#remember when i ordered a bunch of perfume samples

[1roentgen]

.

[dpjustified]

Bingo #7

(disclaimer: fanfic not headcanon) 

(#7 Themes: Ghost Nip, Someone dies, Ghost King, and Fully Dead AU with twist [Vlad instead and fully ghost not fully dead. Don’t you know that ghosts are other dimensional creatures]? )

“Yes!” Jazz cheered. She had finally defeated a ghost by herself. Well, just with her parent’s weapons, but even they fought as a team. Today she took down Kitty, who was busy stealing makeup from the store, as well as breaking perfume bottles. Once she captured her with the Jack-o-rang, she looked closer.

Kitty...didn’t look well. Her eyes were sunken, her hair didn’t look like it had been groomed in months, and her makeup looked like it had been put on like a five year old. Not to mention all the scratches on her arms and legs....

“Let me get my stash,” Kitty growled, fighting her restrains. She started foaming at the mouth.

Jazz took out a notebook. “This is clearly a case of drug addiction. I have to study further.”

She sucked Kitty up into the Thermos to bring her back to the lab. After releasing her, Kitty kept asking for some sort of stash, so Jazz untied her hands. She then desperately reached for her purse and pulled out what looked like glowing grass. She stuffed a bunch up her nose and heaved heavily, before rolling on the floor.

Jazz grabbed a sample while Kitty’s mind was in who knows what land and stuck it into her pocket.

“Jazz? You home yet?” Her little brother called from upstairs.

She went up and opened the door.

He and Tucker were working on homework, from the looks of it.

“Hi Jazz,” Tucker explained. “We can’t figure out this one math problem for trig. These triangle formulas are really throwing us for a loop. Think you can help us?”

“Think?” She tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “Sure I can help, as long as I’m not doing the problem for you like last time.”

Danny dropped his pencil and stared at her, with drool coming down from his mouth. “Danny, are you asleep already?” Jazz chided, but Danny approached and sniffed around her.

“What...is that smell?” He asked, then started feeling her pockets. “I can’t even think straight.”

After thinking for a moment, she pulled out the grass. “This?”

Danny leapt for it, but Jazz pulled out the Thermos and sucked the grass inside. “Just great. Whatever it is, it affects halfas too. Are you sane now?”

“I...” He looked confused. “I just blanked out there. I’m not sure what happened.”

“Don’t worry, your big sis has it covered! Sorry to sound like our parents but...you need to come to the lab.”

Danny and Tucker followed her, and she showed them Kitty, who was currently passed out in the corner. She looked dead.

“If you don’t want to be like her Danny, we’re going to attempt to make this grass have a connection with something you really, really hate.”

“Like homework?” Tucker suggested.

“Like Brussels sprouts.”

“Eww,” Danny said, sticking out his tongue in disgust.

“And meanwhile, Tucker, I need your help to study this ghost and this grass’s drug-like effects. Maybe we can wean her off?”

Tucker wiggled his glasses. “I’ve got an A in Chemistry, so I think I’m ready to be a scientist.”

Danny cringed. As a big sister, she needed to help him with his grades. At least that would help him focus more on saving people.

...

It took a few weeks, and various combinations of baking the grass together with things Danny hated for him to stop losing his mind every time it was around. Of course, she and Tucker had to collect the stuff - the location coming from Kitty - in order to have enough for the study.

After doing combined research with Sam’s help, Jazz found that methodone, the same medicine used for opioid addicts, could be applied to this after exposure to ectoplasm.

With Kitty, they decreased her dose gradually and replaced the grass with the harmless lemongrass before her cravings decreased enough for her to resist normally.

It was time for the survey.

“So,” Jazz said to Kitty. “How did you become addicted to this...ghost nip, shall we say?” Kitty chewed on a strand of lemongrass in thought. “Johnny gave it to me. Spectra diagnosed him for his anxiety, and I’ve been having trouble sleeping, so he told me to try it. It made me feel good, even just having it by my bed at night.”

“I can’t get over the fact that ghosts sleep,” Tucker said.

Kitty continued. “But after that, I really couldn’t control the dose anymore. When I have too much, I really lose my mind. I don’t even remember what I did before I ended up here. And Johnny...I haven’t seen him in weeks.”

The group looked at each other.

Jazz nodded. “It’s time for us to help you.”

They ventured into the Ghost Zone with the Specter Speeder. It was tragic how widespread the addiction was. Shady ghosts were hawking the stuff, and countless ghosts were just floating aimlessly. A new ghost lair had popped up just to bury dead ghosts.

Dead ghosts, now that was a strange topic.

She wrote it down to research later. For now, they were on a medical mission. Danny and Kitty split up with them to recruit Walker, who was apparently struggling to get a handle on the drug trade, while Jazz and Tucker delivered medicine and trained other ghosts on medical care. They ran into Technus, who quickly developed a machine to mass manufacture the medicine.

It was time to rendezvous with Danny.

...

She wasn’t surprised that Spectra was behind the whole thing. Walker and Danny had teamed up to beat her up, and she was currently in a jail cell in the ghost’s infamous prison.

Jazz sat down with a notebook.

“Ah, I bet you want to know my motivations,” Spectra said with a smile.

“Prison suits you,” Jazz replied. Apparently Spectra’s fellow prisoners were letting her know what they thought of her. A number of her teeth were missing, and she had a bald spot.

“Simple. With misery creates power. I was top dog here, top dog. Before you and the stupid ghost boy ruined my plans, again.”

“Why did you make your own kind your enemy? You usually just pick on humans.” If she had caused an epidemic in the human world, it would have been truly disastrous.

“I happened to come across it after following that vampire ghost. He’s one of us, but he’s not. He doesn’t live here in the Ghost Zone. I know the psychology of addiction. It almost had me myself, but I am stronger than that. Not everyone gave into the ghost nip, you know. And what a pity. I wonder how Danny Phantom was able to resist. His misery was always the sweetest.”

After collecting her thoughts on paper, Jazz went out and informed Tucker and Danny.

“You think Vlad’s addicted right now?” Tucker said. “I mean, he’s already nuts, but we should still help him, right?”

“Right. Let’s check it out...Kitty?”

She flew up to them with tears in her eyes. “Johnny’s dead. I...It was too late. He’s already fallen apart.”

“When ghosts die...” Jazz wanted to continue but trailed off. She wanted to satisfy her curiosity so badly.

“Yes, we turn back into ectoplasm. We were happy together. This thing tore us apart. I...I can’t live alone!”

Jazz embraced her. “You can do it. We believe in you.”

It was hard to leave her there in such an unstable condition, so they asked Ghost Writer to look after her, then sped off towards Vlad’s portal entrance.

There, she was not expecting what she saw.

Vlad Plasmius floated in front of the TV with blank eyes.

“Vlad?” Danny said, as they slowly walked in front of him. “You haven’t been popping up lately. Have you heard of that...grass stuff?”

“Oh, that.” Vlad looked down. “I ran out a long time ago. But look at me now. I don’t seem to have a human form anymore, my boy.”

“...” Jazz couldn’t say anything, and apparently neither could Danny. They decided to just sit next to him.

Tucker wordlessly left the room, then came back a few minutes later. “Nope, no body anywhere. You can’t have just died like that. Don’t give up hope.”

Vlad sighed. “I sleep, I eat, and I wake up. It’s been a week, and now...I’m relieved, actually. No more do I have to pretend to be somebody.”

Jazz got out her notebook and jotted down notes. “Don’t worry Vlad. And I’m sure Danny will help too. Whatever happened to you, we can reverse it. Together.”

Danny wordlessly put a hand on Vlad’s shoulder.

Tucker chipped in. “Hey, even I’ll help. I’m pretty good with computers.”

“Really good,” said Danny. “He might even give you some ideas, DALV Corp. CEO.”

Vlad cracked a smile.

Addictions can tear us apart, but the aftermath can still bring us together, because we can heal together.

At least, she thought so.

[zombiiesque]

A Month of Nocturne Alchemy Samples: Week One

Originally published 3/18/2019

Hey y'all. I'm going to open myself up for a little judgment here, and show you my sample box. Hah! I've got a thinner box, different than the ones I use to store my full bottles, the photo on the right is the top of it. Pretty decorated box, and I bought it years back to store my samples/decants. Well, I'm not the best at organizing it - they usually just get tossed in there, and whenever I do organize it, it never stays the way it's meant to. Ah well, I love my box. I've got a smaller box that's shaped like a little coffin, that I picked up from the Dollar Tree during Halloween one year. It holds overflow, when I have it, or the scents I'm trying to remember to work with at that moment. Unfortunately, with these little treasures, out of sight is out of mind, and also, I have a tendency to hoard stuff that I know is discontinued or won't be coming back - I'm looking at you, Plumeria Sapphire and Kiskah Kashmir. Sigh. I really should just wear them. My friend Siri says the late, wonderful, perfumer of Possets, Fabienne, told folks to wear them and enjoy, and so, I am trying to do this more. Another Tent member, Thyra, mentioned she was doing a "Mini March", using her samples and minis because they get neglected. Yes, I had been trying to do this myself for a while now, so it gave me the inspiration I needed to get started. I'm going to try to be on top of this, and post once a week my thoughts on the samples I've used. Week One, here we go!

Vanilla Pumpkin: Pumpkin Accord, Pumpkin skin, Black Fig, Nutmeg, Clove, NA Crystalline Vanilla Absolute, Bourbon Vanilla Absolute, French Vanilla, Tahitian Vanilla, Ember Vanilla, Ember Burning Woods accord. This is one of two from a Chris Raimo Kickstarter project, and my friend Ld was kind enough to send me samples of these! This is a little reminiscent of a favorite I've been hoarding. Bastet made a Crystalline Burning Jack, based off the PC Burning Jack, and gave it out with NAlloween orders a few years back. Absolutely adore that! This is a little like that, but with fig. The spice is tempered with the vanillas, and the pumpkin and fig are really good together. This feels so fall, it has me longing for cooler weather and for summer to be behind me already. The drydown is so cozy.

Incense Pumpkin: Pumpkin Accord, Pumpkin skin, Black Fig, Nutmeg, Clove, Butter accord, NA Kashmir Incense, Frankincense, Myrrh, Amber, Nag Champa Incense and Black Amber. Ooo. This is the second Chris Raimo pumpkin, and I really like this one, too. My first impression is of incense and buttery pumpkin. It doesn't end up significantly foodie, however. How do they make that work so well together? I don't have Pumpkin number 31, the OP pumpkin blend, but this makes me think of that. This is a little similar to Vanilla Pumpkin, but the incense is a little more intense, and I really like it. I've worn this a few times, and I forget what I have on, and have to huff my wrist, I find it enchanting. Not that it matters all that much to me, but this could be considered more of an evening scent than its sister. I don't mark this one as overwhelmingly nag champa, either. It's a more complex incense.

Night Thoughts: Gold Santalum, Santalum Absolute, Papyrus accord, Indian Teakwood Essence, Bay Rum, Kobalt and Crystalline with a touch of Japanese White Tangerine Skin. Okay, this is from my first year collecting NA! Some of my first decants, from Art of Love - I got this from Laura, my good friend. Miss you, lady. This one veers into masculine on me, but I think it would smell good on my fiance. Or folks who wear more obviously masculine scents well, I can't quite pull it off, but I can do unisex. I like it, I'll have to try it on him to see if it works. I amped the bay rum, and that's a great note on him - and the teak. But I honestly can't remember the last time I tried this, so I'm glad I did!

The Bower Garden: Black and Red Currant Essence, Dragon's Blood Resin, French Syrah Red Wine Accord, German Lilac, Egyptian Fig and Sandalwood Musk. This decant was actually a gift from my friend Adrienne! She loves fig as much as I do. I really enjoyed this one, I might have to hunt down a full bottle of this. The berry combined with the dragon's blood and sandalwood musk is just so me. And I always love how they do their wine notes. I feel like the lilac adds a wonderful freshness to this blend, I really like it - I love love love lilac, it's one of my favorite flowers, and I've never tried NA's lilac before - I honestly think I will have to try more, now. It's very realistic. All of the notes play beautifully together, and I'm a little swoony over this. It has a very spring feel, and the dragon's blood adds a good grounding note here, it's a tad spicy/incensey. Mmm. Total win. It might be my favorite this week.

Thoth: Nile Ozone, Papyrus, Cream of Strawberry accord, White Incense and Alexandrian Sea Salt accord. This is such a clean, bright scent. It's serene. It was a little powdery on me when I first tried it, but as you know, they change with age. This could be a staple scent for summer. Also, I find it to be very unisex, not overtly masculine nor feminine. I'd try it on Jody, but I'm not sure it's one he would go for, he usually goes for the darker stuff, but he likes these on me. I don't really notice the cream of strawberry, it's probably a supporting note. The incense is soft and not in your face, and provides a really nice balance to keep this from being too clean, if that makes sense I definitely want to upsize this. I bet it would be really awesome with a little Santalum White, too. A very beachy scent, it feels blue. This is from the PC, the Gods, Goddesses and Deity subcollection.

Pakhet Amber: Pakhet Amber is a perfume created from Amber Resin transformed over time in the Studio into a beautiful enhancing Royal Amber oil experience, Amber Resin imported from Alexandria and lit from the truest essential oil of Rare and Exotic Guiacwood and Crystal Benzoin and Crystal Frankincense. Using the base of the Amber described above the resin has been turned into a fossilized perfume resin from ancient recipes and then turned back into perfume oil diluting nothing only the use of Alchemy and inspiring this scent to be made and created for the Goddess Pakhet. Warrior, protector, and huntress. Pakhet Amber infuses rare spices of Blue Peppercorn, White Clove Bud, Virgin Nutmeg Shaving over the warmth of Ambers from Nepal and Egypt and sifted through Sapphire (Amber Musk) to create a spiced amber that changes over time on the skin. So Pakhet Amber is from the PC (Permanent Catalogue), in the Royal Amber section. This is honestly one of my favorite sections, a few years ago I did a good sized PC order with a bunch from this section. I avoided Pakhet Amber though, but someone sent me a sample, and I haven't worn it. Right out of the gate on me, this is all clove. I can wear spices on occasion, even clove - I have and love Polichenelle, also from the PC. But sometimes, I just amp the spice, and all I can smell - or anyone else for that matter - is that. Unfortunately, Pakhet Amber does just that on me. Bahhhh. I get sad when a fan favorite is something I can't do. The clove just went to powering out any of the other notes here. Skinistry is such a crazy thing! It will have to go to the gift pile, hopefully someone else will have better luck than I did with it. It sounds divine, and I really loved what I could smell in the vial. Sadface.

NA Purpose Oil: Strength: Sky Musk, Solar Amber, White Patchouli, Egyptian Dragon Blood Resin, Kobalt Vanilla Resin (Vanilla Orchid of Cairo), Bastet's Blue Incense Accord, Orange Zest and Lavender Buds. I have a full bottle of their Purpose Oil: Protection, and I just love it. It's very special. I haven't actually worn this Purpose Oil before, though. I've been meaning to test them all, so this is a good push for me to do that this month. This starts out with a dose of lavender, citrus, and amber burst. It's fresh, and the lavender feels a little herbal, and not too strong. Ooo, this is really a pretty combination. I've never smelled anything quite like this, it's appealing to me. The lavender is balancing out with the other notes as they appear, so it's still working for me. I love the musk here with the incense, it's so pretty with the lighter, brighter notes. For me, I think this is an excellent oil for Strength - it gives a breezy confidence. I like this quite a lot, I wasn't sure if it would work on me but it definitely does.

So, that wraps up this first week of samples. That was a great motivator, and I should honestly make myself wear them far more than I do, there are a lot of treasures in that box. Have a good Monday, folks!

[stuckinthekookiejar]

Not so much of a Secret

Jungkook x Reader

Genre: Fluff

Summary: You loved two things: shopping and teasing Jeon Jungkook 

Word Count: 1319

The crisp air nipped at your nose and the harsh wind blew against your figure, but his hand intertwined with yours in his pocket was enough to warm you up. It’s been quite some time since the two of you had spent quality time together, especially since he was preoccupied with his very busy lifestyle that came with being an idol. It was the last day Jungkook and the boys had free time to spend before promotions started up again, and he chose to spend it with you since he knew you two weren’t going to be able to meet up for a while. 

Of course, with you being you, you had only one thing in mind as being the perfect date: shopping. You knew Jungkook was quite the avid shopper himself, but in no way did he compare to you. Once you started on a shopping spree, there was no stopping you until all the stores had closed for the night. 

You two were walking down the street until you passed by the store you were looking for.

“Kookie,” your voice all muffled due to the thick scarf wrapped around your neck, “Wait, I wanna go here.” You stopped in your tracks before Jungkook could take any more steps. With his frame being larger than yours, you had to practically tug him back for him to stop walking. You extended your arm and pointed to the store you were wanting to go to. His eyes widened and you could see the color of red claiming his face,

“Y-you want to go...there?” 

A grin slowly grew across your face, “Why, you shy?” You could tell he was a bit embarrassed by the way he was looking at every other direction, not daring to look you in the eyes. 

“B-but I mean...you wanna go in there...with me?”

“Oh c’mon Kookie, it’s just Victoria’s Secret.” Okay, yeah you knew what their main line of products consisted of, but you weren’t going there for underwear, “Don’t get your panties in a wad, Kookie.” You tugged at his sleeve and pulled him along with you. You were sure Jin would be proud of your pun.

With a push of a button, the glass door slid open revealing the strong color scheme of rich pinks and blacks that lined the walls. Mannequins that sat atop the many tables displayed the latest lines of lingerie and the various racks were filled with pyjamas and other types of clothing. 

You wanted to tease Jungkook a bit because you knew how shy he was in public. You slowly walked through the store and approached a bin full of “underwear”. Actually, it was more like pieces of intricate lace that were sewn together and to you, it just looked like a bunch of strings put together rather than actual underwear.  

Out of the corner of your eye, you could see an employee peering over at you probably trying to check if you were in need of any help. Quickly you fished around in the box and grabbed a random piece of garment and lifted it out of the bin,

“Mm, what do you think about this Kookie?” You batted your eyes as you waved the garment around in the air.

“Yah, jagi,” Jungkook whispered to you in a hushed voice, “We’re in public. That lady is looking at us.” By now, he was as red as a tomato.

“Soooo?” You said, teasing him, “I’m just asking for your opinion.”

“Oh...uh...well that would look nice on you....I guess...” He looked down, clearly trying to avoid looking at you or at anyone else really. You couldn’t help but laugh at his shy expression. You loved to tease him. 

You tossed the jumble of strings back into the basin and you softly punch his arm, “I’m just kidding around with you Kookie. I’m not here for that.” 

His head shot upright, “Y-you’re not?” 

You were surprised because unless you were just imagining it, you could have sworn that you heard just a tinge of disappointment in his question, “I mean...” you poked at him with your elbow, “I could buy it if you’d like? Hmm?” Your eyebrows danced up and down above your eyes. 

He playfully swatted your elbow away, “Yah, just go get whatever you wanted to get so we can get out of here.” 

You gravitated towards the side of the store where you knew the thing you wanted was usually kept. The wall was lined with a bunch of shelves displaying the numerous kinds of perfumes that were sold. 

His aura seemed more relaxed at the sight of all the glamorously shaped bottles. You knew Jungkook was sensitive to scents, so whenever you got to shop with him you always brought him to a fragrance store to help pick out a new perfume. This time, however, you wanted to go to Victoria’s Secret because your friend suggested to you a particular perfume that your local fragrance shop didn’t sell.

Jungkook quickly approached the wall and started to spray each and every perfume onto those little paper slips used to sample them. You giggle at the way he was acting. You’ve never seen a guy love perfumes so much before, and you found it funny and adorable at the same time. 

Soon enough, you found the perfume you were looking for: Sexy Little Things Noir Tease Mist. You grabbed the bottle, sprayed a bit on a slip of sample paper and handed it to Jungkook after smelling it yourself, “What do you think about this, Kookie?”

He brought the paper to his nose and took a strong whiff of it. His eyes lit up and sparkled as if he had some sort of groundbreaking epiphany, “Wah, jagi. This...this is amazing! Let’s buy this one.” His bunny smile surfaced and he was acting like a little happy puppy wagging his tail. You guessed that this was one hell of a good perfume. 

He took the liberty of taking a box off the shelf to purchase, but when you noticed he grabbed two, you questioned why, “Why did you get two of them, Kookie? I only need one.” 

“Uh...well...uh...you never know when you might run out!” His response was hurried and his tone was quite suspicious, but you accepted his answer anyways. 

It was a few weeks later and now you were actually running out of the mist. You’ve grown to really like it and it did get Jungkook’s seal of approval. You opened the drawer in your vanity where you usually kept spare perfumes, but you couldn’t find that second box anywhere. You could have sworn you put it there. 

Eventually, you gave up and resorted to just order some more online since you were too lazy to go out. You were browsing through Twitter earlier so, when you unlocked your phone the app was still open. Just as you were going to press the home button, you notice a particular tweet in your timeline. It contained a photo of Jungkook holding a familiar bottle in his hand. So that’s where it went. 

You text him, “Do you know where my spare bottle of perfume went? The one you bought me a few weeks ago?”

Within seconds your phone buzzes, “Idk where you put your perfumes, jagi.”

“You sure?” You sent your response along with a screenshot of the tweet. Oh how much you loved to tease him, “If you wanted it, you could’ve just told me instead of stealing mine, Kookie.”

“I didn’t steal it! I bought it remember? And I sorta wanted to keep the fact that I use it as a secret. lol”

“I guess it isn’t much of a secret anymore...or should I say...”

“Jagi, don’t...”

“...a ‘Victoria’s’ Secret!!! LOL” You could imagine him sighing deeply at your attempt at making a funny joke.

“And I thought Jin hyung was the only one with horrible puns.”

Gif not mine, credits to owner

[1989dreamer]

Chapter 4 of Looking for a Place to Call Home

Please note: I am not a medical professional. I do basic research. If I got something wrong, don't hesitate to let me know. Thanks!

                                                                                                                        ~ * ~

Derek wakes up when Stiles sets the cage on the kitchen floor before he goes back to get the supplies he bought at the pet store. As soon as Derek sees the bags of dog food, his stomach flips. On the one hand, what the vet gave him earlier was not enough and he’s hungry again. But on the other hand she used to feed him dog food when he’d been particularly misbehaving. He doesn’t think he’s done anything to piss off Stiles, but maybe not letting the deputy take pictures of him was a worthy offense of having to eat kibble.

Derek whines in discomfort, and suddenly Stiles stoops down next to him.

“I know, buddy,” he says, “but I can’t feed you on orders of the vet. I can ask him if you can have any water. I think you can but I forgot to ask. I’m sorry about that.”

Derek shrugs as best he can despite being in the shape of a wolf. Going without water is nothing new to him, and Stiles truly seems apologetic about forgetting to ask Scott before leaving the vet clinic.

He whines again, nosing at the door of the cage. He wants out, wants to follow Stiles around and explore the house. He doesn’t want to be stuck in this prison all night.

“No,” Stiles says, like that’s the end of it. He moves away, phone to his ear as he calls Scott. While he is preoccupied, Derek practices shifting back to human.

The cage is too small for him to shift fully, and it takes more energy than he has but he finds that if he concentrates hard enough he is able to maintain a human hand instead of a wolf paw. He lets it melt back to wolf and licks it.

Stiles taps the top of the cage, and Derek shoots him an unimpressed glare despite being startled. He should have heard him even with his dulled hearing.

“You can have water as long as I remember to take it away before your surgery at 10:00 tomorrow morning. Scott said you can be out of the carrier too as long as there’s nothing for you to eat. I’m thinking the bathroom would be a good place for you.”

He lugs the cage down a short hallway past a garish red couch and two closed doors before he backs into the bathroom. The first thing Derek sees is the toilet, and he stares at it, wrinkling his nose. The lid is down and it’s covered by a cushion that matches the same hideous red of the couch.

Derek whimpers to remind Stiles that he’s still in the cage. Stiles, of course, doesn’t understand him, and he moves away when his phone starts ringing.

“Stilinski.”

Derek can’t hear the person on the other side, but from Stiles’ clipped responses and the brisk way he said his name, it’s his workplace.

“Yeah, I can come in.” The look he gives Derek is sad. “No. I’m not doing anything too important. All right. I’ll be there in fifteen. Bye.”

Stiles shoves his phone in his pocket and kneels next to the cage. “So, buddy,” he says. “I’ve gotta go fill out some paperwork. Will you be okay by yourself?”

Derek huffs, nuzzling at the hand that Stiles sticks through the wire door.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Stiles opens the cage and Derek bounds out. He starts sniffing everything, starting with the toilet and Stiles’ hamper of dirty clothes. Stiles watches him amused.

“Okay, buddy, I have to go now. I’ll try to be home soon.” Stiles pats Derek’s head and leave the bathroom. He closes and locks the door behind him.

It would make Derek worry, but the door can only lock from the inside so he isn’t locked in, the world is locked out.

He waits until he hears Stiles’ vehicle pull away before he concentrates on shifting back to being fully human.

It’s a painful process that takes longer than Derek can afford, but when he’s done, he can stand up on his shaky legs. The food the vet gave him must be providing the energy he’s using now. With his even-shakier hands, Derek is able to pry up the lid to the toilet so that he can aim a stream into the bowl.

It doesn’t occur to him until he’s flushed and washed his hands that he should have pissed in a corner. Oh well. He’ll be here all night. He can do it later.

For now though, he wants to explore Stiles’ house. The door is easily unlocked and then he wanders from room to room, looking at the trinkets and artifacts of Stiles’ life.

In the room closest to the bathroom, Derek finds stacks of boxes that smell faintly of a woman’s perfume. Honestly, it feels like an un-set up shrine, and the dead-feel of it makes Derek’s skin crawl.

The next room is Stiles’ bedroom, and Derek spends some time tolling across the unmade bed, smelling Stiles’ strong, spicy scent. As humans go, it’s appealing. Derek wishes Stiles would let him sleep in here with him instead of in the bathroom.

Odds are good that he’ll have the dog bed in there with him.

First chance he gets, Derek is going to sleep on the couch—in wolf form or human.

By the time he recalls that Stiles will be home at some point this night, Derek has explored the whole house, returning to and relocking himself in the bathroom.

He would have eaten during his excursion since he’s still starving, but even an unobservant human would notice if his meager stash of microwavable Hot Pockets suddenly depleted. Especially if that human lives alone.

Instead, Derek decides to satiate his hunger with cold water.

The sink is a little tricky since neither handle is labeled and one sticks until he can exert a bit more strength than an average almost-sixteen year old would have. Eventually, though, he figures out which is the cold tap and drinks until his stomach distends from it and hurts a little bit. He can feel his intestines starting to cramp.

Maybe a hot bath would help?

It’s been almost a year since his last shower. No wonder Stiles wanted to give him a bath earlier.

Derek digs through the different bottles of soap lined up neatly on the edge of the tub. Nothing smells good enough to use, not even the mostly empty bottle of Irish Spring that Stiles obviously uses regularly.

Another cramp hits and he doubles over clutching at his roiling stomach. He imagines that deep in his bowels he can feel the worms Scott said he had bunching together and wriggling around. It hurts enough to rip a whimper from him.

Derek curls as tightly as he can, knees up to his chest, arms wrapped around his stomach. He lies on his side on the floor, crying in pain as a large mass travels through his bowels and splatters against the tiles when he can’t hold it in.

In the middle of another contraction, the bathroom door smashes open and Stiles, service weapon in hand, stares down at Derek’s naked, heaving body in horror.

“Who are you?” Stiles demands, anger and fear roughening his tone.

Derek doesn’t respond. To do so is not an option.

The last time he told someone his name, she abducted him and stole him away to the other side of the country.

Instead, stupidly, Derek begins shifting, hands turning to paws, nose lengthening into a muzzle. Fur sprouts over his body and his bones crack as they break apart and reform into something else. And through it all, his gut clenches and more mess spills out of him.

In the midst of the pain of the shift and the pain from the worms his body is expelling, Derek fails to notice Stiles lifting another weapon from his belt, aiming it at him, and pulling the trigger.

Fire burns against Derek’s skin, and he screams, completely human again. He sobs at the growing pain, tracking it to a trio of barbs stuck in his skin.

Electricity—taser—she’s back! She found him!

Derek curls tighter, crying harder from the pain and fear.

“Hey, hey,” Stiles says, soothingly, his hand coming to rest on Derek’s shoulder. At least he’s stopped the flow of electricity—even if Derek can still feel it twitching in his muscles. He’s still in pain, still cramping and shitting, but at least Stiles isn’t adding to his hurt anymore. “That’s it. Good boy.” A tiny pinprick registers, and Derek turns his head to see Stiles tossing away a used syringe.

Derek’s head swims, a heavy sensation pressing against his eyes, forcing his head back down.

He’s too disconnected, though, to be angry at Stiles’ second betrayal, but he vows to hate the man with his whole being when he’s himself again…if he survives this.

Whatever was in the syringe is making his whole body stiff and weighted down but it also makes his mind soar high, and Derek passes out between one breath and the next.

                                                                                                                        ~ * ~

Stiles isn’t sure what to think. One minute he’s heading into his bathroom to check on Miguel because he can hear him whimpering in pain and the next he’s come face to face with a stranger who begins changing into another creature right before his eyes.

He paces, hands in his hair. Where is Miguel? And why did the boy, a teenager with overgrown hair and frail frame, look like he was turning into a wolf—a black wolf?

Using the toe of his boot, Stiles turns the boy onto his side. The stench of diarrhea makes Stiles grimace. It’s watery and icky and moving.

Wait, what?

Stiles leans closer, holding his breath. The crap smeared all over the boy’s lower half and the floor beneath him is definitely wriggling. Or rather, the worms in the crap are wriggling.

Stiles backs away, thinking.

“Miguel?” he whispers out loud. Predictably, the boy doesn’t respond. It fits, though, Stiles knows. The boy is in the bathroom where Stiles left Miguel. Miguel isn’t here anymore and instead the boy is.

Scott was right though, the wolf had worms. He’ll want a sample. Stiles makes a face but goes to grab one of the canning jars his dad gifted him a few Christmases back when Stiles went through a phase of preserving or pickling everything he could.

Using a disposable spoon, and double-gloved with latex-free single-use gloves, Stiles scoops some of the fecal matter into the jar, making sure to catch a few dozen worms for good measure.

Then, he bags the jar, with the lid sealed with clear packing tape, into a dozen or so t-shirt bags.

Scott will be so pleased to have this sample, Stiles thinks.

Through it all, the boy—Miguel really—still sleeps on. Stiles thinks it’s more from exhaustion than from the ketamine he injected the boy with.

No, ketamine isn’t standard issue (in fact, without Stiles’ prescription, it’s not legal at all), but after the number one incident on his list of weird things, Stiles has taken to carrying a tiny amount for emergencies.

Stiles really should call someone about the boy. His first instinct is to call his dad, after all, John was the sheriff for nearly fifteen years before he lost the last election to Michael Lahey, Isaac’s father. But, what would his dad know about shape-shifters, specifically lycanthropes?

Then, Stiles thinks of Animal Control. And immediately discards that thought because Miguel is still human. Boyd and Lahey might report him for ‘playing a prank.’

That just leaves Scott. Scott who just treated Miguel. Scott who closes his place of business in like fifteen minutes.

Stiles fumbles his phone from his pocket, dialing the number for the clinic quickly.

“Beacon Hills Vet Clinic,” Scott answers. Stiles sends a silent thank you skyward.

“Scot, Scotty. I know you’re closing  but I have an emergency with Miguel. He took a shit and all these little worms—each one barely bigger than a fingernail clipping—came out of him. I’m freaking out here, man.”

“Did he eat anything after what I fed him?”

Stiles hasn’t had a chance to check that, but he doesn’t think so. He would have smelled anything Miguel nuked to eat unless he ate it frozen. The teeth, he recalls, would most likely make that not an issue. “No,” Stiles decides. Miguel probably would have thrown up too instead of just defecating all over the place.

“Are the worms moving?”

Stiles looks down at the mess that he still needs to clean up. “Yep,” he says. “They are definitely moving.”

“Okay. Was the…shit solid or—?”

“Liquid. Diarrhea, actually.”

“Okay, well, that’s a normal reaction to the medication I gave him. But if you’re still unsure, go ahead and bring him in. I’ll be here.”

“Thanks, Scott, you’re a lifesaver.”

“Sure whatever. You say that now,” Scott jokes. “Just wait until I can’t do anything for Miguel because he just needs to wait it out.”

“You say that now,” Stiles parrots back. “Look, I’m going to clean him up a little, get him in the carrier, and head your way. It might take me half an hour.” Scott doesn’t answer, so Stiles hangs up.

Miguel stirs when Stiles moves closer to get a better look at him. Panicking, Stiles grabs his stun gun and shocks the boy again until he slumps back down, unconscious.

Stiles feels a lot guilty when he realizes Miguel can’t be more than fourteen or fifteen. Albeit a fourteen or fifteen year old who can shape-shift into a wolf.

Stiles sighs and tugs on his hair again. Then, he rubs his face and mutters, “Aw crap, kid.”

                                                                                                                        ~ * ~

MP, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14