking way too fast on his goddamn perfectly long legs.

"My friend is a phooka who doesn't like sunlight much," Steve said, turning his face to you but not slowing down. "Since magic costs us too much in your world, not many fae can afford constant glamour. And phookas don't exactly look like humans, so he has to hide where not many people can see him."

Oh. You hadn't thought of that. Phookas were black-haired cat-like - or goat-like? - creatures, as far as you remembered from a book about Celtic fairies you've had as a child. It would be incredibly hard not to freak out if you suddenly saw one in the middle of the city.

Poor creature. Where was it living? How hard it would be to not only be unable to use magic, but also communicate with pretty much anyone at all with an exception of fellow faes? Steve, on the other hand, looked perfectly human even with his strange face and piercing blue eyes, his ears perfectly normal. Was he using glamour?

He seemed to be amused with your expression as he laughed, extending his hand to you so you could walk close instead of dragging behind him.

"Do you use glamour to change the shape of your ears?" You blurted out, unable to keep silent to satisfy your curiosity, and then shame bubbled up inside you as you realized it was a too personal question to ask a literal stranger. Nevertheless, you took his hand when his fingers brushed against yours.

His gaze warmed up. "I do. What, do you want me to oblige you and show you their true form?"

"No, no pleasure, I'm sorry! I don't know why I asked that."

"It's a shame," the elf winked at you. "I'd ask you for a wish in exchange."

Warmth crept into your cheeks: was Steve flirting with you just now? Or was it his fae nature showing itself? The fair folk were supposed to be overly playing - or utterly horrifying. Steve, you thought, was likely both.

Turning to the left, away from the bus station with a long queue of tired students nervously clutching their Ipads and Iphones, you followed the Watcher with your eyes on the road instead of looking at him. It never came to your mind that he considerably slowed down his pace so you could keep up with it, his palm warming yours as he held it gently. You missed his intent stare as he stopped smiling, and his eyes flashed oddly.

"Your first lesson," he finally said after a couple of minutes, breaking the awkward silence. "Don't ever bargain with a fae if it demands a wish in return. Always try to propose something first. Give it something valuable, but what you're ready to part with."

"Like my earrings?"

There's a faint smile on his full lips, "Like your earrings."

"But what if I really need to bargain with a fae, and it wants nothing else but a wish?"

Steve abruptly stopped, and you nearly fell down the ground if he didn't catch you, steading you with his unbearably hot palms on your shoulders, towering over you, his expression somber.

"You NEVER bargain with that fae," he said, and your knees started to tremble out of nowhere when he squeezed your shoulders tight. "Never. Come find me, and I will trade something else with you to help."

There's something dangerous in the way his lips crooked, but you continued staring at his face, anyway, like a snake charmer at a cobra - except it was you being controlled, his voice a low command.

"There has always been plenty of malicious fae even in Sacred lands, but many turned worse in exile. You will never guess which one is which, and you don't want to know what they'll do to you if you give them a chance."

"But... but weren't fair folk forbidden from harming us?" Your voice trembled a little, and Steve blew out a little breath, his thumbs drawing circles through the fabric of your blouse to comfort you, probably, after he stopped painfully squeezing your shoulders.

"When you give them a wish, you hand them the power over you. Do that, and the law will no longer work in your favor."

It was a rule #1, perhaps the most important one among the long list of other rules you were given when dealing with the little folk. Never have you ever allowed a fae to ask you for a wish since then, promising yourself you wouldn't waste your own life even for your mother. There was always a different way, Steve said, glancing down at you as he towered far above you. Sacrifices, whatever their nature, rarely led to anything good in the end.

By the time he walked down the stairs to enter the nearest metro station, you realized you had a very vague picture of a place you were going to, immediately asking the elf where he was planning to take you. Why were you leaving fae's part of the city? Did some creatures live outside it? Was it far? Was it a dangerous place, too?

The man was chuckling again at a limitless number of questions you could ask without drawing a second breath. "You were a worrier, weren't you?" He asked, and your cheeks grew hot with embarrassment.

"He lives close," he finally said, motioning to the metro tration. "And no place is dangerous as long as you're with me. You might get nervous, though. It's dark and dirty there."

Dark and dirty? Was it, like, some sort of a cave.

Looking at the growing smile of the elf, you suddenly realized why he was taking you down the metro station. Dear God, that's where that hairy phooka lived, right? Somewhere on an abandoned metro line or between the stations where no one but rats would see him, and so he wouldn't need glamor.

It all felt like some sort of urban legend.

You didn't have it in you to stop, knowing your mysterious friend was expecting results in return for his earnest work, but when Steve was helping you jump over the protective fence right on the tracks, you squeezed his hand, breathing heavier.

"Can I hold your hand, please? This place gives me the creeps," you smiled nervously at him, and Steve let out a loud laugh in his typical fashion, grasping your shoulder.

"You weren't scared of coming to a place full of drug addicts and all sorts of scum, but the metro scares you?" He helped you up when you had finally jumped down, barely believing you were really doing it, your anxity amping up. "Don't fret, you lovely little thing. I know this place better than anyone. I've lived here for many long years myself."

________

Tags: @heavenly1927 @yazzzmints @devils-blackrose @lost-and-founds @kennafild @toodlesxcuddles @shygardengalaxy @heimtathurs @moonlightazriel @tsujifreya @lilithmoon92 @greenowlfactif @minshookie29 @nina2697 @youngdreamer3214 @jsrblue

[gamerkats]

Best part about having a Bard at game night? They tend to come in with an ear worm that will drive you NUTS!!! So excited we get to post this!!!!

Sung to the tune of "The Devil Went Down To Georgia", by The Charlie Daniels Band.

The Devil went down to Hazbin, He was lookin' for a dream to kill. He was in a bind 'cause in Charlie’s mind, She was doin’ up Heaven’s will.

When he came upon this tall man, Sawblade in a smile and spittin' it hot And the Devil jumped on the chandelier stump And said, “Alright then, tell you what,”

“I guess you just don’t know me, I must’a stayed away too long. But if you'd dare to take a care, I'll meet you horns head on. Now you tickle pretty good ivory, boy, but give the Devil his due, I’ll bet Charlie’s love gold against your soul, ‘Cause I know I’m better than you."

The man said, “My name's Alastor, and it might be a sin, But I'll take your bet, I’ll make you regret You ever came to our Hazbin.

Alastor, tighten up your grin, and play your piano hard. ‘Cause Hell has come to Hazbin, and the Devil is a bard. And if you lose, the Devil’s now the owner in control. But if you win, you just might get your soul.

[music interlude part, you know you're hearing it....]

The Devil was the first to sing, and he felt he could not lose. With fire just like a video killing all the radio’s reviews. And he plucked on every single string to fiddle with their hearts, And if Charlie would not barter, at least that smile’d be torn apart.

[music interlude that sounds like Adam just chimed in]

Before the Devil finished, Alastor said, “Well, not bad for an old man, Who’s least is quite his forte, I’ll show you how to lend a hand.”

Charlie’s got a dream, fun, what fun, The Devil’s jealous of all that I have done. I should really fear his seven wrath woe, Charlie, should I bite him? No, Al, no.

[more music!!!!]

The Devil ground his accordion down to Alastor’s hooved feet, And he readied for a second verse to make that deer heart bleat. Alastor said, “Devil, let’s go again, if you’re not all spent and flimsy.” Then the door broke down, to stomp on their bitch, Truest best of all was Mimsy. She played,

Charlie’s got a dream, fun, what fun, The Devil’s jealous of all that I have done. I should really fear his seven wrath woe, Charlie, should I bite him? No, Al, no.

[music!!!!!!]

[visd3stele]

Request (by @folkloregirljude ): Hello :) You could do a story of Jude and Cardan taking care of little Oak and jealous because Cardan steals his sister's attention.

TW: none, just cute, pure fluff

A/N: this is happening separate from the canon of the new book, a bit divergent from the canon of the trilogy as well. ALSO, i know it's been months, i'm SO SORRY...i got some medical issues on my hands that are solved now, so I hope this is worth the wait

also, I don't remember if Oak had hooves as well or just the little horns, but in this fic he has both.

Mine! No, mine!

The Fae Folk is not prone to change. And yet, multiple changes surveyed their world in the span of a few months. Their king died, the royal family butchered, the drunkard Cardan – out of all people! – became king and, after a brush with war against the Mer Folk, Jude Duarte became his queen.

Queen of Elfhame. Jude didn't know what to make of the title. She figured out how she feels about other titles in her life: Seneschal, she quite liked, having hidden her true influence at Court in the shadows, spy gave her a thrill for sure, but never without the dissapointment that came with it after failing to be a knight, wife, after a long time, she accepted with an embarrasing leap of her heart.

But queen, that she has yet to figure. It wasn't part of her plan. And, even though she learned to cheerish the gift of Elfhame as it accepted her in its heart without guilt or shame, even though she could see how much her husband thrived under the crown, Jude simply couldn't make peace with the title. It wasn't hers. Nor Cardan's. In her mind, it still belonged to Oak, hers and Cardan's both baby brother. Because that was the plan!

The more she looked at the little fae, playing with Cardan in the garden – jumping over his tail as if it was a skipping rope he used to love in the mortal land – the more Jude begin to doubt the plan.

"Hey, Jude," the young fae called out of breath, excitement overcoming the tiredness. "Look what I can do!"

Oak bounced from foot to foot over the lazy slash of Cardan's tail in the air, turning around and switching sides in a chaotic, funny dance. The Queen of Elfhame felt the corners of her mouth twitch despite herself. She approached the pair, coming to rest her arms on her husband's shoulders as he hug him from behind.

"That's impressive, Oak!" She said, ignoring the way Cardan's hair tickled her neck as he leaned his head back to look at her. His beautiful, deadly wife.

Cardan smiles up at her, reaching his fingers tentatively to brush over Jude's cheek. The movement spelled her, for Jude leaned into his touch, closing her eyes to enjoy the serene calmness of the moment for what seemed to be the first time in her life since arriving to Elfhame.

"Mmm," Cardan mused happily. Leaning even more to press a kiss to his right below his wife's chin. His focus shifted entirely on Jude, forgetting all about Oak and their game.

"Hey!" The young fae protested. "I wasn't done. Jude, you have to see this. Vi showed me humans dancing like this."

"Of course, Oak."

Jude pushed her husband's shoulder playfully, if only a little bit too harsh – force of habit, she supposed – pressuring him to humor their little brother.

With an amused roll of his eyes, Cardan obeyed. "Anything for you, my cunning queen."

Heat climbed all the way to Jude's ears, pushing her heart to beat faster than she could keep up with.

Oak resumed his little skipping dance. It looked more and more put together by the second, Jude noticed now that she was paying attention. Or trying to, at least. But Cardan could never miss an oportunity to touch his wife. He never quite believed that luck shone mercifully over his head in earning Jude's affection. And now that no threat loomed ovet their heads and the land claimed her as its queen and she didn't need him, Cardan needed the physical reassurence that Jude meant it when she confessed to loving him more than ever.

"You look esquiviste, as always." He pured, trailing his hand up and down the back of her neck.

Redder than a Redcape's bloodied cape, Jude snaped her glare down to Cardan. "Stop that," she snarled. "Oak..."

"... is taking a lot of your attention lately."

And it was true. The weeks following Jude's official coronation, she invited her family to stay at the palace. She couldn't bare the nauseting feeling of not knowing where they are, if they are safe. And having them so close under her nose was easier than sending the Roach or the Bomb to spy on them.

"Oh? Is that jealousy I hear, my king?"

And just like that, Cardan's semblance of control faded into nothing. He would never admit it, but being king has been something he cherrished, despite the dire circumstances that led to and conditioned his reign. He liked the mind games the Court required of him and all the ways he discovered he could help and protect Elfhame without shedding blood or lifting a sword. Hearing the title fall through his Jude's lips in earnest love and admiration – more than he could have ever hoped for – untied any thread of decorum he sewed.

Cardan stumbled over himself as he rose in one hurried jump to cup his wife's face in his hands. An indignat huff from Oak, however, put a stop to the kiss he meant to share with Jude.

"Cardan!" The kid complained. "You had Jude all day yesterday at the meeting. Let me show her my game!"

"Later, kid," Cardan grumbled.

"Now!" Oak countered, stomping his little hooved foot, crossing his arms and leveling Cardan with all the authoruty he could muster.

The High King was having none of it. He moved behind Jude, wraping his arms around her waist and his tail all the way up to her calf. He rest his head atop hers, fully taking advantage of his height. And stuck his toungue out at Oak.

"Jude's my wife."

"She was my sister first!" And with that crying battle, Oak marched towards the royal pair. He stomped onto the fluffy end of Cardan's tail that rested on the side of Jude's foot, trying to free his sister from her husband's grip when the latter yelped and retreated in pain.

Cardan recovered swiftly, though, and grabbed Jude's arm before Oak could pull her away. "Go play, kid."

"Isn't the time of your noon drink?"

"You little..."

"Alright, alright, that's enough!" Jude, who so far has been watching the scene with an awed amusement settled on her face, broke free from her boys. "How about I spend some time with Oak now and you," she waved dismissingly at Cardan, "put together one of those surprise dinner dates you're so fond of for when Oak falls asleep?"

The High Queen of Elfhame didn't let out any space for arguments, despite her tone being inquiring. The rest of the day would go exactly as she said it would. Because, truth be told, she wasn't Oak's or Cardan's, they were both hers.

[kokinu09]

Let Go of the Reins || Chapter 5

~*~

pairing seungmin x fem!reader

genre strangers to lovers, romance, fluff, slight angst later, happy ending, social media, not meant to be, someday

summary Australia is considered home for two of the eight members. When two tour dates are scheduled for the land down under, the boys can’t help but want to spend a bit more time there to visit family and do a little sightseeing. So how do they convince the company that they need to stay a couple weeks? Filming some SKZ Code episodes.

A local riding school just outside the city with amazing reviews for their skilled instructors and beautiful horses is hosting a very popular kpop group to film their experiences. Y/N knows the group well and she just so happens to be their star working student.

status ongoing

taglist OPEN

previous | masterlist | next

~*~

Seungmin’s leg bounces as the cars rumble along the gravel road leading up to the ranch. His neck cranes and stretches to peek past Minho’s headrest.

“This car is going to tip over if you don’t stop rocking it with how fast your leg is moving on this bumpy road,” Chan teases as he gives his arm a light shove to lighten his mood.

“What are you so nervous about anyways? Y/N was super chill yesterday,” Han asks obliviously, laidback with his eyes closed like he hadn’t gotten enough sleep last night. Which he probably didn’t.

“Her being ‘chill’ has nothing to do with this. She’s more fun to be around than any of you.”

“Ouch! You wound us Seungmin-ah~!” Minho shouts too loudly in the small confines of the vehicle.

“Ah! Hyung my ears!” Han whines. At least he’s wide awake now. Minho chuckles as he pats his knee from across the center console.

Seungmin slouches back into his seat, propping his chin in his hand as he pouts and stares out the window. Chan reaches to place a hand on his shoulder. “Everything’s gonna work out how it’s supposed to. Just enjoy the moment.”

The younger takes in his words for a moment before letting out a sigh and smiling at their leader. “Since when have you been so philosophical?”

Chan’s smile widens at his lightened mood. “I don’t know what you mean! I’ve always been this wise!” He puffs his chest proudly.

“Whatever you say, Old Man,” Seungmin pokes with a less than serious eye roll. The car fills with the eldest’s whines of protest, claiming that he’s not old, he’s only foive.

~*~

It’s mornings like these that are some of your favorites.

You laugh as you and your best friend jump around, singing, and dancing to ‘Social Path’. Only one of the many Stray Kids songs on your playlist you’ve been blasting in the wash bays with the horses. You’ve both been at it for half the morning and were finally on the last two. And of course, you’d saved the best for last, Storm and Nova.

A giggle bubbles out of you when Storm bobs his head along while you’re dancing. Seems like the love for Stray Kids might be an inherited trait.

It’s a beautiful day. The doors are swung wide open with the sunlight pouring in. A refreshingly cool breeze is a welcomed relief from how stuffy it can get when the water steams up the place. The smell of wet (but clean) horses dominating the air, a thing that might be unpleasant to some people but was oddly satisfying for you. Probably because you’d just spent the last couple of hours washing them.

You give Storm his final spray, the suds washing away and pooling at his hooves. Then you turn your hose to the floor to push them towards the drain faster.

Watching the bubbles disappear, your mind starts to drift. You’re not really ready for this moment to end. You’d rather stay in the wash bay with Liv and blast Stray Kids for the rest of the day. But you know that’s not an option.

There’s a particularly loud bray cut through the blare of the music from one of the ‘drying’ horses a few stalls away, you swear it’s Shadow, and it draws your attention towards that side of the barn. Your eyes immediately widen when you see what, or who rather, all the commotion was about.

A group of 8 men you never thought you’d meet again, Stray Kids.

With who out in front leading the charge? None other than Seungmin. The same man who confused you by posting that photo of you on his social media. An odd sense of giddiness and hope had swirled in your chest at seeing it but then your brain kicked those feelings down into the pit of your stomach with the reminder that he is an Idol. There is no ‘keeping in contact’ with someone like him.

Olivia had rushed over to the speakers when you weren’t looking and turned the music down. It’s enough to snap you out of your daze.

“Aww! I was just about to bust into my verse!” Changbin laughs out a complaint. You also don’t miss how Hyunjin and Felix are vaguely going through the motions along to the dulled music anyways.

“Uh, hey guys! We…weren’t expecting to see you here! Did I forget about another scheduled ride?! Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Your nerves slowly turning to panic as you frantically comb your fingers through your hair, brush your shirt free of any residue from washing the horses, in a vain attempt to make yourself look presentable.

Seungmin laughs, waving his hands in front of him to ease her worries. “No, no! We’re here all on our own!” With a chuckle, he goes on when you tilt your head in confusion. “We really enjoyed our time here yesterday and were hoping for a redo.”

You stare at him.

The group of boys look at you curiously. He isn’t fazed by your silence, giving you a moment to absorb before adding, “Would you and your friend want to hang out and ride with us again?”

You must still be giving him a stupid look because Olivia shows up next to you with a sharp elbow to your ribs. “Ow,” you mumble, shooting a glare at your best friend but quickly straighten up to give the boy in front of you a much nicer smile, albeit a little awkward. “I mean, yeah, of course! We would love to but…I’m sure our boss wouldn’t appreciate us playing hooky for our shift.”

Chan pokes his head out from around Seungmin’s shoulder at that. “Actually! We’ve already cleared it with your boss! All good!” He smiles the biggest smile along with a big thumbs up.

“Oh my god! No way, really?!” Olivia exclaims while your mouth hangs open in shock. How many more curveballs will these men throw at you today?! Probably more than you can count on one hand.

~*~

taglist

@kangaracha @rainfallingfromthesky @puppysmileseungmin @defnotfertilizedtoesw @teenyfinds @bbokari711 @lakoya @chlodavids @rylea08 @keepswingin

[wolfgirlguts]

Got inspired and pounded this out really quick, hope it's coherent

Uhhh, willing fatal vore, multiple prey, sex, objectification, descriptions of graphic and painful digestion, have fun

Sure, maybe I should've spaced it out, made them last longer. It's so rare to find a group this big and appetizing so willing to throw their lives away on a night of fun with a stranger. But after the first two gals had settled in I couldn't just leave the chubbiest one of all out in the cold, feeling left out with her pleading eyes and stiff hen. Guess savoring will have to wait for another day.

Normally I would hold myself back with this much beef. Covet and caress every ample bovine curve as it strained its shape out of my abdomen, let my guts and the appreciative thrust of my hips mulch her most of the way to hamburger before I even thought about seconds. One cow girl is usually good to clear up the fog of hunger, at least enough to realize the kinds of uses a second can have. But the messy makeout session that ensued quickly turned into me grabbing her horns and cramming her face into my gullet. You'd think I would have the sense to halt it there at least. Bessie Number 3 has enough leather on her for the new boots I want and a jacket besides, but I guess I'm just too soft. She wants to go out by going in, and I can't bring myself to say no, even if it means burning up that beautiful hide. My drooling lips are just about level with her trembling rod, since I'm lying on the prone and twined shapes of her hornily-mooing herd, their jostling bulges turning my stomach into a sticky, sweaty slaughterhouse beneath me. I growl with feral satisfaction as one of their heads rubs between my thighs. Fuck, I can't wait to feel them break. . .

My hands sink lovingly into the uneaten gal's plush backside and I give her pretty gock a lick. In return she gives me a nod and a stammer, and I let her feel my throat. Dear gods she's cute. I want to take her to pieces slowly, but I'll have to settle for mashing her up sloppy with the others until my belly's a proper boneyard. It doesn't take her long to cum, giving me way more than a glass of milk to wash down the rest of the meat with. The thick heat of it fills me up while the girl in front of me fights to stay standing, a losing battle that ends with her quivering in a heap pressed up against my gut, deliriously rubbing it and whining as the lusty stampede happening inside picks up speed.

I pity her as she gives me a look so deep with longing. I don't blame her. I know she belongs inside me too. So as soon as she has some degree of mastery over her body back, I let her give me her legs, and I don't spend nearly the time exploring her hooves with my tongue that they deserve before I start to swallow. I can feel my guts growing more active, the bodies inside me sizzling like patties on a chemical grill. Right now the excitement is enough that they don't feel the pain, but soon the real agony will start and I don't want my third course to miss out on any of the fun.

I stretch my jaws up and around her thighs, salivating more than enough. Another minute of gulping has me straining over her gorgeous grass-fed belly. And by the time I'm wrestling her sensitive chest into my cheeks she's getting hard again in my throat, biting her lip as she gets a load of just how deep inside me she is, just how far past the point of no return.

It's easy after that. I'm half convinced the other two are pulling her down, but I honestly doubt they've got enough presence of mind to do it. And then she's inside, and I'm basically alone. The three girls fucking each other silly inside me as their bodies simmer and stew are a foregone conclusion, a trio of bloody-rare steaks that won't see the light of day again. It's a throbbing mass of meat inside me begging to be tenderized, and when it starts screaming three part harmony I add my howl to the chorus. My hips pound out a steady beat without any conscious input, up to and after my belly fur is slick and shiny with a fresh coat of wolfcum. I wish I could say I feel each one snuff out one by one, but it's all too blurry and euphoric to tell. I think I'm spent but then I belch so loud my ears ring and Number 1's collar flies out of my mouth so fast the cowbell on it gets a dent from the wall. The orgasm that follows gives me tunnel vision. For a second I think I'm going to pass out.

Churn. Slosh. I feel myself drop about a foot as something inside me crumbles under pressure.

When my head finally clears enough, I take out my phone. My hands shake a little but I manage an obligatory selfie that looks steady enough. Sending a text is easier. I find Aspen's name and attach the picture. I go back and forth on what to caption it, but finally settle on

Get your fluffy ass over here. I need dessert.

[androgynousblackbox]

How to Lose a Lucifer in 10 Days. 16 [Radioapple, Appleradio]

Step 16: Win against him

If anyone had told Charlie Morningstar that one day she would go to her kitchen to find her dad (or someone pretty similar to him) laughing and talking with Alastor over the counter of the kitchen, she would have said that was a dream come true. Unfortunately, that wasn't her dad and that he made it clear when he saw her out of the corner of his eyes, smiling big.

"Duckling!" called Lucifer. The wrong nickname, but the same welcoming voice that she could recognize. "Alastor is making a cake. You are going to want to eat it, they are amazing!"

"It's not going to be it until at least half hour" Al pointed out, whisking something on a bowl. Only when he turned around to grab more sugar from the shelf Charlie noticed the tail of Lucifer wrapped around his waist. Neither of them seemed to mind or need to comment on it. "You can stay if you want, dear, I don't mind."

"I didn't know that you liked baking, Al" commented, genuinely surprised.

"Oh, only sometimes, to pass the time it's not a bad idea" Al searched around the kitchen with a slight frown, narrowing his eyes when he saw Lucifer holding out the milk. When his hand reached out to get it, Lucifer put it behind his back with a smirk as if expecting the demon to still go look for it. Instead, the shadow of Alastor grabbed the milk between the fingers of the king and gave it to his solid counterpart, for Lucifer's dissapointment. "At least I try to, despite someone insisting to be a nuisance."

"Traitor" Lucifer pouted to the shadow, who send him a flying kiss before dissolving again. "A cute traitor is still a traitor."

Al rolled his eyes, addding the milk to the bowl. As he started mixing it all together by hand, Lucifer inclined to him until his lips could leave a kiss on his shoulder. Al bumped his head slightly against the king, without stopping the circular movement.

"Any particular flavor you would like, princess?" asked to her suddenly, the smile reaching his eyes uncharacteristically soft and attentive. "Speak now or suffer the vanilla."

"Anything but the vanilla, oh master chef" added Lucifer in a dramatic tone. He snickered when Al pushed him with his elbow.

"Like I said, nuisance."

"I think you mean disarmingly charming, thank you."

"No, I don't believe I do" despite his words, Al turned to give him a kiss on his forehead. "There. Happy now?"

"Mmm. Nope. Maybe another one will be the fix" Lucifer flashed a big grin, wiggling his eyebrows.

Al snorted, but complied, taking the chin of Lucifer to place his lips on the red dots of the king's cheek.

"Now behave" said in a low voice that was very much audible on the kitchen, still holding him. Lucifer turned his head slightly to mouth a smiling never and Al pushed his face away, groaning. "Princess?"

Charlie then realized she had been staring from the entrance for probably way too long. She swallowed up as she made her way to a chair, sitting on a literal front view on what felt like an historic event when it came to the hotel. In a way her wish did came true, and it was nice, but it wasn't as satisfying as she imagined.

"Vanilla is okay with me" said. "So you like sweet things? Our Alastor can't have them."

"Oh, no, he hates them too" Lucifer kicked his hooves in the air, just as Al was adding the vanilla to whisk again. "That is why I am his taster, right, babe?"

"Hmm" Al nodded as he made appear a spoon in his hand and scoop up some of the mixure to offer to Lucifer. The tip of Lucifer's tail around Al wiggled happily as he grabbed it to put in his mouth. "Normally that would be our daughters's task since he has a sweet tooth worse than they ever did. One time he made me use an entire bag of sugar" Al scowled at the memory. "Not even my little fawn would want it."

"What can I say, I had a craving. I still ate it though! It didn't went to waste at least" pointed out Lucifer, not looking in the least ashamed. He gave his thumb up, putting the spoon away. "All good."

"This is for everyone else so hope you are hungry" Alastor started pouring the mixures on two molds, sending them over flying to the preheated oven behind them.

Once he heard the click of the oven closing, he started preparing for some buttercream. Charlie noticed the eyes of Lucifer following him around the kitchen, never losing the same pleased smile. That alone was a rare vision, but then witnessing Al humming content around him was not anything she imagined. To think that another Charlie in another place got to see that everyday, grow up around it, consider it normal, was still something she couldn't quite understand.

"You don't bake, papa?" asked, reaching out for a demonic fruit. Just to do something besides staring at them.

"I like more the results than the process" answered Lucifer with an easy shrug. "Unless I have to kick some red demon's ass during our duckling's birthday" added with a smirk, which earn him a glare from Al.

"We are doing that now?"

"Doing what, honey?" Lucifer chuckled, crossing his legs. "Telling another Charlie about how much she liked my cake so much more than yours? Why not?"

"That was just a fluke, dear" said Al, tensing his jaw. However there was a glint of playfullness on his eyes that Lucifer surely didn't miss either. "My side was still more popular. You have to forgive Lucifer, Charlie sweetheart. That old age is making him forget things again."

"Keep telling yourself that, babe" Lucifer narrowed his eyes too, inclining his body towards him. "You have always been a sore loser. The first step to improvement is to admit where you are wrong."

"Oh, and you are the expert on that, I take it? After all, you have so much experience being wrong, my love" Al turned to him, bowl still on his arms, but wasn't doing anythig with it. All his attention was back on Lucifer, who frowned before smiling again.

"I am an expert in a lot of things. Like giving our daughter the best birthday ever, thank you very much for noticing. Sorry that you don't have that same experience, babe. That must be so hard for you" he finished scooching even closer, which Al regarded with a half lid look.

"Not as hard as tolerating the ego of some kings I know."

"Kettle, meet grey" Al snorted at that and Lucifer blinked. "Wait. What was the phrase again?"

Al's little fit turned into a giggle. Lucifer smiled fondly, but then turned around suddenly when Charlie started laughing behind her hand too.

"Oh, two against one now? Really, Al?" protested with a fake offended expression.

"No, no, no" Charlie shook her head. "It's not that. I just never thought I would see the day I would think you two look cute together."

Lucifer's face brighten up like a sun above his neck, while Al turned around, clearing his throat.

"Aww, thanks, sweetie!" cooed Lucifer, grinning to Al as he ignored him to concentrate on the buttercream. "Al is so adorable, isn't he?"

Another grunt came from the red demon. Charlie felt a little less like a intruder to stand from her chair and support her elbows on the kitchen counter, holding her face.

"I know you said you were together a long time, but it's one thing to hear about it and another one to actually see it. So this is what you are like back at your home? With the tail wrap and everything? Which is very cute, by the way."

Lucifer's smile twitched a little and looked down.

"Usually. It's only natural for a father to be concerned about his youngest, isn't it?" said Al, turning around as he hold the tip of Lucifer around his abdomen and bringing the bowl. He had his tentacles started to mix as he smiled at Charlie. "Want to have a taste of this one, dear?" added, offering a spoonful of the buttercream.

"Sure!" Charlie took it on her mouth and squealed. "This so good already! I bet everyone is going to love it."

Al nodded, eyes reflecting how pleased he was at the comment. No matter from what universe he came from, all Alastors loved recognition.

"Want to help me decorate it later on? I was planning to make it simple, but since you are here…" said, chuckling to himself when Charlie gasped, shaking her head yes. She had never decorated a cake before, but always wanted to learn. "Very well. We can start by preparing the frosting."

Lucifer observed them both as Al was instruction Charlie through each of the step. She wanted to make a rabbit pattern all around it, of which they would need three different colors.

"Does your Charlie help you with this?" asked Charlie, somehow getting a drop of food colouring on her cheek as she was showing just the tip of her tongue, concentrating on her task.

One of Al's tentacles reached out to clean with a napkin.

"When she was smaller, she liked decorating cookies sometimes" commented Al with a shrug. "Although that was more Lucifer's expertise. Now I guess she is just too busy with her own endeavors."

"I am sure if you ask her, she wouldn't say no, though" said Charlie. The image of a tiny version of herself decorating sweets under the instruction of Alastor felt weird, but it was real for someone else. For these two it was merely part of their lives before she came to disrupt everything. When she thought she had the right texture, she showed it to Lucifer and he shook his head slightly. She pursued her lips, but kept trying. "I mean, this is an excelent bonding exercise! I should totally have thought about something like this before."

"It helps if you have someone who knows what they are doing" Lucifer was also making his own mix, making circles in the air with one finger to move the mixer in the air. "Maybe the other Alastor has an idea and you can ask him when we get back home" suggested, smiling to his own Al, kneeling in front of the oven to check the cakes. "Baking is something your mom taught you, wasn't it?"

"Mmm" said Al, standing again and reaching for the kitchen oven to keep it close. "More than she teaching me, it was me badgering her on the kitchen until she gave me something to do. But yes, I guess it's possible he could know a thing or two."

Charlie blinked, for the first time realizing that a Charlie related to Alastor would have to be related to his mom as well. Their Alastor never went into too much details about her, just a light comment here and there about her recipes and whatever saying of hers Alastor through the funniest to share at any given moment, nothing else. He just didn't seemed like the kind of man that would be willing to sit down and share about his life so openly. Although maybe she haven't tried so much before. If this Al was so comfortable talking to her, why couldn't the other?

"How was she? If you don't mind me asking."

Al's ears twitched slightly at hearing her, as if confused by the question until he saw her again. It was like he was realizing again that of course she wasn't going to know anything in that universe.

"Of course no, dear. My mother was and still is a exceptional woman" said with a softer smile. "Our Charlie actually got to meet her durin her own Heaven meeting."

"Seriously?!" Charlie looked over to Lucifer, wanting confirmation. When the other version of her dad nodded, she pouted. "Oh, that would have made it all worth it. Even if both meetings ended the same."

"According to my little fawn, they instantly clicked like this" commented Al with an easy chuckle, snapping his fingers. "My mom was all on board with her redemption plan as soon she heard about it. I guess great minds think alike after all."

Al looked at her when saying that and Charlie blushed with a giggle, aware that he was including her.

"Not that great, I am afraid" said, looking down. "The whole aiming for Heaven just doesn't seem like such a good idea anymore, considering what they did to you."

Lucifer and Al saw at each other for a second. Al gave a slight sigh and broaden his smile. One of his clawed hand reached out to pet at her blonde hair. Any reservations he had since that morning gone for the moment.

"That was only because I was forced to be there without my family, dear" said, leaving his hand hang there for a second longer. The warmth of his touch was nothing compare with the soft velvet of his voice. A voice that she could imagine speaking to his fawn wrapped in a blanket. "Don't fret too much about it. My case was clearly a weird exception. For the sinners you help in this place and are actually aiming to get there, it will be a different experience altogether."

"And self improvement is never a bad idea" Lucifer lowered his eyes, starring into the frosting half made on his lap. "I… and probably your Lucifer, now that I think about it, got too tired of seeing all the shit humans do to even think about it. A young bright eyed starlet like our Charlies was exactly what this hell needed. Still, you know, fuck heaven" said, patting her hand over the counter. "We don't need those pricks to validate what you do here, don't we? If you could change the mind of someone like Alastor, then that is already a huge something."

"For the record, it's mostly just to stick it to angels who ignored my little fawn" clarified Alastor cheerfully. "I will be delighted to see them eat their words until they choke."

"Your fatherly love is truly to be admired, honey" said Lucifer, deadpan.

"I know, my love, I know" Al winked an eye to Charlie, as if having her participate on the joke, and she couldn't avoid laughing a little.

They were still bantering with each other like how their own Alastor and Lucifer did, but this felt easy, comfortable, more playful than try to navigate a mined land like it was her usual.

"You know, I just remembered that papa mentioned that you are used to tell stories about your life? What kind of stories?" If this good humor was going to continue, she wanted to get as much of it as it was possible to finally get some of the answer she was desiring.

On the month right after the switch, it seemed cruel to have Lucifer talking about his family only for her own curiosity, especially with how bad he already took each failure to get a new stone. She more than anyone wasn't willing to be the person to test out the assumed limits when it was her fault, however unintentional, that he had been moved in the first place. The fact that Lucifer himself never once tried to make her feel guilty was irrelevant. She could do that well on her own and more so when Lucifer had made his announcement for a future kid.

Now it was different. Lucifer smirked with a glint on his red eyes, looking up to Al, who gave a simple nod as his answer. The red demon started to prepare boiling water for tea and coffee for himself while the cake was finishing.

"Yes!" Lucifer perked up. "Just about us, how we met, how we got Charlie, family stuff like that. Our Charlie loves to hear them out. What would you like to know about, duckling?"

"Mmm" Charlie put on her finger on her chin, carefully considering it. If everything turned out alright then that this was going to be one of her few chances to speak with them like this. All she knew about how they got married is that Al had been a royal guard and they fell in love. "Oh, I know! Thank you!" She recieved tea that Al passed to her. A second later did she realize that he had made it exactly how she liked it. His Charlie had to be similar even on that. "How about the first time you confessed each other?"

Lucifer winced, his left eye closing a bit at the request.

"Oh, I can tell that one!" said Al with a huge grin directed to him.

"Yeah, I thought so" Lucifer sighed. "To give a little bit of context…"

"No, no, no" One of Al's tentacle slapped against Lucifer's lips as he raised his index finger. "That would be a spoiler and ruin the pacing, darling, and that is the last thing we want for our very first story in this universe, don't we? Just let me refresh my memory a bit" said, taking a dramatic sip of coffee. Lucifer rolled his eyes, but waited just the same as Charlie as Al exhaled.

"Oh, yes. First, I have to set up our situation. I was living on the palace with Lucifer for a good while now, thanks to my position as his guard, and it had been months since we called what we have an official relationship. I know what that sounds like to most people. Months of dating and nobody had said those loving words before? How does that happen? Well, for my part, I can say that it was like the frog frying on the pan. It all happened so slowly that before I realize, the floor under my feet was in fact burning and I haven't even said a single ouch the entire time. Metaphorically speaking of course. I would soon throw others to the pan first before coming to that point.

You have to understand, we already lived together. We ate each meal together. We shared a bedroom and a bathroom. My clothes were on the same wardrove as his. Why make a big deal out of it by adding some fancy words to the mix? Shouldn't be enough that we had finally managed to agree we want to be together, whatever that means? For a while it was enough. Until it became annoying.

Being in love is already such an ordeal. You have to think about that person and care about that person and wondering what they are doing and marvel at what they do and mind about what they think and it's just… way too much brain power dedicated to something you can't just turn off. I am already forced to do all this things, to care about my little king, so the least I could get is at least confirmation that my king was being forced as well.

I didn't need it, but I want it. Any task is less bothersome when is shared among more than one person and by everything that is dammned, I wasn't going to be the only one doing all of this."

"But he wasn't going to just ask" pointed out Lucifer, shaking his head. "No, that would be way too easy and we can't have that."

Al narrowed his eyes on his direction.

"What is the fun in that?" said a second later, shrugging off the interruption. "Clearly, I couldn't just let the moment just be a normal occurence either. If I was to make Lucifer confess his undying devotion to me, then it had to be something especial. Something that would correspond with the amount of mental exhaustation I was going through by being at his side. A date would have been the obvious answer, but that had it's own issue as well since we couldn't just up and go walk into the city. I don't know if you are aware of this, dear, but my Lucifer usually prefers the comfort of known spaces rather than the uncertainty of unknown ones."

Charlie looked over at Lucifer, who gave a tiny with a side smile, as if resigned to that fact.

"So you are agoraphobic? I didn't know that" said, not knowing if she should be ashamed for not noticing before or concerned because Lucifer hasn't told her anything.

Whenever she saw him off to try to get a new stone he seemed fine to her.

"Just a little bit" Lucifer chuckled, scratching his own forearm. "It's no big deal. As long I have another form to use outside I am fine. It can be an animal or the face of a demon I made up. Then I usually don't have any issue."

Charlie pursued her lips. That usually inserted there wasn't calming her down. She knew that her dad wasn't a shining example of mental health, despite how hard Lucifer tried to pretend otherwise, so if anything she should have expected something similar out of another version of him.

"Dear, we both had many years to adapt and work with what we can" said Al softly, rubbing the shoulder of Lucifer with a firm hand. When Lucifer looked up to him, Al hold his chin gently to kiss his cheek. He caressed the curvature of his jaw with his knuckles until Lucifer seemed to relax again. Only then did he continue, turning to Charlie. "No reason to dwell on that detail. I was just saying it to explain that taking out my dear to a date outside wasn't an option back then. As I said, we already lived together and we had both eaten what the other prepared, so there was nothing especial about just having a dinner.

If I couldn't bring my king to a night out, then I was going to bring the date back to the palace. The fact it was so big alredy made it easier to prepare everything as Lucifer remained none the wiser. When I came to look for him, dressed on the suit I had chosen, my own shadows were all around what looked to be like one of my favorite jazz club in all of hell. I managed to even bring a real band to play on stage. The food was served to us at our table and the drinks were served by a very willing Husk, losing my own feet on the dance floor. I wasn't drunk, but it was in the middle of a pleasant buzz that I danced with Lucifer straight into his garden. The fountain had just activated behind us to spit water and little cold drops were refreshing my face. I looked down to Lucifer, kissed his hand on my own and said the words.

And what did you say in response, my love?" added, with a long smile to Lucifer. The kind cleared his throat and looked to a side, a golden blush coming out from under his red cheeks. "Come on, darling, don't be shy" encouraged Al, tiltind his head. "Just tell Charlie what did you say. Or did you forgot already because of your advanced age?"

Lucifer mumbled something that Charlie honestly did not understand. Al saw that she didn't got it and smiled reclining over the king, so he couldn't escape his face.

"Nobody heard you, darling."

"I said thank you" said Lucifer, cringing so hard his face was almost dissapearing into the neck of his jacket. "I am sorry."

"Well, isn't that polite!" Al chuckled, satisfied by that reaction, and patted the head of Lucifer like a well behaved kid. "One thing we can never say about our king is that he doesn't have manners! I of course was taken aback for just the shortests of seconds and corresponded with a nice you are welcome in response. I wasn't without manners either. He then hugged me and told me we should go to bed. What else there was to say? Clearly, Lucifer just didn't feel the same way I did and I had made a bunch of assumptions based on nothing. I only had myself to blame for that one.

This was a wholly new experience for me. I had people confess their love to me before and I had to be on the position to fully reject them on the spot, knowing I couldn't just lie to avoid an uncomfortable situation. But I never felt the impulse to say it to someone because nobody ever seemed to inspire that impulse. Not until then did I knew what was to be on the other side.

I guess it did help that Lucifer was not treating me any different than before any of that. He wasn't refusing any contact or try to create any distance between us so, logically, I had to assume that at least he wasn't disgusted by my moment of weakness. My continued moment of weakness, that is. Because as we said already, once everything that pushed those words out of my mouth starts, you can't turn it off. Maybe a part of me wasn't wanted it to either.

Our life was… good. As good as it can be in hell. Better than that because I was living off a king with infinite resources at his disposition. It took me some thinking and talking with my own friends to come to the conclusion that this, this thing we had, could be just as fine even if we didn't share the same mental disease that had plagued me. Maybe he wasn't doing the same task, but unless he was a better actor I ever gave him credit for, some sense of affection was very much still there. After a couple of weeks in which I let the situation simmer in my mind, I was ready to just accept things as they were. Whatever Lucifer felt about me was not the same as I was and that was okay.

Until Vox came along. Now, I won't bore you with too much details, because it is increasingly boring, but suffice to say that there was a point in time in which Vox could have been considered something of a friend by me. This was way in the past and he was still giving his first steps into becoming an Overlord in hell. Nothing out of the ordinary until one day, out of the blue, he asked me out. As in a date. I said no, thank you, and left it there. When I came back to tell Lucifer, casually, over lunch, I jokingly said something along the lines of I still prefer our situation to that one. Lucifer was so confused."

"What do you mean our situation?" aported Lucifer, grinning.

"I thought he was being facetious. So in return, I said, just as flippanly, well, I holding romantic feelings you don't have, obviously. At least I know you won't make it awkward even then. Complete and utter silence filled the dinning room."

"Since when is that a thing?" continued Lucifer.

"I stared at him, confused and a hair away to getting angry. What do you mean since when? Wasn't that always the case?"

"I was so fucking lost, duckling. I had no idea what was he talking about. Who said that? When?"

"You, I said. Or more precisely, it's what you didn't say that spoke volumes of what is happening between us. You don't have to deny it or try to pretend otherwise for my sake. I have come to accept it already. I don't mind staying with you as just close friends. That is when Lucifer, ever the tactful one, started laughing. I demanded to know what in hell was so funny to him, ready to storm out of there if the answer was anything less than satisfactory. Seeing that I was serious, Lucifer started explaining."

"Angels can see love, even fallen ones" said Lucifer with a small laugh. "It's like an aura of light that surrounds a person when their hearts are full. You don't necessarilly need a person in order to glow like that. Someone could love dancing, painting, singing and they could shine just as bright as someone holding hands with their partner. I was just as aware of the moment when I was shining for Alastor as when he started doing it for me, when we were both in the same room. It made me so happy to see it everyday that… uh…"

"He forgot I couldn't see the same" finished Al with a chuckle. "He had just assumed that I knew. That is why he never thought there was a reason to say it outloud. When I said it, he thought that was just me being sweet while tipsy."

"Papa, really?" Charlie looked to Lucifer, incredulous but still smiling at the misunderstanding.

Lucifer blushed, wincing.

"Listen, in my defense, I was really rusty on interacting with anyone outside of the Sins, all of whom have the same ability even if they don't use it. Alastor was the first sinner I talked directly with in thousands of years. But yeah, not really my proudest moment" said, scratching his neck with one hand and taking Al's in the other. "I never wanted you to have that kind of doubts. I still feel like an idiot for that."

"You are an idiot" said Al affectionately, reaching out to kiss his forehead. "But you make up for it in other ways."

"Oh, yeah? Good" Lucifer rolled his eyes. With one arm he brought Al closer by the waist and nuzzled against the neck, where he continue speaking like that was a normal position to have a conversation from. "Anyway, now I really try to change that. I try to say it as much as I can, to Al or our daughters. I don't want them to ever think they are anything less but the fucking best for me."

Al hummed, petting his blonde hair. Charlie really, really tried to contain herself, but the squeal vibrating from her core was impossible to contain and spilled out between her fingers. She blushed a intense red when both of them turned to her, equally amused. Luckily for her, the ding of the oven called the attention of Al.

Once the cakes were out, he put them out on the side to cool down and pulled on the tail still wrapped around him slightly.

"Get down there, dear. We are going to need to space."

"Yes, sir" Lucifer finished with his tea and jumped to the ground again.

He put their mugs to be cleaned up and instructed Charlie on what they were going to do. As soon the cake was ready, Al started by giving the example and then letting Charlie to follow through. Al didn't rush her during any of it or chastized her when she commited a mistake. Like he was teaching to his own daughter all over again.

In the end, all her bunnies were croocked and her flowers were a little mess, but Lucifer still took a picture he immediately send back to her. She just had to keep practicing on her own and surely in no time she would see a huge difference from her first time. Charlie smiled to him, making a mental note to definitely make this activity with her own Lucifer as soon she had the chance.

"Do I smell food?" Angel Dusk peaked in from the entrance, taking a deep inhale from the air. "It smells good."

"Is that cake? Holy shit, it is" Just behind him, Husk came in. He took a step foward before noticing that Al was in the room, putting some things on the dishwasher, and his ear pulled back for a second.

"Yes!" said Lucifer, perking up. "Come in everyone and admire the work of art of our very own Charlie! She did it practically all by herself! Isn't she amazing!"

"Gimme a fat slice and I will call it a masterpiece" said Angel.

He almost tripped with his own feet when Niffty ran betwee his legs.

"Gimme, gimme!" said the tiny maid, reaching out her hands out to Charlie. "I want to stab it and then eat it! Like a true bad boy!"

"Of course, sweetie" said Lucifer easily, conjuring up plates and a huge knife. "I will even give you strawberry sauce so it bleeds, would you like that?"

"Yay, blood!"

"What does it have?" asked Husk, following Al's movements with his eyes.

At noticing it, Al blinked.

"Oh, I forgot for a second that the contract is still a thing here" commented as if to himself. He shrugged. "Nothing more than normal ingredients people expect to find in any normal cake. Although if you dislike vanilla I can't help you. Lucifer saw me prepared it if you need the extra confirmation."

Apparently he did, because now he glanced at Lucifer, waiting.

"Yep, everything normal!" affirmed Lucifer, making a plate with a slice to float in front of Husk. "I tasted it myself and it's perfect. 10/10, I would kiss the chef again because his cake is so good. What?" He frowned when Angel started snickering on the side.

"Oh, if you don't know, I am not explaining" Angel shook his head, taking his own plate from Charlie.

Seeing Niffty shoved her entire face on her own slice, and wasn't coming out with fresh cuts from hidden razors or something, Husk resigned himself to believe that it was in fact safe to eat.

--

Alastor's ears twitched when he heard music coming from downstairs. He looked down from the second floor where he was at, realizing the music was not coming from his rockola as he thought or a radio, but rather the staff of the other Alastor supported against the couch where he and Lucifer were accomodated. From the position where he was in, he could see their seat on profile. Al was just sitting upright, head slightly bobbing along with the rythm with his eyes closed, while Lucifer had his head on the lap of the demon and giving his back to the rest of the lobby.

The pose could easily be mistaken by something entirely inappropriate in a public area at a distace, which thankfully was exactly how Vaggie percieve it as she came to them.

"What is happening here?" asked, hands preemptively on her hips, as if ready to yell some orders.

For once, Alastor was dissapointed she didn't when Al saw her.

"He is talking to the baby" commented easily, brushing the blonde hair under his fingers. "Just telling them a story."

"Oh" Vaggie's hand waist connection was abandoned. She still frowned slightly. "Isn't it too soon for them to be able to hear?"

"Babies are receptive to the energy around them" explained Al, arching an eyebrow when Lucifer started giggling from where he was.

"Oh, really? I wonder what genius told you that" The smirk could be heard at a distance in Lucifer's voice.

Al covered the porcelain face with his hand, making a sh sound.

"Don't interrupt the story for the baby, darling. It's rude.”

Lucifer laughed between his teeth again, but took the hand of Al on his own, holding it against his chest. He curled up closer to the demon. Vaggie just asked them to lower the volume of the music a little bit, which Al did with a tilt of his head, and then she was gone to continue with her duties at the hotel. Completely useless.

Only at that moment Alastor could see that the tail of Lucifer was wrapped around Al's ankle. Didn't any of them get tired of being so all over each other? They were already in the same space, they were already touching, why did they need to be so clingy all the time? Was any of them going to disappear into thin air if they just separated for five minutes? A month apart was barely nothing. If that was their default state and neither of them had exploded in frustration yet, then he truly understood even less than he imagined.

It made him sick. How close they were, how comfortable in being each other's parasite. Where was the dignity or independence of his other version? Even at Rosie's place, of course he saw the other's shadow following Lucifer when he was literally a few steps away. He just never found any entry on their conversation to throw to his face what an embarrassment for the radio demon title he was. Maybe a part of him wanted to ignore it as well.

“Uhm, Alastor?” called Charlie from somewhere behind him.

Alastor widened his eyes, managing to contain the surprise of hearing her so close. He had really had to lowered his guard for her to come close without him noticing and that was already so rare from him.

“Good afternoon, princess” greeted, turning his head the whole way to see her.

Taking that as an open invitation, Charlie smiled small and came up to him until her hands were holding to the same railing he had inclined himself over. With another crack, Alastor returned his head to its normal position. Charlie saw at the lobby for a moment, noticing their two guests at the couch.

“Anything in your mind, princess?” asked Alastor, already pretending like he haven't seen them.

“Oh, yes, actually” said Charlie, perking up as she turned to him. “Do you happen to know how to bake? I was thinking on how fun a cake decorating class could be as another exercise for everyone! Problem is, none of us knows how to do one. I already asked everyone else and you are the last one left. I tried to do a store-bought mix years ago and it kinda blew the kitchen a little bit.”

Alastor's eyebrows went a little high, wondering how the hell can someone blew a kitchen just a little bit, but not with enough interest to actually inquiry about it.

“Why, yes, I do actually!” said, straighten up. “My dear mother taught me a couple of things in the kitchen I could put to good use. If my duties are to be extended like that, I think it's reasonable to expect a raise on my salary as compensation” added with just the tiniest bit of jest in his voice.

“Of course, no problem!” Charlie accepted easily. At the very least nobody could say that she was a greedy boss. If only she haven't decided to add her next words. “The other Al just made a cake for everyone. I even got to decorate it a little and it was so fun! There was still a piece left on the fridge if you wanted it.”

“I think I will pass. You know how I feel about sweets, Charlie dear” said calmly, unaware of his shadow at his feet sending a scowl in the other Al's direction. Charlie did, although it took her a moment to realize the target of it. “Were they like that on the kitchen too?” added, pointing with his staff.

“Close?” Charlie tried to help out.

“Glued by the hip” Alastor saw at Lucifer rise up to tell something to Al, who inclined himself to hear it, only for both of them to start giggling a second later. He huffed. “Honestly, isn't just something else their lack of etiquette. You would think they are a pair of teenagers.”

Charlie's eyes went from them to Alastor, unsure of what to say.

“Oh, well, one of them kinda did died and after everything else, I can't necessarily blame them” said gently, smiling to Alastor, who merely shrugged. He should have known that she was not going to be any help. Charlie tilted her head. “I thought you would be glad. Now that my… I mean, Lucifer has his own Alastor around he will leave you some room to breath.”

“Oh, I am, can't you tell?” said, turning to her with a bigger smile. “I was actually thinking for your sake, dear. Seeing the face of your own father so chummy with someone that isn't who you are used to can't be a pleasant experience for you either. You would think a better father would take that into consideration before doing as he pleases.”

“No? I mean…“Charlie blinked, lowering her eyes for a moment as she frowned. Her hands played on the reiling, her fingers walking on the edge. “Yes? Yes, it is… weird. To have all the attention of Lucifer for myself one day and then see him give it to someone else. That… would be hard for anyone, right?" she saw him with a significant look, one that Alastor entirely missed as he observed the lobby again.

Lucifer had now moved to sit on Al's lap, legs hanging from the edge of the couch, both listening to the music with eyes closed.

"Indeed" Alastor nodded. "Especially considering the split between your parents. That has to sting."

Charlie pursued her lips.

"I… sure" said slowly. "But, you know what? I think at this point I can also just be happy for him. I know he tried not to make me too worry, but it was pretty clear that he needed something like this too. I don't ever want my papa to be sad. I care for him, even if he is not my actual dad. I can't really blame him for being happy for once."

Charlie sat down in the floor, letting her legs hang on the edge between the bars. She smiled up to him and patted the space at her side, expectacly. Alastor scoffed, but it was true he didn't had anything else to do, so it's not like he was losing anything by indulging her on this one thing. He sat down.

"Even so, it's irritating, isn't it?" said. "You get so used to things being one way and they suddenly change on you without a warning. You don't even have time to prepare yourself. Of course, for you than for anyone else, dear."

"Oh, tell me about it" Charlie kicked her feet softly. "But not all change is bad all the time. I know that he still cares very much, that is still just the same as it was before. Just because he has his Al now, it doesn't mean that the rest of the time he was here stopped mattering."

"He certainly is not acting like it" pointed out Alastor, his ears going down.

Charlie stared at him for a second that felt too long, but then she was back to seeing upfront, wandering eyes.

"Alastor" she started, gently, and just because of that he just knew that whatever was going to come out of her mouth, he wasn't going to like it, "feel free to tell me to fuck off or to not stick my nose where I am not wanted, but… are you perhaps… " Alastor grabbed his staff, ready to dissolve on shadows, "jelous?"

That froze him in place. A chill ran down his spine.

"What?!" said, a bit more loud than he intended, radio static increasing in volume like a hive full of furious bees. "What kind of nonsense is that one you are saying now? No, no, you got it all wrong. You poor misguided princess! I was merely looking after your own… wellbeing" finished, looking at Charlie with a sudden horrible twister making numbers on his stomach. "I am not" said, trying to regain his composure. "I am not" insisted when Charlie didn't say anything.

"It's okay" Charlie smiled softly, irritantly understanding.

"You are mistaken" said Alastor, stealing a glance to the pair on the couch. They were either napping or talking in low murmurs, he couldn't tell with the hair of the other radio demon covvering their mouths. He grabbed to the front of his chest. Why it was like a mule had just kicked him there? "You have to be mistaken" clarified, not knowing now if he was talking to Charlie or whatever was on his body that had decided to betray him this much. "I can't… afford any of that."

"Because of Al?"

Alastor scowled at her, as if that was the single most inane thing she could say. Yes, of course because of that Al that had made it plenty clear he wouldn't let not even a breeze come close to Lucifer as long he was standing. But that wasn't the whole of it and he couldn't explain it even if he wanted to.

"Did you never have… for anyone before?" tried Charlie.

He examined her for moment, but couldn't see any trace of mockery in her voice or face. She was talking with total seriousness without pointing out the humor of a man of his age having to deal with something that most people were more familiarized with. That alone allowed him to relax a little. He could use their deal to promise her to keep silent about any of this, but that would be a waste of a good card. She had nothing she would be willing to give for such a thing, so a new deal was already off the table.

He had no choice but just trust on her own discretion. Cutting this out was not going to help him either. The pig was already cut and hanging. There was no putting back the blood that had already been spilled.

"Been so brain dead to let this happen?" finished, squeezing the space between his eyes. "No, I haven't. I should have been more careful and keep my distance like I wanted, but someone just kept shoving himself around me and I let my guard down."

That was inaccurate. More correctly, his guard was blown to pieces. He was also tricked into letting himself be healed. Tricked into being protected and witness what raw angelic power could do. Tricked into seeing Lucifer as anything but a threat. How stupid could one person be?

"It's not the end of the world, Alastor" said Charlie, her voice still so gentle. "It doesn't have to be. They are just feelings. I have feelings all the time and I am fine."

Alastor narrowed his eyes. He couldn't possibly believe that. How could anyone stand living with that curse upon them literally all the time? It made absolutely no sense.

"How do I get ride of it? Since you are the expert on the subject" said, actually trying to not be so snarky but failing half way through.

To Charlie it didn't seem to matter.

"I wish I could tell you a way to make it easier" she sighed, playing with her fingers on her lap. Alastor tried to detect a sign of deceptions, but there was none. "It's not something you can just will away. I am sorry."

Rosie had said something similar. Only that this was so much worse of a revelation that it was when he talked with her. If it wasn't a friend what he was losing already, but something else entirely that he never had in the first place, or had the option to have at all, then that was just humilliating.

"Are you okay?" asked Charlie and he could see her hand hovering around him, hesitant about offering physical comfort or not.

Just the fact that she doubted at all, rather than doing it like no doubt was her first instinct, made him drop his shoulders. Defeated in a battle he didn't even know he was in until now.

"No" said with a sigh, relaying his arm on the bar to support his forehead. "I don't need this right now."

"Mmm" Charlie lifted one of her legs to fully turn to him. "I can imagine. These kind of things have a tendency to happen when you least expect it."

"To be a total undesirable inconvenience you mean" corrected Alastor and looked at her, frowning. "You are remarkably calm for what this situation is. I just told you I am… with what is essentially your father. Shouldn't you be having a more negative reaction?"

Charlie snorted softly.

"So? You are still my friend. I can care about you two at the same time, it's not a competition" They both looked down, not bothering to bring out the obvious point that this Lucifer already was with someone else. The fact that someone had his same face with different colors made little to no difference at all. "You did enjoy spending time together, didn't you?" asked.

Alastor groaned internally, but nod his head slowly anyway. What was the point of denying it now? If anything, that truth only made it worse now.

"Would you like to do it again?" offered Charlie and Alastor stared at her, confused. She scratched her neck, looking to a side. "I mean, let's say that tomorrow everything comes out alright. Everyone gets back to their respective homes and we never see them again. Would you be okay with just letting that as it is or would you like one more reunion? I can talk with Al so he will be chill about it" assured with a conspirational wink. "But only if you want to" quickly added, lifting her hands.

"For what? What would be the point?"

Charlie shrugged, her smile twinkling on her big eyes.

"One last good memory" said simply.

"And if we fail?" questioned Alastor, arching an eyebrow. "We don't have the best track record behind us, dear."

"Then you just spend a good time with a friend. That doesn't sound so bad, doesn't it?"

Ten minutes later, from his safe place among the shadow, Alastor saw Charlie going up to the pair on the couch. They weren't napping and they both smiled upon seeing her. Even as Charlie started talking, Al frowned, but it didn't took much from Lucifer to smooth his brow again. A hand on the cheek and some gentle words. Alastor didn't bothered to keep around to see any more.

--

On the activity room, everyone Charlie on the hotel had told about their new game night came started coming in. Alastor was already sat down at one of the table, pretending like the book he was reading was interesting enough to not notice when Angel Dust arched an eyebrow at him.

"Surprised to see you here, Smiley."

He shrugged.

"Charlie begged me because we were at odd numbers otherwise" said, looking over at Charlie, who quickly counted everyone with her eyes as if to confirm that it was true.

"Y-yes, that is right!" She nodded her head. "I want everyone to form teams of two with whoever they want. You can change later. Al!" said, seeing at Lucifer entering with the other radio demon hand in hand, because god forbid they could ever go anywhere in any other way. "How about you play with me?"

Al deeply sighed. He looked over at Lucifer, who grinned in response, and that was the final nail in the coffin.

"It would be my pleasure, dear" However, before Charlie could add anything else, Al sat down on the opposite side of Alastor and accomodated Lucifer on his lap, securing him with his arms. Only then his smile seemed to brighten up. "Hope you don't mind sharing the table."

The good thing about his encounters with this other version of himself is that at least he could see his tactics a mile away. He knew already he was going to do that, of course. It didn't made it any more pleasant, but at least he could swallow up the vile rising easily than that morning.

"Do as you please" said, looking to a side.

"I will, don't worry about it" replied Al, softening his eyes again when Charlie came to his field of vision with a boardgame already in hand. "What is that, dear?

"Win that contract!" Charlie sat down in front of him, next to Alastor, excitedly explaining the rules and way to go about it.

It was as simply as choose their little pawns to bring from one side of the board to another, one throw of the dice at a time. Whoever had the most minions at their disposition won the title of Overlord in the end, crowned with a carboard black crown.

Al was following along with her, while Lucifer smiled up to Alastor from his lap, as if that was already just the norm for him.

"So, checkers?" suggested the king, drumming his palms on the table. "Unless you want something else? I don't really have a strong preference."

"Checker is fine" Alastor closed his book and send it back to his room.

Lucifer snapped the pieces and board they had already used before.

"This time no cheating" said Lucifer, pointing at him with a piece. "I have my eyes well open and I won't let you win that easy."

Alastor risked a glance to Al, but the man seemed to be willingly ignoring their conversation, all his focus apparently reserved only for Charlie. He didn't know what the princess of hell had said to him, but couldn't help but to feel grateful.

"I have no idea what you are talking about" Alastor said easily, preparing his pieces. "Maybe don't blame others for your own lack of skill? It's not a good look for your Majesty."

Lucifer snorted and his face was just as handsome as it had always been. He had already known before he prefered to see the devil like that, relaxed and willing to laugh, but now there was a quiet self evident satisfaction behind every word that wasn't there before. His smiles came out with effortless ease and his eyes seemed so willing to take on the world, more hopeful than the night Charlie had to explain to him that he wasn't at his home.

The reason for all of that had nothing to do with him. Instead the reason was currently throwing the dices and almost completely failing at not beeming at a Charlie that was about to lose the first round. Eventually the pizza that Vaggie had ordered arrived and everyone stuffed themselves with it, changing games, tables or partners. Except them.

"I win" declared Alastor, putting the finishing move.

Lucifer instantly frowned, observing the gameboard for a long moment before slowly giving him a glare.

"Since when the fuck are you good at this?"

"My, your Majesty, you wound me" said Alastor, easily flipping one piece like a money that catched between two fingers. "I was always good."

"You were cheating before!"

"What a terrible accusation to throw around with no evidence" Alastor smirked wide.

"You piece of shit" Lucifer laughed, not at all upset when realizing the ruse. "You did it so obvious on purpose!"

"Oh, I would never dream of tricking the devil himself like that" joked Alastor, snapping his fingers so all the pieces were back in place. "Another one? Or the taste and promise for more defeat is enough already?"

"Oh, it's on, buddy."

As the night advanced, the other residents and staff started to get tired. They yawned and announced they were going to sleep. Even Charlie had to contain a yawn on her hand, the Overlord crown almost slipping out of her head.

"You should go to sleep too" said Al, closing his own eyes and opening slowly. "It's rather late for princesses to stay up" added, with a lazy smile.

Charlie looked over at Alastor. The new round for him and Lucifer had just started. He knew she hoped to be a deterrent for the other Al to not start anything, and even though he was sure that was a part of the reason why they had managed to get any peace, the idea of completely relying on her wasn't appealing either.

"Go, dear, it's fine" said, sincerely. "I will put everything away when we are done."

"Aren't you tired too, Al?" tried Charlie at last.

"Yes" Al inhaled deeply, letting his head rest on top of Lucifer's. "But I am staying here a bit more."

"Are you sure, babe?" asked Lucifer, looking up. "We can go to bed if you really want."

"You are ought to finish your game, darling" Al squeezed Lucifer on his arms, nuzzling the top of his blonde hair. "I don't mind waiting. Have a good night, Charlie dear."

"Well…" Charlie sighed, resigned to leave the task to keep control of the situation on Lucifer. "Good night, everyone. It was fun! I am glad we did this."

"Me too, sweetie" Lucifer reached out to take her hand and give it a firm squeeze. "Have a good sleep."

"You too, papa" She started putting her own game away. Just as she was about to leave, Al reminded her about the crown and she quickly came back to put it in place.

Then it was only the three of them.

"Alright, laid down" said Lucifer to Al. "You are not sleeping sitting up."

"I am not sleeping."

"Resting your eyes, whatever" Lucifer snapped his finger, the circular seat that matched the table they were in turning into a jay, the longer extreme on the perfect position for Al. Blankets and pillows appeared likewise at his side. "We are not taking long, honey."

"Fine" Al yawned, accomodating himself on the enlongated seat, made wider for him.

But instead of using the pillow that was there, he hugged it instead as he put his head on Lucifer's lap. After Lucifer made sure he was well covered by the blanket, he let out a sigh, eyes closed to the world. Alastor was not surprised at all that the moment he did that, his shadow manifested behind Lucifer, smiling down on him.

Alastor bite down the question that wanted to come out his mouth, the why he didn't went to bed already. Whatever answer Lucifer could give him had the potential of cutting their game short and he still didn't want it to end. Not if it was going to be their last.

"Are you usually like that?" asked instead, sincerely curious. "I don't try to judge" clarified when Lucifer frowned slightly. "I understand that it has been a month and there are especial circumstances at place. I just can't picture that being enough to warrant this level of… continuos proximity" finished, in lieu of the clingy word he wanted to use.

Although that was probably more accurate, it had a more negative connotation he didn't felt was entirely warranted. This could very well just be a thing that married couples did, even when they weren't realy married anymore, and have been apart for a month. He was out of his element when it came to any of this nature.

"Well, those especial circumstances is our future kid so that is a big factor" said Lucifer, sighning as he rubbed his face. His claw dragged his bottom lashes down, the fleshy underneat visible for a second. "It's also the little fact that he, you know, died on me" He winced a little at that phrase. "Five months I thought he was gone for good. When I told you that I get nervous when I don't know where he is, it's because of that. Man, I was such a fucking wreck. Me and Charlie. If it weren't because of Husk and the others, I don't know what would have happened with the hotel."

"I am sure she would have find it on herself to keep going" said Alastor, moving his piece to not look at the man directly. He wasn't trying to be kind, but that just seemed like a pretty clear fact for him. Their princess of hell had tolerated every possible insult for her ideals and stuck by them the entire way through. When everyone else thought that he was dead, she still made a space for him. "If your Charlie is anything like this one, that is."

"It's scary how close they are" said Lucifer with a smile, beaming a little with pride at thinking of his own daughter. "Although mine has a smidgen more of a temper and likes more red meat. Can't imagine why" added, looking down fondly as he petted the head of Al.

Alastor was lifting his next piece when a sudden squeak made him drop it. The wave of embarassment at the thought that Lucifer knew that was a sound that could come out of him was like an electric shock whipping his back.

"Oh, don't worry. Your secret is safe with me" said Lucifer, winking an eye.

Alastor thought to play it off like that was the biggest difference between the two of them, that he had never emitted such a noise in his life nor knew that it was a thing that could happen, but honestly it felt silly even in his head.

"Shut up" replied, taking his revenge on Lucifer's pieces.

Lucifer chuckled, playing with one hand while the other kept on his not really but might as well could be husband.

"But yeah, we kinda… got a lot closer after he came back" said Lucifer, clearing his throat. As if he wanted to share, but didn't had many chances for it. "For me it was his death, but for him it was being on prison without any contact with us. So you can imagine that with all of this" He made a vague gesture towards the room, the entire universe around him, "it didn't exactly made things easier. We were good. Not like we were before the extermination happened, but good. Now add to this a new baby on the way and I am not taking my eyes off him if I can help it. I know it's probably not the healthiest thing ever, but… it works for us so, why change it, you know?"

"I guess as long it doesn't make you miserable, that is what counts" Alastor shrugged, not really knowing what else could he say. This was so out of his area of expertise that it was almost laughable. Rosie would have a better idea, but she wasn't there with them. "Do you think you need help?" asked, hoping it was clear already that even if he did, he wasn't qualified to give it.

"Maybe?" Lucifer scratched the back of his head. "But, I mean, we are fine. As long we can be together, I think we can handle it."

Alastor made a noncommital hum as he jumped over Lucifer's pieces, winning again. Lucifer needed a second to process how it even happened. Once he did, he knocked his head on the table.

"Ready to give up for the night?" teased Alastor.

"I hate you" murmured Lucifer, pouting as he lifted his gaze.

"I will take that as a declaration of my unquestionable victory."

"Babe?" asked to the shadow, only the head and shoulders visible over the table next to their game. Alastor was taken aback by the fact he would adress it so easily. "What do you think?"

The shadow pointed at Alastor and simulated cutting his own neck, making two exes over his eyes. Lucifer snorted.

"One last round" said, determination firing him up again.

By some miracle, Lucifer won that one. The fact that he had still lost far more than that meant very little to tamper his good humor. After everything was magically back on it's place and the trash dissapeared, Lucifer grinned to Alastor.

"It was nice playing with you, buddy. Have a good night!" said, snapping both him and Al out of the room.

Alastor noticed that he had completely forgotten to return the seat to its normal condition, but they could see that tomorrow. Maybe their own Lucifer could handle that. Alastor scratched his chest, uncomfortable with the thought, but even that didn't make the warmth go away.

[m43d4y]

Ok a bit of a change of pace from what I usually post but I've had TWO DREAMS of this concept so i feel like I would share it

MLP SURVIVAL HORROR.

no it won't be the virus shit everyone plays to death (which I half enjoyed when I was going around) but it'll be different.

CW: horror ovi, body horror specifically (do not read if you are young, I'd rather you enjoy the series as it is)

🌟 💖 🩵 🩷 ❤️ 🧡 💜 🌟

The mane 6 find themselves afront a mansion that Celestia had sealed away years or perhaps decades prior, sealing an ancient evil within. Twilight got hands on a book describing such a tale and began to wonder if the legends were true... And if so, could the girls work together to end it once and for all.

This is where the game takes place, you play as one of the 6 ponies which have their own respective mechanic. I just woke up from this dream so I may not know what all of them will be but here's what I thought of so far:

Twilight with her impressive magical skill could project a powerful blast on the creature, stunning it for a small amount of time giving her an opportunity to run away.

Rarity could use her magic aswell, but unfortunately given how weak it is she can't do much aside from tossing an object asside in order to distract the monster. Hopefully this'll give her enough time to evade it.

Applejack... I'm not too sure if atm in both of my dreams I was playing as her and she would get sick?? Like the screen would get all blurry and she'd slow down... But I'm not sure that makes sense. I might have her do something else. (Decided to make her able to buck down bookshelves and such to block the beast's path)

Fluttershy would definitely be waayy out of her element (no pun intended) but she would be the best at sneaking and getting away, using her delicate and soundless flying abilities to easily escape any threat... Although she will not be able to fly forever since her nerves are keeping her on hoof.

Rainbow Dash of course being the fastest would have no issue escaping a threat, easily flying away pretty damn far. But given how short sighted and brash she is she can alert the danger as quick as she can escape from it. So keep in mind when and where you use this.

And lastly Pinkie Pie. I had this idea the moment I woke up and thought it would be so fun, which is what she is known for so I had to go with. So Pinkie is known for bouncing and hopping around everywhere she goes despite whatever threat is going on... So why would she stop here? Why would she bother sneaking or hiding when she could have fun! So that's what she'll be doing, bouncing around and allowing herself to be chased by this fearsome threat all while laughing her heart out. Sometimes it's just really fun to be scared!

But the main mechanic that they all have in common would be their hooves, being ponies they would make alot of noise against the hardwood floor of the old manor so they would have to use the nearby carpets to remain hidden. The beast is alerted by both sound and sight, so he extra careful where you step.

And now we're coming to an end, however I still need to explain one key detail. What are they trying to find? Moreso: what will they be running from.

And that I don't have a name for, but I do know that it's an evil that even Celestia couldn't stomach, something so foul and cruel that she simply had to seal it away and hope nopony ever stumbled upon it.

And that evil, has the ability to take form of that which you hold close to your heart. Be it someone you love, a family member or something inconspicuous. And each of the girls will be chased by their own respective interpretation of this beast, at least from afar. Up close the illusion would break, revealing the true appearance of what they'll be fighting, although still harboring similarities to their loved one...

For Twilight she would be evading Spike, being the first character you play as she would display and give an observation to what's going on, failing for it the first time but quickly stunning it and hiding away. Smooth transition from cutscene into gameplay.

With Rarity, this horrific beast will take form of her beloved sister Sweetie Belle. Striking fear and disdain in her heart making her unable to directly hit her with a spell... She couldn't do that to her sister...

Applejack would see something similar, Applebloom. But she would be stricken with anger more than anything, letting something make a mockery of her sister is not something she'll take lightly, she loved her family far too much to let that go unnoticed.

Rainbow Dash on the other hand... Would be confused to see Applejack apead of her, not really sure what she's doing here after they got seperated. But before she can say anything she remembers what Twilight told them, immediately feeling her heart sink. This damn thing making a fool of her, she'll show it...

Pinkie Pie... I'm unsure about, perhaps she could be bouncing away from Cheese Sandwich? Either way she'll have a ball of a time.

And as for Fluttershy, poor unsuspecting Fluttershy would unfortunately be faced with Discord. Her beloved friend she cares about so deeply being used against her in such a way, she'd be terrified! But that's not her Discord... She couldn't find comfort in that...

For the moment that is all I have in mind, perhaps they all get out alive or maybe it's a untill dawn situation where you have to keep them all alive. Though that might make things less fun of you're just resetting in order to actually win the game. Well this'll probably not be real for copywrite reasons so whatever.

Anyway I hope you enjoyed the wild dream I had!! I dunno if I'll go back to sleep LMAO.

🌟 💖 🩵 🩷 ❤️ 🧡 💜 🌟

[brainyrot]

Fanfic Update? 🙃

I think I'm gonna start preparing the fic on ao3

He underestimated those finger guns, sure it didn't hurt but the impact. Oh, the impact.

Managed to destroy his hand, obviously he can always..get it back. It's ink, who cares. But, it's impressive. Surely not impressive and big enough to destroy or even kill him, but it is something that should be taken off right now. He can't just have these people walk around with such a weapon.

whines and curses of pain of a cup, now running away with a slowly, slowly falling apart limp.

He didn't rip it off in time, but you're gonna need super glue to fix that crack for sure. At least he knows it's not functional anymore.

he just needs to get the other one.

"that was NOT bendy!" She screamed, mostly to herself. "It couldn't be! Have you seen that thing?! if- it just couldn't be! And it talked. It talked!" she was frantic, who knew what was going on in her head.

"whoever that was..we need to keep as far as we can of distance from it."

"Have you seen what he has done to your arm Cuphead? It nearly broke it. We gotta look at the wound now." rather have a brother with two arms and a functioning finger gun than a brother with one arm and no finger gun.

"Let's just get somewhere safe and then we can look at it, 'kay mugs?" the cat suggested. But what if it was really bendy? it couldn't be. it was too..it didn't feel like bendy.

The way it talked, it's mannerisms, it's nothing like Bendy's. But at the same time, bendy never acted like himself whenever he had these.. moments.

but how could they help bendy? He was a threat now and approaching was a no go, Cuphead was injured and stuck in an unknown place.

ugh..reminds him of the labyrinth, except that now the main threat was bendy, and not that Sarah kid.

But..was it.. actually him? It's just hard to think it is! maybe it's really some labyrinth situation, just instead of memories it's ink.. mimicking people?

Who knows.

he's thinking of the worst right now.

They don't know where they are going, and the more they go deep in this place, the more ink slowly creeps in until it's nothing but that.

Could it be that the ink is sentient? A parasitic being that slowly consumes everything and everyone? Could explain why those people seemed or..were made of ink. Maybe..maybe bendy is also a victim?

it's possible, a parasitic being, the ink, that takes over your mind. It's a thing between insects, it's possible with this too.

It explains the ink people, the ink that somehow is always here, around, and the aggressiveness.

it makes the person aggressive and submissive to the control of the ink until it consumes them and die.

Maybe it's different with demons? bendy seemed also made of ink but more.. covered. You could see his..eerie smile, part of the bone of his horns and hooves.

could it be that the ink illness is messing with it? Instead of turning into an inky being he's slowly melting? The way the bones, teeth and hooves were showing it seemed like melting.

or..maybe this is all the ink illness. it makes sense, because everyone here at least has some ink on them but it's just stains. Whole for bendy and whoever the rest was, it was like it took over completely.

Maybe only who is ill is affected by this?

"..guys! I think I got it!" the feline stopped.

"Got what? That my hand is gone?" The red cup huffed, sarcastically commenting on his wound.

"No, not yet. Sit down on one of those chairs and we'll fix that. But, I think I figured out something for this place."

"How to get out?" Mugman asked, kind of a stupid question but hey, who doesn't wanna get out.

"No, but,,what if all of this is just the ink illness doing?"

"..what." ridiculous, he thought. Is there a cigarette around?

"Hear me out! the ink seems so alive! Gave you not see it create people from mere puddles?! And the ink people! And bendy! What if these are all ink illness victims that not only have an incurable illness-"

"Yet." Hope, holly may, hope.

"-but now are controlled by this sentient ink making them aggressive like those guys earlier and bendy! We saw him before, he was docile a minute ago and now he's hunting us."

"but it doesn't make any sen-"

"The ink machine!" Mugman thought. "The ink machine was here! what if it's really the ink machine doing? what if it's malfunctioning and that's why instead of curing everyone it's doing..that to them? What if the ink is from the ink machine and whoever is infected is now victim of this weird..mind control in ink Felix says."

"The ink machine is here?"

"it explains a few things..but how do we fix it?"

"I don't know yet but.. let's try and fix that hand of your first."

"I did the best I could but .. it's like if you badly glued something together and it's not holding together at all."

"welp..I guess I'll have to learn how to write with my left hand."

"Don't say that! Holly is gonna fix it!..maybe just, bandaging it tight? Once we're out of here we can find that cream that helps us with the cracks."

"Oh that weird thing? Maybe I can make it."

"Why doesn't the cat gets it out of his silly bag?" cup pointed out.

The feline shrugged. "Honestly I doubt I'll get it out of here, this bag isn't too cooperative."

"Look we'll just bandage it, don't use your hand until we find another way. And..I think we should start finding food and a big enough room to even sit down and relax."

"Yeah, we're just standing around in the open."

"c'mon then, let's go. finish with those bandages."

"I'm doing it,, I'm doing it,, okay, I'm do-"

A hum, a song, a beautiful voice that seemed to belong to an angel.

"we need to hide!"

"Where?!"

"I-i-i don't know- uh-"

A few footsteps, the voice humming was probably wearing heels. It's getting closer.

"...I think I know that vo-" "in here!" a random room, a closet he thinks. There's an axe here, it can be useful.

The voice is getting louder. The humming is getting more addictive as it goes on, he wants to know who is it. He wants to know why does she sounds so familiar.

[hellssheep]

Chapter 3: A Wooly Encounter

TW: animal attack

Wooly opened his eyes, only to be met with the dark sky. Has the room gotten bigger all of a sudden? He is still in the bedroom, but the room had a red gradient and the ceiling went on forever. Wooly also noticed that Amanda isn't in her bed. Maybe she went to the kitchen for breakfast. He got off his bed, but the floor feels…off. He looked down and saw ripples forming from his hooves. Looking back up, everything in the room is gone, even the door. 

The room got darker. Something caught his attention; a stream of colored smoke? Is it coming off of him? He looked at himself, and saw that the glow was coming off of his chest. Everything is quiet except for his own heartbeat. That is the only sound he can hear…

…until he heard a deep growl echo from above.

Wooly slowly looked up and saw where the strange trail was leading to; something was hiding in the dark. It opened its eyes, all four of them. It started wooly down with its crimson eyes, fitted with yellow horizontally elongated pupils. It's like staring up to the doorway to hell.

Something called his name, but it wasn't the beast. It sounded like the room was talking to him, but he couldn't look away from the eyes that were leaving him in paralyzed in fear.

“Wooly?” a voice called out to him, a bit more clearer but quiet.

His heartbeat grew louder, paced faster, and he is afraid to move even a muscle because of the horror waiting above. The beast finally showed its teeth, showing a second pair of jaws behind them.

“Wooly!” the voice grew louder as well.

There is no escape from this monster, and Wooly wishes someone could save him right now. Finally, the beast above seized the meak sheep, swallowing him whole.

______________________________________________________________

“Wooly wake up!” Amanda shouted at wooly. He jolted and quickly sat up from the floor in a panic. Amanda showed concern for Wooly. She laid her hand on His arm to get Wooly’s attention. He looked up and finally started to calm down, eyes dilated back to normal as he caught his breath. “Are you alright Wooly? It seemed like you had a…”

“...a nightmare? Yea, I think I did. How did I end up on the floor?”

“You probably rolled out of it when you were having a bad dream.” It seemed like a terrible nightmare for wooly to wake up in cold sweat. Amanda has never seen him this scared since what she did in… the tapes. Is it okay for her to ask Wooly what he dreamed about? Maybe not. “Anyways, ready for breakfast? It was done ten minutes ago. It's blueberry waffles”.

“Sure. breakfast sounds nice” Wooly replied in a dull tone.

Amanda and Wooly went out of their room and into the kitchen. They immediately sat on the table while Riley set up the table with butter, maple syrup, whipped cream and powdered sugar. That is a lot of options for toppings.

“Here are the waffles,” Riley said as they placed the plates in front of them. “Enjoy”.

“Thanks Riley,” Amanda replied before taking a bite out of the pastry. It was good enough to not need anything else on it. Wooly seems to enjoy his breakfast too.

“Riley? Can I ask for a favor?” Wooly asked.

“Sure what is it?”

“Can we go back to that shop to bring the shopkeeper some pie? I want to apologize to the man for biting him.”

“Are you sure you want to give him some of your peach pie?”

“Yes, I'm sure.”

Amanda chimed in “I should bring him a slice of my pie too, since I was the one who started the situation”

“How sweet of you. I guess we are heading back there. I hope he is still working at that time.”

Wooly gave Amanda a soft thankful smile. Amanda shared the same expression with Wooly. She did promise to be a better friend after all, and Amanda is willing to try. 

“I'll go pack some slices for this trip. I hope you don't mind wearing the corset again”

“Oh… right.” wooly sounded a bit disappointed at that fact. “Can I at least have it not as tight?”

“Sure thing Wooly. Sure thing.”

______________________________________________________________

The drive is shorter this time, since they have no plans to make any stops this time. Wooly brought his leather journal and a pencil to doodle away the boredom. Amanda watched as he glided the pencil over the paper. He is trying to draw what he saw in his dream, but gave up and drew a wolf from memory instead.

“You are better at drawing than I am,” Amanda complimented.

“This? Nah, it can't be any better”. Wooly looked at his drawing so far. It's not finished, but some bits of the drawing are pretty impressive. It shows a moderate understanding of shading and texture. Wooly is starting to see Amanda’s point. 

“Yeah. sure it isn't. ” Amanda said in a sarcastic tone.

Looking outside, there were police cars and ambulances surrounding the shop where the Burly man worked. Riley found a parking spot across from the Deli meats store. “Stay in the car guys” they kindly ordered the kids. “I need to see what's going on.”

Riley left the car to talk to the lean man that worked with the other butcher. He seemed distressed. Was there an accident, or did the buff butcher get himself in trouble? Wooly saw Riley give the guy a hug and went to the car. Opening the car door, Riley spoke “we were here to give you guys some pies. Would you still be alright with taking them?”

“That would be great. Oh hey kids.” the man said as they spotted them in the back “how have you been… oh hey nice costume kid. You look just like Amanda”.

Wooly quickly looked behind him to see Amanda trying to retrieve her cap that was hiding her afro puffs. Seems like her hair wouldn't let her hat stay in place. She shared a wide-eyed look you get if you were caught doing something mischievous. “Um…yea, it’s…um… a cool costume. We were going to a… convention outside of town.” wooly nervously told him, trying to go along with what he said. “I never got your name sir”

“My name is Shaun. What's yours?”

Wooly thought of a fake name to give Amanda before he told him his. “ My name is…Wilson, and my… Cousin in the back is Audrey. We wanted to give the both you and your work buddy some pie as an apology for yesterday”

“Thank you kids, but… my work partner Benjamin… he is…” Shaun couldn't complete his sentence, trying to hold back his tears. Wooly knows what he is trying to say: he is dead.

“What happened?” Riley asked Shaun.

“I don't know what happened. Ben wanted to clean up before he closed the store for the night. I found him dead this morning. It looked like an animal attack, scratched up and partially eaten. It was horrible, honestly. Even though Ben isn't the best person, but We have been friends since high-school.”

Wooly feels horrible that it happened. Even though Ben was a jerk, he didn't deserve that kind of punishment. A part of Wooly feels like it's his fault it happened “I'm sorry to hear that. I wish I could do something to stop it.”

Shaun took a moment to calm down and stop crying. “It's not your fault he is gone. I wish I could have done something too. Part of me wished I stayed with him in the shop, but bad things just happened. I just appreciate the good times we had.”

“You're probably right.”

“Anyways, I hope you enjoy your pies and I'm sorry for your loss.”Riley told Shaun in a nervous manner as he rushed in the car. ” I hope things get better for you. we are running late for a…convention outside of town.” 

“Ok. Here's my phone number if you need anything.”

“Thank you. Have a wonderful day sir”

“Thanks. You guys have fun at the convention.” Shaun said before they drove off. That conversation felt rushed. It's only the case when something is wrong.

“What was that about?” Wooly asked

“Maybe it's because my hat fell off. I'm sorry Riley. It just popped off because of my hair. "Amanda replied.

“It wasn't that. I Gotta say that was clever of you to go along with what he said and stuff. The reason I rushed out of there is because I thought I saw one of the scientists from the building I got you guys from.”

“Oh gods” Amanda muttered. “Are you sure it's them?”

“Im pretty sure”

“Did we get caught?”

“I don't think so, but I do not want to risk it.”

“How the heck are they close already? Is it because of me?” Wooly questioned.

“I have no idea wooly. Let's head home and lay low for a bit.”

And so they did. They don't want Hameln to figure out where they are hiding out. do they think that amanda and wooly are on the run, or do they know that someone took them from their property. Wooly hopes they never find out.

______________________________________________________________

 For the rest of the day, they did pretty average things. They watched whatever was on TV that caught their interest, like that educational show about a blue dog and her family shenanigans. For lunch, they had potato salad and whatever kind of sandwich we made. Amanda and Wooly played with the toys that weren't from hameln. As for Hameln’s toys, they decide to destroy them as an act of rebellion (it was Amanda’s idea). To finish the day off, they Ate meatloaf for dinner, except for Wooly, who had a salad again. After that, they cleaned themselves up and went to bed. 

Everything was fine… until that night…when there was a ruckus in the kitchen.

Amanda woke up to the sound of something metal that fell on the floor in the kitchen. She got off her bed and went to another to wake up Wooly. Amanda whispered “hey Wooly, did you hear tha…”

Wooly isn't there. 

“Darn it Wooly you better not be getting a midnight snack this loudly.” Amanda complained as she left her bedroom with her flashlight she got from yesterday.

She headed to the kitchen and saw that the fridge light is open and the door is left open wide. She didn't need to turn on the flashlight yet, since the fridge itself is enough to dimly light the room up. Amanda went around the kitchen island counter to confront what she assumed would be Wooly. She turned the corner to see the silhouette in front of the opened fridge. 

“Wooly, you shouldn't be eating this late.” she told Wooly.

The silhouette stared at him with four illuminated eyes, letting out a deep growl that barely vibrated the floor. It stood up from its fours, becoming a foot taller than Amanda. It came to her realization that…it might not be Wooly. The shadowy figure charged at Amanda and swiped its claws at her face. She backed away, but not before it left a small scratch on her left cheek. The open cut burned a bit. Amanda tried to run towards Riley’s room to warn them, only to feel a searing pain in her right leg. It pulled her to the ground to itself, making her fall forward and lose the flashlight. He retrieved the light as quickly as possible and turned it on. She shined it at the intruder’s face, only to realize who it really is. 

Wooly has turned into a beast. 

He had a Dog-like snout and maw, bearing its sharper fangs and revealing its gums. Its eyes are red with glowing rectangular yellow pupils. He also had small extra ears that protrude from his. the horns are still present from his head. Its claws are like hooves that cover the tips of his fingers. The wool doesn't cover the legs or front of its hips, but covers his longer tail. And its legs are now more unguligrade like a real hooved animal. He is no longer a sheep, she remembered.

“Wooly?! Wait! Stop!” she pleaded to Wooly, who Towered over Amanda. The Beast opened its jaws to attempt to bite her, but instead sank its teeth into the arm Amanda protected her face with. His fangs pierced into her arm, causing Amanda to let out a Cry “Aaaaa! Riley Heeelp! Wooly No!”. Her call was heard, and Riley Tackled Wooly Away from Her. As soon as they did, Amanda stood up and looked at the fresh bite that He left her. It's hard to describe how bad the wound is.

“Darn it Wooly” Riley shouted as they pinned him down. “What in the celtic devil have they done to You!” Riley used all their mass To weight the feral sheep down, but Wooly managed to squirm their way out of Riley’s grip. They tried to seize him from behind, which turned out to be a Mistake. Riley got kicked square in the head, causing them to be left unconscious. 

Wooly continued to approach Amanda slowly, eyes full of hunger. With Riley knocked out, Amanda has to act fast or she is finished. Amanda grabbed a broom leaning against the corner of the room, and used the brush end of it to keep Wooly away. This didn't do much to stop Wooly, because he swiped his claws at the broom, breaking it in two and leaving Amanda with a stick. What can she do with a stick, try to play fetch with him? Thinking it's worth a shot, Amanda waved the stick from left to right to see if Wooly would focus on it instead. He glimpsed at it, but still wasn't enough. The beast then pounced at her, but Amanda blocked his bite with the stick. 

Once again she is pinned between the floor and Wooly’s sharp claws. Amanda cant do anything else without letting go of the only thing keeping the beast’s teeth from her throat. His claws are getting closer to piercing Amanda if she doesn't do anything else. The only tool she has left is her voice, but is there Wooly in there that could hear Amanda? There's nothing else left to lose but her life, so it's worth a try.

“Wooly snap out of it!” Amanda shouted at wooly. “The Sheep I knew wouldn't hurt a friend. I know you are still in there.”. The Beast's grip on her loosened a bit, but not his teeth, that's still clenched onto the stick. If that is the sign of Amanda’s progress, then she must keep talking to Wooly. “You're not a wild animal Wooly. You're my best friend, and… I should have treated you as one.” Amanda started tearing up. She is having a hard time mustering up the right words. “Please. Wooly, please forgive me. I shouldn’t have done all of those awful things. I'm so sorry.” she closes her eyes to keep her tears from leaking more. “Just please. Please come back to me wooly.”

Something dripped onto her face, but it wasn't her tears. She opened her eyes a bit, only to meet with Wooly’s. His eyes are dilated into a more oval shape, tears leaking out of them. He is frozen on the spot, almost as petrified as Amanda is. Wooly finally backed away From her, trying to shake away the overpowering instinct. He looked at himself to see what he turned into, shielded his head in his hands, seemingly trying to shake away the control. Wooly then ran towards the door, opened it wide, and fled from the house.

“Wooly Wait!” Amanda yelled, but he was long gone. She looked at Riley, who was starting to get up from being knocked out. They had a hoof mark on their forehead. “Riley, are you okay?”

“Yea, other than being kicked in the face, I'll be good once I take care of this bump with butter. I was gonna ask the same question. You looked rather beaten up.”

“I’m more worried about Wooly. He is gonna get lost in the forest if we don't find him.”

“I'll search for him. You need stay here while i find him”

“You're not searching for him alone. I'm going with you”

“Amanda you are hurt.”

“It's my fault that he is this way. Please, I need to find him too. He means a lot to me.”

Riley let out a big sigh. “Very well. I can't stop you from going with me. Just try not to run away from me this time”

“Don't worry, I won’t.” Amanda promised. She just hopes that Wooly hasn't gone too far. If anything happens to Wooly, she doesn't know what she could do without him. She looked at the fridge once more, seeing that he dug into the meats that were stored there, including the meatloaf. Knowing Wooly, he won't like what he has done. Not one bit.

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[kindheart525]

Snowcone was cuddled up in her room with a good book, one she had stolen from the restricted section of a magic library...coincidentally the reason she was grounded as well. 

Oh well, she got left alone at the very least.

That is, until the knock at her door.

“Hey, are you okay? May I come in?”

The cup of Snowcone’s emotional limits overflowed as soon as the knock rung through her room. She shoved her head under her pillow and screamed into the muffling cushion before calling out a response.

"I'm fine but I would really prefer if you wouldn’t!"

“Fair enough.”

Aurora’s voice sounded through the door, even and calm. A nice contrast from Mom and Mother’s constant nagging, plus she knocked instead of barging in. But Snowcone still didn’t want to deal with her right now.

“I brought you chickpea tikka from the Tasty Treat, though. Can I at least drop it off?”

There was a moment of silence so quiet one could hear a pin drop, followed by the sound of rushing hooves and a lock clicking. 

"You can come in if you want, I don't really care."

Aurora entered the room, not paying mind to the mess strewn across Snowcone’s floor or the curtains drawn on a hot summer’s afternoon, instead simply placing the dish on Snowcone’s nightstand.

“Sorry you got grounded. I’m around to talk if you want.”

“Thank you.”

Snowcone immediately hopped back onto her bed and shoved her nose in her book, not wanting to make eye contact after mumbling her answer.

She let out a deep sigh when Aurora began speaking. 

"What is there to talk about? I broke a stupid rule and Mother thought I'd learn my lesson sitting in my room for the 49th time!" 

She was so frustrated by all this, she had this impulse and taking a look at this book would scratch that impulse in her brain. It made her feel a whole lot better for...an hour. 

What was the harm?

Unfortunately instead of leaving her alone, Aurora decided to settle down by the end of her bed.

“I don’t think it’s a stupid rule. Restricted spells are a pretty big deal. You may not be planning to do anything with it but who knows what would happen if the wrong pony got their hooves on it. These rules are meant to keep Equestria safe.”

Aurora tried to lighten the mood a bit.

“At least you didn’t end up in juvenile detention.”

Right away Snowcone whipped her head around and lashed out at Aurora. She was lucky her sister was understanding because she was spitting fire at the poor mare. 

"You think I don't know that?! You seriously think I'd let it get into the wrong hooves?! Why did you come in here if you only wanted to...”

She stopped and teared up a little bit. 

"Yeah, I guess I didn't..."

Aurora simply patted her back in an attempt at comfort.

“I get it. You’re stressed out in school, you’re grounded, of course you’re having a hard time. I don’t think you’ve had Veuve over in awhile either.”

Then she opened a can of worms.

“Is something going on?”

Aurora validating her emotions felt so good, she explained herself and she was totally right!

Snowcone began to wonder why she didn't talk to her more often...

The next question made her less than happy though. How in Equestria was she meant to answer that? Should she tell the truth? Lie? 

"Nothing, I don't want to talk about it. You're just gonna shrug and then leave me to deal with it myself anyways."

To her dismay, Aurora pressed on.

“Not if you really need help, I won’t. I don’t always have the best advice but Aura has been helping Eclipse a lot, no? You don’t need to tell me anything but she might be able to help you too.”

Snowcone let out a deep sigh and shoved her pillow on top of her head as Aurora went on. 

"I'm not too sure about that and I would quite rather kill myself, but sure. What’s the worst that can happen? I'll go."

~~~~~~~~~~

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