charonic

[charonic]

Little Red Riding Rabbit and Mr Wolf (Chapter 2)

Lavi has always had a penchant for anything that's not from the human realm. When his friends warned him to stay out of the woods because of a rumoured "werewolf", he didn't exactly heed their advice. All the books that he's ever read about on faefolks didn't prepare him for who he met in those woods. 

Chapter 2

Curious and Curiouser

Lavi did not stay on the path. In fact, he's already half way through the thick forest.

He did feel a tinge of guilt for lying to his friends, but in his defence who in their right mind would take an hour long walk in late November when the air was practically ice cold. Even with his fixed winter cloak on, there was no way he wouldn't end up with a runny nose by the time he got to Bookman's house.

The edge of his red hood was sewn with rabbit fur, courtesy of Lena last autumn.  It did its job in keeping him warm with the extra fluff, but even so he didn't want to risk getting sick, not when this year's winter looked like it was going to be colder than the last.

Besides, it shouldn't be long until he's out of the woods. The sky may be a dark gray right now, but that's just how it is in winter. The sun's ray disappears just minutes after the clock strikes three, and it's only going to get darker, Lavi kept that in mind as he quickened his pace.

The conversation with his friends about shape shifting wolves came back, and Lavi found himself wondering if his grandfather had any new books on them.

He's heard of faes that take the shape of other animals to fool humans, but not one that specifically turn into that of a wolf. He's heard of black dogs, but those only linger around in graveyards. Or maybe their default form is a wolf but they have the ability to turn human? Would they look exactly like a normal human being? Or would there be tall tell signs of animalistic traits like patches of wolf fur on their body? What if they retained the fluffy tail? What if--

"Oof!"

A loud thump followed immediately after his indignant yelp. Lavi winced as the stinging pain on his backside shot up his spine. Being distracted while walking on wet ground is not a smart thing to do, he noted dryly.

He heard shuffling, and then a pair of leathered shoes came into view. As he reached a hand behind him to rub at his tailbone, the person he'd bumped into kneeled down on one leg, a gloved hand stretched out in front of his face.

"Are you alright?"

Lavi managed a weak smile before he replied."Yeah... Sorry about--"

What he was supposed to say next  completely left Lavi's mind when he looked up, his smile fell and expression replaced with stunned awe. Lavi didn't even realize his mouth was hanging open until he felt the surface of his tongue go dry, no thanks to the chilly weather. He promptly clamp his mouth shut, making the man before him chuckle, and Lavi's face turn redder in turn.

The man before him was handsome, there was no denying it. With dark brown skin and inky black hair that fell into soft waves at his neck. And those eyes, they reminded Lavi of honey. He's always loved munching on raw honeycombs.

Lavi was so enthralled with the other's face that he didn't catch what the man was saying, despite having both eyes glued to the way his mouth moved to form words.

Ah, right. The guy just offered to help him up.

"Sorry! Yeah, I wasn't ... I should get up, huh?" Lavi ended his question with a short laugh to hide his nervousness. There was a chance he wasn't caught staring and Lavi was going to hang onto that sliver of hope.

He reached out to grab the man's hand, albeit gingerly and with a bit of hesitance. It was less of a hold but more like Lavi grasping the tip of his gloved fingers with his own loosely. Once Lavi was up and steady on his feet, he gave his trousers a quick dusting when the man spoke up again.

"I believe I'm the one who should be apologizing." He said. "I was lost in thought while walking."

That makes the two of us. Lavi offered a crooked smile and shook his head. "It's okay. I'm fine, really."

The man returned Lavi's smile with a genuine one of his own, the same hand that pulled Lavi up extended out for a handshake.

"A good evening to you, my name is Tyki Mikk. You are?"

Lavi looked down at the outstretched hand, and then back up to Tyki Mikk's face. He was asking for a simple exchange of pleasantries, yet the red head felt as though he should back away from the man.

There was something off about him that he can't seem to pinpoint, minus the fact that Lavi has never seen the guy in town before, suddenly appearing in the woods that no one but Lavi was stupid enough to walk through was another possible reason for his suspicion.

Or maybe you're just over thinking again.

Shrugging the feeling off, he took Tyki's hand.

"Lavi. Lavi Bookman."

The feeling of unease came back again when he saw the wide grin on Tyki's face. Lavi had to quell the urge to pull away, his heart was beating so fast all of a sudden.

Human canines should not be that sharp.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lavi Bookman." Tyki replied, it was a soft whisper that's meant only for Lavi to hear.  

He'd expected a brief handshake, but then Tyki lifted his hand up and planted a kiss on his knuckles. It was impossible for Lavi not to gasp at the brushing contact.

The man's lips lingered on Lavi's hand longer than should be considered a polite hand kiss. Lavi pulled his hand back as though he'd been burned when he felt the other man's breathe tickle the surface of his skin. He knew his face was still slightly pinkish from his earlier blunder but there was no doubt he was bright red now.

"Umm... Just Lavi is fine, y'know." He'd made an attempt to sound curt and standoffish, because who wouldn't after that?

Imagine his embarrassment when his voice came out more sheepish than anything else. What made it worse was the amused laughter that followed when he was caught shoving the kissed hand into his inner cloak pocket. Damn that smirk on Tyki's face.  

The laugh quickly died down and Tyki returned the conversation in a calmer manner. But Lavi can tell he was holding back a few more leftover chuckles.

"In that case, just call me Tyki."

Lavi nodded slowly, his eyes drifted away from Tyki's face to observe the man's attire. It wasn't until then did Lavi realize how well dressed the brunet was, he raised both his brows as he took in Tyki's appearance.  

Overall he reminded Lavi of those aristocrats that would sometimes pass by the town. His coat was tailored to a perfect fit for his statute, no doubt the materials were high quality textiles. Lavi wouldn't be surprised if the rest of his clothing articles were just as pricey. From the top hat to the pristine white gloves.

Tyki was too busy looking around his surroundings to notice Lavi's blatant staring, his face was enough to convey just how lost and confused he was with his current problem. There was only so much a person can take before bursting out laughing at how endearing a grown man looked while puzzled, and Lavi doesn't know if he'll last the next minute if Tyki keeps it up.

He let out a soft cough to steer Tyki's attention back to him, the brunet's face turned sheepish when facing Lavi again.

"...I seem to have lost my way." Tyki admitted.  

"You should've stayed on the path then." Lavi answered without missing a beat, he even paired the confident reply with a careless shrug. The fact he didn't wince even a bit at his own hypocrisy was an incredible feat.

"Suppose I should have." Tyki agreed, nodding as he did so. "Would you mind taking me into town? I'm due to meet someone there for some business but then ah, here I am."

That roused Lavi's suspicion again, his brows furrowed at what he'd said.

It was strange how an aristocratic looking man like Tyki would choose to wander into the woods without any escort.  Maybe he's one of those sheltered rich heirs who are blissfully oblivious to the dangers of the outside world. Looking at Tyki though, Lavi doubts that's the case with him.

Lavi pursed his lips together, there was no harm in leading the lost guy to town. But by the time he made his way back to Bookman, it would already be pitch dark even if he took the shortcut. Carrying a torch or oil lamp wouldn't provide him with much light or warmth, not when nightfall comes . The last thing he wanted was to make Bookman leave the house to search for him during a cold night.  

"I'm sorry... I would help ya out of here but my grandfather is expecting me, and I don't wanna make him worry."

"Your grandfather?" Tyki asked. His confused expression was quickly replaced with one of recognition when he realized what Lavi meant.

"Oh, the little cottage on the opposite direction? You live with him there?" He pointed a thumb over his shoulder.

Lavi nodded. "Yeah, and I should be getting home soon."

He didn't miss the flash of disappointment in Tyki's eyes, though he was curious of the reason for that, Lavi didn't make any further comment.

"I see, that's a shame." Tyki sighed.  

"Sorry..."

Tyki shook his head, an understanding smile on his softened face. "It's perfectly fine, Lavi. It's never good to make your family worried, especially out in this weather."

The redhead found himself smiling too, just a bit.

A strong breeze blew by and Lavi shivered as he pulled his cloak closer, the rabbit fluff around the hood tickled his nose and chin but they managed to give him more warmth like that. Tyki didn't seem to be bothered by the sudden cold wind, it's like he didn't even notice the breeze. Whatever fabric his coat was made of, Lavi would love to have some of it for a new cloak.

"Just keep heading straight, if you pick up the pace you'll reach the town in no time." Lavi said from underneath his fluffy hood.

He wasn't sure if Tyki heard him, with his voice muffled by the rabbit fur and all. But the man smiled and nodded in acknowledgement.

"Thank you." 

Then he started walking, Lavi stayed where he was watching Tyki move along the winding path, only for him to stop after a few steps and turn around again.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Lavi. I hope we can see each other again sometime soon, preferably when the weather isn't so gloom and dreary."

"Yeah, that'd be nice." Lavi waved him goodbye, a timid smile on his face. "Have a safe trip."

Tyki returned the gesture with a broad grin and a tip of his hat before he turned to leave.

The redhead stood in place as he watched Tyki walk away for good this time, he told himself that it wasn't an excuse to observe the way the other man's hips moved, or because he wanted to get a better look at Tyki's broad shoulders and his overall silhouette. Not at all.

Maybe his eye was getting blurry from the cold, or it could be because he was staring for too long but...

He could've sworn he saw what looked like the tip of a bushy, black tail peeking out from underneath Tyki's coat.  

To Be Continued

(( Find the fic on AO3 too ;o))

[charonic]

Little Red Riding Rabbit and Mr Wolf (Chapter 1)

Lavi has always had a penchant for anything that's not from the human realm. When his friends warned him to stay out of the woods because of a rumoured "werewolf", he didn't exactly heed their advice. All the books that he's ever read about on faefolks didn't prepare him for who he met in those woods. 

Chapter 1

The Beginning Of Winter Is Always Solemn But Interesting

Since he was a child, Lavi has always had this fascination with fae folks and their legends. Anything that doesn't belong in the human realm is sure to catch his attention, any tale that speaks of supernatural phenomenon never fails to have him listen intently, you can practically see his eyes shimmer with awe whenever he does.

His love for strange tales and stranger beings never ceased as he grew older. Most teenagers his age would wave off folklore as childish nonsense that's only meant to serve as bedtime stories for little kids, but with Lavi he still soughs out for any new reading materials that he can get his hands on.

Problem with the town he's living in as of now is, the library and bookshops don't have any books that he hasn't read yet.

"Lavi, come on!"

Allen's voice rang pass his ears and his eye caught sight of a blurry shade of white run past him. The commotion managed to bring Lavi back down from the clouds, but the abruptness of it had the red head almost drop his newest book on Selkies into the fountain.

Allen was already a few good metres away from where Lavi was, his body half turned towards his red haired companion.

"Let's go, Lena and Kanda are waiting!"

There was a faint sheen of sweat on Allen's forehead, the boy likely ran all the way from his house to the centre of town for that to happen. Lavi's lips curled into a smile as he placed his book back into his satchel before getting off the fountain's stone edge. He watched Allen bounce on his heels ever so subtlety as he made his way to the younger teen.

"I swear you're only rushing me because Lenalee made rice cakes for us today."

He was met with Allen's wide grin in return. "Can you blame me? They're just that good."

"You're addicted." Lavi snorted with a slight roll of his eye. His smile took on a cheekier edge as he leaned down close to Allen. "Pretty sure all that glutton is bad for you." He poked at Allen's stomach, yet again amazed that there was only a slight pudgy middle. The kid eats so much yet never gains much weight (if at all), lucky brat.

When Allen smacked his hand away, Lavi had to snicker. Both at Allen's displeased huff and his impatience when food is involved.

Lavi can't help but think it was a mistake to introduce rice cakes into Allen's life, then again no one knew he would come to love the treat so much.

His stomach gave out a quiet rumble, all this food talk has made Lavi wonder what kind of rice cake the Lee family has prepared for them (Allen) today. He glanced at his satchel for a moment, there was only a few pages left on his book, he could finish it when he's at Lenalee's place. Or after he's done with Bookman's work, whichever one works.

"Lavi, let's go!" Allen hollered from afar, the boy was already way ahead of the redhead.

Yes, a mistake indeed.

-.-.-.-

They got puffed rice cakes. Not Lavi's favourite, but still tasty nonetheless.

After helping the Lee siblings bring in heavy wooden crates of empty glass vials-plus unpacking, cleaning them individually, placing them in the storeroom, checking for any ill-fitted corks-they finally settled down in the small dining area, tired but satisfied with the rice cakes Lenalee provided them.

Lavi sat across where a large wooden cabinet was, the panels were made from glass and he can see some of the vials that Kanda had arranged inside. It won't be long until they're all filled to the brim with Komui as their owner. He wondered what weird new concoction Komui was going make this time round, hopefully nothing too disastrous.

Lenalee's elder brother, Komui, is one of the town's doctors. The townsfolk trust him and his vast medical knowledge despite his method being mostly unheard of in this region. He's known to be quite the eccentric fellow by everyone because of his tendency to experiment around with herbs. He's probably the only guy around this part of the land who's still learning and trying to create new alternative cures using methods that were deemed ineffective by renowned researchers.

Doctor by day; 'mad scientist' by night, or so Lenalee once said.

"Thank you so much for helping us with the moving." Komui said with a grateful smile. "It would've taken me hours had it only been me doing the work."

"No biggie, we're glad we could help!" Lavi answered, his smile just as wide and genuine.

Beside him, Kanda grunted what sounded like an agreement. And Allen nodding vigorously next to him with a mouth full of rice cakes. The three very different responses made Komui laugh a bit.

"I'm still glad you were about to lend a hand. I couldn't let my dear Lena do it, I'd rather bear the back pain myself."

"Brother..." Lenalee murmured, looking both peeved and embarrassed at her brother, who in turn flashed her toothy grin, but stopped his gushing regardless.

Allen and Lavi shared a wryly smile with each other at how oblivious Komui is when it comes to his sister's physical strength. He would've loved to mention how she managed to lift Allen up off the ground this one time, but that would be sending his friend and himself into an u painful death.

"Is there anything else?" Kanda asked.

"No, that's about all that needs to be done. I've troubled you all enough today." Komui gave them another smile before turning to leave for the kitchen. "Eat up! You'll need the energy after all that hard labour."

And with that, the man went off to prepare food for dinner, leaving Lenalee and the others in the dining area. The silence wasn't uncomfortable between them, but the mountainous pile of rice cakes set in the middle of the table felt... overbearing.

There was a few hours to spare before dinner time, but Lavi didn't want to spoil his appetite from overstuffing himself, he still ate a few blocks of the puffed rice cakes though.

He sat there twirling what's left of his rice cake chunk while watching his friends talk about mundane things. Usually he'd be joining in with the chat, adding a joke here, a pun there, some informative stuff that he's read about. Today he decided to let the others' voices fill the room, only nodding and giving a small laugh whenever Kanda said something snarky.

Maybe it's the seasonal change that's making him feel so quiet, even when he's among his friends. Winter was never his favourite season.

Some time passed and before they knew it, the sun was beginning to leave them of its light and warmth. The darkening sky meant it was about time Lavi left to find Bookman. He sighed, a guy can't even eat some rice cakes with his friends without worrying about more work.

He popped the remaining bit of rice cake into his mouth and grabbed his satchel before getting up. The squeaking noise his chair made got the others' attention, Lena was the first to ask.

"You're leaving already?"

Lavi forced a smile, it came out looking apologetic and sheepish. "Sorry guys, I have to help gramps with his work."

He wasn't too fond with the silence that came after that, nor stares that he was being given.

"Being Bookman's apprentice doesn't come with days off, huh?" Allen spoke up with a mouth full of chewed rice cakes.

"Hey, that's not true! I get to fool around plenty, and it's not like gramps keeps me on a tight leash or anything."

While his voice was full of lighthearted jest, Lavi's eyes didn't quite meet with the smile he was flashing.

Allen was right though... Bookman always gives him tons of work, and just as much books to read and memorize. He does get a break from time to time, but as of late Bookman has been giving more assignments than usual. And Lavi can't help but think it's probably because his grandfather planned on passing down his position soon.

He's getting old after all, Lavi mused.

Not to mention he's turning nineteen in a few months, there was a good chance Bookman will want him to succeed his title when that time comes. He didn't realize his smile slipped off some time ago, his face now sporting a tired frown, one that the others could see.

"You guys know where to find me, so drop by whenever you're free this weekend."

He heard Kanda's exasperated sigh and looked up.

"Bookman's house is on the other side of the woods." He said, giving Lavi a pointed look. "It takes an hour more or less to get there on foot. I'm not about to waste precious time just to see your dumb face, rabbit brat."

Good ol' Kanda.

Somehow the less than warm response lifted Lavi's mood a bit.

"You know I wonder why Bookman doesn't want to move into town... I mean, he is getting old and wouldn't you be able to keep a better eye on him if he lived closer?" Allen asked. Lavi noted how there were crumbs around his face, and the way Kanda was looking at him with mild disgust.

"He's a stubborn old panda," Lavi said, a snort followed after. "Man if I call him old in front of him again he'll throw another book at my head."

A pause, then, "And! You can actually reach his house under twenty minutes if you walk through the woods." Lavi finished with a proud huff, his eye closed and his smile wide like he'd won an argument.

His friends don't share the same sentiment, in fact all three of them looked at Lavi with a mixture of shock, bewilderment and worry. Of course the red head didn't sense the tense air in the room when he's too busy being surrounded by his own imaginary victory.

"Lavi, the woods are dangerous to walk through. Especially alone." Lenalee's voice was unusually hushed. Kanda whipped his head to look at Lena, then back to Lavi.

"Wait, don't tell me the rabbit brat's been taking that route-" Oh dear here we go.

"Only recently!" Lavi loud retort managed to at least stop Kanda from giving him an earful, he only wished it would help him with the looks he was being given from his friends. He hung his head and let out a dejected sigh, shuffling his feet ever so slightly under their stares.

"I mean, I only did it once or twice..." The red head murmured, "I was carrying a lot of stuff and my feet were hurting and there was still a long distance to go before I could get there so I cut through the forest..."

None of his friends seem pleased with this newly discovered information, especially Lenalee. She found it fitting to be the one who breaks the news first.

"Lavi, haven't you heard? About the rumours."

That got his attention.

"What rumours?" Lavi asked.

He saw how Lenalee's throat seemed to tighten up before she went on, her voice even lower than before. "There are wolves there."

Kanda rolled his eyes when Lavi's face remained unfazed. Of course the rabbit brat doesn't think wolves are a big deal. "Not just normal grey wolves, idiot."

"Werewolves." Lena finished.

"I wouldn't call them werewolves per say." Allen piped in, and Kanda shot him a levelled look for interrupting that the younger boy ignored. "Not sure of the term but, they're more like shape shifters. Think Selkies like in the book you're reading, but like, wolf and not seal."

Another moment of tense silence fell between them, Lavi looked at his friends with a look that can only be described as incredulous and surprise, his mouth slighty ajar from what Allen had said.

"You guys... believe in those things?"

"Oh please, like you're one to talk." Kanda scoffed as he crossed his arms over the front of his shirt. Allen and Lenalee stifled a laugh beside him, the former failing to suppress his laughter when Lavi fumed with cheeks pink and puffy.

"Ugh, whatever." Lavi used his free hand to pull his red cloak off the chair before stepping away from the table. His friends were still staring at him, they were giving him the same unimpressed paternal look.

"...Alright fine, I'll stop taking the short cut."

That finally got them to stop, in an instant their faces morphed back into the default expressions they have on all the time. Lenalee with her golden sunshine smile, same with Allen, and Yu with his grumpy stink face.

When had his friends become as overbearing as that stack of rice cake from earlier?

While in amidst of his pouting, Lenalee had taken a few pieces of the leftover rice cakes off the plate and wrapped them in a linen cloth.

"Here, take some back with you. If Bookman can't eat them, well, more snacks at night for you!"

Lavi didn't miss the jab about gramp's old man teeth, he grinned at the cheeky remark and reached for the wrapped treat.

"See you guys in a few days."

Kanda emitted a grunt as he bit into his partially eaten piece whilst Lenalee waved him goodbye at the door.

"Bye, Lavi. Remember to stay on the path!" Allen called out from behind him, waving both hands at the red head's turned back.

Lavi returned the gesture with a lazy wave of his hand over his cloaked shoulder before he shut the door closed.

To Be Continued

((You can find the fic on AO3 too))

[charonic]

spoilers for zarya vs sombra

Sombra hacks Zarya’s canon and she just shrugs, drops it, and punches her in the face. “Too bad you can’t hack THESE GUNS!” Zarya laughs. She flexes over Sombra’s stunned body. Russia is saved.

[charonic]

Reaper in “Infiltration”

[charonic]

me

[charonic]

@skelizardsden Feel old yet?

[charonic]

‘writing about abuse/r*pe/underage sex/pedophilic ship is ok bc it’s fiction, we’re not hurting anyone. of course we’re against abuse/r*pe/underage sex and pedophilia irl but this is ficiton, also if you don’t like then don’t read stop being sensitive I already put a trigger warning’ 

ok but ya’ll do realize you still find it acceptable enough to create content out of it for the sake of ‘creativity’ and exploring a ‘fictional medium’. This ain’t even gotta do with triggering abuse victims no more, it’s validating abusers and showing that the shit they do is okay enough for y’all to create stories on them. Sure you’re not the one committing anything immoral, but yer letting abusers believe what they’re doing is acceptable. 

Like why do you think we’re trying so hard to dismantle rape culture?? In the end they can add in trigger warning mentions and whatnot, abuse victims are still being notified that your “creativity” just ends at abuse and pain and the suffering of ones dignity, that’s the message people portray.

Also for those who continue to feel offended, y’all are putting fictional stories and fictional characters over sentient beings with very REAL experiences and traumas, and that certainly tells a lot about a person. Miss me on that shit. 

[charonic]

looks like someone is jeALOUS HEH

[charonic]

The No Family. 

Tag yourself I’m A Sock.  edit: I know I made a typeo whoops

[charonic]

The Zodiac Mind When Talking

My overthinking keeps me quiet a lot of the time: Taurus, Virgo, Libra, Aquarius

I probably SHOULD think more before I talk: Aries, Cancer, Leo, Sagittarius

Sometimes you just got to say stuff, to hell with people's feelings: Capricorn, Scorpio, Pisces

What day is it today?: Gemini

[charonic]

Literally I think this fandom needs to learn the difference between nationality and ethnicity because for some reason you all cant grasp the idea of a black/brown european like as if they don’t exist. Stop pretending we don’t exist.

[charonic]

tyki mikk has happily done numerous despicable things w/o even a shred of remorse but would i let him raw me? whenever? wherever? absolutely. any day of the week. every day of the week. any time. any location. several times in one day. every

[charonic]

sometimes ‘brb’ stands for ‘be ready bitch’ so you have to be careful

[charonic]

reaper made some UNEXPECTED friends

[charonic]

Learning to love life again. Print will be available at AX! (I’m at table I26)

Process gifs will be up on my Patreon!

[charonic]

and much, much more.

yeah, I’m pretty much excited.

[charonic]