#must have been grim when this first came out and just everyone was in a soulless coma for like a month while you were grinding on omega

[wirewitchviolet]

The Entire Plot of Final Fantasy 14, with all the expansions, and some serious analysis of how good it actually is. (Part 6 - Post-Stormblood)

Last time, we got through Stormblood, the second expansion, where we gave the boot to the Empire out of two big ol’ regions they’d occupied for two decades, and got a couple real good villain death scenes. So clearly what we’re in for now is all these villains staying dead, a big victory party, and keeping this momentum going to take down this whole evil empire, right? Right?

Post-Stormblood

Well I mean the actual literal first thing we do is open up a fun little dungeon somewhere in the cool giant salt lake, and do some kind of general bookkeeping and reorganizing of all our NPC friends, with a lot of scenes that hurt the likeability of a whole bunch of people.

The worst of these is the Sultana being kind of at a loss on how to get all these Ala Mhigan refugees her country has been kinda mistreating and exploiting the hell out of back to their homeland in one piece and give them some real material aid to get them back on their feet without upsetting the corrupt merchant council she’s just accepted get to keep really running the show while she’s a figurehead, and for some reason she decides to get advice from, of all people, Godbert Manderville- wrestling enthusiast, clothing unenthusiast and Hildy’s dad. Hey, Nanamo, you realize we haven’t gotten into the wacky comedy questline right? We aren’t supposed to see Godbert in main story progression stuff. He’s not allowed to just ask you to rub him down with oil and then suplex the whole merchant council into space. That terrible restriction aside he gives the reasonably pragmatic advice to keep the council chill by letting them wet their beak a little. We’re not escorting refugees home and giving them a ton of humanitarian aid, we’re taking over an abandoned salt mine and making sure to get workers and supplies out to it. Yikes. Stick to wacky comedy quests Godbert.

There’s also this whole really drawn out bit about Rauban being all conflicted since here he is in his homeland which could really benefit from a pretty cool general but also he’s really down bad for the Sultana. This resolves with her relieving him of his duties and pushing him that way, and promoting his son to take over his old duties. Well the more formal ones. We don’t suddenly have Pippin carrying her around in his arms like she’s a toddler, thankfully. Yeah I’ve never really liked the Rauban/Nanamo dynamic. It feels a bit creepy and like, hey you two, you’re in public.

Mostly though, we’re here to follow up a tale of a war on two fronts with a tale of redemption arcs on two fronts. We’ll start in Ala Mhigo with Fordola, the Ala Mhigan leader of the Imperial military unit whose whole mission was just brutally oppressing her people, before she also got that whole unit killed, and was put through psychic power unlocking experiments. She was actually captured and thrown in a cell rather than killed, and people are kind of really upset over that because most people think she deserves to die. Fordola herself is pretty darn on board with that, because the catch about getting a supercharged version of the whole supercharged Echo thing is she now involuntarily gets flashbacks from the POV of basically everyone she even walks past, usually to her and her unit killing their loved ones and suffering as a direct result of her actions. This on top of the regular guilt of having done all these awful things, and the realization that her blind faith that the Empire was absolutely unstoppable and frankly she’s just been a huge idiot. So... yeah her life is just this constant living hell of being constantly, supernaturally, reminded just how much she sucks, while rotting in jail.

As you’re having a big meeting later though, inviting basically everyone to discuss how you’re going to move forward with this loose alliance of half the world and keep the Empire from counterattacking, everyone figures there isn’t really any harm in letting the Sri Lakshmi worshiping snake women attend if they really want, and promise not to bring any weapons or summon their godess. And yeah they totally summon their goddess. Had some mind controlled sleeper agents hide enough aether crystals for it in these big reflecting pools in the palace. Whoops. She’s kind of just barely not in range to do that instantly mindwarp everyone in the room bit, and the room contains like 50 important NPCs. So, you have to kinda do a reverse bullet hell of catching all her little love bubbles before they hit anyone you care about thing while also dealing with attackers, and meanwhile Lyse sneaks out to let Fordola out of her cell because being immune to gods messing with your brain is a decidedly rare trait. So she helps save the day for everyone. And the reaction from the people is... hey thanks for saving our lives but that totally doesn’t make up for being a nazi lapdog who killed half our families. And yeah, it doesn’t, so she just voluntarily heads back to her cell. We revisit this a few times, not even just in this interim, going forward through future expansions too, with Fordola volunteering to do various things that would normally require your protagonist and not being embraced as the hero of the people because she seriously has a LOT to atone for.

I seem to be kind of a minority in this, but I really like Fordola’s unending suffering. Maybe it’s because I keep watching people repeatedly fall for the same real world nazis “turning over a new leaf to become leftist pundits,��� keep up the act for maybe a month, and then recruit whatever suckers fell for it to mob the same marginalized targets as usual (and it’s not even different nazis, this one woman has run this grift like 20 consecutive times), but I really like the... factual take that actually making up for doing truly horrible things requires both genuine contrition, the acceptance that the people you’ve directly harmed absolutely do not owe you forgiveness, and from there you’re just doing as much good as you can for the rest of your life with no expectation of a reward. Now for contrast, we also have this TERRIBLE redemption arc!

So we got a quick preview before the credits but after taking a sword to the chest, bringing a building down on Gosetsu and shooting him with what felt like her dying breath, abject horrific murder monster Yotsuyu got swept down the river and somehow lived. Gosetsu also lived but that was never in doubt. However, Yotsuyu apparently got hit on the head with a coconut while being swept down the river, and now has TV amnesia and a childlike demeanor. So, rather than finish her off, Gosetsu figures, “she must have survived by the will of the kami” and he’s going to keep her alive. Something that isn’t really going to fly with basically anyone anywhere who remembers who she is and how she literally just walked around murdering people for fun and all. He ends up referring to her as Tsuyu, since she doesn’t remember her whole name, and figures that’s a working alias. Everyone else figures it’s an affectionate pet name... which it kind of is if we’re honest. Anyway Gosetsu eventually spends all his pocket money buying her dango, runs into other characters, and everyone begrudgingly has to stash the two somewhere while Gosetsu recovers from... being shot through the lung and having the weight of a collapsing ceiling he was holding push him clear through the floor and all, and everyone else tries to work out if this 30-something child-woman deal is just a big act or she really does have sitcom coconut amnesia, along with having a phiolosophical debate on whether that means she’s off the hook for her many horrific crimes.

So I already hate that, but then the whole thing gets extra creepy when she starts like stripping off Gosetsu’s clothes while you’re talking to give him a sponge bath and such, because OK Gosetsu, you’re sitting here with this child-brained version of a woman who before being an evil overlord had a real famous stint as a particularly doll-like disassociating prostitute at the local brothel and you’re calling her cutesy names and she’s giving you sponge baths and like... you realize this looks really bad, right? Anyway, everyone decides yeah her memories and personality are straight up gone so like executing her for mass murder would be like murdering a human-shaped puppy or something. And like right then, everyone turns their backs long enough for her to remember she used to pick persimmons at a nearby village as a little girl and Gosetsu likes them, so she slips out to get one and... sorry boss.

See I come from a corner of the internet where people have this weird running joke/reference about Percy the Persimmon from Princess Tomato and the Salad Kingdom, the little sidekick who from chapter to chapter clumsily drops your whole inventory to get a clean slate, and how he is basically the greatest force of evil in the world. So when she drops this persimmon on being spotted by a random villager who rightfully freaks out, I have a real good private laugh and am convinced this story is immediately bound for disaster.

And it is. First off, yeah, secret’s out, the newly established government is hiding the Imperial appointee who made everyone’s life a living hell for the past however many years, and want everyone to just accept her and be nice to her, screw that. And around the same time, her brother (who also just happily joined up with the evil empire and has just the most punchable face in the world) arrives for “peace talks,” in particular being willing to release some Doman hostages and relics in exchange for her, and peace treaty on the conditions that absolutely nobody does any more god summoning no exceptions. We don’t really even make a pretense of him being possibly above board with any of this, particularly when the “hostages” he releases as a show of good faith are their parents, who are of course also complete imperial boot-licking monsters and also, abusive. Seeing she’s in amnesiac mode, their first vocalized thought is hey, her brain’s mush but she’s still hot, maybe if we sell her to the brothel again we can get closer to living the life of luxury we had in the empire.

Her awful brother, Asahi, also gives her a real fancy mirror to help jog her memory, and hey, eventually it works. So OK, now she’s evil again, this whole “will of the kami” thing is just a big nope, we’ve completely ruined Gosetsu’s entire character for this shaggy dog story, and made all our major NPCs look like idiots for going along. She does shiv her parents to death though, that’s fun to see. Anyway this all comes to a head with Asahi going “ha! All these ‘treasures’ and hostages are just here for a summoning ritual and this mirror is an artifact to channel it so now my horrible sister is gonna pull a Shiva and kill you all AND you’re not preventing it so you broke the peace treaty! Again, just a real piece of garbage. Real cool boss music though.

Anyway after the fight her brother shoots her and she stabs him, so these two are off the table now but yeah I liked her original death scene way better. So, that was all pointless and terrible and upsetting. Well OK, not entirely pointless. The second in command on this Imperial diplomacy mission actually did get into diplomacy for the peace and is a pretty stand up guy. While we’re in the area though, there’s a fun side quest in the middle of the sea there I’d rather talk about.

You know the whole deal in Chinese mythology with the Four Symbols/Guardians/Auspicious Beasts? We’ve got a whole quest chain with them. Short version is there’s a hidden cave full of animals that have lived long enough to become wise mystical immortals who can talk, and also they are adorable.

Four of them in particular are really getting up there in years and you remind them of this guy they had cool legendary adventures with way back when, so they need your help, along with one of those tokusatsu turtle guys (who is shocked to see a talking turtle of course) and Tataru who isn’t really doing much else at the moment, eventually to re-up the wards on some ancient terrible evil but first just to kinda smack all of them around a little because when you really get up their in years you get prone to being overcome with rage and just kinda need a bucket of cold water tossed on you every thousand years or so. There’s also some wacky shennanigans training your more humanoid turtle pal in ancient magics and he ends up joining up with the others by the end. This is also a showcase for how interesting some of the boss gimmicks are getting this deep in the game. The bird of the south here features both a quick break where everyone has to stop and play DDR, and a but where a lesser fire bird is circling the arena lighting panels like it’s Wheel of Fortune that turn matching floor segments deadly.

Speaking of side stuff, remember back at the end of the post-Heavensward stuff where everyone just gave in to Nero wanting to sic a cool robot he found on the god of the day and we got that gratuitous cutscene? Well rather than shutting off at the end of that it uh... kinda burrowed into a big awful hole in the ground for nefarious purposes and birthed kind of a scout into the world in the form of basically the Chocobo’s Mysterious Dungeon protagonist, who we call Alpha, and who Cid and friends end up making an adorable little uniform for while checking things out.

There’s a lot of fun bits with various NPCs not being able to deal with how cute and marketable he is and how this really isn’t what non-mascot-y chocobos look like at all, but basically he leads you, Cid, and Nero into uh... let’s just call it Cyberspace. See Omega there wasn’t some ancient Allagan thing, but instead comes from way out in space, being kind of this ultimate doom weapon from the civilization that destroyed the original dragon homeworld, and now that Nero had to go and turn it on, it’s sitting here running simulations on how to become the ultimate doomsday device by... simulating other super hard boss fights from history, legend, and alternate dimensions and kind of doing a whole “who would win in a fight?” thing. And you’re invited to participate, which you do because there’s some chance of it manifesting the eventual winner into the real world and killing everybody, and also because it considers Alpha a complete failure who’s slated for destruction and you’re kinda participating as his agent. Mostly though the whole thing is an exercise in paying tribute to a bunch of really memorable boss fights from past Final Fantasy games the writers gave up on working out in world excuses for. We’ve got a few endgame bosses from FF5, including Exdeath himself, a slew of greatest hits from FF6, starting with the doom train and ending with Kefka (who Nero claims to be a big fan of on reading his provided bio), Chaos from FF1, and Midgardsormr in his prime, after your personal ghost dragon pal gets fed up with Omega trying to kill your friends to test whether desperation and revenge actually power you up, and has to enter a state of being somewhat more dead afterwards. And then finally you fight a humanoid avatar of Omega itself. Then partway through the fight you get some quote like “male form insufficient. Reconfiguring gender.”

Oh no! After a bunch of false leads, Omega finally worked out our secret! The inherent superiority in videogames possessed by all trans people! Side note this is the actually image constantly shown in the launcher and on the store page for FF14 advertising the potions you can buy with real money that let you return to the character creation screen and re-do your race/gender/various appearance options. They know who their audience is!

Of course you still win because you’re here with a party that’s most likely you plus 4 trans catgirls and 3 bunny boys in fishnets and bustiers. A superior force of blatant queerness. Anyway we get a big long sappy cutscene about the vast cold emptiness of space and its supernatural ability to just drain all joy and hope from those traveling the vast distances and Alpha gets to rescue everyone with the power of love and friendship, and before powering down Omega downloads into this little toy replica Cid and friends made of the outer robot turtle sort of hull to go on adventures with Alpha and continuing to try and work out if this whole power of love and friendship thing is actually real or you’re just dramatically describing adrenaline or something.

Our other raid series this time around involves a traveling theater troupe inviting you along to that section of the world map you may have noticed was pasted in from a higher detail source, because the playwright is working on a new production he’s going to call The Zodiac Brave Story, starring his children Ramza and Alma. If you don’t speak turbo-nerd that’s him saying “hey, want to help me research my new play, I’m gonna call it Final Fantasy Tactics!”

So, yeah. You just take an airship out to Ivalice, which we’re just plugging right into FF14 because hey it’s just one country in a big ol’ world that was never fully explored in any of the 5 or so previous games that share the setting, and while we’re mainly focused on the original FFT, we have references flying all over the place. A moogle comments on history books not getting the appearance of moogles right at all, we have some bangaa pirates.

We just have Fran from FF12 show up for a cameo and try not to think about when those games are supposed to be set relative to each other.

But mostly it’s just a big ol’ love letter to Final Fantasy Tactics, guest directed by the original creator, and kind of serving partially as an epilogue for some decades after the fact closure on your party heading off to fight the final boss and never being heard from again. I’d personally be pretty thrilled by the whole thing, but it’s vaguely upsetting seeing representations of all these characters having noses suddenly, and a little more seriously, while the dialog is filled with really memorable FFT quotes, they ruined the experience by re-localizing all of it and losing that terse, mildly incoherent tone. Gimme my “blame yourself or god!” Gimme my “life is short...Bury! Steady Sword!” Maybe it lands better if you play a more recent port first. The other thing that bugs me is the modern-day Ramza, as opposed to the ghost of the original from FFT, is just kind of a horrible racist. Like when he eventually stops just describing everyone around him in the most awful ways imaginable I genuinely thought it was meant to convey that he was being possessed, as people are all through this raid series. Apparently it’s just character growth. Baffling choice. Oh and apparently the fate of all your pals from FFT is they haunted these old ruins for a while and become big giant ghost monster idealized self-images to fight the FF14 protagonist and test your mettle before fighting the final boss from that game. Which means for instance that Mustadio gets to be a big robot sniper. Like I guess he always wanted?

And of course we have our regular check-in with Hildy and company... largely retreading ground we covered earlier. We have a big convoluted plot involving a stolen sword, a local detective helping hunt for it, and a really outlandish bodyguard called Yojimbo who looks super out of place, as does his weird looking dog.

Everyone’s on the lookout for this notorious “Wolf Burglar” and I just realized I got through that whole Stormblood summary without mentioning that a significant percentage of the population of Doma are members of the Lupin race did I? You meet a few, they’re cool. There’s some in an elite military unit towards the end, but they defect when you convince them you managed to liberate Doma.

Anyway the wolf burglar is one of them, but ultimately proves to have noble motivations, and the real villain is the lord making a big stink about a sword. Still you’re all trying to play by the book here, so when you catch up with him he does agree to come along quietly to jail, where he’d remain if not for the fact that the first person you met in this whole Hildy outing is one of his zombie diciples from out in the desert by Ul’dah. He’s out this way because he heard there was an island full of undead and hey, always nice to make friends with more undead, but those ones were jerks. So he’s hanging out in Kugane, and wearing a costume to make people less worried.

So... yes at some point in this business you pull the ol’ switcheroo between a cool wolf guy and a zombie in a fur suit. Generally things work out in the end, but of course that suspiciously weird looking samurai turns out to just be Gilgamesh in disguise, which was probably true back in FF10 too for that matter, and after a boss fight for old time’s sake squabbling over this fancy sword he... kinda gets pulled into another dimension along with Hildy, who’s wearing geisha makeup for absurd reasons. These things happen. Gotta set up that next encounter somehow.

Getting back on the main plot train, we have another villain who had a really great death scene people say is walking around again and coming up with evil plots involving the worst family in Doma. Zenos. Who is... very very clearly dead. He cut his head off right in front of you. He was buried. This can’t be him. Apparently though in addition to possessing whoever’s handy, like Thancred way back when, Ascians can also possess corpses, and since I’m pretty sure Lahabrea’s dead now but who knows or cares, there’s only two real noteworthy ones left around. Elidibus, possessing Zenos’ corpse, and your party pretty much pieces that together after checking that his body isn’t there. Well OK. Having Zenos’ reanimated corpse being used to sew chaos in confusion is fine I guess. Him actually be back from the dead would just be absurd.

Cut to a random soldier who is presently possessed by Zenos getting out a fancy katana and setting off to try and find you. This doesn’t really go anywhere for another expansion but like... this isn’t a restless spirit with unfinished business thing. This is a guy who spontaneously decided to kill himself because nothing in life was ever going to top fighting you. It’s weird for him to be possessing people. Not weird for him to want a rematch with you while he’s here though.

Meanwhile, hoping to actually get this diplomacy working, Alphinaud decides to take a trip up to the imperial capital with his new diplomat friend. They get shot down over this absolutely lifeless and aether-free desert by other imperials who no, did not actually want this peace talk thing happening. Fortunately they’re rescued by a guy who introduces himself as “the shadowhunter” who has a pretty cool look and a belt covered in masks he’s taken from Ascians he’s allegedly killed (like, I believe he killed them, I don’t believe he knows how to make them stay dead is all), as he has a big ol’ grudge against them from having been burned pretty bad by them in the past. He also claims to have had a lot of dealings with the Scions in the past. Alphinaud doesn’t piece this together, and I sure as hell didn’t because he looks completely different and at least in English is one of the more drastically changed characters due to basically everyone besides some of the Scions getting new voice actors while they were off camera for at least a full expansion, but eventually you meet him and... it’s freaking Gaius. The “creeping mendacity” guy. Main villain from the base game. They decided that guy, of all people, actually lived through the big boss fight and his whole stronghold collapsing after you killed the big robot he was piloting, AND that he, Mr. The Strong Must Rule The Weak, gets a big redemption arc. See this is what I’m saying about please just leave people dead. It’s actually fine here since he’s out for blood on the power behind the throne types and his right hand guy explains that he also doesn’t trust him at all and is just waiting for him to slip up and give him an excuse to kill him, but... I don’t like him being around and on team good guy. I also don’t like him no longer sounding like Batou from Ghost in the Shell. Anyway, the two of them go off on their own little adventure and find out that the empire is testing a biological weapon that just instantly kills the entire population of a city when deployed. Not so good.

Thancred’s got a news report on how these two rebellions you kicked off have other subjects of the empire inspired and leading their own revolutions, and apparently the reason you haven’t been hit back is they were busy wiping out Dalmasca, over in Ivalice, which is a bit shortsighted because it was a major refueling station, so if they want to attack Doma, they have to fly over that desert everyone lost contact with Alphinaud in. Also while looking for him, everyone found some similar structures to the forcefield generators making Azys Lla so had to get into. Some serious nerd talk later, turns out there’s basically a big reactor hidden away on the steppe that was draining all the aether from that desert to power stuff like launching Azys Lla and yeah, forcefield generators on the ground it lifted off from that it can be rerouted to. You’d think there’d be some concern with this causing the whole floating continent to come crashing down, but there’s potential side quests for you to not have gotten to there so nah it can keep itself aloft just fine. Also I misremembered, and the whole “little sun” scene happens when negotiating on whether it’s cool to poke around with the reactor that actually factors into local mythology pretty heavily.

There’s a big boardroom meeting once that front is secured, with just every major head of state or general you could name meeting with the Scions to discuss how you’re going to end this war, and it’s going pretty well until all the Scions, including your character, kinda black out and have ominous visions of doom with someone shouting about having to change history and abandon plans and throw open gates and a big wave of light killing everyone. This sort of thing keeps happening from here on out, which is pretty distracting, and also, Thancred doesn’t wake up from it. He’s in a mystery coma. The next wave takes out Urianger and Y’shtola which is pretty serious because they’re the sort of nerds you’d normally have looking into this. Alisaie freaks out about all this a bit since her brother’s missing and presumed dead, everyone else is being pulled into psychic comas, and when Krile suggests everyone go pester Matoya about it and she does a quick search, all the unconscious people have a 404 error on their souls. She also has you come check in on that kobold kid and no he’s still pretty catatonic.

Meanwhile over in the empire, Elidibus is meeting with the Empire to confirm to us in the audience that yes he totally knows this is an Ascian possessing his dead son, and is on board with all the screw peace stuff and the war crimes. Elidibus makes it weird and calls him “father” on the way out. And then his grandfather, the original founder of the whole Empire, steps out to make fun of him and remind him that his job as Emperor is to do gruntwork for the Ascians. The emperor gets annoyed at this, says Ascians talk to much, and shoots him. He comes back possessing one of quite a lot of clones he keeps handy for these moments because yeah this is Emet-Selch the last Ascian of note, AND the only one who’s at all interesting, and taunts this jerk some more.

We have a bit more war planning, a bit more horrible portent of doom headaches, a test of that screw your air fleet forcefield, and Gaius shows up to deliver some exposition and a comatose Alphinaud. We’re really starting to run low on party members with this whole thing. Anyway, biological weapons are bad. Secret cloning facilities full of the emperor’s grandfather are questionable.

Since things are going so well for team good guy, the Emperor actually agrees to an in-person peace talk with you, various heads of state, and Alisaie. Anyway he’s a jerk about it, and comes packing very real criticisms like, hey, Limsa Lominsa, you... absolutely colonized the hell out of the kobolds’ island. Hey Ishgard, you made peace with the dragons, you know, by killing their leader. hey all of you, if you actually want world peace and everyone working together, you could totally just all surrender and let me run the whole world. He also makes it clear that he totally wants to cooperate with the Ascians on their plan, which involves triggering something like 6 more apocalypses because those mash alternate dimensions into this one, and he at least is pretty sure that once they’re all mashed together, everyone will be united under the rule of the Master Race, i.e. his. He is, for what it’s worth, a bit confused on how all this actually works. Also he’s a nazi. Just like, straight up. And his... crown? is super dumb.

So yeah, war it is. It’s a pretty great setpiece dungeon honestly where you’re just barreling forward, fighting tons of nazis and robots while NPC friends alternately help you out in fights and run off into the background tackling whole fronts themselves while you just keep moving forward. This sort of thing becomes a recurring theme for climaxes from here out and I never get sick of them. Things are going real well, but then you get another headache and Alisaie doesn’t come back from this one. You need to pull back if only because you’re unconscious and need to be dragged to a bed. A bit of regrouping though and you’re back at it, pushing forward until it’s time for a big ol’ deal with Elidibus still piloting that zombie Zenos. Things go pretty well, but death doesn’t stick on him and also at the peak of things you once again get taken down by these psychic attacks. You aren’t killed, as is explained later, because Estinein is a bro and whisked you out of there.

This time you’re out long enough to have a proper conversation with the mysterious hooded weirdo whose body seems to be half weird blue crystal or something who’s doing this. He insists that if you keep this attack up on the empire, everyone in the world is going to die, you’re kinda just going to have to take his word on this, and he’d really like to talk it over with you face to face in the First, which you can get to with a trinket left outside the crystal tower.

Guess I can’t keep stalling on explaining that. We get some really good explanations of this in the next expansion, but people have tossed out a lot of this by this point. Once upon a time there was just one normal big fantasy world, but someone kinda took a metaphysical bat to it and smashed it into 14 pieces. You’d think since this is final Fantasy 14, the implication here would be that the other 13 world this yielded are the settings of the first 13 games, but we visit the First in the next expansion and the last time we came to the crystal tower we headed to the 13th, AKA the Void, hell, or the endgame of FF3. It’s just as well that we aren’t going that route though, because the Ascians whole deal is causing apocalypses as a way to mash these back into your world in the hopes of restoring it to its original state. They’ve successfully done so if I recall 7 times, and also had the one royal screwup where they just kinda destroyed the one and turned it into hell. Still 6 more apocalypses is a lot of dead people. Anyway they’re named based on relative position to yours on an arbitrary ring chart. The First is the nearest neighbor going one way, Thirteenth the other.

Anyway, about the only one left to give advice on this is Tataru, and she says go for it, if nothing else this guy might know where everyone’s souls got off to. And that’s where we leave things off. Once again if you’re enjoying these or enjoying me continuing to be alive, I’d really appreciate any donations through my patreon. And next time we will in fact be taking that extradimensional offer and heading into Shadowbringers. The honest to goodness super good expansion.

[bunni-v1]

Heyyaaa

May I request dorm leaders finding out you’re a girl please? If it’s too much u can make a part 2

Dorm Leaders Find Out You're a Girl?!?!?! (NOT CLICKBAIT!!!)

TW: Mentions of transphobia (nothing awful, just literally dropping the word lol); Idia is creepy

Info: Riddle, Leona, Azul, Kalim, Vil, Idia, Malleus x Reader (Platonic or Romantic); Fluff, Comedy(?)

🍓This one is gonna be long, like 5.3k words long. I love writing the dorm leaders so damn much <3 Besides, there’s been a long wait for this one, so I hope I make it worth it! You might see some favoritism shine through, but I did my best to keep it even. Hope you all enjoy!

Tags: @kierancaz @danchann33 @arashrita @the-ace-reader @akiyamasmizuki @kitsun369 @bloomstruck (I think I got all of you)

First Years

Ortho Sebek

Second Years

Third Years

-Okay so, I know we’re all wondering, how the hell do you get away with hiding your gender for so damn long?

-Firstly, those ceremonial robes do great at hiding the figure. The only tell would maybe be your hair, but feminine men aren’t unwelcome at Nightraven College, so you mostly get a few questioning stares and that’s it.

-Secondly, Crowley wants to save his own fucking ass. He already has to hide from the press that he has a MAGICLESS student from ANOTHER DIMENSION here, he doesn’t need the fact that you are a woman ALSO on his plate. So, obviously, he helps you hide your gender from others.

-Grim knows, of course, and he keeps his mouth shut for a few yummy cans of tuna (and threats of being expelled from Crowley <3)

-Even when you were just a janitor, he couldn’t have the rumor that he put a “helpless” young woman to work. (Like it wouldn’t be expected.)

-So how do you two do it?

-Baggy ass uniform. Crowley gave you at least three sizes too big.

-Your figure is completely hidden. Sure, you look completely homeless, but at least you’re hidden.

-For your voice, you simply deepen it. After some point, you blackmail Crowley into giving you a potion to help with it, since it's so taxing on your voice. (Or maybe your voice is naturally deep!)

-Sam provides you (for an unfairly pretty penny (not too different from your original world…)) any feminine hygiene products you might need.

-Honestly, you’re set for being cared for, but it’s the adjustment period that’s the hardest part. 

-Truly, it’s very jarring to suddenly be thrown into both a magical world and be isolated in a man's world with nowhere to hide.

-At least in your world you had other women who could understand your struggles. Here though? You’re completely alone.

-You notice how… messy some of these guys could be. How some of them smell… really rancid. -How rough they were with you and each other.

-Honestly, it’s kinda eye-opening. The way men show affection to each other is oddly refreshing to watch and experience!

-Ace and Deuce specifically are a good… trial run.

-That’s not what we’re here to talk about though…

-For the most part, it's incredibly easy to hide yourself for the first while on campus. Everyone on campus is so self-absorbed that they don’t bother questioning you.

-Your only real risk factor is Savannaclaw, but it's easy to avoid those guys (minus Jack, of course).

-However, you can only hide your gender for so long… It’s mentally draining to keep up this facade all the time around people you care about.

-So… how do they find out?

Riddle

-Riddle is the last student in Heartslabyul to find out.

-It’s not like he did anything to you for you to hold off on telling him (you know, other than the whole almost killing you that one time thing), it’s just that you don’t feel inclined to tell him. 

-Simple as that.

-He also really has no reason to question your gender. 

-Riddle didn’t have must interaction with people his own age until he came to night raven college, he doesn’t have the same social ideologies as other people do.

-Nightraven college is really his first touch with society outside of his mothers very watchful, conservative eye.

-So, excuse him for not picking up on stupid little gendered norms that the other students do.

-In his eyes, you dress like a man, you act (sort of) like the other male students, and you prefer he/him pronouns. 

-There’s nothing more to it then, right? If you identify as a man, he has no reason not to treat you as such - nor should he suspect you would hide your gender like that.

-Besides, this is an all boys school! Crowley wouldn’t allow you to attend here unless you were also a boy… right?

-He is aware there are exceptions — and you are already QUITE the exception, but surely Crowley wouldn’t be so cruel as to force a young woman to attend an all boys academy.

-Ah, sweet Riddle, ever in denial.

-He isn’t STUPID though. He notices how brotherly Trey is to you. He knows (and has heard) your many “secret sleepovers” with Cater.

-He ignores these things and doesn’t comment on them simply because, well, he likes you!

-He helps to tutor you sometimes, and he’s gotten to know you through that, and he really does come around on enjoying your presence.

-So, he ignores Trey and Cater’s odd behaviors for your sake.

-You keep him and his dorm members in high spirits, why would he want to shoo something like that away?

-He doesn’t really questionthings until he… overhears a conversation between Deuce and Ace. (A rather loud one, for how supposedly secret this topic was meant to be).

-One of them had gotten in trouble with a professor, and he was going to give them a stern scolding when he overheard what they were talking about.

-“Deuce, dude, you’re gonna want to sit down for this one.”

“What is it, I’m busy trying to finish my potionology homework.”

“Seriously this one is crazy, you’re not ready for for it.”

“Ace, if you’re just messing with me I’m going to leave.”

“Dude, the prefect is a girl.”

“…What?”

-Riddle did not bother the two after that. In fact, he just walked back to his room to sit and think about what he just overheard.

-It DID make sense. You didn’t quite fit in with everyone else for reasons outside of your otherworldly origin.

-You acted differently than the typical guy here at NRC, and you seemed to get along with the peers that were more ‘traditionally feminine’ best.

-It would explain Trey’s coddling and Cater’s secretiveness.

-Still, he didn’t want to assume. This was Ace and Deuce, and Ace could just be messing around with Deuce.

-So, at your next tutoring session, he broaches the subject as politely as possible.

-“So, prefect, I have… overheard something that I wanted to ask you about.”

“Oh no, am I in trouble because of Ace and Deuce again.”

“Not… technically… I did, however, overhear them talking about… you being a woman.”

“…I’m gonna kill them.”

“I could collar them for you, if that would help.”

-The confirmation was reassuring for Riddle in multiple ways. 

-1) Ace isn’t as terrible of a person as the thought he was.

-2) He wasn’t crazy in noticing the slight differences in you and your other peers.

-Now, you and Riddle aren’t exactly super close by any means, so your interactions with each other are limited to when you’re either being tutored or with friends in Heartslabyul.

-However, he is notably more nervous than he usually is.

-He doesn’t have some super secret crush on your all of the sudden, he just… never really had a chance to interact with women before.

-His mom kept him very sheltered from the opposite gender, so he has little to no experience with them.

-On top of that, because of his mother, he does have a slight fear of women. He’s afraid he’s going to upset you and you’ll blow a fuse on him or something.

-You have to assure him that you don’t bite and you won’t suddenly start screaming at him for no reason, and then he begins to relax a bit.

-Still, he’s very sweet and gentlemanly to you.

-If you need help with anyone around campus, you should come to him and he will have them dealt with accordingly.

Leona

-Leona “Respects Women” Kingscholar.

-Leona has SLIGHTLY worse smell than Ruggie, but he also knew immediately upon your arrival that you were a girl.

-In fact, he knew you weren’t a trans man, because they smell distinctly different from the typical woman.

-There aren’t many trans people in the Savannah though, so Ruggie not being able to pick up on that doesn’t really shock him.

-Leona, however, has smelled and seen plenty of trans people in his life time — you aren’t one of them.

-He won’t lie, he’s definitely interested in you. Women where he comes from are big and strong and proud, you’re just kind of plain.

-He keeps his ever curious eye on you though, because he’s interested in how you might navigate this whole thing.

-Now don’t get it twisted, he doesn’t care about you, he’s curious about you. 

-If you were to ask him for help on something, he wouldn’t offer it. (Not that you would, you seem particularly averse to him).

-However, if he were to see some creep trying to… well… creep on you, he’d chase them away without ever having you know he did.

-He was your secret bodyguard who wouldn’t admit it even if you held a knife to his throat.

-Still, he stayed out of your way and you stayed out of his. 

-A symbiotic relationship that you weren’t even aware existed… until you got in his way.

-Like Ruggie, when you start getting a little too involved in his ahem business, he gets pretty damn annoyed.

-You’re not exactly a threat to start, but you are a little trouble maker. If you find out what he’s up to, you’ll ruin his plans completely, and he can’t have that.

-However, he’s not exactly comfortable “taking care of you” like he is his male peers.

-He respects women, okay, you can’t blame him for not wanting to purposefully hurt you. (If his mom and brother found out, he’d never hear the damn end of it)

-He sends out Ruggie to scare you off, explicitly telling him he can’t hurt you on purpose.

-He knows Ruggie already has an idea of what’s going on, so he doesn’t have any qualms with telling him to be careful with you.

-Still, despite all this, he doesn’t really broach the topic until he’s forced to.

-He’s made it known to you, at this point, that he knows your secret. 

-He hasn’t caused you any extra trouble since his overblot, and he keeps his dorm members off your back, so you have no reason to interact with him… until, again, you get yourself into trouble.

-This time it’s YOU dragging him into your mess, despite him wanting nothing to do with it.

-You are convincing, though, so he gives and allows you to stay in his dorm room — rent free! Isn’t he so nice.

-Jack offers himself for protection if you need it, but you can see that Ruggie is quite bemused with the whole situation, so you decide to turn him down.

-Leona hasn’t tried anything yet, and he really could if he wanted to.

-You decide you can trust him. (You have to trust him).

-Then presents the issue of sharing a bed.

-Leona isn’t a weird pervert, okay. He isn’t absolutely leaping at the idea to be in bed with you — he’s so sorry.

-Honestly, it makes him a bit… uncomfortable.

-Sharing a bed is something you do with family or someone you’re involved with, not the weird magic-less kid who’s at least three years too young for you.

-So, Leona, ever the women’s rights activist, approaches you with a proposition.

-“Listen, I know you’re a woman and I know you know that. We’re not sharing a bed, there ain’t no way that’s happening.”

“Oh, so would you like the poor helpless homeless woman to sleep on the floor? How cruel can you be Leona.”

“Shut up, I’m not gonna do that to you. Listen, you can have the bed all to yourself and I’ll sleep on the couch, so long as you promise not to tell a single soul about this.”

“I promise.”

-You immediately tell Ruggie the next morning, and he is sure to make sure Leona never forgets it.

-Living with Leona for the short period of time that you do is very insightful!

-He’s actually pretty funny, much smarter than he lets on, and almost brotherly to you. Which does not fit the M.O. you built of him in your head.

-He’s gruff and pushy, but he does it out of genuineness.

-You end up getting really close to him because of it. 

-His quiet and laid-back demeanor are a break from the chaos of everyone else on campus, and he doesn’t make a big deal out of anything so you can just complain and he nods along unbothered.

-Only thing you notice that upsets him is when you bring up guys who bother you.

-Those guys tend to stop bothering you shortly after. How strange…

Azul

-Azul is hands down the last person on campus you want knowing about this.

-Riddle, Ruggie, Trey, Cater and pretty much everyone with half a brain tell you to stay as far away from him as possible.

-You see him in the halls sometimes, and he doesn’t look to bad. Unapproachable, sure, but he’s a rather pretty guy. Well put together and seemingly very smart from what you’ve been told.

-He helped to subdue Grim in the opening ceremony, so you know he’s magically capable. He’s also a house warden, so that goes unspoken, I suppose.

-He seems interested in you, from what you can tell. He always waves at you when he does see you in a sort of fake friendly kind of way. 

-You’ve seen him and his little (large, very large) goonies admiring ramshackle before.

-You’ve also politely asked them to not do that when you moved in, because it freaks you out a lot. To which they all gave you very eerie smiles and walked away.

-They remind you of a very small mafia, and you decided to heed your friends warnings because of that.

-You do so successfully for a long time too. Other than the few previously stated interactions, Azul seems un-inclined to bother you, and you don’t want to catch his leering eyes.

-Little do you know, Azul has a much more watchful eye on you that you initially thought.

-Sure, you don’t have much to offer him magic wise, but you have ramshackle. Oh, how he wants ramshackle.

-You are key to obtaining it, he just… has to find something on you first.

-You’re so painfully average. Perhaps a little more pretty in the face than his other peers, but you sacrifice that with the atrociousness of your uniform. 

-Truly, nothing about you is different.

-He almost gives up until Grim delivers him an opportunity in a pretty little bow.

-You agree to his contract out of the goodness of your heart, just like he knew you would. So sweet and kind are you, to practically hand him the deed to ramshackle on a silver platter.

-He notices, however, that Jade grows a very… sudden fascination with you.

-Sure, he told both Jade and Floyd to keep and eye on you and keep you in like, but for Jade to be so interested… very odd.

-Then, shortly after, Floyd’s own interest is piqued. Alright… less odd than Jade, but to have both of their eyes on you must mean he’s missing something. (I know I previously said that Floyd found out after Azul, but I was stupid and wrong and you should never listen to me when I’m talking about Floyd).

-He tries to get it out of them by any means, Asking, blackmailing, manipulation. He really does try, but their lips are sealed tight.

-It frustrates him to no end that they know something he doesn’t, and that he can’t figure out this very big secret.

-It stumps him for so long, because he’s looking in all the wrong places for the answer.

-Meanwhile, you know that Jade and Floyd know and you are TERRIFIED waiting for Azul to use this against you.

-The suspense starts killing you and making you anxious enough that its affecting sleep, so you decide to bite the bullet and arrange a meeting with him.

-Azul is honestly delighted, because he was just going to outright force the truth from you at this point.

-“I’m glad you set up this meeting, I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”

“I know… I’ve been pretty nervous about it since Jade and Floyd started pestering me.”

“Before I talk about what I want to, I’d like to hear what you have to say. I’m a good listener after all.”

“Too good, if you ask me. Uhm, anyway, so I know that Jade and Floyd to you that I’m a girl already, but I’m really hoping you would just leave me be. You owe me after all.”

“…You’re a girl?”

“Did they not tell you…?”

-what. What? WHAT?!?!?!

-How could he not tell, he feel so incredibly stupid. Its so obvious now that he thinks about it.

-No wonder Jade and Floyd wouldn’t stop teasing him about it.

-He agrees not to let the secret out — he DOES owe you his life, after all. This is a minor trade.

-However, he does not mentally recover from this revelation for a while.

-He doesn’t treat you very different, I suppose. He’s more gentlemanly with you, and is generally more friendly, but those things come from saving a persons life regardless.

-He is, surprisingly, willing to ensure your whole gender thing doesn’t get out so long as you work a few hours at the monster lounge.

-Probably the best at keeping it to himself and making sure it doesn’t get out. You wouldn’t expect any less with Azul, though.

Kalim

-You and Kalim don’t really have much of a chance to interact.

-He seems sweet enough, and you know he’s much kinder than the rest of the dorm leaders, but you don’t really have any reason to interact with him.

-Kalim also doesn’t think too much of you. 

-You caused a ruckus at the entrance ceremony, that’s for sure, but you kinda blend into the background.

-Besides he’s a party animal — constantly hosting these huge parties at his dorm just because he can.

-As someone trying to keep out of trouble and hide such a huge secret… yeah, parties aren’t exactly your forte.

-So, when you get roped in to coming to Scarabia over winter break, Kalim is pleasantly surprised!

-He’s always excited to make a new friend, and you’re pretty infamous around school, so he’s extra excited to get to know you.

-Kalim has no reason to question anything about you, like most other people would.

-However, he isn’t stupid. He has plenty of younger sisters, and he picks up on social queues better than you’d expect.

-He definitely suspects something is off, but he figures you would tell him if something was up. 

-You actually find him quite easy to be around. He’s someone who makes it easy to let your walls down and just relax with.

-Despite his sudden mood shifts, he always makes sure that you’re happy and healthy and doing the best you can be in your position.

-However, you run out of the magical potion that deepens your voice pretty quickly, and you have to go back to dramatically straining your voice.

-You sound sick, honestly, and it makes Kalim worry. 

-He figures that you’re forcing yourself to deepen your voice so you’re still perceived as a man.

-Instead of asking you directly, as Kalim does, he goes to Jamil.

-“Jamil…”

“What do you need, Kalim?”

“Don’t you think somethings… off with the prefect?”

“Off? What are you talking about, nothings off with them.”

“No, I mean… do you think they might be… a girl?”

“…Kalim, that’s very rude to say. You need to be more respectful.”

“…You’re right, I’m sorry. Could we get him something to soothe his voice though, it sounds rough.”

-Kalim is a lot more watchful of you after that. He just… knows something is wrong, but he doesn’t want to be rude.

-It’s actually you who comes to him when no one is around for help.

-“Kalim, uhm, I need your help.”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“So, I’m pretty sure you know, but I’m not a guy… I’m a girl, and I really need help hiding it. The longer I’ve been here, the harder it’s been on me.”

-Sweetheart he is, he promises to both help you and keep your secret to himself — and he does both surprisingly well!

-He offers his private bathroom to you so you can shower in peace. 

-It’s honestly the best bath you’ve ever had with all his sweet smelling oils. Your skin feels so smooth and renewed.

-Still, even with this, you still don’t feel safe with anyone else — plus the fact that Kalim has random and horrifying mood shifts. You have to flee.

-And yet you still get dragged into more trouble with the octatrio. You still get exposed to the whole dorm by a crazed Jamil, and now have to deal with the horror that they’ll tell everyone.

-Kalim feels awful, and thus shows his forgiveness in the best way he can: giving gifts.

-You get tons of apology gifts from him in the coming months. Baskets of the best shower stuff you’ve ever had; a new, better fitted but still innocuous uniform; enough tuna to keep grim satisfied for years (and sweets that you happily keep to yourself).

-It’s so nice, but you start to feel bad. It feels like you’re taking advantage of his guilt, when you’re not really upset at anyone involved anymore.

-You’re welcome at Scarabia any time. None of his dorm members will ever cause you any trouble, and you can dress and act and sound however you want within Scarabia’s walls. 

Vil

-Miss beauty queen himself. We love Vil, we Stan Vil, we adore Vil… 

-Oh my god he’s a pain in the ass though, especially for you.

-He sees through you in an instant.

-Truly, Vil finds you to be more of a little pest than anything.

-You are constantly in trouble, you are magic less, and you decided to needlessly hide your gender.

-The last one is the worst offense in his eyes.

-Vil is someone who does not value gender, but expression. Your gender does not matter as much as your expression, therefore you hiding your expression irks him.

-He’s understanding enough in the fact that he knows you might be doing this to protect yourself, but he finds it stupid and useless, because you’re easy to see through.

-He avoids you, and you avoid him. Simple as that.

-Unfortunately for Vil, you’ve caught Rook’s eye, which means he must sit through many hours of Rook rambling on about his “findings” about you.

-When you tried out for the VDC, he was simply going to turn you and Grim away, but Rook convinced him to give you a chance.

-Rook wanted him to help your reveal your “inner beauty”, though Vil wasn’t sure if you had any of that.

-You wore baggy, horrifically ugly clothing up until winter break. Your hair was constantly a mess. Your skin was poorly taken care of, and the bags under your eyes were as dark as night.

-It almost made him feel bad for you… so despite his better judgement, he decided to invest time in you.

-Vil makes it very clear that he knows what your whole secret is.

-“I am aware of the fact that you are a woman, however, I will continue to use your preferred pronouns since it seems to bring you comfort.”

-He’s very insistent that you allow him to do your skincare AND your makeup whenever you give him the chance.

-Especially when he moves into ramshackle temporarily, he’s very insistent on maintaining your skincare routine.

-He essentially makes your entire nightly routine himself, and is right there over your shoulder making sure you do it right.

-Despite how overbearing it is, you actually make good friends with him through this.

-Being stuck alone in a room with no one but him to talk to forces you two to talk.

-You get to learn why he cares so much about appearances, and he gets to know why you hide to protect yourself.

-“It’s just… easier to pretend, because guys will bother me less that way.”

“I can’t understand why they would bother you. You’ve done nothing to them, so why would they want to do anything to you.”

“That’s the thing, I don’t know either. I just know it’s scary, and I don’t want to deal with it.”

-You move him, honestly. You’re strong even though you’re scared, and that’s beautiful. Thats what true beauty is.

-He helps you embrace your inner self and express that, while still helping you to hide your gender in a way that feels safe.

-You are always welcome at Pomefiore, and you can come to either him or Rook if you have any issues at all.

-It’s like having a big sister, almost.

Idia

-Idia has eyes everywhere.

-Every inch of that campus is (illegally) being monitored by his watchful eyes. 

-When he’s bored in class, he flicks through the cameras to amuse himself — maybe he’ll see someone slip and fall on their ass. That would be funny.

-He’s not really interested in you in particular.

-In fact, he’d like to keep a very far distance between the two of you.

-You’re… intimidating. You’ve fought some of the most powerful mages on campus and won.

-Total final boss energy, not something Idia is interested in being around.

-What he IS interested in is that wittle kitty you’ve got following you around.

-When he’s bored in class, he goes searching for Grim, and where Grim is you are sure to be.

-So, despite his aversion to you, he ends up spending a lot of time watching you.

-He starts to notice… things about you.

-He notices that you seem to put on a tough guy persona around… well… other guys in your class.

-When it’s just you and Grim though? You’re the softest softie he’s ever seen.

-It’s top tier cringe watching you try to being all macho, so he much prefers your more quiet and relaxed self you show in private.

-Seriously though, you’re a TOTALLY DIFFERENT PERSON when you’re alone with certain people.

-EVEN YOUR VOICE CHANGES!!!

-It’s so uber creepy, it’s like a jumpscare every time you drop that fake deep voice.

-If he’s being real, you’ve got a pretty voice. Honestly, you’re really pretty period. Too pretty to be a guy honestly.

-…

-….

-…..HOLY SHIT!!!

-He has to check your medical files to be sure — which he obviously has access to, thanks to having access to everything Ortho has access to.

-Blah blah blah allergies, blah blah blah horrific injuries from overblots, blah blah blah- AH HAH!

-Next to gender you are listed as… transgender man.

-He doesn’t wanna be that weird transphobic incel, but from what he’s seen? He highly doubts that.

-From what he’s seen in his (invasive) watching, you’re definitely doing the troupe of hiding your gender to better fit in.

-He feels like he’s in an anime or something.

-He doesn’t really want to bother you about it — but from watching you, you seem like someone he’d really enjoy being around.

-Ortho also insists that he’d get along with you very well!

-…It’s worth a shot right.

-He tries several times to “bump” into you, which always ends in him skittering away in fear.

-He psyches himself out every time. “They wouldn’t even wanna hang out with a loser like me.” “They’re way too cool for someone as lame as me.” 

-It’s not until you invite yourself to one of tabletop club’s meetings that he’s forced to interact with you.

-He’s really banking on the fact that you’ll be too busy talking with Azul to notice him, but then Azul leaves and its just you and him.

-Him and you…

-Both of you… in total and complete silence.

-…yep… 

-“Uhm, Idia…?”

“yES!?”

“I came here cause I wanted to talk to you, sorry for being so underhanded about it, I just couldn’t get you alone without you running off.”

“AH— I mean, ahem, okay. My bad.”

-You totally cornered him like an evil villain.

-All because you wanted to… be his friend?

-Is he dreaming, going insane perhaps, did HE get isekaied into an alternate universe where he was likable???

-Nope, Ortho just talks him up a lot, and you think his hair is cool. Huh. Kinda lame compared to what he was thinking.

-You guys talk a LOT after that. You exchange numbers and you text him about all sorts of stuff — and he’s actually interested in it!

-You learn that he’s been watching you and Grim for a long time, and while you scold him.

-You think it’s pretty funny that he’s embarrassed about his love for cute things.

-“If you’ve been keeping your eye on me for so long, you must’ve figured out that I’m a girl, right?”

“Yeah, you’re not great at hiding it. That macho guy act is suuuuper lame, you look like a noob lol.”

“Hey! I’m just copying what Deuce told me to do!”

-You guys don’t really see each other face to face very often, but like I said you text a lot.

-Sometimes he’ll text you shit like ‘I saw that, saved it for blackmail.’ After you biffed your shit on the pavement or something.

-When Idia gets more comfortable, you two spend hours on call whenever you get the chance.

-He lends you some of his precious manga, and even gives you an older TV he had laying around so you can watch stuff at ramshackle.

-Sometimes he invites you over to play video games with him and Ortho, and he gets all cocky and proud when you gush about how cool all his tech is.

-And, yeah, Idia definitely forms a little crush on you — but he would do that regardless of your gender. 

-He just likes you a lot, and you can feel safe on campus knowing he’s watching over you when you need it. (Mostly watching Grim, tbh.)

Malleus

-We know that Malleus enjoys… creeping outside of Ramshackle.

-He spends quite a lot of time on your front lawn, therefore, he’s usually in proximity of you.

-However, he is very intimidating!

-As a young woman in a magical world that you are not from, a very tall man with horns is the exact opposite of what you want to be around.

-Besides, you’ve heard the rumors about him — how powerful he is, and how scary he is.

-Malleus, on the other hand, is admittedly curious about you.

-He finds humans in their own right incredibly interesting, but you are not just a regular human.

-You are a human who has no magic and is from another world entirely. 

-You are something he has never once seen in his whole life, so excuse his childish curiosity.

-Still, you’re sort of cleverly avoiding him at every chance you get, and he just can’t quite find the time to talk to you.

-Until one night, you come back rather late and you find him in your yard… again.

-You send Grim in by himself and decide to confront him by yourself, because you are tired of being afraid to fall asleep at night.

-“Hey, you, could you maybe not stare at my house in the middle of the night!”

-Oh. You are quite feisty, and very bold to approach Malleus Draconia with such an aggressive tone.

-“I’m unsure what you mean, I’m simply admiring the architecture.”

“I don’t care WHAT you’re doing, you’re freaking me out! I know you’re supposedly some big scary monster guy, but I need you to STOP being weird outside my house.”

“…My apologies…”

-Malleus is pleasantly surprised at your spunk — he’s never been spoken to like that, he’s excited by it.

-After you yell at him, you let him explain himself, and you realize he is just… really, really bad at socializing.

-He wasn’t watching you, he just really enjoys silence and ramshackle is the quietest place on campus — even with you living in it.

-So, you give him the benefit of the doubt, because he really does just seem like he’s lost on everything around him 90% of the time.

-You don’t hang out with him during the day, but if you happen to see him on your lawn (as he usually is), you go out and hang out with him for a while.

-It makes Malleus happy, because you treat him like a friend. You give him cute nicknames, and you invite him inside for snacks, and you go out of your way to say hello to him when you pass him in the halls.

-He also gets to know more about you, and his curiosities about you and your world get quelled.

-He doesn’t really question anything about you, especially not your gender.

-Gender is hardly important for fae, and you seem confident in your expression, so he has no reason to wonder. Besides, there are far more thrilling things about you than your sex.

-So, you and Malleus start to grow close. So close, in fact, that you can confidently say that he’s one of your closest friends.

-At this point, almost everyone who you want to know about your gender knows. Everyone but Malleus.

-Initially you kept it a secret because you didn’t know how good he was at not talking, but now…

-Now, well, you don’t really have a reason.

-People usually question you at this point, or at least seem suspicious, but Malleus?

-Malleus shows not a hint that he thinks something is up. It’s odd to you, isn’t he supposed to be super smart or something. Maybe he’s just too respectful.

-Regardless, you decided to talk to him about it the next time you see him staring at the gargoyles around campus.

-“Hey Tsunotaro, what’re you up to?”

“Just admiring these gargoyles here, aren’t they fascinating? They were the first few installed in the school, if my memory serves me correctly.”

“They are very cool, but could I ask you something not gargoyle related?”

“What is it, child of man?”

“You know that I’m, uhm, a girl right?”

“Oh. I did not know that, how interesting.”

-He doesn’t understand why you would hide that, but it doesn’t really perturb him that much.

-The most you got was an eyebrow raise, and then he was back to his gargoyles.

-You were pretty satisfied with that, so you figured he wouldn’t tell anyone… and then you hear him loudly talking about it with his friends in Diasomania.

-Sigh… he means well, but he just doesn’t get the social stuff.

-You’re not mad, because pretty much everyone knows at this point, but it still sucks that he’s such a loudmouth.

[sanyu-thewitch05]

F! Yuu’s Dad in Twst Wonderland Headcanons pt. 2

Pt.1 Pt.3 Pt.4

Heartslabyul, Octavinelle, Scarabia, and Pomefiore are genuinely the only dorms that respect your dad.

Savannaclaw keeps trying to fight him with the exception of Jack, Ruggie, and Leona.

Ignihyde fears your father. Mainly because your father thinks Idia is some form of a perverted weirdo.

🦀: Yuu, that weird boy is looking at you and your cat again.

🎮: Please let me touch your cat…

🦀:….I’m going to give you five minutes to get away from us.

Meanwhile, Diasomnia, is still amused your dad tried to beat up Malleus.

The core emotions and feelings of Diasomnia towards Yuu’s dad is the following:

Malleus: Amused and now takes gaining any sort of relationship with you as a challenge

Silver: A bit wary of your dad but still gets why he’s so protective over you

Sebek: Wants to beat him up for threatening Malleus and thinks he can win

Lilia: As a father he understands and is probably going to tell Malleus not to purposefully irritate your father for his own good.

After witnessing Riddle’s overblot, your father is convinced on staying at the Isle Sage’s hotel

Or maybe trying RSA

Whatever option comes first.

In fact, he actually tried to bolt out of NRC after the Savannaclaw overblot.

🦀: Yuu! Yuu! Yuu, listen to me! These kids are not right in the head. A hyena furry boy was using magic to control people’s bodies so they fall down the stairs. For a school tournament! And the lion furry man, BY THE WAY, he is 20! He tried to turn everyone into sand!

🦐: Dad, please, they’re my friends and I give them comfort. Plus Riddle and Leona were having a mental health crisis.

🦀: These kids are serial killers or murders in the making! We should’ve ran when we found out they worshipped Disney villains!

You end up running out of NRC with your father with Grim, and by the time morning came, someone has already found you.

♥️: Yo. I heard Yuu was staying here now.

🦀: How did you find us?

♥️: Um…I had a bit of help…more like magic spell really.

Deuce, Epel, Jack, Silver, and Sebek step out from behind Ace.

🦀: *Sigh* Look, I get we teleported into your school, but we really don’t need to stay there-

🦐: Dad, can’t I attend school there until we go home? It’s perfect.

🦀: They literally don’t even have a girls bathroom for you to use.

🦐: Doesn’t matter. I can use the bathroom when no one is in there.

Then things heat up when Malleus appears.

🐉: There you are, Child of Man. I’ve been looking for you everywhere.

🦀: Let me guess, you didn’t see her inside her room when you floated by? Like you usually do when you think no one notices?

🐉: Child of Man, would you like to go to my gargoyles club meeting? It’s really only me, but together we can bring more people.

🦀: That is the worst lie for a date I’ve ever heard. Also, her name is Yuu not Child of Man. And this Man is named F/N. Besides, we still don’t know your actually name Hornyton.

The mocking of the nickname Yuu picked out for him causes him to get upset. Which inadvertently activated the fairy tale fae behavior.

🐉: You know, a name is a very important thing to give away. If I give my name to you, you must give something to me.

🦀: You realize I can just break into Crowley’s office and get your school records or just ask anyone what your name is, right?

🐉: Perhaps, your daughter might be something of equal value to give. My name for a girl with an otherworldly name. I assure you I’ll treat her well if you give her to-

Your dad punches Malleus square in the nose and KOs him.

⚡️: WAKA-SAMA!

❤���&♠️: Damn.

🗡️: I told him not to make being in a relationship with Yuu a challenge.

🍎: Nice right hook.

🐺: What good form.

Your dad shuts the door, and packs up your stuff again.

You move back into Ramshackle the next day, but this time there’s iron hanging around the doors and windows.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

YASASHII NO DE

HE CAME IN 20 PULLS……………….. ……… ….. …. . … …. .. .. . . … . .. . .. . . . TRULY YASaSHii OF YOu, GOOD SiR 😭

***Crowley Groovy, chibi sprite, lesson lines, and vignette spoilers below the cut!***

Unfortunately, we do not get any more details on his profile. It’s the same as the profile he had before the update. Age and birthplace unknown, 185 cm tall, favorite food is wild game, and his hobby is vacationing.

SDFHEGYOGYFQEN;jkhaCWIDODB A LOT OF CROWLEY'S LINES ARE VERY CHILDISH OR GOOFY... Like he has one where he complains about Grim eating his snacks, tells on students who are sleeping in class, and gets distracted by shiny objects (which, I guess, is par for the course for a crow).

Crowley cannot attend Alchemy class and does not have Chats. His Buddies are Deuce, Vil, and Grim (with Grim being his Duo Magic partner). Deuce and Vil are interesting choices, I wonder why those two in particular... (Some friends and I were memeing earlier about how "all those characters have single parents so Crowley must be a single parent" and, "Vil is the Evil Queen and Meleanor is a princess of evil", etc.) Crowley can, however, attend the other lessons and it’s every bit as awkward as you think it is. (He has a pre-lesson line where he expresses surprise taht he has to do homework 🤡)

THE CROWLEY DOPPLEGANGER ALLEGATIONS ARE TRUE 💀 He can just straight up run into a clone of himself during lessons… THE DEVS KNEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING, they even goofily have Crowley say, “Oh! Hello, me!” while the other Crowley is in class for the special lesson… THEY KNEW HOW DUMB THIS WOULD BE 😭 (The dialogue states the Crowley that barges into class is a magical projection…?)

Here are some of his chibi sprites, as well as his Groovy candy. Crowley is not only very yasashii, but also very cute!!

He does, in fact, have vignettes but they are unvoiced. The first part is him running an assembly with the dorm leaders present. Crowley discusses the health of an adolescent apple tree in the school's courtyard, and no one seems to be interested in his speech. Malleus barges in late and, in a fit of anger at having not been invited, starts unleashing lightning. Wow, just like how Meleanor shoots lightning at Lilia... Like husband, like wife/j Everyone retires to their dorms, leaving Crowley to deal with an upset Malleus. The second part features Crowley having lunch with the other staff members (Sam included!). Each staff member is eating something different (Vargas is of course having eggs), and Crowley is revealed to have a great appetite in spite of his age. Crewel and Trein wonder how many decades old Crowley is, since he was apparently still headmaster when Crewel was a student and when Trein started teaching at NRC. Finally, Crowley is walking down main street and spots Yuu, Grim, and some mob students skipping class… so he uses his Lash of Love to discipline them! He binds everyone together and proceeds to drag them back to class. (It was surprising, we haven’t seen the Lash of Love since like… what, the prologue? I almost forgot about it.) Crowley alludes to the fact that even though the students joke about him, he is actually a very powerful mage that shouldn't be taken lightly, you know?? The vignettes end with Crowley referring to his students as "apple trees" that he is nourishing and watching over as they grow, which rounds us nicely back to the apple tree he mentioned in his first vignette.

BUT ANYWay HEREmS thE GROOviY in JUICy DETAIL INkjoW YOU WERE ALL WAiTING FOR

It’s so pretty AaAAaaaaaaaAAAAAAAaaAaaAHHHHH 🥺 His grotesquely detailed hand reaching out to the viewer, who appears to be awaking from within a coffin… and do I have to mention the parallel between Crowley here and the mysterious hand that is offered to us in the mirror at the very beginning of the game????? Which could imply that Crowley is beckoning/summoning us into another world... The dim room, light spilling onto the Mirror of Darkness… So atmospheric!! If Crowley knows how to do one thing well and consistently, it’s drama~ The Groovy totally reminds me a lot of the prologue when Crowley tells Yuu to go before the mirror to get sorted. Omg guys... He's posted like Masquerade Malleus/j

One detail I super appreciate in this illustration is that you can see the dorm leaders in the background! If you squint, you’ll realize that there are 5 of them posing exactly like how they are in the following promotional artwork:

The one without a matching pose is Idia, who is present via his tablet. Though… I feel like we’re forgetting something 🤔 … Eh, I’m sure it’s nothing, nothing at allllllllll~

[scentedpepper]

Missing | TWD

MALE READER X S5 GROUP

Summary: The group reverberates with a somberness upon your potential death

Content Warnings: Mention of Major Character Deaths from previous seasons, S5 and below spoilers

AUTHOR NOTE(S):

Not too sure how I feel about this one

Could be read as GN for the most part (he/him used a few times, 'Father' used once, 'Brother' used once)

Was originally supposed to be centered around Daryl and Rick, but somewhere along the writing process, I devlled into just about every other member of the group

Ya'll know how many last names I had to look up for these tags

Enjoy?

_________________________________________

7 days.

Seven days of them searching for their found family member who went out to investigate and never came back.

Glenn thought for sure that maybe with all the shit they have been through, the apocalypse must have treated you a little kinder.

That was assuming you were already dead.

Which Rick, in all his glory, continued to remind everyone that until there is evidence, there are just as many possibilities as there are stars in the sky.

He thought it was a strange fit, all doom and gloom, it wasn't like Glenn to carry around the carcasses of such negative presumptions about his loved ones, but nonetheless, he had just the same.

An ever present reminder as the fire was stoked by Glenn's constant fidgets, his spaced-out breaths being released with the baggage of endless possibilities.

"Glenn's gonna lose it when he sees this one. "

Is what Daryl said to Rick on the night of day 5, your shirt clenched in hand, approaching the church with footsteps so heavy you could mistake them for Walkers.

The worst part, Rick thought, was how he had found it, which further fueled the possibility that couldn't help but arise.

A decaying Walker's den where there was a mass majority of bodies wearing clothes; Not Walker corpses.

Hopeless and without explanation Rick approached camp with a grim expression that took root in his features.

And when Daryl had handed the shirt to Glenn after he feverishly chanted let me see it, let me see it, over and over, Daryl observed the way his hand shook when he snatched it and how the same hand came up to rub his face after he confirmed in his own mind that, without a doubt, it was yours.

Maggie had to take the shirt from his hands and when she felt the dirt and grime ragged against her skin, she almost burst at the seams, Rick knew by the strain in her brows and the way her hands turned into fists at her side.

She was the first person Rick had questioned upon your missing presence, wanting to know who you had walked out with last night and who stayed behind, wanting to pinpoint possible places you might be, or routes you could've taken.

Her response was ridden with anxious adrenaline, her lips chewed raw in worry, bouncing on her toes before stomping off and pulling everyone together to go looking for you.

There was no conversation within the group but a mutual agreement.

Naturally, the first person they looked to for some account of wrongdoing was Gabriel.

You had always been so intuitive, like you were the one who could read minds not him.

The others felt so comforted by you, Gabriel assumed.

He was only too accustomed to the fact that everyone saw the good in you, the positive, and while that brought him a modicum of solace, there were times where he couldn't help but wallow in envy.

A man of God and yet, it was you who they looked to, as if you were Christ himself.

As if you were his light.

Gabriel couldn't understand this fascination.

When he had confronted you about it, rather presumptuously, Gabriel was too quick to gauge the situation and allow his ego to speak for him. Said confrontation also happened to occur right before Maggie and Sasha who shared pointed looks with each other as they watched the scene unfold before them.

You were quick on your toes, always had been. Back on the farm, when Shane had been more akin to a wild boar, you were always the first to confront him. Always calm, or whenever you spoke you at least had the appearance of it, always matter of fact. Even when your voice raised or when anger was seething through you, it seemed like everyone just stopped, and listened.

It was one of your redeeming traits, sharp tongue laced with facts that wouldn't hesitate to point out things that were missing, contradictions, positions and beliefs.

It left some satisfaction amongst the ton when Gabriel pushed out of Judith's designated room, nearly knocking Carl off his feet as the door came with his exit.

A flustered look had replaced him, no doubt having felt the embarrassment, as if he had been burning inside.

After a beat, he had apologized under his breath and carried himself in haste towards you.

Unfortunately, this incident occurred the last night anyone had seen you.

When everyone had risen that morning, one by one coming off the floors of the church and stirring awake those who remained sleeping, you were the only one who hadn't stirred. Because your body wasn't even of prescence.

Almost immediately, everybody went on an emotional and mental frenzy.

Even when the conversation with Gabriel didn't bode well for him. He refuted, if a little pathetically, that you weren't very friendly towards him.

Upon hearing of what had happened just hours before they woke, Daryl seemed to retreat back to the deepest of his old roots.

Begrudgingly, Rick knew this was what they called "fight or flight."

Luckily for everyone involved, Daryl never moved unless there was something to fight for. The man had gained some sort of control over the years of personal development but like a dog, he'd jumped on Gabriel the second tensions rose.

There was a knife pressed against Gabriel's throat when Drayl pushed him into the nearest wall and the preacher did nothing but pray to himself and accept his fate.

Minuets later of interrogation and threatening, Michonne and Tara intervenned, though Daryl seemed none too eager to back off the smaller man, not until he was physically being dragged back and Rick telling him to get a hold of himself.

"He's lucky I didn't slit his fuckin' throat! It was him!"

Because back in the day, with Merle at his side, he would've and to hell with anyone who said differently.

Rick saw Carol's lips part to say something, as did Abraham, but nothing came out. Not with Rick cutting through them like cloth to speak, clearing his throat, hands rising in demand to appease the tension in the church.

"We are going to look for Y/N. It's no secret that we're standing on a ticking time bomb. " His head turned sharply towards everyone, waiting a beat before he continued. "Everybody gets paired off. No one leaves each other's sides. "

His gaze softened upon the archer as he came around to see the anger and frustration but most of all, the pain in his eyes. He wanted to assure him, they were going to find you. But he couldn't find the words to, as his own fingertips surged with doubt and as the rest of the days proceeded, his whole body seemed to become encapsulated by it.

They all began out at once, weapons gathered, determination and grievance fused into them as they exited the church in pairs. The only 2 persons staying behind being Judith and Abraham.

Before the front doors fell, Rick sought out Gabriel, his fingers ghosting over the knob as his stomach tied in knots.

"If you so much as touch a hair on her head. "

He was referring to Michonne who'd gotten the unsavory job of catering to Gabriel, "I swear it'll be the last thing you do. "

His eyes followed Gabriels timley swallow as he spoke.

"And if I find out you had an inkling of any wrongdoing, God won't be able to save you. "

It wasn't just Daryl that was shaken by the fear of your abduction –or worse, there wasn't a moment where Rick could stop to inhale without thinking about you. How tightly you had embraced him 2 nights prior, when he'd confided that maybe he wasn't suited for this leader job anymore, that he didn't know where you all would go, or if you'd even make it past these religious grounds before succumbing to hunger.

There was warmth radiating off you like a furnace and he couldn't shake the soothing way your fingertips gilded against his forearm as you told him that things would fall into place in time, no matter how difficult it got.

But Daryl was a damn firecracker, this way of his to emote through hostility and intimidation was a way for him to cope with the potential loss of his brother.

You were not Shane.

There's so much Rick could rationalize before he no longer had the will to counter how much he wished you were there now to quell the savagery within his best friend.

Carl was as much of a mess as the archer, if not more. The rage within him seemed to blaze each step closer to the forest. It burned at his eyes, tearing his hands into fists that felt as if their own knuckles may shatter within the grasp.

Rosita had to stop him.

"What?" He initially sneered at her, pushing out of her grip and continuing to stomp forward until he could feel her nipping at his heels.

"Carl, now is not the time to get some kind of revenge, alright? We'll find the fucker, but getting ourselves killed is not going to help. "

In time, she got him to sit down and collect himself, which consisted of roughly pacing and rubbing his face with his palms in an attempt to scrub the hostility right out of him. He wanted to scream, to fucking yell the earth apart because this wasn't fair, none of this was.

Yet, he found it somewhat easier to sit there and allow his teeth to sink into his knuckles while he suppressed tears.

Eugene and Tara had wandered the farthest the fastest, the church began to slowly disappear the deeper they strayed into the density of the trees until there was no distinguishable church at all, or street or houses for that matter.

They were silent the entire way, like speaking would somehow shatter the chances of finding you, safe, sound and alive.

So then when Tara's voice did come, meek and soft, far from anything close to the tone she usually sported, Eugene nearly jumped.

He halted immediately, his body turning as he looked every which way as if you may suddenly appear behind a tree.

"We should turn around and just make our way back. " She whispered.

That was her biggest concern, because with the route they had taken, any further into the unknown, she knew there were no way to familiarize themselves with where they were.

"Rick said to keep searching til sun down and that's just what I intend to do. " There was an an irrtation in his expression and an agony to his voice that confirmed his intentions were anything but logical.

"Eugene. "

And again, his body suddenly felt like it wasn't his, or maybe his bones weren't aligned and he was a puppet, a stranger, someone entirely else.

"Eugene, we won't get anywhere trying to force out this search. Please. The sun is already setting, it's near impossible to see 10 feet ahead and even if we were to press further in the dark, they're-"

She didn't need to finish her sentence to know what she wanted to say, the image was still clear in her mind as if she had just watched the last interaction you'd had with her and Rosita. The absolute dejection you allowed her to see in your eyes, the hesitation and restraint you had felt in giving your hugs. She took one and wrapped herself around you and you didn't dare do more than reciprocate the tightness, afraid to hurt her. As if.

After some minuets, Eugene came to and they turned back.

When they got to the church, Abraham was doing circles around the confinements of the holy sanctuary with Judith in his arms.

"Where's Gabriel?" Eugene spoke cautiously, realizing the weight in his voice when he did so.

"He's locked in his office. Said to leave him to rot or somethin'. Not a bad idea, the bastards a fuckin killer. "

Abraham was just as convinced as Daryl. No one asked to elaborate because they somehow knew the moment he did, he'd lose his shit. Like a bomb that's set to a timer, ticking away until it explodes into your ears.

"Find anything?" He asked as Tara slid down the wall she had been leaning against since they returned and brought her legs to her chest. Eugene shook his head at him which made the soldier nod back bitterly.

By day two, Michonne decided to conduct a one man search party for the nights. When the moon came out, she snuck off to the woods and scouted the area she had previously searched, for any evidence that may have been missed on the 1st visitation. Which would prove to cause strife amongst the group when Carl found her out four days later.

"What are you doing?" He challenged harshly as he forced himself into the dark brush behind her with Michonne's body jolting at the abrupt arrival of company.

"Carl-"

"Are you crazy?”

The boy wasn't the only person who she'd receive these questions from, Tyrese had found himself wandering her way as well.

"Why would you come out here on your own? Have you lost it?" He griped under his breath, tone laced with disapproval as if the woods had just come to eat them alive.

"Well, what are you doing out here?" She retorted back in a whisper yell with a forceful gesture to the man who was just as armed, just as ready as her.

Her efforts were fruitless, though, and no response was heard, which left her walking the same way she came.

Rick wasn't happy about it.

At first, when Carl appeared through the door in the night, he thought his son was the culprit of the secret night searches, but soon realized what has transpired when he saw Michonne making her way inside.

"Everyone is on edge, alright? Everyone is doing exactly what is expected of them, they have been looking and looking and Michonne, it's about time you pulled your head from your ass and sat down for the night. " Rick had said 5 minuets after they'd settled in the privacy of Judiths room. Their voices were lowered considerably so as not to wake the others, but Rick's tone wasn't anything less than a demand.

"So we should just sit around?" She had, then, the urge to spit at him and remind him that you could be dead in the next second. Gone. Poof.

"We are not–" Rick's voice began to rise in octaves but he took a moment to lower the volume. "We are *not* just sitting around. "

There was an enervation in Rick's stance that Michonne could feel pricking her heart strings. He looked exhausted, absolutely strained.

"He could– he could be in trouble. " Michonne attempted to keep her voice leveled as she looked around in disdain, her lip trembling and Rick saw this, that she could not come to accept the way things were."I can't bury him." She hissed as clear glistens of wetness fell from the pools in her eyes.

Rick knew exactly the terror Michonne felt in the pit of her gut and he could almost see inside her head, the vision of a funeral and everyone in a heavy sweat of depression and rage, because it was the same one he saw every night before he closed his eyes.

A few dead bodies surrounding the fire pit in the woods while everyone circled around you and Daryl cried.

He had already envisioned it all, envisioned the way Glenn would crack at your loss. While Maggie was reduced to hiccups and broken speeches, she had somehow found the strength to collapse to the floor and refuse help.

Bobs face would fall, for once, it would fall and Sasha wouldn't be able to handle the breath leaving her body, clutching Tyrese, who looked just as devastated, to her to bring her solace.

Carol would gasp but it wouldn't matter because no one would hear her over Daryl's sobs, no one would see the way her lips pulled down at the corners and the lines in her face would tighten.

Rick didn't like to think about how he might react. He imagined it be something similar to crazed. But beyond that, he didn't want to picture it.

And what about his son? Carl who hadn't even fully grown yet. Rick couldn't stomach the thought, the sheer utter torment he'd experience watching his sons body begin to wither. He didn't want to know.

You'd been there while he was unconscious in that hospital bed, through every storm, everything, by his side. You were a father to Carl as much as he was and you'd been nothing short of a supporting role to Rick. There's been times when you just drove the both of them off in the car, taking trips to lakes and nearby parks, anywhere that offered a semblance of normalcy.

You'd scout the places out days before, cleaned it free of Walker's and set up a picnic on the cool greens of grass or near broken tables. Even once or twice when the fire smothered to ambers or if Carl's blood started to burn so hot, you'd give them a midnight rendezvous, all three of you climbing up a tree or anything that fit the current circumstances in which the group resided.

Rick had to run a hand through his hair and all he could do was grab Michonne by her shoulders, look her forcefully in the eyes and say:

"We are going to find him. And anyone who gets in the way of that will pay. "

Because he wasn't going to accept anything else.

Which is why he didn't stop Tyrese or Daryl or anybody who wanted a chunk out of Gabriel the morning of day eight when he suggested that they move on.

He even went as far as leaving the church entirely, not caring to put aside personal feelings, not caring how he may look. His expression was sour and drained and at this rate, the only thing he cared about was finding you.

He would have no problem burying his tomahawk right into the preachers skull.

Daryl kept watch most of the nights, refusing rest for the past week because every time he tried, he felt as if it were a ploy. He became distressed each time he was reminded you weren't going to walk in and slumber on the floor next to him or Carol. You weren't anywhere.

It pissed Daryl off beyond belief to know there was an actual possibility that you weren't breathing anymore, weren't thinking, feeling.

His anger had to be one of the few things driving him into the same track less search the next day as he pushed through the forest ahead of Rick.

Things were starting to feel all too familiar and he thought he might find you in a barn just the same as Sofia. But you didn't pop out the doors in any walkers veil, you weren't bloodied nor torn apart. There were no traces of anyone or anything in those forests.

You simply disappeared.

And it left them in another night of quiet.

Spoons scraping agaisnt cans, the faint sound of chewing. A tiny droplet of rain hitting a window pane or two.

That was all.

No one spoke, yet they all sat around a room cramped with anxious bodies.

Sasha's leg brushed against her guns outline, her boots rubbed together, her tongue flicked at her teeth and she felt as if her thoughts were vibrating the inside of her skull, riling her from the depths. There was an eerily absence of anything positive, because at this point no one was expecting good news.

Gabriel's execution was more or less inevitable as each of the nights rolled by. There'd be the lingering aura of danger and anticipation due to the preachers remaining presence. But no one ever mentioned it, let alone had the will to.

It was hard to digest the concept of your loss because not a single one of them wanted to bury you, the group preferred to be broken and you had become like an integral part of what bound them.

Food was beginning to dwindle down the line of low and low to nonexistent.

And as they sat there, in silence, there was collective knowing resonating around them that this would be the last night they spent in the church.

Not that anyone dared to speak it, not even Rick, who gazed afar into the burning light of a candle and contemplated.

Carol noticed first, maybe it was her nose, fine tuned for the scent of trouble and like a dog trailing a rabbit, she jumped up with a clatter and darted towards the front door.

But she didn't even get halfway across the church, with Rick trailing closely behind her, along with the others who were all clammering to their feet, when the doors burst open on their own, the cool whip of wind entering the room as the room itself seemed to rise up in temperature.

There, with a trail of blood drops, a scarily dehydrated and filthy body fell into her arms.

It was you.

And the sigh of relief felt as if you breathed the air back into everyones lungs. It reanimated the whole church.

[simps-for-a-fictional-character]

OVERBLOT BOTS REACT TO MC HAVING BURNOUT AND DEPRESSION

(because I currently have it so---)

Tw: slightly angst, fluff, maybe suggestive? depression, negative feelings. This is for me, but I'll begin to take requests (and yes, I will make that WHB for you person) some are longer then others.

Riddle rosehearts

Riddle noticed the way you were beginning to become distant from just about everyone. You called out of class the last few days saying you were 'sick'. He did worry about you, don't get it twisted, but he didn't exactly have a chance to go over to Ramshackle to check on you. Until he got Trey to take over for a few hours while he went out to see you. He even made sure to bring a few tarts Trey made for you. When he knocked on the door the 3 ghosts opened up

(I named the ghosts Eddie, Joe, and Markus because they old like that-)

"Ah you must be the dormleader of that uh-" the plump ghost Eddie said before snapping his fingers

"Heartslabyul." He spoke.

"Yeah that's the one. Now why are you here?"

"I'm here to see MC" he held up a basket.

"Oh, uh... well, they should be locked up in their room. Grims been worried, too. They say that they are okay, but it's a tale tell sign of burnout." The slimmer ghost Joe said.

Riddle heard the words burnout and shoved by them and into Ramshackle. He ran to your room knocking softly

"MC...my love...it's me riddle" he spoke and opens the door.

You laid in the bed that was, well, really uncomfortable. But you didn't care. You were so burt out on life it was unreal. Riddle slowly walked over to see you closer. He set the basket of tarts down and crawled into bed with you, his face red.

"MC.. I know it's hard to keep up with everyone, but know I'm right here with you." He spoke and held you in his arms.

You were already feeling better.

Leona kingscholar

Leona has noticed you have been skipping out on lunch with him. In fact, he's realized you've been gone for the last few days. He slowly stood up and streched out. He slowly began to walk to Ramshackle. Leona just entered Ramshackles dorms without a care in the world.

"Mcccc! Are you sick my love?" He asked. And out came Grim.

"No they're fine just having burn out"

Leona eyes widened. Burn out? Mc was having burn out? He sighs

"Damn Herbivore...always taking care of everyone else and not themselves.." he sighs and texts ruggie something. "Grim will you go comfort MC for a bit. I need to grab some things."

"Hah? Your leaving?" He asked upset

"I need to get all their favorite things together. I'm gonna make sure they feel better. " he walked out towards savannaclaw.

Leona gathered his blankets as Ruggie put them in a travel bag. Leona threw in some stuff and hands Ruggie his credit card.

"Go and buy some sweets. And some new bedding for mc. You know what just buy them an entire new bed. Their bed is so uncomfortable."

"Shihihihi alright alright"

Leona was gonna make sure you were gonna have the best rest possible to make you feel better.

Azul ashengrotto

Azul was working on contracts when he saw Floyd carry you in. Azul dropped everything upon seeing that all too familiar face. Burnout. He quickly tells Floyd to make some of your favorite food. And after Floyd quickly left

"Mc... you went and done it again.." he ran his fingers trough his hair and sighs.

Tears trickled down your cheeks and you hugged him tightly. He blushed brightly at the fact that you had hugged him so suddenly. He pets your hair slowly and brings you to his room to rest.

"You need to put yourself first sometimes, angelfish..." he placed a kiss on your head and wraps you in his softest blankets. "I'll be right back angelfish"

He walked out and into the lounge. He snaps his fingers and jade and Floyd came over.

"Find Crowley. I want him to know my angelfish is burnt-out because of him. They will be staying here."

"Fufufufu~ I'll make sure to give him a tight squeeze!~" Floyd smiled. Jade nods and they both walk off.

PART TWO COMING SOON<3

[dark-and-kawaii]

How did Lofn react to finding Zevlor in the Mindflayer colony?

I love this so much!!! It inspired me to finish this actually so thank you my love *smooch smooch*!!! At first she was confused, then hurt, the emotional, then anger… She definitely went through the emotions ._.!!!

Lofn’s heart pounded violently against her ribcage , a frantic drumming as she looked up at the man she found herself enamored with- imprisoned within such a grim capsule… The mindflayer colony casted haunting shadows across Zevlor’s face, his face plagued with anguish from the torments of his slumber. The sorrow was palpable, and she could hear it all…

How his mind drifted to the past- how he felt he had failed his city, his people. The thoughts and memories of Elturel gnawed at his soul, and as she felt his pain tears welled in her eyes, a reflection of the wounds that marred his spirit.

Her hands trembled with urgency, dancing over the reflection of the pod, desperately looking for a way to reclaim him from the jaws of this horrid place. As she sought a way to free him, her fingers finally latched onto a trigger, and with a yank, the pod began its reluctant consent and opened.

With her heart in her throat, she reached out to catch him- just as he did with her back in the grove. His body was heavy against her small frame, causing them to collapse together in an embrace dictated by gravity.

“Is he alright?” Karlach asked.

“I-I don’t know…” her voice was fragile, the group had never heard her voice sound so frail… “Zevlor! Z-evlor!” a tremor in the stillness, as she cradled him close, her palms pressing against his chest, “Please, come back to me! Zevlor!”

He was like a ragdoll in her arms, his breathing shallow.

All she could do was envelop him in her arms.

Lofn was a strong spirit, she controlled armies, rode dragons into war… Her voice never breaking, never faltering… and yet, when it came to Zevlor and the thought of losing him- losing the father of her unborn child, her voice splintered under the weight of her emotions, “You're not alone, Zevlor. Please, you're still so cherished, my love… I promise…” she caressed his horns with her lips, “Your past doesn’t define you…” Tears cascaded down her cheeks, descending onto him, “You say that I am your light, but you alone have been a guiding light for so many, my love. We all need you… and I need you most of all…” She leaned into his ear, so only he could hear, “as well as your unborn child…”

A tender smile flickered across her lips as she remembered their first meeting, the kindness he showed by offering his only bedroll to her, a stranger then, yet he didn’t want her to be uncomfortable.

But as she held him, her sadness began to boil into a familiar rage… The colony, the absolute- their so called God… She would burn it all down, their souls her sacrificial pyre. Their god would meet the same fate, and if she must, she would march through their hell and rip it apart with her own bare hands.

For Zevlor.

For her child.

For everyone trapped here and those who have been affected by this…

She was no mere sheep, her blood ran red with the fires of the red dragon. Her mother, The vermilion Queen of Thay, of dragons and war had taught her that much. She was more than some human, and it was time she proved it.

She was the daughter of destruction, and she was its fury.

[pinkcatcafe]

As The World Falls Down

Quick Description: Grim's thought process as he sees the reader going through an overblot.

A/N: I'd been thinking about this for a while now, and I just couldn't keep it in my system any longer. It's not written but the reader doesn't die, I wouldn't just leave Grim alone like that... maybe some other time lol now it's time for me to go to bed.

TW: Angst, no comfort?, mention of wanting to vomit

It felt like everything around him came to a sudden halt the moment Grim looked up at you.

He wondered what he had done wrong to have this happen to you. Sure, you looked more tired these days, your eyes more dull, but you said you were okay, so Grim just assumed that Crowley had given you his paperwork to complete again or something.

But seeing you frantically backing away from everyone, from him, while blot dripped-no, gushed- out of your nose had his head spinning. You started coughing, trying to get the blot out of your esophagus, and the noise felt like nails on a chalkboard to Grim.

His eyes started filling up rapidly with tears and your hunched figure became blurry. He wondered, Why? Why was this happening to you, his one and only hench-human? Sure, he often skipped out on his work and classes, and sometimes he would steal some food from your plate, but he didn't think this would happen. Not to you, the person who had his back through thick and thin, no matter what happened or what he did.

He sees Jack pick you up and start running, making a beeline for the infirmary and before he can register his own movement, he's running. He can faintly hear Ace and Deuce telling him to stop, but his only focus was catching up to Jack. He runs and runs and runs, and he keeps running after you, even when his lungs burn, even if he feels like he's about to throw up.

He should have been nicer, more diligent. Maybe if he studied harder you wouldn't have ended up like this. Maybe if he had shared his tuna with you, you would've been laughing alongside the rest of the first years without a care in the world. Maybe if he told you how much he truly appreciated you, you would have been okay, sitting at the Ramshackle dorms dusty couches, giving him the kisses he said he hated so much. Maybe, maybe, maybe-

He sees the infirmary door thrown open, a trail of inky black blot leading inside, and he rushes in without a second thought, nearly bumping into Jack. Jack was trying his hardest to maintain his composure, but he was quickly falling apart, distraught at the sight of you writhing in the infirmary bed. Grim looked at you, crying out in pain, reaching your hand out for someone and he rushed over to you, ignoring how Jack yelled at him to not get closer.

Grim put his paws in your waiting hands and begged. He begged you to stay with him, to not leave him. He begged the Seven to not take you away from him, and when that didn't seem to work, he made promises to you.

He promised he would attend all his classes.

Grim woke up in a panic. He had a nightmare, and instinctively started to look for you in the darkness of your shared room. His movement had shaken you awake, and you softly called out to him. "Are you okay?" He looked at you, and relief filled his body at the sound of your voice. He nodded, and you opened up your arms, inviting Grim to sleep closer to you. He shuffles over and lays down on your chest, your waiting arms hugging his shivering body close. "It's okay, I'm right here with you." You say, and before sleep fully takes over him, he feels you kiss his forehead.

He promised he would share his precious tuna with you everyday.

"Grim!" You yell out, and Grim hurries to hide the (already half eaten) sandwich he was eating behind his back. "Did you eat my sandwich?" You say with an angry tone, and he swallows the piece of sandwich he had in his mouth before answering. "N-no! I don't know what you're talking about! It must have been Ace!" You narrow your eyes and scoff at him. "The last time Ace was here was two days ago, and I just made that sandwich!" Grim knew he had been caught, and before you could catch him, he ran away. "Grim! Get back here right now!" He could faintly hear the ghosts laughing at him as he dashed through Ramshackle, with you hot on his heels.

He promised he wouldn't leave you to clean up his messes.

Grim could hear sniffling coming from the other side of the bedroom door, and he slowly began to open it. You were sitting on the edge of the bed hunched over, your hands covering your face. "Hench-human?" He called out, and you turned your head towards him, your eyes red and glossy. He jumped up on the bed next to you and asked you what was wrong. "Oh, it's nothing. I was just feeling a bit overwhelmed." You reply, bringing a hand up to his head, slowly petting him. Grim looks up at your for a moment before he crawls over to your lap and lays his back against your stomach, pointing his thumb at his chest. "There's nothing to worry about when the Great Grim is here with you!" He smirks up at you, and you smile at his statement. Your arms wrap him in a tight hug and you softly reply, "Yeah, at least you're here with me."

He would make you a million promises if it meant that you would be okay. If it meant that he would wake up every morning to your smile, telling him it was time to get up and get ready for class. If it meant you would stay by his side forever.

He would do anything, and so he begged once more;

Please, don't leave me.

[stellocchia]

The fic for This Poll's winner of Killer's underrated ships is now out! The word count this time ended up at 3409. More than double compared to last time. I have issues.

Summary:

In the end, the lost lackey wasn’t hard to find. He was sitting at the bottom of one of the shallower craters, head firmly pressed against his knees. His arms were wrapped tightly around his skull, pushing it down even further. He was wound up so tight that his knees must have been digging into his eye socket. Didn’t that hurt? That couldn’t be comfortable…

With an ounce of concern for the murderer left stranded in his AU now mixed in with the apprehension for everyone else’s safety, Outer slowly approached him.

“Heya pal” he greeted, still a good distance away. He was ready to dodge and fight if needed, but the main reason why he spoke up so early was to avoid spooking the guy. He already looked tense enough as was, and Outer was trying his best not to be a dick.

Despite his best efforts, Goopy Sockets still sprung up, knife in hand, and teeth twisted into a snarl. Outer was almost surprised he wasn’t growling at him.

He went to raise his hands placatingly, but the guy immediately lunged forward.

---

Outer finds Killer after he's been abandoned in Outertale by Nightmare. Will he gain a new pal, or will he end up as a pile of dust?

The fic will be under the cut for anyone that wants to read it here instead of on AO3.

Living in Outertale, it wasn’t rare to see Outcodes around.

Error was the most frequent visitor. He usually sat at the edge of one of the big craters way out of town. He stayed there for hours, quietly watching the stars. The inhabitants of Starredin had learned to just leave him be, lest they incur his wrath. The only one allowed to approach was the Starcream Vendor, as the Destroyer seemed to have quite the sweet tooth.

Others came by as well, albeit less frequently. There was that artist dude that sometimes passed by. Mostly to annoy the Destroyer. Then there was that skeleton in a Grim Reaper outfit who popped in now and then. Again, mostly to annoy Error. Outer had no idea why so many Outcodes were Hellbent on getting tied up and left trapped on a random moon. Especially because none of the inhabitants of Starredin were ever willing to help them after they'd bothered their temperamental guardian. And the folks from Meteorfalls and Nebuland rarely ventured that far. Not to speak about the New Home residents, they were so accustomed to their fully functional artificial gravity system that they never left the safety of the capital to explore the outer edges of their world.

All this is to say, nobody was ever too shocked when new faces dropped by. However, Nightmare was still one of the most unpleasant visitors they got in a while.

He arrived, threw some vague threats around, and proclaimed himself the new King of their world, only for Error to come in, grab him with his strings and throw him and most of his henchmen through one of his glitchy portals, hopefully never to be seen again.

What an irritating and yet mostly unremarkable guy.

He should have known better than to mess with the unofficial protector of their home.

Most of the commotion was over in around an hour, and all the people of Starredin were already returning to their regular business. Outer, however, had noticed that, of the three henchmen that followed Nightmare through his goopy portal, only two had been thrown out with him. As a matter of fact, he wasn’t sure of where the one without eye lights had been during any of the speeches either.

It wasn’t really his business, he was merely a sentry, not a Royal Guard, but all of the attackers had high LV (he'd spotted that as soon as they'd come through. That was why he'd alerted Undyne to the attack in the first place instead of trying to handle it all himself), so there was no doubt that the guy was just as dangerous as the others had been. And there were a lot of kids and young teens that played in the craters around Starredin. They were all easy pickings if the guy wanted to get his EXP fix, and Outer wasn’t going to allow that.

He could have called in Undyne for backup again, of course, but he didn’t wanna bother her unless he had to. She was already busy helping around town with whatever damage Nightmare and his merry band of goons had caused. Well, she was trying to help. Just like Papy was trying to encourage everyone with promises of his Moon famous Galaxy Noodles (they were normal noodles with some edible sprinkles in them). Whether either of them was succeeding was… questionable at best.

They were still the coolest for trying though!

Hands in his pockets, Outer ventured into the Starredin’s Crater Forest on his own.

He spotted Snowdrake, Chilldrake, and Ice Cap practicing some ice puns not too far from the protective bubble of the town. Any other day, he would have stopped by to listen to a couple of jokes, laugh, and give them some pointers, but knowing who was out there, he just decided to gently encourage them to head back home. Snowdrake seemed particularly disappointed at that, but Outer knew he’d have it on his conscience forever if his dad lost yet another family member.

In the end, the lost lackey wasn’t hard to find. He was sitting at the bottom of one of the shallower craters, head firmly pressed against his knees. His arms were wrapped tightly around his skull, pushing it down even further. He was wound up so tight that his knees must have been digging into his eye socket. Didn’t that hurt? That couldn’t be comfortable…

With an ounce of concern for the murderer left stranded in his AU now mixed in with the apprehension for everyone else’s safety, Outer slowly approached him.

“Heya pal” he greeted, still a good distance away. He was ready to dodge and fight if needed, but the main reason why he spoke up so early was to avoid spooking the guy. He already looked tense enough as was, and Outer was trying his best not to be a dick.

Besides, Papy would have been greatly disappointed in him if he hadn’t given the new guy at least a chance. And, yes, he would end up finding out about it. Outer could never keep any secrets from his brother, he promised he never would again after that incident with the Core. After all, had his brother not been so clever back then to see through his intricate web of lies, he would have ended up just like Gaster and all his other assistants: scattered through time and space and forgotten.

He still shuddered just thinking about it.

Despite his best efforts, Goopy Sockets still sprung up, knife in hand, and teeth twisted into a snarl. Outer was almost surprised he wasn’t growling at him.

He went to raise his hands placatingly, but the guy immediately lunged forward. His already weirdly prominent soul was twisting erratically, and the same tar-like substance falling from his eye sockets was now dripping from it. It smelled foul. Like something long dead mixed in with that sickly sweet scent of rotten fruit.

If Outer had a stomach, he would have been retching.

Thankfully, he’d been prepared for the attack. He easily dodged the first three swipes, then turned the guy’s soul blue and forced him to the ground. To his utter horror, his body still pushed itself up, detaching itself from its soul with a wet squelching sound. It was as if they were separate entities entirely.

“Woah, pal, that cannot be healthy” he joked with a nervous little laugh.

Maybe he should have brought Undyne after all. This was not an enemy he was equipped to handle on his own.

Papyrus’ face flashed in his mind as he avoided yet another stab of that damned knife. He could hear his little brother reminding him that life could be amazing if he just greeted it with open arms. If he kept up the fight he’d just end up tiring himself out and getting himself killed. The other had a determination soul that looked almost human, even if he managed to down him once there was no certainty that he’d stay down. So maybe… maybe his brother’s method was worth a shot.

After all, if he really had just scared the other and sent him into a panicked frenzy, maybe seeing that he wasn’t a threat would calm him down?

Yeah, he was grasping at straws…

Regardless, he dodged one last time, quickly teleporting to the other side of the crater, then he shut his eye sockets, letting all his magic attacks rest, and raised a hand, waiting.

Time stretched on infinitely.

He could feel his soul thumping loudly in his ribcage. He could feel sweat cascading down the sides of his skull. All the fluff of his jacket was now wet and heavy because of it. If he ever got home, he definitely had to change before Papy could see him, or the admonishments regarding his already poor health being yet again endangered by his reckless walks through the cold forest would be never-ending.

He heard the other circle him cautiously. At first Outer thought that he must have been preparing to deliver his final blow, but he was pleasantly surprised when smooth bone pressed against his hand instead. He peered an eye open to find the adorable sight of what he’d previously assumed to be an unstoppable murderous beast rubbing his cheek against his hand like a kitten. It was kind of adorable…

Not what he was supposed to be thinking right after having a close call with death, but, oh well!

“Can we chat now?” he asked in a low whisper, not wanting to break the magic of the moment, but also not knowing how much longer he’d be able to keep his arm up for. His brother was right, he needed to do more cardio. However, Outer was still of the opinion that Papy’s and Undyne’s training regimen was insane.

The other studied him again for a long moment, before slowly nodding.

Outer decided to start with an apology: “I’m sorry for scaring you earlier, I really wasn’t trying to”.

It worked, clearly, as the other relaxed a bit more. Though his soul was still moving erratically and dripping that weird substance. At least it lost that putrid smell. It now mostly stunk of smoke and wet sand. Still unpleasant, but nowhere near earlier.

Outer was surprised when the stranger responded: “Sorry I tried to kill you”. His tone and inflection mirrored Outer’s perfectly. It sounded like he had to strain himself to speak. Either he didn’t get many occasions to use his voice or his magic was damaged in some way. Seeing what an obnoxious self-centered and violent prick his boss was, Outer wouldn’t have been surprised by either answer.

“As long as you don’t do it again, it’s alright pal” he reassured. The other didn’t promise anything. He didn’t respond in any way to that comment, in fact. Outer was sure he knew that he was supposed to. He didn’t look like he had too many social interactions. “So… what can I call you? Calling you ‘Stranger’ and ‘Nightmare’s Henchman’ in my head is getting tiring”.

It took a while for the other to react, yet again.

For a moment, it seemed as if he was struggling to remember his name. His face got all scrunched up, and he glared down at his soul as if it was keeping the answer hidden from him. He was a tad bit odd, but not in a bad way as far as Outer could tell.

He was just a bit lost.

And who wasn’t, honestly?

Space was a vast expanse with lots of questions and very few answers. Perhaps that was why so many Outcodes insisted on coming by. They were all adrift. Maybe they hoped the answers they sought were written somewhere on the stars that were so visible from there. But the void was deceitful, it kept luring them in only to leave them stranded.

Maybe Outer could guide this one visitor to safer shores. Far away from there.

“Stage 3” the other finally piped up after a couple of minutes of silence. “I’m called Stage 3. But the body goes by Killer”. He raised his empty eye sockets and locked them on Outer’s. “I protect Killer” he said solemnly. That was his purpose, and he was as sure of it as Outer was that the sun would rise the next day to see his brother make more Galaxy Noodles.

“Well, you’re definitely doing a good job of that. If I were a type of bread back then, I would have been toast”. His joke did not garner the response he was hoping for. Stage 3 didn’t even blink at him. He just sat down and got to work cleaning his knife in silence.

Tough crowd.

He didn’t stab him though, so he must have found the joke amusing to some extent. That was the same kind of reasoning he used at the comedy nights at Mettaton’s resort when a joke didn’t land during his comedy routine, and it hadn’t failed him yet!

A couple of beats of complete silence went by. Outer used the lull in conversation to find a comfortable position next to Stage 3. He ended up lying down beside him, staring up at the Milky Way above. Eventually, however, he started growing restless with the silence.

He never liked it much, ever since he was a child. That was one of the reasons why he always hung out with his brother, besides Papy being the coolest, he never failed to fill the air with loud chatter. He liked Undyne and the woman behind the entrance to the Caverns for the same reason. It was easy to drown out the deafening silence of space when he was with them.

“Right… well, why were you all panicked earlier? When I found you?” he ended up asking once he grew too antsy to keep his mouth shut.

“They do not like the stars” Stage 3 answered cryptically.

“Who’s they?”.

“Killer”.

“Right”. Talking with him was kinda like pulling teeth. Then again, he was under the impression that the other wasn’t used to keeping a conversation going, or even talking in general. Maybe this would be good practice for both of them. “Why don’t they like the stars?”.

Stage 3’s movements stilled and a growl escaped his teeth. For a moment, Outer feared he must have stepped too far, but it wasn’t hard to see that the other’s anger wasn’t directed at him. “Chara” they spit out between gritted teeth.

Outer decided not to interrogate him further on what Asgore’s dead adopted child had to do with anything. He had a feeling that it would only distress Stage 3 further, and he wasn’t up to running for his life again so soon. His bones were already starting to feel sore from all the consecutive shortcuts he took. Meanwhile, his new friend still looked as fresh as the air outside the city bubbles.

He couldn’t just leave him looking so upset, though. Especially not when he was the indirect cause of it. “Do you want a hug?” he asked tentatively.

He’d never been good at comforting people. It wasn’t his forte. His brother had always been the more emotionally intelligent one. He kinda wished he was there to help. Although a small part of him selfishly wanted to keep this encounter for himself. It felt special, somehow. Like he’d finally accomplished something.

He got someone to trust him. And he did it all on his own.

It wasn’t much, but it was worth a lot to him.

A little part of him was also hoping to see Stage 3’s cute side again with the hug, and that was the kind of vulnerability that he was sure the other didn’t allow too many people to see. He didn’t know if he’d been chosen because he was just too pathetic to register as any kind of threat, or because the other also viewed kindness and mercy as strength, but he felt special for being among those lucky few.

Stage 3 looked at him, again without responding in any way.

Outer didn’t move, waiting patiently in case he just needed some time.

After a while, Stage 3’s skull tilted to the side in confusion. “Why aren’t you approaching? I’ve learned that’s a crucial part of hugging”. His inflection on those words was weird. As if he was once again imitating someone else. Probably whatever friend had taught him that physical proximity was part of hugging.

Outer was one hundred percent sure that hadn’t been that Nightmare guy. And, from what little he’d seen of the other two guys working for him, he doubted it had been one of them either. The realization that he was not the first person the other befriended outside of his team came as a surprise.

Not because of Stage 3, he was perfectly lovable. And, while Outer didn’t get to meet ‘Killer’, he was sure that they were great too.

No, it was mostly because of Nightmare. With him proclaiming himself King of their AU and flexing his power with the desperation of a neglected child acting out for attention, he just didn’t get the impression that he’d be willing to share. Then again, if he often forgot his henchmen around perhaps he didn’t do so willingly.

“You gotta agree to it first, pal. Consent is always sexy”. Outer winked at him, a bit teasingly.

Was he flirting now? With an alternate version of himself? Maybe. But far more absurd things had happened in his life, and he was not going to question it. If things went badly he’d just deny it ever happened and suppress any embarrassment that was bound to come out of it until he died one day.

Some people would call it an unhealthy coping mechanism, but, as far as Outer was concerned, it was a life hack.

“Consent?” Stage 3 asked, now even more confused.

“Yeah, you know. That’s when you express that you want something. If I offer a hug you can say yes if you’re feeling like it or no if you aren’t. And it’s important to communicate that, especially ‘cause we don’t know each other well. If we were close friends, I’d probably be able to tell what your mood is better. But right now, if I just went ahead and hugged you without your say-so, I’d be kind of a creep. And I don’t wanna-” he knew he’d started rambling quite a bit. He always did when he started getting flustered. That was how he blew his date with Grillby that one time as well. The only one who didn’t mind it was that bunny lady, but she unfortunately was not his type.

His mouth clicked shut as Stage 3’s arms wrapped tightly around him.

He felt so warm…

Skeletons usually didn’t emit any heat. They weren’t fleshy monsters, nor elementals. They didn’t have their own body temperature, they just reflected that of the space around them.

But Stage 3 was undeniably warm. The heat started from his soul and spread throughout him.

His jacket, while old and worn out, was also still soft. Outer felt himself sink into it. It smelled nice too. Like a light breeze on a sunny day. It carried along the faint smell of flowers and nature. Perhaps with just a touch of fire and smoke too.

He wished that moment lasted forever, but, of course, Stage 3 eventually let go.

“You talk a lot and fight very little” Stage 3 remarked. His phalanges were now hovering only an inch above Outer’s hand. “You’re weird” he decided after a moment. “But not dangerous. I don’t mind your company. Or your hugs”.

Outer smiled as brightly as the starry sky above. “Heh, I also don’t mind your company and your hugs. And maybe now you can think of me instead of that Chara person when looking at the stars, ey?”.

“Don’t push it too much” Stage 3 warned. There was no bite to his words though, so Outer could tell that it was a ‘not yet’ and not a ‘never’

“Gotcha”. He stretched, making sure to leave the hand that was close to Stage 3’s one where it was as he did so. “Now that you’re a bit calmer, wanna go into town and maybe get a bite to eat? ‘Cause I don’t know you, but our little scuffle got me starving”.

Stage 3 studied him for a long moment in silence. He was starting to get used to that. He still wasn’t sure that the other knew that questions were meant to be answered. Though he didn’t mind waiting for him to figure it out. “You’re frail” he finally decided to respond. It was true, everyone always remarked as much. It was the reason why he learned to dodge in the first place. And it was the reason why Papy was always a bit more protective than needed toward him. However, he could take care of himself, and he was about to tell as much to the other when he spoke up again: “I will just have to protect you too. Like Killer”. It was said like an oath. Like the mere idea of not doing so would go against Stage 3’s purpose just as much as not defending ‘the body’ did.

And Outer once again felt special.

His smile widened yet again, and he nodded. “Guess you will”.

[witchyleehibernates-fics]

The Reaping

So... I wrote a thing... Hope you all enjoy! Tell me what you think too! Who's POV do ya'll wanna see next?

Ponyboy grumbled to himself as he forced himself to keep his back straight, he couldn’t even stuff his hands in his pockets or cross his arms. He was dressed in his best clothes and he was surrounded by a bunch of kids his age for the annual reaping for the hunger games. It always made him anxious whenever the reaping came around. He probably had a reason to be this anxious, given that ever since Two-Bit, one of Ponyboy’s best friends, was reaped four years ago it felt like every year one of Ponyboy’s closest friends were reaped.

And this year, only he and Sodapop stood with the rest of the district teens and kids.

He took a deep breath, letting his hands hang limply at his sides as he resisted the urge to turn around to look for his older brother. He’d been told he wasn’t supposed to do that, he was 13 now.

Their mayor was standing up on the stage of the district building, a grim smile on his face. Ponyboy wondered if he was trying to reassure himself or the children standing in front of him, and one of the peacekeepers made some motion.

“Thank you everyone for coming,” Ponyboy fought off a scowl as their mayor stepped up to start talking. It wasn’t like he, like anyone, had a choice in being here. Ponyboy tilted his head to stare at the ground, he needed to to keep his face from scowling at their mayor.

He ignored most of what their mayor said, it wasn’t like it was any important to Ponyboy. It was just the history of how the hunger games had come to be, and why it was important that it happened every year.

How it was a reminder for everyone that the Capital was in control.

At least, that last thought was what Two-Bit had said. The games were just so that the districts knew that the capital had all the control. He’d been drunk that night, and Darry had sent Ponyboy to bed soon after that, not that Ponyboy actually got any sleep that night. Two-Bit had scared him that night, with his words and with how drunk he was. It was soon after Two-Bit’s games, and he hadn’t been coping well… or at least, that’s what Sodapop had said.

“And now, without further adieu, ladies first.” Ponyboy looked up, watching with sharp eyes as their Mayor turned, walking towards the left side of the stage where a glass bowl sat, filled with tiny slips of paper with all the names of the girls, aged twelve to eighteen.

Ponyboy’s hands felt cold, and no matter how many times he rubbed his thumb over his skin, they didn’t warm up. He clasped his hands behind his back, maybe they would warm up. He wished he could be next to Sodapop, his brother always knew how to warm Ponyboy’s hands up. It would also help ease some of the anxiety running through him, having his brother next to him.

Their mayor picked up a slip of paper from somewhere in the center of the bowl, not wasting any time. He walked back towards the microphone, unfolding the slip of paper without any preamble. Ponyboy watched his face fall and he wondered, briefly, if the mayor was close with her.

“Amelia Johnson.” Ponyboy didn’t know who that was, but a girl started to move as another girl started crying.

A girl with dark skin, that reminded Ponyboy of Johnny, and dark brown hair braided down her back was walking up towards the stage. She must have been fifteen or so. Ponyboy wondered who she was to the mayor, who already looked like he was mourning her. She was thin, maybe from the poorer side of the district, and she was small.

The mayor had shaken her hand when she reached him at the microphone, and there was a look of resignation on the girl's face. The girls were silent as ‘Amelia’ stared out at the crowd. Ponyboy was close enough that he could see that her eyes were a dark green.

“And now, for the boys.” Ponyboy’s heart was beating harshly in his chest, hard enough that it nearly actually hurt. His hands were still cold, and rubbing them together behind his back wasn’t helping any.

Their mayor grabbed a slip from the center of the bowl before moving back to the microphone.

“Ponyboy Curtis.” Ponyboy’s heart stopped.

Around him, he could hear people talking, and it took someone touching his arm for him to realize that his name had been repeated. He turned, noticing that the crowd had parted a little, and he was beginning to walk towards the aisle to walk up towards the stage.

He removed his hands from behind his back as he started down the aisle, his heart was racing in his chest again.

“I VOLUNTEER! I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!” Ponyboy spun around at the sound of his brother’s voice, eyes widening as Sodapop ran out into the aisle, eyes wide with fear and shaking hands thrown out at his sides.

“No… No Soda, no…” Ponyboy was shaking his head, and everyone around them was talking. Murmurs passed around as their mayor exclaimed in shock something that he didn’t hear. He was too focused on his brother, who was running down the aisle towards him.

“Pony, go to Darry,” Sodapop told him, when he was close enough.

“No… NO!” Ponyboy had moved and had wrapped his arms around his brother, but his brother wasn’t letting him and someone was grabbing his arms and pulling him away. “No!” Ponyboy shouted, his legs kicking out as his brother turned and continued towards the stage. His stride was strong, but Ponyboy could see that his brother’s hands were shaking.

Sodapop didn’t know what he was doing.

“No! NO! Let me go!” Ponyboy kicked out again, and arms tightened around him. 

“Ponyboy, shut up.” A hand covered his mouth and Ponyboy kicked backwards as Steve tightened his hold. “Little shit.” Steve exclaimed in pain; Ponyboy didn’t care. What he cared about was that his brother had just volunteered to go into the games, and Ponyboy didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what to think. He wanted his brother. Ponyboy wanted his brother and Steve was still carrying him away, and they were in the crowd of spectators now, and Ponyboy couldn’t see Sodapop anymore.

[villainessprefect]

A Twisted Host Club

★ * • .☆  ’ • ⋆

[kicks a hypothetical door down] hello I’ve been hit with a funny idea and my brain demands to write it down so here are some thoughts of an Ouran Twst AU??? It’s been a while since I’ve touched Ouran though so this is just some general ideas that came to me.

Little notes:

Magic is a thing but not too relevant?? I was thinking of this as more of a regular high school AU but has a variety of species (ie merfolk, beastmen, fae). tbh it might just be more focused on transformations and allowing other kinds of folks into one school.

MC is kept gender neutral. You can imagine them following the same thing as Haruhi or not, but thats up to the reader.

The Host Club is the main cast, but I tried to include everyone and your connection to them lol

Most of the students here have money/are rich in some form/have connections to wealth.

RSA is still a rival academy I just didn’t have too many thoughts about them to throw them in here atm.

Yuu / the reader - The rare scholarship kid at NRC. Smart and generally keeps to themselves. They are in the middle class and while not “poor” they are compared to most in the school. Initially interested in the photography club but got dragged into the Host Club after their cat, Grim, broke a rather expensive vase. You start off being a gopher for the club members, but by the end of the day you’re the pretty commoner that the rich folk flock to to get an insight at that “poor” lifestyle. Its weird but you definitely feel better knowing that you can survive in the world without money compared to those here.

Crowley - Your adoptive father who was the one that pushed you into attending NRC. He doesn’t tell you he’s the principal of the school until you actually get in. Surprise! He uses the excuse of not playing favorites yet boasts that you got in all of your own accord with no strings attached! You just have to pay for things out of pocket if you want anything, like say, a uniform for example. He is rather flaky, but he provides you a home and food, thankfully.

Grim - A stray cat that lived around Crowley’s home and that you picked up when you moved in. He’s a bit mischievous and glutton, but adores your attention. Your first day of school had him meowing out for you. He managed to get out of the house and followed you to school. Trying to keep the cat hidden proved to be difficult and eventually a failure on your part when he led you to a fancy club room and broke a priceless vase. At least he’s popular amongst the girls and now acts like a mascot for the Host Club.

Host Club

Vil Schoenheit - The infamous president and leader of the Host Club. A young star model and actor. His father had acted in the Host Club in his youth and he decided to take the reigns when it was his turn to attend NRC. He uses it as a form of training, acting for others given their wishes. But he’s also fairly strict on those in the club and those he performs for. If you want him to lend an ear, be prepared for some harsh and blunt words. Most who come to see him are more for his popularity and celebrity status, others come to learn from him, whether it be for acting or skin care routines.

Vil always seems to be angry or disappointed with you. It’s hard to tell why, yet he’s the one that cleans you up and makes you look like a whole new person. While you now physically fit in with the rest here, you must act like it too. Even if you’re simply paying off a debt, you’re part of the club and you will act like a member. He’s always keeping an eye on you though and thinks you have potential. And he may have a soft spot for you to. While he won’t say it aloud, he hopes you stay even after your debt is paid.

Epel Felmier - Vil’s forced understudy. He’s been designated to be the one to take over and lead when Vil graduates but Epel has no interest in being a host. He hates being called cute and has only recently been learning to use it to his advantage. Epel longs to be in a sports club and skips out to join in on activities when he can. Despite being from the countryside, he does have funds thanks his family’s apple business.

Epel tends to go to you to complain about Vil. You’re in the same boat as him after all! He knows he can be rowdy and drop the prim and proper act around you too. He’s someone you can talk to and not have to worry about the financial gap. You’re always the first one he offers his apples to. You also share the same classes as him, so you two are generally seen together alot.

Azul Ashengrotto - The businessman behind the Host Club. He generally acts in the background, taking care of funds and making appointments. He doesn’t generally take part in acting as a host, rather as someone who will listen to your woes and even offer to solve all your problems...for an additional price. Most go to him when they have troubles with their grades or want to win the heart of another host, which is, unfortunately, the only wish he cannot grant. He’s in charge of snacks/food offered in the club and has a different theme each week.

It seems like Azul is always finding a way to inflate your debt. You can’t tell how much you owe at any given point and it feels like you’ll be paying it off even after you both graduate. Despite all the finances, he does offer you his time. Tell him your poor woes! He’ll help you out! You’re a little wary but sometimes you do cave, for minor problems though. Surprisingly, most of his payments are through information and you can’t tell if thats better or worse than increasing your debt. Still, he is an upperclassman you can turn to if you have studying problems. Which, thankfully, isn’t something you have to go to him for.

Jade & Floyd Leech - The twins of the club and Azul’s childhood friends much to his dismay. Seen together nearly everywhere they go, they always seem to be plotting something. They assist Azul with snacks but take their own twist on it when he’s busy. Jade offers a kind hand to all those in need, but he’s a little...odd about it. He knows more than he lets on and can serve anyone. Most first timers are sent to him. Floyd, on the other hand, is for the thrill seekers. When he’s in a good mood, at least. He doesn’t really do hosting, just plays around with those that go to him. Wanna play tag? Some new commoner sport? ‘Escape’ from the cruel tentacles of Azul? If he’s in a bad mood you can usually just vibe beside him or try to lift his mood. He likes to ‘squeeze’ people whenever he can, whether they are his clients or not.

Jade enjoys surprising you in many ways. He’s usually the first to greet you at the door, always knowing when you’ll be arriving even when you’re late. He appears to be under the guise of making you feel welcomed in this unfamiliar environment. It’s hard to believe him though. He enjoys the fact that you’re willing to try out his specialty dishes despite what may be in them. Whether its braver or hunger driving you, he’s curious. He wants to observe you and learn more about the little debtling in the club.

Floyd is one that always enjoys seeing you even outside of the club. It’s not surprising to be snatched away by him. If anyone is going to ruin your perfect attendance, its going to be him. Still, he enjoys your presence in the club too. He finds you entertaining and tries to get you to break more valuables just to keep you here. When he’s in a bad mood you’re the one they call on if no one else can get him to lighten up.

Kalim Al-Asim - One of the richest students in school. He’s energetic and kind and a lovable sweetheart. He’s here really just to have fun and enjoy his youth. Being in this club was mostly on a whim but he ended up loving it. Most go to him if they’re feeling down because he has a gift for lifting even the darkest of spirits. Some try to get his hand in marriage but attempts are either thwarted by Jamil or go over his head or both.

Kalim always brightens up your day. You hate to admit it, but he really does seem to turn any frown upside down. He’s the one thats furthest away from living a normal lifestyle and takes interest in any “commoner” thing you may have. Instant coffee, while not his thing, is such a fascinating thing to him. He usually offers to share his lunch with you. You think he’s too kind, even since he offered to pay off your debt. Sometimes you wish you’d taken it but would rather not be in debt to him and his family for the remainder of your life, even if he does say otherwise.

Jamil Viper - Kalim’s childhood friend and retainer. He’s here mostly to protect Kalim but ended up being caught up in the Host Club thanks to some persuasion from him and Azul. He tries to usher more clients over to Kalim since he isn’t used to the attention. Part of him enjoys being picked over Kalim and being favorites to clients. If Jade’s schedule is filled up, then Jamil is the second one newbies go to. He’s skilled in a variety of things and generally pleases those he’s with with ease.

It was a little difficult getting to know Jamil at first. He always presented Kalim before himself. You learn that he’s smarter and stronger than he appears since he’s meant to protect Kalim, and in turn, you also learn just how important Kalim really is. Jamil finds you to be a little bumbling thanks to your situation but takes interest in how you deny Kalim. Your life could be so easy yet you choose the hard route. While his main goal is to protect Kalim, he ends up protecting you to.

Photography Club

Rook Hunt - An unofficial member of the Host Club. Despite him being in the photography club, he’s seen there more often then his own club. Azul uses him to snag pictures of the members, although most of them tend to be focused on Vil. He’s poetic and interrupts the Host Club’s sessions to praise their charms and beauty.

You try to learn about the Photography Club from him and take tips during your free time. It’s not easy with how he goes off about Vil and the others but you have to admit that he is giving you insight into the rest of the group. You learn that he’s a devoted fan to Vil and someone called Neige, the latter, you learn, is a name that should not be spoken within the Host Club. While Rook is a little odd, he does shower you in praises too. It’s nice to hear something so warm on harsher days or when you think you’ve upset Vil.

Student Council

Riddle Rosehearts - Student Council President. He’s very strict when it comes to rules. Clubs that fail to meet the criteria are known to be disbanded within hours. He doesn’t mind any of the clubs as long as they follow their intended purpose and don’t cause trouble.

Riddle is the top student in his grade and if you were a year older, you might just be academic rivals aiming for the top. He usually keeps an eye on you and your grades, you are a scholarship student after all. More responsibility falls on your shoulders than you think. 

Trey Clover - Riddle’s childhood friend and Vice President. He’s the one that most go to instead of Riddle as he’s much easier to approach. Even so, club problems shouldn’t be passed to him as they eventually meet Riddle.

You’re one of the few, if not only person, that doesn’t think to speak to him first before Riddle. He isn’t sure if he admires your bravery or not. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to offer his hand to you. He’s also never going to let you forget the oyster sauce incident.

Cater Diamond - The Secretary of the Student Council. He doesn’t seem to take interest in his role and instead post on social media. He comes off as easygoing and sociable, which makes it easy for him to learn about the other clubs.

You follow each other’s social medias and learn that he’s dying to go to the Host Club. He tries to wiggle his way out of work but Trey never lets him escape. He’s a little ‘jelly’ that you get to spend time with Vil. He usually asks for pics from the club.

Board Game Club

Idia Shroud - The elusive President of the Board Game Club. It’s hard to find him and most times he doesn’t even appear in class. Apparently he has special privileges and has to show up once a week, test days are not included so sometimes twice a week. Most mistaken him for being in the Black Magic Club, even though he’s not. He’s just timid and socially anxious, but lightens up over a good game. His club also counts as one for video games he just has to be sneaky about it whenever Riddle does his monthly rounds.

Idia thinks you’re a weird normie. You’re in a club thats out of your league and somehow socialize with everyone else?! Even him?! Neither of you know of each other’s existence until Ortho brings you together. You enjoy being able to play games without hearing really obvious questions thrown your way and other belittling comments. Idia plays because they’re fun not because he’s interested in the poor folk’s social life of how to pass on boredom. You make a great gaming partner in his eyes, although he won’t say it...thats too hard of a difficulty level for him.

Ortho Shroud - Idia’s younger brother who appears on campus more than his actual brother. He isn’t human but looks one if it weren’t for the gadgets on his cheek that give him a mask or vizor depending on how he feels. Some dote on him and he uses that to his advantage.

You meet unexpectedly, nearly running into the boy who was on a search for his brother. While it gets you in trouble with Vil later on, you decide to assist him. Ever since then, he continues to go to you whenever he wants his brother to do more things in school. Sometimes he drops by the Host Club for ‘research’. He’s curious on how this human activity works and also informs his brother on it too.

Sports Clubs

Leona Kingscholar - Captain of the American Football team. He’s been held back a couple of years but his family provides money so the school doesn’t particularly care. Vil has tried to scout him out for the Host Club before but Leona has no interest in it. While he prefers to laze around, its thanks to him that the school’s team aces every tournament. There are rumors about him using underhanded tactics, but he’s never been caught.

He seems to have little to no interest in you yet enjoys pulling you aside whenever Vil sends you out for some reason or another. It’s like he has a sixth sense, knowing just when to use you for his naps. It’s nice to take a breather from running around and trying to be some host. You do your best not to fall asleep beside him though.

Ruggie Bucchi - Vice captain of the American Football team and Leona’s ‘underling’. He’s another rare scholarship student yet seems to be better off than you, school wise at least considering he has a uniform (although it was a hand me down from Leona, but still). He doesn’t mind playing the poor card and does his best to swindle those rich suckers out of their ‘spare change’. He’s quick on his feet and a jack of all trades. He sometimes works at the Host Club for special events.

Ruggie tends to laugh at your position. Being in debt sucks, but he gets it. He gives tips on how to lessen your debt with Azul considering he works with the guy every now and then. It just costs you a week’s worth of lunch. Paying him in food isn’t so bad, plus you get the occasional snack back when he’s feeling generous. You two joke about eating the rich which is pretty fun...except when getting caught by Leona or Vil.

Jack Howl - Track and Field club member. A first year on the team that shows real promise. He’s pretty popular amongst the sports clubs and was fought over which club to join, but ultimately picked this one. He doesn’t mind helping out other clubs if they’re short a member and as long as it doesn’t interfere with his own. Most people expect him to be a jock of some kind but are surprised by his smarts.

Jack shares a few classes with you. He’s been your classmate and partner. He comes off as cold but when he warms up to you, you can see how friendly he really is. Not many stand up for you, but Jack will. He doesn’t quite like you being in debt to the Host club, but there isn’t much he can do about it unfortunately.

Sebek Zigvolt - Equestrian Club member. A newbie in the club but shows promise. He’s a little on the loud side and you know when he’s coming whether its thanks to his booming voice or thundering footsteps. He goes on about Malleus (whoever that is) and isn’t afraid to lecture others on his greatness. Despite this, he can be quite gullible. He originally wanted to be in the Black Magic Club but Lilia convinced him to expand his interests.

You catch him mostly outdoors or in the hallways thanks to sharing classes. He seems to have a strong distaste for your upbringing. While he scolds you, he does seem to have some heart underneath it all. He doesn’t understand the Host Club at all and ignores the club mostly.

Silver - Equestrian Club member. He has a way with any and all animals. The horses listen to him and so do those in the Animal Breeding Club. It’s surprising he isn’t a member of that club, although they are trying to scout him. He has a bad habit of dozing off anywhere and at any time. It tends to get him in trouble, especially during class. He’s takes everything very seriously.

You stumble upon him once while he’s sleeping. From then on you learn to be more careful. Finding him sleeping is one thing, but finding him sleeping with animals is another. You wake him up when he can and he always thanks you for it. He’s a bit of an enigma but you learn that he is adopted to. His father sounds quite...interesting. And familiar but maybe you’re just imagining things.

Ace Trappola - Basketball Club member. A troublemaker and old friend. He’s carefree and blunt which hardly helps his case. He gets in trouble with the student council president a lot. His grades are mess thanks to the fact that he doesn’t study and loafs off in class, but he can pull out surprising answers if given the chance.

You didn’t expect to see Ace in this school. You knew him for about a couple of years prior to middle school. He laughs at your misery of being a new host and how you wound up in this situation. Still he hangs out with you and causes some mischief in the club. He helps smuggle Grim into classes with you whenever the cat decides to show up.

Deuce Spade - Track and Field club member, but also unofficially in the Gardening Club. He’s an ex-delinquent and is trying to better himself since he was given this chance to be in such a prestigious school. He works hard but his old self shows up every now and then. He has a soft spot for his mother and grandmother. He enjoys sports but finds some peace in the Gardening club. He usually waters/takes care of the plants on emergencies.

Deuce is the first friend you make in this school, that isn’t Ace. He did his best to show you around and act like the perfect honor student. You cheer each other on and study together mostly. He doesn’t like trying to help smuggle Grim into classes, but at this point he’s in too deep and knows how to do it, just like Ace. He offered to fight the Host Club once when he heard you were in debt to them.

Black Magic Club

Lilia Vanrouge - Lilia is the President of the Black Magic Club. It’s more of a place to hang out and escape from the world. Although it’s a little unsettling with how much he knows about demons and curses and whatnot, as if he’s been there to see them all. He’s playful and accepts anyone into his club. He tends to give those in his club a little charm he crafts himself, usually to ward off evil spirits...or so he says.

You stumble into his club one day and he takes an interest in you. It’s been so long since he’s seen someone so out of place in this school. He listens to you and asks for nothing in return, only giving cryptic remarks here and there. He has asked for your blood once or twice and you can’t tell if he was joking about it.

Malleus Draconia Hornton/Tsunotaro - A mysterious student who is supposedly part of the Black Magic Club. It seems to be only in name though as Lilia claims he needed one more student to make the club official, so he offered his name. Apparently he wants to make his own club but doesn’t have sufficient members to join, so he’s under this one for the time being.

When you first meet him, you don’t know who he is. It’s late at night and you’ve been held back at school far too late thanks to your ‘dearest’ father. He seems to have some idea of who you are yet you don’t know him. He prefers to keep it that way and allows you to nickname him. You call him a friend despite not knowing his name and sometimes you think he’s imaginary until you pass him in the hallway. You don’t understand the weird stares you get when you wave to him and he waves back.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hi , miss Raven

Their is something has been on my mind for while ;

In rook suitor suit vignette he Compose a flattering poem about Crowley

While Ace and Epel was talking about how rook would compliment anyone , rook insisted that he mean every word he say .

And there's this specific weird line

"if it weren't for your presence , I wouldn't be here"

Like what do you mean?????!!

Do you think this line is hinting at the fact that rook didn't join NRC via traditional way or he wasn't chosen by the dark mirror , since he is one of the light trio

Or To the fact that he transferred to another dorm smoothly without any problem?

For some reason I started suspecting rook recently 😭

The fact he was one of the reason vil overbloted by convincing him to watch neige performance and also he is the one who convinced vil to add Ace and deuce as part of VDC team while I thought lilia and cater was a better option

I would like to hear your opinion about it 👀

Ah, so if I'm understanding you correctly... You're theorizing that Rook might be an outside agent of some kind? One that Crowley intentionally brought into NRC to facilitate triggering overblots??

I’ll try to respond to one question at a time; hopefully this will make it easier to follow along! The post got quite long, so it's all below the cut~

Beginning with Rook’s poem, and, more specifically, “If it weren’t for your presence, I wouldn’t be here”. It’s funny that you mention this line, because when the vignette first came out (in JP; the terminology used is similar to “I would not exist/be here”), people interpreted it VERY literally. As in… “Rook is Crowley’s son because he literally could not be conceived without a father! They’re even both named after birds! They have to at least be blood related somehow!” Strange how in 2020, Crowley was suspected of being Rook’s father but now in 2024 Crowley’s being suspected of being Malleus’s father. The poor headmaster just can’t catch a break 😂

Personally, I don’t think that line is implying anything strange about Rook’s enrollment. As far as we know, he did not join NRC though any abnormal means, and nor did Silver. Of the “light trio” (a label that I must stress exists within the fandom but is not endorsed by TWST), only Kalim fits the bill. Kalim was originally homeschooled, but received an acceptance letter to NRC a month into the school year. Another month later, he transferred in. As far as we know, all students at NRC (save for Yuu and Grim) were chosen by the Mirror of Darkness, even the light trio. Again, I want to emphasize that TWST does not use “light trio” or a similar term to refer to or to characterize Kalim, Silverc and Rook. We’ve gotten no formal in-universe explanation as to why those three in particular have light cosmic magic instead of everyone else’s dark cosmic magic. (This is entirely separate from meta theories, which are out-of-universe explanations for why the “light trio” exists. The popular meta explanation is that it’s because Silver, Kalim, and Rook are not twisted from Disney villains but rather “good” characters like Aurora, the Sultan, and the Huntsman.)

On the subject of transferring dorms, the option is always on the table. We see mob students talk about transferring dorms as early as 1-14:

In 6-67 (part 20 with the Pomefiore group), Vil describes the transfer process as being tedious and involving a lot of “complicated paperwork and ceremonies”. Crowley also says the process is “burdensome” in 1-20, but this phrasing is quite vague and could mean any number of things. (Burdensome to whom, the staff or the students? Why exactly is it burdensome?) Overall, it seems like transferring dorms would take a long time and require various formalities, but not necessarily be full of problems.

As long as you’re dedicated and consistently complete what is asked of you to complete the process, transferring should be no issue. I don’t think it’s a given that you’d normally experience troubles in trying to transfer. It should be smooth by default (unless the student backs out, is uncooperative, and/or fails to complete the required steps). So following that logic, I don’t think the poem line is saying anything about Rook’s dorm transfer either.

While it’s true that Rook encourages Vil to watch Neige’s performance and advises that Vil pick Ace and Deuce for the VDC/SDC Tribe, I do not believe there was malicious intent behind these actions. It’s hinted throughout book 5 that Rook’s reasoning for doing these things was to help Vil recognize the value of his “beauty” is something he gains from himself, not from the approval of others.

This is most likely Rook’s motivation for suggesting Vil observe the competition or to consider freshmen for the team. It’s exposing Vil to the contentedness that can come with imperfection or not being at the very top, something Vil fails to recognize in himself until the end of book 5. Being as perceptive as he is, Rook would have realized that outright telling Vil the moral of the week would not sway his strong-willed friend’s mind. Thus, Rook devised a more roundabout plan and involved Yuu (who, at this point, has a reputation for settling dorm-wide disputes) and co. (unpolished and clumsy underclassmen that Vil could shape as well as potentially also learn from in a reciprocal manner). Maybe Lilia and Cater would have been more technically skilled, being members of a club band and all, but they wouldn’t have provided the same opportunity for growth that Yuu and Adeuce did.

Rook is someone who has always been portrayed as a supporter of Vil’s, a good friend and a trusted confidant. He does have a nefarious side and is 100% capable of deception (like the time in Endless Halloween Night when he quickened his heartbeat to convince Sebek he was also scared and therefore was not a traitor). However, I don’t think Rook would want to betray his friends by actively harming them and putting their lives in danger (both during book 5’s overblot and immediately after in book 6’s rescue mission); he truly cares for them and wants to see them happy and healthy. (One could argue he should have voted for NRC instead of RSA to help Vil achieve his dream instead of betraying him, but that’s another discussion entirely.)

There’s no reason why Rook would go out of his way to do innocuous things like helping Epel with his UM or imparting wisdom to Deuce unless he actually cared and wanted to see them develop. Beyond the scope of book 5, why would Rook do even more innocuous things like trying to make Epel feel welcome and assisting him with learning table manners? Why wouldn’t he go out of his way to provoke Vil more often? Did Crowley hypothetically have even all of these little details down and instruct Rook to do (or not do) these things??? It sounds too far-fetched to attach a hidden motive behind everything Rook says or does. It could be as simple as “he wants to be there to support his friends”.

Before we wrap up, I’d like to quickly touch on the suggestion that Silver and Kalim too were catalysts for Malleus and Jamil’s OBs, respectively. It’s true that they were, but I doubt Silver or Kalim were aware and did so intentionally. Both seemed genuinely ignorant as to the true stress that Malleus and Jamil were under, and Silver + Kalim do not present as toxic people who would want to inflame their friends’ negativity. Of course, there’s always the possibility that Puppet Master Crowley (™) is orchestrating everything from the shadows (but I’m not going to get into the “time loop to gather all the necessary information and learn what the correct choices are” theory here www). I just don’t think Rook is Crowley’s accomplice in all of this if the time loop + intention overblots theories overlap.

This is one of those instances where I see Rook as being very honest with his intentions and because of his… generally strange character (?), his peers and players alike still suspect there is a deeper meaning to his words. I interpret his poem as nothing more than waxing poetic to expressing gratitude to the one man that makes it possible for him to be at NRC as a student: Crowley. Rook states that he wanted to give an exemplary poem using a subject that both Ace and Epel were already familiar with, so he went with the headmaster. Furthermore, we know that Rook is able to witness many wonderful and beautiful things at NRC, as well as make meaningful relationships with interesting people like Vil. He would not be able to do any of these things were he not extended an invitation to NRC—and it is for this reason that it would make sense for him to genuinely be appreciative of Crowley.

Those are all my thoughts on this matter all for now ^^ Hope it was an interesting read!

[viviennevermillion]

ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴅᴀʏ...

❝ someday these dreams will all be real, still then we'll wish upon the moon. change will come, one day... some day soon. ❞ — the hunchback of notre dame

notes: for @briarvalleyarchives 'anthems of old' event. set during halloween.

contains: malleus x gn!reader, reverse hurt/comfort, ambiguous relationship

warnings: none

It was rare to see the young prince of Briar Valley on his own during an occasion that he had been invited to. The wind was strong today, blowing past the rafters of Ramshackle Dorm like the storm in Malleus's heart, leaving a creaking sound behind that made him once more wonder for how long the building had been here and muse about the souls that wandered through its halls, finding comfort in the walls that sheltered them and dreaming of something out there that they had yet to find. Even before the mysterious prefect from another world moved in here, this house had been somebody's home, albeit it may be hard to imagine for the children of man who had only just been brought into this life, compared to how long Malleus's people had roamed this world. Truly, if one were to look at it from their perspective, it was easy to see only an abandoned building, threatened to fall apart during the next rainstorm. But if there was one thing that Malleus had learnt to be privy to both fae folk and mankind, was that the things they left behind in this world; the crafts and projects one had poured their heart into, may persist long after one is gone, even against all odds, to see another day in a brighter future.

Therefore, Malleus mused, turning the invitation letter to the Halloween committee meeting in his hands absentmindedly, we must cherish them. Anger and disappointment surged through him once more as he remembered the trespassers from the previous day, intruding upon these grounds with no concern to the students who lived in this dorm. The dragon fae let out a sigh, looking down onto the vibrantly decorated front lawn. He had picked Ramshackle Dorm as the location for Diasomnia's Halloween venue. Did he bring this upon Yuu and Grim?

Maybe partially. Still, he never could have imagined the audacity of those "Magicam Monsters". Even Lilia seemed surprised, and he had traveled countless of lands and met an abundance of people. Maybe this was just one of those things that represented the distance between the children of men and the dark fae, one he wasn't sure would ever truly be bridged. Malleus's attendance of Night Raven College represented so much more than just the crown prince's education. It was a first step of connecting with the human world that was so foreign to him as a member of the royal family; of reaching out and seeking understanding after years of war and conflict had wreaked the lands and seemingly eternal silence had followed. Lilia had told him that maybe one day, fae and humans would walk hand in hand again. An endeavor that, for now at least, seemed to Malleus like the task of millennia. Was he going to be the one to achieve this? Malleus remained in doubt.

He had been looking forward to these festivities. A Halloween celebration that welcomed everyone from all over the world; getting to know the traditions and customs of other lands when it came to this important festival. It was a privilege for Malleus, a once-in-a-lifetime experience that was not meant to last or to be repeated. He had welcomed the visitors with excitement and kindness, looking forward to sharing this holiday with them and letting them enjoy the results of everyone's hard work. And yet...

Malleus remembered how the humans had treated him once he stepped in to assist Sebek and Silver with the trespassers. He didn't know whether this 'Draconia Challenge' had stemmed from bravery.... or stupidity. Either way, it felt like sheer disrespect to his person. There was guilt in his heart when he looked at the invitation. It was such a rare and special occasion to be invited like this by the other students, yet in his heart he knew he had to take a break from the whole ordeal, lest his impulsivity get the better of him. He wouldn't want to cause trouble for his fellow students.

"The famous wizard, Malleus Draconia, whom everyone is afraid of. If I take a picture of myself touching something like that, I will feel like I completed a legendary achievement."

Was this truly how people looked at him? Were most simply too terrified to voice it? Or was he, to them, like a curiosity to be gawked at? Once Malleus's unbridled rage had subsided, the comments left a bitter taste in his mouth, making him second-guess the way people perceived him. He'd be foolish to believe that his incredible magic power and his status as the prince of an isolated fae nation wouldn't alienate him from the human youths, but was it this bad?

"Hey, look, it's an old-fashioned bicycle"

He remembered the foolish man who had grabbed his horns and caused his temper to spiral out of control, almost causing an interspecies conflict then and there. Malleus remembered how Silver had tried to keep the humans away from him for their own safety. Malleus felt disrespected and wronged because of the Magicam Monsters. He felt frustrated because he saw that his attendants didn't trust him to handle the situation on his own... and ashamed, because they were right. In that moment he had felt the farthest from that dream of a united world that Lilia had spoken of. Malleus was the one who would represent his people in the future; the peace between humans and fae would partially rest on his shoulders, more so than it did already. And yet... he had almost compromised it yet again. Thunder echoed across the island once more as he thought about that moment.

"Hey, how are you holding up?", a voice disrupted his thoughts. The thunder seized when Malleus looked up at you, trying to figure out what to do with your legs and arms to make sure you'd be able to sit down next to him without risking to fall off the roof. "I just need some time to cool off", he spoke calmly, not wanting to let you see the full extent of his distress, "I hope I didn't frighten you." You shook your head.

"I won 5000 madol from the school newspaper for accurately predicting the weather."

At least something, Malleus thought, slightly amused at your statement.

"If you'd rather be alone right now, do not hesitate to tell me", you reached into your backpack to pull out a small bag of candy, "I still thought that no one should have to spend Halloween alone. I got these at Sam's shop, would you like to share? We could watch a Halloween movie too. They don't expect me at the stamp rally today, so if you want to, we could spend some time."

Malleus gave you a soft smile. "I would like that", he reached into the bag of candy that you held out to him, pulling out a pumpkin-shaped treat, "it would probably help to get my mind off things. And I've never actually seen a movie before."

"What's going through your head right now?", you asked out of curiosity, wrapping your arms around your knees and looking at Malleus's face in anticipation of his answer. "I was simply wondering whether fae and humans could ever see eye to eye and come to an understanding. If we could be neighbors and friends like Lilia wishes." "Well, one thing is for sure, if we watch all parts of Pumpkin Knight, you'll already convince one of them", you chuckled, thinking back to Idia's rant about his favorite Halloween movie.

Malleus chuckled too, before returning to his thoughts from before, looking up at the sky. "Am I truly that terrifying to people?", he mumbled quietly. Your heart broke seeing him like this. You missed that confident smirk on his face whenever he would try to tease you; although you knew that this mood was a long time coming, especially with the events that had transpired during the past few days.

"Man sees in the world what he carries in his heart", you mused, leaning back and following the prince's gaze, "are the things we fear truly objectively dangerous and scary, or isn't what we really fear more often than not our own limitations... our weaknesses and shortcomings... our lack of ability to adapt?" Malleus thought about your words, having to admit that there was some truth to it. "I don't think you're scary. I think you represent uncertainty to a lot of people and they don't know how to approach that", you theorized, "was it not similar for you when you left Briar Valley?"

Malleus thought back to the day that he received his admittance letter to Night Raven College. Indeed, leaving his homeland and coming to this primarily human-populated community took courage and it did make him unsure. Not exactly terrified, but unsure without a doubt. He mused that a group of humans just showing up in Briar Valley one day would cause quite the commotion as well. He remembered Lilia telling him about how the Zigvolt's neighbors reacted when word spread that their eldest daughter was going to marry a child of man. Memories of the war and the depression and grief that followed it like a shadow were brought up in light of such a joyous occasion as an engagement.

Especially to such a long-lived race as the fae, the distant past was like a deep scar struggling to heal and each time the lines between those two different worlds that Malleus had now experienced first-hand were blurred, it was like the wound opened and bled a little once more. He felt that internalized disdain and suspicion towards the human race everytime there was a royal gathering and everytime someone brought up his parents. He, too, hadn't been untouched by it growing up. Images flashed his mind of the rainy days, the loneliest of the year, where he had snuck out of the castle to visit his parents' grave. To get a moment alone with them; without a horde of guards or his grandmother on his heels.

Malleus didn't have many memories of his early childhood but he knew that there had been many moments where he had wondered why the children of men had taken his parents from him. How unfair it was, that he had to grow up alone like this. What was so important about this conflict that they had to die? That families were torn apart and homes destroyed?

Malleus, after centuries mostly spent within the walls of his castle, was, albeit cautious, excited to go to this school. But he could also sense his grandmother's fear when she had sent him off to these foreign lands that they remained so out of touch with that even they, as members of the royal family, were unfamiliar with the recent history of many nations across the world. Even knowing how strong he was and that he was accompanied by such reliable guards never eased her concerns. Malleus couldn't blame her, either.

"I suppose many of my kin feel the same about meeting children of men as the latter do about meeting a dragon fae like me", Malleus let out a sigh, "it is a pity how far apart we seem even living on the same campus because of those misunderstandings that persist from bygone times." You nodded. "To answer your question", Malleus continued, "I was not afraid of coming here but I was wary, too. It did take some courage."

You thought about his words for a moment, making note of his thoughtful expression and the way he seemed off in his own world, trying to make sense of the ideas in his mind and the feelings in his heart. "And...have your feelings changed?", you asked, absentmindedly brushing a strand of hair out of his face. Malleus looked up at you with a surprised expression on his face. "Pardon", you apologized when it dawned on you that you hadn't even noticed you did this. A smile grazed Malleus's features. "Heh. I do not mind."

He plopped another candy into his mouth, giving you a glimpse of his sharp fangs. He thought about the countless attempts at fearmongering he became witness to in Briar Valley when the topic of human civilization came up. How their society was described to him in comparison to his own perception of it. "I suppose it did", he answered carefully, still lost in thought, "there's a great divide between our people, and yet many of the things that we concern ourselves with are the same for the children of men. We may not be able to understand each other for a long time, but we care about our families and we're able to enjoy lively celebrations and gargoyles..."

You didn't have the heart to tell him in this moment that gargoyles were more of a... niche interest.

"That's a good way of looking at it", you smiled softly, giving Malleus's hand an encouraging squeeze, "and it's a start. This Halloween is a celebration that we all can enjoy, despite our differences. Don't let a few outliers dishearten you. Focus on the good things. Remember, there was a little boy who wanted to take a photo with you on the first day of Halloween week and excitedly showed it to his father. And on the last day, we'll have this big parade and share candy with everyone."

Malleus smiled at the thought of that. These moments weren't anything the tales about the children of man in Briar Valley made him think of. They were something new and special that he had to see with his own eyes to learn to cherish. And maybe one day it would be the same for the humans. Maybe someday he could show his world to them and they would find as much wonder in it as he did in theirs. He had to ask you to visit his homeland when you had time to do so; he'd make sure to show you around personally.

"Do you think I will one day see a world where humans and fae will understand each other?", the thought still seemed so far and unlikely to Malleus now. He was surprised by the confidence in your answer. "Definitely", you nodded, "you will live for thousands of years and this world changes faster with every passing day. And with it, the people who live on it grow too with the generations. When there's a moment where the rulers of other nations will dine at the same table with the court of Briar Valley and laugh together, I'm sure that you will be to see it."

Malleus chuckled. "That seems like millennia from now."

"It could be", you laughed, "sure feels like it sometimes." You listened to the sound of a tile falling from the roof of Ramshackle Dorm and shattering on the ground below. "I suppose the world is a little bit like this dorm." "How so?", Malleus asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's old, flawed... scarred and changed by tragedies from long ago. Sometimes things seem so bad that the next big storm feels like a disaster it can't come back from. But we still add things to it and repair what has been broken. Change is subtle, barely noticeable at times. But one day you'll wake up and notice that the roof has stopped leaking and the windows aren't cracked and birds aren't building any more nests in your bedroom."

Malleus laughed while simultaneously cringing a little at the state of this dorm, considering there were students living here.

"So the whole world is a little like an abandoned building", Malleus looked up and you sighed upon seeing the delight in his eyes. Undoubtedly he had slipped back into what you liked to call the "Malleus tunnel vision", a state of mind he entered when someone brought up ruins or gargoyles or dragons. "Not the conclusion I wanted you to come to", you chuckled, "but it's not abandoned. It won't be for as long as there are people looking to make it a better place."

Malleus watched the sun rise above the ocean. "I'll do my best to contribute", he promised quietly, closing his eyes and feeling the wind blow through his hair. "I know you will", you smiled and rested your head on his shoulder, enjoying the peaceful morning before the stamp rally would begin once more, "but that also means not making things worse if someone knocks down a pillar in the house. So tone it down a little with the lightning and the magic."

"I'm sorry for that", Malleus said, disappointed in himself for how he handled that situation yesterday. He leaned his head against yours. "Let's just enjoy this day together, take some time off from the whole fiasco and hope that the improvements in the future will outweigh the disasters", you suggested with a peaceful smile on your face. "That sounds nice", the dragon fae admitted, gently wrapping his tail around your waist.

Maybe a little faith wasn't misplaced here. Everyone in Twisted Wonderland had a habit of taking a step forward and two steps back, yet in the end, they were still moving forward steadily. Malleus reminded himself to not let his temper get the better of him; to not add upon the destruction and instead focus his efforts on nurturing his dorm and his country and to repair what had been broken, however long it may take. And who could know what the future would bring? Maybe that vision of Lilias, that had seemed like a fever dream to Malleus just 24 hours ago, was already in motion.

Change would come. One day... someday... soon.

[somedaylazysomeday]

Good Intentions Part Seventeen

A surprise visit in the middle of the night isn't what you had assumed it would be...

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 5,900

Warnings: ongoing references to sex as a form of payment, implied violence, non-consensual drug use, paranoia, cuddling, threats

That's right - no sexual contact in this chapter! Sorry if that's not what you're looking for here. But enjoy the knowledge that this is the first time I've ever had to write a warning about a lack of sex in a fic!

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It was never a good sign when you were awoken in the dark hours of the morning by a frantic tapping on your bedroom door. 

Granted, the situation wasn’t as rare as you would have preferred. You ran an outreach, after all. The Haven’s patients struggled, relapsed, went through withdrawal, and even needed medical attention on occasion. Everyone had strict orders to tell you when things like that happened, no matter what time of day it was or what else you were doing. 

Everything and everyone had seemed stable when you went to bed, though, so it took you a moment of blearily blinking at the door before you rolled out of bed and went to answer it. When you peered out into the hallway, you were expecting to see Arunn. Perhaps Steel or Yi, both of whom had been on night watch. 

Nothing had prepared you to see Sevika. 

“What-?” It was all you had time to croak out before she had shoved the door open with a strong arm, sending you stumbling backward until you finally lost your balance. You fell directly onto your ass, staring up with all the grace of a newborn bird as Sevika hustled over to your bed. 

It wasn’t until she carefully spread Silco’s limp body across it that you even registered she had been carrying him over one broad shoulder. 

“Silco?” you demanded, voice harsh and shaking as you struggled to your feet and rushed across the room. “Silco?!”

Silco didn’t respond to you. He didn’t even move. His stillness let you focus on him with the intensity you were feeling. He looked paler than usual, his scars standing out in stark contrast against his hollow cheek and the blankly staring darkness of his eye. His clothing was rumpled and spattered with dark stains that you knew would be blood in full light. The same shadow marked his neck and chin, but turned from a fine spray to a dense coating on his hands. 

You unbuttoned his shirt, worried about the way that blood trailed from his neck downward into the darkness of his clothing. If he was wounded, you were just wasting time that could be used getting a doctor to the Haven…

“He’s alive,” Sevika assured you, looking grim. “But he’ll need some time to recover. The biggest problem is that they drugged him.”

“They?” you asked. “Who is ‘they’?”

“That’s none of your business.” 

The harshness of Sevika’s answer did nothing to reassure you. In fact, your worry and fear flipped to anger in a moment. You gestured sharply at the unconscious chem baron sprawled in your bed. “Really? Because this seems like you’re making it my business!”

Sevika’s lip curled and you braced yourself - either for some harsh words or a physical blow, you weren’t sure which - but you both pulled up short at the small, pained sound that came from the direction of your bed. 

“Sev-” His voice faded out, the tension slowly easing from his body only to return in full force a moment later. “You must find him. You must- Do not allow him to-”

“I know, boss,” Sevika told him, and Silco’s body went lax with the reassurance. It seemed to be the truth. Silco’s mutterings were just gibberish to you, but Sevika looked resolute as she turned to you. “I have to go take care of that. I need to know that you’ll keep an eye on him.” 

“What was he drugged with?” you asked - not avoiding the question, but side-stepping it for the moment. “Shimmer?” 

Sevika scoffed at you. “Do you really think Silco wouldn’t know how to avoid being dosed with Shimmer? Or that it would take him out this badly? No, princess, it’s not Shimmer. Now, are you gonna take care of him or not?” 

“Why here?” you asked nervously. “Is he safe? I can’t do much against whoever is trying to hurt him-”

“Most of them are dead,” she told you, the short explanation cutting through your worries in an instant. “He wouldn’t go back to the Drop. Said it was safest here. I agree - most people wouldn’t think to look for him here, but there’s plenty of his guards around if they do.” 

You nodded. “What do I do about the drugging? Does he need something to help it?” 

“Only time.” Sevika’s metal hand settled heavily on your shoulder. “Just keep him in here, away from people and away from the windows. The best thing for him is if no one knows he’s here.” 

It seemed uncharitable to point out that would be the best thing for you, too, but Sevika didn’t give you time to consider saying it. With a short nod, she left your room. When you hurried to the window, you could see her leaving the Haven only moments later, giving a list of instructions to Raka. 

When Raka had returned to the Haven, you shut the curtains tightly and went back to the bed. Silco still wasn’t conscious, but he looked uneasy rather than completely relaxed. His natural eye moved behind its lid and his long limbs were stirring. You winced at the blood smearing across your tangled sheets. If he truly wasn’t in danger, there was nothing for it but to get to work. 

You soothed Silco with gentle words and gentler touches, smoothing hair back from his face and loosening his tie. When he was lying still once more, you unbuttoned his vest and removed his tie completely. 

Stripping the bloodstained fabric away helped minimize the continued damage to your sheets, but you couldn’t help a wince at the fast-forming bruises on his pale skin. A particularly nasty one spreading across his sternum looked like it might end up as a sprain, if not broken bones. 

You risked leaving the room for a few moments, retrieving a new set of sheets, a loose pair of pajama pants, and a few old towels before you darted back to your room. 

No one had seem you, of course. No one would be awake in the Haven for hours yet, with the exception of the staff members watching over the Haven’s patients. You took a moment to be grateful that the treatment floors of the Haven were all on the upper levels of the building. 

Removing the rest of Silco’s clothes was a surprisingly simple task. Apparently, you had absorbed more than you thought from watching him undress during all of your meetings. When his clothing, shoes, and accessories were in a neat but bloodstained pile next to the door of your room, you wet a towel with warm water and set to wiping the blood from Silco’s skin. 

That was the most difficult part of your task by far. The blood on Silco’s hands, arms, neck, and face had been there long enough to grow tacky but not long enough to begin flaking off. He woke several times as you worked to clean him up, but you were able to calm him back to sleep easily enough. 

He was dressed in comfortable pajama pants and quietly resting as you stripped the sheets from the bed. There was no way for you to change the fitted sheet beneath Silco, not without calling someone who could lift his weight. Since that was a rather incendiary idea, you contented yourself with propping pillows behind Silco’s head and using an old towel to cover his bare torso. You hated the idea of him being cold or uncomfortable. 

It was ludicrous, an assessment Silco would probably share if he were awake… but he wasn’t. He was lying injured and drugged in your bed, and you found yourself close to tears for some reason you couldn’t quite identify. 

Maybe it was because he was so still. Silco wasn’t a large man. His height paired with the scars and menacing personality made him seem so much bigger, but he was slender and graceful - far more like a thief’s dagger than a soldier’s club. 

But laying flat on his back with a towel draped over his chest, Silco looked more delicate than ever. His scars were still fearsome and that eye glowed like an ember in the dimness of your room, but without the personality to back it up, there was no denying that he had lost his imposing nature. 

Temporarily. 

You hoped.

A knock at the door made you jump and glance over. When you saw it begin to open, you hurled yourself against it with every ounce of energy you could muster. Who would come in without knocking? Was it someone trying to hurt Silco? Had whoever attacked him managed to track him down here? Where were the guards?

“Is everything okay?” Arunn called through the door. You relaxed slightly at his familiar voice. “Fletcher said you haven’t come out of your room today.” 

Your eyes jerked toward the covered window. Sure enough, you could see sickly sunlight seeping around the corners of your curtains. “It’s fine, Arunn. Everything is okay.” 

There was a pause that managed to sound skeptical. “Are you sure about that?” 

With as much hoarseness as you could pack into your voice, you told him, “I don’t feel well today. I’m trying to rest and work on paperwork when I’m not sleeping. I’m probably going to be in here all day. Can you manage things without me?” 

“Yeah, we’ll be okay.” Arunn seemed concerned and you felt bad about that, but at least he believed you. “I’ll bring you something to eat later.” 

“Thank you. Please just leave it outside the door and I’ll bring it in myself.” 

“And you’re sure you can get it?” 

You nodded, knowing he couldn’t see it, and faked a cough. “Yes, I can. Thank you again.”

“No problem, boss.” Arunn sighed. “Rest up today - we need you back as soon as you’re feeling better.” 

“I will,” you promised weakly.

When Arunn’s footsteps faded, you locked the door before you pushed away from it. There were good odds that no one would disturb you in your room, but it wouldn’t hurt to be certain. 

If this were any other business, you would probably need to worry that someone would come to check up on you. However, one of the most difficult parts of treating Shimmer withdrawal was that it often left the ex-user immunocompromised for a few weeks. With a constantly rotating roster of people who couldn’t be exposed to sickness, you could nearly guarantee that your “rest” wouldn’t be interrupted. 

As you approached the bed, you noticed that Silco’s natural eye was open slightly. You would have assumed it was a trick of the light, or a slackening of his facial muscles, but his mouth was also moving. 

“Silco?” you asked. The movements of his lips didn’t falter or change, and you suspected that he couldn’t hear you. You spoke anyway, just in case he could: “Silco, if you can hear me, you’re safe. You’re at the Haven with me. No one knows you’re here except me and the guards. You’re safe.”

The inaudible murmuring slowed to a near halt, but Silco’s mismatched eyes stayed fixed on you. You risked reaching out to smooth a strand of hair back from his forehead. “The only reason Sevika isn’t here is because she went to hunt someone down.” 

Silco’s face tightened, and he struggled to sit up. It was a mark of how bad he was feeling that you could keep him lying flat with only a hand braced against his shoulder. 

“You need to rest,” you informed him. “Everything is fine, you’re safe.” 

You had hoped repeating that he was safe would soothe him, but Silco seemed unconvinced. “Threat- Need- go…”

Chills danced up your spine and teased at the back of your neck. You fought a shudder, trying to look serene instead of concerned as you slowly shook your head. “No, Silco. You’re safest here. Sevika went to go take care of the threat. No one is going to hurt you as long as you’re here-”

Silco caught at the front of your sleep shirt, pulling you down toward him as he hissed urgently, “Not- hurt me. Hurt you.”

That made your stomach tighten with foreboding. Before you started following the demands of a drugged man, you needed to check some things. “Silco, did you tell them about me?”

“No,” he denied, hands shaking as they released your shirt. 

You nodded. “Good. Did you tell them about the Haven?” 

“Never,” he spat. 

“Even better.” Your look of serenity was finally legitimate as you said, “It seems like we don’t need to worry. Between Sevika and the guards we have at the Haven, the people chasing you won’t be able to find us here.” 

“Not people,” Silco said, shaking his head. At least, you assumed that had been his intention. The muscles of his neck didn’t seem to work properly at the moment, and his head rolled languidly across the pillow. “Person.” 

“You’re this worried about one person?” you asked, bewildered. “Wait, a single person did all of this to you?” 

“No,” Silco said again, baring his teeth. “More. I… all- Killed them all.”

“Except one,” you concluded. 

“Coward.” Silco may have been drugged and injured, dressed in borrowed clothes with a towel as a blanket, but the one-word insult made his disdain clear. “Hid while-”

He cut off mid-sentence, seeming transfixed by something behind you. You stood from the edge of the bed, where you had sat to hear Silco better, and whipped around. Your hands came up, ready to defend Silco from who or whatever had snuck into the room. 

There was nothing behind you. 

When you turned back to the bed, Silco had fallen asleep once more. 

Since you were stuck in your room for the foreseeable future, you started working on the paperwork you had mentioned to Arunn. A lot of it consisted of reports for various parties who had a stake in the Haven and the way it was run. Once that was done, you had payroll to do, accounts to track, and appointments to make for the patients. While you had a doctor on staff, you liked to bring in a psychologist every month to speak with anyone who wanted to talk. 

As you set aside the last piece of paperwork, several hours had passed without a sound or movement from Silco. You approached the side of the bed, nervously noting that his chest was either rising and falling so evenly that you couldn’t see it… or it wasn’t moving at all.

You checked his pulse. It beat strong and steady against your fingertips and you felt ridiculous for thinking the worst. But before you could pull your hand away, Silco nuzzled against it, brushing your touch over the angles of his cheekbones. It was lucky his eyes didn’t open, because you couldn’t help the softness of your smile. 

As if that had been the final straw toward convincing you, you decided to get back into bed as well. After all, if you were going to take today off as a rest day, you should actually look rested. Sevika and Silco had interrupted your sleep and, despite the worthiness of the cause, you were starting to feel tired as the adrenaline finally ebbed. 

And since the sheets were stained with blood from Silco’s clothes, you pulled an extra blanket from your closet, covering yourself with it. If part of it covered Silco as well, you weren’t responsible for that. 

Your sleep was shockingly sound considering the strangeness of the situation. Silco was in your bedroom, Sevika was planning to come back as soon as she killed whoever Silco hadn’t managed to, and you were keeping all of it from everyone else who called the Haven a home. 

The counter arguments were that Silco was warm and his steady breathing provided the perfect metronome to time your descent into slumber. Your blanket was soft and the blood on the mattress cover hadn’t quite reached your side of the bed yet. The shades were still drawn, turning your room into a shadowed cavern, and the noises from the rest of the Haven were muted by the earliness of the hour and the knowledge that you weren’t feeling well. 

The conscientiousness made you smile, but it also made you sleep easier.

You didn’t wake until a pair of hands clasped roughly around your shoulders. Jolted unpleasantly out of your sleep, you could only stare around the room to find the cause.

Silco was apparently in the grips of a nightmare. His natural eye was half-open, the lids parted but slack. His lips were parted as well, as if he could not get enough air except through gasping. Most directly important to you, his hands were locked on your arms, keeping you from trying to touch him to bring him out of the nightmare. 

“Silco-” you tried, shimmying your shoulders as much as you could in his hold. “Silco, it’s fine. You’re safe. You’re at the Haven. No one knows-”

“Quiet,” he hissed, shaking you roughly. 

You fell silent. 

Silco’s eyes were wider then, the lids almost fully open over his natural eye as he stared around the room. He was lying on his side, facing you, so his view was limited to what he could see past you. 

Even with the frantic visual search of your room, Silco apparently couldn’t stay awake. His face slackened slightly, grip loosening before his hands and his expression tightened again… only to fall slowly slack. This cycle repeated a few more times as you watched, fascinated by Silco’s struggle against whatever had been used to drug him. 

At last, he slumped back against the mattress, hands falling away from you. You relaxed, too, though you kept your gaze trained on his face. Whatever he had been dosed with, it was bad. For Silco to be knocked off-balance so thoroughly… Well, you were grateful Sevika had been there to get him out. If Silco had been in this state surrounded by enemies, you were certain he wouldn’t have stayed alive for long. 

You had been thinking through the situation, wondering about how long Sevika would be gone and how you would smuggle Silco out of the Haven without anyone seeing him. You had intended to stay awake, to keep watch over Silco and soothe him when he got restless again, but you must have fallen asleep. Or so you assumed, because Silco was on top of you in the span of a blink. 

The jerk you gave was reflexive and worthless. Silco had planted himself on top of you, a hand pressed over your lips. “Stay quiet.” 

You nodded in response to his order. His position on top of you trapped your hands by your sides, but you tried tapping his hip to signal that he didn’t need to gag you. He didn’t even seem to notice your touch.

“Someone is outside,” Silco breathed. His eyes were wide, no signs of the involuntary laxness that had marked them since he arrived, but the pupil of his natural eye was blown wide. “They’ve found me.” 

You listened intently, focusing your attention so strongly that you started to hear the faint whine of a totally silent room. The words you had been repeating all morning seemed trite, so you opted for something different: “You’ve been hearing things all morning…”

Your explanation - thoroughly muffled by Silco’s palm - cut off abruptly as you heard a scraping shuffle from the hallway outside your door. You froze. 

Silco nodded, eyes focused on your face. “We need to be ready. If they know I’m in here-”

There was no sign he had heard your first explanation, but you tried to speak again, to tell him that he needed to let you up if you were going to be ready. You hadn’t said more than a handful of words when the shuffle came closer and Silco sprang into action. 

In a single move, he had rolled you to the other side of the bed. You were further from the door then, with him planted firmly between you and any possible intruders. 

Silco had been lying in bed all morning, wracked with illness and poison, but he looked utterly capable as he crouched facing the door. He was just in front of the bed and you had to take a second look to verify that there was a knife in his hand. You weren’t sure where he had gotten in from, but you guessed it was one of his. He was clearly used to handling the weapon, holding it like it was an extension of his arm. 

You tried to stand up, to move past and protect him, but a firm shove from Silco’s shoulder sent you tumbling back onto the surface of your bed. It didn’t hurt, obviously, but you were left with the options of sitting back and letting a drugged and injured Silco handle whoever was at the door or doing something stupid…

“Who is it?” you called loudly. 

Silco’s body didn’t move, staying poised between the bed and the door with the knife held ready in his hand. But his head swiveled, glancing back at you over his own shoulder with a hiss through bared teeth. 

To your unending relief, Arunn’s voice came through the door. “Sorry, just leaving some food and water out here. I also brought a hot drink. It might make you feel better. The steam, you know. Sorry to wake you up. Try to eat and drink when you can, but I’m glad you’re getting some rest. You work too hard… Anyway, let me know if you need anything.”

And then you heard the unmistakable sounds of Arunn walking back down the hallway. You relaxed so much that you flopped to your back and sank into the bed. All that tension returned in an instant when you felt someone looming over you. 

When you cracked your eyes open, you found Silco glaring down at you. “You are a stupid, reckless little fool. You had no way of knowing who was outside.” 

“And neither did you,” you pointed out. Silco didn’t seem to appreciate your reasoning. “I could probably defend us better than you could right now.” 

“Ridiculous,” he sniffed. A moment later, his face turned an interesting shade of gray and his green eye rolled upward. He swayed - hard - but caught his balance. “You are not capable-”

“You need to lay back down,” you interrupted. He was going to refuse, you could see it, but you grabbed his arm and gave a light tug. He crumpled instantly to the mattress, looking startled. Then he went grayish again and his face slackened once more. 

Your first reaction was, understandably, panic. But when you collected yourself enough to check things out, you felt far more confident that Silco was going to be okay. His breathing was easy and regular, his heart beating steadily. His muscles were relaxed and his fingers were warm. Even as you watched, his face slowly started gaining color again. 

Calling a doctor was your first instinct, but that would inarguably put Silco in danger, and you weren’t willing to do that. You had to trust that Sevika knew what she was talking about when she said he would recover from the drugging. So you chalked the reaction up to overexertion and did your best to move on from it. 

Of course, you also weren’t willing to be woken up that unpleasantly a second time. Instead, you retrieved the tray Arunn had left and set the glass of water by the bed for Silco. Then you retreated to the small makeshift desk you had set up in your room. After you ate the food Arunn had brought, you began filtering through paperwork. 

Every few minutes, you studied Silco, but he continued to rest easy, so you left him alone. If he was anywhere near as busy as you suspected he was, he probably could use the chance to sleep. He certainly seemed to need it. 

You didn’t really know how much time had passed when Silco began to get restless. He tossed one way, then the other. He twitched and frowned, scowling without waking up. And then he began to talk.

They weren’t full sentences, even when you got close enough to hear them. There were bits and pieces of muttered warnings sprinkled with threats. It made you smile despite yourself. Even in drugged sleep during a weak moment, Silco was still trying to be in command of the situation. 

“Leave… You will walk away. No. No. …an error… She will not… If you even attempt…”

The mention of a nameless ‘she’ made your heart skip a beat. But you were too pragmatic to misinterpret that fierce, protective tone. That, more than anything else, helped you fill in the gaps of what had happened: someone had threatened Jinx. One of the other chem barons, most likely. That was why he had come here and not to The Last Drop. Jinx presumably lived at the Drop while Silco didn’t mind if anyone at the Haven was in danger from him being here. 

The tightening in your stomach at that must be irritation that he had callously disregarded the safety of your patients. That was the only explanation. The only one that made sense, anyway. 

Had Silco been ousted as the head chem baron? Were you hiding the recently deposed leader of Zaun in the Haven? What would they try to do to him? Silco kept a tight lid on the violence in the Undercity - public violence, that was - but if he wasn’t in charge, anarchy could reign. It wasn’t terribly long ago in the Undercity’s history that public beatings and executions had taken place…

But if Silco was really being overthrown, the coup hadn’t been entirely successful. You could vividly recall the way Sevika had said most of the people who had attacked Silco were dead. If you had interpreted their little exchange correctly, she was currently hunting down the last antagonistic survivor of the attack.

With any luck, she would be finished before Silco recovered from his drugging. 

You returned to your paperwork, working steadily through the pile until you had a neat stack of completed forms, applications, and grant requests sitting on the corner of your desk. You flexed your fingers around the pen, trying to ease the cramping in your overworked muscles. As you gave it a final shake, your eyes drifted over to the bed.

Silco was watching you. 

The sight of him awake and looking back at you made you startle, and the pen clattered loudly onto the desk. 

“Are you awake?” you asked softly. 

He didn’t respond immediately, but when he did, it was with a wry expression. “Do I make a habit of sleeping with both eyes open?” 

That certainly sounded more cognizant than anything else he had said since he’d arrived. “I don’t know, I don’t spend a lot of time around you when you’re sleeping. Do you?” 

“I do not,” he informed you. He gave a sharp wince as he rolled onto his back. 

“There is a glass of water on the bedside table for you,” you told him. “How much do you remember?” 

“More than I care to.” Silco stared up at the ceiling, a slight frown crossing his face. “But nothing since the attack itself. How did I come to be here?” 

“Sevika brought you.” The explanation seemed insufficient, so you pressed on. “Apparently, you told her to bring you here. Neither of you ever said if there was a reason for that.” 

“Where is Sevika now?” 

You frowned. “I’m not really sure. She brought you here and then left to go finish the last one off.” 

Silco’s head turned slowly toward you. “The last one.” 

“Whoever it was who attacked you,” you said with a shrug. “I never really caught who that was.” 

“Ah.” He left it at that, letting you both simmer in the silence for long enough that you thought of a dozen things to say and discarded them all. He slowly sat up, movements ginger, then took a deep draw from the glass of water on the bedside table. “Do you have a shower I can use? I feel the need to rinse the blood off.” 

You opened your mouth to tell him you had already taken care of it, but decided it seemed too intimate. More intimate, somehow, than having cleaned the blood from him in the first place. “Through there.” 

As Silco made his way shakily to the shower, you vowed that you would never again feel guilty for having a private bathroom attached to your bedroom. It was worth every bit of second-guessing you had done while choosing your room.

There was a strange sort of serenity in the moment, you decided eventually. The sound of water raining down from the showerhead was muted by the door and the Haven was quiet. The shades were drawn and the light from your desk lamp spilled gold over the room. With Silco out of the way, you finished making the bed with fresh sheets. It was homey and warm, private and peaceful. 

Certainly not what you would have expected from having an injured drug lord in your rehabilitation clinic. 

A short, sharp knock on the door made you jump. You moved toward it quietly. “Who is it?” 

“Raka.”

You pulled the door open slightly, leaving only a small gap between the door itself and the frame. If this was some sort of trap, you could hopefully close it before anyone could force their way inside. 

But Raka was alone, holding a scrap of paper. “Is he awake?” 

“Yes.” 

Raka nodded. “Sevika sent this.” 

He handed the note to you before disappearing back down the hall. The abruptness left you staring after him, but you closed the door when you heard the water shut off in the bathroom. 

When you smoothed out the wrinkled paper under the light of your lamp, a few terse words met you: Send him out when it’s dark. - S

You glanced at a clock, surprised to find that it was far later than you had expected. It would be dark in half an hour, maybe a little less. 

Silco stepped out of the bathroom with no warning. You averted your eyes when you realized that he was naked. “Where are my clothes?” 

“By the door,” you told him. “They’re still very bloody.” 

“Good.” 

You decided not to look too deeply into that. Silco shook them out, presumably in an attempt to dislodge any wrinkles, but you winced as the blood crackled and fell in flakes to your floor. 

He dressed in a series of efficient motions. He looked very comfortable when he was finished, though you couldn’t imagine feeling at ease in clothes that were crusted with blood and other fluids. 

You cleared your throat. “Sevika is outside. When it gets dark, I’ll escort you out.” 

“How long?” he asked, checking his cuffs.

“About fifteen minutes now.” 

Silco nodded. He stepped toward your freshly made bed, then seemed to think better about sitting down in his bloody clothes. You appreciated his restraint, but you appreciated it a bit less when he began pacing around your bedroom. 

Every item not hidden away was paid special scrutiny. Silco examined every picture on your wall, every knick knack, the books on your bedside table, the pile of clean laundry you had yet to put away. It made you nervous, enough so that you were counting the minutes until you could safely urge Silco out of your private space.

“It’s time,” you announced, peeking through the shades to double-check. The haze of twilight hung heavy over the Undercity, the neon signs only just beginning to be lit. The streets had cleared of anyone who had been doing business in the light hours of the day, but the nighttime bustle hadn’t truly begun yet. 

You slid your feet into a pair of shoes, gesturing toward Silco. “Follow me.” 

The hallway was empty, and you led Silco to a little-used staircase without any risk of being seen. The stairs took longer to navigate than you had anticipated with Silco’s injuries. 

“You may count this as our next meeting,” Silco told you abruptly, his voice clearly strained as he lowered himself down another step. One hand gripped the railing so hard his knuckles were white while the other clutched protectively at his injured ribs. 

You shook your head, arms outstretched to catch him if he stumbled. “I appreciate that, but I can’t count the meeting if we don’t do anything more than sleep and talk. Not without feeling like you’ve been cheated.” 

Silco smirked, and there was only a little pain in it. “I don’t mind having Sevika wait, but I doubt I have the energy for anything more at the moment.” 

“Not what I meant.” You did your best not to smile at his teasing. It wouldn’t do to encourage him. 

Silco didn’t have time to respond before you reached the bottom of the staircase. He leaned against the wall and let out a trembling breath. “Finally.” 

“Is Sevika bringing a vehicle of some kind?” you asked. “I don’t know if you can walk back to The Last Drop. Not in this condition.” 

“I must. To do anything else would be to show weakness. Weakness is death in Zaun.” Silco’s jaw tautened and he pushed away from the wall. There was a moment in which he swayed and you reached out, but he caught himself. He stood straight, let out a single noise of pain, and strode confidently forward. 

It wasn’t his usual strut, but it was close. Certainly close enough to fool those who didn’t see him on a regular basis. 

“Are you sure you don’t need anything else?” you asked, pushing out of the door and following him onto the near-deserted street. 

Silco glanced back as if surprised to find you behind him. “You shouldn’t be out here. You do not want to be seen with me.” 

You gave him a stubborn look. “I’m not going anywhere until we see Sevika.” 

“Very well,” he agreed, inclining his head graciously. “This way.” 

Carefully, Silco worked his way toward the front of the Haven, adjusting course along the way to stay as deep in the shadows as possible. 

“There you are, boss.” 

Sevika’s low greeting made you jump. Silco’s reaction was less obvious, but he must have reacted somehow, and he hissed as his hand lifted back to his ribs.

“Will you be able to get him back to The Last Drop safely?” you asked Sevika. 

She scoffed at you, but you kept your gaze steady. Eventually, she nodded. “I’ve got some trustworthy people keeping a lookout on the way. We’ll get him there in one piece. Preferably without any more bruises than he’s already got.” 

“Thank you.”

You started to turn away, but Silco caught at your shoulder. “Thank you, pet. I won’t forget this.” 

You just smiled and returned to the Haven.

---

Author's Note - Thanks for reading and I hope you weren't too disappointed in the lack of spice in this part!

I don't offer a taglist on this account, but you can find other works on my masterlist!

[jumpywhumpywriter]

Spinoff Story Vampire & Vampire Hunter part 25

Warnings: bloodthirsty hoarde of vampires gone feral

This one's extra long, with a MAJOR plot twist at the end!

"Understood," Mallory acknowledged. Then he left to get ready like everyone else.

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

The air was thick with anticipation when they all gathered back together to go over the plan. Alex and Anisa were fully suited up, though Alex kept fidgeting uncomfortably in his, constantly itching his arms through the tight-fitting leather, discomfort clear as day.

The plan was relatively simple: the two vampires would go in first, using their heightened sense of smell and hearing to detect if anyone was inside the target building. Like walking danger detectors. And the vampire hunters would follow their lead.

If the clan meeting was already taking place, the hunters would split up in groups to attack from multiple angles. If the clan members hadn't arrived yet, they'd find places to hide and wait for them to come, setting up an ambush.

None of them had any idea how many clan vampires would attend the meeting, so they thoroughly prepared for an outnumbered fight. Julia pointed out the various entries to the abandoned warehouse where tripwire silver grenade traps would be set. And after an hour of going over the plan and finalizing it, they were finally on the road, packed into three separate vans.

Mallory was sitting in between Alex and Anisa as they were driven to the warehouse, and it was unsettlingly silent the whole way, no one speaking a single word. They were all deeply lost in thought, mentally preparing for the fierce battle soon to come. It could be the last day alive for any of them, and it was hard to come to terms with that fact.

The trip took a full hour, but for Mallory it felt like seconds, the van coming to a half far too soon for his liking, before the back door was opened and everyone climbed out.

Julia came out from a different van and approached them all. "Are all of you ready?" She raised an eyebrow meaningfully.

Mallory nodded resolutely, checking his weapons for the hundredth time. Alex merely let out a huff of acknowledgment.

Julia's lips tightened into a grim line. "Then this is it -- we don't know what we'll find inside, but be ready for anything to jump out of the shadows, all right? Alex, Anisa, you two go first, alert us if you notice anything suspicious. The rest of us will be close behind."

Anisa nodded, jerking her chin meaningfully for Alex to follow as she headed straight for the back door of the warehouse.

Mallory's gut twisted in knots of dread as he followed behind them, Julia and the others falling in line right after. He kept his silver dust gun drawn and in his hands, steeling his nerves and putting his head on a swivel for trouble. Together, the group of vampires and hunters snuck into the abandoned building, tense and apprehensive.

"All clear," Alex announced quietly. "We must have arrived before the clan did. I can't smell nor hear anyone here but us. Anisa?"

Anisa nodded in agreement. "It's strange though, considering it's almost midnight. I would have expected at least some clan vampires to have gotten here by now."

Julia signaled with a hand to Mallory and her hunters. "Fan out, search for anything useful the clan might have already left here -- papers, maps, anything useful," she ordered sternly. "But keep a close eye on each other -- don't let anyone out of sight alone."

The hunters split up as instructed, breaking into smaller groups to scour the place up and down for any sign that the clans had already been here, in case they had just missed the meeting itself. But two hours later and... nothing. It was a regular old warehouse, empty shipping containers lined against a few of the walls.

"Something doesn't feel right," Mallory stated once they all regrouped again. "Are we certain this is the right place?"

Julia leveled a pointed glare at Alex. "Did you give us the right location? I swear if you are wasting my time here--"

Alex shrugged innocently. "I shared all I knew, it's not my fault no one showed up!"

"Shhhhh," Anisa suddenly hissed, and the whole building instantly went quiet as a crypt, everyone holding their breath and watching the vampire intensely. Anisa had gone rigid and stiff, gaze distant and calculating.

"Do you hear that?" She hissed quietly.

Alex frowned, cocking his head to the side, before his face filled with surprise and he nodded. "What is that?"

Mallory frowned in confusion, gaze darting between them. He couldn't hear anything. "What do you hear?"

Anisa didn't answer, wandering over to one of the largest shipping containers. She tilted her head to the side like she was tracking something, listening closely. "Something's alive in here," she whispered. "Something scratching at the inside. Trying to get out. No, wait, there's several of them."

Mallory exchanged a worried glance with Julia, who signaled for the other hunters to fan out and approach with caution, weapons trained on the door of the shipping container ready to put down whatever came out.

"Open it," Julia commanded, "we're ready for whatever comes out."

They were, in fact, not ready. Not in the least. Anisa used her vampire strength to break the heavy padlock on the outside of the shipping container, slowly opening the door -- but only cracked it an inch before frantically trying to slam it closed again, right as something crashed into it from inside trying to get out.

"It's a bunch of ferals!" Anisa shouted. "Too many! Way too many! We need to get out!" Mallory could hear it now, agitated hisses and snarls getting louder as another living creature plowed into the door. Anisa was barely able to keep it closed.

"We can handle it," Julia said determinedly. "We're hunters. Killing vampires is what we do."

"No! You don't understand -- they're feral vampires -- and ferals--" Anisa didn't get to finish, as the door suddenly exploded outward, sending her stumbling backward with a yelp. And all hell broke loose.

It was at least three dozen newblood vampires, all starved to the point of going completely feral, beyond all reason and communication whatsoever. And it all became frighteningly clear. The clan was Turning and collecting new vampires, starving them to the point of insanity... and then they had planned on releasing them in the middle of town to destroy every last human, mostly targeted toward vampire hunters, intentionally trying to eliminate them so they could prey on humans unchecked without having to worry about hunters killing them off.

And Julia's team had just interrupted the plan mid-completion, caught right in the middle of the chaos. The horde of newbloods surged forward, snarling and snapping their jaws hungrily, locking sights on the hunters. They had defaulted to their basic primal urges, the desperate need to feed and survive.

⏪️ Back Next ⏩️

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[witchyleehibernates]

The Reaping

So... I wrote a thing... Hope you all enjoy! Tell me what you think too! Who's POV do ya'll wanna see next?

Ponyboy grumbled to himself as he forced himself to keep his back straight, he couldn’t even stuff his hands in his pockets or cross his arms. He was dressed in his best clothes and he was surrounded by a bunch of kids his age for the annual reaping for the hunger games. It always made him anxious whenever the reaping came around. He probably had a reason to be this anxious, given that ever since Two-Bit, one of Ponyboy’s best friends, was reaped four years ago it felt like every year one of Ponyboy’s closest friends were reaped.

And this year, only he and Sodapop stood with the rest of the district teens and kids.

He took a deep breath, letting his hands hang limply at his sides as he resisted the urge to turn around to look for his older brother. He’d been told he wasn’t supposed to do that, he was 13 now.

Their mayor was standing up on the stage of the district building, a grim smile on his face. Ponyboy wondered if he was trying to reassure himself or the children standing in front of him, and one of the peacekeepers made some motion.

“Thank you everyone for coming,” Ponyboy fought off a scowl as their mayor stepped up to start talking. It wasn’t like he, like anyone, had a choice in being here. Ponyboy tilted his head to stare at the ground, he needed to to keep his face from scowling at their mayor.

He ignored most of what their mayor said, it wasn’t like it was any important to Ponyboy. It was just the history of how the hunger games had come to be, and why it was important that it happened every year.

How it was a reminder for everyone that the Capital was in control.

At least, that last thought was what Two-Bit had said. The games were just so that the districts knew that the capital had all the control. He’d been drunk that night, and Darry had sent Ponyboy to bed soon after that, not that Ponyboy actually got any sleep that night. Two-Bit had scared him that night, with his words and with how drunk he was. It was soon after Two-Bit’s games, and he hadn’t been coping well… or at least, that’s what Sodapop had said.

“And now, without further adieu, ladies first.” Ponyboy looked up, watching with sharp eyes as their Mayor turned, walking towards the left side of the stage where a glass bowl sat, filled with tiny slips of paper with all the names of the girls, aged twelve to eighteen.

Ponyboy’s hands felt cold, and no matter how many times he rubbed his thumb over his skin, they didn’t warm up. He clasped his hands behind his back, maybe they would warm up. He wished he could be next to Sodapop, his brother always knew how to warm Ponyboy’s hands up. It would also help ease some of the anxiety running through him, having his brother next to him.

Their mayor picked up a slip of paper from somewhere in the center of the bowl, not wasting any time. He walked back towards the microphone, unfolding the slip of paper without any preamble. Ponyboy watched his face fall and he wondered, briefly, if the mayor was close with her.

“Amelia Johnson.” Ponyboy didn’t know who that was, but a girl started to move as another girl started crying.

A girl with dark skin, that reminded Ponyboy of Johnny, and dark brown hair braided down her back was walking up towards the stage. She must have been fifteen or so. Ponyboy wondered who she was to the mayor, who already looked like he was mourning her. She was thin, maybe from the poorer side of the district, and she was small.

The mayor had shaken her hand when she reached him at the microphone, and there was a look of resignation on the girl's face. The girls were silent as ‘Amelia’ stared out at the crowd. Ponyboy was close enough that he could see that her eyes were a dark green.

“And now, for the boys.” Ponyboy’s heart was beating harshly in his chest, hard enough that it nearly actually hurt. His hands were still cold, and rubbing them together behind his back wasn’t helping any.

Their mayor grabbed a slip from the center of the bowl before moving back to the microphone.

“Ponyboy Curtis.” Ponyboy’s heart stopped.

Around him, he could hear people talking, and it took someone touching his arm for him to realize that his name had been repeated. He turned, noticing that the crowd had parted a little, and he was beginning to walk towards the aisle to walk up towards the stage.

He removed his hands from behind his back as he started down the aisle, his heart was racing in his chest again.

“I VOLUNTEER! I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!” Ponyboy spun around at the sound of his brother’s voice, eyes widening as Sodapop ran out into the aisle, eyes wide with fear and shaking hands thrown out at his sides.

“No… No Soda, no…” Ponyboy was shaking his head, and everyone around them was talking. Murmurs passed around as their mayor exclaimed in shock something that he didn’t hear. He was too focused on his brother, who was running down the aisle towards him.

“Pony, go to Darry,” Sodapop told him, when he was close enough.

“No… NO!” Ponyboy had moved and had wrapped his arms around his brother, but his brother wasn’t letting him and someone was grabbing his arms and pulling him away. “No!” Ponyboy shouted, his legs kicking out as his brother turned and continued towards the stage. His stride was strong, but Ponyboy could see that his brother’s hands were shaking.

Sodapop didn’t know what he was doing.

“No! NO! Let me go!” Ponyboy kicked out again, and arms tightened around him. 

“Ponyboy, shut up.” A hand covered his mouth and Ponyboy kicked backwards as Steve tightened his hold. “Little shit.” Steve exclaimed in pain; Ponyboy didn’t care. What he cared about was that his brother had just volunteered to go into the games, and Ponyboy didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what to think. He wanted his brother. Ponyboy wanted his brother and Steve was still carrying him away, and they were in the crowd of spectators now, and Ponyboy couldn’t see Sodapop anymore.