#sorry for my soap box moment but i feel strongly about this shit

[atinylittlepain]

I can’t begin to explain how beautiful and wonderful every chapter of your series is. I seriously cry everytime from the goosebumps I get for your writing😭

just out of curiosity, do you study literature perhaps?❤️❤️

aw thank you so much, dear non <3

so im in my fourth year of undegrad rn and i came to college with the full intent to be a creative writing major but i HATED it i found the classes useless and pretentious and ended up falling in love with psych instead lol nowadays im a psych and english double major (already had the credits figured i should see it thru lmao)

what i am is an obsessive and aggressive reader - that's what i like to do in my free time and i feel like this advice gets passed around so much but for there to be output (writing) there's gotta be input (reading) - i truly believe the more you read, more variety more styles more genres etc - the better writer you become

thank you again for reading, it was a pleasure sharing that story with you :)

[thedevillionaire]

Invasive Species

~3,000 words of my supernatural soap opera, Demonics Office edition. If you’ve read my fics before, you’ve met Cerberus and Kia already. Other Underworldians briefly appearing or mentioned here: Therion, Demonics Understudy - sort of the same thing as vice president, Crisis (Therion’s BFF, another Demon), Winter (Crisis’s bonded, Sorceress), and Belladonna (Therion’s bonded, Vampire). And of course, any questions, about anything, please do ask.

 ---

Heading home from the evening’s soiree more than a little later than intended, they’d only decided to take the detour to the Demonics Office last minute, Cerberus reasoning that collecting the necessary documents and notes for the introductory expedition he was directing in two nights’ time might as well be done now rather than waiting until tomorrow. It should be late enough that they wouldn’t be interrupting anything, anyway. They should, in fact, have pretty much the entire department to themselves at this hour – although it was a general truism that if any department was likely to have activity occurring at unorthodox hours, Demonics would be the one. He hoped for the best nonetheless, casually willing a few of the firebrands lining the walls aflame as he and Kia passed by.

Kia nodded towards the Office door upon their arrival. “It’s definitely unoccupied?” she checked again. “I mean, since you’re not expected in tonight at all and… Well, you know. Cat’s away, mice will play, all that.”

“Are you suggesting my Office could be the site of something…in flagrante?” Cerberus chuckled darkly.

“Oh, absolutely, babe. I’m just intending for it to be us.” She gave him a playful smile. “You know. Rather than walking in on it.”

“I’m not sure Therion’s a particularly likely candidate for that sort of thing,” said Cerberus, though he knocked lightly twice before opening the door anyway. “Or at least, if he is, he’s been careful enough to have never been caught.”

He stood aside for Kia to enter before him, and she paused, smirking. “Is that out of chivalry, hon, or are you just hoping that if someone is fucking on your furniture that I’m the one who gets to be the main witness so you won’t have to try to unsee it every time you come in here afterwards for the rest of eternity?”

Laughing, Cerberus kissed her lightly on the top of her head. “I’d not considered it to that degree, but now that you mention it, I hope you’ll forgive me for thinking that’s actually rather a good idea.” He smiled, half-bowed and waved her through.

Kia looked back at him in light-hearted reproach as she entered. “One day I’ll learn to shut up, you know.”

Cerberus closed the door behind them. “Oh, darkling, I very much hope that you don’t.” He paused for a moment, frowning slightly at a subtle, unusual scent that he couldn’t quite place, before disregarding it and following his bonded inside.

Kia semi-leapt with melodramatic abandon onto the couch, lay back and threw her arms wide. “Look! Completely fuck-free!” She grinned wickedly as Cerberus laughed again, and sat up, crossing her legs in a deliberate parody of primness. “Okay, okay, so remind me – what are you actually doing tomorrow or whenever?”

“First year Take direction. Standard introductory procedure. More necessary than interesting, unfortunately,” replied Cerberus, walking over to his desk and searching for the related papers he could have sworn he’d left here specifically, noting also that that wasn’t the only thing that seemed to be out of position or incorrectly placed or…flat out missing. Hmm. The carafe of cognac he kept there was also a significant degree emptier than it ought to be, too. “Something has definitely gone on here tonight,” he said, rubbing his nose absently against a faint but obstinate itch. “There’s been some…sort…” He broke off as the itch became abruptly definite, sneezing. “Hm. Pardon me.”

“Bless you!”

“Thank you, love,” Cerberus said vaguely, distracted by both the absence of the documents he needed and the disturbingly insistent tickle which seemed to have grown in intensity rather than to be at all relieved. He rubbed his nose again. “Why is nothing where it’s supposed to be?” he asked rhetorically, annoyed. “It’s not like it needed to…” he began, but soon lost his thoughts to other concerns. “Oh, excuse m… hh…” Breaking off again, he took a tissue from the box on the table, sneezing into it. “HuhTSCHuu!” He apologised and wiped his nose.

“Mmm, bless, babe.” Kia wandered across the room to meet him, pushing a few books aside to create enough space for her to sit on the desk, facing Cerberus and giving him a soft, suggestive smile as she curled an arm around his waist, the other behind his neck, through his hair. “You know…you could put off the document search for a little while, if you like,” she murmured, kissing him deeply and Mindsending a teasing, sultry :and do someone else instead.:

The rush of desire racing through Cerberus momentarily eclipsing all else, he returned her kiss with a promise Kia could feel, and she purred with pleasure as he drew her closer to him, wrapping one leg around his, feeling him covet her, and all she wanted was more. But it seemed like the fates had other ideas, as Cerberus found himself suddenly, unavoidably torn from the moment. His breath caught and he turned from her in haste, not able to do otherwise.

”HhTSSCHUU! Ah…ahTSCHUU! What the h…hh-AHTSSCHU!” He glanced back at Kia briefly, his brow creased in confusion and his eyes watering, before he had no choice but to surrender again as the need to sneeze again overtook him. “Hhh-hh-TSCHUU! Gods! Pardon me.” Sniffling wetly, he claimed several more tissues, the relentless irritation burning sinus-deep. “W-what…what the hell is…” Another hitch in his breath and he looked at the ceiling, attempting to settle the rapid, shaky inhalations but to no avail and he sneezed again, powerful and demanding. “Huh-ahhHEHTSSCHuu!”

“Oh, bless you! Are you alright?” Kia looked at her bonded in a mixture of concern and captivation, even as she thought to herself that he was clearly not alright and that it was fairly pointless to ask. “I mean, you’re not coming down with something, right? You seemed fine earlier…”

Cerberus, genuinely confounded, gave a brief shake of his head in answer and tried, not successfully, to steady his breathing against the compulsive, overwhelming prickle that simply refused to back down. “No, I…” He sniffled sharply and pressed the back of his hand firmly against his nose. “I…I’m not sick,” he said. “I have no…no idea wh… hhh-TSSCHUU! tshHUU! S-sorry, lov… ah-hh-MMPchh! Ugh.” He winced from the discomfort of stifling, a desperate measure he rarely resorted to, and wiped watering eyes. “Oh, my gods.” Taking yet more tissues, vaporising the used ones in a flash of Combust, he blew his nose and murmured another apology.

Kia leapt neatly down from the desk and half motioned, half physically directed Cerberus to take a seat, which he did, and she moved to stand behind him. “Okay. So, then, in that case…” She smoothed some disordered hair back from his face and kissed the top of his head. “What are you allergic to, hon?”

Cerberus shook his head once more. “Nothi…ii-AHHtchuu! hhtCHUU!” He had no chance of preventing the two rapid sneezes which took him completely without warning, and he blinked rapidly, wiping his eyes again, then his nose, both of which seemed to have no intention of stopping their near constant streaming now. “Nothing th…that I-I… Ah-TSSCH-uu!” He groaned, sniffling uselessly. “Ah, gods, excuse me. Nothing that I can think of, nothing that would…hh-HH…” Focus dissolving unstoppable, he sniffled several times more, uselessly, no respite or relief afforded, hurriedly claimed another few tissues, and sneezed again. “AHH-TSCHUU! Fuck!”

“Bless you, sweetheart.” Kia cast her gaze around the room, considering potential options and not recognising any viable ones. She gently neatened her bonded’s hair and rubbed his shoulders as he caught another convulsive sneeze in the tissues, and another immediately after that. “But maybe you need to think a little harder, okay?”

Other than the occasional reaction to dust, though – something he never let get out of hand in his immaculately kept Office – and of course unexpectedly or unsuitably cold temperatures and the like, again in this instance definitely not the case, Cerberus honestly couldn’t think of anything that could possibly be the cause of this.

“Gods, I-I don’t…” His breathing shaky, untrustworthy, he did his best to concentrate on something other than needing to sneeze and the fierce, unending, crawling itch that just. would. not. subside. “I have no idea. Nothing that should be in…in my Office, damn it,” he managed before an urgent, violent sneeze bent him double, leaving him gasping for breath. “AHHTSSCHHUU! Ugh. Honestly!” Scrubbing a rough hand under his nose, he sniffled strongly, looking back over his shoulder at Kia. He offered her a self-deprecating half smile, raising an eyebrow and giving a quick shake of his head. “I think I can see through time.”

Kia laughed. “Oh, hon. Well, I’m certainly not going to question your…many talents.” She stroked his hair and kissed him again, when her eye was caught by a salt-sketched pentacle on the floor of the ritual workings space in the furthest corner of the room, a small, lightly smouldering ceramic bowl at the pentacle’s apex northern tip, several unfamiliar symbols encircling it.

“Um…I’m no expert or anything, but isn’t that upside down for here?” She gently turned Cerberus’ attention towards it, pointing. “I mean, it’s not upside down but it should be, right? For Demonics.”

Cerberus followed Kia’s direction, finding focus difficult through reddened and watery eyes, but he nevertheless recognised a Sorcery cleansing set-up when he saw one. “What the…”

Before he could explore that thought further, though, the door opened suddenly.

Therion stopped dead in his tracks. Shit. He hadn’t planned on having to explain anything - just tidy up Crisis and Winter’s mess and leave again. “Uh…hey. I didn’t think you were coming in tonight,” he said, more than a little awkwardly. “I, um…” He indicated the pentacle. “That wasn’t me, man. But I am here to sort it…” A powerful sneeze from Cerberus interrupted him, and another following almost immediately.

Sniffling again, Cerberus cursed under his breath and tried to will himself to at least perhaps manage just a modicum of control, just for a moment, damn it, because he was fairly sure that any aura of authority and command, something that usually came so effortlessly to him and something he would very much like to have at least a semblance of right now, was going to be thoroughly undermined by this…ridiculous, unrelenting…sensation that he just...couldn’t… Gods, fuck… “Huh-TSCHHUU!”

Kia blessed him quietly, gave him a reassuring pat on his shoulder and another quick kiss, and left his side to head over to the ritual space, something having occurred to her. :Just a sec, babe: she Mindsent. :I’ll be right back.:

“Gesundheit,” said Therion. “You got a cold?”

Before Cerberus could offer any sort of denial – not that he was in any real state to do so anyway, his concentration primarily on trying not to sneeze again – Kia held up the ceramic bowl, thin tendrils of faintly scented smoke still curling from it. “Therion!” she called, displaying it. “What’s in this?”

“Um…well, it’s Winter’s work, so I’m not really sure. It won’t be anything too fancy, though – it’s just a basic cleansing Sorcery herbal concoction thing, so, um…probably mostly birchbark and…” Therion broke off abruptly, eyes widening in realisation. “Oh… Shit.” He didn’t bother to check anything further and instantly Sent the bowl to Winter’s house, Mindsending her a hurried :Sorry, sorry, I’ll explain later, can’t talk now, tell Crisis we’re probably in deep shit, sorry.:

“It’s… HMPTch!” Appalled, Cerberus stifled another sneeze and winced, sniffling sharply. “It’s what?!” He grabbed a fresh handful of tissues, wiped his eyes and blew his nose, and rounded on Therion in no uncertain terms. “Explain this. Quickly. Now.” His words, though congested, carried enough vehemence in their undertone that Kia, having crossed the room to stand with him again, put a calming hand on his arm to try and call him back from doing anything perhaps more extreme than was necessary.

Therion tried to think of a reasonable starting point. Fuck. “Um…”

“Quickly,” repeated Cerberus tersely, rubbing his nose firmly to try and suppress the irritation still bothering him despite the source having been removed. Damn stuff will have permeated practically everything in here. He sniffled again, emphatically, repeatedly, and pressed the back of his hand against his nose but couldn’t stop two more sneezes, rapid and forceful, and he swore in frustration. Kia softly blessed him again, and he Mindsent her an apology, thanked her between a series of sniffles, stroked her hair.

Exhaling heavily, Therion sent a silent entreaty to the fates to please let Cerberus remember that for the vast majority of the time, he hadn’t made any monumental fuck-ups and they actually worked together really well usually, and hoped against hope for the best. “Okay, um, well, me and Bel and Crisis and Winter were just having some after-shift drinks, and Winter has an advancement thing coming up that she wanted to do a practice invocation for and so me and Bel left her and Crisis here because it…seemed okay at the time, I don’t know, man, we’d been drinking, and I didn’t ask her what she was gonna be doing but how bad could it be, I mean, fuck, she’s only level 7, I told them to clean up before they left but they only did the desk or some shit because they were still drinking after we left and… I fuckin’ don’t know, man. And then I found out they hadn’t sorted the Sorcery ritual space shit and so I came back here to deal with that and…well, you know the rest of it.” He looked at Cerberus in trepidation. “I’m really fucking sorry, man.”

Cerberus cleared his throat, sniffled and blew his nose again, excusing himself with annoyance evident, and tried to steady his breathing, still somewhat erratic. “You will impress upon Crisis without question that the only reason he’s lived through this night is because it’s you telling him the following rather than me. If he or anyone else ever either performs or allows a Sorcery ritual to take place in the Demonics Office again, there will be no…no further warnings such as this one, and I…” He inhaled shakily, another rising itch threatening to derail him, but he pressed a firm hand against his nose in ironhard determination and managed to see it off, at least for the time being. “And I guarantee that repercussions will not be delivered with mercy.”

Therion nodded, chastened but relieved, given what other…significantly worse outcomes could have transpired, and agreed to do as tasked.

Cerberus paused a moment, considering. “And also, Therion? You will do whatever it takes to fumigate this place by tomorrow, and if you ever allow anything like this to occur again, your Understudy position is forfeit. Clear?”

Therion nodded again. “Crystal.”

With a short, sharp sniff, Cerberus pushed several wayward strands of ebony hair from his face and rubbed still-itchy eyes. “I have had entirely enough of tonight,” he said. “By tomorrow, Therion. Oh, and find out where the hell Crisis thought he should file my papers for the Take introduction two nights from now. Because it’s nowhere that makes a-any… Huh-TSCHH-uu! Goddamnit! *SNF!*” He pushed his hair back again, more roughly this time, his tolerance for this nonsense absolutely done. “Any fucking sense.”

He sighed, recentering himself somewhat as he shifted his attention from Therion to Kia, and wrapped an arm around his bonded’s waist, kissing her on the top of her head. “Shall we?” he asked, indicating the door. :I can’t believe I actually would have preferred to walk in on couch sex.:

Kia burst out laughing, shaking her head and reining in her laughter to a degree as Therion looked at her in curiosity. “Nothing,” she said, “nothing.”

Cerberus gave her a wry, knowing smile, claimed a few more tissues, and they left the Office without further ado, Kia stopping him as soon as they were out the door.

“Okay, so, why didn’t you mention birchbark when I asked you about allergies?” She raised her eyebrows at him archly. “Because Therion obviously knew about it.”

“Well, I’m hardly ever in contact with it.” Cerberus wasn’t even sure he’d remembered its existence at the time he’d been asked, anyway. “It’s not used in Demonics, and I’m never involved in cleansing invocations. Ridiculous things, really. I have encountered it in the Sorcery department before, some time ago – though that is probably why Therion recognised it, I suppose.” He looked at Kia in vaguely perplexed apology. “It’s just…I’ve never really thought of it as an allergy. Yes, sometimes it makes me sneeze, but…”

“Sometimes?!” Kia gave him a look of incredulity. “Babe.”

Cerberus chuckled, low and dark, sniffling again. “Alright, I do realise how that sounds, love, but I’ve never—” A catch of breath, brow creased anew, and a momentary pause. “—never had that level of exposure before and… ah-HH…” He inhaled deeply as the burning tickle returned with fresh, demanding insistence. “HAHTSCHH-uu! *SNF!* Gods! Honestly.” He sniffled again, sighed and wiped his nose. “Sorry, love. Pardon me.”

“Bless you, sweetheart. Nice timing.” With a gentle laugh and softvisceral thrill, Kia embraced him. “Tell you what,” she said seductively, trailing a manicured fingernail down his arm and giving him a warm, inviting grin. “If you Teleport us home, I’ll get you out of these clothes and into a hot shower.”

She stood on tiptoe, curled a hand through his hair, kissed him with unmissable promise. :And some hot company.:

 ----

[thiswasinevitableid]

Til Death?

This one is gonna be a bit angsty at the beginning, but I promise it will all turn out okay.

Prompt for the 10th was: ““The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?“-Poe

The color is gone from Indrid Colds feathers. 

Some of this is age; feathers fade much as hair does. But there is another reason, one that can be found in the empty house he is moving through, in the deep, painful gap in the air beside him. 

Duck Newton is gone.

All things being equal, he could not have asked for a better passing for the man he loved. He spent his last days still lucid, surrounded by those who loved him, and nearly everyone from Kepler (and many from Sylvain) came to say their goodbyes. There was no monster, no painful end or violent death. He simply closed his eyes, his hand in Indrids, and did not open them again. 

Indrid had seen it coming, but any attempt to steel himself for it was useless in the face of it felt int he moment. Knowing loss, even of those he cared for, throughout his life did nothing to prepare him for the way his heart hollowed when Duck stopped breathing. 

Their friends are doing their best to care for him; Barclay and Stern bring him food, Aubrey and Dani comfort him (their children do as well). But they must go on with their own lives, as must he. 

But here, only two days after the funeral, he is a ghost in his own home. He takes his glasses off, as if the bulk and feathers of his Sylph form can insulate him from his loss. 

He sits down on the bed, tired to his bones, to his soul. But he can’t turn around, can’t lay down. He can’t look at the empty space that will be next to him. 

For a moment his mind conjures the feeling of warm, gentle fingers on his wing, the way Duck would stroke them when Indrid was upset. 

He stands up again, goes to closet and kneels down to retrieve an old shoe-box. Opens it to find a half-bar of soap, and a nearly empty bottle of aftershave, and a well-loved green scarf. He knows one day he will have to get rid of them, he will have to move on. Right now he inhales deeply, gathers the scarf into his hands and holds it to his face. Duck is all around him then, the familiar smells and texture, along with a breath of air against his cheek, tricking his brain into believing that when he opens his eyes, the man he loves will be there looking back at him. 

Lowering the scarf into his lap, he struggles to collect himself. He is so very tired of crying, of being wrung dry from the inside out and still feeling as though there is a bottomless well of sorrow in his chest. 

Something flickers in his vision. Then it solidifies into a shape, a man.

Oh heaven, Sylvain, and anything else that feels like it, help him, his mind is trying to convince him that Duck is there, kneeling in front of him. The air in the room is trying to deceive that it’s Duck’s hand brushing his fingers. 

“Hey, darlin.” 

Indrid crawls backwards, shocked. 

“Sorry, didn’t mean to spook you.” Duck grins at the double meaning.

“This isn’t possible, I’m losing my mind.”

“Ain’t possible? Indrid, you’re a mothman, one of our friends was literally a god-planet for awhile, and we know at least one other ghost. Don’t seem all that strange that I could be a ghost too.”

“I, I suppose you’re right.” 

Duck smiles at him patiently, “You ain’t convinced, are you?”

Indrid shakes his head, “I saw it as a future but wrote it off as wishful thinking. Also, you look like you did when we first met. Which suggests this is my mind playing a trick rather than you truly being here.”

Duck shrugs, “Can’t say why I look like this. Just that after it all went quiet I was kinda in this, I dunno, in-betweenish space. And I knew if I went one way I could just keep bein still and peaceful. If I went the other, I’d come back here. To you. Wasn’t sure what that entailed, but it felt like the right choice.”

He’s got that look on his face, the reassuring one he had whenever Indrid got caught up in worrisome visions. Indrid’s certain his face looks as confused as he feels. 

“I’m, I’m sorry, I know I should be overjoyed but it’s so, I haven’t even accepted, and now-”

“Ain’t gotta apologize.” Duck reaches out. This time, when his hand makes contact with Indrids wing, he feels the touch as fully as he ever did. 

His body moves on muscle memory, embracing Duck.

He only succeeds in hugging himself, arms passing through the figure before him.

“That’s, that’s not fair. You can touch me but I, I’ll never get to hold you again, all I wanted was just, for one last time-” His words cut off into a heartbroken chirr, antenna limp and face buried in his hands.

“Oh darlin no, hey, don’t cry. Or, uh, cry if you need to but not about that.” Duck is trying to take his hands, though he keeps slipping through them.

“Damn ghost-magic-shit, work with me here.” Duck mutters and it’s so utterly normal, so like his husband to grumble at an unhelpful tool that Indrid laughs, tears still streaming down his face.

“There’s that smile. Thought I’d never see it again.” Duck manages to materialize his hands strongly enough to brush Indrids cheek, “see, far as I can tell, the longer I hang around the better I get at doin this” this time a hand closes around his, “took me two damn days to get good enough for you to see me. And I only just now figured out how to touch you so that you’d feel it. Think bein able to be touched  for any amount of time might take a hell of a lot more practice.”

“You mean you’re staying?” Indrid dares to let soft hope creep into his voice.

Duck nods. 

“For how long?”

“Ain’t sure. I don’t seem able to get back into that inbetween space, so I guess I’m here for awhile. That okay with you?” The frown is one of genuine worry, as if he’s afraid he overstepped. 

“Okay? Duck it’s, it’s the best thing I could ever imagine. I thought I’d I never see you again, let alone have you beside me once more.” The words are choked with joy.

Duck manages to hold his hand long enough to help him up, though his husband floats rather than stands next to him.

“You know, Sylvain has all sorts of information on ghostly matters, and Earth has quite a bit as well. I’m certain we can find ways for you to materialize more, and see if you can move locations, and-”

“Tomorrow, darlin. We can start on that all tomorrow if you want, but right now you look like you’re about to pass out.”

The full weight of Indrids exhaustion settles on him. 

“When did you last sleep?”

“The night before the funeral. With the help of a sleep spell from Aubrey.”

“Right, you’re gettin in bed pronto.” 

And then he disappears. Indrid chirrs, alarmed.

“Don’t fret darlin, still here, guess I need to recharge a bit before I can be visible again.” Ducks voice answers from nearby, and a moment later the bed covers flip open on Indrids side, the mattress patted by an invisible hand.

He sits down and his glasses float towards him.

“You wanna sleep with these, or all mothed-out?”

It might be easier to feel Duck if he’s not covered in fluff. He takes the glasses, slips them on.  Slides under the sheets, trying to track Duck by the slight chill that moves through the air. Soon he’s on his side, staring at Ducks spot on the bed, and quite certain Duck is looking back at him. 

“I don’t want to sleep.” He whispers, “What if I wake up and you’re gone again. I’m quite certain I could not handle that.”

“Well, magic eight ball, what do you see when you look at tomorrow?” 

He focuses on the chain of futures for the next day. There is not a single one in which a ghostly Duck isn’t floating about their house. 

“Hush, now, darlin, no more cryin tonight.” A finger he can’t see wipes tears from his cheeks. 

“I’d like the record to state those were tears of joy this time.” He yawns, hears a faint chuckle. 

“Goodnight, Indrid.”

“Goodnight, my love.”

He falls  half-asleep quickly, tosses and turns as he always does when visions clamor for his attention. Then, sometime during the night, strong, loving, arms close around him, and he sleeps straight until dawn.

[numberfivefinn]

who: @numberfivefinn​ & @krt-hmml

what: kurt pays finn an unexpected overnight visit after the big fight with rachel.

where: finn’s bachelor apartment

when: wednesday august 23rd (i think)

triggers: none 

KURT had left the apartment so quickly he hadn't even packed a change of clothes or his moisturizer, let alone a proper overnight bag. He didn't even take his keys. All he had on him was his wallet and his cell phone. While he had no specific plans on where he would go when he left, there was really only one option. Finn was the only one in their friend group who didn't live with either Jesse or Rachel, and he was Kurt's family so he had to take Kurt in. The smaller boy knocked on Finn's door and, as Finn answered, he realized he couldn't really explain why he was there. "Hey, what's up? Are you free tonight?"

FINN had just settled in his couch after a long day at work, a Dr. Pepper in one hand and the Apple TV remote in the other, scrolling through streaming services to find something to watch. He eventually landed on something he'd watched before, only because he was feeling his eyelids getting heavy and he didn't want to miss anything in case he fell asleep. With one foot rested on the table (a habit he gained after having to constantly elevate his injured knee), he leaned back in his seat, ready to chill for the rest of the night. Just when he put the remote down, he heard a knock, much to his surprise as he wasn't expecting anyone. He got up, opening the door that revealed Kurt behind it. "Hey brother. I am now," he half-joked, but he knew with himself that he definitely did not have plans. "I was just relaxing. Long day at work. Why this surprise visit?"

"Good!" KURT exclaimed before inviting himself into Finn's place. His back to his brother, he allowed his smile to falter for a brief second as Finn asked why he was here. As he turned to look at him, his expression was back in place. "Because we're going to officially be brothers soon! With the wedding coming up, I thought it would be good to spend some quality time together"

FINN closed the door behind his new company, settling himself back into the couch and patting the spot next to him for Kurt to sit. "That's cool of you to think about that, Kurt. I appreciate that," he said sincerely, the corner of his mouth tweaking up into his signature smile. "Things still busy at Vogue.com?"

KURT kind of felt bad that Finn was so happy about quality time, as it wasn't his primary motivation for the visit. But it was certainly a happy unintended consequence - a silver lining to the shit St. Berry had caused. He closed the door and sat down next to Finn. "Incredibly busy. I'm going to miss it when I resign, but I'm sure my fashion career will keep me incredibly busy."

You're always so good at what you do, so I'm sure you'll be awesome taking the next step as well," FINN nodded, lowering the TV volume down so it wasn't interfering with their conversation. "Can I get you anything to drink? Or snack on?"

"Thanks, that's very kind of you." KURT couldn't help the slight blush and smile that reached his face. He glanced at the TV, not really interested in whatever Finn was watching but perfectly content to have it on in the background. "Just water, please."

“Alright, water coming up,” FINN confirmed, getting up from his seat to get some water from the fridge. He came back with a glass of water and a bowl of cashews as he was feeling snackish himself. “So, did you wanna do something or talk about something?”26 August 2020

KURT watched Finn go into the kitchen, letting the expression fall off his face for a moment. But when Finn turned around and headed back to the couch, Kurt's mask was back on his face. He took the water, drinking a little bit of it as Finn asked him. "What were you watching?" Kurt asked, glancing back at the TV.

“Oh, this?” FINN asked, pointing at the TV. “Westworld. It’s pretty sick. I’ve seen it all before though so it doesn’t matter that I’m not paying much attention.” He shrugged, stuffing a few cashews in his mouth. “Have you seen it?”

KURT shook his head, he had not seen it. "It's the one about the virtual reality park, right? I've heard good things about it." Kurt's phone went off and, despite all the drama, he looked at it without a second thought. Surely, Jesse and Rachel weren't dumb enough to text him so soon after what had just happened. Except they were, or at least Jesse was. Kurt sighed at his phone and frowned

“Yeah, basically. They make robots who are as human as humans can be, so the people who go to that park don’t even notice the difference. And people go batshit crazy, killing and screwing people left and right,” FINN described with a soft laugh. He trailed off seeing Kurt’s phone go off and the reaction his brother had to whatever he saw on it, starting to grow worried for him. “What’s wrong, Kurt?”

"Hm? Oh, nothing. Just-" KURT was going to say fashion world drama, but he didn't want to lie. So he decided to downplay what really happened instead. "Rachel and I got into a dumb fight this afternoon. Nothing to worry about." He smiled back at his brother. "So, anyways, this sounds like a show Sam would like. Maybe him and I will start watching it soon"

FINN blinked in confusion and shock. Him fighting with Rachel too? What was going on? And why couldn’t he understand it? “What do you mean a fight? What’s going on?”

KURT hesitated. He couldn't tell Finn, because it wasn't his place to do so. Eventually he shook his jead. "I can't say much, it's Rachel's business. But she's been kind of awful to me lately and I called her out on it and it spiraled from there."

FINN knew Rachel had her mean moments, but they usually stemmed from her being dramatic or feeling strongly about something. “I’m sorry, bro. That doesn’t sound like fun. I know she’s your best friend.”

"We've had fights before and I know we'll be okay in a few weeks. But this isn't like other fights and I'm.....not sure..." KURT sighed again, not willing to say that he felt like they couldn't recover from this one, or that he felt like he was losing his best friend. His facade was long gone, and now he just looked sad and defeated. "I think even after everything calms down, it's going to be different between us."

FINN inched closer to his brother-to-be, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder for emotional support. “It’s really that bad?” He couldn’t even imagine what it could be, and without insight from either side, it was difficult to provide advice. “It probably feels like that now, but like you said, it’ll be okay again in a few weeks. You just both gotta take some time to cool down and talk again, and you’re gonna find out it was all a misunderstanding or something.”

KURT didnt stop Finn from putting a hand on his shoulder, but he also knew he had to be careful so Finn couldn't see his texts with Jesse. "It's not a misunderstanding." Kurt said, his voice so low it was nearly a whisper. "Things can still be okay if they're different, though. That's more the thought process I was going with here"

“I hope so. For your sake,” FINN comforted, squeezing Kurt’s shoulder lightly. “Are you talking to Rachel right now?”

"No, Jesse." KURT admitted. "Rachel and I fought in my living room, and Jesse was home so he heard all of it." That was technically true

"Oh," FINN uttered, pursing his lips into a pout. "How do you feel though? About being in this fight with Rachel?"

"Awful." KURT blurted out, then got another text from Jesse. He was in tears before he finished reading it. "God, sorry. I....hate crying. This is all so stupidly dramatic"

FINN got a little uncomfortable as Kurt started shedding tears, always unable to react naturally when someone in front of him cried. "Hey," he began as he wrapped his arm tightly around his younger brother. "It's all gonna work out. This is just temporary. I know it." Was he just repeating himself at this point? He wasn't sure what to say or do to make things better, but watching Kurt this upset was quite frankly upsetting him too. "Hey. The bakery across the street is still open for another hour. You want be to grab you some cheesecake?"

As Finn held him, KURT leaned into his brother and started crying harder. He didn't react to what Finn said....he knew Finn was trying to help while not understanding what was happening and he appreciated that. The Finn continued and Kurt's tears stopped briefly. "....Cheesecake?" He asked in a tone that confirmed he did in fact want some.

FINN let Kurt cry it out a little, knowing there wasn't much he could really do. Bottling up emotions were definitely not good either, something he had far too much experience with - hence the many chairs broken in his hands. His eyes perked up a little when Kurt got quiet, taking that as a green light on the cheesecake. "I'll be right back, then." He rubbed Kurt's arm gently before swooping out of his hold, grabbing his keys and wallet before heading out. "Help yourself to more water or whatever's in the fridge if you feel like it. I think I have some diet soda if you want that as well. And go wild on the Apple TV - I have pretty much anything."

KURT nodded at Finn's instructions. "Thanks." He responded, still crying but not as heavily. Once Finn left, he found Friday Night Lights on Netflix. It was a total soap opera, but he hoped Finn would appreciate the football aspect of it.

After facing a difficult decision of how many slices to bring, FINN finally came back from the bakery with a bag in his hand. "I wasn't sure how much you wanted, so I got four slices. Two original and two strawberry. I'll eat whatever you won't or give it away to my neighbor tomorrow," he stated, laying out the boxed slices on the coffee table in front of the couch. He proceeded to go to the kitchen for some spoons and forks, not really sure what one ate cheesecake with. "Enjoy." He took a seat himself, looking up at the TV. "What did you end up watching?"

When Finn got back, KURT was cuddled under a blanket. It was clear he had been crying, due to more texts with Jesse. He paused the episode, which he was only a few minutes into, as Finn set the cheesecakes down. He picked up a strawberry slice and took the fork from Finn. "Thank you" He wasn't as upset now, but he was still sad. "Friday Night Lights. I thought you would appreciate the football element of the show. It's like the OC meets sports"

"Oh cool. What's the OC?" FINN wasn't very caught up in the TV world, but he tried to be as cultured as he could, especially because he had met his fair share of actors during his career who his PR team had wildly encouraged him to photograph with, despite his lack of knowledge of who they actually were.

KURT "Youve never heard of the OC? It's a drama that takes place in Orange County, California. It focuses on four rich teenagers, its a total prime time soap opera!"

"Oh, is that the show with Rachel Bilson? She's hot," FINN realized, and it totally wasn't because she was a short brunette with the initials RB. "I never watched it."

"Yes, she's in that. With Adam Brody, and Mischa Barton and....oh my god, I'm blanking on his name - that guy who starred in Gotham." KURT left Netflix and went into Hulu, pulling up the OC. "You have to watch an episode of it with me"

"Yeah, that guy," FINN said pointing his finger, kind of connecting the dots because he had actually seen Gotham. "Whoa, this is like, old. At least older than I thought it was."

KURT "Yeah! I remember being in elementary school when it was on. Dad was usually too tired to monitor my TV viewing habits back then."

“Did he ever have the energy to monitor your TV habits?” FINN joked, letting out a quick laugh. “I remember that Mischa girl being really popular among the guys in middle school, though. I was busy playing football and playing video games so I didn’t watch a lot of TV.”27 August 2020

"Not really, no." The OC had started airing just a couple months before KURT's mom had died, though, so Burt's energy levels were even lower than usual at the time. But Kurt decided to keep that detail to himself, because he was already sad enough tonight without mentioning the immediate time after his mom's death. "I was a bit preoccupied, myself. I know she was partying with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie a lot, though."28 August 2020

“Whoa, really? Didn’t know she was that type,” FINN claimed. Not that he really paid attention to what celebrities were doing when he was 13. He took a sip of his soda, leaning back in his seat as he continued watching. “Did you like the cake?”

"I dont think she's that type anymore. There were a lot of mental health issues with her around that time." KURT explained, then looked up at Finn as he mentioned the cheesecake. "Yes, thank you" he smiled a little. "Uhm, would it be okay if I stayed here tonight? I realize Rachel's leaving for her show soon but I dont want to run into her before work tomorrow."

"Huh," FINN uttered, not too actively engaged with the topic. "I have to admit that I don't always know the best way to comfort someone, but you always order cheesecake when we go out for dinner," he admitted. He wasn't always the best observer nor was he good at paying attention to details; a flaw he wasn't quite proud of. It was definitely something he had to work on during his relationship with Rachel, so he always hoped he didn't mess up with the things he at least thought he knew. "Of course. The guest room is open for you. I just gotta clean out some stuff from there first."

"Oh, no. You've been great. With the cheesecake and a place to sleep and letting me gush about the OC. I really appreciate it, Finn" KURT turned the episode off, because he knew Finn wasn't really watching it. "You don't have to clean anything out, just as long as i can get to the bed"

“You sure? It’s kinda messy in there because it’s been unused for a while,” FINN stated, but shrugged since he didn’t seem to mind. “I’m gonna hit the hay. See you in the morning?” He grabbed the cheesecake that was left, putting it in the fridge and doing a quick, lazy clean-up of whatever was left out in the living room. “Oh, clean sheets should be in the closet in the guest room. I’m sure you’ll find it.”1 September 2020

"See you in the morning." KURT repeated in response, watching Finn put the cheesecake away. He nodded at the explanation on where to find the sheets. "Thank you, Finn" He added before disappearing into the spare room

FINN turned off all the lights before heading to his own room for the night. Something about having someone in the apartment made him feel less alone, and for the first time in a while, he went to bed feeling a little bit less lonely.