#reader x kevin crumb

[liveslivedinthemind]

It’s called Freefall Chapter 3

Summary: When you're born, the Universe has already decided who will be your soulmate by marking their first touch on your skin. Some of those soul marks are just a small fingerprint on their shoulder, or maybe a hand mark from a handshake. Some even have multiple, and it is never sure what kind of a bond you're destined to have with your soulmate. Alexandra Turner is a special case however, as her whole body is covered in marks. 24 to be exact. What she doesn't know that there's someone else out there with 24 marks who's waiting for her to bump into them.

Pairing: Original Female Character x Kevin Wendell Crumb/Dennis/Barry/the whole system

Fandom: Split

Word count: 1.4k

Masterlist

Author’s note: Please feel free to let me know if I have messed something up or if you have any advice on how I can improve my writing. I hope you enjoy!

If you wish to be added to the taglist for this fic, let me know :)

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Barry couldn’t stop smiling to himself as he led Alex through the masses of people that were leaving their workplaces. He had met his soulmate, he had actually met her and he had been the first one as well out of everyone. He knew that they were all on the same team, that being Kevin’s, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit special since he had found the one destined for them. 

But no matter how happy he was, Barry still felt a bit of sadness because even he could see that there was something hurting Alex, something that was stopping her from feeling the same joy he had in his heart. He had always known that he’d have to be prepared to be rejected by their soulmate purely because of his condition, but he never expected to be met with sadness before he had even had the chance to introduce himself. He wasn’t sure what had happened to her, but he knew that, if she allowed him to, he’d want to make sure that sadness would be replaced with a smile. 

Alex found herself in front of a small café that was only a five minute walk away from the therapist’s office. It looked quite quiet inside, despite the busy traffic outside, which she was very grateful for. Nodding a thank you to Barry for holding the door open for her, she stepped in and looked around - there were only a few patrons there and plenty of empty tables were free for them to have what she suspected was going to be one of the most difficult conversations in her life. 

“What do you want to drink, Alex?”

She heard Barry ask and she immediately looked up at the chalkboard menu on the wall, her head swimming with options. She tried to open her mouth and  reply with anything, but no voice came out. She was still unable to fully speak and her cheeks flushed, ashamed of her own anxiety getting the best of her. 

But Barry just smiled reassuringly and gently placed his hands on her shoulder, right on top of his mark. He may not know or understand what’s going on in her mind, but he could tell that at that very moment, he needed to just offer that extra bit of support so he looked up at the menu and offered,

“How about we just get a teapot to share? Is Earl Grey okay?”

Alex was shocked to hear him speaking up with a choice, taking a lot of pressure off her shoulders. She nodded, this option was fine with her and the smile she received in return made her feel a bit more at ease as well. 

After Barry had ordered and picked up their teapot from the barista, he led her to one of the more secluded areas to sit down. She had picked up the cups for the both of them before following him, happy that he had chosen a private space for them. She may not fully know what was to come but she had a gut feeling that it would not be a simple ‘how’s the weather today’ type of a conversation. There was a silence between them as they settled in at the table for two, neither of them wanting to scare the other off it seemed. Once sat and both of their breathing had calmed, Barry finally looked at her properly and spoke up with his voice being gentle and soft, something that didn’t fully suit his massive frame.

“So, as I mentioned before, I do have a couple of marks on me. Now… before I continue, I just want you to know that I won’t force anything that you don’t want, Doll, so please just speak your mind on what I’m about to explain to you.”

He paused for a moment and looked across the table at Alex, the fear of just outright rejection slowly building up in his chest. She remained as silent as she had been, there wasn’t any indication that she would bolt again so he continued,

“There’s no smooth way to say this because I can’t really sugarcoat any part of it too much so here goes nothing… The reason why I visit doctor Fletcher is because I have DID.”

“DID?”

“Dissociative identity disorder. Have you heard of it maybe?”

Barry was praying to whoever was listening that she wouldn’t run, and that she would have heard at least something about his condition. He really didn’t want to explain the details of what it is and how it came to be, it wasn’t really a conversation to have over tea in his opinion. Luckily Alex nodded and whispered softly,

“I read about it a little when I looked Doctor Fletcher up.”

Barry gave her a kind smile and his heart was breaking just a little at how delicate she sounded. He didn’t know if it was the soul bond between the two of them but he felt an immense drive to make sure that nothing would spook Alex. He just had to make sure that none of her words would get lost between them, he’d always make sure her voice was heard at least by him. He was also relieved that she had some knowledge on his condition since this would save him from explaining everything from scratch. 

Barry poured some tea for the both of them and started to explain a bit more in the meantime,

“Now this is all speculation from doc’s side but she seems to be under the impression that there is a possibility that all of us in Kevin’s body might actually share a soulmate. We all seem to have a mark correlated to us, however it is just statistically unlikely that we haven’t even met a single one of our soulmates yet so… She seems to think it’s actually just one person. In our little situation, she thinks it’s you who’s the soulmate to all of us. Now-”

“How many?”

Alex had cut him off before he could continue and he looked at her for a moment, unsure if he should answer truthfully, scared it might frighten her too much. Barry sighed, knowing it would cause more harm to lie so he replied,

“24 in total. Kevin is the host, the OG so to speak. The others, me included, came later on and so did the extra marks.”

There was a moment of silence, tense of the unknown. Alex’s mind was going a thousand miles per hour as she tried to grasp the situation at hand. She had met one of her soulmates but it then turned out that it is most likely all of them. She thought that she would be happy but it was all so overwhelming for her to even fully accept. She took a deep breath before she spoke her mind,

“There are 24 marks on me as well, Barry. So I think that Doctor Fletcher might be right. It’s a lot to take in though, I honestly do not know what to say or do or if I should be happy or sad or…”

Her words got caught in her throat and she clamped up once again, unable to verbalize her trail of thoughts fully. Her eyes started darting from Barry to the outside to her mug and to her hands, not sure if she should run or stay. There were so many thoughts and images flashing through her brain that it all just blurred together in a consistent state of movement and screaming. 

Without thinking too much about it, Alex pulled out a piece of paper from her bag along with a pen and jolted down her name and phone number before she grabbed everything and bolted out of the door without uttering a single syllable. She needed to get out, away from the man who would be responsible for every single one of her marks over time. She just couldn’t look at him because deep down, without her even fully realizing it, her heart was slowly starting to beat only for them.

Back at the coffee shop, Barry was dumbfounded, still sitting at the table. This had been the second time that day his soulmate had fled from him but he knew it would cause a lot of harm if he were to go after her this time. He picked up the piece of paper and very carefully put it in his wallet to make sure he wouldn’t lose it. He finished his cup and looked out of the window, trying to soothe the ache in his chest from the very slight rejection he was feeling from the escape of his soulmate. His efforts were in vain however because from somewhere, he could hear Hedwig innocently asking,

“Is she scared of me et cetera?”

< Chapter 2                                                       Chapter 4 Coming soon >

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Taglist: @royaltysuite

[gulnarsultan]

[REQUEST]

》 Scenario《

Kevin didn't know exactly why he liked you so much, why he was in love and obsessed. Is it because of your gentle and loving nature towards him? Or is it because you opened your arms and accepted all of his personalities? Honestly, if you asked his personalities, he would swear that they would have a list of reasons. He found himself falling more in love with you every time he saw you and interacted with you. At first, he approached you as a friend. He soon realized that he needed more than friendship. Soon after, he started flirting with you. Small gifts, gestures and compliments. His heart almost stopped from excitement when he asked him out. When you accepted his offer, he almost passed out with joy. He is almost addicted to your love and your attention. He doesn't like you to leave your house alone. When someone hurts and upsets you, all 23 personalities want "the beast" to be released.

[charliedawn]

Slashers who meet a to-be victim whos just putting glitter on things

A to-be victim who has a room full of posters of serial killers and slashers

Imagine two of Bo's worst nightmares. Glitter. And sparkles. Combine them. Put them in a room and that would be your bedroom. And worst of it all...Posters of him and his brothers in every single corner. He was speechless...

"...What in the—? What is this place ?! Hell ?!"

As soon as he was in, he wanted to leave. Only to discover that the door was locked and he had now glitter on his shoes and his hand. And then, you appeared with a whole bucket of glitter in your hands. And Bo started praying.

Him : "Whatdya think yer gonna do with that exactly ?!"

You *devilish smirk*

Him : "Oh no, you don't ! Get the heck away from me !"

…Bo couldn’t get all the sparkles out of his hair for weeks.

...Wow.

Jason was surprised and impressed. A full room dedicated to him and the slashers. He hadn't expected it. He didn't really mind though. It meant you knew about him and weren’t scared.

Him *smiles* : "Do you want some help ?"

You *handing him a full bucket of glitter* : "Sure ! Put them everywhere. And you can help take pictures of the others for me."

He was more than happy to help and you ended up having a good time playing with glitter and stalking the other slashers. Jason may not really care about glitter and sparkles, but he’d be happy to spend time with you.

The Penny Brothers love glitter. It is something fun and colourful for Penny. He would help you decorate the whole hospital. He’d even be thrilled to meet a fan and see all the posters you have of them. It would mean that you are as crazy as him and you would get along just fine. Penny loves crazy people.

And for Pennywise ? Pennywise sees it as the perfect torture. Those little colourful flakes are impossible to remove from clothes or hair and when people receive them in their eyes…It means atrocious suffering and temporary blindness. So, of course he’d love them.

Brahms was ecstatic when he learned about the new patient who loves glitter and sparkles. He wanted to be your friend before he even met you. He stayed away for a while and only showed himself when he was sure you were what he thought you were. When he saw the huge posters of him, he got flustered. But, he got particularly excited when you showed him your collection of pink and purple items covered in glitter. He immediately felt like he had found someone who understood him.

It wasn’t long before Brahms started walking around proudly with a glitter-covered mask. And he didn’t even care about the others making fun of him for it, because there was you.

Norman knew from the start. He first rent you a room and when he took a look through the peep hole—he was immediately blinded by the brightness in the room. But, he was flattered by the posters.

Let’s just say that Norman found it endearing, but he isn’t a really big fan of glitter and sparkle—especially on him. It means more cleaning. But, on you ? He’d find it adorable and would gladly run the vacuum every day if it meant he got to see you in those very pretty and original outfits of yours.

Norman *smiles* : "Very cute, my little monster. Very cute."

Freddy : "FIRE IN THE HOLE !" *uses a literal canon to make the whole place sparkle*

Freddy loves chaos. You would just give him an idea to cause more trouble and make the whole hospital swim in glitter. Fortunately, the staff and the other slashers are used to it by now.

But, it doesn’t mean they like it all the same.

Random nurse *after she got covered in green glitter* : "…FREDDY ! Y/N ! Come back here !"

You and Freddy *cackling while running away*

Barry LOVES glitter. He lives for it. He wants each of his outfits to have a sparkle to them. And he’d design all sorts of clothes for you.

Barry *screams when you get out of the dressing room* : "YES ! Absolutely nailed it ! Twirl for me, darling. Yes. Thank you. Absolutely gorgeous."

Vincent did take you as an inspiration for his new piece. He took some of your supplies to cover his new wax statue and at the end, he offered it to you. It was a wax statue of yourself and Vince waited anxiously for your opinion.

Vincent *fidgets nervously*

You *smile widely* : "I love it !"

He was really ecstatic and gave you a hug. He really wanted you to like it.

[exceptionimagines]

Meeting and Dating Kevin Wendell Crumb

(Not my gif/tried really hard to find a gif that was actually of Kevin lol)(Requested by anonymous)

(This is not fully canonically correct but I'm sure you can understand why. Btw, if you'd like more specifics on some of his different personalities, you're allowed to request for that as well.)

- Understanding pain and suffering means choosing to embrace it despite all of its ugliness and despite all of its difficulties. It's looking directly at the mountainous, monstrous thing that dwells in the dark and choosing to accept and forgive it for all of its faults. It's choosing to love where there has only been hate, and it is not a job for the faint of heart.

- Instead, it is a job for the equally broken: for the people who have suffered in their own right; people who are comfortable in the company of the unpleasant. While their struggles may be different, they are bonded by the understanding that no one else can understand. That while other people get to walk through life blissfully unaware, they are forced to keep their demons close to their chests. That no matter the reassurance, they’ll never be able to fully trust someone: not enough to tell them about what they’ve been through, not enough to rely on them, not even enough to talk to them.

- In the past, many people were forced to suffer alone: only meeting one person in their entire lives aware enough to understand what it was like to live such a personally pained existence; if any at all. They were outcasts who hid away in fear of what others might think of them, worried about what might happen if they were to let all of their issues out into the open

- In this day and age, there are endless places to meet similarly struggling individuals: people who can understand what it's like to be different. Endless places where you can meet people to confide in, to converse with, to feel validated by. You no longer have to be alone in this world if you don't want to be.

- It's in one of these places that you wind up meeting Kevin for the first time. It's a mental health forum that allows you to talk to, vent to, and/or seek advice from people who have been through similar situations or traumas. A judgement free zone that's full of people who are yearning for connection.

- You and Kevin orbit in the same spaces long before you actually interact with each other: regularly liking and commenting on the same posts or following the same random accounts. It's commonplace to see each others usernames while doing your daily scrolling so it's no surprise when you see him pop up in your notifications, liking a few of your statuses before he follows your account. You leaf through his profile a little before you decide to follow him back, not really thinking much of it until he sends you a message a couple months later.

- On a platform where people treat their posts like public diary entries, it's easy to skip the small talk and the absentminded niceties, and move on to much deeper conversations. Kevin doesn't even bother introducing himself when he first messages you. Instead, he references a post of yours that really resonated with him, or answers a question that you posed on your account, and the two of you start up a conversation that lasts for well over an hour.

- This conversation sparks a daily correspondence between the two of you: one that varies between simple recaps of what you did during the day to confessions about things you haven't even told your closest friends or family about. You learn that his name is Kevin and that he's in his thirties, but everything else you find out about him is far more intimate; a trend that you typically follow suit with.

- The two of you speak at length about your darkest moments and your fears and insecurities, all the while neglecting to tell each other about your appearances or the simple facts that you often get out of the way when meeting someone for the first time. In a way, this relative anonymity makes everything feel so much more confidential: that even though you’re baring your souls to each other and being completely vulnerable, there’s enough of a wall between you to stop you from getting fully hurt.

- He keeps the truth about his condition behind this aforementioned wall, hesitating whenever he finds himself ready to confess to you, worrying that you won't believe him or that he'll scare you off with the diagnosis; that you'll deem it "too cazy to deal with" and distance yourself.

- During this time, you might occasionally notice that his typing changes depending on the hour/day: that he alternates between using no emojis to using one in every message or that he abbreviates things one minute then doesn't the next. And even though you’d probably like to ask him about it, you choose to simply brush it off instead, reasoning that it’s a strange thing to comment on and that you might just be overthinking it. Even if it wasn’t “your imagination”, you wouldn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable or insecure anyway; so you simply leave it alone.

- When he finally does admit his diagnosis to you, your first response is to tell him that it actually “kind of makes sense”, sending the message before you can even realize how insulting that might sound to someone who’s been very obviously trying to keep said part of themselves a secret. It feels like a very “No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't fool me into thinking you were normal” kind of response so you quickly type out a “no offense” before attempting to explain yourself further.

- Once you feel like you’ve done a good enough job of clarifying, you thank him for trusting you enough to share something so personal, assuring him that it doesn't change anything between the two of you; if that was something he was worried about. You go to bed that night promising yourself to look into the condition in the morning; wanting to better understand him, and he goes to bed that night feeling completely relieved, close to crying tears of joy knowing that he’s found his first ever real friend.

- You start keeping a list of his personalities somewhere on your computer for reference, taking notes as you get to know all of his different alters. Slowly but surely, you find yourself able to deduce exactly who you’re talking to simply through the way that they type and the things they choose to message you about. If you aren’t talking to Kevin, you’re typically talking to Barry or Jade, sometimes Hedwig who’s especially amusing to converse with.

- Though just as you’re growing used to your usual roster of personalities, you find yourself baffled by the appearance of one that you’ve never spoken to before: one that materializes as a singular, simple and to the point message that appears on your screen late at night after you’ve already wished Kevin goodnight.

“Has he told you about the beast?”

- Though you’re tempted to answer, you ignore the message for the time being, too tired to entertain an entirely new conversation when you’ve already gotten ready for bed. When you wake up the next morning, you’re met with a few messages telling to ignore his previous question, insisting that it’s nothing and that he’d rather not get into it. You brush it off and move onto a different topic; though the question continues to linger at the back of your mind whenever he sends you a message that feels more succinct or shorter than usual.

- Though he neglects to tell you about the beast, he does start to share some of his beliefs with you, or rather, some of his personalities begin to share their beliefs with you. He tells you about how he thinks that the broken are the evolved, that those who have been through more are capable of becoming more, that the people who have suffered are more advanced and that the people who haven’t go through life oblivious.

- A part of you believes in some of his theories; there’s a certain level of truth to them after all, but another part of you simply assumes that he’s exaggerating or venting to you whenever he brings up something unrealistic or strange. You simply don’t realize how serious he’s being, taking the words on your screen for granted as you agree with and discuss them; falsely assuming that you’re both on the same page.

- The world he tells you about; “his world”, is something that you begin to take comfort in. A place where people like you are accepted instead of ridiculed. It’s a nice idea, of course; nobody can argue with that, but to you, it’s simply wishful thinking: a thought that helps you sleep at night or cheers you up after a particularly rough day. Unbeknownst to you, your acceptance of his ideas are proof to some of his alters that you’re perfect for him: someone capable of understanding, someone who believes….

- You assume that it’s Kevin who asks to exchange photos with you but it’s probably Dennis, curious to see what you look like, to see the sort of person capable of caring for the man he was created to protect. You’re a bit surprised when you receive the message but you hesitantly agree, figuring that you’re at a place in your “relationship” where it’s the next logical step.

- You send one of yourself and receive one of him: a picture taken from his computer camera where he looks a bit uncomfortable; maybe just shy, cast in a warm light in the middle of a somewhat cluttered room. You aren’t sure what you were expecting but you certainly aren’t disappointed, somewhat surprised to see a relatively handsome man on the other side of the screen. You ignore your suddenly increased heart rate and tell him that you like his shirt, he thanks you and the two of you begin a conversation like normal, not really mentioning the photos again; even though he saves yours to his computer and finds himself looking at it nearly every morning.

- It isn’t long after that that you agree to meet up for the first time. The idea of it is nerve wracking of course, but you decide that if there was ever anyone you’d feel the need to meet; to put yourself through the uncomfortable for, it’s Kevin. You settle on meeting at the zoo he works at on one of his days off: somewhere that’s public and a little bit crowded to ensure that you won’t get kidnapped; even if you feel like you know him well enough to assume that he wouldn’t do that.

- He’s a bit shy when you first approach each other but he smiles the minute he lays eyes on you, visibly happy to see you while walking to meet you halfway. He continues to sneak peeks at you while you look at all of the animals, sharing different facts about them in an attempt to impress you and/or make conversation. He’s amazed by how nice it feels to be in your presence and you secretly feel the same way, relaxing little by little until you feel as though you’ve known him for years.

- He might occasionally shift into Barry but the transition is seamless enough to where you really don’t notice it. It’s only when bits of Dennis come flashing through that you start to realize he isn’t “himself” anymore; though Kevin usually takes over again before you can even think to comment on it. You only take notice of his presence due to how different Dennis’s demeanor is, and because it’s the only times during your meet up that “Kevin” actually touches you: straightening your hair or a piece of your clothing with a mumbled apology as though it physically pains him to see it out of place.

- Regardless of that, your meetup goes perfectly well and you the two of you promise to meet again sometime soon, lingering at the gates of the zoo as you say your final goodbyes.

- Your relationship with Kevin progresses fairly slowly, both because he’s new to being in the spotlight and because he’s new to relationships in general. The two of you stick to being friends for quite a while: taking your time growing more comfortable and close to each other as the days go by. You start to video call and meet up in person a lot more, typically spending time out in public together while you get used to being real people rather than faceless beings behind a screen.

- While the two of you slowly but surely begin to develop crushes on each other, you also begin to earn the trust of his last few remaining personalities; a feat which convinces Kevin that you’re perfect for him. Having someone truly accept him; accept every part of him, is something so precious to him, and it only manages to further his affection for you. He might not be obvious about his romantic feelings for you, but you can definitely tell that he cares a lot about you and that you really mean a lot to him.

- Once you’re comfortable enough, the two of you start to hang out in private. You’re both a bit shy at first when showing each other around your respective apartments, it isn’t long before it begins to feel perfectly normal and natural to have him by your side and in your space.

- It’s a day like any other when he finally confesses his feelings to you. He invites you over to his apartment and right off the bat, you can tell that something is different. Kevin’s always a little shy, but he seems anxious when he meets you by the gate and lets you into his place. You’re a little worried about him, asking if he’s alright as you let him sit you down on his couch. He insists that he is but it isn’t convincing, not when he’s pacing back and forth as he struggles to initiate whatever conversation he’s trying to have with you, opening and closing his mouth as though he’s on the verge of spitting it out but psyching himself out every time.

- Finally, he rubs a hand down his face and sighs, retrieving a folded piece of paper from his pocket and holding it out to you with a shaking hand. You ask him if he’s alright again as you look at his trembling limb, hesitantly taking the paper from between his fingers and beginning to unfold it as he whispers that he’s fine, stuttering out that he just wants you to read the note and be honest “no matter what your answer is”.

- You look at him for a long moment before you fix your eyes on the letter and read, feeling your heart skip a beat as you realize what the words are trying to tell you. In the letter, Kevin explains that he’s never been in a relationship before, that he’s never developed feelings for someone before, and that he’s worried you won’t be interested in him or that you’ll never want to see him again. He apologizes if it isn’t what you want to hear, insisting that he can just stay your friend, if that’s what you want, and that he’ll do his best to forget about his crush, that he wants you to be happy more than himself and that if that’s what it takes, he’ll do it.

- You finish reading and look up at him, catching the way his eyes were locked intently on your face. You smile at him and insist that you’d be happy to go on a date with him, watching the way his shoulders sag in relief, a smile making its way onto his lips and the slight shine of tears misting in his eyes. Really? He asks you and you nod, telling him that you’d actually love to.

- For your first date, the two of you see a movie then wander around town, picking up some street food while you walk because neither of you feel like going home just yet. He stops and buys you flowers as you pass by a vendor, smiling shyly as you thank him, holding the bouquet close to your face. When you finally do decide it’s time to part ways, he stutters through asking you whether you’d like to “do it again sometime” an offer which you readily agree to, watching as he smiles in relief.

- Considering the fact that you’re probably Kevin’s first real girlfriend, it’s more than likely that you’ll have to make the first move when having your first kiss; and that it will probably take a bit of time for the two of you to get to that level. You decide to make the first move as you’re sitting on his couch, turning to and outright asking him if it would be alright for you to kiss him; suddenly finding yourself impatient and unable to stop yourself. He pauses for a moment, looking at you somewhat surprised before he quickly agrees, adjusting himself nervously in his seat so that he’s facing you better.

- You slowly lean in and press your lips to his, kissing him softly before checking his face to see if he’s alright. He lets out a breath, his eyes still closed as you look over his features, you lean in to kiss him again when he makes no move to pull away. You continue to kiss him gently, feeling his hand move to rest on the juncture between your neck and shoulder, palm pressed to your collarbone.

- He leans away from you after a long moment, which is when you realize that his hand is keeping you from following after him. You open your eyes and find him looking back at you, blue eyes locked on your face in a way you aren’t familiar with, a dead giveaway that you aren’t looking at “Kevin” anymore but rather the reclusive Dennis. You quietly apologize as he stares at you, surprised to hear him murmur out a quiet “you’re alright” once he’s finished scanning your face.

“Is he alright? I didn’t mean to scare him or anything.” You say to him, trying to assure the particularly protective personality that you meant no harm; worried that you somehow ruined things between you and your new boyfriend by merely kissing him.

- He assures you that he is, that he’s just not used to “this”, that none of them are. You nod, trying your best not to take it to heart; not realizing that the only reason your boyfriend isn’t with you right then and there is because his personalities were worried he was having a heart attack due to how hard it was hammering in his chest.

“Should I go?” You ask hesitantly.

“I’d rather you stayed.” He replies and you smile a little.

“Can Kevin come back?” He pauses as he contemplates your question, nodding briefly before he tenses, body responding to the changing of personalities.

- Kevin immediately begins muttering out apologies once he comes through again, one’s that are shushed by you as you cup his cheek and assure him that you’re willing to be as patient with him as he needs you to be. He leans into your touch, closing his eyes and letting out a breath, relieved that you aren’t upset with him; knowing that he’s found his soulmate….

- A little side note: prior to The Horde taking over, Barry was known to front most of the time that Kevin wasn't; which seemed to be quite often considering Kevin appeared to be hidden pretty deeply inside of himself. For the sake of these headcanons, I'm going to be writing with the idea in mind that Kevin is a little more healed from his trauma and taking the spotlight once again. I'm gonna try to focus specifically on Kevin himself for most of these, but I will be mentioning the occasional alter; for what I'm sure are obvious reasons. These might not be perfectly canonical but I'm going to try my best....

- Kevin prefers staying inside rather than going out, but he finds comfort in having some level of physical contact with you whenever you're out in public together; like holding your hand or sitting thigh to thigh. Feeling your touch grounds him whenever he's feeling particularly anxious or nervous, so while he's more reserved with his affection; wanting to draw as little attention to himself as possible, he still likes having a bit of contact with you whenever he can.

- He's definitely more affectionate when you're in the privacy of your own homes: somewhere he can fully relax and feel comfortable. He'll lay his head on your shoulder, hug you from behind, hold your hand or have a hand somewhere on you, etc. He'd love it if you were even more affectionate than he is, if you wanted to touch him just for the sake of touching him; not knowing how much the mindless affection means to him. He has to get used to asking for what he wants or just doing it himself whenever he feels like it, but once he does, rest assured that he's very touchy; usually in an innocent and sweet kind of way.

- He also just loves being in your personal space, even when he isn't necessarily touching or doing anything with you. He'll oftentimes follow you from room to room, not wanting to be away from you for too long, unless he's a little overstimulated and needs some time to himself, or if another personality is fronting. When he isn't staying in the room with you, he'll typically check in on you a lot: especially if he's fronting as Dennis who doesn't always want to sit with you but definitely wants to keep an eye on you; though the man has no qualms with buckling down and observing you while you go about your own business.

- Loves, loves, loves, kisses: in the most touch starved and shy way possible. He grew up with a lack of gentle influences in his life so any form of soft affection really tends to get to him. Kiss him on his forehead, his cheeks, his nose: anywhere you want to really; it all makes him melt. It's certainly no cure for what he went through, but it's definitely a helpful medicine: it takes him out of any bad thoughts that he might be having and makes him realize that you're there and that you love him and that he's safe.

- Kisses with Kevin are gentle and oftentimes a little chaste. He's fairly inexperienced, having always kept to himself, so you'll have to be a bit patient with him. He'll sometimes lean down for a kiss, go do something, and then come back for another: like he's just remembered exactly how much he likes kissing you and can't wait too long to do it again. It never fails to make you smile and once he sees yours, he can't help but smile too.

- Kevin likes saying your name more than anything else; he just thinks that it's a really nice name, but he'll sometimes say honey or something equally sweet if he feels the need to. His other personalities tend to have pet names for you as well: things like babygirl, pet, sweetie, sweetheart, angel, darling, mine, etc. Sometimes you'll be able to tell who's fronting just by hearing what they call you when trying to address you.

- There's definitely going to be moments in time where your Spidey sense tingles and you realize that you're talking to an entirely different person than before; even if they're pretending to be someone else. You start to get a knack for telling who's who; even when they're not dressed any different, and it admittedly kind of impresses all of them.

- He always needs a hug the minute he comes home: it's the part of his day that he looks forward to the most and it genuinely becomes a routine for the two of you. The door opens, he finds you, hug. Most of the time, words aren't even exchanged: you hear him coming and you just know to open your arms.

- He typically likes to wrap himself around you whenever the two of you cuddle: spooning you from behind while also tossing a leg over your own; treating you like an oversized stuffed animal. It makes him feel comforted without the feeling of being restricted, and it makes untangling himself from you a little easier whenever he feels the need to leave, or if he ends up shifting in the morning. The feeling of his body changing against your own, the way that he seems to grow or shrink with each different personality, never ceases to amaze you.

- Late night talks. Most of them are full of comfort and reassurance: letting each other know that you're both enough, that there's no need to worry, that you both love each other, and that it'll all be okay. There's never any shame in admitting you need the other person a little more than usual, and it helps both of you sleep more soundly.

- Little acts of service make him happy. He's so used to his personalities taking care of him that it feels good to take care of someone else. He mimics your acts of love and the things he always wanted as a child but never got: like making you lunch, brushing your hair, getting you medicine, etc.

- You both take care of each other equally: cooking for one another, helping cut each others hair, straightening out clothes, him carrying you to bed or walking you home, etc. You might not always have a lot to offer each other, but you definitely have a whole lot of love, and that's always been enough for the two of you.

- Running errands together. You sort of act like a married couple, going about your daily lives side by side, making the most mundane and trivial things into a date; always wanting to spend time with each other regardless of what you're doing during it.

- Receiving flowers. Sometimes it's an entire bouquet, other times it's a singular flower sitting on your bedside table or on the pillow next to your head. It's a move that Dennis and/or Patricia will occasionally pull as well: not necessarily in a romantic sense, but definitely in a "showing I care" kind of gesture; so that you know that they like and appreciate you.

- Watching movies together. It's kind of routine for the two of you to sit down and watch a movie; or an episode of a tv show, every time that you're together. Typically, it's a documentary, but he's open to watching pretty much anything; as long as you're spending time with Kevin himself.

- Hearing a lot of random animal facts. Kevin works in a zoo so it's sort of a given that he knows a lot about mammals and their different environments. Sometimes, he'll randomly occupy whatever silence you're in with a tidbit of information, sharing something completely unrelated to anything but arguably pretty interesting. He always loves when you chime in with something he's told you before: it makes him feel like you really care about and listen to him.

- Being let into the zoo late at night and/or being taken on personal tours. He probably brings you home stuffed animals or different things from the gift shop as well.

- Buying things that remind you of each other.

- Sharing clothes. You've begin wearing larger sizes; if you're smaller than him, so that you know your stuff will fit him. You've also begun keeping extra clothes in your apartment and your car so that he can always be comfortable, regardless of which alter is in charge. It's especially helpful when he shifts into the beast, who has a habit of tearing or dirtying clothing; or loosing his clothes in the process of shifting.

- Visiting abandoned buildings and exploring or having picnics in the rubble.

- Going camping. He likes being able to get away from regular society for a while, and it's occasionally good for him to let the beast have his time in the spotlight; especially when there's no one around for him to hurt.

- Building blanket forts. Kevin loves them himself, but they're also a treat for Hedwig as well.

- Taking walks together at night; usually stopping into convenience stores or random parks.

- Writing notes to each other. Sometimes, it's just easier for him to communicate through writing rather than actual words. His letters are never terribly intricate or poetic, but it helps him express himself and/or tell you what he's feeling without the pressure of having to be there for your reaction or "face it" in some way; even when he isn't admitting anything bad. It's just that any big emotion can be hard for him to handle and writing to you makes dealing with them a little easier.

- Kevin probably wont allow you to help him whenever he's injured, unless he's somewhat forced to, but that's no slight on you: he simply finds it difficult to surrender himself fully and be completely vulnerable with someone.

- That being said: don't be surprised when another personality takes over if you accidentally burn or cut yourself. It's typically Patricia who ends up tending to your injuries, but Kevin does try to stick around in an effort to be "there for you more"; even if you assure him that you don't mind him leaving if it makes him more comfortable. You should also expect to be gently ushered out of harms way; typically the kitchen if you hurt yourself trying to make dinner, and for him/her to take over and finish whatever you were doing. It's simply the motherly instinct, and there's really no stopping it.

- Coming home to your apartment and finding things randomly straightened up or rearranged, organized in a certain way that tells you that Dennis was there; at least for a brief moment. It's probably best to keep a clean and neutral area for Kevin to be in whenever he's in your home; mainly to ensure that all your knickknacks aren't all turned perfectly straight or your DVDs aren't put in a different place.

- On that same note: don't be surprised if you get "interrupted" mid conversation by him straightening out your tie or brooch, or the collar of your jacket. You get used to it easily enough, so much so that you start to not even notice or acknowledge it.

- Having things spoiled by Hedwig. He's the reason that you know as much as you do: informing you if another personality has a crush on you, or if Kevin is "totally in love with you", or even if he's planning on proposing at some point. You have to pretend not to know for everyone else's sake, but it still makes your heart skip a beat every time he drops a bombshell on you then innocently giggles in amusement.

- A lot of Barry's sketches start to resemble you: whether it's you in general or just things that fit your style. You sort of become like his muse, giving him inspiration when he can't find it anywhere else. Don't be surprised if he gifts you handmade clothing either: it's part of his love language; that and actually showing you his sketches.

- Getting asked a lot of questions. Kevin likes to know you inside out, as does a lot of his more protective personalities, so it's best to always be an open book. Once they trust you enough, they'll be one as well.

- He always listens to you very intently, so much so that I think he occasionally doesn't realize exactly how much he knows about you and your interests until he starts speaking and is suddenly wondering where it's all coming from. Like, why does he know anything about different nail colors, or art supplies, or your estranged aunt who lives in a different state? Regardless, knowing a lot about your interests, your inspirations, and/or your morals helps him and his personalities open up to and trust you.

- Having help whenever you need something fixed. He built a cult dungeon in a zoo basement, I think he can fix your faulty cabinet hinges.

- He keeps a photo of you in his wallet and occasionally has you make appearances in his different computer journals.

- He's a very "my girlfriend this, my girlfriend that" kind of guy. He's very proud of you.

- He has a tendency to ask you who you've "seen" when he knows he's swapped personalities, or asks what you were talking about, etc. Sometimes you lie, mainly for his sake, but most of the time you just tell the truth.

- Strange encounters with The Beast. If he decides he likes you, he'll occasionally come out from time to time and talk about his world order, or about Kevin, or about how you should be proud of your pain, etc. Unfortunately for you, sometimes when you're struggling, it's not your boyfriend or Patricia or someone else who comes around to help you. Instead, it's the thing lurking in the shadows, ready to strike whoever hurt you and make you rejoice in your suffering; oftentimes with a strange level of sexual energy.

- Occasionally being asked to participate in sessions with his therapist. She wants to know how you're handling the relationship and things of that nature, and when you're not in the room with him, she typically tells him that she thinks you're good for him; which further reassures his personalities.

- All of his life; and all of the personalities lives, Kevin has simply wanted to be liked, validated, and/or deemed important. So whenever you praise him, it never fails to make him melt. It's a good way to make him relax and calm him down, letting him know that you're proud of him whenever he's being hard on himself or that you're not upset with him for anything; like when he accidentally messes something up.

- Kevin isn't really a jealous person, he's mainly just insecure. He worries that he's not enough for you, or that another person might be better than him; or at least easier to be with than him. He's a bit more envious than he is jealous, wishing he could be more like someone else, or be the person that they are to you; so that you could come to him instead.

- He tries to act normally, but he occasionally zones out a little whenever your attention is on someone else more than usual, knowing that it will upset him to see or hear you so happy and/or relaxed with them. His other personalities might respond differently as well; they also have more of a chance of coming out in order to try and protect Kevin from whatever he might be feeling. There's also the occasional jealousy between personalities, which is an interesting predicament to try and navigate.

- His personalities protectiveness has definitely begun to bleed from him onto you. Whether or not they all love you, they cannot deny the negative effect that losing you would have on Kevin and how much it would genuinely hurt him. Because of this, they've become incredibly protective of you; especially personalities like Dennis or The Beast. That being said: as protective as they are of you, you're protective of Kevin as well; which makes him feel so happy and loved.

- Fights happen extremely rarely between you and Kevin; you're more likely to bicker with his personalities than you are with Kevin himself. You'll especially get into arguments with The Beast and Dennis, trying to make them see the rights and wrongs of what they're doing and to try and make them stop being so stubborn. Genuine confrontations might occur from time to time, but most of the time, you try to have loving interventions whenever there's a problem between the two of you: ones that are easy to talk out and make up from.

- Kevin himself is extremely bad at confrontation so you have to be very sweet with him whenever he calmly tries to solve an issue with you. If you show any level of anger or disappointment; or even if you don't, he has a tendency to backpedal and just tell you that he's sorry and that you should both just forget about it. It hurts your heart to see it; knowing where it comes from, so regardless of the issue at hand, you honestly can't help but comfort him, which makes solving things a lot easier since you usually maintain a more level head.

- I can definitely The Horde refusing to let you leave whenever you have a fight; whether with Kevin or one of the other personalities. They refuse to acknowledge the connotations of you leaving angry, how you can just decide to never come back, and how much that would kill Kevin; how upset and guilty he would feel because of it. Because of this, they simply don't let it happen, which can be extremely frustrating; and possibly a bit scary. But after a while, you start to calm down and think more clearly.

- It's more than likely that another personality will take over during any sort of conflict and try to smooth things over, trying to ensure that things are solved and settled and oftentimes making excuses. It's difficult to handle at first, but you learn how to deal with it, just like everything else in your relationship.

- It takes him a while to feel comfortable saying he loves you; unless it's Hedwig saying it, but he finds a lot of comfort in you telling him that you love him, and soon enough, he finds comfort in saying it himself. Once he is comfortable, he says it fairly often, loving the fact that he's in love; something he thought wasn't possible for a large portion of his life, and the fact that he can express it.

- Kevin genuinely believes the two of you are soulmates. He thinks you're an angel on Earth and that there's no one else in the world that he'd rather be with than you, so you can definitely expect a very long future together. It might not always be easy, nothing ever is, but if there's anyone worth the potential trouble, it's certainly him.

[urween]

Spend an afternoon with Hedwig, GN reader

Split headcanon

notes : j'avais vraiment envie d'écrire quelque chose de doux sur Hedwig parce qu'il est tellement touchant <3 ! no spoiler

! warning : aucun

2 512 mots

- Description à la deuxième personne

Vous vous connaissez depuis plusieurs années déjà, ou plut��t tu connais certains alters depuis plusieurs années. Dennis, Hedwig, Barry et Patricia ont été les premiers à se présenter à toi. Jade, Orwell, Mary et Kevin se sont ensuite exposés, mais il reste encore beaucoup d’alters méconnus. Barry a expliqué les principaux traits de caractères de ces inconnus pour que tu puisses ainsi te les représenter et même parfois les reconnaître lorsqu’ils prennent la lumière. Tu as exprimé beaucoup de reconnaissance pour ça, car il arrive quelquefois que tu te retrouves face à une personne que tu ne connais absolument pas. Barry a aussi expliqué que ces alters ne prennent que très rarement la lumière et que par conséquent ils sont toujours un peu perdus ou inquiets lorsque ça arrive. Heureusement qu’Hedwig est là pour reprendre le front et ainsi les soulager.

Quoiqu’il en soit, on peut dire que tu t’entends assez bien avec tous les principaux alters. Certains ont des caractères bien spéciaux mais tu apprécies ce détail, ça leur donne un charme.

Patricia fait partie de ces alters. Les femmes sont peu nombreuses dans leur système comparées aux hommes, mais elles ont pour la plupart un fort caractère. Et dans ce lot, Patricia est certainement la plus complexe. Tu as mis beaucoup de temps à t’habituer à sa présence. Elle dégage quelque chose, une aura pesante. Elle a cette façon de parler sereine et douce qui au début t’effrayait énormément. Lorsqu’elle a pour la première fois proposé une discussion autour d'un thé, elle s'est mise à raconter à quel point les kilos de viandes qu’un lion peut manger sont impressionnants, et alors tu as imaginé beaucoup de scénarios où tu finissais en morceaux dans une cage à félins. Mais à présent les choses se sont calmées pour toi, enfin la plupart du temps. Patricia t’a bien fait comprendre qu’elle n’avait aucune mauvaise intention envers toi, mais tu ne peux pas empêcher les frissons dans ta nuque lorsqu’elle passe un peu trop près de toi. Mais au fond de toi, tu sais très bien que ces réactions ne sont plus vraiment dues à la peur.

✉ nouveau message de : Avengers

Ton attention lâche le plat de pâtes encore tout chaud que tu viens de commencer pour plutôt attraper ton téléphone portable. Un sourire illumine ton visage en voyant le destinateur.

✉Avengers

- cc !!

- tu peut venir à la maison ????? stp stp stp

Lorsque, plusieurs années en arrière, Dennis t'a donné leur numéro de téléphone, tu as désepéré devant l’option “nom du contact”. Tu ne pouvais pas mettre le prénom d’un des alters puisque c’était leur numéro à tous, et ils n'avaient pas de nom global pour leur système. Finalement tu as eu un souvenir de l’obsession pour les Marvels qu’avait développé Hedwig lorsque tu lui as parlé d’Iron Man, puis de la façon avec laquelle Dennis et Patricia ont des paillettes dans les yeux lorsque tu leur dis qu’ils sont extraordinaires. Par conséquent tu as décidé de les surnommer les Avengers, parce qu’ils ont tous des supers pouvoirs à leurs manières.

✉Vous

- coucou Hedwig

- oui je peux venir si tu veux ! D’ici environ trente minutes je peux être là, n’oublies pas de m’ouvrir le portail ;)

✉Avengers

- trop cool !!!

- mademoisele patricia a achetté un truc pour moi !

Tout en finissant rapidement ton plat, tu te diriges vers la salle de bain afin de préparer tes affaires pour gagner du temps.

✉Vous

- vraiment ? Génial et qu’est ce que c’est ?

✉Avengers

- plein de jouets animaux !

Un énième sourire étire tes lèvres au message alors que tu déposes l’assiette vide dans l’évier de la cuisine.

✉Vous

- wow plein ? On va pouvoir tous les essayer alors ;)

✉Avengers

- ouiiiii

- ah !!

- tu prend les bonbons bleus ???

✉Vous

- d’accord, mais je te préviens je te laisserais pas manger tout le paquet Hedwig

✉Avengers

- oui oui

- tfk ???????????

Tu poses ton téléphone contre le lit le temps d’attraper deux ou trois bagues, un collier et des vêtements propres.

✉Vous

- je t’ai déjà dis que c’était pas bon d’écrire comme ça, tu oublies les vrais mots à force

✉Avengers

- pardon !

- tu fais quoi ?????????????????

✉Vous

- je vais aller me laver puis je vais partir pour te rejoindre

- et toi ?

En tournant le robinet de la douche vers la gauche, tu commences à retirer tes chaussettes et ton pantalon. L’eau chaude a toujours pris beaucoup de temps pour arriver, mais comme ça tu peux continuer de répondre à Hedwig.

✉Avengers

- j’ai trouver des vieux dessins de barry

- ils sont beaux

- mais je dessines mieux !!

✉Vous

- fais attention à ne pas les abîmer, sinon il risque de bouder pour un long moment

- vous dessinez tous les deux de manière différente, et elles sont toutes les deux très belles ;)

Après avoir passé ta main sous l’eau pour voir la température de cette dernière, tu reprends une dernière fois ton portable.

✉Avengers

- t’s toujours trop cool !!!

- mademoiselle patricia elle a dis qu’elle aime bien ça et moi aussi j’aime bien ça

- et monsier dennis il penses que c’est rare d’être comme toi

- je suis d’accord moi persone à jamais été cool comme toi avant

✉Vous

- oh c’est adorable Hedwig, mais cette gentillesse vous la méritez tous

- en tout cas ça me touche beaucoup que les autres pensent ça de moi ! Tu pourras leur dire merci de ma part <3

- je suis désolé il faut que je te laisse si je veux pas arriver trop tard

✉Avengers

- derien !!!!

- d’accord à tt !

Une fois que tu as la certitude qu’il ne va pas envoyer d’autres messages, tu déposes ton téléphone sous ta pile de vêtements et finis de te déshabiller. Tu aurais très bien pu le faire tout en lui parlant mais il y a quelque chose de dérangeant dans le fait de se dévêtir en discutant avec Hedwig, ce n'est pas la même chose avec Dennis ou Mary par exemple. Il est déjà arrivé que vous parliez par messages pendant que tu te changeais ou même que vous soyez au téléphone lors de ton bain, et ce n’était vraiment pas la même chose.

Comme prévu, tu te dépêches de prendre ta douche et de t’habiller de nouveau. Tu enfiles les quelques bijoux que tu as pris précédemment et après avoir vérifié que tu n’as rien oublié, tu quittes ton chez toi. Heureusement pour toi, tu n’habites vraiment pas loin du zoo, et donc de leur appartement. Grâce aux nombreuses années à travailler là-bas, ils ont obtenu un logement de fonction dans la même rue que le parc animalier. Le seul problème est que cet appartement est assez petit, du moins trop petit pour avoir vingt-trois chambres, même s’ils n’ont pas réellement besoin d’autant de chambres. Mais par exemple Hedwig aime avoir sa propre pièce, où il peut afficher tous ses dessins et écouter de la musique, Dennis a besoin d’un endroit qui lui est totalement réservé, Barry aussi et encore d’autres. Ils n’ont pas tous besoin d’une chambre, mais les plus réguliers préfèrent en avoir une. Malheureusement cet appartement ne contient que deux chambres, une a alors été aménagée pour Patricia et l’autre pour Dennis. Hedwig, Barry, Orwell et d’autres ont les leurs ailleurs. Encore une fois, grâce aux années passées à travailler dans ce zoo, ils ont eu l’autorisation d'avoir une sorte de grand sous-sol rien que pour eux. Ce n’est clairement pas l’endroit le plus accueillant à première vue mais s’acheter une grande villa n’est absolument pas dans leurs moyens, et puis ils l’ont assez bien aménagé. Les murs restent rugueux et les lumières peu nombreuses, mais il y a malgré tout quelque chose d'apaisant là-bas. Leurs présences sont étalées dans chaque pièce, et c’est presque poétique de voir la façon dont ils doivent organiser la salle de bain ou la cuisine pour convenir aux envies de chaque alter.

Par automatisme, tu appuies sur l’interphone et fais défiler les noms jusqu’à trouver celui qui t’intéresse : Crumb. Sans avoir besoin de parler, la porte de l’immeuble s’ouvre devant toi et tu peux avancer vers l'ascenseur. Puisque cet immeuble est principalement occupé par des employés du zoo, ils ont fait installer un portail qui ne peut être ouvert qu’avec un badge ou un bouton chez les locataires, ça permet de limiter les squatteurs ou voleurs. Mais à cause de ça, tu dois attendre qu’Hedwig ou un autre alter t’ouvre ce qu’ils font toujours, sauf lorsqu’il y a un problème. Il est déjà arrivé qu’un alter “méconnu” prenne la lumière et dans ces cas-là il ne t’ouvrira pas le portail puisqu’il ne sait même pas ce qu’il fait ici. Pour cette raison, Barry a demandé un doublon de leur badge, prétendant que l’autre ne fonctionnait plus, et comme ça tu as toujours la possibilité de venir si jamais un problème survient.

Deux petits coups à la porte et Hedwig appara��t tout souriant devant toi.

« C’est trop bien que tu viennes ! Dit-il en te tirant par le bras vers le salon, les autres ont dit que je pouvais rester dans la lumière tout l’après-midi »

Sa façon de parler très atypique te réchauffe le cœur tandis que tu enlèves tes chaussures et les dépose avec soin sur un petit chiffon placé dans un coin de la pièce. Dennis a beau ne pas être dans la lumière, tu préfères respecter ses tocs.

« T’as pris les bonbons ? Te demande le jeune garçon en se mettant assis par terre »

D’un hochement de tête tu lui souris et sors le précieux trésor de ton sac à dos. Aussitôt, Hedwig se jette dramatiquement dessus, se mettant presque ventre contre le sol pour attraper le paquet de bonbons.

« Wow génial je vois qui tu préfères ici, déclares-tu en riant »

Le garçon te lance un regard avant de prendre trois sucreries dans sa bouche et de se tourner sur le dos pour te voir à l’envers. Son rire résonne faiblement dans la pièce alors qu’une conversation commence entre vous deux.

Hedwig est sûrement l’alter avec lequel tu peux le plus rire, il dit constamment tout ce qu’il pense, même si ça n’a aucun rapport avec votre conversation actuelle. C’est quelque chose qui manque dans beaucoup de relations à tes yeux, pas avec eux, mais avec d’autres personnes. Lorsque tu rencontres quelqu’un il y a toujours un moment de gêne, une envie de vite s’enfuir et de rentrer chez toi. Ce n’est pas toujours le cas, mais ça l’est presque toujours. Tu as du mal à t’intégrer dans le mode de fonctionnement des autres, leur façon de parler sur le dos de leurs amis et leurs obsessions pour la politique, ce n’est pas toi ça. Tu aimes tourner les mauvais événements au comique et admirer ce papillon qui se pose dans l’herbe. Les personnes que tu rencontres ramènent toujours le négatif au centre de la conversation, c’est mentalement épuisant de penser au réchauffement climatique et à la montée des impôts. Tu trouves ça dommage de revenir aux informations que les médias mettent déjà au centre de l’attention, pourquoi ne pas juste profiter du soleil dehors et du vent frais ? Bien sûr qu’il se passe des choses horribles dans le monde, mais y penser constamment ne les fera pas disparaître. Et Hedwig pense aussi comme ça, parce que c’est un enfant de neuf ans et qu’il a encore la chance de voir les beaux aspects de ce monde. Ça te fait vraiment du bien de passer du temps avec lui, il est ressourçant. Et même lorsqu’il évoque la mort, il le fait avec une façon tellement directe, sans pincette, que ça en devient rassurant. Ce qui le rend heureux c’est dessiner et danser, quoi de mieux pour oublier une mauvaise journée ?

« Elle est jolie ta bague, c’est un serpent ? »

Tu relèves la tête du livre que vous étiez en train de feuilleter pour regarder le jeune garçon et ses grands yeux bleus.

« Oh celle-ci ? Réponds-tu en levant ton index où se trouve le bijoux, je pense qu’on peut dire que c’est une sorte de serpent oui »

Tu l’as trouvée lors d’une brocante il y a plusieurs années de ça, la forme originale a tout de suite attiré ton œil et au faible prix auquel elle était tu n’as pas vraiment hésité pour l’acheter.

« Moi j’aime trop les tigres, ils sont super grands et forts, explique Hedwig en tournant les pages de son livre d’illustration, il s’arrête sur un dessin de tigre et passe son doigt dessus, regarde ils sont genre méga costauds »

Ton regard détaille l’illustration et ses traits très simples. Hedwig est le seul dans leur système qui fête son anniversaire, même s’il ne prend pas en âge. Alors l’année dernière, tu lui as offert une dizaine de livres, parce qu’il aime beaucoup ça. Tu as pris un peu de tout, de courts romans comme des livres à illustrations comme celui-ci. Un sourire prend place sur ton visage lorsque tu repenses à cette journée, Dennis faisait tout pour garder Hedwig loin de la lumière pendant que Jade et toi vous occupiez de faire le gâteau. Lorsque l’enfant parvenait à passer au front, il posait mille et une questions à la seconde alors que tu essayais désespérément d’éviter qu’il découvre la surprise. Finalement toi et les autres alters êtes parvenus à tout organiser sans qu’il ne découvre la vérité, et tu te souviens encore de ses yeux larmoyants lorsqu’il a vu le salon décoré ainsi que la pile de cadeaux qui l'attendait.

« Pourquoi tu viens ici ? Demande soudainement Hedwig, t’as pas des amis ? »

La question pouvait être mal interprétée, mais heureusement, tu arrives à comprendre le fond de sa pensée.

« J’aime venir ici tu sais, passer du temps avec toi et les autres »

« Oui mais t’es tout le temps disponible pour venir, enfin sauf quand tu travailles »

Tes doigts passent contre les pages colorées du livre alors que le garçon allongé à côté te regarde avec insistance.

« Honnêtement à part vous je n’ai pas grand monde, dis-tu en déviant tes yeux vers Hedwig, tu sais que je n’ai pas vraiment de famille et puis- je crois que j’ai un peu de mal à faire des rencontres, créer de nouvelles relations et tout ça, c’est compliqué pour moi »

Le jeune garçon fronce pendant quelques secondes ses sourcils avant de faire rouler son corps sur son dos et tourner de nouveau la tête pour te regarder.

« Moi non plus j’ai pas d’autres amis, avoue-t-il, les gens ils me trouvent bête je crois et ils se moquent de moi »

Un pincement au cœur, tu délaisses le livre en face de toi pour poser ta tête dans ta paume de main.

« Les gens ont du mal à comprendre les personnes comme nous, mais c’est pas grave parce que ça veut dire qu’on est spécial tu vois ? Eux ils peuvent pas être aussi géniaux que toi, c’est pour ça qu’ils sont jaloux »

« Alors c’est comme un super pouvoir ? »

De nouveau, ton cœur se réchauffe en voyant le sourire sur le visage du garçon.

« Exactement, le super pouvoir d’être extraordinaire »

° split masterlist

gif : @/hellozxxy

bannière : @/saradika-graphics

[daysofyellowroses]

red rose ii

kerry von erich x reader | 2.6k | sequel to this story (you can read this as a standalone as it's basically just plotless and i won't expect anyone to read a 10k fic just to know a backstory) | 18+ minors dni - this is plotless smut because i felt like it, enjoy!

“I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride.”

A chorus of cheers rang out from the congregation, hands clapping together as whistles rang out around the church.

You met Kerry's eyes, standing across from him in your pink, puffy bridesmaids dress. He gave you a wink and you rolled your eyes with a smile as you cheered on Kevin and Pam, the two of them starting to head down the aisle. After a moment you were by Kerry's side, your arm in his as you began to leave the church.

“Second time today you've walked me down an aisle,” You grinned, looking over to your boyfriend. “Making a habit of it, are we?”

“Might just be,” Kerry teased, giving you a kiss on the cheek. “hope you don't mind.”

“Not at all, I encourage it.” You smiled, watching a shower of rice wash over Kevin and Pam as they walked out ahead of you.

There was some standing around as the wedding photos were taken, all the various relatives and friends being swapped in and out, the photographer giving more demands thanan army sergeant. Part of you felt a little silly being in the photos, being a bridesmaid alongside Pam's old friends, but you had still been so thrilled when she'd asked you. After all, the two of you had become friends, which was a joy.

As Kevin and Pam took pictures with their parents, you rested your head on Kerry's shoulder, his arm around your waist. David and Mike stood across from you, bored expressions on their faces that made you smile.

“Can't memories be enough?” David sighed as he rested his hands on his hips, looking over to the photographer. “I'm starving, I'll eat his damn camera if I need to.”

“Give me half,” Mike sighed, folding his arms. “A crumb, anything.”

You smiled as you turned and whispered in Kerry's ear, his hand tightening on your waist.

“I'm still full.”

“Good to know,” He murmured softly, grinning as he looked down at your dress. “You know, you really can't tell this thing was crumpled up on the floor a few hours ago. All that panic for nothing.”

“I wasn't the one pulling it off,” You grinned, your hands coming to rest on Kerry's shoulder. “that was all-”

“You!” The photographer snapped, gesturing to you and the boys. “get on over here, all of you.”

“You hold him down,” David looked at Kerry. “I'll get the camera.”

A couple of hours later, you were taking your seat after your latest twirl around the dancefloor. You took a sip of your drink, looking out to the floor filled with people having the time of their lives. Your gaze fell on your dad, smiling as you watched him and Carla sway together, laughing about something and unable to keep their eyes off each other. A moment later, Kerry came and sat next to you, his arm resting over the back of your chair.

“Having fun?” He asked, looking over to you with a smile.

“Of course,” You grinned, leaning over to give him a kiss on the cheek, your hand resting on his thigh. “I was just thinking..my dad and Carla will stay a while longer, the house is gonna be empty. Seems a shame to waste it.”

“It would definitely be a shame,” Kerry smiled, resting his hand on top of yours. “I say we sneak out the back and if anyone asks we'll just say I felt sick and didn't want to make a big fuss.”

“Wow,” You raised a brow with a smile as you stood up. “I'm making a rebel out of you, Kerry Von Erich.”

The drive home seemed to take an age, all you wanted to do was get out of your dress (again) and wile away the evening in Kerry's arms.

When you finally arrived, you practically leaped out of the truck, rooting around in your purse for your key. You could hear Kerry laughing as you held half the contents of your purse in your hand while you searched, rolling your eyes with a smile.

“Alright I got it, we're good,” You finally fished the key out, walking up the steps to the front door and opening the door. You walked into the small lobby and turned as you waited for Kerry to join you.

“Still feels strange,” He grinned as he walked into the house, closing the front door. “I still expect to have to sneak through your window.”

“You can walk around the back and shimmy up the drainpipe if you want,” You grinned, lightly pushing down your puffed up sleeves. “For old time's sake.”

“And leave you here all alone?” Kerry raised a brow, striding over to you with a smile, wrapping his arms around you. “Absolutely not.”

You wrapped your arms around his neck, feeling truly content as you met his eyes.

“Good..I don't want to be apart from you for even a second. Who else is gonna help me out of this thing?”

“Good thing I got experience then,” Kerry grinned, and you laughed before an excited squeak flew out of you as Kerry picked you up and started walking to the stairs, your arms secure around his neck.

When you reached your bedroom, you got onto your feet and wasted no time turning your back to Kerry so he could pull your dress off as he had before you'd left the house earlier.

To your surprise, he took his time, standing close behind you as his fingers slowly released each button. He leaned in and placed a soft kiss to the nape of your neck and you let out a soft breath as you closed your eyes.

“Kerry,” You groaned softly, no real admonishment in your tone.

“Shh, we got time,” He murmured softly, trailing kisses down your back as he slowly unbuttoned your dress. “Just enjoy it.”

You didn't need to be told twice. As much as you had enjoyed the morning, it had been rushed. You'd been in Kerry's bedroom, with the background noise of David asking where his tie was, Mike banging on the door to get his shoes, and the radio blasting out.

Now, you were more than happy to feel Kerry's hands slowly glide along your bare back before he carefully eased your dress down your shoulders.

“Turn around, gorgeous.”

You moved slowly, holding your dress to your chest as you turned and met Kerry's eyes with a smile. After slowly pushing the dress off yourself to pool at your feet, Kerry held his hand out and you took it before stepping out of the dress and wrapping your arms around his neck.

“Well this really isn't fair,” You grinned, moving your hand to lightly toy with the grey bow tie wrapped around Kerry's neck. “You get to stay fully clothed, bow tie and all, and I have to be naked?”

“You've still got these,” Kerry grinned, his fingers hooking into the waistband of your panties. “So it's fine.”

“Is it though?” You hummed, moving your hand to gently stroke Kerry's cheek. “Because I don't think it really i-!”

You gasped as Kerry picked you up and carried you over to your bed, throwing you down on it and taking his suit jacket off. Your panties were instantly soaked as you watched him move slowly onto the bed, settling between your legs.

“I don't need to be undressed to do this,” He murmured softly,his hands gripping your thighs. You closed your eyes as you felt him slowly peel away your panties, feeling his gaze on you. It was already driving you crazy, your body desperately wanting more, but at the same time you found yourself enjoying that he was taking his time, giving you so much attention.

When you felt Kerry's hands gently moving along your thighs you let out a soft breath, your chest tightening as he placed a soft kiss on your inner thigh. You were sure neither of you had moved so slowly since you sparked your relationship back up again.

Not that it was a bad thing, of course. You were snatching moments where you could, in his bedroom or yours, in your truck, and that very enjoyable time when he dropped by the garage to pick you up and you got a little delayed. You couldn't quite meet Mrs. Davenport's eyes when you dropped her car back.

But now..now it was like there was nobody else in the world but the two of you, Kerry wasn't having to hold his hand over your mouth to cover up your moans, you didn't have the thrill of potentially being caught, but you did have Kerry between your legs, licking a slow stripe up your soaked core.

A moan escaped your lips and you relished not having to hide it. Your hands found the sheets as you let the moans fall freely. Kerry seemed content to keep a slow pace, taking you apart a little at a time, and your protests died in your mouth, replaced by ragged breaths and moans.

“So pretty,” Kerry murmured softly, and you slowly opened your eyes as you felt him slowly rub his fingers over your clit, spreading you open as he moved down. His eyes met yours and you felt like you could die happily in that moment as he smiled at you.

“All mine, ain't you darlin’?”

“Yeah,” You managed after a moment, your heart racing. “All yours baby.”

Your head fell back against the pillow as he slowly pushed his finger into you, his tongue slowly swirling over your clit. You wanted to tell him how good it felt, how you wanted, needed more, but the words couldn't get out, your mind swimming and your body crying out.

Emotion and tiredness and desire all melted together within you, and felt like you could cry as Kerry pushed another finger inside you, crooking the digits as they found that wonderful spongy spot inside you.

“Oh god,” You moaned, your hand falling over your forehead. “Kerry..I..please..”

You were sure you heard him murmur something like “I got you baby” but the building wave in your stomach grabbed your attention as it began to crescendo, a cry escaping your lips as Kerry worked you open.

It took a moment for the breath to settle back into your body, your heart hammering in your chest. Kerry lapped you up, and you whined at your own sensitivity while loving the feeling nonetheless. You reached down and touched his arm, wanting him closer, needing his arms around you.

Kerry moved slowly, your hands reaching out to touch his arms when he was finally above you, trying to steady yourself.

“Please tell me I can undress you now,” You murmured softly, your hands moving to the top button of his shirt. “Don't torture me..”

“Go ahead,” Kerry grinned, watching as your fingers moved to undo his bow tie, the material gathered around your hand as you unbuttoned his shirt. You hadn't had time to take his shirt off earlier, you relished in being able to freely.

“I love you,” You murmured softly as you slid the shirt down Kerry's arms. “You know that, I know, I just like reminding you.”

“I know,” Kerry smiled, getting his shirt all the way off before meeting your eyes. “And you know that I love you. Always have. Always will.”

“I always have too,” You smiled, hands moving to unbutton his pants. “I always will..you're it for me. Nobody gives me what you do, makes me feel the way you do.”

“You mean..like this?” Kerry asked, leaning down to kiss you and grinning into it as you gasped. You felt his hand move on top of yours, helping you push down his pants.

“Exactly like that,” You murmured softly, resting your forehead against Kerry's. “Just need you to do one thing..”

You gripped his shoulders, pushing him over onto his back.

“There, perfect,” You grinned, leaning over to pull his pants all the way off and dropping them to the floor before looking back at him.

“I think I should just keep you here forever. It suits you.”

“You won't hear me complaining,” Kerry smiled, holding his hand out to you. “C'mere angel.”

You took his hand, moving forward til you were straddling his lap. The friction of his shorts against your bare core was heavenly, your hips shifting a little.

“Comfortable?” Kerry asked, a teasing tone in his voice as he gently stroked his thumb over the back of your hand.

“Very,” You nodded, a soft moan escaping you as you moved again, biting your lip at the sensation.

“I was gonna take ‘em off but maybe not yet,” Kerry mused, moving his free hand to your hip.

“No,” You breathed, your hand moving to the waistband of his shorts. “I need to feel you. Please.”

Kerry gave you a nod before you pulled the shorts down, his hard cock springing free and resting against his stomach.

“Fuck,” You murmured softly, gently gripping Kerry's election and giving it a few slow strokes before lining yourself up and sinking down slowly.

“Oh god,” You moaned, your eyes falling closed as your head tilted back. “Mm..”

When you were filled completely, Kerry wanted no time in sitting up and wrapping his arms around you before flipping you onto your back. He took your hands on his and held them above your head, pushing deeper into you. Your legs wrapped around his waist, wanting him as close as possible.

“You're everything, you know that?” Kerry murmured softly, leaning on to kiss your neck as you arched your back. “So perfect..my good girl..”

You slowly tugged your hand from Kerry's, moving it to grip his hair as his fingers deftly moved to your breast, thumb rolling over your nipple.

“I shouldn't let it affect me so much,” You moaned softly, your hand in Kerry's squeezing tightly. “But..fuck..”

“It's okay,” Kerry murmured, sucking a mark onto your collarbone as he thrust into you harder. “You can enjoy it, being such a good girl for me..”

“Mm,” You nodded, your eyes rolling back as Kerry hit that spot inside you, your hands gripping his hair. “Yes, I..”

“You what, baby?” Kerry asked, his lips trailing kisses back up your neck as you tried to gather your thoughts.

“I..I love being your good girl,” You moaned, legs falling apart as Kerry began fucking into you harder, deeper. “Please..”

“I got you, darling,” Kerry moved his hand to grab your thigh, holding it up and open, your eyes clenching shut as you felt the wave build.

“Hey, eyes on me, angel.”

You felt like you could let go then and there, your eyes opening to meet Kerry's. You could feel the desire in his gaze, the want and the passion and the all consuming love that had you wanting to wrap your arms around him and never let go.

Everything fell away as you cried out, eyes rolling back as you saw stars, felt Kerry's warm touch and heard his sweet words somewhere in your mind, feeling him fill you with warmth.

It took a moment to come back down to earth, turning on your side slowly and wrapping yourself around Kerry. He wrapped around you instantly, placing soft kisses to your forehead and whispering to you about how good you were, how perfect and beautiful and wonderful.

It wouldn't always end in such a way, where you had time to heap praise and embrace each other. At least not for a while. But in that moment, there was nothing else, just the two of you, in your perfect moment.

[solxamber]

Hiiiiii similar to the first person who requested for HI3 can I also have some romantic Otto Apocalypse crumbs pls my Liege 🧎‍♂️🧎‍♂️🧎‍♂️

I also want this man so down horrendously it's unbelievable he doesn't get much × Reader if we decide to look at the things he's done and then the Kevin Kaslana × Reader tags and what THEY'VE done (both man were pathetic loser boys wanting their hot GF back to life and committing multiple crimes yet Kevin gets away bc he has Kaslana privilege‼️‼️)

Otto Apocalypse x reader

thanks for the request, i hope you like it <3

Otto Apocalypse was many things—an immortal, a schemer, and, most notably, a man with the patience of a saint. But even the saintliest of men have their breaking point. And that breaking point, it seemed, was you.

"Why do you look so annoyed, Otto?" You leaned over the balcony, gazing out at the sun-kissed gardens below. A teasing smile played on your lips as you twirled a daisy in your fingers. "You're usually so composed. Did something go wrong with your latest 'genius' plan?"

Otto, ever elegant in his refined attire, stood beside you, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I wouldn’t call it annoyance," he replied, a strained smile appearing on his lips. "Just… recalibrating my expectations."

"Recalibrating?" You let out a soft chuckle, your eyes sparkling with mischief. "That’s just your way of saying I ruined your plans again, isn’t it?"

Otto's smile twitched. You had ruined his plans, though 'ruined' might be too strong a word. More like... creatively altered. He had spent centuries orchestrating complex schemes, manipulating time, and people, for his mysterious goals. Yet, ever since you’d come into his life, it seemed that things hadn’t quite gone according to plan. In fact, most of his plans now revolved around you, though he’d never admit it out loud.

"You could’ve at least warned me before single-handedly stopping that Honkai outbreak," he muttered, watching as you casually spun the daisy, completely unbothered by the events of earlier that day. "You’ve made it rather difficult to maintain a certain level of… mystique."

You raised an eyebrow at him. "Mystique? Otto, you’re like a walking historical museum. I think your ‘mystique’ ran out about 500 years ago."

"Is that so?" Otto said, leaning in slightly, his golden eyes locking with yours. There was a dangerous gleam there, one you recognized well. It was the look of a man who was just a little too used to getting his way, and who found it endlessly amusing when you didn’t bend to his whims.

But instead of backing down, you grinned wider. "Yep. All gone. You’re like an open book now. Super predictable."

"Predictable?" Otto echoed, raising an eyebrow. His voice took on a smooth, teasing lilt. "Then you wouldn’t mind if I did this?" And with one swift motion, he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on your forehead.

Your breath hitched—just a tiny bit—and you felt your cheeks heat up. But you weren’t about to let Otto have the last word. Oh no.

Feigning nonchalance, you shrugged. "See? Totally predictable. I knew you were going to do that."

Otto let out a soft chuckle, his golden eyes twinkling with amusement. "Is that so? Then tell me," he said, his voice dropping to a near-whisper as he tilted your chin up with a single finger, "what am I going to do next?"

Your heart skipped a beat, but you kept your cool. Mostly.

"Probably something overly dramatic, knowing you," you teased, but the words felt a little breathless as they left your lips. You stared into his eyes, the weight of centuries behind them, and for a moment, you could see the layers of his mind shifting, calculating, as if trying to decide his next move.

But then, the tension broke as Otto straightened, letting out a genuine laugh. "Dramatic? Me? I believe you’re mistaking me for someone else."

"Oh, please." You crossed your arms, leaning back against the balcony rail. "You’re literally the definition of dramatic. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you always make an entrance with some cryptic line about destiny."

"That’s part of my charm," Otto quipped smoothly, brushing an imaginary speck of dust from his pristine coat. "You should appreciate it more."

"Yeah, yeah," you sighed, though you couldn’t help but smile. "Well, I guess I don’t mind too much. Someone’s gotta keep you from turning into a complete drama queen."

Otto chuckled again, his voice softening. "And that’s why I enjoy having you around. You’re not afraid to challenge me. In fact, you make things… interesting."

"Interesting?" You raised an eyebrow. "Is that your way of saying I’m unpredictable?"

"Perhaps," Otto admitted, his eyes softening as he regarded you. "In all my centuries, I’ve never met anyone quite like you."

You blinked, surprised by the sincerity in his tone. Otto wasn’t exactly known for being sentimental, but there was something different about this moment. Something... vulnerable.

"Well," you said, your voice suddenly quieter, "I guess that makes two of us."

For a moment, the world seemed to slow, the laughter and teasing fading into something softer, more intimate. You both stood there, the gentle breeze rustling the leaves in the garden below, and for once, neither of you had a witty comeback. It was just… you and Otto.

But, of course, Otto couldn’t resist breaking the silence.

"So," he said, a sly smile curling his lips, "about that Honkai outbreak you conveniently stopped without informing me…"

You rolled your eyes, but you couldn’t help but laugh. "Seriously, Otto? We’re back to that?"

Otto grinned, clearly enjoying himself. "It’s a matter of principle. I can’t let you have all the glory, now can I?"

"Fine, fine," you said, throwing your hands up in mock surrender. "Next time, I’ll let you handle it. Just don’t come crying to me when things get out of hand."

"Deal," Otto said, his voice warm with affection. He stepped closer again, his hand brushing against yours. "But in the meantime… perhaps we could enjoy a quiet evening together? Without any world-saving interruptions?"

You looked up at him, surprised by the gentle tone in his voice. "Are you asking me out, Otto Apocalypse?"

"Is that so shocking?" he teased, though his golden eyes were soft. "I’m capable of being a romantic, you know."

"Really?" You grinned, stepping closer to him. "Prove it."

Otto’s smile widened, and without another word, he took your hand in his, guiding you away from the balcony and toward the garden, where the sun was setting in a golden glow. And for once, in all his centuries of scheming, plotting, and manipulating, Otto Apocalypse allowed himself to simply be in the moment—with you.

And maybe, just maybe, you realized that behind all the drama and theatrics, there was something genuine between you and Otto. Something that, against all odds, made you both smile.

kaslana privilege is so real. i'm also super elysia brained when it comes to hi3 so i didn’t have much of an opinion on kevin 🧍‍♂️ and i'm ngl i only like otto because of his jp va

Masterlist

[ladamedusoif]

Visiting: Chapter Three - Ghosts

(Moodboard by the wonderful @cutesyscreenname)

Pairing: Professor!Ben (College AU) x OFC Lydia/fem!Reader (reader POV/2nd POV)

Summary: Seeking a change of scenery after her life falls apart, Lydia crosses the Atlantic and arrives in a small New England town, to spend a year expanding her intellectual horizons as a visiting professor of art history at a small liberal arts college. Her growing friendship with Ben Morales, professor of Hispanic literature, forces Lydia to confront the fallout from her past - and raises unexpected questions about the future.

Chapter Summary: The gorgeous New England fall settles in - and so does Lydia, feeling more at home among her friends and colleagues at Barrow than ever. And then comes Evan’s Halloween party, with costumes, cocktails, and closeness on a couch…

Word Count: 5.7k

Rating: Mature; will become Explicit in later chapters.

Content (chapter specific): Professor Ben College AU; smaller-than-usual-for-this-fandom age gap (she is 41, about to turn 42, and Ben 47 when the story begins); canon is not a thing here; slow burn; strong language; alcohol consumption; weight and body insecurity; reference to relationship breakdown; reference to chronic pain and implied autoimmune-related pain; references to serial killers in a Halloween costume context; briefly illegal shenanigans in the back of a car if you're liable to be concerned about this.

A/N: This is fluff. After the horrors of Kevin Lacroix last chapter, it was nice to write our gang in a more relaxed and fun setting (even if, as you’ll see, you could cut the tension with a knife).

This was originally one long chapter but will now appear as chapters 3 and 4.

(A subtitle for this chapter might have been: In Which Rose Works Out Her Tim Rockford Feelings. You'll see what I mean.)

The title of this chapter is taken from Laura Marling's song 'Ghosts', which resonates really perfectly with Lydia’s own back story: The ghosts that broke my heart before I met you.

I've included links to more thematic/featured songs in Further Author's Notes at the end, to avoid spoilers.

See the Series Masterlist for an outline of Lydia's story and background.

Taglist: @lunapascal, @julesonrecord, @cutesyscreenname, @tessa-quayle, @vermillionwinter, @iamskyereads, @tieronecrush, @perennialdoll247, @love-the-abyss, @imaswellkid, @intheorangebedroom, @javierisms, @fuckyeahdindjarin, @littlemisspascal

“I’m giving you two weeks - that’s plenty of advance warning here. I need to make sure you two understand the assignment.”

Evan exhales and pushes his seat back from the round table in the staff lounge, where you are eating lunch with Ben on a random Tuesday in mid-October. Evan’s expression is one of deep concern. 

Ben puts down his sandwich and brushes a couple of crumbs from his dark green pullover. 

“Do we understand the assignment? For your Halloween thing? At your house?”

“For the Halloween party, yes. Are we clear on the theme? This is important.”

“Is this because David is coming?” Ben asks mischievously. Evan has been involved in an on-off “thing” (his term, not yours) with David, a drama professor based in Boston, for the last six months, and this party would mark his introduction to the Barrow circle.

Evan ignores Ben’s question. You stifle a giggle and stir your noodle soup. He’s spent the last twenty minutes issuing your invites to a Halloween party at his apartment, accompanied by detailed explanations on the importance of sticking to the theme. 

“Cinematic Horror And/Or Serial Killers. It’s pretty broad, I think we’ll be okay.”

Evan raises an eyebrow. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

Ben catches your eye and gives you a knowing look. “I have some questions, Evan. When you say ‘serial killers’, is that exclusively the killers themselves or are associated characters from the films an option?”

“Associated characters are fine. One of my friends from Boston is already dressing as Gale Weathers from Scream, though, so cross that one off your lists.”

Ben briefly looks confused, before returning to his lunch with a shrug. 

“I also have a question, Evan,” you say, innocently. You can see Ben trying not to laugh as he takes a bite of his sandwich. “Fiction or non-fiction?”

Evan rolls his eyes. “What?”

“Well, do the characters have to be fictional, or can they be cinematic representations of real people as depicted in horror or serial killer movies?”

“Just stick to the theme. And you” - he points at Ben - “no niche literary or historical costumes.” He picks up his can of sparkling water and walks off.

You lean in, whispering. “I didn’t know this was so serious. I knew Halloween was a big deal here, but…”

Ben looks pensive as he finishes his lunch. “I’m still not entirely sure I understand what he means by ‘understand the assignment’.”

As the glorious New England fall settles in, making the Barrow campus a riot of copper and gold, you have that curious sensation of having been here forever while feeling like no time at all has passed. Your little community of friends and colleagues have, for the most part, made you feel like you were at home, not just “visiting”. 

After the shenanigans at the beach away-day in September, you prove you can walk the walk as well as talking the talk. As soon as you got into work on the following Monday, you’d knocked on Ben’s door to volunteer as a tutor for one of the additional support workshops he was organising as part of the diversity and inclusion project across the faculty.

He seemed to appreciate your outsider perspective, regularly seeking out advice or feedback on how best to look after the students involved. You’ve never seen anyone look as pleased as he did to receive a printed and bound copy of the hundred-page report your institution had compiled a couple of years ago on support strategies. 

He shrugged when you mentioned this, having watched him leaf excitedly through the document. “I’m just a nerd for this stuff.” You shook your head. “You care. They’re lucky to have you.”

You shouldn’t have favourites, really, not when you’re teaching such a range of classes, but the students in that particular workshop group are a joy: hard-working, insightful, kind, and funny. They have no sense of entitlement or expectation based on privilege. They come into each group meeting spilling over with things they want to tell you and the rest of the class: books read, movies watched, artworks discovered, songs played on repeat. Their intelligence and perceptiveness only underlines how toxic the attitudes of, ahem, certain colleagues are.

They seem to like you, too - though not as much as they like Ben, who is clearly a bit of a cult favourite. You overhear a group in your support workshop talking excitedly one morning about seeing him coming onto campus on his black-framed bicycle, two pannier bags attached to the back.

“He’s just so cute on his little bike, ohmygoooooood!” The other students had scrunched up their faces and made high-pitched noises to signal their agreement. “Protect this man at aaalllllll costs,” agrees another. “Did you see his little space tie at orientation?? He’s so baby and so old man at the same time, I just cannot with him.”

You daren't ask what they say about you.

Outside of work, the arrival of more of the belongings you’d had shipped over has helped make the once-spartan apartment into a home. The crocheted blanket you made sits on the back of your small sofa, ready to be pulled over you as you read or watch TV. The living area is dotted with trinkets from your travels and photographs, especially of your little nieces. A bright green Japanese kintsugi bowl, a gift from your sister a year after your ex-partner had left, takes pride of place on the low coffee table.

It might only be home for a year, but you’ve tried to make the apartment feel like you. Your framed print of a Raoul Dufy painting of Paris hangs on one wall, comforting pinks and blues in the abstract but familiar depiction of the city. You treated yourself to two small Diptyque candles at the airport duty free on your way to the US, and their scent acts as a reassuring comfort whenever you walk back through the door after a day at work. As has been the case everywhere you’ve ever lived, there are books and magazines everywhere, some neatly shelved, far more in random piles. You’d even managed to track down a cheap second-hand sewing machine at a local thrift store, and had convinced Ani to drive you to the nearest large craft store to stock up on fabric and patterns.

It’s become somewhat of a running joke that you are obsessed with the fall. You tried to explain that it was, in part, because it was so different to what you were used to. 

“We just get meh.”

“Meh?” Evan repeated, sipping his coffee in the staff lounge one day, as you explain. “Meh?”

“Yes, meh. It gets dark too quickly. It’s kind of always…damp, and it makes my stupid fucked-up joints and body hurt. And we don’t get those crisp, gorgeous colours in the landscape. More like fog and sludge and rotting leaves and just: meh. Here, though! Campus is just like a picture book.”

“If you think this is good, you should see the lakeside trail just outside town,” Ben adds. “Best way to see it is by bike. Could be fun if you wanted to hire one and explore it?”

A week later, and you’re back on a bike for the first time in a long time, trying to keep your focus on staying upright while taking time to admire the incredible surroundings. The colours of a New England fall are spread across the landscape like an extraordinary patchwork quilt, all oranges and golds and reds and the occasional evergreen, and the blue of the lake provides a perfect contrast. You stop pedalling for a moment, resting your feet on the ground as you take it all in.

“Wow.” 

Ben, a little further ahead, slows and comes to a halt before walking his bike back to you. He follows your gaze to look at the picture-perfect scene in front of you, as nature offers a final performance of spectacular colour before the winter snows arrive. 

“It’s really something, isn’t it? Fall does not look like this where I’m from.” 

You nod, awestruck. “Sometimes I just can’t believe I get to be here.”

Two weeks after Evan’s micro-managed invitation to his Halloween party, and you think - no, make that hope - you’ve created a costume that fits the brief. Ani is coming over to meet up before you head over together, and you put out a bowl of candy corn (a revelation to you, even if Evan never fails to remind you that “it tastes like crayons.”)

You’re adjusting your curly blonde wig, carefully teasing out some of the curls around the ends, and checking your drawn-on moustache in the mirror when your phone lights up.

ANI: SEE ME. SEE ME NOW.

You raise an eyebrow and go to the intercom panel near your front door. Someone is standing at the door of the building in a top hat and morning suit, curly dark hair carefully arranged around their shoulders and a pair of tiny dark glasses perched on their nose. 

The curious figure is carrying a Barrow Farmers Market tote bag.

“Fucking hell.” You press the button to let Ani in, and leave your front door ajar. They swish into your apartment a few moments later, a vision in a dove-grey morning suit they’d found at a local Goodwill and a top hat borrowed from the student drama society. Ani had asked you to pin some grey fabric around the hat a few days earlier, but hadn’t revealed any more about their costume plans.

“Well?? Do you see me now?” They twirl around for your approval.

“That’s genuinely incredible. Vampirism really suits you.”

Ani grins, admiring themselves in the mirror that hangs near the front door before taking a seat on the arm of your sofa. “I look fucking fantastic, even if I shouldn’t be able to see my reflection. Any Mina Harkers at this party better watch out.” They look you up and down. “And you’re…?”

You stand up. In addition to the wig and pencil moustache, you’re dressed in a three-piece tweed suit (another Goodwill find, which you’d been able to easily tailor to fit with your trusty sewing machine) with a shirt and tie, topped with a white lab coat. 

Ani still looks confused. You tap a name badge you’d made for exactly this eventuality. They peer at it, reading it aloud, and finally join the dots:

Dr F. Frankenstein (Fronk-en-STEEN)

“Oh, wow.” Ani shakes their head. “You must be the first person in Halloween costume party history to go dressed as Young Frankenstein before he becomes the crazy scientist. Evan is gonna have notes.”

You shove your hands in the pockets of the lab coat and make a haughty face. “It’s pronounced Fronk-en-STEEN.”

Ani laughs and stands up, picking up their bag (which contains two bottles of wine). “Okay, Fronk-en-Steen, let’s go see if anyone can outdo you for niche costume choice of the night. That pencil moustache is kinda hot, by the way.”

Evan opens the door dressed in a truly horrible dress, a messy grey wig styled in a bun, and wielding a toy knife. He looks in a foul mood, even discounting the Norman Bates-as-Mother costume.

Ani wheels around, ready to do their Dracula routine. “SEE ME. SEE ME - fuck! Are you okay, man?” 

Evan scowls, stepping back to let you in. “I’ve got to take meds to get rid of that bastard chest thing I’ve had, and they specifically state no alcohol or other drugs to be consumed while taking them. So I’m stone-cold sober at my own party, while everyone else is enjoying my spooky margs.” He jerks his head in the direction of the crowd of guests. 

You step over the threshold, both curious and reluctant to find out what a “spooky marg” involves. Ani remains outside. 

“You gotta invite me in, dude.”

Evan rolls his eyes and brandishes the plastic knife. “Would you like to come in, vampire? You’re so lucky this is a toy.”

Ani winks behind their little glasses. “Nuh-uh! Stakes only!”

Evan’s apartment is a decently-sized mid-century two bed, and most of the party guests are milling around the open-plan living and dining area. In addition to the select group of colleagues who made the list, he’s invited a few of his friends from Boston and New York to come up for the night. You scan the room, hoping to spy the elusive David.

“Spooky Margs and a selection of other beverages are in the kitchen with some snacks. Help yourselves. And make sure to remind someone all night that they did not understand the assignment.” Evan points with his toy knife towards a familiar figure clad in a beige mac, who’s talking to some of Evan’s friends. 

Ben wheels around at the sound of Evan’s voice. He’s wearing a white shirt, a 1970s-style striped tie, and a pair of vaguely vintage-looking grey dress pants. There’s what looks like a toy police badge clipped to his belt.

He’s hearing Evan’s admonition for what is evidently the millionth time since he arrived, and rolls his eyes. “I keep telling you, I did understand! Cinematic horror or serial killers!” He looks pleadingly in your direction. “Lydia was there. We asked Evan some clarifying questions, didn’t we?” 

You nod, but Ani pulls a face. “Not convinced Columbo fits the brief, my guy. Did he get many serial killers?”

Evan nods enthusiastically. “See? SEE? Ani gets it. Fuckin’ Columbo, Ben.”

In the time they’ve been upbraiding him, you’ve been studying Ben’s costume more carefully, a smile of growing recognition dancing around your mouth. You clear your throat, and all three look directly at you.

“He’s not Columbo.” 

“So who is he, then?” Evan asks, irritated. Clearly, the lack of spooky margs is having an effect on his mood.

You move beside Ben. “Mind if I show them the evidence, Detective?” 

“Not at all, Doctor.” 

The white lab coat must be imbuing you with some sort of scientific spirit. You begin to jokingly lecture Ani and Evan, pointing out parts of Ben’s outfit like he’s a specimen on display. Some of the other party guests turn to watch.

“To the untrained eye, Professor Morales’ costume may well look like a typical Columbo effort. But there are some vital clues that prove he is, in fact, not Columbo and is completely appropriately dressed for the theme. Exhibit A: the side parting in his hair, and the way it is styled - or, sorry to say this Ben, the way he’s tried to style it. Exhibit B: no cigar. Exhibit C: the contents of his pockets. Could you show these to the group, Professor?”

Ben nods with exaggerated formality and reaches into his coat pockets.

“An old street map of San Francisco. A pocket guide to codes and codebreaking. A pair of glasses - pretty sure these are not part of the costume. Colleagues, this is in fact Detective Dave Tosche, one of the leading figures in the Zodiac case.” You look to Ben for confirmation, your eyebrows raised expectantly. 

“You’re so close.”

You chew on your lower lip before it hits you. “Ah! An important distinction. You’re Mark Ruffalo playing Dave Tosche in David Fincher’s 2007 based on a true story serial killer masterpiece, Zodiac. Serial killer, cinematic, he’s entirely on theme, he’s even from the Bay Area.”

You do a neat little bow. Ben laughs hard. “I knew you’d get it, Dr Fronk-en-steen!”

Ani rolls their eyes. Evan pinches his nose. “I swear to god, on your first day in graduate school they should warn you that if you become an academic you’ll end up working with fucking nerds for the rest of your life.”

The host’s irritation at his enforced sobriety aside, the party is relaxed and enjoyable. Evan has compiled an exceptionally well-curated playlist that mixes Halloween-themed songs and party bangers with random tracks from a ‘Spooky Sound Effects Vol. 1-5’ album he’d found in a thrift store. Evan’s friends are a fascinating and entertaining group of people: friends from college; former colleagues; people who work in fashion; writers, artists, and people who run tiny community theatres. 

You’re swapping Paris stories with Drew, a 6’4” Boston-based art teacher dressed up as Shelley Duvall in The Shining, while finishing off a vodka and tonic (you are still building up to trying a Spooky Marg, disarmed by their lurid green colour). 

Drew points to your now-empty glass. “Think it’s time for you to try Evan’s concoction, babe. Would you believe me if I told you it was actually pretty good?” he offers, raising his own glass of the icy green beverage.

You pull a face. “I guess I can’t know until I try it. Okay. Here goes nothing.” You cross to the kitchen in search of the green nectar, bopping gently to the strains of ‘Cuff It’ pumping out of Evan’s speakers. En route, you spot Ani in the open-plan living area, flirting outrageously with someone dressed as Tippi Hedren in The Birds, enormous fake bird sticking out at a rakish angle from their blonde wig. 

Ben has had the same idea as you. When you enter Evan’s tiny kitchen, he’s standing by the counter - still wearing his overcoat - and pouring himself a glass of the frosty green goo from a large jug. 

“Ohhhh, yes. Yes. This is good. You can try it first.”

“I thought you were a scientist, Dr Fronk-en-Steen? Scared of an experimental substance?”

You join him at the counter and give him a sceptical look. “As a good scientist, I’d at least like to know what’s in the experimental substance.”

Ben sips the drink cautiously and narrows his eyes. “There’s definitely tequila. Lots of tequila. And triple sec. And something…minty? And then an extra booze layer that I can’t quite place.” He coughs suddenly, eyes watering. “Yep. Pretty…pretty potent.”

You scan the counter and spot a bottle of crème de menthe and one of vodka tucked alongside the tequila and triple sec. “Detective, I think we have our answer. Oh well. I guess it’s designed to make us merry. Or spooky. Or just really, really unwell.” 

You pour yourself a glass, clink it off Ben’s, and lean against Evan’s countertop. You’ve taken off your lab coat and jacket. Ben gestures towards your outfit.

“That’s a great costume, by the way. Inspired choice not to go for the obvious ‘mad scientist’ version.” He peers closer. “And that is an excellent drawn-on moustache.”

You beam, delighting in the fact that he’s so impressed by your efforts. “It’s weird, I’ve kind of always wanted to go to a costume party where I had a drawn-on moustache. Maybe I want to feel like an early Hollywood villain.”

He laughs. “Or is it because of Jeanne Moreau with the fake moustache and cap in Jules et Jim?” 

Your mouth drops open. “Shit! That’s it. God, that would have been a good costume. Easy to do, as well.” 

Ben nods in agreement. “But I think Evan would have actually tried to kill you for not - what was the phrase? - not understanding the assignment.” He takes another sip of his Spooky Marg, wincing slightly. “And thank you, by the way, for proving that I did what I was told.”

You look him up and down, taking in his costume. “It’s so obviously not Columbo. Where did you get all the bits of the outfit?”

“Coat and pants are from a bigger branch of Goodwill in the next town over. Shirt is just a white shirt. Nothing exciting there. Got the badge in a toy store. The map and code book are my own.” 

Of course they are. 

He holds up his tie. “This belonged to my dad. Authentic 70s size and stripes.” 

You smile softly at that detail. “It is an excellent tie and no mistake. I’m just wondering about how far you took the attention to detail, though - didn’t Tosche have one of those shoulder holster things on for pretty much the entire movie?”

Ben blushes. “Uh…well. You know I believe in the details. And the accuracy.”

You tilt your head quizzically. “In what sense?”

“In the sense that I do care about the attention to detail, so I, uh…”

He moves to take off his overcoat. And there they are: a pair of brown leather shoulder holsters, albeit without any handguns (real or fake). Insane green drink aside, he really looks the part as an old-school hard bitten TV detective. 

It’s also impossible to ignore the way the combination of the snugly-fitted shirt and holsters seems to exaggerate (or maybe emphasise?) just how broad Ben’s shoulders are. 

Have they always looked like…that?

Either way, you’re impressed. “Wow. I mean…wow. It’s the whole package. No toy pistols, though?”

He furrows his brow. “I was struggling a bit with whether this fed into the more problematic aspects of how policing is presented in popular culture - what do they call it, ‘copaganda’? - , and guns for me are just…no.” He shakes his head. “Felt weird enough getting the holsters but, like I said - attention to detail.”

You nod. “You could just use yours to store snacks, or something. Might get a bit, um, melted, though. Body heat, and all.”

Ben laughs, and nods his head towards the living room. “Come on. Grab your Spooky Marg and let’s go see if Tippi Hedren’s been turned vampiric yet.”

Three Spooky Margs later, and you’re buzzed. Thankfully, so is pretty much everyone else - with the exception of Evan, of course, and a lone guest dressed as the Babadook who’s been sitting, motionless, at the dining table all night. 

Wig off, you’re chatting and eating pumpkin spiced cookies in the tiny kitchen with David, who has proven to be charm personified (and gorgeous to boot). Hair neatly styled and wearing a simple outfit of slacks, shirt, and jacket, it took you a moment before you realised he was dressed as Norman Bates. 

That’s one way to do couples’ costumes. 

In solidarity with Evan, David has limited himself to one Spooky Marg for the evening, and is sipping on tonic water and lime. Evan sticks his bewigged head into the kitchen and beckons you and David to join the rest of the party in the living area. “Come on! It’s Spooky Lip Sync for your Afterlife time.”

You glance sideways at David, who grins. “Don’t worry. There won’t be any death drops.”

“Lyyyyyyyydiiiaaaaa!” Ben beams and waves frantically at you from the smaller sofa, gesturing for you to join him. You realise why he seems so eager to have you join him when you see what’s happening on the couch.

He’s pinned against one end, holding his head at an awkward angle to avoid getting hit in the face by the fake bird stuck in Tippi Hedren’s hair as they throw their head back and laugh while Ani whispers sweet nothings into their ear. 

All the Spooky Margs in the world couldn’t make Ben Morales comfortable in this scenario. 

Even so, he’s definitely merry, albeit in an extremely smiley, benevolent kind of way. He’s got a beatific smile on his face as you approach. “Lyddie, sit. Sit. Sit in the seat.” He motions as if he’s about to stand and give you his space on the couch.

You laugh and put a hand on one of his shoulders, gently pushing him back into his spot. “Absolutely the fuck not. I’m not sitting beside someone getting turned into a vampire, Benjamin.” You settle onto the padded arm of the couch on his left, leaning ever so slightly into him as you do so. “M’sitting on the arm of this sofa right here.” 

“Mmmmkay.” He sips his lurid green drink and hums with satisfaction. Drew, his Shelley Duvall wig swapped for a longer, darker one, emerges from the hallway clad in a wafty, bright red dress. 

“Pssssst. Lyd. Lyd.” Ben leans in to whisper theatrically in your ear. “What’s a Spooky Sync Afterlife anyway?”

Evan glares at him and fiddles with his phone until a tinkly piano melody emerges from the speakers and Drew starts to dance, lip syncing along to ‘Wuthering Heights’:

Out on the wily, windy moors

We’d roll and fall in green

He’s uncannily good, nailing each of Kate Bush’s dance moves as he mouths along. From your spot on the arm of the couch, you fling your arms in the air, waving along in time to the music and matching Drew word for word in a perfect lip sync. 

When the song reaches the middle eight, Drew advances towards you and pulls you up to join him. Ordinarily you’d run for cover, but the Spooky Margs have relaxed your inhibitions just enough and you join in, widening your eyes and extending your arms as you beg Heathcliff to let you in at his window. As the song’s closing guitar riff starts, Drew wraps his long arms around you, playfully pretending to drag you off to some uneasy underworld before embracing you in a delighted hug as the other guests whoop and cheer.

You hastily retreat back to your seat as Drew takes his bow. Ben breaks off his applause and raises a hand to high five you as you settle back onto the arm of the couch. 

You’re not quite ready for it, your centre of gravity thrown off by the slightly awkward seating position and the effect of the drinks. To your horror, you begin to topple ungracefully off the couch in the direction of Evan’s living room floor, closing your eyes and bracing for impact. 

Strong arms catch you gently around the waist mid-fall and pull you back to an upright position. A slightly slurred, but reassuring voice: “I’ve got you.” 

This is mortifying. 

You open your eyes and turn to face him, wanting to cringe yourself out of existence.

“Um…whoops?” If the ground could open you up and swallow you now, that would be most helpful. 

But Ben’s wearing that contented smile again, evidently trying not to laugh but with a look in his eyes that reassures you he’s not making fun of you. Not in the slightest. 

You crack in unison, giggling like misbehaving children. 

You look down to where your left hand is still resting on his bare forearm, his shirt sleeves rolled up and exposing the warm, lightly golden skin below. 

He has arm freckles.

Lowered inhibitions or not, reality kicks back in. You move your hand away, concerned you’ve overstepped a mark. 

“Sorry. Thanks for catching me. Sorry.”

His smile fades and he reciprocates, pulling back and blushing as he pushes his glasses back up his nose. “It’s okay. I’m sorry, I… Just didn’t want you falling.”

Another tiny crackle of electricity goes off in your brain, as if an unseen force is soldering together synapses that have long been out of use.

The signal, this time, is a little stronger, amplified no doubt by physical proximity and Spooky Margs. 

You angle your body and reach behind you, catching hold of his left arm and moving it back into position so that it’s lightly bracing you, forearm against your back and hand holding you at the waist. 

“’S just in case I fall again. Safety is paramount.”

Ani, left alone for a moment while Tippi Hedren goes to the bathroom, leans round and looks at you both. 

“Could use a sholster holder for better counterbalance or some shit? Hold on to a sholster holder.” They start laughing at their malapropism. “Sholster holder. No wait, that’s not it. Sholster. Holder. No. Oh, fuck it.”

Ben looks up at you, coffee-brown eyes twinkling. 

“I am kinda curious about the sholster holder,” you say. “Never seen one before.”

“Oh, well in that case…” He motions with his head and taps the holster strap on his right. You extend your right arm, stretching across his shoulders to rest your fingers against the leather. 

The electrical current in your brain continues to pulse. 

Evan introduces a lipsync by “Musty Springheeled”, who performs ‘Spooky’. Musty had been introduced to you earlier in the evening as a mild-mannered poet called Dani. They’re transformed now, enormous backcombed blonde wig and layers of black eyeliner complementing their long black vintage-style dress. 

You sway gently to the music, careful not to overreach again. Not that you’d be likely to fall. Not with a large, warm hand at your waist and your fingers resting lightly on his shoulder. For better balance, as Ani suggested. 

Musty extends their elegant arms in front of them as they mouth the words, hands passing back and forth in front of their face:

Just like a ghost

You’ve been a-haunting my dreams

But now I know

You’re not what you seem

You feel the caress of soft, wavy hair against your neck as Ben rests his head on your shoulder. Instinctively, you reciprocate, lightly shifting your head to lean against his. 

Evan keeps an eagle eye on Musty Springheeled. Tippi Hedren has rejoined Ani on the couch, and they’re wrapped around each other and swaying along to the song, caught up in their own little world.

It’s only David, alert and observant, who notices just how contented the detective and scientist seem to be, nestled into one end of the sofa. 

“Fuck it. I’ll drive you guys. Come on, nerds. Party’s over.”

Evan, still in his Mother Bates dress but wig discarded, is jangling his keys at Ben, who yawns and offers a thumbs up in acknowledgment before grabbing his mac.

There isn’t a cab to be had in Barrow, but Evan is determined to get the local guests home so that he - and everyone else staying with him - can go to bed. Some of the visiting contingent have already left, decamping to an AirBnB the next block over. Others are staying in Evan’s guest room or on his couch and sofabed. 

Evan starts a head count. “Okay. So… that’s Lydia, Ben, Ani in the back, Dani up front. Right?”

Dani, still in their Musty Springheeled dress, nods. Ani appears from the kitchen, Tippi following close behind. “And Cass. Cass is, uh, coming with me.”

Who the fuck is Cass?

Tippi Hedren waves a tiny wave. “Hiiiii. I’m Cass,” they say in a quiet, sweet British accent. 

Evan cocks an eyebrow at Ani, then realises the numbers don’t add up. “Lydia, Ben, Ani, Cass, Dani up front… fuck. Fuck.”

You pull on your lab coat and knee-length wool overcoat, eyes half-closed with sleep and Spooky Margs. “I can just walk, y’know? Not too far.”

“The fuck you aren’t,” Ben mutters. “I’ll walk. It’s fine.”

Evan rolls his eyes. “You live further away, Benjamin! Fuck. Make it make sense.”

David’s eyes flit between you, Ben, and Evan. “Who would be getting out first?”

Ani and Evan point at you in unison. You raise a hand, sheepishly. “I mean it, it’s close.”

“I mean, desperate times etc. So,” David sets out his proposal, “Ben, Ani, and Cass go in the back. Lydia sits on Ben’s lap for the short journey. You drop Lydia off, you’re good for the rest of the journey.”

Your eyes widen. “I don’t think that’s legal!”

Evan rolls his eyes. “Of course it fucking isn’t legal. But I want you fuckers to go home.”

David turns to Ben. “And you don’t mind having Lydia on your lap for a few minutes?”

Your face heats. A side effect of all those Spooky Margs, you think. Ben’s ears have turned pink, too. Definitely something in the drinks. Crème de menthe has a weird effect.

“Sure. Sure! Mmmhmm.” Ben nods quickly. “But only if that’s okay with you?” He turns to you. 

There’s something endearing to you about the fact that, even with several extremely strong cocktails on board, even being more buzzed than you’ve ever seen him, and having spent most of the night holding you steady on the couch, he still wants to check that you’ll be comfortable. 

You nod. “Just a bit worried I’ll be too heavy, is all.”

Ben scoffs gently and shakes his head to assuage your concerns. 

“Oh, thank FUCK.” Evan exhales with relief. “Nerds! Come on!”

It must be twenty years since you’ve been in a car like this, perched on your friend’s lap on your way home from a party. You try to hold yourself up slightly, worried despite yourself about what Ben might think if he had to feel all of your body weight on his (strong-feeling) thighs. 

You’ve never been small, not as an adult. As a student you envied those tiny, petite friends who always seemed to appeal to men and women alike, their compact, light frame fitting perfectly on the lap of whatever lucky person they were flirting with at the party. They never had to worry about stuff like this, right? Too busy being picked up and carried around by boys desperate to assert some kind of masculinity, who never cast a second glance at the unappealing, taller, serious-faced friend.

That said, even if he did think you were disturbingly heavy, Ben hadn’t given you the slightest indication since you’d clambered into the back of the car and settled yourself around him carefully, balancing yourself by resting an arm over the back seat. He arranges his arms firmly around you.

“Like a human seatbelt, Lyddie.” You giggle sleepily.

He murmurs. "I've got you."

Evan drives carefully, the Barrow streets mostly deserted save for occasional groups of student revellers in costume. Ani is leaning into Cass, ostensibly examining the fake bird still sticking out of their carefully-coiffed hair, but in truth taking the opportunity to rest a hand on Cass’s knee. 

In the relatively cramped confines of the back seat, you have to lean your head on Ben’s shoulder to avoid thwacking your skull off the car roof. The scruff on his jaw brushes lightly against the top of your forehead. His breathing is steady, and oddly calming, but there’s this…frisson running through your body at the same time.

It’s been so long since you’d been this physically close to another person, the odd hook-up aside. No wonder it feels so good. Anyone would feel the same if they’d been a bit touch-starved. 

Right?

“So I guess this experience is fairly standard for the visiting professor?” you ask. He laughs, and you can feel it resonating against you from his chest. 

“Ohhh, yeah.” He pauses. “For the nice ones, anyway.”

Evan pulls up at the kerb outside your building. You open the door and unfold yourself carefully from your position on Ben’s lap, until you’re eventually upright. You wave cheerily and turn to walk to the main door of the building, smiling happily. 

You’re only a couple of steps away when the car door opens again. You look over your shoulder, instinctively.

He’s standing on the pavement, hands in his coat pockets, looking down at the ground for an instant before meeting your eye. 

“Hey, Lydia?”

(bookshelf divider by @animatedglittergraphics-n-more)

Further A/N:

Huge thanks to lovely @lunapascal and @julesonrecord for thoughts, excited responses, and reading parts of this in draft! And for introducing the word "frisson" into the equation... sigh.

The idea of Lydia on Ben’s lap in the car came from @cutesyscreenname, and this got me thinking A LOT about physical proximity for these two nerds and what it might unleash…

Costume references: Ani as Gary Oldman in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992).

Lydia as Gene Wilder as Dr Frederick Frankenstein in the earlier parts of Young Frankenstein (1974). "It's pronounced Fronk-en-Steen."

Ben as Mark Ruffalo as Dave Tosche in Zodiac (2007) (that's him on the left, obviously). (Bonus: SHOULDER HOLSTER SUPREMACY)

Evan as Norman as Mother Bates in Psycho (1960)

Cass as Tippi Hedren in The Birds (1963)

This is the specific performance of 'Wuthering Heights' Drew does at Evan's party (this is one of my absolute favourite songs, ever, and I would have been just as into this as Lydia is):

'Spooky' by Dusty Springfield, lip synced by Musty Springheeled/Dani:

[liveslivedinthemind]

It’s called Freefall Chapter 2

Summary: When you're born, the Universe has already decided who will be your soulmate by marking their first touch on your skin. Some of those soul marks are just a small fingerprint on their shoulder, or maybe a hand mark from a handshake. Some even have multiple, and it is never sure what kind of a bond you're destined to have with your soulmate. Alexandra Turner is a special case however, as her whole body is covered in marks. 24 to be exact. What she doesn't know that there's someone else out there with 24 marks who's waiting for her to bump into them.

Pairing: Original Female Character x Kevin Wendell Crumb/Dennis/Barry/the whole system

Fandom: Split

Word count: 1.5k

Masterlist

Author’s note: Please feel free to let me know if I have messed something up or if you have any advice on how I can improve my writing. I hope you enjoy!

If you wish to be added to the taglist for this fic, let me know :)

                        »»————-　♡　————-««  

“No fucking way…”

Those words had just slipped out of Barry’s mouth as he looked at the woman behind him he had most likely just saved from falling on the stairs. A wide grin grew on his face as he stopped walking on the stairs and leaned against the handrailing. He had always been wondering how he’d meet his soulmate, daydreaming up all kinds of unexpected romantic encounters, yet the truth happened to be so simple. Something he never thought would happen with himself, it seemed so uncharacteristic to him yet so poetically fitting. Of course he’d meet them on his way to the place he so desperately hoped would help Kevin, soulmates were supposed to be the ones who would be a companion on one’s life journey. He took it as a sign from the Universe that this was a good thing, a sign that they were on the right path.

The smile on his lips slowly faded away though as he realized that his excitement was most definitely not matched. Alex looked horrified and all the blood had drained from her face as she just stared at the stranger in front of her. Her mind was running as fast as it could, trying to figure out what had just happened, what to say, how to stand, how to speak. And eventually, she could recognize only one thought - ‘Run… Run… I need to run!’

“I have to go, I just remembered that I… have to go.”

She whispered out, looking away from the man. She then quickly turned around and rushed down the stairs and immediately out of the building. The rain had picked up even more and the cold downpour was a welcomed guest to Alex as it cleared her mind just a little bit. She made her way down the street, dodging the people and making sure she didn’t stick out in the crowd. She needed a place to hide herself for just a moment, a tucked away alley or something where she could catch her breath and collect herself. 

Taking a turn to her right, she finally leaned against the wall of what seemed to be a small apartment complex. Her lungs were struggling to calm themselves from both the shock of sudden rushing, and from meeting someone she didn’t think she would ever meet. Her fingers gently rested on her shoulder where his mark was located, the rain creating some white noise for her to just disappear from the world a little bit. Alex just wanted to exist as no one for a moment, give herself that peace of not having to deal with anything. 

Rain fell onto her face and the wind turned her cheeks a bright shade of red but she didn’t notice anything around her. Alex felt her breath calming down to the point where she spent more time in a state of holding her breath than she did actively breathing. This allowed her to very slowly return to reality and she looked up at the sky, allowing the drops to coat her entire face as she tried to go over everything that had happened in the past couple of minutes of her life.

Alex had met one of her soulmates, there was no denying that. She didn’t even catch his name or a good look of his face but from what she could remember, he was a force to be reckoned with. He had a big muscular frame, even though it was hidden by the baggy coat and jeans. He was fashionable, she couldn’t deny that, and the beanie he wore gave her a youthful image. Much younger than his face portrayed, and she had a feeling that underneath the hat, he was fully shaven. And his eyes had been so kind, especially when he had realized that she was his soulmate. She could have sworn she saw them sparkle for a second. 

But Alex couldn’t go back to him, she didn’t want to pass on the pain that he’d have to share her with 23 other people who were still somewhere out there. There were rumors of what happened to those who ignored the connection between soulmates, but she was certain that it must be a lot smaller compared to the agony of someone having to be together with such an attention whore as herself. Alex just couldn’t risk seeing the disappointment of the man’s face. 

With a soft sigh of a held breath leaving her lips, Alex pushed herself to stand from the wall and took out her phone. She sent Doctor Fletcher a short email, saying that she unfortunately has to cancel her appointment and to let her know if she would need to pay for any kind of fee for a no-show since she did cancel at such a short notice. Tension was rising in her body as she knew it was not the most polite thing to do but she couldn’t risk seeing that man once again. She’d just find a new therapist somewhere far away from this place, maybe she could try online therapy instead. 

While pulling her headphones out of her bag, she put them on and turned back onto the busy street. Alex could feel an emptiness in her chest and it was weighing her down, but she just kept walking in the opposite direction to the good doctor’s office. The tears were stinging her eyes, but she just excused it to herself as it was a result of the rain and wind irritating them. It was easier that way for her to accept what she had chosen to do. It was always easier for her to just continue to exist in her current state than to risk any changes.

It was made clear to her that the Universe had other plans for her however because the first person she saw when she finally looked up from her shoes was that man. Her soulmate. It was clear he had been running from his ragged breathing and red face. He smiled at her though and tried to catch his breath as he spoke up,

“There you are, I’ve been running up and down the street like a loon.”

His voice was filled with happiness and the smile on his face never dropped as he swallowed and let out a final big breath. Alex looked up at him, unable to say anything, because the glimmer in his eyes made her heart and stomach erupt into millions of tiny yellow butterflies. She bit her bottom lip hard to make sure she wouldn’t smile back as the man finally introduced himself.

“I’m Barry by the way, and you have no idea how hard I’ve tried to find you.”

‘Barry… sounds cheerful.’

Alex thought to herself before she softly whispered,

“I’m Alex. I…”

She trailed off, unable to actually say that she thought it would be best for them to part ways out loud. No one knew of her numerous soul marks, she was sure even her parents had forgotten the full amount, and part of her had always thought she wouldn’t meet even one of them so she never really thought about how she’d tell them about it. Luckily for her, Barry spoke up once again.

“Listen, I’ve got a feeling we need to talk about some things because I’ve got a couple more marks on me.”

He said those words with such ease as if they were talking about the weather. Alex’s eyes widened and her breath got caught in her chest - he had more marks too? How many did he have? It possibly couldn’t be as many as she did. So many questions ran through her head and she was getting so overwhelmed that she had to dig her fingernails into the palm of her hand to keep herself grounded in the moment. She knew she had to say something, anything, but the best she could do was nod. It was as if her mind and body were refusing her to open her mouth.

Barry could see the amount of anxiety and tension coursing through Alex’s veins and he let out a sad chuckle before he tilted his head and said softly,

“Come, I know a quiet place and don’t worry about Doctor Fletcher. I mentioned to her what happened and she’s more than happy to reschedule with you.”

He somehow had an inkling that Alex would worry about her session and whether or not it would be rescheduled on time so he made sure to run up to his therapist’s office first and give her a short summary of what had happened before he ran after her. It looked like it was the right move on his side as Alex gave him a soft smile and another nod. 

He motioned her to follow him, knowing it would be a bit too forward of him to put his arm around her at that moment. Alex started to walk half a step behind him, still unable to speak, but something in her chest was slowly blooming. Like the first snowdrop popping its head through the cold ground as the first sign of spring. 

< Chapter 1                                                      Chapter 3 >

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Taglist: @royaltysuite

[gulnarsultan]

When Kevin wanders the neighborhood and sees her new neighbor, all of their personalities fall obsessively in love wit reader.

[charliedawn]

The slashers found out nurse y/n just got engaged (they have feelings for her), a tiny angst won't hurt right? 😶‍🌫️

It would take a fool not to notice the way Norman was staring at you. He was completely and deeply enamored with you. And when you met the man of your life, he never thought he stood a chance. But, he did. Even though Norman found every single one of his defaults and made it his duty to tell you...the man asked you to become his fiancé and Norman didn't know how to respond when he asked him next to be his best man for a probable future marriage. Norman was heartbroken, but hid it the best he could. He tried to be happy for the both of you. But, he didn't know how.

Whenever he would see you, his smile would widen and he'd have a hard time accepting the truth.

You were his little monster. He had seen you on your worst day and had kept caring after you. It seemed everybody knew about your relationship beside the two of you. Even your husband knew and did at times look at the both of you strangely...He knew there was something there from the start. But, when you told him that there was nothing, he decided to try and ask you out.

No one could have foretold that you'd accept. He was the first surprised. But, he sure glad he asked first. Because he perfectly knew that if Norman had asked first ? There was no way you would have said no.

Michael was there when you got engaged and boy, did it hurt...to realize he would never be the one to hold your hand at the end of the aisle. But, he knew you'd be alright. You were a smart girl/boy, and so was you partner. You would be alright. That's the only thing he wanted. Yeah...Nothing more, right ?

He pretended not to feel the tears running down his face and looked up at the ceiling. It was for the best after all...

What could he have brought you ? A long life of pain and suffering. He would have tried to kill you, he would have plunged you in an endless hole full of terrible struggle you weren't ready for.

So, he accepted to let you go and pretended not to feel the tears or his heart breaking in his chest. Michael Myers wasn't meant to be happy and even when you asked him if he was happy ? He lied. He was fine. You were happy.

That's all that mattered...

Freddy was frustrated when he heard the news, but didn't say anything at first. He spent most of his time in his room and made sure to avoid you. But then, you cornered him and demanded he explained why he seemed so upset ? And boy...You weren't ready for his answer.

"You wanna spend the rest of your life with a normy ? A boring little boy ? Go on then. Love him. Care for him. Spend your whole wild life with him. I don't care. But, know...Know that I know what you feel for me. It will eat ya alive. You may lay with him every night. But, I'll be waiting in your dreams, sweetheart."

Your eyes widened significantly at his outburst and they filled with tears.

"...You are such a big idiot, Freddy Krueger.", you uttered with a small tremor in your voice and his eyes seemed to soften for a few seconds. He opened his mouth and you really thought for a moment that he would apologize...But, he didn't. He looked away and smiled sadly to himself.

"Sure. I'm the idiot. But, you still fell for me, didn't ya ?"

Your eyes widened even more and he looked up knowingly at you. He didn't want to hurt you. It was the truth. You couldn't hide it, but it did. I did hurt. He knew. He had always known.

"Why...Why didn't you say anything when I accepted their proposal ?", you asked and Freddy's smile faltered.

"...Because idiots like me like to break things and darling, you're made of fuckin' glass."

Bo had locked himself in his garage since the moment Lester had told him about your engagement. He tried to convince himself that he didn't care, but it only made him more upset. Hadn't he been crystal clear ?! Hadn't he made it fuckin' clear that he wanted you ?!

When you entered his garage to bring him food, the sole sight of you was enough to make him angry. He slapped the plate you had in your hands and instead grabbed you by the throat to pin you against the nearest wall.

"Watya want from me, huh ? Why did you do that ?! Did you want me to fuckin' beg ?! To tell you that it kills me to see ya with that little cute stupid smile on your face and with your big heart-shaped eyes on your princess/prince—the one that isn't me ?"

Your eyes filled with tears and Bo hid his underneath his cap. It was no use. He released you. Your breath hitched as he suddenly pulled you closer to whisper in your ear.

"...Why the heck did you choose him ?! Was I gettin' fuckin' boring to you or sumthin' ?! Was I just a funny distraction to you, huh ? Did you have fun ? Hope you did..."

You didn't answer and Bo sneered before shaking his head.

"That's what I thought. Play with Bo. But, don't get too close...Or you may burn. Worse part is ? I would have given you everything."

Before you could say anything, he was out the door and you were left with only your broken heart and tears.

"...I will kill him/her.", Jason seethed while glaring at your fiance—but Freddy shook his head before huffing a mocking laugh of disbelief.

"No. You won't."

Jason was about to reply when he saw the way Freddy was looking at you...Matter of fact, he saw the way all the slashers were looking at you and realized just how much the event affected them. You were getting married. You wouldn't only be theirs anymore and even though you were going to stay their favorite nurse...Something would break.

They all knew it.

They had all tried to forget the fact that you were human, but the fact that you were getting married when none of them would ever find love made them realize just how normal you were.

Jason looked at you wordlessly and for the first time, Jason felt a new emotion rise in him: hate. He had never felt it before.

He hated you. And he hated himself. He ha taken too long and now, he was suffering the consequences. But, it was better to blame you.

It was better than to admit that he had made a mistake and had waited too long...thinking you would wait for him.

"Don't marry that cunt.", Jack told you as you were about to step forward towards the altar. You stopped dead in your tracks and huffed a small laugh of disbelief.

"Wow. And why—in the name of all that is—should I do that ?"

Jack didn't laugh. He stepped forward and grabbed your wrist.

"You know why. I ain't gotta spell it out for you, do I ?" There was a certain desperation in his voice and you snorted before pulling away.

"Matter-of-fact ? I do. Come on, Torrance. Tell me. Tell me the one thing that you refused to give me. Tell me the one thing that I waited for you to say during all this time, but you never did. Say it. Say it now and I'll go with you."

Jack knew exactly what you wanted. The three little words that would change everything. He wanted to tell you. Badly. But, he couldn't. No matter how much he wanted to, he knew what would be the price to pay.

And he couldn't. He couldn't go through all of it again. So, he remained silent and lowered his head. You clenched your jaw and finally spat out.

"Coward."

You then stepped forward and hid the tears that were threatening to spill behind your veil.

Jack remained silent because deep down, he knew you were right. He was a coward. And you deserts much better. So, he clapped. He clapped and clapped until his hands almost fell off.

You had tried to see Brahms before the wedding, but he couldn't face you. He couldn't even meet your gaze when you finally found him next to the buffet.

"Brahms. Look at me.", you told him, and even though Brahms was usually eager to obey—he didn't this time.

"Brahms...Can't...Sad.",he tried to explain and you frowned in incomprehension.

"...Sad ?", you urged him on and Brahms nodded.

"Yes. Sad."

"Why ?", you asked him to develop and Brahms looked away before confessing.

"Brahms...Wanted Y/N to be his friend forever."

You smiled, even though the words hit you deeper than anything. Brahms had never ever called you anything else than friend. So, you had assumed that's all you were for him. It was no use waiting, but Brahms seemed very upset about the news.

"Hey. I'll still be your friend. Don't worry."

You tried to comfort him, but Brahms seemed to refuse your soothing words as he punched the wall next to him and shouted.

"BRAHMS WANTS Y/N TO HIMSELF ! NO ONE ELSE !"

Your eyes widened at his outburst, but before you could tell him anything, he was gone. What you didn't know is that Brahms wanted more than to be friends with you, but didn't have the words. So, he had found the only word he thought would make you stay.

But, it was too late now. And even though Brahms now knew what he was feeling was love...It was too late. He was too late.

Penny had never once told you that he loved you. You had fooled around, kissed a few times...But, he had never told you what he felt. So, you thought he only wanted to have fun and that was it. So, when one of your colleagues started asking you on dates and you found yourself enjoying his company more and more...You could only said yes when he asked if you wanted to get engaged. But, you had underestimated Penny's claim on you.

The otherworldly being wasn't a sharer.

He tried to tell you by kissing you again and again, not caring about your protests. He could feel that you wanted him as well, but was surprised when you pushed him away.

"No. Penny. No.", you told him. And for a second, he obeyed...until he attempted again.

"PENNY ! STOP !"

This time, he could hear it was serious and stopped, but scrunched his nose in confusion.

"Stop ? Why ?"

You sighed.

"I'm engaged."

You showed him the ring and Penny tilted his head, barely giving the jewel a dismissive glance.

"And ?"

You sighed once more before explaining.

"It means we have to stop. I love him. And he loves me. So, this ? Us ? It has to stop."

Penny's eyes crossed as he tried very hard to understand, but when you attempted to leave—he giggled.

"Silly human...As if you could ever prefer that pitiful little human over me ? A god ?"

You glanced back at him, but with an apologetic look this time around.

"Goodbye, Penny."

"Congrats.", Pennywise said when he heard. He seemed the less surprised and even sat beside you to give you his support. But, it was to be expected...

"Yeah..." You eyed his expression for the smallest hint of disappointment or at least a little sign that he was feeling sad. But, he didn't show any.

"I can feel that you are disappointed about my lack of reaction. Why did you expect me to have an issue with the decision ?", he asked knowingly and your face heat up a little as you had forgotten he would read minds.

"Because...Because I kinda thought that you loved me.", you confessed and thought Pennywise would mock you or roll his eyes, but he did neither. Instead, he answered you truthfully.

"Pennywise doesn't love. Hasn't for a long time. Nah. You took the right decision."

You were surprised by the approval and when you looked back, Pennywise smiled at you. He was trying to be supportive.

He wouldn't tell you how hurt he was. He wouldn't admit to his feelings towards you, because that would mean he was in the wrong and had let his only ticket to happiness slip away. Again.

"Congratulations. I am...happy for you."

Kevin told the both of you and you felt a lump in your throat as you heard the slight hesitation in his voice.

Kevin ignored the voices of all the personalities in his brain and forced a smile on his face as he told you he hoped you would haze a great life together.

Even though, the personalities were all protesting and tried to stop him, Kevin went on and didn't pay them any mind. He would let them be the price of your happiness. No matter what they all felt about you.

And he was surprised by his own power of will as he succeeded in blocking all their voices away and sound somehow genuine in his wished.

His heart bled. But, as long as you were happy...He wouldn't say anything. He would smile. Wave. Dance. And even make a fool out of himself...He didn't care. You were the only human being who had ever seen him and trusted him. So, he would lock all of his feelings away and let them be smothered away.

You mattered. You are the only one who ever mattered...

[just-a-sleepy-idiot]

Kevin Imagine: Finding you after you escaped

Basically like the scene were Claire manages to get out of the room but hot 🔥

Content/Warnings: Sexual tensionnn 👀, Angsty at first, Kidnapping, Female Reader, probably Stockholm syndrome idk

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The other two girls you were there with pushed the door shut, holding it close with all their body weight against the man that was attempting to get in. Never before did you need to have your muscles work like this, you were clinging onto the opening you found in the ceiling for dear life. You breathed heavily, working up all your strength to hinge up your entire body weight. 

You breathed out heavily when you managed to get up, letting your body drop on the cool metal surface. But there was no time to waste, you shuffled around to move forward, getting faster when you heard the door getting opened with force back there. But he didn’t come after you, not up here, he would try to catch you once you were down. 

Your palms were cold in fear, your eyes searched the dark as you kept on searching for the next opening to drop out from. 

You climbed out to find yourself in a dark floor that looked like it was somewhere underground.. there were pipes, the ground was dirty and only a few lightbulbs were keeping it lit enough to see. 

You breathed in for a moment, looking around and deciding to walk left. The adrenaline made you shaky, your legs threatened to give in. 

“Hey!!” A male voice echoed, and your breath quickened. He was there! He was there, how could he find you so quick?! Lunging forward you ran as fast as you could, hearing your blood pump in your ears. 

You found a corner with several lockers, your shaky hand reached out to open one of them before you stepped inside and closing the door. You felt the walls brush against your elbows, and put your hands on your chest, feeling your heart race even through the fabric of your sweater. 

For a few moments it was quiet, until suddenly you saw him rush by, past the lockers. You could only see a little through the small slits in the door. You breathed out in relief, tears forming in your eyes as the adrenaline overwhelmed your system. You could barely stand anymore, but you had no other choice. 

Maybe you could stay there until he went back up.. just to be safe..

“Found you” 

You flinched hard when suddenly he faced you, only the door in between you as the cold blue eyes gazed into yours. You let out a little noise, pressing your back at the metal back of the locker. 

“I thought I lost you... now, step out please.”

You didn’t know why he.. asked instead of just dragging you out, or why he added a please. It felt strange from your kidnapper, yet it somehow suited the atmosphere this alter had to him. 

If you recalled it right.. Hedwig said he was called ‘Dennis’

Hesitantly you pushed open the door, fingertips grazing the metal door one last time that gave you last bit of safety between you and him. Stepping out you looked at him in defeat, your knees were shaking too now. 

He adjusted his glasses and eyed you sternly. Maybe it was still the adrenaline, but you felt yourself blushing as you were looked at so.. intensely. 

Using all courage you had, you spoke up to break the silence.

“Are you.. Dennis?” You asked, and having you say his name in this hazy, shy way made his eyebrow twitch as a very unwanted feeling made itself known. 

He inhaled sharply and let his gaze drop down instead, he didn’t like how your exhausted and yet curious gaze made him feel. 

That was when he saw how dirty your sweater has gotten. How did he not notice that before?? He clenched his jaw. 

“Your sweater.. it’s ruined.. thats..” he seemed to struggle, grimacing just the tiniest bit as the stern expression hardened. “Remove it.” He eventually said and watched you closely. 

For a moment you froze- he really wanted you to take of your shirt in.. in front of hm? But he was serious about it, and judging from the way he acted you could assume that he was always being serious. 

So you slowly begun to tug out the hem of your sweater from your skirt, hooking your fingers under it to hesitantly lift it up. You kept eye contact as you lifted the fabric over your chest, exposing your curves now in nothing but a bra. 

He couldn’t help but trace up the exposed skin with his eyes for a moment. You stripped off the sweater completely now and handed it to him. Dennis walked past you to the locker now and begun to fold the sweater to put in there. 

He had his back turned on you.. you cautiously took a few steps backwards. You had to try, you just had to.. 

Turning around you tried to run- tried to go for one last attempt when suddenly your felt your legs failing you at the same moment. Your muscles couldn’t withstand the exhaustion anymore and you harshly dropped to the floor, feeling pain strike through you. “Ah!” 

Dennis instantly turned around, alarmed at the sudden gasp only to see you sprawled out on the ground. He put two and two together, you had tried to flee again.. how foolish. 

His eyes widened in the next moment, when you tried to get up on your hands and knees, making your skirt ride up for a moment. His whole body became stiff and he hurried to your sides to avoid this view, getting you up by your arms. 

When you stood he instantly let go of you, getting some distance between himself and you and looking you up. Your knees were bruised.. he sighed and and frowned. 

He urged you to come with him, but as you went along he could see you collapsing again a few steps in. Luckily, he was quick enough to grab your waist and come up behind you so you dropped against his chest instead. 

His thumbs lightly dug in your hips, making you gasp in surprise at he contact. You felt yourself dropping against him, grabbing back onto him in your panic. 

Only when you felt a little stable enough you realized.. that the fabric you clung onto wasn’t from his shirt, you had dug your fingers in his thighs. 

He felt his breath skip, unintentionally squeezing your hips at the sensation. Dennis clenched his jaw, you could feel him breathing heavily on your neck. 

This.. wasn’t good. That wasn't good, because it felt good. Dennis felt the urge to push you away and get distance between you, he stiffed as he forced himself to hold onto you because he knew you would fall again. 

You in turn felt your heart race even more than before on your escape. His chest was rising and sinking against your head and back, his large hands were placed on your hips for stability. They held you firmly in place, and you felt butterflies in your stomach. They intensified even when he squeezed you lightly, your hips responding by flinching a little. 

He felt it of course, and couldn’t help on noticing over how.. responsive your body was.

He bend down for a moment, his face now directly next to yours as he reached down to grab the back of your knees. You could his breath graze from your neck down to your shoulders before he picked you up in his arms like a bride. 

As he hiked you up your faces came really close for a second, noses only a few inches away from each other before you dropped on his arms. You gazed into each others eyes before he turned to look forward and begun to carry you down the hallway, back were you came from. 

The lights were dim, you looked up to see his face getting dipped into darkness before he stepped into the next lit area again. The vein on his neck pulsated, but he walked calmly as if you weighted nothing. Now that his arm was wrapped around your back to hold you, you could feel his biceps- you wouldn’t have expected him to be so.. strong. 

You swallowed, despite not wearing a sweater anymore you could feel warmth rising within you. Why did you feel like that.. it was fear mixed with a hint of excitement that you would definitely refuse to admit to. 

“T-Thank you..” you muttered. You couldn’t have walked all the way back yourself at this point.. He huffed quietly. 

Dennis carried you back where you came from, only that this time he walked you into a kitchen. He carefully set you down on one of the chairs and begun to look around for some first aid.

When he found what he was looking for he walked over to you in his usual, stern but calm manner and kneeled down in front of you to get better access to your bruised knees. 

“You should be more careful.” He said in his dark yet so strangely smooth voice, sighing as he begun to disinfect the wound. Instinctively you apologized, which made him look up. “Behave now, and I might let you return to your friends.” 

You did as you were told, sitting still for him while he carefully cared for your bruises. It became quite difficult for him though to make his gaze stay were it was supposed to be since he had your bare thighs right in front of him. But from everyone he was definitely the person with the most discipline, so he got the job done quickly. 

Usually Patricia would have come through by the point were he cared for your wounds, it was very unlike her not to appear in that situation. But truth was that he didn’t want to go. 

Standing up again, he adjusted his shirt. You could have easily tried to attack him while he had been busy patching you up but you behaved as he told you to. “Good girl.” 

You blushed a little, and he helped you up as you seemed to be able to walk the last bit yourself now. 

Dennis led you out and back to the door that you had only seen from the other side so far, relief washed over you since you would be able to see the others again. 

He got the keys and looked at you one more time- he should be mindful of dealing with you.. he felt so strangely conflicted about you. 

With that last glance he opened the door and let you go inside. You rushed to embrace your friends, but you couldn’t help but looking back at the entrance as you hugged your friend. The door closed.

- - -

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If you liked this please comment and let me know what you think!!

[mcavoy-mayhem]

James McAvoy + Dancing?

[fragcc]

Say It Again | Dennis (Split) x Reader

Gif not mine!

Summary: Reader tells Dennis they love him for the first time.

Word count: 1885

Warnings: Just lots of fluff

A/N: Okay, so I love him so much I just had to write some fluff for him. Dennis is such a good character, all he wants is to be accepted and protect the ones he cares about. Really, he deserved better. And I’ll be willing to write for him for quite some time hehe

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You woke up to the feeling of your dead dry throat. Opening your eyes, the first thing you met was a small glass of water, the one your boyfriend always insisted for you to prepare before going to sleep. You frowned your eyebrow as you reached for it, not believing you were actually about to make use of it.

The water felt divine as it fell through your throat, sadly taking some of your sleep away. And, only then, you noticed the faint light illuminating your room. You turned your tired body to your side, holding your breath at the sight before you.

There he was. Laying beside you and wearing a tight black shirt, with the yellow light beside his head revealing his fine lines, Dennis quietly read a thick book with a frown adorning his features. His retangular glasses contrasted with his severe look and made him look cute in your eyes, like an angry baby with a pout. He breathed deeply, absorbed into the words he was reading and flipped a page, the mere movement making you sigh in contemplation.

That’s when he noticed you. Dennis placed his finger on the page he stopped his reading before closing the book, loking at you right after. His light blue eyes were intense and you felt the blood rising to your face as you endured it. He shifted uncomfortably at his position, probably not enjoying being watched by you in the middle of the night.

“Are you okay?”

You nodded at his question and bit your lower lip to hide a smile. It was actually quite embarrassing that you got this excited from just having his eyes on you.

Dennis looked back at his book and was about to open it when he stopped again. “Did I wake you up?” He quietly asked, not looking at you directly.

“No, I just woke up thirsty.” You saw relief calming his eternal frown.

Dennis went back to his reading with a low “okay” and you watched as he clenched his jaw. It was already past midnight and he couldn’t sleep. And you knew the reason.

Many unpleasant memories kept him awake at night, his OCD acting up whenever he saw something out of place. He wouldn’t talk about it, not wanting to bother you, but you already knew enough: Kevin’s abusive mother and his want to protect him.

Your heart ached whenever you saw Dennis like that, so stressed he couldn’t even rest. The other personalities were more optimistic about life but not him. He had a mission: to guide and protect the others, even though he wasn’t really sure how he was supposed to do it.

A soft yawn could be heard from your part and you moved towards him. Passing one arm around his middle, you rested your face against his strong chest and breathed into his scent. He smelled of soap and cologne, a mix to which you grew addicted.

You heard his heartbeats increasing and his muscles tensing up at your sudden closeness, and prayed it wouldn’t be too much. Dennis wasn’t the kind of person who showed lots of affection. Of course, he hugged and kissed you just like any other boyfriend would, but he almost never took the initiative to touch you in bed. Even if it was just for cuddling, he always waited for you to ask.

But he didn’t push you away. Dennis cleared his throat and readjusted his position underneath you, his heartbeats slowing down a little. He flipped another page and you felt his left arm falling to your side, his hand lightly rubbing your waist. Your own heart felt like bursting out of your chest as his thumb drew circles on the fabric under your left breast.

You closed your eyes and enjoyed the quiet moment. You loved how you felt safe on his arms, how his presence always calmed you down. Long, lovely minutes passed as you two laid like that and sleep finally got back to you. You had to let go of him before you started drooling over his shirt, it makes him go crazy.

With a long yawn, you looked up at your boyfriend. He had the same focused expression as before, but this time his eyes looked tired and you could see he was fighting his sleep. A gentle smile appeared over your lips as rested your chin on his chest.

“Dennis?” The word danced on your tongue and caught his attention immediately.

The man looked at you with curious eyes, his hand laying still just above your bum in a intimate way. Maybe you were too sleepy, distracted by the beautiful blue orbes looking deep inside your soul. Maybe it was the feeling of his gentle, attentive touch on you as he gave you his full attention.

But the next thing you heard was you own voice saying — in the softest tone you could ever make — the three words “I love you”.

Dennis arm froze still and his eyes widened a little, his mouth opening slightly. “Wha-What?”

It took everything you had not to facepalm yourself. God, you were so stupid. You just said you love him for the first time and at the worst possible time. You should apologize and go back to sleep already.

But his eyes were still on you.

“I love you, Dennis.” You bit your lower lip and mentally cursed yourself for repeating the words. Why couldn’t you just shut up?

But you were so intrigued by his reactions. Dennis was taken back by your sudden confession, opening and closing his mouth several times as he tried to speak. When nothing came out, he averted his eyes from you, quickly adjusting his glasses on the top of his nose.

You felt butterflies in your belly as you sat beside him, placing one hand on his chest to catch his attention. For a moment, when his gaze fell upon you again, you felt like you couldn’t breath. Were those tears in his eyes?

“I love being by your side, Dennis.” His heart beated loudly under your palm. “I love the way you care and protect not only me, but all the other personalities too.”

You felt his trembling hand slowly going on top of yours as he listened carefully to each word you were saying. You licked your lips before continuing.

“I know you sometimes care too much about dirty and is really harsh about it...” You chuckled lightly. “But I don’t blame you. You’re fighting your OCD everyday, little by little, and I love you for that.”

You raised your hand to his cheek and he closed his eyes at your touch, leaning against your palm with a deep sigh. A tear fell from between his eyelids and your thumb brushed it away in an instant.

“(Y/N)...” He whispered weakly.

“I want you to believe me when I say you’re good.” He looks back at you with red eyes. “You’re the best man I’ve ever met and I don’t care about what others will say. I love my boyfriend. I love you, Dennis.”

You felt your cheeks burning and sweat forming on your palms. It was so embarrassing saying all of this, opening your heart to him like never before. But it was so, so relieving as well.

Dennis looked down at your connected hands. His whole body was trembling and he avoided eye contact, tears trailing down his cheeks. “I... (Y/N), I...” he stuttered as he searched for words.

“It’s okay, Dennis.” You placed a finger on his lips and gave him a small smile. You ignored the pain in your heart as you formed the next words. “You don’t have to say anything, I just wanted you to know. That’s all.”

The man nodded quietly and you felt like you were about to cry. It was really hard not hearing a “I love you too” from your own boyfriend, and you didn’t notice you wanted it until now. But you couldn’t just ask him to do it, all you could do was wait for the day he’d be able to say it himself. It was sad and you wished it wasn’t so difficult for neither of you, but it just was.

And that’s okay.

You lowered your head so he couldn’t see the tears in your eyes as you swiped them away. When you looked back at him, he had already placed his book and glasses on the nightstand. He rubbed a trembling hand over his shaved head nervously and sighed deeply. His light blue eyes avoiding yours as he tried to look at you.

“Can we... C-Can we go to sleep now?” You never heard his voice this soft.

You managed to smile at the question and looked at the clock on his nightstand. It was 00:56 am. It was time.

You laid down next to him one more time and he turned off his light. The darkness engulfed you two and you felt anxious. Your back was facing Dennis, since you were too embarrassed to look at him after all you said. You were scared of your own words, scared of never hearing them from his mouth. Well, that’s just part of it, right? 

Your heart jumped as you felt one strong arm embracing your waist. Dennis’s warm body slowly approached yours from behind as his fingers caressed your belly. You closed your eyes at the feeling, enjoy his rare bravery moment.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N)...” He whispers against the back of your neck. “I love you too.”

Maybe it was just your tired muscles screaming for sleep, but you felt your whole body melting at the words. A shiver ran down your spine as he buried his face in the crook of your neck, placing soft kisses on the skin.

“No one... ever told me that. I think I panicked a little.” He paused for a moment and you felt his wet cheek against your neck. “But I really, really love you.”

You couldn’t suppress the joyful giggle that escaped your lips. You turned around to face him and, despite all the darkness around you two, you could distinguish his unique silhouette. You could feel his intense stare on you and suddenly your body felt hot.

It was the first time he ever heard someone confessing their love for him. It was the first time he tgenuinely felt loved. You assumed it was also the first time he said those three words too, and you were so happy to hear them.

Your hands cupped his face in a gentle, protective way and you felt his cheeks curving as he gave you a small smile. You pulled him in for a kiss you had been longing for; a passionate, loving one that took your breath away. His hands gripping your waist and bringing you even closer to him.

He pulled away to catch his breath and his forehead touched yours in a sweet gesture.

“Can you say it again?” You can only smile at innocent his request, your heart feeling content.

“I love you, Dennis.”

[ariana-maryse]

Kevin W Crumb HCs Cont.

Part 1

(For anon)

“When do you think you’ll be back?” type. He doesn’t like being away from you, but won’t try to keep you from the things you want or need to do. So he’d like a heads up on how long you’ll be gone when you leave.

Prone to waxing poetic about you at times.

He can be forgetful, but he’ll keep notes of anything he can. Which would mean you’d find a piece of paper that has your favorite dessert written on it.

Low key touch starved. He won’t ask you for affection, but he’ll definitely sit closer to you or rest his head against you often once he’s comfortable with it.

He’d occasionally get anxious in public and would appreciate if you’d take the lead when the two of you are out. Especially if there’s a lot of noise or a larger than normal crowd.

If you didn’t live together, Kevin would just sort of show up at your house if he’s feeling overwhelmed about something or misses you a lot. 

[ridemedaddyjames]

Split - Part IV

Split - Part III

Pairing: Kevin Wendell Crumb x reader

Warnings: angst, cursing, stockholm syndrome

Words: 2,100

“You mean you don’t wanna leave?” Hedwig questioned, completely befuddled by your response, his attention span dwindling again. “Okay, I’ll show you my room,” he shrugged, taking your hand in his as he led you through the complicated maze. When you finally found his room, it seemed to be a well organized mess. Of course, you could never find anything in here, but he had no trouble at all.

“Hedwig, this is your room!?” You exclaimed, smiling widely at how much it truly represented his mind and personality. With everything strewn about, it made it difficult to maneuver through the mess, but he managed to get to the CD player and turn up the music.

“Do you like it? Miss Patricia gets kinda angry when it’s a mess, and Dennis refuses to come in.” Hedwig said, wondering how you’d feel about all of it.

“I think it’s amazing, it really represents you,” and, just like that, you couldn’t stop yourself from grinning like a child. Hedwig always had that affect on you, to make you happy no matter what the situation may be.

“Wanna dance to some Kanye West?” He asked, grabbing you and showing you how to move as he twisted his body into different directions. You tried to mimic him, turning yourself in the same way, but, instead of dancing, you’d just ended up tripping on a pile of toys and clothes.

Hedwig laughed, bending over to help you up. Being the deviant you are, though, you decided to pull him down with you instead. He landed on the pile of clothes, rolling with laughter. “You’re the bestest friend ever,” he said, finally catching his breath as the two of you got up.

“Well, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you,” you reminded him as you wrapped your arms around him, comfortingly. He held you close, and you could feel him playing with your hair as you giggled.

“Okay, we gotta get back before Mr. Dennis comes, or he’ll be really mad that I let you out. Etcetera,” Hedwig nodded, walking with you back to the room where you were supposed to be being held.

The two of you exchanged one last hug before he disappeared, leaving you alone with your thoughts once again. This time you imagined what it may be like to have kids. Patricia would be the aunt that would spoil them rotten. Hedwig would look at it as having a new friend and twenty-four hour playmate. Dennis would probably see it as a nuisance, and would ask that you keep it contained, and Kevin...Kevin would be the happiest he’s ever been. He would want to prove that he could do it; raise a child without all the problems he had to face growing up. That in itself seemed reason enough to do it, but it was all a fantasy made up in your head, and you realized that when Dennis opened your door and let himself inside.

“I brought you something,” Dennis fidgeted, awkwardly, as he did his best to hide whatever it was behind his back. “Close your eyes, and put out your hands.”

If he’d have said those words to Marcia or Claire they would be screaming with fear, but you could hardly contain the excitement that was coursing through your veins. When you opened your eyes, you found a book resting in your palms. ‘Frankenstein’ you read, feeling an immediate attachment to him as a person with this inanimate object. You ran your fingers over the cover. The pages looked as if it had been read a thousand times, but the binding was so perfect that it seemed to be brand new. This represented how well put together he seemed on the outside, and the story behind those walls; his beautiful disguise. Your eyes lit up at the gesture, your heart racing in your chest.

“I thought you might like something to pass the time. It’s - um - it’s my favorite. You don’t have to read it if you don’t want to, though.” Dennis stated, his Boston accent thicker than usual in part to his nervousness. Tears swelled in your eyes, but you did your best to blink them away, still so awestruck that he had given you something that meant so much to him.

He was being so gentle, and, without even thinking, you leapt from your spot on the small cot to throw your arms around his neck. His hands rested against your waist, taking in the smell of your hair. Dennis was falling for you, and it absolutely terrified him, but you were just as broken as he was, and he couldn’t help but find some sort of comfort in knowing that.

“Dennis, will you dance with me?” You whispered in his ear, feeling his muscles tense at the feeling of your breath on his skin. It had been a weakness of his, and you’d known it from the start. That day he brought you here, asking Marcia to dance with him, you still burned with jealousy that it hadn’t been you in his arms. At first he was hesitant, his fingers landing stiffly against your sides, and you prayed to no one in particular that he would loosen up.

Finally, he moved with you, slowly at first, before the steps had taken on a life of their own. The two of you seeming to follow the same nonexistent rhythm as you danced to nothing at all. By the time you’d finished, you were entirely out of breath, arms around his neck, beaming widely up at him as you felt his chest against yours. You hadn’t realized how close the two of you had been, or how natural it all seemed.

Your insides fluttered, dying to say what was on your mind, but there weren’t enough words to speak how this man made you feel. Which is why you broke the nonexistent barrier, and, without warning, leaned up on your tiptoes to press your lips to his.

Dennis stood there, awkwardly, letting it happen, eyes wide in horror before slowly easing into it. You felt his hand slowly move up your back before holding you closer to him. His other placed, softly, against your cheek. Your eyes fell shut, enjoying every second. Your gut told you that this was wrong, but Gods how it felt so right. This was absolute bliss. This was love.

Suddenly, Dennis pulled away, taking a step back as he put his hands on his hips and stared at the ground. He was thinking, and you wanted to know what went on inside that beautiful mind, until he said something that cut you to your core.

“We can’t,” he realized, breaking the silence. “I shouldn’t have done this, it was a mistake. I can’t get close to you, it’ll only make things harder than they have to be.” He seemed to say it more to himself than to you. Finally, Dennis reached for the door to slam it shut, but you stopped him, taking hold of his thick, bulging, arm, and pressing yourself against him once again.

“Please, please, don’t go. I just,” you stopped, trying to find the words. “I dont want to be alone.”

The hurt in your eyes made him hesitate, and it was that split second of worry that told you he really did care. Before you could stop him, he’d rushed out of the room, leaving you in silence.

Feeling defeated, lost, and alone, you through yourself down on the cot before breaking down in tears. To your surprise, and after what felt like an eternity of sobbing, a soft voice came from the other side of the room. “Y/N, why you cryin?” Hedwig muttered, coming to sit beside you on the tiny bed. You had pulled your legs up to your chest, and, although you hesitated at first, you couldn’t stop yourself from falling into his arms. Hedwig didn’t know how to react, his body going limp compared to the stiffness of Dennis. You rested your head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Ultimately, he opted for the safe route as he ran his fingers through your hair, soothingly.

“Is this because of Mr. Dennis? Was he mean to you?” Hedwig finally asked, mustering up the courage to talk to you. “If it is, I told him we’re dating, and that he doesn’t have a chance.”

“Hedwig, I need to tell you something,” you muttered, feeling your heart break once again.

“Wait, wait! Do you like Mr. Dennis?!” Hedwig gasped, unable to comprehend what was happening as he pushed you off of him. “But - but I thought you were my girlfriend?!” He stammered, looking at you like a lost puppy.

“You’re my friend, and I care about you in a different way than I care about him.” You confessed, trying your best to clear up this whole entire situation. “I love you both, just in different ways,” saying it out loud meant finally coming to terms with it, and it only made it hurt worse. Maybe you’d been wrong; maybe Dennis didn’t care about you at all.

“He didn’t pick you! He wanted them. The other girls! You’re mine!” He shouted, bringing you back to reality as your breath caught in your throat. This nine year old had found a way to pour salt in an open wound, and you could feel it eating at you from the inside out.

A heart wrenching sob pulled from your throat, echoing off the walls as you tried to stop yourself from falling apart in front of him. Fuck this, fuck all of it. What made Claire and Marcia so perfect?

Hedwig sat there, fearing what you might do next as the truth soared through your veins like a venomous drug. Your eyes were bloodshot, your throat burned, and you felt like you could never shed another tear, but they still came. “Y/N...do you want me to talk to him? I mean, he doesn’t really listen to me, but I can if you want me to,” Hedwig offered, seeing how hard this was for you. As much as he wanted you for himself, he couldn’t help that he also wanted to make you happy.

“You would do that for me?” You whimpered, wiping the tears from your eyes. There wasn’t a doubt in your mind that you didn’t deserve Hedwig as a friend, he was too kind hearted.

“Of course I would, but, I don’t know what you see in him, I think he’s creepy,” Hedwig shivered, making a disgusted face. It was enough to make you smile, leaning in for a quick hug before he took off.

Part of you hated yourself for what you were about to do, but the other half convinced you that it was okay. So, instead of shredding the book that Dennis had given you, you’d decided to read it instead. With every turn of a page you found yourself falling more in love with him as a person, and understanding why this book mattered to him so much. As your eyes grew heavy, you pulled the book against your chest, cradling it in your arms; which is exactly how you’d fallen asleep.

When you woke up, Dennis was standing over you, arms crossed, breathing heavily. It seemed as if he were contemplating how to go about this whole ordeal. Looking up at him, you were sure your eyes were bloodshot, and you realized your appearance must have been questionable.

“Speak,” he finally ordered, making you jump at how dark his voice was. This was a side of him that you’d rarely seen, and it was starting to make you nervous. It should’ve absolutely terrified you, made you cower beneath him. No, this voice did something entirely opposite. It awoke something in you that you’d never felt before; a burning hunger in your gut that was completely alien to you. You needed him like a moth needed a flame, and like an addict needed a drug. He was your drug. Dennis never made it feel like love, though. No, this was cat and mouse to him. Just another game, and, with your head in the clouds, you couldn’t help but let your mouth flow freely with how you’d been feeling from the moment you were brought here.

“I think I love you,” you muttered, giving it everything you had as you threw all caution to the wind. This was your chance to get exactly what you wanted, pain, and lies, and chaos combined. If he didn’t kill you, the adrenaline of your love for him would.