#we got to keep the teeth. the fangs look gnarly.

[sergle]

I'm gonna be real w yall right now, two of my cats had to have dental surgery back-to-back so I'm going to be promoting THE HELL out of my store right now lmao I spent... a lot of money at the vet

[ahatintimepieces]

He’s Going to be Okay

I wrote a little fic for @doodledrawsthings ahit “Coffee shop AU” about one of Luka’s early days working at The Horizon! Nothing fancy but I got the idea and just went with it. Please enjoy!

              Luka flexed his four fingers against his coiled torso, staring at the thick purple prongs with tempered despair. Yes, he had been getting used to his new fluid body after traveling around for a few years, but now that he had recently started working at The Horizon, he found himself aching for his human body even more.

              Whenever he shapeshifted, he became acutely aware of just how much he had changed. While making coffee or wiping down tables, he could feel how flexible his arms and fingers were, like they were those cylindrical jelly toys meant to slip out of children’s hands the second they were squeezed too hard. He always feared if he grabbed a carafe or a customer’s change too firmly, his hands would melt back into purple goop.

              Blinking, he ran his hand through the fur on his head. He had to get up. Hattie was at school, which he was so grateful that a chance for her to have a normal life as a kid again, and he had work, which was another wonderful blessing. But he was so tired.

              Shaking himself as he uncoiled and floated over to the bathroom, he gazed at his reflection in the mirror. His pair of golden, glowing eyes and jack-o-lantern smile stared back at him. He longed for nothing more than to see his familiar, human features, but just the idea of shapeshifting just then drained him of non-existent energy.

              Come on! He could do this! He had been working full time and taking grad classes on top of being a single father before all of this! He didn’t know the meaning of fatigue! Surely, he could keep his liquid body in the right shape for one measly shift!

              Determined, he shrunk himself enough to curl his tail at the base of the sink as he gripped the edges. He stared into the mirror. It was only his forth day on the job and he wasn’t going to be late! He stared at his golden eyes, using the promise of coffee to summon enough strength to—

              He groaned and hunched over the sink, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

              Okay. New plan! He would grab some clothes and commute as a noodle. Maybe a short flight through the forest would wake his body up enough to change.

              Once he collected his things, he shrunk himself and snuck outside through his bedroom window. Luckily, most everyone in the complex had either left for work or school, so he only needed to slip past an older couple sitting on a bench at the boarder of the forest. He flew behind him, using their own shadows for cover, and darted into the woods.

              Use the shadows to hide. Think about the coffee waiting at work. Remember he’s doing this for Hattie. Hattie. He has to be able to support her. His daughter is all he had left, and he knew he could be okay as long as he had her.

              Feeling a touch more rejuvenated from both his mental pep talk and the fresh forest air, Luka landed behind the usual tree he used as cover when he started to slip in work. From his tree, he could smell the roasted coffee and his mouth watered. While Hattie did make him breakfast that morning—complete with lots of bacon, as if his sweetheart knew he needed an extra boost—he found himself still hungry. He vaguely wondered if all the shapeshifting lately required more fuel as well as sleep, but he shoved those thoughts down swiftly.

              He didn’t really have time to dwell on these things.

              With concentration, he first focused on shifting into a humanoid shape. The fluff around his neck easily molded into tufts of soft hair and shrinking his length to his human height was also a breeze. The hard part was splitting his tail into legs and his mittens into hands. But soon, he found himself standing—oh standing! How he missed feeling firmly planted on the ground on two feet!—and he could flex his humanoid fingers and thumbs. Next came his features, which he manifested while he shimmied into his pants.

              Nose. Teeth that weren’t fangs. Human eyes—with pupils and everything!—and brows. He skipped the ears because he figured his hair would cover them anyway and he was still so tired. Cutting corners on his appearance might help. Soon enough, he felt himself in proper human-shape, even if he still felt like a water balloon with his innards shifting around in a magic shell.

              As he buttoned his shirt—something so normal felt so good—he focused on changing his color to match how he was before. Brown hair, chestnut eyes, and not a drop of purple anywhere on his skin. He inhaled a steadying breath and walked around the shop and towards the entrance.

              “Hey there, Luka,” MJ called from the cash register as Luka briskly walked towards the back. “How was drop-off?”

              Drop-off? It took Luka a second as he put on his apron before he registered that MJ was asking about dropping Hattie off at school—the reason Luka had said he couldn’t take an early shift.

              “Oh, yeah,” Luka offered a nervous smile. He felt bad not only that he had to lie about the real reason but also because he wished he could have walked Hattie to school instead of being confined to the apartment as a weird purple snake monster. “It was fine. She seems to be making friends already.”

              That, he realized gratefully, was true and he couldn’t be happier for his daughter.

              But it also meant he really needed to make sure he didn’t screw up this job.

              “That’s great!” MJ offered a warm smile before turning back to the customers, his blue hair bouncing on top his head with his movement.

              Luka glanced down as he tied his apron, smiling softly.

              “Enough chatting!” Clover appeared from the back with a tray of plastic-wrapped pastries in hand. “Luka, can you get started on making drinks?”

              “Oui, Chef!” Luka saluted, which earned an eyeroll from Clover.

              “We outsource the pastries, you goof!” She gave him a gentle nudge before restocking the reserves beneath the display case.

              Instead of quipping back, Luka just laughed as he crossed over to the espresso machine, where cups with orders were already lined up.

              It felt good, he marveled, laughing with coworkers. How long had it been since he just spent time with friends? His gaze lingered on his human hand as he grabbed a cup.

              Too long, he decided.

              The first half of the shift went by in a blur. The mornings were always busiest, leaving Luka pushing out cup after cup. It wasn’t until MJ handed him the last order that Luka let himself relax long enough to breathe. Even then, when he read MJ’s instructions on what coffee to make, it just read, “Luka’s Favorite.”

              “What?” Luka glanced over at MJ, taking a moment to briefly scan the room for anyone waiting for coffee.

              “You’ve earned it,” MJ answered as his gaze narrowed on something in front of him and furrowed his brows. MJ removed his red-rimmed glasses and frowned at an apparent smudge before using the edge of his apron to clean up the lens. “I don’t know your favorite though,” MJ looked back up, squinting slightly at Luka without his glasses. “You’ll have to tell me a few times before I remember, as a heads up.”

              “Chestnut-infused Columbian Bean with cream and sugar,” Luka replied softly, smiling as he started to make himself a cup. “What about you?”

              MJ pushed his glasses back onto his nose and was about to respond before he titled his head with concern.

              “Dude, you alright? You’ve got some pretty gnarly bags under your eyes.”

              Luka’s heart dropped into his stomach as he instinctively lifted a hand to his face.

              “Um, mind if I—” Luka gestured towards the bathroom and MJ nodded. Luka practically threw himself into the cramped employee bathroom and glanced up.

              Oh no.

              Sure enough, purple was starting to spread, starting at the base of his eyes. In addition, his chestnut irises were starting to reflect gold in the dim bathroom light. He glanced down at his hands, his usual indicator that he was out of time in his human-shape. They remained untouched by purple and he still had his thumbs.

              Okay. Maybe this wasn’t so bad. He had made it through most of the shift and might be able to stick it out the rest of the day. Looking exhausted was fine, so long as he still looked human.

              He inhaled a deep, calming breath. He would be fine. He just needed a cup of coffee and that should tide him over. He could stick it out! He could do this!

              He returned to the counter with an anxious smile plastered on his face. MJ was wiping down the top of the display case when Luka went to finished making his coffee. While he poured the cream, he noted his hands were shaking but he ignored them.

              “Luka,” MJ asked as Luka lifted the steaming cup to his lips, “is everything okay?”

              “Oh yeah!” Luka smiled but he soon felt two sharp somethings—his fangs, he realized with dread—dig into his bottom lip. Panic gripped his chest and he glanced down at his hand holding the coffee cup.

              The tips of his fingers were turning purple.

              “Actually,” Luka’s shoulders slumped with resignation. He shifted the coffee cup into his other hand—which was still free of purple—and hid his changing hand behind his back. “I’m not—I think I need to—”

              MJ zeroed in on his hand and for a second, Luka feared the purple was spreading and the cat was out of the bag, but his fears were soon assuaged when MJ spoke.

              “Your hand is shaking more than my old dryer!” MJ explained in disbelief and worry. “Listen, do you need to go home? I can cover for the rest of the day.”

              “I hate to leave you mid-shift again and with Clover off getting more cup sleeves—” Luka winced from the way his growing fangs scratched against his mouth as he stepped back towards the door.

              “It’s all good,” MJ promised, his brows tight with concern. “Just get some rest before you need to pick up your daughter.”

              “Thank you!” Luka just about dashed out the back door, “It won’t happen again!”

              He barely made it outside before the purple creeped up his arm and his fingers on his one hand clenched back into cumbersome mittens. He ducked behind the tree and let out a frustrated groan as his thin control over his body dissolved.

              Not wanting to ruin another pair of clothes, he placed his coffee down and swiftly undressed. He tried to maintain fingers on the hand that was just turning purple as he struggled with the buttons on his shirt. It took a few tries but he finally managed. The second he shed his shirt and pants, his purple form ballooned into the now familiar form of a large snake with fur and noodle arms.

              Luka sighed, leaning against the bark as fatigue and sorrow ate at his spirit. Wet, golden tears slipped down familiar paths etched into his cheeks. He momentarily entertained the idea of remaining there, in the shadow of the tree and stewing in his sorry state, but on the other side of The Horizon, he could hear the hustle and bustle of the people of Subcon. The longer he remained in the open, the more he risked being seen.

              Willing himself through the motions, he collected his clothes and draped them over his arm before scooping up his coffee cup between two thick fingers. Careful not to let the cup slip through his fingers because he knew that a little spilled coffee in that moment was all it would take to send him into a spiral of despair he might not be able to recover from, he headed home.

              He hovered through the deeper part of the woods since he had nowhere to be anytime soon. Of course, he wanted to be home before Hattie, but that wasn’t for another hour or two. So, he took his time, letting his tail wiggle lackadaisically as he flitted from shadow to shadow. The warm coffee in his hand was a small comfort and the toasted flavor of the beans soothed him to the core.

              He was mid-sip—eyes half-closed—when a small gasp came from below.

              Luka’s eyes snapped fully open as he glanced down over his coffee cup. A young child in a dark purple hood with fluffy brown bangs that concealed most of their features was craning their neck to look up at him.

              The two remained frozen as they stared at each other for a second. Luka clutched his clothes draped around his one arm and still held the coffee cup to his mouth while the child’s jaw hung open.

              “Wowie! What are—” The child’s awe-filled voice snapped Luka out of his petrification and before the child could finish their sentence, Luka flew away.

              Peck! He was seen! Sure, he had been seen before but usually not mid-day and never that up close! He glanced back at the kid, who thankfully wasn’t following him, just watching in shock.

              That might come back to haunt him…

              Oh well, Luka tried to console himself as he zipped back home. At least the kid didn’t see him shapeshifting, which was more likely to give away his identity. The thought of Luka being found out and having to tear Hattie from another home gripped his chest like ice, but he immediately forced himself to take deep breaths.

              It was okay. The kid saw a purple noodle in the forest with coffee. It was fine. There was no reason to think he was at risk of being found out.

              It was going to be okay. He would be okay. Hattie was safe and happy. Everything was okay.

              The area behind the apartment was void of life and Luka had no trouble shrinking and flying up to his bedroom window, which he had left open for easy access. He flew in and soon expanded to fill the empty room. Sighing, he gingerly set down his cup before folding his clothes and stacking them by the closet. Exhaustion overwhelmed him and he curled around himself, resting his head on his hands on the topmost coil.

              His eyelids drooped as he flicked the tip of his tail back and forth. He wished he could have finished his shift. He wished he could have kept laughing with MJ and that he could have been there when Clover came back.

              He squeezed his eyes shut, as if it would keep a few more tears from slipping out. No such luck. He heaved out a worn sign before shifting his focus on getting some sleep. Maybe if he rested enough, he would have enough energy to maintain a humanoid shape so he could cook a good dinner for Hattie. That would be nice.

              He fell asleep repeating his new mantra.

              It would be okay. He was going to be okay.

[danetobelieve]

Fangs For The Memories || Ricky and Winston

Really, as far as roommates went, Winston was pretty much as good as one could get. Ricky liked having them around, and they got along well enough, but sometimes it was nice to have the house to himself. Winston had mentioned they were going to spend the night at their parents, so Ricky was enjoying the concept of some home-alone time which meant time he didn’t have to spend in hiding. Rifling through the refrigerator, Ricky decided it was as good a night as any to treat himself to the nice piece of salmon he’d bought the other day, and he was in the process of firing up the stove to sear it when he heard the front door slam open. Several things went through his mind in quick succession; one, that he wasn’t wearing a shirt, and two, that his false teeth were in their case in his nightstand, and not in his mouth which was currently filled with very bright very sharp fangs that were on display for his very human roommate to see. He slammed the refrigerator shut and busied himself in the spice cabinet, keeping his back to Winston, “Oh hey dude…. You’re back early. Everything good?”

Winston was very wet still. After hanging out at their parents they’d been distracted by Pokemon Go and through a weird series of events with Skylar -- a girl they met through chance really -- they had been attacked by a gollum-esque creature and Skylar had revealed a rather sharp looking set of fangs. It was … well it was a lot to take in. Winston was trying to explain what they had seen just hours before, and on autopilot they had driven straight home to change. After all the Cave of Voices wasn’t the ideal place to go and fight weird animal things (which Winston was in the process of convincing themselves that’s what they must be) without getting a little wet. Brushing sand out of their hair, they slipped in the front door and pulled off their coat, hanging it to dry before heading towards the kitchen. “I had a very … weird experience.” Winston frowned gently as they strode into the kitchen. 

Ricky carefully kept his back to Winston, grabbing some spices from the cabinet and mixing them in a small bowl. Without turning he reached over and twisted the volume down on music he was listening to; he knew it was probably louder than was standard for a normal conversation. “A weird experience?” He called over his shoulder, patting the spice mixture into the large salmon filet. There was no easy way to exit the conversation and make his way upstairs to put the most crucial piece of his human disguise back on. He turned over his shoulder to look at Winston and furrowed his brow at their appearance, “why are you wet?” He kept his lips as close together as he could but knew it’d be a hard conversation to follow if he couldn’t read Winston’s lips as they were talking. His hearing wasn’t completely absent on land, but it was bad enough that he usually needed to supplement with lip reading “Didn’t think it was supposed to rain tonight?”

Winston had left a basket of clean laundry in the utility room, slipping in, they began to peel their now damp clothes off of their skinny body, throwing each item of clothing straight into the washing machine and stepping into a fresh, clean pair. “I am getting to why I am wet, but have you ever been to the Cave of Voices beneath the Hanging Rock?” Winston was sure that Ricky wouldn’t have been there, “I was up at mom and dad’s and they were boring so I was playing Pokemon Go and I wandered over there.” They paused as they pulled on a warm pair of joggers and zipped a hoodie snuggly around them, pulling the hood up and slipping their glasses back on before going to take a seat at the breakfast bar. “So I go in search of a Pokemon I want, I end up in this little sea cave, and there’s that girl who helped me at the internship with those hard of hearing kids, Skylar, I’m sure I mentioned her a few months ago.” They weren’t really paying attention to what Ricky was doing, focussed more on explaining their weird day. “But that’s not the weirdest part. There was something in there.”

Ricky stiffened slightly when Winston mentioned the Cave of Voices. As far as he knew it wasn’t the permanent home of anything dangerous but it definitely had enough supernatural visitors that it wasn’t a place humans should be hanging out regularly. “You went to the Cave of Voices for a Pokémon? That place is super dangerous, Win. The tides will drag you out to sea real easy if you’re not careful.” It was Winston’s mention of something else in the cave that really gave Ricky pause however. “what kind of something?” He turned to face his roommate, cupping his chin in such a way where his fingers obscured his mouth. He didn’t think anything had taken up residence in the Cave recently but if something had it was something that was going to have to be addressed sooner rather than later and he didn’t really feel in the mood to have a knock down drag out fight with yet another alghoul. “You want some dinner? I’ve got enough for two here.”

Raising an eyebrow gently, Winston couldn’t help but admit that they wished they had known that before hand. “Now you tell me that it is dangerous?!” Winston replied exasperatedly, “If I’d known about the tides I would never have gone there.” They were too nervous taking risks as it was already. Risk averse might as well be their double barrelled middle name. “But like I was saying, the tide was not the problem, the problem was this something, and what kind of something I couldn’t tell you. Maybe if a bat and orangutan had a baby then it would’ve looked like this, but it also just looked like a jacked Gollum.” Winston wanted to tell Ricky the whole story, to explain about Skylar’s veneers and everything with her mouthful of teeth, but they didn’t feel as if that was really their secret to share. “It came after me and Skylar…” they paused and shrugged, “I’ve called animal control and informed the sergeant at the office.” After all one of the perks of working at the police department was if anything went wrong then they would be able to talk to someone they knew personally. “They said they’d send someone down there to check it out, but I don’t know if they really believed me.” Pausing for a moment, they adjusted their glasses and nodded. “If you’ve got enough, I wouldn’t say no.” 

“Haven’t you lived here your whole life?! You should know that tidal caves are some bad news bears up in this bitch. I’m glad you two made it out okay but that shit coulda gone south if the tides were super strong.” Ricky grabbed a pan from the rack and lit the stove, listening to the click click click of the pilot before the burner caught and the flame whooshed to life. A pat of butter went in the pan as he carefully listened to Winston’s story, mentally trying to catalogue what it might be that was lurking down in the cave. “Did it hurt you guys? Wild……. animals can have all sorts of nasty diseases. We should get you to the hospital if you got bit or scratched.” He knew a lot of the lesser necrophages were disgusting disease vectors, and even a scratch from one of them could lead to a terrible infection. “Well. I believe you. The legends about that place” and the entire town, he thought silently to himself, “put some pretty gnarly shit down in there. I haven’t been in since I was a high schooler,” another convenient lie, “and I don’t plan on going back anytime soon.” Given the description Ricky thought it was probably a ghoul that had attacked them, which made him feel slightly better. Ghouls weren’t that terrible. “Two salmon dinners coming right up then.” 

“Hey,” Winston snapped back, shaking their head indignantly, “I know it was a bad decision, I don’t need you to call me out like that. Besides, I’m just fine at swimming, I’d have managed. I’m more concerned about the fact that Gollum is down there and apparently without the one ring.” Raising their palms, Winston showed Ricky their palms which were still grazed and raw from their fall in the cave. “I have a few bumps and bruises, it really went took it out on Skylar worse, she was in a worse state then me but we both made it out.” Winston was surprised that Ricky accepted their story so easily. “I can’t reconcile it within my own head, it was like something out of a game dude, there’s… there’s …. I just can’t get it straight. I know rationally that this makes no sense. But I saw what I saw.” Not to mention Skylar’s fangs. This town was getting weirder and weirder by the second. Picking at the drawstring  of their waist band, Winston smiled gratefully before taking their glasses and anxiously polishing them. “Thanks, I appreciate this dude.” They knew they must’ve interrupted a quiet night alone, which was a rarity for the both of them. 

“It’s literally your roommates job to call you out when you do dumb shit. It’s like in the roommate handbook. You need a beer to settle your nerves?” Ricky pulled two out of the fridge and popped the tops off, sliding one across the counter without waiting for a reply before turning back to the meal he was cooking. The kitchen was starting to fill with the smell of pungent spices as Ricky thought about his next move. He prided himself on being honest with the people around him; but there were some very specific loopholes to that policy and they all dealt with the supernatural. Which is why he was less than pleased with his choice to gaslight his roommate. “I’m sure Gollum himself wasn’t lurking in the Cave of Voices.” He kept his voice pitched light and breezy, “it’s dark, it’s cramped, and it’s more than a little creepy. The human brain likes to fill in all sorts of blanks with the insane when it’s confronted with something terrifying. You probably just startled some poor forest creature who got stuck in there by the tide. You’re lucky you don’t catch rabies.”

Winston was about to say that they didn’t want a beer, but Ricky put one in their hand anyway and the cold, malty liquid felt good. “Thanks dude, I know it is your job to make sure that I’m not doing anything that could potentially kill me.” Ricky was a good guy. He had done a lot for Winston in the small amount of time that they had been living together. Winston was distracted, otherwise they might have noticed that Ricky was keeping his back to Winston. They might have noticed that they weren’t directly addressing them and they hadn’t seen their teeth yet. But they were kind of preoccupied. “I don’t think it was Gollum either, probably an animal and a bump on the head or something, i know that your brain tries to turn everything into a narrative and the fear probably just y’know, changed my perception.” They had been convinced earlier that whatever it was hadn’t been an animal, but this was the real world. It had to be an animal. There was nothing else that it could be. “I know, I know,” Winston replied glumly, their left thumb picking at the corner of the label on the beer, rolling and unrolling it restlessly, “I just can’t shake the feeling that there was something more to it then a rabid animal.” It wasn’t really their problem. They weren’t a member of animal control.

“Your mother would kill me if I let anything happen to you and frankly I’m convinced that she could do it with little effort on her part.” Ricky plated the salmon and slid one of the plates across the counter to Winston, setting a fork down next to it. “Fear is a powerful thing. But I know deer and badgers and the sort go down there to forage at low tide and then get trapped in the cave. You might have just startled one of them that was already at the end of its rope and its fight or flight response kicked in.” He waved his own fork glibly as he laughed off Winston’s story, trying to put them at ease while pushing them towards believing they hadn’t seen a necrophage and instead had just seen a frightened animal. He realized too late, however, that between taking a bite of his salmon and laughing brightly he’d left his mouth open for far too long, and he no longer had his back to his roommate. He snapped it shut and took a sip of his beer, hoping that Winston has been too distracted by the delicious food to look at him.

Winston didn’t think that their mother would kill Ricky. They were certain that their fate would be far more gruesome then an easy death. “Well don’t worry because I won’t let anything happen to you, and my mother isn’t about to find out about this.” Turning the plate round, Winston scooped up their fork and picked at the slice of salmon that Ricky had cooked for them. Ricky didn’t seem to eat much other then fish and meat, but they knew how to cook it and they did a damn good job. Winston just assumed that Ricky was fussy and out of deference to their friend had elected not to bring the topic up, incase it embarrassed them. “Maybe, but I’ve got to admit that it didn’t look like any sort of deer or badger that I have ever seen before, this looked like a cross between a monkey and a bat.” Winston looked up just in time to see Ricky’s gleaming mouthful of fangs. Wait … fangs? Winston felt their eyes widen and realised that they had caught Ricky’s eye for a moment. A look of shock on their face before they looked at their plate and shovelled a huge mouthful of fish into their mouth. “Mmhmmm this is great fish dude,” they said inbetween bites, doing what they could to avoid admitting to what they had just seen. But they’d seen those very same teeth on Skylar, hours before. What the fuck was going on? 

Given the profound look of shock on their face and the renewed vigor with which they ate and commented on the fish, Ricky knew pretty immediately that the jig was up. “Winston…” he sighed wearily as he set down his fork and took a drink of his beer. “Yeah. I know it’s great fish. I can cook fish like a motherfucker. Because fish and meat are pretty much all I can eat. Listen. I know you saw and you can stop trying to hide that behind food comments and eating. Mostly because at the rate you’re going you’re gonna finish that fish in two bites. So. Yeah. Let’s talk.” He’d really planned on going a lot longer without having this conversation. But. Hopefully Winston’s cool head would prevail “if it makes you feel better… it definitely wasn’t a badger or a deer you saw.”

With a mouthful of fish, Winston looked up at Ricky and let out an uneasy laugh. “Yeah, I know you eat fish and meat, because you’re a giant baby living in a man’s body and you hate your veggies, you’re a fussy eater and you’ve probably got like a gluten intolerance right?!” They let out a high pitched anxious laugh and shoved more fish into their mouth. “But you’re right, really good fish, you did an amazing job, like you always did. HA ha what amazing fish.” They chewed extra slowly on the tiny amount of fish that they had left. “I’m sorry Ricky,” Winston said glancing at their wrist and realising they weren’t wearing a watch, “but I’ve got to dash, my parents are expecting me for dinner and they’ll be upset if I’m late…” they tried to force their heart to slow down, but it wasn’t working. They didn’t have time to focus on something else and just breath. “Anyway, I’ll catch you later.” They were standing and grabbing their rucksack and keys. They would stay at their parents house tonight. They would also be checking to see if they too had a mouthful of sharp teeth. “Thanks again for the fish dude.” 

It became readily apparent to Ricky that this was going to be at least a two part conversation, as Winston gathered their things and started to head towards the door. “Winston.” Ricky called out from where he was sitting picking at his fish, “my….. fussy eating” which seemed to be the terms they were going to couch this in for the moment, “Is a secret for a reason. There are people who would use that as an excuse to hunt me. Literally. So if we could keep this between us for the moment. I’d appreciate it.” He took another swig if beer and glanced down at his phone as Winston headed for the door, “also. It was probably a ghoul. Down in the cave. Sounds like one. Don’t go back there again. It’s not safe til that things been taken care of. Be careful.” All he could do was trust that he and Winston had enough of a bond that his roommate wouldn’t go blabbing to the whole town. 

Winston was pulling their rucksack onto their back and had their hand wrapped around the handle to the front door. “Ricky,” Winston said turning to face him, “Ghouls aren’t real. In the same way that ghosts, vampires, werewolves and magic aren’t real. This isn’t supernatural or the Witcher. None of these things exist in the real world. If they did exist, don’t you think that the internet would’ve spread the word about them? You think that a secret that big could be kept?!” They laughed nervously, suddenly unsure in everything that they had just asserted was the truth. “I won’t tell anyone about your fussy eating,” Winston said sourly, “I know how to keep a secret,” they pulled the front door open and felt a cold breeze roll into their house. “Besides, I’ve always got your back, even if you … are a fussy eater.” With that they were taking a step out of the front door and heading towards their car. They needed answers. They needed time to think and try and wrap their head around this. Ricky had used the words ghoul for fucksake?! 

[bunnyramen]

One Shot!

Princess Kirishima was sitting on his throne, leg over the arm of the chair. He let out a sigh, you would think being Princess would be more interesting but no.

Kirishima thought long and hard about what he could do, until a light bulb turned on over his head.

“Mina, Sero, Denki, could you come in here, please?” He called out into the acoustic castle.

In less than a second, the 3 rushed into the room, slightly out of breath.

“Yes, Princess?” Mina asked, standing up straight.

“I told you guys call me Kirishima. Anyways, let's have tea party!” Kirishima said excitedly, walking over to the rail of the long stairs and sliding down them.

“Hell yeah!” The trio yelled in unison. “Alright, Mina you go get the tea, and you two go get some plates and stuff. I'm gonna call up some friends! Please set out 8 places.”

“Aye aye, Princess!” They saluted and ran off to do their assigned jobs.

Kirishima rolled his eyes fondly, as he walked over to his phone.

He dialed in a number and twirled the curled line around his gloved finger.

“Bonjour?”

“Hey Aoyama! Do you wanna come to my castle? Were having a Tea Party!” Kirishima asked.

“Will there be Cheese?” Aoyama asked, seeming to mull over the thought.

“Do you even need to ask, of course we have cheese!” Kirishima assured him.

“I'll be there.” Aoyama said seriously before Kirishima heard the line click.

Kirishima then called Todoroki, and Midoriya, promising that the other would be there too.

The last person to call was Bakugou.

As he dialed his number, his cheeks turning a burning red color.

He heard the phone ring a few times before hearing a gruff “What?” on the line.

“H-hey Bakugou, I was wondering if you would want to come over to the Mushroom castle? Were having a tea party!” Kirishima asked nervously.

“Look Princess, I don't know if you've noticed but that's not exactly my thing.” Bakugou said, rolling his eyes.

“Please? We're having Cinnamon tea, it's your favorite!” Kirishima tried to reason.

He let out a growl before letting out a low “fucking fine, alright I'll go to your stupid tea party.” Before hanging up.

“Yes!” Kirishima exclaimed, before running out of the throne room and into the dining room.

Mina, Sero, and Denkin setting up the table, the spread looking beautiful with fine china and silverware in each of the spots. A spread of different cheeses, a bowl of sugar cubes, cinnamon sticks, and a plate of croissants.

“This looks great you guys! Kirishima said, marveling at the gorgeous table.

“Just for you, Princess!” Mina said, slinging an arm over his shoulders.

Sero did the same, having a mischievous smile on his face.

“Is pretty boy coming? Sero said, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Shut up!” He said, his cheeks turning pink has he tried to come up with a comeback.

“Aoyama's on his way too.” Kirishima said, wiggling his eyebrows in retaliation.

Sero let go of his shoulders, trying to cover his red face.

The trio laughed at Sero's expense but then heard his doorbell letting out a ding dong noise through the castle.

Kirishima ran to the door, though it was 4 rooms away.

He sucked in a small breath before opening the gigantic door.

Kirishima was met with Aoyama, Todoroki, Midoriya, and finally Bakugou.

“Hey guys!” He exclaimed pulling Aoyama and Todoroki into a hug.

They both hugged back, Aoyama and Todoroki smiling softly.

He tried not to look at Aoyama directly, the sparkles that he emitted sometimes were really bright.

“Come in, come in!” Kirishima said opening the door wide enough to let everyone in.

As they all walked by Midoriya gave Kirishima a gripping hug, lifting him off the ground slightly.

“Hello, Princess!” Midoriya said as he put Kirishima back down.

“Hello Mid-” Kirishima was cut off by Bakugou pushing Midoriya out of the way. Not enough to knock him to the ground though.

“Fucking Move Deku, what are you making stay outside for? Go talk to Icy-Hot over there, we all know you like him!” He growled, shutting the door behind him.

Midoriya looked over at Todoroki chatting with Aoyama as his face turned a dark crimson.

“Bakugou, don't push people.” Kirishima said seriously before taking his hand in his own and led him to the Dining room.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Bakugou protested but didn't make a move to let go.

Kirishima didn't say anything he just kept walking, not letting Bakugou see his face cause he's pretty sure it was burning.

Bakugou's face was no better.

Midoriya smirked as they walked to the dining room, knowing all too well what it's like to have a crush on a princess.

Opening the grand door, they gasped as they saw the gorgeous table.

“This looks great, Princess!” Midoriya, looking like he was on the verge of shedding a couple tears.

“Keep it in your pants Deku, it's a goddamn table.” Bakugou grumbled.

“This looks magnifique, Kirishima!” Aoyama said, floating down to sit on the chair. Everyone else taking their seats.

“Thanks but I didn't set this up, it was my trusty knights!” Kirishima said, sitting down in the golden chair on the end of the table.

Everyone talked over each other with words of compliments and praises towards the trio.

“It was really nothing.” Denki said, his cheeks gaining a slight color.

Sero looked like he was going to explode from the praises and sitting next to Aoyama.

Mina's ears turned a dark purple.

Kirishima got up to go pour the tea but Mina stopped him and ran into the kitchen.

She came out with a tray of eight cups and set them down on each small plate.

“Enjoy!” She said a little too loud but that was just Mina.

They all took a few sugar cubes and a cinnamon stick.

Kirishima took a large sip, noticing it tasted strange.

“This tastes a bit strange.” Kirishima noted, not noticing Mina's wicked grin spreading across her face.

“How so?” Todoroki asked, cocking his head to the side a bit.

“I don't know it just- just..” Kirishima trailed off and suddenly he slumped forward, his tea spilling all over table.

“Princess!” Bakugou ran over in alarm but stopped in his tracks when he heard a fit of high pitched giggles and crazed laughter.

They all looked over to Mina laughing her head off as she started to shift, her pink hair turning into two twin buns, her normal teeth growing into fangs, pink skin turning a fleshy color.

Before anyone could do anything, she let out a high pitched whistle.

The ground moves beneath them, a loud crash came from behind Kirishima's chair, the 7 were showered with wood splinters and drywall dust. Aoyama waved his hand to try and wave away the thick fog.

At the end of the fog was a gigantic, screeching monster, rippling muscles, hands that could snap you like a twig, an disgusting exposed brain.

On It's back was a blue haired man with a gnarly gray hand covering his face, and next to him a black- spiky haired man with purple scars and staples covering seemingly his entire body.

“Grab the princess, Nomu.” A breathy voice filled the air.

Nomu did as he was told, throwing the sleeping princess over his back and gearing up to jump. The giggly blonde girl attached herself to Nomus back.

“Ta ta!” She waved back wildly at them.

Bakugou shook himself out of his frozen stupor and ran towards them as fast as he could.

When Nomu jumped, so did Bakugou, he tried to grab the Princesses hand but he missed and fell down back to earth. The glass ceiling window panel shattered when Nomu broke through it.

They all covered their heads to protect themselves from the glass, wondering if it was over.

Everyone slowly got up from their spots, dusting themselves off. Bakugou got up slowly, putting his fallen hat back on his head.

“Let's go.” Bakugou said, sounding extremely calm.

@sword-babies @darknoahshere

[bwicblog]

Over in #highbloods, Bijoux, Vadaya, Kua, and Merrem sit and discuss pale promiscuisity, the risk of getting scabies, Kua's horrifying teeth, Merrem's horrifying dining habits, and if anyone is allowed in on Bijoux and Vadaya's in-jokes. (No.)

[may85]

Series: Apocalyptic Title: Goth Queen Part 1 All GIFs/Photos: credit goes to original owner! Thanks to @magikat409 for the polyvore! Elm Grove was a community that not very many ventured to or through. The desolate town seemed like something out of a horror movie or hell, even something out of a Scooby Doo episode. Negan heard of a mysterious woman that ran Elm Grove. Anyone who ever had made it out alive always called her the Goth Queen. Time and time again he brought it to the table to go and pay the Goth Queen a visit, but his men always voted against it. They were running out of places to scavenge and they were only getting so much from Rick the Prick, Hilltop and the Kingdom. It was high time the boys shit or get off the pot. Having Simon rangle up some men who had the fuckin' balls was difficult enough. Hell, he didn't even think he'd have the time to screw any of wives because of the pussies who worked for him. When he walked out to the trucks, the men were hesitant to get into the vehicles. "You sorry shits better have a damn good explanation for not being on the goddamn ball today!" His voice thundered. The men looked from one another, shuffling their feet where they stood. Negan clicked his tounge and rolled his eyes, "Either get in the fuckin' trucks or loose what room and board you fuckers have!" With that, he knocked Lucille against the metal railing and got into a truck. The men, terrified that they may loose their housing, quickly jumped into their awaiting vehicles. °°°°°° Night had fallen, the humidity rather high this time of year. Fog had rolled in, covering the surrounding area of Elm Grove. At the very entrance, was a tall iron gate, too tall for any of the men to climb. Negan rattled the gate, the metal clanking loudly around them. In the distance, wolves howled and a flock of bats flew over head. To their right, they heard heavy footsteps approach. "Who goes there!?" The deep baritoned voice, asked. "Jesus Christ! How's the weather up there Lurch!?" Negan said, leaning back. The overly tall mans upper lip curled, a growl coming from deep in his chest. "Uh, Negan. I wouldn't do that." Simon warned. The mother fucker actually gulped! "Say your peace and leave!" Negan held his hands up, eyes wide, "Easy there man. Just fuckin' jokin'!" "What say you!?" "We would like to have a word with the Goth Queen." Simon said, his voice shaky. "Pssft! Disrespectful fools! What makes you think-" "Who is we?" A much smaller person asked, stepping out from behind the tall man. He appeared to have dwarfism... and an Irish accent. The joke tickled Negan's tounge, making him bite down. Simon elbowed him, shaking his head. "Negan and the Saviors." "Vince, go let the Goth Queen know of our new arrivals." "Issac, we must not trust outsiders, they have no respect!" Issac, the dwarf, snapped his fingers at Vince, "Go, now!" With a growl, the seven and half foot something man slowly walked up the cobblestone pavement. "Now what's the lot of ya wantin' with our Goth Queen?" The dwarf asked. "That's for us to know and the Queen to find out, Little Man," Negan said. His face contorted, but a creepy laughter bubbled up from him. The men flinched, looking around at their surroundings, waiting for something else to pop up. A pop and crackle from a walkie came from the little person. "Let them in, damnit." Issac grabbed the walkie and hit the talk button, "It'd be me pleasure." Taking an old key from his pocket, he inserted it into a lock that was at his height. Clinks and clanks from the locking mechanism echoed through the bare trees, bound to draw walkers. As the men slowly crept through, Issac snapped, "Move yer asses!" The gate slammed shut as he grinned, "Watch ye step now lads. Don't want to fall and hurt yerself, now do ye?" Issac disappeared into the darkness. "Creepy little bastard," Negan muttered. Leading his group up the same path that the giant went, they took in the run down buildings of the town. Candles lit the way in every other street lamp. Some windows were lit from the inside in a couple buildings, shadows moving about inside the dim rooms. It felt as of they were taken back to another century. An elderly man with no teeth, gumming a cigar, blew out a puff of smoke on his question, "Lookin' for the Goth Queen?" Negan proped Lucille up on his shoulder, "Yep." "Take a left at the first light. Mortimer's Funeral Home and Crematory is where she'll be." Following the directions that the old man gave, had the men standing in front of a run down three story house. A gust of wind blew through the group, making the leaves dance in a twirl. The windows rattled from the force of the wind, then an eerie silence fell over the neighborhood. The entrance to the funeral home creaked open, making all the men gulp. "She waits for you, oh she does, yess." A child like voice said, from a dark hallway. "Ain't no fuckin' way I'm goin' in there man!" "No way!" "Hell naw!" Negan spun around on the ball of his feet, "I never knew I had the biggest group of pussies! Goddamn cowards." Negan made his way to the door, stopping at the threshold. Simon stayed a couple paces behind him, his hand on his gun. "Oh, this is fun! Yes, yes it is! Do come in, the Goth Queen awaits you!" The child like voice said, gleefully from the darkness. Negan looked to Simon, brow raised as the door slammed shut. A boney hand, with long fingernails crept from dark, pointing to a door, "Go down the steps. She waits for you!" Their boots heavy as they walked across the wooden floor; each thud sounded as if it was bouncing from wall to wall. The door led down to a basement, which was lit, thankfully. Type O Negative's Black Number 1 was playing, heels clacking against the cemented floor. "Don't keep her waiting... hahaha!" Simon actually grabbed ahold of Negan's arm as he felt the breath of the speaker on his ear. Trudging down the steps, Negan and Simon were hesitant seeing as they bowed underneath their weight. An electrical saw had drowned the music; a gnarly wet sound, then the blade hitting something dense making them gringe. The saw was shut off, followed by a squelching noise. Simon gagged behind Negan. Negan knew that sound all to well. It was flesh and bone. When they stepped closer, they heard a woman singing along to Type O Negative. Negan could not believe what he saw. Jet black hair, pale skin and tattoo's. She wore a white lab coat, black pants and black high heeled boots peeking out from beneath the coat. Was this the Goth Queen? "Well hello there!" He called out, pausing at the color of her eyes. She was leaned over the adult dead body, appearing to be looking at the brain. She squinted, the light reflecting what appeared to be green eyes... or were they light brown? A mask covered her mouth. She went to remove it, but paused when she realized her gloves were bloody. She snapped them off as she stood. Purple nail polish covered her nails; tattoos decorating the skin of her hands. She had a hell of a rack, a Misfits tank top stretched over her chest. Negan was damn near rendered speechless when she whipped off her mask. Standing there, hands on her hips, she raised a brow. "Goth Queen, I presume?" Negan asked, loosely holding Lucille. "Depends on who's asking," "Negan and the Saviors." Her smile was slow and dark. Wait... were those? Fucking fangs!? Negan and Simon looked at one another, then back at the woman before them. "I am the Goth Queen, yes," she looked beyond the two men, talking to something that was in the dark. "Cyrus, take this," she pointed to the stone cold body on the draining table, "and make me a few slides, please?" "Hmmmm mmhhm." Negan raised Lucille, ready to hit whomever snuck up on him. "I really wouldn't do that if I were you," The Goth Queen warned, all hints of niceness gone from her tone and face. The man that had hummed came from the shadows, his face badly scarred. The Goth Queen's heels clicked with impatience on the cement as she made her way to the stairs. She had removed her lab coat, her curvy curves doing bad things to Negan's labido. He licked his lips, following her. She was a few steps up from them, her ass all but in their face. "And if you want to keep those eyeballs in their sockets, I highly suggest you look else where." They let her walk farther ahead of them, clear of her anger. This was one woman that Negan did not want to see pissed off. °°°°°° They followed the Goth Queen into the living room, where the walls were a dark lavender with white trim. They matched the color of the walls, but the design seemed out of place with as dark as the Queen was. "This was where they would hold the viewings," she said, crossing her legs as she sat in a chair. She motioned for them to sit. "So what is it that you want?" "Well Sweetheart, we came to offer our services." "Your... services?" She raised a brow. A meow came from around the corner, a hairless cat jumping on the Goth Queen's lap. "Mother of fuckin' Hades what is that!?" Negan asked, amused and disgusted all at once. "What? You act like you've never seen a bare pussy before," She said, winking at Negan. "I fuckin' love you," he blurted, surprising everyone in the room. Negan blinked, realizing what he had just said. He watched as the Goth Queen ran her tounge over a fang. Their meeting was interupted, a medium height man with tattoos and piercings all over his face, breathing heavily. "Goth Queen! They're back!" The cat jumped from her lap, scampering away. "Goddamnit, get everyone back into their homes and lock their doors! No one is to go near the gates, no one! Am I understood?!" "Yes Ma'am!" "Who's back?" Negan asked, standing from the couch. She sighed, going to the next room and gathering some weapons, "People on the outskirts of our town. They traveled from Georgia and are highly out of control. We've heard rumors of them... Cannibals." "Georgia, huh?" Simon stroked his mustache, looking at his leader. "Yes. We had a dear friend taken from us... she was eaten," she paused, staring at the men with tears in her eyes, "her body was drained of all of its blood after she was murdered." The childlike voice the men had heard upon entering showed up again, though extreme sadness echoing in her voice, "Poor, poor, little Charlotte..." "She was just a child," The Goth Queen sniffed and cleared her throat as she looped a belt around her waist. "I apologize for not having enough time to explain, but I must get rid of them before they destroy the front gate." Negan and Simon followed the Goth Queen outside and around the block. From the top of the hill, torches and lamps could be seen at the entrance. They shouted curse words and threw out The Devil, Satan's whore, Freak of Nature and so forth. "You've delt with this before?" Simon asked. She nodded, her hips swaying as she stomped down the road, "Yes, but they are... they're getting more violent." "You, you whore! You Demon!" The head of the group yelled. Negan and Simon stayed back a bit, watching, waiting. "Leave now!" The Goth Queen's voice boomed over the chaotic group. One man spit at her feet, "Not until you abominations are exterminated!" Vince, the Giant, appeared from the darkness, snarling at the group, "Disrespectful littl-" an arrow was shot into his forehead. "Vincent!" The Goth Queen screamed. They watced in horror as the Giant swayed, then fell backwards with a sickening thud. The Goth Queen turned to the group, hissing at them as she advanced towards them. Negan grabbed her arm, halting her movements. The group began to back off as Negan's men walked towards the gate, their guns drawn and cocked. As fast as they appeared, they fled. The Goth Queen's chest heaved with great breaths as she went to her dear friends body. "Looks like you'll need our services after all Goth Queen," Negan said, though the cocky tone of his voice was gone. She looked to him, and nodded, "You're right.... but you'll need to know a few things about the Termites before you make your final judgment." He saluted her, his index and middle finger touching the side of his head, "Yes Ma'am." Tagging: @thedeadmost @krissy25 @fancybubble @superprincesspea @cherieann-2001 @darshaya @ladylorelitany @ali-pennell @wadeyourebarelyalive @fangirlindenial @negans-dirty-girl @smuttwd @justacaliforniandreamer @piilow-talk @pan-and-proud-writes @memphisgirl1977 @5sos1dsex @deviousginga @strangersangel9 @mogaruke @crzcorgi @siobhan-elizabeth @thecynicalnerd @cookiemunster10 @laureng-99 @danleto97 @miss-nori85 @rhysiecupcakes @texasgal2222 @magikat409 @jmackie1983 @sweatersandcaffeine @andillica @brandivstheworld @persephinii666 @jasoncrouse @rushernparadise @ferpyferp @catleesi-xo @lynnliciousadnan @astrangegirlsmind @kitcat44 @unicorn-blood-splatter @warriorqueen1991 @kellyn1604 @raspberrypuddle