#this trick is a special move for crowley from him to himself

[indigovigilance]

Bullet Theory

Thesis: Crowley passed Aziraphale a bullet during the Final Fifteen kiss. This bullet contains his memories. He tucked it under his tongue, then began to access the memories during the ride up the elevator.

Edit: debunked by God himself, in response to this post. As a reminder, please don’t send fan theories to NG.

Proof:

Glint in the mouth

Inspo credit to this post by @somehow-a-human

Yeah so we were already paying way too much attention to that very special four-letter word we thought Aziraphale was going to say, but it so happens that during that cut-off phoneme is the only time you can see this shiny object in his mouth. (catching this on the right frame was emotionally painful and I’m sending Gavin Finney my therapy bills (actually no I’m not I love you very much sir)).

So that’s the basis of this theory. Crowley passed Aziraphale a bullet that he then tucks under his tongue.

Add’l Evidence Post-Kiss

Aziraphale works his jaw after raising his fingers to his lips: [gif]

Then when the Metatron comes in, he turns his back on the Metatron and raises his hand. I originally thought he was wiping his eyes. Now I think he’s raising his hand to his mouth, maybe to spit out the bullet, maybe to make sure it’s secured under his tongue.

Credits Scene

Aziraphale has the craziest fucking look on his face through the credits, we can all agree. But towards the end, his eyes flicker back and forth, as if he is watching or reading something. Then he smiles. I hypothesize that he is still accessing his memories during this time, and getting the information he needs to [redacted].

Thematic Justification: The Bullet Catch

Aziraphale having a bullet in his mouth as part of a two-man act of deception is not a fresh concept by the time we get to The Final Fifteen.

Additionally, the use of surreptitious modes of communication, where messages are passed from person to person inaudabily, is introduced in this same magic trick. 

NB1: I wish I could credit the person who I first saw point this out (relatively recently). It wasn’t even tagged as meta, I don’t think. But the gist was there’s some parallelism between “aim for my mouth but shoot past my ear” and the “pin the lips on the lips” move that Crowley pulls in the Final Fifteen. If I find it I will properly cite.

NB2: One hypothesis that has circulated around, I think creditable to @sendarya, is that Aziraphale mouths “trust me” to Crowley just before he gets on the elevator. This isn’t necessary to the Bullet Theory but it would be thematically consistent.

Small objects carry memories

Why a bullet? Well, it’s a small object that has meaningful significance between the pair of people involved, much like:

Beelzebub introduces us to the idea that a small object like a fly can be used as a storage container for memories. We also see that the object entering the body of the person is a viable way for the memories to be delivered.

(btw Jon Hamm if you’re reading this, you have very pretty eyes)

“I keep a derringer in a hollowed out book”

K, so it’s not like Crowley is just carrying a bullet loaded with Aziraphale’s memories around with him at all times, is it? (I mean, it could be, but probably not. I’ll just point you to this meta for my theories on why, if Crowley had anything that needed to be kept safe, he would keep it in the bookshop.)

We learn in S2E4 that Aziraphale keeps a gun in a hollowed out book somewhere in the shop. A gun wouldn’t be any good without bullets, right? This may not be the reason the derringer was left as a Chekhov’s Gun for S3, but it’s a possibility. If Crowley wasn’t already in possession of a bullet, he knew that he could find one in the shop. Even more likely, the exact bullet used in the 1941 magic trick is a precious keepsake being kept somewhere in the bookshop, and Crowley chose to use that exact bullet because of the memories already directly attached to the object.

Why Aziraphale even has memories to be returned to him

We know that Aziraphale could have had his mind wiped because Heaven has done it before. Certainly once. Probably twice. We know this because when Metatron is announcing that Gabriel, alongside having his memories erased, is being demoted to 38th class, Muriel pipes up and reminds us that they are 37th class:

So this wasn’t a “just Gabriel” thing. Mind-wiping is a routine form of personnel management in Heaven. There is NO reason for us to believe that it didn’t happen to Aziraphale. But in case you need a reason to believe it, here goes:

We know from our interactions with Jim that the person whose memories are missing (1) doesn’t necessarily know and (2) isn’t necessarily distressed by that fact, even if they do. Muriel also fits this “cheerful empty shell” archetype. You know who else does? Ding ding ding. The one and only A. Z. “wiggles with delight” Fell.

I can already hear your very valid counter-argument. This guy is actually terrified out of his mind on any given day that his romance with a demon will be discovered. Yes. Because he’s involved in a romance with a demon. The other two angels we’ve met don’t have this issue. Beyond that, though, these three characters share more in common with each other disposition-wise than any of them do with the other angels we’ve met (Uriel, Michael, Sandolphon, etc.).

We also know that Aziraphale has been [demoted] at some point from Cherub to Principality. This is book canon: 

"Technically Aziraphale was a Principality, but people made jokes about that these days."

This has also been confirmed (insofar as Neil Gaiman ever confirms anything) by Word of God:

(marketing video screengrab clipped for brevity)

We don’t know for sure it was a demotion, but I think we have enough evidence to infer that with a high degree of confidence.

Anyways.

Summary: Aziraphale is a cheerful angel who was demoted and has a name that is not biblical canon. This evidence indicates that was probably mind-wiped. This is not the first time I’m proposing this. It won’t be the last.

How Crowley Did It

My meta on Continuity Errors gives the complete proof for why I believe that Crowley is able to stop time without Aziraphale knowing, and I propose in that meta that the kiss was a cover-up for the exertion of effort necessary to pull that off. I further proposed that during the pause, he retrieved something from the bookshop. At the time of writing, I didn’t know what. Now, I have an inkling that it was a bullet.

If you need a refresher on Clock Theory, here’s one. The idea is that the clock behind Aziraphale shifts by fifteen minutes from before the kiss to after the kiss. This is consistent with a theory that Crowley paused time (but the clock kept running) in order to retrieve the bullet, dump Aziraphale’s memories into it if he hadn’t already, and then return to transfer the bullet to Aziraphale.

Why Crowley Kept the Secret So Long

As with Continuity Errors, I am ending this meta with a very unsatisfactory “I don’t know.” The motivation for Crowley to keep Aziraphale’s memories from him until the very moment he’s about to leave must have been a strong one. I think it has something to do with why Crowley was so insistent on trying to get Aziraphale to run away with him, instead of dealing with whatever’s coming. But as with Continuity Errors, I suspect that the good omens meta hivemind (and the vast collection of people who are posting clues, you have no idea how important you are) will assemble yet more breadcrumbs that we can follow to some sort of hypothesis.

Until then,

iv

(here's my meta index if you would like to read more stuff like this)

[pinkskytwst]

SOFT YANDERE IDIA (and Ortho by proxy)/ (Yuu,MC,Prefect,OC)

PROJECT PERSEPHONE

You adored your friends at NRC and all of their eclectic eccentricities but it amused you to no end that the person you related to the most was a shut in (undead/fae/demon/god/cursed?) otaku gremlin who was simultaneously the most brilliant person in the room at any given time (usually because he never left his dorm rooms but that was neither here or there) and also the most socially awkward ball of anxiety that you could imagine a person to be.

You meant all of this in the absolutely most fond way possible.

The thing was that Idia, despite what his description might sound like was just so…normal. Yes his hair was fire (or was always on fire? You hadn’t managed to figure out a way to ask without sending the boy into an embarrassed spiral) and you were pretty sure he lived off of candy and soda exclusively while still looking like a gangly skeleton sometimes but being around him made you feel more like HOME than anything else since you had been brought to this world.

The late nights of watching anime together and trying to keep up with his incredibly gaming skills. You didn’t think you were too bad yourself but Idia was just on another level. It was endearing to listen to him congratulate himself after every win and yet still take a few minutes each time to not just point out what you did wrong (he WAS rather blunt) but also go out of his way to show you tricks and teach you how to practice to get better. Having him cheer beside you when you finally pulled off a successful move in a tournament that he had been helping you train for felt even better than when you had beaten your opponent.

Idia was also strangely thoughtful in his own way. He knew you liked a specific temperature and so when he had to keep it too cold in his room because of all his tech he would have one of his oversized hoodies just so happen to be laying on his bed when you visited. His hair would flame pink when you’d ask to wear it but he never said no. And when the room was a little more warm from his machining and building (his tech was incredibly advanced in ways you still struggled to wrap your brain around sometimes) he had, once again, gone out of his way to build a special little air conditioner for you that would ensure you were perfectly comfortable wherever you decided to set up in his room that day.

He always had your favorite snacks and drinks, even indulged you in having Ortho order healthier take out – though he DID roll his eyes – and made sure you had everything you could possibly need for school. Crowley hadn’t bothered to get you a phone but the moment Idia heard that he had fitted you out with a personally designed one of his own making (Cater whined in jealousy over it for weeks), made a matching tablet to his own that he assured you could access any information you might need for classes that you didn’t have the background knowledge everyone else had. He even made sure that Ortho stayed near you as often as possible when he wasn’t at Idia’s side.

He insisted his little brother was more dependable than those ‘friends’ of yours and while you loved them, it WAS nice to just have a quiet walk sometimes and chat with the hovering boy who seemed to worship the ground you walked on. It made you feel like he was your little brother too in a way.

It was why you hadn’t argued too much when Idia suggested you stay with him when Ramshackle’s roof finally gave in and ended up flooding the third floor during a particularly harsh storm. Ace and Deuce obviously had offered up Heartslabyul and while Riddle had readily agreed you didn’t want to bother them since their dorm was already pretty crowded and to be honest despite Riddle having calmed down quite a bit since his Overblot there were still far too many rules for you to have to follow for it to be anything like comfortable for you.

It was a relief really to bring your bag of few belongings to Ignihyde and be greeted by the cheerful Ortho and while Grim was your partner (your two-in-one) it was also kind of nice to have evenings that you weren’t having to focus on constantly getting him to do his own homework as well as your own. Oh, Idia had offered for Grim to join you as well but your furry friend was still kind of weirded out by the headwarden and so he had gladly accepted Ace and Deuce’s invitation with Trey’s promise that he would ensure that all three of them would stay on top of their homework.

The room Idia had given you was right next to his and while you hadn’t noticed it before you also weren’t really looking since you knew Idia and Ortho were the only ones who lived on this floor of the dorm. He had gone all out in setting it up just for you with a comfy bed, a desk and computer set up completely decked out for gaming as well as study, and even gone out of his way to get posters and décor from anime and games that you had watched together that you admitted to liking.

It reminded you of your own room with manga and books and a laptop with far too many fanfics and fanart downloaded on it to be safe.

Idia’s hair had gone pink for a good hour when you had gushed about how much you liked it and the three of you had celebrated the temporary house warming with your favorite take out and a movie marathon until you had fallen asleep against Idia’s shoulder and Ortho curled up against your side.

Of course, the stay lasted longer than you had first expected. Crowley wasn’t exactly reliable when it came to your and Grim’s care, so the repairs to Ramshackle dragged on a month then two. You still went about your normal routine of school and the crazy little ‘jobs’ that the headmaster wanted you to do, and then after saying goodbye to your friends you went home with Ortho and were greeted eagerly at the door by Idia who chattered about this or that game mission he finished or design he was working on or anime that he saw that he thought you would like.

He asked about your day and what you had done with his little brother to have fun. He never seemed interested in the others of your little ‘first years’ group but you figured that was only because he hadn’t interacted with them much personally. You tried to suggest a few small get togethers that might be more comfortable for Idia to join, gaming tournaments and movie nights, but your friend would always manage to convince you to stay in with him instead. It was easier, after all, and more comfortable with just the three of them. Besides, you spent all day with your other friends, wasn’t it only fair to spend time with him too?

You didn’t really mind in the end and while Ortho liked the idea of his brother gaining more friends than just you after the first week of living in Ignihyde he must have figured that Idia just needed more time to adjust before taking the next step.

Unfortunately, without living with Grim anymore and having Ramshackle to yourselves where all your friends could congregate without worry of rules or other residents besides the ghosts, you did eventually notice a change in how often you were able to see them. The plus side was that Idia pointed out that with you staying with him you didn’t really need to work at Mostro Lounge to pay for expenses. You thought it would be a nice break and so even though Azul complained about it and tried to con you into a more permanent contract with him for work, you were able to put a little more time into studying and enjoying your school life.

When you woke up one day after an all night gaming session with Idia and found your throat sore and your body sluggish you thought it was just a cold and wrote it off. You pushed back the exhaustion and got changed for school, deciding on a fruit smoothie for breakfast that Ortho made for you since you didn’t think you could handle much food at the moment.

By lunch time your exhaustion had turned into a migraine and even Sebek took notice of how ill you looked.

“Humans are frail beings! You should rest so that this insidious illness does not end your life!” he had exclaimed in obvious worry.

You had assured him it would be alright but after the others talked you into it and Ortho confirmed that you were running a fever, you gave in and trudged back to Ignihyde.  You never got sick much back home and when you did it was pretty mild so you knew a day of rest and a good night’s sleep would put you back on your feet again in a day or two at most.

You were wrong.

When you woke up next it was to the blinding lights of the infirmary and Ortho was worrying over you with Crewel and the nurse  on the other side of your bed.

It turned out that entering a new world where you had no immunity to common viruses and pathogens was not safe.

“It’s a miracle that you’ve lasted as long as you have without getting sick sooner.” Crewel admitted as Ortho continued to make scans and explain what potions and medicine they had used to save you from the life threateningly high fever that had taken over your body before dinner had even hit.

You had been out for three days and Ortho had been in tears as he told you that they thought you wouldn’t make it at one point.

Of course, your friends had tried to stay at your side but had been eventually shuffled off by Crewel and Crowley to sleep and go to classes. It was still a relief to see them once more the moment they found out you were awake and dropped everything to rush to your side.

Grim and Deuce had actually started crying and you wanted nothing more than to give them hugs but apparently Crewel had to set up special barriers around your bed to act as a sort of ‘clean room’ with only Ortho able to actually interact with you safely to ensure that no more germs were brought in.

Crewel promised that they would work with Idia to find a way to safely inoculate you against the worst diseases and help build up your immune system slowly so that you would hopefully not be placed in this sort of danger again.

Your friends all spent hours with you, sitting just outside the barrier and chatting, telling stories, and trying to get your mood up. They were incredibly worried, obviously, and you couldn’t help but feel fondness for them and even the others that came to check on you – Azul and the tweels showed up after hours and Leona had even come to nap in a nearby bed for the day – but you were pretty drained and ended up sleeping quite a bit as you recovered.

They said it was too dangerous for you to attend classes for a while and so Idia and Ortho turned the floor you lived on into a ‘clean room’ area so that you could recover more comfortably until you were better able to handle the germs of their world again. Idia assured you through his tablet that he would work endlessly to find a way to help you and knowing just how intelligent he was you trusted that he would figure it out.

So you moved back into Ignihyde, returning to classes with the help of a matching floating tablet like Idia’s and spending your free time as you had before with the two brothers. Your rooms became home and Idia had even made changes so that your rooms could be connected and then expanded further by turning a few more rooms into a ‘clean room’ kitchen where you could cook if you felt like it – since you did grow tired of take out sometimes – and another part of the floor was designated as a hobby room so you could work on whatever personal projects struck your fancy.

Idia did absolutely everything he could to make you feel at home and ease the trapped feeling of not being able to leave. He even got you honorary Ignihyde uniforms to wear when you were streaming in class and your wardrobe was soon filled with comfy and cute clothes that you could enjoy when you felt like it. After all, he liked living in his hoodies but he knew you liked lots of different styles.

His hair had even turned pink when he said that he saw some that he thought would be cute on you and so he had got them too. Cute little kitten knee socks with toe beans on the bottom and a casual cosplay outfit for a character that you liked. Anything that you looked up online and showed the slightest interest in showed up soon after.

You chided Ortho on privacy and not stalking your internet usage and the boy giggled and promised that he wouldn’t do it again. He was too sweet to stay annoyed at, though, and even though clothes and merch did still show up randomly from time to time you let it pass as long as he didn’t go overboard.

But that first illness wasn’t the last brush with death you experienced and after they did a trial of numerous shots and potions and a flexible collar that set tight against your throat and constantly read your vitals you were still unable to go outside without becoming dangerously ill.

You continued to try and Idia continued to work to find a way to help you be able to live safely outside but after the fourth time that you almost died Grim and your friends begged you not to try again until everyone was SURE that it would be safe for you. It was so incredibly lucky that you survived each time and while Idia was able to design and build tech that enhanced magic enough to save you he wasn’t a god and he might not succeed next time.

It was hard.

You hid in your room for a week, not coming out and not talking to anyone as you were hit with the realization that you might not be able to see your friends in person ever again. To be able to hug them or smack Ace over the back of the head for a dumb comment. To cuddle Grim in your sleep and listen to him purr despite his insistence that he wasn’t a cat and therefore DIDN’T PURR.

When you finally let Idia in you cried in his arms and Ortho promised that he could hold you anytime you wanted and purr in Grim’s place.

“You’re not alone. You have us.” Idia promised, still pink from holding you so close but he had been getting better about personal contact and it felt nice to be held after realizing that you were a bit touch starved from everything.

“We’ll never let anything happen to you.”

Your mood rose a little and Ortho was able to ensure that the potions and medicine that you were having to take could at least not be tasted in the smoothies he made for you. You settled back into your life there and focused on doing your best in school and staying positive on finding a way back to your own world.

You excelled in your lessons with the help of the Shroud brothers and you even turned into an assistant of sorts for Idia as he taught you things about his technology and designs. He especially liked that he could show you how to take care of Ortho if anything happened and he wasn’t there.

“Not that that will happen, haha!” he grinned, “Why would I bother with the outside world when I have everything I need right here?”

You really were grateful for Idia and Ortho. You knew there was no way you could have lived with any sort of happiness locked away from everyone without even the brothers for companionship.

“Thank you, Idia.” You whispered into his neck one night while the three of you were curled up in bed watching some live action remake of an old anime.

Lately you hadn’t bothered going back to your own room to sleep when it was much easier to stay in Idia’s room and much nicer to not sleep alone when the worst of your thoughts haunted you.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you. You saved me.” You admitted.

Idia snuggled you closer, having grown more accustomed to your touch and since then turned into a bit of a barnacle as he used any and every excuse to be as close to you as possible.  You felt him chuckle against your hair.

“Of course I did, that’s what heroes do after all!”

“Nii-san is the best hero!” Ortho piped in from Idia’s other side and causing you to laugh.

“Definitely my hero.” He agreed playfully and liking how you could see the hair over his shoulder flushing pink.

“L-let’s keep watching the movie.” Idia said quickly, his confidence seeping away under your honest words.

With Idia and Ortho’s help you not only excelled in your studies but also advanced to the point where Crowley allowed you to jump a grade to be in the same courses as the older Shroud. Your friends still had game nights with your tablet and you tried your best to stay close to them but it was pretty inevitable that you would grow apart from the group. You kept all the pictures that you took of them and Grim, made photo albums actually, but when Ortho noted that looking at them made you sad you agreed to put them away and not go over them as much.

Idia hated seeing you sad and put even more effort into trying to make you happy with games and the best he could buy and make. Anything you showed the slightest interest in he made happen. Ortho didn’t even have to spy on you anymore since almost all of your time was spent at Idia’s side. He could see when you would scroll through something on your laptop and pause over a certain item. He even tried to help you feel better about the collar by making multiples with different designs so they were more fashionable and cute.

Ortho complimented you on the one that looked like a ribbon with a bell like a cat’s. Idia had insisted it was a joke and nearly had a heart attack when you actually laughed and put it on, finding his overwhelmed and embarrassed face adorable. Ortho suggested you keep it for when you wanted to distract his brother while gaming.

Before you even realized how much time was passing until you realized that you and Idia were graduating in a month.

It was a bit of a low time as you would miss your friends but Idia promised that you could stay with him at his home until it was safe for you again and you could still contact them as you had been. It helped but it was still hard and you admitted that you missed being outside. As cliché as it sounded you missed the sky and grass and hearing the breeze.

Idia was obviously worried over your state of mind and put his whole attention into making you smile and comfortable.

When you were able to transport to his home on the Island of Woe with the help of mirrors and magic, you were greeted by a stern woman with hair like the brothers pulled into a tight bun and a special suit with a sealed mask over her face to keep from passing germs to you. She was short but polite and while she didn’t seem to be terribly impressed with you she didn’t seem to mind your presence either.

“There is much I need to see to so I will leave you here. Remember our deal, Idia.” She said with a short nod before turning and disappearing.

“Of course, mother.” He nodded seriously before turning a shy smile to you and offering your hand. “I have a surprise for you.”

Taking his hand that now felt as familiar as your own, you let him lead you through the stark and futuristic hallways until you reached a large door that looked more secure and heavy duty than others you had passed.

Once Idia unlocked it – DNA scanning and a whole slew of other securities that you could only boggle at – he led you into…a home.

It was a whole living complex that was clearly designed after your rooms in Ignihyde but much larger. There were labs for his work so he wouldn’t have to leave you for long, rooms for recreation and even a large, indoor waterpark that Ortho was excited to take you later.

But the best.

The best was the expansive botanical gardens with artificial sunlight and hologram walls and ceiling that gave the illusion of the sky. There were places for you to swing and ponds with beautiful koi that lazily wound through the waterways. Birds chirped in the trees and you were sure you had seen a few squirrels too. Butterflies were abundant and fluttered around the endless, brilliant flowers that painted everything around you.

You were speechless. You couldn’t stop yourself from walking off the path and instantly dropping to your knees to bury your hands in the soft grass and laugh as a few curious butterflies fluttered around your face. The flowers were real and smelled divine. You could feel the warmth of the ‘sun’ above and even felt a slight breeze that you didn’t know the origins of. Things you had almost forgotten how they felt outside of memories.

“Y-you said you missed the sky.” Idia said, hope in his voice as he tugged on the bottom of his jacket. “I know it’s not the real thing but-“

He was cut off when you threw yourself into his arms and tugged him into a kiss.

There had been something growing between you both for a while now but neither of you were quite sure what to  do about it. You didn’t know if you were staying. You didn’t even know if you’d live long considering how easily you got sick.

But Idia gave you the SKY and you realized you couldn’t try to ignore your feelings anymore.

It wasn’t a very good kiss at first, Idia trembling with his hair the brightest and pinkest hue you had ever seen, but when you wrapped your arms around his neck he finally gathered the courage to place his hands on your waist and hold you closer. You cut your tongue on his sharp teeth slightly and his lips were slightly chapped but as you both figured it out slowly nothing else seemed to matter.

“W-w-welcome home.” He managed when you finally pulled apart.

“It’s only home with you, Idia.” You smiled at him, watching fondly as his expression softened in awe and disbelief. Like he couldn’t believe you were real and you were there with him. Like somehow his life was better than anything he could have possibly dreamed of.

Idia stammered and Ortho laughed as you teased him with how they would have to practice their kissing skills.

Of course, Idia was a prideful genius and it wasn’t long before he was a master at the best ways to fluster and unravel you.

Eventually you gave up on Crowley ever figuring out a way for you to get home and while Idia still worked tirelessly to help you get strong enough to go out into the wider world again, with him and Ortho there and an entire world he had built for you just so you could smile…well it made it easier to keep waiting.

It wasn’t so bad, after all. In fact, it was the happiest you could remember being. You still got updates from your friends every now and then and you did miss them but Idia and Ortho never let you stay sad for long and with your relationship blooming it was easy to forget that there even was a world outside of the paradise that was your home.

A year after you moved to the Island of Woe, you woke up late one night with Ortho charging in his pod and your lover’s side of the bed cold. Yawning you climbed out of the covers, absently scratching at the ‘kitty collar’ he had fallen asleep in and began wandering around to find Idia. You were tired and it was increasingly difficult to sleep properly without him wrapped around you in some way.

You stretched a little as you passed through the corridor towards his most used office and absently tugged on the hem of Idia’s shirt that you had stolen, realizing you had forgotten to pull sleep shorts back on earlier.

There was a light coming from under the office door and you thought you heard Crowley’s voice. Which was odd, since it should be night time at NRC too and you didn’t know of any reason he would need to talk to Idia right then. You absently knocked as you opened the door, covering a yawn when Idia looked up at you quickly.

“Aa-a! You’re awake!” he stammered, clicking a few buttons on his computer.

“Hm.” you mumbled in agreement. “Not really. I need you back in bed.”  You pouted, walking around his desk and draping your arms around your lover’s shoulders.

“O-of course. I’ll be right there. Just having to f-finish something.” He promised.

“Idiaaaa.” He groaned, nuzzling against his temple and turning bleary eyes on the computer screen. “I’m tired. Come to bed. Please?”

Idia’s arm slipped around your waist. “R-right, okay. Sorry.” He said quickly, closing out a few files.

“What are you working on, anyway?” you asked sleepily.

“J-just some security things. Headmaster wanted some things upgraded.”

You snorted. “Surprised he’s willing to fork out money for that.” You admitted dryly.

“I’m doing it as a favor. You know for school spirit and stuff like normies say.” He grinned but was obviously closing out of everything he was working on and locking the computer down for the night.

“Ugh, you’re too nice, Idia.” You frowned, reaching to squish his cheeks playfully and kiss the tip of his nose. “Don’t let people take advantage of you.”

Idia gave one of his little giggles and leaned in to steal a proper kiss.

“I won’t. Promise. I’m too awesome for someone to get one over on me like that. No one’s smart enough.” He said proudly as you stood again and gave him room to uncurl from his computer chair.

His arm was around your waist again instantly and he was guiding you out of the office and back to bed.

“Really, though, the headmaster should stop being so dramatic. Even his naming skills are horrible.” You said absently with another yawn. “Project Persephone? Really?”

You didn’t notice the unconscious clench in Idia’s fingers.

“Y-yeah. He kinda insisted on it, weird bird.” He laughed, the sound was kind of weird and off kilter but it WAS pretty late so he probably was just reaching his sleep deprived limit.

“Well, let me know if he gives you problems and I’ll give him a good tongue lashing.” You said with a playful pump of your fist, and earning another laugh from the other.

“Don’t worry, he’s afraid of me I think.” He grinned, showing off his sharp rows of teeth.

You snorted at that as you crawled back into bed and held the blanket up for Idia to join you, leaning into his arms as he pulled you close and tucked your head under his chin.

“I don’t know why. You’re the sweetest person in the world. Well…besides Ortho.” You say, fighting back another yawn as you settled into the warm comfort and allowed your mind to start easing back towards sleep.

“I’m glad you think so.” He whispered into your hair, his fingers lightly trailing along the back of your neck and the edge of your medical collar.

You thought you might have heard him say something else, maybe even heard Ortho waking up and whispering with his brother but you were too tired to listen.

You drifted off, safe in the knowledge that no matter how badly being brought to Twisted Wonderland could have been, how horrible of a fate you could have ended up with, you had somehow managed to find the one place and only two people that could make you feel at home.

You really were lucky.

[rawbutprecious]

continued from x for @pyramultimuse

The bookshop looked vastly different since Aziraphale one saw it, with creeping ivy growing up the brick walls so much that it made the building look more like a hedge than an actual building with just the windows and doorway the only thing the green starshaped leaves didn't cover. It wasn't much of a bookshop any more, now it was Anthony J Crowley's garden shop specializing in the rare and bizarre. The books were still there, he was too sentimental to get rid of any of it. All of what the angel had left behind was moved up to the second floor when he knew Aziraphale wouldn't be returning.

It had been difficult for Crowley in the start. He had kept his feelings bottled up for centuries, when he finally did open up his angel chose to leave him behind. The pain had been immeasurable and left him bitter and broken. But he couldn't wallow in depression, he had to move on. Crowley tried his best atleast, kept himself busy doing a bit of demonic work but mostly tended to his 'slice of eden' that he had set up on the lower floor of the shop. It was a beautiful, many colorful and lush plants on shelves, tables and some hanging in the window. All perfect.

The demon was going around spritzing the plants with water when something caught his attention outside. He looked out the window to see Aziraphale standing out on the street. Only pausing a moment then went back to tending to his plants, shaking his head. It wasn't the first time his mind played tricks on him and believed this was just another one of those times.

Aziraphale could not for the life of him figure out why he stood there. What exactly was this place. It was so noisy and crowded with hubub happening here, there and everywhere. Was a foreign place. it had been long enough that Aziraphale had started to forget what Earthly existence was like. The more he stood there the more he realized there were gaps in his thoughts. Bits and pieces of memories flickered through his mind. He knew he was an angel. He knew his name was Aziraphale. He knew a demon named Crowley. That was about it. He could not figure out how all that connected or why it connected. He just knew those things went together.

The vehicles honked at him. People waved and cursed and gave the middle finger. He tried to wave and smile in return, but it only seemed to anger them more. What was he to do? What was he supposed to do? He found himself completely lost in attempts to figure out what ought to be done and what had happened? He knew he left Heaven and he figured that the angels might be quite angry with him. He was in charge up there, after there (at least he assumed he had been). He also had a feeling he'd been privy to something very important but what exactly was had wiped itself away. It felt as if his memories were just being pulled from him like fish being plucked from water.

A vaguely familiar face passed him by. She stared at him with shock and then she ran away before he could say anything. He did not know who she was or how he knew her, but she had a face that stirred a memory. How curious. He wanted to follow but he found the cars, the noise the people, the vague memories, the scents, and the smells all too overwhelming so the angel just watched as the woman entered the familiar spot.

"Crowley!" she barked while throwing open the door. Nina had been heading to her shop to open it up for the day when she'd seen Aziraphale just standing in one spot. She had not seen him in years and had not expected to run into him ever again. His presence must mean there is trouble. "Did you know your Angel friend is standing in the middle of the road? Mr. Fell is just gawking. Not moving. Not doing anything. The last time this happened was when his Naked Friend trotted down the road with a box and it did not end up well. Don't think I've forgotten those Zombies. But I digress. I think we have a problem."

[sonkitty]

The Sunglasses Trick Visual Rep - LINK - Update

I added a little more detail about the what the digits are doing in the second Double since they are what helps visually signify that touch is a Double.

No one said that's why they were confused, but just in case that was partly to blame, I made this little update.

And if you are confused still, I don't blame you. None of the other Threshold Tricks have this reversal. It's a special move for Crowley, from him to himself. It might help to think of it is layered.

[jac-is-procrastinating-again]

Chapter 5: Crowley gets very drunk, meets friends, and gets a very old letter which does not cheer him up ONE BIT.

Author's note; honestly i have no willpower today I may cave and publish all the way to 7 which is where things really start kicking off. We shall see....

= = = = =

Somewhere in Oxfordshire

The Bentley had been driving round for some time, but towards evening, its path had taken it off the motorways and onto smaller roads with more bends. Crowley stared out of the window. In the gathering darkness, the moon was rising and as ever he strained to see the stars. But snake eyes were not designed to let in that distant ethereal beauty. For the last six thousand years, he had had to content himself with the knowledge that they were there. That, and just the faintest traces of their song that drifted down to him sometimes, if he really listened. 

“He had a book printed for me once, you know,” he told the Bentley. “In the Nineties. He said it was a special date. Fifty years since our successful magic trick. It had pictures in it of every star I’ve ever made—or at least the ones these people have seen. I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have been possible to get pictures of them from here without a miracle or two.” He sighed, and suddenly was angry. “This planet is a black hole without him! How far away do I have to go to not feel it?”

The car obligingly shifted gear but he shook his head, his temper deflating as quickly as it had flared. “Don’t bother. I already know the answer, and so do you.”

The car pulled over and parked, and the door flipped open. He grabbed his hip flask from the ever-resourceful glove compartment and got out, moving round to lean on the bonnet. He stared out at the peaceful evening from the top of the little hill on which the car had chosen to stop. 

If the angel had been here, they’d lean on the car side by side; maybe share the excellent Talisker in the flask. They’d argue over whether it aged better in oak-smoked casks or brandy ones or some other such nonsense; Aziraphale would tell him how much that exact shade of golden yellow hanging over the horizon reminded him of some obscure painting he’d seen in a French gallery in 1647, and he’d have snorted at the idea that even an angel could possibly remember a colour that precisely. 

Then, once Aziraphale was all flustered and just verging on the huffy, Crowley would have laughed and suggested they drop into some great little restaurant or other on the way home, where he’d have sat nursing a red wine and enjoying his friend’s pleasure at the food, which was always inexplicably excellent when the pair of them dropped in somewhere. He smiled, wondering if Aziraphale had ever noticed that. Probably not; the angel could be as innocent as a child.

The little streak of yellow paint caught his eye and he paused to run a finger over it as if it would help the desolation in his heart. Yellow. His car was not yellow. Except…

The car nudged him gently.

“Fine. You’re our car, I accept. But I hope you can still feel the angel somewhere because I can’t.” The Bentley sagged on its wheels, and he patted the bonnet, took a long swig from the flask.

 ~

“Crowley?” The voice that inserted itself into Crowley’s thudding brain the next morning was familiar, feminine and more than a little puzzled. As he opened his eyes and tried to straighten the cramps out of his spine, she continued, “Where’s Aziraphale? You haven’t left him in a bush or something, have you?” 

= = = =

rest on ao3 here;

[darthbreezy]

Remember as of Yesterday

The line before 'To Absent Friends'' is actually a longer toast, and the the fact that I loved the alliterative pun to bookend these two titles.

This is from Crowley's point of view. Probably less Celestial intimacy, equal amounts of swearing, and a lot more introspection

Tartan socks. Crowley thought with a snort as he sat down heavily behind the wheel of the Bentley.

''Sorry old girl,'' he muttered fumbling about in a bag full of CDs. As they hadn't spent more than a day in the car, they hadn't transformed into ''the Best of Queen'' yet. He just needed something loud and musical to drown out his thoughts. He started the car, and put a CD in at random. In an instant, the swelling orchestral sounds of Andrew Lloyd Webber slammed into his ears.

...At last our feelings bared Beneath a moonless sky

And blind in the dark As soul gazed into soul I looked into your heart And saw you pure and whole...

Oh mighty FUCK No.

Slamming the eject button only caused it to skip forward a few bars.

And I kissed you And caressed you And the world around us fell away We said things in the dark We never dared to say... ''Turn it off right now, or I swear I'll let a human mechanic...'' Before he could finish the threat, the CD unceremoniously spat itself out, and the only sounds to be heard were the gentle rumble of the Bentley's straight six, and Crowley's own ragged breathing.

Right. If I stay here, he's going to think something's wrong. Nothing's wrong, I just need space to think that 's not here...

He put the car into gear, and slowly pulled away, pretending not to look in the rear view mirror, and see shop window shade fall back into place. ** Crowley would eventually go back to his flat a little later in the day, but for now he wanted to be somewhere... anywhere else.

He settled on Battersea Park. Back in the day, he had encouraged a duel or two here (if he were honest with himself, he mostly did it out of sheer boredom at the time. ) Starting duels in what was then Battersea Fields was easier than shooting fish in a barrel. A whisper here. A quiet word there. A hundred and fifty years ago, it became a proving ground for demons cutting their sharpened teeth on Temptations. It had earned him a 'Special Commendation.'

He found himself a space near the river bank, and although it was early, only a few of dedicated and the desperate denizens had also entered the park. They would be of no concern. He would be sure of it,

The bench was uncomfortable, and the sky was gray. Good. It suited his mood and made it easier for Crowley to generate an air of darkness about himself. a presence that would warn both the brave or the fool-hearty to keep their distance.

He would be left alone. Protections in place, Crowley allowed himself to turn inward. This wasn't something he did often - indeed he actively avoided it if he could finding that often as not, a good long nap (of a month or two) usually did the trick of resetting his mind (at least enough to make it bearable - immortality could be a real bitch sometimes with all the daily minutiae that caught itself in his thoughts) but after the... events that had occurred between himself... a DEMON and... and...

Angel...

Nebulas and star nurseries...

Pain...

Falling and...

No... Not yet...

He walked down the halls of his subconscious, grimacing as he passed different passageways marked with symbols and script. Some wide open, and the way clear, others half heartily boarded shut. Those were almost the worse and after the first time, he would not spare them more than a sideways glance. He had seen how they had been ransacked and robbed, and that farther in would lead to passages that had been sealed shut by another hand, leaving him feeling small and lost.

As he walked farther along, he became aware that he was carrying a box.

There, There it is... Now behave...

He began to pick up the pace. The box was growing in size. and getting warm. It began to move in his hands,

Please, no. Just a little further...

Cracks. White light so bright that it should be blinding, but it isn't, but he's reached his destination. It doesn't matter now... It's a simple, nondescript door, with a hand written sign haphazardly taped on to it. ''Golden Girls Fan Fiction Collection''

He opens the door and inside it appears to be an entrance to an old public toilet, and a rusted filing cabinet. He closes his eyes, and utters a name that was never his own in an angelic tongue.

The facade falls away to reveal the largest room of all. It's full of light, and books, and laughter and citrus and spices.

And Love.

So Much Love.

He longs to stay here, but knows he can't, and reluctantly allows himself to resurface to consciousness.

He's no longer alone on the bench.

A flash of rage and fear vanished as quickly as it had manifested itself.

''How long have you been there, Angel?''

(And how the Fuck did you find me?)

He tried to raise his arms to stretch, but quickly realised that he was wrapped in a large coach blanker. The tartan coach blanket from the bookshop.

Still looking out over the river, Aziraphale gave him a half smile.

''A two metre square Pit of Darkness in Battersea Park, Crowley? Rather hard to miss..''

Nonchalantly, Crowley shifted his leg so his knee and thigh rested against Aziraphale's. Under the blanket, Aziraphale's hand tentatively reached for Crowley's. Tenderly, their fingers interlaced, and Crowley stroked the top of his Angel's thumb with his own.

They sat together for perhaps twenty minutes, understanding conveyed perhaps not in words, but in comfortable silence.

It would be Aziraphale who would break the spell.

''Come on then,'' he said brightly as he stood up. ''If we sit here much longer, I'm afraid my sit upon may freeze!''

''Angel...'' Crowley began, removing his glasses with his free hand to meet Aziraphale's eyes, that were filled with sadness.

''They're still... watching us, Crowley...'' They won't let us go so easily, you know that...

''So they are...'' He replied sadly, putting another lock on his 'Golden Girls closet' ''Surely they can't object to two old friends having lunch?''

''You know what, dear?'' Aziraphale replied, and suddenly reached up and gently stroked Crowley's cheek. ''I don't think I care if they do. But I'm afraid it's a little late for lunch...''

''Dinner then. Come on. My treat...''

''I know the perfect restaurant in fact it's just a stones throw, there at the power station!''

''Great, What are we having, Angel?'' ''I thought we'd have... Oysters...''

[cursedcola]

Can I request an imagine of the dorm leaders chap 1-4 going to therapy after their overblot? How would they react to it and what problems would they work through? Someone help these boys :’)

Prompt: Dorm leaders go to therapy post-overblot Characters: Riddle Rosehearts, Leona Kingscholar, Azul Ahsengrotto, and Kalim Al' Asim (ft. Special Guest) Warnings: Mentioning of emotional distress and disorders DISLCAIMER: This is not serious what-so-ever. This prompt will be taken in a light-hearted context for simple headcannons. I do not claim to have any professional knowledge of anything within this post.

Premise:

Dire Crowley does not want the reputation of NRC to fall because of a few "mishaps," popping up as of late. Rather than hiring a professional School Psychologist, he decides to call upon a ghost therapist to haunt one of the back rooms in Ramshackle Hall. Any student involved in recent, "mishaps," are "encouraged," to go seek counseling.

Oh, no. Not you MC. You're fine just as you are. Please tend to the "guests," in your home when they are on the premises. Since NRC's therapist is a ghost, they will need an assistant with posable thumbs to do the heavy lifting. Remember that you are staying in Ramshackle FOR FREE at the KIND GRACE of your beloved headmaster, yes?

One other thing. Be sure to share all the gossip with NRC staff when you're through. Have Fun ~

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Riddle Rosehearts

Mommy Issues

Man has identity issues like no other. He's pulling traits from textbook definitions and does not think for himself

He goes into therapy thinking that he knows exactly what answers to give. Definitely the one to think that he is out-smarting all the "mind games" being thrown his way

He goes because it's "recommended," but is peeved that its a ghost. NRC is that cheap, really?

Gets told to go to anger management. Becomes angry at the suggestion. Cycle continues.

In all seriousness though, he definetly benefits from having an impartial person to talk with. "Dead Men Tell No Tales," like who is the ghost going to gossip to? They're bound to the dorm?

Nevermind assistant MC pssshh they're totally not listening in

More than being upset at his overblot, Riddle is thankful for it. It threw him on his ass for a wake-up call, and is now working towards becoming his own person

Kind of funny how his mother acted all superior in her child-rearing, when she completely ignored his mental state. Yeah. He isn't moving back in after graduation.

Leona Kingscholar

He has to be physically forced into therapy. I.E Crowley makes you trick him

He did not trust you much before, but now? Run. Lock the door. Take his magestone and DO NOT let him out of that room

Best listen through the door on this one because he can and will kill you

Anyways. Inferiority complex, anxiety, emotional neglect, stress - plenty to unpack for this one. It's a good thing that the therapist is a ghost, because Leona would have harasses the door key from them somehow

Funny enough, he talks plenty when mad. All the therapist has to do is edge him on and he's raving up a storm.

I don't need stupid therapy...this is all his fault... overblot? Someone say anythin'? why should I care then? Not like I have anything to be ashamed about

Very open-book, just in-directly

In all honesty? Leona's likely not going to get much out of the session. He'll be more willing to come back if it's mandatory since he has a feel for what it's like. I think he has a good sense of what's hurting him after his overblot, and it's not something a third party can fix. He needs to duke it out with his brother back at home.

Azul Ashengrotto

If you thought Riddle was bad, then Azul's cockiness is horrifying. He is seriously trying to act like he can outsmart a therapist with a lifetime of experience. All because he read a few Psychology 101 books.

He was told about the requirement the night prior to his appointment. Why? So he couldn't try to make a contract with the therapist. Also so he couldn't do any research.

Oh yeah. He tries that. The contract thing. It's not even five minutes into the session and he's attempting to swindle the secrets of other patients. After all, the ghost is dead, so private policy who???

Fails

It is actually painful to hear him conjure up a fake life-story. Did he think that Crowley sent the ghost in blind? He did. You filled them in. Azul really needs to take this seriously.

Which is why he is told to come back. Twice a week. Oh, you have a restaurant to run? You want to be expelled? Better show up.

He is the hardest nut to crack and the anxiety this boy holds is so intense-

Ghost therapist makes you go buy a heating pad. He's always got such tense shoulders

Overall, he benefits from the therapy. Ghost therapist has him doing self-affirmations and journaling every day.

They also work on his relationship with food. It's good that he wants to be healthy, but on terms of self-image there is a lot to be done. Azul needs to learn that enemies die quicker when you have thicccc thighs (tentacles) to demolish them with.

^ can be taken in many ways. It's up to you if MC decides to add on their own little affirmation hehe

Kalim Al' Asim

Couple's therapy

The session is more for Jamil, but Kalim has his place. Ghost Therapist is honestly shocked at how well Kalim has reacted to recent events

In short, identity issues again. There are sessions dedicated to Jamil, some for Kalim, and others where Ghost Therapist leads a conversation between the two

Well, for as long as Kalim sits still. He's listening, but gets side tracked so many times.

Jamil and Kalim definitely argue about MC being there. Jamil wants you out, and Kalim is all "do you just...not remember what you put them through? Not cool,"

On that day it was therapy for three

I want to believe that Ghost Therapist touches on Kalim's choice of only eating Jamil's food. Yes, he trust Jamil but that is a lot of pressure on one person. Youa re expecting them to make all of your food, being entirely dependent, etc

As for Jamil, they definitely go into his feelings towards his lineage. Jamil knows who he is, but he can't be that person with those familial blockades.

Yup. Couple's therapy. Hands down.

These two are the most compliant. It took some convincing, but the overblot incident has put strong tensions on both students' relationship with the school. They are not stupid. If it's mandatory then it is mandatory.

[sandbees]

A few about the Great Seven interacting with Twisted Wonderland characters VIA Yuu. 👀 I only have one word summary; Chaos.

Who would meet the Great Seven first? Obviously the first years (along with Ortho and Grim). They’re Yuu’s best friends after all.

Actually, it was Friday, the last day of the week. And coincidentally, that night would be a special night at the House of Mouse. Ariel and her sisters would be performing that night.

Mickey told Yuu that that they could invite anyone to watch the performance. So Yuu went to get special permission to take their friends along with them.

After kidnapping Ortho After Yuu gathers everyone, they explain that they’re going out to see a special performance at their workplace.

Keep in mind that no one knows exactly what Yuu’s new job was except Grim and Crowley. So naturally everyone was in on it and curious. (Only Grim knows about Yuu meeting the Great Seven though)

Ace: So where do you work at?

Yuu: I work at a club.

Epel: ...As in a strip club or a book club?

Yuu: Wtf Epel? It’s like a club but no alcohol. It’s technically a restaurant but they have live shows and put on a lot of performances so-

Deuce: Oh! That’s cool, we get to see it together!

Yuu: Actually I’m not going to be with you guys. I’m on duty that day so I’ll be waiting tables. But I’ll join during break.

Ace: Really? Bummer.

Ortho: Aw, I wanted to hang out with you too! But it will be fun nonetheless. :D

Yuu tells them to wait downstairs as they go upstairs to get everything ready.

They are low-key nervous, because the House of Mouse isn’t...exactly normal by Twisted Wonderland standards.

Meanwhile, Grim was telling the first years about Yuu’s experiences there.

Grim: You know, the House of Mouse is really popular, I’ve heard about a lot of customers Yuu has met.

Deuce: This job must have been hard...I’m glad Yuu got it though!

Grim: Yeah, they pay them 5,000 madol! Isn’t that great?!

Sebek: 5,000 madol?! That’s a lot more than being a waiter.

Ace: In a week? I mean having a salary of 5,000 is pretty impressive.

Grim: Hehe, it’s actually 5,000 a day.

First Years: WHAT?!

Jack: To be able to pay that much...the owner must be wealthy.

Epel: Yuu lucked out!

When Yuu comes down, the first years are asking a billion questions.

How did you find a job with such a high pay??? Is the work good?? Is your boss nice to you?? Explain everything-

Yuu assured them that their job is just waiting a bunch of tables, and that they’re payed well because the place is very popular.

Anyways, Yuu tells them that they’re going now and leads them upstairs.

“Shouldn’t we be going to the hall of mirrors-?” “It won’t work.”

The group kind of loses their mind as Yuu casually pushes Ace into their mirror, Grim follows behind.

“Come on, or do I have to push you through the mirror like I did with Ace?”

Safe to say is that they go through the mirror and are greeted with a very lavish dressing room.

“Wait woah this isn’t Mickey’s dressing room.”

Yuu finds a note and read it out loud. Apparently Mickey moved the mirror to a new room so they could have privacy. Anything in the room is for their use.

“I’m going to cry. He’s so nICE I DON’T DESERVE THIS-“

Yuu is pretty happy with this arrangement, actually. They also begin to explain the club’s shtick to their friends.

“So this is basically a club for entertainment with live shows and also cartoons on the screen. Oh, and sometimes a cat named Pete tries to sabotage the show so he can kick everyone out and make this his club.” “Isn’t that illegal-“ “Not if there’s no police.”

So anyways Yuu leads them outside and they run into Goofy.

Sebek: Is that-?

Yuu: Hi Goofy, I’m bringing my friends to a table for the show-

Goofy: Yuu! There you are! You’re needed at table 14.

Yuu: What? But my shift hasn’t started-

Goofy: Reservations from Hades himself.

Yuu: Oh shit, ok yeah I’ll be there as soon as possible-

Ortho: Hades? As in the God of the Underworld?

Yuu: Yes, I’ll explain later, more importantly let’s go find you a table.

Ace: I think not telling us you actually met one of the GREAT SEVEN!

Yuu: I did tell you; and you didn’t believe me.

Everyone is vibrating in nervousness and excitement. Especially Ortho. I mean, this is the GREAT SEVEN we’re talking about!

Yuu decides to introduce them to Hades. But surprise surprise, it’s all of the Great Seven!

Yuu’s first year friends are going to pass out from shock. Oof.

With some inquiry, Yuu explains to the Great Seven that the friends they brought were from Twisted Wonderland.

Let’s just say that the First Years got invited to sit at their table. (Sebek is quaking at the idea of sitting with the Witch of Thorns)

So while Yuu leaves to start work (not after taking all of their orders first, of course), the Great Seven begin asking the first years + Grim questions.

The first years are expectantly tense, but they loosen up.

Ursula and Jafar are a little disappointed that no one from their dorm is present, but they seem to easily forget that after Yuu tells them that they know people from their respective dorms anyways.

Yuu also gives them a little more information they found about their respective dorms, so that they don’t feel...left out? (Satisfied is a better word for it)

Ursula pets Grim and Jafar feeds him crackers. Grim does not complain, he’s fine. He becomes more compliant as his tuna arrives.

And some of the other’s thoughts? Well...

The Queen of Hearts almost blew up in anger at Ace and Deuce. They are idiots that do nOT KNOW THE PROPER WAY TO SPEAK TO THEIR SUPERIORS AND THEY HAVE BROKEN AT LEAST 359 RULES ALREADY-

But somehow, the Queen of Hearts warms up to the idiotic duo. She sees them as...annoying children she has to babysit but they’re also really adorable that she can’t stay mad at them forever. Plus, Deuce is trying and Ace has these wonderful card tricks that would make her Jester cry.

So at first, she does not approve, but as the night progresses she does. 8/10 would meet the ADeuce combo again.

Scar and Jack...hm. Well, I don’t think they’d get along of Scar’s sense of morality and justice of the past was brought up. However, the villains all agreed to not bring up their villainous past because they didn’t want to scare away Yuu/make them wary and distrustful of them. Same goes for the first years.

Anyways, Scar is impressed at how buff Jack is. He isn’t surprised though - he expected residents of his dorm to be powerful. Scar lays down some well deserved praise and Jack eats it up with a tail wag. Jack also talks about his dorm and what the dorm represents. Scar’s ego rises 100x and Scar becomes somewhat...egotistical. Well, maybe not like in a “I’m shoving my ego in your face” type of ego but in a “This pleases me and I will treat you kinder” ego.

Basically, Scar opens up a little more to Jack as the night progresses. Like a mentor/student bond.

The Evil Queen and Epel...well, the Evil Queen was quite picky with how Epel was acting. Yes, he had the proper posture but really, he was using the wrong forks to eat that particular kind of food. She expected better from someone who came from her dorm. So she ended up chastising him and scolding him for being “improper”. Like Vil.

She was shocked to say when Epel accidentally snapped back at her, before returning to his more “princely” persona. Ah, so the child had more than meets the eye. She tried a different approach, as in trying to ease Epel into talking to her. Certainly, Epel was much more headstrong and willful than that naive Snow White.

So, the Evil Queen and Epel have a rocky start, but by the end of the show.

Hades and Ortho...well, that’s a combo you never see everyday. But I think Hades would basically adopt Ortho. As in suddenly he gets father vibes from the kid. He’s also particularly interested in his own dorm, and asks Ortho about it. Ortho’s pretty chatty with Hades, and is happy to tell Hades about his dorm! He also asks a few questions himself; which Hades happily obliged to.

...and then it turns into Ortho talking about Idia and how wonderful he is. And Hades is like, “damn, this kid has a wonderful big brother. How come my younger siblings act like shit to me-“

So Hades silently swore to the River of Styx to keep this child safe, and Ortho had a fun time interacting with Hades!

Sebek and Maleficent...well, it could have been worse.

Poor Sebek was tense and tight lipped for most of the night. He really wanted to make a good impression on Malleus’ grandmother. (I don’t think Sebek has met Maleficent yet so-)

Maleficent was patient, however. She knew Fae kind were raised to think of Maleficent as a high authority figure that should be treated with upmost respect. Unlike the other kingdoms; the Valley of Thorns praised Maleficent like a goddess. She didn’t blame Sebek for acting like he was.

So she started with baby steps. Talking about how wonderful it was to meet her grandson’s bodyguard, how Malleus must have grown to be a strong magician, how she wished she had stayed to know more about her grandson.

Actually, the breaking point between the tense atmosphere between the two was Malleus. Sebek opens up a little more as he continues to talk to Maleficent.

At the end of the night, they’ve only talked about Malleus, but Maleficent was content with that. After all, keeping up with what her grandson was doing was more than enough.

By the end of the night, the First Years enjoyed the special performance and their time with the Great Seven. Things went well especially when Yuu came to join during their break.

So when it was time to go, everyone had happily said their goodbyes as they were ready to return.

“Oh, before I forget...Yuu, I have almost completed the portals for the others so do expect one of us to pop in soon.” “Oh, ok!” “...THEY MIGHT VISIT US?!”

Everyone is low key excited to meet again though.

So, the first years go through the mirror and stay at Ramshackle, chatting away at their time at the House of Mouse.

_=_

Yeah, this was a looonngg write, I’m actually going to do the rest of the TW cast in another post. I hope you enjoyed this one! :)

[twistedmusings]

A/N: Riddle is always so weird for me to write because I do see him as baby but the moment things get romantic I can so see him as the type that just...is more than ready to explore the romantic territory with you? Like yes he is baby but he would be so gentle with the smooches... But I digress.  I am making my way through requests, currently have five in my inbox so I might close it up once it reaches ten. Just to get the ball rolling since I am a baby blog u wu.  Warnings: None! Just tooth rotting fluff!  Straight from the cookbook section of our bountiful library, @lunalasolaris​!

Let me get that book for you! 

“Hey Riddle?” 

“Hm?” 

“What does a pinch mean?” 

Grey eyes look up from the cup of flour he was meticulously trying to measure as you hold up the recipe book in front of him. 

“Does it mean that we just put a little bit of the salt into the cake?” you point at the specific line, tapping it twice to emphasize your point, “Or we grab a pinch with our fingers and just...toss it in there?Cause I can grab a lot of salt in between my fingers if I need to.” 

Riddle frowns as he tries to remember how Trey used to bake some of his previous Unbirthday cakes. It was easy to break down his process but with how quickly he moved the Heartslabyul dorm leader found himself at a loss of what a pinch looked like. Of all the executive decisions he had to make, why was this one so difficult? 

He locked eyes with you, blushing when he saw how close you had gotten before pulling away and dumps the cup of flour into the small mixing bowl. 

"We don't want them to taste salty so we'll put only a small amount. What comes next?" 

"Eggs...three I think. Oh and we need to add them to the dry mix while it is being sifted." you grab the eggs and scoot closer to him as Riddle grabs the sifter, turning around to see you so close once again. 

You hold up the eggs and smile. 

"Ready?" 

It was nerve wracking being here with you. Not just nerve wracking, it was also stress inducing and blood pumping to have you so close after Riddle had come to a definitive conclusion about his feelings about you. It had come at a cost of many sleepless nights and the certain teasings of some of his oldest friends but once Trey sat him down and asked him how he truly felt about you, the words slipped so easily out of his mouth that even he was surprised at the lack of thought in them. 

Riddle likes you. Alot. 

It was the way you talked with him during Unbirthday parties, unbothered by rules and manners as you plopped yourself down next to him and spoke about whatever you had going on that day. Riddle thought that it sort of reminded him of Chenya, his friend always appearing out of nowhere with a similar grin yet his was always filled with mischief while yours was nothing more than a way for you to show how happy you were to see him. 

Or at least he hoped that was the case. 

You smiled at everyone. At Ace and Deuce whenever they did something silly, at Cater whenever he pointed his camera at you, even at Trey whe he would lean down and offer you one of the many pastries he had baked that day. But, and it might just be his own subconscious silently hoping for this, Riddle believed the smile that you had for him was special. The moment your eyes landed on him it was like watching a rose bloom. Those cheeks of yours would turn a soft shade of red as you approached him and pulled him into whatever activity you found yourself doing. 

Maybe that is how he had been roped into this situation with you. He had only dropped by Ramshackle to drop off something you had left in Ace and Deuce’s room but he knew that the moment you tugged on his wrist and pulled him inside, he was more than willing to do whatever it is that you were doing before he showed up. 

That activity being something you two weren’t particularly good at...baking. 

Riddle finally answered your question with a nod, having already dumped the contents into the silver sifter and grabbing onto the small handle. “I’ll start then.”

It had all turned out a mess. Your hands either tended to crack the eggs too softly that they wouldn't crack on the first try or they would be too harsh and immediately break the egg on impact, leaving both of you to fish out the remnants of the shells before Riddle went right back to sifting. Then came the mixing of the ingredients, Ramshackle not necessarily having the fanciest of gadgets you two instead had to mix everything by hand. It was a bit of a chance for him to show himself off for you but the moment he hissed at his muscles cramping up, you took the bowl from him and poked his cheek. “Chill out, dorm leader Rosehearts, I’ll take it from here~” 

How odd. Riddle was used to people calling him by his official title but in your cause it was almost alarming how much he liked it. 

A few more mishaps, staring at the cookbook and one call to Trey and soon you two were on the floor with a bowl of strawberries in between you as the cake baked in Ramshackle’s tiny oven. “Thank you for going along with this.” you munch on the end of a strawberry before continuing, “I was panicking when I first started so it was a heaven sent when you came along.” 

His heart skips a beat as Riddle clears his throat. 

“This is just what a dorm leader should do for another. I’m merely completing my duties.” 

You pout for a moment but grin as you scoot closer to him, “So if I wasn’t a dorm leader I would just be another face in the crowd?” It is like a shock of electricity shoots straight up his back, straightening him out as he corrects you. 

“No! You are still a student here...and someone who has attended many Unbirthdays and tea parties in Heartslabyul! I’m sure that if it wasn’t for that mishap in the dorm selection ceremony, you would have certainly been picked to be in Heartslabyul! To me you are not just someone in the crowd! You are--” He barely registers how close he had gotten, the bowl of strawberries pushed out of the way as you both stare into each other’s eyes. You hadn’t moved back. Your gaze was holding on strong to his as the hum of the oven became the only sound in the room. 

Hands so close, fingertips almost touching. “Riddle--I--I like--”

A ding interrupted your words, the little invisible bubble you and Riddle had created suddenly popping as you stood up and grabbed the oven mitts. 

You grin as you put the small container on the counter, Riddle cutting into the sides with a dull knife in order to unstick it from the pan. How wonderful was it when things came together that when you both watched the warm baked good slide out of its silvery confine you let out a sigh of relief and started to decorate.

“We almost ate half of the strawberries.” Riddle frowns as you grab the bowl from the floor. “I didn’t hear you complaining when I put them down! You are just as guilty as I if Trey doesn’t like the finished product.” 

He stops cutting the fruit into smaller pieces as he watches you spread the whipped cream along the sides of the cake. “...you...are you giving this to Trey?” 

Why was he so nervous? Trey liked to test everybody’s baking skills if they seem to have any or he just liked to tease those who couldn’t cook by teaching them how to figure it out all on their own. Besides, Trey was a third year and needed to concentrate on his future internship and not be issuing challenges to first years--!

“Yeah? He said that tomorrow’s tea party was going to be a ‘bring your own’ kind of thing?” you scoop a dollop of whipped cream on your finger and lick it off, further distracting Riddle. “Tea party…” 

“Yeah...he said you were having one tomorrow. Did you cancel it?” you give him a surprised look, “Have we been struggling with this baking stuff for nothing?” 

No. Riddle knew every single tea party that would be having throughout the academic year. And yes, they were having one tomorrow. There was one detail that didn’t sit quite right with him, however. 

Never in the history of the Heartslabyul dormitory had there been a ‘potluck’ tea party. 

Either those good at baking made the pastries for that day’s tea party or they would not be any tea party at all. 

Great Seven’s knew what would happen if any first years, Ace and Deuce specifically, tried to cook in the Heartslabyul kitchen. There probably wouldn’t be a kitchen anymore. 

Yet Trey had gone out of his way to trick you into baking a cake while also telling Riddle that you had left something behind in the first year’s room and that it was his duty to give it back--had he planned all of this from the sidelines and expected it to work?! 

“...no there is a tea party happening. I guess I just--Trey must have not told me about that certain detail.” 

“Well at least we have something to bring now!” 

You both look at your cake, the cutting of the strawberries a little sloppy as they somewhat slipped on the rushed icing job you had done. 

“...you know I don’t think anyone will notice if I do this.” 

Riddle’s eyes widen when you grab a spoon and dig into the top of the cake. “Hey--!” 

The spoon presses to his lips as you grin while holding it up to him. “Say ‘ah’” 

Was Crowley sure that you didn’t have any sort of magic? With the way he quickly opened his mouth Riddle would have thought he had been hypnotized. “So?” 

He nods at the taste, smiling when he notices the soft sweetness that came with a good slice of strawberry shortcake. “I--I think we did a really good job.” 

You grin and stand on the heel of your feet as Riddle licked his lips to get any extra whipped cream, eyes going right back to staring at you as you tug on his bowtie and bring him closer. “You got some right...here.” 

The pressure of your hold is light as your lips meet his, his body suddenly going lax as he drops his hold on the knife he had been using before so he could turn his body to meet yours. His hold is immediate, a hand touching your lower back and pressing you a tad closer to him as you both pull back to gauge each other’s reaction.

You are both red as roses, cheeks flushing and hearts beating so fast you were sure you could hear each other’s matching rhythms. 

“...did I get it?” 

He should be pushing you away and apologizing for such a needy display. Riddle hadn’t necessarily spent his time doing anything else besides studying and trying to bring pride to Heartslabyul dorm so this territory was rather new to him. 

“Try again...please.” 

Your lips met his again, this time his hold pulling you into the kiss as you cup his face and let him press your back against the kitchen counter. 

His second year was still starting, why not explore this path a bit more? 

[lovee-infected]

Hi there! How would the twst boys react to their s/o being slapped by Eliza 😂. Thanks for feeding us the wonderful headcanons! 💜

I love writing for such brilliant ideas , enjoy !

Riddle Rosehearts

Riddle goes blank for a second , unsure what to say or how to react : Half of him wanted to act in and condemn ghosts for their arrogance to lay a hand on you but on the other hand , he knew that he didn't have the right to ; It was their brides choice and she did have the right to do it - which wasn't really pleasant -

You give him a sad look , expecting a show of mercy of sympathy , but he didn't move an eyebrow

You run to a silent corner to cry , and he comes after you . Riddle gives you a hug and apologizes that he couldn't help anything back then

He criticizes your movements as well , how you didn't present yourself properly and why Eliza could've changed her mind

But in the end ; he gives you a small reminder : " Perfect or not , know that you're enough for me ,"

Trey Clover

He got slapped himself so he understands how the world flashed before your eyes for a second

You look a bit down about failing so easily while you were trying to help ; but so did Trey . You get each other on that point

He barely notices it but he literally doesn't know how to flirt , but he tries his best to cheer you up "Ah don't give me that face ! At least you were waaay better than me,"

Well , maybe you weren't such an overly perfect being but neither was Trey , he was just an ordinary guy you'll get to see everyday ; not a stunning prince . It seems like the two of you come from a rather similar level

Perhaps that's why the two of you get along pretty well

Cater Diamond

You didn't expect him to even put his phone down for you but he eventually did ; you find it pretty odd to see him this eager about anything without wanting to share it via Internet , but it also means that he does care for you

He doesn't bother touching your cheek and asking if it hurts

He plants a small kiss on your blushing face and then goes salty again : " So glad that she didn't get you , means you're still all mine ! "

He brings up his phone and before you could've recognized , takes a selfie of him kissing an all shocked you . You beg him to delete it but he isn't listening , but he insures you that this one's a private issue so he won't post it ; perhaps the first selfie he isn't going to share anywhere

Ace Trappola

Trey and Riddle grab his body and mouth before he could do something stupid , how dare she , how dare she slaps you !?

Ace ws already tired of this drama with the hopelessly romantic bride , and you were the final shock .

" SHE IS A HUNDRED TIMES BETTER THAN Y-" Ace tries to shout at Eliza but Riddle grabs him by collar and puts a hand on his mouth : "YOU IDIOT WHAT ARE YOU..."

You come to calm him down , insisting that it's really nothing important , you didn't care . He still seems to be really pissed off at Eliza : " Huh , does she really think that she's any big deal ? My- girls are really crappy sometimes ,-"

Ace refuses to believe that you don't feel any offended so he pulls you to his embrace and keeps on sending you positive vibes non-stop : " You're gorgeous (y/n)! I mean it ! You're smart , talented , dignified ..."

Deuce Spade

He is low-key happy that you two join him at the losers bench . At least you won't now see him as the awkward loser he was in front of Eliza ; not too much to say

"So you too got slapped ?" he tells you he has no idea how to start the conversation

He knows that he is supposed to do something better but he is just blank about it

One half of him wants to hug you and tell that it's fine , then ask if you think he's awkward or something . But the other half just doesn't know what to say

He says that you two must learn some social skills together , that's the most he can do to flirt now : He soft boy

Leona Kingscholar

He actually doesn't mind insulting you a little for getting slapped . He's pissed off himself so he appreciates teasing you

From putting on a cocky smile and smirking to playing with you using sarcastic words

His very last sarcasm seems to be the worst : " I can say that you are way lower than royal standards ,"

But he puts a different end to his words : "...But since I as well got rejected , I guess we're now rejected mates ,"

Is it his sarcastic way of saying a small "I love you" ? Yes it is

Ruggie Bucchi

He didn't bother to come and try proposing , but wasn't expecting for you to try either . He lets out one of his Hyena-like giggles and comes to you

" Was that bride this savage ? Then I'm thankful that I didn't show up ! " he sneakers

He disappears for a second and comes back with an ice-pack : " Geez , it's my third time doing it today . Come over ," he tells you

He already did it for Leona and Jack because he was told to , but he is all ready to give you all those services and more to you

He does enjoy teasing you , but nursing you in situations like this is another hubby of him , after all you're an exception

Jack Howl

He kinda feels guilty about you getting slapped ; he shouldn't have let you tried it anyway . The possibility of you making it was low and you weren't a NRC student anyway

He knows that everyone else were the same but when it was you who got slapped right in front of everyone , he fears it being an issue

He quickly checks on you to see if you're fine and or need a doctor

He is a bit worried about your face swelling so he takes you school's nurse

On your way back , you thank him because of caring for you and he starts to blush and denies it all : " What do you mean ? It was nothing important . No need to thank ,"

Azul Ashengrotto

Azul grabs your hand , wishes Idia a happy marriage and the two of you leave the rest in the middle of chaos

He nags under the lips , telling how he wished others to let him turn her into a little clam

He telles you what an unfortunate soul Eliza is , not only did she die on her marriage day but she also lost perfect lover such as you

He doesn't care about the rest now , so he decides to leave them on their own and instead , have some free time with you

While you wear having some tea at mostrolounge , he shakes head and insults Eliza : " You are surely too much for her , my dear (y/n) . Ghosts always envy humans ; specially when it comes to someone as great as you ~"

Jade Leech

Eliza is now pretty odd to him , first she dislikes the flowers , and now , she rejects you ? Ghosts seem to be even weirder than surface creatures , he thinks

He understands the high standards required while choosing a partner , but you don't seem to lack anything ? How strange

He even cares to ask Eliza about what she might have disliked about you since you don't seem to have any problems , but he avoids it anyway because he isn't ready to get secondly slapped

He offers you a short walk with a bright smile , and you accept

" Miss Eliza surely has weird standards , (y/n) sweetie . You were perfect enough to win ,"

Too bad Crowley insists on them respecting their ghost visitors as long as the stay , Jade is really encouraged to give them a lesson . But uh , he has to have a hold of himself as Octavinelle's vice dorm leader

" Too bad she is dead , flowers would have had an interesting effect if she weren't ," he sighs

Floyd Leech

This bride is getting on his nerves , loud , dumb , in love with a blue , awkward chicken and finds silly excuses to reject everyone proposing to her. If she weren't dead , Floyd would wish her to be . Some brats are better dead

He doesn't see any need to spoil you , but he decides to spill somevtea since it was you " Don't worry shrimpy . You may not be perfect , but she's worse than you , " he flirts .He gives you a tight hug and squeezes you , rambling that it's because Eliza didn't let him do that

He actually finds the red mark on your face cute , saying that it makes your skin color just similar to a shrimp .

He can't help loving your -shrimp-like face - and so , he lowers his head and gives it a small kiss

Vil Schoenheit

If Eliza were alive , Vil would love it now to burn her alive in a huge dig of poison . Or maybe feed him to the dogs , both seem nice

He gently holds your face within his hands and carefully looks at the mark Eliza left behind

He curses under the lips and then pulls you into a soft hug : " Don't mind her love , lowly creatures are unworthy of true beauty , don't let their though bring you down," he mumbles

He absolutely hates being disrespected like this , so he leaves it to Rook and Epel ; though he doubts them being any helpful

He takes you to Pomefiore for firstly , making sure that your slapped face won't swell and then , giving you a full day spa . From extreme showers to putting on your makeup

When you're done , he stares at you through the mirror and smiles : " What an idiot she was to lose this stunning beauty of yours ,"

Rook Hunt

This bride keeps fascinating him , first Vil and now you ? Good god , she is pathetic

Rook really looks up to both of you as a symbol of beauty , grace and in general , perfection . Seeing the two of you being insulted like this is a real pitty

He is being relied on as one of the only four guys who didn't get slapped so he sadly doesn't have much time to comfort you now ; so he comes up with a new idea :

He asks you to give him the pleasure and be his : Bride model ; he has got plenty of tricks up his sleeve , but he still needs to practice them on someone

His long and beautiful poem which was hiding an I love you within its words , and his brilliance ways of winning one's heart leave you speechless ; not ever imagining that he might be this much of a romance man

He practices literally anything he was planning to do with you , and then comes up with the final words : " Dearest (y/n) , would you give me the honor of being your servant of love for eternity ? "

Epel Felmier

You got...what ? Epel was a normal guy at least in his own opinion , Vil senpai was surely beautiful but...not perfect either . But why you ? You didn't seem to have any specific problems . He doesn't like this thing with proposing anyways , so he was hoping someone , specially you , to succeed before he has to...

He is supposed to be practicing dos and don'ts of being a perfect groom , but he just can't do it without checking on you

He comes to you and gives you a tight hug , asking if you're alright

He confesses that he as well is now really scared since he has never even kissed a girl before , but he's going to try his best and put an end into this

He isn't the best of his own , but if a prince on a white horse is what this Ghost needed , he is going to make it , and prove it to you that he can

Kalim al asim

He doesn't know what is going on when you face him with your half red face , he gasps and worriedly starts asking questions : was there a fight ? Did you get hurt ? Was someone trying to bully you ? Who on earth had dared to do this to you !?

You explain the whole issue with he ghost bride and how almost everyone got slapped , making him calm down a bit

He now wants to have a word with this bride , it's rude to slap people just because you don't like them and that really bugs Kalim

Jamil stops him by reminding that it's none of Scarabia's business and as the dorm leader , he has to stay here taking care of more important stuff

Kalim has to agree but he isn't quite satisfied , but he comes up with another way to cheer you up :

" Imagine you're the bride and I'm proposing to you , let's see if I get slapped or not ! "

Jamil Viper

Just as Kalim , he can't imagine why you got slapped for at first but when you explain , he chills a bit

Most of the brides Jamil know gave in to marriage after being given tons of gold and jewelry , but since it is with a ghost , he wondered what might actually attract her. Princesses have to marry people from the same level as themselves , probably a prince or someone pretty rich ; so he isn't really fascinated that you and others all got slapped

He can't help it much , but perhaps insulting all other guys losing their chance is something he would appreciate talking about . It isn't clear if he wants you to feel better by neglecting every other guy or is just trying to chill a bit ; anyways it's joyful for you to talk and having him spending some time with you alone

Idia Shroud

Idia is locked inside the room ,, but he hears sound of you trying to propose to Eliza . His feeling are a bit complicated , both hopeful that Eliza would give up on him because of you and jealous of Eliza , whom you proposed to. No one's here to see him can freely admire your beautiful words coming one after one , and then an unexpected sound : You got slapped

Idia now has lost both his very last hope to get freed and his temper : His hair is slightly turning read . This crazy bride made him lose the global championship league of his favorite video game (since he was tied up by her ) and now slaps you !?

His thoughts are really wild now , especially because of how he can't do anything at all . He wishes he could see you and tell how beautiful and great he thinks your proposal was , hopeful that it'll make you smile

You still went out of his way and tried to free him , and that was more than enough for Idia . All he wishes is to see one more time and get to tell how he feels for you♥

Ortho Shroud

This ghost : Kidnapped his brother and now , slaps you

Who says robots can't feel anything ? Because now , Ortho is mad

He really does want to hack all of NRC's servers and share pictures of ghosts who dare kidnapping and insulting students without the principal doing anything . That'd be an end to Mr Crowley's career but since he isn't doing anything serious , he deserves it

You apologize him because of failing to save his brother , but he just gives you a hug telling how scared he is

You and Idia are the most important people in his life , he just can't stand having you hurt . Not even imagining what he might do if he loses any of you

Malleus Draconia

He wasn't there to recognize this any sooner , but Lilia and Sebek did tell him everything .He shouldn't show up in front of any other students (because they might spoil his real name ) and shouldn't show up in front of any ghosts (because they may catch him and force him to propose ). He was thinking of meeting you in front of ramshackle drom ; your regular corner but since there as well is haunted by the ghosts , he can't help but to wait for this drama to cool down

When you finally return to Ramshackle dorm in the middle of the night , your unexpected guest , tsuno-tarou , is waiting for you

You are suspicious that you didn't see him at all today , so he explains that due to some reasons he couldn't make it . He says hat he doesn't really know what had happened since he stayed in dorm all day , so you go on telling everything from the very beginning . He already knows everything but wants to hear it all from you one more time . He likes to see what they all might've looked like into your eyes . When you're done telling him the story , he giggles and asks one more question ; just curious to see how you'll answer : " So didn't you try proposing , or did you as well get slapped...?"

Lilia Vanrouge

This day was getting more and more complicated... First getting rejected for being too cute and having his 500+ year reputation ruined like this and now , you being the second to get slapped ; this isn't fair

He can help but to let his tears fall , if he's too cute then it's fine for him to cry . Sebek and you freak out in fear of him being through some sort of serious pain or injury , then he just laughs and tells you that he's alright . He just needed to comfort himself but freeing those tears

He doesn't see any need of today getting worse , so he doesn't mind flirting a bit . He jokes on whatever you rejected for not being more frustrating than being too cute and laughs

He thinks that you may like to talk more , so he brings up a more interesting issue : His hundred years experience with women

You are fascinated at how many times he has joined ladies for dances or drinking , yet has never been on a serious relationship

He's actually trying to spill more tea of his low experiements with relationships , hopeful that you get his point

Silver

You return along with Lilia and Sebek. , all of having half of your face red . Silver wasn't there to know what was going on or why Sebek is shouting at him for being a coward not trying to propose like a real man . Poor boy is just blank

Lilia takes Sebek along with him and leaves the two of you alone , so you start telling everything over . He tries his best to hide his laugh at the point where Sebek got slapped but he failed , then Lilia and finally , you

You tell him that you really feel frustrated about failing others and not being good enough , but it makes Silver gently laugh : " Well , from Leona Senpai to Mr . Vil , they all got slapped one by one , doesn't it sound a bit weird ? "

You surely don't get hos point so he continues : " When someone keeps rejecting everyone one by one , it means that they don't really know what they want. They're seeking perfection ; but no one's ever perfect enough for them . Through lovers would still love each other aside lacking too much on their own , and that's what makes their love last : They complete each other "

His words really move you and make you ask how he can tell all these words so beautifully

He gives you small smile and adds : " Well , it's because I've experienced it all with you "

Sebek Zigvolt

Having both master Malleus and you insulted on the same day : This is too much !

You shouldn't have been the one forced propose while others like Silver were laying comfortably on a sofa dreaming of rainforests and colorful birds , it wasn't your right !

He doesn't even ask , he immediately takes you to the nurse office to put a stick on your slapped face . You insist that it's be too much but he isn't listening

He then , apologizes for about an hour for not talking you out of something that wasn't even your duty and promises that there won't be a next time on it

You really get concerned at how stressed out this boy suddenly gets over nothing , so you cut him off by pulling yourself to his embrace and giving him a hug . He freezes at first , but then relaxes and hugs back

" Promise that I'll never let you down (y/n) , never"

♦♥♠♣

Tagging : @lilyholo @yourlittlerunt @minteasketches @epher-posts @takumipineapplexd @yandere-of-your-dreams

[thefinalcinderella]

Scary Monsters! Story Summary (Part 1)

I don’t think anyone’s translated this story yet so I’ll just summarize it

The more events we have, the more I’m convinced that they take place in an alternative timeline or something. I don’t know if this was confirmed in the guidebook though

Wow I still can’t summarize for shit

Episode 1-1 Everyone should have fun

- Another day of school ends for MC and Grim

- Grim randomly mentions that there’s too much distance between the Ramshackle Dorm and the school (isn’t it the opposite though?)

- When they get back to their dorm they are stunned to discover that the front yard has become a weird mix of Chinatown and Halloween

- Lilia shows up (and introduces himself again, hmm) and scares us, apparently everything there is made by the Diasomnia dorm students

- This is our first time seeing Diasomnia mobs, who are arranging the decorations in the yard

- Deadbeat Crowley strikes again! Apparently he told Diasomnia that MC and Grim agreed to let them set this stuff up

- MC asks why all the decorations, and Lilia explains that it’s for Halloween! Apparently Malleus insisted that they spend Halloween at the Ramshackle Dorm

- the ghosts are out and they’re impressed by how extravagant it all is and even encourage them to do more without minding us (thanks guys)

- Grim doesn’t know what Halloween is, shocking everyone

Episode 1-2 It’s our festival!!

- The ghosts explain that Halloween is an important event in Twisted Wonderland

- Lilia explains that it’s when all the ghosts return to this world from the other world; the decorations are to entertain them

- Everyone wears costumes like ghosts and monsters because many ghosts like to play tricks on people (since there’s not much opportunities to interact with the living); these ghosts can be dispersed by giving them candy

- Lilia mentions there are also evil ghosts that can’t be controlled (foreshadowing much?)

- Lilia implies that he knows about the ghosts we met in the mine???　Or something like that??? (”I think you two also have experience with ghosts who do bad things?”)

- Wearing costumes is for scaring those evil ghosts back and driving them away...but that’s just a story from a long time ago, and now it’s just for fun cosplay

- Ghosts say not to worry about anything, Halloween was always like this since they became ghosts

- the living can’t actually see ghosts since they’re not supposed to stay in this world unless they have strong attachments or goals, so the ghosts who do stay in this world are very unstable existences *cough* Eliza *cough*; they can’t be seen in places other than places like NRC where there’s strong magical energy, so yeah ghosts are actually rare

- Ghosts emphasize that it doesn’t matter whether or not you can see ghosts or not, Halloween is supposed to be fun and that’s all that matters

- MC says that Halloween is also pretty famous in their hometown

- Ghosts (in front of Lilia): Oh MC you have Halloween back in your world too? What a coincidence (How many people know MC is from another world??)

- Lilia doesn’t seem surprised so I assume he knew

- NRC has a special Halloween event too, which we will learn about soon

Episode 1-3 It’s quite photogenic

- The ghosts start snapping pictures with their phones (yeah that’s right)

- They bought them this year online 

- Grim is jealous because he has to share with MC

- They have a MagiCam account too, they only have 5 followers

- Grim is surprised they show up on camera since usually that can only happen with the ghost camera

- Lilia explains that since Halloween is the time of the year where this world and the other world are the closest, so this is when ghosts are the most powerful which is why they can show up in photos; it’s just in NRC tho

- They tell us to look forward to Halloween

Episode 1-4 The best Halloween

- The next day in class, Crewel says it’s one month to Halloween and everyone’s excited

- Ace and Deuce are also excited, talking about decorations and stuff; even the Ignihyde students come out of their rooms for Halloween

- Crewel: The week before Halloween is “Halloween Week”, which is when the students run a stamp rally event for outsiders

- Each dorm choose a place in the school as a spot for the stamp rally and decorate it; what’s important is that anyone can freely participate--in other words, guests from outside freely walk around the school

- The reason for this is to thank the people who live on this “Sage’s Island” (where NRC is located) for their understanding and cooperation, and it’s a chance to show them how much the students have grown and stuff

- In order for the event to move smoothly, each dorm sends out students as staff on the management committee

- Naturally, this is the first time we’re hearing of this (thanks Crowley)

- Deuce tells us not to worry and ask him if we have any questions since he’s part of the committee (it’s chosen by lottery)

- Also there’s a Halloween party on the 31st  which everyone can join, students and ghosts included

- Ace’s brother showed him pictures of the food

- It’s next to prom as a big event at NRC (yeah prom exists too)

Episode 1-5 Are you ready?

- A month later, 8 days before Halloween

- the committee gathers, it’s composed of Deuce, Cater, Jack, Azul, Jade, Kalim, Vil, Epel, Idia, Lilia, and Malleus

- Deuce was an hour early to the meeting lol

- Idia is there in person

- Vil is the head of the committee, he talks about the stamp rally and how guests who collect all seven stamps get candy at the entrance gates

- Cater: “Wow Headmaster you’re so generous!” Jade: “It’s a small bag of candy that isn’t even 100 madol” (I wonder about the finances of the school sometimes)

- The stamp rally is from 10 am to 10 pm, they have to be there at all times so they’re excused from classes, taking turns in each dorm

- It’s going to be a hectic time but everyone’s fired up

- They decide to go around and see all the different dorm setups and costumes, Diasomnia is first

- Malleus chose Ramshackle for the stamp rally place because it’s a dump basically (Deuce: Sorry MC)

Episode 1-6 They are crying with joy!!

- The committee’s at Ramshackle; Sebek is as Sebek as ever

- Malleus and Lilia change into their costumes which is eastern dragon ghosts

- Diasomnia was traditional ghosts last year but decided to change it up this year

- Sebek is simping so hard he’s crying lol

- Vil made the costumes for them; he complains that Malleus gave an 1 hour lecture about how “eastern dragons (ryuu) and dragons are completely different” after he said that it was meaningless for Malleus, who is a dragon, to dress up as a dragon

- Malleus goes at it again and is apparently talking very quickly like Idia, what a nerd lol

- Crowley says that when the rally first began, everyone just wore sheets over their heads, but some students started putting more effort into it and then everyone started doing it too and the dorms are basically competing against each other 

- Silver says that the Ramshackle decorations are inspired by a country Lilia travelled to before; Lilia says that some ryuu are even the guardian deity for a family

- All the decorations use up a lot of magic to maintain, as expected of Diasomnia

- Next they’re going to Heartslabyul’s spot, which is near the greenhouse

Episode 1-7 For a scary taste

- They’re in the Sub-Tropical Zone, where it’s decorated with the theme of graveyard, and the costumes are skeletons with white ribbons as the bones

- They had a hard time balancing authenticity and the fun of Halloween

- Deuce suggested they be “skeletons covered in mud” lol

- Cater was the one who came up with the idea of using ribbons and lace from looking through his MagiCam likes

- The heart you can see through the “ribcage” is made of roses

- the gravestones are made of styrofoam

- The Heartslabyul students are used to working hard for Unbirthday Parties and following rules so it wasn’t hard for Deuce to order his upperclassman around; it’s actually more relaxing since there aren’t so many weird rules

- Malleus: As expected of Rosehearts, you discipline your students well every day Riddle: That makes me sound like a tyrant! (Uh...)

- Next is the alchemy classroom where Octavinelle has their spot

Episode 1-8 The richest

- Everyone agrees that the classroom is too creepy and will probably make little kids cry

- Floyd: I know right??

- The Octavinelle costumes are mummies

- They decided on that because it’s the complete opposite of merpeople

- They combined the old-fashioned image of mummies with style

- The decoration theme is “Mad scientist’s lab”

- The culture tank looking thing lights up at night

- Everything was finished up by a contractor since they’re busy with making a Halloween menu for Mostro Lounge

- Kalim is confused since all the dorms get the same amount of money for decorations and costumes

- Apparently Jade is in charge of accounting and he’s supposed to make sure no one goes over budget or there’s no weird money transfers and stuff like that (Who assigned him this job?)

- Jade: Me? Do something suspicious? Why I never! 

- What they focused most on was cost optimisation

- It involves haggling and using old stuff; they used up all their budget

- The remaining money from the other dorms will be used for the halloween party

- TLDR Octavinelle is scary

- Next is Scarabia, near the shop

Episode 1-9 Isn’t it an awesome idea?

- They arrive at the shop which looks all messed up

- Jade: It’s just like MC’s Ramshackle Dorm 

- Scarabia’s costume is werewolf

- Jack says there’s a legend in his hometown about becoming a werewolf if you stay up late

- Kalim tries to act scary but fails bc he’s too cute

- Jade: It’s like a visiting a petting zoo

- Kalim says that the rugs and fabrics they used for the decorations are all made from plastic bottles and recycled plastics, and that they’re aiming for a society where humans and nature coexist happily--in other words “Sustainable Halloween”

- It’s all Jamil’s idea of course

- Next is Savanaclaw at the colisseum

Episode 1-10 We worked hard!

- there’s a ship 

- Savanaclaw’s costume is pirates

- Jack talks about reading a book about a pirate who fought against a giant crocodile in elementary school and how he pretended to be a pirate

- It’s a famous series apparently, called the Adventures of Captain Beard

- Wow Leona is acting like a dorm leader for once? This really is an alternate timeline

- You can go inside the ship and Ruggie made the gold coins

- Even Idia is impressed by how good the replica is

- Everyone is shocked when it’s revealed that the Savanaclaw students made everything by hand; they’re able to do it because of training everyday for magift

- Next is Ignihyde in the library

Episode 1-11 This much is just common knowledge

- Ignihyde does projections of jack o’lanterns and creepy looking trees

- Ignihyde’s costume is a pumpkin knight

- The pumpkin knight is from a horror movie called “Pumpkin Hollow” which no one except Idia has heard of

- The pumpkin knight is filled with the hatred of uneaten, undecorated and thrown away pumpkins and it returns to the village it was harvested in to attack people each night

- the decorations are recreated from the movie and Idia is supposed to show up as the pumpkin knight

- Idia can talk normally bc his face is covered

- Now for the last dorm, Pomefiore in the mirror chamber

Episode 1-12 The Dual Play of Terror and Beauty

- Idia can walk around in the armor easily because it’s made of light materials, and the sound effects come from a speaker (what a nerd)

- Usually, the mirror chamber is closed to outsiders, but Halloween Week is an exception

- Photography of the mirror of darkness is forbidden since it’s so important

- They get there and it’s...not decorated at all!!

- Rook explains that the mirror chamber is already beautiful so there’s no need for decorations

- Vil: Our existence is the greatest collaboration that will make the mirror chamber stand out; it’s important to dress to match the location

- Pomefiore’s costume is vampires

- Everyone’s speechless by the beauty lol

- They also focused a lot on the makeup so it will give the impression of captivating vampires or something like that

- the aim is “degenerating beauty”

- Vil and Rook are both sad that vampires can’t look in mirrors, so they can’t see their beauty lol; that is why they are so attracted to the mirror chamber (I think this is their backstory or something)

- They only put up signs banning photography

- Crowley: Look! The mirror’s happy too! Mirror: ...

- Halloween Week starts tomorrow

[sleepymccoy]

sleepy’s fic masterlist

Doing this cos I wanted to! And I can’t find the short things I’ve written on tumblr half the time, so i wanted a place to go to find them. I’ll edit this whenever I post something new and give it a quick reblog when I do <3

Tumblr shorts

Inventions and Ice-cream

A chererful conversation between Crowley and Aziraphale about their favourite invention humans have come up with. Also read for hand holding, ice-cream, and macking out against the Bentley door. Goes hard on the hand holding stuff

1600-ish words

What kind of lover are you?

Filled a prompt, wing grooming by South Downs. It turned into something very soft, very loving, with some acknowledgement of the aftereffects of trauma and constant threat and the anxiety that would be on you from that. Also, some nice massaging and snark from the main two. I feel like I’m getting a hug when I read this, thb

1200-ish words

Chamomille

Aziraphale notices Crowley getting tired and swings into action with a prepared bedtime routine. Crowley is not consulted. Very short and sweet

350-ish words

Monsieur and Difficult Topics

Crowley and Aziraphale are having a meal together after the apocalypse. Crowley says they're not friends and a very challenging conversation follows as Aziraphale tries to correct this. This is a pre romance thing, so they finish having had a worthwhile conversation, not leaping into dating

2000-ish words

Burnt Coffee and Crosswords

Crowley stumbles out of bed and finds that Aziraphale has, yet again, snuck into his flat while he was asleep. Fluff and fondness ensue

1000-ish words

Absolutely Adorably Nauseating

Outsider POV of Aziraphale and Crowley having very dramatic public fights. Three different stories. Mainly meant to be funny, but has some nice fluff in it

2000-ish words

How can someone as clever as you be so handsome?

Aziraphale remembers Crowley calling him clever in an angry moment and fondly teases him for it. Very fluffy.

1000-ish words

Gifts

Through the years Crowley has been giving Aziraphale gifts that are, overwhelmingly, in poor taste. Fluffy and silly, has pictures

2000-ish words

An Unpleasant Suprise

A butteromens effort. The similar fics were Aziraphale saving Crowley from Gabriel, I wanted to do a twist that had Crowley more engaged in the fight. Turns into an awful lot of flirting and the like at the end, it’s a fun read. Quick warning for a brief decrip of gore from being burnt, but I move on pretty fast

3500-ish words

A New Eden

Filled a prompt; “I’m going to need you to put some underwear on before you say anything else.” It’s not sexy, but by the virtue of the prompt there is dick. Mostly speechless Crowley, though.

1200-ish words

Entirely Unapologetic

Filled a prompt; “so why did I have to punch that guy?” Features protective Crowley and blustering Aziraphale

500-ish words

Be Unashamed With Me

Crowley’s waiting for Aziraphale to leave a church and as he waits he gets a bit sad about his demon-hood and remembers how hopeless he was before he and Aziraphale got together. When Aziraphale joins him a lot of fluff and compliments follow to cheer Crowley up. Which works. Gets a bit flirty.

1500-ish words

Climb Every Mountain

In the biblical narrative, God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on Moriah. Abraham begins to comply, when a messenger from God interrupts him. Abraham then sees a ram and sacrifices it instead. In the me narrative, Crowley does a favour for Aziraphale then swiftly changes his mind and doesn’t let the kid be killed.

1200-ish words

How Many Ways Can I Say...

A very short form fic, more a casual tumblr post, but it has some cute descriptions of different ways Aziraphale can sat I love you to Crowley

500-ish words

AO3 links

If You Like

link to tumblr promo post

link to some relevant art

a take on the few days between apocalypse and the body switch, cos Aziraphale goes from surprised at Crowley offering to let him crash at his apartment, to swapping bodies and letting Crowley risk himself. So it’s following Aziraphale’s trauma and consideration. Lots of bed sharing and a very fluffy body-positivity ending with Aziraphale’s golden stretch marks.

10,000-ish words

Nothing’s Changed

link to tumblr promo post

A week into July and Crowley has finished sleeping in. He gives Aziraphale a ring and receives a very frosty reception. Although Aziraphale insists nothing has changed, Crowley suspects otherwise. Fic includes Aziraphale pinching Crowley to prove he’s not dreaming

2000-ish words

Slipped My Mind

link to tumblr promo post

Crowley and Aziraphale are so used to not being in a relationship that its quite easy to slip into old habits and forget that they’re allowed to touch now. A bit of angst, but mostly fluffy as they get used to this new normal.

6000-ish words

Requisite Lockdown Fic

link to tumblr promo post

This was actually a tumblr short fic I wrote, but it got crazy out of hand and the format is much easier on ao3 so I’m linking it here. Told entirely through phone calls in the same format as the lockdown youtube special. Crowley is setting boundaries for the first time and Aziraphale is struggling to adjust to these new rules. But it goes well

4000-ish words

To Seduce, Beguile, and Entice

link to tumblr promo post

Crowley isn’t any good at seduction temptations. This comes up one night and Aziraphale is concerned because he’s seduced in Crowley’s name before. All part of the Arrangement. So, of course, the only solution is for Aziraphale to teach Crowley how to seduce. It gets out of hand quickly. The last chapter is post apocalypse and Crowley tries his hand at seducing Aziraphale in a very intentionally referential way, as a kind of method to express that he’s actually interested in a relationship.

10,000-ish words

Still Waking Up

link to some relevant art

link to tumblr promo post

Follows the pair for about two years after the apocalypse as Crowley is behaving oddly and Aziraphale is figuring everything out. This is your trauma recovery fic! Crowley has nightmares and a fear of fire and some abandonment. Aziraphale is lonely and feels deeply incompetent and lost, as well as having not fully resolved some of his issues with Heaven. They learn how to be on their own side together rather than keeping it all separate and protective. Also, bed sharing.

30,000-ish words

Not Quite Human

link to tumblr promo post

Omnipotent POV (but not god) that sorta swaps between them. It’s just a simple 18 hours or so in the shop on afternoon as they’ve begun to get more physically affectionate. This is a decent mutual pining fic. I tried to lean into the real not-human stuff they’ve both got going on. It’s your classic admission of love fic with plenty of panicking Crowley. Features some smut with a sex-positive, asexual Aziraphale and a sex-neutral, demisexual Crowley.

10,000-ish words

the kind of thing one says easily

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This is my silly take on an au. Everything is exactly the same but they actually communicate honestly occasionally. Wild, I know. We follow Crowley and Aziraphale through moments of time in their history (some canon friendly, like follow ons from scenes in the tv show, some made up) as Crowley quite simply tells Aziraphale that he loves him. And Aziraphale gets used to it and learns to be honest in return. Things really come to a head as the apocalypse approaches. The last chapter is a sex scene, but it’s very very loving rather than smutty.

15,000-ish words

Soft.

link to tumblr promo post

This is a very fluffy fic. Crowley tells Aziraphale he has a nice body and it dredges up Aziraphale’s residual concerns over what Gabriel said and in the panic-fueled conversation that follows as Crowley tries to right his wrong they slowly step in sync into discussing their feelings and wants. This fic is the big three, communication, consent, and soft. (gets a bit sexy too, but it’s pretty tame)

10,000-ish words

Is It Worth It Yet

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Around abouts the 1000AD mark, in what would become Turkey a few hundred years later, Crowley sat down, took a breath, and told Aziraphale how he feels in a total trainwreck of a conversation. Chapter 1, that conversation. Of course, Aziraphale would then expect Crowley to bring it all up again after the apocalypse, and when he doesn't he decides to take matters into his own hands and broach the topic himself. It doesn't go as well as he'd hoped. Good ending tho, don't worry guys. If you need an overload of angst then a big old hug to pull you up again, this is a good one.

10,000-ish words

Summoned

link to relevant (lemon) art

link to tumblr promo post

Post apocalypse, timeline unspecified. Heaven and Hell refangle the way humans summonings work so it only applies to Aziraphale and Crowley. This means Crowley finds himself summoned an awful lot more than usual. We see their relationship readjust after the apocalypse in snippets of moments as Crowley’s been summoned. It’s mostly fairly light hearted, but there’s a couple chapters of pretty good angst and one very sexy chapter at the end! Just straight up smut, of the light d/s variety

13,000-ish words

Try Some Pride On For A Day

link to some relevant art

link to tumblr promo post

Shortly after the apocalypse, Aziraphale set a challenge down. Sin vs virtue. Each chapter shows an attempt from Crowley to get Aziraphale to succumb to sin, and Aziraphale tricking Crowley into performing a virtue. Some attempts are easier than others, some are impossible. They learn a lot about each other and slip into some unexpectedly honest moments. This one gets sexy but not out of hand. Aziraphale is pretty explicitly asexual.

20,000-ish words

Needed a break, gone to France x

link to tumblr promo post

A few weeks after the apocalypse and Crowley goes to visit Aziraphale to find a note taped to his door. Panic, anxiety, and general sadness over being so broken up with ensue. This is a miscommunication fic with a writing style that leans toward humour rather than angst and has a nice fluffy ending with good asexual overtones

9000-ish words

Heresy

link to tumblr promo post

Set 3000 years after the apocalypse. Crowley and Aziraphale live together and are romantic. They have been left not entirely alone by their old colleagues, but they are unthreatened so it’s all okay. Until one day Beelzebub and Gabriel drop by to visit in the most surprising way. This fic is my first and was written before the discussion of Beelzebubs pronouns kicked off, so I used the actresses pronouns (she/her) instead of they/them which I’ve used since when referring to Beelzebub

2500-ish words

[ayoitsnic]

Crowley x Reader x Lucifer

Part 1

*Based loosely around 12x15 but Ramsey kills Gwen and gets away

Word Count: 2.6k

Trigger Warnings: Injured animal? Idk? If you think something should be added to the TW list drop a comment or DM me

Summary: Humans aren’t supposed to see hellhounds, so what happens when y/n finds an injured hellhound and brings it home to care for? 

*Disclaimer* Lucifer will be introduced in the 2nd part which should be up by Saturday 4/3/2021

It was almost midnight when y/n got off of work. She was exhausted after her shift at Regional West Medical Center in Nebraska. As she trudged through the parking lot to her old, beat up 2002 Suzuki she couldn’t help but feel eyes on her, like something was watching her from out in the darkness. Fumbling with her keys she turned to unlock the driver’s side car door (The remote to unlock the door was broken. The car could only be opened with the actual key.), only to freeze in place when she felt the hot breath and heard the heavy breathing of some sort of animal behind her. “Dear god, please let it be my overactive imagination.” she prayed silently, knowing it was no use. Whatever stood behind her was very much real.

Very slowly she turned to face whatever it was that was sniffing her, her keys moving between her middle and ring finger in case she needed to defend herself. Instead of being met with what she thought for sure would be a small bear or a rabid coyote, she was met with a very large dog. A very large dog that looked like it had been through absolute hell. Its fur was matted and caked with dried mud and dirt, and it was covered with cuts and what she naturally assumed was its own blood. It was hard to tell through the thick, matted fur but it also looked very underweight. “Oh you poor baby….” Y/n’s heart melted upon seeing the creature.

Obviously the dog had been out on its own for a very long time. Y/N took pity on it. It seemed so sad, and it didn’t appear rabid or vicious. It looked like it just wanted help. Reluctantly she reached down to check for a collar. There was a collar but it was in a foreign language. One she’d never seen before. Unlocking the back of the car she coaxed the dog in with some leftover food she had from her lunch break. She knew the poor thing must be starving. Being hurt it took a little help getting in. Little did she know how dangerous that dog really was or that there was a man out right now searching for it.

The K-9, which y/n decided to call (Dog’s name) had fallen asleep on the car ride home, snoring softly over the radio that was playing some Green Day song. Pulling into the driveway, (Y/N) stopped the car and turned off the radio. Almost on queue (dog’s name) looked up to see where they were. A light was on outside, illuminating a large porch (Which could probably use a new paint job, if we’re being honest) with 2 rocking chairs, a small table and a plethora of healthy, brightly colored plants. She picked up the injured dog and carried it inside, planning on taking it to the vet in the morning to see if it was microchipped.

She was going to let the dog sleep in the basement for the night, unsure if it would destroy the house or not. She remembered her aunt’s German Shepherd who took pleasure in tearing up sofas, and eating her plants. The dog also really needed a bath and she didn’t want it on the furniture until it got one. Unfortunately around 3:30 am, y/n felt a dip in the bed and then something making itself comfy by her feet. Looking over, she found the dog curled up in bed with her. Way too tired to deal with it now, and knowing she had to wash the sheets anyway she just fell back asleep let the dog stay with her so long as it stayed at the foot of the bed.

~

The next morning, Y/N got up early to go to the pet store and get stuff for the dog. She called up the local vet, making an appointment, she washed the sheets, and most importantly she began trying to wash (Dog’s name). At first the dog resisted, wanting absolutely nothing to do with the water. Y/N knew exactly how to deal with this though. Placing a glob of peanut butter on the side of the tub to keep the dog preoccupied, (Dog’s name) happily entered the bathtub. A trick y/n had learned from that aunt with the poorly behaved German Shepherd. By the time y/n was done with the dog she’d had to drain and refill the tub 3 times before she gave up and kept it drained, just using the shower head. She couldn’t believe how much blood and dirt had come off this dog.

Around 2pm the doorbell rang and this dog who was once so sweet, albeit a bit skittish turned into an absolute beast. Running to the door, loud deep barks and growls left it. The dog seemed ready to tear the stranger on the other side of the door to shreds. It was almost like it had turned into a completely different dog. “(Dog’s name)!!!” Y/n shouted as she raced down the stairs after it, hoping to get to the door before the dog did. “NO!!!” She yelled. Even hurt and underweight, (Dog’s name) was really big. If it wanted to break that door, it probably could. Without thinking, Y/n quickly grabbed the dog by the collar to stop it. “I said no!” She told her firmly with a pointed finger. The dog whined, tail between its legs as it hurried back up the stairs to the bedroom to do that thing dogs do when they roll around on the rug to dry themselves.

The front door had a glass window looking out so y/n could see the stranger. He was short, and wore a nice suit. He seemed only slightly concerned about the interaction. The man didn’t even flinch as the massive hound lunged itself at him. It seemed like this was a normal day for him. Actually, he seemed more unnerved after she called the dog off. Opening the door, y/n apologized profusely for the dog “I am so sorry about the dog! I-” Before she could continue, the man squinted at her, clearly confused about something. “What are you?” He questioned in an English accent.

“Hellhounds? Really?” She questioned with a quirked eyebrow and a small grin, crossing her arms and constantly turning to keep facing the man. It was obvious she didn’t believe him.

Obviously his question confused y/n as she gave him a look of confusion back “What do you mean ’what are you?’” She stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind her “I'm human”

“Yes, really.” The man continued, as serious as a heart attack “You especially shouldn’t be able to control that bitch. I’ve only ever known one person to be able to control Ramsey and you and not that person.”

“Oh really? And who might that person be then?” Y/n asked, beginning to think this was some elaborate prank being played on her by a friend or coworker.

Remembering what the demon said about her being able to control the hound, y/n gave it a shot. Raising a hand she firmly commanded “Ramsey stay.” Not only did the dog stop dead in her tracks, she laid down and waited for further orders. Now most people would be a little freaked out by this; finding a hellhound that they didn't know was a hellhound, and now being visited by a demon sent to collect said hound. Y/n however wasn’t afraid. Actually she kind of got a Déjà vu feeling at this.

“No you can’t be. Humans can’t see hellhounds, much less control them.” Normally Crowley would just collect the demonic hound and leave, with humans being none the wiser that the rogue canine was even there, but not only did this woman know the hellhound was there, she was taking pretty good care of it. Even stranger, the dog was letting her care for it. There was something different about this woman, something special. He just wasn’t sure what it was yet. Crowley circled y/n, inspecting her. He was trying to find any indication of her not being human.

“Lucifer.” Crowley responded

At that, y/n was done. “Look pal, I don’t know what kind of kool-aid you’re drinking but I’m not buying it. Now’s the part where I tell you to get off my property.” she turned to go back inside, closing and locking the door behind her. As she turned to head upstairs though, Crowley was standing right behind her, his eyes red. She let out a screech, jumping as far back as she could (Which wasn’t far as the door was right behind her). Again, the dog that the demon in front of her called ‘Ramsey’ came running to her defense.

~

“The name’s Crowley. King of hell.” He introduced himself “May I ask who you are?”

“Y/n y/l/n.” she responded before telling him “Queen of this house.” This was crazy. Y/n was standing in her entryway conversing with a demon king. “Could I offer you tea ‘your highness’? Maybe Coffee?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she addressed Crowley as 'your highness' She wasn’t gonna hand over the dog so easily, and something told her the demon wouldn’t be leaving without Ramsey.

“.....Who are you?” Y/n asked the man

Y/n and Crowley sat in her kitchen, sipping tea and chatting. “Why aren’t you afraid of me?” The demon who sat across from y/n questioned “Most people would run, or beg for mercy if a demon showed up at their doorstep. Not invite them in for a drink.”

~

If it weren’t for the fact that y/n could sick Cujo on him at any moment, Crowley wouldn’t be being so patient with her. He wouldn’t be trying to convince her to send the dog to her death. “I’m sorry but I can’t let you take that dog back.” Y/n told Crowley. For some reason she felt bonded to that dog, with the overwhelming need to protect her.

“I’m afraid I must insist. She’s dangerous and unpredictable. It’s for the best that she be put down. She’s killed a lot of people who weren’t on hell’s hit list while she was topside.” Crowley explained “A pup like that out and about isn't good for business. It makes it look like I’m not in control.”

“Do you want me to beg for mercy?” Y/n asked with a smirk and a small, dry chuckle. “Sorry but you’re not very scary so forgive me if I’m quaking in my shoes.” She would never be seen begging for mercy. Not in a million years.

“I thought you were the king down there.” Y/n questioned “A king answers to no one. You could turn, walk right out that front door, and pretend she vanished. That you weren't able to find her. Or you could go back and tell your people she attacked you and you killed her. Besides, you’re a demon. You don’t really care about the people she’s killed, do you?” Y/n definitely cared and felt bad, she just didn’t believe Crowley did.

“The Winchester’s. They hunt monsters. Vampire’s, werewolves, demonkind, et cetera.” Crowley explained “They’re ruthless, and if they find out that dog is here they will show up and kill her. Painfully. If you hand her over I promise her death will be a painless and merciful one.” Of course he would make the boys sound worse than they were. In reality they’d kill it as quick as possible if they could. He’d say anything to get her to give up Ramsey. 

“Of course I don’t, but some hunters I know care a lot about the people that were killed. If I don’t collect this dog, they’ll come and collect her for me and they’ll be far less inclined to sit and chat over hot beverages.” Crowley explained

“Tell me about these hunters.” Y/n asked, genuinely interested. "I assume you're not referring to people who shoot buck in their free time."

“Let them come.” Y/n spoke after quietly mulling over what was just told to her. Whether she was underestimating these hunters or just didn’t believe what Crowley was telling her he was unsure. “She may be in a weakened state now but she’ll get better. She’ll get stronger and when she does I’ll be the only one who can stop her. If they show up, I’ll be ready and they’ll have to go through me. When they get through me, she’ll be ready for them too.”

“Y/n I know you think-” Y/n cut off the demon king, her patience wearing thin. She had all the leverage she needed in this situation and she knew it “You said I was the only one who could control her. Now I don’t know how or why that is, but that means there’s nothing stopping me from sicking the dog on you. If she really is as vicious and dangerous as you claim she is, I would be afraid of the one person who can send her after you. I’m telling you to walk away. I’m giving you an out. I strongly suggest you take it.”

Thinking about it later though, she was actually kind of sexy. She knew she held the power and the leverage in that situation and she knew how to use it. Not only that but she was bold enough to try and intimidate not just any king, but the King of Hell. And she didn’t need to raise her voice once while doing it. She was clearly a strong, intelligent, woman. He liked that.

~

After he was gone, y/n was in fact a little freaked out. If there was a hell that meant there was a heaven. Would she be going to hell just for harboring this animal? And better question; how do you even properly care for a hellhound? She imagined it would be a lot different from taking care of your average, run of the mill Pitbull.

Crowley stood his ground, calling her bluff. He didn’t believe she would actually do it. “Ramsey!” Y/n called “Ramsey c’mere girl!” she whistled as the Hellhound came barreling from upstairs “Ramsey, hurry up! Go get him! Get the demon!” Y/n told Ramsey in the same sickeningly sweet baby voice most humans use to talk to animals they find cute. Before she could get to him though, Crowley had disappeared into thin air.

After hours spent searching on the internet y/n got her first lead. Okay so it wasn’t really a lead. It was more of an idea. It’s not like she could just log onto wikipedia and pull up a page on 'How to take care of a Hellhound'. She did however find instructions for summoning and trapping a crossroads demon. She didn’t realize there were different types of demons but to her, a crossroads demon was still a demon so good enough right?

Late that night y/n put Ramsey in the car with her and drove to the nearest crossroads. Spray painting a ‘devils trap’ in the road she buried a box in the center. It contained a photo of her, some graveyard dirt, and the bone of a black cat. No, she didn’t go out and kill a cat. She was able to get that from a wiccan shop on the outskirts of town.

After burying the box, she stood and read the incantation she had written on a scrap of paper “Daemon, esto subjecto voluntati meae!” She waited a moment and when nothing happened she thought she might've gotten a word wrong. That was until she heard a woman speak behind her “What can I do for you tonight?”

Jumping a bit she turned to face the demon. “I just need some information.”

.....To be continued....

[dem-animebois]

Tenshi’s story part 1

Welcome to the villains world!

This will be a combination of the first few prologues with a bit extra to do with my oc.

*Rustle. Bang. Squeak.*

‘What was that noise....?’ The girl though to herself. It sounded like someone was hitting wood. Wait, was she asleep. She tried to wake up but her eyesight remained black. Was her eyes closed? No she could blink. The girl could also hear herself breath, feel the walls on her back . She wasn’t dreaming. Then what was stopping her from seeing? It was a good thing she no longer had a fear of the dark, their was no light to be seen at all.

Her back was against something hard, a wall mabye? It was hard and felt rough, like wood. She could feel the wall in front of her touching her chest while the sides touched her. Moving her hands up to the wall in front she pushed with as much might as she could, trying to move it. It was no use.she felt something asleep in her arms. It was an animal of some sort. Feathers? So a bird. Oh wait. It was yukino. The girls eagle owl she had raised. Guess he got caught with her.

Her hand was still resting on the wood board in front of of her, when she heard yelling from outside. It was coming from outside, muffled by the layer of thick oak.

“Crap. People are coming. Got to find a uniform while...” The voice was croaky with a accent. She couldn’t pinpoint how, but it sounded familiar.She felt slight bangs from the wood in front. Almost like someone trying to open it.

“Grrrr!!! The lid is too heavy.” The creature sounded out of breath and upset. Whining loudly. The banging continued whoever was outside was stubborn. She will give them that.

“ Time for...*heavy breath* my secret move!” A tiny bit of light was starting to expand in one of the corners. It was blinding:“Guwwaahuuh~~~~ There!”

‘F-fire?!’ She cries out in her head. For a split second she swore blue flames had appeared in front of her. Was she hallucinating? No. Her brain couldn’t be that good especially since her own name had slipped her mind.

The slab of oak had been removed from her box and she could see again. She was in some sort of room? There were coffins floating around the room much like her own. The dark blue pillars had lamps on them shining a dingy green. In the center of the room was a mirror. The black surface was surrounded by silver vines.

“Ok, ok. Gotta get... Whaaaaaaa!!!!” Ow. Her ears. “Why are you up!?” The sound awoke the bird in her arms as he went flying down the hallway. It’s fine yukino can take care of himself. She will call him back if she needs him, it’s best to let him calm down though. Looking down to the floor she saw where the voice was coming from. A grey.... raccoon? Was screaming, eyes widened with shock. Wait a second, raccoons don’t talk!

“A talking r-raccoon?!” The red-head screams, not believing what she is seeing.

The tiny animal huffed and puffed out its chest. Stomping its foot and pouting it shouted“I’m the Great Grim!” Uh-oh. She seems to have got a nerve. “Well, whatever. Hey,human! Hurry up and gimme those clothes!”Smirking he put his hand out, beckoning for her to undress. When she didn’t start to hand over the clothing, his smirk grew wider. “Otherwise.... I’ll roast ya!” He lifted up his hand- paws. Blue flames appeared again taller than before dangerously close to her face. As if to ask to eat her layers of skin and burn her. She didn’t know why but seeing those flames didn’t scare her. Mabye it was the colour or maybe it was the fact she was still quite numb. Her feet stayed in place. “Dreaming about getting roasted by a raccoon, that’s a new one!” she said while staring blankly at the culprit of the flames. “I said I’m not a freaking raccoon!” The creature started trying to attack her.

Knowing it’s probably best not to let this angry furball hit her she started running. She run down hallways with lockers, through classrooms with blackboards and all the way to some sort of library. Massive bookshelf up to the ceiling were lining the walls. Some books were even hovering about. Weird.

“Where the heck am I?” She asked nobody while running into the darkness to hide.

“Did you really think you’d get away from my nose? Dumb human!”The angry raccoon said after running through the entrance. Great. He started walking towards a table. Looking for her. The same smirk plastered on his face. “If you don’t wanna get roasted, better hand over-”*Smack* “Buwah!? Ow! What’s with this cord?!” A black cord had rapped around its waist keeping it in place.

“It’s no mere cord. It is a lash of love!”

The owner of the whip corrected. He was a tall man with yellow eyes. He was wearing a blouse, with a vest and tie. Over the top of that he had some sort of cape. He wore a black top gap with a blue ribbon tied around it. On its side was a smaller version of the mirror in the first room.

“Ah, found you at last. Are you one of the new students?” He questioned. Closing his eyes he spoke again. It seems he couldn’t see the girl because he was yet to comment on her gender and appearance. “You shouldn’t do things like that. Leaving the Gate on your own!” He crossed his arms why sighing, reopening his eyes. “Not only that, you have yet to tame your familiar which has broken a number of school rules.”

“I’m not her freakin’ familiar!” Cried grim while trying to escape.

It seems once again the gender has gone over his head. “Sure, sure. The rebellious ones always say things like that. Now just quiet down for a moment.” He places a hand over grims mouth. Telling him to shut up. “My goodness. It’s unprecedented that a student leave the Gate on their own.” *sigh* “How impatient could you be? The entrance ceremony is well underway. Let’s head to the hall of mirrors.”

“Gate?” The girl asked stepping out of the shadow. Gasps could be heard from Grim. Grim new she was a girl, of course but he didn’t take time to look at the burn scar covering the left side of her face. Not quite reaching past her eye but traveling all the way down to her back as far as he could see.

“It’s the room you woke up in with all the doors. All students who wish to attend the academy must pass through one of those doors to arrive here.” He looked up to see her. His face was shocked for a few seconds. “Normally., students wake up only after the door is opened with a special key but...”

“The fire must of blown the lid off.” She stated. Personally she hated the suspicious look he was giving her.

Unfazed by her he spoke. “So in the end the culprit appears to be this familiar.If you are gonna bring it with you you have to take responsibility and properly take care of it.” He looked up at the girl and finally seemed to of noticed their scars and gender. “....Oh my! Now isn’t the time to be long winded. The entrance ceremony will soon come to a close. Let’s get a move on.” He started walking to the entrance, expectingher to follow.

“Just a second.” The girl asked,still confused. “Who exactly are you?” She may be in a different place but she knew better than to follow strange men she had only just met.

“What’s this? Are you still dazed?” The man retorted with a questioning tone. The raccoon still tight in his grasp. “It appears the magic teleportation has left you disoriented.... well it’s fine. It happens often enough.” Turning to face her, smile on face, he continued. “I will explain to you on the way there. For I am gracious.” Feeling as if she had no choice, the red-head followed him. This seems like the only way she was gonna get answers.

He led her to a courtyard. A fountain stood in the center with paths coming of it from all sides. Patches on grass say in the corners one containing a apple tree. “This is Night Raven College. Those magicians blessed with a unique apitude for magic father here from all over the world, here at the most prestigious magical academy in Twisted Wonderland.” Magicians? What is this crazy old look talking about? Does he mean the people who sit on stage on wow you with some tricks. Like pulling a rabbit out of a hat. She had never heard of a country called ‘Twisted Wonderland’ mabye she didn’t pay enough attention in geography. You would of thought she’d remember a place with a strange name like that. “And I am the principal, appointed to take care of this academy by the board of chairmen, Dire Crowley.” Wait, that surname.... THEY HAVE THE SAME ONE?! Of course someone has the same surname as you but she didn’t expect it to be this crazy old man! Good thing she doesn’t use her surname at all. The thing that bothered her is how come she is able to remember her surname and geography class but not her NAME? The headmaster didn’t seem bothered by her internal struggle and continued. “Only those magicians seen worthy by the dark mirror can attend this school. Chosen ones use the Gate and are summoned here from around the world.” He looked at the small human. “An ebony carriage carrying a gate should have gone to meet you as well.”

An ebony carriage? She doesn’t remember stepping into one but.... “I think i remember a horse with a terrifying face....” Yes, its dark, beady eyes where engraved in her memory. How they were void and empty yet beautiful at the same time. How it stared at here empty of emotions.

“The ebony carriage goes to welcome new students chosen by the Dark Mirror.They are special carriages that carry the doors to the academy.” He sounded dull like this was something she should already know. He then continued speaking. “The market decided years ago that carriages are used to welcome people on special days.” It was odd to say the least. Why a carriage? There are plenty of good buses you could of used. Carriages went out of style during the 1900’s“So your saying a carriage just brought me here? On its own?”

Grim yelled in anger but it came out muffled due to the gloves hand covering his mouth. The raccoons hands and legs flailing about, trying to escape the headmasters tight grasp.

“Come let’s go to the entrance ceremony.”

The trio travelled back to the room with the mirror as the center. It was filled with students, all different shapes and sizes. She could see a small boy with lilac hair and a tall boy with blue hair. In the corner she could see a tanned person with white hair and... are those animal ears? Wait, where they real?

“Is that all for the new dorm assignments?” A loud voice boomed. The girl looked over to see a fellow red-head yelling at some people. “Listen up new students. Here in Heartslaybul I am the rules. Break them and it’s of with your head.” Wow, bit extreme.

“....Uuugghh.The stuffy ceremony is finally over. We are going back to the dorm. Savanaclaws follow me.” A dark haired male yawned. He had animal ears poking out the top of his robes.

“To the new students, congratulations on entering this academy. Enjoy your life here to the fullest.” Who was this? “As the dormitory leader of Octovinelle I will support you to the best of my ability.” Just hearing his voice and actions made the small girl uneasy. It may sound nice to the untrained ear but she could hear the undertone of a shady schemer. She made a mental note to stay clear of that one.

“By the way, where did the dean go? He flew right out in the middle of the ceremony...” A taller figure spoke.

“Abandoning his post...” Where was this voice coming from? Perhaps the person was short?

“Did he get a stomachache or something?”

“Not at all!” The headmaster exclaimed.

The younger students jumped, startled by the sudden bang. The Leaders however ,did not flinch, it must be normal for them.

“Ah, he’s here.”

“I cannot believe you all. We were missing one new student so I went to find them.” The crow says crossing his arms and pouting. He turns and looks at her emerald eyes. “You are the only one yet to be assigned a dormitory. I shall watch over the raccoon, step in front of the Dark Mirror.”

Sounds of protest were made from Grimm still with the headmasters hand around his mouth.

Looking around the room, she noticed a massive, dark mirror. It was floating, somehow. She made her way towards it, pulling her hood down more. As her high heels clicked against the floor boards she felt all eyes on her and she hated the attention. “Wait, is that a girl?” “What is a girl doing here?” Here the whispers come. She was shocked at the fact they commented on her gender ; not her appearance. It must be the hood she was wearing. The garment that adorned her was a black and purple robe with the details being in gold. It was odd and probably made for a special occasion. She didn’t remember putting them on, she doesn’t remember stepping into the coffin- the thing which she awoke from.

Stepping in front of the supposed ‘magic’ mirror , her breath was hitched. Nervousness flooded her body ;the only thing she could do was stand and wait.

All of a sudden, when she thought nothing was gonna happen, the mirror spoke up. It’s face watching her, judging her every move.

“Child of man, burnt by flames. The shape of your soul is.....”

You could hear a pin drop it was that quiet. The atmosphere was tense and hushed.

“I do not know.”

Huh?

[wanderingalicewrites]

Come Together

(Also on AO3)

This is the second fic I promised for Wolfjackle, who is amazing. It’s also probably the closest I’ve ever come to NSFW (even though it never actually reaches that territory). Thanks for giving me this prompt. It was exactly what I needed to write in order to get myself back on track with my ongoing fic. <3

---

It is the night After. After the apocalypse. After escaping both Heaven and Hell. After eleven years of fear. After six millenia of Waiting for the End. After. And yet, also Before. Before every last moment of the rest of their lives.

Crowley sprawls on Aziraphale’s couch, drunk on nothing so much as freedom. Aziraphale watches him from the chair by his desk, reveling in light in those uncovered eyes. He’s always loved the yellow of them. It’s so bright. Like dandelions. Like the sun.

“Ah, Crowley,” he says, hesitating even now. Because it is After, but it is also Before. That moment of uncertainty at the top of a cliff. Do you jump? If you do, will you fall? Or will you fly?

“Angel?” Crowley watches him, sun-bright eyes on his face and not the way his fingers turn the ring over and over on his finger - the telltale sign of his nerves.

“I- that is- ah,” it is hard to begin, when he has spent so long waiting. When so much of his life has been of fear. Crowley waits, as he ever has, the very soul of patience.

“There’s something-” Aziraphale starts, then stops again, looking down. He does not know how to break six thousand years of silence. He stands, needing to move, hoping the motion will knock the words loose inside of him. “I-”

“It’s alright,” Crowley tells him, smiling gently. “I can wait. Go as slow as you like.”

“No.” His vehemence surprises them both. “No, I’m done with waiting. With going slow. Hiding what I- what I feel. What I want. I don’t want to wait one second more.”

“Then what do you want, Angel?” Crowley asks, a careful hope in his words.

Aziraphale goes to him and takes him by the hand, pulling him up until he’s standing bare inches away. Crowley freezes there, eyes wide, not daring to move. Afraid of spooking him should he come too close or move too fast. It breaks his heart to see it. He never wants to be the cause of Crowley’s fear. Never again.

He takes a deep breath, there on the edge of the cliff between what is After and what is Before. And then, he makes the jump.

“I want you.”  

He pauses, and the world does not shatter. No clash of thunder or flash of lightning. No horns of war battle drums sound in the distance. No searing pain as his wings burn to black. The retribution he spent so long fearing does not come.

“I want you,” he says again, and the only other sound is Crowley’s harsh breathing. Emboldened by the silence, he continues, the words starting out as a trickle but coming easier and easier until they are a flood. “I want you in any way and every way you care to give me. Whether it’s just as we’ve been, or something more. I want you here, safe, where neither Heaven nor Hell can take you from me. I want walks in the park. I want dinner at the Ritz. I want to ride with you in that infernal car of yours, and to watch you yell at your plants. I want you to make fun of my magic tricks and roll your eyes at me when you think I’m being ridiculous. I want to not need to find excuses for us to see each other. I want- I want our side. Not just not-Heaven and not-Hell, but you and I. Together. I-” He stops, and still the world does not erupt into flames.

“I want,” he adds softly, taking Crowley’s hands in his as the demon stands there, stunned to silence. “To stop this dance we’ve done around each other for the past six thousand years. I want to stop waiting, and tell you exactly what you are to me.”

Crowley closes his eyes, shoulders shaking from the monumental effort of holding back six thousand years of longing.

“Is that…” Aziraphale stops, hesitant, suddenly afraid he’d assumed too much. Had read too far into this dance they’ve always done, orbiting around each other like binary stars. “Is that something you might want, too?”

“Angel,” Crowley breathes, the word itself a prayer. “Go- Sata- yes.”  He opens those sun-bright eyes and meets Aziraphale’s own sea-blue gaze. They are standing so close now. Just a hairs breadth  away. Crowley’s breath brushes his cheeks every time he exhales. One step closer is all it would take. All he has to do is reach out, and Crowley would be in his arms. He has never wanted anything so badly. Nor been so completely incapable of movement.

“I would like- that is to say, um,” his eyes flick down to Crowley’s lips and then away. “I, only if you want to, of course, but, well. I’ve wanted to for so long. And now, well, now I can, um. If you’ll let me, that is. I-”

“Angel,” Crowley interrupts. “If you don’t kiss me, right now, I think I’m going to explode.”

“Well now,” Aziraphale grins. “We wouldn’t want that, now, would we?” He takes a step forward, and takes Crowley’s face in his hands, burying his fingers in soft scarlet hair.

“You’re shaking,” he observes. This close, he can feel it with his whole body.

“Just-”  Crowley swallows. “Just nerves. Angel, you don’t know how long I-”

“I think I do.” He runs his thumbs over Crowley’s cheekbones, reveling in the feel of him, the reality of him, there and solid and real under his hands. His Crowley. His. “I’ve wanted this since… oh, Rome, maybe. Or even before.”

“I’ve wanted you since Eden,” the demon murmurs, hands coming to rest on Aziraphale’s arms. “When I saw you’d given up your sword for the humans. That’s when I knew you were special.”

Aziraphale blinks, astonished. “That long?”

“Mm.” Crowley’s staring at his lips now. “That long.”

There’s a breath. A pause. A moment to capture and hold in his mind for eternity. Then he leans in, ever so slightly, and presses their lips together.

It is… there aren’t words for this. Not in any book that has ever been or will ever be. It is like coming home after a long day to find your lover waiting for you with a smile. It is like sinking into a warm bath, or taking that first sip of the perfect hot cocoa. Like breathing in the fresh autumn air, or watching snow fall beyond the window next to a roaring fire. Like an oath, a promise, that here in this moment this person is yours and you are theirs. That you will never, ever let go. It is lightning racing through your veins and singing down your nerves, electric, making you feel that much more alive. It is a dance of hands and bodies and breath, two lives coming together, for just a moment so close as to be one.

Crowley’s hands are in Aziraphale’s hair, fingers tangled in white curls. He lets out a soft moan, and Aziraphale all but melts, running his hands down his back and clutching at his hips, pulling him closer, closer, until there is no room even for air between them. Crowley presses closer still, holding on as if his life depends upon it. He’s shaking still, hard enough Aziraphale fears he might fly apart.

“It’s alright, darling,” he murmurs into the kiss, not wanting to pull back for even a second. “I’ve got you.”

Crowley sighs, wrapping his arms around the angel, grabbing the fabric of his shirt in his fists. Aziraphale holds him gently, slowing the urgency of the kiss. He runs his hands up and down Crowley’s back, soothing him until his shaking stops. His fingers find the place where Crowley’s shirt rides up, exposing a thin strip of pale skin. He draws small circles there, tracing around the scales that are scattered along the demon’s spine.

Crowley gasps at the sudden sensation, breaking this kiss and pulling his face away.

Aziraphale freezes, hands going still. “Too much?”

“Don’t stop,” Crowley hisses, and captures his lips again. Aziraphale hums in pleasure, resuming his exploration of Crowley’s back. Scales, freckles, and scars, his fingers find and map them all as he memorizes the shape of him, the feel of him, here in his arms.

“Never,” Aziraphale promises. He won’t. He swears it to himself, on every last shred of his faith. He will never again spend a day without moments like this. “I am never letting you go again.”

Crowley chuckles. “Good.”

“I love you.” He hadn’t meant to say it yet. Not so soon. For all his insistence that it’s  the demon that goes too fast, Aziraphale knows that in this it he who must be careful. The words had just slipped out, unbidden, centuries of holding back broken by the feel of Crowley in his arms and the taste of his laugh on his lips.

“I know,” Crowley tells him, leaning back just enough to look him in the eyes. “I love you too, Angel.”

Aziraphale smiles at him, as always entranced by those sun-bright eyes. “Good,” he says. “Because I’m afraid, my dear, that you’re rather stuck with me now.”

A surprised grin slides across the demon’s face. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Then he leans in, and kisses him again.

[holycatsandrabbits]

“It’s black magic, I tell you!”

Father Layne winced a little as he and Mr. Kimber walked into Mr. Fell’s bookshop. Mr. Fell looked up from his desk, looking a bit bewildered. “Excuse me?”

“I saw him move shelves with a wave of his hand!” Mr. Kimber exclaimed. “He worships the devil!”

Mr. Fell suddenly looked like he was swallowing a laugh. “Oh, I think perhaps you have the wrong shop.”

Father Layne gave Mr. Fell an apologetic look. Mr. Kimber was one of Father Layne’s parishioners, but not one that the priest had gotten to know very well yet. He was, however, aware that Mr. Kimber owned a bookshop down the street from Mr. Fell’s.

“Just do a blessing or something!” Mr. Kimber hissed.

“Oh, I’d rather you didn’t, actually,” Mr. Fell spoke up. “My husband isn’t fond of that sort of thing.”

“See!” Mr. Kimber said.

Father Layne tried to speak gently. “Lots of people aren’t fond of the church.” To Mr. Fell he said, “I’m sorry. This is—we’ll go.”

“No!” Mr. Kimber said forcefully. “I’m not leaving without an explanation.” He pointed at Mr. Fell. “You have all the customers, but no cafe, no specials, no sales. I know you’re using black magic to steal them from me!”

“Well, people come here because they feel comfortable,” Mr. Fell said. “I actually don’t sell a great deal of books, to be honest.”

“Then how do you stay in business?” Mr. Kimber demanded.

Mr. Fell opened his mouth and then shut it again. 

Father Layne rushed to fill the space. “It does feel very nice in here.”

Mr. Fell smiled. “Will you sit down and have some tea? I’d really rather not have any hard feelings.”

With Father Layne’s urging, Mr. Kimber reluctantly agreed. As they sat down, a red-haired man wearing sunglasses walked out from the back of the shop.

“Gentlemen, my husband, Mr. Crowley,” Mr. Fell said. “This is Father Layne and Mr. Kimber, dear.”

“Oh, bookshop down the street. Nice place.”

“Ask him about it!” Mr. Kimber exclaimed, pointing. “The black magic that draws people in here!”

Mr. Crowley flicked his gaze from the visitors to Mr. Fell. “You think he does black magic.” He dropped down onto the couch opposite them. “Usually people think it’s me.”

“Crowley,” Mr. Fell complained. Mr. Crowley simply looked amused. 

“Neither of us does any magic. To draw in customers,” Mr. Fell said.

Father Layne suddenly found himself wondering if he’d imagined the pause between those two sentences.

“But you use it to move shelves!” Mr. Kimber accused. “I saw you!”

Mr. Crowley groaned. “Angel, did we not just talk about having the blinds shut?”

Mr. Fell said, very calmly, “My dear.” It was clearly not what he meant.

Mr. Crowley grinned at him. “Oh, just tell them the truth. I mean, he saw what he saw. If you don’t close the blinds while you’re practicing, that’s hardly his fault. I know you’re nervous, honey, but your magic act is getting really good. It’s drawing people in like mad now. Cat’s out of the bag.”

“My...magic act.”

Mr. Kimber sputtered. “You can’t move shelves with a—”

“Which do you think is more likely, really?” Mr. Crowley asked, leaning forward. “That Mr. Fell, the bookshop owner, has a magic act, or that he practices the dark arts? I mean, look at him. He’s practically an angel. Even named for one.”

“Oh?” asked Father Layne. “Which one? Gabriel?”

For some reason, both Mr. Fell and Mr. Crowley looked mortified. “Aziraphale,” Mr. Crowley corrected. “Much nicer fellow than Gabriel.”

“Aziraphale? Principality?” Father Layne asked.

“Mmm,” said Mr. Fell, still looking displeased, until a new person came around the corner of a shelf and Mr. Fell broke into a beautiful smile. “Eli! How nice to see you!”

Eli was a young man with bright blond curls. “Just stopped off on my way to work to bring you guys some biscuits. My spouse and I made them last night.”

“Oh, how delightful,” Mr. Fell said. “Do you have a moment? Please join us.” 

Mr. Kimber fixed Eli with a look. “So are you here because of his magic act?”

The young man laughed. “Ah, yeah. I quite literally am here because of—” He seemed to catch a look from Mr. Crowley and broke off his sentence.

“These biscuits are just lovely, Eli,” Mr. Fell said smoothly.

“They really are,” Father Layne agreed.

Mr. Kimber opened his mouth again, and Mr. Crowley gave an impatient sigh. “Look, Aziraphale, just handle a blessed object or something and send them on their way.” To Mr. Kimber’s questioning look he said, “You know the damned can’t touch things like that. I’m sure Father Layne is carrying something. Medallion in his pocket, perhaps?”

Father Layne was, in fact, carrying two medallions in his pocket. He debated a second and then handed one to Mr. Fell. To Father Layne’s partial surprise, Mr. Fell immediately looked confused. “Oh, this—” He didn’t finish the sentence, though.

“Now him!” Mr. Kimber said, pointing at Mr. Crowley.

“Not part of the deal,” Mr. Crowley countered.

“Actually, my dear, I think there’s no harm in it just this once,” Mr. Fell said.

The two men exchanged a look, and then Mr. Crowley took the medallion for a quick second before handing it back.

Father Layne stood up and Mr. Kimber reluctantly did the same.

“I’m sure sales will improve,” Mr. Fell said with a smile. Mr. Kimber just stalked out of the store. 

Father Layne walked around the corner too, but he stopped when he overheard Mr. Crowley say, “Angel. He’s been nothing but rude to you. Superstitious git like that deserves to be out of business.” And then, more softly: “Oh, why do I even bother? They don’t deserve you, you know.”

The shop owners came around the corner and were surprised to see Father Layne still standing there.

“You, um—you knew the medallion wasn’t blessed,” Father Layne said. When Mr. Fell didn’t answer, he pressed on. “Look, I wouldn’t ask, but—is there any way that you could bless it for me?”

Mr. Fell parried the request. “Why do you need it blessed?”

“I have a parishioner who’s in a bad way.”

“Oh,” Mr. Fell said, brightening. “Well, perhaps I could visit.”

“Aziraphale,” Mr. Crowley growled. “No. Not being careful with that sort of thing got you into this whole mess.”

“But, my dear, I can’t—”

Mr. Crowley groaned. “Yeah, I know you can’t. Fine, then. Just do it with the—” He gestured to the medallion.

Mr. Fell took the piece from Father Layne’s hand, and for a second, he seemed to be something entirely other than a bookseller. And then he handed the medallion back to the priest. “I’m sure Cora will get to feeling better soon,” he said.

Mr. Crowley caught Father Layne’s eye. “Just a little earthly magic. And not the sort of trick that can be repeated.”

“Right,” said Father Layne. “Well—thank you.”

As he left the shop, he heard Mr. Fell say, “Eli, did you know I really do have a magic act? Would you like to—”

Mr. Crowley cut him off. “NO.”

******

In case it wasn’t clear, Crowley could sense the blessed medallion in Father Layne’s pocket but not the unblessed one. And he went so far as to make that obvious, the hypocrite.

Also I love Father Layne, because in the space of about 10 minutes he discovers that angels 1) live on Earth, 2) seem to be fine with being perceived as queer, and 3) also apparently marry the damned, and he’s just like, Whatever, I just care about my poor parishioner’s health. :-) We’re not going to see him again in the series, but he’s definitely one of my favorite characters.

Aziraphale saved Eli with his “magic act” in Ficlet # 6 (Will you stop that at once?)

Mr. Fell’s Bookshop Master Post

New ficlet every Friday! There will be 12 in the series. This is #7.

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