#the fucking headache i had to be able to upload this

[beulf]

hiiii im rewatching mtl and remembering how good skwistok is so take this redraw doodle :3

[jamminvroomvroom]

stress.

ln x fem!reader

finally finally finally uploading this! returning from my fic hiatus with some good old fashioned lando smut. feedback is always much appreciated! love you guys, thanks for being here <3 (pls tell me if the format is weird)

in which lando is stressed and so are you.

warnings: 18+!! smut, language, lando being an annoying little bitch, sliiiightly inappropriate workplace relationship, tiny bit of angst

1.7k words

he’d barely spoken since he’d jumped out of the car, helmet shoved at the first person he saw. his fingers worked through his sweat dampened curls, sheer frustration coursing clearly through his veins. they’d failed him, yet again.

your eyebrows were furrowed, the tension in your face conveying your deepest sympathy to him. it only angered him further. you gulped.

lando didn’t look at you again.

-

you trailed behind him awkwardly, every step he took seemed to shake with rage. he’d strutted from interview to interview, hardly biting his tongue. your warning eyes did nothing to soothe the sting of his words, he wasn’t even checking himself, just spitting sarcasm, his own personal venom.

you were quietly seething yourself by the time you made it into the hotel lobby, huffing as he continued to ignore you. the way your heart ached for him did little to ease your growing anger. you caught him as he ducked into the elevator while you were speaking to the woman at the front desk, trying to lose you. you snapped. you apologetically excused yourself, darting across the floor and into the metal box, the closing doors jolting back open.

“where the hell do you think you’re going?”

“don’t want to talk to you.”

“oh, for fuck sake, lando. are you five years old? we let you leave the track but we still need to debrief. you have duties.”

“yeah well, the team has a duty towards me, too.” he sneered.

“don’t you dare take it out on me. i didn’t build that tractor.” you bit back, pointing your finger at him.

he looked down at you, smirking, perhaps at your offhand comment. he looked evil, you couldn’t think of a better word. you felt hot, face red. working with him was, more often than not, headache inducing, especially lately.

“maybe i want to take it out on you.” his voice had dropped an octave, sultry, nostalgic.

your mouth was dry, lips parted. you felt like gasping for air, thighs clenching at his suggestion.

you swore this wouldn’t happen again. oh well.

you closed the gap, sighing in defeat, lips against his. he smiled, victorious in something, finally. you hated the hold he had on you. he was warm, familiar, hands at home on your waist. he pulled away to nip at your neck, bruising you deliciously. you swatted his arm in annoyance.

“knew you wouldn’t be able to resist after last time.” he taunted. if your eyes weren’t squeezed tightly shut, you would have rolled them.

the elevator dinged, and you were stumbling out, poorly composed. the lighting was dim, dim enough that he thought he could sneak a hand on your waist. you slapped him, hard this time. he laughed.

-

lando seemed to have cheered up the second you’d dropped to your knees at the end of his bed. one of his hands was wound in your hair, tugging harder every time your tongue ran over the vein that made his eyes roll back. he was panting, his neck flexing every time he threw his head back. you could feel yourself getting wetter and wetter each time he did, his tanned skin dampened with sweat, torso on display, muscles rippling.

just when you thought he was nearing the edge, he yanked you off of him, your balance momentarily lost as he pulled you off your knees on the carpet. lando steadied you in the narrow gap between his legs, glazed over eyes staring up at you, lustful and wanting. he kept his stoney eyes on yours, pupils blown as he ripped each garment of clothing off your body until you were bare, your flushed skin pressed to his. you seemed to prefer each other this way, naked, no talking.

you swallowed hard as you caught sight of your mclaren polo, crumpled on the floor, your mind suddenly riddled with the image of you being fired. as quickly as the anxiety inducing mirage arrived, it was gone, replaced by bright white nothing as you felt his lips hit the soft skin of your stomach. his curls tickled the underside of your breasts, one of your hands threading through the messy strands. you pulled his head back, leaning down to kiss him urgently, his hands finding the backs of your thighs. you were on top of him before you could even process it, your back against the mattress even quicker.

you remembered the last time, the frantic tearing at each other’s clothes, the blurriness, the way his giant hands seemed at home in all the places he touched you. the way your eyes rolled back and your toes curled and the way your name tore from the back of his throat. it had been carnal and desperate and a long time coming. so good, that you’d almost decided it was worth the risk to do it again.

your attention turned back to him as his hands grabbed at your hips, grinding you into him while he pressed open mouthed kisses over your neck, his teeth grazing your sweet spot. you let out a breathy moan, your body moving with his.

“you don’t know how much i’ve missed this. think about that night all the time.” he whispered. “this body, your pretty little noises, god. so perfect for me.” his breath fanned over your neck, your back arching.

“lando, please.” you whimpered, uncaringly desperate for him. he laughed, low.

“i know, pretty girl, i know.”

you were a mess beneath him as soon as his fingers found your core. you could feel him smile against your skin, taking a break from the bruises he was leaving against your neck. presumably he’d felt how much you needed him, your pussy slick. lando ran his fingers through your folds, finding your clit, teasing it between his fingers. you whined, writhing, thighs snapping shut to trap his hand.

lando pulled away, forcing your legs apart once more, snaking down your body until he rested between your thighs. his grip was iron-clad, unrelenting. your eyes rolled back the second he leant in, his tongue meeting your clit just as his fingers glided inside of you. he moved quickly, hard, the sound of your wetness doing nothing to shame you, and everything to get you both even needier.

“you like it like this, don’t you?” he taunted, as his fingers hit that spot your legs kicking out from the pleasure. you couldn’t respond, hearing him snicker quietly. it made you flushed, almost embarrassed to be so vulnerable underneath him, but it felt too good to care.

“please.” you cried out once more, no shame in your desperation.

he pulled away, crawling up your body painfully slowly, the kisses peppered across your abdomen making you shake.

“do you think about that night too? bet you’ve been waiting for this just as much as i have.” he whispered, hovering over you. “god, every time i see you at the track or in the factory, bossing me around like you run the place, i just want to bend you over and remind you who you think of at night.”

you blushed, hard, you lip caught beneath your teeth as he inched inside of you, teasing you further.

“come on, lando.” you groaned, wrapping your legs around him, pulling him deep.

you both moaned, ecstasy, stress relief.

“oh, so that’s how you wanna play it?” he asked, grinning down at you. the smirk painted on your face was wiped away instantly by his immediately unrelenting pace.

he was harsh, filthy, taking it all out on you. one of his hands dug into your thigh, keeping you in place, reminding you who was making you feel so good. the other hung loosely around your neck like a piece of expensive jewellery, making sure you kept your eyes open. the look on his face, that lazy, devious smirk, was enough incentive to keep you transfixed on his face, his eyes gleaming, the dark rings around them framing his intense stare.

just as you were nearing your end, he pulled out, flipping you onto your stomach like you were nothing. he forced you onto your elbows, back arched, ass up, your face lost to the pillows. a haze washed over you, bright white nothingness clouding your vision as he went even deeper. your mouth fell open, your silent scream burrowing into the comforter as you lost yourself, your orgasm beginning to wash over you.

lando felt you let go, pulling you up until you were on your knees in front of him, your back to his chest, the angle change making you whimper into the warm air of the hotel room. he held you still, his hand snaking around you until he found your clit, prolonging your orgasm, your body shaking against his.

you both collapsed into a heap, his sweaty body covering yours. you could feel his curls tickling your shoulder, his heavy breath fanning sending shivers down your spine. an open mouthed kiss to your shoulder blade had your eyes shooting open, your stomach twisting. it was soft, intimate, the opposite of how you usually spent your time together.

this was not like last time.

you needed to leave, urgently, escape before things got worse, weirder, even more unprofessional. it was stress relief, a way of releasing all of the pent up tension your jobs created between the pair of you.

you assumed he’d be happy to see the back of you, now that you were done with what you came here to do. you were proven wrong when he rolled off of you, pulling the duvet over your knackered body.

a complete silence fell between you as he switched off the bedside lamp, rolling over onto his side, facing you. he seemed pensive, like he was trying to decide what to say. and then, finally, he spoke.

“i appreciate you, you know?” he said softly, quietly into the pitch black space between you.

you smiled, thankful for the darkness surrounding you. you knew you’d gone red at his admission. your heart may have skipped a beat; you were probably just tired, you told yourself.

“see? i knew you weren’t a total asshole.” you murmured, back to teasing him. it was the safe option. you kicked yourself immediately. you’d just had sex with him, what good was playing it safe?

“you love it.” you could practically hear the smirk on his face.

“go to sleep, norris.”

-

thank you for reading! <3

-

taglist

@boysthatgovroomvroom @thegirlinthefandoms @welld0nebaku @mcmuppet @japanesekel @vinvantae @ggaslyp1 @dr3lover @smiithys  @turningxstrange @rachstash @infinitebells @multilovebot @fizzpopsnap101 @gaily19 @icecoldtires @mysticalnightenthusiast @thatchickwiththecamera @oyesmendes @disneydaydreameralways @yeolsbubbles @canyouseethesainz @ferrarifwendvale @fcbformulaeri @tony-stank3 @maih23 @nokiaholland @soleilgrec @carolineworld @anthonykatebridgerton @allywthsr @iamasimpingh0e @ophcelia @lovelynikol16 @coffeehurricanes @jennx03 @organasith @micks-afterglow @blueflorals @juno-1610 @lqvesoph @wilmasvensson @sidcrosbyspuck @better-dead-than-smeg @buendiabebeta @h0e-xoxo @mattxxamryli @pjofics @kovalcin @wintergilmore3

(some tags aren’t working - let me know if you want to be added to the list! <3)

[churchstopsurgeryscars]

Literally nobody asked for it but here's a sneak peak into Red vs Blue: Redux, my rewrite of RvB. I'm hoping to upload the first chapter by the end of this month.

Church sighed and returned to watching the reds stand in a square and jabber on about who knows what. Just like he had done every single recon patrol for the last three weeks. It was like they were physically incapable of doing anything interesting. If he were closer he could at least listen in, but from here all he had was their halfhearted gestures. At least the pink one was pretty expressive with his hand movements.

“What are they doing now?”

“I’m going to give you ten seconds to answer that question for yourself. And if you can’t figure out the answer, I am going to shove the scope of this rifle so far up your ass I’ll be able to figure out where your fucking brain went.”

Tucker stood up, throwing his hands in the air, “Well if you’re just going to be an asshole about it, then I’m going back to base. I was just trying to make some conversation.”

“Fine! This’ll be so much easier without you in my ear anyway.” Church said, slumping his shoulders as he pressed his eye against the scope.

With a sigh of relief, he could finally watch the reds in peace. He watched as the maroon and orange one led the pink one back into the base. As they disappeared inside, the red one, the sergeant, went back to looking at their new vehicle. Church watched in confusion as the red team leader stood in front of the car and gestured occasionally.

Is...Is he talking to the car? Church thought as he tilted his head in confusion.

As the sargent walked toward the vehicle, giving it a loving, sensual pet on the hood, Church dropped the view finder from his eye. Whatever was going to happen next was nothing he wanted to see. With a sigh, he turned to watch as Tucker returned to the base before standing up to follow him.

Church made his way down the slope, watching his feet as he walked. He might as well get ready for the supply drop. They should be arriving any minute now. Not to mention the fact they were going to be getting new recruits and he didn’t trust Tucker to give them a proper introduction. Heaven forbid one of them is a girl; Church just knew his teammate wouldn’t be able to keep it in his pants. Besides, if he wanted to be the leader, he needed to act like one.

He cursed Captain Flowers for up and dying on them, forcing him to take over and be in charge. Church didn’t have the slightest clue what he was doing, and now he was responsible for making sure himself and the others stayed alive. At the very least Command could give him a promotion to make all the headache worth it. But no, all they decided to do was give them two new people to even the teams.

A sonic boom took him out of his thoughts and turned his eyes to the sky. Church watched as the ship landed beside the base, steadying himself against the gust of air that threatened to bowl him over.

Before him and Tucker could even exchange a glance, the bay door was open and a small crew was pouring out to unload supplies. Pushing past the men carrying crates, Church started hunting for the new recruits.

When he entered the belly of the ship, he saw two people in armor sitting beside each other and giggling. He raised an eyebrow in confusion as he realized one of them was in yellow armor. That must be some sort of mistake.

“Are you two Private Grif and Caboose?” Church asked hesitantly.

“That's us!” The yellow-clad recruit chirped, “Are you the Captain?”

Church pressed his lips together as he shifted from one foot to the other, “I'm the one in charge.”

Seemingly not noticing his non-answer, the one in blue stood up and held out his hand, “Nice to meet you! I'm Private Michael Caboose!”

It took everything in Church to not gasp in surprise. Caboose was massive! He was nearly seven feet tall and was by no means skinny. The new recruit could probably break Church in half if he really wanted to. He swallowed before giving his hand a quick shake, gritting his teeth in pain as Caboose nearly broke every bone in his hand with his grip.

As Church began to massage his hand, he turned to the other recruit, “That means you must be Private Grif.”

“Sure am! I'm excited to be here!” She said with a chipper tone.

��Me too!” Caboose chimed in.

Church looked between the two recruits with trepidation. At the very least these two had a much better attitude than Tucker, but they did not seem at all prepared for the reality of war. How could anyone be excited to get shot at?

“Well… How about we go meet the rest of the team?” Church suggested, unsure how to proceed.

The two nodded eagerly before following him out of the ship. Tucker was waiting at the end of the ramp, watching the three of them. Church really hoped this went well. He felt like he was introducing two overly excited puppies to his cat with an attitude problem.

[dvzaiosamu]

just a rushed oneshot about osamu dazai, once again. This one is about how he was never happy; nothing could fill more his heart, for he will live forever in the solitude. But he has you, he does, but for him, it doesn't feel enough. Dazai x fem.reader. This has two parts.

tw: suicide, self-harm mentions, depression, not mentally stable, sensitive topics, blood mentions, ect...

song recommendation: the lobotomy by maebi and old doll, mad father.

parts: 1/2

note: In fact, I already had the oneshot for this post done... but, when I wanted to schedule its publication, an error occurred and everything I did was deleted, leaving only what you are going to read below. I literally cried :( I hate my fucking luck. I'm tired now so I won't be able to upload the second part, I'll upload it one day when I feel motivated.

A night with a single moon, a strangely bright starry night. There have never been as many stars as there are today, or at least not as visible as the ones he glimpsed. His heart gave small muffled beats, an audible sigh as he stared at his already fired gun. On the ground lay the body of a weakness that did nothing, was only pierced by a bullet in that dark street full of dangers where he, Osami Dazai called himself the boss of the dangers of those streets, a mere attempt to disconnect from his intrusive thoughts.

He knew better than anyone what was going through his mind; Thought after thought, tiredness once it was over and tired of life, a strangulating stone blocking his throat, a pain and suffering that this world housed him. How was he going to die? He tried and failed, he didn't succeed. In a weak attempt he rubs his forehead, trying to get rid of the headache... Thoughts or headache? Headache or thoughts? Not even he knew it. He was overwhelmed by the burden of living.

In the darkness he continued to find himself, a pool of blood was created in front, obscured by the poor lighting. He couldn't care less about the life of a citizen. He tried to hide it, drown out his thoughts by killing. He thought that if he killed he would be happier, that at least it would be a distraction to get rid of everything. It wasn't like that.

Darkness took over this night, giving it an eerie appearance. Osamu used to love nights like this, when he most enjoyed scaring and then shooting his victims without any remorse, without mercy. He was a cruel murderer.

On the other side you were, considerably far from the young man. You were at your house, a house shared by you and Dazai. It was spacious and quite cozy: it had simple windows that were covered at night by lowering the blinds, for the sole reason that people could clearly see what was going on inside. It was itself a two-story, two-bathroom, three-bedroom house with its own amenities, space, and beds. One of the rooms was yours, the other was Osamu's, and the third was guests'. On that same floor (upstairs) was one of the bathrooms, with all kinds of luxuries, but minimalist in its own way. On the ground floor was the living room with its respective large and long sofa accompanied by a rug, television, shelves for books on one side, some furniture to store things and that's it. Then you had the kitchen and dining room where you were currently, preparing today's dinner, eagerly waiting for your partner to show him another wonderful dish that you decided to prepare.

You finished cooking and preparing a copious table, and you waited, waited and watched the clock tick, with its sound memorized in your brain that repeated like a broken record: tick tock, tick tock...

He always came around the time you finished cooking and getting everything ready for a cozy night in for Dazai after hard work in the mafia. You were worried that something had happened to him, that maybe Mori had detained him a little longer until he finished his missions or that he had simply forgotten that you made him dinner every time he wasn't home, it frustrated you at an end that he had forgotten, but then it quickly melted into worry, you didn't know what to believe and you were confused.

"Why does he takes so long to arrive? It's been over half an hour now and I have no calls, texts or messages from him." The question stood out and resonated in your head: why? Why did it take so long? You sighed and let time move forward. "Guess I'm just going to call him."

Moving your hand to your pants pocket, you grab your phone, tap its screen, and deftly enter your phone's password. Biting your lip repeatedly, you nervously reach his profile and press the call button.

The phone vibrates as you wait for Dazai to answer on the other line, a characteristic sound as you wait impatiently: vzzzzzt. You wait a few minutes and the wait ends with a message: ‘Osamu has not responded.’ Your condition worsens and you press the ‘call again’ button. This time you will finally be able to witness how the young mafioso accepts the call. "Hello Dazai, are you okay? How are you?"

A short two-second pause, overwhelmingly giving off a bad vibe. "I'm fine, what do you need?"

"I just wanted to know where you are. I made dinner and you were nowhere to be found, and look, that's the time you always show up. Something happened?"

"You see... Maybe I dallied on the way home, but you don't have to be so desperate, I'm already on my way, it won't be far away," He explains to you on the other end of the phone, with a carefree voice, still maintaining his soft but icy tone. In the background you can hear his footsteps stepping on the asphalt.

"Well, I guess I'll wait until you get there... Take care, I love you," You hang up the call with a sigh.

Back to Dazai, the youthful mafioso, crude and indifferent. He was walking through some very dimly lit streets. The crickets sing while there is a silence so unusual that it seems pleasant to the ear. There was no wind or noisy people talking on those same streets, there was just him. He was alone.

On the way home, he repeatedly thinks about jumping off an icy water bridge he was passing over. He didn't know what else to do, he wanted to die but without pain, he wanted to die but without losing close ones and friends, he wanted to die but find a reason to live. There were only knots in his mind, he was tired. He thought about committing suicide once and for all with his gun, drinking poison on purpose... So many ways to die and so few possibilities of achieving it.

*sigh*

[the-wolf-who-writes]

Zorua!Desmond AU Part 2

The first thing that told Clay something was wrong with the “timeline”, as he called it, was when his Porygon-Z glitched.

It did that occasionally for no reason at all. After it evolved when Clay was taken from Animus Island to “monitor the Tree”, Clay noticed some odd behaviors in his Pokémon partner. Such as it would glitch or even vanish for a few seconds before reappearing completely normal.

His companion wasn’t like any other Porygon-Z’s Clay had studied back in school. It had golden circuitry running around its body that Clay privately guessed had something to do with the Isu. Maybe it had been an experiment or something? Clay could only guess.

But he often attributed the weirdness down to “Isu bullshit” and left it at that. He had to watch a bunch of possible timelines end in catastrophe anyways, why would he have to spend more computer-brain power on weird shit his Pokémon did?

Not that he didn’t care for his Pokémon partner. He did. He was just a busy computer man trapped in a gray room for the rest of his existence.

Trainer Clay, I believe there is a glitch in the current timeline that might have something to do with Subject 17, Desmond Miles.

Clay’s head turned so quickly he would have gotten whiplash if he were still in his human body. His Porygon-Z talking in his head wasn’t a new thing. The mention of Seventeen though…

“Copy-paste and upload it through the Isu database to the Tree. Scan it for Desmond’s location.” Clay ordered, reaching out and placing his palm on the Tree’s trunk to quickly access the information.

Affirmative. Upload complete.

December 21st, Desmond Miles sacrificed himself to use the Eye to prevent the solar flare from frying Earth. A split second before he should have died, a glitch happened and the Eye responded to-

“This can’t be right.” Clay muttered. “It says the code was rewritten with a new program.”

New program accessed:

DO NOT LET DESMOND BE ALONE

connected to

AUDITORE FAMILY LINE

EZIO AUDITORE: linked to

PETRUCCO AUDITORE

Program applied:

2012 ERROR

1473 ACCEPTED

Eye activated

Program accepted

Rerouting power into TIME TRAVEL MODE

Combining human-Isu-Pokémon DNA

Combination successful

Program complete

Thank you for using Isu Interfaces

The information overload passed in a blink. Clay staggered back, gripping his head. “How the fuck did that give me a headache?”

Clay’s partner gave its best impression of a shrug. Clay just shook his head. Isu tech was an anomaly and every time he thought he finally understood it…

It did something weird like turn Seventeen into a Pokémon and throw him back in time. Well at least he was with the Auditore family. It could be worse.

Clay quickly located the branch of the timeline Desmond had been thrown into. He watched Ezio find a… bunch of static? Clay squinted and tried to go back farther in the timeline. He found he couldn’t go earlier then Ezio approaching a closed-off alleyway in Firenze and scooping a bunch of static into his arms, talking softly to it.

1473, only three years before the betrayal of the Auditore men. Clay’s gaze darkened as he watched Ezio bring the static to his little brother and flashes of the months ahead popped into his mind.

Petrucco hauled away with Federico and Giovanni, the static hidden inside of a false passageway that led from Petrucco’s room to Maria Auditore’s gardens. Maria and Claudia were also taken by the guards because they had gone out to buy some berries for the static.

“Hey Malware, are you able to make out the identity of that static?” Clay croaked. His non-existent heart pounded in his chest.

Running diagnostics.

The Anomaly in the Timeline is none other than Desmond Sneak, subject 17-B. Variant: Zorua, Hisuian. Dual type: Normal-Ghost. Current moveset-

“Stop.”

Clay watched as Desmond emerged from the hidden passageway and sniffed the air. The human-turned-Pokémon jumped onto Petrucco’s bed and let out a cry. He circled on the bed and laid down.

Clay cut the timeline connection to let Desmond mourn in peace.

[allmoshnobrain]

𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

part 18 of ? | masterpost

word count: 3287 | ao3 link | fic's playlist

His words hit me like a punch in the stomach. I knew Dave wouldn't like the idea of me reconnecting with Cliff, James, and Lars. But I didn't expect him to be so shaken by it. Dave, who had always been kind to me, who had protected me from everything and everyone, was now staring at me like I'd double-crossed him. Actually, it was worse – like he was straight-up disgusted by me.

✦ summary: Amid the hustle and bustle of life in Los Angeles, Nore finds herself torn between her loyalty and love for Dave and the longing she feels for her old life in San Francisco and her friends.

✦ on this chapter: dave mustaine x female!oc, oc is cliff's cousin, +18, language, slice of life, romance, fluff, angst

✦ a/n: Hello! It took me a while to post this new chapter, I haven't been able to keep a consistent posting schedule lately because I've been real busy but here it is! Apparently Ao3 is down again, so I haven't posted this one there yet, but I will upload the fic there as soon as it's back! A lot happens in this part so I hope you guys like it, feedbacks are always welcome ❤

Life with Dave had settled into a comfortable rhythm, even amidst the constant energy of our bohemian neighborhood. It was eye-opening how my interactions with the boys, particularly Dave, had shaped me since the start of the year. I was taken aback by the reflection in the mirror, where a more mature version of myself stared back; I had chopped off my hair after my birthday, trading long locks for a shoulder-length cut.

The shyness that had accompanied my arrival in San Francisco had been replaced by a quiet resolve. The parties in Los Angeles were far more chaotic than what I was used to, and I quickly needed to adjust myself to the new scene. Despite my denial, I found myself drinking more than ever before and soon started carrying a pocketknife with me wherever I went. Not that I needed to use it, anyway; everyone knew that Dave would be more than ready to pick a fight with anyone who dared to bother me.

Dave's whole idea of jumpstarting a new band wasn't exactly going according to plan. He'd rounded up some friends to jam with since he got back to California, but things hadn't really moved past that point. Plus, they were still on the hunt for a bassist. But all of this was about to change.

I woke up one Monday to this crazy loud music blasting. I squinted, puzzled, as I glanced around and realized I was alone in bed. I scrunched up my face, feeling a throbbing headache creep in — Dave and I had knocked back way more drinks than we should've the day before, so I could tell a killer hangover was looming.

"What. The. FUCK!" I heard Dave's voice shout from the living room. Scrunching up my brows, I dragged myself up to see what the commotion was all about. And then it hit me: the racket I was hearing was some bass guitar being played at full blast. It took me a sec, but I finally caught on to the tune — it was the bassline from "Running With the Devil" by Van Halen.

"Dave, what's the deal?" I managed to say, my voice thick with sleepiness. I noticed him standing by the living room window, his face all riled up. He turned my way, the annoyance softening as his eyes met mine.

"And now the asshole woke up my girl too," he muttered, disgruntled, making his way over to me. He pulled me into a hug, planting kisses on my cheeks and then on my lips, prompting a small chuckle from me. "Hey. Sorry about that. Our new neighbor is a real jerk."

"They're definitely making a statement with that volume," I mumbled, still half in dreamland, my headache not improving with the noise. "Ever thought about just closing the window?" 

"I've got a different plan," he said, dropping his voice a notch, easing his grip before stepping back. He picked up an empty beer bottle from the table, and I raised an eyebrow as he leaned against the windowsill, giving the bottle a solid toss towards the window below. "Shut the hell up, already!"

Miraculously, this time, the noise actually stopped. Dave looked at me, letting out a sheepish laugh. I bit my lip, trying to stifle my laughter.

"Damn, Dave. I hope they don't come up here to beat you up."

"They can try," he answered, his laughter low and warm, his arm finding its way around my waist as he planted a kiss on my cheek. "Let's just get back to sleeping."

I didn't bother when he guided me to bed, and we laid down; it was still pretty early. I was almost drifting off to sleep again when a knock on the door disrupted the calm. I opened my eyes, giving a frustrated groan, and Dave mumbled as he got up to answer. 

"Hey, know where we can grab smokes?" a guy's voice came from outside. 

"There's a store on the corner," Dave replied shortly before closing the door with a thud. He returned to bed soon after, pulling me close in a tight embrace, his face nuzzling my neck. 

He had barely settled when there was another knock on the door. 

"Fuck off!" he muttered, annoyed, yanking a pillow to cover his head. I got up to answer the door, my headache intensifying, my patience wearing thin.

“Oh, hey,” I was met with a grin from a tall boy, around my age. He had brown hair and was rocking a Kiss t-shirt under a worn leather jacket. His buddy, dressed in a similar style, watched with interest. “Can I talk with your... uh, boyfriend?” 

“Uh, he's…” I was gonna say that Dave was sleeping, but he beat me to it. He swung the door open and glared at the two guys, not hiding his annoyance. 

“What do you jerks need?” 

“Hey,” the guy greeted, not seeming bothered by Dave's standoffish vibe. “So, you old enough to score us some beer?”

I glanced at Dave and caught a hint of a smirk on his face. He still looked annoyed, but the boy's persistence seemed to impress him a bit. 

“Well,” Dave said. “You're growing on me, kid. Gimme a sec.”

He snagged his leather jacket, wallet, and keys, giving me a quick goodbye before heading out with the guys. I sighed, pretty sure sleep wasn't coming back to me, and decided to get changed and freshen up.

They rolled back in a while later, arms loaded with crates of beer. Turned out the boy's name was also David — Ellefson — and his friend went by Greg. David was a bit younger than me, and he was the one who had been playing bass at full volume in the morning. Funny thing, Dave seemed to have dropped his earlier annoyance. Actually, as they got talking, it was clear they were getting along really well.

I split for work a few hours later, leaving them chatting and drinking. When I got back home that night, I found Dave more pumped than I'd seen him in ages. He hadn't paid much attention to Greg, but I could tell he had really clicked with David.

"Thinking of roping him into the band," he told me, grin wide. "He's cool, and damn good on that bass. I think this might be it."

I grinned back and agreed. Back then, I had no clue about what lay ahead. No idea this was the inception of Megadeth, the big project that'd define Dave's future. I was just happy to finally see things going well for him. And to finally see him making some new friends — that's exactly what he needed right then.

A few days later, I was fixing up something for lunch before heading to work when my phone rang.

"Hey there, Nore," Cliff's voice chimed in when I picked up, and I raised my eyebrows in surprise. We hadn't talked since my birthday, even though I'd catch up with what they were doing through Leanne once in a blue moon.

"Hey, Cliff. What's up? Why the sudden call?"

"Oh, thanks for the warm welcome," he retorted with a hint of sarcasm. "Can't a cousin catch up anymore?"

A faint blush spread across my cheeks. 

"My bad. Of course, you can," I said, secretly relieved that Dave wasn't around. He hadn't exactly been very happy lately when Lars, Cliff, and James were brought up.

“Relax,” he answered, in his usual laid back way. “Actually, I've got an invite for you. We're on tour, and we're swinging back to San Francisco…” 

“Hold up a sec, what?” I cut in. “You're on tour? What about the album?” 

“Album's out already.” 

“And no one bothered to clue me in.” 

“Figured you already got the memo.” 

“How would I, if you didn't bother giving me one?” I frowned, a bit ticked off. Cliff let out a sigh. 

“Fine, my bad. Look, money's been a bit tight, so I couldn't exactly ring you up all the time. But we've got a gig in San Francisco next Saturday. Wanted to see if you'd wanna come.”

I chewed on my lip, pausing for a moment. Of course, I totally wanted to go. Despite the whole mess with the guys after Dave got kicked out, I couldn't deny they were still my friends. More than that – Cliff was family, and it'd been weeks since we saw each other. LA was a whirlwind, but it sure got lonesome at times. But I didn't want to upset Dave about this. Something told me he wouldn't exactly cheer if I said I wanted to hit up a Metallica gig right now.

“Cliff, I'm not sure,” I said. “It's just… Dave…”

“Screw Dave, Nore. You worry too much about him,” he shot back, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "And seriously, everyone's been missing you. Please?”

I sighed. I knew I might get into trouble for this, but how bad could it be? It was just a concert, after all.

"Okay, fine, I'm in. But only 'cause I've been missing you guys," I caved. "So where's this gig gonna happen?"

"At The Stone. Lea's gonna be there too, you can crash at her place if you need."

"I'll hit her up later. Catch you at the gig then?"

"Count on it."

“Missed you,” I mumbled before he hung up, and he chuckled.

“Yeah, me too.”

“Geez, Nore! You look like hell.” 

I squinted at Pat, trying to stifle a yawn as I met her blue gaze. Patricia, my co-worker, was the spawn of Roger Anderson, the boss at my new job in a downtown LA record store. She was a bit younger than me, and we clicked fast after realizing we were both crazy about pretty much the same bands. Thanks to work, we'd become good friends over the past two months. 

“Hey there, Pat,” I dumped my bag behind the counter. It was early afternoon and I'd just walked in for my shift, but I couldn't wait to get back home; that night had been a difficult one. “Mornin' to you too.”

“Good morning,” Pat greeted, giving me a curious look. “Rough night?” 

“Yeah, kinda... a lot on my mind,” I mumbled, seizing the quiet moment with no customers to leaf through a Kerrang! magazine lying on the counter. 

“Is this about your boyfriend again? You're always worried about him,” she quipped, heading to the small kitchen in the back. I let out a soft chuckle. “Here you go,” she plunked a coffee mug down in front of me. I closed my eyes for a second, inhaling the rich scent rising from the freshly brewed drink. “To help you wake up.” 

“Thanks,” I yawned, taking a sip. She grinned, snagging a chair beside me behind the counter, flipping open the magazine as well.

"He's like, so handsome," Pat swooned, her tone dreamy. I peered above my coffee mug at the magazine she was flipping through; her attention was glued to photos of the Thin Lizzy guitarist. "Think I stand a chance?" 

"To find out, you'd need to actually meet the guy," I chuckled. She grumbled, faceplanting onto her crossed arms, then shot me a look with her bright blue eyes. 

"So, what's with the insomnia?" she asked. I let out a sigh. 

"It's just... You remember Dave was in the same band as my cousin, right?" 

"Yeah, and then they booted him out and you got super pissed," she pointed out. I gave a soft chuckle. 

"Yeah, that. But now they're coming back to California, and my cousin invited me to catch their next gig. I wanna go, but..." 

"You haven't dropped the news on Dave yet?" 

I shook my head, thoughtful, draining the last of my coffee.

"He took everything really hard," I mumbled, my voice low. "I'm not even sure if he'll be cool with me wanting to go." 

"But you do wanna go, right?" she questioned, stretching her arms before picking up my now-empty mug. "I mean, from what you've shared, you and your cousin are super tight. You shouldn't ditch seeing him just because of your boyfriend. You gotta talk it out with Dave, he'll get it."

I absentmindedly nodded, letting out a sigh. Pat was hitting the nail on the head with that one: I did wanna go. I missed Cliff big time, but it wasn't just that. I missed San Francisco and my friends too. Life with Dave was great, and Los Angeles was a whole new chaotic, bustling universe, but sometimes I also felt kind of lonely.

I just hoped Dave could understand that.

Later, when I finally got back home, I was welcomed by the sound of Dave's guitar as he played. I closed the door, tossed my bag on the couch, and headed into the bedroom. There he was, sitting on the bed, his guitar in his lap, and a half-finished joint chilling in the ashtray on the bedside table.

"Hey there," I greeted, and my smile matched his as he glanced up, his grin growing even bigger at the sight of me. He got up, setting the guitar down, and came my way. 

"Hey," he said. I chuckled softly as he wrapped an arm around my waist, planting kisses on my lips and then my neck. "How was your day?" 

"Same as usual," I answered, letting out a little giggle as he nuzzled into my neck, pulling me close. "And yours?"

"Same as usual," he pulled away, looking at me with a smile, his eyes flickering to my lips in a way that made my heart race. "Thinking about hitting the shower. You're welcome to join if you're up for it…"

“Oh, um, Dave…” I started, my voice kind of shaky with nerves. If possible, I'd rather handle the whole concert talk with him later. But after Pat's pep talk, I knew if I didn't tackle it now, I'd never get around to it. Dave looked at me, curious. “There's something I wanted to talk about…” 

“Huh? Did I mess up or something?” he asked, a smile on his face, though I could sense the worry behind it due to my uncertain tone. 

“No, not at all,” I muttered, then took a deep breath. “It's just that... Cliff called a few days ago,” I paused as his brow creased, but there was no going back now. “They're playing a gig in San Francisco. I thought about going…”

Dave's brows knit together, his expression shifting as he sort of pulled away, his gaze fixing on me with a weighty silence. I met his eyes, my heart doing a somersault in my chest. I figured he wouldn't take the news super well, but that wasn't exactly the reception I was hoping for.

“You want to go see Metallica,” he finally spoke up, his voice low and devoid of emotion.

“I want to see Cliff…”

“Oh, not James and Lars?” he quipped, a touch of bitter sarcasm lacing his words.

“Dave…”

“Nore, remember they showed me the exit door? No warning. No second chances. And now you wanna kick it with 'em?” he seemed more incredulous than anything, incredulous and hurt, which only made the situation worse. He shook his head, like he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing, running a hand through his hair and looking at me, torn between disappointment and anger. “Damn it, Nore. I can't tell if you're being dumb or if you just don't love me anymore.”

His words hit me like a punch in the stomach. I knew Dave wouldn't like the idea of me reconnecting with Cliff, James, and Lars. But I didn't expect him to be so shaken by it. Dave, who had always been kind to me, who had protected me from everything and everyone, was now staring at me like I'd double-crossed him. Actually, it was worse – like he was straight-up disgusted by me.

I couldn't react, I just stood there in silence as tears welled up in my eyes. This wasn't fair. I had chosen him. I had distanced myself from my cousin and my friends for him. I had stood by him from the beginning. Somehow, I had expected him to be angry, but not like this. Cliff and I would butt heads all the time, sure, but me and Dave? This stung way more than I'd ever figured it could.

“Dave, seriously... This isn't playing fair,” I managed to get out, my voice breaking as a sob hitched a ride on the tears that were falling. I could see it all hit him, the weight of what he'd just said settling in his eyes, a mix of horror and regret. But the moment had passed, the words hung in the air, and now there was no going back. I shook my head as I turned around to leave the apartment.

“Nore. Wait up, Nore!” Dave's voice hurried after me, his grip on my arm pulling me to a halt just before I could duck out completely. I tried to rein in the tears that were breaking through,  causing me to sob and tremble. “Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I really didn't…”

“I'm right here with you!” I shot back, my voice shaking like crazy, not as strong as I'd like, but definitely loud enough to make a point. “Fuck, Dave. You think I'm some kinda idiot for wanting to see my friends? I've got no one else – my parents practically booted me, my old Long Beach friends act like I've got the plague.” I edged away, the words tumbling out in a jumble, trying to stem the flood of tears. I looked into his brown eyes and saw them gazing at me, filled with pain. “Metallica was all I fucking had too! Do you want to snatch that away from me? You think I'd be standing here if I didn't love you?”

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, his voice sounding more fragile than I'd ever heard, as he pulled me into a tight embrace. "I'm a fucking idiot. I'm really sorry." 

"You're everything I've got too," I murmured, my sobs gradually calming down as I buried my face into his chest. "Just... Please don't make me choose, Dave. I can't, I really can't." 

"It's okay. I'm sorry," he soothed, his fingers softly running through my hair, his voice quivering as he held me close against him. "I love you. So damn much. Please, don't leave me. Stay here with me." 

"I'm not leaving you," I sniffled, finally managing to get a grip on my tears. He rested his forehead against mine, his pained eyes locking onto mine. "I'm here because I love you. But you've got to trust me, Dave."

"I do trust you, Nore. For real. I'm sorry," he whispered, seeming relieved now that I was starting to calm down. "Of course you can go. You don't need my permission. It's just... I can't face them anymore. I need to be something, Nore. If I fail, if I'm just a loser…”

“Dave, you're not a loser. You're an amazing guitarist, remember? Didn't I tell you that when we first got together?" I cut in, and he let out a soft chuckle. 

"Yeah, and you also mentioned I was really handsome," he quipped, and I laughed, a shaky laugh that still carried the traces of tears. He looked at me for a moment before adding: "I don't think you're dumb, by the way. You're the smartest girl I've ever met."

“You haven’t met many girls, have you?” I mumbled, and he rolled his eyes. 

"Hush, Burton," he grumbled before leaning in to kiss me.

[jazlynriddle]

Welcome to your life - Pt 2:

Acting On Your Best Behaviour Ch 16:

Summary:

They'd seen it in their fellow orphans often enough to recognise the pattern and were now forced to admit, despite their hopes to the contrary, that Isidora had likely suffered similar side effects.

No… they'd always known she had. The Keeper had just wanted the power that Ranrok had, enough to convince themselves that they would be able to handle it better than that naive woman.

With the start of the Keeper’s sixth-year in Hogwarts, comes a whole slew of headache-inducing challenges from the most unexpected of places. Between insignificant pests throwing wrenches into their plans and tedious teenage drama, that the Keeper is entirely unprepared for, they wonder if they'll make it to their NEWTs without losing their sanity.

Or worse, Ominis or Sebastian.

Warnings: This chapter contains smut! And violence. But not violent smut, don't worry xD

Warnings: Sebastian x MC x Ominis! Drug Addiction! Spoilers! Slow-burn corruption! Dark content! Fucked up 1800s orphanages! MC has no love for Anne or Solomon! Dubious happy ending (it's happy for MC, Seb and Ominis at least).

You can also read on AO3! (chapter specific warnings below)

Notes:

Warnings: Graphic descriptions of injuries! Canon-typical violence! Not exactly torture, but kinda torture? And of course, the SMUT you're all here for! Finally-

Also, I spent like 40hrs+ drawing the map for this chapter x') I redrew the lake like five times and the mountains four times before I was satisfied OTL I am so tired- I really don't know how I managed to finish drawing the map by hand and a 5k+ chapter in time lol

Anyway, feel free to speed scroll down to reference the map when the characters look at it or save it to look at after reading! I've uploaded two variations of the map, the original map, as well as the map that the characters have made notes and drawings on.

You can also view the artwork in HD for free on my Patreon page!

Also here’s a cool site I found that *ahem* might be helpful for the map :3 https://abcbraille.com/braille

"How is she?" The Keeper asked as soon as Sepulchria's feet touched the ground.

Tynx, who had come to greet them as always, bowed slightly as he replied. "Master's… guest, has given in to hunger, after refusing to eat for two days, and is currently consuming the food that Tibsy brought her. She has also been demanding that she be released or be allowed to speak with her captor."

"Ignore her demands, she'll see me again soon enough." The Keeper chuckled, holding the thestral in place while Sebastian dismounted first.

"How long will we wait before going after her?" Sebastian asked, offering them a hand to dismount.

Taking the offered hand, the Keeper hopped off the thestral, landing with a soft grunt. "With the anti-apparition ward, I'd give her a generous minimum of six hours to reach the borders of our territory, so we can wait in the gatehouse for about an hour before going after her."

The Keeper patted Sepulchria's flank, tucking the beast back into their Nab-sack, before turning to Tynx and passing him a small vial of invisibility potion. "I want you tailing her through the entire test. If she comes within reach of escaping, and restraining her is not an option, you have permission to kill her."

"Yes Master." Tynx dipped his head without hesitation, tucking the vial away in one of his coat pockets.

"Good, you can leave her cell door unlocked after clearing away the dishes." The Keeper nodded, gesturing for Sebastian to begin heading into the gatehouse and adding with a wry smile. "Try to make it look like an accident."

"Of course, happy hunting, Master." Tynx bobbed his head and popped away.

The Keeper snorted lightly as they turned to follow Sebastian up the stairs to the gatehouse.

"Are you sure we can't start experimenting with your power on her?" Sebastian asked, frowning as they fell in step with him. "The sooner we find a way to safely extract pain, the sooner we can cure my sister."

"I understand your impatience." The Keeper soothed, placing a hand on his arm. "But we can't properly prepare our defences if I accidentally damage her emotions."

Reaching the upper floor, the Keeper pushed the door open and entered the gatehouse as they continued. "Fear is a powerful motivator. Without emotions, she likely wouldn't attempt an escape and surely you remember what happened the last time you gambled on succeeding at complex magic on your first try."

Sebastian winced as he followed with a sigh, leaning against the wall. "You're right, sorry. I just-"

"I know." The Keeper murmured, closing the door and cupping a hand against his face, placing a soft kiss on his lips. "We'll save her, but we must be patient and smart about this or we'll never get there."

"Yeah, we will." Sebastian breathed, moving forward to capture their lips more firmly and placing his hands on their hips.

The Keeper allowed him to hold them for a few moments, before pulling away gently with a chuckle. "Let's not get distracted."

Sebastian huffed lightly but dropped his hands and the Keeper moved over to the map that lay on the table, the only piece of furniture they'd bothered to place in the gatehouse for the time being. The late morning rays streamed through the window and illuminated the large parchment.

"We can assume that this woman has some familiarity with the terrain of this region, having lived just east of Dìon for most of her life." The Keeper placed their hands on the table. Not noticing the way Sebastian's eyes lingered on their behind before he shook himself, dragged his brain out of the gutter, and joined them at the table.

Sebastian cleared his throat before nodding. "She probably knows the lake at least, it's a good source of freshwater and the far end of it is relatively near her home."

"Indeed, it is likely that she'll attempt to travel in that direction when she gets her bearings. The blood potion Tibsy added to her food should make it easy for us to track her through our territory." The Keeper nodded. "I doubt she'll make it to the red zone but we'll see."

"Hopefully she will, I'm eager to see if the runes we drew work." Sebastian grinned with all the mischievous energy of a hyperactive kitten.

The Keeper chuckled. "I'm more curious to see how the prototype Guardians we constructed will perform."

At that moment, the Keeper felt the fine hairs on their skin raise as the cell breach alarm rippled through their wards. Their mental visualisation of their environment now held a distinct point in space that they could sense even from a distance.

"Well, the detection wards on the cells work." Sebastian grinned, having long since been keyed into said wards as well.

"And the tracking potion works, are you getting it too?" The Keeper asked as they 'watched' the woman move upwards through the underground floors.

Sebastian nodded. "Yeah, feels weird, but it looks like I was right, mixing both our blood into the Indago blood-magic potion allows both of us to track the target."

"Excellent." The Keeper nodded, they were off to a good start.

Moving to the windows, the Keeper watched the tent covering the underground entrance carefully as they swished their wand. "Tempus."

Sebastian joined them and several minutes passed while they waited, before the tent flap was pushed open and the haggard looking woman peeked out of it, her wand gripped firmly in her hand.

"Not bad, she found the wand that we left for her in the elves' quarters." Sebastian chuckled.

"Twenty minutes to reach the ground floor with her wand, we'll see how far we can push that with obstacles." The Keeper muttered as they noted down the time on the journal they'd extracted from their satchel.

Seeing that the courtyard was empty, the woman sprinted for the castle gates. As she neared the gate, guarded by two simple clay statues on either side of the arch, designed in an approximate resemblance to the Elder Keepers' Guardians, the two statues came to life and attacked her.

The Keeper watched the statues' movements with avid interest as the startled woman dodged four consecutive sword strikes with unexpected agility, considering her condition. Perhaps her father had trained her to defend herself in the event that they were pursued.

However, another two attacks later, the statues' movements slowed, grinded to a halt, and then crumbled into a cloud of fine clay powder.

"Tch, only five minutes of active time for so much Ancient magic?" The Keeper kissed their teeth in annoyance. "I guess I'll have to perform the Leyline Binding ritual, before they are viable, after all."

While she seemed uncertain about the remains of the statues, the woman wasted no time and waved her wand, casting Alohomora on the gate's lock and sprinting through the gates the moment they were open. The woman sprinted to the other side, and the Keeper and Sebastian moved to another window to continue monitoring her.

She surveyed the environment, taking advantage of the castle's position atop a hill to get a good look around, before she took off downhill at a brisk pace. The Keeper watched impassively, trusting that Tynx was trailing after the woman at a distance under the invisibility potion.

"Well then, whatever shall we do while we wait?" Sebastian whispered, resting his chin on the Keeper's shoulder.

"You rest up for the hunt, while I take a hit." The Keeper chuckled and pulled out a jar from their satchel while Sebastian pouted.

Tynx watched carefully from his perch atop a tree as the woman finally finished winding her way down the hill after thirty minutes. He had been concerned when the statues crumbled at the gates, but he would simply continue following his master's orders until instructed otherwise.

In truth, he hadn't been particularly surprised when the Keeper brought an unconscious and bound woman to be kept in the dungeons. The design of the underground levels made their use obvious to him from the start. He'd done his best to minimise Tibsy's interaction with the prisoner to give her time to adjust, but this was something the young house elf would have to come to terms with.

As long as it wasn’t him or Tibsy being used to test their master's security, it wasn’t their place to say what their master could or couldn't do. It was more than enough that he wasn't the one stepping into a bear trap cunningly placed amongst the grass covering the long strip of field between the hill and the forest.

The loud crunch of her bone and the woman's shrill scream were jarring but Tynx simply swallowed and tried his best not to think about it. He'd tolerated far worse without a single complaint.

The woman lay on the ground, whimpering in pain for several minutes, before she pulled herself together and raised her wand shakily to sever the spring holding the trap closed. She then tore off a strip of her skirt and tied it firmly around her knee.

Her breaths became frenzied as she pried the teeth open, gasping in agony as the sharp metal slid free from her flesh, before choking out a Vitulus Emendo charm through her sobs and groaning in pain as her calf bone mended.

To her credit, she seemed to understand that she couldn't afford to rest for very long, and hurriedly cast a Ferula charm on her leg, causing bandages to coil around her leg in a neat splint. A sound concern, as the moment that she managed to get to her feet, the Keeper and Sebastian arrived on Sepulchria's back, landing a few meters behind her.

Propelled by fear and adrenaline, the woman began to sprint for the forest line as Sebastian flung a Confringo at her from the thestral's back. Laughing when she barely ducked in time, the cloth covering her shoulder catching on fire, stumbling as she cast Aguamenti on herself to put it out.

Tynx watched as Sebastian dropped from Sepulchria's back, chasing after the woman with a wide grin, while the Keeper followed at a more leisurely pace, gesturing for the thestral to circle overhead.

Sebastian threw an Expulso that the woman neatly dodged, throwing a Stupefy back at him, which he countered, as she ran in zigzags to avoid getting hit by the Keeper's Diffindo.

As the woman entered the treeline of the large forest surrounding the lake, Tynx popped over to another tree, tracking her progress through the thicket from amongst the high branches. Carefully making his way from branch to branch rather than travelling on the ground, specifically to avoid-

The woman shrieked in pain as she ran face first into a web of thin and barely visible wires strung up from the low hanging branches of one tree to the next. The thin and sharp wires at head level sliced into the woman's face, just taut enough to leave deep and painful cuts without threatening to cause more severe damage.

Jumping back, the woman placed a hand against her bleeding cheeks, gaping at the mesh of wires that were now adorned with small beads of red along the strands. Perhaps now understanding exactly how sadistic her captors were, that she had just entered an arena designed not to kill or even capture, but to cause as much pain as possible.

"Are you sure you have the luxury of gawping?" The taunting voice made the woman jump and she spun around to see the Keeper emerge from the shadows with a wicked smirk stretched across their lips, followed closely by Sebastian, a vicious light in his eyes.

At the sight of their sinister figures, she began running once more, followed closely by another Confringo from Sebastian, his voice filled with anticipation as he called out after her. "Come now, give us some fight, it's more fun that way!"

"Careful not to fall into one of our own traps, love." The Keeper chuckled as Sebastian leaped forward in pursuit.

"I know, I know." Sebastian called back distractedly, ducking under the wires, and throwing a Diffindo after the woman, who countered it with a Protego this time, throwing a Bombarda back at him.

The Keeper sighed as Sebastian dodged and tripped over a root with a yelp. Without missing a beat, they poured their ancient magic into their feet to sprint to his side, throwing up a shield to defend him from the explosive heat.

"Aha ha… thanks." Sebastian cleared his throat and laughed sheepishly as they helped him up.

They could feel his pulse thrum in their firm grip, the heat of his excitement felt almost scalding where their hands grasped. The Keeper allowed themselves to partake of Sebastian's feverish eagerness, fueling their own energy with it.

"Don't get carried away." The Keeper smirked knowingly, releasing his hand as he got to his feet, giving him time to collect himself.

"Sorry, I- well, it's just been so long since we got to fight together-" Sebastian explained breathlessly, brushing the dirt from his clothing.

"I know, but you needn't rush. This is different from our battles last year, we've got plenty of time to enjoy the hunt." The Keeper purred with a sharp smirk as they turned to follow the woman, offering him their hand again.

Sebastian felt their low voice resonate through him, reigniting the fire in his veins as he took their hand, feeling almost as though he had somehow become intoxicated. A wide grin stretched across his face and his eyes gleamed with elation as he followed the Keeper’s lead, weaving through the trees to catch up with their prey.

Meanwhile, Tynx had continued to keep the woman within his sight. His master was strong enough that he wasn't particularly concerned about their safety, a monster like them would probably melt a blade the moment it touched their skin.

The woman stumbled through the forest frantically, casting an Episkey on her face to close the gashes and doing her best to cover her tracks by rearranging the foliage behind her, to no avail of course.

Tynx shook his head as she wasted time and effort on a futile endeavour, though she couldn't possibly know that she was being tracked or that she wouldn't be leaving this forest regardless. Summoning a swirl of air to part the foliage woman examined the ground carefully as she continued walking, avoiding several bear traps this way.

As she reached a fork, she spotted several darker wires along the floor, perhaps thinking that her captors had made a mistake when trying to camouflage the wires, making them visible instead, she smiled and lifted her foot to step over them.

Only for her shin to press against a barely visible strip of wire placed right above the black ones. It dug into her skin, leaving a deep gash that burned as she fell forwards and over onto a mesh of wires, feeling the net sitting an inch over the floor cut into her palms.

The woman trembled, in such pain that she could barely breathe, nor did she really want to, as every breath made her weight shift and thus sliding the wires in her flesh. Holding her breath, she overcame the pain and forced her hands to apply pressure to the wires so she could leverage herself off the net cutting into her hands and knees.

Rolling off onto the soil, she curled up into a ball, gasping in pain. Her hands trembled, blood oozing from the multitudes of paper-thin gashes lining her palms and knees, as she cast another Episkey charm to close her new injuries.

Struggling to her feet, she pushed past her pain and continued stumbling through the forest for several minutes before the soil beneath her feet gave way and, with a yelp, she found herself falling into a pit filled with bright red ants. The fire ants went into a frenzy, climbing up her arms and legs, biting into her flesh angrily and the woman brandished her wand, crying out in panic. "Incendio!"

Tynx winced, she'd acted exactly as his master had predicted. The flames from her wand rolled over the ants, burning them to cinders, and unfortunately, igniting the oil covered wood that lined the bottom of the pit.

The woman coughed through the heat, desperately struggling to climb out of the pit. Unaware that the Keeper had designed this pitfall with a small tunnel dug out through the side that ensured that the fire would always have oxygen once started and the heat would build endlessly until she cooked alive.

Tynx hovered uncertainly, his master had not instructed him to save her life if she seemed in legitimate danger of dying and he wasn't sure if he should intervene.

However, while he was hesitating, the woman resolved his dilemma by managing to cast a non-verbal jet of Aguamenti, dousing the fire but also causing an explosion of hot steam and scalding water that probably would have wrung another scream from her if her raw throat were able to produce sound at this point.

The woman's hands scrabbled against the dirt around the rim of the pit, struggling to find traction in the loose soil as she dragged herself out of the boiling water. Her hands shook as she cast Aguamenti again on herself, whimpering in relief as the cool water soothed her burnt and boil-covered skin.

Tynx relaxed, at least he no longer had to guess what his master would prefer he do. He returned to his surveillance and was admittedly impressed when the woman dragged herself to her feet after barely fifteen minutes of rest.

"...found you…" The Keeper's lightly singsong voice was almost eerie as it cut through the woman's laboured breathing.

Immediately, she waved her wand, pulling the still boiling water from the pit and flung it in the direction of the terrifying voice. Without looking back, the woman began sprinting again as a Diffindo sliced into the bark of a tree just centimetres from her.

Sebastian grinned from behind a wall of ice, having cast Glacius, after the Keeper's Diffindo, to defend against the scalding water. Their prey had some fight in her, this was so much more fun than he'd hoped. Honestly, Sebastian had been looking forward to releasing his pent-up frustration from how awful this school year had been and this was exactly what he'd needed.

The Keeper slashed their wand, shattering the ice and the two of them shot forward as one, the Keeper lassoing a boulder with their ancient magic. With a grunt they launched it towards the woman while Sebastian cast a Levitation charm at her to prevent her from dodging it.

The boulder hit its mark with a satisfying crunch, shattering the arm she'd raised to defend herself and the stubborn woman crumpled to the floor. With her uninjured wand arm, she shot a non-verbal Bombarda at them and forced herself to her feet to continue running.

Shielding against the blast, the Keeper waved their wand to dispel the smoke from the explosion and flung another Diffindo at her. The spell clipped her on the leg, slicing open one of her boils and making her limp as the two of them continued the chase.

As they ran, Sebastian spotted the lake through the trees just off to the right and a thrill rushed through him when he realised their location. They were almost at the red zone, placed halfway between the castle and the border of their territory. A glance at the steely glint in his lover's eyes confirmed that they'd noticed too, and his excitement spiked.

The two threw themselves into their pursuit with renewed vigour, doing their best to keep the woman within their sights as she ran across a clearing, until…

The woman's left foot landed squarely on an inconspicuous patch of grass and in an instant, sharp spikes stabbed upwards through her shoes, into her sole and burst out through the top of her foot with a spray of blood.

Her mouth opened in a soundless scream, and she dropped to a knee. Her blood seeped into the soil and all of a sudden, runes began appearing in glowing red letters over her body and across the floor in two directions. The woman finally passed out from the pain, exertion and magic of the runes, unbeknownst to her, the red line of runes were now cutting through the forest in a long red strip.

Seeing the glow as they stopped several meters away from the woman, the Keeper grinned, and Sebastian let out a shout of triumph. Their hard work had paid off, three whole days of tedious rune-work and trap setting across the entire strip of forest between Dìon and the border.

Drunk on their success, Sebastian moved without thinking and the next moment his hands were pulling his partner into his arms. Their lips were electric against his own and he moaned in excitement as their bodies pressed flush against each other.

He wanted and wanted, and he didn't know exactly how to say what he wanted, but he really really did.

The Keeper smirked against Sebastian’s lips as his hands gripped their hips tightly, not particularly surprised that Sebastian's excitement had hit its peak here.

They couldn't deny their own joy and desire either, this was a victory that they weren't sure they'd achieve, there were so many ways that the blood magic could fail, but they'd succeeded at creating a powerful protective barrier over the most vulnerable entry to their lands with blood magic. One that would trap anything whose veins ran with blood, paralysing them and gradually draining their life and magical energy.

The mountains around their territory were mostly stone, incredibly steep and prone to landslides, making them a natural barrier that was treacherous to scale. So, they didn't need to guard against that direction very strongly, but the forest and long lake presented more of an opening to a ground invasion or escape on foot.

With this, the only thing that remained was the lake, but they could work on that later, the Keeper mused as their fingers worked their way under Sebastian's tunic to caress his heated skin. He whimpered into their mouth as he pressed against them with more urgency, and the Keeper chuckled as they pulled away, disregarding his noise of complaint.

"Let's take this elsewhere." The Keeper purred, whistling for Sepulchria and lifting their eyes, spotting an unnaturally weighed down branch along the canopy. "Tynx, get her back into her cell and pour this down her throat."

Tynx startled when their eyes lingered on him for a split second, could they see him?

"Yes, Master." Swallowing uncomfortably, he popped to the floor, catching the vial of wiggenweld that the Keeper tossed in his general direction as the red light of the runes faded from the floor. The runes were still on the woman's body, draining her magic and strength.

Until Tynx snapped his fingers and lifted the unconscious woman by her clothes, dropping her over the back of the thestral that had landed a few steps away from him. The moment the woman was back on the side of the red zone that she'd entered from, the runes' light faded and ceased its drain.

The elf then climbed into Sepulchria's back and the thestral began flying them back to the castle.

That settled, the Keeper took Sebastian by the hand and began to tug him towards the lake. Weaving through the trees and traps, the shimmering surface of the water that soon came into their view, took their breath away.

Letting Sebastian's hand go as they passed the treeline, and stepped into the sunlight, the Keeper tugged their shirt off, tossing it onto the light brown sand as they ran across the shore. Sebastian grinned as he got the idea and began divesting himself of his clothes as they reached the lakeside.

Kicking off their shoes, the Keeper paused to strip their socks before splashing into the shallow water in their undergarments, stopping only to watch Sebastian nearly trip on his pants and laughing as they waded deeper into the water. Enjoying the spring breeze, the warm afternoon sun and the refreshingly clear water, the Keeper happily dipped down into the water to wash off the sweat from their chase.

Sebastian had a hard time dragging his eyes away to tug off his sock, entranced by the sight of his lover's cheeks, still flushed from their chase, and the lake water sparkling in the sunlight as the droplets trickled down their torso. The simmering want in his heart resurged when they flashed him an inviting smirk.

Ripping the stubborn fabric off and flinging it off somewhere behind him, Sebastian waded through the waist high water towards them, sputtering when they playfully splashed water in his face. With a grin, he made a grab for them, and they ducked, weaving around him, before hiding behind a large half submerged boulder.

Chasing them around the boulder, Sebastian ducked a splash, catching them by the wrist and pinning them against the stone, its surface smooth from years of erosion. The Keeper laughed at the victorious grin on Sebastian's face as he braced a hand against the rock, holding them still with his body, drops of water dripping from his wavy brown hair as his heated breaths warmed their cheek.

Rewarding his hard work, the Keeper tilted their head to the side and pressed their lips together, allowing him to coax them open as he released their wrist to palm their side, groaning into their mouth. His pressing need pressed against them, the warmth of their chest against his own causing arousal to curl in his abdomen.

Sebastian could barely think past the heat pounding through his ears, the feeling of their wet skin against his own, reminding him of that night in the prefects' bath.

Eager to re-experience the sensation of cotial bliss with his lover, he urged them into a better position, where he could press himself against their arousal and grounded his hips against them, releasing an involuntary moan of relief at the stimulation. The muffled groan that they bit back at the same time was tantalising and he rocked against them once more, seeking to draw as many sounds as he could from his conservative lover.

The gentle lapping of water, rippling against the boulder with every thrust, was strangely hypnotic and he gasped as their nails dug into his shoulders, ecstatic that he could draw such carnal reactions from them. Peeling his lips from theirs, he moved down along their neck, tasting their skin and sucking the moisture from it like a man in the desert.

Sebastian could feel that he wouldn't last very long, so tightly coiled he yet was from their invigorating chase, but he wanted them to reach their peak together this time. So, he doubled his efforts, running his hands over their body desperately as he rocked his hips against them, determined to hold out until they came.

The Keeper's breath caught at the delicious way his body moved against theirs, feeling how powerful all their time spent working and fighting together had made him, both physically and magically. How far he'd come, how far they'd come. They had so much power now, this land, this lake, this boy. It was all theirs, and while they couldn't share this joy of hunting with Ominis, he was theirs too.

They gasped as Sebastian rubbed a thumb over their hardened nipple, feeling his muscles shift under his shoulder blade with every thrust that slid them along the smooth surface of the rock against their back. Loving the way his breath shook with every movement, his eyes glassy as though it was taking everything in him to hold them so.

Like they were worth it.

This thought and the building pleasure between them made the Keeper's grip tighten around Sebastian's shoulders as they felt euphoria sing through their veins and pulse through their body like fire. Groaning his name through clenched teeth, their body tightened and that swelling bubble of bliss exploded into pure ecstasy.

The sound of his name and the heated breath against his ear made Sebastian's brain sizzle and melt. A moan escaped his lips, feeling his grip slip and the dam burst, that incredible surge of pleasure crashing over him like a wave.

His hips ground against them a few more times, feeling their body jolt from the overstimulation, before he came to a stop with a sigh of satisfaction. His breaths were heavy and shaky, his legs trembling, as the two of them slumped against the boulder, panting from the high they'd reached, the cloth between their cores warm and sticky as their fluids dissolved into the water.

Regaining their footing, the Keeper removed their nails from Sebastian's skin and slipped their arms under his, supporting him as they slowly slid down the boulder to sit, letting the water's buoyancy carry some of their weight while the two of them recovered their strength.

Settling down beside the Keeper, Sebastian leaned back, resting his head against theirs and basking in the comfortable silence, the gentle sway of the lake water soothing against his skin.

"Our home really is quite wonderful." The Keeper murmured contentedly as their breathing settled.

"Yeah." Sebastian agreed with a soft smile. Home. He hadn't truly felt any particular place as "home" since his parents died. After that, home came to mean wherever Anne was, and then it changed to wherever his lovers were. In time, he could see this place feeling like home too.

"Anywhere we're together is wonderful." Sebastian took their hand in his as he spoke his heart.

"How sweet." The Keeper chuckled, turning to give him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "It is so to me as well, there's nowhere else I'd rather be than home with you."

Sebastian's eyes moistened, love swelling in his heart, and he knew that it didn't matter what trials or tribulations lay in their future, because he'd be by their side. He didn't care who had to suffer for it, he would protect what they had. He could face anything, as long as he was with the Keeper and Ominis.

Never one to stay still for very long, the Keeper eventually got to their feet and surveyed their beautiful lake. "Since we're here…"

Sebastian blinked as the Keeper seemed to spot something moving under the surface through the clear water and abruptly made a beeline for the deeper end.

With a fond smile, Sebastian got up to follow as the Keeper dived in and disappeared under the short waves. A few steps later, Sebastian felt the floor drop out from under him and, taking a deep breath, sank into the water as well.

The sun's late afternoon light shone through the water in multihued streams, and he turned his head around, searching for them for several moments, before he felt arms drape around his shoulders from behind.

Sebastian smiled like a loon as the Keeper's chest pressed against his back and he felt a soft kiss on his cheek. Before they released him and swam around him, offering him a hand, while the other seemed to be clutched around something.

Without hesitation, he took it, and they swam to the surface together, emerging close enough to the shore to stand. Breaking through the water, Sebastian only spared a second to breathe before he pulled them in for a proper kiss. He could taste the sweet lake water on their lips as he held them close, his heart melting in the heat of his affection.

The Keeper huffed a breathless laugh as he broke away to breathe. "You really only think of one thing, don't you."

Sebastian frowned indignantly. "No, I don't."

The Keeper chuckled as they ran a hand down his bare chest to palm his rapidly hardening length through the cloth. "Sure."

"That is extremely unfair." Sebastian protested, his cheeks reddening.

"It's barely been thirty minutes." The Keeper laughed, shaking their head.

"Now see here, you can't blame me for reacting when you're constantly riling me up." Sebastian argued.

"Am I?" The Keeper smirked knowingly, and Sebastian groaned as his heart rate spiked immediately.

"You absolutely are, bloody demon." He growled in frustration, knowing that there was no way he could win this one, he settled for covering their grinning mouth with his own.

Notes:

Sebastian: I'd kill for my lovers. *turns to the Keeper and Ominis* Please ask me to kill for you. The Keeper: Sure! Ominis: Absolutely not! Don't encourage him! — Were the Keeper's legs wrapped around Sebastian's waist so he could grind against their clit or were their feet on the ground and Sebastian was grinding their lengths together? Well, that depends on which assigned gender you prefer ;)

There's also going to be another smut scene between the Keeper and Ominis, because I want to be fair to both boys haha x3

Also, the traps in this chapter are actually based off Vietnam war tactics during the Vietnam War of 1955-1975, let's just say they had quite insane strategies.

Vietnam traps are designed to hurt, to make the soldiers who step onto a pressure plate and have their legs pierced with twenty thin spikes, scream as loud as possible to scare and demoralise their own comrades. They even threw naked women onto the field, surrounded by traps, to lure in American soldiers who would try to rescue these women and evacuate them or, well, possibly other reasons I suppose.

So, of course, our Keeper gonna use those kinda strats xP Also, the fire ant pitfall is made with a Dakota Fire Hole design, it's actually a rather brilliant way to create an oven in the wild. My partner came up with that one haha... we're both fucked up- x')

Also, I wonder if an Alohomora charm would open a bear trap, I mean, technically it's forcing open something after all xP

[peskellence]

Pairing: RK900/Gavin Reed

Tags: Post Pacifist Ending, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Eventual Smut, Angst, Hurt/Comfort

Masterlist

Read on AO3 here:

Summary: A lot has changed since the revolution. Crimes against androids are now punished in the same way as crimes against humans. A reluctant Gavin Reed and his new partner RK900 have been assigned to investigate a string of disturbing murders. Despite the shift in Detroit's social climate, Gavin still holds reservations about whether or not androids are truly alive. Will his developing feelings for 'Nines' be the thing to change this?

Warnings: Graphic Violence, Depression/Self Destructive Behaviour, Eventual Smut

Word Count: 3K

*Hey, this is Finn Treacher's voicemail. Either I've got a hot date, or I’m working for a change. Leave a message*

Gavin put down the phone, moving to the next number on his list. After several hours, the monotony of the task was beginning to drain him. His focus waned as his mind drifted to other, more personal concerns. 

*You've reached the voicemail of Gideon Heith. Call back when I'm home.*

He'd spoken with several possible leads, but none had been overly promising. Some had vehemently denied their involvement in any criminal activity - refusing to cooperate and hanging up on him. Others had been surprisingly cooperative, but with no prior offences or convictions, Gavin doubted they could be linked to the case.

*Frank here. If you want to leave a message, go ahead, but I ain't gonna listen*

He could only pray that one of their otherwise innocuous leads might be able to point them in the right direction. 

*...Hello?* 

Thank God - "Hi, this is Detective Gavin Reed, Detroit Police Department. We wondered if you might be able to come in to answer a few questions." 

*...Hello? Is anyone there?* 

"Gavin Reed. Detroit Police", he repeated, a little louder this time. "We wanted to ask you some questions about -"

*Ha, I'm just messing with you, buddy. Leave a message after the tone*. 

The detective held his breath, grip tightening on the phone, before hanging it up in aggravation. He allowed his body to slump forward and let out a dismaying groan. Trapped in his funk, he failed to notice the soft footsteps approaching from behind. His shoulders were then grabbed by a pair of firm, slender hands. A set of lips drew closer to his ear before exclaiming a thunderous "Boo!." 

Gavin flinched, albeit for no other reason other than the noise. He lifted his head to stare morosely at the would-be assailant, "Go away, Ti. I'm busy." 

The officer whistled at the icy reception. "Oof, someone's touchy today." Standing reclined against the desk, she leant forward for a closer examination of her friend. "Looks like you could do with a break - or three. When was the last time you slept?" 

"Last night. In my bed." 

"Not buying it", Tina shamelessly prodded underneath his eyes, tutting disapprovingly as she did, "You've got more bags than an airport conveyor belt."

"Was there any purpose to your visit today? Or do you just take joy in pissing me off?"

"A little bit of both" She grinned before pulling up an available chair. "I just wanted to see how you were getting on. Seems like an interesting case."

"Interesting is not how I'd describe it. 'Bane of my existence' is more like it."

"You've got a lot of leads, at least" Tina said, glancing down at the paper on the desk. "Something's got to come out of one of them."

"Easy for you to say. I've been stuck at this desk for three fucking hours, and all I've got to show for it is a headache."

"Would it not be quicker for Nines to help you? Pretty sure he could just upload the numbers and call them all simultaneously."

Gavin sneered resentfully, "Yeah, that'd be much easier. If the plastic prick hadn't gone a-wall."

Tina, who had picked up a pen and began clicking it absentmindedly, promptly stopped. "...Nines? Really?" 

"Yes, really." 

"The same Nines that does overtime every day? The one whose idea of a 'break' is to deep clean the canteen?" 

"I can't see any android detectives skulking around. Can you?"

Ignoring his friend's bewildered expression, the detective reluctantly picked up the list and typed in the next number. He waited fractiously as the dial tone rang - until a crisp voice eagerly informed him that he had reached another voicemail. Having reached the limits of his already tenuous patience, he shoved the phone back on its dock. 

"It seems a bit unusual", Tina pondered, rubbing at her neck. "Are you sure you didn't do anything to upset him?"

"Why do you always assume it's my fault?" Gavin complained, "It's been acting weird since yesterday. Ever since I told it that it couldn't come over for a goddamn sleepover." 

Tina was clearly intrigued by this, as her eyes sparkled with excitement. Leaning forward on her hands, she batted her eyelashes teasingly. "In what context would you be having a sleepover? Gavin Reed, you sly dog."

" Don't - it's nothing like that", he responded firmly. "I told it about the Tiff thing, and now it's decided it wants to appoint itself as my live-in cat sitter. It's weird."

"He can see that you're struggling, and he's trying to help. What's so weird about that? Besides, it seems like a good idea." 

Gavin hated to admit that there was some truth in that statement. While strange and unwanted, Nines' suggestion was based on reasonably solid logic. Given the redundancy of sleep, it did make sense that the android would be a prime candidate to monitor things overnight. Still, the offer did not infer anything more than a methodic calculation.

"Let's not delude ourselves that an android is capable of empathy. It wouldn't be offering if it didn't think it could get something out of it." 

Tina chuckled. "You're such a pessimist. He would get something out of it. The satisfaction of helping a friend."

The detective bristled at the suggestion. Friendship implied a level of closeness that he shared with very few. An android was hardly top of the list. Besides, Nines itself had expressed its own opposition to the sentiment.

"Right, I'm done here." Gavin pushed himself up from his desk with a low grunt, "Getting some lunch. Wanna come with?"

Before Tina could respond, the walkie-talkie in her belt crackled to life, accompanied by a muffled voice. 

*All Central Units respond: 1200 in progress at 245 New Street. Shots fired, 10-13 requesting backup. Repeat, 1200 at 245 New Street, requesting backup. Over*

Tina brought the device to her lips, acknowledging the dispatcher, "Badge number 5195 10-19 to 245 New Street." She looked back to Gavin and shrugged her shoulders in apology. "Sorry, I gotta go."

"Fine, fuck off then", he retorted, gesturing his hand in a dismissive motion, "Didn't want you to come, anyway. Was just being polite."

"Love you too", she winked playfully before making a swift beeline for the exit. Gavin readied himself to leave as well before hesitating momentarily. 

He wondered if he ought to find Nines, at least to tell it that he was stepping out. He dismissed the notion, however, rationalising that the android had made zero effort to inform him of his whereabouts - and it was only fair that he should return the favour. 

While adopting a steady speed out of the station, Gavin was quickly swept up by the wave of hurried pedestrians. He struggled to match pace, not wanting to cause an obstruction, but feeling as though his legs may give out at any moment. In search of a detour, he turned off at the end of the street and towards the entrance of a nearby park. It would add significant time to his journey, but the reduced crowding and access to benches more than made up for that.

The walk was calm this time of year, without boisterous families or noisy wildlife to disturb the peace. The expanse of bare, leafless foliage seemed to sparkle in the sun as the rays bounced off films of sleet.

It could have been his favourite season - Winter - if it wasn't for the damn cold. 

Gavin hardly noticed the time that had passed. Before he knew it, he had arrived at his usual pitstop. Gary greeted him warmly, pulling his attention away from the TV he had mounted on the wall of his van. "Afternoon, Detective. Didn't bring your scary friend with you today?" 

Any modicum of a good mood he had gained during his walk vanished immediately. He was beginning to develop an impassioned hatred for that particular word. 

"Not my friend. Work partner," he said, promptly changing the subject. "I'll have the usual, but can you throw in a XL soda? And a packet of Twizzlers. I need the sugar."

"Coming right up" Gary turned away to prepare the order as Gavin idled in place, curiously watching the horse race being broadcasted on the large plasma screen. 

"Nice TV. Where'd you get it?"

The other man beamed at the question, puffing out his chest. "Won big on the last race. £4k win on a £40 bet,." He leant over his shoulder, flashing Gavin a sly wink. "Probably shouldn't tell a cop this...but I've got a guy. Sixth sense for winners if you know what I mean. You want in?" 

Gavin propped an elbow onto the counter, resting his head in his hand. "Can't be taking chances. I'm broke enough as it is. 'Bout to be a lot more broke. My cat is having babies." 

"Ouch", The vendor flipped up a burger from the greasy stove, dropping it haphazardly into a bun. "Just wait until you start having actual babies. That shit is really expensive." 

"Don't think I'm in much danger of that, but thanks." 

"Hey, don't worry about it. Good-looking guy with a steady job? I'm sure you'll find a lady eventually."

Paying for his food, Gavin exhausted the mental checklist of all the possible things he could say. Some responses were harsh and scathing, others intended to confuse and mystify.

"That'd be a first", he muttered vaguely, not feeling up to the argument. 

As Gary slid him his tray, he briskly snatched it up and left to find a table. He hadn't been walking for long when he felt his legs starting to buckle. Physical exhaustion had gotten the better of him as he began to tip backwards, head spinning. A pair of hands shot out to support him, holding him steady by the armpits.

"Whoa there, you okay?" 

The gruff voice was all-too-familiar, and Gavin felt himself wither in annoyance. Just what he needed. Hank-fucking-Anderson and his plastic golden child. When he turned, however, he was surprised to see that the Lieutenant was standing alone. 

"Jeez, Reed." He whistled, giving Gavin a similar look to the one Tina had bestowed earlier. "Party a little too hard last night?"

I wish.

"I'm fine. Let me go."

"Sure you are", Hank drawled, subtly shaking his head. "I couldn't help but overhear that you've got pet troubles? Glad I got Sumo fixed when I did. No chance of any whoopsies with his lucky lady friends." 

"Do you make a habit of listening in on other people's conversations?" Gavin pulled himself away, smoothing out his jacket. "Didn't realise you were so nosy. Thought that was Connor's department." 

"Hey, I was sittin' 10 feet away from you. There wasn't much I could do about that," Hank gestured to the empty seat at the end of his table. "Now, pull up a chair before you pass out. Because I'm not doing mouth-to-mouth if you croak." 

"Good. I'd rather you leave me to die", Gavin said, nose wrinkled with disgust. With seldom energy to continue standing, much less walk to another table, He reluctantly took the seat. Hank mirrored the action, sitting down opposite him to continue his lunch. 

"If I'd known it would cause me this much grief, I would have had the bitch spayed" Gavin shoved a handful of fries into his mouth as he muttered quiet complaints, "She's an indoor cat from now until forever." 

"Kinda played yourself there, didn't ya? I'm sure Nines would be willing to help if you asked. He's pretty good with animals ."

Gavin let out a grunt of displeasure, almost choking as he did. "Is there some fucking conspiracy here that I don't know about? I already told it myself: 'No'. I don't need to be taken care of. I'm managing just fine." 

"Yeah, you seem to be thriving. Seriously though, you're refusing his help because...?" 

"Because it's a smug, insufferable asshole."

"Huh", Hank said, mouth agape. "Funny. Connor seemed to think you two were turning a corner." 

"Connor thought wrong", he snapped back. "Where is he anyway? You usually keep him on a pretty short leash."

"Hey, watch it", the older man warned. "The kid can go wherever he wants. I don't own him." 

"Could've fooled me." Gavin grimaced before shoving more food in his mouth. "So what, he and Nines have mother's meetings about what a dick I am?"  

"Cool it, Reed. I promise that Nines only ever has good things to say about you." 

"Bullshit."

Hank chuckled under his breath, stirring the ice in his now-finished drink. "Well, yeah, at first, it weren't exactly glowing praise. He thought you were a complete jackass. Over time, though, it changed." 

Gavin piqued up at this, "What do you mean 'changed'?"

"Ehh, he's found it difficult - the whole deviancy thing. Connor and I have tried to help, but it's hard to get through... with you, it's different. He seems different. Almost like he finds you comforting'."

"What about me could it possibly find comforting?" 

"Hell if I know", Hank grumbled back, frowning in disapproval. "I just think he feels like you 'get it' more than we do. Sure, we've been through it, but sometimes it's nice to meet someone who's in the same place. Helps build a connection." 

Pausing mid-chew, Gavin's attention snapped to Hank as his mind began to race. He should have known the damn machine wouldn't be able to keep its mouth shut. About his dad, his home life, his shitty family - "How much has it said about me?"

"There it is again", the Lieutenant sighed, leaning back in his chair. "He hasn't said anything , at least not to me. I just figured there's gotta be something to account for that charming personality of yours."   

"Mind your own business, Grandpa."

"Or you're just a prick. What do I know?" 

There was a moment of silence as Gavin processed what the other had just said. Did Nines really think that the two of them shared some weird, fucked-up connection?

No, of course not. Anderson had gone soft and was starting to project emotions onto machines. That was all - the naive bastard. 

"So what about Connor then?" Gavin pressed, leaning forward on his chair. "What have they been talking about?"

"They don't talk so much as they do that interface thing. Their minds connect, and they communicate through feelings and memories. It's sort of beautiful, in a weird sci-fi way."

"Well, if they could keep me out of their demented mild melds, that would be great. Thanks."

"Okay, I think I've reached my Reed limit for the day", The Lieutenant stood up with a sigh, dusting the crumbs off his slacks, "I'm done, and it looks like you are too. Wanna lift back to the station?" 

Gavin looked down at his tray, horrified (and somewhat impressed) to see that he had, in fact, cleared his meal in the few minutes they had been talking. Save for the Twizzlers and a few sips of soda. Pocketing the candy, he stood up, stretching his back. "Yeah, sure. Lead the way." 

As the two re-entered the station, the first thing that caught Gavin's eye was a pair of near-identical androids standing by his desk. Their hands were pressed palm-to-palm, and the skin retracted. They stared at each other, saying nothing, but their LEDs lit up in a frenzied light show. Eventually, one of their heads turned and caught a glimpse of the human officers standing at the doorway. 

Connor was the one who had spotted them, as well as being the first to move his hand. He smiled warmly at Hank and Gavin - but with a particular focus on the latter. "Detective Reed", he said smoothly, striding towards him with an apparent purpose. "I was wondering if we could have a word."

Nines appeared horrified at the sudden development, its LED shifting to red as it followed quickly behind. "RK800, that won't be necessary." 

"It will only take a moment."

"Connor", Hank said firmly, narrowing his eyes at his partner. "What the hell are you doing?"

The android appeared a little put out by the sudden address, ceasing his advance on Gavin as his confident smile began to drop. "Nothing, I was just seeing if I may be of assistance to -"

Hank held up a hand, cutting him off. "I think it's probably best if we leave Gavin and Nines to it. Don'tcha agree?"

Connor paused, his cheeks tinged blue with embarrassment. He shuffled on the balls of his feet for a while, appearing conflicted, before slowly nodding his head "Okay, Hank."

As quickly as the bizarre interaction had commenced, it had ended. Connor, guided by Hank, quietly shuffled off to his desk, and the tension left in their wake was almost suffocating. 

Gavin gawked at his partner, waiting for it to speak. "What the hell was that all about?"

"It's not important," Nines said back quickly, although the vibrant crimson that illuminated its temple told a different story. "RK800 worries for me. Unnecessarily."

"And what would he need to be worried about?" 

"As I said, it's not important."

Gavin grumbled, quickly losing patience and interest. "Whatever. I've started on the numbers on that list we got from CyberLife, but nothing promising yet. Sure would help if I had a supercomputer who could make the calls for me." 

"I see, of course." The tone was cold and overly formal, even by the android's usual standards. Its movements were stiff as if concealing some hidden shame or disappointment. Stirring something unpleasant within Gavin, he felt the resolve he had been trying to maintain slowly melt away. 

"...Look, I've been thinking -" 

Apparently, he was the naive bastard.

 "- about your offer to look after Tiff. I could use the sleep, so if you wanted to help out a bit, I guess that would be okay." 

Nines looked entirely floored by this. Its usually steely eyes blown to almost comedic proportions "Detective?"

"I'm saying you can stay the night. Asshole." 

[andromedaexists]

WUPDATE: CALL ME ICARUS

𝚃𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝙹𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝟼𝚝𝚑 || 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟹

So... long time no see lol

I had to take a break from everything but shitposting for a while with the end of the semester and personal issues. However! I am back for pride month!

I have decided that the need to do these updates every week was not helping me, so from now on I will be doing a Wupdate only when I finish editing and uploading a chapter to Inkshares!

That being said, I finished re-writing chapter 3 and have uploaded it! You can read it here, and maybe even consider supporting your local trans author this pride by preordering it! If you can't do that, that is totally fine, I understand! You can still read each chapter as it is uploaded ☺️

Anyways, I know what y'all are here for lol. Enjoy this new snippet from chapter 3: The Break In!

The sun is fully up and glaringly bright as he walks out of the bedroom into the living room. Icarus squints from the pain of the harsh light, quickly moving to close the blackout curtains he has hanging in front of the sliding glass doors. He won’t be able to do anything with this headache, won’t be able to even think clearly once he leaves the apartment. Icarus pops a pain pill and sits down on the big comfortable chair in his living room, staring across the room to where he can see the manila envelope resting on the counter. If he can’t go out and get information, then he should at least look at what’s in it. His legs don’t seem to get the memo, though, as he stays firmly planted in the comfortable plush of the chair. He can feel himself sink into the inky abyss of sleep in the warmth and comfort of his seat. Icarus is so fucking exhausted. Maybe, just maybe, he should take a nap. His eyes slowly close as his consciousness begins to fade. He’s going to be in pain when he wakes up, the position he’s sitting in and the jeans he’s wearing will make sure of it. But none of that matters as he pulls the closest blanket over his body and loses the battle with sleep.

Taglist:

@flowerprose @isherwoodj @cream-and-tea @touchingmadness @lockejhaven @marinesocks @wildswrites @the-finch-address @writingpotato07 @leighvalentin @inkspellangel @cljordan-imperium @outpost51 @alleahgrinnon

Please fill out this form to be added or ask to be removed!

[servin-up-surveys]

survey #093

(taken december 24th last year; uploading surveys taken while gone)

Would you rather have another job? I wish I had *A* job. It's gotten so deep under my fuckin skin but I just don't know of any position I could handle.

Did you ever live in a house with more than one story? No.

What room of your home do you spend most time in? The spare room where I keep my laptop at a desk.

Is your second toe longer than your big toe? They're really the same length, I think.

Have you ever given yourself a tattoo? No, and I wouldn't. I'm leaving that to professionals.

Do you own any clothes you wouldn’t wear in front of your mother? No. I don't/can't buy my own clothes anyway, she literally buys everything I wear.

Do you have health insurance? I have Medicaid, even though I'm technically too old for it while being under my parents' names. My mom went through fucking hell to keep me on it.

What are some medical issues you’re currently dealing with? My weight and the extreme weakness in my legs, above all. Then there's loads of mental/emotional stuff, mostly centering around my sub-zero amount of self-worth and how it's affecting various areas of my life.

Why did you last take pain medication? I had a bad headache.

What physical traits have you inherited from your father? Uh... I don't know. I have a habit of pacing like he does (or at least, I did when standing wasn't excruciating), but idk if that counts.

How about your mother? Her height, kinda her hair, and our metabolism is very similar. As I've gotten older I also think my skin is coming to look more like hers, especially my arms, full of little dots and stuff.

What personality traits do you wish your children would inherit from you? In that hypothetical world, I'd most of all want them to have big hearts that care a lot about people like I very genuinely do. I know I'd also be HORRIBLY disappointed if they didn't like animals, but I would absofuckinglutely raise my kids from literal infancy to enjoy and respect the presence of all animals. I'd also want them to be resilient and able to bounce back and just keep going no matter what, which I honestly feel is a very strong trait among my family members.

What parts of the world are your ancestors from? Germany, Ireland, and Poland that we know of. I don't think any of us really know Dad's heritage.

Have you ever had a strange pet, outside of the normal animals people keep? I mean, I've had a good number of reptiles, but I think they're pretty accepted as rather "normal" these days.

Do you believe in astrology? Absolutely not.

Do you drive an electric car? No, we could absolutely never afford that.

What are your opinions on global warming? It is a major fucking issue people NEED to take more seriously, because otherwise we ARE going to make this planet inhabitable.

Do you like facial hair on guys or do you prefer the clean shaven look? I'm entirely capable of liking either. It depends on the guy.

Who was your first celebrity crush? Jesse McCartney, lol.

Are you good with kids? It's funny, I NEVER think I am, I feel like I'm so super awkward around them, but historically kids have really liked me. Mom thinks it's because I'm more of a "fun" adult that is just able to connect with kids' interests and desires more than most. I'm so far from a "serious" adult.

Are you usually late, early, or right on time? Right on time or early. My mom takes me everywhere, so it's really up to her.

Are you good at applying makeup? NO. My tremors make it very difficult, and plus my vision is just so bad that even with a close-up mirror, without my glasses on? It's a struggle to see everything as clearly as I need.

Do you like pastel colored hair? FUCKING YES and I wish my goddamn hair would TAKE COLOR PROPERLY so I could do it, ugh.

What do you think about the most? Probably Girt, honestly.

Do you like to see it snowing outside? YES!! Ugh I hope we get some this year.

Do you have your national flag hanging up anywhere outside your house? No. This reminds me that I still wanna get an LGBTQ+ flag to hang in my room like at the head of my bed or something.

Have you ever been in a choir? When I was a kid going to a Catholic church/school, my sisters and I were in the choir for a while. I was also in chorus during elementary school.

Do you look older or younger than you actually are? People always think I'm younger.

When is the next time you’ll be up on stage? Probably never, really.

Where did you spend your last birthday at? My house as well as The Cheesecake Factory with my mom, boyfriend, and two sisters.

What was the last show that you watched a full episode of? Girt and I have resumed our Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives bingeing. 🥴 That show always makes us hungry as fuck lmao.

Is there anything you need to work on doing soon? I'm probably going to finish my nature photography class later today. I gotta read a bit and then do the final exam and I should be done.

Were you ever a boy or girl scout? As a child, yes.

Do you take your medications in the morning or at night? I have meds that I have to take at both times.

Have you ever bought a YouTuber’s merch? Well I have two Cloak shirts, which is Markiplier and jacksepticeye's business. There are YTers whose merch I do want though.

What is the best type of donut? It depends on what I'm up for, really. Sometimes I like chocolate frosted, sometimes glazed, sometimes cake/plain...

Do you like thrift stores? YES. We haven't been to one in many years, but you can find the coolest, most niche stuff.

What is your town known for? Crime, literally. I'm not kidding at all, it's infamous for it. Hearing there was a shooting somewhere will barely make you bat an eye after you live here long enough.

Have you ever used a fake name at Starbucks? No, I don't even go there, though.

What color is your lava lamp? I don't have one, but I wish I did. I'd totally get a pink one.

Who is your favorite Lisa Frank character? I liked the angel kitty, lol. Sometimes I think I might get a Lisa Frank-styled tattoo.

What’s your favorite movie that you remember seeing in the theater? Uh, Logan was really good. Idk if it's been my favorite, but that's one that comes to mind.

Do you know anyone who has ten cats? I can absolutely promise you that my sister's mother-in-law has well past ten. Their yard is littered with cats and even have some inside that have entirely destroyed the upstairs/made it inhabitable. I try so hard to be understanding because growing up MY house was infested with outdoor cats I was so attached to that just kept breeding and breeding, but it's so problematic in multiple ways. Something needs to be done about it.

Have you ever had a cat? ^ Grew up with them, had them most of my life. There was quite a span where we didn't have one until we adopted Roman. <3

Have you ever had a dog? Yeah, a good number.

Have you ever any other kind of animal? Jesus, let's see. Guinea pigs, a Chinese water dragon, briefly an iguana, my sister had a rabbit at one point, rats, mice, gerbils, hamsters, ball pythons, some fish... Maybe more but I don't think so? We've just had a whole lot.

Have you ever had a pet rock? Uh I don't think so.

What were you voted in the senior class polls? I wasn't.

Who was your favorite teacher in high school? Coach Collie, Mrs. Stancil, Mrs. Cruz (who, fun fact, inspired my handwriting lmao, I was in love with hers), and Mrs. Williams.

Do you want to give your kids common names or unique names? Absolutely more towards the unique side, but I'm not against "established" names, either, so long as they're not obnoxiously common.

What collection are you thinking of starting? Rammstein merch laskdjflkajwelr

What are five of your favorite stores at the mall? Hot Topic, Spencer's, uh... maybe rue 21, anddddd... yeah idk.

Do you organize your clothes by color? No.

What do you want to name your first child? I've become pretty confident if I ever have kids and it's a girl, so long as Girt's the dad, it would be Miquella Lynn because I think it goes better with his last name than Alessandra Rose. If I ever have a son, I'd want to name him Damien Vance.

List ten favorite girls names. Alessandra, Evangeline, Justine, Jacqueline, Miquella (okay yeah it's a male's name in Elden Ring but I really like a way that it's mispronounced and to me sounds way more feminine), Chloe, Journee, Evelyn, Day, and uh OH I really like the sound of Amberdene, though it's a name I just made up for a future role-play character.

List ten favorite boys names. Damien, Severin, Vincent, Luther, Victor, Nikolai, Jaxson, uh... I'm out of ideas lol. There are plenty more male names I really like, I'm sure, I'm just blanking right now.

What season do you want to get married in? Autumn.

Is your Pinterest cluttered? Eh, it's relatively orderly. My "fandom" board has become a fuckin disaster though between all the shit I love, lol.

What is your favorite insect? Luna moths are number one, but I in general really love butterflies and moths.

What bugs scare you? FUCKING STAG BEELTES lkajsdkljawer like don't get me wrong, I think they're VERY cool-looking, but I am steering the fuck clear of them. I also don't like hornets and wasps at all. Centipedes are another big no, like I am IMMENSELY thankful big, truly dangerous ones don't live here. Another animal that looks cool as hell, but their bites are the stuff of legends.

Who picked your name, your mom or your dad? Pretty certain my mom.

What are your siblings’ names? Ashley, Nicole, Katie, Bobby, Misty, and Tiffany if you wanna count her.

Have you ever fallen asleep in a significant other's arms? Do you find that you fall asleep faster when accompanied by a significant other? Yes to both. At least, I'm pretty sure yes for the second question.

Do you have a television in your room? If you do, is it one of the old school big ones? Or is it a new flat screen? Nah, I don't watch TV so it would just be excess clutter.

What was your favorite cartoon or television show as a child? What about movie? I was absolutely, utterly obsessed with Pokemon. My favorite movie was The Lion King.

Did you have sleepovers at your friends' houses a lot as a child? Or did your friends come over to your house more often? It was more likely that my friends would sleep at my house because for a good chunk of my childhood, I had terrible separation anxiety from my mom and would end up waking up my friends' moms in the middle of the night to call my mom to come get me, lmao. I eventually got over it though.

Do you have any significantly older siblings? Did they ever treat you as if you were their child? Well yeah, my half-siblings, but they never treated me like a child, never mind theirs.

When opening presents on Christmas or birthdays, do you first try to guess what is in the package? Do you tear the wrap off slowly, or just rip it to shreds? Are you polite no matter what the gift, and say you love it anyways? Nah, I don't guess anymore, and I think I open presents... normally? Idk. And of course I'm polite about it, because it's very generous to get me ANYthing, so I am thankful no matter what.

What happened last time you got drunk? I've never been drunk, just tipsy.

What are you listening to? "Lügen" by Rammstein.

Which parent do you feel the most affection for? My mom, honestly.

How do you feel about God? "If there is a God, He will have to beg for my forgiveness." A quote that reached fame by being found carved in a concentration camp wall. And I will forever agree with it, violently so.

Which platform do you use to listen to music on the most? YouTube.

Who do you care about the most? Honestly probably Girt.

[nixalegos]

"Unlikely. I know her as Malakortana. I've never cared to use the identity she had in life. That simply isn't her, and I never knew her like that, treating who is she now as just some mask over a burdened drowning soul sounds personally insulting to me." He explained. The irony of which he'd just inferred said monstrousness nature that was 'her' was just a sandbag and obstacle, a tool to be manipulated and used to his design somehow wasn't insulting. "Who she is now is a pain in my ass mostly. She's been gone for some time, wandering in places dark and dreary." He gave a tch from his throat. "There's a cycle to such movements. Like locusts coming back every few years. I try to stay ontop of it. See if they're them, or if they're being puppeteered. I still believe they can be...guided, assuaged. Such hunger and death pointed at the abyss and grave. There's even the occasional moments of lucidity in them, when they know I'm right." He said with a frown. "The other half of the time I'm trying to kill them. I have to keep a supply of holy water saturated liquid concrete on a high speed spinner going at all times. So if they get fucking uppity and they slip up, even a hair, readily able to forcefully pump every decaying blood vessel they have with the slurry, so they can feel every eroding burning grain grind every tendon, muscle and capillary they used to have filled with stolen vitality." He growled. "Quick setting too, so once it works in, they'll be more or less an undying statue in absolute agony. Won't be pretty or permeant, but buys plenty of time to get the other more...robust solutions in line." He said as he looked to them with what was an attempt at a smile. "Well Commander, a deals a deal, you made it back to the garrison, and as such, I'll uphold my end of the bargain. You'll have zero complications from your midnight escapades due to me and my observational nature." He said with a nod. "I'd go into the process of how I use such scrying eyes for recording and sensory upload but you're already dealing with a visible headache." He teased. "So, rest assured, I'll mail you the detritus that comes from discarded memories, and you can have them independently tested if you'd like." He said, as if eager to be proven that his word was good, and his promises kept. "But, before I depart, a rebuttal to your last remark. A single candle Commander, is enough to hold back the entirety of the dark. My flame might burn a different color then yours, but so long as we're willing to burn, the dark can never win. That is no fiction. It is truth. And the great powers of the cosmos are slowly coming to the realization we mortals are becoming aware of how truly petty and small they actually are." He said with a nod. "Now, would you like to stay in touch, given our shared enemies?" He asked.

@kelzthalassunwhisper

A little wrong done right.

Continued from HERE "Probably the fact I'm still recording you saying this." He chided her, coming to take a slow step back, in equal parts to her coming forward to take the stone. Drunk and upset people did strange things. But he relaxed a hair as she used the healthstone as instructed. Watching as the pilfered and congealed mass of stolen vitality was given onto them, erasing their silly would be sacrificial wound. "You are, naturally, free to attempt to besmirch and deceive the Magistry against a civilian with a substantial record of heroics, cooperation, and who's own wife is a Blood Knight Master of our beloved city of Quel'Thalas." He edified. "I'm sure the courts would be very lenient, given your position Commander." He teased as the sudden eradication of booze in their veins struck them with an instant hangover. Oops. "Why don't we wander down from this place, and I get you back to the local garrison. You can watch me ensure the recordings...disappear in exchange for a history lesson between you and the conniving bitch." He offered, taking another step back, and cast a glance at the altar, marked with sic and blood. The shimmer of a shivarra vanished back into the cloak of invisibility. The Geist that had nearly managed to strike at the drunken elf safely dispatched and quietly let to slump behind the altar, unseen. Two gargoyles. A Geist. A ghost. Remains tucked behind bushes, and decaying scrubplants. Left to flake as much as the ethereal dust of his healthstone had crumbled to. Blood was the echo of a heartbeat. A heartbeat was sound. Sound was a language. Language bore words. And words...were power. Because despite their best efforts at melodrama. Malakortana was not actually the dead womans name. And with no proper entity to fill the siren call of spilled life and innocent power in this dead place, all sorts of nameless dead things came, and would continue to come, all eager to play the role of 'Mala' if it meant even a drop of life, a moments respite. The hooded man had taken advantage of their drunken stupor and distraction away from the dangers they'd inadvertently called. "I'm just looking out for number one." He lied. "I've some history with them too."

@kelzthalassunwhisper

[buffenny]

i’ve avoided putting anything on here, on my public accounts because i’m not exactly a public griever. i never will be. i originally wasn’t going to put anything here either, but i think this is the next step in this whole grieving thingy for me.

idec if anyone actually reads this, because this is a comfort for me, plus i don’t think i can stomach not saying anything about someone that meant so much to me despite having never met him. he’s got me through so much. so fucking much. 

also before i get into it, i do want to mention that this is very much me rambling and may also come across sort of vent-like. 

things were really rough for me last night (as im sure it was for so many other people). i cried for so so long to the point where i couldn’t breathe and the only thing i could feel was the pressure of my headache that had formed, it wasn’t even one of those pounding headaches, it was just constant. honestly i blame it on being dehydrated, L to me for not drinking water ig. 

at first i thought it was some kinda of sick joke. about 10 seconds into the video i was actively hoping that it was. i don’t know how to fucking process this or how to properly grieve and i cant even imagine how anyone close to him must be feeling right now. but i bet that they’re fucking proud of him. he’s made such a positive impact on so many fucking people. 

he was the first person i watched when i started watching minecrafters again. instantly i grew attached to his content and his personality. the way he interacted with his friends was just so fucking nice to watch. i cant even explain it well because who the fuck actually manages describes complex emotions like this in full?? 

my first art post on my twitter account was him and my first mcyt post on my instagram account was him. i

 remember being fifteen fucking years old, having no friends and no one to even talk to. i remember being the loneliest i had ever been in my entire life, and i remember how much technos content helped me through that. 

yesterday, when the video was uploaded to his channel, i cried the hardest i had ever cried in my entire life. i have never dealt with grief like this. i’ve never experienced death. but yesterday, everything felt wrong. nothing felt real, it didn’t feel real. i straight up, could not fucking believe it. i still cant believe it. because it doesn’t feel real. i cant wrap my head around him actually being gone. 

and when i say that everything felt wrong, i mean that it felt like i couldn’t do anything. everyone was talking about distractions but i couldn’t distract myself because just the action of doing so felt like i was doing him a disservice. and don’t get me wrong, i know that’s not true, but that’s how it felt. i couldn’t listen to fucking music all day yesterday because the noise was just too loud, and the lights on in my room were too bright so i had to shut them off as well. it all felt so wrong. 

today, seeing the rest of the world move on with their lives was so confusing to me. people have been so excited to watch the new stranger things episodes and i just cant. i cant bring myself to do anything like that. anything that i can’t relate back to technoblade i cant distract myself with. 

i played a bit of minecraft, i watched some of his old videos, i watched phil’s stream. 

it was really nice to laugh with my friends though. i’m glad that i was able to do that today. really fucking glad. 

i’ve been spending a lot of time on twitter. right now the whole place is just full of love and support and other people who are grieving just as much as i am and it’s really fucking nice. 

i’m kind of scared to post this because i’m not really one for being public with my emotions, and i don’t have anything like this on any of my accounts. also the fact that i know my friends will probably see this. but like i said, it felt wrong not to post anything. 

it’s true that i could post something significantly shorter, but i think i’d rather post something that feels more me. 

[twink-between-worlds]

wish

two fics in one day :0 y'all are spoiled watch four lose the colours then Take Vio's Advice (like an idiot) put fours thoughts in orange lol

relationships: the colours being siblings

will be uploaded to ao3 in like a day or two so keep an eye out!

An argument sparked as soon as Four had woken for the day. Can we ask Wild to make us monster cake? We just woke up, and monster cake is rancid. We could ask later, then! We aren’t eating that shit, Red! Four rolled his eyes, stretching as he walked over to Wild. Wild’s looking through his slate. “Morning, Wild.”Four yawned, sitting at the table. Wild’s house is a nice, quaint building in Hateno. “Ah, Four! Help me, I don't know what to make for breakfast.” Monster cake! Four can feel her banging her fists on a non-existent desk as she chants for that disgusting desert. He doesn’t understand her obsession with it, but he’s annoyed by it right now—he can feel the headache coming on. “What’re the options?” “I could make pancakes again, maybe some muffins though? What would you prefer?” Muffins! I vote for muffins! Let’s go with muffins!! Muffins seem like a good alternative to monster cake. Yay! Good morning Vio! Good morning, Red “Muffins sound really good.”Four mumbled, watching Wild smile. “Muffins it is!” This is unhealthy. Agreed. It’s not that unhealthy! There are worse things we could be eating in the morning.. I’m going to kill both of you. You wonder why dad is disappointed in us— Don’t you dare say that, dad is very proud in us You’re being mean, Blue! Four felt tears in his eyes—dammit, Red—and quickly blinked them away. “I’m gonna go on a walk. I’ll be back in…ten-ish minutes.” After seeing Wild nod, Four walked out of the house. Did he forget his boots? …yes. Did he forget to put his overtunic on? Also yes. He also doesn’t have his bandana on. We are so disorganised. Four agrees. Maybe we wouldn’t be if you had an ounce of common sense! Blue— Excuse me?! I have more common sense than all of you combined! Please stop.. Four wishes they would stop fighting all the time. The small hero headed down the path, passing an odd looking statue as he began to pace. “If Vio would stop encouraging Red’s unhealthy habits, we would be fine.”Four snapped, eyes a fierce blue. Blue. “It’s not harming us to have a bit of sugar.”Cool purple eyes had flickered, fiery red eyes replacing them. Vio. “It’s just one muffin…it’s not like we’ll have four of them for each of us!” Red. “We need to stay healthy to be able to fight.”Sage green eyes shined. Green. “Shut up.”Four begged, eyes returning to grey. “I wish you’d all just go away.” He didn’t mean it. He didn’t mean it. As Four walked away, he swore he heard that statue speak up. “I can grant you what you seek.” Four shook his head, walking back to Wild’s house. The first one to go was Red. Four had made it back and waited for Wild to finish cooking. When he did, he gave each chain member a muffin. …but Four stared at it. Red? Aren’t you hungry? … Red? By now, Red would have taken over and made Four eat this. …where is she? Red, please answer..say something. Say anything. I can’t feel her. What? What do you mean? I can’t feel Red’s presence anymore..she isn’t here. What do you mean “she isn’t here”?! Red isn’t here. But…but that doesn’t— “Four? You okay?”Sky tilted his head, concern in his sleepy eyes. “...I’m not hungry.”Four mumbled, placing the muffin down and staring at a wall. Where could she go? We’re all stuck here unless split.. … That statue said something before we left, did it not? …yeah. Said he could grant Four his wish. And his wish… Silence. Poor Red… She’s—She’s gone? …fuck. She’s gone. And Four couldn’t stop himself. Tears started falling, and he covered his mouth with a hand. Red’s gone. Red’s gone because he wished for it. He didn’t mean it. He didn’t really want them gone! “Four? Four, what's wrong?”Twilight asked, rushing to the blacksmith’s side. Four shook his head, hiding in Twilight’s shoulder. We have to get her back. You want us to talk to the statue again…Green, what do you think? … No. Nononono— Green…? He really is losing them all. Vio. Vio we need to go to that statue. Now. Agreed. …please don’t leave me alone. I’ll try my best. Four got up, heading out without a single warning. “What did you do?”Four announced, looking at the statue. The statue had

a smug tone to its voice. “I granted your wish.” Son of a bitch. “Give them back.” “Oh, but it will cost you—” “I don’t care. Give me my sister and sibling back.”Blue’s still here. Good. “Hmm…five thousand rupees should cover it.” …we don’t have that much. Wild doesn’t even have that much. We can’t ask the others, they’ll want to know what it’s for. “I don’t…have that much.” “Shame.” Then it went quiet. We need a job. Agreed. “I…will be back.”Four slowly walked away, shaking slightly. On his person, he only has two thousand rupees. He needs three thousand more. So, Four spent the day doing mundane chores and getting paid for them. Then, he spent the night killing monsters and getting money as a thanks. He chose not to sleep, in fear he would lose Vio and Blue in his sleep. He has four thousand rupees. And Blue has stopped talking. Vio’s talking to faerself. We can get them back. I just hope that statue doesn’t raise the price… Four really hopes it doesn’t. “Four! There you are.”Wind let out a breath. “We’ve been looking for you all night.” Huh? Oh. Right. Vio always loses track of time.. “I’m busy, Wind.” …ouch. He sounded cold saying that. He knows Vio doesn’t mean to be cold, that’s just the way fae is. … I don’t think I want to work for 1000 more rupees. This is bullshit. I have an idea. Can you trust me? …yes. Waving Wind off, Four let Vio take the reins as Vio led Four away. He doesn’t know where he’s going. Dark Link has been watching. He’s no doubt noticed the situation at hand. Perhaps he could help.. You want to make a deal with the enemy? Precisely. You’re insane. Indeed I am. Four sighed, because of course he had to be one quarter loony. Vio’s always been the questionable one. Smart, good intentions, but fae always does it in the wrong way. I don’t want to do this either, but— Look at your hand. So, Four did. And his heart sank. He’s getting Vio’s cracks on his skin. If we don’t get rid of this now, I fear those could become permanent on you. …okay. So Four stopped questioning it. Four ended up near the road to Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, and there Dark Link stood, by the split in the path. “Dark Link.” “Hero.” “I need a favour.” Dark perked up, a smirk on his face. “Oh?” Four let out a breath. “A horned statue in Hateno Village has taken three out of four of my colours, as I’m sure you’re aware. I want—no, rephrase—I need them back, and I know you can do it for me.” “And what will I get in return?” “Well, what do you want? Please hurry, we aren’t sure how long—”Four cut off, going silent. Vio. Vio left. Left? Got taken? He isn’t sure. But he has none of them. And Dark saw it in his steel grey eyes. “They’re all gone, hm?” “Yes. Please—Please, I need them back.”Four feels…pathetic, begging a dark for help. “Hm. Alright. I will give you them back—on one condition.” “What? What’s the condition?” “You gather information on your friends for me.” Four paused for what felt like the millionth time. …he will wait for Vio to return to find out how to outsmart Dark. “Okay. Okay just…get my colours back.” Dark hummed, clicking his fingers. Being shoved back in at the same time gave Four a…splitting headache. Really, Green? Not even two seconds back and you make a goddess awful pun! Four stood there for a few minutes, rapidly blinking as he readjusted to having them back. But they’re back. They’re back! He has the colours back. Now. Vio, help. I said I’d get info on the chain for him in return for you guys. …did he specify what kind of information? No. Ask him. “So, Dark. You held your side—how will I hold mine?” “Find out the weak points of your peers and tell me what they are. If you don’t do this, I can simply take your precious colours away again.”Dark deadpanned. So we tell him that their strong points are their weak points. But he could take us away again.. This is worth the risk. “Alright. I think I can do that.” “Good. I hate disappointment.” Four watched Dark leave, a heavy breath escaping from his mouth. He didn’t realise he was holding his breath. We should head back. Agreed. Four turned on his heel, beginning

to head back to the village. …he thinks he’ll lay off making dumb wishes for a while.

[malemacrofics]

Top O' The Mornin' To Ya, Little Laddie!

Request: "Could you do something with Jacksepticeye he definitely deserves a tiny guy and maybe transforming one onto his shoes or something hahaha" -@dabooi

Content: Foot Play, Playful Giant, RPF, Foot Worship

A/N: My first request! I hope you like it! Also, apologies for the length of time between uploads. Had finals the past week and I was very busy studying. But now it's summer, so hopefully my uploads will be much more consistent

You woke up with a pounding headache. The ground beneath you was frigid, what little skin you had exposed felt numb. Sitting up and rubbing your head, you looked around. There was a large object behind you, almost as tall as a building. A large glass face pointed in your direction. Through the tinted glass you were able to see what looked like electronic components. Wiring attached to various points inside, and you shuddered to think what the large fans inside could do if you got caught in them. To your left and right were large, black, metal beams. They looked like they were easily as wide as you were tall. And dead ahead was a structure you couldn't discern. Large plastic wheels, easily capable of pinning you if not outright crushing you, rested on the floor. More plastic beams connected the wheels to a central support beam that lead to a platform that had to easily be 75 feet above you, if not higher. From this angle, it looked like a regular gaming chair. But that was ridiculous, right? If the chair was that tall, you had to be miniscule!

Before you could decide on your next move, a large section of the wall beyond chair opened like a door, before a giant entered the room, closing the door behind him. As soon as the giant's face became properly lit from the ceiling lamp hanging from the sky, you easily recognized who it was. You'd been a longtime fan of his YouTube channel, his regular greeting long since ingrained into your memory. Walking through the door was none other than Jacksepticeye. However, your admiration and excitement quickly turned to fear. Each of his sneaker-clad footfalls caused thundering booms to resonate throughout the room. He was able to cross the miles long distance between the door to where you are in mere seconds. Or atleast, what seemed like miles to you.

As he pulled out his chair, you tried to force yourself to stand, to be able to do anything to avoid being spotted. However, luck was not on your side today. You hear the giant youtuber yell out "Oh fuck! What is that?"

As those words wash over you, you feel paralyzed. All sorts of emotions bubbling up from the pit of your stomach with fear being the predominant one. You turn just in time to see Jack reaching for a plastic cup that was sitting on his desk before dropping it over you, trapping you in place. Once he was certain the cup was secure enough, Jack removed his hand before bringing his face closer. You could his face in finer detail than any of his other fans ever would. But now wasn't the time for ogling his face. You ran towards the edge of the cup before pounding your fists against its surface. The cup still damp from the water it must've been holding previously. "What're you?" He asks, his voice muffled slightly by the plastic, "You're like some kinda... tiny guy..."

Once he said those words, you stopped banging on the plastic and instead started vigorously nodding your head. "Yes! I don't know how I got here!" You yelled out, doing whatever you could to let him know the truth. Jack seemed to register your words, or at least he was able to figure out what you were nodding at. "If ya promise not to bite me, I'll let you out. Understand?" Jack asked, hand already grabbing the top of the cup. You quickly nod your head in agreement.

A blast of drier air rushes over you as the cup is lifted. Jack places the cup back on top of his desk shortly before laying his hand next to you, palm up. "Climb on little guy, lemme get a better look atcha."

You hesitantly climb onto his palm, and he slowly brings you closer to his face. At this distance, and without the dewy plastic of the cup separating you, you're able to see a few beads of sweat on Jack's forehead. His now colossal eyes scan you head to toe before asking "So, I'm guessing you'll need my help to grow back to normal?"

"If you have any help to offer. Not like I can do much at this size." You respond.

"Well little guy, I gotta finish recording my new videos, and this sweat is kickin' my ass... Any chance you'd be okay with helpin' me first?"

You nod your head before even asking how you'd be able to help a titan like him cool down. But, before you're able to ask, you feel him shift as he pulls a socked foot out of one of his sneakers. "I'm gonna apologize ahead o' time for the smell. But if ya could just massage my feet while I record, I'll definitely help you grow back."

You don't even get to respond as Jack quickly brings his hand down to his open sneaker. Your nose is already being assaulted by the smell coming from the opening, but you strangely don't mind it. At least not as much as you thought you should. "God, the smell must be even worse for ya down there. I can't imagine being that small makes it smell any less. Thank you for this, little one." Jack says before turning his hand. You slide along his palm before landing unceremoniously against the warm insole. Your face immediately becoming slick with the youtuber's sweat. You turn just in time to see the socked foot return to its home in the sneaker.

You're pressed against the insole as the foot comes to a rest on top of you. The pressure not enough to squish you, but certainly enough to pin you in place. Your head is pinned between Jack's toes, and you can feel him wiggle and stretch them, almost playing with you. You move what little you can in an attempt to massage the giant's sweaty, socked foot, although you doubt you're doing very good of a job. Hopefully when this is over, you'll find a way to transform back. As much as you don't mind the smell, it's still incredibly powerful. Not to mention being pinned by this weight is far from comfortable.

Far above you, Jack continues to turn on his PC, scoot his gaming chair towards his desk and sit down. As he sits, the pressure pinning you gets relieved slightly, although not as much as you'd wish. Jack puts on his headphones and wiggles his toes one last time. Damn, that little guy is really comfortable down there, He thinks to himself as he opens the game he plans on recording. He seemed pretty willing to go into my shoe... Surely he won't mind if I keep him there a little longer than planned...

Little did you know when you entered your idol's shoe that you'd be finding your new occupation. Every day Jack would drop you in his shoe before going about his daily life. He'd record, exercise, or even relax while keeping you pinned under his sweaty feet. You weren't even spared the smell at night, when he would put you in his sock before putting it back on, pinning you against his bare foot all night. Eventually your duties grew past simply massaging his feet, as he'd force you to lap up his foot sweat and make sure his feet were sparkling clean. At least you had all night to worry about that, and at least your giant master was someone you already admired, right?

[solarwonux]

Payment Due! || Jeon Wonwoo (5/7)

Pairing: Camboy!Wonwoo x f!reader || sex worker au!

w.c: 6.2k

Genre: 18+ smut, fluff, angst

Warnings: angst, suggestive, mentions of sex toys, kind off fluffy. I’m terribly sorry lmao

Synopsis: HYBE U one of the top highly prestigious universities in the country. A shithole, a total money making scam that liked to sucked the life out of its students. Not being able to meet the funds to pay for your tuition your best friend lets you in a little secret. A way he’s been keeping afloat for years now, easy money. The problem is you want in.

a/n: I honestly can’t believe I was able to get this up, I literally didn’t think it would happen, It’s been a crazy week over. Honestly just to be sure I am going to change to just say I am going to upload between friday and saturday. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH THOUGH FOR BEING SO SUPPORTIVE AND UNDERSTANDING IT AND ALSO FOR LIKING THIS STORY SO MUCH I LOVE YOU ALL.xx

Masterlist | prev | next

Tunnel vision 

Wonwoo was in such a state of panic that he forgot to press the button to your floor. He stood there in the back corner of the elevator, his back against the cold metal, while your moans got increasingly louder through his phone speaker. It wasn’t until his neighbor, with an odd look, one in between curiosity and disgust, that he realized that his phone was at full volume and he had been standing staring at the ten little numbered buttons for longer than he intended. Stumbling, he exited the app not before taking in your appearance, close to your orgasm. His heart hurt. He was supposed to be there with you. Pleasing you. A dirty little secret that would go unnoticed by everyone except the two of you. 

Why did you do it? The two of you promised to not let the whole camming business get in between the two of you. And it had done exactly that. He wasn’t sure how to face you when he was so angry and sad at the same time. Where he wanted to hurt you and apologize to you. He was so confused, probably as confused as the old lady who waved her tan wrinkly hand in front of his face. He noticed that she was talking to him, her face morphed into worry. 

Wonwoo was frozen, his bloodstream turning sour, his heart pounding against his hot ears. The only thing replaying in his head was the look of mischief behind your eyes when he opened the app. He could hear the sound of your moans mixing with the sound of his heart breaking. It came fast, the ever approaching headache he had tried his hardest to prevent the past three days. 

“Sorry,” he whispered, his voice breaking at the end of the simple word, because even that was hard for him to get out. How the fuck was he going to face you and spill out all the things he had been keeping from you? Starting with how angry he was and ending with how sorry he was. 

The old lady only nodded, stepping aside, holding her mail keys close to her chest. Wonwoo pushed himself away from the elevator walls. Scrunching up his nose as he finally took in the unpleasant smell of metal and pressed the number five. He turned to face his neighbor, silently asking the floor she needed to go to even though Wonwoo very much knew. Both of them were frequent partners when it came to fetching the mail, but he still felt like he needed to ask. 

It was a way to put some normalcy in the obscure scene she had walked into. She didn’t answer him, instead kept her eyes trained on one of the four corners of the elevator. It was like she could sense his panic, especially when Wonwoo pressed the number to your floor. The two of you were her favorite neighbors, frequently mumbling a nostalgic ‘young love’ underneath her breath when she caught the two of you either bickering or laughing. Her mail could wait, but she knew Wonwoo couldn’t and a trip down to the first floor would delay everything. 

The second the metal doors started to creak open, Wonwoo rushed out, squeezing himself through a wide enough gap. He ran, his breathing increased and by the time he was standing in front of your front door. He was panting like he had just finished competing in a triathlon. 

He scrambled to unlock your front door. Getting the passcode wrong the first three tries. Which frustrated him because why was he suddenly forgetting his own birthday? He finally managed to get it right the fourth time; 1996717 he repeated to himself, obsessively as he opened your door. It took his mind away from the ache he was feeling all throughout his body. 

Quickly, he kicked off his slides and made his way through your apartment. Your phone lighting up in missed calls and text messages next to a half empty glass of rosé on your coffee table, a bowl of half eaten caramel popcorn and Clueless paused on your projected screen. Instantly he knew your decision was a spur of the moment one, otherwise you wouldn’t be watching your comfort movie. 

He felt his breath speed up again and without a second thought he took off his hoodie. A shiver ran throughout his body, causing the goosebumps to rise against the cold air of your apartment. He’s strides got longer and faster as he made his way down the hallway, gripping the soft cotton tightly. The guest bedroom was ajar, he could see you, pressing your light pink silicone vibrator against your clit, no doubt trying to pull another orgasm from you from the way your body was already shaking. He frowned, the pings only got louder and faster, you were mumbling incoherently, whining. Sounds he was supposed to pull from you, sounds meant for him only along with the look of total bliss painted on your face. 

It was enough to send his body into autopilot. Not like it wasn’t running on autopilot before it had just kicked in a bit later than expected. He pushed the door open hard enough for it to hit the wall. You jumped up screaming in complete horror, your arms flying up to cover yourself. Wonwoo didn’t look, he couldn’t. Not unless he wanted to sink to his knees and use his mouth the way he had been fantasizing for weeks now. 

Instead, he walks past you, throwing you his hoodie, “Cover up.” He grumbles stepping in front of his webcam, leaning in enough to cover you completely. He didn’t bother to look at the comments because he knew they were angry, but he could care less right now there were more pressing matters at hand. Number one being to put an end to your stream, so that’s what he did. With a shaky hand he got a hold of his mouse and clicked the red button, ending it. Like second nature he deleted the video from his page, biting the inside of his cheek to keep himself from screaming when he saw that you weren’t using an incognito tab. Closing the tab he silently hoped that no one had been too consumed in their own pleasure or smart enough to start tracking you down.

“I was in the middle of something.” You say bitterly, your throat closing up, your body shrinking in on itself flushed with embarrassment. You kept your arms around you, shivering. The light buzz of  your long forgotten vibrator humming against the bed sheets. 

Wonwoo turns around, his jaw tense, arms crossed in front of his naked chest. “Cover up, I’m running you a bath.” He says before walking out of the room. His anger wavering behind, engulfing you like a heated blanket, making you visibly uncomfortable. Still you put on his hoodie, letting it stick onto you like second skin. 

You hated it. But his scent was so comforting, something you needed so desperately right now that you didn’t care. 

In hindsight going live on Wonwoo’s account wasn’t the best idea. But then again, you only knew how to maneuver things from his account. The last two times you had done this, with him, he was the one that set everything up. While you peered over his shoulder, barely paying attention, focused more on your nerves rather than learning in case he were to ask you to get things going. And because you were more than positive that you would never go live without him. 

What a sweet and naive dream. 

You fumbled with your hands, pulling and pushing the sleeves of his sweatshirt. For the first time in the last few days your mind was blank, zoning in on your embarrassment and Wonwoo’s anger. Praying he was more upset than disappointed, because you could handle Wonwoo being upset with you, not disappointed. That was something you could not handle, probably would not be able to survive because it only meant that you crossed a line. A line you would not be able to return from. 

“So dumb,” you whisper to yourself burrying your head in your hands. Slowly letting go of the tears you had refused to spill after your fight with Wonwoo. You knew you shouldn’t have done what you did, you knew it was your way of getting underneath his skin. A low blow on your part when you remembered the fear that had flashed through his eyes after he firmly made you promise not to ever show your face on camera. After he had underlined the rule in five different colored pens when you printed them out for him. 

And you had done just that. Betrayed him in a way that sent you off into the void. To the point of no return. 

“Let’s go.” Wonwoo whispers, helping you stand up. Silently he guides you to your bathroom. Lights dim, illuminated by non scented candles. The smell of lavender hits your nose and it only makes you cry harder. Even upset, Wonwoo always put you first and it was so unfair. Especially after everything you had just done. 

He stands in front of you, brings his hoodie up, letting it fall down to your feet. “Careful, please.” He wipes away your tears with the pad of his thumbs and guides you to the tub. Holding your arm as you slowly sink down into it. The heat of the water, warming you up, turning your bones into mush and it only made you cry even harder. 

“I-I’m sorry Woo. It’s not an excuse b-but I w-was so angry.” You hiccup, hugging your knees up to your chest, shutting your eyes as he pours water over your head. He doesn’t say anything, instead continues to pour water over your head until your hair is drenched and dripping. It scares you how quiet he is, barely lets out a hum as he reaches out for your shampoo. “Can you please say something.” You sniffle, closing your eyes tightly. 

Maybe he didn’t care. That’s why he wasn’t saying anything. You expected him to blow up, curse like the words tasted like candy to him. This you weren’t expecting and it scared you beyond belief, because as the silence made its way underneath your floorboards and over the two of you. The thought of never seeing him again after tonight was starting to become more and more real. 

If only you could go back in time and never suggested joining him in the first place. The two of you would still be thinking the world of one another and you would’ve lived in denial a bit longer. Sure you would have probably been in an overwhelming amount of debt but that reality was better than the one you were living in now. 

Losing your best friend and first love all in the same night. 

Wonwoo places his palm over your forehead, “Close your eyes.” He states making you nod doing as he says. He pours water over you again, repeatedly,  rinsing your shampoo out of your hair, until it’s all gone. You wrap your arms around your chest, bringing your knees down sitting criss-cross applesauce. The cold starts to seep in and your teeth start clattering. Wonwoo huries, applying your conditioner to the ends of your hair, combs through it carefully using your hot pink wide tooth comb, and lets it sit as he starts to wash the rest of your body. He’s practically racing against time. He can feel your body grow colder as he swipes your soapy sponge all over your back. He swallows hard when he reaches your shoulder, scrubbing gently as he makes his way down the front of your body, making you freeze. 

For some reason, for the two of you. This felt far more intimate than anything that had occurred between the two of you the past two weeks. He was supposed to be angry, not thinking of ways to open his heart up to you. So he starts to think of things that were inherently sexual like strawberries, though the thought of having you naked, biting into one as he watches the juice run down your lips and chin, enough for him to lick it up, quickly makes its way into his head. So he changes the page, tries to remember the lecture notes completely abandoned on his desk back home and quickly rinses the rest of your body along with your hair. 

He stands up clearing his throat and grabs your fluffy white towel, holding it wide open. “Be careful when you stand up.” He mumbles, focusing his eyes on your white bathroom tiles. You nod and get up using the side of your tub as guidance.

It was frustrating. Dancing around the topic. Letting the elephant in the room stomp all over the two of you. His jaw was clenched in anger and no matter how hard he tried to hide his shaking hands, they were in full display as he waited for you to walk into them. So, you did exactly that. Without hesitation he wraps his arms around you, pulling you in close, squeezing you to the point you couldn’t breathe. If you didn’t know any better you’d think he was attempting to suffocate you to death. With a sigh, he rested his chin on top of your head, breathing in deeply, counting by twos all the way to one hundred, and you start crying again.

It would’ve been better if he was screaming at you. Expressing his evident anger and disappointment in you. But him staying silent, deflecting everything while you tore yourself apart inside was worse. 

“I’ll make you some tea, get dressed and I’ll meet you in your room.” He pulls away, sweeping his thumbs underneath your eyes, taking your tears with him. A pained expression running past his warm eyes. That’s when you knew he was beating himself up inside too. He didn’t want part two of the fight at the bookstore. He was usually good at keeping his emotions in check, but hearing those words fall out of your perfect lips with equal amounts of sincerity and pain blinded him. 

One second he was next to Maya, the next he was screaming things he shouldn’t have even thought about. Before he could take in the entire situation Maya was dragging him out of the store, worried beyond belief. 

He didn’t want part two of that ever. 

“Okay.” You nod, holding the towel up to keep it from falling. Wonwoo takes one last look at you, then the white bathroom tiles and finally the broken reflection of the two of you through your bathroom mirror. He takes another deep breath and turns around fast enough to give anyone whiplash. He knew if he stayed any longer in your presence he’d be falling on his knees, begging for your forgiveness while chasing your sweet relief. 

So he walks out. 

Wonwoo walks into your room wearing his hoodie from earlier holding a steaming hot cup of chamomile tea tightly in his hand. After brushing your hair, putting it in a braid because you couldn’t be bothered to dry it and getting dressed. You laid down on your bed, covering yourself with your fleece blanket, listening to Wonwoo loudly make his way throughout your apartment. You figured he was cleaning up while waiting for the kettle to boil.  

That’s something the two of you had in common. Whenever anxious, upset or sad, cleaning was somehow always the solution. It gave the two of you a sense of balance. A way to clear your head and assess the situation before acting out irrationally. That’s why whenever the two of you had fights, they never grew into something more. 

That is until now. Everything was so fucked, so confusing. Your head was so entangled that you didn’t know if there was a way to fix anything without cutting each other off completely. Especially with the way your heart was behaving, refusing to let him go even though he didn’t belong to you anymore. 

“I’m upset.” He states, placing down a cork coaster on your bedside table and placing your mug on top of it. “I can’t understand why you would do such a thing even after I told you how dangerous it was.” He sighs, taking a seat in front of you placing his hands on top of your covered thighs. “I just don’t want what happened to me to happen to you.” He finishes. His confession dawns on you, leaving you speechless. 

A story, an experience had been left untouched between the two of you and with how Wonwoo’s gaze traveled around your room nervously, it was a story he wasn’t ready to tell. But definitely one he couldn’t keep inside any longer. In a way he blames himself and his inability to let you in on something so scarring for what you had done. But at the same he knew that regardless if he had told you or not, your anger sometimes got the best of you and your uncalculated brain would take over. 

“What happened?” You whisper, placing your hand over his, squeezing it gently. He retrieves his gaze, by now he had started counting the colorful pom pom balls you hung around your room when you first moved in. Another interior design project he helped you out on. He was so imprinted in your life and you were so imprinted in his. That the decision he had made earlier while he was washing your dishes haunted him. Pained him to the point he wanted to leave, build a time machine and reset everything. To a moment in life where the two of you ceased to exist in each other’s lives.

He felt awful for thinking about it. But a part of him had convinced himself that without him, your life would be better. 

He swallows, scooting himself closer to you, wrapping his arms around your waist and bringing you close. It’s something he shouldn’t be doing but he needed to feel you close to him. “When I first started doing this, I wasn’t as careful as I am now. I was learning, and so excited because of the amount of money I was making in one sitting that I didn’t think everything through.”

He pauses, bringing his attention to your joined hands with a painful smile. “I started a sexual relationship with an older man who would watch my streams. He messaged me once out of blue and I stupidly entertained the idea. After five months I found he was married and had two daughters, I tried to stop, but I liked the way he treated me, like there was nothing wrong with me and I loved the way he showered me with presents and money so I pushed the fact I was being selfish and meddling in a situation that I didn’t belong in.” He takes a deep breath, resting his head on top of your chest, “He started to want more. Would talk about how he wanted to run away with me and leave his family behind so I told him that we should stop talking. I thought it was okay, that it was good because he didn’t contact me for two weeks.” 

“Wonwoo why di-” 

“Christian showed up at school, waited until I left my last class of the day and cornered me when I walked out. That’s when I realized that he was having me followed for those two weeks. That the cryptic emails I ignored because I thought they were spam were a warning. Maya was there, she wasn’t my lab partner at the time but she saw how scared I was as I tried to get away from him, that she came and whisked me away using the project we had been assigned as an excuse.” 

“Wait, Maya knew?” You furrow your brows, resting your hand against his shoulder, squeezing it gently making him sigh. 

Wonwoo nods, shutting his eyes, nosing your neck gently. Your smell always managed to comfort him, it made him feel safe and all warm inside. “After that day I got threatening letters in the mail. Unlabeled packages that I was so scared to open that I just threw away and so was Maya. That’s when I decided to take everything to court, to get a restraining order against him, because now he wasn’t just messing with me but with someone that I had started to care about also. And I was so scared that he would eventually find out about you, find out what you meant to me and somehow make your life much worse than mine just because you knew me, and I couldn’t let that happen. So I fought so hard and eventually after weeks, almost a month I was granted a restraining order because that’s the only thing the judge could grant me, even though his charges were enough to land him at least fifteen years in jail.” He sighs, “I guess that’s what having money really means.” 

It’s silent, enough to hear the exact moment the air conditioning turns on. Your mouth runs dry from the lack of words you have to offer him. You want to say so much but so little at the same time, and no matter in what direction you took it. The words you had to offer him wouldn’t be the right ones. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” You whisper, pushing his body away and placing your palms on his cheeks, red as the color of brick. His skin burns to the touch and you see the disappointment flash through him. It pains you but that’s the only thing you could think of saying. Putting your own curiosity above his hurt, but then again you weren’t the person he entrusted in and found comfort in back then so why should you be that person now? The situation was long gone and over, his heart had already started to heal and his fear had long disappeared. If not he wouldn’t have kept camming, so truly what role did you have now but to wonder why he kept such a secret from you for so long?

Wonwoo scoffs, removing his arms from your body. “I know you, you would’ve demanded why I was talking to Christian, how I met him and would have made me feel even worse than what I already felt. You would’ve also inserted yourself into the problem, giving him a free pass to mess with you too.” 

You poke the inside of your cheek with your tongue, clicking it before rolling your eyes. “Thanks for telling me what you really think of me.” You stand up, laughing bitterly. “I feel so fucking stupid, all these years I spent falling for you, trusting you were all a waste because fuck I knew you would never feel the same way as me but I at least thought you trusted me.” 

“What?” He stands up, ignoring the last part of your rant, rolling up your fleece blanket in a ball and throwing it onto your bed. “This is exactly why I didn’t tell you. I knew you would react this way.” He exclaims, taking a deep breath. “And what you’ve done tonight was so stupid. I can’t even begin to imagine what those creeps are doing now, getting your IP address like it’s a piece of cake and now I have to figure out a way to fix it.” 

“I don’t need you too!” You exclaim harshly.” “I’m sorry Wonwoo for being such an inconvenience in your life, but I’ve told you time and time again that I’m capable of taking care of myself. I know how to defend myself. I’m not stupid.” You shake your head, running your hands over your face in frustration. “I know I fucked up, I know okay I already feel like shit and I’m completely terrified but if you’re going to act like being around me and protecting me -” you say adding air quotes, “is such a chore when that was your decision and your decision alone then I don’t want you to be here.” 

“It wouldn’t feel like such a chore if you were just honest with me from the start.” 

You throw your hands up in the air, “Are you serious? This again? Why should I Wonwoo when you’ve been keeping shit from me too and shit that’s serious?” You huff, “If you really want to know then all you need to do is look in the mirror Wonwoo, cause the person I’m in love with is you and I hate it because I know you don’t feel the same w-way.” You cringe at the way your voice breaks at the end. This wasn’t how you wanted to confess but it was easier than having it bloom into something more. Now that it was out there, now that you were positive that after today you would never see Wonwoo again. You could finally start to allow yourself to move on. Your head didn’t need to be plagued with a bunch of what if’s, when they ceased to exist. 

“M-Me?” The little air he had in his lungs leaves him and finally feels that suffocating feeling you had been struggling with since Saturday. “Why didn’t you t-tell me?” He pushes out. It feels like he’s drowning but being saved at the same time. Half of him, the half that is so sure that you’re the only one for him feels alive. But the other half is sending out warning signals, to turn around and run away, never looking back. To him you’re more than enough, you’re absolutely everything he dreams about at night. His absolute angel, carved to perfection, but he’s scared that he will never be that for you. 

Sure your words are saying something, but what happens after a month? After the two of you cross that forbidden line that was crossed long before? You’d finally realize the kind of person Wonwoo is. The side he kept hidden from you because he hated it more than anything in this world. He can’t bring himself to put you and himself through that heartbreak. One that will hurt more than the one the two of you are experiencing now. 

“How could I? When I finally admitted it to myself I was already too late and you had Maya.” 

Wonwoo shakes his head, “I don’t have Maya, she doesn’t feel the same way. Told me a day before our date.” He shrugs and takes a seat at the edge of your bed, pulling on the sleeves of his hoodie. 

You do a double take, standing frozen by your dresser, “You went on a date though, I saw you two at the bookstore.” 

Wonwoo smiles sadly, “We went on the date because she felt bad for agreeing and so instead she begged me to let her be my wingwoman.” He shrugs, a faint blush forming on his cheeks. 

Now you’re confused, more than before, “So she can be your wingwoman but I can’t?” You cross your arms, pouting childishly. 

“I can’t have the person I love be her own wingwoman, I’m positive it doesn’t work that way.” 

Time stops. Just like how you always imagined it when it came to confessing to Wonwoo or the other way around. Though you never expected it to go this way. It’s all too much, too overwhelming, your body vibrating from equal amounts of happiness and fear. 

For the third time in the night you’re left without words. Wonwoo is nervously looking everywhere but you, fidgeting with the ribboned sleeves of his hoodie to hide his shaking hands, his leg bouncing anxiously. You’ve never seen him so scared but at the same time so relieved. A confident, smug look on his face, resembling a kid who just kissed someone on the playground behind the slides. 

A part of you wants to slap him while the other part of you wants to kiss him. 

“You’re lying.” You whisper.

“I’m not. This is something I will never lie about.” He sighs, biting the inside of his cheek to keep himself from breaking out into a smile. 

You walk over to him and sit down, “Now what?” 

“I honestly don’t know.” He sighs, placing his arm over your shoulders, “I’m sorry for being such an ass. You’re not an inconvenience to me and you never will be.” He tucks you into his side, fingers skating down the side of your arm in a ghost like manner. “I went to the bookstore on Saturday to tell you how I felt because I couldn’t wait, but then I walked in and heard you tell Minghao that you were in love, I got so angry at myself for realizing it too late.” He stops placing a gentle kiss against the crown of your head. “I was so convinced that the feelings I had for you were just platonic until Maya made me realize they weren’t.” 

You laugh because it took Minghao prying it out of you to realize that what you felt for Wonwoo was beyond words. “We’re pretty stupid aren’t we.” You tilt your head up to look at him, eyes, rimmed red from crying, glimmering with wonder against the pale yellow light of your bedside table lamp. “I’m sorry too for tonight. I didn’t think it through and just did the first thing I knew was going to hurt you the most.” You wrap your arms around his waist, burying your head inside the crock of his neck. “It’s no excuse but I’m so so so sorry Woo.” 

“It did hurt and it was stupid, probably top ten of the stupidest things you have ever done.” He chuckles, massaging your arm. “But everything is going to be okay. I deleted the stream right after I stopped the broadcast and the website doesn’t allow any screen recording or screen caps. And I know you don’t need me protecting you, but I swear if anyone comes near you, you’ll be visiting me in prison.” 

“I heard their lunch menu has improved, it probably wouldn’t be so bad.” You joke, pinching the side of his arm making him retrieve into himself, sending you a pointed look. 

“It’d be pretty hard to have a wedding there, but if that’s what you like then I can try and pull some strings.” 

Your body grows hot at the thought of marrying him. Truthfully you had never let yourself dream that far into the future. You always figured that he didn’t reciprocate your feelings so you always cut the bud before the daydream got to grand. But now that you knew that he was in love with you, totally irrevocably in love with you. Conjuring up that daydream felt nice and you never wanted it to stop. 

“You’re so cute.” 

You whine, eyes growing wide and you bury your face into his neck again, nosing his chin gently making him shudder at the incredibly intimate gesture. Intimate in his books of course because it was enough to fire up his insides like a forest fire. 

Wonwoo loved it. 

After a moment of silence, basking in the afterglow of a love so real it overwhelmed the entire solar system; you finally clear your throat raising to face him. “What now?” 

This was the moment Wonwoo didn’t want to face. In fact, if he could just stop time and hold you in his arms for the rest of his life, even if it meant that he’d lose his life to time, he would. This was something he had been going over in his mind for the past four nights that he  couldn’t sleep and after tonight, despite it holding the most important moment of his entire life. He knew that what he was about to say next was the right thing to do. 

“I don’t think we should date.” He whispers. The way your body stills at his suggestion is something he never wants to experience ever in his life. Especially when you’re now staring at him with broken eyes. 

“What but y-you sa-“ 

“No, listen to me.” He grabs hold of your face, smoothing out the worried crease between your eyebrows. “There’s two months of the semester left. I know for a fact that what I feel for you is real, but I also think we rushed into things. Let’s not see each other, talk minimally, no cam shows and at the end of the semester when we both graduate we’ll meet at the diner and start over.” He rests his forehead against yours, “I want to get to know you, not the you from before but the you from now.” 

It was a talent. Somehow he always managed to say the right things to get you at ease and that in itself was a talent. He was right. The two of you did rush into things, and maybe starting a cam show together under the false pretenses of a platonic relationship didn’t help. It’s what got you in this huge mess in the first place. Though without it neither of you would’ve made it to this moment, at least not any time soon. 

These feelings, although lying dormant underneath the surface for years, were still fairly new. Feelings the two of you had to learn to navigate and understand. Rushing into something that has potential to blossom into an entire spring garden would only make it wither in the end. 

So he was right. 

“Let’s do that, the diner at eight, same booth.” You agree pulling away and placing a soft kiss against his nose, making it scrunch up cutely. You decide that’s something you will never get tired of. Even when you’re old and grey and need help putting on your socks. 

“But can you stay with me until I fall asleep.” 

He nods, “Only until you’re asleep.” He reassures more to himself than you before moving up your bed and settling on top of your duvet. 

You giggle, crawling your way underneath your sheets, laying on your side facing him. Wonwoo gives you a pointed look before turning on his side to face you. His hand goes up, rests against your cheek before taking your earlobe between his thumb and pointer finger, massaging it gently. 

“What’s so funny?” 

“Isn’t it a bit cliche, best friends growing up with one another, end up falling in love.” 

Wonwoo laughs lightly, closing the gap and kissing your forehead. His lips linger on your skin longer than usual, taking in your scent, your heat and the way your skin feels against his lips. Two months wasn’t a long time, but in his world it was an eternity, especially because he’d be away from you. 

“You’re worth the cliche.” 

When morning comes there’s no smell of dark roast. There’s no sunlight peeking through the small cracks of your curtains. And there’s no Wonwoo. It's a gloomy, rainy morning, perfect to stay inside and snuggle up with a good book or a trashy reality TV show. There’s also no birds chirping, serving as your alarm clock and making the start of your day as cheerful as possible. 

No, your alarm wakes you up. The loud blaring sounds through the speaker of your phone, making you groan in annoyance. You sit up fast, grabbing hold of your phone, hitting the ‘off’ button on your alarm, sighing in relief as the silence takes over once again. 

You lay down, facing the empty space next to you, smiling as fragments of night come rushing back. 

Wonwoo kept his promise. As much as he didn’t want to leave you. As much as he wanted to be the first thing you woke up to the next day. He kept his promise, gave you one last kiss against your cheek once he was positive you had fallen asleep and left. 

He lingered in front of your apartment like a lost puppy for thirty minutes before exhaustion took over and he sadly waddled his way to his apartment. The farther he got away, the more he started to miss you and he had to fight every single bone in his body to keep himself from running back and taking you into your arms. It was unfathomable. He finally got a hold of the love of his life and he was letting her go. 

All in the same night. 

But he made a promise to you, one he intended on keeping even if it was starting to hurt the closer he got to his apartment. 

He needed to prove to himself that he was worthy of you and your love. 

Though you hadn’t been fully asleep when he left, and the whisper of a promise and a faint ‘I love you’ being imprinted into the skin of your cheek, came rushing back, making your smile grow wider.

 Missing him didn’t start until your alarm clock came to life. 

A good six hours later. 

How were you going to survive two months without him? You weren’t sure, but instead of letting it consume you with utter despair. You felt all giddy inside, like you finally had something grander that you could look forward to besides graduation. 

And that was the M&M pancakes from the diner. Wonwoo’s final promise of the night before he left. 

“I’ll treat you, just wait for me a little longer.”

[jazlynriddle]

Welcome to your life - Pt 2:

Acting On Your Best Behaviour Ch 8:

Summary:

They'd seen it in their fellow orphans often enough to recognise the pattern and were now forced to admit, despite their hopes to the contrary, that Isidora had likely suffered similar side effects.

No… they'd always known she had. The Keeper had just wanted the power that Ranrok had, enough to convince themselves that they would be able to handle it better than that naive woman.

With the start of the Keeper’s sixth-year in Hogwarts, comes a whole slew of headache-inducing challenges from the most unexpected of places. Between insignificant pests throwing wrenches into their plans and tedious teenage drama, that the Keeper is entirely unprepared for, they wonder if they'll make it to their NEWTs without losing their sanity.

Or worse, Ominis or Sebastian.

Warnings: Sebastian x MC x Ominis! Drug Addiction! Spoilers! Slow-burn corruption! Dark content! Fucked up 1800s orphanages! MC has no love for Anne or Solomon! Dubious happy ending (it's happy for MC, Seb and Ominis at least).

You can also read on AO3! (chapter specific warnings below)

Notes:

Warnings: Best paired with spy movie music, I recommend The Man from Uncle tracks xD

I am so tired holy shit- Writing this while being a DM is rough but I ain't quitting that easy! Plus, I'm actually really happy with how this chapter turned out, I really want to have more of a buffer though, finishing a chapter just in time for my scheduled upload time makes me feel slow. x')

"Good luck." Sebastian whispered, gently squeezing the Keeper's shoulder, before continuing down the corridor, walking past Amit who was seated at a bench beside the door to the Detention Chamber.

The Keeper nodded, while Sebastian slipped into the room, with the intent of remaining inside until Amit and Macnair had left. No doubt Sebastian would be familiar with it considering how much time he'd spent in detention over the course of his Hogwarts career and, more importantly, Macnair wouldn't find it odd for him to enter said room.

Meanwhile the Keeper turned left, opened the gate, and began walking through the long tunnel that led to the Death Day Party Room. Mindful of Macnair stopping to wait outside the gate since the tunnel was one-way.

If everything went according to plan, the Keeper would be in and out of the Undercroft without the bullies being any the wiser.

The Keeper had been pleasantly surprised when Jackdaw had agreed to clear the Death Day Party Room of any ghosts for them for two hours. As thanks for avenging his death and destroying the Guardians in the cave where he died.

As such, while Natty followed Selwyn, and the rest of the team were currently in the Death Day Party Room, preparing for what they believed was phase one. The Keeper's true phase one was already well underway and off to a good start.

By having Sebastian accompany the Keeper for the first few minutes of their journey towards the Death Day Party Room from the Slytherin Common Rooms, they had successfully encouraged Selwyn to choose Ominis to stalk. Thus, allowing Sebastian to split off from the Keeper and later head back into the Slytherin dorms to steal the bullies' diaries.

Of course, there was absolutely no point in acquiring the diaries a second time, but they had to steal those useless books for the sake of appearances for Natty's team. The Keeper would later be sure to comb the diaries with Ominis, to redact any information pertaining to Solomon from them, before handing the trash over to Natty.

Ominis' task then, was to lure Selwyn over to the Death Day Party Room via a more roundabout route, while the Keeper drew Macnair with them directly to the same destination.

Staggering the two bullies' arrival at the room, where Garreth and Poppy were preparing to transform, would allow them to lure Macnair away from the room with the first Keeper double. Before Ominis brought Selwyn to be tricked into stalking the second Keeper double in the other direction.

Thereby, freeing Ominis to join the Keeper and keep a lookout while the Keeper went into the Undercroft. Amit and Natty would each accompany Garreth and Poppy to help them hide from the bullies when their time ran out.

As the Keeper walked around the right bend, they came within view of the nondescript bronze door. Without skipping a beat, they slipped into the room, closing the door behind them, and turned to face Garreth and Poppy.

"Right on time, any complications?" Garreth asked with a confident grin.

"None." The Keeper replied as they dug through their satchel for two sets of their spare Slytherin robes, before handing one to Garreth and the other to Poppy.

"Great, I'll just take some of your hair then-" Garreth reached forward, and the Keeper immediately caught him by the wrist.

"If you think I'm giving you the chance to take more than two strands, you're barmy." The Keeper rolled their eyes.

"I'm hurt." Garreth gasped in dismay, placing a hand over his heart as though he'd taken a knife in it. "Why would you think I would do something as dastardly as secretly steal extra hair so I can make more Polyjuice potions of you in the future?"

"I wonder why." The Keeper responded dryly as they plucked exactly two strands from their head and handed them to Garreth.

"Isn't it a pity we live in such sceptical times?" Sighing dramatically, Garreth shook his head and gestured for Poppy to open the vials.

She deftly popped the caps off and held up the two vials for Garreth to add the Keeper's hair to their contents. The brown and muddy liquid bubbled for a moment, before turning into a deep blood red colour, the thick sludge thinning till it was the consistency of what looked like water.

The Keeper peered curiously at the fluid, they knew that Polyjuice potion was supposed to look and taste differently depending on the source of the last ingredient, and they wondered for a moment how theirs might taste. It did look uncannily similar to…

"Interesting colour, hopefully it doesn't taste like blood." Garreth chirped, clearly having come to the same conclusion, grinning at the Keeper. "You secretly a vampire?"

The Keeper rolled their eyes while Poppy laughed nervously and shook her head. "I'm sure it won't taste like blood, it's probably just red because it's an elegant colour."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." The Keeper chuckled.

If it did end up tasting like blood, they wondered if it would be because of the many goblin and human lives they'd taken. The amount of blood they'd spilled over the span of the previous year would probably be enough to fill the prefect's bath.

"Well, nothing for it, bottoms up!" Garreth raised his vial and poured it into his mouth while Poppy did the same.

Immediately Garreth began coughing and Poppy's eyes widened with surprise.

"Merlin’s balls, why is it so spicy!?" Garreth coughed a few more times, staring incredulously at the vial.

"What, can't handle a little heat?" The Keeper chuckled in amusement while both Garreth and Poppy dropped their vials as the transformation began.

Spicy eh? The Keeper mused to themselves while the sound of bones cracking echoed through the room. Well, that's probably better than their potion tasting like blood.

Seeing Poppy teetering as her body contorted, the Keeper took a step forward, catching her before she collapsed to the floor.

"Ugh- I'll never get used to that…" Garreth groaned in the Keeper's voice as he and Poppy's bodies finally completed the transformation.

"You alright there, Poppy?" The Keeper asked, peering down at their double.

"That was-" Poppy gasped. "A bit worse than I expected, thanks."

"First time?" The Keeper smiled wryly, taking a step away as Poppy seemed to regain her stability.

She nodded with a grateful smile and began changing her robes to the Keeper's. "I'm surprised that the potion tasted spicy, it had an interesting burn too."

"Yeah, the burn kind of reminded me of elf red wine." Garreth agreed as he tugged on the Keeper's robes.

"Spicy red wine?" The Keeper snorted, figures that their essence would manifest as an addictive substance, cosmic irony at its finest.

Though they wondered if there was any symbolic significance behind the spiciness, perhaps the fact that it was something most people either loved or hated? Or maybe even, that it was a defence mechanism developed by plants to avoid being eaten?

"You've had wine before?" Poppy asked, raising her eyebrow at Garreth.

"Yeah, I swapped one of my parents' bottles with cranberry juice." Garreth grinned cheekily as he buttoned their vest and the Keeper burst into laughter.

"Won't they find out?" Poppy asked as she fastened her robes closed.

"Nah, they've never even considered drinking that one, too expensive or something, so I doubt they'll ever find out." Garreth waved a hand dismissively as he took a few steps towards the door, patting the Keeper on the shoulder as he passed. "Alright, I'll get going then, best of luck!"

With that, Garreth left the room disguised as the Keeper, off on his mission of dragging Macnair all the way to the Greenhouses.

"I'd pay to see his parents' reaction, if and when they open that bottle." The Keeper chuckled.

"Must be hard living with Garreth." Poppy laughed. "He's fun though."

"If you can handle his brand of chaos I suppose." The Keeper shrugged. There was something vaguely unsettling in seeing their own face smiling and hearing their own voice giggling. Expressions that were normal on Poppy but felt distinctly unnatural on themselves.

Sure, they laughed and smiled too, but they were pretty sure it didn't look like that. Carefree and light-hearted. Then again, it's not like the Keeper watched themselves emote in the mirror regularly. For all they knew it might look like that. The thought was disquieting, they'd have to ask their partners afterwards.

A moment later, there was a knock on the door and Amit's voice reverberated through the wood. "Success, Macnair took the bait and Natty says Selwyn's heading this way. I'm going after Macnair and Garreth, good luck then!"

Poppy took a breath and placed her hand on the handle. "Alright, my turn. Good luck and I’ll see you tomorrow."

The Keeper nodded and she left the room quickly, determined to keep Selwyn occupied over by the Flying Class Lawn.

They continued waiting, taking the opportunity to rest against the wall, just a little longer. The nausea and dizziness would be over soon.

A few moments later another knock rapped on the door and Natty’s voice came next. "Alright, Selwyn's following Poppy, I'll trail them. Good luck!"

As the sound of her footsteps faded, the Keeper waited for a handful of minutes, before slipping out of the room. They travelled back out of the tunnel and glanced around the empty hallway, taking a few steps towards the Detention Chamber door.

The Keeper rapped their knuckles against it with a quiet. "All clear."

The door opened and Sebastian poked his head out. "How'd it go?"

"Without a hitch." The Keeper smirked as he slipped out through the door.

"Not sure I'd go that far, I'm pretty sure that Onai caught on that Selwyn was following me." A smooth and familiar voice came accompanied by the sound of even footsteps.

The Keeper tilted their head lazily to see Ominis walking over with a wry smile, his wand pulsing with red light as always. "It's fine, I’ll handle Natty."

"If you say so." Ominis huffed lightly, shaking his head.

"Oh ye of little faith." The Keeper chuckled.

"Well, at least if this works, it's not like you'll need her anymore." Sebastian muttered with an uncaring shrug.

"For now, perhaps, but you never know, would be better to keep that resource." The Keeper shrugged. "Alright, we've dallied long enough, let's go."

The Keeper then took Ominis' hand, laced their fingers, and began walking. Pleased when his eyes widened in surprise and the corners of his lips curled up in a small smile.

"Good luck, Sebastian." The Keeper ruffled his hair as they passed him, smiling at Sebastian's scoff as he combed his fingers through his hair and turned towards the Slytherin Common Room.

"As if I'll need any." Sebastian grumbled under his breath as he headed off in the other direction.

Leaving the dungeons, Ominis and the Keeper made the relatively short walk to the Defence Tower in a few minutes. Ominis stopped at the staircase beside the Undercroft entrance, while the Keeper continued past him.

Hearing the Keeper stumble however, Ominis reached out and caught their wrist. "Perhaps I should go in with you…"

"I'll be fine." The Keeper shook their head, placing a hand over his reassuringly. If they lost control of themselves, the last thing they'd want is for Ominis to try and stop them. Who knew what they'd do to him if he stood between them and the energy they were craving. They refused to allow for even the slightest possibility of finding out.

"Wait here for me. I will not be defeated by a mere addiction, I swear." The Keeper placed a quick chaste kiss on his cheek and released his hand, making their way over to the Undercroft door quickly, before Ominis could change his mind.

Sighing, Ominis remained above in the Tower, keeping watch while the Keeper took the secret passage to the Undercroft. All he could do now was trust them, but with so much to lose, that was the hardest task on Earth.

Meanwhile, the Keeper raised the gate to the Undercroft chamber and felt all the pain of the last two months slam into them at once.

At the mere sight of the Repository, the Keeper could feel their heart rate accelerate, gasping for air as though they were drowning. Their stomach churning, their pupils dilating and their palms sweating with anticipation. They barely felt their feet carry them towards the floating orb, would have been embarrassed if they'd seen the desperate way they'd stumbled across the floor.

Despite how uncooperative their magic had been for the last week, to their relief, the Repository responded immediately to the Keeper's wand, unfurling to grant them access to the tantalising energy within.

The Keeper stared into its mesmerising depths and felt the unbearable urge to immerse themselves in it. Their hand reached forward, almost as though it had sentience of its own.

"No!" The Keeper bit out, snatching back their hand and cradling it to their chest. Their teeth clenched and their shoulders heaved with the effort it took to restrain themselves, feeling perspiration bead along their forehead.

They'd sworn they wouldn't allow this to control them. They'd promised Sebastian and Ominis that they could resist and only retrieve enough to last till the end of term.

If they couldn't control themselves right now, they might as well take it all and allow the magic to consume them like it did Ranrok.

But they weren't as weak as that dirty brother killer.

Gritting their teeth, the Keeper instead reached into their satchel and retrieved a jar. Their hands trembled as they opened the jar, raising their wand shakily to collect a bulb of energy and guide it into the container. The length of their wand knocked against the inside of the jar with a loud clack, the sound ringing through the chamber.

They could feel drops of sweat roll down the side of their face, but they persisted. They had to move fast too, the Polyjuice distraction wouldn't last for more than forty-five minutes now.

Ominis and Sebastian were waiting for them.

Two jars.

Three jars.

Their stomach rolled with nausea.

Six jars.

Seven jars.

Every strand of muscle hurt, their wand arm trembling with strain.

Ten jars.

Eleven jars.

Their vision blurred and they shook their head to regain their focus.

Fifteen jars.

Sixteen jars.

The expansion charm on their satchel was so useful- They took a deep breath.

Twenty jars.

Twenty-one jars.

Almost there…

Twenty-nine jars.

Thirty jars.

The Keeper gasped, dropping to their knees as the Repository slid shut above them, their muscles cramped from the effort it'd taken to hold themselves steady.

They couldn't be sure how much time they'd taken to collect the energy necessary, but at least Ominis hadn't come down to the Undercroft himself, which meant that it hadn't reached the end of the hour yet.

The sooner they moved however, the sooner they could finish the last phase of the plan and actually take a proper hit for the first time in two months.

The Keeper forced themselves to their feet and began staggering towards the gates.

Ominis paced anxiously as he counted the minutes that had passed since the Keeper had left his side and descended into the Undercroft.

Were they alright? Had they succumbed to the urge to consume the energy? Would he regret waiting out here for them like they'd instructed? Had trusting the Keeper's self-control been the right choice?

He'd agreed when Sebastian said that the two of them needed to return the Keeper's trust with their own, but there was a difference between trust and neglect.

He'd made the same mistake with Sebastian and Solomon ended up dead. Whether it was Solomon's own fault or deserved regardless, it didn't change the fact that his death hadn’t been good. Sebastian hadn't been in his right mind, and Solomon hadn't helped and all of that made Sebastian, his Sebastian, suffer.

The Keeper was his now too and they were down there, suffering alone and he was just pacing up here rather than helping them!

As Ominis finally reached the end of his rope and turned to march into the Undercroft, the sound of the gate's clockwork gears turning reached his ears. His anxiety immediately peaked, wishing for the nth time in his life, that he could discern their condition visually.

Rushing over, Ominis was alarmed when he heard the Keeper's foot hit the floor with a heavy thud, a clear telltale indication that they were trying to keep their balance but were about to collapse. Moving forward quickly, Ominis caught the Keeper, slipping his arms under theirs and around their waist to support their weight with his torso.

"A- are you alright?" Ominis asked, his voice shaking with panic as he slung the Keeper's arms over his shoulders to take weight off their spine. "Merlin, you're burning up."

Ominis could feel a feverish heat radiating off the Keeper's body and was already considering if it would be better to dunk them into the Black Lake or cast Aguamenti on them.

However, to absolutely nobody's surprise, the Keeper stroked a hand over his shoulder to soothe him and sluggishly shook their head. "M’ fine, just tired. Let's go back to the common room, Sebastian's probably waiting already."

"I think we should go to the infirmary instead-" Ominis tried, trailing off as the Keeper's fingers abruptly tightened around his shoulder in warning. Their firm grip conveyed both that they were yet strong enough to exert force and that he was testing their patience.

Ominis sighed, grumbling under his breath as he adjusted their weight so that he could support them while walking, slinging one of their arms around his shoulders and gripping their waist firmly. "If you pass out before we even get to the common room, I'm dragging your arse to the infirmary."

The Keeper huffed a strained laugh as they began to stagger across the floor with him slowly. "Deal."

As the soothing music and cool, comforting light of the Slytherin common room came into their hazy and distorted vision, the Keeper felt a wave of relief wash over them.

They weren't sure when the Slytherin common room and dorms had come to truly feel like home, but the last time they'd been so glad to reach the bottom of a flight of stairs alive was after they broke their leg while running from the older orphans.

They felt, more than heard, Ominis sigh as the pots at the bottom of the staircase shattered for the millionth time, the familiar high-pitched sound echoing hollowly in their ears. Honestly, at this point, the Keeper was actually curious to know which idiot had decided to place those pots there because they wanted to award that person a medal.

As expected, Sebastian was already pacing by the fireplace and as he looked towards them at the sound of their staggering steps, the Keeper felt a brief moment of deja vu.

Who would have thought that the boy who'd brusquely asked if he could help them, in a tone that screamed 'leave me alone', would become their closest friend and partner. Or that his best friend who'd possessively threatened the Keeper outside the Undercroft would also become their closest friend and partner.

Their eyelids were so heavy, but we made it, Ominis wouldn't be dragging them to the infirmary where they'd have to think of an explanation while they were in this condition. A sigh escaped the Keeper's lips and their eyes slipped closed in relief…

"Sebastian-" Ominis had barely gotten his name out when the Keeper's body went limp against his. "Oh bollocks."

Sebastian, having heard Ominis, quickly moved forward to help him with the Keeper's unconscious form. "Merlin, Ominis, what happened?"

"I think their body couldn't handle being near the Repository and broke down. They were already feverish when they came out of the Undercroft." Ominis replied shakily as Sebastian helped him lay the Keeper on one of the couches.

"Alright, we should take their robes off first, we need to cool them down." Sebastian nodded, lifting the Keeper slightly so that Ominis could help remove their thick and baggy school robes.

"I knew I should have brought them straight to the infirmary, how can we possibly cool them down without potions?" Ominis bit his lip, setting the robes down on the opposite couch and wringing his hands anxiously. "Casting Glacius on them at this point would definitely send them into shock."

Sebastian ran a hand through his hair, trying to think of a course of action before Ominis went into a full panic. "We can probably use it on something else…"

A moment of silence passed, only disturbed by Ominis shoes rapping against the floor as he paced. He was about to insist that they bring the Keeper to the infirmary when-

"That's it!" Sebastian reached for the Keeper’s satchel and began digging through it. "Ominis, could you get some cloth we can cut up to wrap with, and a bowl of some sort?"

Without questioning him, Ominis immediately hurried off to the dorms while Sebastian continued searching through the deceptively small bag.

After a few moments, he pulled out three of the Keeper’s wiggenweld potion vials from their satchel and stood. Closing the satchel and setting it aside, he then placed the three vials on the table.

"Glacius." Sebastian incanted, waving his wand over the three vials, freezing the vials and the liquid within them as Ominis returned with one of his winter scarves.

"I think I know what you're going for." Ominis pressed the scarf into Sebastian's hands before placing the basin on the table, waving his wand over it, and casting the water conjuring spell. "Aguamenti."

"There we go." Sebastian placed one of the vials into the gradually filling basin of water, the ice-cold vial cooling the water quickly while he used two quick Diffindo casts to split the scarf into three pieces.

"Here, you can use this one for their face." Sebastian placed one of the scarf pieces in Ominis' hand while he began wrapping the two remaining vials in a scarf piece each.

Sebastian then lifted the Keeper's arms and placed one of the wrapped vials under each of their armpits. Allowing the cloth to spread out the chill of each frozen vial, all to alleviate the concentration of heat in the region under the Keeper's shirt.

At the same time, Ominis dipped his scarf portion into the cool water, wrung it out and patted the cold damp fabric against the Keeper's forehead, letting it absorb the heat from their feverish skin. He dipped it back into the basin the moment the cloth lost its chill, this time dragging the cloth over the Keeper’s flushed cheeks and neck.

Feeling the sharp bite of cold along their neck, the Keeper pried their eyelids open. They felt disoriented, their blurry vision still refusing to cooperate. They shook their head with a low groan, trying to force their ears to work again. When did it get so cold?

They found themselves missing the warmth of Ominis' body against theirs and shifted slightly, realising that their heavy robes had been removed at some point. Cold. Their skin almost hurt from how cold they felt.

"I think the water is starting to get warm." That sounded like Ominis.

"Here, I froze another vial, I'll help you switch them out." Sebastian's voice came from beside them and the Keeper felt a damp and cold cloth placed on their forehead yet again. The sharp bite of cold against their already chilled skin drew a muttered curse from their lips.

"No complaints. If you resist, we're going to drag you to the infirmary." Ominis scolded as he patted the Keeper's warm and flushed face down before dipping the cloth into his basin to cool the towel again. "Always pushing yourself. Would it kill you to actually rely on us for once?"

"...but I did…" The Keeper smiled, that's right, after all, I "wouldn't have been able to resist without you two…"

Ominis' eyes widened and Sebastian blinked in surprise.

A long moment of silence passed as the two boys stared at the Keeper, uncertain how to react and waiting to see if they'd say more, but all they got were more quiet breaths.

A bemused huff came from Ominis as it became clear that the Keeper had spoken without realising it themselves.

"They are definitely delirious." Sebastian commented with a weak chuckle, his voice thick with emotion and he swallowed, wrapping his fingers tightly around the Keeper's.

"Yes, must be the fever." Ominis agreed with a soft smile, gently brushing the strands of damp hair from the Keeper's face.

The Keeper's breathing remained slow and even, and any other words that might have been spoken were lost as they slipped back into a deep slumber.

Notes:

To me, one of the best jokes from the entire game, was the fact that if you choose to cast Crucio on Sebastian during the Scriptorium quest, he stands shakily afterwards, understandably, gasping in pain, saying “That pain- I would have done anything to make it stop, but I’ll survive. Let’s keep moving.” And with less than a second passing from the moment he was gasping and panting, he happily proclaims “We made it!”

Like, it’s such hilariously bad stitching, even a few seconds more would have made it better, but with him going from dying from pain to excitedly declaring that we made it, the whole scene just went from dark to comedy to me. xDDD

Of course, it comes off as callous if he says that after cursing the player, but to me, the fact that he also says the exact same thing in the exact same way, no matter who got cursed, tells me that it wasn’t cruelty or uncaring on his part. He just genuinely saw the pain and spell as ‘a thing we had to do survive and succeed that isn’t anyone’s fault and its just a thing of the past now’. Sebastian is just goal oriented, practical and honestly, less petty than many fully grown adults.

He doesn't even hold a grudge against Ominis when he refused to help, like sure trauma is rough but they were essentially dying! That's the real life equivalent of bleeding to death from your severed arm and your friend, who is afraid of blood, refuses to save you by tying up your stump of a limb.

Calling Ominis ridiculous is rude and blunt, yes. Which is why I had Sebastian apologise for it in Chapter 5 but considering the circumstances, I think its an understandable response from a 15 year old kid.

Also, points to anyone who caught the references to Undertale and Sinbad Legend of the Seven Seas! I've actually been leaving references all over every chapter of all my fics, they're an inside joke at this point haha xD