#how can he be so sharp and dapper and cute at the same time

[leclercskiesahead]

Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

[kteezy997]

A Love Story for Christmas-Part Two(the end)// t.c.

This is not edited, I just wanted to get this out before the end of the year lol enjoy!

“So, you mean the bookstore is going to be closing for good?!”

Timmy shrugged, “Yeah, I mean people have been coming in for years saying that they can get books for cheaper online. And then there’s all the people that don’t care about physical books, so they just read off of their kindles or apps on their phones. Makes it hard to pay bills when people won’t buy our books.”

“Yeah, technology really has ruined the book-reading experience. It’s a shame, really. This place is so charming and sweet, it’s been a reading nook for generations in this town. I would hate to see it close down.”

“Yeah, I actually had an idea to go into business with the local coffee shop, like have the bookstore co-op with the coffee place to be one shop.”

“Oh, that’s an awesome idea!”

“Well, thanks.” he blushed, “but the city didn’t like the idea and the owner of the coffee shop said said no, so…”

An idea popped into your head, you opened your mouth to speak, “Timmy, my-"

“So, um-" he began, both of you spoke at the same time and you laughed in unison.

Wanting to know what he was going to say, you insisted, “You go first.”

“Okay.” he chuckled, “I was just wondering if you were going to the Festival of Christmas Lights on the Square tonight?”

“The Festival of Christmas Lights on the Square? I didn’t know anything about it. What is that?”

“Oh, I’m surprised you haven’t seen the flyers around town; it’s just a little event on the square, there’s displays of Christmas lights and all the local shops and cafes are open. You can walk around, eat, drink, shop and look at all the lights. It’s actually really neat, every year we spend two weeks putting up lights.”

“That’s awesome! Maybe I’ll check it out.” you smiled.

“Well, would you like to go with me?”

“Yes.” you answered, blushing.

“Cool, um, let me get your number and I’ll pick you up around five.”

……….

You were on cloud nine. Not only did you meet a cute new guy, but you got his phone and a first date. Well, you hoped it qualified as a date. And to see Christmas lights and sip hot cocoa, so perfect and cozy.

You had to dress warm, but still wanted to look cute for the date. So, you put on some thermal black leggings and a red sweater dress with your long wool coat over it.

You felt like you were back in high school, waiting for your crush to pick you up for a date.

Timmy pulled up at 5 o’clock sharp.

“Wow, you look pretty.” he announced as you approached him, he had opened the passenger side door for you.

“Aw, thank you. You look nice too.” you replied with a smile. “Thank you for opening the door for me.” you said as you got into his car. He looked very dapper in his black coat with a touch of whimsy from his cozy orange scarf.

“You’re very welcome.” he chirped, shutting the car door after you.

After he got into the driver’s seat and took off, you said, “Thank you for taking me to the light festival.”

“Oh, no, thank you for coming with me. I’m glad to not have to go alone.”

“Can I ask you something without being too invasive?”

“Sure, ask me anything.”

“How is a guy like you single? I mean, I am assuming you’re single?”

“Yeah, no, I am. I just got out of a relationship a few months ago. I just haven’t really gotten back out there, and just been busy trying to save the bookstore.”

“Oh? What have you been doing that’s kept you away from the dating scene?”

“Trying out fundraisers, talking with other businesses to try and collaborate, spending my own money on advertising, shopping around to find cheaper books for wholesale, but nothing is really working. It’s really hard to see my family’s business failing, especially since it’s been a staple in the community for so long.”

“I know, it makes me so sad. Maybe-"

“Hey, we’re here!” he chimed, pulling into a little parking lot.

You looked ahead, seeing the square all lit up and a decent amount of people making their way up there.

“Were you saying something?” Timmy asked, finding a spot and parking the car, turning the engine off.

“No, no. Let’s go!” you exclaimed.

…….

The atmosphere of the busy square was magical. No surface was left undecorated for the holiday season. Multicolored lights were strung, Christmas characters stood on every corner, greenery, holly, snow, everything was a winter wonderland come to life.

Every store and restaurant was open and alive with guests flooding in and out. The smell of coffee and gingerbread covered the exhaust fumes of the cars that would drive by along the square.

The street was packed with smiling faces and rosy cheeks. Timmy held your hand so you wouldn’t be separated. You were bundled up enough so you weren't cold, but tiny little snow flurries started coming down.

After browsing a couple of stores, Timmy took you to the coffee shop for a hot drink. "Hot chocolate?" he asked when it was your turn at the register.

"Sounds perfect." you answered. He ordered two cups.

The hot chocolate was the perfect temperature for drinking. It warmed your whole body even more.

You exited the coffee shop hand in hand, Timmy took a sip from his cup, then said, "So, y/n, I feel like you already know a lot about me, but I've neglected to ask about you."

"Well, what would you like to know?" you giggled as the two of you continued your stroll along the street.

"What do you do for work up in the big city?"

"It's funny you should ask, because I've tried to tell you a couple of different times today, it just didn't come out."

Timmy stopped walking, looking at you, "Oh no, it's my fault isn't it? Did I interrupt you? I talk too much, I know I do, especially if I like someone." He looked down at his feet, shamefully. He looked so cute and pitiful, holding your hand in one of his while the other held his cup of hot chocolate while holding his head down.

"No, no! It's not your fault. I don't think you talk too much. I think you're great, Timothee."

He looked back up at you, smiling softly, "Thank you. I think you're great too, now tell me about your work." he chuckled.

"I actually work in the marketing department for my father's coffee company." you said.

"Really? So, you're in the coffee business?"

"Yes, it's actually one of the biggest coffee chains in the world, I don't know if you've heard of it, Smith's Brew Company?"

"Wait," you could practically see the wheels turning in his head, "so you're y/n Smith, your dad is Ronald Smith of Smith's Brew?"

You nodded, giggling, "Yep that's us."

"Wow, that's incredible. He's like one of my business idols. I can't believe I met you, and that you're from the same place as me." he strengthened his grip softly on your hand.

"I'm glad I met you." you agreed, "And Timmy, I think we could help your bookstore. Remember the bookstore coffee shop combo idea you had? We could talk to my father about starting it. He is a sucker for helping small businesses, there's no way he would say no to helping his hometown save one of its longest running stores!"

"Oh, y/n," he shook his head, "that's a wonderful idea, but I couldn't ask you to do that."

"You didn't ask, I'm offering. You just say the word, and I'll set up a meeting with my dad in the city. He will be happy to meet you and hear your story."

He sighed, then looked at you with a grin, "That would be great, thank you so much." He leaned in and you nearly fell over as his warm lips met your cold cheek.

You weren't expecting the kiss, but you gladly welcomed it. You smiled at him. His sweet eyes made you melt in the snowy air. You stepped closer, your bodies touched, and you rested your head on his chest, never wanting this night to end.

Timmy placed his chin on your head, "So, how long are you in town for? I want to take you on a date before you have to leave."

You moved your head to look up at him, "Is this not a date?"

"Well, I'd like to take you on a second date." he smirked.

"Mom, look they're under the mistletoe!" you heard a child shout from a few feet away.

You and Timmy both looked up, seeing the small greenery with small white flowers and red holly, tied up in a tree with a festive bow.

Smiling at each other, you both knew what had to be done. You closed your eyes, letting him give you the most romantic, body tingling kiss of your life.

@gatoenlaciudad @thebetawolfgirl @musicandbooksaremyhappyplace @softhecreator @tchalamss @lixzey @bitchyunknownuser @ducktapebar @aoi-targaryen @yukideadinside @elloise0 @thatoneweirdgirl17 @mel-vaz @sammy-halpert @iwishchalamet @that-one-fangirl69 @jindongdongie @briefkittenearthquake @imnotoverlyobsessive

[sschmendrick]

This chapter was so so gentle and warm. It's one of these chapters where you almost forget the doomed reality of these two wizards. You can really feel the care they have for each other on a soul-like level. There's quips and banter between the two but still it is so calm and intimate. The casualness and understanding they share, it feels so deep and real. How one can go from this to trying to kill each other I cannot tell.

With this chapter you have my heart in between your hands, fully. It was so good to read. I want them to work out, I want them to be able to keep this bond they have don't want them to look back on these memories and only feel sour, but I don't want them to look back and feel nostalgia because nostalgia means you cannot go back. I cannot help but keep reading but by reading I allow the tragedy to unfold...

On a more cheerful note, I was so not expecting that outfit!! I was so taken aback. Man, Zargothrax looks amazing, not to sound like a broken record but yeah you draw him in dapper outfits all the time. He is so elegant. And were his hair braided on one side this time ? The cropped jacket, the sharp shoulder pads (reminds me of the Wizard's design, or Kingmaker's), the thigh high boots, the double belts, the open shirt, the RED. He knows what he's doing. Gorgeous man. Looking very sexy here. (I wonder what that wristband is. It doesn't look like jewelry)

And the soft look in his eyes. Man that look. The same way you look at something so beautiful you don't want to disturb it, the same way you admire the sea, the mountains and the sun, the same way you look at a flower knowing the best thing you do for her is just looking at her grow.

Also short haired Ralathor? Wow! The short curls are very cute. It's so funny to me how there's always blinding you with fashion Zargothrax and then there's Ralathor. Also if you will indulge me some fandom talk, Ralathor is giving black cat energy, but they both could kill you.

One last thing that you amaze me with is your technology. First I instantly fell in love with the unicorns, but also with most of your comics strips and Heart of Fire being on a submarine/wizard technology environment, I think it is appropriate to praise how amazing all the screens and tablets and technology looks. First off background is not easy but the way you construct the space gives it so much life and realism. I get Star Trek/Alpha 1999 vibes but you make it work so well. Especially all the screens. They give off a blue/cold hue/glow but the room doesn't feel cold. And it's not overwhelming! I am in awe. All your background (especially in the comics, and the big hall in the space station with Wind Rose) are so beautiful :O

Zargothrax with the space pirate vibes and wow, pants, and relatively short hair on Ralathor - I love both the cover and chapter on this one. 

[rainandhotchocolate]

Movie Star - Part 2

A/N AND WE”VE REACHED THE END OF MY ADVENT CALENDAR a day late I know oops. Here’s part 2 to Movie star lovelies, hope you enjoy xx

Part 2

The next week felt like a blur to Y/N. And possibly the weirdest week she had ever experienced in her entire life. She was on set almost every day, with incredibly long hours given that they needed to do just as many night shoots as day ones, and it needed to be perfectly dark for the cinematographers to actually get the right shot.

Y/N had never felt so exhilarated and exhausted at the same time. She’d been on sets before, obviously, having tried to get as many internships and free work whilst she wasn’t getting any paid roles, and having done almost every small time shitty job that you could do behind the camera, but it was nothing like getting to be an entirely different person for 12 hours a day.

She’d met most of the crew, though she struggled to remember names given that there was over 200 of them wandering around at different times of the day. There seemed to be a rotating cast list, with only a few core people on set every single day with Y/N and Sirius. The person that seemed to be around the most was James Potter, who was playing Sirius’ brother Rowan, and had clicked almost immediately with Sirius. During night sets they could regularly be found playing small pranks on the crew to keep their spirits up when they needed to reset a scene for the 50th time.

Y/N hadn’t seen Mary since she’d dropped the very disconcerting news the week previous, but she had received hundreds of emails regarding their ‘relationship’ since then, with a very long list of potential Instagram posts and stories, events they will go together to, and potential dates to flaunt. Y/N had been trying to push down the vague nausea that seemed to wash over her every time she thought about it, but this morning she’d received a text that meant she might puke at any moment.

“Morning, Y/L/N,” Sirius grinned at her as Y/N walked onto set, yawning loudly at him, and holding a large cappuccino.

“Morning, Black. How’ve you been during the past eight hours you’ve not seen me?”

“Not bad, not bad, ate a packet of mike and ike’s instead of dinner but otherwise nothing wild.” He ran a hand through his hair as they walked through the sunny parking lot at the studio. It was incredibly hot, the sun shining directly on Y/N’s back and no cool breeze to stop the sweat from beginning to drip down her back.

“So…” Y/N could sense the slight change in his tone, and her stomach curdled. “Did you get that text this morning?”

“Yep, 6am on the dot. Do you reckon she actually sleeps?”

“I sincerely doubt it,” Sirius barked out a laugh as he pushed open the door to lot 34 and let Y/N pass in front of him. Y/N felt a little relief as Sirius’ face returned to his more natural ‘at-ease-with-anything’ expression.

“But yeah, looks like we’re getting brunch this weekend.” Y/N continued, wanting more than anything to get this conversation out of the way so she could go back to attempting to become best friends with a very influential actor.

“I’ve got to tell you a secret before we do,” Sirius lowered his voice, leaning against Alice’s caravan, his face significantly closer than Y/N was used to. “I don’t like brunch.”

Y/N burst out into laughter, nervous energy bursting out of her. He smelled like the ocean. Shut up, Y/N.

“How do you not like it! It’s the best possible meal.” Y/N protested, Sirius still leaning over her but pulled his head back to smile.

“Honestly, I ust feel like it’s so overpriced and I could probably just cook something better at hom… and I’m sounding like a total prat right now, aren’t I.”

“A little bit… Mr Millionaire.” Y/N teased, shoving his shoulder playfully.

“Oh shut up. Well I guess we must flaunt our incredible, blooming relationship.” He said dramatically, bowing at Y/N. “I’ll see you on set M’lady.”

Y/N rolled her eyes and pushed the door open to meet Alice who was standing very close to the door and giggling.

“You heard all of that didn’t you,” Y/N grumbled.

“Every last romantic word.” Alice bustled her into her chair and stood in front of her, getting started on her face. Y/N had stopped bothering to do herself up before coming into work, given that Alice was likely going to either destroy it or make her look ten times better than Y/N could ever have attempted.

Given that they were still early on in the script, Y/N was normally covered in dirt, but she was soon to be ‘cleaned up’ and accepted into the royal court where Sirius of course would be waiting.

“Have you seen Frank lately?” Alice asked calmly, only a slight edge of curiosity in her voice. Y/N snorted, blowing a puff of foundation powder onto Alice.

“Sorry, you’re just stupidly in love with that boy.”

“I am not!” Alice’s voice went up about two octaves and Y/N grinned wider. “Stop smiling I’m trying to make you look like a sad peasant.”

“I have seen him, given that he is the head cameraman and is constantly in my face.

“Mmm,” Alice replied nonchalantly.

“He mentioned you the other day.”

“Really.”

“Yeah but since you don’t care…”

“I will make you look like a pig,” Alice growled at her, puffing a brush onto her nose, making Y/N smile.

“That’s your head on a platter to Marlene, not mine,” Y/N could hear Alice grumbling under her breath for a few moments before she replied.

“Fine, I admit my stupid crush, what did he say about me.”

“Just that the make up looked very good on set, and he was very impressed.”

Y/N was sure that if she could have opened her eyes that Alice would have been dancing. But instead, all she heard was.

“That’s nice of him.”

Alice ushered her out of the van, wishing Y/N luck for the rest of the day. Y/N waved her off and made her way to costuming before heading back to set. Today Sirius was revealed to be the prince of Altervail, and Y/N had to stop herself from staring at him looking incredibly dapper in a deep navy uniform. It was form fitting and perfectly complimented his dark grey-blue eyes.

“Looking good, peasant,” Sirius grinned when he saw her, turning away from James who was wearing the same uniform.

“Thank you, your highness.” Y/N curtseyed very low in her pants.

“Ready to be accepted into our humble kingdom?” James side-stepped Sirius so he was beside him. It was a little uncanny looking at the two of them next to each other, dark skin and jet black hair. Sirius’ however fell with a kind of curling ease that James’ messy hair could never have achieved.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

In the evening, the crew had set up dinner and someone had brought in a crate of beers since they had managed to finish up early. Y/N had been talking to a small, very peppy brown haired girl when Sirius tapped her on the shoulder.

“Hey, I’m heading off – just wanted to say goodnight,” He was smiling softly down at her. He looked tired, his make up was off and he was wearing an oversized black hoodie. He somehow looked more like himself than Y/N had ever seen him, even though they had spent the last 100 hours together.

“Oh ok, goodnight then.”

“I guess I’ll see you on Sunday.”

“Yes, I nearly forgot,” Liar. He said nothing, but just continued to smile. “But yes, see you then.”

“Ok, well bye then,” And he turned and disappeared into the night.

“Please get out of the bathroom, Lils!” Y/N banged on the door loudly. “I have to go!”

“It’s a fake date, that’s hardly wild plans.” Lily replied, her voice strained. Y/N groaned, she was probably putting on her eyeliner which could take up to an hour.

It was 9:45, and Mary had left specific instructions that she needed to be at the restaurant at 10am sharp and Sirius was going to pick her up. She was to look good, but non-descript, like they were on a date but not trying to show off. It was a lot of instructions that Y/N really couldn’t figure out. Lily and herself had spent two hours going through each of their wardrobes trying to pick out an outfit that fit Mary’s words and they had finally settled on a simple yellow summer dress and sandals.

The doorbell rang and Y/N jumped.

“Fucking hell Lily, he’s here! Get out and stall him so I can look like an awake human being!”

The door swung open, Lily’s long red hair swishing along her shoulder, one terribly lined eye done and the other black line smudged all over her eye.

“You look great.”

“Shut up and put on your face.”

She swung passed her and towards the front door as Y/N moved quickly towards the bathroom mirror, pulling open all the drawers manically.

“Hey, come on in, she’s just getting ready.” Y/N could hear the door open and Lily inviting him inside, panic was building in her chest. How do you get ready for a date with Sirius Black? What were they going to say about her? What if every magazine just posts about how pathetic she looked beside him?

Lily popped her head around the doorway.

“He’s cute, also brown eyeshadow, keep it easy.”

“Thanks,” Y/N grabbed the palate beside her and attempted her eyes as Lily disappeared back down into their tiny kitchen/living room. Y/N could hear light chatter but couldn’t make out the words, which somehow made her even more nervous. Finally, she looked at herself in the mirror and grimaced. Good enough.

She made her way into the main room to greet him, plastering a look of calm and confidence onto her face.

“Hey! You found the place ok?” She smiled at Sirius and pulled him into a hug. Nice one, never done that before.

“Yeah, I actually used to live around here. Ready to go?” He was wearing a linen white shirt, rolled up at the sleeves and dark blue jeans that were tight but not too tight. He looked perfectly casual but nice. Fuck.

“Yep, ready as ever.” Y/N grabbed her denim jacket and kissed Lily on the cheek goodbye, following Sirius out the door.

Taglist:  @averytruerayofsunshine @siriuslyjanhvi @blushingskywalker @blackpinkdolan @thebabblingbookworm @cherrie511 @imlukesnirvana​ @avengersassemblee​ @maraudersandco​ @sly-vixen-up2nogood​ @katbernoulli @sirius-lysad​ @evyiione​ @minerva26love​ @aikeia​ @gollyderek​ @greatwombatblaze​  @songforhema​  @your-typical-giggle @myownviperroom @hermionie-is-my-queen @demiwitch527

Movie star taglist:    WANGMANGAGAVROCHE    @RIDDIKULUSLYPOTTER

[beerecordings]

Hello! I saw your post on what red looked like and I wanted to ask what the others looked like? Are they identical twins or are they more along the lines of the other post you made where they became different except for anti? (in mbc). :)

of course!! do you mind if i copy from another post where i compiled what they look like? dude i would be SO excited to see another piece from you!! this Jackie one is so cool!!!

okay so like i said earlier these are more guidelines than anything else! there are some canon details but it’s okay to change or expand on them because i LOVE to see how artists or other writers or just casual readers see the boys. so you don’t have to stick too strictly to anything. it’s definitely an image we build together

Blue has like a long brown coat over like a t-shirt and jeans and boots. Anti cut his hair short and dyed parts of it blue. he wears a lot of jewelry, earrings and rings and bracelets and stuff. his canines are a little sharp.

Red has parts of his hair dyed red and he’s usually allowed to wear a black hoodie. he likes shorts or sweatpants when he’s cold and he always has nice sneakers. his real hair color is more ginger than the others (so yes there can totally be some of the changing with time headcanons in there if you like any of them!!!) he’s the most built of his brothers and his face is a little scarred up

Dapper wears whatever Anti gives him and is allowed to keep his mustache. usually his outfits are like over-sized sweaters and big coats and anything Anti thinks is cute on him, but when he’s trying to make sure he’s in line, he puts Dapper back in his little vest and dress shirt and pants to remind him that he’s a puppet. his hair is pretty curly and he has freckles. he keeps his sleeves long and his collar up to hide scars if possible. because he was the first one to be broken in, the process was the messiest and most forceful.

Trick and Doktor have their hair cut the same way and often look very alike, even using each other for mirrors, but Doktor wears glasses. they wear t-shirts and jeans and sweatpants and often share clothes. the green coat featured pretty heavily in chapter one with one of them wearing it, but i think it was destroyed by the day they got to the beach. of course he has his new doctor’s coat now! Trick has brand Converse sneakers he takes very good care of and usually gets to wear gauges. most likely to be mistaken for actual twins and they have a bond like it too.

Anti looks however he wants, sometimes more monster, sometimes more man. ironically, at this point, he looks the most like Jack day-to-day, and sometimes obsessively reconstructs Jack’s old appearances, so he might just wake up and decide to look exactly like Jack from doki doki literature or pax east 20whatever or whatever he fees like hating on that particular day.

[borhapimagines]

imagine: the ring incident

pairing: gwilym x reader

word count: 1240

summary: you and gwilym were just friends. so why did it freak you out when you found an engagement ring? 

warnings: none. pure fluff :)

You swiftly walked onto set, hoping that your boss, Rebecca, wouldn’t notice your late arrival.

“Ah!”, you squeaked as you collided with a tall brunette. Coffee spilled everywhere, but most noticeably, on your blouse. The young man’s eyes went wide.

“I’m so so sorry, here let me help you”, he quickly stated, grabbing some napkins. You saw panic and worry flood his eyes.

“Oh it’s fine, don’t worry about it,” you said quietly, silently thanking God that you worked in costume design.

You didn’t know this at the time, but Gwil had acquired a bit of a crush on you. Hours in hair and makeup meant that the two of you had to spend a lot of time together. What you and Gwil quickly realized was that you didn’t mind each other’s company.

“Ok”, Gwil smiled. “I’ll try to make it up to you by being less fussy about my wig.”

You actually thought Gwil’s complaints about Brian’s iconic hair were rather cute. He was such a cordial and relaxed man; it was fun to see him get a little neurotic every once in a while.

“We’ll see about that”, you replied with a laugh.

~

  During a break, you approached Gwil’s trailer nervously. He had left one of his rings at his hair and makeup station, and typically you would have just given it back to him next time you saw him. Admittedly, you wanted an excuse to talk to him.

  After taking a deep breath, you knocked. After a few seconds of waiting, you heard footsteps, and Gwil opened the door.

  “Hey”, he greeted warmly.

  “Hi!” you replied. Holding out your hands, you revealed Gwil’s silver ring. “You left this, and I thought you might want it back.”

   Then it hit you.

   After giving the ring another good look, you realized something. This wasn’t just any old ring. It was an engagement ring. It had to be. It certainly looked like one. Suddenly, you wondered how you could have been so stupid. So stupid that you mindlessly flirted with him, not even bothering to find out where he was at, relationship wise.

   Come to think of it, you never really noticed him reciprocating any feelings. Gwilym was always friendly and kind, but never really pushed the boundary of flirtatious. It made so much sense now. And you felt like an idiot.

   You snapped out of your trance when Gwil responded.

   “Oh goodness, thank you so much! I can’t believe I forgot it. I must be getting old”, he joked.

   Not wanting to prolong thing moment any longer, you quickly smiled and began to shift away from the door.

   “No problem. I’ll, uh- see you around”.

  And with that, you swiftly made your way back to your nook in hair and makeup. Truly, you didn’t have anything to do at the moment. You just wanted to avoid Gwil and the other cast members as much as possible. You hadn’t done anything explicitly, but you remembered the night that Ben, who you had known from a previous project, invited you out for drinks with the cast.

After a few vodka sodas, you wouldn’t say you were drunk, but you definitely had drinken enough to fall into the lovely stage of being buzzed; the stage where you overshared.

   After talking about work for a while, the topic of relationships came up. Joe began to slur on about how he set Rami and Lucy up, and that if he isn’t the best man at the wedding, he was suing. As everyone vaguely discussed their romantic ventures, Gwil excused himself to get another drink. During his absence, Ben asked if you were seeing anyone. You explained that it had actually been quite a while since you had talked to anyone. Unsatisfied with your answer, Joe interjected.    “Is there anyone you want to be talking to?”

   “Well, no, not particularly, I don’t think.”

  The group gave each other knowing looks, not buying it.

    “Are you sure?”, Lucy cooed.

   You just laughed in response. What were you going to say? I have a fat crush on the man who just walked away, but don’t tell him? It seemed so childish.

    After a bit more chatting, Gwil made his way back to the booth. Before he got too close, Lucy said, “Gwil has been looking extra sharp recently, wouldn’t you say?”

   Rami laughed, half-offended. “Hey!”

   “I’m just making an observation”, she teased back.

   She wasn’t wrong. He looked good.

   “He looks the same to me. But I still might cheat on Ben with him”, Joe joked.

  “ Y/N, back me up on this. You’re a girl, and can’t you just tell? Like something weird happened, and now he looks extra dapper.”

    You tried your best not to blush.

    “Uh- yeah, I guess I can see. Not that he didn’t look pretty good to begin with though.”

    Joe gave you a look. “So you do want to talk to someone. And it’s Gwil.”

    “No! I’m just agreeing with Lucy’s point.”

     Joe sipped his beer. “Ok. Well, I think it’s funny you say that because-” Ben gave him a sharp nudge.

      “What? It’s not like he’s married yet or anything.”

    Something you wouldn’t come to realize until later was that Gwil had heard the entire conversation.

~

 You had never felt more stupid. And you didn’t want to have to face the group knowing the embarrassment you had unknowingly bestowed upon yourself.

  Your attempt to avoid everyone failed, though. Hearing a knock on the door, you cautiously opened it. It was Gwil. Great.

   “Hi. Um, so I’m not sure if I’ve just taken something completely out of context or what. Um, did you think this was an engagement ring or something?” Gwil had never sounded this nervous before. He was usually so suave.

   “Well, I mean, I kind of figured. Is it not?

 Gwil quickly replied, “No! No, it’s not.”

 What was it then? It didn’t make any sense.

  Realizing your confusion, Gwil elaborated.

  “This ring is like, a family heirloom of sorts. I sometimes wear it if I know I’m going to see my family that day. Why it looks so much like a wedding band, I don’t know.”

    You were suddenly anxious for a completely different reason than before.

   “Oh, I see. Well that’s thoughtful of you. To, you know, wear it”, you replied with a smile, slightly embarrassed.

   “Anyway, I just wanted to clear that up with you, just because. Well just because I did `` Gwil said, suppressing a grin.

    Your breath hitched slightly. You had never wanted someone so badly.

    “Oh, okay. Well, I’m glad you have it now.”

    The two of you made eye contact for what seemed like forever. It wasn’t until Gwil leaned in more, that you realized how close the two of you were. If he made one more step towards you, you would be kissing.

    Knowing this, Gwil took one step forward, cautiously kissing you. His lips parted from yours briefly, as if he was waiting for your permission. Realizing this, you leaned back in, kissing him, just a little deeper this time.

   It was a feeling you could barely describe with words. There was so much longing behind, as if the two of you had been waiting to do it for months. Perhaps you were.

  After what seemed like only a moment, you broke apart. He gave a breathy laugh.

  “Well, it’s a good thing you’re not engaged”, you smiled.  

[kisstheashes]

Self Preservation CH. 7: Broken Toys

Summary: Torture toys were, unfortunately, few and far between for Anti. He knew he was lucky to find one so interesting.

Content warnings: graphic depictions of torture i.e eye gore, cannibalism, body suspension

Chapter Archive + Moodboard

Tagging:: @shadowstakeall @egopocalypse @antis-loyal-puppet @fandoms-creed @atlanta-art @steffid101 @starlightxnightmare @ratatat-barakat @here-be-becquerel @superbanananinja234 @floatingspacejunkie @watermelonsinmyattic @vity-dream @cute-anxious-kitten @sylver-rhymes (if you want to be tagged notify me! I’ll gladly add you to the list!)

A/N: There are a few things with this chapter that I want to mention: 1) This is a mega chapter. Its 6,000 words long. 2) PLEASE heed the content warnings. This is the most graphic chapter yet, and there are things in here that left me uncomfortable. Okay? I hope you still enjoy my evil ways! :)

JJ walked slightly behind Jackie, shaking. The halls were dark and silent. They had no direction this time, no static guiding them. Jackie seemed confident they'd find Marvin and escape, but JJ knew otherwise. Even if they could have found the way out, that monster would not let them leave. "Trying to find Marvin is going to kill us," he signed to himself. The sound of their footsteps echoing in the corridors was going to drive JJ insane. He needed to distract himself from the new nightmare he was about to be subject to. He swallowed the lump in his throat and started whistling.

Jackie flinched when JJ started whistling. It was a familiar tune by now, and though it was off key it didn't matter. The noise was a nice distraction. Jackie intensified his red glow, mind wandering. He hadn't thought that when he first met Henrik this is how their lives would end up.

Jackie heard an angry German accent as he walked passed the side street, then some very prominent threats. "Give me your wallet or I'll kill you!"

"You are not very creative, are you? I told you I do not have any money!" the German hissed.

A robbery. Jackie didn't care that he was in his street clothes; he ran to the scene. "Hey! No one is dying!" The robber was a young guy, possibly even a teenager. He was likely not much younger than Jackie. He was shaking and had wide eyes. He held a gun aimed at the older man whose back was to Jackie. 

The teen aimed his gun at Jackie then froze, confused over something. "I-I'll kill you too! Get out of here!"

Jackie put his hands up, moving forward cautiously. "I'm not going to hurt you, kid. I don't want to hurt anyone. He said he doesn't have any money. Let him go." Jackie kept his voice low and calm.

"I know he's lying!" the kid screamed, gun shaking. 

The German huffed. "Stupid kid!" The teen started pulling the trigger. "Scheisse!" The German went for the gun, but it fired. Jackie gasped, feeling the bullet tear through his gut. 

"Fuck!" Jackie held his stomach, blood spilling through his fingers. The kid gasped and ran away with the gun, and the German ran to Jackie.

"I am a doctor, let me help!" He took a quick look at the blood pouring onto the pavement. "Will you let me take you to my home? It is closer than any hospital." Jackie flicked his eyes up to the man's face, shocked that it looked exactly like his. The German smiled wryly. "I will explain later! Let me help you now."

Jackie nodded. He didn't have a choice, did he? "Do whatever you have to, doctor."

After Jackie was stitched up and comfortable on the sofa, Henrik had properly introduced himself and explained why they had the same face. Doppelgangers existed after all. Jackie sighed and chewed on his lip. He really missed Henrik. He hoped they could get him back from Anti's corruption. He could still save his friends. He had to save his friends. He wouldn't be able to live knowing he failed them.

JJ heard Jackie take a deep breath as he continued to whistle. In any other situation, that would have been a sign of relaxation and contentedness. Jamie tugged on Jackie's sleeve. When Jackie turned towards Jamie he signed, "Can you see me?"

Jackie glowed a little brighter. "Yeah...what's up?" Jackie's speech was slow, like when he was particularly pensive.

JJ swallowed, the slight burn forever a reminder of how damaged he was. "That demon will not let us out of here. It has plans for us." He faltered, images of claws and sharp teeth invading his head. "It knows us just as well as we know ourselves. We cannot beat it." Jamie's hands shook as static tingled their skin.

There was a determined look in Jackie's eye. "We will. We have to. I won't let him win!"

Anti giggled as he glitched into the hallway, lights turning on. "You͏ ҉c͝a͏ǹ't͘ s̵ave͡ ąnyone̸, J͏a̡cki̷eboy҉ ͡Mąǹ,"́ he hissed. A deep scowl was on his face, and neon yellow eyes burned with seething hatred.

Jackie felt chills go down his spine. Those piercing yellow eyes were haunting in their abnormality. "What did you do?" Fear and anger gripped his chest, but he refused to let it show. His glow turned into a brighter, ladybug red and encircled his hands as he readied an energy blast. 

"̢Not̴h͞i҉n̕g̷ you ͏ne̛e̵d ̧t̨o wo҉rry̕ a̧b̕ou̷t ҉jus͢t̛ ̢y̢et," Anti said through gritted teeth. He bared his teeth, blood residue still clinging to them. He noted his toy fleeing, and let him. He wouldn't make it out. Anti glitched within a few feet of Jackie, scowl on his face. "͜Y̕o̷u̶'re ͏w̷òŕthl͢ess, her͜o͜. ͞On̢ly̧ ҉p̸r͟ólo͞n̵g̀i͡ng͜ ͟t͡h͏e͟ ̢i̵nȩvita͢ble҉.͠..͞" His claws itched to slash through that irritating red suit. His blood would hardly show up on it.

Jackie could hear Marvin's voice in his head, telling him to wait. But Jackie had done enough waiting. He threw the energy blast that had been waiting, and it hit Anti square in his chest. The glitch stumbled and let out a growl that sounded like a broken VHS tape. A knife flew at Jackie and he jumped out of the way, nearly fast enough to look like a glitch himself. Jackie opened his palm and the light from the fluorescents flew into his hand. They were plunged them into darkness but for the bright orb in his hands, which he threw at Anti. Jackie watched his projectile graze Anti's arm as he glitched away, the glitch letting out a hiss. "Hope it burns, fucker." 

Anti laughed bitterly, glitching behind the hero. He clawed into his back, Jackie let out a gasp before turning around to block another strike. He was stupid to take the only light they had, even if it was the most effective way to hurt the glitch. Anti could see him, but he couldn't see Anti. Jackie shoved then kicked Anti as hard as he could, coming into contact with the glitch's side. Anti moved silently, leaving Jackie like a sitting duck. He grinned, taking Jackie by the throat and slamming him against the wall. Jackie's head thudded on impact and he let out a deep groan. "͜Y̧o̕u may̵ ̶b͏e ̸super͘hu҉ma҉n but̵ y҉ou͢'̕r̴e̷.̵ St̸i҉ll̛. H͞ưman̷." He slammed Jackie's head into the wall again, before glitching him into an isolated room.

Disoriented by the concussion, Jackie couldn't focus enough to hurt Anti. He could only hear that damn twisted laugh before being left alone in a cold, dark room.

Anti glitched into the middle of a dark hallway, focusing in on his toy. He was still running, trying to find a way out. Anti could almost taste his delightful fear. His toy slowed and stopped; heart palpitating, tears falling. A lazy, wide grin split Anti's face as he ran his too-long tongue across his teeth. He'd waited a very long time for this day.

Jamie didn't need to hear the static to know the virus was suddenly standing in front of him in the dark. Feeling his corrupted aura was enough. JJ shook his head, shaky hands signing, "Leave me alone." His legs were too weak for him to run anymore.

Anti stepped within inches of his toy, staccato echoes of footsteps ringing. "͘Y͠o͢u'r͠e҉ mućh ͞t́o̴o fu̶ǹ f͟or͡ ̧that̷,"͏ he purred. Memories of Dapper tied down and screaming scratched under his skin. Anti gripped his toy's arm, glitching them into a small barren room, save for a few chairs and metal trays on stands, and something in the far corner Anti was saving for later. His toy was a shaking crying mess, unable to fight as he was tied to a heavy wooden chair. He gasped for breath, and Anti felt sparks go through him as he watched Dapper panic.

The monster ran his long tongue across his teeth, feeling giddiness spark his whole body. He twirled the knife in his hands. ͘"҉Wh͡er̷ę to s͡t͏a̕r͞t,͟ h̷m҉?" It hummed, then grinned. ͞"I w͜an̵t ͡to̸ ̷se҉e̵ ̸you̷r sc̀a̸rs,͝ Daṕp̨ęr̸.͜"͟ JJ shook his head, still crying. It felt like the beginning all over again. It tilted his head, contemplative. ̧"̷I th́ink yo҉u̴ ͘kņo̧w ̢t҉h̡àt'͞ş n͘ot ̴t͜he b̵egi͏nn̨i̸ng̶.͡" Jamie looked at the demon through watery eyes, seeing Sean. "͝J͟ac͝k̷," the monster reminded him through gritted teeth. "͢I t̢o͢l̶d̀ y̶o͘u ̀ţơ c̛a̛l̡l ͡m̢ȩ J҉a͏ck.̢" Its voice held a mangled Irish accent that was too heavy to be recognizable.

Jameson had successfully finished a film that day, and his friends took him to the bar to celebrate. He smiled. It was unwise of Jameson to expect anything more formal from them. Not to say he didn't enjoy himself; the bar was always fun. Enough drinks to black out, good music, and lovely women. However, this was a newly opened bar, with an unfamiliar atmosphere. Jameson stuck close to his friends, observing the other patrons rather than getting involved. It was crowded for a new bar, though he wouldn't complain. It wasn't polite to complain when one was being paid for. 

He caught a glance of a figure on the other side of the room; a flash of pure green then nothing. Jameson frowned, wondering if the liquor was affecting him already. Perhaps it was merely a store sign from outside. It did seem oddly human, so it was likely the liquor. Jameson sat back in the booth, asking one of his friends to order him a glass of water. "Already? Come on, James, there is no way you're drunk! You've had two drinks!"

Jameson smiled wryly. "Mayhaps I am only tired. I prefer to not take the risk of a hangover either way." Two of the five of them were flushed with drink. He hoped no one would get in trouble with the law again. One of them ordered Jameson a glass of water, which eased his mind.

As he sipped the cooling drink, Jameson continued to spot green flashes around the room. He thought it curious that he did not feel faint or dizzy. No one else seemed to notice the green human-shaped flashes. "Interesting..." he murmured.

"What?" His friend shouted in his ear, much too loud. It made Jameson flinch. "It was nothing of importance," Jameson waved him off.

Another, more sober friend caught his attention. "We all are going to find women to dance with. Do you want to join us?" He'd seemed to notice how distracted Jameson was.

"I would prefer to stay here. I might take my leave early tonight. I'm quite tired." His mostly sober friend clapped him on the arm before joining everyone else to dance. Jameson sat alone in the booth, attempting to spot the green flashes again. He hadn't seen any for a few minutes. Perhaps the water was what he needed. 

A spindly figure approached the booth, clearing their throat. Jameson had hoped they weren't interested in him. "Pardon me, but yeh look familiar." The strong Irish accent surprised Jameson, though not as much as the face. A complete look alike, save for the beard and piercing green eyes. His doppelganger smiled wide- it was one of the brightest smiles Jameson had seen in a while. "Do yeh mind?" He gestured to the seats. Jameson nodded, at a loss for words. The man sat opposite of Jameson and held out his hand. "Me name's Jack."

Jameson let out a huff of a laugh. "I'm Jameson Jackson."

JJ shifted in his binds and tried to regulate his breathing. He hated that memory. He'd been so inept. To think this monster was a friend. Foolish. 

Anti smiled, shiny knife in hand. "Do y͘o͞u̢ r̕eme͡mb̀er w͠h̴a̶t҉ y̛ou so̧uņde̢d͠ ͡l͝i̴ķe, Dappe̡r?͠" He giggled and sauntered closer, placing the knife against the scar on his toy's neck. Dapper took a shaky breath, eyes sliding to the floor rather than Anti's neon yellow eyes. He scoffed. ̵"͟I͝ d͡id͟n'͝t͡ ̢th͜ink ͢so͜.̷"͘ He forced his toy to look at him again. ͏"̢I d͠o͘. ͟S̛ham̷e ͝you͘ ͡w̶er̢e so̶ án͠n̶oy̛i͝ng̢. ͏Yo̶u̸ŗ v͏o͜ic̨e ̛wàs͟ ́won̸d͠e͜r͏f͞u̸l.̵"̡̡ He grinned wide and shark-like.

JJ wished he could look away. Those neon yellow irises burned into his brain; he didn't need to look at this monster ever again. "Get away from me," JJ thought. He knew it could hear his thoughts. It always could.

It bellowed out a laugh- it was the closed thing to Sean's laugh that Jamie had heard in a long, long time. "Why͘ th̶e ̶fu͜c͞k ̡woul̸d ͘I ̀d̴o͞ ͘t͡hat̸? ͡Yo͟u̵'re͞ m͟y̶ toy҉, Dapp̧er̀.͜ ̀I̧ ͜ça͘n҉ d͟o҉ ̵w̸h͡ate̸v́e̵r t͘he̴ he͠ll͠ I̛ w͟a͏n̶t̸ ̡w͜i̴th y̛ou҉.̵"̀ The demon's voice still held that Irish accent Jamie had never heard before. It chuckled and turned away, headed for the metal trays.

"That's not your voice."

Anti stopped dead in his tracks, turning back around. He studied his toy, pensive. "͝No͝t ͞in ͘thi̴s̴ ͘body."̨ The thing fuzzed out like it was still settling into that borrowed skin. "De͞a͟r ol'̵ ̸J̨a̸ck ̛is m̵e ͟f͠a̷v͡o̡ri̷t͠e̸ ̀to̡ug̷h̶.̢" The yellow irises were fading, right eye pure black. Anti hummed, flipping the knife in its hands. "O̡u̧t̸ ͏of̶ everyth͜i̶ng ̵I͏'̧ve͡ li̵ved ̴t̀h̛roug͡h̵,̸ t͜h͝i͟s c͟ertainly i͏s͢ t͏h͝e͞ ͝m̢os̨t͠ ente͢r̵ta̵i͝ning.͢.̨."͝

Jamie let out a breath that could have been a whine. "Why...?" He couldn't form a full thought, fear and the sound of static getting in the way.

Anti giggled. "I ͏wa͞s ̧tire̢d ҉of̢ ͞s͡i̧tt̨in͠g ̷and̷ ͝doi̡ng͏ ̴not́hi͡ng͝.͡ I'̸d ̴b̴een͟ ͞q̸u͠ie̶t͝ f̵or҉ ̶f̧ar ͏to͢o ̴l͘o͝n̵g.͞ I n͏ee̸ded ̀e̡xcite̛m҉ent."̢ He paused, a scowl showing up on his face. He glitched like he was coming apart, body contorting in impossible ways. ́"̨S͟t͞uck ̴i͟ns̕id̵e ͢a b̶ody̢ I̸ ͜k̀new͜ w͝as mi̢n͞e!̷ ́He҉ ̡refu̷sed to͞ ̡gi͠v̶e̸ mè th҉e̡ ̨c̶o͞n͡t͘ro͏l͞ ̨I̵ de͏s̕e͝r̡ved͝!̸"͏ he shrieked. Faint, historic voices played inside Anti's head. A reminder of what he once was. His neck snapped to the side, the slit on his neck tearing open a little wider. Fresh blood started trickling down to his chest. ͡"́So̵ p̸o͜si͜tive ͏I ҉w̴as͠ d͢ro͠wning!͘ H̀e ̢w͠a͜s muŗd͏ȩr̀ing ̵me̸.͡ Yo̷u͡ ̕all͟ ͡we̕re̢!̛"͢ ̴ He growled, now neon green eye burning with hate as he brandished his knife. "̶I ͟nev̡er̷ a̢ske҉d҉ ͠f̵o̷r̛ ̸thìs!̵ ̡T̵hey fo̢r̕c͝ed͘ t͏h̸is ̕b̸o̧d̕y͞ on m͘e!̧" Memories of those voices kept swimming inside his head. Arrogant attitudes and anger when the thing they created betrayed them. The centuries of alternating between leaving hoards of bodies in his wake then going into hiding so they couldn't find him. He wasn't going back to their slavery. He let out a small cry of pain as he glitched hard enough to feel himself start turning inside out. He scoffed. ̸"̴Per͡f̕ect ̀op̢p̡osi̴ţe͞,"͡ ̕ he mocked. T̷hey ͏w̕a͞n͠t͘e͢d Jac͠k͠ ͝t͟o ͠k͝i҉ll̢ me̶.͡.҉ ͜ ̢ Anti growled again, static crackling through the air like fireworks. He turned his attention back to his toy, heterochromatic eyes flashing yellow, red, purple. Remnants of lives gone by. A deep snarl resided on his face as he pointed his knife at Dapper.  ͝"͝I n̛ęe͘d̢e̵d ͞y͘ou.̷ ͞Y̢o̡uŕ ͜féar ̵m̀a͢d͠e ̵me ͟s̷t͏ro͝n͏g̕er. I co̕ưld̵ st͡ąrt̛ li̢vi͏n̡g҉ ҉aga̕in! ̕T͜ak͞i̴n͠g͡ ͡w̸h̕at̕ ẃa̶s r͏ightfu̡ll̢y͡ m͘in͘e̷."̴ ̛ The epileptic glitches made it nauseating to look at him.

The only sounds following the demon's rage were JJ's heavy breathing and the deafening sound of static. JJ didn't understand. How could have his brothers been killing this demon? What was it babbling on about? "Who is they?"

Anti hissed like he'd been burned, eyes flashing pure black with green irises. "͏Eve͡nt͠uál̡ b҉o̕di̴es̶,́" he growled. Anti gripped his knife, sharp teeth bared. "̵N͢oẃ. Let̢ ͟me͞ ̕s̴ee th̸e s̢car̸s ̨I ͟m̶a͞d̵ę."́ He twisted the knife in his hands, taking hold of JJ's collared shirt. He cut through the clothing carelessly, leaving scratches and gashes in his wake.

JJ gasped every time a new cut was made. Scars would form on top of scars. "You're a monster," he thought.

A small, stuttering sound that sounded like a scoff left the demon's slit throat. "́I've bee͟n͘ ̨calle͢d͝ worse͞.̡" Every word that left that twisted mouth; every sound that left that slit throat left a panic inside JJ he couldn't quell. Memories of kind words and blinding smiles twisted within memories of betrayal and fear.

Anti finished ripping his toy's shirt to nothing, exposing his heavily scarred torso. The cloth tatters settled around Dapper's wrists and arms like another restraint. Anti stepped back, sharp teeth poking through the smirk on his face. "̵E̕vȩry҉ ͡si̸ng̨l̡e ̴on̶e..͡.l̴ef͠t҉ b̷y m̴é.̶" He grinned, those lovely memories making him crave more. His fingers tightened around the handle of his blade. Those historic memories had quieted, replaced with all of the things Anti wanted to do to his toy.

JJ hung his head, watching his blood color his skin and soak into the hem of his pants. Tears welled then fell as Jamie held back from the sobs that wanted to escape.  "Why won't you kill me?" he cried out in his thoughts.

Anti had turned back to the trays, taking something small from one and pocketing it. Jamie's heart beat faster. The glitch kicked the empty chair closer to his toy. There was a sudden lack of static, the utter silence suffocating. He situated the chair slightly adjacent to Dapper's and stayed quiet, admiring his toy's scars. Anti sat in the chair and reached out with his knife and collected a stream of blood on it, licking it off. "̛I̸'͡l͠l k͏il҉l yo̢u ẁhen̸ ̨I g̴et̶ bo͡re͠d́ ͢of ͠y̴ou͢.̴" He hummed, licking up the remnants of blood from his knife. The demon glitched, grinning wide as the slit on his neck. "̧I̕ ̢h̷a͝v͝e s͏om̕ȩ ̵ve̛ry ͏special t̸h̢in͝g̷ş p͝l̸ann̷ed for͘ y̵o̵ú.,̧ ́D͟a͞p͞per͟.҉"

Jamie's lips parted in what would have been a whimper. Anti took a needle and threat out of his pocket, a static-filled chuckle escaping. "I͡f́ yo̡ư're͏ sti̷l҉l͜ i͜t w͠o͡n't hur̕t ̢s̶o̷ ̧muc͟h."͘ JJ glanced at the needle, fear in his eyes. Anti laughed and forced his toy's head up and to the side. He stabbed the needle through the lower right corner of JJ's lips. His toy tried screaming, breath coming out in short gasps. "You͢ ̡st̷il͢l͘ f͠òŗg̸e͡t̸ y͠o͝u ͢c̷a͠n't͞ sp͢e͘ak҉,̸ ̸Da͠p̀p̴e͞r,̶"̴ Anti giggled, continuing to sew JJ's lips shut.

More tears fell as the needle tore holes in his skin and forced his lips shut. He didn't ask- he didn't care why this was happening. It wanted to. It saw JJ as its toy. That was all he needed to know. It was more than he wanted to know. The pain from the needle was sharp, and the holes the glitch made burned like fresh fire as the thread ran through them. 

Anti was concentrating, silent as he recalled how to stitch from all his time in Schneeplestein's head. When he finished Anti cut the thread with his knife. The job was rough and messy, tiny blood trails settling between his toy's closed lips and down his chin. Anti smiled as he ran the tips of his fingers over the thread. "̨Mu͡t̛es ̴h̸a͘ve no r̶ea̡s͡ón to͞ ̕op͝en͜ th̛eir mo̕ut͘hs͠, do͢ ̶th̡ey̧?"҉ The demon's smile turned into a sadistic, mocking grin.

JJ hung his head as he sobbed. "Please, stop. You've taken enough from me." His hands twitched in their binds, wanting to sign.

Anti hummed and got up from his chair, tossing the needle aside. It landed somewhere close with a small dink noise. "̸No҉t ̢q̴ui҉te ͏y̴et I ͝hav̕eǹ'̧t.͜"͡ Jamie heard things being moved around on the metal trays."I͞ ̡h̀ave ͞a͞ ̶few̛ ̕ḿo̶re͡ ̡i̴de̕as,͡ ͘Dap͟p̀er.҉"̵ He heard the demon walk back to him. The chair creaked with his weight as he sat down. It started glitching with excitement, his laugh low and like a buffering video. JJ glanced at him, those heterochromatic eyes haunting. There was a black and silver tool in one of Anti's hands. JJ didn't want to know what it was for.

Anti stood, a sharp smile on his face. His body contorted in impossible ways. Excitement electrified his veins as he grabbed his toy's hair and tipped his head back. He flipped the melon baller like it was his knife, giggling. "̧Which̨ ̧one, ̀w̸h͜ich on̸e̡.̸.̡.̢" 

JJ was stone still with terror. He knew what this demon was going to do. JJ pleaded in his head, begging Anti to not do it. The thing smirked. "̷I ͠t̷hi͜n͟k͠ ͟the l͜e͏f͡t̴ on͞e͝ ͡w͘il͜l͞ ͠b̵e ̕b̸ett̡er.͠"͘

JJ tried struggling and turning his head away, but it was no use. The monster forced his eye open and slowly started taking his toy's eye.

His body strained and he struggled. Nothing Anti had done before compared to this pain. Blood streamed down his face and squirted everywhere. JJ's eye started popping out of the socket as the pain consumed him, making him sick and dizzy.

Anti bit his lip, breaking the skin and drawing a few droplets of blood to the surface. He contained himself and kept a slow pace, enjoying the sight of his toy's eye falling out of its socket. Bright blue and stark white covered in shiny red. Anti felt his borrowed heart start pounding, his hands shaking. He'd waited years for this. Everything had gotten in his way.

Blood poured down half of JJ's face and soaked the thread in his lips. His vision was flashing red and black and white. He could barely breathe and tasted copper. His body was giving out, muscles spasming and limbs going limp. His good eye was blurry with tears.

More than halfway through, Anti became impatient. His eyes were pure black and his claws were out, with sharp teeth and saliva dripping down his chin and getting lost in his beard. He snapped the rest of the nerves, feeling a severe full-body spasm go through his toy. He gouged out the eye the rest of the way, placing it in his palm. The demon dripped pink-tinted saliva from his teeth as he stared at it. The outer layer was broken in a few places, oozing the fluid inside. It was so warm yet so cold. So perfect. Anti looked into the dead iris, lost to the world. His body was pulsing with excitement and hunger. The forgotten melon baller clattered to the floor.

JJ was breathing hard through his nose, body still spasming. He could feel how empty the socket was, and it felt indescribably wrong. He couldn't see. He didn't think he wanted to see at all anymore. "Take the other one!" He screamed in his head.

The thought startled Anti out of his trance. He frowned and wiped away the saliva on his face, smearing blood instead. "͟Ẁhy̵?̶"͜ He sat in the empty chair. "̷I̕ ̡d͡o̡ǹ't ͝wan̸t ́bo̵t̡h̸."̶ Anti's voice was thick with electronics and an Irish accent, pitch shifting wildly. JJ blinked some of the tears away and watched the demon. His own eye was sitting in that clawed hand. That sick smile and pitch black eyes tormented him. "Per̵f̧ect.̵..̧" Anti breathed. His toy was perfect.

Anti's eyes dropped to the eye in his palm, excitement buzzing. "W͜atc̶h ̵me͞.͠"͢ Dapper's other eye looked as dead as the one in his hand. Anti's long tongue poked out from between his teeth and lips as he brought the eye up to it, careful of his claws. The demon licked it, a pleasured shudder going through his body as elation glitched his body. He pressed the eye to his lips, heart pounding. Anti bit the eye in half, the fluid running over his lips. He moaned as the taste exploded in his mouth, closing his eyes and tipping his head back. His skin tingled as he chewed on the half. It was soft and slightly rubbery and smooth. The eye fluid had a particular taste that Anti couldn't describe but relished in. His body glitched, exposed slit throat spasming and a trickle of blood slowly running down to his chest. He swallowed, a breathy moan leaving his lips. There was a pause as he let the taste linger in his mouth, long tongue snaking out from between parted lips. His eyes fluttered open and he smirked, popping the other half into his mouth. Eyes had always been his favorite body part. Anti licked his hand clean of blood and eye fluids, tongue wrapping around his fingers and gliding up his claws.

JJ wished he could scream. Blood still ran down his face, new blood flowing over older, sticky blood. The sounds that left that creature were disgusting and torturous. If Jamie were naive he'd wonder how it could receive pleasure from such an act. His empty socket felt foreign and full of dull, throbbing pain. Anti let the pleasure and fading taste simmer for a few more moments. He ran his tongue across his teeth, staring at his toy's exposed skin. "W͞hy ̴dídn't̛ ͏I̵ ̶try ̕you soon̛er̨..̧.?͢" he mused.

Jamie shook his head, begging the demon to stop. Anti leaned forward in his chair, propping his head up in his hand. "͜Ýo̢u҉ ̢kǹo̡w̡ ̛t̡h͞at̸ yo̸u ̢ha͡v͝e̢ no say͢,̷ ̕D҉a͜pper. ̧I'm̵ in con̨t͠r͜ol͞."͜ The thing grinned, teeth stained red. "͡Nów,͏" it chuckled, "̷sh̀oul͢d I҉ ̀uşe m͢y t̵e̛eth͝ ͏or̨ ͏ḿy͞ k̛nif̧e?"̴

JJ started sobbing again. He wanted to die. He wanted to be blind so he'd never have to see this monster's face again. He wanted to be so mutilated that Jackie would mercy kill him. "Anything. I don't care."

Anti narrowed his eyes. His toy seemed to forget he could hear every passing thought. "̡Y͟o͘u ru̶in m͟y ͏f̡ưn wi͞th͠ ̵yo͝ur ̶si͝lly̸ ̀f̸uc͘k͢i̵n͟g ͝d̀esi͡r̶e̕s. I'̴m̡ ̴f͜or̕ce̛d ͟t͘o͠ g̵o͘ ͟s̀o͜f͏t ҉o̶n you͘," Anti sneered, a low ringing noise filling the space. There was a moment where everything was still, then an utterly feral sound left Anti as he lunged for JJ, teeth sinking into skin and tearing off a chunk of his arm. A harsh, long breath left Jamie as his lips fought to be free of the thread. His binds disappeared and JJ found himself on the ground, the sound of splitting wood in the background. Anti was on top of him, choking him. JJ didn't have the strength to fight back. "Fucki̡ng͘ ̶p̨a̷th͜e͟t̡ic ͢c͟r̡ea̛t̢u҉r͘e!̨" it screamed.

Jamie didn't have a choice but to look at the thing. His eyes were pure black except for the neon green irises, brighter than ever. His ears were pointed, and its mouth stretched wider than should have been possible, sharp teeth dripping with blood. Up this close, the neck wound was disgustingly deep, varying shades of red and brown and black, the last few drops of dead blood pooling into the torn skin. Jamie could feel the claws around his neck as he suffocated, creating new wounds. The demon snarled like a rabid animal, too-wide mouth in an awful twisted scowl. "I ̢c̸ou͜l̢d̵ l̡èa͠v̡e ͜y̸ou͢ ̶to r̢o͡t͏!" ́ His voice was too high; an ear-splitting shriek that made JJ feel like his ears were bleeding. ͠"Bu̷t̨ you ̛wan̷t m̸e̵ ͜t̨o!̷ A͡nd w̕hy̧ ̴sh̕o͜u͜ld̶ ̸I ͡do ̧àny͞t͘h̢iǹg͢ y̧o̡u want͏?͟ Y̵òu̵'r͢e m͞in͘e̢!̧"͟ Claws slashed through JJ's side, making him writhe. His own blood dripped off of those inhuman teeth onto his body. ̶"̡Yo̸u'̛r͜e̶ ̛w͢e͠ak!̛"̕ The thing's voice doubled over itself, bouncing off the walls and in Jamie's head. 

JJ was shaking, unable to draw a breath as the monster's hand tightened its grip around his throat. His hands on the thing's wrists were the extent of his fighting. It leaned down, black and green eyes boring into JJ's singular blue eye. Those sharp teeth in his peripheral44d reminded Jamie of his past. "͢I ͡c̷òu̕ld le̛ave y͏ou h͟ere ҉to fu̡ck̢ing ble̢ed̶ ̷o҉ut over̢ an̨d̀ ̷ov҉ȩr ̀w͏hile ̕I ̨have ҉fun wit̷h ́y͡o̡ùŗ 'hero͜'," ̸it growled. Jamie's fear clogged his chest, and his hands fell from the monster's wrists. Jackie couldn't get hurt. Not because of him.

With a snap of his fingers and a shower of sparks, a knife appeared in Jamie's hand. He swung as hard as he could, catching Anti's shoulder and tearing through his shirt. Anti's hand disappeared from around his neck, his systems shocked. As Anti stood up, JJ's eyes locked onto the sliver of that old burn scar Marvin left years ago showed through the torn shirt. The burn scar that spanned his whole chest; ugly and deep. 

A grin split Anti's bloodstained lips as a low giggle escaped. "̶Kée̢p͠i͏nǵ s͠e͜cr͘et͏s?͜"̶ He started emitting a low hum, green and black eyes wandering to the knife in his toy's hand. That was his knife. His toy had the power to summon it from somewhere else in the room. ̕"I'ļl ̧leaŕn ͜t҉h̴e͠m ͜all̕- ͝įn ͡ti͘me.͟" His smile widened as his focus drifted to the far left corner of the room. JJ wished that monstrous smile could be wiped away forever.

The soft thud of the monster's boots filled the silence of the room. Slow, unhurried, quiet. Jamie shifted onto his side, following it's gaze to a seemingly small piece of dim metal. JJ felt himself break inside as he started sobbing. Why couldn't this be over?

Static crackled through the air surrounding Anti as his smile relaxed into something lazy. His gaze wandered over to the abandoned tools for a moment, irritated his toy claimed to want to die. So many plans ruined. But not this one. "҉N̸o..͘.t͠h̕i̢s͢ ẃi͝ll ҉ne̸v͝er gįv̵e yo͏u you̧r ��ŗelie͝f͘,"͘ he whispered. Static danced on Anti's skin as he stopped in front of the device, admiring the sharp tips and smooth metal. He took a breath, his excitement going to his head. He grabbed the ends and pulled them towards his toy, the old gears protesting in the pulley above.

Chains clinked and clattered as they moved through some sort of system. Jamie's heart stopped when he saw the devil walking towards him, pulling something with extraneously large ends. He knew now that if he went blind the only thing he'd see for the rest of his days would be who Jamie could only assume was the devil himself. It stopped close enough that JJ could only see it's black, scuffed boots in front of him. It knelt down, sharp smile seeming to have become sharper. "́Oh, ͝n̵o͘...̛I'̛m n̛ót th͜e̷ de̷vil̸,͜ D͡a̷pp̧er," it breathed, smile widening and eyes brightening. "T̸hȩy'̶re͝ ̵m̵u̶ch ̶w͡ors͡e̵ thąņ m̕e҉.̡" 

It grabbed Jamie by his neck, forcing him up onto his weak legs. He tried to cower and run as he saw what was in the thing's opposite hand, dropping the stolen knife in his panic. Large, shiny hooks. Meat hooks, if Jamie wasn't mistaken. His arm was grabbed by the monster's other hand, claws cutting into the soft flesh. A feral growl left it. "You͢'re͢ ̛n̡ot ̕ǵo̢in̶g͠ ąny͘w̕h́er͘e̷."̸ It forced JJ closer to it- so close he could smell how foul the thing was. It tightened its grip on Jamie's neck until he couldn't breathe at all. JJ fought as hard as he could, but it was of no use. He felt himself weakening until he couldn't fight anymore. Silent sobs left him as he accepted his fate. 

Anti chuckled, watching his toy's defiance die in front of him. He shoved his toy in front of the hooks, facing away from them. Anti took only a moment to admire the hooks again before stabbing one into his toy's right shoulder blade. Dapper spasmed and a long wheeze left him as the hand around his throat disappeared. Anti stabbed the second hook into Dapper's left shoulder blade, quiet as he shoved it deep enough. He adjusted the other side, working quickly before his toy could try running off again. When both hooks were deep enough, Anti took a moment to admire the blood running down his toy's back before ripping the remains of Dapper's shirt from his wrists. Anti took an ice pick from the trays and walked back over to the left corner, pulling on the chain.

JJ felt the hooks in his back tugging, then gasped as he felt the muscles in his back ripping open even more. He panicked when his feet started raising up, and he couldn't touch the floor. He would have gasped if he could, feeling his shoulders tear open more and blood run down his back as his whole weight was put on the hooks. Jamie stayed stock still, terrified that if he moved his whole back would come apart. He breathed in short bursts, his chest feeling like it had closed on itself. He tried to raise his arms to help himself but moving them only dug the hooks deeper into him, tearing farther into his muscle. Jamie sobbed with abandon, knowing he would die here.

Anti stabbed the ice pick into the wall, forcing the chain pulley to stop where it was- leaving Dapper hanging halfway to the ceiling. He ran his tongue across his teeth, letting out a low breathy moan as he circled his toy from below. "̶Your ne̷w̸ pu͜p͢p̵et s͠t͡ri͡n̨g̵s lơo͟k ͜g̸o̶o͘d͝ ǫń y҉ou." He smirked, tracing his claws down his arm. This body proved to be...reactive. 

Anti chuckled as the low hum in the room became louder and resonated in JJ's bones. Static lined his wounds, pushing on wounds that tried to close. JJ fought his body's instinct to writhe with the pain, feeling the hooks tear farther into his muscles and skin. His mouth strained against the stitches holding it closed. His empty socket filled with static that was painful and meaningless. Jamie's world darkened and swam; objects doubling up and fizzing out of existence. JJ didn't understand how he wasn't dying.

Anti stood still as he watched his toy's body fight the pain. Anti's claws absently raked through the air as time warped around them. The first instance he'd warped time it was painful and taxing. His host hadn't been able to withstand the altered state of reality and collapsed into itself. This one could. Because unlike others, this body was his. This body was meant for him. That ungrateful shit who inhabited it before was an impostor. Sean never realized what this body could do. How powerful it is. How it hummed with energy meant for Anti. How Sean took that energy and made a fucking career out of what was never his! He was always meant to lose. He could not keep fighting in a body who's every particle rejected him. Anti scowled. That damned doctor had nearly gotten his way. Anti snarled below the sound of the hum. That near success was the only reason he kept Schneeplestein alive. His skill was too valuable to lose.

Time jerked to a halt, then seconds started ticking forward again. JJ breathed heavily through his nose, again forcing himself to go against his instinct to curl up on himself. Blood still dripped from his body. His head felt fuzzy from the pain. His...his back. Something wasn't right. The hooks weren't moving much anymore. It felt like the hooks had made a home in his body. JJ heard the thud of footsteps, seeing it stop a few feet from where he was hanging. The monster studied him like he was prey. 

Anti smiled wide, giddy. The skin and muscles on his toy's back had fused onto the hooks, making sure he wouldn't go anywhere unless he was ripped off by someone else. He admired his work for a few moments, seeing how the skin clung to the hooks like they were meant to be there. He hummed, picking his knife up off of the ground. He glared at his toy as his thoughts moved to the last person in his way. "St͢ày̨ ̕p̵u̢t ̵wh͠i̢le͢ I̷ ͜k̀il̕l you̢r ̷h͜ér̕o,"́ it spat.

"What did you do?" JJ cried in his head. Nothing felt right. These wounds should not be on his body. He didn't understand how he knew that- it was an instinct embedded in his body. 

"̴Yòųr҉ "h̶er̕o" ̵h͝a͟s̢n'͜t h͏a͜d ̷t͢ime t̶o ̢r̶un.͢"͏ Anti cleaned his knife on his torn shirt. His toy would understand. Eventually. Not that it mattered. That damned hero would still be dead.

[notarelationship]

Clinging to This Hating Game 7/?

For the @prompt-a-klainefic blog’s 2017 Reverse Bang

Link to the art by @datshitrandom

the prompt:

Kurt and Blaine couldn’t stand each other in high school, maybe one was a jock/cheerleader and the other a nerd/glee clubber. Or they were bitter rivals for competition solos if they were both in glee club. Now they both live in NY and their friends set them up on a blind date, not knowing they went to the same high school.

High School AU, Cheerio!Kurt, Jock!Blaine Rating: Explicit Warnings (for the story overall):  some bullying and homophobic language, teenage sex Word Count: ~5700 (this chapter)

Extra special thanks this time to my beta,

@mshoneysucklepink

​, who made critical suggestions to this chapter.

Everything wonky is my fault.

AO3 link Chapter 7

On tumblr: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6

Notes:

The next time I estimate how many chapters something will be while I'm still writing it, feel free to laugh in my face.

And if you were waiting for the chapter to meet the explicit rating, wait no more...

No other specific warnings. Maybe boys being idiots.

-

Chapter 7

“Kurt I swear I had no idea,” Mercedes hissed under her breath.

Apparently not quietly enough because Blaine chuckled across the table. Kurt could feel his face heat up, and not just because of embarrassment. Blaine had been cute in high school; Kurt was attracted to him from the moment he spotted him in that frat house, before they’d even officially met. After they were unexpectedly thrown together Kurt had found himself drawn to both the scruffy football version as well as the more dapper, prep-school Blaine that had started to emerge as their time at McKinley had ended. But all grown up? All the hints Blaine had shown of his potential for old-Hollywood handsome had bloomed into one very attractive and well put together adult. Kurt would have checked him out thoroughly if he’d been a stranger.

“You can imagine how shocked I was when Mercedes showed up at the restaurant,” Blaine said, eyes twinkling. “Then when she said you were meeting us -” Blaine scratched at his temple. “Well, I confess I was even more shocked.”

“Hmm, I suppose it’s a good idea that this was a blind date then,” Kurt said. He tried to be flirty, like he would be on any date, but he could tell it came out a little too icily and Blaine’s pleased expression slipped for just a moment. Kurt bit back a grimace. “I only meant,” Kurt faltered, “expectations can play games with you.”

Blaine audibly sucked in a breath through his nose, lifting his chin a fraction in Kurt’s direction. “Yes, I suppose that’s true,” Blaine said. “It’s not often you get set up with your high school rival.”

Kurt wondered if Blaine would have come if he’d known it was Kurt he’d be dining with. Or if he himself would have agreed to it if he’d known it was Blaine. Sitting here across the table from him now he still wasn’t sure. He felt like such a different person now than he had been in high school; he could give Blaine as much credit as he’d expect to get.

“Oh my god, high school was forever ago.” Kurt attempted to wave away awkwardness with a laugh. “Water under the bridge.” He could see Blaine force a smile at him from across the table, but he appeared relieved.

“Not wearing your Cheerio uniform anymore I see?” Blaine teased.

“No, no Cheerio uniform,” Kurt answered, forcing a smile. Then, before he could stop himself, “I see you’re still sporting Brooks Brothers - even if a more sophisticated version.” Something flashed dark in Blaine’s eyes, but he pasted on a smile in an instant.

“Hey man,” Sam interrupted. “As much fun it sounds to rehash your old high school rivalry, I'm hungry.” He tapped at his menu.

That got Kurt’s attention, and he shook his head once and smiled at Sam, ignoring the flush that crawled up his neck and hoping everyone else would too. He wasn't sure how he felt when he noticed Blaine’s cheeks coloring as well across the table.

“Yes, yes of course,” Kurt said and took a sip of water to give himself a minute to collect himself. There was no reason Blaine should get under his skin at this point. He was far from the eager, blushing virgin he’d been when he and Blaine first encountered each other.

“It’s great to finally meet you, Kurt,” Sam said. “Of course, Blaine used to talk - ow! Dude!” Sam gave Blaine a harsh look.

“What?” Blaine looked at Sam with an innocently puzzled expression.

Sam rolled his eyes at Blaine. “Whatever.” He turned back to Kurt.

“You know, before you got here Mercedes was telling us about how you guys reconnected so long after high school, maybe you and Blaine can bury the - shit!” The table shifted and both Blaine and Sam’s water toppled to the table.

Kurt bit his lip to keep from laughing as Sam made a ‘wtf?’ gesture at Blaine and righted the glasses, mopping up as much water as he could before the waiter came and took over.

‘Like I said earlier, high school is - thankfully - in the past.” Kurt glanced at Blaine, who was looking at Kurt now with a wary curiosity as the waiter fussed around him. “How long have you and Blaine known each other?” he asked, once the table had been put back together.

“Oh, wow.” Sam paused, looking at the ceiling for a moment. “Well, we’ve been friends since sixth grade. ”

“Oh really? That’s a long time.” Kurt looked between the two men. Blaine had gone quiet, and was staring at a spot on the tablecloth. Blaine had obviously mentioned Kurt to Sam at some point in their past. “So you know all of Blaine’s secrets, I imagine?”

“Pretty much, yeah.” Sam smirked, and Kurt realized that Sam probably knew everything. If that was true he was the only one who did. This was not a conversational road Kurt wanted to travel tonight.

“So what brings you to New York, Blaine?” Kurt changed the subject. Somehow talking about Blaine was easier than talking about himself. And wasn’t that strange. “When Mercedes roped me into this she mentioned that Sam’s roommate had only just moved to New York.”

Blaine chuckled, blushing just a little. “I um, I opened the Chicago cast of School of Rock last year, and they just moved me to Broadway. I start at the Winter Garden in two weeks.”

Kurt sat up. “Wow. That's impressive.” Kurt was surprised that the idea of Blaine on Broadway didn’t even make him jealous. He’d been lucky since graduating from Tisch and he had plenty on his plate right now.

Blaine shrugged. “It's kind of an old show at this point, but it still has ticket sales for the next year. I just hope I don't screw it up for the next guy.”

“Who knows?” Kurt said. “Maybe they'll keep you on for a while?” Blaine shrugged again, but his eyes were trained on Kurt in a way that, if this had been an actual date, would have given Kurt a lot of ideas about what they would be doing after dessert. Or possibly instead of. But it wasn’t an actual date. “I’m sure you’re a great Dewey.” Kurt grinned. “You’ve got the hair for it.”

“You’ve done pretty well, I think?” Blaine said. “Can I ask you how you hooked up with Saturday Night Live? How do you even get an audition for that?”

He shouldn’t be surprised that Blaine knew this, SNL was a huge show. Still, it felt a little bit gratifying to know that Blaine had paid some attention to his career.

“Well my amazing lack of an ability to be cast in more traditional roles carried on into NYU,” Kurt started. Blaine frowned and looked guiltily at Kurt. Maybe this wasn’t as neutral a topic as Kurt expected. “It’s not - It’s fine, you know. I know that I don’t pass as well as some other actors. I’ve accepted as much of that reality as I can, I guess. I’m never going to play a straight romantic lead, and there aren’t enough gay ones yet to keep us all employed.” Kurt smirked, trying to play it off as a joke, but Blaine shifted in his chair, reaching for his wine.

“It’s not really fair though, is it.” The way Blaine said it made it clear that it wasn’t a question.

“No, but that hasn’t seemed to be much of an issue for you.” Blaine looked stricken, and Kurt could hear Mercedes sharp inhale next to him. Kurt instantly regretted saying it. “I’m sorry. That probably wasn’t fair either.”

“We’re all battling something, I think,” Blaine offered, some of the shock draining from his face, but Kurt still felt bad. “So, um, go on, please.”

Kurt glanced at Mercedes, who gave a quick nod for him to go on. “Okay, well, I connected with an off campus improv group over that first summer, and I spent lot of time with them. It was amazing and I learned so much from just being on a stage every night, in front of people. And it turned out I was good at it.”

“That does not surprise me at all,” Blaine said. “You’ve always been very in the moment. I mean in your performances.” Blaine fiddled with the stem of his glass. “From what I remember, anyway,” he finished weakly, glancing at the table and then back at Kurt.

Blaine was looking at him so intensely now that it was Kurt’s turn to shift uncomfortably. There had been more than one time in high school when he had seen that look on Blaine’s face. He wasn’t sophisticated enough to be able to read it then. But he could read it now. “Thank you.”

Appetizers arrived, and the waiter refilled their wine glasses. Kurt was grateful for the time to compose himself.

“Ooh! Tell him about your plays,” Mercedes said. “Kurt writes plays, good ones,” she went on. “He’s had two of them produced just before the SNL gig came up.”

“Wow, really?” Blaine lit up, and the tension from before dissipated. “Maybe, if you have some time, you can give me some recommendations for some smaller productions. I have a couple weeks to kill before I have to start and I was hoping to get in as many different theater experiences as I can before my time is no longer my own.”

Kurt agreed to give Blaine some recommendations, and went on to tell the story of how someone from the SNL cast was in his second play, which started the long and winding road to him getting a shot to write for the show. By his sixth episode he was appearing in crowd skits, and he was asked to join the cast just before his second year when a couple of long time cast members decided not to return.

“That’s really amazing Kurt. Congratulations.” Blaine raised his half empty glass in a toast, smiling pleasantly at Kurt. “It’s well deserved.”

The four of them chatted amiably through the rest of the meal. Kurt was happy to find that Sam was obviously smitten with Mercedes, so he could stop worrying about her.

“Have you heard from Rachel lately?” Blaine asked. “I mean, after that whole NYADA debacle.” Blaine made a horrified face.

Kurt bristled. He didn’t want to - he had been lucky not to get into NYADA, ultimately, but for some reason it remained a sore spot. Even after it was exposed as a scam school, defrauding its students and their parents out of millions of dollars before its lack of accreditation was made public. Kurt had had to live through the school’s unmasking every step of the way as Rachel scrambled to come up with alternatives. In the end she just packed up and moved to Los Angeles, but a lot of other students hadn’t been so lucky.

“She’s doing great, she’s in LA, getting a lot of guest spots on various television series, but hasn’t landed a permanent role yet.”

“I guess you really dodged a bullet there,” Blaine said.

“Not like I was exactly placed in the line of fire, was I?” Kurt felt surly all of a sudden. “You know, I think I’ll skip dessert, if it’s all the same to everyone.”

“‘Line of fire?’ What’s that supposed to mean?” Blaine sat back in his chair, eyebrows raised and obviously offended.

“Kurt, they have cheesecake.” Mercedes pointed to the dessert menu, her eyes narrowed in a warning. Kurt knew her well enough to know she was irritated at him. “It’s supposed to be amazing.”

Kurt tuned Mercedes out. “It means that if anyone dodged a bullet it was you, going to Pittsburgh instead.”

“Kurt, you can’t still be sour about NYADA rejecting you, come on! They were a total Ponzi scheme.”

Sam looked puzzled. “What is that? Is that like one of those witches covens?”

Blaine’s attention shifted to Sam. “No Sam, they weren’t witches. But they did charge their students a lot of money and didn’t actually teach them anything. Or give them a degree.”

“Yeah, well finding out you were rejected not because of talent, but because they figured out your dad couldn’t afford tuition, room, and board, didn’t exactly make me feel better.” Kurt crossed his arms and huffed as he leaned back in his chair.

“And you think knowing they only offered me based on my family’s finances made me feel great about it?” Blaine said.

Sam motioned for the check. “Mercedes, I saw a great ice cream place on the corner, would you like to split a sundae?” He looked at Kurt and Blaine, who were now silently glaring at one another. “Just the two of us?”

“Sam, that sounds like an excellent idea.” Sam went to pull out Mercedes chair; as she stood up, she stared down Kurt with a look that made him suddenly feel like a huge jerk.

“I’m sorry,” he mouthed at her.

Mercedes grabbed Kurt’s arm as he stood, holding him a step back as Sam and Blaine walked toward the exit. “I don’t think it’s me you owe an apology to, Kurt. Although you can buy me brunch on Sunday and we will discuss what the hell you think you were doing tonight.”

Once they had exited the restaurant, Sam hugged Blaine, then turned and shook Kurt’s hand. “Kurt, again it was nice meeting you. Good to put a face to all the stories I’ve heard.” Kurt blushed as Sam winked at him again, and his stomach dropped. Sam probably had the whole list of Blaine’s conquests memorized so he could keep track when Blaine ranked them on gay-bro night. Kurt watched Sam turn and offer his arm to Mercedes; as she took it, she turned and looked over her shoulder one last time at Kurt and Blaine, who both stood on the sidewalk, not looking at each other.

She whispered loudly, “Y’all better settle your business and make peace, you hear me?”

Kurt kicked the sidewalk, watching Mercedes and Sam walk away. “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

“She’s your friend, Kurt.” Blaine stood with his hands in his pockets, head cocked to one side. “And I’m pretty sure she watched us both behave like children for a large portion of this evening, so she kinda does.”

Kurt didn’t really want the answer to the next question. He wasn’t even sure why it mattered at this point. “So how much does Sam actually know?”

“Sam knows everything, he knows everything about me.” Blaine paused, rubbing his hands over his face. “He knows I met you before I transferred. And he knows, well, we have a little history. ” His voice was strangled. “I talked to him a lot during that year at McKinley. It wasn’t the best time for me either you know.”

“Oh god.”

“He’s my best friend Kurt, you’ll have to excuse me if I told him things that happened in my life.” Blaine paced in a circle. “There were times when he was the only person who cared!”

Kurt scoffed. “You had a lot of friends, if I remember correctly.”

“People liked me, yes. But that’s because I never challenged anything they thought. I didn’t stand up for myself, not at school. I did what was expected of me to fit in. That’s how I got by. Being popular is different than having friends who actually understand you. I was pretty sure you understood that, even then.” Blaine threw his arms up. “It was forever ago, Kurt. And you hated me back then!”

Kurt was silent. He’d heard people say, more than once, that the scars of high school really do fade once you get away. Even after only a few years Kurt could look back with clearer eyes on the whole experience. Everyone struggled, he realized that now even if he couldn’t then. Blaine just seemed to bring out his bitchy side.

“I didn't hate you.”

Blaine was looking at Kurt like he’d started speaking a foreign language. “Oh my god were you not there? You were so mean to me Kurt.” Blaine was staring at him, his eyes all hurt and pleading, and definitely something more.

“You made everything so much more difficult.” Kurt hugged himself as they stood on the New York street, staring at each other. It was almost too much. “I was jealous. Everything had been so hard, and you showed up and it was like nothing I had done had mattered.” He sighed. “I guess nothing is ever really what it looks like, is it?”

Blaine shook his head, shrugged his whole body as he looked up at the sky then back at Kurt.

“I’m sorry, Kurt. I really am,” Blaine said, sounding hopeless, then pleading, “I was just trying to get by.” He held a hand out in front of him, then dropped it to his side. “Like you.” Blaine paused again shaking his head. “God we can’t seem to get this right. If we could start over again maybe w -”

“We’d what Blaine? What could we have done differently?” Kurt didn’t know why he was continuing to have this - argument? discussion? Whatever it was, he knew he didn’t want to end it and have them both just walk away. Blaine was staring at him. Well, Blaine was staring at his mouth, open desire etched across his face. Kurt blinked. They were much closer than they had been just a moment ago.

“Kurt.” Blaine was breathing hard.

“Get a cab.”

Blaine spun on his heel and flung his arm out into the street. He opened the door of the taxi that pulled up to the curb so Kurt could get in, then climbed in beside him, slamming the door shut. The cab didn’t move.

The cab driver turned around and looked at them. “Where you headed?”

Blaine was leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees, his face buried in his hands. “I'm sleeping on Sam’s pullout sofa.”

Kurt gave the driver his address.

They were silent in the cab, Kurt staring out the window while Blaine’s fingers tapped steadily on his knee, but once they were in the apartment and Kurt had locked the door Blaine grabbed him by the wrists and pushed him up against the door, sealing his mouth over Kurt’s with a grunt.

“I spent most of senior year thinking about you while I jerked off,” Blaine hissed. “It didn’t matter how much you hated me, I, god -” Kurt pushed his tongue into Blaine’s mouth, licking wildly. Blaine pinned Kurt's hands to either side of his head, hard against the door, so Kurt moved his hips against him, his own erection pressing eagerly against the front of his snug jeans. “I still think about you coming all over me in the back seat of that car, that noise you made, that first time? Still top three in my spank bank, Kurt.”

Kurt moaned as Blaine kissed across his jaw.

“What are the other two?” Kurt managed to gasp out, trying to maintain some control over himself. He was failing fast.

Blaine chuckled into his ear. “Those fucking pants you wore at the NYADA audition. My god I wanted to blow you so bad. I’d never -” Blaine moaned.

“I jerked myself raw that weekend thinking about you,” Kurt confessed as Blaine’s hips pressed him hard against the door. “I had to hide in my room and wear sweatpants for two days my dick was so sore. My dad thought I was sick.”

“Oh my god.” Blaine let go of one hand and reached to cup Kurt’s cock, rubbing hard against the material. He took Kurt’s hand and pressed it between his own legs, up against his erection.

Kurt panted into Blaine’s mouth. “That was the first time I ever, oh fuck, the first time I ever fingered myself.” Blaine whimpered.

“I’m gonna come Kurt, in my pants right here. Like a fucking teenager.”

“Ohmygod we should have done this in high school.” Kurt squeezed Blaine’s cock through his pants and he jerked closer. “I’m sorry I was such an ass to you,” he panted. “I had a lot of anger issues.”

Blaine ignored that as he huffed against Kurt’s neck, sucking hard below his ear, jerking Kurt off over his jeans. “Come on, come on Kurt.”

Kurt’s cock throbbed and he came with a choked off sob, soaking his underwear through to his jeans until Blaine was rubbing wet come around with his hand on the front of his pants. Blaine pushed his fingers underneath the waistband of Kurt's pants, fingering the soft, wet head of his cock until Kurt twitched away.

“Fuck. Your turn.” Kurt caught Blaine’s cheek with his free hand, holding his face still so he could bite Blaine’s bottom lip, rubbing his cock through the thick fabric of his suit. Blaine shuddered, coming with a long moan in his expensive wool trousers.

Kurt wanted to fall to the floor, but Blaine kept him pinned to the door as they both caught their breath and their senses. Kurt’s eyes darted around his dark apartment, waiting for Blaine to move. Blaine didn’t pull away, he pressed his mouth against Kurt’s neck with a gentle suck, kissing back across his jaw until Kurt tilted his head to kiss him back.

“Come on,” Kurt mumbled into Blaine’s mouth. “Shower.”

Kurt ignored the soggy mess in his pants, trying hard not to think about how that was one of the hottest things that had ever happened to him. New York had offered plenty of opportunities for Kurt to settle into himself, and his first two years of college he’d gotten some unexpectedly wild behavior out of his system. This night was promising to be up there.

When they got to the bathroom Kurt looked at himself in the mirror - there were marks on his neck and his skin was flushed from his collarbone to his ears. He peeled off his clothes, adding them to the pile Blaine had started on the floor. When he turned around Blaine was bent over the edge of his tub, completely naked, trying to turn the shower on. Kurt couldn’t stop a laugh from bubbling out.

“Everyone looks incompetent trying to work a strange shower,” Blaine said over his shoulder. “And I am nervous as fuck Kurt. How do you turn this thing on?” He stood and turned around, catching Kurt looking. “Are you staring at my ass?”

Kurt shrugged one shoulder. “It’s a nice ass.” Blaine ducked his head and blushed, moving aside as Kurt leaned in to turn on the shower. “You’re standing naked in my bathroom Blaine, don’t you think it’s a little late to be coy about it?”

Blaine crossed his arms across his chest and Kurt had to look away, fiddling with the water temperature to distract him from the naked man standing next to him. “I’m actually hoping that it’s not too late for a lot of things.”

In Kurt’s previous experiences showering with someone was always a little awkward at first; were you showering? Were you making out? How far did the other guy want to go? When were you supposed to ask? What if you had to call 911? Kurt still had visions of slipping in the middle of shower sex and having to explain to his dad what had happened. It was a lot to navigate.

He stepped into the shower, tugging Blaine behind him until they were both under the water, and Blaine didn’t give him a lot of time to ponder. He stepped into Kurt’s space, hands reaching for his face and pulling him into a heated kiss. Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine’s shoulders and went with it. This kiss was intense in a different way than the one at the door when they had come in. If Blaine had attacked his mouth before, now he was memorizing it.

“Wow,” he said, breathless once Blaine pulled away. Blaine kissed him again, a quick one as his hands worked their way to Kurt’s waist.

“Kurt, I need to ask -” Blaine ran his hands over Kurt’s sides as the water ran down his back. “Did you get taller?”

Kurt laughed and threw his head back under the water. Grinning he rested his forehead against Blaine’s. “Yes.

“How?”

“The puberty train hit me late. I had quite the growth spurt freshman year.”

“Well that seems rather unfair,” Blaine said, pecking him on the corner of his mouth. “And also insanely hot I’ve got to say.”

Kurt leaned into another kiss, then Blaine reached for the shower gel over Kurt’s shoulder and they actually took a few minutes to soap up and rinse off. Taking turns under the spray, they washed the product out of their hair. When they were finished Kurt reached his arms around Blaine and hauled him in for another kiss, this time letting his hands wander down to Blaine’s ass. Kurt slid slippery fingers between his cheeks, pressing lightly as Blaine moved closer with a soft oh okay. Kurt squeezed one thick cheek with his other hand and Blaine gasped.

“I have to be honest Blaine, I’m not sure I’d have known what to do with an ass like yours in high school, if we’d ever taken it that far.”

Blaine giggled against Kurt’s neck. “Are you sure you know what to do with it now?”

Blaine’s hips were working against Kurt and Kurt could see and feel Blaine starting to get hard again. Kurt wasn’t going to be far behind him. He grinned into a kiss, pulling Blaine’s cheeks apart while teasing one finger between them. “Uh huh.”

Kurt spun Blaine around until he was facing the shower wall, tilting the shower head so it wouldn’t rain on his face, and dropped to his knees. Blaine’s ass was so thick Kurt had to hold his cheeks open so he could get his tongue on Blaine’s hole. Normally he would have taken more time, teased his partner until his rim was twitching, begging for something inside it. But this time he wanted it more than he wanted to tease. He wanted to taste, to take, to leave a mark. He spread Blaine wider, frantically licking at his damp skin until he’d licked away the water and his crack was dripping with spit, his tiny hole puckering impatiently.

Blaine shifted, spreading his thighs in the small space, and Kurt sat back on his heels to keep from slipping. When Blaine had started fisting his cock Kurt nipped at the tender skin of Blaine's ass to get his attention.

“We should move to the bedroom,” he said.

“Hunh?” Blaine turned to look down at him, a little glassy eyed. Kurt stood and wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling his back snug against him, knowing Blaine could feel Kurt’s erection pressing against his ass.

“You don't need to break your ankle two weeks before your Broadway debut.”

Blaine chuckled, nuzzling his head back against Kurt. “You're probably right.” Blaine twisted in Kurt’s arms, searching for a kiss Kurt willingly gave.

Kurt shut off the water, reaching for one of his oversized towels and wrapping Blaine in it long enough to keep him from dripping all over his apartment, then did the same for himself. Kurt’s bedroom was just on the other side of his small kitchen, so he led a naked Blaine through to his bedroom. Once inside Blaine pulled him in for another deep kiss.

“Do you want something? Water?”

Blaine shook his head, hands moving to stroke Kurt until he was hard. “Later.”

“Get on your belly then, I’m not done with you,” Kurt whispered, surprised at the husky sound of his own voice. Blaine grinned, ‘okay’, kissing Kurt once with a smack and scrambling to the bed. Kurt joined him, pressing lips against the back of his neck, arching so the length of his cock settled in the cleft of Blaine’s ass. Kurt wanted to take the time to explore; Blaine’s body was gorgeous and there was a lot to enjoy. He didn’t want to dwell on whether he would have another chance.

So he kissed across Blaine’s shoulders, licking the salty taste of the sweat that prickled on Blaine’s skin, even after the shower. Kurt kissed and bit, and memorized every sound Blaine made while he did. When he reached Blaine’s ass, he dug in, tongue firm against Blaine’s pucker until it was twitching, inviting. He pressed his thumb carefully against the invitation.

“Can I fuck you?” Kurt asked, loud in the quiet dark.

Blaine shifted, hugging a pillow under his chest. “Oh, god, I wish you would.”

Kurt scrambled to the side table, retrieving condoms and lube before settling between Blaine’s thighs and spreading them just a bit more. Blaine hitched his ass up in the air, spreading his cheeks wide. “You look amazing,” Kurt breathed; he had to slow down and squeeze his cock to keep under control. The last thing he wanted was to come before they even got started. He couldn’t embarrass himself now that they’d gotten this far.

He pressed his middle finger against Blaine’s twitching hole, teasing in and out a few times before sliding it up to the last knuckle; after a few twists, he added a second finger, turning them against the press of the tight muscle. Blaine sighed and Kurt could see and feel the tension leaving his body. “How many do you need?” he asked, stroking himself as his fingers worked Blaine open.

“One more.” Blaine hugged the pillow tighter and wriggled a little, fucking himself on Kurt’s fingers. “But not for long, just a little more.”

Kurt nodded, more to himself than to Blaine, who had pressed his face against the bed; he added more lube and a third finger, twisting them until he could feel the stretch. The god Kurt Blaine moaned was enough of a check in for Kurt, so he rolled on a condom and pressed his cock against Blaine’s hole. Blaine pushed back and Kurt watched as the head disappeared inside; he waited a moment for Blaine to nod, then pressed in, slowly. Blaine, gasping, begged him to move, and with one hand on the bed and one gripping Blaine’s shoulder he pulled out, pushing in again slowly, and again until they found a rhythm, Blaine working as eagerly to fuck Kurt as Kurt had ever had in a partner, if not more so.

“Mmm, Blaine?” Kurt bent low, mouthing at Blaine’s ear, his hips making a smacking noise as he “How long can I keep fucking you?”

Blaine twisted under Kurt, wrapping his arm around him and mouthing at his neck. “I don’t know,” he panted, almost giggling. “How long can you keep fucking me?”

Kurt bit at Blaine’s lip. “I see, okay.” Kurt mouthed at Blaine’s neck, then pulled back, pressing him down to the bed before sitting up on his knees. He pulled Blaine’s hips higher, but Blaine pushed up until he was on all fours, laughing as he glanced back at Kurt.

“Go on,” he invited.

Eyes locked onto Blaine’s, Kurt reached blindly for more lube, squirting an excessive amount into his hand before slicking his cock and wiping the excess over Blaine’s puffy hole. Eyes still on Blaine he pushed his cock back in, a satisfying thrill shooting up his spine when Blaine closed his eyes and gasped. After that there was no more talking, or teasing, or asking anything; just the slap of skin on hot skin, sweat dripping down Kurt’s back, droplets collecting in the dimples above Blaine’s ass. They fucked until Kurt’s thighs were shaking, until he was sure he would pass out if he came, until Kurt couldn’t hold off one more second. Then with a strangled cry that sounded like it could have been “Kurt,” Blaine reached for his cock and pushed back hard, grinding his ass against Kurt until he came, and Kurt could only give in, fucking them both through each pulse until they were spent.

Kurt could feel Blaine’s legs start to give out, so he grabbed him around his hips, holding him close until his cock softened and he had to pull out. Blaine fell to the bed with a muffled “nggghh.”

Kurt must have passed out for a few minutes, because when he opened his eyes he was still wearing the used condom, and Blaine was naked and sprawled next to him on top of the coverlet, making snuffling noises. He took care of the condom first, then stood on wobbly legs and went to the bathroom. He considered a shower, given how much sweat had already dried on him, but sleep beckoned, so he wiped himself with the still damp towel from earlier and brought a wet towel for Blaine.

When he got back to the bedroom Blaine was still asleep. Kurt sat next to him on the edge of the bed, shaking his shoulder until he woke.

“Hey, I didn’t want to freak you out when I wiped up all the lube.” Kurt chuckled, and Blaine shifted until he was raised on his elbows. “We made quite the mess.”

“Mmm, yeah.” Blaine grinned sloppily. “No complaints.”

Kurt finished wiping the worst of it, and Blaine escaped to washup. While he was gone Kurt pulled the mussed covers off and sat on the bed. Should he put something on? Did Blaine want to stay? Kurt was pretty sure he wanted him to stay, but what would happen after the morning was anyone’s guess, Kurt wasn’t sure he could think that far. Was this the marathon to ‘get it out of their system’ that they’d apparently always needed? Or was there a future? Or maybe they’d just be friends after. Like they couldn’t manage to do when they were young and took everything too seriously.

He was still contemplating when Blaine rejoined him in the bedroom, still gloriously naked. Kurt had hooked up with some good looking men in the last six years, but Blaine was definitely in the top two.

“Hey,” Blaine said, sitting next to him on the bed. “I don’t know what you had in mind, but I’d really like to stay. If that’s okay.” The question was confident, but Blaine looked like he expected to be shot down. He wasn’t going to be, not tonight.

Kurt leaned in, kissing him almost chastely, considering their evening so far. “Please stay.”

[rahiouimohamed-blog]

Top 10 Ways to Show Your Cats You Love Them

Cat Behaviors, Cat Care, lifestyle, Meowing Top 10 methods to reveal Your Cats you like Them one year in the past

Nobody teaches you the way to reveal your affection closer to your kitten when you ultimately decide to provide one or more a domestic. So what do you do to make sure your kitten sees your love? What makes him sense he's adored?

Now which you personal this sort of lovable creature, it's miles your job to let him recognize the affection you convey for him.

1# 1#enhance your cat's love with interest:

Giving your cute kitten the attention he wishes to like, you can contain all or a number of those strategies replying to your kitten's possibilities.

Sometimes your kitten receives your attention just with the aid of hugging him, or drowsing inside the identical bed with him, or genuinely sitting with them and searching adoringly at them at the same time as he does what he does, this can on occasion be enough to show your kitten how tons you like them, also this may make you experience the blessing of having him to your existence, due to the fact it's far!

2# Affectionate rubbing:

Great lengthy caressing from head to tail-give up not best makes your kitten feel crushed with joy and affection, but it also offers you vibes of peace and a profound feeling of well being.

Your cat might genuinely decide upon you to rub underneath his chin, in the back of his ears and on his returned extra; as the ones are his favored locations, but make sure you pass your fingers all over him to additionally verify the presence of any irregularities on his fur and skin like lumps or bumps that could want a vet's go to.

Three# Love Your Cats Out of Boredom With training.

Workout for human beings as it's far for cats is a superb pleasing interest. Rather than letting your youngster kitten be the lovable lazy, bored creature he becomes born to be, a fur ball of cuteness that battles with others of her kind for no particular purpose wanders around your home equipment and signs it up together with his urine DNA and drops something comes Throughout his manner that responds to Newton's legal guidelines of enchantment, you could make room to your agenda to a happy moment with your love in which he gets to master useful Strategies and to sharpen the old ones.

4# Cat verbal exchange

As a cat owner, you want to take note of your kitten's frame language, additionally to the specific sounds the kitten meowing has.

It likes interfering with a human, every little detail of their topics and manner something. So that you want if you want to decode their conduct to better come to their needs.

5# Cat Grooming Cats are always dapper. That's due to the fact they're continually grooming. Notwithstanding this fact, you need to deal with their appearance now and then.

Brushing their fur no longer most straightforward makes it easy and neat it also is a special moment you could commit to creating strong bonds along with your youngster kitten.

6# Proper Introductions Kittens have a selfish manner to like, if deciding to have a brand new guest in your own home, nicely you must have a sensitive introducing session among the two friends in order so that it will save you your child kitten from suspecting your affection for him, to receive and perhaps enjoy their new friend.

7# Cat Treats One of the ways to show your love for your kitten is through his belly. A treat is an ought to have when you have a cat.

It ought to be distinctive than the usual meal. It has to have a strong scent to draw the kitten's attention; it needs to be minuscule because it's to project, it has to have unique functions that make it distinctive than the same old food, and of the direction, your royal kid kitten need to adore it.

8# Catnip Your sweet little youngster kitten is understood to be a cute junkie hooked on Catnip, so use it on your very own interest. Accomplice it with a toy. This is specified on your pricey, and there you are, you made a little heaven to your cute kid to enjoy!

And that's how to make your cat glad!

9# Cat Play

Cats are exceptionally playful, the whole lot is probably a capability toy for them, and all people are a potential game body for them. This is one of the features you can use to bond more with your kitten, showing him love with the aid of deciding on cautiously his toys- make sure they're no longer harmful-.

Also, cats like to leap, climb, and to hide in bags, so gambling with them is an opportunity to show them the proper behavior and to make them release their inter-electricity and increase it through games that require the use of his brain and most of his frame parts.

#10 pressure relief Cats are compassionate creatures; their senses are very sharp. Consequently, every little trade of their surroundings could make them strain. They can pressure over loud sounds, residence changing, adding a new member in the own family or the contrary the unexpected absence of certainly one of them, those reasons and others could make your child kitten stress and exchange his conduct.

The excellent issue you can do is to hold a watch on him, as quickly as you word a alternate in his behavior begin looking for the probable reasons that would have induced it and try to reverse them or at least make your child kitten get progressively used to them and put on a few calming songs from time to time, it allows too!

Otherwise, try to hold a kitten environment to your indoor; it enhances their kitten instincts, and keeps them far from boredom, tries to installation a cat tree or window perches.