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aller-geez · 5 months ago

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Blood Isn’t Always Thicker

written & illustrated by: allergeez 🖤

Hello yes this is my first Svelex fic, so hopefully I wrote them to @thekinkyleopard ‘s vision! A little bit over 8k words, lore heavy allergy snz Sven. Just a warning, there’s no snz until around 3K words, but I swear he makes up for it! Strong Language, snz obviously, allergies, family drama, etc.

Sven's gentle, purr-like laughter rumbled through the spare bedroom, the walls now adorned with posters of his favorite games and technology. The badger and himself had spent countless hours renovating the room, transforming it into a cozy "game room" where the Cheshire could stream to his heart's content.

“Alright guys, it is getting late here… I think I’m gonna end this stream for tonight and go bother Elex to go pick up some Taco Truck.. I’m starving!” The cat laughed again, a warm, charismatic sound that was accompanied by a slightly toothy grin as he placed the PlayStation controller onto the desk sitting in front of him, which was lit up with bright orange LED lights underneath it.

The choir of friendly insults that were thrown in the cats direction from others in the stream made him grin even wider, a wholehearted laugh rumbling from his lips.

“Hey! Shut the fuck up!” Sven adjusted himself in his— admittedly a little too expensive —gaming chair with a wave of his hand towards the camera, planting his feet firmly on the hardwood floor so the chair didn’t start to roll away.

“I told you, I’ll start streaming Red Dead Redemption 2 tomorrow! You’ll just have to wait…” The feline snickered, lifting his hands to adjust the custom headset sitting on his head, cleverly tucked away behind his thick teal fringe. Elex had surprised Sven with a custom headset that allowed him to wear it while his cat ears were still out, and it had been such a confidence boost for the Cheshire, although he wouldn’t admit it if you asked him.

“You could try sleeping, yknow…. Isn’t it like 4 am there? Don’t you have work in the morning?” Sven asked toward the camera, obviously getting another snarky reply that caused the cat to shake his head with another wide grin. “Well that’s on you, man. Personally, I’m gonna con the badger out of a super burrito so—“

A sharp, distinct cough from the doorway behind him ripped Sven from his playful banter to see the annoyed scowl on his boyfriend’s otherwise beautiful face.

The feline flashed the green haired man a sheepish smile before hurriedly facing the camera again, moving the cursor to hover over the ‘end stream’ button. “Okay, gotta go! Join tomorrow for some Red Dead, I promise~” Sven winked at the camera with a small wave, before ending the stream and quickly snatching off his headset.

“……how much of that did you hear?” The feline’s orange ears flattened to his head as he looked over at Elex again.

The badger had his muscular arms crossed over his chest with an increasingly disapproving scowl tugging down on the corners of his mouth around the sharp canines that jutted out from his lips just slightly.

“Enough……” The man stood silent in the doorway a second, and a tinge of anxiety flooded the cat’s chest. After an uncomfortably long few moments, finally the badger snorted a laugh, unfolding his arms from his chest and burying his hands into the pockets of his torn jeans. “okay but let’s get one thing straight, you aren’t CONNING a badger out of a super burrito, okay? I’ll go pick ‘em up, but that’s because you’re gonna be paying for both of us, AND calling in the order, alright, you little shit?”

The corners of Sven’s mouth instantly pulled up into a coy grin, and he raised his palms in front of him in defense. “Alright, alright, I suppose that’s fair~” The cat purred another laugh with a quick flick of his large orange tail, dropping his gaze to locate his cell phone among the massive amount of electronics around him.

“Call it in, I’ll go pick it up right now. I still have your card from earlier and I’ll use it to pay. You know what I like… and I swear to fucking god if they fuck it up again I’m going to swing on someone…” Elex tossed over his shoulder as Sven fumbled to unlock his phone.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll call it in. Be safe!” He replied rather quickly as his boyfriend closed the front door behind him. When the feline finally got his phone unlocked, the notification of a new text message from an unsaved number instantly caught his attention. As quickly as he could, the cat opened it, his slitted eyes widening as he read the full message.

??? — Hello Sven, I hope this message finds you well… This is your Father. I know you’ve tried to keep this number from me, and I’ve been told that trying to contact you was a bad idea but I couldn’t help but try.

??? — I was wrong about you, Sven. I’m so sorry if I ever made you feel alienated from the family. That was never my intention. But honestly, everything I want to say to you couldn’t be fully conveyed to you through a text message…

??? — That’s why I want to invite you to dinner at the house on Saturday, if you’d be willing to come. You may read these texts and laugh and not even reply and I’d understand if that was your choice. But if you would be willing to hear me out and hopefully at least be on speaking terms, I would love to hear back from you.

Sven's heart raced as he struggled to swallow the lump in his throat. How had his father gotten his new number? He had made it very clear that he didn't want any contact with him...but then why did the message say "I was wrong"? Sven squinted at the words, his eyesight possibly failing him once again. But there it was, unmistakable. His mind swirled with conflicting emotions as he tried to make sense of the unexpected message. Was this a trap? Or was his father truly admitting fault? Sven didn't know what to believe anymore, and it terrified him.

The text took him so off guard that he had to lock his phone again and place it facedown on his lap, his orange slitted eyes drifting off as his thoughts raced through his head.

What was he going to do? Would he really be able to go back to /that/ place and eat a whole meal while being face to face with his dad and be patronized for god knows how long, just to MAYBE get a half assed apology from the man?

However desperately the cat wanted to gain a shred of acknowledgement from his father after he became invisible behind Draeko’s shadow, he had no idea if his psyche could handle the man that made him run as far away from the circus as possible and get a place in secret with Elex in the first place.

Suddenly, his phone that still lay face down on his lap began to vibrate wildly, jerking Sven from his thoughts and back to reality.

Lifting the phone to his face, Elex’s contact photo plastered itself across his screen, which made the feline curse under his breath, preparing himself for an angry badger on the other end when he answered.

A dull clawed finger answered the call, lifting the phone a good foot out from his ear, and before Sven could even say “Hello.”, Elex’s angry voice poured through the phone, causing the cat’s ears to fold flat on his head sheepishly.

“SVEN WHAT THE FUCK? DID YOU NOT CALL IN THE ORDER? CAUSE ITS GONNA BE A PROBLEM IF THIS FUCKING DICK IS LYING TO ME RIGHT NOW…”

“Lex! Sorry, sorry! I got distracted and forgot to call, my bad!” The feline cried out frantically, and the frustrated grit of the badgers teeth was audible through the phone, making Sven want to be as small as possible.

“There better be a good fucking reason, Sven..” Elex mumbled, and the sound of a car door slamming shut could be heard on the other end as the badger got back out of his car.

“There is, I promise I’ll tell you when you get here— you won’t fucking believe this shit…” Sven snorted, trying his best to sound nonchalant and mask the fact that he was honestly scared shitless over the entire situation.

— but Elex could sense something was off by the tone of his boyfriends voice, and decided to let up on the cat. Whatever the distraction was, it was clearly heavy and weighing on him.

“Just — fuckin’ A, you’re annoying..” Elex sighed dramatically, seemingly put out that he had to place the order himself.

“You love me~” Sven replied with that same faux nonchalance, making Elex silently cringe.

“Yeah, yeah.” Click — the line went dead.

Sven hung his head low, swiping up his phone and hiding it under the couch cushion as if that would make the situation any better. The silence of the house was almost deafening as he thought about how to tell the badger about the texts...

He needed to clean something. Anything.

A loud sigh escaped him as he got up from the couch, making his way to the kitchen. In all honesty, the kitchen was already almost spotless, but there was plenty of stuff that could use a wipe down. His heart raced anxiously as he grabbed a dishtowel and started on the counters.

Tap, splash, scrub, tap, splash. The sounds echoed through the otherwise quiet house as he went about cleaning up any and all messes he could find. The sink faucet squeaked with every turn of the handle, the dish soap smelled strongly of lemon, and the warmth of it against his palms felt comforting.

The humming of Elex's car in the driveway snapped him out of his thoughts once again, reminding him that the badger would be home soon. A cold shiver ran down his spine at the thought of seeing his face when he walked in, and having to open up to his boyfriend on that level... Being vulnerable was kind of a hit or miss with the green haired man.

He quickly rinsed off the sponge and threw it into the sink before taking a moment to straighten up around him; even standing on his tiptoes to wipe down the very top of the fridge.

Suddenly, the front door flung open, and Elex came charging through with both of his hands full of large styrofoam cups full of soda, and a white plastic bag full of various foods hanging from his arm, an annoyed scowl across his face. Although, instantly upon making eye contact with Sven, seeing the stress weighing heavy on his features and the wad of paper towels he used to wipe down the fridge clutched tightly in his hand, the badger gave a knowing sigh as he slammed the door behind him with his foot.

“I’m so sorry, Lex, I didn’t mean to—“ Sven started to explain himself but was quickly cut off as Elex set down the drinks and the bag of food on the counter in front of him with a loud thump.

“Nah, I don’t care about that shit. What I do care about is what the fuck distracted you so much. You’re obviously stress cleaning, so it has to be something.” Elex quickly snatched the paper towels from Sven’s hand, throwing them in the trash. “Now spill it before the food gets cold.” He demanded, eliciting a cautious breath from the feline, his bright orange eyes locked on the floor.

Well, here goes nothing…

“Well… you know how I got my number changed so my dad didn’t have it anymore, when I moved, right?” Sven asked quietly, pulling on a loose string on his jeans as he spoke.

“Err… yeah? Of course. It was a pretty fuckin big ordeal if you remember….” The badger replied, one eyebrow cocked with a puzzled look on his face.

“Well…” the Cheshire swallowed before continuing. “I got a text from him…. A few actually..”

“Oh, this aught to be good… what the fuck did that prick have to say?” Elex scoffed bluntly, leaning his back against the wall with a snort.

The cat’s heart was pounding in his chest as he spoke, "He invited me to dinner. Saturday evening, at his house," Sven mumbled, looking down at his feet. He took a deep breath before continuing, "I know I shouldn't go... but it's been so long since we've spoken... and I just want to see him... and maybe make things right..." He trailed off, biting his lower lip as his ears flattened against his head.

Elex rolled his dual colored eyes, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Fuckin A, Sven. You're an adult now, you don't have to go crawling back to that asshole just because you feel bad. It's not like he'll actually apologize or anything," he scoffed again. The badger shook his head, disgusted with the idea of Sven even considering going through with this. "You know what he put you through."

"But it's not just that," Sven mumbled, looking up at Elex with pleading eyes. "I miss him... I miss— the circus, a bit…"

Elex huffed, leaning against the counter. "Well then," he started, "honestly, it sounds like you already made up your mind… But I don’t think it’s a good idea at all.”

Sven’s shoulders slumped in disappointment, although he knew from the beginning that Elex wouldn’t support him going either way.

“I mean, I haven’t replied to him yet, but… after really thinking about it… I can handle just one dinner on the very slim chance it’s not bullshit this time... And if he starts being his same ol self, I’ll just leave.” The feline shrugged, trying to put up the same faux nonchalant facade that he had tried earlier on the phone.

“I mean whatever, Sven. But don’t fucking hold your breath for that fucker to suddenly stop being an asshat to you out of no where. It’s been 26 years and he hasn’t gotten it together.” Elex shook his head with a sigh as he pulled a travel sized bottle of hand sanitizer from his pockets and squirted a small amount onto his palm before holding it out to Sven, who offered his hand. “You’re just going to get fucked over like always and he’s going to treat you like you wear a fucking helmet or some shit, and it’s going to be a disaster like it always fucking is.”

The cat’s tail twitched in annoyance at his boyfriend’s negativity, but he didn’t push the issue any further to avoid any arguments; instead he simply rubbed his palms together to sanitize his hands before silently removing his burrito from the bag on the counter.

“Thanks for this by the way.” He gestured to Elex with his unwrapped burrito before taking a large bite, to which the badger simply nodded as he removed his own food from the bag. “You’re fucking lucky I’m feeling generous today. Don’t let it happen again though.” The green haired man snorted, shaking his head back and forth as he sipped on the straw to his beverage.

As the two sat and munched silently on their food, Sven quickly typed out a reply to his father.

Sven - Hey, Dad. I just got your texts… uh, yeah… I’ll be there for dinner on Saturday night so maybe we can get shit off our chest and catch up.

Instantly the little blip in the corner began to show that his father was typing a reply. Typical.

??? — I’m so happy to hear that, Sven. Thank you for giving me a chance. I’m excited to hear how you’ve been. Dinner will be at 6 on Saturday. See you then.

Sven let out a deep breath as he finished his text to his father and looked up at Elex, who was already digging into his burrito as if nothing had happened. They sat in silence for a few more minutes, occasionally glancing at each other as they enjoyed the warmth of their food. Once they were done, they cleaned up the kitchen and headed to their room to unwind for the night. They both changed into their pjs, Sven donning a small tank top and shorts while Elex wore boxers and an oversized t-shirt. The room was cool despite the air conditioner running, but it made for comfortable sleeping conditions. They turned off the lights and crawled into bed together, cuddling close as they always did when it was time for sleep. Their bodies molded together like two puzzle pieces, two halves of one whole. For now, there was peace.

The room was dimly lit by the glow from the city outside their window, casting a soft blue hue over everything. The sound of cars honking floated in through the open window, mingling with the low hum of conversation from people walking by on the sidewalks below. It made Sven feel connected to something larger than himself—something grounding. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep but found himself unable to stop thinking about this decision he'd made that could potentially shake up his life in ways he couldn't predict; he tossed and turned throughout most of the night, trying not to wake Elex up, but he couldn’t stop his mind from racing.

The days leading up to the dinner were filled with countless arguments between the two. It was as if the tension in the air had a physical presence, making it difficult to breathe and impossible to ignore. They would start off fine in the morning, exchanging gentle nuzzles and soft whispers while they got ready for the day. But by the time they would end their days, tired and drained, their tempers would often flare up over minor things like leaving shoes in the wrong spot or forgetting to buy milk.

The cat, usually so patient and understanding, found himself snapping at Elex for no reason at all, and of course the badger would fire back. Sven was usually so level-headed and considerate, but instead he would lash out in anger over trivial matters that would normally be brushed aside. Their nighttime routine remained unchanged; they would cook dinner together, watch TV, and cuddle in bed before sleeping. But now it felt forced, like two strangers going through the motions instead of lovers sharing their space. The food they cooked together lacked flavor and sparked more arguments about whose turn it was to cook or who forgot an ingredient. The TV shows they watched would always be interrupted by sarcastic commentary or change of channel without notice. Their warm embrace before sleep turned into cold shoulders as they tried to find solace in their own thoughts instead of each other's touch.

Sven couldn't help but feel a knot forming in his stomach every time he thought about facing his father again after all these years. The last time they had seen each other had been tumultuous, to say the least. He just hoped that this dinner could be a fresh start for them both. However, part of him feared that it would only lead to more arguments and hurt feelings. As Saturday drew closer, so did their anxiety levels, making them both irritable and snappish towards one another.

That is— until Saturday morning (or, more accurately, 2 pm… but to Sven, it was morning..) finally rolled around…

It was his phone buzzing on the nightstand that finally woke the cat from his deep slumber. Opening one of his golden eyes groggily, Sven snatched it from the nightstand in annoyance and sat up, his teal hair splayed wildly in every direction. Still half awake, he squinted at the text message on his screen before clearing his throat to try and rid himself of the sudden itchy feeling that snaked down his esophagus. It was from his dad.

Dad — Hello Sven, just checking to be sure you’re still going to be here for dinner tonight? Looking forward to seeing you.

Clearing his throat again, Sven sniffled absentmindedly, rubbing the sleep from his eye with one balled up fist, using the other hand to tap out a reply. God, was he thankful for autocorrect.

Sven — Yeah, Dad, I’ll be there.

The cat left it at that, locking his phone with a loud yawn, his large orange ears flattening to his head as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and plopped his feet onto the floor with a heavy thud. Guess it was as good of a time as any to get up…

The night before had ended in another heated argument with Elex, and the badger had slept on the couch in the living room, allowing the feline to not have to be as worried of how loud he was being to avoid waking him.

Instinctively, Sven sniffled again before reaching up to scrub small circles into his nose with his palm. So itchyyyyy…

With a disapproving grunt, the cat pulled open the drawer to the nightstand shoved up against one side of the bed and fished out a blister pack of Claritin, half of the pack already punched out and foil hanging loosely from the back. He’d be damned if his allergies were going to choose today of all days to be a problem…

With a soft sniffle, Sven positioned the pack over his other hand, but before he managed to remove one of the small round pills from the pack, his breath snagged suddenly in his throat, a desperate gasp parting his lips before his head snapped downward with a soft, “Hehh.. n’gtx!”

The sudden, unexpected sneeze caused one of the cat’s nails to puncture the foil on the blister pack, one of the small round pills clattering against the hardwood floor beneath his feet before quickly rolling out of sight under the bed. But with the intensity of the buzzing within his nose, the Cheshire knew better than to assume the single sneeze was the end of it.

“K’tchh! Nnch! Nkch! — Hhh—! Ktch! Nkcht! Hh‘gsch!! Nngch!”

Wave after wave of sneezes overtook Sven as he tried to catch his breath, each one more intense than the last. "Ngt’chh! hptt’CH! h’gTShhHh! hiIh’nGkt!!" He couldn't seem to stop; his nostrils quivered maddeningly and his eyes pooled with allergic tears before they streamed down his face. Desperate to calm his overly sensitive nasal passages of the all encompassing sensation licking down the bridge of his nose, the cat frantically knuckled at his septum, but it didn't stop there; his nose still tickled mercilessly, demanding release.

“Hh—… H-Hhh—! H’NgXt! Hh‘gsch! God damnd it!” The cat hissed angrily once finally able to, quickly getting up off of the bed and darting into the bathroom with one hand cupped over his nose and mouth. He slammed the door behind him as hot tears of frustration began to stream down his cheeks, his head feeling like it was about to split apart from all of the sudden, intense sneezing.

Sven hated this feeling. The uncontrollable urge to sneeze; the intense tickling sensation in his nose that demanded his full attention and refused to go away no matter how many times he was caught up in an endless, desperate fit. It was enough to drive anyone mad.

“N’gxt—! Heh’n’gtx—!” The feline couldn’t even catch a break in the safety of the bathroom as another round of sneezes overtook him. He snatched a handful of tissues from the box on the sink counter and furiously blew his nose, trying to clear out the allergen that was causing this hellish reaction.

But no matter how much he blew his nose, it just seemed to make things worse. And with every forceful exhale, more tears leaked out of his eyes until he could barely see clearly anymore.

Fuming with frustration, Sven reached for a glass on the counter and filled it with water before yanking open the medicine cabinet and swiping yet another pack of Claritin from the shelf. He popped two of the pills from the foil package and threw them into his open mouth, chasing it all down in one gulp.

Even after multiple rounds of blowing his nose and sniffling desperately into tissues, the Cheshire could still feel that annoying tickle in his nose. It felt like there was something lodged deep within his sinuses that just wouldn’t budge.

Feeling utterly defeated, Sven slumped down onto the edge of the bathtub and rested his head in hands.

Why did he have to be such a fucking mess? Why couldn’t he have normal allergies like normal people, like dust or pollen? The cat honestly felt like the butt end of some sick joke from the universe to have such debilitating allergies to his own body.

With a suddenly very waterlogged sniffle, more hot tears began to sting at his eyes before spilling over his cheeks and splashing against the tile floor below him. How was he supposed to show up at his dads like this? It would be like asking for it at this point…

Suddenly, a sharp knock at the bathroom door ripped the cat from his thoughts.

“Sven?” Elex’s voice poured out from behind the thin, wooden door, followed by a few seconds of silence. When he was met with no response, the badger tried again. “—Sven?”

“Ghhh— go away..” Sven muttered softly, still sitting on the edge of the tub with his chin resting on his palms, followed by an almost inaudible gasp as his breathing shuttered. “Nnch! Nkch! Ktch! Nkcht!”

“You okay in there?” Elex’s concern was evident in his voice as he pressed for a response. The worry in his tone was enough to make the cat’s heart ache with guilt from the way he had acted towards the other the night before.

“—I’mb fide,” Sven managed to say, his voice muffled by the tissues he pressed against his face. “J-just dealigg with... allergies.” He let out another stifled sneeze, followed by a defeated sigh.

Elex’s gentle exhale was barely audible over the sound of Sven blowing his nose. “I’m coming in.” He stated simply despite the cat’s previous objections.

When he pushed open the door to the bathroom, he was met with the sad sight of his boyfriend huddled up on the edge of the bathtub, a wad of tissues tented over his nose and mouth and tears staining his pink cheeks. Any argument between the two the night before was easily forgotten.

“Geez, kid… One of those days?” Elex asked with a tilt of his head, a sympathetic expression on his face as he came to sit on the tub next to Sven. He couldn’t say he was jealous of the Cheshire’s plight, that’s for damn sure.

“Obviously…” The cat sniffled miserably, clearly getting lost in the sensation as he scrubbed at his sensitive nose, his large orange ears pinned back against his head in embarrassment. “Of course it w-would be— thhh— today—! Hh‘gsch! ngsh!” Growling in frustration, he blew his nose again, to which the badger offered a soft smile.

“At least that gives you a reason to cancel on your dad, yeah?”

Sven rolled his orange eyes. “Ndo, El. Cadcelligg dow would just prove himb right..”

Elex scoffed, crossing his arms across his chest. “Well, what the fuck are you going to do then? Going like this is definitely going to make you a target.”

The look that the cat shot his mate was like daggers, despite the red rimmed appearance. “See, I was hhh— hopigg it would b-be differedt thhh— H’NgXt! Hh‘gsch! k’gnsh! SNNRRFF!! —guh…”

Without even finishing his sentence, Sven yanked more toilet paper from the roll and blew his nose yet again, still to no avail, his expression getting more and more frustrated and hopeless as his fit continued.

This time, it was Elex’s turn to roll his eyes. As utterly adorable as his boyfriend was currently, he was also utterly stupid to think his dad was ever going to change.

Sven sniffled and wiped his nose again. His eyes were watering prefusely, his face red and splotchy from all the rubbing. He looked at Elex in frustration before slowly shaking his head. "I dod't dow, El. I guess I'll have to sugg it up add go."

Elex sighed heavily, beginning to get slightly annoyed at his stubborn boyfriend. He reached out to gently pat Sven's back comfortingly as he watched him struggle with his allergies. "If you say so," he muttered under his breath, knowing full well that it wasn't going to be an easy task for Sven. "You sure you don't want me to come with you? You know, for moral support?"

Sven shook his head again, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth despite his discomfort. “I'b sure it’ll be fide…," he replied between sniffles. “I thought you diddt wadt himb to dnow that were together, adyway.”

The badger’s expression turned up in amusement as he shook his head. “People live together without being in a relationship, Sven… Just tell him your room mate is coming with you, and the old man’ll be none the wiser.”

Sven’s shoulders slumped a little as he let an exasperated, defeated sigh escape his lips. “Fide… but if these Claritid kick id before I have to leave, imb goigg alode, alright?”

The badger raised his palms in front of him defensively, grinning as he rose to his feet. “Okay, okay. Just hurry up and get ready.”

Despite the embarrassment and discomfort, Sven managed to step into the shower and rinse off, letting the steaming hot water run over his body. The warmth felt nice against his skin, but it did nothing to alleviate the itching in his nose or the burning behind his eyes. He threw his head back and closed them tight, trying not to make too much noise as he gently washed himself. His allergies were relentless and already taking their toll on him, leaving him feeling weaker by the minute. Every few minutes he was forced to stop and endure yet another itchy “Nkch! Ktch! Nkcht!” before he could continue.

After rinsing off and patting himself dry with a towel, the cat emerged from the bathroom and into their shared bedroom. His large, fluffy orange ears hung low as he shuffled through his closet, trying to decide on an outfit that wouldn't make him stick out too much. The last thing he needed was for his father to make some snide comment about his choices or the way he dressed.

Sven finally settled on a simple pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt that would hopefully hide the fact that he was having an allergic attack. As he pulled them on, his movements were slow and clumsy; with every breath, he winced slightly from the sting in his nose.

His nose was still running slightly as he sat down on a stool at his vanity, reaching for a bottle of nasal spray. He squirted some into each nostril before inhaling deeply; the cool mist offered some relief from the fire burning within him. He took a deep breath and reached for a hairbrush, running it through his thick teal hair until it shone softly under the dim light of the bathroom.

Walking out of the bedroom, he grabbed his wallet and phone from the coffee table where Elex was sitting on the couch flipping through the TV channels with an absentminded air. Sven looked slightly better than when he'd gone in but the badger could still tell that something wasn't right.

"Well?" Elex asked without looking up at him. "Got everything you need?"

Sven nodded, rubbing at his nose as he walked over to stand by Elex on the couch.

The cat suffered through another itchy, sniffly “H’KngxsstSH! nXGtCHhh!” before responding, "Think I'm good to go. My nose is still pretty hhh— messed up though. Hopefully Dad will just keep his fucking mouth shut.." He sniffled sharply before standing up straighter, adjusting the neck of his shirt to make sure there weren't any wrinkles as he looked down at Elex.

“Sounds like that Claritin didn’t do shit, huh?” The badger asked knowingly.

“No, I just love sneezing my ass off...” The feline shook his head with a scowl, and the badger chuckled under his breath, shoveling his own belongings into his pockets and rising to his feet.

As they walked out of the apartment, Sven could feel every muscle protest as they navigated through the hallway and down the stairs. The scent of fresh paint filled his nose, making him want to sneeze even more but he managed to contain it with a few quick sniffs. The outside air was cool and crisp against his flushed cheeks while Elex held open the door for him - a small gust blowing by carrying with it the scent of autumn leaves burning somewhere off in the distance. The sun was low in the sky painting hues of orange and pink across the horizon; it felt like they were driving into a painting.

The ride was quiet save for the sound of tires against wet pavement and occasional gusts of wind that caused their car to rock ever so slightly. Sven sat rigidly next to Elex, his heart racing with anticipation as he wondered how his father would react to him bringing home the badger as his "roommate". He'd never mentioned anything about having one before—would he be angry? Disapproving? Or would he simply shrug it off like everything else and pretend like he didn't care?

They pulled into the driveway and killed the engine, stepping out into the cool evening air. A sudden rush of moisture hit Sven's skin as he shut his door behind him; he shivered slightly despite the warmth lingering beneath his clothes. His ears perched on the top of his head took turns swiveling to each side, taking in his surroundings. Suddenly, the Cheshire pitched forward into his shoulder. “N’gxt! Heh’n’gtx! Hehh—! n’gtx!”

Elex tossed him a glance. “Bless you.” But Sven simply waved him off.

After a few minutes, the front door flew open and a tall, slender man with a thick pair of feline like ears between his black curls and a large fluffy tail behind him began to jog down the driveway towards the men, and Sven’s ears and tail both sagged in embarrassment. His father’s expression held a broad smile, but there was an emptiness in those eyes that didn't match the joy on his face. He rushed towards them with open arms, engulfing Sven in a tight hug before looking past him to Elex with raised eyebrows.

"Oh! Hello there! I wasn't expecting a guest," he said cheerfully, even though it was obvious from the way he said it that he was anything but pleased about having visitors.

"This is my... room mate, Elex," Sven said awkwardly, avoiding eye contact as they walked inside together. His father led them through a maze of familiar hallways until they reached the living room where they sat down on a plush couch covered in worn fabric from years of use.

His father's tail swished back and forth behind him in a playful manner, his ears twitching with curiosity.

"Oh? A room mate, you say?" He smirked, setting two mugs of beer on the table in front of them.

"Well," he chuckled lightly, leaning against the door frame with his hands in his pockets, "I hope you two aren't planning on getting any funny ideas." His eyes darted towards Elex suggestively as he winked. He loved playing games like this; it was just one more way he could belittle Sven and make him feel small. He knew how much his son hated it when people thought he was 'different' or 'weird'.

The tension in the air hung palpably as Sven's father's words made their way through the room, causing the cat’s tail to stiffen and his ears to lay back flat against his skull. The badger crossed his arms over his chest defensively, glaring at the man who seemed so nonchalant about everything.

"Excuse me?" he snapped, a low growl in his tone as he shifted from foot to foot under the table. "I assure you, we're not planning anything “funny”. We're simply roommates—and very happy ones at that." He gave Sven a quick sideways glance before looking back at the elder man. "Your son has shown me nothing but kindness and respect, which is more than I can say for your treatment of him." His voice was icy but controlled, his fangs thinly hidden behind pursed lips.

Sven squirmed in his seat, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment and shame. He hated it when Elex stood up for him like this; it only made things worse.

His father's eyes narrowed at the comment, flashing with anger for a moment before he forced a laugh. "Oh ho," he chuckled darkly, "you think you know me so well, don't you?" He stepped forward, leaning down close to Elex's face so their noses nearly touched. The scent of his breath was sour from the alcohol he'd been drinking earlier.

"You think I don't care about my son? Well," he growled lowly, "you're wrong. I just want what's best for him — and what's best for him is to be strong."

He straightened up again and took a swig of his beer.

Sven winced, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand while glancing away from both men. He couldn't believe this was happening again. Why did everything have to be so hard with his dad?

Elex sat up straighter, eyeing the man warily but not backing down.

"I didn't say you didn't care about Sven," he replied coldly, "but your method of toughening him up leaves something to be desired." He gestured at Sven's flinching form. "Constant belittlement and humiliation isn't going to fucking make him strong; it'll just make him bitter and mistrustful."

The room fell silent as they all sat there staring at each other across the table.

“Ooooohkay, that’s enough of that…” Sven finally chimed in, punctuating his statement with a clearly forced, awkward laugh.

His father continued as nothing happened, leaving the room to serve dinner.

"Who's hungry?" he asked cheerfully, carrying over a large pot of steaming soup to the table. He ladled out bowls for each of them, the savory aroma filling the room. Sven glanced nervously at Elex, but his father hummed a tune, seemingly oblivious to the tension still hanging in the air.

The three ate in relative silence, slurping spoonfuls of the hearty vegetable stew. Sven's father made idle small talk between bites, asking about their work and interests. He seemed genuinely interested in getting to know his son's new roommate, though the lingering awkwardness made the conversation stilted.

As Sven sipped his hot soup, he could feel that familiar tickle begin to dislodge itself from deep within his sinuses and his eyes began water. “God fucking damn it..” he thought, “not now...”

The car tried to subtly wipe his running nose and blink back the tears, but it was no use. Despite his objections, his eyebrows knit together before he ducked to the side, away from the table. “Hh‘gsch!! Nngch! H’tshhkt!! ngsh! H’NgXt! Hh—! HeHh—! Hh‘gsch! k’gnsh! Ngt’chh! hptt’CH!!”

He started sneezing violently, nearly upending his bowl of soup. His father glared at him from across the table.

"Ugh, here we go again with the sneezing and sniveling," his father grumbled. "It happens all the time, Sven. When are you going to grow out of it?"

Sven flushed with embarrassment, hastily grabbing a napkin to blow his nose. "S-sorry," he stammered. "I can't really hhh—help it—! K’tchh! Nnch! Nkch!"

His father rolled his eyes. "It's those weak genes from your mother's side of the family. I keep telling you to toughen up, but you just keep sniffling and wheezing at every little thing."

Sven sank deeper into his chair, mortified by his father's harsh words. He wanted to disappear completely. Elex shot Sven's father an icy glare.

"Allergies are not a fucking sign of weakness," The badger barked sharply. "They're the result of an overactive immune system, not some kind of character flaw."

Sven's father snorted derisively. "Spare me the science lesson. The boy just needs to learn some self-control, that's all."

Sven stared down at his bowl, pushing his carrots around listlessly. He had lost his appetite, the soup now just a swirling reminder of his failure to meet his father's impossible standards. How could he have really thought this dinner would be any different? He still hadn’t even heard an apology from the man.

Elex opened his mouth to retort, but Sven interrupted before an argument could erupt. "It's okay, really," he mumbled. "I'm sorry for the interruption. Let's just enjoy the meal."

An uncomfortable silence settled over the table once more. The only sounds were the clinking of spoons against bowls. Sven's nose still tickled maddeningly, but he resisted the urge to rub or sniffle, not wanting to invite more criticism.

After several tense minutes, Elex could hardly contain his anger as Sven's father continued to belittle his son, just like the badger had predicted when the Cheshire first told him about this shitty dinner. As the cat stared miserably into his bowl, Elex knew he had to take a stand.

"Sven's allergies don't make him weak," Elex snapped firmly. "In fact, I happen to find his sensitivity and kind heart to be his greatest strengths."

Sven's eyes widened in surprise. His father let out an incredulous laugh.

"Oh, is that so?" he jeered. "And just how would you, a room mate, know anything about my son's character?"

The badger met the older cat's gaze steadily. "Because Sven and I have been dating for the past few months. And in that time, I've seen how caring, thoughtful and brave he is every single day."

Sven gasped softly. They had kept their relationship secret until now because Elex wasn’t out of the closet yet…

His father's eyes blazed with anger. "Dating? Don't be ridiculous. I won't have my son gallivanting around with the likes of you!”

"The likes of me?" The green haired man retorted. "What's that supposed to mean? Is it because I'm a badger? Or is it because I actually care about your son's feelings!?”

Feeling the tension in the room grow to a fever pitch, the Cheshire flew to his feet, grabbing Elex by the arm. He could feel the badger’s muscles flexing under his tight grasp, rearing up quickly for a fight.

“L-let’s jhhh— ngsh! Hh‘gsch! Let’s just go, El.” Sven choked out between each itchy sneeze that he tried to muffle into his closed fist.

Elex shot one last glare at Sven's father before following Sven's lead and rising from his seat. He kept a protective hand on the Cheshire's back as they headed for the front door.

"Don't you dare walk out that door!" Sven's father shouted after them. "If you leave now, don't even think about coming back!"

Sven paused with his hand on the doorknob. For a moment, his shoulders slumped dejectedly. Elex gave him an encouraging squeeze.

"It's okay," the badger said gently. "Fuck him, kid. We've got each other. That's all we’ve ever needed."

Sven turned and gave Elex a small, grateful smile. Then he threw open the door, and the two of them stepped out into the cool evening air.

As soon as they were outside, Sven doubled over with a characteristic fit of rapid-fire sneezes. "H’NgXt! Hh‘gsch! k’gnsh! Heh—! Ngt’chh! hptt’CH! h’gTShhHh! hihh’nGkT—!”

The badger sighed with a smile as he shook his head, already sliding into the driver side of his car, anxious to get out of this particular level of hell. “Bless you, kid. Who would have thought those allergies of yours would be so problematic, huh?” The green haired man chuckled softly as Sven slid into the passenger side with a small frown.

“Stop callin’ me kid, I’m older than you.” The cat sniffled, buckling his seatbelt before glancing over at Elex sitting next to him, a glint of admiration in his orange eyes.

After a second of silence, the badger finally cracked.

“What the fuck are you staring at me like that for?” He asked with one eyebrow cocked.

“You didn’t have to come out to my dad like that…. I know that was a touchy subject for you…” Sven replied with a soft smile, reaching out one thin hand to rest on the badger’s thigh and give him a grateful squeeze.

“Yeah, well…. I love you, kid. And I won’t let anyone think they’re going to talk to you like that. Not even your shit eating dad.”

“Thank you, Elex. I— hhh—N’gxt! love you too…“

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kristannafever · 1 month ago

Text

Big Sky Ranch - 3

Kristanna Modern AU Rated: M WC: 6346

Chapter Index

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The waitress wasn’t working when they went for a late breakfast the next morning. Kristoff figured she might be off and realized he was disappointed all over again to discover that he was right, because this breakfast was going to be the last one that they could go to for a while with how busy their next couple of weeks were on the ranch.

All week long – and a long, busy week it was – he thought about her, and when the next Friday finally rolled around, he found himself wondering if she would be at the bar again. It was the only place he figured he might bump into her and hopefully get the opportunity to ask her out on a date. It probably wouldn’t work out between them in the end, like every other relationship he had, but part of him had developed an intense need to find out all the same.

Him and Sven were hanging up the last of the horse tack in the stables when he decided he was going to go for it. “So, we goin’ to the bar tonight?” he asked, trying to be casual.

“Man, I don’t know. It was a bitch of a week and I’m dog tired,” Sven answered. “Think I might just do my drinkin’ at home tonight and call it an early one.”

Kristoff nodded. He was dead tired too, he just had to try and see her again. “Maybe Buck or the greenhorn want to go.”

Sven paused where they stopped at the stable door to shut it up for the night and looked at him. “Why so eager all of the sudden? I usually gotta spend my hard-earned pay feedin’ you beer to get you to come along and have a good time with us. Which, by the way, you always do.”

“I know. I’m just tryin’ not to be so much of a stick in the mud.”

Sven’s eyes narrowed. “Not buyin’ it. I know you better than that.”

Frustration flared within him and Kristoff pushed past his brother. “Never fuckin’ mind then.”

“Wait, hang on!” Sven called, following after him. “I mean, if you really want to go, you know I won’t turn down a good time. I just wanna know why.”

“Like I said,” Kristoff muttered through gritted teeth. Part of him wanted to tell Sven the real reason except he found himself too embarrassed to actually do so. That would mean admitting to Sven that he was right; Kristoff was starting to feel pretty lonely.

“Well, alright then.” Sven fell in step beside him. “Let’s see if we have any other takers. I ain’t drivin’ if the greenhorn don’t wanna go.”

*****

Anna found herself extremely disappointed that other two ladies she worked with at the diner had weekend plans and weren’t available to go drinking at the saloon that night. She had really wanted to see if the blond cowboy might be there since he hadn’t been in for breakfast all week. She hoped that he would have come back into the bar that night so that she could thank him. Instead, it was the oldest man in their group that returned to pay the tab and then left right after.

She’d looked for him. Every time she was in town, at the grocery store, the coffee shop, the place that sold all that western wear and stuff for horses, and she hadn’t had any luck in bumping into him. At least she found herself some proper clothes, boots, and a brand-new hat. She’d been so excited to wear them out to the saloon.

Would it be smart to go alone? Anna wasn’t exactly sure what her friends had meant when they said it was a rough crowd that could get rowdy, and that was even with that parking lot fight that almost broke out the weekend before. Perhaps things could get a lot rougher than that?

Then again, she did have pepper spray and a taser; an illegal gift from her ex because he had travelled and didn’t want her to be alone with no way to defend herself should someone intrude into their apartment. She could put the items in her purse. Unlike the clubs downtown in the city, there was no one searching the women’s purses when they entered the saloon, so Anna decided to go it alone. She’d drive and only have one drink so she could take herself home if things got a little out of control.

Smiling to herself, she got dressed in her new ‘cowgirl outfit’ and drove to the saloon. It was a bit earlier than the last time she’d and she’d hoped that it would give her a better opportunity to spot him if he was there. When she arrived, much to her dismay, the place was packed. She had to park in the overflow parking on the grass next to the gravel parking lot.

Feeling a little discouraged, she went in anyways to see if he was there.

*****

The four men took a table at the far end in the lefthand corner of the bar since they were all too tired to stand all night. The greenhorn had come, and Buck as usual. Buck probably would have been there anyway if none of the hands had wanted to go out. Davy was the only one who passed. He said that he drank too much the previous weekend and had no desire to repeat it.

Their conversation was a little lackluster and Kristoff was chagrined to be the one trying to come up with topics of conversation. This was his damn idea anyway. And the whole time, he looked around for her, hoping to spot her in the crowd. He even had half a mind to wander over to plug some quarters into the Jukebox to see if she might happen to be on the other side of the bar. Only he didn’t, because that would be a huge red flag to the others that he wasn’t there for their company as it wasn’t something he’d ever been known to do.

And the longer they sat there, the busier the place got. He hadn’t even known there was a live band, although when they did start playing about an hour after Kristoff and the ranch hands arrived, everyone seemed to perk up. By then the drinks were flowing and all the guys were having a good time. Except Kristoff. He was getting drunk and he was upset that he hadn’t seen her.

He knew there would be opportunity to see her again. Sooner or later, they’d be back in the diner and she’d be there working. Only what if she’d forgotten about him by then? It was clear she was looking, and there was nothing to prevent her from looking elsewhere since she might get the impression it wasn’t his work keeping him from breakfast at the diner.

At least if he got to see her again and ask her out, if she did say no, he could finally move on and push her out of his damn mind. It was distracting – and if he was being honest with himself, very distressing – to be thinking about someone so much that his mind did little else with any free time.

He sighed, and picked up his glass to take a swing when Sven elbowed him in the side, making him spill beer into his lap.

“Hey Kris, guess what? The waitress is over there.”

Kristoff looked quickly at Sven and then followed where he was subtly pointing, then saw her.

His jaw dropped. No wonder he hadn’t been able to spot her. He was actively looking for ladies not dressed like he was. And holy shit, she was drop dead gorgeous in a pair of wranglers and a turquoise and black plaid shirt that just brought out all the similar colours in her eyes, to say nothing of the hat and boots she had on.

All the heat went to his cheeks as he stared. She was standing and talking to a group of men and women, looking like she was having a good time while she glanced around the entire bar. He didn’t see the ladies she was in there with last time. Who was she looking for? Them? Perhaps someone else?

Part of him suddenly hoped she was looking for him. That lust-filled look she’d given him last week… it was seared into his brain. It was there, every time he closed his eyes.

“Wait,” Sven said loudly, leaning over so that Kristoff could hear him over the music. “Are you interested? You are! Aren’t you?”

He continued to stare at the waitress and nodded without even thinking about it.

“Ah, man. Finally!” Sven smacked his shoulder. “Yeah, bro! Go ask her out.”

Kristoff nodded again and stood up. Just as he did so, the country cover band transitioned songs and everyone took to their feet. It was Cadillac Ranch time.

*****

As soon as the song started, Anna knew this was going to be her best chance at spotting him in the busy crowd. People swarmed the dance floor and Anna looked around at all of them, trying to find the hat that stood a little taller than most of the others.

Then out of the corner of her eye, movement in the near empty part of the bar caught her attention. She glanced over to see him at a table of men, standing and looking right at her. A fluttery feeling erupted in her stomach to realize he was coming over to her with a look on his face that was dazed, determined, and incredibly sexy.

He stopped in front of her and looked down, almost as if he was in a bit of a daze.

“Hi there,” Anna said at his silence, nervous and excited to be talking to him.

He blinked like he was coming out of a trance. “Hello,” he said softly, barely audible over the loud music.

Anna smiled at him. “Want to talk outside?”

He nodded, smiling back at her.

Anna turned and made her way past the few people who were standing on the sidelines, fewer than last time since the country cover band seemed to be drawing more rural folks than city ones, and pushed her way outside, feeling his presence behind her. She wandered away from the crowd that was smoking and over to the edge of the grass area that her car was parked in and turned around.

“I’m Anna,” she said, and offered her hand to shake.

The cowboy looked down at it and slid his palm into hers, then surprised her by shifting his grip gently to her fingers to bring her hand up as his head bobbed down. He placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand.

“It’s a pleasure to officially meet you, Anna,” he said, letting go of her hand and straightening back up. “I’m Kristoff.”

All of the nerve endings in her body were suddenly on fire. No man had ever kissed her hand like that. It was romantic as hell. And that name! Certainly not what she was expecting, but how wonderfully it suited him. Anna was suddenly beyond flustered.

“I’m fairly new to town,” she said, having no idea what else to say. Her mind was blank except for the runaway thoughts of how unbelievable it was that she was standing there actually talking to the man that had been in her dreams every night since the first time she’d laid eyes on him.

The side of his mouth turned up in a sultry smile. “I know. I’ve lived here nearly all my life.”

Anna struggled with how to respond. She blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. “I didn’t see you in the diner all week.”

His smile faded away like that was the wrong thing to say. “Busy week on the ranch,” he responded. “Sometimes I don’t have a lot of free time.”

Anna nodded. “I understand. I’ll bet you guys work really hard. Lots of long days strung together, I’m sure.”

That brought strength back to his smile and his eyes scanned her face. “Would you like to go out with me sometime? My next couple weeks are pretty busy unfortunately, but I’ve got a bit of a break after that.” He raised his eyebrows. “If you’re interested?”

“I am very interested!” Anna grinned at him, glad that he apparently hadn’t changed his mind about approaching her in the first place. In the back of her mind, she wondered why what she’d said seemed to bother him for a moment there.

He opened his mouth to respond when someone shouted in the parking lot.

“I got a bone to pick with you, cow-fucker!”

Both of them turned to look at the commotion and Anna was surprised it seemed to be directed their way. Then she realized who was shouting at them. It was the sleazy asshole who’d been hitting on her last Friday. The guy with halitosis and the seriously creepy light-blue eyes who had no respect for women.

Anna still flushed at the thought that Kristoff and his friends had come over to get those assholes out of her and her friends faces. And she wished she could have seen them kick their asses. They certainly deserved it.

“Leave me alone goat roper,” Kristoff said, then sighed, looking tired as hell all of the sudden.

“It’s because of you I got a DUI last weekend!” he shouted, charging in their direction. “Cop told me. How did you know we cut through old Miller’s pasture.”

Kristoff turned towards the asshole as he approached and shouted. “We all know, you fuckin’ wannabe. You and your piece of shit friends have no fuckin’ respect, and we are all fuckin’ tired of it.”

Anna saw the loser’s friends rush up behind him and looked to the bar, hoping that some of Kristoff’s buddies were around. None were, only people staring at them while they smoked. The music from the bar was so loud, no one would know what was happening unless they were already outside.

“My father had to pay a fortune to get me out of holding and make the charge go away,” the asshole shouted. “And you’re gonna pay for it through your teeth!”

Kristoff stepped quickly away from Anna to keep her out of harm’s way as the asshole and his friends surged forward, swarming him and hitting him as he fought them back. It looked for a second like Kristoff was going to lay them all out with one punch and be done with them, when someone got in a lucky jab and he staggered, losing his stance and opening himself up to get hit again and again.

Anna was furious. She reached into her purse and found her taser and jammed it into the back of the guy closest to her. He jerked violently and fell to the ground, writhing in pain, his body twitching as his muscles seized up. Anna took down the next guy, and then the next, then their pathetic leader noticed and turned to her, taking a wild swing at her face with his closed fist.

Anna knew it was going to hurt, and it did. Although she did manage to swing her head far enough away that it glanced off the side of her jaw instead of hitting her square in the nose. It wasn’t anywhere near as full force as the asshole had intended. Still, it made her lose balance and fall to her ass.

She could only watch in a daze as the asshole approached her again, standing over her like he was going to take another shot while she was down to make up for the one he had missed, when suddenly a big forearm clamped around his neck and hauled him backward. Kristoff had him in a chokehold, ignoring the guy who was pummeling him from behind.

Anna had never in her life seen a man so furious. Kristoff looked bound and determined to choke the life out of the guy who’d hit her.

Her sense slammed back into her brain and she reached for where she’d dropped her taser into the grass when she went down. The other three men were struggling to get back to their feet as well, which meant it was going to be five on one again soon. Or rather, five on two, because Anna wasn’t about to step out of this fight.

All of the sudden someone shouted from the front of the bar so loudly, that the entire inside of the place would have heard it over the roaring country music.

“Oi, boys! Trouble!”

It was the oldest man who’d been sitting at Kristoff’s table. He had a dart in his hand, clearly exiting the bar to have a smoke when he realized his friend was being attacked by a group of men. He dropped the cigarette and ran forward, taking an expertly aimed swing at the man who’d peeled off from hitting Kristoff in the back of the head to deal with the older man.

Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. The last guy she’d tased was on his feet now, scrambling to get to his boss who was turning red with Kristoff’s arm still clamped around his neck while he continued to take clumsy, halting hits from the other two assholes that she’d tased. The old man was trading punches with the one who’d charged him, then two other guys came running out of the bar; the one Kristoff had been at breakfast with, and a beanpole of a kid who didn’t look old enough to even be in a saloon.

Someone got in a punch that made Kristoff release the grip he had on their boss, and he turned to start fighting the one who’d hit him. The piece of shit he had in the chokehold fell to his knees, gasping for air. Anna took the immediate liberty of taking him out of the fight. She put her taser between his shoulder blades and put him face down into the gravel.

Now every other man was hitting one another and Anna didn’t want to get too close and catch another wayward punch or accidentally taser someone who didn’t deserve it. She felt a little helpless, watching as Kristoff and his friends appeared to be gaining a winning edge, all the while taking swing after swing. And then like someone flicked a switch, it was suddenly over. The group of douchebags seemed to decide simultaneously that they’d had enough, and backed up quickly to retrieve their boss, picking him up hastily, his body limp like a rag doll, as Kristoff and his friends halfheartedly chased them back to the pickup truck they’d come in.

The old man picked up a rock and threw it at the windshield as they peeled out of the parking lot, smashing it right in the middle sending cracks out in all directions across the glass.

Anna was about to see if everyone was okay when large hands were turning her around and Kristoff gently grabbed her on either side of her head, his thumbs pressed lightly on the edge of her cheeks. He looked at her, his eyes wild with concern.

“Are you okay,” he said quickly, scanning every inch of her face.

She nodded in his hands, scared with how much blood was on his face. He’d taken quite a few hits before his friends showed up. His lip was split, there was a nasty looking cut on his right brow, his nose was bleeding, and he had a few other scratches and scrapes all over his beautiful face.

“I’m completely fine,” Anna said, frowning with her own concern. She grabbed his hands and brought them into hers. “How are you feeling?”

He gave her a tired smile, blood showing on his teeth. “Like I got punched in the face. A lot.”

“Shit man, I’m sorry,” said his breakfast friend, coming up and placing a hand on Kristoff’s shoulder and leaning into him. It was a very brotherly gesture and Anna dropped Kristoff’s hands so as not to take away from the moment.

“What are we going to do about those pussy-ass motherfuckers?” asked the young kid. He was going to wake up with a black eye and looked so highly caffeinated that he was ready to chase after that truck on foot.

“Kick their asses if we ever see them in our town again,” the old man said, and spit into the gravel. “This shit is gonna stop.”

“Damn straight it is,” answered Kristoff. “No one hits a lady and doesn’t get their ass handed to them.”

His diner buddy became more enraged. “Jesus fucking Christ, are you kidding me?”

All of them men looked at her, concerned and angry over the fight. They looked much more worse for wear than she was sure she did. All of them had blood and cuts on their faces, although none so much as Kristoff.

“I’m fine, guys! Honest.” Anna rubbed her jaw where the fist glanced her skin. “He barely got me. It’s just a little sore.”

Kristoff grinned, staring into her eyes while talking to his friends. “Anna took a few of them down with a taser.”

“No shit?” said Kristoff’s diner friend, giving her an impressed grin. “Well hot damn, we owe you couple rounds of drinks then.”

“They won’t let me back in there, Sven.” Kristoff spat blood into the ground. “Not lookin’ like this.”

“We ain’t going back in there,” Sven agreed, staring at her. “We’re takin’ Anna home with us to keep drinkin’.”

They all grinned at her and Anna couldn’t help but grin back. Not a single fiber of her being was scared of going with these men. She felt safer with them than she’d felt in nearly her entire adult life. She’d just have to get one of them to give her a ride back to grab her car.

They all picked up their hats where they’d been knocked off their heads and piled into the big dually, Anna sitting in the middle of the back seat, snuggled up to Kristoff’s side as soon as he slid his arm around her shoulders. He hadn’t stopped smiling at her. While Anna had no idea what was in store for her, she was excited. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that nothing she didn’t want was going to be forced upon her. It was weird to her to have such an instant sense of trust in a group of people, which was likely large in part due to Kristoff and how he’d defended and protected her.

Thirty or so minutes later they were headed up a long drive to an impressive farmhouse. When they were almost there, the road split, and they turned towards a grouping of three small identical houses in a row beside a large barn and a long stable. The kid parked in front of the house in the middle and they all got out and headed inside.

The kitchen and living room were open to each other as soon as they stepped in the door. On the back wall were three doors which appeared to be a bathroom in the middle and two bedrooms on either side. Having no idea who lived here, she assumed it was Sven and Kristoff.

Then Kristoff asked Sven to lend him a towel so he could shower and she had to wonder which one of the houses he did live in. Kristoff gave her a wink and went into the bathroom, leaving her feeling flustered all over again to think about him being naked. She had been doing a lot of that since the first time she’d laid eyes on him in the diner, and even more since the last time they were at the saloon and he’d gotten that gross guy out of her face.

Each of the other men lined up took turns at the kitchen sink, splashing water on their faces to wash away blood and grime. There was familiarity to their movements, like they’d practiced this before, which as she thought about it, they probably had. Once clean, their faces didn’t look as bad they’d seemed, although all of them were likely to wake up with a black eye or two.

When Sven was done at the sink, he wandered over to a stereo by a television in the living room and turned it on to a country music station. Anna sat at the kitchen table while the other three men came over and gathered at the table with her. Sven handed them all a bottle of beer.

“Thanks for helping out my boy,” he said to her as he sat down.

“I’m glad I was able to,” she said.

“I’m Sven, by the way. The old man there is Buck, and I don’t even remember what the greenhorn’s real name is.”

Everyone laughed.

“Fuck you,” said the kid with a grin. He turned to Anna. “My name is Cooper. My friends call me Coop, and these assholes call me Greenhorn.”

“You ain’t got any other friends.” Buck laughed. “Just us.”

Cooper gave the old man two middle fingers and everyone laughed again.

Sven fished a phone out of his pocket and started typing a message. “I’ll see if Davy’s still up.”

“He won’t be,” said Coop. “He told me he was going to take a sleeping pill so he can catch up on some rest.”

Sven shrugged and set his phone on the table. “Well, his loss then. Fuckin’ pussy.” His eyes suddenly widened and he gave Anna and incredibly sheepish look. “Sorry. That was inappropriate.”

Anna thought back to all the things she’d overheard her ex say with his friends through the walls of the den because she wasn’t allowed to hang out with them. “No worries. I’ve heard much worse, believe me.”

Sven gave her a big grin and then tilted the neck of his beer bottle in her direction. Anna grabbed her bottle and tapped it against his and then they each took a big sip. She was about to ask them who lived with who, when the bathroom door opened and Kristoff stepped into the main room with a towel wrapped around his waist.

“I’m borrowing some of your clothes,” he said to Sven, and disappeared into the bedroom on the right.

After a long moment of staring after him, Anna let out a rather long and shaky breath. She wasn’t prepared to see a damp, half-naked Kristoff, and she was taken completely off guard. Heat flooded through her as she thought about being with him again, the picture a lot clearer now that she’d seen him in only a towel. He was more muscle defined than even she had imagined.

Cooper laughed. “Same, Anna. Same.”

“Yup,” Buck agreed. “I’m straight as they come, but even my jaw dropped to the floor first time I saw Kris’s naked ass. Only I got the view without the towel.” He grinned and winked at her.

Anna’s face was on fire and she knew she was turning bright red. She was hot and bothered, and now embarrassed to be caught ogling him again. He was just so damn hot! It wasn’t fair.

“He’s gonna feel that fight tomorrow,” Sven said, looking concerned. “Got a lot of bruising forming around his ribs already.”

Buck and Coop nodded and Anna felt embarrassed again that she hadn’t even noticed the bruising on his body. She’d been too captivated by everything else, not to mention some seriously dirty thoughts that had immediately blossomed in her brain.

Then Kristoff came out of the bedroom in a t-shirt that was a size too small and a pair of jeans without a belt. He was toweling off his hair as he walked towards the table. He threw the damp towel on the back of the couch as he passed, then grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat slowly in the vacant seat beside Anna, wincing a little as he did so.

Anna surveyed his face as the guys started talking about a plan to make sure those assholes didn’t come back to their town. Aside from the minor scrapes, his bottom lip looked swollen and sore where it was split, and thankfully the gash on his brow wasn’t as big as Anna had initially thought it was. Aside from the black eye, he didn’t look too worse for wear, which was amazing considering he’d been fighting five guys at once at one point.

The conversation soon turned to Anna and she told the men about her decision to move out of the big city and some of the other details of her life. Then she asked them about growing up in the small town and they all regaled her with plenty of amusing stories about what life was like for them.

The beers turned into shots which turned into whiskeys for the guys and back to sipping beer for Anna with plenty of water in between. She was getting pretty tipsy and could absolutely not handle much of the hard stuff.

They talked and laughed and Anna was having tons of fun even though it was getting late. Sure, the cowboys were a little crass, and there were plenty of curse words flying around, but nothing they said was mean or offensive which was very unlike how her ex and his friends used to talk. The funny stories the cowboys told were everything. Anna couldn’t remember a time her sides had been so sore from laughing.

And the amorous way Kristoff was looking at her all evening, had her practically salivating. The more he looked at her with that lop-sided smile and those hooded eyes, the more she really wanted to know what it was like to be with him.

Buck had just finished telling them all an embarrassing story about Coop’s first day on the ranch, when Kristoff excused himself to the bathroom. As soon as the door shut, Sven leaned over to her, eyes glassy and happy. “He sings you know. Like an angel.”

“Really?” Anna asked in a hushed tone over the juicy secret Sven told her.

“Says Sven,” Cooper piped up. “Aint’ no one else ever hear Kris sing.”

“I’ve known him my whole life, that’s how I know,” Sven said to the kid. He turned back to Anna. “I’m serious. The man has an incredible voice.”

“I’d love to hear it sometime.”

“Hear what?” Kristoff asked, coming back to the table.

“The set of pipes you got on you.” Sven grinned at him.

Kristoff gave Sven and angry stare. “You promised to keep that to yourself, you dick.”

Sven snorted. “I told everyone.”

“It’s true then?” Coop asked. “You can sing, Kris?”

“No,” Kristoff said, and sat down with another wince. A smile was pulling at his lips. “He’s lying.”

“That’s what we all thought until you just confirmed it.” Buck laughed.

“I’d really love to hear you sing,” Anna said, getting a round of agreement from everyone else at the table.

“It ain’t happening tonight, that’s for sure.” Kristoff took a sip of whiskey. “I need to be much more liquored up and we got work tomorrow.”

“You mean in a couple of hours,” Buck pointed out. “That’s why I’m turning in.” He stood and took his hat from where it sat on the table with most of the others and put it on his head. He grabbed the front edge and tipped it to Anna. “Nice to meet you, young lady.”

Coop was the next one to drop out. Apparently, he shared a house with Davy, Buck was in one by himself, and Sven was in one, leaving Kristoff – by his own choice – staying in a cabin that was built over a hundred years ago down by a creek on the other side of the ranch.

Anna was curious to see it, but Kristoff had already accepted Sven’s invitation to sleep on the couch because he was graciously letting Anna sleep in the other bedroom. Not to mention it was too far to walk and Kristoff was too drunk to drive, even if it was on a quad.

The three of them talked on for a bit then agreed to have one more beer and head to bed. Kristoff got up to get them despite Anna already standing to do it.

“Need to stand for a spell,” he said, getting up with a grimace and going over to the fridge. He passed her and Sven a beer, then went back to the kitchen counter and leaned back against it.

Sven gave Anna a quick look as Kristoff tipped his bottle back to take a sip. He winked at her then turned back to his friend. “Let’s see those bruises, Kris. You don’t got any broken ribs, do ya?”

Kristoff gave Sven a scoffing smirk as he set his beer on the counter and reached down to yank the tight t-shirt off. Anna’s cheeks immediately flamed up again to see him without it. He did a slow turn, looking down at himself as her and Sven looked on.

“Shit,” Sven said, looking like he’d regretting asking, even if it had been for Anna’s benefit. The bruising was clearer now. “You took a lot of his to your back and sides.”

“Probably when I was choking out that dickhead,” Kristoff agreed. “Definitely no broken ribs though. Just bruised.”

“You’re not pissin’ blood are you? Couple of those look like kidney shots.”

Kristoff laughed and tugged the t-shirt back on. “Nah. None of them can hit hard enough for that. Hands are too soft from pushin’ paperwork and talkin’ out their asses sellin’ farm equipment all day.”

Sven looked angry about what had happened all over again. “You know what, Bro, you take tomorrow off. Me and the boys will pick up the slack. You’re gonna be hurtin’.”

“You know I’ve worked through worse than this.”

Anna noticed that Sven flicked her eyes to her to make a point to Kristoff. He said, “You covered for me when Dixie and I went celebrating our engagement a little too hard. You take tomorrow. And we’ll be back to bustin’ ass on Sunday.”

Kristoff’s eyes looked quickly to Anna and he grinned slowly. “Alright.”

*****

They went into the other bedroom to talk since Sven had turned in to bed. Kristoff had no intention of putting the moves on Anna, even if she was looking at him like she wanted to have her way with him. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would. Someday.

He was completely taken with her. The way she laughed, the way she talked, the way she moved… those fuck me eyes she’d been giving him all night. It was going to make work all the much harder waiting to take her on a proper date.

Anna sat on the edge of the bed and Kristoff took the chair that was in the corner. “So how liquored do you have to be to sing?” she asked.

“Very.” Kristoff chuckled. “I’m pretty shy about it.”

“How come?”

He shrugged. “Never really sang in front of people before.”

“Except Sven? He mentioned you grew up together.”

Kristoff smiled. “Yeah, we did. I used to sing quite often when it was just the two of us out on some chore. Then we got older and he started bugging me, trying to get me to go to open mic nights and stuff like that, and I just stopped. I only sing when I’m alone now.”

“Well, I really would love to hear you sing sometime.”

Looking down at his lap and smiling, he felt his cheeks heat even more, and it wasn’t the alcohol. “If anyone will get to hear me, I reckon it’ll be you.” He looked back up at her through his eyelashes.

Anna regarded him for a moment with an unreadable expression, then let out a very slow exhale and stood. He brought his head all the way up and watched her every move as she approached, looking up into her face as she stood over him and wondering what she was thinking. Then she put her hands on the side of his face and slowly bent her head down towards his, her intentions clear. He remained still, his eyes wide open until their lips were just a breath apart, and they closed.

He kissed her back, gently, respectfully, keeping it chaste and not moving his hands from there they lay on the armrests of the chair. When Anna pulled back, it took a moment for him to open his eyes. He’d never had such a beautiful kiss. It was so soft, his split lip didn’t even have anything to protest.

His head was swimming. “What was that for?” he whispered.

Anna shrugged, sitting back on the bed. “Just needed to know.”

“And?”

She gave him a soft smile and nodded slowly.

Kristoff nodded slowly back. “Alright then. I’m gonna turn in.” He stood and went to the door then turned back. “You have any interest in hangin’ out with me tomorrow?”

She stood. “Absolutely.”

He gave her a wide smile. “Have a good sleep.”

“You too.”

Kristoff nodded once and shut the door. He stood there a moment and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He wondered if this was how Sven felt when he met Dixie and they started hanging out. It felt fucking incredible. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d felt more alive.

He wandered over to the couch while he took off the t-shirt he’d borrowed from Sven and laid down, pulling the blanket off the back and covering himself up with it. He closed his eyes and sleep found him quickly, despite how much his mind was reeling.

---

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#Cee wrote this mess #Big Sky Ranch #kristanna #kristanna modern au #kristoff #anna #this chapter is a bit long but i didn't want to add a break to all that happens in it

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echotrinityme · 2 days ago

Text

A Grave Mistake (Henry, Rupert, and Co.) An Alternative scene to "Choose Me, Henry"

A/N: This is an alternative ending to "Choose Me, Henry." This ending takes place in chapter 16. I suggest you read it before you read this ending. If you're new to this, read the whole story first. Warning: character death (I won't say who) and blood.

He found one room full of computer screens and keyboards. He found Burt's communication room! He was happy but...where's Burt? He looked around to see Burt when he heard a gun cocking and a cold, metal feeling to his head.

"Hello, Stickmin." said a low cold menacing.

Henry recognized the voice, turned slightly, and saw a crazed Sven Svensson staring at him. "Hello, Svensson," Henry replied smoothly.

"You got some nerve coming here, Stickmin." Sven hissed acidly.

"Same to you," Henry answered angrily.

"Turn around."

Henry did as he was told. He turned around to see Sven fully. Henry could see Sven had bags, and he did not look great. He was wearing what he usually wears, but more regally. "You know," Sven started in his Swedish accent. You're supposed to stay dead."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Henry commented sarcastically. "It wasn't my idea. It was the Government's idea!"

"Cut the crap. Now that you're here, I get to kill you after waiting so long,"

"Hmm,"

Sven snarled as he started to pull the trigger, but someone came in before he could. Burt stepped into the room holding a gun, "Don't you dare, Sven." he stated his tone monotone with a hint of anger.

Sven shook his head as he sighed, he glanced at Burt in disappointment. "Really Burt? After all, I have done for you, you chose the traitor."

Burt growled in frustration as Henry stayed quiet, "I didn't choose the traitor, I chose him." he replied firmly. "You're the ones who are traitors."

Sven stared at Burt for a moment, then started laughing. "Heheheh... hahaha!" he chortled. "HAHAHAHA!"

Burt trembled in rage as Henry was confused, "What's so funny?!" Burt exclaimed.

Sven stopped laughing as he brought out files, "Are you sure you want to side with him?" he pointed to Henry. "To this...slut!"

Henry's eyes widened at the insult and so did Burt's, "What do you mean by that?" Burt snarled.

Sven threw the files over to Burt in response, Burt picked them up and started looking through them. His eyes widened even more as Sven continued. "While you were with us, Henry was being a whore. He was on a date with a captain!"

Henry started to feel anxious. When Burt was done reading the files, he dropped them and stared at Henry sharply. "Henry...what's going on?" he asked sharply, but Henry could tell Burt was seething.

"Um...uh...I..." Henry replied as he stuttered. He didn't have an explanation other than he thought no one would come for him.

Just then, Rupert came bursting into the room with his gun pointing at Burt and Sven. "Let him go you bastards!" he shouted.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear," Sven said as he smirked.

Burt and Rupert glared at each other while Sven still aimed his gun at Henry. "So you're the one who stole Henry from me," Burt said coldly.

"So what?" Rupert replied his tone ice cold.

"Uh...guys?" Henry said tentatively.

"Shut it, slut," Sven ordered.

"Don't call him that!" Rupert snapped.

"Alright, Henry." Burt said sharply, "You need to choose either me or this hedgehog here,"

Henry was now more anxious and confused.

The room was filled with tension, and everyone was on guard. Sven stared at Henry, Henry stared at Sven, Burt stared at Rupert, and Rupert stared at Burt. No one made a move. No one made a sound. The whole room was quiet, and the only sounds you could hear were everyone's heartbeats.

"Well, Henry?" Burt seethed, "What's it going to be?"

"Uh.... uh..." Henry replied anxiously. His anxiety was spiking, and he felt himself tremble. He didn't know what to do. It would be nice to have Burt again, but he didn't want to go to the clan that betrayed him and deal with a crazed Swedish person. Rupert would be a better choice, however, Henry was still hurt by Rupert's betrayal.

"I... don't know who to choose..." Henry murmured.

"Tick tock, slut," Sven butted in the conversation, "As you're trying to choose, my Toppat members are overthrowing your soldiers as we speak,"

"Oi fucker..." Rupert said lowly, "Call him slut one more time, your brain will be leaking lead by the time I get through to you,"

Sven chuckled darkly, making Rupert more angry.

"I don't know why you keep calling Henry a slut," Rupert growled, "What about your right-hand lady? I hear that she's into you and vice versa," Rupert smirked when he saw Sven's face become red, he continued, "Oh by the way... is it sleeping with the boss considered a bad thing and she will be considered a slut for sleeping her way to the top?"

Sven spluttered and aimed his gun at Rupert, "You... You... Don't talk about her like that!"

"Dont. Shoot. Him." Henry threatened Sven.

Henry's eyes started to glow as he held up his cybernetic arm and aimed it at Sven. Burt saw this action, and his eyes widened. He looked between Rupert and Henry several times and felt his heart break into a million pieces.

"So... you're choosing him after all the crap he had done to you," Burt said, tone void of emotion.

He aimed his gun and pulled the trigger.

Rupert saw the bullet aiming at him but didn't have time to react and was shot in the head.

He was killed instantly.

He collapsed on the floor with a bullet wound on his head and his blood was everywhere.

Henry was confused for a moment when he heard a gunshot, he glanced over where he heard the gunshot. His eyes widened in horror. He saw Burt pointing his gun at Rupert who was dead. He saw blood surrounding Rupert's head and blood coming from his mouth. He also saw Burt had a crazed look on his face, he was smiling too.

"What the hell?!" Henry thought then the situation hit him.

Burt Curtis killed Rupert Price in cold blood.

"Good job, Burt," Sven said while clapping, snapping Burt out of his stupor, "You got rid of the hedgehog,"

Burt blinked, "What?" he said, he glanced down at Rupert's corpse and he dropped the gun. He quickly looked at Sven and Henry and gulped.

Henry's eyes were glowing and tears were streaming down his face. Sven was smirking evilly, "This is why you're my third in command, Burt," he sneered.

"BURT CURTIS I HATE YOU WHAT YOU DID TO RUPERT!!!!" Henry roared, the hand turning into a sword, "I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!!"

He lunged toward Burt and stabbed him in the stomach. Burt screamed as hot tears started to blur his vision but Henry plunged his sword deeper into him. Burt coughed out blood, making land on Henry's face. Burt glanced at Henry, he was sobbing.

"H-Henry..." Burt reached out, he was in pain and felt his life ebbing away as he bled, "I-I-I'm s-sorry,"

Then he collasped on the sword and moved no more.

He was dead.

Henry stared at Burt's corpse with antipathy. Normally, he would have felt some kind of remorse but no... why should he feel remorse for someone who killed someone you started developing feelings for?

"Get off my sword," Henry said, tone void of emotions as he pushed Burt's corpse off his sword. Burt fell to the ground and Henry's sword became his hand. He stared at his hand, staring at the crimson substance that stained his hand. He stared at his hand for a moment then he heard someone trying to escape. He swung his head to find Sven trying to escape, his eyes glowed and stalked toward Sven.

Sven was scared. He saw Henry's eyes were glowing and he was about to scream when Henry was right in front him. Henry grabbed him by the throat and lift him up. Sven was struggling against Henry, he was trying to fight but Henry started squeezing his neck.

Henry watched how Sven struggled to breathe, he brought Sven up to his face and his eyes glowed with malice and hatred.

"You are finished, Sven Svensson," Henry snarled, "The Toppat Clan is finished... now join Right Hand Man and Reginald Copperbottom in Hell where you guys belong,"

Henry didn't wait for a reply when he squeezed Sven's neck, he squeezed his neck until he heard a crack and saw Sven stopped moving. He dropped Sven's corpse and head toward Rupert's corpse's. He lift Rupert's head and started sobbing. Rupert's eyes were opened and his facial expression before he died was he looked suprised. Henry gently closed his eyes, he started to sob quietly while holding Rupert's body close to him.

"Hey, Sven we need to leave now!" Carol Cross, Sven's right hand lady, shouted. She ran where to Sven's last location and when she got there she gasped in horror.

She saw Sven's and Burt's corpses. She also saw Henry holding something that was a body. She covered her mouth and was about to cry when Henry quietly put Rupert down and headed toward Carol.

Carol sobbed for a moment then she wiped her tears, she had an angry expression on her face. She gasped in shock when she saw Henry in front of her, he had an emotionless expression on his face. She was about to attack him when she felt his hands around her neck. She struggled as he lift her up and his eyes glowed with hatred.

"Goodbye Carol Cross," Henry replied coldly, as he squeezed Carol's neck, "Go join Sven in Hell,"

Carol struggled till Henry heard a familar crack then she went limp.

Henry dropped Carol's corpse and collasped to the floor. He started sobbing uncontrollably, he covered his eyes as he kept crying. He stood up, still sobbing as he walked over to Rupert's dead body. He held him in his arms and kissed Rupert's cold, dead lips.

Charles, Dave, and Victoria headed toward Henry's and Rupert's location when they haven't heard from them in a while.

"We got to make sure they're okay!" Dave exclaimed.

"Especially Henry!" Charles added frantically.

"Come on, guys!" Victoria shouted, "This way!"

They got to the place where they last heard of Henry and Rupert. They gasped in shock and horror when they saw the state of the room. They saw three Toppat clan members' corpses and Henry holding a body. Dave slowly went to Henry and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Hen?" Dave said gently, "Are you okay? What are you hold-"

He paused when he saw Henry holding Rupert's body. He then noticed blood and a gunshot wound in Rupert's head.

"H-H-Henry..." Dave's lips quivered as his vision started to blur with wetness. Charles and Victoria quickly ran up to them and they finally saw Henry holding Rupert's corpse.

Victoria put a hand to her mouth as she choked up a sob and Charles clenched his fists as he started sobbing. Henry ceased his sobbing as the trio were surrounding him and his eyes were blank. Everyone around him was sobbing and he had to face reality.

The Toppat clan was gone and everyone was either was arrested or was dead. He got his wish. He got revenge of the Toppat clan that betrayed him. He should feel happy but he doesn't. He felt numb.

He lost everything and lost the people that he cared the most.

A/N: Here's the angst that nobody asked for.

#thsc #henry stickmin #thehenrystickmincollection #rupert price #thsc henry stickmin #thsc rupert price #charles calvin #thsc charles calvin #thsc sven svensson #sven svensson #thsc burt curtis #burt curtis #victoria grit #thsc victoria grit #thsc dave panpa #dave panpa #post revenged timeline #revenged timeline

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