#named oc

[imtrashraccoon]

If it's ok can you do a bad sanses x child reader oneshot where the reader is part of the Bad sanses but as a healer but when it's morning and one of the boys goes to her room she was a child with no memory of them. So now they have to look after her while figuring out how to fix her. When looking after her she acts kind, chill and well behaved after being scared of them since she doesn't remember them but cross acts protective and horror acts like a teddy bear towards them and you can decide how the others act towards them and to avoid confusion the reader was an orphan back in their dead au and you can include Dr Baggs in it if you want (I'm sorry for the long read I hope your ok woth this and I thought you would like the idea)

My sincerest apologies for the wait! I was in the middle of the Don't Imagine event when you sent this, then I got burnt out not long afterwards, and then I rewrote the plot for this... Phew! I hope you don't mind, but I decided to set this in the same multiverse as Have Some Empathy, Dear because it's been on my mind a lot lately.

Confused and Afraid

Word Count: 6,152

The room was too hot, but when you kicked off the heavy blankets, you were suddenly too cold. Your head hurt really bad and when you sat up, you were hit with a sudden dizzy spell that all but forced you to lay back down. It felt like an eternity before your head stopped spinning. You made sure to sit up more carefully this time round, so as to not agitate your sensitive head further.

It was still dark. You weren't sure what time it was and you couldn't see much beyond your bed. Where was your nightlight? Had Mom forgotten to plug it in when she tucked you into bed? Where was Teddy? You wouldn't have gone to bed without him, so could the stuffed bear have fallen onto the floor?

Your throat felt as dry as a desert. You debated calling out for one of your parents, but you were a big girl now. You could find your way to the kitchen on your own. However, getting out of bed was harder than you remembered and the floor felt like ice to your bare feet. Maybe you should put on a pair of socks before getting that drink.

You went to take a step when all of the sudden, a pervading sense of wrongness flooded through you. You weren't wearing your favourite pair of pajamas, but a massive t-shirt that was more like a dress on your small frame. The bed seemed too large for you and none of the dark shapes against the walls resembled any of your bedroom furniture.

You struggled to piece together anything that could explain why you were in this strange room, but the more you tried to think, the worse your headache seemed to become. Plopping down on the ground, you rubbed at your head in a vain attempt to ease the pain. On a whim, you even tried using your healing magic and, while it helped, a dull ache still lingered despite your best efforts.

Interestingly, the glow from your magic provided enough light to navigate the room. With renewed confidence, you resumed your earlier mission now that you could see where you were going. Unfortunately, the doorknob was juuust out of reach and you had to stand on your tiptoes to turn it. With some difficulty, you managed to get the door open and peeked outside.

The hallway beyond was just as dark as the room had been, but it was larger and your magic wasn't bright enough to illuminate it. For a moment, you hesitated, wondering if you should just forget all this. It would be morning soon and then you could navigate this place without fear. However, before you could come to a decision, you heard a shuffling sound as if something was slowly approaching.

You turned slowly, only to come face to face with a very large shadow. It was so tall that you had to crane your neck to even see its face and when you did so, you let out a gasp.

A single glowing red eye was staring down at you.

You darted back into the bedroom and in your panic, slammed the door shut behind you. Where could you hide?! That...thing had seen you and who knew if the door would keep it out.

There was only one place that could possibly hide you. With no time to think, you dove under the bed as far as you could manage, clutching at your knees in an attempt to make yourself as small as possible.

There was a soft tap on the door and you quickly covered your mouth to muffle your fearful sob. Your heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it would burst and you could hardly seem to get enough air with each shuddering breath you took.

"...button?"

The monster's voice was somewhat subdued thanks to the door, but it sounded a lot deeper than you had thought possible. You didn't know what they wanted, but you certainly weren't about to find out. Maybe they would lose interest and move on?

"...are ya there?"

You remained as still as a mouse, wishing this was all just a nightmare and that you would wake up soon. Your mother had always told you that monsters weren't real, but now you weren't so sure. They didn't look like a person wearing a costume, but you were too scared to find out.

You heard the doorknob jiggle, but then it stopped and you heard someone else outside the bedroom.

"axe? what's wrong?" a concerned but even toned voice asked.

"...i don't know? she's...very small?"

There was a beat of silence.

"hey, you okay in there?" the second voice called out. "can i come in? you don't have to be afraid, we just want to make sure everything is alright."

You bit your lower lip. This person didn't sound scary, but what if they were just pretending so you'd let them in? You clutched your knees tighter, curling up even further into yourself. There was no way you were taking that chance.

To your horror, your lack of response did nothing to dissuade them and your heart skipped a beat as the door opened with a soft click. The darkness was suddenly chased away as one of them turned on the light, although your little hiding spot remained shrouded in shadows. You could hear them moving about the room and you knew it was only a matter of time before you were discovered.

A pair of white boots stepped up to the bed before their owner gingerly knelt down and peeked underneath. You let out a whimper when their white eyelights locked onto you.

"oh. she really is...small." For a moment, the new monster looked uncertain, but his expression soon morphed into one of concern. "hey juniper, it's okay... do you think you can come out?" he asked softly. "we don't want to hurt you, okay?"

You vehemently shook your head.

"c'mon, it's okay-"

Before he could finish his sentence, you felt a hand grab onto your shoulder and unceremoniously drag you out from under the bed. Apparently, the first monster had decided to circle around to the other side while the second served as a distraction, intentionally or not. Despite his size, you hadn't even heard him moving around after they'd both entered the room. You struggled and cried, but he wasn't about to let go, choosing instead to pin you against his own body and hold you there.

"dude! that's the exact opposite of what i was trying to do!" the second monster scolded as he stood up. "you've just made her even more scared."

The hulking monster let out a huff. "...too slow," he rumbled.

With a sigh, the second monster moved around the bed. He studied you for a moment but didn't try to touch you. Neither said anything, but the first monster shifted you into a more comfortable position and began sort of petting your head, as if he was trying to calm you down. When your sobbing began to ease and you weren't trembling as badly, you were able to determine that they were actually skeleton monsters.

The second one was wearing a black tank top and black shorts with white X's instead of stripes along the sides. The tips of his phalanges were slightly rounded and he didn't appear to have sharp teeth either. He had a red scar underneath his right eye socket and a few scratches along his arms, but otherwise didn't seem too scary.

The first skeleton was another story. The lack of shadows helped, but now that you could see him properly, he still had a lot of scary features. His phalanges seemed to be tipped with sharp claws and his slightly too wide smile was filled with sharp teeth. His singular red eyelight was shaped differently than his companion's, almost like a cat's, and the left side of his skull had a massive crack that meant you could see clear inside his head if there was anything to see. At least the plain t-shirt and basketball shorts he was wearing seemed normal enough.

"do...do you remember us?" the monochromatic skeleton asked quietly.

You frowned and shook your head. As far as you were aware, you had never seen these two in your life. They looked pretty distinct, almost like they had stepped out of a tv show, but none that you had watched. If you had met them before, you were pretty sure you would remember something like that.

Both skeletons seemed upset by this, but the second managed to quickly compose himself. "okay then... this is fine," he muttered before turning back to you. "how about we start with introductions? then, we won't seem like strangers anymore."

You half nodded and half shook your head, but he seemed slightly encouraged that you'd even tried to answer in the first place.

The monochromatic skeleton smiled. "my name is cross, and this, " he motioned to your captor, "is axe."

You glanced up nervously at the skeleton in question. With a name like that, the hulk of a monster couldn't sound less scary if he tried. While Cross had a bit of a formal air about him, Axe seemed much more wild and rough around the edges. It didn't help that he was intensely staring at you either.

You swallowed nervously and decided to just look at Cross instead. With some difficulty, you managed to give them your name, but neither seemed at all surprised, as if they really had met you before. It felt kind of weird and you didn't know why.

"would you like something drink? we could make hot chocolate if you want?" Cross suggested.

Axe nodded in agreement. "...good idea. somethin' warm an' sweet should help ya feel better."

You had almost forgotten how thirsty you were, but before you could answer, someone lightly rapped on the bedroom door. Both Cross and Axe visibly tensed up and slowly turned around. Now, there were two other skeletons standing in the doorway; one wearing a pink cat onesie while the other had on a blue hoodie with black basketball shorts.

The skeleton in the onesie must have been the one to knock and as soon as he had the other's attention, he pushed off the wall and grinned. "hey~ don't think you could leave me out of the fun!" he exclaimed with a slight chuckle.

The first things that you noticed about him were the glowing red target above his chest and his lack of eyelights. There were also black lines running down his cheekbones, starting at his eye sockets, but otherwise, he sported no visible scars.

The other skeleton remained silent and while you couldn't really see his facial expression thanks to the shadow from his hood, you could see his glowing eyelights. Both were red, although the left one had a small ring of blue towards the center, and while he appeared disinterested, he was still staring right at you. Notably, he was also wearing white gloves and a red scarf.

"we're not having fun," Cross started to say. "this is actually rather serious-"

"yeah, yeah, don't get your uniform in a twist, crossy~"

Having been rudely interrupted, Cross glared at the new skeleton and clenched his fists. The skeleton in question sort of pranced over, although the hooded one stayed near the door for now, seemingly content to watch.

"how'd you get a kid?" the new skeleton asked, pushing Cross out of the way to get closer to you.

Axe only let out a low growl and lifted you out of reach, which had you scrambling to hold onto him for fear of falling.

"as i was trying to say," Cross huffed. He grabbed onto the annoying skeleton's onesie and walked him back a few feet, much to his chagrin. "juniper seems to have shrunk and we aren't sure why yet."

"...she also doesn't remember anythin'," Axe added helpfully as he shifted you into his shoulder.

"that may not be a bad thing tho-"

The new skeleton was abruptly silenced by harsh glares from your protectors.

With a sigh, Cross turned back to you. "this is killer. he's unfortunately always like this..."

"hey, i resent that!" the aforementioned skeleton grumbled.

"...and that's dust. i should warn you that he likes being left alone most of the time," Cross continued and gestured towards the hooded skeleton.

Dust tilted his head slightly, but other than that brief acknowledgement, said nothing.

You nearly jumped when Killer appeared next to you, even though he couldn't really reach you. Apparently, he didn't enjoy being ignored even for a moment, but other than looking slightly miffed, he seemed curious.

"soooo," he started to say. "is it true that you really don't remember me?"

You studied him carefully for a moment before slowly shaking your head.

He chuckled, although you thought it sounded rather hollow. "i see... memory issues are always fun," he hummed. "don't worry, cupcake. we'll figure this out, won't we?"

Axe hummed in agreement and Cross gave you a small smile. You weren't sure how they intended to help you with remembering, but they certainly seemed confident enough. Maybe you had misjudged them? They were still scary of course, but they seemed to like you well enough, so maybe everything would be alright.

You weren't sure about Dust though. He hadn't said anything since entering the room, instead choosing to just watch. He almost seemed disinterested in the whole situation. However, when you turned to look at him, he gave you a thumbs up, as if he knew what you had been thinking.

"O-okay, I'll... I'll trust you guys," you said quietly.

While they all seemed pleased by this revelation, Killer managed to be the most enthusiastic, to the point where it felt weird. However, you were only half paying attention because you noticed Dust suddenly shift and glance out into the hall. Whatever or whoever he'd seen was apparently a big deal, since he immediately straightened up and moved out of the way.

Another Monster stepped into the bedroom, and while he kind of looked similar to the others, you weren't sure if he was actually a skeleton. He was covered in a black inky substance and four tendrils emerged from his back. His right eye socket was obscured, but his left held a cyan eyelight that looked sort of similar to Axe's. Even the bathrobe he was wearing was black, although you weren't sure if it was also covered in the strange substance or not.

"What is going...? Oh, I see..."

The moment his eyelight landed on you, his permanent smile sharpened and you felt a chill run down your spine. Without thinking, you wrapped your arms around Axe's cervical vertebrae and tried to make yourself as small as possible. You didn't have to ask to know that this new person was much more dangerous than the others.

To his credit, Axe took almost being throttled rather well and carefully pulled your arms away, simultaneously shifting you into a better position. " 's all right, button," he murmured while carefully stroking your hair. "just our boss, nightmare."

What a fitting name for someone who looked like something your brain would inadvertently conjure up to scare you. Unfortunately, Axe's attempts to soothe your anxiety were ineffective and you only clung tighter to him.

Nightmare let out a soft chuckle as he crossed the room, apparently finding your fear amusing. It didn't help that no one stopped him, although you felt Axe tense up ever so slightly when he drew closer. Even Cross silently stepped aside, but by the way he clenched his fists by his sides, you didn't think he had wanted to.

"You aren't wrong to be afraid," Nightmare said to you quietly. "But I'm not going to hurt you, dear." You didn't miss the fact that he also had sharp claws and shied away when he gently moved some of your hair out of your face, although there wasn't really anywhere to go. He scrutinized you for a moment before glancing up at Axe. "May I see her?"

The giant of a skeleton let out a small huff and narrowed his eye sockets. Rather than immediately obey, he turned his attention to you. "think you can be brave for me?" he asked. "you can trust him, alright?"

You didn't believe him at all, but it didn't seem like you had much of a choice. So, you took a deep breath and nodded. "I-I'll try..."

"i know ya can," Axe murmured. He managed to ruffle your hair one more time before gingerly passing you over to his boss.

Nightmare was a lot more gentle than you had expected. While at first he held you with both arms, he soon added one of his tendrils to free up one of his hands. The interesting part was that the inky substance covering him didn't come off onto your skin or clothing. It was cool to the touch and sort of squishy, but you could still feel his bones underneath. His tendrils were even more spongy than his body, and while they weren't immediately obvious, there were rows of little suction cups along the underside. They struck you as being similar to an octopus' tentacles, which was somehow oddly amusing to you.

"This is all rather confusing, isn't it?"

"Y-yeah," you murmured, ducking your head against his sternum.

Nightmare hummed softly and lifted your chin with a phalanx. For a moment, he stared at you intently, which only served to make you more uncomfortable, but you felt like you couldn't look away. It wasn't like he was forcing you to maintain eye contact, but he had a sort of commanding presence that was almost enthralling.

His eye socket widened slightly and then he broke eye contact. You were left feeling more confused. What had he seen? Was there something wrong with you? By the other's earlier reactions, you knew that they knew something had happened, but you just didn't know what.

"I'm going to take her to Dr. Baggs," he stated firmly. "He should be able to figure out what happened."

Cross looked a little uncertain but didn't protest. "that's probably a good idea."

Axe nodded in agreement.

Even Killer seemed to think it was a good idea. "don't worry, sweetie, the doc knows his stuff." He winked and shot you a pair of finger guns.

"I'll need to talk with each of you later," Nightmare said as he turned to leave. "The sooner we get to the bottom of this the better."

You chewed at your bottom lip. "I-is there something w-wrong with me?"

Nightmare ran his claws through your hair in what was likely an attempt to be comforting, but his movements were stiffer than Axe's had been. "That is why I want to get an expert's opinion," he answered in a softer tone. "I wouldn't say there's anything wrong in particular, but something has certainly affected your physical form."

Dust gave a slight nod as you were carried out of the bedroom. If you weren't suddenly so anxious about your current situation, you might've waved goodbye or done anything to acknowledge him in return. As it stood though, you barely glanced at him before Nightmare whisked you away and down the still very dark hallway.

"Close your eyes, dear."

Nightmare was back to his earlier stern tone. You thought about mentioning that you couldn't even see where he was taking you, but then he stopped walking and looked down at you. Thanks to the glow of his cyan eyelight, you could tell that he wore an expectant expression and that he wasn't giving you the option to say no.

So, you gave in. You closed your eyes, but only after snuggling further into his hold.

"Good girl, now keep them closed until I say." With that, you felt his tentacles coil around you, sort of like a cocoon, so that there was no chance of somehow becoming separated from him.

You nodded against his collarbone.

The ambient sounds of the castle suddenly faded and were replaced with dead silence. The temperature also turned cooler than it already was, but only for a moment. Then, everything shifted again. You began to notice the sound of air conditioning and the occasional beeping noise.

"It's alright, you may open your eyes now," Nightmare murmured softly.

To your surprise, you were somewhere entirely different. The vast ceiling and gray stonework had been replaced by a narrow corridor and sterile tiles. Instead of torch sconces on the walls, there was now fluorescent tube lighting along the ceiling. Unfortunately, the air was still just as chilly as the castle had been and you huddled closer to Nightmare in an attempt to conserve what body heat you had.

The aforementioned skeleton seemed to notice your shivering. He wrapped another of his tendrils around your small form, but it didn't help much since he wasn't exactly warm blooded like you were. Still, you appreciated his attempt and the added support was comforting.

There were a lot of closed doors in this hallway, but at the end there was one that looked like it had been heavily reinforced. Nightmare stopped in front of this door and knocked before stepping back to wait. You looked up at him curiously, but when he didn't say anything, you turned your attention back to the door.

There wasn't any visible knobs nor an obvious way to open the door, although you did notice a keypad set into a nearby wall. Instead of numbers, the buttons had strange symbols in a seemingly random order. Could they be from another language or maybe a code? Just above the keypad, there was a small screen and next to that, a small blue light. Or maybe it was a sensor? You weren't sure, but every now and then, it would pulse before returning to normal.

Just then, the screen flickered to life and a skeleton appeared, although he was rendered in varying shades of blue.

"you should know i'm very- oh. it's you."

The speakers didn't seem to be very good quality, but you could still tell this skeleton had a deep voice. He also sounded irritated, especially when he recognized Nightmare. With the camera's quality, you couldn't make out much, but he seemed to wearing an unusual high collared coat? Was he really a doctor?

"I'm sure you're absolutely swamped with work, like usual," Nightmare responded. His tone sounded almost snarky and you noticed the corners of his permanent smile stretch into more of a sneer. It faded almost immediately and you felt his grip on you tighten ever so slightly. "However, I need your expertise, doctor."

Baggs' eyelights flicked to you and he narrowed his eye sockets suspiciously. After a moment, he sighed, "fine, but you'll owe me for this..."

After a moment, you heard five distinct thunks as each of the bolt locks retracted. With a hiss, the heavy metal paneling parted to reveal the room beyond. The whole process felt like you were about to enter a bank vault, but you weren't sure why a simple doctor would need so much security.

The room was filled with large tanks, gray filing cabinets, and various other instruments that you couldn't name. A beefy computer with multiple monitors was set up on a large desk that took up the bulk of one wall. There were also a few more normal pieces of furniture like a couch, a small table and chairs, and two hospital beds shoved into one corner. It was definitely more of a lab than an office, having been built with function in mind rather than comfort.

"you better have a very good reason for bringing me a child."

Dr. Baggs had his arms crossed when the two of you entered the laboratory. He was nearly a foot shorter than Nightmare, and while he bore some similarities to the other skeletons you'd met previously, he was also very different. For one, his eyelights were different colours; his left being a soft magenta while the other was a pale white. He was wearing a lab coat, but it had a cape with magenta highlights in the lining. Combined with the long black rubber gloves he was wearing, you thought he looked more like a mad scientist from a cartoon than a doctor.

"Oh c'mon, Baggs. I'm sure it's not as bad as you think," a feminine voice called out.

You hadn't noticed the small desk in the far corner, nor the woman who'd been previously organizing several stacks of papers behind it. She had dark medium length hair that was slightly wavy, greenish blue eyes, and a pale complexion. She was wearing a thick green turtleneck sweater and black pants.

She smiled and walked around the desk to join the rest of you. "It's nice to see you again, Nightmare, but who is this?" she asked, looking at you.

"This is the human Horror and Cross found a year ago after her AU collapsed, remember?" He gave you an affectionate squeeze with his tentacles before glancing down at you. "This is Minty. You've met her a few times actually, but she's not in the castle as often as she used to be."

Minty cocked her head, giving you a curious look as she studied your face. "Oh! Yes, you were training to be a healer, if I'm not mistaken."

Well now you had even more questions. What was an AU? How come everyone seemed to remember things that you couldn't? What had happened to you?

Baggs' expression softened slightly and he uncrossed his arms. "let's just get this over with so you can go back to your fancy castle," he grumbled.

While he still sounded a little annoyed, he did seem relieved that you weren't some random kid that Nightmare had decided to kidnap. You didn't blame him though. Neither Baggs nor Nightmare seemed to like the other and you had a feeling the doctor didn't enjoy being roped into unsavoury business.

~ ~ ~ <3

"Here."

You looked over at Minty, noticing that she was offering you a piece of candy.

"Thanks," you murmured, carefully unwrapping the sweet.

She smoothed out your hair a little and smiled. "You did good by the way. I don't think Baggs is used to having such a...cooperative patient."

You let out a quiet hum, glancing over at the other side of the room where Nightmare and the doctor in question were going over the results of the tests. Their expressions were indecipherable and they were speaking to each other quietly, so you couldn't tell what they were saying.

Towards the end of the check up, Baggs had attached a few wires to your chest, which apparently allowed him to see a scan of your soul on his tablet. If you hadn't felt so nervous, you might have thought it was amazing that he could do that, but you were just glad he hadn't had to summon your soul in the first place.

Unfortunately, if the slightly concerned look he got when he read over the results was anything to go by, then there was something seriously wrong with your soul. The other adults also seemed to notice, and while Nightmare was quick to try and understand the situation, Minty had elected to distract and comfort you instead.

It was nerve wracking to say the least. You didn't know what was going on and no one was explaining anything. How bad was it? Were you going to die?

Minty's fingers moved from your head to your back, tracing slow patterns across your shirt. Every now and then, she would apply a bit more pressure, almost like a gentle massage, before returning to a more mindless rhythm.

You couldn't focus on anything. The room felt like it was spinning and the only sound you could hear was the pounding of your own heart. Just as the panic was beginning to overwhelm you, a warm feeling seemed to blossom from your chest, spreading out until your entire body felt wrapped up in a blanket of hope. It was disorientating; this feeling wasn't yours and you didn't know where it had come from.

Minty's hands tightened on your shoulders, jolting you back to reality. "It's going to be alright, sweetie," she whispered in your ear.

The realization that she had somehow been able to manipulate your emotions sent a chill down your spine. You whipped your head around and stared at her in shock. Did she also have magic like you did?

Seemingly reading your mind, Minty gave you a wry smile and patted your shoulder. "Sorry if my Intent startled you. I thought you seemed a bit on edge and I wanted to help."

You opened your mouth to ask what she meant, when Nightmare suddenly let out a growl of frustration.

"I don't care what you think, I'm not leaving her here!" His body was rigid, save for the occasional twitch from his tentacles, as if he was doing everything in his being to keep from lashing out at the doctor.

To your surprise, Baggs didn't even flinch, instead giving the angry god an almost bored look. His mismatched eyelights briefly flicked to his tablet before looking over at Minty, who silently shrugged.

Apparently, Nightmare wasn't happy with his protests being ignored and he moved closer, effectively pinning Baggs against a nearby desk. "Listen and listen well," he hissed, prodding the doctor's sternum with a clawed finger. "She deserves to stay with people who care about her. I made a mistake and I'm going to fix it, understand?"

Baggs said nothing, continuing to passively stare at Nightmare. Finally, he let out a sigh and looked away, running a gloved hand over his face. "fine, do what you think is best. this whole mess is outside my expertise anyways," he muttered.

"Nightmare?" At the sound of Minty's quiet question, both skeletons turned to look at her. "What did you do?" She sounded concerned and a little suspicious at the same time.

The god's good eye socket widened and you thought he looked almost...guilty? He started to walk towards both of you, but stopped himself a few paces away.

"Nothing, I did nothing," he finally answered.

Minty closed the distance, fixing him with an unimpressed look and crossing her arms. "Really? You're telling me you aren't the reason our friend is like this now? I thought you prided yourself on always telling the truth?"

Her accusations seemed to hit a nerve. "I have never lied," Nightmare hissed. He took a step forward, so that he was all but leering over the smaller woman, his tendrils flicking with irritation. "No, I am the reason." His cyan eyelight flicked lower, briefly focusing on her chest before refocusing on her face. "She's like you, and I did nothing..."

Minty let out an audible gasp, her hand quickly covering her mouth as she stepped back. The tension in her body seemed to evaporate all at once and her shoulders slumped. She glanced at you, concern written all over her face, before turning back to the god.

"Why?" she murmured. "Did you forget she was an...incode?"

"No. I just... I didn't think my men would bond with another human. I didn't think she would stick around this long. I thought your relationship with them was the exception, not the rule."

Minty clenched her fists at her sides, as if she was barely restraining her anger. "Get out," she growled. "If you're serious about this, you have a lot of fixing to do."

Nightmare nodded stiffly, "I'm sorry." He held eye contact with her for a few seconds, his eyelight flickering with an unknown emotion. Slowly, he tore himself away and walked over to the bed, carefully gathering you into his arms.

You didn't protest in the slightest, simply allowing him to tuck you against his ribcage. His tentacles coiled securely around your torso, both supporting and comforting you.

Neither Minty nor Baggs said anything, although the former refused to look at Nightmare as he left with you. Baggs briefly caught your eye, but he soon turned his attention to Minty, placing his hand on her arm. He looked concerned, almost like he was going to say something, but the heavy doors slid shut before you could hear anything.

This time, Nightmare didn't need to tell you to close your eyes. You buried your face into his robe, letting out a quiet sob and clutching the dark fabric so tightly that your knuckles turned white.

Rather than immediately teleport back to the castle, Nightmare hesitated. "I know, dear," he murmured, tracing slow lines up and down your back with his claws. "I won't judge you for being afraid or upset."

You cried softly for a few minutes as he continued trying to soothe you. "I'm...going to die..." you finally whispered.

His grip on you tightened and he let out a quiet hiss under his breath. "No. I won't let that happen." His tone was firm, leaving no room for doubt in your mind, and so, you nodded silently rather than protest.

Before you knew it, the constant drone of air conditioning faded away, replaced by the familiar sound of a crackling fire. When you opened your eyes, you realized that you were in a surprisingly modern living room.

There was a large tv surrounded by a plush couch and a couple beanbags. You noticed a large stone fireplace on another wall that was providing most of the light in the room, other than the glow from the tv and some light seeping in from an adjoining room of course.

Killer was lounging on the couch, playing what looked like a beat 'em up game on the tv. You didn't see Dust or Horror anywhere, but Cross had just finished adding fresh fuel to the fireplace across the room.

Nightmare cleared his non-existent throat, drawing the attention of the two skeletons. "We're back."

Two skulls whipped in your direction and the video game was quickly paused. Cross immediately appeared at your side, his eyelights scanning your face to see if you were alright. His bonebrows furrowed when he noticed that you had been crying and he glanced up at Nightmare.

"i'm guessing it's not good news?" he asked quietly.

Nightmare said nothing, but his expression must have been confirmation enough for the monochromatic skeleton. His tendrils loosened before letting go of you entirely.

"She will be fine for the time being," he started to say. "I have to locate Error and convince him to help. I trust the rest of you can look after her until then?"

Cross looked puzzled for a second, but quickly recovered and nodded. "yes, of course!" he exclaimed, holding out his arms for you.

Rather than immediately hand you over, Nightmare let out a quiet hum. His good eyelight flicked to Killer, who was now leaning over the back of the couch with a surprisingly serious look on his face, then to Cross again before turning his attention to you. He shifted your weight to one arm, gently tracing your face with his now free hand. He seemed to be examining you, committing your facial features to memory. While he said nothing, you noticed that beneath the look of determination, his gaze held a sort of tenderness as well.

He broke the unofficial staring contest to finally place you in Cross' waiting arms. The skeleton shifted you into a position where you were almost perching on his shoulder, but where you had the option to rest your head against his own skull if you wished, which you did.

Killer grinned and winked at you. "don't worry, we'll take good care of her, boss."

Nightmare nodded, "Depending if he is in a good mood, I might be back quickly, but I'm not counting on it." He glanced at you and Cross. "I am sure the others will be glad for the chance to dote on our precious human. I would like to have a word with Killer, so why don't you two go find them?" he asked in a gentle tone of voice that seemed to be more directed at you than the skeleton.

Cross smiled and lightly squeezed you. "c'mon juniper, i think horror was planning to make your favourite kind of cookies earlier." He started to carry you into the adjoining room you had spotted earlier.

You couldn't help but wonder what Nightmare was planning. What had he meant by you being similar to Minty? Why was he blaming himself? Why had you forgotten everything?

"what can error do that the doctor can't?" Killer asked quietly.

Nightmare hesitated for a moment and you strained to hear what he might say next.

"Fix corrupted code..."

[noctxj]

the reaper | part i

as far back as human memory can recall, the origin of flower marks remains unknown. if perhaps they came during or after the birth of humanity, or are benevolent gifts from the gods to aid ones navigation in life— milestones to remember and learn from, a north point on a compass lest you stray from your path. regardless, they have always been. and while flower marks remain an important aspect of ones journey, there is none other more significant than the soul flower mark. wherein the moment someone is born, this mark blooms above ones heart, as it is considered a pure reflection of who that person is and will be.

part i / part ii

˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚. ˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚. ˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚. ˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚.

so it was no wonder that during a gloomy winter evening, stricken screams of hysteria and the shrill wailings of a newborn baby echoed off the walls of the cold estate in a coalescing manner. the head midwife having no choice but to hurriedly pass the tiny squirming bundle to a reluctant nurse and focus on trying to placate the madam’s delirium— 

"that is no child of mine! keep that accursed child away from me! nurse--!" 

flower marks are a language all on its own, one that humans do not need to learn. rather, it is an inbuilt knowledge and understanding. and in the case for this newborn child, their soul flower mark had already predetermined their fate as forsaken.

as amidst the turbulent mess of bloodied towels and blankets, death had just been born. 

⋆.✧̣̇˚.

initially mesmerising in its opulent visage, its only when the mind catches up and registers its meaning that its beauty is quickly replaced with fear and alarm. 

a blooming grandiflora rose of black petals mixed with subtle hues of reds and haunting purples rests above the girls heart, with bramble-like stems arching up across her frail collarbones to ensure it is there to stay.

a black rose, promising the bearer as the omen of death.

⋆.✧̣̇˚.

even at such a young age, the cruelty of fate had already determined that little flora would not be given mercy or reprieve from the reality that is her cursed existence. a forsaken trail of purple anemones had lightly entangled itself amongst the thorny stems of her soul flower, almost as if to placate its loneliness. 

a swath of lilies of the valley sprawl from her left shoulder over and down her shoulder blade, the burning trail of pain and suffering almost numb to her senses. 

and then upon the delicate skin of her left wrist lay a singular bloom— a moonflower, reflecting little flora’s most earnest thoughts, dreaming of love from her own mother.

all these marks permanently etching themselves into little flora’s skin before her third birthday.

⋆.✧̣̇˚.

despite living under the same roof as her mother, rarely did little flora see her; instead following in her late grandfathers footsteps as a ruthless businesswoman, silver spoon in her mouth and all. instead she herself was always surrounded by staff always heeding to her mother’s orders, to "always have that child within your sights", with an ever rotating door of tutors and nannies.

“madam, miss flora is an intellectually gifted child, it is quite remarkable! she has just—", 

"… so?" her mother had sharply interrupted, “a high level of intelligence is a common trait within this family. i expect you to provide the girl with more difficult material to not only accomplish but also excel in; anything less than perfect and dare i say failure to meet my— this family's standards, will not be tolerated. or are you stating that you are not competent enough to fulfil your tutor roles' duties and responsibilities?"

"i— no— my apologies madam, of course there is no problem. if you would allow me, i have colleagues who would be thrilled to assist in miss flora’s academic—"

"do as you please. now, i have an important meeting with a gentlemen flying in from st. petersburg. a mr. z it appears… the estate staff will assist with your queries about the girl. so do refrain from contacting me any further-"

so as determined as a young child her age could be, she promised she'd keep being good to strive for her mothers praise, be an obedient and perfect daughter that her mother would realise is worthy to be loved— despite her soul flower.

“a curse that should never be shown to anyone lest she receive punishment,” her mother would often remind her.

a punishment that envelopes the expanse of her back as raised scars. milestones just as permanent as her flower marks. more lilies of the valley creeping down her back. 

⋆.✧̣̇˚.

little flora never knew who her father was, had asked her mother once and received a harsh slap across her cheek, her small body whipping to the carpeted floor from the force. 

the silent burning of nightshade on her right pointer finger ironically mocking the hush motion.

she never cared to ask again. 

⋆.✧̣̇˚.

little flora remembers the day she believed her mother had finally saw value in loving her. barely eight years old and still holding onto that naive hope— and she foolishly believed she finally did.

waking up early in the morning as per her routine, only to see her mother sitting in the chair beside her bed, happiness written across her usually severe expression, looking at little flora herself. blinking once— twice— then rubbing her hands across her eyes to make sure what she is seeing is real and not a dream.

“good morning flora,” what is going on— “you and i have an agenda for today, so please come downstairs for breakfast once you’re ready.”

is today the day? did she finally do it? is her mother finally learning to love her—

“as it is a special occasion, i’ve taken the liberty of selecting your attire. now, off you go to wash up.”

little flora had been ecstatic, her heart thrumming like a hummingbird out of excitement to prove that her mother would not regret placing value on her. 

⋆.✧̣̇˚.

little flora’s only ever seen her mother’s soul flower once, only by chance of course. her evening robe slightly loose across her shoulders, her motions lax from the glass of wine she was nursing— a far cry from her usually sharp and elegant appearance. 

a beautifully victorious gladiolus cradled upon her chest. she envied it, a blessing to be born with. unlike herself. however, it wasn’t until later that she understood why her mother despised her existence so much.

as victory and death are eternal enemies— always on opposing sides. 

⋆.✧̣̇˚.

“it is the perfect place for you to grow in flora, a place for you to finally thrive in,” her mother’s words had echoed in flora’s ears.

she doesn’t know how long ago that was.

she didn’t even feel alive.

flora’s small body strapped down to a cold metal table, no longer wearing the attire her mother had especially picked out for her. instead wearing a customised medical gown, allowing an unobstructed view of her accursed soul flower mark to the blurry shapes her dull gaze had tried to focus on.

the harsh clinical smell of the room burning her nose, and the glaring overhead lights further disorienting her senses. flora couldn’t move her head if she tried, a strap also tightly bound across her forehead attached to the metal table. 

what is this place? why would mother send me here? this is wrong, they must of got it wrong, i shouldn’t be here, i—

flora could feel the burning of a new mark directly below her soul flower. almost the same in size she guesses, if only she could move her head.

the agonising pain of a broken heart flourishing as a vibrant yellow rose.

˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚. ˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚. ˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚. ˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚.✦ . ˳

tric’s notes

this highkey spawned from my hanahaki disease fic. flower meanings/symbolism was a bit difficult to grasp (ie. countries, cultures, time periods), so don't take this too seriously lol. 

i was hoping to make this a oneshot but it just kept going ugh. this is unedited. part ii may be more backstory, part iii the boys will appear (no promises though, just a rough idea).

i recommend listening to “my flower” by ladies code. it’s a korean song but i think it matches the mood of this piece - so i encourage listening to it.

thanks for stopping by!! ♡︎

crossposted on ao3 (same username)

[welcome-to-puppet-hell]

Ring! Ring! (Part 2) - Wally Darling x Puppet!OC (Character Study)

Content Warning: Paranoia, Wally's ambiguous motivations, Disturbing Imagery, Mind Control (HEAVILY implied), Mind Reading, Creepiness in general

[Direct sequel to this]

I’m still screaming as my eyes snap open, my body jolting up in my bed. My eyes dart around desperately, seeing the brightly painted wallpaper that has slowly become familiar and then the ceiling that had been painted like a night sky full of glowing green stars. Sobs then began to wrack through me, almost drowning out the patter of the heart that still managed to beat beneath felt and fabric. My hands press to the place where it must be, a weak attempt to repress it.

When my breathing and sobs begin to calm, that’s when I become aware of the sound blaring through my bedroom. The sound of a phone ringing.

I blink, my tears blotting to drip down my cheeks. A phone call in the middle of the night? That never happens, not in the Neighborhood. 

Despite my anxiety, I slowly get up and walk to the stand. Then I pick it up, once again blanketing the room in silence.

“H-hello?” I say with a swallow. When there’s only quiet, I clear my throat. “Who is this?”

“Sorry, I…I’m just so happy you finally picked up the phone.”

My eyes blink, then I turn to give my phone an odd look. What…? Hang on, I know this voice.

“…Wally?” 

Why would he be calling me? He never speaks to me, hasn’t said one word since I walked into this neighborhood weeks ago. For the most part, whenever he’s shadowing Barnaby or any of the other neighbors, he only stares at me with his big eyes and even bigger smile. It’s pretty unnerving, honestly.

So…why?

I’ve gotta know.

“I—”

“Don’t speak,” he says, voice suddenly cold. “Go to the bed, right under the covers. Don’t move until I tell you.”

My frown deepens. I open my mouth to speak again, but then I hear a sound outside that chills me to the bone. The sound of feet dragging against the ground. Huge feet. Right near my window.

“Jamie, now.”

Wally’s voice—like ice and full of…anger?—springs me to action. Dropping the phone to the floor, I run back to my bed and throw the covers over me, turning to look at the wall. My hands tremble as they clench around my blanket, my breathing becoming shallow the closer the feet outside become. Despite the phone not being in my hand, I still hear his voice whispering in my ear. As if he’s curled around me. 

“Stay quiet. Don’t even breathe.”

Shaking, I place my hand over my mouth and nose, leaving just enough give so I wouldn’t suffocate.

Suddenly, a light blares through the window, much like a spotlight. I freeze when I sense the light behind me, see the hint of it on the wall. Then, as it starts to shift from side to side, I realize what it is. 

An eye. Just how giant is this thing?

…Actually, I never want to find out.

My eyes squeeze closed, all sound becoming this low yet piercing hum to my ears. It hurts, but I dare not move, do anything. Except maybe pray. Just let this end, soon. Please.

I don’t know how long I remain there. Part of me worries that I’ve fallen asleep, considering how closed my eyes are, how deafening the silence is.

Then, finally, spoken from the dropped phone:

“Okay…it’s all okay now, Jamie. You’re safe.”

The breath I’m holding finally leaves me in a rough exhale. My hand goes to my chest as I try to calm my breathing, but I still feel so dizzy. What was that? What’s going on? And Wally—

Wally. How did he know…?

My eyes dart to the phone still on the floor. He’s still there. I don’t exactly know how I know—he’s not breathing or making sounds like it—but he is. Would he answer if I asked?

Only one way to find out.

I get up slowly from the bed and walk back over to the phone. Once it’s to my ear, I drop down to crouch away from the window. Then I clear my throat, but my voice stutters out anyway.

“Wally, w-what was that…that thing?”

Pause.

“A nightmare,” he replies, his tone dim. “One I hope you never meet.”

…That’s not really an answer. 

Then again, I should know better. From the few conversations I’ve had with him, Wally has never been really direct when it comes to certain things about the neighborhood. He can say anything about the other Neighbors…but questions like, “What state are we in? Why does Home sometimes stare at me for so long? Who owned my house and my shop before me?” Usually, at those questions, Wally’s eyes cloud over as he stares at me with his frozen smile. And then, he shrugs.

Still. He’s telling me more than I expected. And maybe…I don’t want to know the answer to this question.

I’ll just…add this to my list of newly discovered mysteries in the Neighborhood. A list that has been growing and growing. Not sure what kind of sign that is.

But still, something is bothering me. And while I have him on the phone—well. Can’t hurt to ask, right?

“How did you know I’d be awake?”

“Oh! I didn’t.”

My eyebrows draw downward as my mouth twists. Yeah, that sounds like an absolute lie, straight from a goddamn liar. No matter how neutral he keeps his tone, I’m just not—

“It’s the truth!”

…the fuck? I pull the phone away and stare at it, my heart thudding like a drum inside my chest.

“To be fair, Neighbor, I’ve been trying to call you for a long time. I didn’t think you’d ever pick up the phone.”

My throat goes dry. Ever since moving here, I’ve been having these—weird dreams. Dreams of not only you, but also dreams of this ringing. Ringing from a phone, from within the depths of my mind. Like a memory I kept at the back of my mind, one I can’t seem to remember. Images from those dreams keep flashing through my mind’s eye, particularly of a phone surrounded by dark. A plastic toy phone with dials, much like the one in my house. A phone that always seems to ring.

“What the hell does that mean?” 

“I couldn’t sleep,” he says, still sounding too innocent. “And you happened to be the first neighbor I called!”

I lean back against the wall near my window. “Did you know it’d be there? When I woke up?”

“No,” he says, his voice hinting at a tremble. “It doesn’t always show up. But I know it doesn’t like when we’re awake.”

“…W-what does it do when we’re awake?”

“You don’t want to know.”

Suddenly, I feel so cold all over. I wrap the blanket around my shoulders and squeeze it, trying to get the warmth of the wool to bleed into me. God, this neighborhood just keeps getting weirder and weirder. My only mistake was thinking all the weirdness was coming from the neighbors alone, and that the weirdness couldn’t really hurt me.

It all makes me so tired. How am I supposed to do this…? I just wanna go home. I wanna go back to you, to the life we had. Are you even looking for me? Is anyone…?

I don’t realize that I’ve started crying until Wally speaks again. 

“…Jamie?” His tone is shaky. Scared? But why? “Are you okay?”

“No. I’m so tired, Wally. I can’t do this anymore, I can’t be here,” I croak out, leaning forward with my hand on my forehead. “I just wanna go home. Please, let me go home!”

“But Jamie…you are at Home.”

My hands go to my nose, pinching the bridge with my pointer and thumb. I can’t do it anymore. I’ve never been good with mind games. And I hate being toyed with. And I get the feeling that Wally, he doesn’t want to hurt me. Not really.

“You know what I mean. I know you do. Please, Wally, don’t lie to me…”

“…”

I wait for his response, my eyes sliding closed. Doing this is risky, I know. I still don’t even know what to make of Wally. Is he a friend? An enemy? Part of me wants to believe he doesn’t want to hurt me, based on how he’s behaved since I got here. But I know for certain now, that he isn’t as oblivious as the other neighbors, no matter how monotone or innocent he sounds.

Whatever is going on here, he isn’t just on the level or in the know. He’s not even caught in the middle. He’s neck deep in it.

“…That doesn’t mean I can give you what you want,” he interjects, not unkindly. “It doesn’t mean that I’m in charge.”

I swallow. Who is, then? Or, perhaps, what?

Wally doesn’t answer that question, but he does continue to speak.

“I think that’s enough excitement for you tonight, dear Neighbor. It’s time for you to sleep.”

Something about his voice freezes me in place, making my mind feel all fuzzy. Suddenly, the exhaustion I feel isn’t just emotional. It’s a weight on my eyes, on my shoulders—on my whole body. I’m filled with an intense desire to go to bed, one that I acknowledge in a floaty sort of way.

“Yeah, you’re…you’re right,” I say, my voice sounding so foreign to my ears. So empty, vacant. Is that really what I sound like? I feel my body start to sway in place, almost weightless. “I’m so tired…”

“Get into the bed, Neighbor. Things will be better in the morning.”

(Will it?)

“Promise?” comes out of my mouth instead, my voice almost childish.

“I promise,” Wally says, his voice soft but emphatic.

…Yeah, that feels enough for me. I’m too exhausted to fight anyway. 

So, finally giving in, my body sways to one side and I end up falling back into my bed. A giddiness bubbles from me the second I land. How did I get here so fast? It was at least a few feet away, no? 

Oh, well. It doesn’t matter. The pillow below my head is so soft and the bed is so warm. What even happened? Did I actually see something? Why was I so worried? Why did I even have that nightmare? I’m safe here. 

(Am I?)

Yes. Yes, I am.

My eyes flutter a bit before finally shutting. And as my breathing slows, darkness takes over once more—but this time, as a comfort.

Not long after, my blanket lands back on my body, engulfing me in warmth. Then someone whispers in my ear.

“Sleep well, neighbor.”

==

Wally lingers at the window, his eyes glued to your house. Staring straight into the window of your bedroom. His hand is lifted in the air, lingering with all his fingers spread and bent, like a puppeteer handling strings. He stares and he waits, his expression like stone and his eyes never blinking.

Finally, with a hum of satisfaction, he curls his fingers back into his palm and lowers his hand to his side. Then he folds both hands behind his back.

“Good,” he says. “That was a close one, no?”

Frantic creaks of doors and cabinets echo through the walls of Home. Wally turns slightly from the window to look behind him, wearing a blithe smile.

“Don’t worry, Home, I know what I’m doing. When they wake up tomorrow, they won’t even remember what their nightmare was about. Or our conversation.”

More creaks. Some clashing of dishes from the kitchen. Wally isn’t offended though, instead he only nods in understanding.

“If you must tell him, just report that I’m only doing what I’m told. Keeping an eye on the neighbor, making sure they follow the rules and that they’re following the script given to them. That’s all.”

Another creak, this time in warning.

Wally turns entirely and stares up at Home, his expression stoic. And then, with a squeeze of his eyes being closed—only for a moment—he starts to laugh, the sound hollow as it reverberates through the house.

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…”

When his eyes open, Wally’s gaze remains sharp as he regards Home’s ceiling. His hands unfold behind him and rest against the window sill as he leans back, keeping his body right in front of the view towards your house—towards you. 

“Home, please. I’ve been doing this for long enough. You don’t have to remind me,” he says, his voice cold in its shrewdness. “I know where my loyalties lie.”

[shadowcitrine]

We Had a Spa Day

Boondock Saints. Silly/for fun.

Words: 555

Named OC (because I can't write any other way) is dating both of the boys. Connor comes home with food. Not edited.

Connor entered the loft apartment juggling the two bags of food in one hand. Madison was at the counter cutting up a cucumber and Murphy was on the couch, a book in his lap.

Something was off.

It wasn't the fact Murphy was shirtless and reading, and it had nothing to do with Madison who was looking more pleased than normal, it was something else. Something he couldn't put his finger on. He cautiously shut the door taking turns eyeballing the both of them. Madison finished her task and brought the plate over to Murphy and he looked up from his book long enough to gingerly take a slice.

That's when Connor picked it out. “Are your nails green?”

Murphy went pale, eyes opening wide as he answered around a mouthful of food with a sheepish, “No.”

“They are! They're green!”

“Nu-uh!” Murphy sat up. “They're mint.”

“Sage Mint Green.” Madison corrected. She shooed Murphy's legs off the couch and took a seat happily munching away. “We had a spa day!” 

Connor gaped at his brother. “What did she do to you?” He turned to her. “What did you do to him?!”

“We started with masks and cucumbers on the eyes. I did his nails and helped with mine.” She held up her nails for inspection. “See? We match!”

“She turnin’ you into one of those fancy metro-sexuals? Because I'm telling you now woman! You will not have a go at me!”

Murphy shrugged, uncharacteristically unbothered by his brother's jabs. “Turns out hand massages aren't that… bad.”

“The fuck did you do to him?!” Connor gestured at Murphy reaching for another cucumber slice. “I mean look at hi– Did you do his eyebrows too?!” 

Madison beamed. “If it makes you feel better he screamed the whole time.”

“Did not!” He flopped back on the couch rearranging the book in his lap.

“Miss Donnah across the hall nearly phoned for the police.” Madison cleared her throat doing her best accent which was awful at best even without the deepened mocking voice. “‘Aye! Love! Stop it! You're a sadist! If you have any love for me you'll- aaaaah!’”

Shaking his head Connor faked utter disgust. “I don't know who you are anymore.”

“Night's not over yet. He's coming back to my house for a slumber party.”

“A slumber party?” Connor snorted. “Going to braid each other's hair next? Tell secrets about all the cute boys you like?”

This is when Murphy held up the book he was reading. Emblazoned on the front in Papyrus lettering were the words ‘Kama Sutra.’ He didn't even bother to hide his smile. “Three positions.”

Connor's mind went blank. “She bribed you?” He looked to Madison holding up four fingers at his brother. “So when's my spa day?”

“It's not spending quality time together if I have to bribe you.” Madison smiled sweetly. Murphy held up the book to her. “Yeah, that's fine.” 

“It says you need to stretch first.” He frowned at the book.

Madison took the book from him and turned it sideways. “It's fine, I'll help you.”

Murphy's carefully shaped eyebrows shot up nearly to his hairline, his mouth tapering to a silent ‘Oh’ shape. “I don't think I'm meant to bend that way…”

“I reiterate, when is my spa day?”

Madison deepened her voice again, “‘Because I'm telling you now woman! You will not have a go at me!’”

[bunnytornado]

Okay so imagine going to a beauty salon in hell and Vox is sitting in the waiting room flipping through a tech magazine about new TV models. He is considering changing up his look.

Beauty and the Jackelope

Vox X Reader Platonic

No TWs

Rachelle’s Beauty Emporium. While located on the outskirts of Cannibal Town, it was one of the best places to go for beauty advice. Normally, I avoided Cannibal Town just due to the fact it wasn’t the best in terms of getting grub.

Rachelle’s place though, had it’s charm. Getting my Strawberry hair cut and styled, while they did so well avoiding antlers and ears, sure made it worth going to. Even more so when they helped during those shedding months.

Hence, why I was here today. I needed the velvet shed. It was starting to peel on it’s own and it was driving me crazy. Which meant I became irritable at work. I had gotten into it more than once with Vox’s head assistant when he badgered me to get repairs done quicker on any systems that ended up down.

So, I came here to get rid of this week’s velvet. However, I hadn’t expected to see a certain demon there. What was Vox doing here of all places? “B-Boss,” I squeaked out and slowly sat beside him.

“Do I know you,” Vox said with a huff and air of annoyance. He flipped through the magazine in his hand. Wait, was that a TV model magazine?

My confusion and nosy nature perked at such a strange situation. “Yes. I work for you. As part of your IT department…I’ve been in your office to fix your TVs…a lot.”

“No. That’s a deer demon. You’re not her.” Vox stated, looking down his non-existent nose at me. “I would know. Don’t try to fool me stupid rabbit.”

I gave him a dirty look. “Sir, I’m a Jackelope. Not a rabbit. And 100% not a deer.”

“Ha! Prove it.” Vox said and shook out the magazine like it was a newspaper, settling back into the chair.

I growled and glared at him. My antler’s flared slightly, growing a hair, before I forced myself to calm down. "I don’t have to prove shit to you. I have better things to do here then remind you who I am.”

“Knew it, Rabbit. If you just wanted to get in my lap for a ride, you should have just said so instead of trying to act like you work for me. After I get my new model, you and I can go back to my place,” Vox purred and flipped a page.

I felt like I was going to puke and shook my head, my anger flaring again. My ears flashed a red, and my nose scrunched. My antlers grew to where they could be seen. I held my tongue, but my ire was already flaring. Between the itching and now his attitude, I was losing control of my temper.

Suddenly, I felt a claw poke at my three-pointed antlers. “Excuse you,” I snapped and pulled away from his claw. “Anyone tell you to fucking look with your eyes and not your claws?”

“Aww little Bambi,” Vox purred and reached out to tap them again. “I swear, all of you deer demons have the same antler growth.”

“I. Am. Not. A. Deer! Dammit, I am a fucking Jackelope,” I snarled and moved to a few seats away from him, out of reach.

“All I’m seeing is a Deer Rabbit,” Vox said and smirked. He knew what he was doing, and he knew this was his employee from the start. But some things were just too much fun to skip out on. Especially when this employee was usually calm and collected. “So, Deer, why don’t you climb in my lap, and I can continue looking at new seasonal models?”

Just as I was about to finally snap, my name was called to go get my hair and antlers taken care of. “Bunny?”

“HA! So, you are just a Deer Rabbit,” Vox laughed and grinned.

“Uh, Fuck you! I am a Jackelope! My name is Bunny,” I snapped and stomped off.

As I walked away, Vox continued to laugh and flip through his magazine. “I think a Curved Monitor might look good.”

“You’re Forehead would be too big sir,” I snap before rushing off for my appointment.

[j-a-nuary]

Aju Nice!

Non-idol AU, genfic, Vernon centric (kind of???), 🔞

Warnings: none in this chapter, but it will QUICKLY become a sex thing. Like, next chapter quickly.

=====

“Stop overthinking it,” Vernon wheedled, “its just my friends.”

“Exactly!” Yerin paused in packing away her work. “You bully me every day at work. What if that’s the feather that makes you flock together?”

“What does that even mean? Just grab your dusty ass jacket, and let's goooooooo.”

“You’re sure they’ll be nice?” Yerin toyed with the hem of her jacket, tugging it down just a little bit further.

They both knew why she was asking. It was the obvious thing. The thing that made them become friends in the first place. The thing so many people commented on, but Vernon had never even mentioned.

“I texted the groupchat to tell them to be on their best behavior,” he reached out, stretching up on his toes slightly as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Only I am allowed to be mean to you.”

He tugged her down to his level, leading her by a loose headlock for a few steps. He quickly switched to grabbing her by the hand, tugging her closer to the designated meet-up spot before she could start worrying again.

=====

“Whats up little man?” A thin man greeted them as they approached. He appeared to be pretending to take a smoke break, the stick of a lollipop hanging from between his lips as he spoke.

Vernon rolled his eyes, groaning.

“Hyung...”

“What?” the man challenged, “what’s wrong? What di... ah...”

He paused, eyes landing on the girl next to Vernon.

“I didn’t know you were bringing someone.”

She stepped forward from where she had been somewhat hiding behind Vernon.

“Hi, I’m Yerin,” she introduced herself, “I work with Vernon.”

“I literally texted the groupchat,” Vernon muttered, accurately predicting that he would be ignored by the both of them.

“From work... okay,” the man hummed, nodding before starting to introduce himself. “My name i-”

“He’s a pain in my ass,” Vernon interrupted him, “but we usually call him Jeonghan.”

“Hey!” Jeonghan swatted at Vernon’s shoulder, “Thats Jeonghan-hyung! Brat.”

Yerin swallowed her anxiety, stepping in to stop the obviously brewing bickering.

“So you’re also older than Vernon.”

“Also?” Jeonghan paused from trying to kick Vernon in the shin. He quickly recomposed himself as he continued, “yeah... what year are you?”

“I’m a ‘96. You?”

He paused, giving Yerin a not inconspicuous once over before smirking and answering.

“’95.”

Vernon audibly groaned, not only at being ignored, but at recognizing his hyung entering flirtation mode. He rolled his eyes, extra annoyed at the blush spreading across Yerin’s cheeks at the attention.

“Hmm,” Yerin hummed, tilting her head in a deniably flirtatious manner, “how would you like me to call you?”

Jeonghan made a show of licking his lips before answering, “if I say oppa, will I have to pay for your drinks?”

Yerin stood up straight, turned off by his lack of subtlety.

“How about I call you Jeonghan? And I'll pay for my own drinks?”

“Ah,” he shrugged off the change in her attitude, “but then who’s responsible for the baby?”

“I can pay for my own drinks!” Vernon puffed. “Noona, come on...” he snuck his arm through Yerin’s elbow, meaning to pull her into the karaoke bar.

Jeonghan stretched an arm across the doorway, blocking their way. He stared down at his friend, wearing a smile that seemed slightly disingenuous.

“Vernon,” his tone was playfully stern, “we were in the middle of negotiations.”

“I'll pay for both of your drinks if we can just go inside already!” Vernon cried out in exasperation.

Jeonghan dropped his arm, bowing and gesturing them both to enter.

“That sounds perfect,” Jeonghan winked at Yerin before nodding towards the a small passageway past the receptionist’s desk. “Down there.”

=====

There appeared to be approximately 50, but in reality probably closer to 20, people in the room when Yerin and Vernon entered. Introductions passed in a blur, Yerin remembering only a few names at a time. it didn’t help that there seemed to be several sets of friends with similar looks.

The men in the group by far outnumbered the women, and there was some talk on “that hyung” or “that one” not having arrived yet. It was unclear how many people were supposed to be with the group by the end.

Yerin noticed that a number of the women first gave her the cold stare of evaluation that she was so familiar with. As predicted, it softened to a confident smirk when they reached her belly or lingered on her arms or thighs. It was a situation she was well acquainted with - being measured up and immediately dismissed as competition. She pulled her jacket down again, hiding the non-existent gap between her shirt and slacks.

“Hi, I'm Dasom.” One of the girls introduced herself, bringing Yerin a glass of beer. She carried a shot in her other hand, offering it up as well.

“Oh,” Yerin accepted the glass, then shook her head at the shot, “thank you. I’m Yerin.”

“Good choice,” Dasom turned slightly, offering the shot to Vernon.

He took it with a mumbled thanks before tossing it back.

“You have to pace yourself with these guys.”

It became clear very quickly that Dasom was more interested in talking to Vernon than making new friends, but it was also obvious that she was too nice to cut Yerin out of the conversation. So, Yerin took it upon herself to give them some room, excusing herself by saying she wanted to look through the songs on offer.

=====

Yerin found herself eventually sitting next to one of the shorter boys, trying to remember his name.

“You're... don't remind me, I know it,” she paused to look over the face in front of her.

Wide eyes, slightly chubby cheeks, definitely younger than herself.

“Hoshi?”

“Augh!” the man flung his head back with a dramatically anguished sound.

“Sorry! Let me try again,” she pleaded, “I can get this.”

“I’m way more built than him,” the man pouted.

“Okay, okay, just let me remember...”

She was at a loss. Looking him over, she pulled adjectives out of the air to describe him. The denim jacket matched his jeans, lending him a casual look. His singlet hung a little loose, revealing a silver chain with what appeared to be a dog tag on it. None of these things helped her remember which name belonged to the man in front of her.

“Woozi?”

The man’s expression fell into a flat and unamused grimace.

“Ah, I’m sorry!” She whined, trying to sound cute to soothe the annoyance that was obvious in the man’s lax body language. Quickly, she grabbed one of the bottles scattered on the table and filled his cup.

“Noona is sorry, really,” she kept a pout on her face, softening her syllables in that cutesy way she knew that a not insignificant percentage of men found attractive for reasons unknown to her.

“Here,” she held the cup towards him, “noona is really sorry. I met too many people tonight.”

As he accepted the drink, Yerin cast her gaze around the room. She spotted Vernon. He was nodding, listening to Dasom say something into his ear. Their eyes met for a moment, and Yerin laughed as Vernon blushed slightly while giving her the same tight smile he would sometimes shoot her when he was on the phone at work. She shook her head slightly, hoping to indicate that she was fine where she was.

“So,” the voice of the man next to her brought her focus back. “Can I just remind you now? Or do you want to insult me again?”

“It’s probably best for you to just tell me.”

“Lee Chan.”

She groaned, making a show of it for Chan.

“I thought the Lee was Seokmin?”

“You can remember that, but you can’t remember my name?”

“I’m trying!” She insisted, “there are too many people here!”

A drunken tangle of limbs in the approximate shape of a man fell onto the seat on the other side of Chan.

“Okay, okay, Ill help you. That hyung there, his name starts with siyeot.”

Yerin looked the man over. Another of the shorter ones, with round cheeks.

“Soonyoung?”

“Seungkwan,” Chan corrected her.

“Then who’s Soonyoung?”

“Hoshi,” he shrugged.

“Hoshi is tiger,” the limbs offered, as if that explained everything.

“Tiger...” Yerin muttered, scanning the crowd. Spotting the most feline face available, she pointed.

“So that’s Hoshi?”

“That’s Minghao,” Chan said.

“I thought Minghao wasn’t here yet.”

“No,” Chan shook his head, “Mingyu isnt here yet.”

“I miss Mingyu,” the limbs stated.

“Okay, so you’re Chan... that’s Seungkwan... that’s Minghao... then who’s Hoshi?”

“Hoshi’s the short one.”

Yerin shot Chan an annoyed look for that extremely unhelpful explanation.

“Hoshi is tiger!” the limbs insisted.

She scanned the room once again. There were two men left that Chan could get away with describing as short. one of them definitely looked more catlike than the other.

“The one all in black? With the hair tied back?”

“That’s Woozi.”

“Now do me!” the limbs demanded.

“She cant even see your face hyung,” Chan nudged the leg nearest him.

The limbs waved wildly, straightening out and organizing themselves more fully into the shape of a human being. An embroidered zip-up hoodie was stripped off, with the sort of drunk confidence that showed that this man was certain that revealing his t-shirt and forearms would make Yerin’s task easier.

It did not.

“Um... I want to say Wonwoo?”

Chan burst into giggles.

The skinny man pouted, but then shook his head.

“People always mix them up,” Chan explained once his laughter subsided, “this is Lee Seokmin.”

“Okay, so if people often mix them up that means that the one singing right now is Wonwoo, right?”

“Right,” Chan nodded, smiling as he lifted his cup. “You'll know us all in no time.”

=====

“You okay?” Vernon triple checked as they waited for a taxi. “We don’t have to go. I know clubbing isn’t really your thing.”

“It could be my thing,” Yerin shrugged. She noticed Dasom giving them a curious look, as she shivered in the night air.

“Besides, I know you'd leave if I left, and then Dasom would be sad.”

“Dasom?” Vernon looked confused, “why woul-”

“Dasom-ah,” Yerin called out, “come here if you're cold. Here,” she tugged at Vernon’s jacket, stripping it off from his shoulders. “I'm sure Vernon won't mind you wearing his clothes.”

“Oh!” Dasom came closer, “are you sure?”

“Of course,” Yerin nodded, now wrapping the jacket around the other girl’s shoulders. She ignored the confused noises that Vernon was making beside them. She leaned in closer to Dasom, whispering into her ear, “he’s a little slow to notice things.”

“Thank you unnie,” Dasom blushed before turning to face Vernon, “and thank you oppa!”

Yerin shot Dasom another smile before pretending that she had to go continue a conversation with a nearby group.

“Ah,” the man with thick eyebrows took note of her actions, “good. I was worried that I may have made a mistake inviting Dasom.”

“They’re cute together,” Yerin shrugged, “no mistakes there.”

“Oh, no,” the cat-like Minghao spoke up, “we were afraid he might have gotten a girlfriend without telling us yet.”

Yerin turned her full attention on the group she had attached herself to.

“Vernon?” She shook her head. “He’s been single for as long as we’ve worked together.”

“He means you,” Jeonghan stated.

Yerin felt her face contort in confusion. She blinked rapidly, pursing her lips as she thought over the words. She grimaced, shaking her head before speaking up again.

“No,” she tried to rein in her facial expression, fearing it may border on an insulting level of disgust, “we...” she shook her head, trying to free herself from the very thought. “That would never... no.”

Minghao and Jeonghan laughed. Eyebrows just watched the three of them for a moment before answering.

“Good. Will you ride with us then?” One of those fuzzy lines lifted, “to give them some privacy in their taxi?”

“Sure,” Yerin dug her phone from her pocket, “let me just give him a heads up.”

Eyebrows nodded, peeking down at the message she typed out.

To: Brrrnon

I’ll ride with Jeonghan, Minghao, and eyebrows. Don’t be scared to flirt! She likes you!

“Eyebrows?” eyebrows asked.

“Oh, yeah,” Yerin smiled sheepishly, “sorry. Too many people tonight, you know?”

Thankfully, he laughed it off.

“No problem,” he nodded, “but you can call me Seungcheol.”

=====

| One | Two | ... |

Main Masterlist | Seventeen Masterlist | Series Masterlist

[s-creations]

Excavation - Chapter 2

Now that everything's calmed down slightly, Daisy explains why she's there. Mainly looking for the heroes' help in solving a problem that's coming from deep in one of her Kingdom's temples.

The group divides into two parts: One to solve the temple issue while the other tries to convince the Desert King to join forces against Bowser.

To everyone's surprise, it doesn't quite go according to plan.

Fandom: Super Mario & Releated Fandoms Rating: Teen and UP Audiences Relationship: Mario & Luigi & Wario & Waluigi Additional Tags: Pretty Much Everyone's Here, Named OCs - Freeform, world building, lore building, sometimes in the most painful way, Treasure Hunting, another mural to worry about, Mentions of Blood, we have a lot of people opening up in this one, cursing, heavy cursing, like I haven't used this heavy of cursing for this story for quite a while.

Special shout-out to @cantankerouscanuck for dropping a lot of DK lore and world building on me. Much appreciated!

Now, who's ready for some Waluigi angst! It is time. XD

The group traveling to the crumbling temple was larger than Mario had expected. It hadn’t just been him, Wario, Daisy, and Polterpup. There was a large entourage of bi-pedal mice, carrying supplies ranging from blankets and tents to cooking supplies to no doubt create the feast Wario was expecting. All distributed between three covered carriages that moved away from the large castle. All sitting in silence as they traveled along the golden sand. 

Once arrived, Daisy set about making sure everything was set up. Shouting orders on what needs to go where with far rougher authority compared to Peach. 

Mario and Wario, with Polterpup trotting behind, pulled away from the group to get a good look at the front entrance. Or, what remained of it. The once no doubt grand entrance was now blocked by a large pile of rubble. There was a small opening near the top. Large enough for the mice beings to fit through. For them, there would have to be some shifting, but they could get it to work. 

Wario looked over when Mario let out a slow sigh, “You doing okay over there?”

“Yeah,” Mario answered quickly, “Yeah, it’s just… Underground has some unpleasant memories.” 

“Fair. But you have a good handle on your Firebrand now. I doubt we’ll have an issue. I doubt you’ll have an issue.”

“Yeah…”

Wario frowned softly, but wasn’t able to push the issue as Daisy joined them.

“So, you two ready?” the desert princess asked. 

“Yes.” Mario answered quickly.

“I have a few more questions, if that’s okay.” Wario asked.

To which Daisy nods and replies with, “Go ahead.”

“What are we expected to see in there?”

“From what we can tell, the disturbance is coming from deep within the temple. And I mean deep . We never had any tunnels or pathways that went that far down before. Now, it’s become sort of a mining operation. Just trying to get out as much ground out and setting up a railing system to travel down quickly.”

“Has anyone in this kingdom mined before?” Mario asked. 

“Ah, no… But they did their best?” Daisy offered weakly.

Wario, however, didn’t look that impressed. “No wonder this has become such a nightmare for you. There are probably more death traps than anything else in that place.”

“You’re still going to help though, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, just wanted to know what we’re going to see inside there.” Wario shuffled the bag further onto his shoulder as he faced the entrance again. “Alright Mini-Me, let’s get in there and get this fixed.”

Mario gave a small, hopefully reassuring, smile to Daisy before following Wario. The desert princess watched on as the brothers shifted a few more rocks around, expanded the entrance, and climbed in. Polterpup only phased through once the other two made their way in. Daisy let out a tight breath when they disappeared. 

“Good luck you two…”

The entrance to the cavern was a weird feeling of cold mixed with damp, Mario unable to place how that feeling was being created. Current area they were walking through was a long hallway with compressed stone walls holding carved images and words. Some areas cracked and crumbling away. Mario’s fire seemed to cast deeper shadows over it all. Polterpup led the way, allowing their body to illuminate more on what Wario’s held light and Mario’s fire couldn’t.  

All peering around in silence as they made their way further in. The hallway eventually opened up into a large, domed room. What was normally a place for congregation and prayer had been sloppily converted into a mining operation, as Daisy warned. The altar seemed to be the only place that had been left alone, with dozens of carved holes seeming to appear at random. All disappearing into the ground so far that Mario wasn’t able to see the ending. Each holding their own set of railings that followed along the carved paths. 

“Wow, this is shitty work.” Wario commented as he gently tapped on the railing. Eyes traveling to each of the laid tracks that disappeared into the darkened areas. 

“How bad?” Mario looked back. 

“Eh, bad, not terrible? I mean, we’ll survive if that’s what you’re asking. We’ll just need to make sure we don’t hit these or else we’re going to have a rocky time… I was just expecting a path down, not this. This is way more dangerous than I previously thought.” 

“How many rails do you think they have laid down?”

“No idea. A lot, from what I’m seeing here. But if they’re being really desperate, who knows how many they’ve actually laid down. Between these quakes and this quick job, I don’t know how stable this place really is.” 

Both looked away hearing something squeak. Watching as Polterpup pushed a car forward. Pausing when they just reached the opening, sitting down to look back at the other two. Panting happily. With a shared nod, Mario and Wario joined at the cart. The fire wielder picked up the spectral pup before climbing in. Sitting near the front to allow Wario room to jump into after he pushed them forward. 

Tossing the bag and a few more tools in, Wario let out a grunt as he pushed everything forward. Leaping in at the last second, settling down as the cart tilted downwards. 

They followed along a carved out tunnel, flickering lights lining the walls. All of them flashing by, eventually smearing by as the cart picked up speed. Mario and Wario bending down into the cart as the wind rushed past them. Holding onto their respected hats to keep them from flying away.

The tunnel, far too soon, fell away, the tracks now seeming to hover open a large pit. Both risked leaning over to see if they could find the bottom. Only for everything to disappear into the darkness. If the depth of the pit wasn’t enough of a worry, they'd received their answer with how many tracks had been laid down. 

It was clear it wasn’t just the temple entrance that had the tracks. It seemed any direction that could reach this area was utilized. From every direction the tracks appear, twisting and turning together as they all descend into the depths. Even tracks that went the same direction the group was traveling along didn’t seem to be limited to where they’d come from. 

“There really was no rhyme or reason to any of this!” Wario called out in disbelief as he looked around. “They just went crazy with this.”

“I’d hate to ask, was this temple in operation before this?” Mario asked.

“I really hope not.”

“Guess we can’t focus on that for now. We’ll just have to ride this until we reach the ending. …Do we have any ideas on how we’re going to stop this thing?”

“How about we put a pin in that when we reach that problem.” Wario frowned. There was a sinking sensation in their stomachs as the cart started to dip down further. The tracks seemed to press closer together as they went along.

“They really had no idea what they were looking for,” Mario said, worriedly. “We’re not going to have that issue…are we?”

Wario gave an assured shake of his head. “No way, we have better tools for the job. Trust me, this coaster of craziness we’ll be the worse of our-”

Both tensed when Polterpup let out a low, warning growl. Focusing on the other entrances, teeth bared and their hackles raised. 

“Polterpup?” Mario carefully rested a hand on the spectral pup. “What’s wrong? What do you-”

“Avast, ye landlubbers!”

The call echoed through the carved cavern that was followed by a number of other cries and cheers. As attention was turned behind them, the duo found at least twenty if not more other carts following after them. Traveling along rails that had not been from the temple entrance. Each cart filled with two or three bi-pedal lizard being. Mario mentally commented they looked like crocodiles. Yellow eyes narrowed on Wario and Mario’s cart, mouths filled with rows of sharp teeth were pulled back into a wide smile. Waving either guns or swords in hands. Bags of Bob-ombs just barely peeking out. 

The clart closest to the duo was only carrying one creature, but was by far the largest out of them all. Body showed a number of scars that stood out against the leather tan skin. Eyes of vivid green seeming to shine out from the heavy shadow casted by the pirate hat he was wearing.

“What the-”

“Are you fucking kidding me!” Wario’s cry of disbelief drowned out Mario’s question. The other looked furious at the yellow lizard that was drawing closer. “What the hell are you doing here!?”

“If it isn’t me ol’ treasure huntin’ partner!” the lizard replied with a laugh. “Did ye really think ye’d never see Kaptain Skurvy again?”

“It was a desperate plea to Grambi, to be honest.”

“Ah, ye wound me.”

“Wait, you know him?” Mario asked. 

Wario replied back with an annoyed growl. “Unfortunately.”

“Now, now, don’t ye be sour,” Skurvy called out, almost alongside their cart. “Ye seem to be doin’ well. Even got yerself a new, wee little partner. A weird lookin’ one, ta be honest.”

Mario pouted at that. “A little rude.”

He didn’t fight back when Wario pulled him away. The older brother pulled out a familiar hammer, with a foot on the edge of the cart as he pointed it at the lizard. “What are you doing here Skurvy.”

“That be Kaptain Skurvy to ye, traitor.” Was growled out.

“Like hell I would call you that. Now what do you want!”

“Do ye think ye little dessert princess is the only one interested by whatever be lying in this sinkin’ ship? We just be on a job. Ain’t that right boys?” Skurvy waved a hand back to the rest of his crew, who replied back with a happy cheer.

“What the hell does your crazy king want with this kingdom?” Wario’s furry turned to genuine worry, causing Mario to panic further. 

Skurvy’s jovial attitude suddenly switched off at the question. “Bold of ye to assume who we’d be workin’ for.”

“What else am I supposed to say? That’s who you were working for before-”

“Enough of this!” The scaly captain pulls his own sword free. Pointing it into the air before drawing it down directly to Wario. “I ain’t here to be takin’ trips down memory lane. I’ll offer the two-”

Polterpup barked.

“Pardon, the three of ye one chance to walk away quietly. Or else my crew will have to deal with ye personally. What do ye say? Peaceful partin’?”

Wario let out a laugh before swinging his hammer back. “When have you known me to back down, you salty dog?”

“So be it. Knock them off!” 

Wario and Mario faulted when the rails suddenly rocked, the motion quickly followed by an explosion. Both turning back to find their path back crumbling away into the darkness. Those closest to the brothers preparing another Bob-ombs to be thrown over. One waiting to light while the other waited to hand an unlit one. 

Mario was up on the ledge without a second thought. A deep red fireball in hand that was launched to the cart he could reach. Aiming specifically for the pile of the unlit explosives. There was a momentary cry of panic. First directed at the fireball being tossed their way then to the lit Bob-ombs. Said lizards jumping out from the cart before it exploded. 

“Ye didn’t tell me ye new partner came with party tricks!” Skurvy called out, glaring at the larger brother. “What else ye hidin’ from me?”

“Shove off you!” Wario called back. Pulling Mario back into the cart to allow himself room for a full swing. The head of the hammer launches a lit Bob-omb back to its sender. Another cart going down. 

Letting out a growl, Skurvy leaned over the edge of his car. Foot over the lip while his sword was lowered to his hip. Clearly intended to jump into the brother’s cart. Only to be stopped when a spectral pup seemingly popped out of nowhere. Skurvy letting out a cry of surprise as he attempted to swat Polterpup away. 

“Ye annoyin’ pest!”’

“Polterpup!” Mario called out in worry. 

The cart dangerously shifted once more, but no explosion followed this time. Instead, parts of the rails started to fall away. Not just from the brother’s line, as all rails started to crumble. Those in the carts only able to watch in horror as their companions started to fall into the awaiting darkness.

“What’s going on?” Mario frantically asked. 

“The problem I said would happen if we damaged these railings!” Wario answered. “These structures were never sound and they’re not holding up to these attacks, we’re all going down!”

The stunned realization was pushed aside as their rails falling away started to catch up. Wario pulled Mario close and compressed them both into the cart as best he could. Their cart soon started to free fall down. The other was only able to watch as Polterpup looked on with worry. Skurvy’s cart followed along soon enough. The rest of the crew either cried out in worry as their captain fell away or screaming as they also headed towards the depths. 

_____________________________

In one of the many provided guest rooms, Toadsworth, Peach and Waluigi were resting on a long, plush sofa. Peach sat up while the lanky brother flopped out until he took up most of the space. The princess sitting between Waluigi and her caretaker. With Toadsworth looking unhappy with how close he was to Waluigi. Even with Peach acting as a barrier. 

All watched as Luigi nervously paced the length of the room, mumbling to himself as he stared at the ground. The younger twin eventually stopped in front of the other three. Clapping his hands together before properly facing them. 

“So…what’s the plan of attack?” Luigi asked with a nervous smile.

“You were the one who pulled us in here. I thought you were the mastermind.” Waluigi answered. 

“I was also hoping for some help.”

“Monazite will need to be the first person we talk to,” Peach started. “She’s very caring and would certainly understand our mission. She may already be on our side. But it’ll be good to know where she truly lies on all of this.”

Waluigi shifted to sit up a little more. “But, she’s also not our main concern here.”

“Toadsworth, what’s your insight as to why Olivine pulled away so long ago?” Luigi asked Peach.

The elder Toad shook his  head. “It’s the simple story of King Olivine believing that King Matsutake was not using his power and time wisely. While I understand Olivine’s position, considering Bowser’s threat was growing faster than we expected, Queen Dahlia was growing ill during the same time. Our King was more worried and focused on his wife. Olivine did not take this well and claimed that Matsutake was focusing on the wrong thing. Leaving to be out of the ‘damage zone’, if I’m recalling the words correctly. Anything further than that, we’ll need to talk to Daisy, if you wish to skirt around approaching Olivine for a few hours more.”

“Oh, I very much doubt that,” Waluigi huffed. “Daddy dearest clearly hasn’t been upfront with what’s been going on.”

Luigi sighed weaky, “Then how do we break down the wall when we don’t have the appropriate tools to do so?”

“Get more people to help out.”

The group couldn’t help but jump when the bedroom door was knocked upon. Peach calling out  ‘Come in’, with said door opening and Dew poking her head in.

“Pardon for the interruption,” Dew spoke softly. “But Queen Monazite is asking for an audience.”

Peach stood, offering a smile. “Of course. We were actually about to ask your queen for the same. Would you be kind enough to-”

“A-Apologies princess. But the queen has specifically asked for Waluigi to join her. Alone.”

The atmosphere in the room shifted to a weird feeling. Luigi sharply turned, eyes wide, as he looked bewildered at the lanky brother. Toadsworth’s eyes narrowed on Waluigi while Peach’s face turned to an overly worried expression. All clearly confused by this request. 

Even Waluigi’s eyes widened hearing his name, breaking away from his bored demeanor. Blinking a few times as it all settled into his brain before slowly standing. “Ah…are you sure you didn’t mishear? I mean, she could have mumbled something at the beginning before saying Luigi’s name. You know, one of the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom?”

Dew gently shook her head. “No, she asked for you. No mumbling occurred.”

“...Okay, well…” Waluigi straightened his cup. “I guess, lead the way.”

“Waluigi-” Luigi faltered when the other raised his hand. 

“It’s fine, I’ll be fine. Lead the way, Dew.”

Without a look back, Waluigi left the guest room, following the bi-pedal mouse. Led away from those areas marked for guests and the citizens who asked for an audience, towards the rooms saved for the royals. Grand bedrooms, ballrooms, and dining areas, Waluigi did his best to not grumble under his breath. A bubble of bitterness expanded in his chest seeing how yet another portion of the 1% lived. 

As they turned the corner to a more private area of the castle, the plain walls changed to bursts of colors. Nothing but swirls of hues that calmed Waluigi’s silent grips to the building. 

“Beautiful, aren’t they?” Dew beamned. 

“Do they mean anything?”

The mouse shook her head, “Not that we’re aware of, especially out here anyway. The rooms that line these halls do hold murals, but we’re only able to guess what it all means. Those stories have been lost to the ages, unfortunately.”

Dew stopped before another archway. Turning to Waluigi and offering a bow. “Queen Monazite awaits you inside.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Waluigi replied back quietly. Side stepping around the mouse to walk in.

It was a small tea room. Big enough to hold two rather comfortable looking chairs with a small table situated between them. Which held a tray with tea and some interesting and tasty looking treats. Monazite stood from the chair she’d claimed to greet Waluigi, who was standing in the archway.

The lanky brother offered a short nod with a quiet, “Your highness.”

“Hello, Waluigi, I’m so glad you could join me. Would you care for a seat?”

“Suppose I will…” Waluigi walked further into the room. A flash of vibrancy appeared from the corner of his eye. Looking back to find the entire wall filled with a mosaic mural. 

What stood out first were seven yellow sprites that look like small sons. All placed around the archway and starting the wall being divided by the same number. Each section depicted a different area that Waluigi had never seen before. Framing all of it, decorating the edge of the wall, were tendrils of shadows that were encroaching in on the scenes. Uncomfortably familiar sparks of green appeared on occasion that mixed in with the shadows. 

Waluigi’s brows furrowed in worry.

“An interesting little piece, isn’t it?” Monazite casually commented as she joined him.

“Kind of creepy…and a little on the head with its depictions.” Waluigi reached out to run his hand over the sprite floating in the desert portion of said mural. “This is the Desert Kingdom. I’m pretty sure that’s the Sarasaland castle in the background.”

“That appears to be true.”

The brother looked over, “So, what does it mean?”

Monazite let out a small sigh, “We’re unsure. We can pull some information from what we can see. It’s an understanding that our kingdom holds one of these yellow sprites. But we’re unsure where it is, what it does, or where else these sprites are located. Even the tendrils of shadows are a mystery to us.”

“Joy…” Waluigi grumbled. Making a mental note of how there was another mural for them to worry over. 

He twitched nervously when a hand was placed on his shoulder. Monazite offered a warm smile as she gently pulled Waluigi away.

“Why don’t we put this away for a moment. I asked for you to join me so that we could have a polite but private discussion.”

“Oh, right, sure…” Waluigi tentatively sat down in the unclaimed chair while Monazite sat down in her previously claimed seat. 

The queen took a few minutes to pour a cup of tea for each of them. Filled with a deep red liquid, leaving a little bit of room left over for one. Said cup was handed over to Waluigi. With Monazite gesturing over the container of milk, honey, and sugar. 

“I wasn’t sure how you preferred your drink.”

“Thank, um, this is fine.” Lifting the cup up tentatively from the saucer, Waluigi took a small sip. Eyes widening in pleasant surprise of the taste that washed over his tongue. A look he quickly formed back into a neutral one when he realized Monazite was watching him.

“It’s good.”

“That’s wonderful to hear. Have as much as you want, I can always make more. No issues there.”

Waluigi raised a brow at that, “You…make it?”

“Of course, it’s a family recipe. A long standing tradition to share with new guests.”

The brother let out a low hum as he took another sip.

“You don’t seem to believe me.” The queen laughed softly. 

“I just didn’t think that those of royalties would stoop so low as to dirty their hands.” Waluigi bit his tongue when the words slipped out of his mouth. Focusing on his cup as he tried to sink into the chair. 

Monazite slowly nodded as she nursed her own cup. “That is understandable. After all, the rich do love to flaunt their possessions without much work on their end, don’t they?”

There was another round of laughter from Monazite while Waluigi could only chuckle weakly. Gently dabbing a finger to the corner of her eye, the queen continued. “But truly wealthy people know better than to rely on gold and jewels to be fulfilled. That feeling only arrives when you work for your worth in an honorable way. Getting your hands dirty just means you’ve created physical proof of what you’ve built.” 

Waluigi nodded slowly. “Yeah…sure. Um, not to cut to the chase suddenly. But why did you request a meeting with me?”

“Well, I was hoping to have a private conversation with the person who broke my daughter’s heart.”

Hot tea through the nose was not a fun feeling.

Waluigi took the offered cloth thankfully as he tried to clear his throat by coughing out the remaining liquid. Quickly wiping the sprayed tea away from his face, covering his mouth with the same cloth. Allowing himself a moment to take a few deep breaths. Only lowering his hands when he’d controlled his breathing once more.

“...I don’t know what you could be referring to…”

“Mmm, clearly.” Monazite said easily as she took her own sip.

Waluigi nervously pulled at the napkin, the silence stretching on until he blurted out, “How did you know?”

“You think I’m unaware of what goes on in my daughter’s life?”

“If you're so observant, why didn’t you know where she went before?”

“I had a hunch as to where she went.”

“And what do you mean ‘broke her heart’?”

“Well, with the way she screamed in rage after you both broke up, I assumed you two had been dating. I’m also assuming that you broke it off. Otherwise, Daisy would not have been that upset. A little bitter, sure, but not breaking things in her room upset. And would you believe me if I told you she was even further hurt upon hearing that you suddenly just disappeared in the middle of the night.” 

“Trust me, she’s made me very aware of that.” Waluigi mumbleed weakly. Rubbing his arm where a large bruise was still forming. 

“So, what caused such a shift in your life?”

“What?” He looked up in surprise. He’d been expecting harsh words, not a ‘soul-searching’ question.

Monazite placed her cup down to focus on Waluigi. “I will not sit here and say I understand your motives or what you were going through at the time to cause such a change. But to come to such a rash decision overnight. Leave everything behind without a word to anyone where you were going and why…” 

“You were clearly holding onto something that just…broke that evening. I’m also sure that you’ve never shared your reasoning as to why, close connections make it hard to be honest. Meaning you’ve been stewing on your own over all of this.”

“And what, you’re going to help me make all of this better?” Waluigi snapped. 

The previous nerves were falling away, quickly being replaced with anger. The sudden change caused a rush that got Waluigi to stand up as his face burned. The queen made no move to defend or worry over this reaction. Staying still as her hands rested gently in her lap with a neutral look on her face. Remaining as such as Waluigi continued. 

“You have the comfort of judging me while sitting in your ivory tower. I’m sorry I hurt Daisy, I am. But maybe I wasn’t as emotionally stable to deal with all of that. Maybe I was embarrassed to think over how I was supposed to keep a princess interested in me. Maybe I woke up late that night in a cold sweat realizing how I had done nothing with my life and that was killing me.”

“Maybe I’m pissed that I was poor and associated with being a troublemaker because our father was a fucking liar. That I had hoped and prayed that I would be able to stand above that as I grew older but was never given the chance. How Wario and I just wanted to fucking help so we could be seen in a better light. Only for that resulting in people not trusting us. And we were sick and tired of being belittled. Maybe that’s why we started to act out, why not! Why not play the role everyone just expected us to be!”

“But no, let’s just chalk it up to how we were raised! That has to be the problem, right? Being told grandeur lies that our father told, making us think that he was someone to look up to. All of that just amounts to him just leaving and having our mom die by a broken heart. Maybe that’s just something that runs in the family, yeah? Hurting people and just leaving without a word. At least I came back!” 

“Is it bad that I wanted to go someplace where no one knew who I was? It is fucking wrong that I wanted to try to make a name for myself that didn’t involve people glancing my way with raised brows and whispers? I wanted to make a new start, I wanted to be more than just my family name, I wanted to be more than my father. But I guess that’s just too much to ask for, isn’t it!”

Waluigi’s fast pacing stilled as he turned to glare Monazite down. Who still hadn’t moved, watching it all with calmed features.

“You know what, fuck you, let’s just turn this script around. What don’t we judge your character, yeah? For someone trying to ‘care’ about her daughter, you sure have been missing a lot from anything involving Daisy. Or even anything about your fucking kingdom! Never seen you once until I got here. Always saw the king. Stuck up king who crawls away when his feelings get a little bruised. Why don’t you go pick him apart, huh? You married him, why don’t you deal with that baggage to make him realize that maybe ignoring a friend wasn’t the best idea while his wife was dying.” 

“Why don’t you use your fucking title of ‘queen’ to actually do something!”

Breathing heavily, Waluigi felt his shoulders and ears slowly drop and it dawned on him what he’d just said. Flinching away when Monazite finally moved, the queen now stood up from her chair. The anger felt only a few seconds before now cooling into actual fear. Waluigi mentally berating himself for cursing and flinging accusations at the queen . This was not going to the plan they had. Then again, Peach or Luigi were supposed to have this talk. How were they supposed to recover the damage Waluigi had just made?

The frantic thoughts were silenced when arms were gently wrapped around him. Tencing, his own arms stuck straight at his sides as he felt slim fingers gently stroke through his hair that they could reach. 

“My people are quite literally part of the desert,” Monazite spoke softly. “My form and self only remain when I’m able to connect with the very sand that I came from. Leaving the desert could cause my demise. This is why I’ve never left my home. I do wish I could travel, but I’m fearful that it’s not possible.”

“As for my silence, my words are spoken by my husband. I’m here to offer him support and my view on situations. Do you think I’ve not berated him for how he easily left his friend’s side? Especially at such a horrible time. I know my husband hurts himself for the actions he’d done during that time. He hides his shame by staying here. Tucking himself away so no one can see him. Until he can remove himself from his indignity, Olivine will suffer in silence. Nothing I say will change that.” 

“...It’s just stupid fucking egos, yeah?” Waluigi mumbled weakly, slowly melting into the hold, his throat becoming tight. 

“I suppose so… But I do hope you lot will put my husband in his place. Grambi knows he needs someone besides myself to show him what this world is heading towards…” Monazite gently pulled Waluigi back. Tilting his chin up so they could look at each other properly. The queen silently noted, with wide eyes that held such exhaustion and ears drooped down, how young Waluigi looked at this moment. 

Not a bitter adult, but now a lost child.

“It’s unfair how the children have to suffer the mistakes of their parents. Such a weight should not be placed on their shoulders…but who else could tell adults how stupid they truly are.”

Waluigi let out a weak huff, doing his best to keep himself collected. Unhappy that his vision became blurring, deep breathing returned as he tried to look away. Jaw clenched as a final attempt to hold it all in fell away as a hand gently cupped his cheek. 

“Other’s actions have such a way to harm without knowing, don’t they?”

The only reply was a choked sob that Waluigi attempted to cover it up, a hand reaching up to rub under his nose. More than happy to sink back into the motherly warmth that he’d not felt in years. His own arms reached up to wrap around the queen and he buried into her dress. Monazite hummed softly as she placed a hand on the back of the other’s head, her other arm wrapping around Waluigi tightly.

Toadsworth stood just outside of the archway in the chilled hallway. Brow furrowed in thoughts and worry. Eventually turning away and back down the hall towards the guest bedrooms. 

[yournaothings]

Hello, everyone. So, my Internet is down for the next several days. 😭 It sucks. But! I have a new story idea I've been playing with and finally wrote it out. I wanted to get it typed up so I don't forget all the things I wanted for it. Will it become a full blown story? Probably not. Maybe. We'll see.

A couple prayed to the gods to be saved. The god who answered their prayers made a deal; in exchange for their lives, their first born must be offered up to him.

"They will be the strongest mage the world will have seen in decades."

When their first child was born, their soul was indeed a strong one. Unfortunately, they didn't plan to keep their word and wanted to raise their child to beat the god and everyone would be free.

(((Trigger warning! Violence, death, and near rape. PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHEN READING THIS!)))

(*Nova's cab driver is a bad man. He doesn't get to have his way thankfully. Still, please be careful when reading.)

-------->

My name is Nova, and I am the first born and am the only child out of four children who had to go through hard training ever since I could remember. I was separated from my siblings; I couldn't play with them, share the same bedroom as them. I couldn't eat with them. I was isolated from them. This includes the neighborhood children. The only ones I was ever around was my father and his fellow mages.

The training was difficult and the punishment for failing was just as bad. Being beaten or going to bed without a meal. It was awful. What was I training for? Magic. My parents claimed that I would be the greatest mage the world would have seen in decades. I couldn't fail my parents. I had to succeed and become so much strong than the mages who were alive today.

But, I didn't want that. I didn't want to be a mage. This was so stupid and pointless. Because when I get to the legal age, I'm going to leave. I will run away. Far, far away.

It wasn't fair how I was the only one to train. My siblings were normal. They didn't have to train, they didn't have anything special about them- why did I have to be the special one? It's so stupid!

I just wanted to have a normal childhood like my siblings. I wanted to play with them. Go exploring with them. I wanted to enjoy a normal, fun birthday party. My siblings always went to them, always going over to their friends houses to play and celebrate birthdays. To go to school and struggle over math or science.

Why... Why am I different? Why did I have to be special? I don't want to be special anymore. Please, whoever looks over us. Whoever answers our prayers. Please, I don't want this anymore. I want to be normal.

/

My 18th birthday is tomorrow. I'm going to do it. Tonight, I'm going to run away. I've made up my mind. I've packed what I need to leave, and I've made sure the exit would be easy for me to use. My parents and siblings have no idea of my plans. I should be far away by the time they come to check on me. I'm not staying any longer.

I can't relax. Not until I'm far away and safe. My plan needs to succeed. It has to. For my sanity.

----

The alarm was disabled that night. Nova ran off into the night, thinking they slipped away without being noticed.

The cameras were on, recording their escape, and sitting before the monitors was their mother.

Her watery smile widened as she watched her child disappear into the darkness. Finally, she prayed they would be safer out there. Away from the family who kept them locked away and forced them to become a strong mage.

She knew they didn't like it and didn't understand why they forced such harsh training on them. No one wanted to explain. Both parents were fearful of letting their oldest know the truth.

It was their fault that their first born was in so much danger. They made a terrible mistake and it cost them their first born. Their other children were safe. They had no qualities of magic within their souls, so they would be okay.

Nova was not safe.

Just as that god-like being said, their first born would be a strong mage. At the age of 18, the god would be back to take their child away for their selfish desires.

All because they made the mistake of making that deal with the creature in exchange for their lives. Once they found out they were expecting, they planned everything out. Built a training room underground with a bedroom where they would lock their child away.

They knew it was awful, but it was for their child's safety. Her husband gathered the local mages and trained Nova, making sure they were strong enough for whatever was to come.

"Stars, please guide Nova. Protect them, please." The mother prayed, crying both in relief and sadness. She cried from the pain of not being the proper mother to her first born. She loved Nova with all of her heart, but they'd never know... But, this was done for their safety.

"Run far away, Nova. Don't let him catch you."

"Why am I not surprised."

The mother gasped and turned in her seat to look at the intruder. The dark of the room hid him well, the only thing she could see was his cruel cyan eye light and wide, toothy grin.

"N-Nightmare!" She stuttered, and slowly stood on her shaky legs. "The deal is off. You are not taking my child."

Nightmare's grin widened, his eye narrowing. "How amusing. You actually believe you have authority over what I can and can't have."

Behind him, she could faintly see his tentacles moving around, almost like how a cat's tail would when irritated. She knew what he could do. (She knew there would be no surviving this encounter, as well.) "You won't find them. They've gone far away."

Nightmare barked out a cruel laugh. "I know exactly where they are. You and your husband have only helped me in the end. I will take them and they will be mine to command. Their magic is strong, I can sense it from here." He paused as he let his grin widen into a cruel smirk. He could feel the dread within this woman. "They hate you. They're angry for being treated like a caged dog. You have only isolated them and made them hate you. It's almost too easy. They have no knowledge of who I am because you did not tell them about me. All I have to do is promise a life of freedom and they'll come. You have stopped nothing."

Another mistake. Another mess up they created that would keep Nova from having a life of freedom. "I-I won't let you take them!" She cried out and in a moment of weakness, she grabbed the first thing she could get her hands on; a pen, and she charged at him.

She never made it close enough. A tentacle, sharpened at the end, pierces through her chest. He held her there for only a moment before tossing her dying body to the side, then turned to find the rest of the foolish family.

The deal was off? Fine. He didn't have to hold up his side of the deal- not that he planned on it at the beginning. The moment the first born was 18, he was planning on killing the entire family.

It was so easy. Each and every child, awake and trying to hide from him were killed swiftly by his tentacles. The father was with the other mages, easy. All of them were weak and quickly died by his tentacles. Disgusting.

Now, it was time to find his prize.

---

Nova was sitting on the bench, waiting for their cab. They began to fidget, feeling a sense of dread falling over them. As if something bad was chasing them and they needed to move.

Something wicked this way comes.

But, that can't be. They were careful when leaving, making sure they weren't seen by anyone. So, why were they feeling like this?

After building up the courage, Nova glanced over their shoulder to see if anyone was behind them, or around them. No one was there- and anyone who was, they were walking down the street, minding their own business.

They sighed, but their body did not relax. Something didn't feel right and they just wanted out of here. It took them too long to figure out how to call for a cab; they didn't know what to do when it came to paying the driver. They had no money-

The cab pulled up in front of them, pulling Nova from their thoughts. The driver rolled down the window and asked, "You Nova?" They nodded, "Y-Yes. That's me." The driver nodded and gestures for Nova to hop into the back. "Climb on in, dear." Nova exhaled slowly and stood up. They got their breathing under control, trying to relax.

Everything is going to okay, Nova.

They got into the back of the cab and told the driver where they wanted to go- "I want to go as far away as you can take me."

The driver sputtered, even laughed at the ridiculous request, but he shrugged and put the car in drive. He looked at Nova from the rearview mirror and grinned. "Whatever you say, sweet cheeks."

The car started down the street, Nova exhaled softly and glanced out the window. They watched as they made their way through the city, it wasn't until the larger buildings were behind them that the driver spoke up again, trying to make pleasant conversation.

"So, you're running away, eh?" Nova turned their alert and fearful gaze to him. "H-How did you know?!" The driver laughed. "Calm down, I'm not going to take you back to wherever you're running from. It happens all the time. Let me guess... Your home life here in the city was a prison, so you're running away?" Nova's silence and worried look seemed to be answer enough. "Mhm, that's what I thought. No worries, sweetheart. I've been helping many folks escape the city for a long time. I get it. This place sucks ass. I'll get you out of here."

"Thank you." Came their reply, soft and almost too quiet. Thankfully, he didn't have the radio on so he was able to catch it. "No worries. Normally, I would request a decent amount of payment, but for you? I'm sure we can figure something out. After all, you don't have any money on you, right?"

Nova froze and they stared at the driver with a nervous look. He laughed once again, not helping calm Nova in the slightest. "I knew it! Like I said, don't worry about it! We'll figure it out once I get you out of the city. I want to help, remember?"

Now, Nova didn't have any knowledge of this. They never got the chance to explore the city and learn what to watch out for. However, thanks to how strong their soul pulsed within them, they knew this wasn't a good person. They started to feel nauseous. "I-I want to get out here." They said slowly, and began reaching for the car door knob. The driver laughed when Nova found that they couldn't open the door, even with the door unlocked.

"Sorry, love. Child's lock is on." The driver mocked them. "Why are you wanting to leave? We're not out of the city yet!" Nova felt themselves panic. "L-Let me out, now!" They raised their panicked voice and continued to yank on the door knob. The driver continued down the street, speeding up as they neared the end of the city limits. Nova missed the way the driver smirked sickeningly at them through the rearview mirror.

They were panicked, but suddenly thought to use their magic- their father said they could use their magic when in a difficult situation. As much as they didn't want to use their magic in fear of being caught, they needed to get out of this situation. To get away from this terrible man.

Abandoning their attempt at opening the door, they reached deep within them and tried to calmly breath. (It made them sick knowing that they were going through the steps the mages and their father had taught them.) The magic flower through their body and to their hands and finger tips. Willing the magic to do as they said, the magic slipped through their hands and into the car, seeking out the mechanics of the car and put a halt to the engine, to the wheels. The car came to a jarring halt, jerking both occupants in the car, the seatbelts the only reason either of them didn't get ejected.

Nova groaned in pain, but as soon as they recovered, they tried the door again. When that didn't work, they went for the window. Pressing their palm against the glass, Nova sent a powerful blast through their hand and shattered the glass. They gasped and jerked back when the shattered glass flew at them and cut their face and arm. Nova reached out of the now broken window and opened the door. They moved to jump out of the car, only to get caught up in the seatbelt. A quick shout of panic, Nova fumbled with the seatbelt and freed themselves from the seat and took off.

They didn't get far when the driver tackled them, having recovered quicker than Nova thought he would. He struggled with them and rolled them onto their stomach, sitting on their back to keep them from moving. "You're a fucking mage?! Holy shit! There is no way I'm getting rid of you! I can get a lot of fucking money for turning you in!" He laughed. "But first, I think I'll have some fun with you first."

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

Nova struggled, kicked, and thrashed! They moved their hands to press into the dirt and with another surge of magic, they were able to roll away, knocking the driver off of them. They scrambled to their feet and started running once again. They couldn't keep getting caught, they could feel their body getting tired. Soon, they won't be able to fight back again.

There was no use in calling for help, no one would make it to them in time. With a sudden burst of determination, Nova stopped and turned around in time to catch the man by his arm. It startled him, and gave them enough time to use their magic to rip away his arm. The man stumbled back, screaming in pain and his other hand reached up to cup where his arm used to be.

Trembling and crying out in fright, Nova dropped the now severed arm and backed away, only to turn and vomit from the gruesome sight before them. It was disgusting and a part of them felt awful for doing such a thing- but he tried to hurt them! They wiped at their mouth and turn to look at the man, their head beginning to ache and their body feeling weaker. The man gripped their arm stub and glared at Nova with such a hateful look.

"You bitch!" He growled and reached his arm out to them, ready to pay them back. His animalistic growling frightened them and they tried to run, but they tripped and fell. Fuck, fuck!

The man snarled and called them such awful names as he moved to hover over them. "I'm going to break you, then I will hand you over to the others. You fucking owe me a new arm, you bitch!"

He yelled and as he lunged for them, Nova watched in what they thought was slow motion, a strange sharp object piercing through his stomach. He grunted in pain, pausing as his body tensed. Blood leaked from his mouth and he choked on it. Slowly, he glanced down to see the sharp object begin to wiggle, before it lifted him high into the air and it tossed him aside. His body landed to the ground with a sickening crack of his bones, he had to be dead now.

Fearfully, Nova turned their attention towards the one who saved them. The one who killed that awful man- their eyes widened in fear, and everything within them cried for them to run.

"There is no need to fear me, child."

"W-Who are you? What are you?!"

"My name is Nightmare, I am the god of Negativity. I have waited a long time for you, child."

What?

Seeing the confused look on their face, Nightmare grinned. "You were destined to be mine, child. Your parents thought they could keep you from me, even going as far as to lock you away your whole life."

Nova let that sink in and they looked on with shock and understanding. No way. "Is that true? Why would they do that?" They paused a moment then looked at him angrily. "I didn't escape one prison to go back into another one! Fuck that!"

Nightmare laughed. "You will not be a prisoner, my dear. I will ensure your freedom. No longer will you be isolated or abused."

They studied him, trying hard to decide if this... Deity was telling the truth. "How do I know you won't bring me back to my family?" His grin lifted into a cruel smirk then, and it made Nova sick, wishing they didn't ask-

"Your family is dead."

Everything around them stopped, even their heart skipped a beat. They should have been sad. They should have been running the other way. But... They didn't love their parents. Not after all the abuse they were put through.

Nightmare was patient as he watched Nova think this through. (This is too easy.) Nova glanced away from him to the lifeless body several feet away from them. He did that too. He saved them. Not just from that man, but he gave them true freedom from their family. They were free- there was no fear of being caught by them.

They turned back to Nightmare and slowly stood up on shaky legs. "Do you promise my freedom?"

"I promise." They fell silent, thoughts rushing through their mind. "When you say you killed my family-"

"They're all dead. Even the little ones." Seeing the pain and heartbreak in their eyes, Nightmare continues. "It was a mercy killing. Without anyone to care for them, they would be orphans. That is a terrible life for children their age."

Well, when he put it like that... Fuck, it still didn't sit right with them. "If it helps you feel better, they died in their sleep. They did not suffer." It seemed like the right thing to say. Nova relaxed a little, and with an exhausted sigh, Nova finally stepped closer. "You better not be lying to me. I'll blast you to pieces." They warned him, and while Nightmare was amused by the warning, he nodded and reached his hand out for them to take. "Noted."

With heavy footsteps, Nova walked closer and took the deity's hand and as soon as he wrapped them in his tentacles, the exhaustion hit them. They fell limp in his hold, and couldn't keep themselves awake as Nightmare opened his portal to take them "home".

---

The infirmary was prepared just as he asked. Cross was in the room, finishing up when Nightmare stepped through the portal. The human was laid on top of the bed.

"Are they okay?" Cross asked as he neared the side of the bed. "They will be fine. They used their magic and tired themselves out." Cross gave a thoughtful look; "Another human was attempting harm in them and they fought back. They are quite strong." Nightmare explained with a satisfied grin. "The fools isolated them and failed to tell them about our little deal. It was so easy to obtain them."

"I'm surprised, was that part of the deal?" Cross asked. "No. The parents were wanting to train them up to fight against me. Yet, they didn't warn them of me and even let them run away. When morning comes, they will be 18." Nightmare explained. "Check them over, heal any injuries. I will speak with Horror. A nice warm meal and birthday cake will help ease them into the home."

"As long as Killer doesn't do anything stupid." Cross commented with a roll of his eye lights. Nightmare agreed and turned to leave. He would have to speak with Killer as well.

Catching the three other skeletons in the living room, Nightmare began to explain everything. Horror was happy to be able to make something special, he knew exactly what to make! Dust shrugged at being told not to hurt the human. As for Killer...

"You brought a human home? Are they a pet? Does that mean I can keep my cat?"

Nightmare glared at him. "No. They are not a pet. They are part of the team now. They're a mage, a strong one at that. I expect you to keep them safe and not to harm them. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yeah, yeah. Loud and clear, boss. No harming the human. Got it." Killer said with a wave of his hand. Nightmare sighed, knowing Killer would cause some kind of chaos with the human. He can already feel a headache beginning. "Cross is tending to them now. Do not mess with him."

"I got it, boss. No messing with the human or Crossy." Killer grumbled, almost disappointed. Nightmare narrowed his eye socket at the troublesome skeleton, he just knew Killer would find a way to go against Nightmare's commands.

With another sigh, Nightmare turned away and started for his study. Now it was time to begin making preparations for upcoming missions...

[ilya-thewarlock]

The moon and the dark

This is my first attempt to write after over 15 years and english is not my first language so please be kind. Angst || Mention of blood and wounds || Shar!PaladinxSelune!Paladin || Named OCs || 1.6k words

˜˜˜˜˜˜˜

Thunders roared in the sky as the rain fell heavily on the ground, washing away the blood on his comrades. He called them friends, he knew all their names, their stories. From the day he joined the army and the City Watch, he grew close to them all, spending days together, facing perilous challenges, happy moments, proud achievements.  

Yet here he was, the last man standing, the betrayal heavy on his shoulders, dark in his heart. 

How could something like this happen to the most devoted soldier, to the paladin who swore his whole life to protect the city he loved, to aid and help every baldurian? Did his goddess turned her back on him, leaving him with nothing but grief and loneliness?  

All those years, praying and vowing to Selune, like his father, and grandfather, and his entire bloodline before him, could this really be the ending he deserved?  

Another thunder echoed, interrupting the constant white noise of the rain. 

Emyr lifted his head to the dark sky. Grey clouds hiding the usual dark blue colour and the stars he used to love and admire, the moon not a comforting sight anymore. 

Something in him broke, left his body and soul empty and wounded, more than the battle scars he gained these years, more than the fresh cuts around his skin his now dead friends, lying on the ground after rallying against him, did to him. 

The Traitor of Baldur’s Gate. 

Those words ringing in his ears, imprinting on his mind like a demon, whispering to him each living moment. 

He couldn’t even cry, scream, yell at the nothingness around and inside him. 

He was empty. 

There was no going back now. His entire city was against him, a possible bounty was on his head. Or even worst, the news of his death brought at dawn in a few hours. 

Yet here he stood. Silent, broken, still. Nothing moved around him, no noise but the occasional thunders and the heavy rain. 

But in the dark, behind him, he was not alone anymore. 

Many thoughts ran rapidly in his mind, pictures on his family, his young beloved sister, his stoic father, even Selune herself. 

But deep in his heart, he knew who was there, emerging from the shadows, the same shadows who slowly grew into the heart, twisting the mind, before claiming him. 

He slowly turned, facing the man who were not that different from those he just defeated. There for a specific purpose. There against him. 

A heavy sight escaped his lips, as the man in front of him stood proudly in his new, dark amour. 

«Hawk... » 

His smirk, usually playful and often accompanied by a sarcastic joke, was now dark, almost obscure, and Emyr knew in that very moment the fight wasn’t over. 

 «Would you look at that. Emyr, the infamous light of Selune, the Paladin of the moon, standing covered in the blood of his friends. » 

He chuckles, deeply, his eyes never left his form. He was walking slowly, like a predator hunting down its prey. Another thunder roared. 

«Go back to the city, Hawk. There’s nothing for you here. » 

Emyr almost pleaded, the grip around his greatsword tightened, but he didn’t dare to budge. 

The man in front of him kept coming closer, steady in his steps, filled with a new, dark purpose, as the smirk never left his face, his facial features almost darker, sharper on the usual, handsome face. 

There was nothing left of the man he once knew. 

« Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong, my friend. I am exactly where I’m supposed to be... » 

His voice sounded taunting, obscure. The shadows now part of him. 

For the first time in his life, Emyr was afraid. The knuckles around his weapon turned white, as he shifted uneasily in his spot, not daring to back up, despite an anxious feeling creeping up his spine. 

« I’ve heard words in the barracks about you, how you turned your back against the city, how you betrayed the very same order you swore your life to. » 

« Whatever you’ve heard it’s wrong Hawke and you know it! » 

Those words came out faster than he thought, as knot was forming on his throat. One foot moved back, slightly.  

« Are they? » 

He laughed, a noise that crept underneath Emyr’s skin.  

Hawk stopped in his tracks, the distance between them as much as their greatswords, enough for them to confront, enough for them to strike the first blow. 

« Aren’t you the one who openly talked against Lord Gortash? Aren’t you the one who accused the General of his own corruption? Or was I told wrong? » 

Lord Enver Gortash, a man so distasteful in Emyr’s eyes he was almost disgusted by how blind some people turned their entire loyalty in his favour. The Flaming Fists now puppets of the Tyrant, closing the city to its own people and to the poor civilians afflicted by this new Cult of pure lunatics, leaving them outside the city, dead in the streets, as these giants, The Steel Watchers, mechanical aberrations turned war machines, crushed down the very meaning of Baldur’s Gate as a city with nothing but violence. 

Emyr gritted his teeth, his breath quickened.  

Hawk smiled, creepy, dark, as a hand reached behind his back, grabbing the hilt of his greatsword, slowly removing it from its sheath, the sound of the steel vibrating in the air, followed by another, almost calculated thunder. 

« Your own ambitions turned you blind, Hawk. Why can’t you see reason?! » 

Emyr shouted as his voice roared angrily above the sound of the rain, still falling heavy on them.  

« You, of all people, would’ve agreed with me. We are friends! » 

« We are not! » 

Another, stronger thunder almost immediately followed the sound of those words, the reality striking the selunite like a blow in his heart. Hawk almost growled. 

« Whatever we were, whatever was between us, is gone. Lady Shar is my only truth. » 

Emyr’s eyes widened as those words echoed in the air, as he stepped back for the first time. 

It was a standard procedure, for Sharran initiates, having their memories removed... 

“No...” Emyr said to himself, as the picture of his long, dearest friend, was nothing but a painful memory, but only in his mind. In front of him stood an empty shell, stripped of everything he was before. A paladin, a selunite, a comrade.  

Hawk’s face twisted in a smirk once more, slowly lifting the greatsword to admire the dark steel reflecting the thunders, a hint of dark purple flashing right around it. 

« And to prove my loyalty to her... » 

His eyes now fixing on Emyr’s face, contorted in disbelief, as he pointed the weapon towards him. 

« You will be my sacrifice... » 

Ther selunite didn’t have time to react, despite his heart screaming deep in his chest, as his former friend launched against him, striking the first blow, condemning their relationship into a forgotten void, a distant memory washed away. Emyr was quick to react, greatsword against greatsword, as the clash echoed around them, buzzing in their ears. Hawk stepped back just to charge again with another blow on his left side, a slash, a strike, a cantrip. During the entire fight Emyr tried to stand his ground, in a defensive position, casting protective shields, parries, anything but harm his opponent. He did not want to hurt him, he did not want to believe he was gone. All these years, training together, growing into the men they became, growing closer and closer, they couldn’t have disappeared in the blink of an eye, only for the twisted, sick joke of an evil goddess, taking her rivalry with her sister on two life companions.  

But Emyr was wrong, and tired, the previous fight against the rest of the order tore him down and even if the days he would've been proud to admit this are gone, Hawk was stronger than him. They were the perfect duo, one focusing of defence and heal, in support of the other who conquered the ground, slashing though everything who dared going against them. 

He stumbled back, his breath short and fast, his heartbeat echoing in his ears, muffling the thunders and the clash of steel. One mistake, one Hawk was quick to benefit from, as he raised his weapon from the ground and a quick, flashy strike hit the selunite right across his face. Emyr barely had time to channel a radiant power in his free hand, sending it blindly in front of him, before the blade hit. He screamed, pain shot across his entire body, his skin on the right side of his face burning like thousands hell’s fires. He lost his balance, and let his greatsword fell to the ground, as he covered his face, fingers already dirty with his blood, his vision blurry. 

The last thing he saw was Hawk, yelling and cursing as he was also holding his right side of the face, right where the radiant orb has striked against it, his face twisted in anger as he was looking at him. But before Emyr could even realise what was happening, he charged, greatsword straight, as another, even stronger and piercing pain shot through his left side, right where the armour left space to the leather. Emyr eyes widened for a moment, his hands no on the blade, his own blood slowly sliding on it. 

« Hawk... » 

He whispered, weak, cold, as his vision went dark, and the only thing he could feel was the rain on his body, and the ground underneath. 

[lyssaterald]

Take Flight, Lesson 7-10: The Tour BEGINS, (finally)

Content Warning: General spoilers for the main story. Minors and ageless accounts do not interact! Named character, and slight mentions of character’s past and history which are NOT expanded on as they are NOT very important to this chapter. Weirdly, I switch between past and present tense. Sorry, not sorry. Unbeta read.

Some references are made to previous chapters. See the Masterlist.

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The brothers and angels were trading quips back and forth with some amusement when Diavolo and Lucifer returned together to the Castle entrance hall. Diavolo's eyes swept over my little group and lingered on me for a moment before passing over the others.

"Well, it looks like everyone's here now," Diavolo stated with some satisfaction and his arms crossed over his red blazer.

Lucifer was eyeing Mammon as he said, "In that case, let's begin our tour of the Demon Lord's Castle." Mammon breathed a sigh of relief that his last comment hadn't been mentioned, until Lucifer's eyes narrowed and he continued, "Mammon, when the tour's over, I expect you to come to my room and explain everything in detail about what you just mentioned."

"YIKES!" Mammon yelped and I stifled a laugh. It was so like him to talk about stealing something and then Lucifer catching him, whether or not his brother had been in the room for the conversation.

"What an idiot," Satan muttered, shaking his head.

"Now, now. I think its nice to have at least one foolish character in the group you can tease. It lightens things up a little, don't you think?" a voice asked and I jumped, growling deep in my throat. For a moment, I forgot my draconic features were Veiled and my shoulder blades flexed like they would have with my wings. Instead of curling my wings protectively around us, I had to settle for a hand on Luke's shoulder as I looked around for the source of the voice.

"HEY! Who're you callin' foolish?!" Mammon snapped, keeping his place at my back.

He did that automatically, like it was a given for him that he was my protector.

Simeon appeared as surprised as I was and stepped closer to Luke as well. "Where did that voice come from?"

A...ball...of black inkiness resolved itself from the shadow of one of the planters by the double doors. It had thin arms and legs that seemed more a suggestion than anything and a hat with a yellow stripe around the brim.

"Whoopsie! Guess I should have introduced myself first! Hello there, I'm little D. Number 2. Ah, but call me Number Two if you would, mmkay?" it said. Its mouth was full of razor sharp teeth that made me want to raise my hackles and growl again.

Luke startled at the appearance of the thing and stepped back into me with a yelp. "Wh-what is THAT?! A tiny demon...?"

Beel appeared to drooling on his jacket as he eyed it. "Looks yummy," he muttered.

Solomon caught Beel's elbow and shook his head at the larger demon. "Careful, Beel. He'll make you sick to your stomach."

A laugh made me look at Diavolo. His golden eyes were gleaming with amusement. "You all know about the Little D's, don't you? After all, they help Lyssa with any tasks we assign." His expression dropped a little. "Apparently, Barbatos has some student council business to attend to at the moment, so I thought I'd ask Number Two here to be our guide. He may be small, but he's very helpful."

I was staring at it. That was one of the shadow things that were assigned to guide and advise me when the Brothers had other duties to attend to? They'd never actually detached from the shadows they followed me through so I'd never really seen them.

Lucifer was smiling sharply at Mammon as he said, "Yes. He's MUCH more helpful than a certain OTHER 'number two' I know."

My first pact-mate shrugged at his elder brother. "A certain other number two? ...Who's that?"

Levi stared at Mammon and then shook his head. "You know, every once in a while, I'm actually a little envious of you for being like this, Mammon..."

The little spike of hurt I felt in our pact-bond said he wasn't near as oblivious as his brothers made him out to be, but he didn't say anything to contradict them so I stayed quiet as I watched him. The Little D, in the meantime, launched into an enthusiastic rundown of what we were going to be seeing on our tour. I tuned him out in favor of reaching my hand out to tug at Mammon's leather jacket.

His head was down, just a little. "Hey," I said softly. "Thanks for having my back earlier. I appreciate that my first pact-mate would do that for me." Mammon gave me a small smile and stepped closer to my side.

We started with a portrait that bore a striking resemblance to Diavolo. However, upon closer inspection, I could see the differences in their features, the subtle broadness of the jawline, the smaller nose, the way the eyebrows drew together, and the eyes. They weren't quite the gold that Diavolo's was, containing more black than his.

"Surely you don't need to introduce HIM, do you?" Satan asked sarcastically.

"Don't be so sure, Satan. After all, I'm guessing Lyssa doesn't know who this is," Simeon answered.

Looking at them, I had to stifle a laugh. Despite Satan being one of the born demons, he and Simeon looked very much like brothers in that moment. Their eyes were almost exact opposites but the depth of their coloring suggested they were in the same color spectrum and their body language. They were both standing side-by-side with their right hand propped on their hips and regarding me with the same look.

"I can guess," I said dryly and Diavolo's smile thinned, just a little.

"Right, so this is a portrait of the great Demon King himself!" the little D rambled excitedly.

Luke was studying the portrait with interest from a little ways back. "Ah, right, so that's what he looks like. The last time I saw him was at a ceremony over a thousand years ago."

"Yes, I haven't seen my father in several hundred years myself. He's slumbering at the bottom of the Devildom now." Diavolo was studying the portrait now and I had to wonder if he had any good memories of his father to have that sort of pained expression on him. "I'd say he isn't much interested in the world at large these days." His tone was a touch unfriendly and disappointed.

Solomon was inspecting the case below the portrait with a crown of some sort in it. It was dark for all that it was gold and adorned with many different jewels. "Whose crown is this? Could it belong to the Demon King?" he asked.

"Actually, it belongs to the former Demon King before him," Lucifer said after a moments glance over it.

"Ah, so it is," Solomon exclaimed. "Here is the former Demon King's inscription inside it."

"You seem to know quite a bit about these things," I noted with amusement.

Lucifer glanced at Diavolo and then back to the crown. "That's because when I first came here, Diavolo explained what each item here was. It took him hours."

"Haha, right! I did, didn't I? Ah, the memories!" The demon prince's expression was brighter and softer when he smiled, really smiled. It cracked the mask and lit up his features, taking his general beauty and making him-

I tore my gaze from him, heat creeping up my neck and ears. Don't go there.

In the silence between them, Mammon laughed at his elder brother's pained expression. "Man, I've got to hand it to Lord Diavolo. Even when Lucifer gets sarcastic, it STILL doesn't bother him...!"

"Assuming it registered as sarcasm to him in the first place," Solomon observed.

After that, the Little D led us on a tour through the twisting halls and enthusiastically launched into explanations about the importance and history of the pieces. Over time, I was tuning the droning out and kept half an eye on Mammon whenever he paid a little too much attention to certain pieces. Luke drifted off to his other housemates and I let myself relax into the tour as everyone else seemed preoccupied with their own thoughts.

Diavolo coincidently stood beside me when we stopped to admire certain items or paintings. His presence was distracting as his scent invaded my senses and my gut twisted uncomfortably. Cinnamon and rain, something like home. It made my heart ache, too, and it had only been a few weeks since they had brought me here. I tried to skitter away from him and towards the pact-mates that were safer for me in my rising state and changing scent, but he followed me and the brothers instinctively gave way to him.

By the Saints, I hated the dragon's Rut. It was hard to concentrate on anything besides him. Meanwhile, Diavolo and Lucifer bickered lightly about the first days when they had met, expanding on the history of some pieces and helping to distract me from Diavolo's presence so close to me.

"No, don't bring that up-" Lucifer started, but Diavolo was already grinning at his friend.

"Oh, what's the harm in it? The first time I met you, you were simply so divine, so awe-inspiring that you took my breath away. I couldn't believe such a beautiful, magnificent angel actually existed. And then there was the way you refused to even shake my hand at first."

"Why do you sound so happy right now...?" Lucifer sighed.

I was watching Diavolo closely and he did seem rather pleased at the memory. As the child of a dragon ruler, and not even her heir, others had a hard time saying no to me even when they hated me. As for my siblings, who were the legitimate Heirs, other dragons hardly ever tried to contradict them. That fell to us siblings and other family members who had equal status to them. But Diavolo had no siblings and his father had been asleep for the last several hundred years. Lucifer was, perhaps, the first that had ever refused him anything he had wanted and that had made him desire to have Lucifer at his side all the more. What had occurred that had made it possible to bind the brothers to him so tightly?

Diavolo caught my eye and grinned at me, making heat flush up my neck again. I broke eye contact first and looked back at the Little D, who was attempting to explain something about another portrait. Levi, Beel, and Satan discussed...something...in the background but it was too hard to focus on their words.

I lost track of how long we continued on through the tour.

[20skai]

OC Associations

RULES: REPOST AND FILL-IN THE ANSWERS YOU MOST ASSOCIATE YOUR CHARACTER WITH TO EACH QUESTION. I was tagged by @razrogue

No obligation tagging: @blackmagickatt and anyone else who’d like to!

Nemeia Vadu

1. Animal: Dove, elephant

2. Color(s): Blue, black, platinum

3. Month: Ches

4. Song(s): Cleo Sol - Know That You Are Loved, Jill Scott- Golden

5. Number: 2

6. Day or Night: Day

7. Plant: Autumncrocus

8. Smell(s): Cardamon, Vanilla orchid, amber

9. Gemstone: Diamond, pearl, sapphire

10. Season: Spring, Summer

11. Place(s): Cormyr, Waterdeep

12. Food: Lemon bars, paella

13. Astrological Sign: Virgo

14. Element(s): Earth

15. Drink(s): Cider, tea, Suzailian Sweet

[imtrashraccoon]

As promised, the next chapter is here!

If you read the soul headcanons post I made a little while ago, you'll recognize a plot point in this one... I swear, I say this a lot now but things are just getting good!

[post-nuclear-sweetheart]

Prompts Chapter Two

Named OC x Revali

Prompt: Forehead nuzzles

Summary: In their search to discover why the Champions are unable to control the Divine Beasts, a banquet is held, and Revali proposes an idea. This is the morning after.

[tavyliasin]

Short Fic - The Shrew Who Tamed The Incubus

This was a drabble request that ran a little long, and I'm glad it did. It was a nice little soft moment, not particularly my usual flavour but you know sometimes even the little Haarlep in my head needs to lay their head somewhere soft and take a rest from being a relentless muse~ Full piece below the cut! Not really spicy at all, but there's still sexual references, so I wouldn't call it SFW either. So have some sweet soft moments for a nice rest, loves, and I shall be back upon the morrow~

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Haarlep looked towards the shimmering doorway of the boudoir, an unexpected guest stood just beyond the barrier, nervously shifting his feet as his hands fussed at his outfit. Simple, plain, but comfortable, and his hair was neatly combed. The incubus could’ve been mistaken for thinking this young man was waiting for a first date, anxious about getting their parents’ approval to take them out. The sight amused them, so they waved away the barrier. “Come, there is little point in standing at my doorway, Little Shrew.” They beckoned towards the bed where they lay, wings spread and tail swishing lazily against the sheets. “Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” The man followed the command, stepping inside and walking across the room with soft footsteps. “Well, you see…the thing is…” “Is there any need to be so shy? I know why you are here, you wish to lay with me, and it would be my *pleasure* to feast~” They smirked, licking their lips at the prospect. “Actually, no.” He found his voice a bit more now, even beneath the powerful gaze of the incubus. “Or rather, yes, I do want to lay with you, just not like that.” “What other way is there? You are a meal walking up to the plate, and now you say I am not to even have a taste?” Haarlep’s brow furrowed, a darker edge creeping in to their voice. “You’re not hungry though, are you?” Shrew stated more than asked, staring them down, not even waiting for an answer. “You’ve fed, yet there you are waiting to give more of yourself again. When was the last time you felt touch that wasn’t all about lust?” “What’s the point in that?” The incubus seemed to only be able to answer with more and more questions, their look changing to one that was more perplexed than angry now. “You need more than just food, you deserve more than that. You could feed on anyone, drain them to a husk with only a thought for your own pleasure, but you don’t. You care - in your own way, I wouldn’t insult you by suggesting anything more - and…well, I care. About you. In my way.” He stepped a little closer, reaching out to the incubus, laying a soft hand on their face, stroking his thumb along their cheekbone. “Let me, just for a while. If you really want me to leave, I will.” Haarlep seemed completely lost for words for once. Not only had this timid creature approached them without desire behind his steps, he had asked for something nobody else ever had. Clients would request their kinks, to hear Raphael’s voice in their ear, or to feel the softer curves of the Archduchess, but never had one asked to simply be close without sex. It made no sense…but then perhaps the idea had some appeal after all, if nothing else the curiosity was beginning to eat at the back of their mind. “Fine,” they relented, shuffling back a little and gesturing to the space, “you may proceed.” Shrew quickly removed his boots, leaving them neatly stood by the bedside, folding some of his clothing next to them, only keeping a little clothing on his lower body. This wasn’t the time to be fully undressed, but he still wanted to feel the warmth of the incubus’ skin against him. He climbed up on to the high bed, kneeling at first to shuffle closer to the fiend. “I know this body isn’t really yours , but all the parts that are more you than him …they’re beautiful.” Shrew smiled and kissed the demon on his cheek as they seemed ever more lost for words. 

The incubus was caught between the need to be in control and the confusion at how this mere mortal had seen right through them. They were not Raphael, much as they looked like his younger form, there were just a couple of areas they changed. Not in ways that they thought anyone would notice, so to feel this…to have those parts praised softly… It made no sense. They lay still, allowing Shrew to continue. He snuggled in against Haarlep’s chest, carefully lifting their arm and draping it over his back like a blanket, wrapping his own arm around the fiend’s waist after. “You’re so…warm.” “Of course I am, Little Shrew, have you forgotten where you are? Who you are with?” “No,” he replied quietly, tracing soft lines along the slight ridges that ran from Haarlep’s back and along the edge of their hip. “I’m exactly where I want to be, with who I want to be. So…rest. Let me be your comfort, or the prey caught in your claws if that makes you feel more comfortable. And if you wake in the morning feeling hungry…well, we shall see.” “You are a strange creature.” Haarlep sighed, resting their chin atop the man’s head now, bringing their large wing across them and curling their legs up closer to seek more contact. Perhaps this wasn’t such a bad idea after all. He was soft, delicate in a way, and the light feeling of his touch was pleasant in a way they hadn’t anticipated. A light warmth danced across their skin wherever his fingers roamed, until eventually his hand stilled and his breath grew slower, deeper. “Dream well, Little Shrew. Perhaps I shall join you there after all.” The incubus whispered almost silently against the top of his head, their eyes closing at last as they nuzzled in closer with an instinct they would never understand.

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[juunipupu]

Knight and the enemy within