#just gimme that scene from the pictures already its killing me

[tragicotps]

[valleynix]

Chapter 8 is finished. It was a wild ride. I'm still not over those events. The further I went the harder it was to gather my thoughts but here they are.

As if the scene with Daniela wasn't already enough to kill me with its sweetness THEN THERE'S ONE WITH BELA my god.

Naur pls the Cass/Bela scene was already so funny with how dramatic Cass acted and then she got Daniela to join her in annoying their sis. I lost it when she grabbed Bela's arm and went Bela, Bela, Bela 😭

I love their little sibling interactions so much. Adding it to my mental list of fav scenes.

I really think that's how they'd be with each other in canon.

"Our human" awww <3

But yhm yeah that's it for Bela's self control. It left the chat.

"She sees you. It’s over, isn’t it?"

The horror

Bela's kinda (very) hot when she's feral.

Reader out there thinking about boobs while their life is under threat of being taken😭😭😭

THE CASS SCENE after the blackout absjswjjsjsj *inaudible noises and screaming*

I had to take a break to recollect myself HOW DO YOU WANT ME TO SURVIVE TILL THE END OF THE CHAPTER WHEN YOU'RE THROWING SUCH THINGS AT ME CONSTANLY FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.

NOT LADY D TOO, GIMME A BREAK.

Yhm yhm I got a break, coz here comes the angst

"You desperately hope this isn’t some hallucination Donna put you through, that you’re not just making a massive fool of yourself in the real world."

Haha

HAHA

HA HA

THE WAY IT WAS ACTUALLY MUCH WORSE

OH. MY. GOD

Honestly, I can't even be sad and heartbroken from the girls' death because for the whole time I was too amazed and mind blown at how it all just made sense instantly. How you described each of their death. And that through the chapters we could hear pieces of their lines, trying to reach to the Reader pls. But Reader was living those silly memories thinking it was the reality, while destroying everything they love in true real world. AMAZING.

Idk what else to say here it's just wow WOW chef kiss. There was no reason to be scared of how this chapter went, it was all done so well. I can just picture the flashbacks of the events from before as everything settles in place, the horror coz it starts to make sense and it HURTS.

Especially that Reader said they won't/don't want to hurt anyone.

Just sweet pain, sweet pain, it hurts so beautifully.

So just let me tell you, let me summarise my experience so far as we reached this important moment (idk how hard it was for you but regardless) I admire and I am impressed how you managed to pull it off, with the plot in general with its mystery behind the events.

But also with the characters. I think you gave them a fair amount of time to let them shine in their own unique ways. To show their personality and how they interact with the fictional world around them.

And I like how it's said on many occasions that Dimitrescus do bad things, they're dangerous and literally eat people, but it's not all they are. They care for each other, can care for other people too, and show other side of them. Because people are complex and so are they.

It was so exciting, trying to collect the hints and put them together to understand something. I had SO MUCH FUN trying to solve the mystery and waiting for the big reveal. Nice I wasn't completely lost haha.

I'm definitely not planning on dropping the story, I'd like to follow our dear poor Reader till the end and see them being happy if that's possible :(

This is definitely my favourite RE8 fic, one of my favs in general. Hell, if it was a real book it'd be in my favs too.

I love your style, your way with words and how you operate with the language, especially that you keep any feature (besides the eyes) of the Reader up to imagination which I assume requires more effort.

This story completely captured my heart, I love your mind, I just wanna... kith your brain for allowing you to create it, this piece of art, a masterpiece.

And sharing my thoughts on your work with you brings me so much joy too🥺 You seem like a kind and beautiful soul

can i just say that i genuinely almost started crying while reading this :’)

OKAY BUT ONTO THE POINTS!! very glad you got through chapter eight, because it was one of the more difficult ones (i think 13&14 are also difficult to get through because of plot??)

*im just out here trying to kill y’all with these scenes of the girls HEHEHE

*PLEASE BAHA, i ADORE writing them just like regular siblings that love but annoy the hell out of each other 😭 Cass has a flair for the dramatics and Dani just likes joining in on the chaos

*listen Cass just saying things (like “our human”) without thinking about the implications is so <333

*the one thing coming true that you’ve been fighting so hard to stop :’)

*i was so worried the feral scene with Bela was gonna come across as SA-y but i’m so glad it hasn’t been received that way 😭 like homegirl was genuinely about to kill them but in the most mocking/teasing way

*listen boobs are just priority B)

*PLEASE I LOVE CASS BAHAHA, she’s so just… *her*

*i simply must destroy the sapphics’ minds with my powers of gay >:)

*THE DELVE INTO THE ANGST WAS SO FUNNY IM SORRY, going from this sweet, tender moment to just “oh my god. oh my GOD”

OKAY BUT!! i am genuinely so happy you liked the chapter and that everything made sense in the end, at least in some way. it was really fun tying events together and having slips of reality, moments where things don’t seem quite right, but i’m glad to know the anticipation of what’s been going on was worth all the pain and wait

the really heartbreaking thing i tried so much to add onto the already confusing plot was that you could definitely hear them trying so hard to reach Reader, even if they were completely lost and couldn’t understand what was being said to them :(

the thought that Bela never gave up on them, that Daniela never thought they couldn’t be saved or redeemed… i love writing these murderous, sadistic, cannibalistic women as people who genuinely care and are just PEOPLE. seeing them try so hard to reach someone so far gone hurts so well imo

but i’m really glad you did like it and it makes me so happy that you admire all the work i’ve put into it :’) like that’s honestly one of the sweetest things i’ve heard recently

i did try to be pretty fair with each Dimitrescu and sometimes give them their own designated chapter, just so we could really bond with them and see them as more than just what the rumors about them say or as who they pretend to be. Bela is a nerd that enjoys music, Cassandra loves science and art, Daniela loves getting lost in her romance novels, and Alcina is a wine loving mom who adores her daughters above all else

honestly, i think it was your chapter seven ask?? you were INSANELY close to what was going on and i was like oh my GOD she’s figured it out. i genuinely don’t think many people actually guessed what was going on, but it was so interesting seeing how you saw things through your own eyes and how each hint connected in your brain :D

i can say for certain Reader will most likely get a happy ending, even if we have to wade through a mountain ton of angst to get there. with long stories like this one, i dislike leaving things angsty and with an unhappy ending, but also because of all the shit they’ve gone through (and will continue to go through). happy endings after going through a LOT of traumatic shit are simply superior

GRRR KNOWING IT’S ONE OF YOUR FAVORITES MAKES ME SO HAPPY, i will actually cry. pls thats so sweet omfg

i honestly highly dislike fics where it’s supposed to be like x reader but it’s just an OC?? i do try my best to keep everything inclusive, save for the eye color, and i do sometimes have to change scenes to fit that but still keep the vibe 😭

but god, i will literally never live this down. this ask is going to be ingrained in my memories for months to come and it’s going to be what i look back on when i’m feeling down about my writing

thank you so so SO much for sharing your thoughts with me <33 i do look forward to hearing what else you’ll say or come up with in future chapters, since there are still plot points and antagonists we have to work through before our dear Reader can be happy for once :’) <3333

[joytraveler]

Death Master 2 (continued)

The third stage is a gruesome swamp, which seems to be being used for a butcher's larder-- what with all the dead animals hanging from the trees!

"Ohhh that, that Sneaky Pete!!" Bea growls at her mysterious foe. The morbid stage ahead rather distracts her, however. "Maybe we... maybe we just shouldn't do this, we've had enough of this game haven't we??"

Glockroach: Leatherface is gonna be the boss of this HNV: It's this or Box Baby, Bea... make your choice

"Mmmm I sure do love Slaughter Swamp! Yep, just gonna mosey right along ahead there!!"

Of course the decapitated animals fall out of the trees and attack you. Why would they not, right? And bony arms grab at you from out of the swamp... And finally a towering pile of SOMETHING rises up out of the muck, surrounded by swirling will o' wisps!

Llord_Kuruku: ok wut john_brown: wait I thought this was a fantasy hack and slasher why are you fighting the poop emoji???

"THE GREAT MIGHTY POO!" Bea sings at the top of her voice! "Hehgegehehehehgggfff I don't wanna touch it, no!! Long range, gimme the torch, NO!" She has to chase after an annoying little ghost to get the torch to set her weapon ablaze!

Once the stack of brown stuff's gaseous little friends are destroyed, it weakens and collapses, leaving behind some sort of shrine, half sunk in the murk; Alonzo stares at it for a second, and there's another flashback.

"Here we go, nnng.. comfort food.. What's the happiest thing I have.." she reaches to the snack table.. "Yesss, gummy sharks.. Ok I'm ready"

The sunken shrine fades to a newer shrine in a brighter forest, where Alonzo is being led along by a shrine keeper, and shown two mosaics. One shows the Death Master, whom we already know, raising the dead from their graves. The other mosaic shows a different figure – the one who's been following you all along – who seems to be putting live people into graves!

john_brown: i really like the little world mythology this game is building Syrupentine: oh, it's like the Wizard of Oz! This guy's brother is hunting you for killing him and taking his place! His scythe, whatever

"Right, so I must be the Good Death of the North, meaning I have to be enemies with Elphaba now"

aroseahorseboy: now don't get me wrong this game is totally cool and gory and everything but! I feel like they are beating around the bush and not telling us about glem and his mom and dad!

Stage 4 starts with a horrible monster's maw, seeming to form the gateway to this next world. As Bea treks through, though, it becomes clear that it's no metaphor-- the whole next stage takes place inside the body of a vast dead creature!

pigbarrel: hey, its my house!! pull up a maggot and make yourself at home!

Sunlight shines through the many gaping holes in the monster's body, illuminating all the lovely scenes of Alonzo hacking his way through gigantic decomposers and detritovores, and running from collapsing vertebrae and certain things that are partially digested but still alive. The music even seems composed of various squelches and gurgles, to boot. A long, spiraling spinal staircase is the worst part, with a sea of roiling worms rising up after her!

"Hey, my followers! No autographs, please.”

Apparently this monster was a female, because the boss of this stage is a zombie egg, able to 'hatch' seemingly any number of appendages from under its calcified shell! At one point it becomes a pinwheel of wings and legs, and at least four shrieking beaks!

pigbarrel: and there's me, sorry for all the attacking HNV: I wondered if your Facebook picture was accurate, sorry for doubting you SugarGlyda: !!!!! oh its a perfect limb baby!!!

When the egg is finally stilled, Alonzo makes his way out onto a ridge overlooking a valley, that glows menacingly with purple evil. But, once again, we get a flashback; Alonzo and his would-be bride, embracing as they sit on the ridge together, watching as a magnificent, phoenix-like bird soars over the sunset-- in fact it's clearly the very bird whose ruined body you just journeyed through.

"I'm not crying internally, nope not me.. Made o' granite, be I."

TaichouSenseiKun: It's okay Bea let it out john_brown: why is this game so sad though?? HNV: We end up asking that about almost all of them honestly

To be concluded.

[chanandlersstuff]

The seasons pass and the heartbreak too

Pairing: Charles Leclerc x Reader.

Summary: Life its a funny thing or maybe whats meant to be will find his way back together.

Word count: 1.927

Author’s note: This is the second part from this one and I was thinking that those two deserve some closure, so it will be one more part and that's it. Hope you like it. English is my second language so sorry for the misspellings. The song that inspired this part is "Nineteen" from Dylan, it's really good and some parts of it are on the story.

After leaving Charles at the airport that day, you didn't hear from him anymore until maybe the next year because having almost the same group of friends it was pretty hard not to know about him. One day while you were on a long call with Pierre he told you that he was dating a beautiful girl and that he seemed happy. That instead of breaking your heart completely made you happy because he was happy again. The love you had for him prevented you from being sad about it. Pierre also told you that Charles was having a great season and that also made you happy. Months passed and you didn't hear from him. You were getting better and better at your dream job, becoming more important in the business. The F1 life was little forgotten in your life but always alive in the back of your mind.

Summers, birthdays and seasons passed and Charles was achieving all his F1 goals. One night while having dinner with Pierre in some part of the world talking about life he told him that you were dating some guy and that you were happy. Charles’ fork stopped mid air when he heard the news and to Pierre surprise a smile appeared in his face, a genuine smile. He was happy for you, after all the last time he saw you was nearly three years ago and he didn't hate you, he had incredible affection towards you but that was it. Charles had no love interest in his life anymore but none of that had nothing to do with you.

Sometimes he wondered what were you doing with your life, if you achieved all your dream goals, if you were fine, all that kind of stuff. Even one time he almost dialled your number only to see if you had the same number and if you would answer him but that idea turn into a stupid one the second he almost tuch your contac name. You, on the other hand, while exploring new places or when you saw something that you thought would be fun for him, you couldn’t contain your brain from thinking about him and smiling. His name always on your phone but never used. Happy memories from the time you spend together, while being friends and lovers, no hold grudges.

One day while you were crossing the street, coffee in hand and sunglasses in your eyes, your mind deep down in work, someone shouting your name brought you back to reality and the voice was so familiar. You lowered your sunglasses to see better and when the window car next to you lowered too your heart seems to beat a little slower or everything happens in slow motion. He was there in his matt black Ferrari with the Monaco flag across the car and the 16 on one side. Charles Leclerc in the flesh, shouting your name in the red light of a street. With a smile on your face you walked to the passenger side of the car and you crouched a little to see him better.

-I wasn't entirely sure it was you.- Charles said smiling.

-So you took your chances shouting at me I see.- He nodded and you laughed. -How are you?

-Fine, fine. What about you?- The two of you were smiling like little kids on Christmas night.

-I’m fine too.- Looking at his face you notice that he hasn't changed that much. His face was more mature and his beard from a couple of days the same as you remembered. The honk of other cars brought you back to reality -It was fantastic to see you again but I'm going late to a meeting and those drivers are getting pissed.

He frowned a little and moved his head to see the cars behind him. -Oh. Yes, it was great seeing you again.- He smiled and you smiled back. You straightened and took two steps back. -WAIT.

-¿Yes?- Your voice was sweet.

-You ....eh....we….- You giggle because he was the same nervous Charles you remember when you were little.

-¿Yes Charles?.- He laughed and cleared his throat.

-I was thinking if you could give me your number.- You raised your eyebrows. -To stay in touch I mean, if you want of course.

You smile and from one of the pockets of your bag you pulled out your card. -Gimme a call whenever you want.- Your fingers touch and a familiar, not so forgotten, feeling travels through your bodys. -Bye Charles.

A week later you were walking towards him in whiteh trousers and shoes, a black tank top, sunglasses and hat. The “friendly lunch”, as he said, was in a restaurant in front of the water and the summer in the air made the day perfect. It wasn't a date at all, it was two friends who hadn't seen each other in a while catching up.

With a bottle of water in the middle, because he had to drive and you weren’t going to drink wine alone, the conversation flowed as easy as all those years ago. Laughs that made the stomach hurt and tears appeared in the corner of your eyes while the two of you remembered long time memories and funny histories.

The way he kept switching languages as easy as breathing and the sun that was coming down, illuminated your skin making you glow in his eyes and your smile, gosh it was the brightest smile he'd ever seen. Everything was so easy going and funny, like a picture perfect. As if the two of you have never walked away from your lives, as if you have talked every day for the past few years.

-Do you remember that night when we went to that awful party and we ended up drinking coffee in that spot we used to like so much?- He said when you came down from the laughter.

-It was the same day that your mum almost kill us because we were minor and we stunk at cigarettes?- The scene coming to your brain as it was yesterday and he nodded. -Oh yes, I remember. Some dude spilled his drink in my dress and it had a huge stain on it.

-Yes, that blue dress looked so beautiful on you.- You didn’t remember the color, but apparently Charles did.

-I was a mess Charles.- You tried to argue with him.

-A hot mess.- He said in a low tone hoping, praying that you didn’t hear him but you did and didn't say anything about it trying to not ruin the nice day you were having.

-Do you remember that day you called me late at night to pick you up at that random bar?- You said and he burst into laughter at the memory.

-Oh god yes. I almost came out of that bar crawling and you were there waiting for me in that empty street.- Charles said, scratching his head.

-Were only one streetlight worked properly.- You add in a funny tone.

-You were there with my jacket and two blankets and a worried face.

-Because it was freaking cold, like freezing.- You said laughing and he did too. -I don't remember why you were there and I could bet you don't remember either because you were so drunk that you forgot the reason.

-I remember that the next day I had the worst hangover of my life and I swore that I would never drink that way ever again.- Charles grabbed the glass from the table and drank.

-I remember that you were insufferable the next day, like I couldn't even look your way and you were already whining like a baby.- You said and he laughed.

-And the night you were so stressed about that exam and I told you to run away with me?- You frowned. -That I “kidnapped you” and took you to that little dinner and we stayed there for like 5 hours.- You were smiling but didn't say anything or move an inch. -The dinner that was like from the 70s or 80s, with neon signs and rock music.

You nodded with your head. -Can I be honest with you?- He nodded. -All I saw that night was you and how your eyes seem to change color with the neon lights. He didn't say anything but smiled brightly at you and blushed a little.

If you were honest you remember all too well the things you did together. The little lies to your friends telling you didn't like him when you clearly did, the big fights in those summer days where everything complicated and all the mistakes were made and how he always said “You and I, that’s all the matter. No one else, just you and I” and how he told you “You are the only one I want” when you were agreeing to that strange summer deal.

-Do you remember the day we spent in your granny’s garden looking at the stars in that white old sheet?- You said looking at water.

-Yes, we spent hours talking about our big dreams and desires.- A little silence fell between you two. -I really hope you achieve everything you told me that night.- The fact that he seemed to remember what you told him that night told everything that you needed to know.

-I did, most of them I did. I hope the same for you.

-I achieved some of them and I’m doing others this year.-

But the truth was that both of you made promises and dream things together, thinking that you would stay friends or lovers forever. Always by the other side, cheering their wins and being there when they lost but life wanted other things.

-It seems that we both remember a lot of things from years ago.- You said in a nervous tone trying to cover the inexistent awkward silence.

-Of course I remember. How could I ever forget it.- You tilted your head. -How quickly and hard I fell for you.- His tone was so tender and the smile he was giving you was something from another planet.

-Charles…- You played with the napkin in front of you.

-What? It's true, I was never capable of lying to you and you weren't capable either so tell me what's on your mind.- You stayed in silence for a couple of minutes trying to find sense about them.

-Loving you wasn't a waste. Yes hearts were bruised and mistakes were made but I will do it all the same.- You said and smiled at him.

-I don't.- The look on your face must be a hurt one because he rushed his next words. -Because at the end I lost you, everything we were. Friends, lovers, partners, everything lost for years.

-But we are here now.- You said in a slow tone.

-But for how long?- You opened your mouth to talk but he interrupted you. -A week? Ten days? You are going to get back to your job and I have to get back to race, it's the summer deal all over again. And I do not say this because I want to be your boyfriend again or whatever we have been years ago, I say it because I want my friend back. You know how many times I almost called you to tell you everything that was going on with my life, to tell you that I needed you when shit hit the fan? A thousand times. I do not want you in my life if you are going to be entering or leaving it as if it were a candy store. I want you permanently in it and I want to be in your life in the same way. Be there for you when your work is going well and when you cry from stress like all those years ago but this time physically. I want you here.- At this point he was moving his hands freneticaly and raising his voice a little but the only you could do was looked at him speechless absorving his statement and your stupid heart racing as fast as he drives his car in the weekends.

[beatricethecat2]

"No joy," Myka says, peeking into the static bag.

"That was the correct part, was it not?" Helena enlarges the photo on Myka's phone of a nineteenth-century elevator car housed at the Warehouse.

"I'm pretty sure. But that picture's not great." Myka slides the handle out and plops it back in to the tune of no sparks.

Helena noses around the storage space as The Dakota building's manager walks in.

"Maybe what you're looking for's in here," he says, plunking down a milk crate full of parts. "When they renovate, they save anything original."

"It's an elevator handle. From the original manual ones. Just not this one." Myka slips the part from the bag and holds it up.

"Might be in Ms. Shiva's apartment then. Parents took two cars and made them into a bar. Or could be from the one that went missing, the mysterious fourth car."

Myka and Helena share a concerned look, knowing the Warehouse took it without permission.

"Can we see the other two?" Myka asks.

"Look just like that one." The man points toward the ornately carved wooden car on the other side of the room. "Handle's that important to you, huh?"

"As architectural historians? Yes," Helena snips in a clipped, scholarly tone.

"Alright. Gimme a minute." He slips his phone out of its belt clip and walks out of the room.

Helena picks through dust-covered items in the crate. "This may be a lost cause."

"It must be upstairs. The walls are so thick, the ping could have come from anywhere."

"You said 'pickup,' not 'ping.'"

"Claudia called it a pickup yesterday! Today she called it a ping."

Helena huffs a disgruntled breath.

The manager waves a hand from the doorway. "She said it's ok to come up."

Myka follows the man, but Helena hangs back.

"Aren't you coming?" 

"I...should look through this crate."

"You know more about this stuff than me. You should come with."

"Myka, I...."

Myka steps closer and lowers her voice. "I know you're not happy about being here, but I really need your help."

Helena holds Myka's gaze but doesn't move.

"Please."

Helena nods an apprehensive yes.

"You'll tell me what's going on with you later, right?"

Helena nods again, with equal apprehension.

Myka grimaces. "Come on."

They follow the manager out of the room and into the elevator to the fourth floor.

-----------------

The Adventures of Wells and Bering ("Warehouse 13" Season 5 replacement) Season 1: Episode 3 Title: New York City: I'm buggin' out!

Summary: After three blissful days holed up in their Philadelphia hotel room, Myka receives a call from the Warehouse asking for help. Helena proclaims New York "a cesspool" when told the pickup is in the city. Myka laughs when told Helena was last there in 1893. Told she can stay behind, Helena follows anyway, the pair taking the train to avoid driving. Helena tells tales of city adventures with her partner Wolcott as she and Myka make their way uptown. Helena tenses upon arrival at their destination, so much so, Myka can tell something is off.  Later that day, Helena reveals a long buried secret.

Previously: Episode 1, Episode 2

-----------------

***BONUS SCENES***

After a less than jovial dinner (pictured above), Myka and Helena settle into their hotel room. Myka lounges in bed, already showered, wearing shorts and a t-shirt, nose buried in a book. Helena searches through her luggage after emerging from a shower swathed only in a robe.

"I know dinner wasn't great," Myka says, setting her book on the nightstand, "but something else's off. You've been weirdly touchy all day."

"I apologize for not being, as Claudia might say, 'all sunshine and rainbows.'" Helena yanks a t-shirt out of her suitcase. "Perhaps we should call the whole thing off." 

"What 'thing'?"

"This trip."

"Why?" Myka sits up.

"Because me being sullen is not an anomaly." 

"I know."

"Then why on earth would you subject yourself to that again?" Helena turns to face Myka and crosses her arms over her chest.

"Because you promised when you got like this you'd talk to me and I believed you."

"Fool," Helena says, the word filled with fondness rather than bite.

"Come here," Myka says, patting a spot next to her.

Helena stares at the bed but doesn't move.

"Come here..."

Helena's eyes lift to meet Myka's; the longer they stay locked, the less defiance they hold. She huffs a disgruntled breath but does as she's told. She sits stiffly, arms folded over her chest, back propped up against the headboard.

"Now, tell me what happened in that building," Myka says, laying back, turning to face Helena, head propped up by a hand. "Remember, I said I wouldn't judge you."

"You say that now..." Helena says, glancing at Myka.

"I won't," Myka says, slipping her hand over Helena's and squeezing, dragging it down to her lap, breaking her protective arm-fold.

"Where to begin," Helena grumbles, pressing her eyes closed, head falling back against the wall.

"How about..." Myka scoots up, aligning herself with Helena, all the while keeping hold of her hand. "The first time you were there, finding that artifact."

Helena rolls her head to the side and meets Myka's gaze.

Myka raises her brow and grins expectantly.

"Oh, alright," Helena grumps, sighing deeply, then lifting her head from the headboard.

"Wolly posed as an investor, and I, his wife. He and I were given guest accommodations, courtesy of Gustav Schirmer, a music publisher. We had a vague idea of what the curiosity was but needed time and access to suss out its location."

"I bet you and Wolly made a better couple than Pete and I ever did," Myka quips.

Helena huffs a short laugh. "People like us 'acted the part' on a daily basis. Anything beyond that was an extension of those fabricated selves. One had to switch 'on' any number of personas just to keep safe. It was difficult at times to remember our true selves."

"I'm sorry. That sucks."

"Easier for me than others. Though in that regard, I'm glad society seems to have changed for the better." Helena meets Myka's gaze, her eyes falling to her lips.

"Me too," Myka says as Helena cups her jaw, guiding their mouths together.

Their kiss lingers but as Helena's hand slides to the nape of Myka's neck, Myka pulls away.

"Story first," Myka says, slipping her hand over Helena's, lifting it away.

Helena pouts.

"After." Myka caresses Helena's cheek, then places a soft, brief kiss there. "I promise."

"I shall hold you to that."

"Oh, I know," Myka says, smiling. She settles back and waits as Helena collects her thoughts.

"The Dakota was unique,' Helena begins, "its design, the first of its kind in the world. A playground for 'new money,' miles away from 'civilization' further downtown. Few dared travel that far north, so their soirees were rather insular."

"That's good, right? Easier to find the artifact?" Myka says.

"Indeed. Gustav adored hosting events, along with the Steinways. Guests chased tunes all over the building as engagements spilled between apartments. Wolly and I snooped around gratuitously."

"Steinways...as in the grand-piano-maker Steinways?"

"The very same," Helena mumbles. Her eyes turn distant, a thumb rubbing idly over a knuckle, her hands linked primly on her lap. 

"Did you find the artifact?" Myka asks.

"Hmm? Oh...yes. But it took quite some time," Helena answers. "And along the way, I found something far more profound." She looks down at her lap, her hands pulling away from each other, tensing. 

"What was it?"

"I found my One."

"Y-You had a One?" Myka says, stiffening.

"All too briefly," Helena says, then glances at Myka. "To have found another is a kindness beyond anything I'd ever imagined. I'm sorry it took so long for me to believe it possible."

"You mean me?"

"I do." Helena brings Myka's hand up to her lips and kisses its palm.

"I, um, guess it's silly to be jealous of someone who lived over a hundred years ago. Especially since I know nothing about them." Myka scoots closer, cozying up to Helena. "Will you tell me?"

"Would you like to know?"

"I want to know everything about you."

"That may take some time."

"We have time, don't we?"

"Time has never been my ally. Especially with the ones I love."

"Let's change that." Myka tugs on Helena's sleeve, and the pair slip down to lie prone on the bed. She turns and snuggles up, head pillowed on Helena's shoulder, arm resting across her middle. Helena relaxes into Myka's hold and wraps an arm over Myka's.

"Tell me about your One," Myka says. "Or, your 'first' One."

"She...was an extraordinary woman," Helena answers. "Unlike any I'd ever known. We bonded instantly, which was unusual."

"How did you meet?"

"I caught her hiding from the merriment during a soiree, nose tucked in a book. One Mrs. Elizabeth Westcott." Helena smiles, obviously warmed by the memory.

"Mrs.?"

"A marriage for appearances; personal gain for two up-and-coming families. Residing at The Dakota allowed her husband to carry on extramarital affairs with less scrutiny. He cared little about her own."

"So you and she..."

"If those walls could talk," Helena says, her smile bordering on devilish. "We had several glorious years together before she..." Her smile fades in an instant.

"I'm afraid to ask."

"She died, as one does when one's husband's mistress plots to kill you."

"S-She was murdered?"

"Freak carriage accident. Never proven, but everyone knew. To ensure Elizabeth never gave him an heir, after Christina. The irony being we'd planned on running away to California soon enough--"

"Wait, Christina was Elizabeth's?" Myka lifts her head to look Helena in the eye.

"I loved her as if she were my own," Helena snaps, "spirited her away to England as soon as I could, with the housekeeper's help."

"You stole her?" Myka pushes away, falling back on her elbows, mouth agape.

"I rescued her," Helena barks, jerking upright. "That monstrous woman still had talons in her father. There was no doubt Christina wasn't safe. It's what Elizabeth would have wanted." 

Helena moves to leave, but Myka grabs her arm.

"Don't go," Myka pleads. "I'm sorry. I said I wouldn't judge you."

Helena freezes in place, her heart pounding wildly. A few moments later, she returns to Myka's side.

"Did anyone come looking for her?" Myka asks, pushing forward so as not to leave Helena stewing.

"I don't know. I doubt they could find me as only Elizabeth knew my true identity. And I never set foot in New York again."

"So literally 1893."

Helena nods, the sour look on her face softening. "I'd thought to visit her grave but haven't found the courage."

"You should go. We could go together. It'll give you closure."

"You sound so certain."

"I know it will help. I've loved and lost, too, you know."

"Indeed, you have, my love," Helena says, then sighs heavy-heartedly. "What a pair we make."

"I think we're a good match," Myka says, tugging Helena back to lie flat again. "We could take our minds off it. Make some new, pleasant memories." She slips a hand under the tie of Helena's robe.

"You did make a promise earlier," Helena replies.

"And I always make good on my promises," Myka says, drawing the tie free, brushing a fingertip over newly exposed skin. Helena quivers and relaxes back, offering no resistance as Myka fulfills her word.

End of Episode 3

-TBC-

NOTES: According to the internet, the term "buggin'" was coined in New York City. The fourth elevator really did go missing during The Dakota renovations in the 1960's (pre-landmarking). Thank you to the library for being open so I could borrow books and down some facts as this got way more involved than I meant it to become (but that's part of the fun).

This story format is...in my head, I'm calling it "TV POV." If we were watching the show, we'd see things but not hear the character's thoughts, so that's what I'm going for, I think? Broad strokes and quicker resolutions due to the 45 minute-ish run time (or would this show be a 25 minute one? Hmm.) Let me know if that's not working at all. I mean these are obviously pastiches of content - the images come first then the stories materialize afterwards. They are supposed to be short and clippy - plenty of room for the reader to fill in the blanks - but this one got away from me! Also Tumblr keeps making the second image blurry and I can't figure out why...

[nerfherdingteleporter]

I posted 4,910 times in 2021

66 posts created (1%)

4844 posts reblogged (99%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 73.4 posts.

I added 128 tags in 2021

#hey lesbians - 22 posts

#white people twitter - 22 posts

#tweets - 21 posts

#useful post - 16 posts

#long post - 14 posts

#asexual awareness week - 7 posts

#yes - 7 posts

#reblog bait - 7 posts

#writing prompt - 6 posts

#ace week - 6 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#to clarify i didn't mean i thought she was a fajer i just thought there was a general understanding that most artists' songs were fictional

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Grant Morrison is nb. Grant Morrison's greatest contribution to the batfam, Damian Wayne, may also be nonbinary.

Yo Grant. Please help us make this canon.

46 notes • Posted 2021-09-19 21:59:48 GMT

#4

Opinion:

When adapting a non-movie (book, comic, and v show, whatever) into a movie, the first cinematic universe should be Accurate TM. When writing the screenplay, you should get feedback from a kid who grew up with the story as well as a different person who wrote their thesis about how the story affected its universe.

The second movie onward, you can experiment a little, but do try to stay close to the original characterization and tone.

All that is for the first cinematic universe: the universe of purist, accurate content.

Every cinematic universe after that? Experiment. Pick and choose characterization, I suppose, and mix and match plotlines (or make up your own), and most importantly?

From the second version of that character onwards, change demographics.

Does the director think Batman is autistic, and really wants to include a Foreshadowing scene where Tiny Bruce Wayne infodumps about bats? Do your research and go ahead.

Trans Spider-Man? Fuck yeah. I'd elaborate but Tumblr does that do much better than me.

Black Annabeth Chase? She bleaches her hair as a tribute to Thalia, who helped her punkify herself to hide when they were on the run (I want this. I want this so much).

South Asian and pan Harry Potter? Ooh yes, gimme the scene where he and Ginny and Dean have a love triangle and nobody's crush is requited.

We can have picture-perfect adaptations AND tell every story.

50 notes • Posted 2021-05-17 20:12:35 GMT

#3

Two and a half books into this series set in fantasy ancient Greece, it has sunk in that this series is set in fantasy ancient Greece, so I've started assuming that all the characters are bi and shipping the soldiers with each other.

In my defence, I think only one person fell in love anyway?

Anyway read The Thief and its sequels by Megan Whalen Turner.

53 notes • Posted 2021-01-07 22:26:17 GMT

#2

We can do it, we can make all the robins canonically queer. Step one: crack eggs. Step two: hatch adorable sidekicks. We've already got lesbian Batwoman, bi Catwoman, bi Bluebird (and her gay brother), bi Tim Drake/Red Robin and now hopefully demiboy Damian Wayne/Robin

63 notes • Posted 2021-09-19 21:57:26 GMT

#1

Fuck, marry, kill: Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite

93 notes • Posted 2021-10-14 02:12:25 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[criminally--reid]

Go Home, Spencer

Warnings: er smut? Fingering, unprotected sex, dirty talk, yaknow; also not rlly edited n kinda rushed but like whatever :/

Pairing: spencer reid x fem! Reader

Word count: 1.2k (1,268)

(authors note at the end if ur down I guess. kinda important i guess i dunno)

_________________________________________

“Mmmh, j-jesus fuck! Nnng so- fuck! So  fucking good. Holy shit-” 

Buzz Buzz Buzz 

An incoming phone call interrupts you. You pause your video and answer the call from Morgan telling you to check on Reid. He hadn’t been quite the same since he went through everything with the last couple cases. You slip on a t-shirt and shorts and hop in your car to head to the office. 

“Everything okay, Spence?” He’s in the meeting room, whiteboards covered in chicken scratch, cork boards covered in pictures upon pictures of crime scene photos. 

 “No.. No it’s not okay. I- I- I don’t understand how I didn’t see it-” 

“Wha- what are you talking about?” 

He runs his hands up his face and into his hair as he storms off to the break room; me hot on his trail. 

“I can’t believe I had the initial profile wrong. I was so certain I knew, but he killed again. I thought I had it right; thought I knew.” 

“Spence, we caught the guy. It’s over-" 

"We could have caught him sooner." 

"Spence, it's done. It’s friday. You can go home. For once, stop profiling and enjoy yourself.” 

“I can’t just stop profiling. It’s what I do all day, everyday. I’d have to turn my brain off to quit. Like right now, you’re eager to get home. Not to someone, but something. You’re a bit fidgety. radiating an insane amount of body heat. I’m guessing you were watching porn before Morgan called-” 

“I didn’t ask you to start profiling me, Spencer, and how’d you know Morgan called?” 

“Merely observation…and Derek’s always the one that calls.” he continues, stepping closer. 

“Spence-” 

“You told me to enjoy myself... I’m about to.” He steps even closer so his front is flush with mine. I have trouble meeting his stern gaze until he places two fingers under yourchin, forcing eye contact. “Tell me, Y/N, was I right?” I nod yourhead and look away. “Not talking now are we? Words.” 

“Yeah, Spence, you're right.” 

A grim smile creeps across his face accompanied by an almost sarcastic laugh; a mix between a scoff and a chuckle. “Spence? Seriously. I put so much effort and time; blood, sweat, and tears into earning a doctorate for everyone to call me Spence? Or spencer? Reid? No one respects my title, huh. I go above and beyond so I get the doctor respect, but still nothing.” 

“I- no- of course we do. This team would be nothing without you. We- we know how hard you work, Spen-" 

“Turn around.” you do as he says, turning around and gripping the edge of the large wooden table that sits in the middle of the room. He runs his hands up you back and around your neck, pulling your ear closer to his mouth. “What was it about?” 

“Wha-” 

“The video. What was it about?” 

“Uh- i-it was, uhm, a- a boss and his uh employee..” 

Spencer lets out a sinister yet somehow innocent laugh. “That excites you? You dirty girl. Is that something you think about a lot? Fucking whoever’s in charge of you at work?” You hesitate before slowly nodding your head. “I hope a co-worker can fulfill your fantasies.” He snakes his opposite hand down to plant a firm slap on your ass, eliciting a moan from your chapstick-coated lips. 

He unwraveles his arm from around you and drops down to his knees behind you; taking your shorts down with him, revealing that you have no underwear on. 

“No panties…” he whispers almost to himself. Excitement swells inside you as well as on the surface of your skin as he peppers open-mouthed kisses all over the back of your thighs, getting everso closer to your heat. He pries your legs open, and you let out slow, deep, shaky breaths in response. They soon become shallow - almost nonexistent - as he slip stwo fingers inside you. “So wet,” he snickers. He quickens his pace with each thrust, and you're a mess in no time. 

“S-spencer,” you choke out. 

Another harsh slap on your ass. “Who?”

“Dr. Reid.. please..” 

“Please what?” He quickens his fingers, rendering you almost speechless. 

“Fu-fuck me, Dr. Reid, please.’’ 

Immediately, he stops in his tracks and removes his fingers; an empty feeling washing over you. He stands up, his front flush with yourback and you can feel his bulge pressing up against your thigh, through his pants. “Open,” he says, and you part your lips allowing his fingers to dance inside, coating your tongue with your own juices. 

“Good girl.” 

You hear the sound of him undoing his belt followed by his suit pants hitting the floor. You spread your legs slightly, more than ready for him. The tip of his length makes contact with your slick folds and your insides tighten up automatically. “S- Doctor, please.” 

“As you wish.” 

He slips inside easily, and you feel full once again. He goes agonizingly slow; torturing you. Slow, long strokes, filling you to your hilt; then all the way out and back in again.

“Doctor Reid, faster, plea- ohmygod!”   

“Shti! So fucking tight.” 

The sound of his thighs hitting the back of your slick ones fills and echoes through the room. A harsh slap on your ass followed by a squeal adds to the audible pleasure. He removes his hands from your hips to tangle one into your hair and the other one snaking around your front to rub hellish circles on your clit. You collapse onto the table - putty in his hands; an absolute moaning mess. The knot that began before you got there returning full-force, threatening to unwind. You clench around his length, trying to hold back your orgasm and relish in the immense pleasure. But all too soon, the floodgates are threatening to open; aching for release. 

“Mmh- you gonna cum for me?” Spencer breathes out from behind you, his pace ruthless and steady. 

“Mmfuck, Spence- yes.” 

His grip tightens in your hair, and he pulls your head back - ear level with his mouth as he lowly taunts, “How do we ask nicely?” 

“Doctor Reid,, plea- fuck! Please.. Can I cum, please?- S-so fucking good. Spencer... please?” 

“Cum,” he whispers in yourear; sending shivers down your spine. Almost instinctively, you clench around him and your juices explode. An uncontrollable, high-pitched cry leaving your mouth as anticipation finally reached its apex. 

A few more strokes and Spencer pulls out and finishes on yourlower back, leaving you with an aching empty feeling once again. His hands falling on either side of you holding him up. Both of us panting like race dogs. He stands up - putting some space between you and him - allowing you to turn around and admire the sight in front of you: A wild Spencer, glistening with post-sex sweat, dressed in nothing but a haphazardly buttoned beige button-up, running his fingers through his sweat-dampened hair. 

You both hurry to throw your clothes back on. 

“So…” Spencer starts.

“That was.. -” 

“Yeah, it was.” Spencer attempts to sputter out a sentence, and you both laugh at his failure.

“Listen, I- uh.. Okay,” you laugh. “Go home, pretty boy. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and don’t even think about this place until Monday.”

He stands in front of you once again, your back up against the table, his hands lightly resting on your sides. “I think I’ve had enough fun in the last hour to last you the rest of the weekend. Given that, I’m obligated to come back tomorrow.” 

“Jesus Christ, Reid.” you chuckle, and he joins in.

“Fine. Monday.” He places a kiss to your forehead, grabs his cross-body bag, and heads to the door. A quick wink, and he’s out of yoursight all too soon. 

“Monday,” you whisper lowly to yourself, and smile like a total loon all the way back to your car. 

○°○°○°○°○°○°○°○°○°○°○°○°○°○°

a.n.: ok so like this isn't rlly edited but whatever I already said that akajak

the thing is, I have a few more of these already written (that I should actually prob look over n edit). But I cant decide if I should try harder to make them a series or not. The story lines VAGUELY run together, but like I references different seasons of spencer?? like does that matter ?? or? Maybe it could just be like an analogous series bcos the plots kinda make sense individually.. eye dunno bbies,, gimme ur opinion if ur reading this :)

Also,, lemme know ur opinion on the spacing. I feel like this.is too far apart, but i feel like if i dont double space or whatever, the words will get jumbled up and it'll be harder to read? It is for me at least.. lemme know what yall prefer

Ok so I made the spacing smaller. I feel like it's hard to read but maybe I'm just an idiot:/ lemme know uwu

[sukirichi]

read the new chapters and aAAACKKKKK BESTIE???

y/n - ‘I was born to make everyone’s life a living hell’ maam this LINE?! JAW DROPPED, TIME STOPPED being insecure all her life and wanting to live up to the expectations to her dad just to have that sliver of attention from him, that sentence gives us a glimpse on how little she felt despite being accomplished, rather successful actually because she always cleans her boss’ mess have a lot of baggage to unpack. and when the secret was confirmed, her anger rejects all of the entity that ties with her past because both her parents deprived her for the things she was supposed to have– becoming greedy to fulfill those. then eventually, somehow, going back to her roots aka being humble after having the talk with her dad. As most of her insecurity started because of him and how she had to be the bigger person for his other family, clearing out the misunderstanding between them brought a sense of peace  while she’s settling in the restless turn of events.

and with our main man gojo, this guy, it is not wise to- 😤😤 how can you say you’re engaged after doing the body tango huh? esp when you said you want y/n to be your wife? oh gee and the revelation of his past relationship with mia and how he sees her in y/n is so fucked up. can’t help but think that satoru wanting to marry and be this lovey-dovey with y/n is just him reliving the moments that mia never gave him in the past. and y/n accepting that their current relationship is based on how they’re filling up the cracks in their needs and settling for the sake of familiarity. imagine how deep in love our girl is to keep satoru in her life 💔 im still in it for the second lead agenda

needless to say, everyone here needs a therapy so they can get their shit straight together 🤧🤧 (ノ•̀ o •́ )ノ ~ ┻━┻

BUT i know you mentioned this many times but laywer! naoya all poised and in his best behavior while helping y/n in her new situation has my heart go💕💕 winning lots of cases and is known in his field, he proved that he is both beauty and brains. and the pen spin??? man be pulling those fast spins either to distract or impress the person he is talking to flashing those perfect white pearls wtf now i can’t get that out of my head naoya brain rot 🥵🥵 also celebrity chef! sukuna in charge of all those delicious, exquisite cuisines? imma make myself broke just to taste his masterpiece🥲 ooh but how about him being a michelin star chef and owning a michelin-starred resto?! no doubt, left and right you see this man appearing on some high food magazine on the cover 😊😊 oh oh i also saw that supermodel! choso?? also his face is plastered on magazines AND luxurious advertisements ex. shibuya crossing! where most people be drenched in his glorious presence yea weird shibuya arc ref pls kill me and everyone talks how handsome and intimidating he is while he just have a rbf and only the closest people in his life get to see him drop that front 😌😌

with that in mind, imagine supermodel! choso being a godfather to the baby of y/n?? he would go soft immediately at the sight of the child and would probably love giving lots of branded clothes it will be good enough for more than a year ☺️🥲😭

oh and there is this one scene in chp7 that reminded me of the recent korean movie i watched i dont wanna say it in case you wanna check it out its called sweet and sour and oh god idk why but watching it, mind keeps on prompting your fics 😬😬 maybe bcos i some of your fic always had med related topics and the main actress role there is a nurse. i remember that you’re on your clinic training so maybe thats why 😳oohh pls don’t forget to take breaks and be safe heart and oh ur a psych major too? oh wow hi ig in relation to one actress in the sweet and sour fic, she was also in a kdrama the heirs- which was popular at the time with it being packed with some solid household actors and actresses. sky castle tho, ig it relates to the theme of reckless more because its mostly how parents from the upper class will mindlessly destroy someone’s life to attain their materialistic desires  🤧🙂

this fic, easily in my top 3 ‘heart belongs to who it dictates’ so many twists, so much drama and ANGST! YES BESTIE GIMME THOSE ANGST 🥲😌

i hope you’re doing well nowadays :’)) we need to find gege the best chiropractor to take care of his back, so good that it’ll make naoya respawn to life 🙂 suki i don’t think i’ll get tired of saying how much i love your work that it feels illegal im reading it for free 💔. i don’t really have much to offer, but im wishing you good health and success in your life :’)) aah i’ve mentioned this already but take care always 💕💖😊���

- 🍳

read the new chapters and aAAACKKKKK BESTIE???

y/n - ‘I was born to make everyone’s life a living hell’ maam this LINE?! JAW DROPPED, TIME STOPPED being insecure all her life and wanting to live up to the expectations to her dad just to have that sliver of attention from him, that sentence gives us a glimpse on how little she felt despite being accomplished, rather successful actually because she always cleans her boss’ mess have a lot of baggage to unpack. and when the secret was confirmed, her anger rejects all of the entity that ties with her past because both her parents deprived her for the things she was supposed to have– becoming greedy to fulfill those. then eventually, somehow, going back to her roots aka being humble after having the talk with her dad. As most of her insecurity started because of him and how she had to be the bigger person for his other family, clearing out the misunderstanding between them brought a sense of peace  while she’s settling in the restless turn of events.

and with our main man gojo, this guy, it is not wise to- 😤😤 how can you say you’re engaged after doing the body tango huh? esp when you said you want y/n to be your wife? oh gee and the revelation of his past relationship with mia and how he sees her in y/n is so fucked up. can’t help but think that satoru wanting to marry and be this lovey-dovey with y/n is just him reliving the moments that mia never gave him in the past. and y/n accepting that their current relationship is based on how they’re filling up the cracks in their needs and settling for the sake of familiarity. imagine how deep in love our girl is to keep satoru in her life 💔 im still in it for the second lead agenda

needless to say, everyone here needs a therapy so they can get their shit straight together 🤧🤧 (ノ•̀ o •́ )ノ ~ ┻━┻

BUT i know you mentioned this many times but laywer! naoya all poised and in his best behavior while helping y/n in her new situation has my heart go💕💕 winning lots of cases and is known in his field, he proved that he is both beauty and brains. and the pen spin??? man be pulling those fast spins either to distract or impress the person he is talking to flashing those perfect white pearls wtf now i can’t get that out of my head naoya brain rot 🥵🥵 also celebrity chef! sukuna in charge of all those delicious, exquisite cuisines? imma make myself broke just to taste his masterpiece🥲 ooh but how about him being a michelin star chef and owning a michelin-starred resto?! no doubt, left and right you see this man appearing on some high food magazine on the cover 😊😊 oh oh i also saw that supermodel! choso?? also his face is plastered on magazines AND luxurious advertisements ex. shibuya crossing! where most people be drenched in his glorious presence yea weird shibuya arc ref pls kill me and everyone talks how handsome and intimidating he is while he just have a rbf and only the closest people in his life get to see him drop that front 😌😌

with that in mind, imagine supermodel! choso being a godfather to the baby of y/n?? he would go soft immediately at the sight of the child and would probably love giving lots of branded clothes it will be good enough for more than a year ☺️🥲😭

oh and there is this one scene in chp7 that reminded me of the recent korean movie i watched i dont wanna say it in case you wanna check it out its called sweet and sour and oh god idk why but watching it, mind keeps on prompting your fics 😬😬 maybe bcos i some of your fic always had med related topics and the main actress role there is a nurse. i remember that you’re on your clinic training so maybe thats why 😳oohh pls don’t forget to take breaks and be safe heart and oh ur a psych major too? oh wow hi ig in relation to one actress in the sweet and sour fic, she was also in a kdrama the heirs- which was popular at the time with it being packed with some solid household actors and actresses. sky castle tho, ig it relates to the theme of reckless more because its mostly how parents from the upper class will mindlessly destroy someone’s life to attain their materialistic desires  🤧🙂

this fic, easily in my top 3 ‘heart belongs to who it dictates’ so many twists, so much drama and ANGST! YES BESTIE GIMME THOSE ANGST 🥲😌

i hope you’re doing well nowadays :’)) we need to find gege the best chiropractor to take care of his back, so good that it’ll make naoya respawn to life 🙂 suki i don’t think i’ll get tired of saying how much i love your work that it feels illegal im reading it for free 💔. i don’t really have much to offer, but im wishing you good health and success in your life :’)) aah i’ve mentioned this already but take care always 💕💖😊🥰

- 🍳

y/n becomes a real baddie when she’s pissed off 😫

hmm y/n wasn’t really working hard for her dad’s attention, it was more like she felt so left out and unwanted (she feels unwanted wherever she goes) that she just decided to pack up and support them from afar bcos to her, she’s so alienated in her dad’s family that she felt like she had to work hard to earn a spot in their table. she knows she’s the outsider but she wants to feel like she can be part of them, that she is also a child deserving of love and care, but becos her stepmom focused more on her actual kids and her own dad was too busy with his new family now, it made y/n feel that she had to do something to be worthy of that.

that’s why most of the money she made working in tokyo was still wired to her family; she put her brothers in school and supported them, all because she hoped it would make them accept her more. now, things are different because she finally found her biological family, but even if valeria and co. still don’t want her, y/n is now more focusing on building something that’s truly hers that no one can take away. yes yes, she did become greedy, but more for power than of acceptance. she got to a point she doesn’t care as much vying for her parents’ approval and now thinks her luxury gives her comfort; only because at least she has that much. like she said in the latest chapter, happiness was not what she needed, it was stability and money - all things she lacked before.

and yea she did go back to her roots! all of her issues started with her dad anyway but that part is slowly patching up 🩹💔 oooh actually your theory is right bestie 🧐 gojo found y/n interesting bcos she reminded him of mia, so the more she pushed him away, the more he’s like wait, i’ve been here before, let’s not repeat past mistakes but i can do better now. on the part where gojo talked to mia while she was asleep, notice how he said he’s given a second chance to do better now, all because he couldn’t do them with mia but he could with y/n.

ohhh actually y/n was the one who established that ‘fulfilling mutual need and settling for familiarity instead of being lonely’ type of relationship. gojo avoided her for weeks and he’s pretty settled in keeping his distance, but she was the one who sought him out. deep down, y/n is afraid if she doesn’t at least use him as an anchor to her more humble roots, then she might spiral out of control and end up like valeria, thus using him as a ‘distraction’ but in reality, she needs his comfort to be grounded.

SECOND LEAD AGENDA OMG LETS GOOO 🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️ geto the fine fine option.

NO BESTIE MOMENT U MENTIONED LAWYER NAOYA I JUST KNEW I WAS GONNA SCREAM. okay but lawyer! naoya is so fine, i love his character so much bcos he’s a pure bean. originally, i was gonna make him an antagonist but i found he had more potential as a good, supportive character. HIS PEN SPIN HELPPP WHY COULDN’T HE JUST BEEN OUR BABY DADDY 😫 he pulls them fast spins bcos he’s nervous btw HAHAHAHA y/n can be quite intimidating and lawyer! naoya is sometimes too precious.

celebrity chef! sukuna is MEAN! he was pictured after gordon ramsay so lmao. omgggg sukuna being famous not only for his food but also his handsomeness 😳 he gets so cocky over how no one can get in his level while popping a battle of champagne, listening to ‘careless whisper’ while dancing to his reflection in the mirror 😤

also yoo supermodel! choso is THE hot shit 🥵 he’s so famous his schedule is packed for an entire year and a half and those are just for very selected brands and designers! ugh imagine going to work on the subway when you see supermodel! choso with rbf posing sexily and you swoon because he’s so sexy. plot twist that choso doesn’t know how to drive bcos as a kamo family member, they grew up with drivers taking them to and fro, so when his driver got sick and everyone else was busy, supermodel choso takes the subway himself and hides behind a face mask and cap while still wearing extravagant clothes that makes him stand out more. he does not have ‘subtle’ on his book at all.

and yeah people say he’s intimidating but its more his height and build + rbf! in reality, he’s just as soft and sweet as naoya, but both of them go into protective mode when someone they care about is being crapped on. and boy when they DO get into “what did you just say?” mode, better run away 🏃🏻‍♀️ supermodel! choso is also an heir to the kamo empire though not after the business, but he still has enough power to take you down in a second.

meanwhile, lawyer! naoya didn’t become this successful without being so savage yet composed he makes you question your entire existence before he drags you to court. lawyer! naoya is so scarily convincing that he can make you plead guilty even tho you did nothing wrong 💀

aaaah omg supermodel! choso LOVES babies actually! as the eldest child who looked after his brothers bcos the kamo parents are always away for work, being a father figure is so natural to him. i can picture him being the one who cries harder than gojo if the baby is born bcos he’s so excited, then reads poems to the baby before sighing that childbirth is such a beautiful thing 🥺

omg i know sweet n sour, the actresses are one of my faves tho i haven’t watched it yet! oooh they’re a nurse? i didn’t know that 🧐 i actually finish my short training in a week so i’ll be heading on to heavy majoring in psychology! wait bestie are YOU also a psych major 😳💕 oh and i see i see, sky castle *jots that down for future references* reckless actually has lots of significance in terms of the parents’ roles so i’m excited to see that! and aww thank you so much, can’t believe i made it in someone’s top three 🥺💕

HELP AHSKWKW i’m gonna call the best chiropractor in the world and send them gege’s way, i’ll cry a river if that’s what it takes to bring my boo back to life 😭 and noo baby the support already means a lot to me, i’m just happy to indulge in my hobbies and share it wih you all so thank you very much for everything 🥺 please take care of yourself too n have a nice day!! kith MWAH 💕

[keeroo92]

My Angel (Dante x Reader)

My first attempt at Dante x Reader based of a prompt of Character A kills someone who is trying to kill Character B. B is shocked and A gets defensive until the following exchange."You're not scared?" "Of you? Never."

Trigger warning - graphic scene of non-con. Promise it ends happy :)

______________________________________________________________

“I love you.”

The three words sent your mind reeling. You stared at his earnest sapphire eyes, able to see the vulnerability that speaking the words had cost him with ease. You wanted to run and hide.

My best friend is in love with me.

Fuck.

You’d known Dante for years. He’d been there when no one else was, been the person you turned to in times of crisis. He was the person you called after your mother had been in a car wreck. The person you vented to about your dating troubles. The one who came to get you when you found yourself stranded one hundred miles from home.

And he was in love with you.

Fuck.

Have I been taking advantage of him and not knowing it? Did I lead him on, give him hints?

Not a single memory came to mind where you intentionally flirted with him or even casually touched him. You hugged, sure, but the type of contact that came with sexual attraction was never something you shared with the white-haired man. There was nothing, no drunken dirty dancing or double entendre. No awkward comments or anything.

The man in question sat beside you on one of the squishy couches at his place of business, one you’d sat on with him numerous times over the years. Now the atmosphere was different, from three crucial words. He stared at you, waiting for some kind of response.

Fuck.

“Since when?” you blurted. Dante smirked, his hands shifting from his knees to clasp together as he leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees.

The beat of your heart was erratic, too fast. You were sweating, your hands shaking as panic flooded your senses. How the hell were you supposed to handle his confession?

Dante glanced at your face and the light of hope in his eyes flickered out, so subtly you didn’t even notice as he lightly punched you in the shoulder.

“Gotcha!”

Wait, what?

He was kidding?

It made more sense. He played practical jokes on you regularly, and you on him. But this felt different. He’d never played a joke that messed with your emotions, not once. This wasn’t like him.

I don’t know what to believe.

It was irrelavant matter what the truth was – both options were unacceptable. Either he was trying to pretend he didn’t have feelings for you to give you an out, or he had pulled a cruel prank on you.

Motherfucker.

“You fucking asshole! I can’t believe you!” you shouted, standing in a single fluid motion powered by rage. He laughed, adding insult to injury. It sounded wrong, but you were too far gone to care as you grabbed your purse and jacket, stomping over to put your sneakers on and leave. To run.

“Hey, it was just a joke! You can stay,” he began. “I’ll order some pizza and we can play games like we always do.”

You finished tying your shoes and snarled at him, hands trembling. “Don’t fucking follow me. I can’t deal with you.”

With a slam of the door, you left him alone with the echoes of your fury. The walk home took only ten minutes most nights, but you needed extra time to think before facing your roommates. Instead of turning right, you went left. You paid little attention to where your steps led you as you angrily strode onward.

Unbelievable! Who does he think he is? What the fuck am I supposed to believe now? Does it even matter?

In the grip of your blind rage, you covered several city blocks in a matter of minutes. There was little traffic and as it got dark, the streets became even more vacant. The few pedestrians all but vanished until you pictured yourself as the only person in the city. Isolation gave you clarity. You always did your best thinking alone.

I don’t want to lose our friendship. How can we move past this bullshit? Can I forgive him for the joke, if that’s what it was?

What if he was serious?

Fuck.

You growled in frustration as your thoughts returned to the same conclusion over and over. A confrontation. Just ask him, straight up. He’d be honest with you.

Wouldn’t he?

I don’t know.

The energy faded away as quickly as it had appeared, leaving you exhausted as you leaned against a brick wall and tried not to cry. A few tears slipped past your defenses anyway and you scrubbed them away with the sleeve of your shirt. Sleep never sounded so appealing, and you scanned the area to discern where you were and find a route home.

The buildings surrounding you were stone, and all crumbling away. Someone had boarded over many of the doors and windows, a few with broken glass on the ground beneath the window frame. You recognized none of it.

Fuck.

Guess I’ll just turn around then, been walking in a straight line for a while.

Three blocks passed and panic bloomed in your chest as you still failed to figure out where you were. You walked faster, noticing figures standing in alley ways doing who knew what. Unsavory things, most likely

A loud clatter behind you made you turn your head, your feet moving even as you checked for threats. You didn’t spot the one in front of you.

A grimy hand wrapped around your wrist and tugged you sideways into an alcove. You gasped in surprise, your panic morphing into full blown terror as you saw the barrel of a gun pointed at your forehead.

“Good, got your attention. Gimme your wallet, jewelry too.”

The thief’s face remained hidden the shadows, but by the sound of his voice, he was male and probably a smoker. You swallowed nervously and moved your hands to your purse strap on your shoulder, taking it off and handing it over without a word.

“Ah, obedient lass. Show me your fingers and wrists. And your neck and ears too, can’t have ya hold out on me.”

Tears began to stream down your face as you obeyed a second time, putting your grandmother’s earrings on full display. You hoped your pendant distracted him, but his greedy eyes spotted everything.

“Right, take em off.”

The necklace was easy to part with, just a trinket not worth over twenty bucks. You tried to catch the man’s eye but still the shadows blocked you.

I have to try.

You took a deep breath and summoned your courage. “Please, sir. My earrings were my grandma’s, they aren’t even valuable-“

“I don’t care. Take em off.”

“Please. Can’t I give you something else?”

“You got anything else you better fork it over too, missy. No more games.”

No! They’re all I have!

“Take me to an ATM, I can get you cash instead. I have a couple hundred-“

He cocked the gun. Breath escaped you in a quiet gasp as his finger drifted to cover the trigger. You saw straight down the barrel; you’d be able to see the bullet coming at you. Or, you would if you were faster. If you were lucky, you might catch the flash before you died.

You started sobbing in earnest as your violently shaking hands moved to your ears. It took a few tries to remove the earrings and you dropped them into his grimy hand with a shudder of revulsion. The instant they left your palm, your heart broke as if your grandmother just passed all over again. The man smiled cruelly.

“Y’know, I always said there’s nothing as beautiful as a woman crying. I’m gonna take one more thing from ya, little lady. If you stay obedient, I might even let you live.”

Your blood ran cold, your body frozen as his hand tugged your wrist again and dragged you into a narrow alley. There wasn’t anything to hide behind – he meant to rape you right out in the open.

Fuck, what do I do? What do I do?!

You heard fabric rustling as he removed his pants, felt as his hand roughly tugged your bottoms down and revealed you to the night. You wondered what he’d do with the gun while he… did his business. The cold press of metal on the back of your neck answered that question as he forced you to turn around and face him.

“Now, let’s get you warmed up… stay quiet or else.”

The gun moved down your spine, still pressed against you so you tracked its every move as it neared your core. It was still cocked, and your teeth dug so deeply into your lip you tasted blood as he slid the cold metal inside you. He laughed, crouching down to get a better view.

“Ooh, look at that. Quite a pretty pussy you’ve got, missy. And it looks so good taking my gun. Let’s see what else you got. Take off your shirt.”

“P-please-“

“Do it or I’ll ruin that perfect pussy with a bullet.”

He thrusted the barrel deeper, and you raised your shaking hands to do as he said. You held your top tightly in one hand as he waited for you to remove your bra. He didn’t even have to ask. The sobs didn’t stop as you reached behind you to unlatch the hook, letting the straps fall down your arms and you let the brown bra tumble to the ground.

You never wanted to see it again.

“What a good girl you are, so trainable.”

He slid the gun in and out of you a few times and you struggled to relax the muscles enough so it didn’t hurt. You heard the sick squelching sound as your body responded to the intrusion by releasing fluid to ease the foreign object’s passage.

“Oho, she likes it! You naughty girl.”

No, you’re wrong! You don’t understand!

You wanted to scream, to shout and beat him senseless with your bare hands but there was nothing you could do as his free hand, stained with dirt, rose to explore your chest. Your nipples were already hard from the chill in the air, but this sick fucker took it as more proof of your enjoyment.

“What a slut, getting turned on by having a loaded gun shoved up her pussy. Think you're ready for my me now.”

Oh gods… someone help me, please!

The tip of his length probed you, testing your wetness. The ferocity of your crying made your teeth clack together, and disgust filled you from your body’s betrayal as he inched his way inside with a deep moan.

“Oh, you’re a tight little lass! Such a perfect pussy, gave my gun a home and now it’s welcoming my cock.”

He tweaked your nipple, then lowered his filthy mouth over it and suckled like an infant before biting down. He bit all across your breast tissue, leaving marks of your shame.

His thrusts were slow as he licked you from nipple to earlobe. When he reached your ear he whispered, “Tell me how much you love this cock, how you’re a dirty little whore and you love being raped.”

I can’t… I can’t do this.

You did your best to disassociate from your emotions, putting them on hold until it was over and you had the luxury of dealing with them. For now you had to be stoic and do whatever he asked of you, or die.

You did everything imaginable to hide your expression from his leering as you opened your lips, but his hand came up to turn your chin so you were face to face with him. His cheeks were filthy, his mouth missing teeth and grizzled lines running here and there. It was too dark to see his hair or eye color but what did it even matter?

“I love your cock. I’m a dirty little whore and I love being raped.”

His thrusts accelerated, the pace painful as he forced his way deeper to scrape against your innermost walls.

Breathe, just keep breathing. It’ll be over soon.

“Cry for me, show me them tears.”

You stared at him blankly, still cut off from your emotions. There were tear tracks on your face but none were fresh. To experience the force of your terror and shame would break you; you denied it the chance. Refused to allow this horrible piece of filth to have that power over you.

You couldn’t summon a single tear.

The man raised his gun and struck your cheek with the handle, turning your head to the side where you let it stay. You closed your eyes, praying for him to finish and leave you alone. He pressed the barrel to your temple, the metal digging into your flesh as he growled at you.

“I said cry, bit-“

A gunshot echoed through the alley and for a moment you thought he’d pulled the trigger, that when you opened your eyes you would be in whatever form the afterlife took. But the bricks still scratched against your back and the cold air still caressed your bruised skin.

Then a sudden emptiness struck you as the man’s body fell away from yours. You gasped as you heard the clatter of his gun hitting the ground, but it didn’t go off.

“Fuck, come here, Y/N,” a familiar voice said.

You opened your eyes.

Dante.

He held out his red leather jacket to you, his eyes respectfully averted from your exposed skin. Your shaking hand accepted the offering without a coherent thought, arms going through the sleeves and pulling the coat across your chest as if nothing happened.

“You can look now.”

His cyan eyes met yours and the raw expression on his face shook you from your stupor. The dam burst, the tears painting your cheeks once more as violent sobs wracked you. He stepped forward with caution, giving you the time to move away if his comforting hug wasn’t welcome. It was.

You buried your face in his shoulder and wailed, unable to hold in any of the pain and horror any longer. He wrapped his arms around you and rocked your bruised and battered body, murmuring reassurances that it was over and the man was gone.

Wait… what does he mean, “gone”?

You pulled away and looked.

Fuck. Holy shit.

The man who assaulted you lied on the ground in a pool of blood and brain tissue, a hole the size of your fist in the side of his skull where Dante had shot him.

“He’s… he’s dead,” you choked out. The broken sound of your own voice shocked you, and you realized you’d never seen a dead body before.

“He was… he was hurting you,” your friend replied defensively. He lowered his arms to let you control the distance between you, hesitant as he tried to give you whatever you needed. The muscles in your neck contracted as you gagged, the smell too much to bear. It took a moment to recover, but once you managed it you met Dante’s gaze.

“I… I know.”

He reached out an arm as if to rest it on your shoulder, but paused as you flinched at his quick movement. The pink line of his lower lip vanished as he chewed on it, trying to figure out what to say. He sighed.

“I had to. I couldn’t- I couldn’t let him hurt you anymore. I had to,” he murmured haltingly. His eyes were troubled, tortured as he crossed his arms and stared at the corpse of the man he’d just murdered to protect you.

Suddenly you knew he’d been telling the truth earlier that night, knew beyond any doubt that he was in love with you. It was impossible for you to process if you might return the sentiment then, the trauma too fresh. It could wait. For now, all you felt comfortable offering was your friendship and gratitude.

You stepped closer to him, grasping his chin with both hands and turning him to face you. He kept his eyes elsewhere, his stubborn streak showing itself.

“Hey, hey! Look at me,” you ordered. The steadiness of your voice surprised you, expecting it to still have lingering echoes of your pain. His conflicted blue gaze met yours obediently and you smiled at him.

“I know, okay? That motherfucker was going to kill me. You saved me,” you told him emphatically. He uncrossed his arms and you dropped your hands, continuing after a quick glance back at the remains of your attacker. “I’m just… shit. I’m just shocked, I guess?”

“But not scared?” Dante replied. He still looked uncertain in a way you’d never seen in all the many years of your friendship.

He thinks I’m scared… of him?

Am I?

The white-haired man waited for your response as you stared at him in silence, assessing your reaction to his presence. The shape of his hands, the angles of his face, even the obvious strength of his powerful muscles… None of it evoked any fear within you.

You felt safe.

You smiled, scoffing as you reached out to flick his forehead in a gesture you knew he found irritating.

“Scared? Of you? Never.”

He grinned, his posture relaxing at last with your familiar teasing. You wrapped him in another hug, sighing as the tension drained from your body. He held you close, letting you lean against him and taking your weight without complaint. The two of you stayed that way for a long moment until he pulled away.

“I guess we should call the cops, huh?”

You grimaced, knowing there would be questions. The man was dead, people would want explanations.

What if Dante gets in trouble? What if they put him in jail?

Fuck.

“I… I’m not sure… I mean, what if they arrest you?”

He huffed, a confident gleam in his eye. “There’s no way. No cop would be dumb enough to bring someone in for shooting a rapist.”

You gave him a dubious glance.

“You just shot him, though. What if they say you should’ve tried something less lethal first?”

He brought his hands to his hips and glared at you. “He had a loaded and cocked gun aimed at you! If I didn’t kill him with one hit, he would’ve put a bullet in your brain!”

A sired whooped from the entrance to the alley, a policeman already approaching and blocking the flashing lights. Someone must have taken the choice out of your control.

Fuck.

The cop had his pistol drawn but pointed at the ground, his partner crouching behind the open door of the vehicle to give him cover. The officer closer to you spotted the corpse with ease, his trained gaze shifting back to rest on you and Dante with a new sense of fear.

“Hands up, right now. Both of you!”

You shared a look with your friend and obeyed. A thin strip of your sternum became exposed to the air as Dante’s coat shifted, and you saw the cop’s eyes widen. Dante followed your lead, raising his palms.

“Evening officer. Uh, so… for starters, I’m armed,” he said awkwardly. The officer gulped.

“Slowly, set any weapon on the ground and take three steps back.”

Two guns and a pair of brass knuckles were soon on the asphalt as you and Dante stepped backward blindly. The policeman came forward and used a tissue to pick up the pistols, sliding the knuckles behind him with his foot.

“Tell me what happened.”

Fuck.

You cleared your throat and began, not giving Dante the chance to answer. It was your choice how much to say, and you spared nothing. Both men cringed and gave you an expression of sympathy as you described what the man had done with his loaded weapon, how he had forced you to say things you never would otherwise. Dante clenched his jaw angrily as you neared the end.

“He… he told me to cry. He liked it when I cried before. I couldn’t though, I was just… too shut off. He hit me with the gun and held it back to my head. I closed my eyes, so I didn’t see it happen, but that’s when Dante shot him.”

You fell silent and stared at the ground, studying the grain of the pavement as you took deep breaths and tried to disassociate once more.

The cop holstered his weapon and stepped closer. Seeing his colleague relax, the other man at the car followed suit and joined the group.

“Jesus…” he said as he got a better view at the carnage. He looked at his partner as if to ask what happened, but the first man in blue simply shook his head.

“Kevin, call an ambulance and a coroner. Might need forensics, too. Have them bring a rape kit and tests for GSR.”

The second cop, Kevin, nodded and retreated to make the arrangements.

“I’m Officer Kingsley, you can call be Rob. What are your names? And you can lower your hands.”

You gratefully lowered your trembling arms and pulled Dante’s jacket closed once more as he introduced you both. The cop led you back to the vehicle, offering you some bottled water. You leaned on the hood and drank as you waited for the rest of the summoned teams to arrive, listening with half your attention as Dante gave his version of events to Kevin.

Rob came to join you with a pad of paper in hand. He sighed and took off his cap, running his fingers through his hair.

“I’m really sorry, but we need your statement too. The more detail you give us, the better. Cases like this… they can get messy without a full report,” he said regretfully. You nodded, swallowing anxiously as you accepted the pad and a pen.

As you finished the last sentence, your heart raced from reliving the whole night. Rob waved Dante over and he joined you on the hood as the officer walked a respectful distance away.

“How you feelin’?”

You clutched the leather seam of his coat tightly, looking back down the alley as you tried to calm your nerves.

He’s dead, it’s over. I’m safe.

“I’m… not great,” you began with a sniffle. “I mean, it’s been a long night. I just want to go home and sleep. But…”

You sighed. Roommates were the worst sometimes.

“My roommates will ask me what happened.”

Dante grunted, leaning back slightly and catching your eyes.

“You wanna crash at my place? Uh… on the couch, of course.”

Right. There was still that fun conversation to look forward to.

Fuck.

In the state you were in, you knew you couldn’t deal with his feelings or even assess your own. It would take time for you to recover enough to face it, especially after everything that happened. Dante saved your life, that much was unquestionable. But you didn’t want to confuse your gratitude for something more. He deserved better than that.

“Look… I know you weren’t kidding earlier. And I’m still mad you tried to backtrack,” you began. He cringed, rubbing the back of his neck in discomfort as you called him on his bullshit. “But I just can’t respond to it yet. Not after this.”

You gestured at the alley, the implication clear. Dante nodded in understanding, though his face remained tight.

“Yeah, you caught me. I get it, take as long as you need. And if you wanna pretend I never said anything, that’s fine too. I didn’t expect you to pounce me or whatever. Just thought you deserved the truth.”

“And then you decided to lie and play it off as a joke.”

He raised his hands with a sardonic chuckle. “Guilty as charged. Sorry for that…”

You stared at him questioningly, waiting.

“I guess your reaction freaked me out a bit? You had that face, the one you get when you want to run away.”

I shouldn’t have left. None of this would’ve happened if I wasn’t such a coward.

You sniffled again, gulping back the tears threatening to fall yet again. Dante put an arm around your shoulders and pulled you into his chest gently. It would have been easy for you to slip out of his grasp, but you didn’t. You inhaled deeply as you rested your cheek over his heartbeat, listening to its rapid pounding. You gave him a smirk and he shrugged, as if to say he couldn’t help it.

“Thank you, Dante. I’m glad you were there.”

He hummed and pressed a brief kiss on the crown of your head, then muttered an apology as he realized what he’d just done.

You barely heard his words, too busy with the unfamiliar rush his simple gesture had given you.

Fuck.

[crashdevlin]

Keeper of the Stars-3: Heart

Author’s Note:  A multi-part sequel to Some of This Isn’t Bad

Summary: Y/n was a fan of the Supernatural book series who wrote fanfics and attended the conventions. After meeting the boys through Becky, she stopped being a fan and became a hunter. When she shows up at a hunter wake, she doesn’t expect the Winchesters to remember her, and doesn’t expect the argument that breaks out between her and Dean.

Pairing(s): Dean x Reader

Word Count: 2944

Story Warnings: 18+ HERE BE SEX, DO NOT READ IF YOU’RE A YOUNG’UN!, fingering, oral (male and fem rec), protected sex

Chapter Warnings: the slightest amount of angst

By the time you pulled into the 'Stay Inn Motel', your CD changer had made its way around to your Zeppelin 'Best Of' disc, which Dean had flipped to hear. You parked next to the Impala and Sam greeted you as Dean popped your trunk. "Hey, Sammy. You remember y/n?"

"Yeah, of course. It's good to have another set of eyes on this."

"Oh, I'm just here to shoot stuff." You pulled your duffel from the trunk and headed for the office, where you secured room with a single full bed. You dropped your bag in your room and headed for the room Sam exited before. Dean answered, midway through buttoning his white shirt.

"Another body dropped last night. Sam hasn't hit the morgue yet. Wanna come with?"

You nodded. "Yeah. Gimme fifteen," you said, retreating for your room. Twenty minutes later, you were leaving your room, while pulling your hair up into a ponytail.

"Damn, those extra five minutes are magic, huh?"

You rolled your eyes at Dean and straightened your suit jacket. "It's Agent y/n Collins, by the way. So you don't fumble on what to call me." You pulled open the back door of the Impala and slid in. "What are you guys going with? Plant and Jagger? Bowie and Pert? Criss and Simmons?"

"Nobody wants to be Peter Criss," Dean answered.

"Young and Gibbons," Sam said, sliding into the car.

"Which is which? I don't want to get confused."

"You really do hunt solo most of the time. I'm Gibbons." Dean started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"It's a lot easier to just have to keep track of my own fake shit."

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

"Well, it seems I miscalculated the time of death on Mr. Dylan. Sheriff Strucker found out the power went out in Dylan's house the night he died. It was back on by the time we got there, but there were several hours of him bakin' in his foyer before the Central Air came back on. He was attacked at night, I think." The M.E. nodded at them as the three of you walked in.

"That changes things," you whispered. They'd assumed skinwalker because the kill was a day kill. Now, it might've been a werewolf.

"Agents. Fancy seein' you in Burkhardt," a cheerful voice with a Minnesotan accent said. A blond woman entered the morgue, a large travel mug of coffee in her hand.

You smiled. "Sheriff Hanscum. If I'm not mistaken, Stillwater's about 50 miles Northwest."

"Y/n! Sweetie-pie, what are you doin' with Sam and Dean-o?"

"Giving new partners a shot," you answered, wrapping an arm around the woman.

"You know Donna, too?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, yah. We met at a party at Jodio's place about six months ago," Donna answered.

"It was less a party and more the three of us having beers and plinking cans in Jody's backyard."

"It was a lot of fun. Y/n provided drinks, Jody brought the guns and ammo and I made cheesecake."

"Oh, my God, that cheesecake was so good," you gushed.

"I'll let you in on a secret: it's from a box," she whispered, loudly.

"No."

"Yep. Didn't have time to make it from scratch, but I didn't wanna show up without something sweet to munch on, so I hit the supermarket and grabbed a box a' no-bake."

"It's like Martha Stewart and Rachel Ray with guns," Sam whispered.

"Long as I'm not Rachel. Can't stand her," you said, pulling away from the sheriff.

"I like Rachel Ray. She's spunky." Dean smirked. "Seriously, Donna, this isn't your jurisdiction."

"Oh, no, but yer second body, Dave Smythers, I knew him. We went to high school together."

"Well, we were about to check his body out. Why don't you and y/n go check out the scene?" Sam suggested.

"That's a great idea, Sam. Call when you get done here. Let's go, Don. You got your squad car out front?" You headed for the parking lot and Dean was not subtle about checking your ass out as you left.

"Oh, yah. Right out here." You slid into the partner's side of the car and she smiled over at you. "So, did'ya meet them on a hunt or did Jody introduce ya?"

"I, uh, actually met them before I met Jody."

"Oh, did'ya?"

"Yeah. It's a long story."

"Yeah?" She pulled out onto the main road. "So, which one was it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Which one of those boys burned ya?" You looked over at her in surprise. "Betcha it was Dean, huh? I saw how he was lookin' at'cha."

"Donna. Come on." You sighed, running your hand across your forehead.

"Oh, you come on. I may not be some big bad hunter, but I got eyes and a head on my shoulders... you've done the horizontal Mambo with one of those guys and I'm pretty sure it's the bowlegged one." You bit your lip and looked away from her. "It was, wasn't it?! So, what was that like?"

"Are you seriously asking me what sex with Dean is like?"

"Yah! I've been wonderin' since he walked into my station. Man looks like that, but still managed to put down three powdered sugar doughnuts... If I weren't so sure I wasn't his type, and if I weren't so hung up on Doug, I would've tried him myself. So?"

"I was certain that I wasn't his type, too, but Dean doesn't seem to have a type. Not for one night stands, anyway." You turned back to her a bit. "I wasn't his type back then, not really. I'd never fired a gun or anything. Never done anything risky or dangerous. I was... not the type of woman who went to bed with strangers, definitely not the type to dig up a body and light it on fire. When I met the Winchesters, I was the kind of woman who wrote about other people getting to do crazy, dangerous stuff, but wouldn't even ride a bike without a helmet on."

"Helmet laws exist for a reason, ya know?"

"Yeah, but helmet laws aren't something hunters concern themselves with, Donna. Like concealed carry laws and federal impersonation regs. My point is that I was a pretty timid woman until I met them."

"An' how'd they change that?"

"Uh, Dean told me the truth about everything, all the horror movie stuff that's real and... then he took me to bed. He, uh, gave me his phone number before he left and told me to call and I only waited a couple days before I called." You clicked your tongue against your teeth. "I got his voicemail. So, I waited a couple days and tried again. I tried for months, putting more and more time between calls, less emotion in each message. During that time, I started teaching myself self-defense stuff. I bought a gun, took some martial arts classes at the rec center and started reading up on any lore I could. I started noticing weird shit in the newspapers and reporting it to him so he could go check it out. I still got nothing. Eventually, I realized that I was absolutely not going to get a call back, so I got in my car and headed out to Oklahoma to check out a case on my own. When I got there, the boys were already there. So, I stopped calling."

You chuckled. "And I started doing it, myself. If Dean had answered the phone once, I probably wouldn't be a hunter."

"Wow. So, he was good enough that you kept callin'?"

You laughed. "Really, Donna? I bare my soul to you about my damn past and you want to know about the sex?"

"Of course, I do! Come on, give mama the deets!"

You rolled your eyes, playfully. "Best I ever had, but if you repeat that to him, I'll deny it."

You pulled into the driveway of the second victim's house and headed in. The living room was destroyed, claw marks embedded deep into the wood floors and paneling. "So, what are you an' the boys thinkin' on this?" Donna asked, running a pen through the gash on the TV console.

"They were thinking skinwalker, which is like a... an off-shoot of werewolf, but not... skinwalkers are always born skinwalkers. It's not contagious. But this?" You indicated the largest claw mark. "This is a wolf. This feral lack of control... skinwalkers don't get that."

"Really? You done a lot of werewolf hunts?" Donna asked.

"No, but I've read 'Heart' a dozen times." You stepped over a puddle of blood to check the bedroom.

"What's that?" Donna followed.

"It's..." You stopped in the doorway and looked at her. "It's just a novel I used to like. Werewolf romance... sadness."

"Oh, like 'Twilight'?"

You grimaced at the comparison. "No. The werewolf was a woman in this."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. See, her neighbor was obsessed with her and he was a wolf. When his moon came up, his animal brain ran with the obsession, tracked her and got his teeth in her so that they'd be the same. She didn't even know it was her when the men around her started getting mutilated. The hunters who came for the wolf... one of them fell for the chick before realizing what she was."

"How'd that end?"

You turned back toward the bedroom, which showed signs of a struggle, but no blood. "It ended in tears. How else?"

"Well, how sad was it?"

"Madison ended up with a silver bullet in her heart and the protagonist ended up with a metaphorical hole in his."

"He killed her? It wasn't her fault!"

"She asked him to. Didn't want to kill people every month." You turned back to her, shrugging at her upset expression. "Told you it was sad."

"So..." Donna picked up a picture from Dave's side table. "You bein' here, with Dean, what's that about?"

"It's... working towards forgiveness. He had his reasons for ghosting me, and it made me become... well, it changed my life, that's for sure."

"So, you think you're gonna..." She left the end of the sentence up in the air, but you knew what she meant.

"Probably. We're kinda perfect for each other," you admitted, picking up a brush from the en suite bathroom counter. "But I'm not gonna make it easy for him."

"Well, I'm jealous, but yer right ah course. You two look cute together."

"You don't know that. You've only seen us together at the morgue and we weren't much about the PDA there."

"Yah, but I saw how he looked at'cha. He's got it bad, ya know."

"Yeah, he ain't the only one," you responded. "But I can't just... I'm not gonna be weak just 'cause it's easiest."

"But... he's so..."

"He's amazing, I'm not arguing that, but he left me hanging. I can't- It's complicated, Donna," you finished as your phone went off in your pocket. You pulled it out and answered it. "Yeah, Dean?"

"Find anything at the house?"

"Claw marks. Pretty sure it's a werewolf."

"Yeah, we're thinkin' the same. Anything point in a direction to start looking for our wolf?"

"No. Just a lot of blood and gashes in the wood. Wanna head back to the motel? Donna and I could hit the hospital and see if anybody's come in with a bite wound in the last month or so."

"Nah, Sammy's got a rapport with the lady doc down at the ED, so he's droppin' me off at the motel so I can make more silver bullets. You and Donna done at the scene? You coming back?"

You sighed. "Yeah. Donna's gonna drop me off."

"Good. See you in a few."

You turned to Donna as you shoved your phone back into your pocket. "Silver bullet duty. Gonna stick around to help?"

Donna sighed, shaking her head at you. "Nah. I think you an' Dean need some alone time."

"Thanks, Don. That's exactly what I wanted you to say," you responded, sarcastically.

"Oh, you know me, sweetie. Always here to help."

~~~~

You sat at the table in Sam and Dean's motel room, melting silver jewelry down with a blowtorch. Dean kept looking over at you between gluing the tips in place. "What, Winchester? What's with the look?"

"What look?"

"The look! Like you think I'm gonna spill molten silver on myself, or something."

"That's not the look." He chuckled. "Sweetheart, the look I'm giving you is... I have known a lot of hunters and a handful of badass women, but not a single one of them could pull off the welding gloves and mask the way you are."

"Oh, so this is more of that predatory sexuality shit."

"If I'm the predator, does that mean you're my prey?"

"Maybe four years ago. But not today."

"You're gonna make this hard on me, aren't you?"

"Why should I make it easy? I was... this is not what I signed up for when I decided to become a hunter. God and destiny and..."

"Soulmates?" he asked, standing as you turned the blowtorch off.

"Don't even say that, man! 'Soulmates'? You know how ridiculous-" You flipped the mask up so you could glare at him.

"Chuck made you into my perfect woman! He picked you and wrote your story to put us in this exact position, and you're getting hung up on my terminology? You got a problem with destiny, I get that. It's bullshit to think this was written years ago and, hey, God has left the planet, so if you wanna go your own way... the door is right there." He pointed at the door and shook his head. "But I don't think you want that. I sure as hell don't. I've been searching for a woman like you since before I knew I was looking for anything."

"You barely know me!" You set the crucible carefully on a heat-resistant pad and pulled the gloves off. "I know all about you and all you know about me is that I used to write some good smut!"

"I know you're beautiful and smart and badass. I know you're caring and take risks and you picked up hunting in no time and have risen up to epic status in just a few years. I know you're amazing in bed and I've actually dreamed of the way you screamed for me." You looked away, embarrassed of the way your cheeks heated up at the reminder. "You deserve better than me, but that doesn't change how much I want you, how right it feels to want you."

"Don't say that," you whispered.

"What?"

"That I deserve better than you." You pulled the mask off and tossed it on the empty chair on the opposite side of the table. "I don't. How could I possibly deserve better than Dean Winchester, the man who saves the world?"

"You mean, Dean Winchester the man who popped the first lock on Lucifer's Cage? Who's started as many apocalypses as he's helped end? Who has had to watch everyone around him die, some people more than once?"

"Are you stupid? That just means you deserve me, not that I deserve better than you!"

"Then why are you making this so difficult, y/n?!"

"Because it's too easy for me to fall in love with you!" His eyebrows came together as you ran your hand through your hair, anxiously. "And if I fall for you, Dean, and you... you push me away like you are so good at doing, then I... I'll be... ruined."

He pulled your hands into his. "I'm not gonna push you away, sweetheart."

"You can't say that. You can't!" you urged. "You think you get people killed. You think you're gonna get me killed and, eventually, that's gonna make you push me away. Just like before, except this time it's not gonna be you not answering your phone, it's gonna be you sending me away. It's gonna be you putting me out into the world, knowing what it's like to love you and not being able to have it and that's not fair, Dean, it's not fair to-"

"Y/n, shut up!" His eyes were amused as he pulled you closer to him. "I will not push you away. I won't push you away because you won't let me. That's how Chuck wrote you." He slid his hands up your arms to rest on your shoulders. "Stubborn, smart, risk-taker who recognizes my worth. You won't let me get all dark and sad and push you away for your own good, 'cause God didn't write you that way. Right?"

You looked down. "I'm scared, Dean. I've worked hard, I've worked for years to be... and to let myself be vulnerable is-"

"Terrifying. I know." He smiled, softly. "But I know of a real good way to distract ourselves from the fear."

"No." You pulled away.

"Seriously?! I get you to open up and you still say 'no'?"

"I don't screw around when there's a hunt going. It's the 'Friday the Thirteenth' rule."

"Are you kidding?"

"No. It's bad juju. You know it is! Your first werewolf with Sam, he fucked Madison. Boom! Wolf. Oh, and your little Amazon story?"

"Okay, but... we both know that neither of us are the wolf."

"Bad juju, Dean."

He growled and pulled out his phone, putting it to his ear as he stepped away from you. "Tell me you've got something useful. Because I'm ready for this hunt to be over, dude, don't ask questions."

You laughed as you sat down at the table and started to move on with the silver bullets.

KITCHEN SINK TAGS @heyitscam99 @wonderlandfandomkingdom @unlikelysamwinchesteronahunt @mrs-meghan-winchester @henrymorganme @lonely-skys @allykat2108 @mogaruke @flamencodiva @team-free-will-you-idjits-67 @pisces-cutie @paintballkid711 @natura1phenomenon @rainbowkisses31 @atc74 @alagalaska

HUNTER TAGS @letsby @mrswhozeewhatsis @adoptdontshoppets @spnskinnyballs @deansenwackles @gayspacenerd @thewhiterabbit42 @dolphincliffs

GAGA FOR GREEN EYES TAGS @akshi8278

[proxylynn]

Underfell: File Name not Edgy Enough #21

Chapter 21: Fear

WARNING: I WANT NO RESPONSIBILITY OVER SPOILING THINGS FOR OTHERS. THAT BEING SAID, THIS IS HOW FILE NAME NOT FOUND WOULD FUNCTION IN THE AU OF UNDERFELL. BEFORE YOU READ THIS, UNLIKE THE NICE TIME OF UNDERTALE, THIS WORLD IS KILL OR BE KILLED. THIS STORY WILL BE GRAPHIC, GORY, USE SWEARS LIKE NOBODY'S BUSINESS, AND DEAL WITH SENSITIVE SUBJECT MATTERS. FOR EXAMPLE, THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE READ THE FILE NAME RELOCATED SPOOF WILL KNOW HOW I PICTURE THIS VERSION OF LYNSIE COMING TO THE UNDERGROUND. IT IS NOT AN ACCIDENT. IT IS NOT BECAUSE OF SOMETHING DUMB. IT IS BECAUSE SHE CHOOSES TO END HER LIFE. SO TAKE THIS WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. I MADE IT BECAUSE I NEEDED TO LET SOME OF THIS EDGINESS OUT OF MYSELF. WHICH I GUESS MAKES UNDERFELL LYNSIE EVEN MORE TRUE TO WHO I REALLY AM. ANYWAY, ENJOY. ^_^

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's nice being back home with Toriel. Minus a few things, it's easy to return to the old routine. Storytime around the fire. Diner table eating with her and Flowey. And just normal non-threatening chitchat that doesn't end with me being hit for some moronic reason. Hell, even sleep was easier to achieve once my head hit the good old pillow. Though for some reason, something didn't feel right. Like there was something left undone or missing that made going to sleep just a wee bit uncomfortable. I don't know. It could be just my weird soul shit acting up or nothing at all. Dumb body with its dumber problems. Yet when slumber came none of that mattered. All that matters is rest and peaceful dreams.

...

That is until a familiar door takes me away and I return to a place that I have been internally dreading. The Void is how it has always been. And the doctor that is its hostage seems to be in an interesting mood as if he's been waiting for me.

"✋❄🕯💧 👌☜☜☠ ✌ 🕈☟✋☹☜📪 ☹✋❄❄☹☜ ⚐☠☜📬" (IT'S BEEN A WHILE, LITTLE ONE.)

I shrug.

"So it has. Time flies when things happen."

"✋☠👎☜☜👎📬 ✡⚐🕆 ☟✌✞☜ 👌☜☜☠ ✈🕆✋❄☜ ❄☟☜ 👌🕆💧✡ ☹✋❄❄☹☜ ❄☟✋☠☝📪 ☟✌✞☜☠🕯❄ ✡⚐🕆✍" (INDEED. YOU HAVE BEEN QUITE THE BUSY LITTLE THING, HAVEN'T YOU?)

"Well, you know. I couldn't just sit around forever. Heh...Be kinda boring for you to see if I did."

"✋ 🕈⚐🕆☹👎☠🕯❄ 💧✌✡ ❄☟✌❄ ☜✠✌👍❄☹✡📬" (I WOULDN'T SAY THAT EXACTLY.)

I tilt my head.

"Oh?"

Gaster chuckles lightly.

"✡⚐🕆 ☟✌✞☜ 💧🕆👍☟ ✌💣🕆💧✋☠☝ ✋☠❄☜☼✌👍❄✋⚐☠💧 🕈☟☜☠ ✋☠❄⚐✠✋👍✌❄☜👎📬 ✋❄🕯💧 ☼☜✌☹☹✡ ✌ 💧☟✌💣☜ ✡⚐🕆 ☟✌✞☜ ☠⚐ 💣☜💣⚐☼✡ ⚐☞ ❄☟☜ ☜✞☜☠❄💧 ⚐☠👍☜ ✡⚐🕆 💧⚐👌☜☼ 🕆🏱📬 ❄☟⚐🕆☝☟ ❄☟☜☼☜ 🕈✌💧 ❄☟✌❄ ⚐☠☜ ❄✋💣☜ ✡⚐🕆 ☼☜👍✌☹☹☜👎 💧⚐💣☜❄☟✋☠☝ ✡⚐🕆 ❄☼✋☜👎 ❄⚐ ☞⚐☼☝☜❄📬 👌🕆❄ 🕈☜ 👍✌☠ 👍☟✌☹😐 ❄☟✌❄ 🕆🏱 ❄⚐ ✋❄ 👌☜✋☠☝ 👌☜👍✌🕆💧☜ ✋❄ ☟✌🏱🏱☜☠☜👎 🕈☟✋☹☜ ✡⚐🕆 ✌☹☼☜✌👎✡ 💧⚐👌☜☼ 💧⚐ ❄☟☜ ✌☹👍⚐☟⚐☹✋👍 ☜☞☞☜👍❄💧 🕈☜☼☜☠🕯❄ ✌💧 💣✋☠👎 ✌☹❄☜☼✋☠☝ ✌💧 🕆💧🕆✌☹📬 💧❄✋☹☹📬📬📬❄☟☜ 💧❄⚐☼✋☜💧 ✋ 👍⚐🕆☹👎 💧☟✌☼☜📬 👌🕆❄ ✡⚐🕆 🕈⚐🕆☹👎 👎⚐🕆👌❄ ❄☟☜✋☼ ✌🕆❄☟☜☠❄✋👍✋❄✡📬" (YOU HAVE SUCH AMUSING INTERACTIONS WHEN INTOXICATED. IT'S REALLY A SHAME YOU HAVE NO MEMORY OF THE EVENTS ONCE YOU SOBER UP. THOUGH THERE WAS THAT ONE TIME YOU RECALLED SOMETHING YOU TRIED TO FORGET. BUT WE CAN CHALK THAT UP TO IT BEING BECAUSE IT HAPPENED WHILE YOU ALREADY SOBER SO THE ALCOHOLIC EFFECTS WEREN'T AS MIND ALTERING AS USUAL. STILL...THE STORIES I COULD SHARE. BUT YOU WOULD DOUBT THEIR AUTHENTICITY.)

Well, he's got me curious, that's for sure.

"You have my interest, sir."

He waves dismissively.

"☠⚐📪 ✋❄🕯💧 🏱☼⚐👌✌👌☹✡ 👌☜💧❄ ❄☟✌❄ ✡⚐🕆 👎⚐☠🕯❄ 😐☠⚐🕈📬" (NO, IT'S PROBABLY BEST THAT YOU DON'T KNOW.)

"Oh, come on. You can't just bait me onto the hook then leave me gasping for breath as I dangle here. Tell me something. Even if it sounds crazy."

A mischievous curl twists his features.

"✌☼☜ ✡⚐🕆 💧🕆☼☜ ✡⚐🕆 ❄☟✌❄🕯💧 🕈☟✌❄ ✡⚐🕆 🕈✌☠❄✍" (ARE YOU SURE YOU THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT?)

I shouldn't fall for such an obvious ploy. But if I didn't, I wouldn't be me and I'd miss out on weird stuff.

"Sir, you take me for someone that is easily befuddled? Nay! Go ahead. Tell me forth your secrets, all knowing and mighty keeper of the Void. Please deliver onto me the unknowns of this world regardless of my limited ability to accept or comprehend them."

He eyes me a moment. And for just a brief second, I would swear there's a hint of a blush to color this man. I guess my words were complimentary enough to get to him yet silly enough to not have it last.

"🕈☜☹☹📬📬📬☼☜💣☜💣👌☜☼ ❄☟☜ ⚐❄☟☜☼ ☠✋☝☟❄ 🕈☟☜☠ ✡⚐🕆 ✌☠👎 💧✌☠💧 🕈☜☼☜ 👎☼✋☠😐✋☠☝✍" (WELL...REMEMBER THE OTHER NIGHT WHEN YOU AND SANS WERE DRINKING?)

Oh boy. Which circle of hell will this lead me into?

"I remember. I mean...I remember some of it. Like the start of the drinking and me telling him about some of the crap that's been happening, like Mettaton calling me. But then it gets muddier than a brown pig lost in a mudslide."

Where am I pulling these weird analogies from? I watch way too many cartoons or not enough. Not sure really.

"❄☟☜☠ ✡⚐🕆 🏱☼⚐👌✌👌☹✡ ☟✌✞☜ ☠⚐ ☼☜👍⚐☹☹☜👍❄✋⚐☠ ⚐☞ 👍☜☼❄✌✋☠ ❄☟✋☠☝💧📬 ✌❄ ⚐☠☜ 🏱⚐✋☠❄📪 ✋ ☼☜💣✋☠👎 ✡⚐🕆 ❄☟✌❄ ❄☟☜ 👌⚐❄☟ ⚐☞ ✡⚐🕆 🕈☜☼☜ ☟✋☝☟☹✡ ✋☠☜👌☼✋✌❄☜👎📪 ✌☠👎 🕈☜☹☹📬📬📬🕆💣📬📬📬✋🕯💣 ☠⚐❄ ☜☠❄✋☼☜☹✡ 💧🕆☼☜ ✋☞ ✋🕯💣 ✌👌☹☜ ❄⚐ 🏱🕆❄ 🕈☟✌❄ ☟✌🏱🏱☜☠☜👎 ✋☠❄⚐ 🕈⚐☼👎💧📬" (THEN YOU PROBABLY HAVE NO RECOLLECTION OF CERTAIN THINGS. AT ONE POINT, I REMIND YOU THAT THE BOTH OF YOU WERE HIGHLY INEBRIATED, AND WELL...UM...I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE IF I'M ABLE TO PUT WHAT HAPPENED INTO WORDS.)

"Dude, don't hold out on me now."

He thinks for a moment. I take it whatever this secret is that it really is something that's out of his comfort zone. I mean, it does involve Sans and that's his brother, so I can understand the hesitation. This moment of hard thinking comes to an end shortly once he has an idea.

"🏱☜☼☟✌🏱💧 ✋❄ 🕈⚐🕆☹👎 👌☜ 💧✋💣🏱☹☜☼ ❄⚐ 💧☟⚐🕈 ✡⚐🕆 ☼✌❄☟☜☼ ❄☟✌☠ ❄☜☹☹📬" (PERHAPS IT WOULD BE SIMPLER TO SHOW YOU RATHER THAN TELL.)

I am puzzled by this as he brings his left hand up to my face. Suddenly, the hole in his palm swirls with magic before clearing and images appear inside. The scene of me and Sans in his room. We're on his bed and he's laying on top of me, but not in a pervy way, as I trail his spine with my fingers. Suddenly I freeze up and he rolls off of me, laughing as he teleports then returns with a mustard bottle.

"now this is funny. you're so messed up you actually crashed. i haven't seen someone crashed in ages."

He plops down sleepily beside me, already guzzling the bottle.

"i guess this means i win our little game. because this is the last one and i ain't getting any more."

[Rebooting...100% complete.]

[Restarting...now.]

I blink rapidly as life returns to my brain.

"Whoa...Dude...That was trippy as hell."

He snickers.

"just be glad it happened here and not out in town. crashing in public around the wrong people has lead to a lot of easy kills. or so i've been told."

"Wait, so that's a normal thing that happens down here?"

"kind of. like i said, it's been a while since i've seen it happen."

"Then what causes it?"

"no one knows. my guess is that it happens when something clashes with what the person is used to."

He's about to finish off that last bottle when I put my hand out.

"what?"

"Can I have some?"

"no way. this is mine."

"I just want one sip."

"i said no."

"Please? I'll take the remains. I just want something to wet my whistle."

He snorts.

"what are ya? some old-timer in a saloon?"

"What do I need to do to get a sip?"

He pauses for thought.

"well...nah. you'd never do that."

"What?"

He looks at me, then the bottle, and then back to me with a smirk slowly forming.

"how bad do you want some of this?"

I look at him funny.

"don't give me that look. i ain't no perv. i only mean to offer you a dare."

"...I'm listening."

That smirk of his grows.

"i'll let ya have the rest of the bottle, if...you can keep from laughing at one last little joke."

"...That's it?"

"that's it."

"Okay...What's the joke?"

"heh...what do you call a skeleton with benefits?"

I tilt my head and shrug.

"I dunno."

He motions me to lean in closer and doing so lets him whisper in my ear rather huskily.

"a bone buddy~."

I almost giggle but don't. Probably because of the weird 'what the fuck' feeling his tone gave me or the suggestive wink he gives me when he pulls away. Just when I'm about to say something, he starts to snicker and slaps his knee.

"heheheh...oh man...you should see your face right now. oooooh, that was so worth it. here. it's yours."

He hands me the bottle. I just look at him and then the bottle before looking back at him.

"what?"

"Gonna be honest here...I...I can't tell if you were really joking."

He grins like a saucy Cheshire cat.

"maybe i did. or maybe i didn't. the world may never know, kitten. now are ya gonna drink or not?"

This is a weird moment. Yet a rare one. And I look unsure of anything else other than drink.

"Don't make this weird, Sans."

I take the bottle and drink.

"weird? this ain't weird. wanna see something really weird?"

"...You have my attention, good sir."

I eye him funny as sits up and turns his back to me. With no warning he yanks his shorts down, underwear included, and I get a full moon view of his pelvis. This has me dropping the bottle is sheer shock before snickering.

"Oh my god...Is that your coccyx? It's like a little tail! *giggles* That's fucking adorable."

"heh...that ain't even the best part. check this out."

He actually is able to wiggle it and I lose my mind, gripping my sides in laughter.

"Stop...*laughs* That's too...that's too fucking cute!"

He pulls his shorts back up and turns to me with a playful smirk.

"don't lie. ya liked looking at my cute ass."

I settle down enough to breathe properly.

"Dude, you are a cute ass."

He moves closer and removes his shirt.

"how about now? am i still a cute ass?"

I merely smile.

"Now? Now you're just eye candy, sugar bones."

"yeah? ya like what you see, kitten?"

I'm amused by this, as noted by my smirk and coyish way of retrieving the mustard bottle to finish it off completely.

"I can't say that I don't. That's some fine bone structure you got there. Mmmhmm."

He moves in closer as I chuck the empty bottle among the scattered dozen on the floor.

"ya know...you can touch me if you want."

"Yeah?"

"yeah. and who knows..."

He puts a hand on my arm and starts to rub it in a slow yet tender way before having it move up my shoulder then neck to finally rest its caress upon my cheek.

"maybe something more...fun...will happen."

I smirk.

"That's a rather naughty suggestion, bone boy."

"maybe i'm just in a naughty mood."

I nuzzle his hand.

"And here I thought you didn't like me."

He presses his forehead to my own. His eyes hold a hazy look to them.

"i might like you more if you use those soft hands of yours to bone up on more of my anatomy. starting right..."

He takes my free hand and puts it on his manubrium.

"here~."

"Hmmm...Gimme a sec, things are fuzzy, but I'll try."

My thumb grazes the bone above.

"This is the clavicle...The crown that mounts these lovely ten ribs and their two floaty ones."

My fingers scroll down the full length of the center of his chest.

"Under the manubrium is the angle, then the body, and ends in the xiphoid process. And that makes up this beautiful bundle we call the sternum."

I kiss his manubrium and he shudders.

"*groan* fuck..."

I glace at him funny.

"Sans?"

It happens so fast. His mouth is on mine...and I'm not pulling away. After a few seconds, he pauses the kiss. His hazy eyes stare into my befuddled orbs. Not getting any reaction, negative wise at least, he leans in and starts the kiss again. It seems fairly tame at first, his hands slowly feel up my neck and cup my cheeks. But then it gets more heated, he grabs a fistful of hair in the back of my head and growls lowly. I break the kiss in a whimper.

"what's wrong?"

"*wince* Too tight."

Surprisingly, he eases his grip.

"don't be afraid to tell me if i get too rough."

He presses his skull to my forehead.

"you okay with this? what i'm doin' and all?"

I shrug.

"I guess."

"good...good...*sigh* i don't wanna hurt ya. i want ya to like it."

His hand in my hair begins kneading my scalp, making me purr and him smile.

"i want ya to feel good. like...like how ya make me feel."

I grin like a doofus.

"I make you feel good? Awww...You flatterer."

He smirks.

"ya know how you wanted me to feel better? well...i need your help doin' that."

"You do?"

"yeah."

"But what about..."

"shhhhh..."

He nuzzles his way to my ear.

"trust me, we're gonna have a great time~. ya do trust me...don'tcha, lynsie?"

I shiver in his hold as he leaves little kisses along my jaw.

"I do."

He doesn't waste time after that, pushing me over and pinning me beneath him, captured by his relentless affection. Hungry kisses, gripping fingers that claw, and all done without a single care.

"mmmmmm...purr for me, kitten~...i wanna hear how much you're lovin' it~."

"*moan* Sans~..."

The sounds, raw yet sweet. It's so strange. He's more active in this moment than anyone sees him move in a week. Between the lavished kissing, his hands exploring thin skin to feel bone, and his legs trying comfortably keep me pinned, he's putting way more effort than me. For what little I do, my hands timidly try to find a place to hold him but linger only for fleeting moments since the contact made has him groaning. Though as more time passes, some sounds get louder than others and movement grinds to a halt. A more normal sound is heard admixed his pleasure. Snoring. Sans hears it too and stops his fooling around. It appears as though I passed out. Either from the alcohol or overwhelming heat of the moment, who knows. His figurative toy's batteries now in recharge mode, he calls it quits on anymore fun.

"heh heh...not bad, lightweight. lasted longer than i thought. was hoping for more but..."

Not about to pass up a new bed accessory, Sans makes himself cozy on my chest and nuzzle my boobs.

"this works too. *coo* ya really do make a good pillow~."

His sockets close and he yawns into a sigh, time for his own sleep.

Gaster pulls his hand away and I am blushing the same level of red as his sweater's collar.

"And that...That legit happened? For really real? This isn't some fucked up mind manipulative magic to make me see shit...right?"

He sighs.

"✋ 👎✋👎 🕈✌☼☠ ✡⚐🕆📬 👌🕆❄ 👎⚐ ☼☜💣☜💣👌☜☼ ❄☟✌❄ 👌⚐❄☟ ⚐☞ ✡⚐🕆 🕈☜☼☜☠🕯❄ ✋☠ ❄☟☜ 💧⚐🕆☠👎☜💧❄ ⚐☞ 💣✋☠👎💧☜❄💧📬" (I DID WARN YOU. BUT DO REMEMBER THAT BOTH OF YOU WEREN'T IN THE SOUNDEST OF MINDSETS.)

Things start to click in my head...and not in a good way. Why? Why didn't I fight that? What about Grillby? Where was he in my mind during all this?! The fuck is wrong with me?! And Sans...Sans!

"That son of a bitch!"

My snap is so sudden that it actually makes Gaster jump slightly.

"He gets all up in my ass over even the smallest hint of Grillby and me being a thing, then does this bullshit? Fuck that! I am so giving him a piece of my mind!"

"👌☜☞⚐☼☜ ✡⚐🕆 👎⚐📪 ✋❄ 🕈⚐🕆☹👎 🏱☼⚐👌✌👌☹✡ ☟☜☹🏱 ❄⚐ 😐☠⚐🕈 ❄☟✌❄ ☟☜ 👎⚐☜💧☠🕯❄ ☼☜💣☜💣👌☜☼ ❄☟☜ ☜✞☜☠❄💧 ⚐☞ ❄☟✌❄ ☠✋☝☟❄ ☜✋❄☟☜☼📬" (BEFORE YOU DO, IT WOULD PROBABLY HELP TO KNOW THAT HE DOESN'T REMEMBER THE EVENTS OF THAT NIGHT EITHER.)

I fume.

"Oh well, that's just great. That's fucking fantastic! So he gets to be normal and not have a damn clue, all while I get to walk around knowing he came on to me, but I can't say a god damn...thing...oh...oh shit!"

Slowly that starts to sink in and when it does, it's not pretty.

"☟🕆💣✌☠✍" (HUMAN?)

"Oh my god!"

"🏱☹☜✌💧☜ 👍✌☹💣 👎⚐☠🕈📬" (PLEASE CALM DONW.)

"Calm down?! Your brother was doing stuff to me, and most likely, wanted to fuck me! I mean, that's fucked up considering a lot of our history has been him wanting me to leave him the hell alone. How does that even work?"

"🕈☜☹☹📬📬📬" (WELL...)

"No, I mean, for real, how would that even be possible between us? I saw his ass. Granted, it is very adorable, as drunk me put it. But he doesn't have...you know...stuff down there. Does he?"

"❄☟✌❄🕯💧 ☠⚐❄ ☟⚐🕈 💧😐☜☹☜❄⚐☠💧📪 ❄⚐ 🏱🕆❄ ✋❄ ✋☠ ✡⚐🕆☼ 🕈⚐☼👎💧📬📬📬☞🕆👍😐📬" (THAT'S NOT HOW SKELETONS, TO PUT IT IN YOUR WORDS...FUCK.)

"It's not?"

"☠⚐📬" (NO.)

"Huh...So there's no chance of there being a dick there but made of bones? Because there are creatures with bones in their penises."

"☞⚐☼ ❄☟☜ ☹⚐✞☜ ⚐☞ ☝⚐👎📪 💧❄⚐🏱 ☼✋☝☟❄ ☠⚐🕈 👌☜☞⚐☼☜ ✌☠⚐❄☟☜☼ 💧✋👍😐 🕈⚐☼👎 👍⚐💣☜💧 ⚐🕆❄ ⚐☞ ✡⚐🕆☼ 💣⚐🕆❄☟✏" (FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, STOP RIGHT NOW BEFORE ANOTHER SICK WORD COMES OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!)

I don't think I could've imagined a time in my life where I'd see Gaster as flustered as he is now. His skull is glowing as bright as a roman candle and his eyes, while giving me that "what the fuck is wrong with you" look, are wide with embarrassment. Needless to say, I'm surprised but I get why he's upset.

"Okay, calm down, doctor. I meant no disrespect. As we are ones with curious minds, do forgive me for thinking unorthodox thoughts when it comes to you and your siblings' anatomy. I know not how you function and my lack of understanding tends to let my imagination fill in the gaps. Please, accept my humblest of apologies."

I bow my head in forgiveness and that seems to settle him a little bit.

"✋❄📬📬📬✋❄🕯💧 ☞✋☠☜📬 ✡⚐🕆 👎⚐☠🕯❄ 😐☠⚐🕈 ✌☠👎 ✋ 👍✌☠🕯❄ ☜✠🏱☜👍❄ ✡⚐🕆 ❄⚐ 😐☠⚐🕈 ☜✞☜☼✡❄☟✋☠☝📬 ☺🕆💧❄ 👎⚐ ❄☼✡ ❄⚐ ❄☟✋☠😐 ☞✋☼💧❄ 👌☜☞⚐☼☜ ✡⚐🕆 💧🏱☜✌😐 🕈☟☜☠ ✋❄ 👍⚐💣☜💧 ❄⚐ 💧🕆👌☺☜👍❄💧 ☹✋😐☜ ❄☟✋💧📬" (IT...IT'S FINE. YOU DON'T KNOW AND I CAN'T EXPECT YOU TO KNOW EVERYTHING. JUST DO TRY TO THINK FIRST BEFORE YOU SPEAK WHEN IT COMES TO SUBJECTS LIKE THIS.)

"Yes, sir."

He moves as if he aims to take a seat, but there is nothing here aside from us. Yet to further ruin my understanding of how things work, he's sitting as if he's on a chair. So many things in my brain break from this and I hate it.

"☺🕆👎☝✋☠☝ ☞☼⚐💣 ✌☹☹ ❄☟✋💧📪 ✋ 💧☜☜ ❄⚐☼✋☜☹ ☟✌💧 ☹☜☞❄ ⚐🕆❄ ☜✞☜☠ 💣⚐☼☜ ✋☠☞⚐☼💣✌❄✋⚐☠ ❄☟✌❄ ✡⚐🕆 💣✌✡ ⚐☼ 💣✌✡ ☠⚐❄ ☠☜☜👎 ❄⚐ 😐☠⚐🕈 👌🕆❄ 💧☟⚐🕆☹👎 💧❄✋☹☹ 👌☜ ✌🕈✌☼☜ ⚐☞📬" (JUDGING FROM ALL THIS, I SEE TORIEL HAS LEFT OUT EVEN MORE INFORMATION THAT YOU MAY OR MAY NOT NEED TO KNOW BUT SHOULD STILL BE AWARE OF.)

"Yeah, she tends to do that."

I plop down on the floor. No way I have the power to sit in nonresistant chairs.

"✞☜☼✡ 🕈☜☹☹📬 ✋ 💧☟✌☹☹ ❄☜☹☹ ✡⚐🕆 ⚐☞ ❄☟✋💧 💧⚐☹☜☹✡ 💧⚐ ❄☟✌❄ 👍✌☠ ✌✞⚐✋👎 ☜☠👍⚐🕆☠❄☜☼✋☠☝ 💧🕆👍☟ 👌☜☟✌✞✋⚐☼ ✋☠ ❄☟☜ ☞🕆❄🕆☼☜📬 ☹☜💧💧 ✡⚐🕆 ✌☠👎 💧✌☠💧 ☝☜❄ ✋☠❄⚐ ✌☠⚐❄☟☜☼ ☼⚐🕆☠👎 ⚐☞ 👎☼⚐🕈☠✋☠☝ ✡⚐🕆☼💧☜☹✞☜💧 ✋☠ 👍⚐☠❄✌💣✋☠✌❄☜👎 👍⚐☠👎✋💣☜☠❄💧📬" (VERY WELL. I SHALL TELL YOU OF THIS SOLELY SO THAT CAN AVOID ENCOUNTERING SUCH BEHAVIOR IN THE FUTURE. LESS YOU AND SANS GET INTO ANOTHER ROUND OF DROWNING YOURSELVES IN CONTAMINATED CONDIMENTS.)

"Which surely won't happen again for any discernible reason whatsoever."

He sighs to himself, probably regretting this whole conversation more than he thought he would.

"✌☠✡🕈✌✡📬📬📬🕈☟☜☠ ✋❄ 👍⚐💣☜💧 ❄⚐ ❄☟☜ 🏱☟✡💧✋👍✌☹ ☠✌❄🕆☼☜ ⚐☞ 🕆💧 💣⚐☠💧❄☜☼💧📪 ❄☟☜☼☜ ✌☼☜ ❄🕈⚐ ☝☼⚐🕆🏱💧 💣⚐☠💧❄☜☼ ☞✌☹☹💧 ✋☠❄⚐📬 ❄☼✌👎✋❄✋⚐☠✌☹ ✌☠👎 ☠⚐☠❄☼✌👎✋❄✋⚐☠✌☹ ☞⚐☼💣💧📬 ❄☼✌👎✋❄✋⚐☠✌☹ ☞⚐☼💣☜👎 💣⚐☠💧❄☜☼💧 ☟✌✞☜ 👌⚐👎✋☹✡ ✌☠✌❄⚐💣✡ 💧✋💣✋☹✌☼ ❄⚐ 🕈☟✌❄ ✡⚐🕆 💣✋☝☟❄ 👌☜ 🕆💧☜👎 ❄⚐ ⚐☠ ❄☟☜ 💧🕆☼☞✌👍☜📬 ❄☟☜✡ ☟✌✞☜ 👍⚐🏱🕆☹✌❄✋✞☜ ☼☜☹✌❄✋⚐☠💧 🕈✋❄☟ ⚐☼☝✌☠✋👍 🏱✌☼❄💧📬" (ANYWAY...WHEN IT COMES TO THE PHYSICAL NATURE OF US MONSTERS, THERE ARE TWO GROUPS MONSTER FALLS INTO. TRADITIONAL AND NONTRADITIONAL FORMS. TRADITIONAL FORMED MONSTERS HAVE BODILY ANATOMY SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU MIGHT BE USED TO ON THE SURFACE. THEY HAVE COPULATIVE RELATIONS WITH ORGANIC PARTS.)

"Makes sense so far."

"☠⚐☠❄☼✌👎✋❄✋⚐☠✌☹ ☞⚐☼💣☜👎 💣⚐☠💧❄☜☼💧📪 💧🕆👍☟ ✌💧 💣✡ 😐✋☠👎 ✌☠👎 ⚐❄☟☜☼💧 ✡⚐🕆 ☟✌✞☜ 💧☜☜☠📪 ⚐🕆☼ 👌⚐👎✋☜💧 ❄☜☠👎 ❄⚐ ☹✌👍😐 ❄☟☜ 🏱☟✡💧✋⚐☹⚐☝✡ ❄☟✌❄ ❄☼✌👎✋❄✋⚐☠✌☹ ☞⚐☼💣☜👎 💣⚐☠💧❄☜☼💧 🏱⚐💧💧☜💧💧📬 ❄☟✋💧 💣✌😐☜💧 ☼☜☹✌❄✋⚐☠💧 💧🕆👍☟ ✌💧 ✡⚐🕆 😐☠⚐🕈 ⚐☞ 💣⚐💧❄☹✡ ✋💣🏱⚐💧💧✋👌☹☜📪 👌🕆❄ ☠⚐❄ ✋💣🏱☼⚐👌✌👌☹☜📬 ❄☟🕆💧📪 ⚐🕆☼ ❄✡🏱☜ ☟✌💧 ☜✞⚐☹✞☜👎 ❄⚐ ☼☜🏱☼⚐👎🕆👍☜ ✋☠ ✌ 👎✋☞☞☜☼☜☠❄ 💣✌☠☠☜☼📬" (NONTRADITIONAL FORMED MONSTERS, SUCH AS MY KIND AND OTHERS YOU HAVE SEEN, OUR BODIES TEND TO LACK THE PHYSIOLOGY THAT TRADITIONAL FORMED MONSTERS POSSESS. THIS MAKES RELATIONS SUCH AS YOU KNOW OF MOSTLY IMPOSSIBLE, BUT NOT IMPROBABLE. THUS, OUR TYPE HAS EVOLVED TO REPRODUCE IN A DIFFERENT MANNER.)

He frames his hands over his chest and a faint outline of an upside down heart appears, yet something isn't quite right about it...It's hollow.

"💧⚐🕆☹💧 ✌☼☜ ✌ 💣✌☼✞☜☹⚐🕆💧 ❄☟✋☠☝📬 ❄☟☜ 👍⚐☼☜ ⚐☞ ✌☹☹ ☹✋☞☜📬 ✌☠👎 ✌💧 💧🕆👍☟📬📬📬❄☟☜✡ ✌☼☜ 👍✌🏱✌👌☹☜ ⚐☞ ☝☼✌☠❄✋☠☝ ☠☜🕈 ☹✋☞☜ ✌💧 🕈☜☹☹📬" (SOULS ARE A MARVELOUS THING. THE CORE OF ALL LIFE. AND AS SUCH...THEY ARE CAPABLE OF GRANTING NEW LIFE AS WELL.)

The gears grind in my head.

"Wait. So what you're telling me is, and excuse my bluntness...You have sex with your souls?"

"✋☠ ☹✌✡💣✌☠🕯💧 ❄☜☼💣💧📬📬📬✡☜💧📬" (IN LAYMAN'S TERMS...YES.)

I scratch my head in puzzlement as he allows his strange soul to return to him.

"...I have so many questions now."

"💧🕆👍☟ ✌💧✍" (SUCH AS?)

My mind blanks, I didn't really expect him to be willing to answer.

"Um...uh...This soul thing...Is it just limited to your type or are the other monsters able to do it?"

"✋❄ 🕈⚐☼😐💧 ☞⚐☼ ☜✞☜☼✡ 👌☜✋☠☝ 🕈✋❄☟ ✌ 💧⚐🕆☹📬 ☜✞☜☠ ☟🕆💣✌☠💧📬 👌🕆❄ 💧🕆👍☟ ✌☠ ✌👍❄ ☟✌💧 ☠⚐❄ 👌☜☜☠ 👎⚐👍🕆💣☜☠❄☜👎 ✌💧 ☞✌☼ ✌💧 ✋ 😐☠⚐🕈📬 ✌☠👎 ✌💧 ✡⚐🕆 ☟✌✞☜ 💧☟✌☼☜👎📪 ☟🕆💣✌☠💧 ☹✌👍😐 💣✌☝✋👍 ✌☠👎 ❄☟☜ 🕆💧☜ ⚐☞ ❄☟☜✋☼ 💧⚐🕆☹💧📬 💧⚐ ❄☟✋💧 ☞⚐☼💣 ⚐☞ ✋☠❄✋💣✌👍✡ ✋💧 ☹⚐💧❄ ❄⚐ ✡⚐🕆☼ 😐✋☠👎📬" (IT WORKS FOR EVERY BEING WITH A SOUL. EVEN HUMANS. BUT SUCH AN ACT HAS NOT BEEN DOCUMENTED AS FAR AS I KNOW. AND AS YOU HAVE SHARED, HUMANS LACK MAGIC AND THE USE OF THEIR SOULS. SO THIS FORM OF INTIMACY IS LOST TO YOUR KIND.)

I rub my face and drag my hands down slowly.

"*annoyed groan* So this whole time...Not only am I carrying around a ticking time bomb that can make me kill people...Not only is it now going through some messed up hormone crap...Not only is it the most wanted thing in the entire Underground...But it's also a reproductive organ? What the actual fuck?!"

He smirks and rests his chin on his knuckles in amusement. This sitting trick he's doing is amazing.

"✡⚐🕆 ☠☜✞☜☼ 👍☜✌💧☜ ❄⚐ 🏱☼⚐✞✋👎☜ 💣☜ 🕈✋❄☟ ☜☠❄☜☼❄✌✋☠💣☜☠❄📬 ❄☟☜ 🕈✌✡ ✡⚐🕆 👎✋💧🏱☹✌✡ ✡⚐🕆☼ ☜💣⚐❄✋⚐☠💧 ✋💧 🏱☼✋👍☜☹☜💧💧📬" (YOU NEVER CEASE TO PROVIDE ME WITH ENTERTAINMENT. THE WAY YOU DISPLAY YOUR EMOTIONS IS PRICELESS.)

What? So...Was he just fucking with me this whole time? I glare weakly.

"Don't tease me with shit like this."

"☟☜☟ ☟☜☟📬📬📬✋☞ ⚐☠☹✡ ✋❄ 🕈✌💧 ✌ ❄☜✌💧☜📬 🕈☟✌❄ ✋🕯✞☜ ❄⚐☹👎 ✡⚐🕆 ✋💧 ❄☟☜ ❄☼🕆❄☟📬 🕈☟☜❄☟☜☼ ✡⚐🕆 👍☟⚐⚐💧☜ ❄⚐ 👌☜☹✋☜✞☜ ✋❄ ⚐☼ ☠⚐❄ ✋💧 🕆🏱 ❄⚐ ✡⚐🕆📬" (HEH HEH...IF ONLY IT WAS A TEASE. WHAT I'VE TOLD YOU IS THE TRUTH. WHETHER YOU CHOOSE TO BELIEVE IT OR NOT IS UP TO YOU.)

I groan loudly and fall back, laying flat under the weight of weird information that is fucked up.

"What is my life anymore? Things were so much simpler when I was dead inside and I'd stay in my room for so long that everyone would forget I was even home. Souls were just metaphysical concepts of intangible thought and not actual things that can be seen or touched. *groan* Do you wanna know something funny?"

"💧🕆☼☜📬" (SURE.)

"Sometimes I still wonder if they've noticed I'm gone or not. I doubt it. But it would be funny for them to finally notice now. To finally remember that I was fucking there!"

My chest hurts and I feel old darkness creeping back from the depths of my being. Gaster's amusement dies there. His features going emotionless with familiarity.

"Mind if I do something weird? I've bummed myself out and need to feel better."

"👎⚐ 🕈☟✌❄ ✡⚐🕆 ☠☜☜👎 ❄⚐📬 ✋❄ 🕈⚐☠🕯❄ 👌⚐❄☟☜☼ 💣☜📬" (DO WHAT YOU NEED TO. IT WON'T BOTHER ME.)

I shut my eyes and think for a moment. Soon my fingers begin to tap on the floor in the vague tune of Simon & Garfunkel's song "The Sound of Silence".

"♪Hello darkness, my old friend. I've come to talk with you again. Because a vision softly creeping. Left its seeds while I was sleeping. And the vision that was planted in my brain...Still remains. Within the sound of silence.♫"

I don't know what it is about music, but it helps me. In my darkest days, I'd lay in my lightless room and just listen to the radio till I fell asleep. Letting my mind wander and create all sorts of fantasies to escape to rather than sink in despair. And since my iPod isn't here, singing is the backup alternative.

"♪In restless dreams I walked alone. Narrow streets of cobblestone. 'Neath the halo of a street lamp. I turned my collar to the cold and damp. When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light...That split the night. And touched the sound of silence.♫"

Gaster stands up and I can hear him moving over to me.

"♪And in the naked light I saw. Ten thousand people, maybe more. People talking without speaking. People hearing without listening. People writing songs that voices never share...No one dared. Disturb the sound of silence.♫"

He comes to stand over me now. I open my eyes and find my vision swimming. He just stares down at me with his hand behind his back. I simply continue my short song.

"♪'Fools' said I, 'You do not know. Silence like a cancer grows. Hear my words that I might teach you. Take my arms that I might reach you'. But my words like silent raindrops fell...And echoed in the wells of silence.♫"

He nods softly and offers a hand to me. I eye him and sigh through my nose before taking his hand, letting him help me off the floor.

"♪And the people bowed and prayed. To the neon god they made. And the sign flashed out its warning. In the words that it was forming. And the sign said, 'The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls...And tenement halls'. And whispered in the sounds of silence...♫"

"💧🕆👍☟ ✌ 💧⚐💣👌☜☼ 💧⚐☠☝📬" (SUCH A SOMBER SONG.)

"And yet, it makes me feel better when I'm feeling blue."

"✡⚐🕆 ✌☼☜ ✌ ✈🕆✋☼😐✡ ☝✋☼☹📬 👌🕆❄ ✋❄ 💣✌😐☜💧 ✡⚐🕆 🕆☠✋✈🕆☜📬 ✋❄🕯💧📬📬📬☼☜☞☼☜💧☟✋☠☝📬" (YOU ARE A QUIRKY GIRL. BUT IT MAKES YOU UNIQUE. IT'S...REFRESHING.)

I smile shyly.

"Thanks."

I notice I'm still holding his hand and instinct tells me to let go...but I don't. It feels too good to have living contact after feeling bad. If it bothers him at all he doesn't say a word. We just stand there. This odd sense of tranquility slowly comes to me. It's...It's nice. Too bad my brain always ruins good things.

"Gaster..."

"☟💣💣💣✍✆" (HMMM?)

"Forgive me if this is too personal. But...Can I ask what happened to your soul?"

The feel in the room chills. His grip on my hand suddenly tightens. I regret speaking.

"Gaster?"

He doesn't say a word but his grip gets painfully harsh. The bones in my hand squeeze uncomfortably.

"Gaster, stop. You're hurting me."

He pauses, his grip loosening slightly. I try to take my hand back and this proves to be a terrible move. The moment he feels this movement I'm hurled across the room and pinned to the wall by dozens of hands. The wind is then knocked out of my lungs by the force of his real hand slamming into my chest and forcing my rainbow swirl of a soul out through his palm as I snarl meekly.

"✡⚐🕆 🕈✌☠❄ ❄⚐ 😐☠⚐🕈 ✌👌⚐🕆❄ 💣✡ 💧⚐🕆☹✍ ✋💧 ❄☟✌❄ ✌ ❄☼🕆☜ ✈🕆☜💧❄✋⚐☠ ☞☼⚐💣 ✡⚐🕆📬📬📬⚐☼ 👍☟✌☼✌✍" (YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT MY SOUL? IS THAT A TRUE QUESTION FROM YOU...OR CHARA?)

"I told you, Chara doesn't know about this."

"☟☜ ☟✌💧☠🕯❄ 👌☜☜☠ 💧🏱☜✌😐✋☠☝ 🕈✋❄☟ ✡⚐🕆 ✌💧 ⚐☞❄☜☠ ✌💧 ☟☜ 🕆💧☜👎 ❄⚐📪 ☟✌💧 ☟☜✍ 👎⚐ ☠⚐❄ ☹✋☜ ❄⚐ 💣☜📬" (HE HASN'T BEEN SPEAKING WITH YOU AS OFTEN AS HE USED TO, HAS HE? DO NOT LIE TO ME.)

Now that he mentions it...

"He...He has been quiet for a long time."

"💧👍☟☜💣✋☠☝ 👌☼✌❄ ✋💧 🕆🏱 ❄⚐ 💧⚐💣☜❄☟✋☠☝📬 ☠⚐❄☟✋☠☝ ☝⚐⚐👎 ☜✞☜☼ 👍✌💣☜ ☞☼⚐💣 🕈☟☜☠ ❄☟✌❄ 👍☟✋☹👎 🕈✌💧 💧✋☹☜☠❄📬" (SCHEMING BRAT IS UP TO SOMETHING. NOTHING GOOD EVER CAME FROM WHEN THAT CHILD WAS SILENT.)

This has me worried. I want to trust them both. But this does make a small shadow be cast on Chara for acting shady.

"☜✋❄☟☜☼ 🕈✌✡📪 💣✡ 💧⚐🕆☹ ✋💧 ⚐☞ ☠⚐ 👍⚐☠👍☜☼☠ ⚐☞ ✡⚐🕆☼💧📬 ✡⚐🕆 💧☟⚐🕆☹👎 👌☜ 💣⚐☼☜ ✋☠❄☜☼☜💧❄☜👎 ✋☠ ✡⚐🕆☼ ⚐🕈☠📬" (EITHER WAY, MY SOUL IS OF NO CONCERN OF YOURS. YOU SHOULD BE MORE INTERESTED IN YOUR OWN.)

His free hand cups my soul, his fingers flex into it and I wince. This adds a whole new feeling of weird now knowing what other thing my soul is.

"☞✌💧👍✋☠✌❄✋☠☝📪 ✋💧 ✋❄ ☠⚐❄📪 ☹✋❄❄☹☜ ⚐☠☜✍ ☟⚐🕈 💧⚐💣☜❄☟✋☠☝ 💧⚐ 💧💣✌☹☹ ☟✌💧 💧⚐ 💣🕆👍☟ 🏱⚐🕈☜☼📬 ☟🕆💣✌☠ 💧⚐🕆☹💧 ☟✌✞☜ ✌☹🕈✌✡💧 👌☜☜☠ 💧❄☼⚐☠☝📪 👌🕆❄ ✡⚐🕆☼💧📬📬📬🕈☜☹☹📬📬📬✋ ❄☟✋☠😐 ✡⚐🕆 😐☠⚐🕈 👌✡ ☠⚐🕈 ❄☟✌❄ ✡⚐🕆 ✌☼☜ ⚐☠ ☹☜✞☜☹💧 ✋ ☠☜✞☜☼ 👎☼☜✌💣☜👎 ⚐☞ ☞✋☠👎✋☠☝📬" (FASCINATING, IS IT NOT, LITTLE ONE? HOW SOMETHING SO SMALL HAS SO MUCH POWER. HUMAN SOULS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN STRONG, BUT YOURS...WELL...I THINK YOU KNOW BY NOW THAT YOU ARE ON LEVELS I NEVER DREAMED OF FINDING.)

His index finger suddenly plunges into my heart-shaped soul and the roar I let out is a garbled mess of distorted sound.

"✌☠👎 ❄☟✌❄📬📬📬❄☟✌❄ 💧❄☼✌☠☝☜ 👌☜☟✌✞✋⚐☼📬 ✋ 💧🕈☜✌☼ ✋ 🕈✋☹☹ ☞✋☠👎 ⚐🕆❄ ❄☟☜ 👍✌🕆💧☜📬" (AND THAT...THAT STRANGE BEHAVIOR. I SWEAR I WILL FIND OUT THE CAUSE.)

"A͘ŗ͠g̸h̶! ͘͠T͟a̶͜ke̶ ̢҉y͜o͝ur d̷̕a̡̧͠mn̢͟ ̷fi̧͠n̕g̕̕͝e͟r͟ ̷̵͘ò̸ứ͟t͘͠͠!̀͏̡"

I thrash in the grip of his conjured up appendages but it is a futile effort that hurts me more.

"✌☟ ✌☟ ✌☟📬 ❄☟✌❄🕯💧 ☠⚐❄ 🏱✌☼❄ ⚐☞ ❄☟☜ 👎☜✌☹📬 ☼☜💣☜💣👌☜☼✍ ✡⚐🕆 🕈⚐🕆☹👎 ☝✋✞☜ 💣☜ ☞🕆☹☹ ✌👍👍☜💧💧 ❄⚐ ✡⚐🕆☼ 💧⚐🕆☹ 🕈✋❄☟ ☠⚐ 👍⚐💣🏱☹✌✋☠❄💧 ⚐☼ ☼☜💧✋💧❄✌☠👍☜ 💧⚐ ☹⚐☠☝ ✌💧 ✋❄ ☹☜✌👎💧 ❄⚐ ❄☟☜ 👌☜❄❄☜☼ 🕆☠👎☜☼💧❄✌☠👎✋☠☝ ⚐☞ ✡⚐🕆☼ 💧⚐🕆☹📬 ✌☠👎 💧✋☠👍☜ ⚐🕆☼ ☹✌💧❄ ☜✠🏱☜☼✋💣☜☠❄📪 ✋ ☟✌✞☜ ☹☜✌☼☠☜👎 ✌ ☞🕆☠ ✡☜❄ ☟☜☹🏱☞🕆☹ ❄☼✋👍😐📬" (AH AH AH. THAT'S NOT PART OF THE DEAL. REMEMBER? YOU WOULD GIVE ME FULL ACCESS TO YOUR SOUL WITH NO COMPLAINTS OR RESISTANCE SO LONG AS IT LEADS TO THE BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR SOUL. AND SINCE OUR LAST EXPERIMENT, I HAVE LEARNED A FUN YET HELPFUL TRICK.)

His invading digit moves deeper into the heart and the sounds of pain I garble out with are anything but human. Though his actions do seem to have the effect he was alluding to, as the clashing ten colors of my soul abruptly recede to leave only one randomly...it's orange.

"🕈✋❄☟ ☹✋❄❄☹☜ 💣⚐☼☜ ❄☟✌☠ ✌ 💧☹✋☝☟❄ ❄⚐🕆👍☟📪 ✌☠👎 ✌ ☟✋☠❄ ⚐☞ 💣✡ ⚐🕈☠ 💣✌☝✋👍📪 ✡⚐🕆☼ ❄☼✌✋❄💧 👍✌☠ 👌☜ ✌👍❄✋✞✌❄☜👎 ✌💧 ☜✌💧✋☹✡ ✌💧 ⚐☠☜ 🕈⚐🕆☹👎 ☞☹✋🏱 ✌ ☹✋☝☟❄ 💧🕈✋❄👍☟📬" (WITH LITTLE MORE THAN A SLIGHT TOUCH, AND A HINT OF MY OWN MAGIC, YOUR TRAITS CAN BE ACTIVATED AS EASILY AS ONE WOULD FLIP A LIGHT SWITCH.)

[You're filled with BRAVERY.]

"G̢et̨ ̀ỳou're̛ fųcki͜ng͘ fíng̷e҉r̷ o̸ùt b͞efo҉re ̕I͜ ̨b́rea͞k̴ ͠i̕t͟ o͟f͏f a̷nd ͞c̷ram̵ it̛ s̀om̧ęwh̷ère̛ n͜ot͝ ̧even̛ go͟d da̴res͢ to͝ ̴see!"

My teeth are bared and I'm snarling like a rabid dog. He merely chuckles.

"☞✌💧👍✋☠✌❄✋☠☝📬 ✋ 🕈⚐☠👎☜☼📬📬📬" (FASCINATING. I WONDER...)

His finger moves and the orange bleeds into another color...purple.

[You're filled with PERSEVERANCE.]

"Th͞i͘s dísp͡la̢y̕ ́in p̨o͏w̨ęr ̨i͜s̵ qu͟i͞t͘e ̸únn̷e͡ces̷saŕy̶. Yóu k͢now ͜Í'̷m͠ n͝o̵t͏ ́i͜n ͞an͡y pos͏i͜t̡i̷o͘n to̧ stơp y̶o̵u. ̴S͜ǫ i͝f̷ ͜you c̶a͠n s͏t̕óp̀ s̛trơk̢in͡g ͢your e̡gó ̕a͘n͜d́ g͘et ́t͢o ͘the ̵pơi͘nt́ ͜o̵f̕ ́t̵his cl̶e̡çhé͘ s͡how of ̢yòurs,̷ ̵m͏ay̨b̢e̕ ̶w͠e̡ ca̡n ̧aćt̀u͏a͡ll͟y d̸o̢ s͜om͢ethin͘g ̢ţha͜t va͠gu͏ely ̢r͠esem͟bl͢e͝s ͏pro͘g͟re̷ss."

That seems to get to him for a moment before his eyes narrow a bit.

"💧⚐ 💣✡ ❄☟☜⚐☼✡ ✋💧 👍⚐☼☼☜👍❄📬 ☜✌👍☟ ❄☼✌✋❄ 👎⚐☜💧 👍⚐✋☠👍✋👎☜ 🕈✋❄☟ ✌ 🏱✌☼❄ ⚐☞ ✡⚐🕆☼ 🏱☜☼💧⚐☠✌☹✋❄✡📬 ❄☟✋💧 ⚐☠☜ ✋💧 ☼✌❄☟☜☼ 🏱⚐💣🏱🕆💧 ✋☠ 💣✡ ⚐🏱✋☠✋⚐☠📬" (SO MY THEORY IS CORRECT. EACH TRAIT DOES COINCIDE WITH A PART OF YOUR PERSONALITY. THIS ONE IS RATHER POMPUS IN MY OPINION.)

"I͠t̀ ͠t̵ąkes ̴on͜ę t̨o ͞kn҉ow ̨on̷ȩ.͘"

He glares and another rough internal flick has my soul change color once more...green.

[You're filled with KINDNESS.]

"I'm̴ ҉s̢orr̶y. I'̕m͡ ̴b͢ei͡ng̡ ne͏e̛d̷l̀e̛ssl͜y҉ m̢ea͞n͞. ̵I k̛now̛ ͜yo̵u͜'̀re̢ ju͟st ̶tr͝y͟ing ţo ̵hel̀p̛.͞ B͘u̧t th̷e pa̡i̡n͟ ͏ma͝k̀es ̧me͡ ͜cr͝a̷n̶ky͡. Ýo͜u'͢re̸ not mad͏ ̵at ̡me,̵ are̴ ̶y͞o͟u?"

A look comes to his face that I'm not quite sure of.

"📬📬📬☟⚐🕈 👎⚐ ✋ ☝☜❄ ❄☟✋💧 ❄⚐ 👌☜ ✡⚐🕆☼ 👎☜☞✌🕆☹❄ 💧❄✌❄☜✍" (...HOW DO I GET THIS TO BE YOUR DEFAULT STATE?)

I stick my tongue out at him childishly.

"✋ ✌☹💣⚐💧❄ 👎⚐☠🕯❄ 🕈✌☠❄ ❄⚐ 😐☜☜🏱 ☝⚐✋☠☝📬 ❄☟✋💧 🏱✌☼❄ ⚐☞ ✡⚐🕆 ✋💧 ❄☟☜ 👍☹⚐💧☜💧❄ ❄☟✋☠☝ ❄⚐ ✌👎⚐☼✌👌☹☜ ✋ ☟✌✞☜ 👌☜☜☠ ✌👌☹☜ ❄⚐ 🕈✋❄☠☜💧💧📬" (I ALMOST DON'T WANT TO KEEP GOING. THIS PART OF YOU IS THE CLOSEST THING TO ADORABLE I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO WITNESS.)

However, he adds a second finger into my soul and for the first time in my life I scream.

"💧✌👎☹✡📪 ❄⚐ 💧❄⚐🏱 ☠⚐🕈 🕈⚐🕆☹👎☠🕯❄ ✌☹☹⚐🕈 🕆💧 ❄⚐ ❄☜💧❄ ⚐🕆❄ ❄☟☜ 💣⚐☼☜ 👍⚐💣🏱☹☜✠ ❄☼✌✋❄💧 ✡⚐🕆 🏱⚐💧💧☜💧💧📬 👌🕆❄ 🕈☟☜☼☜ ❄⚐ 👌☜☝✋☠✍ ☟💣💣💣📬📬📬✋ 👎⚐ 💧🕆🏱🏱⚐💧☜ 🕈☜ 💧☟⚐🕆☹👎 💧✌✞☜ ❄☟☜ 👌☜💧❄ ☞⚐☼ ☹✌💧❄📬 ✌☞❄☜☼ ✌☹☹📪 ❄☟✌❄ ⚐☠☜ ❄☜☠👎💧 ❄⚐ 👌☜ ✞☜☼✡📬📬📬❄☼⚐🕆👌☹☜💧⚐💣☜📬" (SADLY, TO STOP NOW WOULDN'T ALLOW US TO TEST OUT THE MORE COMPLEX TRAITS YOU POSSESS. BUT WHERE TO BEGIN? HMMM...I DO SUPPOSE WE SHOULD SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST. AFTER ALL, THAT ONE TENDS TO BE VERY...TROUBLESOME.)

He can't possibly be thinking of letting that THING out, is he? He can't really be that crazy. He can't! A twist of those intruding phalanges has every fiber of my being ignites in the fires of unpleasantness as my soul throbs into its next color...pink.

[You're filled with PASSION.]

"❄☟✋💧 🕈✋☹☹ 👌☜ ✋☠❄☜☼☜💧���✋☠☝📬 🕈☟☜☠☜✞☜☼ ❄☟✋💧 ❄☼✌✋❄ 👍⚐💣☜💧 ❄⚐ ✡⚐🕆📪 ✡⚐🕆 ❄☜☠👎 ❄⚐ 💧❄✋☹☹ 👌☜☟✌✞☜ ✌💧 ✡⚐🕆 ☠⚐☼💣✌☹☹✡ 👎⚐📬 ☠⚐🕈 ✋☠ ✋❄🕯💧 🏱🕆☼☜ 💧❄✌❄☜📪 ✋ 👍✌☠ ⚐☠☹✡ ✋💣✌☝✋☠☜ 🕈☟✌❄ ✡⚐🕆 💣✋☝☟❄📬📬📬" (THIS WILL BE INTERESTING. WHENEVER THIS TRAIT COMES TO YOU, YOU TEND TO STILL BEHAVE AS YOU NORMALLY DO. NOW IN IT'S PURE STATE, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT YOU MIGHT...)

"Ẁe̸ll̨ h͠ello͝ t҉he͡re͏,̧ doc̨to͞r~."

Perplexion comes to Gaster. My voice holds a rather flirty inflection.

"Wh̢at'̷s͞ wr̕on͡g, ̸G? ҉A͢re̸n̵'̴t ́I͏ s̵t͘ill a̵d̷oráble? ̴O̴r ͞i̸s͠ t͟h̴e̕ s̴in o͜f͜ fi͏nge̵r͢in̷g ͜a̶ lad͢y'͏s ҉so͝u͟l̵ ҉sink̛i̡n̴g̴ i͝n ̛no͝w?̧ ̷M̷mmm̵..̨.s̀ųc̶h̴ a͡ ̨n͠au͘gh̴ty ͢boy y̧ou áre͠~͘.̶"

His hand almost retreats in disgust but even this doesn't sway the man. Though the uncomfortable blush he has is worth the weird feeling this trait gives me.

"✋ ❄☟✋☠😐 ❄☟✋💧 ❄☼✌✋❄ ☟✌💧 👌☜☜☠ 💧☜☜☠ ☹⚐☠☝ ☜☠⚐🕆☝☟📬" (I THINK THIS TRAIT HAS BEEN SEEN LONG ENOUGH.)

"Oh̛ ͝m͜y̴.͝ ̀Is͜ ̛tḩe͞ g҉oo͘d ḑoc͏t͘o͝r͢ dįs͡t̛u҉r͝bed b͘ý l͞įt̷tle͠ ơļ' m̵e?"

"☠⚐📬 ✡⚐🕆 ✌☼☜ ☞✌☼ ☞☼⚐💣 👎✋💧❄🕆☼👌✋☠☝📬" (NO. YOU ARE FAR FROM DISTURBING.)

"Ģi̷ve me͝ ̴s͠om̷e ̡tim̀e ̷an̡d thèn҉ ̡you͝ ͠c҉a̕n se̵e̡ j͏us̸t͞ h̛o̷w dist̕u͘r͜b͏i҉ņg I͟ ̷c̨a͝n ̨be~.́"

I lick my lips hungrily and he flinches, making me snicker.

"R̵ęl̷a̸x, G.͝ ́I͞ ̸d͞on'͝t bit̴e̡...͡unl҉esş y̴ou ͢w͠ánt m̨e͏ t͢o͏~?"

"☠⚐🏱☜📬" (NOPE.)

His fingers shift and I convulse in the grip of his hands.

"☠⚐ 💣⚐☼☜ ⚐☞ ❄☟✋💧 ☝✌💣☜📬 ✋❄🕯💧 ❄✋💣☜ ❄⚐ 💧❄🕆👎✡ ❄☟✋💧 ☼☜☹☜☠❄☹☜💧💧 ❄☼✌✋❄ ⚐☞ ✡⚐🕆☼💧 ✌☠👎 💧☜☜ ☺🕆💧❄ ☟⚐🕈 👎☜✌👎☹✡ ✋❄ ☼☜✌☹☹✡ ✋💧📬" (NO MORE OF THIS GAME. IT'S TIME TO STUDY THIS RELENTLESS TRAIT OF YOURS AND SEE JUST HOW DEADLY IT REALLY IS.)

No! He can't! Sure, I doubt that THING can hurt him and this room might be the safest place for that THING to be let free in. But this isn't the world where my body is. I don't know if unleashing the Black Soul in the Void makes it stay here and not affect my body in the waking world. I can't risk it. I can't!

[You're filled with DETERMINATION.]

"S̀t҉o̶p!́ Y̧o҉u̴ ͟c̨aņ'͡t ̷d͝o̢ t̨hi͘s̷!̷"

"✡⚐🕆 ✌☼☜ ✋☠ ☠⚐ 🏱⚐💧✋❄✋⚐☠ ❄⚐ 👎☜☞✡ 💣☜ ⚐☼ 👎☜☠✡ 🕈☟✌❄ ✋ 🕈✌☠❄ ⚐☞ ✡⚐🕆📬" (YOU ARE IN NO POSITION TO DEFY ME OR DENY WHAT I WANT OF YOU.)

"Y̷ou̧ ̶d̵on't ͢kno̶w ҉w͏h́a͢t y̧ou͘'҉r̛é deal̛in͢g͠ with̀.҉"

"❄☟✌❄ ✋💧 🏱☼☜👍✋💧☜☹✡ 🕈☟✡ ✋🕯💣 👎⚐✋☠☝ ❄☟✋💧📬" (THAT IS PRECISELY WHY I'M DOING THIS.)

"D́a͜mn it̕, ́G͞a͘s̶t͝er, ́don't̨ b̢e͏ so͏ ͜s̢tu̴píd!"

The sadly familiar sting of a hand colliding with my face is felt and with it my resolve wanes.

"✡⚐🕆 ✋☠💧✋☝☠✋☞✋👍✌☠❄ 🕈⚐☼💣✏ 👎⚐ ✡⚐🕆 🕈✌☠❄ 💣☜ ❄⚐ 😐✋☹☹ ✡⚐🕆✍ 👎⚐☠🕯❄ ❄☟✋☠😐 ☞⚐☼ ✌ 💣⚐💣☜☠❄ ❄☟✌❄ ✋ 🕈⚐☠🕯❄📬 ✡⚐🕆 ✌☼☜ ☠⚐❄☟✋☠☝ 💣⚐☼☜ ❄☟✌☠ ✌ ☝☹✋❄👍☟📬 ✌☠ ✌💣⚐☠✌☹✋🕆💧 ☞☼☜✌😐 ✋☠ ❄☟☜ ❄✋💣☜☹✋☠☜📬 ☠⚐❄☟✋☠☝ ✡⚐🕆 👎⚐ 💣✌❄❄☜☼💧 ✌☠👎 ✡⚐🕆☼ ☹✋☞☜ ✋💧 🕆❄❄☜☼☹✡ 💣☜✌☠✋☠☝☹☜💧💧📬 💧⚐ ☞⚐☼ ⚐☠👍☜ ✋☠ ✡⚐🕆☼ 💧✌👎 ☜✠✋💧❄☜☠👍☜ 👎⚐ 💧⚐💣☜❄☟✋☠☝ 🕆💧☜☞🕆☹ ✌☠👎 ☹☜❄ 💣☜ 🕈⚐☼😐✏" (YOU INSIGNIFICANT WORM! DO YOU WANT ME TO KILL YOU? DON'T THINK FOR A MOMENT THAT I WON'T. YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A GLITCH. AN AMONALIUS FREAK IN THE TIMELINE. NOTHING YOU DO MATTERS AND YOUR LIFE IS UTTERLY MEANINGLESS. SO FOR ONCE IN YOUR SAD EXISTENCE DO SOMETHING USEFUL AND LET ME WORK!)

His words hurt me. Cutting deeper than I'd care to admit. As a result, the brightness in my soul begins to darken.

[You're starting losing HOPE.]

"Yo͝u̸..͟.You d͡on't ̛mean͏ t̶hat.͢ Yo͟u̶'r̵e̵ ͡ju͏st ̶l̀as̨hįn͡g̕ ̶ou͝t ͠b̀ec̷a̴u͘sȩ y͢o͟u͟'̴re͟ u͝pse̡t̀.̴"

The look he gives me is cold.

"💧🕆👍☟ ✌ 🏱✌❄☟☜❄✋👍 ❄☟✋☠☝ ✡⚐🕆 ✌☼☜📬 ☹⚐⚐😐 ✌❄ ✡⚐🕆📬📬📬👍☹✋☠☝✋☠☝ ❄⚐ ✌ 💧☜☠💧☜ ❄☟✌❄ 🕈☜🕯☼☜ ☜✈🕆✌☹💧📬 🖂💧👍⚐☞☞🖂 ✌💧 ✋☞ ✌ ☟🕆💣✌☠ 👍⚐🕆☹👎 ☜✞☜☼ 👌☜ ✌☠✡❄☟✋☠☝ 💣⚐☼☜ ❄⚐ 💣☜ ❄☟✌☠ ✌ ❄☜💧❄ 💧🕆👌☺☜👍❄📬 ☜💧🏱☜👍✋✌☹☹✡ ⚐☠☜ ✌💧 👎✌💣✌☝☜👎 ✌💧 ✡⚐🕆📬" (SUCH A PATHETIC THING YOU ARE. LOOK AT YOU...CLINGING TO A SENSE THAT WE'RE EQUALS. *SCOFF* AS IF A HUMAN COULD EVER BE ANYTHING MORE TO ME THAN A TEST SUBJECT. ESPECIALLY ONE AS DAMAGED AS YOU.)

[You're losing more HOPE.]

My soul is almost drained of color. My weakened emotional state made this verbal assault of his rather easy to break my defenses. I don't know if this was part of a plan to make me less willing to fight back or if he's being honest, either way, I don't do a thing when he forces his entire hand into my dull soul. I feel pain, but I remain silent. My body begs to be free, but I'm dead slack. I do nothing...except give up.

[You've lost all HOPE.]

My soul turns pitch black as my body limps in his grip.

[You're filled with RELENTLESSNESS.]

"✌☟📪 ❄☟☜☼☜ 🕈☜ ☝⚐📬 ✡⚐🕆 💧☜☜✍ ❄☟✌❄ 🕈✌💧☠🕯❄ 💧⚐ 👌✌👎📬 ☠⚐🕈 🕈✌💧 ✋❄✍" (AH, THERE WE GO. YOU SEE? THAT WASN'T SO BAD. NOW WAS IT?)

There's no response.

"☟🕆💣✌☠✍" (HUMAN?)

Suddenly one of my arms breaks free and grabs hold of his neck.

"Į tr̡i̶ed̴ t͢o w͜a͝r̨n y̢oų.̶..̛"

He strikes me as he pulls away to set himself free, his hand no longer in my soul and the other appendages tightening their hold as my eyes fade to black with a malicious smile smearing my lips.

"You should've listened while you had the chance."

He's shaken but not easily intimidated.

"💧⚐ ❄☟✋💧 ✋💧 ✋❄✍ ❄☟☜ 👌☹✌👍😐 💧⚐🕆☹ ⚐☞ ☼☜☹☜☠❄☹☜💧💧 👎☜✌❄☟✍ ✋🕯💣 ☠⚐❄ ✋💣🏱☼☜💧💧☜👎📬" (SO THIS IS IT? THE BLACK SOUL OF RELENTLESS DEATH? I'M NOT IMPRESSED.)

An emotionless chuckle leaves me and it slowly builds into haunting laughter.

"✡⚐🕆 👎⚐☠🕯❄ 💧👍✌☼☜ 💣☜📬" (YOU DON'T SCARE ME.)

My laughter stops instantly.

"That will soon change."

[Meanwhile: the child's bedroom in the Ruins]

Things are usually peaceful when sleep claims the waking world. The word usually being the key term here. Not everything sleeps in the hours of the night. And not all is peaceful when not a sound is heard. So in the normally quiet dark room where the human and flower rest, a soft light began to emanate from covers of the bed of the human. This soft glow started out weak, hardly ever noticeable to the shadows that consumed the room. But as time went on, the glowing got brighter, and the dark of the room weakened. Soon though the building light stirs the senses of the flower and once he rubs the sleep from his eyes the sight gets his concern.

"What the...?"

The light grew brighter and the human makes weak sounds of pain. Worried, Flowey stretches out a vine and shakes the girl a bit.

"Hey. Hey. Wake up. Come on, wake up."

Her response is only to whimper and the glowing flares. Fear and curiosity has his vine pulling the covers off of her, revealing the source of the light to be coming from her chest.

"Ah hell. What kind of crazy junk is this?"

She suddenly sits up and the glow of her chest dims, freaking Flowey out enough to yelp. He's quick to cover his mouth, hoping he hadn't disturbed Toriel. Nothing happens as the room darkens once more. Though a chill permeates the air where only warmth was felt. At least the human was awake and things were normal.

"You know, you're going to have to tell me about this weird stuff that happens when you sleep sooner or later. I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

There's no response.

"Human?"

A faint dull glow casts in front of her and something makes Flowey shiver.

"Howdy...It's me...your best friend."

Oh no...

"Lynsie?"

"Do you remember it, Asriel?"

If flower's had blood, Flowey's would be running cold.

"When you killed your brother, you looked just...like...THIS!"

She turns to him quickly and he sees the face of death. Black eyes with red irises piercing into his very being. He knows those eyes. They were once his a long time when he became a creature of unimaginable power. The shadows seem to surround those eyes and the form it creates is one he thought he'd never see again.

"S-S-Stay away from me! You're not real!"

"What's wrong, Asriel? Afraid of your own shadow now?"

"Stop it! Leave me alone!"

"I don't think so."

This THING grabs his pot and Flowey can't make himself move.

"Those fool thinks they can get rid of me. But you know that isn't going to happen, don't you, little Prince?"

These words. Who the hell was this, because this sure as hell isn't Lynsie.

"Who...What are you?"

The sound of approaching steps is head and it smiles.

"Isn't it obvious?"

It puts the pot down and seems to disappear into the darkness.

"I'm the bad guy."

The bedroom door opens slightly.

"Children? Is everything okay?"

"Don't come in here!"

Flowey's warning is too little too late. Toriel enters the room and turns on the light, revealing the grinning black soul girl behind her.

"Mom, look out!"

She doesn't register this fast enough as the Black Soul clutches both hands together and swings them downwards hard, hitting Toriel on her back to knock her over.

"Mom!"

"Ah ah ah. You can't call her that till after the True Lab. Stick to the script, Flowey. Frisk isn't here to break the game for you anymore."

How does it know all this?

"Poor, Toriel. You just can't get a break today. Well...Hehehe...I can fix that."

The Black Soul reaches for Toriel's leg, most likely with the aim of breaking it as it had teased. But Toriel is not an easy mark for attack and her own self-preservation instincts make her swipe a fiery paw at the threat to her life. Whether this is part of the Black Soul's twisted game or it underestimated Toriel's reflexes, but it takes the hit and is sent crashing into the hall's wall with enough force to leave a body dent, much to Toriel's horror.

"N-No...No no no no..."

Mothering nature trumps the defensive one and she moves to check on the unmoving smoking body lying limp in the hall. But she doesn't make it very far, not with the vines wrapping around her.

"What are you doing? Release me, flower."

"I can't. It's too dangerous. That thing isn't her."

His words take a moment to alert her to the issue at hand and it sinks in more when creepy chuckling comes from the hall.

"Awww...It's so cute seeing you care for her. Such a good little mama's boy you've become."

The body rises awkwardly from the floor and those eyes gleam wickedly, a scorch mark across the belly.

"But if you think a family bond will save you from me, you are wrong...DEAD wrong."

"Entity..."

Even when confronted by death, Toriel is worried about her loved ones over herself.

"If harm is truly your intent, then do one small kindness and tell us why. What fills you with so much hate that you seek to end our lives?"

To this, the Black Soul seems taken by, almost confused or insulted.

"Hate? My dear, Toriel, you've got me all wrong. I don't hate. Hate is not a part of me at all."

That's an answer none of them saw coming.

"You...You do not hate us?"

"Then what the hell is your problem?!"

It shakes its head disapprovingly.

"Sorry. But I'm not into the whole cliché of revealing important plot/character information that can ultimately cripple my diabolical plans. By the way, I don't have any diabolical plans, that's just this body's childishness coming out. Either way...My secrets aren't meant to be told to just anyone. Those are things for her to know and her alone."

Her? Who is her? Did it mean the human? Damn this thing for speaking in nonsense. It didn't answer much and leaves only more questions in its wake. Yet before another question could be thought up or asked, the Black Soul grips its chest in pain and stumbles back into the wall.

"*wince* Damn it...Seems my time is being cut short...hęh̵.͞..A̸n҉d jus͞t̢ ̀whe҉ń t͜hi͏n͢gs w͝e͏re ̀gét͡ti̢ng ̸int́eres̴ti͝ng̕ ̷I ͟f̢all ̕fǫr̸ ͠t̀h҉e cl̛ic͞h҉é ǫf monơl̀ogu͢ing ͘ţi͞l̕l̨ I'̧m b̡est̢e̶d͡."

It points to them and smiles painfully wide.

"T͜his͞ i͢sn't ̕thȩ ̷l͞a̷s͝t҉ ͘y̢ou've̸ ̛s̴èen o͡f ͜m͞e.͜..̨I sh̸al̕l ̧ret͟ur҉n...̴A̧n̡d ̛ẁhen̕ ͝I̡ do...͏Į s͝hall ͏b͠e͠ ͘m͏ore̕ ͟pow̶erful ͏t̢h͏a͘n͞ ́y̕ou c҉an p̶o̢ssibly̵ im̸a̛gi͘ne!"

The intense threat is made less threatening when it abruptly vomits black slime and collapses to the floor face first. There's a long pause as tension mounts as to if this is another fake-out by the Black Soul. But after a bit of time with nothing happening, Flowey releases his hold on Toriel and she cautiously approaches the human's body.

"Lynsie? Child, can you hear me?"

The human doesn't seem alive. That goop still oozing from her mouth. Toriel kneels and checks for any sign that the girl isn't about to die.

"Is she breathing?"

"I...I can not tell."

"*coughing and gasping*"

Suddenly the girl springs to life, spewing up more of that goo from her lungs before air can let her breathe once more. Toriel does her best to help keep her weak body from flailing and helps her stand once she's stabilized.

"Are you alright, my child?"

Shaken, she merely nods her head. Though none truly believe she is fine.

"Do you need anything?"

She shakes her head.

"Okay. Let me help you back into bed."

That has the girl tremble and Toriel frowns.

"...How about some milk and a story? Does that sound better?"

She nods.

"Very well. But then it is to the tub with you. I know not what that 'stuff' is, but I do not want it to linger on you longer than needed."

She nods again as Toriel walks her towards the living room. Flowey from her perch just lingers, contemplating on if he should follow or not. That Black Soul really shook him to the core. It knew things. Things she shouldn't know. It didn't help that it acted differently too. Unlike when he saw it before, this thing was more cat-like, teasing and toying with them whereas before it was calculatingly cold with deliberate actions. It was like it was a completely different THING all together. Very...Chaotic in nature. This was troubling. Maybe it would be best to ignore the fear and make sure the human was alright. After all, he'd like some reassuring if he went through something like that. Spider walking on his vines, he carefully makes his way around the puddle of sludge, noticing that the amount was slowly shrinking. Weird stuff. He didn't like it. He just hoped it was gone by nights end.

[Meanwhile: Skeleton household]

Hard times were also had at the home of Sans and Papyrus. Though not to the same extent as a what went on in the Ruins. No...After the whole "Queen went nuts" incident, Papyrus wore sans down enough so that the elder sibling would talk about what he's been keeping from him. This was fine, as Sans was sick of hiding things anyway, but he was wary that Papyrus would believe any of it. Sure enough, this was how things went down, at least, not at first. When it came to some of it, Papyrus was willing to accept with not much convincing, such as the human possessing a strange soul. With how she was he had no doubt that even her soul was off in some way, shape, or form. What wasn't believable was that she was capable of immense power so strong that it would corrupt her into a murderous psycho. Once that lost him, Sans didn't bother trying to explain anything else, much to Papyrus annoyance. So as they laid in their beds, different trains of thought came to them.

Papyrus was irritated and that made trying to sleep harder than normal, what with his high levels of stress-induced adrenaline. Sans was less than informative and what he did tell him made little to no sense. The human...THAT human...Sans dared to insinuate that that pitiful thing could match or even out power him, the great and terrible Papyrus, in strength. Her? Compared to him? The levels of bullshit were so high you could taste the foulness. Still, Sans is a poor liar when it comes to him and during their chat Papyrus couldn't sense any sign of falsehood in his brother's words. So maybe...No. No, he refuses to even entertain the idea of the human being strong without proof of some sort. But how? How to get said proof? Hmmm...seems a duel is in order. Only then could he truly test her might.

Sans on his end felt relief for once. Nothing was shackling him anymore. No promise hanging over his head. No human to bother him. No Black Soul around to randomly trigger a murder spree. No reason for Grillby to act all weird at the bar. And nothing to make him feel weird or mess with his head while laying in bed. Sure, Papyrus was a dick as he predicted he would when he started to tell him about stuff. But fuck that. None of that mattered. Things were normal again. He could finally unwind and hang loose if he wanted to without worry. Oh yeah, this was going to be sweet. Sure, the human could and probably would pop back into his life. But who knows if and when that would happen. Till then there was no reason for that chick to be on his mind. Why would he even want to think about her? All she ever did was cause him trouble. Okay, maybe not always. There were some good times. Hell, she'd actually pun along with him and not give him shit over it. That's a rare thing that only the old lady does. Damn it...There he goes again. Wanting just to have a moment to himself and yet that woman finds a way into his skull. Argh! Why do humans keep plaguing his life like this? All he wants is some peace!

[Time Skip]

Four days...It's been four days since that night...And it's been four days since I've slept. I can't do it. I can't. I can't go back there. I can't trust anyone. Chara hasn't said a word and Gaster is...well...Gaster. I want to trust them but how can I when this shit happens?! I've kept myself busy by getting back into my old habits. I trained like crazy for the first two days. Toriel managed to fix my messed up tooth by filling it with a bit of silver. She practiced doing this on a potato before feeling good enough to try it on me. Luckily it worked and my head didn't explode. By day three I only got half of my normal stuff done. And now, day four, I'm about ready to keel over. Every time my eyes close for a second too long I panic. My brain is not responding to this well. It's desperate for sleep of some kind. After around the seventieth consecutive hour of being awake, it started triggering microsleep. This is a temporary episode of sleep or drowsiness which may last for a fraction of a second or up to thirty seconds where an individual fails to respond to some arbitrary sensory input and becomes unconscious. I've gone through this before once. I experimented to see how long I could make myself stay awake. I ended up lasting four and a half days before forcing myself to sleep because I was just so fucking tired. That was some good sleep and I ended up sleeping through the entirety of hurricane Wilma. Knowing this and the signal of the microsleep, I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up before my mind shuts down or I end up with a far more worst condition than random insomnia. It doesn't help that all the training used up a lot of my energy. My internal batteries are aching for a recharge. But I can't risk it. I can't! I can't let that thing back out! I can't fall asleep! I won't go to sleep! I can't do it! I CAN'T DO IT! I CAN'T DO IT!!

"Child, please stop..."

Toriel, who has been watching me pace circles around the old dead tree, comes to me and holds my arms back. I'm shaking and my nails are dripping crimson. How long was I digging into my skin for?

"You can not continue on like this. I beg of you, please, get some rest."

"No! N-No sleep...Can't sleep...Bad things happen in sleep. Can't...C-Can't let the bad stuff happen."

She frowns with ever grown concern. She's been worried sick since that night. Aside from the Black Soul stuff, she told me about, she nearly had a heart attack once her eyes saw all the hand marks Gaster printed on me. It didn't help that I refused to tell her how or what they were from. Though it was a convenient way to disguise the hickey Grillby gave me. I'm not very talkative lately if you can imagine, though when I do my lack of sleep is obvious in my slurring stutter and slow brief pauses.

"At least will you come inside and sit with me? There is no need to pace around."

I can't sit still. Gotta keep moving. Gotta stay awake. Gotta get her off my back if I'm to stay awake a second longer.

"...S-Sure. But...C-Could you make that...c-cheesecake I like? It m-might help me...relax."

This eases her some and she takes me back into the house where she sits me on her chair before leaving to go get things to tend to my cuts. Wow, these are deep. I was really digging in there. She returns to see me breaking my nails to prevent moment like this till they grow back and she sighs to get my attention.

"You poor thing. Why must you insist on dealing with such things on your own? I am here for you if you need help so badly."

"I d-don't need help."

She kneels and takes one of my arms to start healing.

"You do not need to be so stubborn. Holding your troubles in only makes them worse."

I bite my tongue to keep myself from yelling something along the lines of her being a hypocrite.

"Where is F-Flowey?"

"I let him out while you were pacing. The dear needed to stretch his roots, what with being stuck in that pot for so long."

Her magic seals the flesh up and she puts my glove back on before working on the other arm. I keep forgetting to put them on after I take them off.

"He's worried about you too. I know the two of you are very close. It must pain him seeing you try to handle this on your own."

There's no need to guilt trip me over this. I already feel like shit. I hate being like this. I'm becoming everything Gaster said I was. I hate this. I hate this! I hate myself! I hate you! Why are you so weak?!

"Lynsie, calm down, please!"

I'm shaking even more now and my hands are pointlessly clawing at her chair.

"I...I n-need to go...Need to m-move..."

"No. You will sit still and let me finish. This gash is too deep to be left alone."

I'm trying! Don't you think I am? Every part of me is going crazy!

"...When I am done, are you going to stay in the house?"

"Y-Yes...I'll s-stay inside...Please...I can't...I h-have to move."

Her displeasure is very evident on her face, but she takes this small victory and finishes healing me. The moment she's done, I'm already out of the chair and walking nervously. She attempts to pat my head reassuringly but I flinch and she pouts.

"I will be in the kitchen if you need anything."

I nod, holding myself to try to make the trembling stop.

"I mean it...I will help you. All you need do is ask."

I nod again and she reluctantly moves the other room. I slowly go to my room to collect my iPod before heading downstairs. I want to be alone. I need to be alone. I need to get lost. I don't trust myself in this state. I'm too on edge to be okay. I pop in the earbuds and search for something fitting of this mood. Something angry. Something messed up. Something that will keep me awake as I walk around the large space by the exit door. Finally, I find something appropriate..."Last Resort" by Papa Roach.

"♪Cut my life into pieces. This is my last resort. Suffocation. No breathing. Don't give a fuck if I cut my arm, bleeding...This is my last resort...♫"

Oh yeah...So fucking appropriate.

"♪Cut my life into pieces. I've reached my last resort. Suffocation, no breathing. Don't give a fuck if I cut my arm, bleeding. Do you even care if I die bleeding? Would it be wrong? Would it be right? If I took my life tonight. Chances are that I might. Mutilation outta sight And I'm contemplating suicide. 'Cause I'm losing my sight. Losing my mind. Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine. Losing my sight. Losing my mind. Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine.♫"

My chest starts to tighten at memories of when I'd last played this song. Always on really bad days. Really sad days. Days where I couldn't see any point to anything. Days like these. Like today.

"♪I never realized I was spread too thin. Till it was too late. And I was empty within. Hungry! Feeding on chaos. And living in sin. Downward spiral, where do I begin? It all started when I lost my mother. No love for myself. And no love for another. Searching to find a love up on a higher level. Finding nothing but questions and devils. 'Cause I'm losing my sight. Losing my mind. Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine. Losing my sight. Losing my mind. Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine. Nothing's alright. Nothing is fine. I'm running and I'm crying...I'm crying...I'm crying...I'm crying...I'm crying. I can't go on living this way.♫"

The problem with listening to songs like this when you yourself are pretty fucked up is...it tends to only fuck you up even more. The words get to me and I trip over my own unsteady feet, smashing into the floor by the door. I don't even bother with trying to get up. I'm too depressed to give a shit about it.

"♪Cut my life into pieces. This is my last resort Suffocation. No breathing. Don't give a fuck if I cut my arm, bleeding. Would it be wrong? Would it be right? If I took my life tonight. Chances are that I might. Mutilation outta sight. And I'm contemplating suicide. 'Cause I'm losing my sight. Losing my mind. Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine. Losing my sight. Losing my mind. Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine. Nothing's alright. Nothing is fine. I'm running and I'm crying. I can't go on living this way! Can't go on...Living this way...Nothing's all...right!!♫"

Thank the lord for that song being short. I'm not sure if I could take it for another minute or two. Probably end up a big sobbing mess. Wait...Why do I feel...Oh god damn it! I'm crying! Why the fuck am I crying?! Can't I go one fucking day without being such a bitch?! It's because I'm weak. Look at me. I'm such a pussy that I'm afraid to even go to sleep. Hell, I wasn't scared when I had those Freddy Krueger dreams. After three visits from that guy, we became friends. Friends! With Freddy mother fucking Krueger! The dream killer! Yet here I am. Crying into the dirt like the biggest bitch on the planet because someone was mean and brought out the worst part of me. Pathetic. Gaster was right. I'm a worm. A weak, pansy ass, bitch of a worm that is nothing but useless. I...I wish I was dead.

"*muffled* hey, you doing okay in there?"

Great! Just great! A witness to my misery. Ugh...At least he can't see me.

"*muffled* kid? i know you're there. the old lady would've spoken by now."

This is so awkward. I haven't spoken to Sans since I left Snowdin. And the shit Gaster showed me made me want to see him less. Maybe if I do nothing he'll think he was hearing things and leave.

"*muffled* giving me the silent treatment, huh? bitch move, kid. but i can fix that."

[knock-knock]

I flinch. A strong urge pulling at me.

[knock-knock]

"*muffled* come on, ya know ya wanna say it. don't leave me hanging."

[knock-knock]

Why? Why am I compelled to do this?!

"*weak* Who's there?"

His chuckling is really laughter once I remove the earbuds. No point trying to drown myself with music now.

"inu."

"Inu who?"

"inu you couldn't resist a knock-knock joke."

I groan, rolling onto my back knowing this wasn't going to be a short joke chat.

"geez, i know my jokes aren't for everyone, but it wasn't that bad."

"It's not you...You're f-fine...The joke was fine. I'm j-just not feeling well."

"huh? you sick or something?"

"I haven't s-slept...in four days."

"the hell? why not?"

I get quiet.

"kid? ...did...did something happen?"

I move closer to the door. I don't know where Flowey is or if Toriel is spying on me, but this is stuff I can only share with Sans.

"Sans...Gaster...did stuff to me."

"uh...w-what...what kind of stuff?"

"Bad s-stuff...Very bad...He..."

"please don't tell me if it's of the xxx variety."

You're one to talk, perverted asshole.

"N-No...dingus. He f-forced it out...The Black Soul."

I can't see him due to the door between us, but it's not hard to imagine the look that comes to him from that.

"he did what?! don't tell me you...you didn't kill tori, did ya?"

Ow. That hurt. His level of worry is strong. Then again, I'm weak enough to have that question hurled at me.

"No. S-She's still alive. I didn't k-kill anyone...thankfully."

The breath of relief he lets out is louder than I thought a guy with no lungs could make.

"thank asgore. heh...well at least there's some good news. you're getting better at controlling that thing."

My hands ball into fists as I start to seethe internally.

"You're wrong. I...I wasn't the one to put it back in its cage. Gaster did."

I snarl at myself. My self-loathing perks my energy up to a decent level.

"He was able to manipulate my soul like a child toying with a bug in a jar. I was completely powerless. I...I couldn't do a damn thing."

"i did tell ya you were messing with a devil you couldn't handle."

"ARGH!!"

In a fit, I punch the door. My knuckles crunching into the stone is a sickening sound. Yet what neither of us expects is that the force pushes the door slightly, the chill wind of the other side creeping in through the small gap.

"hey, take it easy. you're not the first to be played by the guy. it's just what he does."

"That's not it. I'm pissed off at myself."

"the fuck for?"

"For all of this. None of this would be happening if I wasn't so weak."

"you just cold cocked a thick as hell stone door and not bitching about the pain. you're not weak."

"You don't get it!"

I don't mean to snap, but I'm too tense to hold back.

"I am weak! If I wasn't...I wouldn't have fallen down here. The Black Soul wouldn't have been awakened. I wouldn't be putting everyone in danger. I wouldn't be too fucking scared to sleep!"

I can feel my heart racing. Sweat is starting to fall and I'm panting.

"I am weak. I'm a pathetic waste that's better off dead. At least then I can't hurt anyone. So then why..."

I bash my head into the door.

"Why the fuck am I more scared to die than I've ever been before?!"

I bash my head again and this time I see the red stain on the dull stone. before feeling the trickle.

"what the hell are ya doing?"

"I don't know anymore! I'm just so tired! *meek* So...fucking...tired..."

Damn it, again with the crying. I'm such garbage. I'm just...

"lynsie..."

"*sniffles* What?"

"stop it."

I'm sorry...What?

"Huh?"

"stop it. just stop. stop with this depressing self-pity bullshit."

I rub my face of tears and blood.

"Stop? Hehehe...*sarcasm* Oh yeah, why didn't I think of that? Just stop feeling things. Problem solved!"

"don't be a bitch."

"Did you come up with that idea all by yourself? *mock gasp* You should get a Noble Prize."

"fine! see if i try to be nice again."

"Ah, come one. I'm busting your not real balls."

"i take shit from pap 24/7, what makes you think i'm gonna stick around to take it from you?"

"You don't have to. I just..."

I sit back against the door, feeling my body weigh heavier than ever.

"*sigh* You're the only one that knows what's going on with me. The only one I can talk to about this crap. The one I trust. As much as I piss you off and make you hate me...You're my closest friend. You don't hold back on me. You don't pretend to be someone you're not. You're bare bones honest and willing to call me out on my stupid junk. And just like that, without knowing it or even trying...You make me feel better when I really need it the most."

I wipe my face into my shirt as I hear only silence on his end. I smile sadly to myself.

"Sorry for the mushy talk. *sniffle* Dumb soul hormone crap makes me such a pussy sometimes."

I'm lying to myself and him with that one. I don't know why I said all that stuff. Probably the filter in my brain diverted power to my emotional stuff because it's not up to speed right now. But I know what I said was true. Sans is my friend. And without him, I'd probably not be here. Still, I'm not about to tell him that.

[knock-knock]

"Who's there?"

"comma."

"comma out here."

"Heh...Good one."

"no, i mean it. let me take ya to grillby's for a bit. i know it would make his day to see ya again. and who knows, it might help ya feel better once you get a little tipsy."

I think I'll stay away from the hard stuff for a while. Freaky shit tends to happen.

"As good as that sounds, I can't. Not that I don't want to. But Nanny will lose her mind if I just leave. That, and I don't think I can move anymore."

"you used up your last bits being a little cry baby, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Guess I've gotta be a big girl and face the music now. It's getting harder to keep my eyes open."

"...ya want me to, i dunno, stick around? make sure you don't go coo coo for killer puffs?"

That gets me to smile for real this time.

"I'd like that. Thank you...Sans."

Either it's getting darker or my lids are shutting. It doesn't take long before exhaustion takes me, my head lulling to the side and making my body follow it to the ground with a soft thud.

"lynsie?"

Sans gets no response other than loud shallow breathing.

"*scoff* calls herself weak? kid lasts better than i do when nightmares strike."

Picking himself out of the snow, Sans dusts himself off and gives the door a second glance. If he wanted to, he could use that small shift in the stone to his advantage and pry it open with some well-placed bones. It wouldn't be hard to abduct a helpless sleep deprived human. Yet...Something told him that t wasn't the best move to make. For one, no one wants another pissed off Toriel rampaging through town again. And second...what she said, all that dumb girly feeling stuff...some of that felt more personal than intended and it made him uncomfortable.

"Child!"

He flinched at the voice of Toriel and the level of worry it held. Was it because of motherly reasons or did the human's Black Soul come out when he wasn't paying attention?

"Why? Why do you keep doing this to yourself? Why will you not let me help you?"

That made his sockets widen. She didn't even let her own mom in on any of this? But...She opened up to him. Why?

"As much as I piss you off and make you hate me...You're my closest friend."

He felt heat beginning to pool in his cheekbones and he pulled the hood of his jacket over his head to hide this as he returned to his post.

"damn, woman. staying stupid shit like that. messing with me."

At his station, Sans plopped down on his seat and began drinking from a bottle of mustard he'd stashed there the day prior. The tangy yellow concoction brought a much-needed chill to his heating bones. Though it did little to ease his mind on the events that only moments ago happened.

"friends...heh...i don't need any friends. fucking bitch."

He fiddles with the bottle before drinking more.

"And just like that, without knowing it or even trying...You make me feel better when I really need it the most."

His grip on the bottle got harsh, making him guzzle the condiment like a hardcore drunk before slamming it onto the station's counter top.

"argh! get out of my head!"

She was becoming a parasite to him. A virus that was spreading to every thought he had. It was driving him crazy! There has to be a way to make this stop. Something that could be done to make all this weirdness end. Something that would get this out of his system. But what?

"SANS!"

Lost in his "hate the human" thoughts, Sans failed to notice Papyrus storming over to his post.

"huh? what's up, boss?"

Papyrus eyes his brother questionably.

"what?"

"YOU'RE AWAKE AT YOUR POST."

"uh...yeah. and?"

"I HAVE NOTICED YOU HAVE ONLY BEEN MORE ACTIVE WHEN THE HUMAN WAS AROUND. SO...WHERE IS SHE?"

Great. Now the fucking human was messing with his behavior too.

"she ain't here if that wasn't obvious enough. otherwise, there'd be an annoying punk hovering around me like a damn fly."

That made Papyrus fold his arms with a cocky smirk. Sans didn't like that look.

"the fuck is that look for?"

"I WAS BEGINNING TO THINK YOU HAD GONE SOFT ON ME. YOU SEEMED TOO CLOSE TO HER AND NOW...HEH...IT LOOKS AS THOUGH I MISSED QUITE THE AMUSING FIGHT."

Sans glares strongly at his sibling, his current mood not helping matters much.

"piss off. i don't fucking like her!"

Now it was Papyrus's turn to glare.

"DO NOT TAKE THAT TONE WITH ME, SANS. I HAVE NO ISSUES WITH PUTTING YOU IN YOUR PLACE."

Sans huffs and claws the underside of the counter.

"whatever."

"WHATEVER INDEED. FOR WHATEVER THIS LITTLE THING THAT'S GOING ON WITH YOU AND HUMAN, IT BETTER NOT INTERFERE WITH ANY FUTURE ATTEMPTS ON TAKING HER SOUL."

"*scoff* trust me. that's the least of my concerns."

Papyrus sneers.

"I MEAN IT, SANS. I WON'T HAVE ANYTHING SCREW UP MY CHANCES OF COLLECTING THAT SOUL."

"i told you, that would be the stupidest thing you can do. that soul of her's ain't worth the trouble."

Papyrus slams his hands down on the counter, cracking some of the wood.

"IF YOU TRULY EXPECT ME TO BUY INTO THIS BLACK SOUL NONSENSE THAN YOU BETTER FIND A WAY TO PROVE TO ME THAT IT'S REAL!"

"and how do you expect me to do that? have it triggered and let her kill half the town?"

"OF COURSE NOT! SHE'D NEVER GET THAT FAR INTO SUCH A SPREE ONCE I SLAY HER."

Sans rolls his eyes and Papyrus snarls.

"YOU DON'T THINK I CAN KILL HER?"

"her? sure, you'd kill her no problem. she'd probably let you do it if things got really bad. but the black soul? that's a different story all together."

"YOU TALK AS THOUGH YOU'VE SEEN THIS 'BLACK SOUL' IN ACTION."

Sans breaks eye contact with his brother.

"YOU HAVE, HAVEN'T YOU?"

His clawing into the wood gets harsher.

"that thing isn't something you want to mess with. don't go after something you can't handle."

This is something Papyrus did not like hearing. So much so that he grabs Sans and yanks him over the counter by the scruff of his shirt's collar.

"YOU DARE THINK THAT PITIFUL CREATURE CAN HARM ME?!"

Sans is so not in the mood for this shit.

"no! i don't think it would harm you! i know it would kill you!"

Papyrus, being the colossal dick that he is, slams his brother into the snow hard.

"YOU MISERABLY PILE OF SHIT! HOW DARE YOU! IF YOU WEREN'T MY BROTHER I WOULD KILL YOU FOR SUCH SLANDER!"

"then fucking do it! if it means i don't have to put up with your shit anymore, then kill me now!"

To that, the great and terrible Papyrus flinched. They both remain motionless for a time. The only thing heard is the wind rustling trees in the background. Slowly though, Papyrus gets off Sans and leaves. Sans stays on the ground. His own words had struck him and his chest hurting for even saying them.

"Golly..."

The sudden voice has his head looking up behind him to see an amused yellow flower.

"I have seen a lot of things. And I mean a LOT of things. But that? That's a first in my book."

Sans groans.

"fuck off, weed. i'm not in the mood for any of your crap."

"Oh, I know. I heard everything."

Sans cocks his brow.

"...everything?"

"Yep. Everything. Seems you're more willing to chat with her than you ever were with me."

"to be fair, you don't make me want to talk. *growl* you piss me off to the point i want to pluck each and every petal from your bulb as slowly as possible."

Flowey sighs with a shrug.

"Oh Sans, just as bitter as ever even when the timeline treats you right."

That gets his attention and Sans rolls over.

"you...*rage* it was you! you were the one fucking with the timeline before frisk!"

The smirk that comes to Flowey is anything but innocent.

"Gee, took you long enough this time."

Sans bares his teeth as his left eye begins to flare.

"Wow. You look mad. I haven't seen you that mad since all those times in the Judgment Hall."

"i'll fucking kill you!"

Sans doesn't get to make a move against the mocking flower, as vines spring up from the ground to ensnare his limbs and keeping him down in the snow covered dirt.

"Ah ah ah. That isn't very nice. Don't you know this is a pacifist run?"

"i'm gonna rip your head off and shit down your neck!"

Flowey cringes a little bit.

"Okay, disturbing. Makes me think of questions I never want to know the answer to. That's a new feeling."

Sans pulls on his vine restraints, meeting stronger resistance than he thought he'd get from a flower.

"Look, I don't have a lot of time to waste while you struggle for no reason. I'm not here to be the big bad flower. I only want to talk. So if you'll calm down, I'll let you go."

"why the fuck should i believe that? for that matter, i can just kill ya right now and no one would know."

"Oh, you know as well as I that at least one person would know. And she won't take my death very well. Just as she didn't take it well the first time."

That made Sans pause. His magic dies down along with his thrashing.

"you...you remember the dead timeline?"

Flowey folds his leaves and huffs.

"I don't know what I was thinking. Go get Papyrus, you said. He'll help us, you said. That lunatic yanked my roots out of the ground so fast my entire life flashed before my eyes!"

Sans snickers.

"heh...dying sucks, don't it?"

"You would know. You've killed me plenty of times. And Frisk has done the same back at you. Guessing that's karma for you."

Sans didn't find that joke very funny. Though he was surprised when Flowey retracted his vines and set him free.

"See? You calmed down and I let you go. Now can we talk without having to attack or defend?"

Sans was still wary. This flower had many tricks he didn't know about or liked. Maybe he could spin this unexpected moment to his advantage and learn what it knows.

"fine..."

He sits himself up and leans back on his palms.

"ya wanna talk, weed? then let's talk."

Flowey sighs with relief and smiles childishly.

"Good. Because I have a few questions to ask you. Questions only you have the answers for."

"ask away. i doubt you got anything too crazy to ask."

"Alright...So tell me, Smiley Trashbag..."

The face of the flower morphs into a very dark and creepy thing. Hollow eyes and pointed fangs.

"Just how much have you told my dear sister?"

[junionigiri]

Work In Progress [BNHA] [Preview of Chapter 1!]

Rating: T for strong language (since Bakugou is in it )

Summary: For the year’s Interscholastic Fantasy Festival, Class 2A is working on a musical! The reluctant Bakugou is assigned to work on the script with Uraraka, who proves to be a more eccentric writer than he thought.

Relationship: Kacchako <3

Notes/Warnings: This is a preview of a part of chapter 1. Since there’s the main story and the story within the story, the chapters are pretty darn long. I’ll start publishing the chapters in full once I’m five chapters in ^^’ Apart from Bakugou’s language and liberal 4th wall breaks I don’t think there’s anything to worry about in this fic~

Bakugou seriously did not want to work on Uraraka’s dumbass script. It’s not that he was bad at writing--in fact, beyond his good grades, he knew he was pretty good at it. Principal Nezu had personally informed him that the essay he submitted on “Why I Want To Be A Hero” was one of the most well-composed ones he’s ever read.

It’s just that Bakugou hated fantasy. And hated fiction-writing (because fiction was not real, therefore it was a waste of his fuckin’ time).

Most of all though, he hated having to work with other people to achieve any kind of common goal. Look at his damn stats for cooperativeness in the character book and anyone with half a brain would get it. And to cooperate for a stupid ass waste of time like the Fantasy Festival? Who the hell thought up of the stupid Fantasy Festival anyway?! Weren’t there more important things in society to worry about?

And the fact that he was working with Uraraka fuckin’ Ochako was in itself pretty aggravating. It’s not that he hated her--in fact, she was one of the few to earn Bakugou’s (grudging) respect, since their infamous Sports Festival encounter when they were first years.

However, since their encounter at the festival, Uraraka learned not to be the tiniest bit afraid of him anymore. He knew that this girl wouldn’t be the type to just shut up and do what he tells her to, and he really didn’t feel like making such an effort just to write a stupid play.

But now that he knew that fuckin’ All Might was counting on him to write the script, well… he couldn’t get out of it now, could he? Bakugou was many things, but a disappointment to All Might, he’d rather not be.

So that was how he found himself stomping his way away from the common areas to his room, with Uraraka bouncing right behind him. They were going to sit down there to look over her draft, but it was overrun by the costumes, set-design, and props people with all their shit.

“Why your room?” Uraraka said, huffing as she struggled to keep up with Bakugou’s pace. “I don’t think girls are allowed there…”

“Let ‘em try to kick you out, Round-Face,” he growled as he tapped on the elevator button impatiently.

“If you say so, Explodey-face,” she teased, earning her a growl which was received with a giggle. This was what Bakugou was talking about. This damn girl knew no fear.

They eventually made it to his room, with Bakugou stomping the entire way and Uraraka skipping like an oblivious little red riding hood romping through the forest with a picnic basket, the purest picture of ignorance and innocence, unwitting of the ravenous wolf who lurked in the foreboding shadows of the dark, nightmarish wood.

Ugh. Really, Bakugou? Already gearing yourself up to write this fuckin’ fantasy shit? You guys haven’t even sat down yet. Don’t be too fuckin’ eager. 

“Uwaa, your room’s amazing, Bakugou! I didn’t think it would be so neat and sparkly~”

Much to his annoyance, Little Pink Riding Cheeks was already making herself right at home next to his desk. He felt a vein or two pop over his forehead, like in animes if they were in an anime. “Why the fuck wouldn’t it be neat and sparkly?! You expect a guy like me to just live in a dump?!”

“I’m just sayin’, I wish my room was as neat. I knew you were great at lots of things, but even cleaning?” she said wistfully. “Hey, I have an idea! Next time, let’s go to my room, and--”

“I ain’t helping you clean your damn room, Round-Face.”

She pouted and innocently twiddled her thumbs. “I -wasn’t- going to say that, but, you know, now that you mentioned it…”

He grit his teeth so loudly Uraraka gasped and asked him if his teeth were okay. “Let’s just…!!! Get this fuckin’ script over and done with already!”

“Eh, fine, fine. Sorry for teasin’ ya! Watch yer blood pressure, a’ight?” She reached over to open her bag and pulled out a messy folder that was crumpled, filled to its limit with papers with tags pointing in all directions. A post-it with a messy scrawl on it flew out as she pulled out the mess. “So, this is what we’re gonna be workin’ on!”

“What the fuck is that mess? Did you fuckin’ sit on it and flush it down the toilet and set it on fire?”

“How rude!” Uraraka puffed her cheeks. “I only sat on it once! On accident! And I don’t bring homework to the toilet! That’s just unladylike.” She opened up the folder and revealed a disorganized array of handwritten scripts scrawled on legal pad, post-its, sketches, more post-its, reference photos of their classmates with post-its on them, receipts, a grocery list, and a few folded-up paper bags from Tokyu Hands.

Bakugou’s fingers itched. He spent so much energy restraining himself from fixing the mess that was now taking over his desk that he barely heard Uraraka’s spiel.

“So, in the meeting which you missed, we drew lots. Everyone’s working on the production and stuff but all of us will be acting in the play too. Some of us bit parts and stuff, but yeah. I asked everyone what they wanted their roles to be. Based on those ideas, I sketched out my ideas on what their characters would be.”

She pulled out the sketches, and Bakugou had to admit, they weren’t badly done. He would go so far as to say that she might have a talent in drawing. They were scratchy and messy, but Uraraka seemed to place great care in drawing out the likeness of each classmate, and the details of each character and costume and even background information were at least 70% fleshed out for each of them.

“So based on the lottery, Deku-kun’s the lead character. You, me, Tsuyu-chan, and Todoroki-kun are gettin’ large roles, plus we gotta pay attention to All-Might-sensei’s important cameo. We’re gonna write the story based on all of this! And, if we want to allot time for practice and stuff, we have to finish most of the script in a week!”

“The f-- I’m gettin’ a large role too?! Nobody said that!”

“It ain’t my fault you weren’t at the meeting, Bakugou-kun.”

The blonde boy scowled as he went through the sketches. The fucking nerd Deku’s role was that of a ‘Squire’ (but his costume made him look like a fucking hobbit). Uraraka had a hood (fuckin’ coincidence from his red riding hood fantasy earlier) and a staff, and she was a ‘Mage’. Frog was a froggy lookin’ barmaid. IcyHot was a Prince (probably of the Land of Half and Halfs where people were always shitty and constipated). All Might was a Legendary Knight in exile (also fitting, in a morbid sort of way).

And Bakugou was… a Bard. His sketch had him wear fuckin’ poofy pants and a stupid fuckin’ hat with a feather on it and a stupid shitty tiny harp that the chubby babies in those old fuckin’ European paintings had. He all but made the paper disappear from a blast from his fist. “Oi, Roundface. Who’s the fucker I gotta kill besides you for giving me this pansy-ass role?!”

“Hey, it’s your fault. You weren’t there yesterday.” Uraraka repeated, not even the least bit apologetic. “And that thing you destroyed was a brilliant joint effort between me, Kirishima-kun and Kaminari-kun. Nice goin’, Explodey-face.”

“Fuck y’all! I’ll kill those idiots!” He shredded the paper further. “Gimme that pencil!” Within seconds, he sketched out something different, muttering expletives the entire time. After he was done, he dumped the pencil on the desk, almost breaking it into tiny little pieces.

Uraraka gasped. “Wow, Bakugou! That’s really impressive! A Dragon Tamer, huh?” She traced his sketch with one finger, which showed him with a fur cape, tattoos, a necklace made of the fuckin’ skulls and teeth of his enemies, pants and boots, and lots of fire blazing in the background for extra badassery. She grinned at him teasingly. “So you have been thinkin’ about this so-called fantasy shit too!”

“Fuck you,” he said, shoving her in the face unceremoniously. “Now I know that I gotta change that fuckin’ script of yours. Let’s just get this fuckin’ shit over with.”

“Okay…” Uraraka pulled out the legal pads, but shielded them from Bakugou. “Um. Just so you know, Bakugou, these are really, really, rough drafts, okay?”

His jaw jutted out in annoyance. “The fuck you mean by rough drafts. I thought I was just gonna edit your shit.”

She gave him a ridiculous look. “Well, you are. But also, I started workin’ on this just a week ago sooooo you gotta help me finish like a teeny bit of it.”

“How fuckin’ teeny do you mean.”

“Um. Like. 50% of it, mmmaybe…?”

Bakugou could almost see the smoke coming out of his own fuckin’ nostrils.

“Anyway, that’s exactly why we can’t waste anymore time, right?” said Uraraka, a positive beam glowing out of both ears. “And don’t you worry! The story’s practically finished in my head!”

There’s probably nothing in there but a single light bulb struggling to survive, thought Bakugou in annoyance. He put his palm to his face and tried his hardest not to yell at her. “Fine, Uraraka. Let’s just fuckin’ start already. No matter what, I’m kickin’ you out of my room by 10 PM.”

“Okay! Glad ya see it my way, Bakugou-kun!” She smiled and pulled out the first page of the script, which read:

*

 - Deku and the Final Fantastic Lord of the School of Wizardry!: The Legend of the Airbender’s Song of Ice and Fire -

(A Work in Progress)

Act One, Scene One: In Which Deku-kun Leaves His House and Adventure Begins

Written by: Uraraka Ochako

 *

“The fuck? Are you trying to outdo Class B’s lameass play from the last year’s cultural festival, Round-face?”

 “It’s a work in progress! We can edit it out later.” Uraraka said as she scribbled Explodey McSplodeface next to her name on the by-line.

[ghosty-schnibibit]

late liveblog for a late ep :P

wanted to quickly liveblog the new ep before i go to my first ever college party in a few hours! woohoo! also thank you guys for the nice comments and notes on the drawing of taako and krav i did last week!!! i know i’ve been bad recently about remembering to say so but they made me really happy and i love y’all a lot! i’m gonna try and start actually like... posting art again after about a year of semi hiatus, and your encouragement means a lot to me :’)

anyways, onto the liveblog! ^u^

aww clint took notes!

nvm lmao

rip danimal :(

awww aubrey baby :(

“the dice pen the tale... on the donkey“ t r a v i s

i miss indrid already, my beautiful moth boy

d i s c u s s s s s

thank you for calling that out trav i though my ears were tricking me

that was a distressingly accurate goat impression griffin :|

duck is a good non violence boy 

WELP, THAT AIN'T GREAT

OH FUCK NO D:

"just bleeding up a storm" nice

oh shit :o

BARCLAY :D

sky gondala

"that was kind of racist wasn't it" duck lmao

awww :'(

"I WILL PERSIST WHEN YOU ARE DUST" that is such a metal line beacon, hot damn

mark is mood

oh ned :(

aubrey ilu

i hope ned washed that costume, because last time we saw it it was covered in literal shit :T

"a can of dr. pepper that a horse stepped on" god ilu griffin

ned my baby

oh snap :o

quoth mcgonagall, why is it always you three???

god i love aubrey

aww ned :)

this new music reminds me of psych for some reason

wtf is mama going to do when she finds out about this

... so like my kitchen essentially

"tinctures sounds fake" true lol

what is an unguent???

"sitting criss-cross applesauce” i feel validated

ooooo whatcha gonna do thacker

well that ain't good

OH THAT AIN'T GOOD

duck the goat is fainted

ew ew ew ew ew

thank you griffin :')

MINERVA :D

y'know all things considered it's probably a good thing barclay left the room so he doesn’t see duck looking like he’s talking to himself

god i love duck so much, my favorite boy

MINERVA WHAT THE FUCK

oh no, this is bad

holy shit that was badass duck

i honestly don't know what to think about that entire exchange... my entire view of minerva just took a hard pivot from heroic to bloodthirsty and i'm very concerned for duck going forward

yay, go duck :D

oh snap :o

what does this mean

so minerva’s over a century old??? damn

HOW DO YOU SPELL THAT GRIFFIN

god this is so good, gimme that good good exposition griffie

H E  C A L L E D  H E R  M I N N Y

"a real barn burner" i'm gonna use that expression from now on omg

wtf is a cronut, i'm googling that... oooh that looks so good

ALTA VISTA

god ned is such an old man and i love him

these are not good questions to ask ned holy fucking shit

welp, i immediately hate zeke, fuck smokers >:T

... was neilly in with the pine guard?

ned what the fuck is this speech???

NED FUCKING CHICANE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?????

"ned's not a hero" fuckin hell

ned my boy that was absolutely fucked

... bivwak???

ned what the hell 

why did you choose this voice griffin, all i can picture is kravitz

this is such a weird ass scene, what is going on griffin

BOYD???

i was picturing a skinny twig the whole time wtf

what the fuck

"i require fluid" g r i f f i n

yay, aubrey time :)

... i have completely forgotten what this character looks like

oh aubrey baby :'(

this is very good, very very good

... what the flying fuck does this mean griffin, what do you mean the planet is alive?????

this is so weird and i have no idea where this is going 

my baby :'(((

well this got fucking terrifying fast

i love this cute lil girl

WAIT WHAT, HOLY FUCK

HOLY FUCKING SHIT, I TAKE IT BACK, I DON’T LIKE THE WEIRD LITTLE GIRL ANYMORE

IS AUBREY READING HER MIND??? WHAT IS THIS?????

OH SHIT WHAT IS GOING ON

AUBREY NO 

god that is such an ocd mood

AUBREY NO YOU FUCKED UP SO BAD

travis that is going to bite you in the ass later i can feel it

OH SHIT WHAT

THIS MUSIC IS SO FUCKING CREEPY 

HOLY SHIT IS IT KILLING HER????? OH MY FUCKING GOD WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON

THIS IS BAD, THIS IS VERY VERY BAD, NO NO NO NO NO

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN??????????

where did duck get handcuffs tho?

that was so bad justin omg

"it's a clever ruse" god i love duck

"NO WE ARE NOT CROSSING OVER" griffin is so done omg

aubrey ilu

aww ned 

"can we say them?" aubrey ilu

oh its a boy goatman :o

that's the sound of a dm not prepared to give an npc dialouge lol

bless you clint

oh snap, that's very obvious, that could be problematic later

here comes the plot twist music :D

WHAT AM I MEANT TO MAKE OF THAT? IS THAT VINCENT??? HAS THE GOAT IMPRINTED ON DUCK SOMEHOW????? WHAT??????????

in conclusion: i have no idea what the hell is going on but i’m very excited. i don’t want to keep using balance as a measuring stick for amnesty because that’s not fair to either story, but i’m getting the same sort of “i have no idea how all these plot threads connect but they sure are going somewhere interesting” vibes i got listening to crystal kingdom for the first time. see you all next right thursday!!!

[fineillsignup]

So, if it hasn't been asked, tell me about ShikaTema. /asks you on the therapy couch with a Freudian accent and nerdy glasses

*puts hands behind head, stares up at water spot on the ceiling, sighs*

Well doc, it’s like this…

What Kishimoto and Studio Pierrot have done to Temari in the ending is a fucking travesty, let me tell you that to begin with.

Basically all of Temari’s personal character arc gets punted away completely (and as a minor female character, she didn’t have enough to begin with) and she  is turned into Shikamaru’s mother-wife. She hits him, she nags him, she scolds him, she sends him to bed without dinner, people!!!!

Temari never gets to be as truly frightening as she should be. There are beautiful little hints of it, but her battle record in particular is:–masterfully defeats Tenten (a female)……. which isn’t shown on panel in the manga–gets completely taken apart by Shikamaru (shown in every little detail)–gets beaten pretty quickly by Sasuke–rescues Shikamaru and kills Tayuya (a female)–doesn’t get to do anything meaningful to save Gaara–despite being a jounin and Shikamaru being a chuunin, Shikamaru is made proxy head of the 4th division–fails against the Third Raikage so Naruto can bail them out–doesn’t get a scene with Rasa–doesn’t do anything memorable in the rest of the war

Sooo… she’s only allowed to succeed if she’s fighting another woman, basically, and both of those were in part one. We’re shown just enough that we can see how awesome she could be.

Moreover, when I think about Chiyo’s remark about the “teachings of the Sand” in relation to how Sasori’s mind was poisoned and twisted, I think a lot about Temari and how she narrowly avoided a very similar fate. Here’s a quick reminder of how Temari reacted when Gaara decided to kill the two ninja who had already handed over their scroll and begged him to spare their lives:

Coupled with her scorn of Shikamaru’s tears and her questioning of why he hadn’t undergone “emotion training”, it manages with only a few brushstrokes to paint the picture of a young woman who is nearly completely desensitized to violence and merciless, with a hint of sadism or schadenfreude potential. But she veers away from this course after seeing the remarkable change in her brother Gaara under Naruto’s principles rather than her father Rasa’s treatment, and with seeing how her father Rasa’s “village over people” philosophy ended with Rasa’s corpse rotting on the ground. (Good riddance to bad trash.)

Sparks always flew between her and Shikamaru. I love relationships where both parties have something to teach each other. Temari had self-discipline, intelligence, motivation, but she needed help with learning to trust and attach again. On the other side, Shikamaru had a relatively tranquil by ninja-standards childhood and easy, deep attachments to his teammates, friends, family, deer. (Shut up, the deer totally count.) He did need a touch of coldness and level-headedness, and of course, motivation.

The whole scene where Temari comes across Shikamaru upset over losing his comrades and she just doesn’t get it, but she wants to get it at some level, even then. It’s part of a turning point for not only Temari but Suna as a whole, and it should have been part of how Konoha, despite its many flaws in execution, really was trying to get somewhere better than the ninja world had had before, and that through Naruto’s help, the shinobi system was going to get reformed. That no more children were going to be turned into tools, valued only for their ability to kill for money, broken long before they die.

Gimme a minute, doc, I’m a bit verklempt.

Anyway. They’re a side couple in a battle manga, so I don’t need a huge amount of on-page/screen development in canon. I just need what is there not to be patently horrible. And unfortunately Studio Pierrot decided to make endgame canon ShikaTema into this:

If you’ll remember that Temari wanted most is for people to respect her and listen to her advice, then this whole scene between Temari and her husband and son is like a twisted nightmare version of that. Temari isn’t a respected, admired giver of advice, she’s not a partner, she’s not a warm nurturer, or a shrewd guide. She’s a hassle, a drag, the old ball and chain, the old lady, no-fun, shrill, shrew, a nagging misogynist parody of why men don’t want to get married. She doesn’t have anything actually of value to add; all she can do is refuse to perform her womanly duty of cooking them meals, or hit them.

It’s fucking sad is what it is. But writing this post helped me remember what I loved about their potential.

Becoming canon is the worst thing that can happen to a Naruto ship, doc.

[hellcatchvalley]

i made a little word doc of my punisher liveblog because i could not contain my emotions to myself so obviously SPOILERS

i love kurt so much pLEASE DONT HURT HIM

i love madani already too gOSH STAY FOREVER PLEASE BE GAY

THEEEEEEEEERE'S MY GIRL!!! WELL NOT REALLY IT SJUST HER NAME BUT!!! MY GI GRL!!!

i cant believe frank just pulled a matt murdock and threw his shit in an alley

the director's name is tom shankland how appropriate

o shit frank's the one who killed her old partner

lowkey?? im rooting her for lMAO EVEN THOUGH I MEAN SHE'S OBVIOUSLY NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO GET FRANK FOR HIS WAR CRIMES BUT IM WITH U GIRL I HOPE YOU GET CLOSE

CHRIST ALVIE!!!!! CHRIST ALIVE THIS IS LIKE FANFICTION COME TO LIFE

NOW I CANT WAIT FOR KAREN TO GIVE HIM THE WHAT-FOR ON WHY THE BALLS HE'S ACTIN ALL PEACHY WHEN HE'S DOIN THE STUFF SHE YELLED AT HIM FOR HSDJKFL

THE WAY SHE'S DRINKING THIS BITCH OOOOOOOOOO FRANK YOU GONNA GET IT I CAN FEEL IT IN MY TITS 

OK LOWKEY.......IM M A D CONFUSED

ifeeel like??? i Missed something here why's he so.......soft

they left on a pRETTY BAD NOTE I MEAN,,,sure she saw him on the rooftop bUT NO ANGER?? NO TENSION?? AT ALL?? I MEAN I KNOW ITS BEEN HALF A YEAR BUT. JSDKLF IM JUST CONFUSED

ok All of me is so Very confused as to this whole thing to the point where i deadass thought frank was just kinda. dreaming. bUT I MEAN IM STILL LOWKEY DYING IM DYING

(but seriously i hope this writer didnt kill karen's spark ok the girl's got a spine of steel dONT LEAVE THAT OUT PLEASE)

man this is really making me question the timeline of all this like is this pre-'she thinks matt is dead' or post-'she thinks matt is dead' bECAUSE THERES. THERES TOO MUCH SUNSHINE ON HER RN IT FEELS OFF

"i wanna know what you're gonna do" oh thank god my darling youre still in there i was so worried 

MAAAAAAAAN IF YOU COULD HEAR THE S I G H OF RELIEF I JUST DID THANK GOD KAREN!!! YOURE IN THERE

GODDDDDDDDD THERE THEY ARE!!!! MY FUCKGIN G GO DDDD OTP: BE CAREFUL

i stan sara :c she is just having the worst day sdjkfl

me: hey why's frank walking with a limp i dont remember him getting hurt??

me two seconds later: OOHHHH HE'S TRYING TO BEAT THE CAMERA SYSTEM THAT SMART MOTHERFUCKER

hey this is a fallout song!! and its called 'kick in the head' so r i p to this dude

F CUKGIN KNEW IT!!!

oh shit oh no frank really was the reason his family died :C

on another note: oooh this poor sunnva bitch is pretty much toast

you gotta love how cleanly frank kills the guys that matter

"the place to eat" what a way to avoid copyright of any kind i bet that was the name on the script 

OOOOOOOOOHHH I LOVE KURT DONT HURT HIM

LMAO FRANK WAS IN HIS TRUNK??? SDJKFL

i stan ben barnes shadily licking his finger to turn a page of his book while this dude recites scripture

KURT GAVE HIM HIS TOMBSTONE IMMMM ;n;s 

i cant believe Lieberman has to watch frank cuck him in real time

GOD KAREN'S REALLY GIVING ME VANESSA VIBES RN AND I DIG IT SO BAD

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD THE ENTIRE SCENE AT THE DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS JESUS CHRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIST THE RIDE NEVER EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENDS

HEY HEY HEY THIS CERBEROS SPIEL LITERLALY LITERLALY COMES FROM A TUMBLR POST WHERE IS THIS PERSON'S COMPENSATION??? EVEN THE WORDING IS EXACTLY THE SAME

LMAO HE DIDNT MAKE HIM A SANDWICH SDHJFK GET WRECKED FRANK

hey its travis! :D

LNAOJDSOFIM LMAO WOW TRAVIS' CHARACTER GOT THE W O RST OF IT

this soundtrack is very 'last of us' and i l o v e it 

i legit dont know which one im more jealous of

O SHIT HOMEGIRL DIDNT EVEN TAKE OFF HER SKIRT

damn kurt's like a dude claire god i love him dONT HURT HIM

i wonder if the dude who worked on irobot worked on this show because So many of thes shots look like his work

"you gotta find something you care about" "have you found that frank?" WELL FRANK!!!! HAVE YOU?????/

nooo ben barnes i trusted you!!! cept i really didnt 'cause youre always playin someone mad shady but still!!! YOU WERE HIS BROTHER, BILLY, YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE

look at him with the assassin's creed blade n shit

madani's ribs are so......whats the word, prominent??? every time she slightly leans back its like that picture from that dancing ballroom anime

watching frank literally cuck david's wife is still the Funniest thing on the planet shdjfkglh

LMAOOO FJSDIGOJ SHE KISSED HIM IMS CREAMING THIS IS GONNA BE SO FUNNY

FINALLY SOME EXPLOSIONS YES GIVE ME SOMETHING

OOOOOOOOHH THE LETTER'S GOIN TO MY GIRL IM EXCITED

"why are you going after him like this" shE LITERALLY JUST SAID THE EXACT SAME THING YOU WERE SAYING EXCEPT IN A NEWSPAPER SHJFKGJLSDL

david about his wife: she's Your girlfriend

frank: HEY ive Never wanted to be with Anyone but my wife >:(

david about karen: your girlfriend's on the radio

frank: turn that shit up

me: BITCH ME FUCKING TOO???? BITCH ME TOO TF

im literally dying at frank holding her flower from across the damn city shdfjgklh

karen: [goes off on a senator on the radio]

frank castle: [pointing and nodding] 

NOOOOOOOOOO KURT WHY WOUDL YOU GO BY YOURSELF YOURE THE ONLY BLACK GUY ON THE SHOW YOURE VULNERABLE

THEY REALLY JUST GON GO AND KILL THE NIGGA WITH HIS OWN LEG???? H SFDUIJDPIJ THE DISRESPECT!!!! CURTIS DESERVES BETTER!!!!!

lowkey im bored of the bill/madani thing like. gimme a romance i care about now they were cute until it was revealed he was using her and now its just there 

omg i cant tell if frank is actually trying to get lewis to turn himself in instead of killing him or if he's just lulling him into a false sense of security but either way

AW G O S H ; AAAAAA ; THATS SO MUCH BETTER THAN A KISS IM JUUUUUUUUUUST SOOOOOOOO

lmao i didnt even consider that the family would see his face lDFHGKL OOPS

i love how both frank and the bald dude are losing their minds with the torture and ben barnes is just in the back like 

"WHAT HAVE YOU BROUGHT TO OUR DOOR" I LOVE HER MOM SO GODDAMN MUCH HSJDKFLG

ok in summary: loved it, thought it needed more karen because i love my girl and i just love to see her, next season feels like its gonna be So Lit because this season was like “ok now that we’ve got all the nuances of being a soldier and frank’s backstory Out of the Way NEXT TIME he can fuck shit up willy nilly and we can have our supervillain” which i am A-ok with because season 1 daredevil was kinda like that, first seasons always gotta get the talking out of the way also the way karen and frank’s relationship was portrayed just

[thefanfichotspot]

nine

“Trey?” he spoke from behind me. The touch to my shoulder prompted my eyes to squeeze shut. “Talk to me, what's up?”

“We gotta kill him,” is what I said, and I stole a glance at my daughter sleeping in my arms. She was the only thing keeping me from bolting from this place with a vengeance. Things had to be done differently now; she depended on me and every decision would affect her. J only stared at me as I passed him my phone. “Axel, he knows this place. He… he grew up here.”

“What?” His brows creased in shock, his swollen eye squinted further. “There's no way -”

“I shared my location with him and that was his reaction,” I cut him off. I looked around for something to use, and I praised God when I found a brand new car seat for Nyla. I carefully sat her down, fastened her strap, and laid a blanket on top of her to protect her from the outside weather. She was extremely small to begin with, but putting her in this seat  seemed to make her shrink. But why was she small? She was full term. “We gotta go.”

“Trey, are you sure?” He stayed where he was, not even bothering to help me pack her things. “This has to be a misunderstanding. He can't possibly be -”

I shot him a look. “All I know is he could know where Cameron is, and we need to find her.” I had to suffer through the pain in my ribcage, and tucking my arm close to me only did so much, but I managed to lift the small bag and her car seat. I headed for the door, but didn't hear his footsteps following me. “J, come on.”

“What if you're wrong?” My phone remained in his hand, and the screen lit up yet again. This time he read it, and his lips pressed into a line. I assumed it was another text from Axel. “If you go and do something stupid and you end up bein’ wrong, then what? You really wanna be responsible for his death? Can you really live with that?”

I shrugged, dismissing him. “Shit ain't gonna be the same no matter what happens! What difference does it make?”

“The difference is you have someone to live for now!” He was fuming, face flushed red. Body tensed in both pain and disappointment towards me. “That little girl needs her father in her life, man. If you get caught for murdering him, you gonna go away for life. Is that what you want for her?”

Was it? Could I live with being incarcerated, away from my little girl? Could I live with her mother finding another man to replace me and watch him be her father figure? Teach her things she needs to know, act a damn fool when her name is called at graduation, walk her down the aisle for her wedding? Of course not, but what choice did I have? This man was messing with my family.

My silence unsettled him. “I'm not letting either of you out that door until you stand here and be a fuckin’ man. Stop thinking like a damn child, Tremaine.” He stepped forward, and I brought my gaze to meet his. “I remember how excited you were when Cam told you she was pregnant. You were even more excited when you found out she was giving you a daughter. I know that you're not gonna ever let her out of your sight if you have any say. And I know you wouldn't be able to live with yourself if you end up getting locked up.”

“But he…” My nose was running, and my lashes felt damp.

“Talk to him, then we’ll go from there. Promise me.” He wanted to smile when I nodded, but part of him knew I wasn't being totally truthful. There was no telling what I would do upon seeing Axel. There were a lot of things jumbled in my mind, and all the things I pictured doing to him didn't end in anyone’s favor. J shrugged and sighed, defeated. “Let's go.”

He left me to carry Nyla and bring her out to the car left in the driveway. He also had no interest in driving, or even speaking to me for the duration of the drive to where Axel was - which was nearly on the other side of town. The more I sat still, the more anxious I became and the more my body began to resonate that it was badly injured. My side had a pulsing throb, and my eye felt like it had its own heartbeat. My lip was completely numb, and I tasted blood every time I tried to moisten it. It J was in pain, he barely let it show. The swelling in his face was just as bad, if not worse, than mine, and my heart sank at the thought of him being dragged into my mess. Throughout our entire friendship, J never had any trouble with anybody. He was a homebody, kept to himself. If it wasn't me or his family, he wanted nothing to do with it. He was shy, yet confident, level headed more than anything. And fatherhood didn't bring that on; he’d always been like that. We were complete opposites.

There was no way to make it up to him, to both apologize and thank him for being there for me through everything. No amount of money, no gift would ever explain what his brotherhood and loyalty meant to me. And I would make sure Nyla knew he was responsible for her making it out of this situation. He was her godfather, after all.

Axel’s location sent through his text led us to an abandoned parking lot. The building itself had long been demolished, and there wasn't even a foundation left in its place. The asphalt was riddled with weeds upon weeds, cracks and the worst potholes anyone could ever see. The single car was stranded in the middle of it all, and I slowly crept the car up behind it.

I felt his eyes on me as I gripped the steering wheel to the point where my knuckles turned pale. I gnawed on my lip, the rush of anger bringing beads of sweat to my forehead. I'm not going to lie, seeing him angered me all over again as if the entire conversation with Jermaine never happened. There were two voices in my head: one prompted me to remain calm and hear him out - maybe there was in fact an explanation as to why my newborn daughter was found at the house where he grew up; the other voice told me to fuck all that and just strangle him until his eyes popped out of his sockets, or to smash his head into the pavement until his brain spilled out of his skull. And I'll admit that the latter sounded more fulfilling.

From where I sat, Axel honestly looked dead. His eyes were closed, whether he could help it or not, and his body was slumped against the passenger door with his temple smudged against the window. He had larger lips to begin with, but they were swollen - damn near torn open. Why were all of our injuries similar?

“Trey,” J finally muttered when he followed my gaze. I choked underneath my breath, my eyes welling up all over again. “Trey…” I couldn't take it - I had to do something. I shoved my car door open and practically sprinted over to his door, and I completely ignored J. “Trey, Trey!”

“You son of a bitch!” I deliriously cried as I snatched him from the seat and slammed his back into the back passenger door, gripping the collar of his already torn shirt as his eyes blurred with surprise. “I'm gonna kill you and leave your body to rot!” My punch to his jaw threw him off the car and onto the ground, a cloud of dust rose like it was a scene from a movie. “No wonder you don't have any family.” I was ready to kick him in the gut when J rammed his shoulder into me, knocking me against the vehicle before my foot could make contact.

“Too fuckin’ far,” he growled at me as he groaned through his agony.

“Yo get off me.” I snatched away from him and glared down at Axel. He put up no fight, he didn't try and defend himself or even try and explain his side. He simply struggled to pull himself up against the side of the car. “I swear if you have anything to do with this…”

“With what?” he croaked, and there were tears in his eyes.

I tilted my head. “My daughter, my baby girl, was found where you used to live. Cam wasn't there and I have no idea where she is.”

“What?” He perked up, like a young puppy tilting his head to the side. His eyes widened as his face lost all its color and he shook his head rapidly. “No, I-I-I swear I didn't do it. W-Where is she? Is she okay?”

“She's fine,” I replied tightly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw J branch off and examine the car. He checked the glove compartment, and I saw him tuck a small handgun into the waistband of his black jeans. Next he exited the car and made his way to the trunk. “Is that why you wanted to split up? So I wouldn't automatically kill you when you got caught? What, you tryna cover up the fact that you killed her? Huh?”

“N-No, I swear…”

“Stop lyin’ to me, man!” I was ready to just knock him out, because deep down I still felt he was lying to me, when a different thought knocked my mind of its railing. Spyder agreed to take Axel to wherever Cam was held, and the only thing around was the car. But she wasn't anywhere near here, unless -

“Cam?” The two of us snapped our heads to where J’s voice came from, and the lack of response shattered my heart into a million pieces. “Baby girl, can you hear me?”

No, it couldn't be.

“It's Jermaine. If you can hear me, I need you to squeeze my hand.”

She couldn't have been back there. That's impossible.

“Come on, baby girl. Gimme a squeeze.”

Cam was supposed to be with our daughter. We were supposed to be a family. We were supposed to cut her umbilical cord together, have some skin-to-skin bonding with her, childishly argue over what outfit she would wear home. She was supposed to be nursing. I was supposed to change her poopy diaper for the first time. Cam and I had already figured everything out, agreed on how everything would go.

It all happened so quickly. My hand was snatching the gun from J’s waistband and pointing it at Axel’s temple as the first round of tears dripped from his eyes. J was yelling at me, firing off demands to take control of the situation. Axel had his hands up, begging me to spare him.

My palm shook around the gun, my aim shaky and unfocused. I saw multiple Axel’s in my kaleidoscope vision. The voices in my head were loud with commands to just end it for the both of us. There were a couple of bullets in the clip, more than enough to get the job done.

“Trey,” J’s voice was louder than them all, but it was the softest, most urgent tone I’d heard ever come from him. “It's Jermaine. We have to call 911 now. Cameron needs more help than we can offer her. The police are gonna come too, and if they see you with a gun and Axel’s dead body… you can't be there for Cam nor Nyla. Can you give it to me?”

My entire body was trembling, and I was relieved that my finger wasn't on the trigger because I knew I’d fire it. And everything would be over. “But he… and she…”

As soon as his hand touched my own, every ounce of tension released and he caught the firearm just before it began falling to the ground. “I know, I know.” He gave one gentle tug and I was sobbing in his arms, harder than I would have liked for either of them to witness. He gave me a squeeze, but his own voice sounded strained and hesitant. “She has a pulse. It's shallow, but she's alive. I don't want you looking at her right now, but you gotta know that he didn't kill her. She's not dead, okay? And the sooner they help her, the sooner she’ll get better. Okay?” He released one arm from me so he could retrieve his phone to put in the call. As it rang, he rubbed my back. “The police are gonna ask us a lot of questions, but you don't have to answer anything until there's a lawyer present, okay?”

Fifteen minutes. That's how long it took for the two ambulances to arrive; their lights blinding, their sirens deafening. During that wait, I had vomited twice onto the concrete and succumbed to the weakness. I could only sit up against the other car, eyes staring blankly at the asphalt. Shock is what they call it, I think.

That was fifteen more minutes knocked off of Cam’s life. Who knows how long she had been in that trunk. Who knows what she endured during her labor and delivery, and whatever they put her through afterwards.

I vaguely remember a couple of cops showing up and attempting to ask me questions about who I was and what was happening, but there were more important things. I tapped away on my phone with shaking fingers, carefully dialing my mom’s number.

Her soft-spoken voice as she repeated her greeting a few times is what told me this was really happening. That this wasn't a nightmare. “Tremaine, baby? Hello?”

“Ma…” I smiled against my tears, hearing her voice made me feel slightly better, that I was actually on this earth and maybe I wasn't alone. “You gotta meet us at the hospital.”

She didn't ask questions. She didn't try and pry answers from me. She immediately picked up on the tone in my voice and she knew. “Alright, I'll be there as soon as I can be.”

/.\

They didn't admit me into a room, but they did patch me up. The cleaning solution or whatever it was they used on my cuts didn't faze me. How could it? It was nothing compared to what I felt on the inside. My ribs were only badly bruised so they gave me this wrap to wear and insisted on no heavy lifting or bending.

Upon my release, there was a nurse waiting for me holding a pink bundle in her arms. Her eyes lit up when she saw me, and we met in the middle of the hallway. “You're this darling’s father, right?”

I only nodded at first. “Is she okay?”

Jayla was what her name tag read. “She's in perfect health. Maybe a little hungry, but nothing to be concerned about. Do mind if I ask you some questions for her birth records?”

I shrugged a shoulder when she was in my arms, but followed the nurse to her station. I recited my first and last name along with my birthday, as well as Cam’s information. She asked for my daughter’s full name, birthday, eye and hair color, and her weight. I had no problem answering until the last question. I had no clue how much she weighed.

“I don't… I don't know.”

She didn't understand at first, but her face softened and she offered me a genuine smile. “Come with me and we can get her weighed.” I hesitated when she reached her arms out for her, and reluctantly followed her to the nursery. She unwrapped and undressed Nyla before placing her on a scale. “She was full term?”

I nodded.

“Hm,” she couldn't help but smile as Nyla fussed from the breeze. I was going to lash out on her, but she easily got her to calm down. “Daddy won't let anything happen to you, princess. He's right here, see?”

I brought her close to me, cradled her to my chest, and she completely relaxed like she already committed my touch to her memory.

“She's five pounds, eleven ounces.” She couldn't stop smiling at me. “I'm going to get her feet printed for her birth certificate, okay?” She stepped away from her computer to retrieve what she needed and I ran my finger down Nyla’s delicate little foot. When Jayla came back, she waited a moment before speaking. “Alright, baby. This is gonna be really cold, okay?” The pad of ink against her feet initiated another cry, and I swallowed hard. “I know, I know. I'm so sorry, baby.” When she was satisfied with her work, she giggled. “Alright, Daddy will make it all better.”

I redressed her and swaddled her like a burrito when her feet were cleaned off, and I sprinkled some kisses right along the edge of her little hat.

“T-Thank you,” I said to Jayla.

Her smile widened, became brighter as she handed me a small card. “If you need anything, anything at all, you can contact me here. Congrats on the miracle.” When she didn't get a response, she stepped away and went back to work. I shoved her card in my pocket and made my way from the nursery and to the general waiting room.

J was already waiting, patched up and in pain near the back. We met eyes, and he looked away briefly before sighing deeply - something from his gut. “She's okay?”

I nodded as we both looked down at her. She was wide awake and looking around. “Any word on -”

“I'm not family so they won't tell me shit. Axel should be out in no time. Looked like he needed stitches.”

I wiped my eyes for the umpteenth time today and settled in silence. I felt...inhuman. None of this felt real - even my own daughter in my arms felt like a figment of my imagination. Every coo and murmur sounded foreign and nothing about her clicked in my mind that she was actually here and she was perfectly fine.

“Mumma,” I breathed, and my legs nearly broke into a sprint toward her. She had barely gotten both feet through the sliding glass door, and she hadn't even heard me, before I almost collided with her. She was much smaller than I was, but I felt like a little boy all over again in her arms. Her touch was warm, more comforting than anything I could imagine in that moment. I didn't want to be anywhere else except with her so she could protect me from my fears. “M-Mumma…”

“Trey.” I was trembling again, and she held my face tenderly while she got a good look at me. “What's happened to you?”

I looked down at the bundle in my arms, feeling to weak to begin to express half of what was going on, and my mom’s gaze followed my own. Her lips parted to speak, but nothing came out. She wanted to be excited, and I knew she was, but she knew something was off. Her fingers were featherlight against my daughter’s face, and the tears weren't far off. She met my eyes as a way to ask if this was real. “Her name is Nyla Rose,” I whimpered. “She's your granddaughter…”

She was at a loss for words, but her wet eyes held so many questions.

“Mumma, we gotta talk… where's Forrest?”