#it's... like by itself it's not weird i wouldn't have raised an eyebrow at it but like

[deadtower]

anyone else seeing a lot of weird christian shit on socmed recently

[agroteraa]

Artemis

Oliver Quick x f!Reader

My fic masterlist

Part 2.

Part 1: Actaeon

Part 3.1: The Wrath of the Stag (ch.1)

Part 3.2: The Wrath of the Stag (ch.2)

Warnings: smut, oral, handjob, penetration sex.

Word Count: 5,5K

After the events of the last night, you didn't join in watching TV with the Cattons and Oliver. No, you weren't tired, but you were overwhelmed with emotions and all that had happened. Besides, you couldn't imagine how you could just go and watch telly with Oliver after that. It would be too embarrassing to pretend that nothing had happened, and you didn't think he'd be able to keep his face either.

So, you just went to your bed, tossing and turning for most of the night, thinking about what scenes in the bathroom. It felt like Oliver's hands were still ghostly wandering all over your body...

You came to breakfast very sleepy and visibly a little lost. It was a beautiful and sunny morning, and all Saltburn habitants were sitting at a table outside and eating various treats.

"Good morning, everyone!" you said, not being able to hold back a yawn.

"Good morning, sweetheart!" Elspeth replied, looking at you worriedly, "Is everything alright?"

Felix echoed his mother's look, slightly raising his eyebrows in concern. The others were busy with their own conversations, and only Oliver silently cast a brief glance at you, returning to eating his full English breakfast.

"Yes, it's okay, I'm just... I couldn't fall sleep for a while."

"Okay," Elspeth nodded, satisfied with your rather innocuous answer.

When you took a seat at the table opposite Oliver, you couldn't look into his eyes, your stomach was twisting, not from the hunger, but from the excitement. You didn't feel like eating at all. Duncan brought you eggs cooked in your favorite way, you nodded gratefully to him, but you were in no hurry to eat. Oliver noticed it.

"Is something wrong?" he asked innocently, looking up at you.

"Um, I'm just... I don't know, I guess I'm just not hungry right now."

"Hmm. Well, but I am. I've been hungry since last night. Very much," he chuckled, returning to his meal with appetite.

You gulped. It seems that he didn't mean breakfast at all now?

That had how your morning went, and then you went about your own business. Oliver, Felix, Farleigh and Venetia went to play tennis. You dismissed the game, and even more so there were exactly four of them. Instead, you went for a walk in gardens of Saltburn, read a book in a shady gazebo and muse upon the evening ahead. So, the evening had finally come, forcing the hot sun to forget about itself until the next day.

You thought and decided to politely decline the dinner. To be honest, you were feeling sick with excitement, and you definitely wouldn't be able to eat anything at dinner, especially if Oliver would be looking at you. It was better to seem a little weird now than to get a bunch of unwanted questions later.

Instead, you decided to stay in your room, citing a slight indisposition. You really had it, though, for a different reason. You lied down on the bed and began to remember the last night. His touch, his breathing, his piercing blue eyes that turned dark with desire at that moment... a desire for you.

It was hard to even believe it, but it seemed that was it. Your breathing got heavy when you started running your fingers over your lips, feeling your hot breath on your fingers, because you imagined that it were Oliver's fingers...

... ohh. You definitely needed to do something about it tonight.

* * *

"Where have everyone gone? I've been looking for y’all for half an hour," you said, finding Oliver in the library, who was comfortably settled in an armchair and reading a book.

"They're playing Uno. It seems that Felix and Farleigh will quarrel even more than yesterday over the remote control, and Venetia is also with them."

"Why aren't you with them too?"

"I'm not a fan of these kinds of games," Oliver explained with an emphasis on "these" not even looking up from his book.

"Mm, yes, about Venetia. Although she is not giving concerts in the bathroom tonight, but now there is only cold water running, apparently there is also some kind of heating malfunction, and the second bathroom still has not yet been repaired..."

At this point, Oliver looked up at you, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Oh, really?"

"Mhm..." you confirmed, biting your lip.

He looked at you searchingly, tilting his head slightly to the side. Then, with a rising smile, he replied to you, "Of course. Enjoy yourself," and returned to reading his book. That was it, there was no further reaction or words from Oliver.

"F-fine." That was it? For some reason, you hoped that he would somehow hint that he would also join you, or at least react livelier to your words. But you had no choice but to go back to your room, get a bathrobe and go to that bathroom. You didn't bring a towel. Okay, Oliver, if you wanted to play ignore, we could arrange that.

Going into the bathroom of Oliver and Felix, you began to fill the tub. The room greeted you again with a pleasant dim lighting and the hum of water flowing down. His incomprehensible indifference throughout the day had upset you and even slightly angered you. Therefore, this time you had already put things on Felix's half on purpose and took his towels, no matter what Oliver had asked you to do.

After a while, you sank into the pleasantly hot water and began to wait. More precisely, at first you were really relaxing, but with every passing minute you were rather waiting for Oliver more than enjoying the process. But he did not come.

"Damn," you swore inwardly, and just as you were starting to think about getting out of the bath and getting ready, Oliver walked into the room.

"Hello!-" you started.

"Hi," he replied shortly and walked into his room, hardly looking at you. What?

You changed your mind about getting out of the bathtub right now and decided to sit in it until something would happen. About 5 minutes later Oliver came out, dressed in a domestic white tank top and stiped blue boxers. Your stomach turned over from this intimacy of his outfit. He went to his bathroom table, turned the water on and, as if nothing had happened, began to brush his teeth. He didn't start a conversation with you.

"So, uh, how was your day?" you began hesitantly, turning your head towards him.

"We played tennis, then took a dip in the pool, and then I enjoyed reading in the evening. Well, you’ve seen it."

"Yeah, that’s great..."

"And how was yours?"

"Not like... how I thought it would pass. I think I feel weird..."

"It must be because you didn't sleep well today. Go to bed early, yeah?"

"Huh? Yeah, I guess..."

You were a little lost. You looked at Oliver from behind, but he didn't turn to you. Of course, he was looking at you in the mirror again. He was a little on edge right now. This evening was not going quite the way he had imagined, but it was even intriguing.

The thing was that he had decided not to do anything with the second bathroom today. He overheard a conversation that the first bathroom had not been repaired again today, as the workers had confused the date and would arrive only tomorrow. So, it was even interesting for him to put it in the hands of fate. Would Venetia take over the only left bathroom again? Or would you just come in and innocently, hiding your gaze, ask Felix again or even Oliver himself if you could use their the bathroom again. Or maybe you would silently, struggling with your shame and desire, come to their bathroom and use it, hoping that something similar to the previous time would happen? Oh, he would definitely make your desires, which you were still afraid to admit to yourself, come true.

But no. You came to him and lied to him about the second bathroom, looking straight into his eyes.

"So, Y/N, do you want to remain innocent, but at the same time you know how to lie in your favor? It's interesting. You're beautiful and you did take a sacred bath, and now you really think you can be Artemis in every sense? No, no, no. No. Dear, there can only be one hunter here, and that's me," Oliver thought to himself, "And if you want to play on my field, well, I'll show you how it’s done."

With these thoughts, Oliver bit his lip contentedly, continuing to read the book while you left the library, but his thoughts drifted further and further away from the subject of reading.

At first, he wanted to nonchalantly go into the bathroom and, while he was brushing his teeth, catch your glances with his skin, hear your rapid breathing and catch the sounds of your feet fidgeting in the water. Then, having played enough with this longing, he would help you get out of the bathroom, wipe your beautiful naked hot body with his towel, hold your hands and take you to his room, where he would give you all the pleasure you would wish for. And this time he would have taken everything he wanted from you, enjoying you at its fullest.

But no.

You left your stuff on Felix's side. You took his towels. He told you not to do that.

His teeth almost bit his toothbrush in half when he saw it through the mirror. Was it an act of defiance, a way to attract extra attention, or a way to cause jealousy? Y/N, don't be a fool. But he hated to admit it, that some kind of jealousy had appeared in him anyway, and he was mad about it. No, don't you even dare to think that way. You were his, you would be only his.

The mood for a slow and sensual night has evaporated completely. Right now, Oliver could only bend you over and fuck you properly. Yes, that would be sweet too. But still, he didn't want to ruin everything and start your relationship like this. He'd better go to bed now, and tomorrow he’d know better.

"So, I'm going to bed, too. Good night, Y/N," Oliver said calmly, clutching the toothbrush in his hands with all his might, making it almost break it a second time.

You were left alone in the bathroom. What had happened? Were you too persistent, and Oliver was upset by your persistence? Or was he really that angry about your stuff left on Felix's table? It also occurred to you that he somehow intuitively felt and was upset about your lies, but of course he couldn't know that. But you still felt somehow guilty.

After getting out of the bathtub and draining the water, you dried yourself with a towel and, putting on your bathrobe, leaned your hands on the sink on Felix's side. You looked in the mirror and thought what should you do. No, you couldn't just walk away, there was too much left unsaid.

*Knock-knock*

"Oliver!"

The door opened a crack, in front of you there was Quick looking out of the darkness with his bright blue eyes. He took off his tank top and wore boxers only. You involuntarily looked at his beautiful torso, on which was nothing on but one chain, glittering on the neck. You gulped.

"Yes?" he asked in a low, hoarse voice.

"Can we talk?" this time it was you who walked into his room without waiting for an invitation or even more so a refusal.

You stepped into his dark, moonlit room. He stood a few inches away and silently looked you up and down. You continued, "You've been acting kind of weird all day, I'm sorry if this is me who..."

"Sorry" was enough for his pride and patience right now.

He silently pulled you to him, kissing you. You were very surprised, but you gave yourself up to this kiss with joy. Oliver kissed you passionately and long, then he took your hand and pulled you towards his bed. He carefully loosened the belt of your robe, admiring you from head to toe. Then he gently but abruptly threw you onto the bed and fell on top of you, leaning on his elbows and knees. Quick started kissing your neck, leaving hot prints of his lips on it, then he kissed your collarbone, then the place between your breasts. You started hugging him harder. Oliver continued his way down, kissing the place under your breasts and then slid his tongue over your stomach all the way to the bottom. You exhaled loudly, moving one hand to his soft hair on his head and squeezing it slightly.

He breathed out contentedly, and you could feel his smile on your skin. Then he cast a brief lustful glance at you, and went down even lower, to the most desired place. He kissed your inner thigh and then placed his lips on your folds. You felt his hot breath for a few seconds, as if he was enjoying this moment and didn't believe in it himself. Those few seconds seemed like an eternity to you, until he ran his tongue over your folds. You were already wet, so wet.

The tip of his tongue began to slowly glide up and down into the sensitive flesh all across your pussy, you left a sharp gasp. It was almost an electric feeling. Then he buried his mouth into you and started to run circles inside you with his wet and hot tongue. You began to moan softly while twitching your legs a little.

His hands were gripping your thighs, pulling your body even closer to his mouth. You buried both of your hands into his dark hair, letting a deep moan. Oliver was massaging your flesh from the inside, he was eating you out, almost humming to himself. Then he returned to caress your sensitive clit. You arched your back and you let out whine, burying hands deeper into his soft locks, almost tugging them. He let out satisfied pant and you looked down at him.

Gosh, he looked absolutely breathtaking, giving you a glare back with his piercing blue eyes on a half-seen face between your legs. And all this was happening in his moonlit room, like in some dark fairytale. It gave you a jolt of pleasure to the point you almost came.

He accelerated his pace and pressure until you tilted back your head and let out a long moan. You began to buck your hips but his hands were holding you firmly it almost hurt. His tongue got sloppy and messy as he feverishly caressed you. You couldn’t hold it back anymore.

“Oliver!..” you cried out his name, clenching his head with your legs, his strong hands released the grip.

He raised his head with lips and chin glistening in the dark, panting and smiling. He was looking at your bliss, the result of his work, with indescribable delight. Oliver looked absolutely stunning that way, being covered in your bliss that he gave to you. You had almost come for the second time at that view.

"I'm very glad that you liked it. And now," he leaned up to kiss you briefly on the lips, "It's time to go to bed. Sweet dreams, Y/N, tomorrow will definitely be a better day."

You were surprised that he wanted to end it, but you were barely thinking and were still beside yourself with bliss, so, as if in a fog, you pulled on your bathrobe, nodded to Oliver and left on fast but wobbly legs. It was like you were bewitched and you didn't do it all yourself, but at someone's behest.

Oliver smiled contentedly, falling back onto the bed.

"Sorry" was enough for his pride and patience, but not to the point where he could completely control himself and not break into a rage that would just tear you apart if he met his desires utterly.

Thus, tonight it would be his hand again, but this was definitely for the last time. Tomorrow he would be counting on your hands and not only on them.

* * *

Tomorrow was definitely a better day. Your appetite had returned, Oliver secretly was moving to you plates with pastries and fruits. You smiled and happily ate everything he offered.

But what happened in the last few nights seemed to remain only there. During the day, there was some kind of different, still a little tense atmosphere. Except that the ambiguity was replaced by a more agitated expectation and intrigue. It was still difficult for both of you to do small talks when the pictures of previous nights were so vivid in your heads.

Tonight was going to be a busy night, because James and Elspeth's friends, numerous Henrys and their wives, came to Saltburn. You also knew many of them, so you spent the whole evening in lively conversations with the exchange of news over the past year, endlessly promising to send greetings to your parents. Oliver seemed to be a little lost, especially at dinner, but you were seated quite far from each other, so even if you decided to talk to him, you couldn't do it. But you nodded at him from the other end of the table, lighting up the whole evening with your smile. He felt much less alone from that moment onwards.

The dinner was sumptuous, and numerous flowers and candles rested on the dark mirrored table, the candlelight danced beautifully on the faces of wining and dining guests. You stole a glance at Oliver - God, how handsome he was in this evening tuxedo, did he know that? You had a growing desire to get alone with him, but you had absolutely no idea how you could do it unnoticeably, and generally... take the initiative. You wouldn’t go to his bathroom for the third time, would you?

The evening was followed by a karaoke night led by DJ Farleigh. Everyone was having fun, singing along and clapping each other, it didn't matter if someone sang noticeably badly or really very well. Although “uncle” Henry's performance to the song “Low" was already too much, especially at the moment when you almost got smashed by his thrown jacket.

"Good Lord, give me strength," you thought, and then changed your prayer, turning your head to the side at Henry's wife, who eventually got his jacket right in her face, "Although no, please better give this woman strength."

Felix had been gallantly pouring you wine half the evening, asking how your mood was, and made funny comments about the guests. Then Venetia came, you also had a drink with her and a lively talk, and then she and her brother went to stand in a corner while smoking cigarettes, hilariously dancing to karaoke songs. Elspeth walked and chatted charmingly with the guests, and James sometimes eagerly but out of pace clapped to the rhythm of modern dance floor hits with often dubious lyrics.

Oliver was sitting on the opposite couch almost all this time, drinking some kind of tropical long. You didn't talk to him much during karaoke, but the conversation with his eyes was more than enough. His expressive orbs alternated between looking at you and following your rolling gaze as you watched another Henry who was making another drunken joke. And then his eyes started to burn a hole in you more and more, but he still remained silent and did not approach. Okay. In a different state, you may had started overthinking it or getting upset again, but not now. Now you were drunk enough to perform some karaoke hit and tell him everything with it. Well, telling something, at least.

"Farleigh!" you shouted, pointing at him.

"Yes!" he poked his finger at you in response, holding the microphone.

"Toxic" by Britney Spears!" you said, calling out a few "o-o-o-ohs" from the audience.

"Great!" the DJ of the evening grinned, putting the right song and giving the microphone to you.

The familiar sounds of a sampled violin came in, and then your voice followed:

Baby, can't you see I'm calling?

A guy like you should wear a warning

It's dangerous, I'm falling

There's no escape, I can't wait

I need a hit, baby, give me it

You're dangerous, I'm loving it

You sang, turning to Oliver and looking into his eyes. He sucked his cocktail out of a straw and then put it on the floor without breaking eye contact with you.

Too high, can't come down

Losing my head, spinning 'round and 'round

Do you feel me now?

He was sitting on the couch in his smart black tux, leaning back slightly and spreading his legs wide. Oliver was listening to you so attentively, as if this was not a Britney song, but some kind of revelation addressed only for him to comprehend.

With a taste of your lips, I'm on a ride

You're toxic, I'm slipping under

With a taste of a poison paradise

I'm addicted to you

Don't you know that you're toxic?

And I love what you do

Don't you know that you're toxic?

He grinned at you. You started swinging your hips slightly while you were singing. Oliver licked his lips lightly.

It's getting late to give you up

I took a sip from my devil's cup

Slowly, it's taking over me

What a confession. Or was it a call?

You kept singing while everyone else supported you and sang along too. Farleigh danced to the beat of the music, and Felix and Venetia just had a separate party in the corner of the room, as if they were really at a Britney concert, and not karaoke party, where their friend finally decided to sing, being a little drunk. Elspeth and James, somehow in an old-fashioned, but a very sweet way danced sitting on the couch. All this support from the Cattons was especially pleasant and inspired me to sing the song even more boldly!

Intoxicate me now with your loving now

I think I'm ready now (I think I'm ready now)

Intoxicate me now with your loving now

I think I'm ready now

Yes, it was definitely a call. Oliver shifted on the couch, outwardly remaining calm, but deep inside he just had a storm of emotions and desires.

Artemis was luring her Actaeon again.

The living room burst with applause and cheering. It was not that you sang better than the original, but still, this song had already become an everyone’s favourite hit, which could not be disliked in any case. And you sang charismatically, not to mention your body movements. You scored 100 points! And to Oliver it was all 200.

You chatted for a while with Felix and Venetia and one of the Henrys, who jumped up to you, drank more wine after such brave karaoke performance, and then sneaked out of the room, realizing that you urgently need to use the restroom. Your head was a little dizzy, but you got to that very bathroom of yours which actually worked fine. Having done all the necessary things, you began to wash your face and stood for a long time at the sink with the faucet open, gradually coming to your senses. Ugh, you shouldn’t drink like that, otherwise it won't be clear if you can remember the rest of the evening. And you really wanted the most interesting things to be just ahead.

"Oliver!"

He was standing against the wall opposite the bathroom exit.

"How did you know that you... that I... that I would go here and not, say, to your bathroom again?"

"Very simply, Y/N. You're drunk right now, and thus, you will most likely reach the place that you are most familiar with. Like on an autopilot. I decided that you use your bathroom more often than mine."

You thought about it. Indeed, everything was so simple when he explained it. He must be much more sober.

It was a good thing you left before Farleigh decided to make Oliver sing karaoke. It was unexpected and humiliating, very humiliating, but he turned the situation in his favor by handing the microphone back to Farleigh at the most ambiguous moment of the song. Soon it would be Farleigh paying his own "Rent". Fortunately, no one read this subtext except the two of them. Oliver wasn't worried much about that right now, he had more important things to do tonight, so he went looking for you, fortunately, it wasn't difficult at all.

"So, you sing," he stated, pulling away from the wall and leisurely approached you.

"Not really, more like when I have a little drink, huh..."

"Are you feeling better now, Y/N?"

"Yes, much better, thank you," you said, still musing, "And also I sing when there is a good reason for it"

Oliver came close to you, and leaning into your ear, asked, "Am I a good enough reason?"

You looked into his eyes, "What do you think..." and reached out to kiss him. The taste of your wine mixed with the taste of his sweet strong cocktails. "It seems he drank more than I thought after all, how is he holding up so well?" you wondered, but soon you lost the thread of thought when his tongue, even more saturated with alcohol, penetrated your mouth.

With a taste of your lips, I'm on a ride

You're toxic, I'm slipping under

With a taste of a poison paradise

I'm addicted to you

Don't you know that you're toxic?

Those lines from the song started spinning in your head again while your tongues were spinning in their own dance. You started to lose the feeling of the ground under your feet, but Oliver held you tight. But you still got to lean more on his sturdy body under that beautiful black and white suit.

Then, barely interrupting your kisses, you moved into your bedroom. It was lit by the moonlight, just like Oliver's bedroom last night. He began to take off your dress, gently kissing your shoulder. Then, you helped him undo your bra and stepped out of the shoes. At this time, he was taking off his tux without taking his eyes off you. He looked at you ecstatically from head to toe.

"Beautiful, so beautiful. Did I tell you that already?"

You nodded, smiling.

"I'll say it again. You're so fuckin’ beautiful," Oliver said with his deep sexy accent.

At these words, you became completely aroused and let out an inaudible moan, as he threw you on the bed, just like yesterday. After kissing you on the lips, he immediately went down on you, caressing your most sensitive part with his tongue and squeezing your hips harder than before. You shifted on the bed, entangling with his soft dark locks, and began to moan softly.

Oliver himself was also damn attractive, to say the least. His strong, slender stripped body covered yours, and only the chain was dangling on his neck. For some reason, this detail turned you on especially hard. Finally, you saw him completely naked, not just a couple of times in the tall grass, but right in your bedroom, when he was pressing you to the bed, towering over you. What a view.

His tongue was flicking over your clit, Oliver was almost moaning into your cunt as he was eating you. You squeezed his head between your legs so hard, but he wouldn’t pull back. He was groaning and licking you relentlessly.

You were so close to orgasm, but he stopped and reached for your face, greedily kissing your lips with his shiny lips, this time for a long enough time so that you could taste your own arousal. It drove you crazy.

"Now you know just a little bit how delicious you are, Y/N," Oliver almost breathed those words right into your mouth.

He pulled himself up to you, and you felt his hard cock pressing against you. You put your hand on it, which made Oliver exhale sharply. Resting on his hands, he lifted up a little while you caressed it with your hand. He looked lasciviously at you, as your hand was moving up and down, stroking his dick. Then he hugged you and rolled over on the bed with you, and you were on top now. You sank lower, carefully wrapping your lips around his cock. He tilted his head back, mouth half open. The feel of your soft lips and warm tongue almost drove Oliver crazy. He put one hand in your hair, gently running it through.

"Yes, dear Y/N, that's it..."

"My sweet Y/N..."

Then you, without stopping your actions, looked him straight in the eyes. It was too much, and Oliver groaned and gently released you, turning you back down under him. His cock was harder than the steel of any sword that was in this manor.

"Do you know what is the best thing about a karaoke night, besides your amazing number?" asked Oliver and gave the answer himself, "It's that you can scream and moan all over the house, as loudly as you want. Or whatever I want it to be."

Those words flooded you with moisture, and at that moment Oliver entered you.

He gave you a moment to adjust to his size, his cock completely filling you up as he was buried deep inside of you. He exhaled, full of admiration and lust.

"Gods, Y/N, you’re so tight," he said breathlessly, kissing you. You started moaning into his mouth as he began to move. The pace of his hips was leisurely at the start, gently rolling into yours, your eyes were connected to each other. His strong arms caged your twitching body under him. It all felt so good you were afraid that you might just woke up from some kind of dream or fantasy that you had, thinking of Oliver and falling asleep.

You wrapped your arms around his neck, bringing him closer to you as he increased his pace. Soon, the speed of his pounding becoming relentless as his panting and your own moans. You wrapped your legs around his body, nails digging into his back as you gave him the perfect angle to go even deeper into you.

“Fuck, girl, moan for me, yeah. Let the whole house know who is giving it to you, that pleasure,” Oliver’s hot whisper almost burned your skin.

You let out the loudest groan as he began slamming into you, driving to the edge of existence. The entire floor was really filled with your screams of pleasure, echoing in the dark. His hips slap against yours loudly, shaking the old bed. He clenched his teeth, watching the way your doe eyes look up at him, eyes were full of sensuality and desire. Oh, how beautiful and docile you were, he could not believe himself it was all happening at least.

You clenched around him and soon you arched your back, his name fell from your lips. He followed later soon, burying his head into the crook of your neck as he was doing last movements with his hips.

You went soft and limp under him as he panted with his hoarse voice in your ear. Oliver exhaled contentedly, triumphantly smirking.

You changed your position by lying down next to each other. For a while, you both just lay silently in bed, recovering your breath and feeling the spreading bliss to every cell of your bodies. Quick began to slowly and gently stroke and caress your body, leaving a weightless touch on your skin. He gently brushed two knuckles of his finger against your soft cheek.

"Oliver," you whispered into the darkness.

"Yes, Y/N?" he said, playing with your hair.

"Tell me, you've liked me since Oxford, haven't you? At first, I didn't even realise it, but in recent days I've been thinking so much about our acquaintance and how you looked at me then… So I thought it might be true..."

Oliver chuckled softly.

"Yes, my clever Y/N, you're absolutely right. I lost my head about you nearly as soon as I saw you. Seems you can't hide the truth from you."

You smiled, snuggling closer to him, "It's so good that you also got to Saltburn this summer," you mused, "Maybe, it is some kind of fate."

Oliver smiled at your words, gently tucking a lock behind your ear.

"Yes, I guess, it is."

The mixture of satisfaction, happiness and alcohol acted on you like a magic potion, and soon you peacefully fell asleep on his shoulder. Oliver was very glad that it was your room and you didn't have to be disturbed in any way. Saltburn had his own eyes and ears, it was not worth creating unnecessary rumors now. He wasn't in a position here to be able to afford it, at least, not now.

He kissed you gently on the temple and carefully left your bed, dressing up in his tuxedo and returning to the living room.

The fun continued. The hunt was a success.

[aventurineswife]

Okay, so, apologies if you've already written something similar to this, but have you ever seen this short film "Jinxy Jenkins and Lucky Lou?" (If not, it's on YouTube) So anyway, I was thinking, what about Aventurine x S/O that is extremely unlucky and prone to accidents (kind of like Bennet from Genshin) but when they and Aventurine are around each other their energies sort of... Idk how to word this, but negate each other? Like the reader doesn't have bad luck when they are around Aventurine and maybe Aven isn't as lucky as he is when he isn't with them (I feel like he wouldn't mind this and find it interesting).

Between Luck and Chaos

Summary: Aventurine notices an unusual phenomenon: your bad luck seems to disappear whenever you're with him, while his usually impeccable luck evens out. Intrigued, he views this as an exciting balance of fate.

Tags: Aventurine x Reader, Established Relationship, Opposites Attract, Fluff with Light Angst, Unlucky!Reader, Playful Banter, Introspection.

Warnings: Minor mentions of bad luck accidents, Light introspection on Aventurine’s trauma and survivor’s guilt, Playful manipulation and teasing dynamics.

A/N: I never watched it but thanks for recommending! There was a c.ai with Aventurine and the same prompt lol

Aventurine leaned back in his plush chair, fingers twirling a gold ring around his index finger as his sharp eyes followed the movements of his companion. His usual smile was absent, replaced with a faint glimmer of intrigue as he watched you attempt to pour yourself a drink.

Normally, this was the moment when everything would go wrong. In your life, bad luck was a constant companion—whether it was spilling coffee on your favorite shirt or tripping over the simplest things, you always seemed to find yourself caught in the chaos of misfortune. But today, as you carefully lifted the glass, there was no spill. No accident. No catastrophe.

You caught his gaze and smiled, a little sheepish but mostly grateful. "Guess I’m on a streak of good luck today," you said, half-laughing at how unusual the situation was.

Aventurine raised an eyebrow. "You?" His voice was amused, almost teasing. "With your... track record?"

"Hey," you protested, "I'm telling you, I never manage to go a day without something going wrong."

But there you were—standing confidently, holding a drink in your hand without it toppling over, with no sign of impending doom in sight. Even the way you moved seemed smoother, your every step measured and sure, as if fate itself had decided to take a break.

"You must be mistaken." Aventurine chuckled softly, though his eyes were still calculating, that ever-present glint of strategy flickering in the depths. "I’ve seen the way you navigate the world. Yet here you are, seemingly untouched by misfortune. Are you sure you’re not... up to something?"

You turned the glass in your hands, eyeing it warily before taking a sip. "It’s weird, I know. It’s like whenever I’m with you, things just... stop happening. Like I’m in a bubble of good luck."

His lips curled into a slow smile, his magenta and cyan eyes twinkling with amusement. "Interesting," he mused, leaning forward. "Perhaps you’ve stumbled upon a hidden advantage. A balance, perhaps." His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "It could be... that our fates somehow negate each other."

You blinked, surprised by his conclusion. "Negate each other?"

Aventurine’s expression turned more contemplative, his hand now resting lightly on the armrest. "I’ve always thrived on risk, on the game of chance. But you..." He tilted his head slightly, a glint of curiosity behind his mask of confidence. "You seem to attract bad luck as naturally as I attract fortune. But when we’re together... perhaps our energies cancel out."

A silence fell between you as you mulled over his words. You had always been the person to attract the worst kinds of accidents, but with Aventurine, it was as though you were in some sort of bubble of safety. You had no idea how or why it worked, but it did.

"Do you... like it?" you asked, your voice tinged with both wonder and hesitation. "I mean, you thrive on luck, right? And if I’m around you, you don’t get the same kind of fortune you’re used to."

Aventurine’s smile widened, his usual playful arrogance tempered by something softer, something almost affectionate. "Why wouldn't I like it?" he said with a wink. "After all, the greatest thrill lies in finding the unexpected. Perhaps your unlucky streak is exactly what I need."

You raised an eyebrow, unsure whether to be flattered or suspicious. "Are you saying you need bad luck?"

"Not exactly," he replied smoothly, standing and walking toward you. His presence was magnetic, as always, his movements graceful but deliberate, like a predator toying with its prey. "But it’s... an interesting experiment, don’t you think? To see how far we can push this balance. To test fate itself."

You couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm, even though you were a bit nervous. "I think you're starting to enjoy this more than I am."

"Of course I am," Aventurine laughed, his voice light and teasing. "Because, my dear, life is a gamble—and I'm always up for a challenge."

His hand slid over yours, gently guiding your fingers with his own. For a brief moment, the world outside seemed to blur away, leaving only the warmth of his touch and the undeniable connection between you both. The sense of balance between misfortune and fortune, between his calculated risks and your chaotic energy, had created something unexpected: an equilibrium neither of you fully understood, but both cherished.

As you looked into his eyes, you realized something profound: no matter what the odds were, whether it was fate or chance, the gamble was always worth it—especially when it meant being with him.

[oh-katsuki]

a little zombie apocalypse katsuki!au drabble. my twd rewatch is giving me many thoughts...

cw: apocalypse au, reader is alone, mentions of death, implications of child death, grief mentions, reader is described as a "little thing" but that's more just the way katsuki talks, katsuki is a little gruff but he means well, guns, weapons, general apocalypse thoughts, mentions of zombies but we follow the "never call them a zombie" rule, katsuki and reader meeting for the first time, etc

the light of your fire is dim, embers burning low as you sit in a foldable chair beside it. you've got a metal spatula in your hand. you're not sure why you grabbed it when things went to shit, but panic does weird things to the mind. this, along with a few other oddities, are all you managed to take from your house when the world fell to ruin. everything else are things scavenged along the way or from people you'd met, joined, and lost.

the night is near silent and trees creak and crack like the hulls of great ships under heavy pressure, but the birds don't sing and nothing in the crowded wood you're taking shelter in makes a sound. well, except for you and the gentle crackle of your fire.

your head is on a swivel. it has been for months. ever since the outbreak, ever since the dead rose and began consuming and infecting the living, you've kept watch. a paranoid, never ending cycle that you suppose—if left on your own—will burn itself out. you swallow thick and return your attention to the fire, watching the tree line just in front of you for any hint of movement or monsters.

a branch cracks just behind you. a swift sound, followed by rapid footsteps. you stand, quickly turning your head, only to see a a figure a few feet away from you. they move quickly and the dancing light of the fire obscures their features from view. their eyes, most importantly. you can always tell if someone is dead or alive based on their eyes. in this light, should this stranger have that milky white film over them, you wouldn't be able to tell.

you make a small noise, something between a whimper and a shout, as the person comes to a stop in front of you and holds a gun directly between your eyes. the living. this person is alive. you're not sure at this point if encountering one of the dead would have been worse.

"drop your weapon," he says in a hurried voice. it's aggressive and threatening. it comes from deep in his chest.

you raise your shaky hands to your head quickly at the order, screwing your eyes shut as if looking in theirs would be a cause for attack.

"i-it's not a weapon!" you shout, voice cracking. "it's- it's a sp-spatula. it's a spatula."

the words are rushed and heavy, fear seizing your chest as you look down the barrel of the gun. the firelight glints off of it and you can make out the person behind the barrel's features. he's big, blonde under the grime, you think. a man. not the best thing to encounter alone at night in times like these.

you see him hesitate for a moment, eyes darting between you and the silver kitchen item in your hand. you drop it quickly.

"do you have a weapon on you?" he questions, voice a little less urgent.

you shake your head in response and then shakily look beside the chair. there's a knife there and a pistol with no bullets. you're a poor shot and you'd run out of ammo the previous week. he glances to it, the gun still raised at you, and sidesteps to grab them. when he does, he cautiously lowers the weapon. you start to lower your trembling hands.

then, as if struck by some realization, the man stomps towards the fire and you jump as he does.

"the fuck are you doing lighting a fire?" he says angrily. "those things may be dead, but they can still fuckin' see. that's a good way to get yourself killed."

he stomps out the fire as he talks, urgently stamping out what's left of the low-burning logs.

"i- i didn't think there were many in the area," you justify, furrowing your eyebrows as you step away from him.

"and that's a risk you want to take?" he says indignantly. you wonder briefly what business he has worrying about you.

"what do you want?" you snap, "my food? weapons? life? what is it?"

the man scoffs, "jesus, none of that."

you narrow your eyes and take a step back.

"not all people who camp out in the woods are good," he says. "but i sure as shit didn't expect to find some little thing like you alone lighting a damn fire. stupid."

"there were more," you say indignantly, like somehow that makes it better. "force of habit, i guess."

the man pauses for a moment as understanding passes between the two of you. it's a relatable feeling. everyone has lost someone now. you just happened to lose everyone.

"got a name?" he asks.

you hesitate in giving it to him before deciding what it could hurt. the man nods as if he likes the sound of it.

"i'm katsuki," he furrows his eyebrows. "you're alone?"

you nod, swallowing down the grief that pushes at your throat.

"wasn't always," you respond, "but yeah. now i am."

he nods his understanding.

"come with me."

"where?" you say instinctively, a defensive edge to your voice. katsuki looks at you like your stupid, or maybe it's pity, like you're a wounded animal. probably both.

"where the fuck do you think?" he retorts. "we've got a camp a little ways from here. i saw your fire from one of the watch posts we have stationed around the place."

you look at him like he's a little crazy for even thinking to bring you there.

he scoffs and rolls his head over his shoulder. "look, we've got men and women," then he pauses, "used to have children. we're not gonna hurt you. world's gone to shit, do you really wanna keep at it alone?"

he's probably right. you've been alone for weeks now, exhausted for longer, and though your common sense tells you not to go off with a strange man in this kind of world, the promise of community is far too tempting. you nod and glance back to your camp. a measly collection of supplies.

"we'll come back for it when it's light," he says. "i don't know about you, but i'd rather not spend longer in these dark ass woods than i have to."

"okay," you say. the presence of another person both sets you on edge and makes you feel the fatigue even more. a gun's barrel on your nose followed by the promise of safety and you're going with him? you must be stupider than a horror movie protagonist. "do you take in a lot of strays?"

katsuki looks over his shoulder and you think you see him smile a little at the phrase.

"if that's what you want to call it," he says begrudgingly. "me less than the rest." then, with a softer tone of voice, barely noticeable with the quiet whisper you both have been speaking at. "i'm sure the others won't mind one more."

[ourloveisforthelovely]

Running from the Daylight (oneshot)

Regulus Black AU

Request: @iluvthe-marauders HI LOVELYYY, HAVENT HAD TUMBLR IN AGESSSSS. Dont know if you remember but i was the one who asked for different harry potter characters and wanted to ask if you'd do a regulus oneshot. where y/n is a halfblood (Remus’ sister) and they run away together?

Pairings: Regulus Black x Reader

Rating: T

Song in Chapter: Running from the Daylight by Concrete Castles

____

Now it's do or die, runnin' from the daylight. Have we had enough? What have we become? Nowhere left to hide. Runnin' from the daylight…Runnin' from the daylight

You stood in the mid-morning sun at the farmer’s marker simply enjoying the spring day. Winter had been hard. It was too long and cold with too many losses for your side. Now the promise of a “fresh” spring brought you fresh hope that The Order would somehow have a lot more “wins.”

“Y/n, what do you think of this?”

Your thoughts were interrupted by Sirius’ happy giggling. Turning, you met your best friend’s gaze as he held up what looked like a stuffed cat in a dress. Raising an eyebrow, you shook your head with an annoyed chuckle. It didn’t matter what was going on in the world…Sirius knew how to make you laugh.

“I’ll miss him.”

The thought hit you like a hex to the stomach. You forced a smile so Sirius wouldn’t suspect anything was up. You took a deep breath Sirius occupied himself with bothering Remus. Staring at your older your heart ached a little more.

He will be fine. Sirius will look after him.

It was only a few short hours before your life changed forever. You had made plans to run away with Regulus. The two of you would run away from everything and start a new life. A new life together…just the two of you in some quaint little country cottage where all of the horrors of “the real world” would forever evaporate. It would be just Regulus and yourself, living the life of a happy couple.

Regulus

Your heart smiled thinking about your “secret” boyfriend. For two years, you had been dating Regulus in private. Secret dating was what it had to be. You were a half-blood and that would never be good enough for the Blacks. Walburga would have a massive fit if she found out that her baby boy was dating a half-blood. Never, in any universe, would you be good enough for Regulus (in his parent's eyes.). If they knew about Remus’ “furry little problem” the “you’re not good enough” view would only be magnified.

If they only knew that I saved him. I am the one who put the light back behind his eyes.

You thought with a smile. If it hadn’t been for you Regulus would have put a fork in a toaster. He told you this himself one night after making love. That conversation itself was one that made you want to get Regulus away even more. You wanted to make sure that another cold frown would never pass over his gorgeous face again.

We will be a cute little married couple. We can get a cat and do all of the mundane things that we never thought would happen.

You smiled at the thought. For the first time in your life, you weren’t craving action or adventure. Instead, you were craving the normally boring slow life that your parents had.

When you had brought up the idea of running away, Regulus had been all for it. He was ready to walk away from the Death Eaters and Lord Voledmort. Regulus no longer cared about his family’s name. Being a member of the House of Black no longer had the “ring” to it that it once did. Regulus was, instead, ready to have that normal boring life where the two of you were just people….just people. It wouldn't matter that he was a pure-blood or you were a half-blood. Instead, Regulus would be the husband who would bring in the newspaper in the mornings while you made coffee.

“I wonder what they are doing at the lowly farmer’s market?”

Remus’ voice pulled you from your thoughts. Looking up, you froze seeing Regulus and Walburga across the next aisle.

“Mum probably got word that she can find weird shit to feel her house with. I should take her that cat.”

Sirius added as your eyes met Regulus’. He gave you a slight smile as your hand reached up to touch the emerald necklace that he had given you.

“Forget the cat, Sirius. The woman is bad news.”

Remus added, nervously. He didn’t have any love lost for Walburga. In fact, Remus was banking on the old bitch dying sooner rather than later. After Walburga nearly killed Sirius, Remus had no use for her. Remus was ready to kick in the door to Grimmauld Place and off the lot of the monsters within.

“Reggie is looking good though.”

Sirius commented sadly. The tone in Siruis’ voice told you everything that you already knew. Sirius missed Regulus.

“He will be fine. He’s a smart boy. I’m sure that he will see the things that you saw eventually.”

You commented, hoping to bring Sirius some comfort. You were the one that Sirius told his worries about Regulus too.

“I’m afraid he will end up like the lot of them. I don’t want to see the boy that I know become a monster.”

Those words replayed in your head over and over as you looked at Regulus again. You wished nothing more than to be able to tell Sirius that you were going to save Regulus. It would be you that took him away and Sirius would have nothing to worry about. Maybe in time, you could invite Sirius and Remus to your new home. You could show them that they had nothing to worry about.

“Yes, he does. Sirius, it will be fine. Regulus is a smart boy.”

Sirius sighed and wrapped an arm around your waist.

“Yes, he is. One can only hope that he will see reason. Come on, let's get back to the house and fix that soup.”

The rest of the afternoon and evening passed slowly. At 10 pm you were due to meet Regulus at the train station. The two of you would take the last night train to your predetermined destination. All that you had to do was wait for Sirius and Remus to act like the little old couple and go to bed.

Around 7 pm, Sirius stretched and stood up. He gave you a smile before looking at his lover.

“There is a new movie playing down at the muggle Cinema. How about we go catch a movie? James and Lily are up for it?”

Remus nodded in agreement. He was all up for an evening out. Most nights were busy with order stuff. The thought of “getting out of the house” acting as if things were normal sounded absolutely amazing.

“Great idea. Y/n, are you coming?”

You shook your head.

“As much as I would love to, I have a bit of a headache and want to call it an early night. Tell James and Lily that I love them.”

Remus slowly got up to find his abandoned jumper. Your comment didn’t raise any red flags for him.

“We will. Would you like us to bring you anything home?”

You shook your head before standing up.

“No, I’m fine. Thank you though.”

You went to Remus and wrapped your arms around him. The realization that this would be the last hug that you gave your brother for some time hit hard. Remus seemed a little surprised at first but hugged you back.

“That’s a nice hug. I’m only going to the movies.”

He commented as you went to Sirius and did the same thing. Sirius, meanwhile, hugged you back just as dramatically.

“I know but I made a goal to never let either of you leave without hugging you. Both of you know how crazy the times are and what if something happens and I don’t hug you before you go?”

Remus gave you that comforting older brother expression as Sirius hugged you again.

“Y/n, everything will be okay. I know it doesn’t feel that way now but in time everything will be fine.”

You nodded as Sirius sauntered off to pull on his leather jacket.

“Remus is right, love. It won’t be long until we grill old lord Voldy’s head or shove it on a stick. We will look back on all of this and laugh.”

Sirius and Remus had been gone for half an hour when there was a quiet knock on the door. You stood up and opened it, relieved to see Regulus on the other side.

“Love.”

You said softly before wrapping your arms around his shoulders. Regulus carefully walked the two of you into the house..

“Are dumb and dumber gone?”

You nodded.

“They went to a movie. What are you doing here early? Not that I’m not super happy to see you…I have been thinking about you since this morning.”

Regulus gently shoved you against the door before pressing himself against you. You sighed happily as he tilted your head to the side and began peppering your neck with kisses.

“Have you now? What a coincidence because I have been thinking about you nonstop. Your pretty face is always on my mind. I couldn’t wait to get my arms around you. Seeing you at that market and not being able to get to you…”

You placed a hand on his mouth.

“If your bitchy mother wasn’t there and I wouldn’t have to mop the floor with her face I would have snogged you right there on the spot.”

Regulus chuckled. He had grown used to your “I’m going to snog you in any place that I want” comments.

“She would have died with a heart attack…not that I would be complaining.”

Regulus murmured before glancing over his shoulder. Even though you said that Remus and Sirius were gone, Regulus still felt the need to check. The last thing that he wanted was for either man to catch the two of you snogging by the door. If they walked in and heard everything, it would ruin the plan of running away.

Regulus had worked too hard to have his plan ruined now. Over the past few weeks, he had been securing the two of you a safe life in a little Swiss village far away from the wizarding world both of you knew. Regulus had been in contact with his uncle Alphard Black and discussed an escape plan.

Alphard offered his summer home in Switzerland as a home for the two of you while Regulus (little by little) emptied his Gringotts bank. Regulus wanted to make damn sure that the two of you would never want for anything. Would both of you be gone from England forever? Regulus didn’t know. For now, however, Regulus had to plan as if returning home would never happen.

“Are you ready to go?”

Regulus asked, pulling himself from his thoughts. You nodded and picked up a small bag. Regulus raised an eyebrow.

“One bag?”

You shook your head.

“No, I used an extension charm. I have everything that we could need in here.”

Regulus smirked.

“Why am I not surprised? Are you still wanting to go? I know how close you are to your brother and my brother…”

You pressed your lips to Regulus’ again.

“Of course, I want to go. I left Remus and Sirius a letter. I’m sure they will be upset but in time, they will understand. I want nothing more than to share a life with the man that I love.”

A small smile played at Regulus’ lips as he reached for your coat.

“You always know what to say. Now let's get out of here before we start fucking on the couch.”

You slipped on your coat and picked up the small bag. Looking around the house, you took a moment to be thankful for your friends and family. You had never been much of the praying type but for once you prayed that sooner or later fate would bring all of you back together. Maybe in time, your friends would understand why you were taking this action and would forgive you.

It's the things that we do for love…

_____

@geeksareunique @jessyballet @knreidy1 @fific7 @dumbbunnys-safes @siriuslyceleste @ad-astra-again @justfinishthis @mimisparkle12 @teletubiswszpilkach @spideyxalmighty @lucasfilms77 @rubyroscoe1 @readtomeregulus @regulusblackswhorecrux @i-love-scott-mccall @taylor-will-be-the-death-of-me @s-we-e-t-t-ea @woohoney @abaker74 @regulus-black-223048 @saramaple @missgorldafirst @millies0bsimp @stelleduarte @dumybitch @gugggu6gvai @jag9000 @bennyberry @f4iryluvy @panpride @haroldpotterson @mentally-unstable-hoe @goldensunshineshit @padf00ts-l0ver @marichromatic @ravenhood2792 @playmore-zeppelin @authoressskr @emiwrites3reads @rogue-nyx88 @coffeeaddictednymph @knight-of-gleefulness @shaylybaby2032 @livshifts @ell0ra-br3kk3r

[emojellyace08]

Found you're writing really good 😈😈 and now you're my next target 😂😂 How do you think gun would react finding someone 100x times beautiful from crystal with great body anddddddd 👀👀👀 is strong like ui daniel but is not quite rich and lives a normal life working at a part time cafe ??? 😮😮😮 lordddd 🤌🤌 the reaction would be priceless, please do it 🥲

Gun Park (Park Jonggun x Female Reader!) short story

A/N: Hello fellow human! Sorry if I ever replied back REALLY LATE. I'll still make Lookism x reader content, but I'm really busy rn so sorry if this felt rushed (and I have a periodical exams to take in Wedensday oof). Genre: fluff? Warnings: mild cursing and mentions of mafia activities (unedited)

Gun isn't exactly the type to easily fall in love, even impressing him alone without trying hard is challenging by itself as many successors, enemies, and other people tried to show their all to the Shiro Oni. But every blood, sweat, and tears were wasted just trying to lay a finger by the unstoppable man, if they would even call him one.

And it is also just a normal day for everyone, people in the city are either spending their money off by their personal plans or continue on with their daily lives. Other women were having their shopping galore either with their friends or alone with quite noticeable make-up plastered on their face yet making their face sparkle up with the cosmetics. Ulzzangs posting their new selfies getting tons, if not millions of likes and social media users having a debate who's prettier or more attractive. Students were stressing out with their school activities or gossip drama with the adults wanting to slack off and get a chug of beer after a long day of their shifts or just take a long nap like a lazy cat with their eyebags being dark and hollow like a panda.

And to most people, you're just an ordinary woman living her life in the crowded city of Seoul. You wouldn't exactly call it the best life ever, but you were somehow thankful to make it this far after long days of shifts and even sometimes working on Holidays even if you want to have a sip of your own coffee at your own place. You're already a functional and working adult yet you sometimes miss your home despite you and your family having your own personal problems. Yet you continue to strive not only for them but mostly for yourself. If it weren't for some men forcing you to have a chat with you by offering their numbers quite rudely, you might even have better days without them putting you into situations you don't even want to experience just because you were considered beautiful.

It was already five in the afternoon, yet you're still there at the cafe doing your duties as a barista and a waitress. The place will be quite silent, almost weird with the sound of silence if it weren't for the chatty customers with some chilling with their drink and pastries of choice. College students doing their research in groups, office-workers updating their marketing plans, and angsty teenagers listening to their melancholic music with their Airpods on. With the stress that you are feeling right now, you felt the need to listen to your own playlist while you watched the sun sank in the sky with a splash of pink, yellow, and blue creating a splash of colors that felt nostalgic yet different at the same time.

Hours passed with people coming in and out, the sky already turning night time with white stars sparkling at night. The yellow lights of the place illuminating at the dark to not only make the place more atmospheric, but to also make the customers feel comfortable with the chill yet warm vibe.

"Miss Y/N, are you already getting the order done for customer five?" your manager with a dark perfect bun for her hairstyle with pale foundation, reddish blush and lip tint, and sunken eye bags (reminding you of a porcelain doll) asked with a raised eyebrows and strict tone as you responded with a hum for agreement while you're mixing and preparing the drink condiments. "Yes Sajangnim (boss) I'm already done with the coffee macchiato and I already have the egg sandwich." you replied while hurrying to prepare the Americano. "Good, more tickets are coming you better hurry up." she replied while she scolds your co-worker that you are deeply annoyed at when she's slumping on the side clicking on her phone instead of helping you out. "She's probably texting someone to date huh?" a voice on your side whispered while you yelped in surprise. "Fucking, geez stop spawning randomly on the side like that." you hissed as he chuckles silently trying to minimize his voice while you also tried not to laugh hysterically. "Okay fine. You're working too much. I'll do the coffee latte and get the mango graham and the croissant." he suggested while your eyes widened in confusion and a bit of surprise. "You sure Jace?" you asked the young man with big ears as he raises a thumbs up "It's fine Eonni (older sister ; metaphorically). Now you go." "You just want your fees to go higher." you teased as he manners to go shooing you away. "I need it since I got to repair Vasco's phone." "Whatever, just do the job right and smooth." you smiled while he finger guns with a tongue-click sound.

You took the orders in your hand and approached the table before you quickly noticed the two familiar guys. You sighed before going closer to the very annoying customers just then the blonde with dark shades greeted you with a dramatic enthusiasm.

"Yo Y/N! It's nice to see you where have you been?!" Goo stood up while waving his hand making the other customers look in confusion. You not wanting to create a scene, you placed the tray in the table and planned to go away. But a hand held your own in a soft but not rather affectionate touch before you swat it away.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" you asked while you felt your blood boiling in frustration. "But we're here to-" "Shut the fuck up Walmart Ken." you scolded Goo while he created a insulting gasp while the ebony-haired man smirked in amusement. "We're here for Charles orders. We're going to take you back in the place where you truly belong for unfinished business." he commented in a calm yet teasing manner making you even more agitated. "This is my business, Gun." If it weren't for the other customers if they ever got frightened and with your manager firing you, you might created a miserable scene that you don't want to happen in the first place. But these people haunts down your biggest fears like a black hole swallowing your entire existence.

"And how did you even find me here? And don't you see the no smoking sign?" you rolled your eyes making Goo and Gun grin more while Gun huffs his smoke, "We have our own ways." "And c'mon Y/N, we know you miss doing tough missions with us!" Goo again interfered while you stood their in cold feet not knowing what to do with this situation. "And besides Charles is offering you a billion won with making the four major crews stronger for him to pay you, even make it thrice the price if you did the job well." Gun offered while taking a sip of his coffee and the other man looking at the menu sheet to order more of the sweets. "Well don't you contact me when either the Workers tried to interfere or your goons stabbing all of your backs." you replied with a sass while Gun just replies. "If that ever happens, I'm not going to hesitate to beat their-" "Yo Y/N, can I get a latte with a chocolate doughnut?" the childish guy ordered interrupting Gun's long speech. Though his eye accessory hides his orbs, you can imagine (almost see) Goo flickering his eyelashes like a puppy begging to play with it's owner. "Whatever, I'm leaving." you rolled your eyes in frustration before going to the employee room and aggressively slamming the door. "Wait what? Y/N We still have lots to talk about and my order-" Goo was about to chase you before Gun kicked him in the legs under the table, successfully earning a hiss of pain from the other guy. "Let her be, she'll change her mind." Gun interrupted while Goo raised his eyebrows. "Hah?! For fuck's sake we're just going to let her run away? Again? You'll be in fault if Charles scolded our scrawny asses again." Goo ranted as the people in the cafe started to weirdly glare at them for being to noisy. "I know where she's going, besides she would get scolded, even probably fired since she left during her shift. So just stay calm." Gun replied while stealing the sweet and umami food that Goo just offered that's been sitting for a minute now. "Hey! that's my sandwich!" "Just buy another one you got twenty thousand won on your wallet." Gun replied while he wipes off the extra mayo on his mouth with a tissue. "Says the one who's chomping off my toast right now, idiot." "Stop making Gordon Ramsey references or I'll kill you."

"Y/N where the hell have you been! Don't you see that there's lots of tickets flooding in here?! Oi you brat answer me!" your manager who's been flickering your guts scolded you while your co-worker from earlier smirks at your downfall, you not only fixing your bag in your locker but also trying to make yourself composed as you don't want to lash out your anger to the people who have done nothing wrong to you (they do, a lot but you just don't complain about it). "If you won't answer my question-" "Shut up." you murmured interrupting her speech in a lifeless manner. "I'll leave. You can fire my ass." "Hey Y/N what is going on in here?" Jace asked before you again slammed the exit door, leaving the poor guy confused and lots of responsibility in his hands...

You ran, as fast as you could. You kept running and running. You ran past the tall buildings filled with city lights creating a beautiful atmosphere, yet the familiar feeling of sorrow began to linger on your mind and heart reminding you of the memories of the past that you tried to bury deep down to start a completely fresh start of the first chapter of your life. But it looks like even books can have it's pages ripped and burned.

After a long mile, you stopped your movement as you breathe deeply trying to catch air like you're being suffocated by your feeling of dread. You didn't want to go in this place, but it is the only place that you called home.

This is the place where you met them, where you grew up, and where you were turned into a monster.

It is an old and abandoned park, the fake wood texture of the metal benches started to rust with the colorful paint with vulgar words and drawings adding to the stain. Trash were everywhere, even a scary place like this looks like it's been a hang out for runaway teenagers or addicts. The trees and plants look completely dry and lifeless since it's not been watered and just not being cared of, making the crunchy leaves fall down into the ground. Newspaper with the dirty and used ashtrays and used beverage bottles were also scattered in the area. It is a complete mess like what you are right now, but the smell of toxins and beer makes your mind hazy and in peace as you try to think of the good memories that you have in here (if you ever had one).

You thought that you can finally have your moment of peace and solitude. But it looks like you have to deal with these fuckers you kept whistling and cooing at your existence. Looks like they're drunk men who's been wasting their life, completely indulged in alcohol and other things that are addicting even though they mostly look formal, decent, and clean. The police were doing a bad job for shooing away people who don't have a home but doesn't arrest people like this. People who were supposed to act normal and responsible now that they have everything, not chugging on alcohol.

"Who is this chick over here?" a skinny man with a white polo asked as his friend's arms snaked into your shoulder, making you uncomfortable. "What are you doing here alone? Is your boyfriend supposed to take-" "Shut the fuck up and leave me alone retards." you swatted his hand away and getting distance from them, but this doesn't alarm the men keeping their annoying behavior in touch. They started making laughs and mocking faces making your blood boil. "Feisty huh? Don't worry, We will take care of yo-"

Everything went fast as you slammed him into the ground. His friends were caught off guard but the other goon decided to take you down. "You bitch!-"

It looks like a bad idea huh? Since you were so fast, you managed to capture and block his punch. You put pressure on his hand as you then twisted it making it dislocate and elbowing him on his armpit impacting pain on his shoulder and upper limb. He is now crying on the ground, coughing and crying like a little toddler who scratched his elbow as the other men decided to attack you besides the leader of the group who cowers in fear. Kicks, punches, and attacks are made by you causing them to get knocked out by your bare strength. You clicked your tongue in dismay when a familiar figure approached the scene. "I knew that you would be here." he muttered while you huffed in pure disgust as Gun smirked at the damage you have inflicted. "If you asked again for me to be a slave of your shitty management I'm not going with you." cutting him off with a unsatisfied tone, you started walking away from the place but then he tapped your shoulder. But you're not in the mood to interact with anybody. You didn't even thought twice that you punched him in the face yet he didn't even budged. A flow of blood starting to drool down on his chin. The masochistic Shiro Oni starting to get excited about your sudden aggression as he let himself get hit in the first place. "Will you stop following me around like a dog?! GET LOST YOU MOTHERFUCKER!"

"Punching me on the face would not end great for you, but this is why I like you Y/N. Now show me what you got can you?~" his demonic grin appearing on his scarred face.

[savannahsdeath]

call me silly but i cant stop thinking about hogwart au ellabs uhhh istg . i cant . also im pretty sure im the first one to make a hogwart au so please give ib if you want to make your own fic🤭 if im not the first one then sorry and please lmk who is !!

summary: you're roommates with your best friend and girlfriend, which don't seem to get along well.

﹒⪩⪨﹒

you and abby often wondered what's ellie doing in gryffindor, as the setting hat had doubts itself, wanting her to go to the slytherin for a split second.

"i mean, i'm happy she's with us." you quickly explained, realizing she might hear you through the bathroom door.

abby frowned, not looking away from her book. "oh, you are? and why, exactly?"

you laughed, leaning in to see what is she reading about, but she slammed the book shut with a loud bam! right in front your nose. "well, first of all, she's my girlfriend. self explanatory—"

"but... why?" she cut you off and sat up. "what do you see in her?" oh, you knew that one. it wasn't the first 'you deserve better' talk you had with abby. "wouldn't you rather to be with someone smarter, stronger and, i don't know, just... not a total loser?"

for a moment you sat there, so close to her your shoulders were touching, with your mouth parted and lips going dry. a moment passed as the door opened and ellie came out, sloppily wiping ruffling her wet hair with the towel. her gaze wandered between the two of you and she raised her eyebrow, but her obliviousness made her shrug the weird feeling off. "how much time do we have?" she asked, ignoring abby's presence, who just went back to reading her book.

"less than an hour." you annouced, getting up and taking the towel out of her hand, replacing it with a little bottle you picked up from your bedside shelf. "drink up."

"the fuck is that?" she twirled the unappetizing green liquid around the glass, noticing it's weirdly dense texture.

abby chuckled, winking at you as if to laugh at your low standards. "just listen to your girlfriend."

you smiled at the blonde girl before looking back at ellie. "it's going to rain, i don't want you getting sick."

"yeah, we don't want to hear you whining like a baby just because you catched a little cold." abby added, smirking as you gave her the stare. her comment passed by ellie's ears, not getting any reaction out of her.

she downed the potion in a few sips, wincing and letting you take the glass bottle out of her hands. she took a deep breath, trying to get rid of the taste. "i'd rather be sick." you giggled and rised on your tiptoes to reach her forehead, placing a loving kiss on it. she smiled for a second, before her face flashed with a grimace again. "wait— it's going to what?"

"it's going to rainnn" abby cooed, mercilessly but melodiously drawing out the vowels. you frowned, seeming to be the only one who doesn't see a reason to panic. yet, ellie was now pacing around the room, stopping to look outside the window. the clouds above the horizon were, in fact, dark blue, what predicted a downpour.

you came up to her, wrapping your hands around her tensed waist. "are you scared of some water?" you teasingly asked, nuzzling your head in the crook of her neck.

"that's not the point." she turned around, taking your hand and parting her lips. you just knew you'll probably spend the next minutes listening to the rules of quidditch, hopefully not enough to be late. "you see, when it rains, it's usually quite... foggy. pretty hard to see anything, yeah?"

"yeah, but..." you walked towards the bed, ellie following closely after. "slytherins won't see anything too, so it's fair, isn't it?"

she quickly shook her head and pursed her lips in a tight line, as if disappointed you don't get it. "someone gifted them special lenses. someone— i mean, anonymously, but everyone knows who it is. their captain's father." she stood in front of you as you sat down, fiercely gesticulating. "fucking bastards. they think money can solve everything... well, it kinda does but—"

"can you shut the f..." abby chimed in, deciding against cussing in the last moment. "...up. jesus, i'm just trying to study." she rolled her eyes as the attention was now on her.

"what are you even studying?" ellie walked closer to her, trying to see the book's cover through the blonde girl's pulled up knees, which she used to lean the volume on.

abby was quick to get defensive, closing the item as soon as she made sure the tab is on a right page. "none of your business."

"it doesn't look like one of our student's books at all..." ellie teased, tauntingly smiling as she got closer.

you sighed, taking a deep breath before speaking. "come on, els, we gotta go - get you ready and everything." you stood up and started rummaging through the drawers to think what should you take with you. ellie nodded and left your dorm, promising she'll wait for you before entering the quidditch's pitch.

"you really should go, it can be fun." you friendly nudged abby's shoulder, trying to keep your eyes away from the pages of her book, which seemed to attract your gaze and curiosity.

she looked up at you, visibly annoyed that she has to repeat it for the hundredth time. "that's not my thing."

that's not my thing.

yet, about fifteen minutes after the match started, you felt her warm presence next to you. she didn't say a word, probably too embarrased to admit she somehow got convinced to get her priorities wrong.

yet, you could hear her breath hitch when she saw your rivals score another point. no matter how hard the rain would hit her, soaking through her clothes, she'd calmly stand her ground and squint her eyes to see how bad the situation is.

yet, you eventually noticed she was holding her wand the whole time. and you noticed how her grip tightened as she mumbled a few words under her breath, inaudible because of the cheers. you couldn't believe it, but after a few minutes the clouds turned purely white and bright sun rays made people take off their coats. the same abby anderson, who always had to be the best student, not letting herself be distracted from studying just broke one of the school rules.

"you know you're going to have problems if anyone finds out?" you innocently looked up at her, gratefully smilling.

"then don't snitch on me." she shrugged, admiring the weather, which was her own creation.

yet, she made gryffindor win.

✧˖°

let me know if you want to see more!

[jupiterpp]

CHAPTER ONE: THE NEW FIFTH YEAR | 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐄𝐝𝐠𝐞. -𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

important note; This is the first time I'm posting my stories on Tumblr. My mother tongue is not English so expect grammatical errors ahead.

word count: 1.2k words

MASTERLIST | CHAPTERS

"Merlin, [name], can you stop that?" Professor Slughorn let out a sigh. You had a mischievous look on your face when you saw him. The books were floating in the air because of your doing.

"Stop what, Professor?" 

"Honestly, do you have to rearrange my entire library every time you get bored? Some of us happen to enjoy a bit of organization," he said, raising an eyebrow.

You tried to stifle a laugh. "I was just trying to help, Professor."

"If this is your idea of help, I'd hate to see what your idea of chaos looks like. Although," he added with a twinkle in his eye, "I must admit, you have a certain flair for it."

You huffed and leaned back in your chair as the books began to return to their places. "Sorry, Professor. I'll try to keep my flair under control." you rolled your eyes, a playful smile plastered on your lips.

"Much appreciated," Slughorn said, settling into his chair with a satisfied sigh. "Now, you better prepare yourself for this coming semester," he continued, steepling his fingers and peering at you over them. "It will be your first time at Hogwarts. And you're starting your fifth year."

"Oh yeah," You said before glancing at him. "What house do you think I'll be in, professor?" 

Slughorn chuckled softly, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Ah, now that's the question, isn't it? Well, my dear, considering your remarkable talents and keen intellect, I wouldn't be surprised if you found yourself sorted into Ravenclaw."

Horace Slughorn had been your mentor and caretaker for four years now, ever since Dumbledore suggested he take you under his wing. His guidance and wisdom have been invaluable, shaping you into the person you are today.

Of course, hearing a child that could do wandless magic and time-travel into the future but can't turn back into the past is clearly music in Slughorn's ears.

"How about Slytherin?" You wiggled your eyebrows causing him to laugh shake his head and point at you.

"Even better," Slughorn said. Slughorn was the head of Slytherin house 

You haven't seen your parents for a year now. You come back to London every summer to visit them but you didn't this year because you need to focus more on your study. You sent them letters though.

Gosh, you miss your friends in London.

And then there's Riddle.

Oh, Tom Riddle. The thought of him hits you hard. You left without saying goodbye, and the guilt gnaws at you. You tried visiting the orphanage once, but he was nowhere to be found. Mrs. Cole mentioned he got accepted into some school and had to stay there.

Does he wonder why you disappeared? The memories of the times you spent together flood your mind. ou recalls his intense eyes, his lack of empathy, and his cold shoulders to everyone. And, of course, how he was such a weird kid. 

His piercing gaze seemed to look right through you, but there was always something unsettling about it. He never showed much emotion, and his interactions with others were often distant and detached.

But the way he could speak Parseltongue really bothered you. You read about it in a book about the founders of Hogwarts. It was a rare ability, associated with Salazar Slytherin himself. The idea that Tom could talk to snakes made your skin crawl.

'✦ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ೃ⁀➷-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-˚. ೃ⁀➷'✦ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

"It's quite difficult to catch him bullying other children," Mrs. Cole said as she put the laundry basket beside the laundry machine. "I'm sure your mother told you there have been incidents here?"

"Yeah," you replied, hopping onto the table and watching her. "Is he involved?"

"I believe so, indeed," she sighed. "Like with Billy's rabbit. Tom insisted he didn't do it, and I can't fathom how he could have, yet the rabbit certainly didn't hang itself from the rafters, did it?"

You stayed quiet, thinking about what she said. Riddle was a mysterious kid, always keeping to himself and giving everyone the cold shoulder. But he'd never been outright mean to you. You couldn't help but wonder.

"You're fourteen now, [name]," Mrs. Cole said. "You know what's right and wrong."

"Why so sudden?" you asked with a nervous laugh, uncertain of her direction. Your fingers fiddled with the hem of your shirt.

"Well, dear," she said, softening her tone but maintaining her serious expression, "you've known Tom for some time. If he's doing things that harm others, you must consider whether it's safe to remain friends with him." She paused, her eyes searching yours for understanding. "Though I must say, I'm really glad he made a friend." She added, a hint of a smile softening her features."

A wave of discomfort washed over you as her words sank in, and you furrowed your brows. "Is that what the staff here think of him?" you asked, your voice tinged with disbelief. "No wonder Riddle doesn't like any of the staff, except for my mother." You crossed your arms defensively.

'✦ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ೃ⁀➷-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-˚. ೃ⁀➷'✦ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹

FIRST PERSON POV

The bustling commotion of King's Cross station was in full swing today, as children exclaimed heartfelt farewells to their parents before boarding the train.

"[name]," Professor Slughorn's voice rang out, catching my attention. I returned his nod, signaling my understanding as he motioned for me to join him on the train. "What has got your wand in a knot? The train leaves in a matter of minutes!"

"I'm sorry, Professor," I replied, a nervous laugh escaping my lips as we settled inside the compartment. He looked at the hallway for a second before closing the sliding door completely.

"now then, I want to say something before we arrive at Hogwarts." He said before taking a seat across from you. "It's crucial to remember, that your abilities are not a toy to be flaunted," Professor Slughorn continued, his voice dropping to a low, hushed tone.

"Don't worry, Professor," I said with a smirk, my eyes gleaming with a mischievous glint. "I'll make sure to keep my powers under wraps. After all, I wouldn't want to outshine Merlin himself." A playful chuckle escaped my lips as I settled back into the seat.

"Jesus Christ." He shook his head with a low chuckle."Well, my dear, you may not have a charm-your-way-out-of-trouble spell, but you certainly seem to possess a rare gift for humor and wit," Professor Slughorn complimented, leaning back in his seat.

As the Hogwarts Express sped along its path, my gaze was drawn to the breathtaking landscape outside the window. The lush green hills seemed to roll on endlessly, each undulation illuminated by the warm rays of the sun.

"Oh right, I forgot to ask," I began before I glanced at Slughorn. "You mentioned that you've been mentoring someone at Hogwarts. When will I meet her?"

"Him," He corrects with a chuckle escaping his lips. Merlin, this guy really is a big chuckler. "You'll meet him soon enough. Don't worry. He's in the same year as you. He's quite a talented student, and I'm sure you'll have the opportunity to cross paths before long."

"Okay," I shrugged nonchalantly. He talks about the guy very often when he's mentoring me and trust me, it's annoying. Like come on, you're mentoring me and your mentor keeps talking about his other student? who wouldn't be annoyed by that?

I sat there, growing increasingly frustrated as Professor Slughorn's words buzzed around me like a swarm of persistent nifflers. "Brilliant young wizard," "exceptional student," blah blah blah.

But one thing that I've noticed is that he never told me his name. 

[nekohime19]

Mini Mac #7 : When you're emotionally allergic brother have a crush

Let's go for some brotherhood shenanigans! I like writing in Azure pov, it's fun to see them struggling to understand SWK!

“Brothers, what would you do if you wanted to court someone?”

Azure spat his wine and coughed, strangled by his own drink. He saw, from the corner of his eyes, the rest of the brotherhood have similar reactions. Bull King was leaning on the table, folded on himself, his coughs shaking the table itself. Peng threw his glass at the Monkey King, persuaded he was some sort of evil spirit stealing his skin (of course Sun Wukong evaded it easily). Yellow-Tusk dropped his glass on his lap, mouth hanging in shock.

“You're alright, brother?” Asked Azure once he regained a semblance of calm.

“Yeah, why are you asking?” Chuckled the great sage as he stuffed his face with fruits, mainly peaches.

“Because you just asked for advice on courting!?” Answered Peng, indignation strong in his tone.

“What's weird about that?” Questioned the sage with a raised eyebrow.

“Everything!” Shouted the demonic bird.

“Brother, you're interested in someone?” Asked Yellow-Tusk, and this was what they were all curious about. Sun Wukong, the most emotional allergic monkey in the world, the one obsessed with peaches and warfare, the one who never bothered with common demonic traditions before, was interested in someone? It sounded unreal, Azure couldn't even fathom how his brother would be when in love. In all honesty, he thought his brother was the kind who couldn't feel this sort of thing, the kind to not have any sexual or romantic desire in their life.

“Why are you all so shocked? I talk about him all the time! Maybe your old ages are catching up with you, brothers.” Azure ignored the comment about his age (and how it was quite hypocritical of the centuries-old monkey to make jokes about one age) and focused on what was truly important : Sun Wukong had talked about the person he was interested in and said person was a him.

“You did mention someone while drunk, is this it ?” Asked Yellow-Tusk with furrowed eyes. Now that he thought of it, Azure remembered his brother gushing about someone in his drunken hours, but he never took it seriously. Sun Wukong was the type to gush about anything, really. He gushed about a particular shiny rock last week.

“Yeah! Maybe, I don't really remember. But I'm sure I talked about him!” Laughed the great sage with a beaming smile.

“And so you wish to court this person? How long did you two even know each other?” Asked Bull King while serving himself another glass of wine.

“A few months.” Nonchalantly answered Sun Wukong.

“Isn't it soon for initiating courtship then?” Questioned the lion with an indulgent smile, he knew his brother wasn't used to the ways of courtship, so he probably didn't know demons waited for at least a year of acquaintance before initiating any romantic advances. “Are you even sure of your feelings?” In all honesty, if his brother was really serious about this affair, Azure would gladly encourage him. But courtship was no light matter, and the lion wouldn't want his brother to embarrass himself or this mystery person to be hurt if the sage's feelings changed in the middle of the courtship. The brotherhood knew their littlest brother well-enough by now, his interest was usually a fickle thing, never staying in one place, always wandering.

Sun Wukong put down the peaches he was eating, something he rarely did, and narrowed his eyes in thought.

“What do you mean by that?” Asked the golden-furred monkey as he tilted his head.

“What Azure Lion means is that courtship is no laughing matter, brother.” Explained the Bull King. “We never saw you being interested in anyone before, so it is surprising news. You have to make sure you are indeed in love before initiating any sort of courtship.”

“Well then how do I make sure I'm in love?” Questioned the great sage, Azure winced at this question. Love was a rather difficult topic for war-driven beasts like them, he threw a glance at Yellow-Tusk (the most emotionally sensitive of them) and hoped he would have some kind of answer to offer.

“Love can be different depending on the person, it comes in all kinds of forms. You have to question yourself. Do you feel excited around him? Do you wish to see him often? What kind of thoughts do you have about him? Are you attracted to him? You have to sort out your feelings.” Answered Yellow-Tusk, as always the wisest among them.

“Just ask yourself if you like him like any shiny pebbles you always brag about or if you want to fuck him.” Added Peng while he took a new glass of wine.

“Does it really have to be sexual?” Sighed the sage with narrowed eyes, unbothered by the bird's rather crude words.

“Like I said, love can come in many different forms, it doesn't have to be sexual, but it is good to ask yourself if it is.” Replied the elephant.

“Okay, I get it. I mean I don't even know if we could have any intercourse, it wouldn't even fit.” Chuckled the great sage, Azure Lion raised an eyebrow at that, he knew his brother was shameless but this was rather crude compared to his usual humor.

“What, you think you're too big or something?” Snorted Peng, obviously mocking the golden-furred monkey for his outrageous confidence.

“Obviously I am.” Huffed Sun Wukong with the utmost seriousness, Peng choked on his glass and barked a laugh. “Do you even see me, Peng? I'm obviously too big for this.”

“I would prefer if we do not see how big you are, brother.” Winced Azure, not wanting this fest to turn into some dick-measuring contest. “How about you just make sure you're in love?”

“Yeah, I'll do that.” Shrugged the golden-furred monkey as he sat up and stretched. “In fact I'm gonna head back and see if he's still awake, maybe he'll want to see the moon again tonight.”

“Alright, stay safe, brother.” Called Azure as he watched the sage jump on his cloud.

“Who knew the Monkey King could be interested in courtship.” Huffed Peng once Sun Wukong disappeared from view.

“Truly surprising news.” Agreed the Bull King.

“I hope the person he's interested in will share his feelings.” Sighed the lion.

“Don't be such a worrywart, Azure. Even if he's a fool , I can admit this guy didn't gain his title of Handsome Monkey King for nothing, the man he's pining for will be at least intrigued by his good looks.” Replied the demonic bird as he rolled his eyes.

“That is true, in fact weren't you the one who was a bit infatuated with the simian when you first met?” Lightly teased the Bull King with a knowing smirk.

“We promised to never talk about this.” Groaned the lion. “I was young and easily swayed.”

“Fooled by appearances.” Snorted the bird. “I'm more intrigued about what this madman would do for courtship, and if it ends well, what kind of person could even love this chaotic mess.”

“It'll certainly be interesting to see.” Chuckled Yellow-Tusk.

+ memes

++ cut scenes

SWK *at one brotherhood fest* : and I found this gray rock who reflected the light in such a way it made it look as if a rainbow was dancing on its surface! 🤩

Azure *with a tired smile* : That is impressive, brother. 😀

Bull King *at Yellow-Tusk* : how many rocks did he mention in the last hour? I lost count around five. 😑

Yellow-Tusk *at Bull King* : 45. 😐

Peng *after noticing there wasn't any wine left* : Just kill me already. 😩

Young Azure *looking at SWK playing with his monkeys* : He's such a benevolent King, truly responsible, and very handsome too. 🥰

Now Azure *looking at SWK throws up after drinking three sort of alcohol at the same time* : we will never talk about my crush on him ever again. 😩😐

SWK *after considering Peng suggestion of inrercourse a bit more* : But I think that if I used magic I could somehow make it work. I mean magic can do a lot of things, so I'm sure I could shrink myself to the size of a doll to do it. 🤔

DBK *baffled* : Why would anyone want to be the size of a doll during intercourse? 😳🤨

SWK : why wouldn't you be the size of a doll with someone like Macaque? You are weird if you keep your actual size during sexual endeavors. 🤨🙄

Peng : You're the weird one here, what the actual fuck? 😶😨

Azure : I don't even want to imagine what you would do with such a tiny size during sex. 😰

Yellow-Tusk : How about we change subjects? 😩😬

Azure : I didn't know you were gay, brother 🤔

SWK *thinking gay only means cheerful* : of course I'm gay, I'm always the life of the party! 😆

DBK : how is being the life of the party related to you being gay? 🤨

SWK : What are you saying? Of course you're gay if you're the life of the party, that's obvious. 😉

Yellow-Tusk : I wasn't aware of this rule... 😅

Peng : You're homosexuality aside- 🙄

SWK *Who has never felt like this for anyone beside Macaque and thus doesn't thinks himself as an homosexual* : I'm not homosexual. 😀

Azure :?? 🙃

DBK :?? 😐

Peng :??😩

Yellow-Tusk :??😑

Ch1 / Previous / Next

[im-not-samantha-im-samanta]

I’d like to request PIB Death’s reaction to his GN!s/o coming up to him one day and booping his nose. I’ve been thinking about this a lot haha-

Hello there! ^^

Thank you for your request, it's a very cute idea! Though truth be told, I struggled with this one so much - I couldn't figure out how Death would react! Not to mention I hated whatever I wrote-

Also, so sorry for how long it took me to write this, like I've said, I been struggling with this one BUT also been struggling mentally, so yeah. (⁠;⁠ŏ⁠﹏⁠ŏ⁠)

I also just read a good fic with Death, then read this one I wrote and realized I'm not good at portraying Death...yeah imma end myself now (⁠༎ຶ⁠ ⁠෴⁠ ⁠༎ຶ⁠)(⁠༎ຶ⁠ ⁠෴⁠ ⁠༎ຶ⁠).

Anyways, I couldn't really decide if I wanted to do imagines or a fic, but ended up going with a short fic... or more like... a drabble? (⁠๑⁠•⁠﹏⁠•⁠)

I kind of experimented with my style, felt like adding it a different feel. Hope y'all like this one nonetheless! ^^"

___________________________________________

{Death, his s/o, and nose boops}

Settings: I don't think I specified it throughout the story. Though a bit more of a romantic vibe, I think?

Genre: Pure fluff! :3

!TRIGGER WARNING!: Don't think there's any! Maybe just brief talks of life, mortality and death, but that's to be expected with Muerte ^^,

Sidenote: Reader is written as gender neutral, but if they might have a more female feel then it's purely unintentional and I apologize!

Sidenote: I've never written full fluff fic (or more like drabble) before , so I hope I did well ^^"

-

That should be all, muffins! Feel free to read now ^^.

Hope you'll enjoy <3.

___________________________________________

Death was old as time itself.

A sad but an important part of life, he's been here since the very start.

And so, he's seen everything.

He's been there, done that, seen that, heard that,...

Yeah, he's seen everything, and it was hard to surprise Death.

Or at least, that's what he liked to claim, completely unaware of what tricks up your sleeve you, a mere mortal, still had.

And only now, when the two of you were peacefully sitting on the couch in the living room, did he face the truth that he, in fact, has not seen all after all.

You were up to something for sure, otherwise there'd be no reason for that rascally smile on your face as you slowly extended your hand towards Death, your pointer finger outstretched and aiming for Death's nose or so it seemed.

Death said nothing at that behaviour, after all, now that he was with you, he knew firsthand that mortals- humans especially - were weird creatures.

And so, he let you do your thing, having too much adoration for you to stop you.

Not to mention, a curious creature was Death, and intrigued by your actions, he just watched with a raised eyebrow and a smirk as your finger slowly neared his nose.

Then your finger was closer and closer and-

"Boop!" squeaking out in voice of high pitch, your finger tapped his nose, squishing it.

Then dead silence fell upon you.

Death was quiet, saying nothing at all.

His pointy ears had perked up though, his eyes of crimson wide as he seemed to be processing the action you'd just done.

And you had no idea what reaction to expect now.

Death was unpredictable, and figuring out his next move was something you had never succeeded in.

Nobody has, not even once.

And when the dead silence went on, filling the room like a thick fog, you couldn't help but retreat your hand and offer a nervous, meek smile.

You weren't scared of course, you knew your dear Lobo wouldn't bring you no harm, not now not ever.

But that uncertainty of what he'd do still left you wary after all.

Much to your luck, though, Death spoke at last.

"What... what was that you just did?" he questioned and a light grin stretched across his face, ruby red eyes wide and intrigued.

The expression was somewhat an unsettling one.

Death's eyes all wide, glowing, burning like wildfire, his razor sharp teeth all exposed by his twisted grin.

And combined with his massive stature and eerie aura, one could easily feel preyed upon...

But the word 'scared' did not describe how you felt at that moment.

You weren't scared, you knew better than to be distrustful of the wolf.

You trusted him fully, you didn't fear him even when he gazed at you like that.

You weren't scared.

Not when, with enough attention paid, you could notice Death's tail wagging ever so slightly.

And not when you had another giveaway of him being just intrigued by your action with no side motives - he intensely sniffed the air through his big nose with light growls rumbling in his throat.

Again, this action could seem intimidating to anyone else and could make them uneasy, but you knew that this action meant no danger - in your case that is.

In your case, you'd say it was something like when dogs panted happily when something caught their interest.

In other cases, mostly when it came to people who were reckless with their life or when it came to people who hurt others, this action had similar, but much more dangerous and terrifying meaning...

Well anyways, with that you knew you were in no real danger.

Although you still needed to be a bit cautious about what Death would do.

It could range from shrugging it off to starting a hunt with you being the prey.

"Oh... I... booped your nose...?" you answered and offered an awkward smile, unsure whether or not Death would be familiar with such term.

You didn't count on that much though.

"You... booped... my nose?" Death repeated after you, the term unfamiliar for his tongue.

And that eyebrow raise was enough for you to know your dear Lobo's never heard such word. Yet, his grin still remained the same - sly, intrigued.

Death added nothing more though, and only stared at you with his wide eyes that made you feel in the story of Little Red Riding Hood when The Big Bad Wolf stared at the little girl with wide eerie gaze, and the girl uttered those famous words: "But Grandmother, what big eyes you have!".

You wondered where your own story would lead to if you uttered those exact words to your Big Bad Wolf... Your Lobo feroz...

Nonetheless, you got the silent hint, and went ahead to elaborate what it meant to boop someone's nose.

"It's when you affectionately tap or squish someone's nose and say a 'boop'." you explained softly, smiling meekly.

Then taking a note of that light head tilt and eyebrow raise Death did at your words, you added: "It's a show of endearment,".

"It's a show of endearment," Death repeated after you as if checking he's heard correct, his voice holding a quality you couldn't really pinpoint.

Was it amusement you heard? confusion? disbelief? something else? It was hard to tell.

And then, Death fell silent once again.

It was silent again, and you weren't sure of what to do, Death being way too hard to figure out at the very moment - just like most times...

Hesitantly, you prepared to say something - anything - to break the awkward silence.

But then a chuckle came.

A chuckle came, and Death muttered: "Oh my," before covering his eyes with his paw and a grin grew on his face as his shoulders bounced ever so slightly.

Was he...?

And then it came!

Death broke into a fit of laughter.

Death was laughing!

He was wholeheartedly laughing like never before, the deep sound being sharp to the ears yet warm to the heart.

"Squishing nose and making a silly, high pitched sound to show affection!" Death exclaimed, shaking his head with amusement all written over the wolf's face as he laughed.

He seemed to be having the time of his life, and you couldn't help but smile, feeling all warm inside at the sight.

It was honestly sweet, refreshing to see Death like that, and so you didn't even risk saying something, letting your Lobo have his fun.

"My," Death breathed, his laughter eventually dying down to just an occasional chuckle, "you mortals never fail to amuse me,"

"you never really disappoint..." Death mused still shaking his head some with an amused grin on his face.

"Squishing nose and making a silly, high pitched sound to show affection..." he repeated his earlier exclamation, a light chuckle escaping him again before his half-lidded eyes found yours and he went all silent.

"Yeah, it is quite strange, isn't it?" You said lowly once your eyes locked with Death's, a meek smile playing on your face as a light chuckle left your lips as well.

It really was unusual yet amusing, you had to admit that.

Though still feeling a bit awkward in the moment, your instincts told you to ramble, which you attempted to do: "Honestly, I don't even-".

But then.

"Boop," Death muttered and his clawed finger tapped the tip of your nose!

Oh no way! Did he just-??

"Boop..." Death repeated, and chuckled at how silly the sound sounded before he did the action again.

He booped your nose and let out that silly 'boop' sound, making you peek at his finger cross-eyed and scrunch your nose as he smiled.

And right after he did all that, his ears and whole body perked up and his tail wagged all happily!

And as Death's soft smile twisted into a wide, satisfied grin and Death yet again intensely breathed through his nose, growls rumbling in his throat, the message was made clear:

You better prepare for a life filled with nose boops from now on.

Better watch out.

___________________________________________

[bfdreaming]

Been obsessed with I Was A Teenage Exocolonist lately. I highly recommend it. A++ character writing, though they awkwardly tried to bring up issues they don't seem to understand.

For starters, I don't think the writers know what colonialism is.

The word fascist gets thrown around but I don't think they know what that is, either.

There's a brief subplot that demonstrates they have no idea what capitalism is. Also in this subplot, they seem to think the root of inequality is the existance of currency?

There's a part that discusses how Earth got messed up, and I think they're a little confused about some of the stuff touched upon there, as well. Like, they seem to have heard that bees are dying and that's it's bad, but IRL it's the native bees that pollinate native plants that are in danger, not the bees that pollinate crops. And this could be blamed on the protagonist's misunderstanding or the teacher, but the protagonist blames Earth's ecological problems on individual consumers rather than corporations and governments.

They also seem to be confused about what causes ecological damage. They seem to think people walking around (in places where other large animals also walk around) is a problem in itself, and that taking samples for research is bad somehow? Any hunting whatsoever done by humans is bad, but hunting done by other animals is fine apparently. Also I'm not sure if they know that invasive species are almost never an issue without people in the equation.

There's a pacifist character that takes his pacifism to such an ironically militant extreme that he uses blatant victim blaming to justify it, and you can't point this out to him as far as I can tell. I really want to sit this kid down and have a talk because he is so passionate and well meaning and so misguided. Not sure if this is intentional or not but it bugs me that you can only agree or disagree with no room for nuance.

Oh yeah, and a character born on a spaceship and exclusively raised within that ship's 100 person community (which is very intentionally a single culture) has an accent somehow.

So, the writing does not seem to understand how large systems work in general. I found myself raising my eyebrows more than a few times at their weird takes. Like... why take on these themes at all if you're not going to do any research? A little Googling could have nipped so much of this in the bud. Probably wouldn't even take an afternoon unless you went farther down rabbit holes than strictly necessary.

All that aside, the characters are super compelling, the gameplay is fun, and I still do highly recommend it.

[cantdanceflynn]

my secret santa gift for @vinniedakotaismyspiritanimal! Sorry if its not great, I don't write heinz that often but I have it on good authority that its. Good. So I hope u like it:>

Perry took a deep breath, adjusting his hat to make sure he hadn't forgotten it. He usually spent all of Christmas Eve and Christmas itself with his family, only leaving if he really had to put up with one of Heinz's evil plans.

But, over the last year, the summer and holidays especially, he'd come to view the Doofenshmirtzes as family as well. Not literally his host family, Christmas Day would still be reserved for cuddling with his kids and cozying up by the fireplace with his parents. But for now, his kids were sleeping and his parents were probably finishing wrapping another round of gifts. So he had figured no one would miss him too much if he checked in on his other family.

Carefully, quietly, he rapped his knuckles against the door. A strange level of uncertainty, the kind he rarely felt with this part of his life, was squirming inside his mind.

Big, thumping footsteps gave Norm away before he even opened the door. Perry could hear Heinz from the open doorway, a half audible admonition towards Norm. Relatively unphased, Perry waved at Norm and walked on in. Norm waved back silently as he closed the door, the hinges rattling in place. Perry could hear another complaint from Heinz as he padded, or rather plapped, his way into the apartment's sort of living room.

"-And you better not have broken that door again! Hello, hi, no more carolers today, please, I've had quite enough of tho- oh!"

Perry waved awkwardly to him as well, teeth grinding into a chatter he knew Heinz wouldn't understand. Heinz waved back, tilting his head in confusion.

"Perry the Platypus? We had our weird truce thing, remember? I haven't made any inators or anything, and you don't need to break my stuff. You can... You can go, right?"

Perry glanced around the room, at the presents needing wrapping and the half busted tree and the odd Christmas decoration lazily plastered over the usual decor. He threw his thumb over his shoulder, pointing at them with a chatter that probably came off as more passive aggressive than he hoped for.

"Yes, I know that I have a lot that needs to be done! And I'm just sitting around, trying to figure out the right step to start, because if I don't then I can't start on anything else without knowing there's more to do and, well, you know what it's like! Or maybe you don't. I don't know, do platypi have mental illnesses?"

Perry had no actual response to that. Instead he raised an eyebrow and pointed at the unwrapped presents.

Heinz fiddled with his hands, clearly looking for something idle to occupy his body with. "The wrapping paper is still in the closet. Charlene is actually coming over with Vanessa this time, because she's, Vanessa, she's bringing her partners for once, and she wants it to feel like a full family celebration so I'm trying to go all out with the decorations and presents but I've never actually, you know, celebrated, before."

Perry knew perfectly well. He would not be attending that specific gathering for a number of reasons, not least of which was that there were about five aspects of his life that could not intersect present. But this, he could help with.

Owca agents were, inexplicably enough, meant to keep track of every holiday on the calender, and how to best celebrate it or stay out of the way, whenever possible. It was meant, apparently, to help them keep track of their family's schedule to avoid any potential holiday related host family mishaps. While Perry was sure it helped agents like Pinky quite a lot, for better or for worse, Christmas and sometimes Thanksgiving were the only holidays most agents actually tracked. Perry, of course, had a minimum of nine lovable kids who would be celebrating speak like a pirate day wherever they thought appropriate that morning, but it still helped.

Wasting no further time, he marched over to the closet. He could hear Heinz groaning as he stood up, although he didn't know if it was from tiredness or what Lawrence would affectionately call "your old man's back".

"Perry the Platypus, I'll have you know I can handle this all myself! And, well, I suppose Norm is "helping", with heavy, heavy air quotes! Do you see these, do you see how heavy they are? I mean, my arms are metal, so I guess they're guaranteed to be heavy, but I mean metaphorically, obviously."

Perry just rolled his eyes. The man could object all he wanted, but if Perry knew Heinz at all, he'd appreciate the head start if nothing else.

Not an hour later, Heinz was happily humming some version of the kinderlumper song he'd so... kindly relayed to Perry before as the two of them wrapped presents and put up admittedly astounding decorations. Perry didn't even know how you found an ornament of a reindeer mermaid, but he made a mental note to ask Carl about Heinz's shopping history so he could check.

The doorbell rang, an actual ringing this time, and Norm's thudding probably woke up everyone any floor below. Perry chuckled, the idea of how much the downstairs neighbors must hate Heinz occuring to him for the first time ever.

"Hey, Norm. Where's Dad?" Vanessa's voice was oddly warm, although if it was from festivities or just excited for tomorrow, it was hard to say.

Heinz was up before Perry even had a chance to react though, moving into the entrance and leaving Perry to finish up the last of the decorations. He could hear Heinz greeting her with surprise, but tuned most of it out. He was tired, and maybe it was careless, but he liked basking in the lights and humming to himself just a bit. It felt nice, to be able to do like this with people he cared about this time.

"Oh, hey... Perry?" Vanessa's voice came from behind, and he turned to greet her with another wave. "I'm just here early to spend some time with Dad and Norm without, like, fifty people around, if OWCA needs to know. Nice to get to see you though."

He nodded slightly, eyes flitting to the clock. He would have to leave soon, both for his parents not worrying about him and because he made sure to spend every Christmas Eve night cuddled up in his boys' arms.

Heinz seemed to actually catch this small cue, clapping his hands. "You know.... Since we're all here, how about we get to peek at one present each. That's a thing people do on Christmas Eve!"

Perry shot the man a dirty look. They just wrapped them, for crying out loud.

"Alright, alright, fine. No peeking, but you at least better come over tomorrow for your present," Heinz huffed. "It's a little more specific this year, don't worry."

Perry blinked. An actual present? For him?

Heinz put his hands on his hips. "Oh, don't look so surprised, Perry the Platypus! I can figure out more about you without breaking protocol, it just... Takes a while."

Vanessa scoffed, leaning down to Perry's level and ruffling his fur. She was particularly lucky she counted as one of his kids, because there was no way anyone else could get away with that outside of him pretending to be a pet.

"How about Perry takes his present home, Dad? That way he can still open it in time, and he doesn't have to come over on Christmas Day for it." She gave Perry a less than discreet wink, but one Heinz clearly didn't notice.

"Oh, that's it! Take it, take it! I insist! But you better tell me if you like it after Christmas!" A small box was quickly shoved into Perry's hands, properly wrapped this time. If he didn't know better, his eyes might've watered a bit.

He set down the present and, slowly, he wrapped his arms around Vanessa's leg in some approximation of a hug. Snorting, she ruffled his fur again. She was definitely lucky to be one of his kids.

Heinz scoffed, clearly about to remark on something when Perry moved over to hugging his leg too. The two of them just stood there for a bit, a silence that could be awkward or comfortable, and Perry didn't think anyone knew which. He peeled away once it definitely got uncomfortable, but Heinz was smiling down at him in a way that almost made him wish he kept it up.

"Do I not get a hug?" Norm's robotic voice broke the silence, causing Heinz to roll his eyes. Perry did the same, but moved over to attempting to hug the robot's leg. It was, admittedly, a bit too wide for his arms, but he figured the feeling probably got across to Norm.

"Thank you." For a typically neutral robot, Norm's voice sounded oddly self satisfied. Chuckling slightly, Perry picked his present back up and set up his paraglider. He typically didn't look back when he left the building's balcony, both because of wind resistance and because it just wasn't how it was, well, done. But this time, he made the effort to swivel his head just enough to see them waving goodbye.

Vanessa did head inside before he'd fully left view, but it was cold enough he couldn't really blame her. And he'd hear plenty about her later tomorrow anyways, so he just turned back around and steered himself in the direction of home. A path he'd taken hundreds of times, but always felt warm.

Back to pretending to be a mindless pet, he pushed the small box under the tree with his beak. He'd probably have to hide the gift after it was opened if he didn't want Candace to steal it or Linda to put it on top of the fridge(arguably his worst enemy), but for now? It was enough to just have parts of both his families close for Christmas.

[odusseus-xvi]

Wanted to talk about q!Forever and his presidency seen from the pov of someone who mostly experience it from outside percepctive as I'm incapable of understanding Brazilian. SAYING IT RIGHT NOW I'm not here to say q!Forever is wrong or evil (as I'm convinced he is not, no need to come and tell me), this is not what's it's about, this is about how lost he seems when you are looking from the exterior.

So I know drama is brewing because people are fighting over who's right and who's an evil virus of satan, and I don't care, I'm not interested in this. I want to talk about the characters I love, because I love q!Forever, and his story makes me so sad.

I want to explain to those who wouldn't know, I'm a mostly french viewers, I follow Etoiles, Baghz, Antoine, Aypierre and Phil (mostly, I try to follow everyone's storyline and povs), the last two are not important here as Philza doesn't interact with the president storyline at all and Aypierre's involvement can be resumed to "I don't care who's in power and what they do, I'll be nice to them because I want power". But basically what the Forever Presidency feels like is not evil, or corrupted, it feels WEIRD :

Because obviously he is kindhearted, he has saved the eggs multiple times, he has done a lot for the island, and has said multiple times he wants to help everyone, and I believe that. But then in some of his actions and speeches, there is so much stuff that we are weirded out about. First how he told Baghera how he wanted to make everyone vote etc. That's okay, but like she said herself "Well that was my campaign idea..." And that's true, and that was also a thing Him and Cellbit used as way to descend her campaign, so that felt like a light knife in the back. But that's the least worrying thing.

There was then the whole deal where from what I understood he felt betrayed by Baghera and Bad as they didn't share everything and witheld information. And from Baghz pov that felt like it came out of nowhere because... Well she didn't ! That was simply miscommunication. And ensued the whole deal where he talked about how he felt about the arrival of the new people, and how he didn't trust them and didn't want to help them unless they had an egg. That was a weird thing in itself, he is supposed to be the president of the island and he is the one least willing to welcome new people.

There was also the nerfing armor stuff. At first we thought he said that as a joke you know, he is just not saying no to Quackity because that'd be rude. But who in their right mind would do that right ? Right... ? And then yestedray he asks Etoiles to do a debate with Quackity to discuss it and everyone went "Wait, he's actually considering it ?" And that was weird because... Well Forever spends most of his time in his base. Isolated. And when you watch Etoiles you know that even with the strongest suit of armor in the game you CAN die everyday. Is... Is Forever asking for a death sentence ? Has he been living under a rock ?

The last thing was yesterday, when Etoiles wanted to ask him a few things, he arrived when Forever was having a secret discussion with Cucurucho, and he ordered the construction of a prison he would have access to. And THAT was so WEIRD, everyone in chat and in reaction were like "WHAT !!??? WH... WHY ??", and then followed by "could I have a gun to defend myself ?" and everyone went "Oh. He... He doesn't trust us !!!", Etoiles himself went *raises eyebrow*. There is something REALLY going bad with q!Forever. And then he immediatly follows by taking in consideration Etoiles' request to allow Dark Metal for his fight against the code, so he's not evil, he's not corrupted... And that's where I realised what it felt like, it feels like he is lost.

It seems he want to do good, but takes weird unnecessary decisions after weird unnecessary decisions that in most cases fucks over other islanders more than it helps, and the important thing to remember is that he is not doing that purposefully, again it seems he is lost, it feels like he doesn't know what he is doing, because of that people are more wary of him, and it leads him to become more paranoïd and he makes even more bad decisions, wich leads to more people being wary of him and it creates a vicious feedback loop that constantly raises the tension. (also having the big PRESIDENT sign next to his name creates an epidermic reaction in every french that makes us want a revolution /j) And it's so sad because the only exit I can see is for the tension to be released in an explosion, a revolution, and THAT could be interesting because for once neither side is truly evil per say. They can be misguided, but not outright evil. Like Baghera said herself "I... I don't understand where he is going."

What's terrifying is what we foresaw with the election is happening, the islanders are driving themselves apart and turning against each other. I don't think the Federation wants to avoid a revolution, I'm pretty sure they would be rooting for it.

(HOWEVER next time I see someone saying q!Forever is this perfect little guy that did nothing wrong... PLEASE. The guy was vicious during the election arc. With how much misinformation he spread on Etoiles most notably.)

[tanema123]

Managed to finish one drawing for now. Here we got dark fairy Zestial and Human Carmilla au.... I also wrote a short story.

Lost and found

Why has this happened to her?

Carmilla has been running frantically through the tangled tree branches. The trees surrounding her were as ominous and untamed as the place itself. The dark forest.

She should have known this might happen when she moved here. Her daughters have ventured somewhere, inside the forest.

The house she stayed at was just at the edge, too tempting and alluring for her young ones, who are as curious as any children were. Clara and Odette.

She shouted out their names in now strained voice. She has been calling out to them for hours, hoping to receive some sign, some sound, some hope.

Just as she was about to lose her hope completely, she noticed a light in the distance and some soft whispers. Thinking, it was her daughter, she ran to it.

She came upon a strange sight. There. In the middle of a dark forest... Was a green clearing of soft grass. The air was cleaner as well, making it easier for her tired lungs to breathe. Though the atmosphere itself was intriguing, it wasn't as much as what stood in the middle of it all.

An old tree, almost as big as a castle was rising up to the sky, getting lost in the clouds. How come no one ever noticed this? This should be visible from even beyond the forest? What kind of magic spell was this? Even more, are her children here?

She ignores her confusion and worry to continue the search. She gotta find her kids. She pushed her feet forward onto the grass, towards the tree while calling out their names.

As she inspected the giant tree, she noticed a huge hole, surrounded by dark green vines. Just as she took a step forward to inspect the hole, a purple light came from it.

A purple mass collected in the middle of it and started to spread across the opening, till a portal was formed. Carmilla could only stare in wonder at what was occurring, confused beyond belief, that is, until something came through.

A dark figure emerged. He was taller than her, with a coat dropped over his shoulders that covered his skinny, skeleton-like body. His head resembled a skull with a massive jaw tattered with teeth. But, the most ominous thing wasn't any of that... It was his eyes, 2 pairs of luminescent green, glowing in the night.

Carmilla's eyes widened at the sight. She knew who he was. She was warned about him when they moved here, but thought it was just a fairy tale spread by the local village.

There is a dark creature that resides in a forest. The dark fae. He wasn't always like that. That is until a hunter came and took his wings. Hunter has not been seen since and the creature has decided that all of humanity is doomed. Anyone who ever entered after the incident into his domain, disappeared without a trace.

Have her daughters come here? Were they taken? She has to get them back! Glaring at the creature she took a fighting stance, memories from her knight days sinking in.

The creature turned it's head to the side in a confusing manner. It's eyes seemed to soften as he scanned Carmilla standing nearby. He opened his mouth and surprisingly, english words started to pour out.

"Holla th're, fair maiden. What hast hath brought thee h're to mine own domain"

Carmilla's eyes widened in a bit of surprise. His voice was deep, husky, but he didn't sound dangerous. What is going on here? Shouldn't he have already attacked?

She lowered her stance, but stayed on alert. She wouldn't answer this question. This creature's intent is still unknown. Instead she glared, assessing him down once more.

The creature looks at her even more curiously now. He really is confusing.

"Wherefore aren't thee afeard?", he asked while tilting his head even more. She raised her eyebrow at him. What kind of Dark Fae was this? Carmilla barely responded due to weirdness of this situation, "Huh?".

"Nay math'r. Art thee looking f'r the girls?", he said while lowering his head towards her slightly. Why is he sounding more and more like a small puppy?

Carmilla decided he is not a threat for now. He does seem frightening on the outside, but... His stance, his manners, his speech... This creature is not what he seems.

She answers truthfully, as she needs to know about the girls. "Yes... Have you seen them?"

He smiled, she thinks, as his jaw does rise on the sides, as he re-enters the portal. Just a few seconds later, he emerges, holding two sleeping girls in his arms. Carmilla sighed in relief knowing her daughters were safe.

The creature took a couple of steps before lowering them to the ground. Their sleeping forms snuggled together immediately upon contact to the ground.

He retreated back to the portal quickly. Seems like the fae knew Carmilla isn't comfortable being too close to him. He does seem to have some experience with humans.

Carmilla quickly rushed to her daughters, easily picking Clar and Odette in her arms. Little 8 year old twins were just coddling up to their mother, their slumber unbroken. Camilla smiled at the sight of her daughters, kissing each stop of their blond heads.

She went to thank the Fae, but... He was already gone. With him the purple portal disappeared as well, leaving only the empty hole in its wake.

Carmilla couldn't do anything else but go home, so she did. She stumbled through the dark forest, slowly with her daughters in her arms.

Somehow, the trip home was extremely short, just a couple of mere minutes. As she entered her home, and put her daughters in their own beds she wondered if it was his doing...

The mysterious dark Fae that everyone warned her about... Yet has helped her so graciously and easily. She signed as she sat on her bed, pondering over the previous events.

How come he helped her?

Was it just a coincidence? Or was it an attempt of some kind? A deceit to get her to trust him? But... If that was the case, he would have already made a move.

Fae are powerful creatures. Stories describing them always mention how tricky and cunning they are. Powers they hold are unknown, but anyone that gets on their bad end never lives to see another day.

She finally laid down fully, exhaustion hitting her hard. The last thing she thought of, before her eyes fully closed, were of the Fae that helped her... Would she ever see him again?

[artificial-transmutations]

Two sides of the same coin - Wrestling

Alex cursed under his breath. Today was the public audition at the community center of his town and he was late already. He had been so busy trying to get everything ready that he didn't realize it was almost ten o'clock when he left home. He just hoped that him being late wouldn't have an effect on his chances of getting picked.

He walked into the building and looked around for someone who could tell him where he should go. Luckily, the young receptionist woman was very friendly and showed him to a small waiting room. Inside, there was only one other person: A tall, thin man with dark hair and eyes, who was wearing a black suit with a blue tie and sat very upright in his chair. His face didn't look unattractive, but had a stern look about it.

"Hi, I'm Alex" said Alex and briefly wondered if he was underdressed. Were suits required for the audition? Alex was wearing jeans and a light jacket because he wanted to be comfortable during the day. Maybe he should have worn something more formal after all...

The man raised his eyebrows and turned to Alex. "I am Cade," he replied. "Nice to meet you."

"You too!" said Alex enthusiastically, relieved that this would probably not be a long wait like he feared.

They began talking about their interests and backgrounds, quickly discovering they had quite a few things in common, like, for example a small passion for the theatre.

Alex was about to inquire more about what role Cade was auditioning for, when he noticed a small object on the table next to them: A small coin, with an unusal shine to it. As he leaned forward to take a closer look at it, he realized it wasn't just shiny; it also shimmered slightly, as if it were glowing.

"What's that?", Alex asked and Cade seemed interested as well.

"Interesting", he said and took the coin to give it a closer examination. However, as Cade was looking at the coin, it quickly shimmered and vanished into thin air.

"Hey, did you see that?" asked Cade curiously.

"No..." replied Alex confused.

"It disappeared!"

"Maybe it was just a reflection or something..." Alex said. He was suddenly feeling a bit light-headed.

Cade on the other hand produced a hankerchief to wipe his forehead. "It suddenly seems a bit hot in here. Did they turn up the heat?"

"Yeah, maybe." Alex answered and felt another wave of dizziness hit him. He didn't find it particularily hot, but he felt strange all over. Cade was visibly sweating and loosened his tie.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I don't know... I feel weird..." Alex mumbled.

Suddenly, a sudden gust of wind blew through the waiting room and sent papers flying everywhere. The door slammed shut with a bang and locked itself.

"What's going on...?" Alex said, alarmed. He got up from his chair and tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge.

Cade didn't reply but instead was fanning himself air. "It's just too warm!" he said, fidgeting on his suit. "Do you mind if I loosen my shirt?"

"Uh, no, go ahead." Alex said hesitantly.

Cade undid his top button and pulled his collar away from his neck. "I think that will help."

Alex looked back and saw that Cade had wet patches of sweat under his arms already. Weird, it really wasn't that warm in here. However, Alex had trouble standing steady, so he opted to sit down next to Cade again. They both watched as Cade continued to fan himself and soon enough, his clothes were soaked in sweat.

"Oh dear, this is uncomfortable..." Cade muttered, sitting uncomfortably in his chair.

"You can take off your shirt if you want", Alex offered. Something was very wrong with him. Not only was he feeling kind of weak and light-headed, to his embarassement, he also noticed his cock getting hard. It took him a moment to understand why. It was the way Cade, or Cades sweat, was smelling. This didn't make sense, though. Alex had been in gyms before and he was straight as an arrow - why was the smell of another mans sweat turning him on so much? And yet, it did. He couldn't stop thinking about how good it smelled.

Cade hesitated for a bit before nodding shortly. He looked really uncomfortable unbuttoning his dress shirt like that, but apparently he was feeling so much heat that it sounded like a good alternative either way.

When Cade finally took off his shirt, Alex could hardly believe his eyes. From his frame, Alex would have thought that Cade was thin and well-groomed. On the contrary though, Cades torso appeared to be suprisingly fit. There was little body hair, but Alex could see a bit of pit hair from his position. He was trying really hard not to stare, but failed. His cock was throbbing in the confines of his jeans and the suprisingly manly smell of sweat was turning him on to no end.

Cade put his hands on his knees and leaned forward slightly, panting heavily. Alex realized that Cade must have been working out regularly. As he watched Cade gasping for breath, Alex found himself wondering what it would smell like if he were to lean over and bring his nose closer to the source of the musky smell. He imagined being able to sniff Cades pits and inhale deeply. Would it smell different than just smelling Cade's skin? Or would it just smell like sweat?

Cade caught Alex staring at him and smiled nervously. Alex could have sworn that Cades gaze noticed his tenting jeans but he didn't comment on that. Instead he asked: "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine," said Alex, still struggling to control his growing erection.

"It's just so hot in here..." Cade said and looked around.

Alex just nodded, playing along. He briefly wondered if the smell would be even more intense if Cade were to dispose of his pants. But he might go ahead and play along some more before suggesting that. Alex really couldn't think straight. His head was swimming and what little brain capacity was left was extremely horny right now.

"You're right, it's awfully hot!" Alex lied and continued, while getting out of his jacket. "I'm gonna lose my shirt, too."

Alex removed his t-shirt and began to fidget with the buttons of his jeans. He hoped that Cade wouldn't notice that he was having trouble concentrating on anything else other than getting rid of his clothes.

"I thought you were gonna remove your shirt", Cade remarked as he saw Alex opening his pants. Was it just Alex mind or did Cade really sound not quite as sophisticated as before?

"Oh, sorry... I need to get out of those clothes" Alex mumbled and quickly pulled his pants down to reveal his tented boxer shorts.

Cade stared at Alex's hard cock for a moment before smiling awkwardly and looking away.

"I don't know if you should do that..." he said.

"Oh, it's okay! You should get out of yours as well, we're all dudes here" Alex replied and continued to pull down his pants. He felt like a total pervert doing this in front of someone else, but he was so turned on that he didn't care anymore.

Cade seemed reluctant to take off his pants, but eventually agreed. He stood up and undid his belt buckle. When he got rid of his pants, he revealed a pair of black underwear and suprisingly muscular legs. Alex mouth watered as he saw that Cades underwear, too was holding a big bulge. Apparently, the other man was well endowed and rather excited about the situation as well.

Alex couldn't resist any longer. He stood up as well and approached Cade, the musk guiding his nose towards his chest and pits. He noticed that he seemed to have shrunk a bit, no eye level with Cades chest. A chest that was rather dark. It could be the light, but Alex could have sworn that Cade didn't have that deep tan all over his skin before.

He reached out and touched Cade's arm first, then grabbed hold of his shoulder. He had toreach up slightly to reach it - otherwise, he would have been unable to touch it. The sensation of touching another mans body was new to him and it made him feel weird, but also strangely turned on. He could feel his heart beating faster when he took Cade's hand and brought it to his own face.

Cade looked at Alex curiously, but didn't say anything. Instead, after a moment or two, Cade grabbed the back of Alex' head and pressed it into his own chest. Alex let out a soft moan as he felt Cade's strong and youthful body against his own. His cock throbbed inside his underwear as he rubbed his cheek against Cades skin. Alex didn't know what to do with his hands at first, but resorted to pulling down both his and Cades underwear, allowing theyr stiff cocks to touch. Both men gasped simultaneously when their flesh came into contact.

"Ohh..." Cade moaned softly and increased the pressure on Alex head, pressing him against his chest and into his pit. It was warm and wet, and filled with this heavenly stench. Alex couldn't help but try to get even closer to Cades dark skin. He wrapped his arms around Cades shoulder and his legs around his tighs, hugging Cade tightly. He had no problem holding himself in that position, as his body had become much lighter. Alex skin had taken a completly black hue on his upper body and a bright orange from his waist downwards, with ocassional black stripes.

Cade returned the embrace and held Alex firmly by his shoulders. Alex could feel Cade's firm muscles under his fingers and toes, while he could feel every vein running through Cades neck and chest. His arms and legs started to grow together, forming a singular fabric body around Cades upper body. His groin that was rubbing against Cades cock experienced the strangest feeling as his body was becoming flatter and flatter, more fabric like and finally displayed the prominent bulge formed by Cades ample cock. Cade started to rub his cock through Alex fabric body and grunted deeply. Precum and sweat was leaking into Alex, and he could taste all of it, from all sides. Finally, Cade came inside the wrestling singlet that Alex had become, who absorbed the load that Cade was producing gladly.

The young adult black wrestler panted, after he had jerked off through his singlet. He shouldn't have done that! He could already hear the announcer introduce him: "A round of applaus for Dameon, the black tiger!". Dameon knew it was time for his match, and he just hoped nobody would notice the damp patch in his singlet groin. If he won that match like that, he would make sure to make it his lucky tradition to jerk off into his singlet before the match!

In the “two sides of the same coin“ series, I will present short concluded stories with mainly inanmimate and male tf content - enjoy!

[pfffsfic]

Post-Fall Falls False Starts- Chapter 11: Bob

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It was as if the layers of sleep deprivation and bodily fatigue were stripped away from him all at once. No, that wasn't right- he was being stripped away from them, not the other way around. First came relief, and then came the realization that he hadn't for one moment been fully awake since he arrived on the first morning. Looking down at his body, which was thrashing around violently and baring its gums at the behest of its temporary occupant, he thought, 'geez, I look awful' (not that he looked much different from usual.) It was quite the hit to his self esteem (not that his self esteem had too many hit points.)

"Who the heck are you?" said Bill in his own voice, and then he backtracked and realized that he had promised he'd only ever say that once in ten billion lifetimes. "...I think I must have hit my head, 'cause I don't remember jack! Woah! I'm suddenly getting the urge to stab a hot poker into my eye! Heh heh, weird. Untie my hands so I can go and do that, would you?"

Sarah kept smiling that same unsettling smile. Rob wondered if anyone would have untied him after hearing that request, and considered for a moment if Bill was playing inscrutable 5D chess or if he truly was floundering for the right words and saying whatever came to mind. Just then, Bill turned his head at an unsettling angle and looked right up at Rob.

"So you think you're pretty clever, huh?"

He pretended not to hear him.

"You forgot I'm not stuck here! I can go whenever I want!" he yelled (or said- his volume was always an issue).

"And void the contract?" Sarah asked, leaning uncomfortably close to Bill's face.

"Huh?" He raised an eyebrow. "What do you know about the contract?"

"I know lots of things," she replied with an audible satisfaction in her voice. That was- no, impossible, Bill thought. Could that seriously have been some kind of coincidence? Who was this? He had to look at Rob's memories, and he had to do it now. But the 'before' memories or the 'after' memories? He was great at chess, he was, but they were playing checkers. He was good at checkers, too, mind you, but they had the checkers pieces on the chess board even though tournament rules should forbid them from bringing in pieces for other games- ah, this metaphor was tearing at the seams! Why couldn't it be as simple as them being his pawns? In his mind, the metaphorical chessboard grew orifices and them turned inside out and digested itself.

"I'll find another pawn," he said to Rob, referring partially to the metaphorical situation. "You think you're valuable? Needed? Don't make me laugh! Ahahaha! Too late, i'm already laughing!"

Sarah kept on smiling down.

"Do you have a twin?" she asked.

"W-what? Uh, like I said, I'm kind of an amnesiac right now! And having hallucinations- hey, uh, what's my name?"

He narrowed his eye, dreading the answer that was about to come out of her mouth. She would say Rob, right? It would be so much simpler if she said-

"What's your name? Do you mean your name or his name? Oh, sorry, I mean, do you want me to say Rob's name or your name? Rob's name is Rob."

"I-"

"Your name is Bill! Isn't it?"

He yelled in frustration and Rob thought that, even if for just a moment, Bill passed perfectly for him, a deeply unsettling realization.

"Okay, I'm taking that as a yes."

She passed a hand over her face and switched effortlessly into a scowl, leaning over him like this was some sort of bizarre horizontal police interrogation.

"Alright, slick," she said in a gruff tone, "You better get talking. Did you ever have any siblings? What were your parents like? Were you ever a baby or did you pop out fully grown? And did you have the hat and tie when you were born or did you get them later?"

This situation would have been hilarious if he wasn't one of the people involved.

"...Wouldn't it be silly if I broke your friend's wrists to get out of these ropes?" he said through an insincere, face-splitting smile.

That shut them up! Finally, some fear! Priceless. All he had to do was get rid of those pesky human inhibitions and yank real hard, now! But, wait, how would he break into the Mystery Shack with no hands? How would he try and pour something spicy into his eye with no hands? How would he do anything at all with no hands? On the bright side, neither of them had treated that like a bluff. That was good. Maybe he would just break Rob's wrists and leave the body for the look on their faces alone. There were other pawns- this had all been one big detour in his plan, to begin with. He had to focus on getting out of the-

Oh, right. Oh, right. The Nightmare Realm. The one that this kid had gotten into and then out of into the third dimension. The whole reason he had even taken interest in Rob and his many mysteries. It was time to take a look- and he knew this was the right choice- it was time to take a look at Rob's memories from before he arrived here. Unknowingly casting aside the chance at knowledge of his eventual defeat and how to avoid it, he made his choice and closed his eye.

"Wait, no! Don't put me back!" said Rob's mindscape form as he was pulled towards the body, a first in all of Bill's many centuries of interacting with humans. His pleas were ineffective and Bill brought both of them into a dreamless sleep, where he cracked his knuckles and prepared for the gargantuan task of sorting through the cyclops' memories. What would the boy's mind look like? A quaint childhood home? A lawless desert island? Some sort of polygonal Picasso dimension?

He saw all three, sort of. In front of him was TV static as far as the eye could see, surrounded by black borders above and below, marred with floating islands that held fully-intact buildings- houses. A mall. A school. A junkyard. A forest (though the entrance to that one had a sign reading 'NO BILL ALLOWED', which meant it had to have been Rob's post-arrival memories.) Hovering in the top left corner of his field of vision regardless of where he turned was a pause symbol, as if he was looking not at a dreamscape but at a television screen containing one.

There was a wall of light in the distance beyond which all of the islands looked unfinished, like storyboard drawings. Past those were simple sticky notes and then nothingness- the furthest extent of Rob's memories, no doubt. Dreamscapes were never linear or easy to navigate, but with time he could definitely piece together an understandable story. It was just a matter of picking a starting place. And where better to start than the nearest building to him- a mall?

-

The mall was dark and cold. Gone was the crowd that had been a constant presence since the first day of the apocalypse, gone was the frenetic atmosphere. No one was here. Maybe the fighters had been sent through the ceiling and all of the spectators had followed them out to wherever they had landed? Sure, maybe. Either way, hoping that this was temporary, he took up his usual spot in the car park and waited for business that took several hours to arrive. The sound of footsteps approaching was such a relief that he forgot about his mystery man act entirely for a moment.

"Oh, Harold," he said. "Ah! I mean, what may my establishment do for you?"

"You will refer to me as Mayor Wilson."

"...Since when does this place have a mayor?"

"Since the Order Order reestablished order in Eastmore."

"The what? I've been gone for five hours, how much could have changed?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked-"

"Actually, I'd rather not know."

He cleared his throat and began to answer anyways.

"The unruly atmosphere needed to be quashed lest this town tear itself apart. I and several like-minded colleagues put together a new order for order, the Order Order, in opposition to the Chaos Order, which currently occupies the territory of-" he shuddered- "Westmore."

"Westmore?"

'Mayor Wilson' stood at one of the broken car park windows and the van reluctantly followed. Sure enough, there was now a fence with plenty of police tape at the parallel edges of a few floating islands, beyond which almost every building was on fire and distant figures yelled and screamed near-profanities.

"Oh," said the driver. "So you're preventing this town from being torn apart... by dividing it in half?"

"Precisely! Ah, and if you intend to do business in Eastmore, you need to know we've reestablished a stable currency around here. No more 'anything goes'."

"How'd you convince people to adopt one?"

"With money," he said, proudly putting his hands on his hips and then quietly, quickly speaking under his breath, "andthethreatofviolence."

"Sorry?"

"Ahem! Nothing, nothing, my friend. Now, the new currency is Pogs. They told me my collection would never be valuable, but look at who's laughing now! Oh ho, it's me. I'll take one can of caviar." He emptied three wallets full of the aforementioned things through the window and onto the driver's lap before he could even protest.

"I don't have any caviar in stock."

"...Hm. Well, then, give me the closest thing you have, and by royal decree, you shall fetch some next time you stock up."

"Royal decree? You're a mayor!"

"A mayor whose territory you are parked in. I have supreme authority to boot your vehicle, sir, and all the Pogs I need to get it done!"

"I'm going to Westmore," said the driver, revving up and plunging through the window, but not before he grabbed a few food items from the back and knocked Harold down like a bowling pin with a well-placed breakfast burrito to the face.

-

The mall was full of light. The windows betrayed no signs of the TV static world outside, though the clouds in the sky were frozen in place and the pause symbol loomed where it has been from the start. There were beings here, also frozen- blob people, food people, shape people (who Bill found oddly familiar). All of their faces were missing, covered up by dripping static ooze. One figure, being dragged into a static door in the center of the hall, was entirely obscured by the ooze- why just him? Bill thought the figure might have been Rob himself, but after a while he noticed that there was a Rob here, too, not too far from the door, also perfectly frozen. This was a snapshot of a memory.

Entering an unmanned video store, he encountered more obscured figures and flipped through the DVDs on sale, each one a memory that popped up on the TV behind the counter as soon as he opened the case. They all seemed to be of various sorts of traps, but none of them went past one still frame. Weird- were this guy's memories really so bad that they were just still pictures? Or-

Bill glanced up at the pause button in the corner, narrowed his eye, and left the video store to look for the nearest TV remote, which he found without much fanfare in memory-Rob's frozen hand. Sure enough, the world sprung to life after a single press! But things were still perfectly silent. Before Bill could adjust the volume, memory-Rob chucked the remote into the static door, which he promptly closed. He would have found a way to follow it in if a wall of credits hadn't suddenly started rolling. Unable to access the rest of the memories in the mall, he decided he'd return later and popped right back out into the dreamscape proper, making a mental note that Rob had a lot of traps in his repertoire. That told him absolutely nothing important.

Next up was the school.

The student body painted just as chaotic an image of the boy's home dimension as the mall patrons had. It seemed at first that Rob wasn't actually present in any of the various school-centered memories until Bill noticed the consistent presence of a grotesque (in his rather hypocritical opinion) blue-skinned monocular student in a near-identical outfit. It occurred to him that maybe something happened to change the kid's appearance, but what? He had no frame of reference, no glimpses into this guy's life to guide him through the dreamscape. He was supposed to be in control, and yet here he was, blindly looking for something of consequence in a sea of apparent irrelevance. Just then the school shifted and distorted around him. The students vanished. The floor caved in. Every door in the hallway fell away- all but one. The superintendent's office?

-

The superintendent's office was still intact, and so were the machines! It had been a perilous path around several unstable 'potholes' (read: holes in the floor that led down into the abyss) and through at least one crowd of pitchfork-wielding war paint-wearing children, but he was here, and he could reclaim- and hopefully resell- his wares. While he loaded them back into the van, he checked the tires for any signs that one of the kids had been stupid enough to stand in his way, and thankfully found nothing. Not that getting run over would have killed most of them. Most of them had survived worse.

The driver wandered around the sales floor and checked inventory. None of the contained items had breached their cases, there were no mysterious liquids on the floor, everything was-

His eyes grew wide as his gaze fell upon his media shelf, where one of the DVDs for sale was conspicuously missing.

-

The superintendent's office had four tall cages in it and nothing else. They were covered by dark cloths like museum exhibits yet to be unveiled. The room was silent. When he yanked down the coverings, he found that there were four frozen figures, one in each cage- three versions of Rob and one older human man in a suit. Was this a memory? What kind of weird life had Rob lived?

A few moments later, when nothing happened, Bill turned to leave, only to be interrupted by a voice from the second cage.

"Let us out!" said memory-Rob #2. "Don't just float there! What's wrong with you?"

He turned around, unsure what exactly was going on.

"We can hang out! Maybe talk about friend stuff," suggested memory-Rob #1.

"Friend stuff? How naive. None of us are friends here. We have disavowed friendship," said memory-Rob #3 in a deep, English-accented voice. "You ought to let me out and keep the others imprisoned-"

"NO!" yelled #2.

"That really sucks of you to suggest!" yelled #1. "Seriously, man?"

"Calm down, calm down. Who, uh, who are you guys? And who's that?" Bill pointed to the human, whose gaze was silent and intense.

"I'm Rob," said memory-Robs #1 and #2 at the same time in happy and angsty tones, respectively.

"I'm Dr. Wrecker," said memory-Rob #3.

"No, he's Rob too," said the human, finally. "We all are."

"What, you're also a Rob?" Bill crossed his arms.

"It's a rather long story."

"I'll find out one way or another. Are you guys, what, alternate personalities?"

"We're all just parts of the mind," offered Rob #3. "I know full well that I've moved on from this identity, and yet it lingers within me, as me. Try not to think too hard about it."

The others nodded.

"We can still be friends!" said #1. Bill promptly pulled the cloth back over his cage and he went silent like a canary, but none of the others protested.

"What would happen if I bent the bars and let you out?"

"How should we know, man?" said #2.

"You're the master of the mind. You tell us," said #3- Wrecker?

"Doing something so reckless would earn you detention- I mean, excuse me, interfere with the natural functioning of my mind," said human-memory-Rob. " Regardless of the immature prattling of-"

"Who are you calling immature?"

"You're a child-"

"You're also a child! We're all a child!"

"I like to think of myself as an adult," offered Wrecker, and he earned death stares from #2 and the human one.

"Uh, do you guys want me to-"

Before Bill could finish his sentence, both of the non-Wrecker Robs nodded, and Bill took that as a sign to cover Wrecker's cage.

"You being in my head makes me uncomfortable," said #2.

"Tough luck. You let me in."

"Fair enough," said #2, pulling the cloth into his cage and covering himself up. Bill and the human were left in the office, staring at each other with mutual contempt.

"You have overstayed your welcome. I suggest you leave my office this instant."

"Your office? You're the superintendent? How old is Rob, anyways?"

"That's a matter of how you count."

"What's that supposed to-"

"13," said Superintendent Rob. "not that I would admit it."

"13 and he's looked like you before?"

"How would you like to have two eyes?" said Superintendent Rob, raising an eyebrow and speaking in a sinister tone.

Bill left the room before he could even wonder about what that threat meant.

Glimpses of silent memories stored in the junkyard and assorted houses made one thing clear: there was something that was, even here in his target's mind, being kept from him. Nearly ever memory featured at least one figure whose features were obscured by static. Sometimes more. This figure was the target of Rob's ire more often than not, but it was difficult to figure out what was happening with no sound, and so far none of the memories had contained any TV remotes for Bill to use. As he approached the wall beyond which things looked unfinished, he entered one final house, recounting everything he could now say he knew about Rob.

The boy was a career criminal with hijacking, kidnapping, and destruction of property on his rap sheet. He was good at making traps, but perhaps not good at using them. Much of his time- in fact, the vast majority of his time- was spent plotting to destroy and/or trying to destroy a mysterious figure whose form had been scrubbed from memory, save for a short period of time during which he had been trying to kill a banana or two instead. His surroundings were modern. He was 13 years old. Something had changed to make him look slightly less freaky, but what exactly caused that change was unclear as of yet. There were shape people in the kid's home dimension who Bill knew from somewhere, maybe, or maybe most other triangles just looked the same.

None of that felt very useful. Sure, maybe he could use the criminal thing for blackmail, but this was in a whole different universe, and besides, this guy didn't seem like the type to be ashamed of himself. Embarrassing him also seemed like a dead end; he had been embarrassed so many times and kept getting right back up. He was the sort of person to fail 563 times in a row and not take even the slightest hit to his self-esteem. That was probably because it was already at rock bottom. The kid's ego was there, but he wasn't naive enough to make it easy to stroke. All in all: he was the furthest thing from an ideal target.

The last house was currently bare, save for a basement door that sat wide open.

-

"Sweetie, use your fingers. That's where all the grip strength is." She put her hands around his, repositioning them around the handle of the nailbat and guiding his arms in a swing. "Okay, now, go get 'em!"

He closed his eyes, gulped, and swung blindly, hitting the hastily-drawn wooden cutout of a cyborg in leather and sending it to the ground with a massive dent in its face.

"Ah!" He opened his eyes. "I did it! I didn't even hit myself with the recoil that time! YES! What do you say, Darwin, could I totally take on an army of radioactive monsters, or what? Oh, no need to answer, I know I could- AH!"

He spun the bat in celebration and smacked himself in the face with it, keeling over backwards. Meanwhile, the small rabbit in the back of the room erased the 'STREAK: 1' on the recently-established family training whiteboard and replaced it with 'STREAK: 0'.

"I don't know about you guys, but I think that was good enough to count towards my streak," said Gumball from his position on the floor. "I didn't even give myself a black eye that time! You gotta give a guy credit where credit is due."

Darwin sighed and put a gold star sticker reading 'ALMOST FINE' on his sweater.

"What, you don't even have any that say 'GREAT JOB'?"

"We're out of 'GREAT JOB'. Soon enough we're gonna have to break into the 'NOT THE WORST EVER' stickers."

"This is an emergency," he said, sitting up. "We gotta go out there!"

He scrambled for the basement stairs, but Nicole blocked his way, brandishing the nailbat.

"No family of mine is stepping out of that door until each of us can take down twenty cardboard cutouts in a row with perfect form," she growled, holding out the bat. "Now, remember-" her tone suddenly became encouraging- "the key to grip strength is using your fingers."

-

The memories in this house were fragmented and out of order. Bill moved from room to room, usually unable to see anything but the static-covered figures, who spent so much time here that it might have been their house. Was Rob related to them, or did he live here for some other reason?

Just when he thought he might complete his tour in silent mode, another TV remote, this time in the hands of one of the hidden figures, appeared in one of the glimpses of the past. He rushed forward and turned on the sound. There was very little of significance to hear, except maybe that Rob's voice was a lot deeper in this memory. Because of the remote? Was that something he could be affected by? That had a practical application. Took him long enough to find one. The static guys' voices were garbled and unintelligble.

Bill left the house the second it emptied of memories and floated before the odd wall. His attempt to simply pass through it, strangely, didn't work. He hit it like a pane of glass. After several more failures that he was glad nobody was around to see, he noticed a thin seam, stuck his hands into it, and wrenched a hole open. Was that doing damage to the kid's mind? Eh, whatever.

Before Bill could go beyond the wall, a van burst through the hole, skidded to a stop, and then pulled away, dissolving a few feet from the barrier. It was followed shortly by yet another memory-Rob. This one was freshly glitching and looking to be in pain. It got up, expressed some palpable anger, and stormed off, dissolving just as the van had; the memory was a shorter loop than most of the others. When it restarted, Bill floated through the hole and saw, to his great satisfaction, a decidedly un-glitchy Rob in the distance.

"Guys! Guys, wait for me!"

For once, he didn't need dialogue to understand what was happening. The boy had clung to the back of the van and been crunched between two sheets of the fabric of reality. Bill didn't know something like that could happen, but it held endless potential for amusement.

The area beyond the wall was sketchy and incomplete. This would have been his early childhood- the one piece of his life missing from the rest of his dreamscape- and yet there were holes here, holes where his childhood home, his parents, his entire pre-adolescence should have been. It was as if there had never been any memories here, only gaps. Why was he so bored? Why was this so cumbersome? Why did he not want to go back through all the memories with sound this time? Somewhere along the line he had missed the memory of how Rob traveled to- and then out of- the Nightmare Realm, but that could have been absolutely anywhere.

His last order of business was wandering to the forest island and floating in front of the 'NO BILL ALLOWED' sign for a good 10 dream-minutes. He would come back here. He had to. But he didn't want to spend another second in this miserable place! Not when he could be making some progress on his original plan, which was so close to fruition that he could nearly see time dying already.

He wasn't frustrated, he told himself, he was calm. He was the master of this place, and he did not get upset so easily- he thought back to the recent time he got upset pretty easily during an in-mind confrontation and then tried to stop thinking about it for the sake of his own confidence. Maybe he was frustrated! Maybe he was-

With a scream that could have passed for a human affected by a night terror, he sat up in the physical world, seething, and the real Rob was ejected once again.