#will try draw Nathan and Murderface soon

[autoboros]

Dethklok if it was epic

[sourbat]

And Then-

Words: 2800

Rating: T

Pairing: Toki Wartooth/Magnus Hammersmith 

Summary: “Hammertooth, as told by the Dethklok Minute.”

There was nothing that could be done to completely vanquish the paranoia, even with the presence of half a dozen committed klokateers, so Toki knowingly made a point to always bring a disguise, to try and play it safe and drink one less bottle than normal, take one less hit than he preferred, because the last thing he wanted to do was prove Magnus’ fears correct. 

Toki was there the first time it happened. Worse, he was with the whole gang, reclining comfortably in the hot tub, finished giving Skwisgaar a high five, when Nathan flicked the television on, revealing  The Dethklok Minute host’s marred face.

“Today I bring you a blast from the past. We’re talking ancient history here, folks! Famed rhythm guitarist, Toki Wartooth, was recently seen chatting it up with none other than ex-Dethklok, and failed solo artist, Magnus Hammersmith. The two were seen causing quite the scene outside of the Griffith observatory, resulting in them being kicked out from the premises. Apparently, Hammersmith couldn’t handle the extra attention. Real shame, Hammersmith, it’s as close to the stars as you’ll ever get!”

They laughed when they saw the images, the brief video clip of Magnus angrily grabbing and tossing someone’s phone off the cliff, and the hilarious tweets shared by fans that all seemed to focus on how desperate and loathsome Magnus was in comparison to him. There was nothing he could say, whine or threaten to calm the rest of the band down. The day only grew progressively worse as he checked his phone, spotting new threads and comments on all the platforms he frequented, but not hearing a single word from Magnus.

He must have sent a dozen messages, and earned no reply until late at night, when news had reached every corner of the internet.

Thankfully, Magnus took it rather well, or as well as anyone with little to no say in the matter could. When they finally got together, Magnus was clearly upset, but he was more ashamed at himself for causing a huge scene and threatening a bunch of regular jack-offs for poking fun of him, mad for setting himself up for this disaster, and regretted that he pulled Toki and Dethklok into yet another one of his messes.

Once it was out, they discussed the next step. The public knew they were together in some form, but how much was still up in the air. Romance was currently out of the equation, or wasn’t suspected. Magnus treated it as a small relief; Toki, on the other hand, viewed it differently. The mean gossips centered on Magnus wouldn’t just go away if people continued to treat him as Toki’s inferior. If they came out not as competitors, but as partners, as equals, as a real couple…

When Toki raised the idea to Magnus, he spun it differently. They should come out now before the world figures it out on their own. Rip off the bandage on their own terms, and get the rumors done and over with.

The world was going to talk about them whether they liked it or not, so… why not try to have fun?

Why hide it and pretend they were only friends?  

“Welcome back to the Dethklok Minute! Toki Wartooth and Hammersmith were seen together exiting Club Rhapsody on Sunset Blvd. The two barely made it five steps before Mr. Wartooth was bombarded by fans. It took several klokateers shooting down crazed fans to get their claws off Toki Wartooth. Meanwhile, here’s an image of poor ol’ Hammersmith, left out in the dust.  Good thing he’s already used to it, though!”  

That time Magnus was pissed. He hadn’t even done anything that night, and was the soberer of the two. Sure, they were both piss-drunk, but Magnus had been reasonable enough to leave his keys behind, to tell Toki they needed to leave once it got too crowded, and tried being civil despite the crowds, their disguises slipping off, and people flashing lights in every direction just to say they were in the same club as Toki Wartooth.

Unless given the orders, the klokateers didn’t bother trying to protect Magnus, or shoo away fans who had nothing better than to accuse him of trying to latch on to fame, being a parasite, or an unsightly thorn in Toki’s side. The burden always fell on Toki. He had to be the one to grab Magnus and reel him in, remind him to count to ten, to hold his tongue, to try and be the better man despite the rumors and open remarks.

It didn’t take long for forums to pose the much-feared question, one Toki hadn’t regarded until Magnus very frustratingly pointed it out:

How far back do they go?

Then Toki understood Magnus’ fears. With discussions digging deeper into their pasts, Toki knew it would only be a matter of time before rumors of his disappearance resurfaced, and people connected whatever dots they wanted to reach their preferred conclusions. 

The following months proved too challenging.

He couldn’t blame Magnus for all those close calls. Toki didn’t blame him when Magnus eventually did snap, and lash out. Magus never laid a finger on him, but the yelling…the yelling and the misdirected rage terrified him.

It was Magnus who suggested the break.

Once again, Toki couldn’t bring himself to blame Magnus, even when everyone else at Mordhaus did.

The truth stung. The loneliness ached. The rumors persisted. Toki waited and watched the news, counting the weeks until the much-needed silence finally died down. It never did. Though the conversations decreased, there was never a point in time where comments online didn’t lead to Magnus, tweets or tags that brought up the name, and the terrible rumors surrounding their relationship persisted. It was the suckiest time of Toki’s life as he waited for Magnus’ return, for the world to get over this strange obsession, and for things to return to the way it was before.

Two months later, Magnus returned from the shadows on his own accord, and begged for Toki’s forgiveness and yet another chance at proving he could handle the unwanted attention, so long as it meant keeping Toki’s. Almost immediately after they reunited, the pictures and videos returned, but this time Magnus made a point to ignore it, to do his absolute best to take it all in stride and make the most of their limited time together.

Toki welcomed Magnus with open arms, more relieved than anything that Magnus didn’t give up on the two of them, and was willing to try and make this work.

“While on tour in England, fans caught glimpses of Toki and Mr. Hammersmith just outside of the Tower of London, harassing the local avian residents, and later caught pissing into the River Thames. Well, you know the saying: boys will be boys. In bigger news, Nathan Explosion played the lead role at The Globe’s recent…”

Then, one day, Magnus was no longer the main story. He wasn’t the butt of the joke. He wasn’t the focus of any folly that took place between them. Now Magnus had a title. Now he was just another one of the boys. Maybe not a member of Dethklok, but someone within the circle. A person who demanded some respect.  

It took several months, but Magnus was accepted as another regular figure in Toki’s life. Like Dr. Rockso, Magnus was treated less as a person of interest, a living target, and more a colorful object that Toki took alongside him to various places, adding to the curiosity and allure of their already complex relationship. Unlike the clown, though, the well of controversy had long since run dry, and nasty statements about the older man were quickly replaced with random jokes, silly rumors about Skwisgaar being replaced, and then–

Magnus started smiling, really smiling, again.

And then– 

“Today I bring you none other than our favorite buddy-duo: Toki Wartooth and Magnus Hammersmith! The two guitarists were seen sneaking out the back of Cruachan’s, carrying a wasted William Murderface before being accosted by some rapid fangirls. Luckily for them, Murderface was there to scare them away. Hey, Murderface, didn’t anyone tell you three is a crowd?”  

It was already a big enough deal that Toki convinced Murderface to join in, drink and talk with Magnus, maybe reconcile some past grudges and start afresh. Now people were curious to know why Magnus was so well-liked. In the eyes of the fans, Dethklok was reaching out to Magnus, which meant Magnus couldn’t possibly be that bad of a guy. The focus on Magnus returned, but with a different change in tone. He was Toki’s buddy. A mentor. A reliable father figure.

Magnus read each new role, and grew paranoid for the one that he knew would soon arise from the depths of internet forums.

Another month went by, then another, and after doing their best to avoid the media, to pay extra attention when making exchanges, their reprieve arrived in the form of funny jingles and images depicting the two of them as nothing short of the best of friends. The host of the show played it well, acting as though he never had a hand in spreading lies about them, and treated their nightly excursions, trips and secret dates as just another blurb in the  Dethklok Minute. But as nice as two friends hanging out was, it didn’t draw the same number of crowds as before, and after waiting and waiting, the focus on the two of them finally died.

Nobody cared that Toki hung out with Magnus, and were far more invested in Pickles’ massive pub crawl across Europe, the recent paternity trials of Skwisgaar, Nathan’s up-and-down relationship with Abigail, or Murderface’s failed MLM scheme.

And then–

“Welcome to the Dethklok minute! Uh-oh, Toki-oh! After a huge and successful performance in Japan, Toki Wartooth was seen inviting Magnus Hammersmith into the lobby of the famous Ningen Isu Hotel. But what’s this? Take a look at this!  Though the picture is of poor quality, fans speculate the two are holding hands in the photo…”

A slip up. After months of touring, bad reception and shitty planning on his part, Toki called Magnus over, and in their haste to reunite, were caught in the act.

And then…

“Breaking news! You will not believe your eyes!”

The very thing Magnus feared happened. Toki expected a strong reaction from Magnus. He expected the walls to crumble and the world to feel like it was ending. However, he could not predict just how negative a response he'd receive from his billions of fans. Knees tucked into his chest, Toki sullenly scrolled through the thousands of tags with awful slurs and insulting remarks, now all aimed at him. Fans demanded to know if he hit his head, if he enjoyed giving head, if he was always playing for both sides, if he spit or swallowed, if he even liked girls, if he was drunk when it happened, if it was consensual, if Toki was sure he didn’t like breasts, if he was ok, or if there was something wrong with his eyes because he could do  so  much better than Magnus Hammersmith.

Nathan and the others warned him this would happen, but Toki never believed it. The fans loved him. He could do no wrong.

But, once it was out–

“While most remain torn, a growing number of fans have openly voiced their support of the two…”

Once it was out, it was Magnus who snatched the phone out from Toki’s hand, taking and stowing it in some drawer where it couldn’t bother them before doing the same with Toki, and carrying him off into the night in his arms and telling him it wasn’t worth their time.

“…Send your vote to this number to determine the name of this new, controversial celebrity couple!”

Much like those slow, intimate touches that kept Toki distracted long through the night, the horrible things fans said came to pass. Not much longer, Magnus showed Toki how those same fans that had attacked him, that posted videos and memes making fun of their friendship, that spread rumors and doubt, that tested their patience, were all now sending hearts and their best wishes. There were pictures, both hand drawn and professionally done, hashtags and gifs and essays filled with nothing but off-putting support. Toki found familiar faces and names, avatars and posts from those he remembered directing horrible things his way, and now they were acting as though they never stopped believing in the two.

Toki logged off and debated taking a break from social media.

Magnus beckoned him back to comforting sheets. 

The initial shock came and went, and before long, all that was left was empty support and praise. Wholesome quotes and pretty rainbow flags that meant nothing to Toki, even less to Magnus, and fan songs and imagery that Toki blocked, only to later openly mocked with the only man who understood better than anyone else how pathetic and empty-brained most people were, and how quickly everyone forgets.

The band had little to say, but offered their indirect support by reminding Toki the jack-offs were more than likely jealous. Toki had everything in the world, Nathan later said. It didn’t matter that he left it at that, abruptly ending the conversation before Toki had a chance to really take it in and appreciate the shreds of a hidden apology underneath it all.  Everything in the world.  To think it included Magnus made the half-assed apology more heartfelt, and Toki had to stop himself from getting too close to Nathan and thanking him for taking his side, for being there, for listening, caring in his own way.

And, finally…

“… and in other news, the world’s favorite musical couple celebrated Toki Wartooth’s birthday in upstate New York. After celebrating at Mordhaus, Magnus and Toki decided to take advantage of the band’s extended work sabbatical, and take a vacation together… Next week, I give you a very special Dethklok exclusive, starring none other than the famous couple themselves!”   

With an outstretched hand, Magnus reached for the remote, turning off the television with a short, but aggressive jab on the power button before snatching his keys and turning to Toki, who remained peacefully reclined on top of the hotel bed.

“Ready?” Magnus asked, fixing one of many heavy rings he had on his person as Toki slipped off the bed, hastily running past him to locate his socks and boots for the long day ahead. Magnus fingered a rather hefty skull ring adorned with gaudy, but bright and pointed gemstones. “So, who’s doing what again?”

“I holds him down,” Toki replied as he worked the laces on his boots. “When I gives the words, I jumps across and holds him down.”

Magnus picked up his sunglasses, donning his disguise before casually making his way out of the bedroom. “Uh-huh. And what’s the word?”

“Hmmm.” Toki chewed his inner lip as he searched for a random enough word. “Cinnamon?”

“Cinnamon?”

“Yeps,” Toki replied, standing up and following Magnus. He grabbed a small box of medical bandages and gauze, still in a plastic bag that rested on top of a recently cracked crystal table, and shoved both into his already cluttered fanny pack.  

Magnus reached in, snatching the gauze and stowing it into one of his pockets, leaving more room for Toki to rearrange his things. “And you’re totally fine with me beating the ever-lasting shit out of him?” he asked, earning a mischievous little glance from the younger man. “All by myself?”

“Wells, I’ms gonna to gets him first,” Toki contentedly pointed out, and earned a snicker from Magnus when he dared to smile at the thought. “Ams doing half the works. Also, lets me wear some of the rings.”

“Fine, fine.” Magnus offered his fingers up to Toki, amused when the young man stopped and hovered and admired the large, heavy steel rings bought for the sole purpose of rearranging another man’s face. He raised a brown when he saw Toki reach for a devilish ring adorned with curled horns. “Not that one, I like that one.”

“Evens better.” Toki pulled the ring from Magnus’ middle, sticking out his tongue as he tried it on, along with a few others, before earning a slightly sarcastic look of approval from Magnus.

“Ready?” Magnus asked again, admittedly smitten by how well the ring suited Toki.

“Waits, I forgots my hat.”

Magnus headed to the door, taking his time, stopping briefly to admire the view from the window and take in the magnificent view, while also picking up on rushed footsteps hitting the floor, Toki nearly tripping over himself and putting on the last bit of his outfit, then claiming Magnus’ free hand as his, and yanking him close into a brief, but passionate kiss. 

“Let’s go,” he said after slowly pulling away, eyes locked on Magnus as he opened the door, ready to be led into the light.

[you-lady-skwisgaar]

Skwistok, 51!

My fave couple with one of my fave Coheed songs :’)

Also, confession time: this is my first time writing fanfic since, like, 2015, so if anybody’s got any tips or criticisms, I’m all ears

51. “When I fall asleep, your face is all I see.”

Skwisgaar doesn’t even realize he’s dreaming the first night.

The band’s back in Mordhaus, celebrating their reconciliation. Sure, they had laid Cornickelson to rest just a few hours before, but then Murderface had said something about finding happiness during dark times, and then Pickles had whipped out some bottles from Odin-knows-where.

Now,he’s on Toki’s bed, drunk off his ass and smiling goofily at the frowningNorwegian. 

“Why’sdat face, ah? Turns dat frowns… uh… huegh, I forgots how dats goes.”

”Skwisgaar,” Tokisays sternly, taking the older man’s shoes off, “ain’tsyou always the one yellings at me to not gets sloppies?”

“Ehhh… ja?” He wiggles his freed toes.

”But suddenly it ams okay when you does it?”

”Ja.”

There’s a loud crashing noise from the living room, followed by Pickles’ unmistakable “EEEEEH” and the other twos’ laughter, followed by another crash.

“Well,I hopes you’s happy. De other guys ams havings fun out theres, and I’ms stuckstakings care of yous drunk ass!”

Thebrunette starts to unbutton Skwisgaar’s jacket, but the blond grabs his hand.

“Butyou ams does de, uhh.. de goodest jobs takingks cares of me. Ams like apretties nurse whats ams for drunk peoples.” Toki, still frowning, blushes, andSkwisgaar can’t help but giggle. “Awww,looks at yous, all cutes when you’s blushingks. Looks like dem littles babiestomatoes.” He lifts his other hand to pinch the younger guitarist’s cheek.The Norwegian’s face becomes even redder, but he stays silent as he frees his hand to help the older man out of the jacket and under the covers.

“Oooh, cozies…”

Toki tucks the Swede in and leans down to kiss his forehead. the frown’s gone and replaced with a soft smile. he presents Deady bear to Skwisgaar, who is quick to accept it, and moves towards the door.

it’s the blond’s turn to frown. “Amen’ts yous gonna gets in bed wit’ me?” he asks, patting the space next to him.

“In a bits. Just goes to slepps, I’ll gets you waters or somethings.”

“Mmm, okays...”

Skwisgaar closes his eyes and drifts away.

When he opens them again, the room is dark and unusually cold, and his head is pounding. Deady Bear’s still pressed against his cheek, and the bottle of booze he had been working his way through last night is on Toki’s nightstand.

And yet, something’s off. No, a lot of things aren’t right. Not only is he not tucked in under the blankets, but the bed’s still neatly made. His tuxedo jacket’s the only thing keeping him warm, and his shoes feel so constricting. the voices outside the room aren’t the cheery hollers brought on by a night of celebration. They’re hushed, and Skwisgaar strains to make the words out.

Herecognizes Nathan’s gravelly voice. “…why you’re not letting us do shit.”

It’sCharles who responds.“Wecan’t afford to put any of you at risk, but rest assured, Nathan, we’re doing everything we can to find Toki before it’s too…”

Their footsteps recede, leaving the guitarist to fill in the pieces.

But it doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together.

Skwisgaar slowly brings a hand up to his forehead and touches the spot Toki had supposedly kissed. He swears he can still feel the warms lips on his skin. he curls up in a ball, draws Deady Bear against his chest, and cries.

It’s only the beginning of a relentless onslaught of dreams that plagueSkwisgaar’s mind throughout the year.

Some of his dreams are nice. Sometimes, he and Toki are lounging on the couch on a sunnysummer evening.Skwisgaar’s trying to practice hisguitar-playing, but his lover keeps brushing his brown locks on the blond’s nose like a paintbrush. Skwisgaar’sdemanding that he stop, and the younger guitarist’s giggling and promising that he will, for the price of one kiss.

Other times, they’re on his bed, and the Swede’s pleasantly surprised to discover that they’re both naked. Toki’s mustache tickles his face when their lips are pressed together. Then they’re both moaning, and panting, and whispering sweet nothings in the other’s ear. Skwisgaar grabs the younger man’s hips and brings him in, closer, closer, as close as possible,because he feels so good and he loves him so much, and this is the best way he can express it.

Toki’s audition, their first gig as the enw and improved Dethklok, their first “I love you”s after the ill-fated Guitarganza, they all provide Skwisgaar with temporary happiness, but just like the first night, he wakes up to an empty bed and an ache in his heart.

But he dreams of bad things, too.

Sometimes, he’s experiencing the That Night from Toki’s point of view, and feels his panic and confusion when Magnus yanks him back roughly. Dethklok’s just beyond the rift, so close yet so far. Why doesn’t Magnus let him go? Why don’t they see him? There’s a flash of reliefe when Nathan finally spots him and yells his name, but then the knife plunges into his side and he wakes up in a cold sweat.

But inothers, he’s Magnus. He’s the one whobetrayed his friend, he’s the onehurting Toki, and he’sdisgusted to realize that he’s enjoying it. He grips Toki’s hair in his fistand pulls it roughly, and the look of terror on the younger man’s face makes his heart hurt and sing atthe same time.Hishand is wrapped around the dagger’s handle, and there’s nothing he can do to stop himself frompushing the blade into the Norwegian’s flesh.

Hesees a younger Toki being beaten by his piece-of-shit father, and sometimes,the metal-faced man is back. And no matter how hard Skwisgaar tries, he can never move, he can never help Toki, and he’s left feeling as worthless and useless as he did That Night.

He’s not sure which dreams he hates more.

But Skwisgaar finds out soon enough, because one night, he finds himself back in the rehearsal space.

He’s completely frozen, staring down at the figure on the ground. He can hear Abigail sobbing, and Nathan’s roaring as his fists pummel into the floor.

Skwisgaar’s mind finally registers what he’s looking at, and a dry sob escapes his throat.

There lies Toki Wartooth, bloody and broken.

Dead.

“No.”The guitarist falls on his knees, barely registering the pain when he makes contact with the concrete.

“Toki?” HIs voice breaksashe crawls towards the body of his lover. He takes the youngerman’sface in his hands. “Toki?” But no matter how many times he says his name, nomatterhowmany times he kisses his bruised face, Toki doesn’t wake up.

He’shugging his lover tightly, wailing and wishing and willing for him to open hiseyes. Eyes thatfluttered whenever Skwisgaar leaned in to kiss him, the same eyes that staredat Skwisgaar adoringly when he played his guitar. The same eyes that watered and crinkledat the corners when Skwisgaar confessed that he loved him.

AndSkwisgaar knows it’s a dream, but if it’s a dream, then why does it feel so real?

Why can he feel Toki’s blood seeping through his shirt? Why is Toki so heavy in his arms?

Why is Toki’s skin so cold?

He shootsup in his bed, gasping and sobbing and shaking. The Swede wastesno time in standing up, and with just the white pelt around his shoulders tocover his body, makes his way to the medical wing. He’ssilently cursing Pickles for pointing out the bags under his eyes, he’s cursingCharles forsuggestingthat he sleep a bit, he’s cursing Nathan for carrying him out of Toki’s room,and he’s cursing Murderface for not interfering.

There’sa few medical Klokateers working the night shift, and they’re all completelyunfazed by a sniffling Skwisgaar Skwigelf determinedly making his way towards Toki’s room wrapped in nothing but a fur blanket.

Thedoor swings open silently, and the only sounds he hears are coming from thewhir and beeps of the medical equipment.Aquick glance at the whatchamacallit shows Toki’s stable heart rate, andSkwisgaar relaxes a little. The brunette’s brow furrows whenthe older man brushes somestrands of hair from his face and pulls the blanket up to his chin, but hedoesn’t wake up.Skwisgaar pulls up a chair, reaches for the brunette’s hand, and doesn’t sleep the rest of the night.

There finally comes a night when Skwisgaar doesn’t dream at all.

Ashift on his mattress wakes him from his peaceful slumber, and he looks down tosee a mass of brown hair on his chest. Thefigure turns towards Skwisgaar, and bleary, ice-blue eyes meet his electricones. 

“Did I wakes you up?”

“Nej,you ams fine,” he lies. He’s actually feeling kind of thankful, because asleepy-eyed, messy-haired, rosy-cheekedToki Wartooth is probably the cutest thing Skwisgaar’s ever seen.Thewarm light emanating from a recently purchased nightlight reflects off Toki’s skinin an orangish-yellow glow. He looks so soft and warm, and the older guitarist can’t suppress the urge to reach up and stroke his cheek.

The younger man yawns. “Bad dreams?”

“Nej,nots tonights,” answers the Swede. It’s the first time he can answer thatquestion honestly. “Yous?”

“Nots tonights.” Hefigures as much. Toki’s bad nights usually involved screaming and crying,sometimes punching. All things Skwisgaar’s learned how to handle, and vice-versa.

Skwisgaarwraps his arms around the younger man and buries his face in the soft brownhair. “Then what ams you doingks up, you dildoes? Goes backs to sleeps.”“Ams a good ideas.” Tokisnuggles up against him and plants a little kiss on his collarbone. “Loves you, Skwisgaar.”The blond tightens his hold on his lover.

“I loves you too, Toki.”