#- that stuck around with her even afterwards because she thought they sounded tasty.

[marclef]

lord help me i have fallen into the Noise and Noisette kiddos rabbithole (in part thanks to @abbyroseflame24 and @klownkoster ehehehehehe)

behold...... THEM. came up with the names Poppy and Mustard because they sounded cute 🤗

dunno what i'm gonna do with these babies yet, but take them. take my very good children. i love them very much.

[rainywritingsx]

scenario: Beelzebub & Asmodeus trying to get reader back

Request: wOAH your cheater head cannons were AMAZING dude!! if you want, could you write the rest of the brothers? or if that's too much could you do beel and asmo trying their hardest to get MC to forgive them but it just doesn't work and MC gets with someone else and it's super a n g s t y ?

ahh thank you so so much!! Seriously, to everyone who read that, I was so surprised by the response it received. I’m not very experienced with writing angst which is why I was actually terrified of posting it at all since I was worried I might’ve been too dramatic. But all of the positive feedback made me feel at ease, so thank you all so much for giving the scenarios this much love!

I only write for a maximum of 3 characters per request, I’m sorry :/ buuttt this means I will write part 2 for Asmo and Beel! Also you didn’t specify who this other person would be so,,, I decided to use one of the undateables, since I’ve been playing the game for a longer time now and kinda figured out their characters. Also,,,, the thought of MC ending up with one of the other brothers hurts me oof

++ I just noticed that I kinda went somewhere else with your request, I’m so sorry. I only realised this afterwards and well, throwing this away completely isn’t really what I want to do ;-; my dearest apologies, I’ll make sure to be more careful nex time. Now, have fun reading, I hope you’re still able to enjoy it despite the fact that I kind of changed it up a bit!

Total word count: 2498

Beelzebub

To say the demon was absolutely devastated, would be an understatement. His sadness had gotten to the point where his appetite was way less than usual, which did not go unnoticed by the other brothers. They all got worried about him.

It got to the point where Belphegor was fed up with it, which he made clear to his twin brother. They were now in their room, Beel was just staring at the wall without saying anything. His eyes were teary and his cheeks were puffy. The sight was heartbreaking, but Belphie was tired of this and worried, because it’s been at least a week since you two broke up and he hadn’t gotten any better. So he knew something had to change now.

“Beel, listen up,” Belphegor said, his voice low but sharp. Beelzebub looked at Belphegor, indicating that he could go on. “You can’t keep being like this. I get that you’re sad but this won’t get you anywhere. You miss y/n and want her back? Then you have to work for it. She’s not going to come back to you if you don’t even put effort into showing how sorry you are. Stupid humans aren’t that smart.”

Beel didn’t reply for a while, taking in his brother’s words. Belphegor let out an annoyed sigh before mumbling quietly “I’m gonna take a nap.” He didn’t wait for his twin brother to reply and soon dozed off into a deep slumber.

Beelzebub tried his best to concentrate, but his never-ending hunger seemed to be unbearable right now. He made the decision to go to the kitchen and find some food in the fridge to eat. However, even on his way to the kitchen Beel couldn’t stop thinking about Y/n. Since they had broken up with him, he had barely seem them. It seemed they either ate breakfast early as a way to avoid him and at school he barely had any chances to talk to them either. So how was he going to be able to apologise to them? He had to find a way to be with them alone. But what was he even going to do? What was he going to say? A small pout had formed on his face at this point as he looked through the fridge for something tasty.

Upon seeing his custard, his face lit up. And that was also the moment he realised what he could do for y/n. When they were still together, the two would hang out very often and there were so many times where they’d eat custard together, to the point where Beel did not eat it alone anymore. It showed how much he cared about them, as he didn’t share his custard that easily. It also felt like a thing the two of them had at this point. So when Beel grabbed the custard and devoured it, he felt empty. It was different now that he was eating it on his own.

He knew it. He was going to buy the two of them custard, ask y/n to hang out with him and if they don’t want to he will give them space. If they do want to however, he will give them the little surprise and talk to them. He just had to find the right moment. And while on one hand Beel wanted to wait, his heart told him to do it as soon as possible.

“Tomorrow it is, then.” he mumbled to himself.

The next day Beelzebub felt nervous. It had been a while since he talked to y/n and he had no idea how they were feeling right now. But he wouldn’t know unless he tried to find out, right?

So, after their classes, during lunch, he couldn’t take it anymore and tried looking for y/n. He was thinking they were maybe with Mammon, so he tried to find him. Though, when he did find his brother, he noticed he was alone.

“Lookin’ for Y/n?” Mammon asked. Beel almost slightly flinched at how sharp his tone was. It was clear that Mammon was angry at him for what he had done. Without saying a word he nodded.

“I think I saw them walkin’ somewhere with Asmo, towards his locker.” Beel nodded and quickly thanked his brother before leaving to find Y/n. He knew where Asmodeus’ locker was, or at least the area it was at so it wasn’t very difficult to find. When he found them a small smile played on his lips. However, as he took more and more steps forward, he saw that Asmo wasn’t the only one accompanying them. Solomon was there too. He had an arm wrapped around Y/n’s shoulder and laughed as he pressed a kiss to their cheek. Beel could feel his heart drop at the sight. He wasn’t expecting this at all and felt incredibly hurt.

Asmodeus somehow caught sight of his brother, and his eyes widened slightly when he saw his heartbroken standing there like a sad puppy who had just been kicked. Y/n and Solomon noticed their friend looking at something, so they turned their gaze into the direction he was facing. But before the two could see him, Beel quickly walked back.

“Asmo, is something wrong?” Y/n asked, their voice laced with concern. The demon was caught off guard by the question, not even realising he was staring but then smiled and nodded.

“Oh yes! I just suddenly remembered I forgot to close my purple nail polish jar in my room, I’m sure it’s all dried up now.”

“Oh that’s okay! How about we buy a new one after school? I have to get some stuff anyway. Solomon does too, right babe?” Y/n said and looked up at their boyfriend with a small smile. The boy nodded in agreement.

“Alright, sounds great!” Asmo nodded and smiled at the two. Soon his thoughts drifted back to his brother. While Asmodeus definitely did not think what he did was okay, he couldn’t help but feel bad for him. He was still his brother. Part of him wanted to check up on him but he felt like Beel probably needed time alone to process what he had seen.

In the meantime, Beelzebub was walking towards the cafeteria, shoulders hung low, gaze towards the ground and eyes filled with tears. Y/n had the right to move on, of course they did. He just wasn’t prepared to see it happening already. He felt like now there was no way of getting them back.

Of course Y/n would rather be with Solomon. He was a human just like them, they’d be able to live their regular life in their own world while also having a boyfriend. Of course they wouldn’t want a sinful demon like him. He decided to just give up. Maybe it was best for them both, or it was just best for Y/n. He wasn’t sure. But he knew they were happier with Solomon than with him. He saw a sparkle in their eyes, the one that had left when Y/n caught him cheating on them. Anyone that could make them that happy was worthy of being with them to Beel.

But if it was the right thing, why did it still hurt this much? The emptiness that he felt was bigger than any hunger he had felt in his entire life. But he had to accept it because at the end of the day, it was his own fault for making that horrible mistake.

Asmodeus

To any outsider, Asmo seemed completely fine, as if he wasn’t sad at all. But his brothers all knew it was the exact opposite. Asmodeus tried doing even more self care, went shopping even more than usual and spent an extra amount of times around succubi and witches. It was all to get Y/n off of his mind because as soon as soon as he would get to the house of Lamentation and had nothing to do, thoughts about them filled his head. Something in him wanted to find them and almost beg them to take him back, but there’s this other part of him that’s incredibly ashamed of himself.

And as mentioned before, his brothers could notice his change in mood. Though they condemned his actions, he was still their brother and they couldn’t  just ignore him. Of course Asmo was going to make some very stupid mistakes with heavy consequences, but he would learn from those.

So at one point Satan made the decision to talk to his brother about the problem that hadn’t been talked about just yet. Satan knew Asmo regretted what he did and wanted Y/n back and he also knew that his brother was stuck on what to do now.

“How have you been, Asmo?” Satan asked as he entered his brother’s room after having knocked on the door. The younger demon quickly forced a smile as he looked at his brother, hoping that he would fall for his trick. But knowing Satan, it wouldn’t be long before he noticed Asmo’s facade. Still, he wanted to try.

“I’ve been doing great Satan! Oh, I bought some new makeup and accessories today and some would look lovely on you! Wanna try them on?”

“That does sound nice, but I need to talk to you about something right now.” Asmodeus could feel himself sulking as he knew where this conversation was heading. He also was aware of the fact that avoiding it would be pointless, so he decided not to protest and just nodded.

“We’ve all been worried about you Asmo. Of course I do know how you are, but we can all tell that something is off.” Asmodeus bit his lip as he averted his gaze, his eyes falling on a shirt that seemed to have fallon the ground. And of course, it was Y/n’s… They had probably left it here once and forgot to bring it back.

His brother’s eyes followed the direction in which he was looking, and he quickly realised what the piece of clothing was.

“Hey, how about you bring it back to them and talk about what happened?” Satan proposed. Asmo shook his head immediately, not wanting to be confronted with his disgusting actions again. He was already ashamed of what he had done.

“Satan, they will never forgive me. I hurt them so badly even though I never meant to. There is no way that this will be fixed.” Satan sighed softly and shook his head at his brother's words.

“But hey, you’re Asmodeus, aren’t you? Who can resist you? Who can not love you? Has anyone truly hated you for a long time?” He edged on, knowing that Asmo needed little confidence boosts like this. He knew these would cheer him up eventually, it just took some time and patience.

“Well there was a witch one time…. no nevermind she forgave me after 100 years so it ended up totally fine.” His brother chuckled and nodded.

“See? And on top of that, humans have a shorter lifespan, so I think everything will be okay soon. Y/n definitely loved you while you two were together and I find it hard to imagine that they have lost all of their feelings for you by now.”  Satan could be right… After all, he was very smart, so he would not say something if he hadn’t thought about it or hadn’t put some logic to it. Perhaps he was right. Maybe trying to talk it out was a good idea. If they wouldn’t take him back, maybe they could still be at least friends. But first he had to find them of course.

“Do you happen to know if Y/n is here?” Asmo asked Satan, who pondered for a moment before replying.

“I think they went somewhere with Luke, Simeon and Mammon. They said they’d be back soon though.” Mammon too? That was an interesting combination. “Mammon went along because ‘a weak human and two angels aren’t safe here’” Asmo chuckled, yeah that does sound like Mammon and explains a lot.

“Well, I will be taking my leave now then. Tell me how it went later, okay?”

While Asmo waited for Y/n, he could slowly feel a slight feeling of anxiety creeping in. He hadn’t felt this way in a very long time. It scared him a little even. He always felt like he was in control in some way, since it was always people fawning over him, being nervous around him, but now it seemed to be the other way around. How could a mortal human have this influence on him? Maybe it was their presence, their uniqueness, he didn’t know. He couldn’t pinpoint what exactly it was.

However, he didn’t have more time to think about it now, because he heard the sound of a few voices in a conversation. Immediately his head perked up and he couldn’t help but smile when his eyes caught Y/n walking in his direction. That smile fell soon though, because then his gaze fell on the angel walking next to them. He was holding their hand as his eyes looked lovingly into theirs. He knew exactly what that look meant, and the fact that Y/n had a similar sparkle in their eyes said a lot.

Asmodeus felt defeated. He wasn’t expecting this and maybe that was why it hurt so much. The two radiated so much joy. It seemed like Y/n was completely healed from the pain Asmo had caused them. Soon his throat felt dry and his eyes quickly filled with tears. Before anyone noticed, Asmo quickly went to his room and locked the door before plopping down on his bed. He finally let out sobs which he tried to muffle by covering his hand with his mouth.

Why was he even crying? He was the one who hurt them. This was his fault, not theirs. He was the last person who was allowed to cry over this. But still, he couldn’t help but feel his heart crumble when he tried to process what he saw. They moved on. He messed up and now there was definitely no way that they were going to take him back. And he only had himself to blame for this mess.

[noladyme]

My Only Sunshine - Chapter 6

Liv is as human as they come – faults and all. After a dark experience in her past, she is determined to live life on her own terms, and never let anyone claim her as theirs again. This becomes an issue, when she meets a 1000-yearold vampire, who is dead-set on claiming her as his own.

CHAPTER 5

When we returned to the suite, Carl was gone. Eric sat with his elbows on his knees; staring in front of him. “Pam, give us some privacy”. Pam lingered at the door for a moment, before speaking. “I don’t want a little sister”, she sneered. “There. I said it”. For a second, Eric sent her a confused look. She left the room, and closed the door behind her.

For a long moment, I just stood there; waiting. Eric sat still as a statue, making me more uncomfortable by the second. “Is everything ok?”, I said. “Sit”, he said. I walked over to the other side of the coffee table, and sat down on the couch there; worried. “Did he find out I can’t be glamoured?”. “No… Carl doesn’t know anything about you, or your past…”. “What’s that supposed to mean”.

Eric met my eyes with a hard expression. “Carl had information for me about Godric”, he said. “Apparently, he felt obligated to tell me – as his new business partner – that Rose and Stan are going behind my makers back… Trying to start a civil war”. “So… you have a witness… proof”, I said. “We do…”, Eric said. “But it won’t do Godric much good, because apparently, he’s broken vampire law”. I looked down at my feet. “What did he do?”. “You know what he did. You were there”. He’d connected the dots.

I closed my eyes, and sighed deeply. “Godric was trying to protect you… He didn’t want me to tell you, because…”. “Because he knows I’ll die before letting the Authority execute him”, Eric said. “Doesn’t change the fact that you should have told me”. “He made me swear… He saved my life, Eric. I was pretty much dead, beat to a pulp; and he saved me, by giving me his blood”. “But first, he fed on you”, Eric said. “It was part of our deal”. “Yes, well… Try as he might, Godric is still a vampire. And your blood is… it’s hard to refuse, once you’ve had the scent; let alone, taste”.

We sat for a moment longer in silence. “I’m not going to apologize for not telling you”, I said. “I swore to Godric I wouldn’t tell anyone about what had happened. At the time, I didn’t know why…”. “That’s why he wanted to speak with you yesterday… To make you promise again”, Eric said. “No… Last night, he told me why he didn’t want you to know… But he didn’t make me do anything”, I replied. “I made the promise of my own accord. To keep him and you safe… And Nora, I suppose. I didn’t think you’d want her hurt either”. “That’s so very… human of you”, he muttered.

I didn’t know how to respond to that, but luckily Eric was in mood for a subject change. “We have an event in a few hours”. He got up to stand, and I followed his lead, moving towards my room. “Wardrobe preferences? Dinner or dessert…?”, I asked. His lips twitched into a sly smile. My slight attempt at getting him in a better mood, had apparently worked. Eric followed me to the door, and turned me around; wrapping an arm around me. He slipped a hand underneath my robe, to stroke the inside of my thigh. “Candy. Arm-candy… That purple number I found in the bottom of your suitcase, should work”. “Eric, that’s a slip!”, I said. “So?”. His fingers travelled north, soon reaching my folds; which were already wet. It didn’t take much for Eric to get me going. “I can’t just wear a slip in public… Oh, wow…”. Eric let his long finger between my labia and in to me, and used my slick to moisten his fingertip; before stroking at my clit. “I really need to… fuck, that feels amazing”. “So warm and sweet…”. His words came out in a growl. “And wanting to be ravaged”. The last part came with a teasing smile. “Not that sweet”, I whispered, and took a hold of his invading hand, to lift it to my mouth. I closed my lips around his finger, and tasted myself on it – sucking – all while keeping my eyes on Erics.

I backed away, letting the finger escape my mouth with a small pop. Eric gave me an anticipatory look, as I hooked my fingers into the waistband of his pants, and kneeled on the floor in front of him; pulling the fabric down over his erection. As tall as he was, I had to stand on my knees to reach Eric with my mouth. He drew in a gasp, as I stuck out my tongue, and let the head the head of his dick rest on it for a few seconds, while I stroked him gently up and down. “Solsken…”, Eric groaned, when I closed my mouth around him, and sucked him deeply in to my mouth. Eric was tasty – sweet and salty at the same time – and the soft skin stroking against my lips, as I moved my head, was like brushing my lips against velvet. I hummed around him, and smiled up at him with my eyes. He placed his hand on the side of my head, playing with my hair between his fingers. The sounds of grunts and moans from above me, egged me on; as I was bobbing my head back and forth – making swallowing movements and sucking in my cheeks. I cradled Erics balls in my palm, and massaged them; soon feeling them tense up.

Suddenly, Eric took a firm hold of my hair, and used his other hand, to raise me to my feet. “You’re asking for it…”, he growled. “Bed’s too far away”. “What do you mean? It’s right…”. Eric threw me against the wall; before lifting me up to straddle him, and thrusting into me – hard. “Eric!”, I croaked. With wild abandon, Eric pounded in to me. He wasn’t trying to drag anything out this time, and the sheer force of his thrusts made me worried I’d be walking funny afterwards. He was in fact ravaging me. With wanton grunts and groans, Eric had his way with me like this; while I whimpered from the delicious assault. He kissed and nibbled at the skin on my neck, without extracting his fangs. I would have gladly agreed to him feeding on me, but remembered what he had told me about having gone overboard earlier. I held on hard to Eric as he fucked me, cursing breathily into his ear; while scratching my nails across his back. I would have left marks, maybe even very deep ones; had he not been healing so soon. We came at the same time; me with a loud moan, and Eric with a guttural growl.

“So. You’ll wear the purple dress”, Eric smirked. “Not happening”, I chuckled. He lifted me off him, and set me down on the floor again. Steadying myself against his tall frame, I got on my toes, and kissed his lips.

---

I was wearing the purple slip. After Eric literally having tried – in vain, of course – to glamour me into putting it on, I obliged. I’d put a black sequined mesh number over it, making me feel a little less exposed – but still sexy as hell. Heels were apparently required again, but I was getting in to the habit of wearing them.

The event Eric had mentioned, was another party. This time, all of the sheriffs were attending, apparently; as there was a line to get in to the large building – one of those large warehouses where rich people had their terrible art exhibitions. “What is this thing?”, I muttered to Pam. “Another mingling situation”, she said. “Everyone running for sheriff will be kissing each other’s asses, to get votes”. “And my job is…?”. “Looking edible, and not falling over… Oh, and try not to die”.

Eric clearly had zero patience for waiting in any lines, and walked straight up to the door with Pam and me in tow. The girl standing there gulped when she saw the tall Viking. “Sheriff Northman, Area 5; with party”, Eric said. “I am sorry, sheriff; but there is a line”. Eric hunched over, and looked the girl in the eyes. “I don’t see a line”, he said with a soft voice.

“Are you trying to glamour the staff, Northman?”, Carl said; having appeared in the doorway. “You know me, Carl”, Eric said. Carl let out a roaring laughter, and held out his arm, gesturing for us to step inside. We entered the building, which was already full of people; both vampires and humans. Most of the latter were dressed much like myself – meals on heels. “I hear you’re paying for this shindig”, Eric said. “It was a chance for me to clear my conscience”, Carl said. “After all, that unfortunate event involving someone we both know, did happen on my turf, last year”. We headed towards a large buffet table, set up with human drinks, and what looked like carbonized blood. I hoped it was TruBlood. Both Eric and Pam took a glass; and I stood behind them, like a good little blood-bag. Eric sent me a discrete look over his shoulder, letting a sly smile break the mask of the cool debonair.

“Do you have a show set up for us?”, Eric asked. At the far end of the wall, staff was hanging up some frames and screens, for some sort of installation. “Yes well, speaking of said event… The human in question just so happens to be a photographer. I thought I’d throw him a bone…”. Carl ran a hand through his well-coiffed hair. “Wasn’t he glamoured, after what happened?”, Pam asked. “Of course he was. That doesn’t stop me from wanting to clear my guilty conscience… Oh, here he is now! Thomas Porter!”.

I felt my knees give, and almost fell over; when a pair of hands caught my waist from behind. “Whoa, there, miss!”, a cheery voice said. Eric spun around; his eyes aflame. “Please let me go”, I whimpered. I stumbled forwards, and Eric caught my arm. I couldn’t meet his eyes, simply stood shivering in place. “Looks like you drained a bit much from miss Sunday, here”, Carl smiled. “Thomas, do you mind?”. I turned around, and looked at my former assailant. “Of course!”, Thomas said, and grabbed a glass from the buffet table. “Here you go, a drink will freshen you up”. He held out the glass to me. Come on. It’s just one drink, as friends. “I…”, I breathed. Eric pushed me to stand behind him. “Stay away from her!”, he growled.

Carl held up his hands to calm down the situation. “You’ll have to forgive sheriff Northman, Thomas. He’s a bit protective of his human”, he said. “I know how it is”, Thomas said, and rolled his eyes smilingly. “Sheriff Northman, thank you so much for hiring me to restore that picture. It was like having a piece of history between my hands” “That’s right!”, Carl said. “I heard you two had been in touch. You’ve never met before, though. Have you?”. “I never had the pleasure, no”, Thomas said. “But I’ve met miss Sunday before. When she came to pick up sheriff Northman’s picture…”. He winked at me, and I felt bile rise in my throat. Erics stance was taut; he was ready to pounce on Thomas. Just as I noticed him about to bare his fangs, a voice interrupted him.

“Eric!”. Godric was standing next to his son, and Eric instantly froze in place. “Inte nu”. “Du borde ha gjort det då…”. Godric met my eyes with his own saddened ones. I parted my lips, but couldn’t speak; so simply shook my head. ”Gentlemen, I don’t speak Swedish, but this is a party… Not Thanksgiving dinner with the family”, Carl chuckled. Thomas cleared his voice. “Well, I need to go make sure the pictures are hung in the right order…”, he said, and gave me a final smile, before walking away. “And I have to go make sure the ice-sculpture doesn’t melt!”, Carl said; disappearing just as quickly.

Eric was clearly trying his best to control himself. “Pam, take Liv back to the hotel”, he said. “No… I’ll be fine”, I muttered. “I’m going to kill him”, Eric snarled. Godric gave his son a hard look. “You will not”. “He is a monster, and him being here could get you executed!”. “He doesn’t even remember what happened!”, I said. Erics jaw was clenched, and his eyes read bloody murder. There was a long pregnant pause, before Pam decided to speak. “With all due respect, even I feel fucking uncomfortable now”. A young, beautiful waitress walked past us, with a tray of drinks. “I you’ll excuse me…”. She pressed her glass into my hand, and followed her intended meal.

“Your child is as willful as mine are”, Godric said, a smile ghosting his face. “She is as loyal as yours are as well”, Eric croaked, and looked at his maker meaningfully. “Which is why I did not want you to know”. Godric looked at me with an almost hurt expression. “I wish you hadn’t told him”. I stood there with Pam’s glass in hand, before finally snapping out of it, and putting it on the table. “She didn’t. I had to find out from Carl… Not only are you throwing away your post as sheriff, you also fed from an insignificant hum in a dry state; before giving her your blood!”. I tried not to let my face show, what Eric’s words where making me feel. “Everything you’ve taught me, and now you are breaking your own rules!”. “She is not insignificant, Eric… You know that; you’ve tasted her yourself. Her blood is precious”.

I clenched my jaw, and a choked groan escaped my throat, as I stood there, and let myself be spoken about. Godric turned his eyes to me. “I am sorry. You have done so much for me; and yet I still allow us to speak of you in this way”. I nodded, but did not immediately reply. “I hope I have not offended you”. “No, sheriff Godric. You haven’t offended me at all”, I said quietly. The ancient vampire looked up at Eric, who had a sour and yet guilty expression on his face.

“Godric, you will get arrested… killed!”, Eric said, breaking the tension. “If I do, it will be my end. I will not let you to go down with me”, Godric replied. “I will not allow…”, Eric began. “You will… or I will command you”. Godric put his hand on Erics shoulder. “It will hurt this human if you…”. “I don’t give a fuck about that!”, Eric roared. Godric smiled softly. “Yes you do”. “Varför ville du då inte låta mig bli av med honom?”. Hurt traced Erics voice. Godric shook his head. ”Eric, as your maker, I command you to not act on this matter”. Eric nodded grudgingly. Isabel appeared from the crowd. “Show’s about to start”, she said. “You need to make an appearance”. Godric nodded. “We will speak later”, he said to Eric, and to me, it seemed; as he gave me a slight smile, before walking away.

We stood for a long moment, not saying anything. Around us, sheriffs from the different areas were conversing, most of them obviously looking for support to win another term. I wished another sheriff would come speak to Eric, to interrupt the silence between us. Finally, Eric looked at me. “You need to remember your place…”. “Don’t act all pissy with me, because your dad yelled at you!”, I sneered. Eric grabbed my arm, and seemed about to speak again, when that weird classical techno music began again, and Pam appeared; wiping her mouth, from a stray droplet of blood. “Am I interrupting something?”, she asked, not even pretending to care if she did. “No”, Eric said, and let go of me. “You’re gonna want to see this… both of you”.

Quickly trying to regain my composure, I followed Eric and Pam towards the installation. Up close, I saw that the pictures in the frames were of exotic dancers – on, off and behind stage. The pictures were all hung up in threes. One of them as they prepared for their performances; one mid-performance, on stage; and one after – as the dancer was either catching their breaths behind stage, getting a drink, or having a smoke. I recognized a few faces of former co-workers from Sugar and Spice, on some of the pictures. Thomas was talented. He’d managed to capture the rawness of my former profession beautifully and devastatingly.

“Everybody, gather round!”, Carl said, from the small stage set up below a large white screen. Godric stood to the side of the stage, with Isabel and Stan; representing the hosting Area. A waiter came over to Carl, and handed him a microphone. He took it, and chuckled. “I forget, not everyone in the room have as good hearing as some of us… It’s with great honor and privilege – and due to the fact that I paid for this thing – that I can welcome you to this event tonight. I hope you are all enjoying the drinks. You have probably noticed that willing donors are posted throughout the room, if the TruBlood-cocktails are not to your liking. I had a taste of a lovely female, by the name of Stacey, a few minutes ago – and I recommend her highly… Being from a dry state myself, I’m happy to take part in the local attractions”. He smiled leeringly. “Without further ado, I’d like to introduce you all to a very talented artist; that not so long ago moved to Dallas, to set up a new studio here. He is the man behind the pictures on the wall here; which are all for sale, by the way… Thomas Porter!”.

Thomas sprang onto the stage to applause from the humans, and nods from the vampires. Eric tensed up again. Thomas took the mic from Carl, and nodded nonchalantly at him. “Thank you, sheriff Rockford”, he smiled, before turning to the audience. “For the last few years, I’ve been trying to capture humanity in its rawest state; and found that it was no more pungent than in the strip-clubs of America. The installation you’re about to see, is called Truth. Hit it…”.

Heavy rock-music began playing, and the lights went down. On the large screen, pictures began revealing themselves to the beat of the bass and drums. Close up portraits of dancers flashed, and then slowly, in series of three – as they were hung on the wall – were pictures of them before, during and after performing. Pam looked amused as she gazed up at the screen; clearly enjoying the pictures of the women more than the men. Eric, on the other hand, showed no emotion.

I knew what was coming before it happened. A series of closeups of a familiar face flashed across the screen, before a picture came up of a woman holding a cigarette between her fingers, and looking at the camera through a mirror, as she was applying lipstick. I had been wearing my red sequined bra that night, and a pair of frilly black booty-shorts. No shoes. The next picture was as I was on stage, with a seductive grin on my face and one leg in the air; snatching a 10-dollar bill from a patron, with my toes. “Flexible…”, Pam muttered smilingly. Eric shrugged in agreement. “When was this?”. I was finding it hard to breathe. Looking up at Godric, I could see that he also remembered exactly when these pictures were taken. Forgetting for a moment how angry I was at him, I grabbed on to Erics arm. “Eric… Oh, fuck!”.

The final picture popped up. It had been taken from a distance; shortly after Godric was supposed to have glamoured Thomas. I thought he’d left the alley, but he must have stayed behind – hidden, somehow – and taken the photograph. On it, Godric was kneeling on the ground, with his arm around my back; and his open mouth to a gash on the top of my breast. It wasn’t the only wound I had. My entire body was covered in bruises, and my cheeks were stained from my mascara running.

There was a murmur of voices, before Stan’s voice roared from the stage. “Where was that picture taken?”. He knew very well, where it was taken. Carl held up his hand. “Stan, is this really the time…?”, he began. “This was on your turf, Rockford! Wasn’t it?”. Stan wasn’t letting up, and Isabel was looking more and more worried by the second. Godric kept his eyes on the floor. “Stan…”, Isabel said. “California is a dry state!”, Stan boomed. “Godric broke both human and vampire laws!”.

Fangs popped out everywhere, and Rose and the rest of the vampires who had gathered around Stan at the opening-ceremony, stormed the stage to surround Godric. Eric and Pam sped onto the stage, and stood in front of Godric; guarding him. There were flashes of vampires running to take a side. In the midst of the chaos, humans were running scared for the doors; and I was frozen in place, terrified.

A pair of abnormally strong hands strong hands for a human clamped around my arm, and pulled me towards the exit. “Come on!”, Thomas said. “No!”, I croaked; having somewhat found my voice again. “I’m trying to save your ass! It’s about to be a bloodbath in here…”. He yanked at my arm, forcing me to follow him.

“Everybody, calm down!”, Isabel yelled from the stage. “The Authority has been contacted, and this will be handled properly, by the right chain of command”. “Bullshit!”, Stan growled. “As deputy to Godric, I still outrank you”, Isabel said. “Stand down”. “Fuck you! He’s going down…”. “You won’t lay a hand on him”, Eric snarled; his body taut, and ready for a fight. Godric stepped forward. “It’s alright, Isabel… Eric”, he said. “I will hand myself over to the Authority, when they arrive. I will stand trial”. “Godric, no!”, Eric said. “Silver me”, Godric said. “I am sure Stan and Rose brought chains”. Rose smirked, and waved over a pair of humans, who were carrying silver chains.

I went to run towards the stage, but stumbled in my heels; and Thomas pulled me up to stand again by the waist. “Don’t touch me… You don’t even know me!”. Thomas pulled me close, holding me flush against his body; and leaned in to whisper in my ear. “You didn’t think I would ever forget you?”. I pulled my head back, and met his eyes. They were deep, cold and penetrating. I drew in a big breath, and screamed. “Eric!”.

Every vampire on the stage turned to look, and Eric sped towards me. He grabbed Thomas, and threw him against the wall. With surprising gentleness, I was scooped into Erics arms; and he held me against his chest, as I fought to breathe calmly. “I’m not going to let him touch you again”, he breathed. “I won’t let anything happen to you”. Through my tears, I was confused by seeing Stan run to Thomas’ side, and help him back on his feet.

“Enough!”. A short, balding vampire in a suit, and carrying a silver tipped cane, had entered the room; with what looked like a SWAT-team at his heels. “Fuck”, Eric said. He put me down on my feet, and tucked me in to his side. “Who’s that?”. “Someone you don’t want to know…”. I nodded slightly.

“Sheriff Godric…”, the angry looking vampire said. “Magister”, Godric replied, and stepped down to greet him. He sighed heavily. “What the fuck…? I was in the middle of dinner, and suddenly I’m called out for this shit?”. He looked up at the screen, which was still displaying the picture of Godric feeding from me.

“I have to get you out of here…”, Eric muttered. He looked towards Pam, who was at our side in the flash of an eye. “Hotel. She doesn’t leave the suite. If I’m not back before dawn, you leave Dallas as soon as you can”. “Eric, I’m not leaving you”, Pam said. “If you try to stop them, they’ll kill you…”. Eric looked at her with hard eyes. “And you…”, he said. “I don’t want you here for this. Do as you’re told”. Pam looked down, and nodded. “Eric, are they gonna hurt Godric?”. He didn’t respond. “I’ll tell them… I’ll tell them he was trying to help!”. “No, you won’t. I’m not risking your life as well”. I grabbed on to his jacket, but he tore my hands free, and brushed his lips against my forehead. “Go”. “No, Eric. I…”.

Pam’s arms were around my waist, and before I knew it, I was in the back seat of the limo we’d arrived in; dizzy, from having been whisked away at vamp speed. “What’s happening?”, I croaked. Pam looked worried for the first time since I’d met her. “Stop talking…”. “Is he coming back?”. “I said, stop fucking talking!”. She snapped her head in my direction, and I saw blood in the corner of her eye. She was crying.

---

Pam was pacing the floor of the suite, constantly picking up her phone, and then putting it down again. For once, she was the one fidgeting. I was seated on one of the couches, not moving; save for the shudders of fear streaming through my body. Fear for Godric, myself; and Eric.

“Stupid, stubborn… fucking Viking!”, Pam said. “He can’t leave me like this. If he dies, I’ll kill him!”. “Yeah…”, I agreed in a whisper. “Well, get in line…”. “And then he just sends me off to babysit his human”. I frowned at her. “I’m not his human”. “He’s paying you a shitload of money”, she said, raising a disbelieving brow at me. “You’re his”. “I’m my own; doesn’t matter how much he’s paying me. No one owns me”. I sighed. “Look; money or no money, I don’t want him dead any more than you do… Even if he is a dick on occasion”.

Pam looked at me in confused wonder for a moment, before grabbing a sandwich from the mini-fridge, and tossing it on the couch next to me. “Eat…”, she said. “I’m not hungry”, I said. “Bullshit. Eat”. I didn’t have the energy to fight her on it, so simply opened the plastic wrapping, and took a few bites from the sandwich; before getting up to go to my room and change. “I’m really sorry about what happened to your dress the other night”, I said, as I passed her. “It probably cost more than I make in a year, but I’ll pay you back for it… somehow”. “Liv…”, Pam called after me. I turned to face her. “For the record; I don’t hate you… Not that much anyway… And you have nice tits”. I raised a brow at her. “Thanks… I guess”. Pam gave me a slight smile; and I closed the door behind me.

I got into the fluffy robe, washed most of the makeup off my face, and brushed my hair; needing to keep busy. I was tired, but didn’t want to sleep. I knew I’d have nightmares both about the evening’s events, and what happened to me the year before. I already had to fight away the memory of seeing myself on that screen, beat to a pulp.

Hearing the main door to the suite open and close, I sprang for the bedroom door; opening it. Eric was stood there, holding Pam in his arms; and gently stroking her hair. “I was so worried”, she sobbed. “Shh… I’m here now”, Eric said, and pulled back to smile down at her. “Inga tårar”. “Fuck you. I’ll cry as much as I want. I could have lost you!”. “Everyone is ok”. I didn’t speak, simply took in the scene; smiling at the gentleness of it. Eric looked at me over Pam’s shoulder. “Pam, go find someone to eat. You must be starving; those drinks back there were atrocious”. He kissed the top of her head, and she wiped her eyes, before leaving the room.

I timidly stepped in to the room. “Is Godric ok?”, I asked. “They’re setting up his trial and sentencing for tomorrow night”, Eric said somberly. “Before the sheriffs’ announcements”. “That soon…? Doesn’t a trial take several days?”. Eric shrugged off his jacket, and threw it over one of the recliners. “Not for us…”. He stood with his back to me; and I stepped over, and put a hand on it. “I’m so sorry, Eric… I’ll testify… anything…”. “No”. He turned around, and took my still outstretched hand. “I can help. I was the one…”. “No…! Liv, they won’t care what happened to you with that photographer; and if you let it slip that Godric couldn’t glamour you, they will kill you”. “But maybe…”, I tried. “Why do you care?”, Eric said. “You’re not mine… not Godric’s… You have no reason to help us”. I met his eyes again. “I don’t know. I suppose… I don’t want you to get hurt”, I said quietly. “You know how you tell me I have no sense of self-preservation?”. Eric narrowed his eyes at me. “I think we might have that in common”. “And you want to protect me…”, he said. I nodded. “I know you’re plenty capable of taking care of yourself; but…”. Eric’s expression hardened, and he let go of my hand. “I am. Implying anything else is insulting”. I swallowed hard. Warm and sensitive Eric was gone. “Of course…”.

My old phone rang in my room. “I should probably take that…”, I muttered. Eric gestured standoffishly for me to go ahead. I picked up the call. “Liv! You promised to call me…”, Bills voice boomed through the receiver. “Are you alright? Do you need me to come to Dallas?”. “No, Bill. Everything is ok”, I said. “I’ll be back in a few days. Fuck, why are you all on my case about this?”. “Because we care about you. I care about you”. “I’m fine!”, I sighed. In the blink of an eye, Eric had snatched my phone from me, and put it on speaker. “Yes, Bill. Liv is perfectly fine; in so many ways”. “This conversation is between Miss Sunday, and myself”, Bill said. “Eric, give me back my phone!”, I hissed. I jumped for the phone, but he held it up in the air; seemingly enjoying the sight of me jumping up and down. Looking down, I saw that the sash on my robe had opened, and Eric was looking at my breasts bouncing. I punched him in the chest. Eric simply smiled. “Liv!”, Bill barked. “Eric, put her on, right now!”. “Liv is currently unavailable, as she is still in my employ. Feel free to tell Sam Merlotte the same thing”, Eric said. “And that job is letting you feed on her, and have sex with her?”, Bill said. “Yes”, Eric said.

I felt like I’d been slugged in the gut by a sledgehammer. I should have known that was what this was all about; especially after hearing him speak the words he had earlier. An insignificant human. I clenched my jaw, and sent Eric a venomous look. “Bill… Mr. Northman is right; I’m his for the time being”. Eric flinched slightly when I said the word his. “I’ll see you soon. Thank you for calling”.

Eric hung up the phone, and tossed it on the bed. “I have a meeting in 20 minutes”. “Will you be needing my services, sheriff Northman?”, I asked, not meeting his eyes. “No, not tonight”. “Then, I realize I can’t rescind your invitation into this room, but please get out”. Erics face dropped, and he took a step forward. “Get the fuck out”. The vampire recoiled from my words. “This is about what Bill said”. I couldn’t hide my anger and hurt anymore. “This is about what you said… And the fact that I was stupid enough to think I was anything but another fangbanger to you”. He stood up straight, towering over me; looking anywhere but at my face. “I guess it’s my own fault. I just got confused about everything, because you seemed so upset about Sam and Bill…”. “Bill Compton cares about you… Sam Merlotte cares about you…”, Eric sneered. “And I care about them. They’re my friends”. Eric raised a brow at me. “Is this jealousy, Eric?”, I asked. Suddenly, he had his hand around my throat; and stared angrily into my eyes – his fangs bared. “I don’t get jealous about humans”, he hissed. “Especially those which aren’t mine”. “No… I get that, now”, I hissed. “I’m just a well-paid bloodbag, right?”.

Eric seemed stricken by my words, and quickly removed his hand from my throat. After a short second of regaining his composure, he seemed to be back in business-mode. “You will stay in the suite. You don’t leave, unless it’s with me or Pam. And get some sleep. You look tired and anemic”. “Yes, sir”, I said. I walked over to the door, but before Eric could say anything else, I closed it in his face.

I sat on the bed for a long time, just letting myself feel. After a while, I heard the words I had heard that night, a year before. This is all you’re good for, anyway. Lay back and take it. You’re mine… Then the tears came – unrelenting and with deep heaving sobs. I was such an idiot to think I ever mattered. Even Godric had only saved me, because he wanted my blood in return. What I was, was nothing more than a stripper, a bloodbag; and a prostitute to a man, who didn’t give a shit about me. I slapped my own face, to snap out of it. There was nothing wrong with that. I was doing a job, and it was paying well. What stung, was the fact that I’d lied to myself; letting myself think that I’d mattered to him. “You’ve watched Pretty Woman too many fucking times”, I chided myself.

I crawled up under the duvet on the bed, and even though I’d only shared a bed with Eric for two nights – well, two days, if you were getting technical – it felt lonely to lie there. I fell into a restless sleep.

---

I woke a little before sundown, still rattled and sad from the happenings the night before. Eric was gone; but Pam had sent me a message letting me know to stay in the suite, unless she came to get me.

I picked at the stale sandwich I’d brought with me into my room, and then called up Sookie. “Hello?”. I heard glass being moved around, and sounds of cooking in the background. “Sookie? Shit, sorry, I forgot you were probably at work…”. “Hey, sweetie! Don’t worry about it. It’s a slow shift… Sam says hi!”. “Tell him hi back”, I said. “How are you doing? Bill told me about that phone call, but he didn’t go in to detail”. Bill Compton, always the gentleman. “He’s not coming out, is he? I can’t deal with any more vampire-bosses right now…”, I muttered. “Things not going so well with Eric? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”. She sounded worried and angry. “Not physically. He just…”. I sighed deeply. “Sookie, we had sex”. There was a long pause, where all I could hear was Lafayette yelling out orders, and chairs being moved around. “Sook’?”. “You had sex… with Eric Northman… Was it good?”. “Sookie!”, I yelped. “I’m sorry… But… Well, was it?”. I could hear her smile in her voice. “Yeah… It really was”, I said, my cheeks burning red, and Sookie sniggered. “But now he’s treating me like just another fangbanger… I didn’t come out here to be his on-call prostitute. I thought maybe…”. I couldn’t finish my sentence.

I heard Sookie sigh heavily. “He is a big butthole of a vampire…”, she said. “Look, you’re absolutely not the first woman to fall for his tall, blond and mysterious thing… There ain’t nothing wrong with that”. “Then why do I feel like shit?”, I asked. “Because society has told us, that its wrong for women to enjoy sex…”. “Sookie Stackhouse, the feminist… I like it!”, I said; finally feeling a smile trace my lips. “I wish… I wish I’d never come out here… That I never met that 6’4, incredibly good looking, charming and… fuck, Sookie! I was really beginning to like him…”. “You’re only human… Liv, you have done nothing wrong, don’t let him get to you. You just chin up, and finish that job… maybe quit it with the sex-part, though. Get the money, and move on… Take me to a nice dinner when you get back, you’ll be able to afford it; and then you can tell me if…”. “The carpet matches the drapes?”. “Liv!”. Someone called for her in the background. “Sweetie, I gotta run. Call me or Bill if you need anything, ok?”. “I will. And, Sookie…? Thanks”. “See you soon”, she said, and hung up.

While in the shower, I made a decision. I was going to do what I had been hired to do, even if I hadn’t been completely aware of what that meant, when I said yes. But I was also going to do as Sookie had said. There wasn’t a chance in hell, I was going to let that big butthole of a vampire get to me anymore; he was going to get what he paid for, and nothing else.

While drying my hair, I called Pam on the phone Eric had given me. “What?”, she replied, after the first ring. “I need your help”, I said. “In more ways than you know. I repeat… What?” “I want to earn my money, and do the job I was hired for… I guess I’m asking WWGD…?”. “I don’t speak church”, Pam replied. “What Would Ginger Do?”.

I felt a gust of wind, and suddenly Pam was stood in front of me. “Will it piss Eric off?”, she asked. “Maybe… Is that a problem?”, I asked. “He ruined my dress, took away my room; and then almost died on me. No problem at all”, she smirked, but then raised a brow at me “One thing, though… Take it back ”. “Take what back?”. “You know what…”, she sneered. I sighed heavily. “Fine… You’ve never, ever pooped".

---

A few hours later, I was in couture again; at least Pam had told me it was. My chest was bound as tightly and as high as humanly possible, by a black satin corset-top; but when Pam had seen me exit the room after having put it on, she spun me around, and bound it even tighter. I had on a short skirt in faux leather, and strappy high-heeled sandals, that I was sure to twist my ankle in, at some point. I’d done my make-up and hair as I used to, during my dancing days; and I knew I looked both fuckable and eatable. Because of this very reason, I’d put a robe over my clothes. Pam looked hungry.

I was finishing painting my nails a dark color, when Eric entered the suite; wearing another suit – this time, with a shirt underneath. He looked every bit the powerful vampire-sheriff he was. ”What is that smell?”, Eric snarled. “I’m doing my nails, sir”, I said. He took three long strides towards me, and looked down at my freshly painted nails. “You’re keeping me locked up here, I needed to do something to pass the time”. “Doing as you’re told is part of the job, sunshine”, he retorted – letting whether this time, he meant sunshine as a term of endearment, or an insult, hang in the air. “Sir, yes, sir”, I said quietly, and screwed the lid back on the polish, blowing on my nails. Eric took the bottle from the table. “Where did you even get this?”, he asked. “I told you not to leave the suite”. “Pam”, I answered.

Eric shook his head in annoyed defeat. “The trial is in an hour; upstairs. The Authority figured out you’re the one on that picture; and they want you to testify, despite my insistence that you can’t remember anything”. “You told them that?”, I asked. He looked at me with warning eyes. “Yes, and you’ll repeat those very words to the Magister”. “I’m not going to lie! Are you crazy?”. The Viking-vampire tensed his whole body, bared his fangs, and roared at me. “You will do as you’re told, miss Sunday; because that’s what I hired you to do!”.

I wanted to scream, throw something, or even punch him in the face; but that last part would probably hurt me more than it would him. Instead, I stood my ground. If he wanted an obedient little fangbanger who did as she was told, and groveled at his feet; he’d get one. I got off the couch, and shrugged off the robe; exposing my outfit. “Yes, master”, I said. Erics eyes widened, and he turned to face his progeny. “Vad fan håller hon på med? Vad har du gjort?”. ”She asked for The Ginger. I thought you’d want a bit of an upgrade from that”, Pam said, amusement in her voice. I raised a brow at her. “Hey… I wanted to piss him off, not get killed”. Eric rolled his eyes. “We don’t have time for this. We have a trial to attend”, he said, and grabbed my arm. “Let’s go”. “I can walk myself”, I said, and pulled my arm out of his grasp, before grabbing my purse. He clenched his jaw, and opened the door for us to leave the room. The first thing that happened after I stepped out into the hallway, was that I almost fell over. Pam caught me by the arm, and pulled me upright. Eric had the decency to keep his back to me, as he laughed.

---

The top floor restaurant had once again been rearranged for what seemed like a party. I don’t know what I’d expected form a vampire-trial, but this was not it. The vampires present were all dressed to the nines, some of them in fashions that seemed to stem from decades before. There were very few humans in the room; probably to avoid having to do a mass glamour when the trial was over.

Eric strode confidently through the room, with people stepping aside as he went. I heard murmurs, and felt eyes on my back as I followed. “… the human Godric fed from”, I heard someone mutter, as I passed a group of sheriffs and their entourages. “Wasn’t she a stripper?”. “Northman likes them flexible and half naked. Haven’t you ever been to Shreveport?”. “… seems like the type”. I looked back at the group, and had to stop myself from hissing at them. I wasn’t out to get killed after all. Pam grabbed my arm, and made me keep up.

Walking up to Isabel at the center of the room, Eric solemnly nodded at her. “Is he in the building?”, he asked. “He’s been silvered all day in the magisters quarters… I would have stayed with him, but they wouldn’t let me”, Isabel said, a pained look in her eyes. “I know… You’ve been a good deputy to him”, Eric said. “But I should have been there”. “What difference would that have made? They would have found out eventually”. “No… Last conference, I should have been there. I could have stopped it”. Eric let out a frustrated growl. “You can’t blame yourself”, Isabel said. “All we can do now, is give testimony to Godrics character. Maybe we can claim the picture was fabricated… Have your human say it was a misunderstanding”. Eric gazed back at me. “She doesn’t remember what happened…”, he said, giving me a meaningful and warning look.

The hell I didn’t. I remembered everything.

---

[hanadolphieron]

blackpink as sisters~

kim jisoo;

nags you and can be exasperatingly like your mom

but you would be dead by now if it wasn’t for her; she remembers all the things you forget

she’ll plan out the extra items she brings on vacations because she knows you’ll forget some

you steal her clothes all the time

and they’re so comfy?

and you’re like jisoo why is your wardrobe the softest, most fashionable thing i have ever seen

leans on you with her elbow on your head/shoulder even if she’s shorter than you

inside! jokes!

probably ignores you if you say something dumb and just stares

isn’t the type of sister to give advice

lets you figure out life on your own

you come to her for comfort and sympathy thought when you get hurt

she’s the best at being understanding and relating to you without making it all about her

although sometimes she can seem a bit aloof if you’re in a sensitive state of mind

which can lead to fights

but jisoo is civilized during conflict and is accepting of whatever criticism you have for her

talks to you for a long time about the argument, like legit will not shut up

but, the clarification she gives you causes the tension to disappear and you never have the same issues twice

you know all of her friends and she knows yours

kim jennie;

you tell her everything about what’s going on in your life, and vice versa

communication is key

i imagine you both as popular, everyone finds you agreeable and pleasant to be around

the type to take off her jacket if she sees you’re cold, even if she’s shivering herself

will fight anyone who hurts you and that’s on periodt

you both are the cliché sisters

like doing each other’s make-up, gossiping about friends, stealing each other’s clothes, fighting and then sending memes straight afterward, all that stuff

ate a whole box of oreos in one sitting once

that you had bought

for yourself

and thought someone had stole, because there was no possible way for a human being to consume an ungodly amount of sustenance such as she did

your halloween costumes when you were young were the cutest things!

you twinned every year

except for when one of you went through the 10-year-old phase where you have to be different and want to become famous and start doing a bunch of random things in order to show your superiority to other homosapiens

the fashionable siblings

jennie gives you the most wholesome but also extremely sassy advice read insults on your outfits

gosh walking into parties with each other (i don’t know why you’d be going to a party with your sibling but since it’s jennie yk why wouldn’t you)

cheers you up constantly, the sibling-vibes i get from her are magnetic and positive

park chaeyoung;

dotes on you constantly and you’re just going to have to accept it because nothing is going to stop her from hugging you 18 times a day and cooing over how adorable you are

is always there for you and will feel so bad if you go through a tough time without telling her about it

so please don’t worry about upsetting her with your worries

because not telling her would make her worry more

you’re going to get hurt from how many times you’ve fallen on the floor because of how hilarious chaeyoung is

you know when you’re laughing so much you can’t stop and your legs are so weak and you just keep swooshing around and doubling over?

yeah. that’s a typical day for you and chaeyoung

the aesthetic siblings

you are so cheesy

saturday brunch is a must, you always head to IHOP or somewhere else where you can eat an overload of tasty, sugary food and chug orange juice

people honestly think you’re best friends 

because you’re so nice to each other?

there’s not a lot of insulting

although sometimes the talking in high-pitched voices and shrieking can be a bit much and escalate into aggressive pterodactyl i just spelled that right on the first try shrieking

dress-up and mini plays were your favorite games to play as kids

your parents couldn’t sit down for a second without “come see us!” whenever you and/or chaeyoung had created a new set or play or stuck their head through a wall or some other nice activity

one of the only fights you ever had was when you were mad at chaeyoung because she got a bunch of attention from your parents so you pulled all her coloring pages and drawings off of the fridge

lalisa monoban;

save yourself

despite all the times lisa has stood up for you against your parents or other people that have accused you, she is ready to attack at all times

jumps onto your back and goes “giddy up!” right in your ear

always wants to go with you to hang out with your friends

especially when you guys were kids

tries to teach you everything she knows if she’s the older one

if she’s younger, she wants to know everything you know

the embarrassingly supportive one

can and will shout your name as loud as possible at any event you participate in

convinces your parent(s) to buy a dog at like age 5

but makes you do all the work

so annoying but you still love her

besides, she gives some solid advice on friend drama

somehow she knows all of your enemies’ weaknesses?

and you’re like lisa? excuse me? how do you know that about them?

fights happen often but they never go too far (such an aries trait ik)

because you both feel seriously guilty when you hurt each other’s feelings

most fights stem from impulsive decisions where she may have taken the teasing too far

you could accidentally be insensitive too

boundaries can be shaky and moods change fast

lets you hide candy in her room so you don’t get in trouble

so loud together

your parent(s) have seriously considered getting sound proof walls so they don’t have burst eardrums by the time they’re sixty

[mercurryblack]

Chapter 7: Lillian

The team gets ready for their respective dates... or lack thereof.

❃❃❃

“Ugh. We get a night off, and I’m stuck with an essay.”

Though the crime scene investigation had been a drag, in Cait’s opinion, their current situation sucked even more. They hungered for something exciting to happen— hell, a pissed-off Onikuma could crash through their door right then and there, and it would be a pleasant reprieve from the drudgery of a Grimm Studies report. Fighting was always preferable over writing.

Who cared about the variations in Grimm anatomy and physiology based on their habitat, anyway? One looked like an elephant, one looked like a wooly mammoth.

Either way, Cait had set themselves up for a boring night in, and was left silent and grouchy.

“How are you guys planning to spend your day-offs?” Hattie asked the Armilde twins as she slumped back against her pillow. Her small tophat remained firmly on her head, still lopsided.

Silently, Cait tried and failed to recount the last time they’d ever seen her without it.

“I have a charity event to go to,” Amaryllis replied, adjusting a clip-on silver earring onto her right earlobe.

“Oooh, that sounds exciting!” Hattie said, sitting up. “Can I come? Can I come?” 

“Sure! More people there means more funds for the cause. Plus, it’s public, so everyone in Mistral’s pretty much automatically invited.” Amaryllis paused, looking at her Scroll. “…You do still have that nice blue dress of yours from the dance, don’t you?”

“Yeah.” Hattie replied.

Amaryllis nodded. “You might want to consider throwing that on, since it’s a kinda formal event, but otherwise you’re welcome to tag along.”

“Yay!” Hattie squealed, clapping her hands. “Thank you, Ammy! You going with anyone else?”

“Hector Wulfric. The event’s organized by his family, actually.” Amaryllis answered. A smile crept onto her face while she planned how she was going to spend the evening with her boyfriend. 

“Oh.” Hattie said, immediately deflating. “In that case, never mind. I don’t wanna play third wheel.” She took a seat again on the end of her bed. “How about Lilly? What’s she gonna do tonight?”

Lillian wasn’t there to answer. She’d been in the bathroom for a good half hour, brushing her teeth to a complete and almost blinding white.

“She’s going on a date with… what was it, sweet guns? No, wait, she called her tha— Oh, I remember. Sweet buns.” Amaryllis recounted, barely stifling a giggle.

“Who now? Is she that same girl Lillian mentioned yesterday?” Hattie asked in the same moment as Lillian emerged from the bathroom.

“Hush, you.” Lillian said, having overheard them. “For the millionth time, Am, her name is Rosario— and yes, Hattie, she’s the same one I mentioned last night.” She explained.

“Remind me how it went, again? Was it, ‘I got a couple of “sweet buns” right here, and they’ve already got your name on ‘em.’” Amaryllis put her hands firmly on her rear and swung her butt in a circle. She wiggled repetitively, mocking a tease she had observed from Rosario.

Lillian turned to give Amaryllis an especially evil glare. “You know what, Am? You���re a pain in my ass.”

“Yeah, okay.” Amaryllis adopted a placating tone, though the mischievous glint in her eye remained. “But am I a pain in your sweet bu—?” She began, continuing her gluteal choreography.

With a snarl, Lillian grabbed one of Amaryllis’ good leather boots from the floor and hurled it at her sister. It collided with the top of the redhead’s cranium, and she let out a strangled yelp.

“Ow, ow, ow...” Rubbing the top of her head, Amaryllis snapped back, “I swear to god, Lilly, if you messed up my hair…”

Hattie giggled in the background, though she lacked context on exactly what Amaryllis was making fun about— something about sweet buns, but that was all she could make out. Her stomach growled at the thought of the tasty pastry.

“Okay, okay, it’s time to stop. Both of you had your laughs.” Lillian said, as she grabbed her drawstring bag and threw it over her shoulder. “And sorry, Hattie, but I got no extra room tonight. As roaringly as I think you two would get along, I think it’s about time I spend some alone time with my girlfriend.” She coughed.

“Mmm.” Hattie mumbled in response. Though downtrodden by the absence of her teammates for the night, she knew that it was neither of their responsibilities to take her along with them— after all, they still had their private lives. “…Lillian?”

“Yes?” Lillian asked, straightening her cropped hoodie around her midriff.

“Your girlfriend’s the same one with the pastry shop, isn’t she?” Hattie asked.

“Same one.”

Hattie puffed her lips out. “Will you bring back some pastries when you’re done with your date, pleeeease?”

“Sure, I think that could be arranged.” Lillian laughed. “Okay, I should be on my way by now— I don’t want to keep Rosa waiting.”

Amaryllis “I’m going as well— I’ve still got to pick up my dress.” She turned to Hattie and Cait for a moment. “Oh, and you two eat some dinner later, okay? Hattie, if you really have nothing else to do, it’d be really nice of you to help Cait finish their paper. Afterward, maybe you two can come down to the charity ball.” She said invitingly.

Hattie’s eyes lit up again. “Hey, maybe we could! What do you think, Cait?”

Cait didn’t make any effort to face the twins, instead opting to wave a hand to them while facing the window. “Yeah.” They replied listlessly.

“…Okay then. We’ll see you later.” With that, Lillian and Amaryllis turned and exited the dorm room.

***

As Amaryllis and Lillian walked through Haven’s low-lit and empty dormitory halls, they continued to talk about each other’s plans for the evening.

“So... where are you taking Rosario?” Amaryllis inquired in an innocent tone.

“We’re heading down to the cliffs. I heard there are some nice spots over there for a late picnic.” Lillian answered flatly, looking straight ahead without breaking her stride.

“Cliffs. How very romantic.” Amaryllis drawled.

“Yeah, yeah. How about you and Hector, got anything hot and heavy planned for tonight? I heard something about you picking up a dress. I smell something fishy here.” Lillian turned to face Amaryllis, wiggling an eyebrow.

“Ew, don’t even go there. This outfit is for tonight’s event, and tonight’s event only. I’ll change clothes after I go to the salon to get my hair and face done up, and I gotta hit that first since it’s already getting pretty late.” Amaryllis hesitated. “And as far as I know, the only thing that’ll be getting hot tonight is my face from nervousness. Hector said his dad’s going to be there, and he wants me to meet him.”

“Heh. I know the feeling.” Lillian chuckled.

She knew full well that her sister had never met Hector’s family before— both her and the Wulfric lad had seemed secretive about the whole relationship, though they had been dating for well over a year by now. She also was versed in the experience of having to meet a special someone’s family for the first time, and a sweaty face didn’t even start to describe it.

Honestly, it felt more like a jolt of terror up the spine, followed by the sensation of one’s stomach falling right into their feet.

“Don’t worry, Am. They’ll love you.” Lillian reassured her sister. Smirking, she continued, “Just don’t tell them that the reason their beloved son is head-over-heels for you is because of those lumps of fat glued to the front of your ribcage.”

Amaryllis flushed red, crossing her arms over her chest. “Oh, shut up. I’ll have you know that Hector loves all the fat in my body, regardless of its exact location.”

“Yeah?” Lillian retorted. “Tell that to the two loves of his life: peanut butter and jelly.” She teased as she pointed her thumb at Amaryllis’ chest. “…Or was it butter, and I can’t believe it’s not butter?”

“Please. His nicknames for my breasts are much more creative than that.” Amaryllis countered.

A pause.

“So you admit that he has nicknames for them, huh?”

Blushing a brighter shade of red, Amaryllis huffed and walked as fast as she could, overtaking Lillian. She was becoming increasingly annoyed with her sister, not because of what she was saying, but because she had no good retorts up her sleeve to retaliate with.

“Bye, sis. Have fun with your boob fetishist of a boyfriend.” Lillian waved, a guileless smirk plastered on her face.

“You have a nice date too… sweet buns fetishist!” For one last time, Amaryllis turned around to face Lillian and performed the corresponding taunt.

Turning around, she nearly walked right into a green-haired, pink-eyed girl with a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth, who had obviously been witness to her previous action. Unmoving, she apparently appeared to still be processing it.

After a moment’s pause, the girl blinked, snorted a small laugh and grinned. “Yeah, Sweet buns, all right.” She cracked, holding the toothbrush out of her mouth to speak.

Hiding her face with her arm from embarrassment, Amaryllis ran past the girl and out the entrance of the dormitory. Lillian and the girl watched with amusement as she fled.

“Hey.” The girl said, turning back to face Lillian.

“Hey.” Lillian replied, sparing a second’s eye contact as she walked past. She vaguely recognized her as one of the first-years.

With that brief acknowledgement, they both continued on their separate ways, in opposite directions along the hall.

[kathyprior4200]

Kathy Prior Comforts Alastor

Another ordinary day at the Hazbin Hotel. Having died in the 2020’s due to covid, I appeared as a watered down human, not quite a demon unless influenced by Alastor’s dark magic. Originally I was going to be transformed into an angel reminiscent of my supposed spirit animal. But Heaven’s elitism rubbed me the wrong way, thus I refused to submit to God. I was banished down to Hell, living in a cardboard box. I was soon fleeing from the exterminators not too long afterwards. If they had gotten me, I’d either be killed or sent back to Heaven to be brainwashed as a white Exorcist. Then Alastor of all people decided to take me in and I arrived at the Hazbin Hotel. There I was good friends with Alastor, Charlie and Niffty, half convinced that they were the voice actors playing some kind of trick on me.

 Aside from my demon form that is activated by Alastor’s magic, my afterlife form wasn’t very impressive. I looked like I did when I was alive, except my skin was ghostly pale, my long hair was gray and my eyes had black sclera, purple irises and white pupils. Although I didn’t fit in with the other demons, I could see in the dark and my instincts were heightened.

 It’s not a lot of fun when Alastor possesses me or when he decides to swallow me whole. Apparently, there’s something powerful about me that allows him to heal, feel full and even get some rest. Often times, he sits me in front of a radio and has me listen to several of his favorite jazz songs. The little speakers start to glow and static buzzes in my head. His soothing voice washes over me and I find myself in a daze. My eyes glow red with moving black radio dials and my remaining thoughts are shoved to the back of my mind. Alastor soon has control of my body and mind. He calls the process “getting tuned in.”

 I then transform into an alligator/red doe hybrid demon named Cerva. In this form, I’m a vicious killer and cannibal who accompanies Alastor, Husk and Niffty on various missions. Using my sharp claws, teeth and some dark magic, I take down pedos, rapists, criminals or anyone that stands in the Radio Demon’s way. My scaly skin helps protect me from most attacks, though I can still be killed by angelic weapons like everyone else. When he releases control of me and I morph back, it feels like a great weight is lifted off my chest. I cannot remember what I did before.

 Like Husk and Niffty, I’m stuck under Alastor’s contract for a while. He persuaded me to work for him at the hotel and that “It’s a dangerous world outside.” Naturally I agreed.

 Today was fairly busy. Charlie had a meet and greet event to welcome the newcomers Crymini, Mimzy and Baxter. When I wasn’t greeting any guests, I helped Niffty clean the rooms, make the beds and sweep up the floors. Sometimes I would help Alastor and Niffty make tasty jambalaya (with spicy sauce) and other dishes to serve to all the clients. I wasn’t very good at poker but it was still fun to play and watch as Husk skillfully won almost every game. Often, the characters would mostly talk amongst themselves, me fading into the background, being an OC. I was fine with that…it was almost like watching the show I dearly loved on Earth…except now I was a part of it in a way.

 After I finished cleaning beer bottles at the Jackpot portion near the lobby, I heard Alastor and Husk talking not too far away by a pool table.

 The cat demon let out his usual grumpy sigh. “Man, what a ruckus. I just served dozens of drinks to these annoying tourists who didn’t even stay. What’s the meaning of that?”

 “Why Husker!” Alastor said with a laugh, “Ever since our three new demons arrived and signed up for Charlie’s program, more folks are becoming curious about it. Providing them with drinks and entertainment is surely the way to go!”

 “Without any breaks?” Husk scowled. “And why’d you make me stretch my wings and do a stupid dance onstage when I got wasted earlier?”

 “It was so funny, I had to!” he chuckled. “Even when you’re getting drunk, you can still do your new job well.”

 “I’m here to serve drinks and get my money and booze. That’s it. I’m not some fucking clown you can roll into every little scheme of yours.”

 “Hmm…maybe you are.”

 “I don’t think so. Remember I’m only here because you bribed me with booze. But even that will only go so far.”

 “Come now, my friend, why not liven up a little!” Alastor spoke in a loud voice, making Husk’s ears flinch back. “I provided you with some resources to make your life down here more…livable…or rather less dead.”

 Audience laughter came from his microphone.

 Husk rolled his eyes and muttered. “Your dad jokes make you a fucking joke.” Alastor snickered. Husk seethed, “Ugh great, now it’s rubbing off on me!”

 Alastor pulled Husk in close with his arm, much to the cat’s disgust. “Just have some fun and follow my orders and things will go smoothly. You are my good friend after all.”

 Husk’s white furry face turned red as he hissed and shoved Alastor away. “I’m not your fucking friend! You’re nothing but a red psycho freak I happen to unfortunately work under. If I had my way, I’d be a rich free man who could gamble and do whatever I want! Better yet, I’d be far away from all you morons.”

 Husk picked up a few cards and shuffled them in his hands. “I had a full house and was about to win the pot. And then you pulled me out of nowhere and placed me in this dump for your own amusement.” He pointed a claw into Alastor’s chest a few times, making him flinch a bit. “When ae you gonna get it past your egotistical head that I. Want. To. Be. Left. Alone?!”

 An uncomfortable silence followed. Niffty briefly looked over while she was busy dusting a bookshelf with a white feather duster.

 “Looks like our pussy cat’s in his usual bad mood,” Alastor mused in his radio voice. He tilted up the corners of Husk’s mouth into a smile, which quickly fell when he let go.  “You know I love to see that smile…”

 “Shut up!” Husk pounded his furry fists onto the pool table, making the colored balls rattle. “Just shut the fuck up! I’m sick of you touching me all the time and getting into my face. I’d say you’re lost in this ridiculous musical world of yours…you think you can do anything you want but you don’t seem to be aware of who’s right in front of you!”

 The large yellow smile remained on Alastor’s face, though his red eyes looked concerned and confused.  

 “You’re delusional, thinking Hell revolves around you like some sort of audience.” Husk’s eyes had faint red veins popping out. “You may be powerful, but guess what? You can’t have your way all the time. I learned that lesson the hard way. I may be in your partnership for a while…” He hiccupped, “…but here’s what I really think of you…”

 Husk’s breath smelled of booze as the cat spilled out his previously hidden angry thoughts.

 “You’re an insufferable…”

 Every word was a jab to Alastor’s chest…

 “Egotistical…”

 He felt the shoves of surrounding boys in a long ago life…

 “Filthy…”

The taunts of “dirty boy” and the n word…being forced into a tub of water, scrubbed all over roughly and feeling like he was drowning…

 “Immature…”

 Authority figures looking at him in disapproval as he auditioned for various radio stations…

 “Maniacal…”

 Alastor slashing down his hunting knife onto a helpless victim in a snowy wood…

 “Heartless…”

 Alastor dancing and flirting with pretty women but turning away when they tore desperately at his clothes…

 “Couillon…”

 Running away as police dogs bit and tore at his legs…

 “Retard!”

 Pounding on a door in a cold empty asylum room, cold stares from the towering wardens and nurses. Words like “loon”, “wacko,” being mouthed at him as the gray walls closed in…

 A sharp record scratch pierced the air.

 A black and red gloved hand clutched at Husk’s throat. A tight grip lifted the cat several inches off the ground. He struggled to pry off Alastor’s hand, but his hold was firm. Husk struggled and gasped as he frantically tried to gulp for air. The room darkened and soon filled with radio static and floating red Voodoo symbols. Alastor’s large orbs turned pitch black, with small red dials twitching menacingly. He slowly brought Husk close to his face until they were almost nose to nose.

 He spoke in a low demonic radio voice, his mouth not moving.

 “Remember who you’re dealing with. I gave you your privileges, and I can easily take them away.”

 Just when Husk was about to pass out, he casually tossed him aside. He landed with an “oof” onto the floor. The static and symbols vanished as Alastor’s eyes returned to their normal shade of red. Husk groaned and stood up on shaky legs. He took several deep breaths and glared.

 “Guess cats don’t always land on their feet,” Alastor mused as more microphone laughter followed.

 “Get ready for another big day tomorrow!” Alastor called cheerfully to Husk as if nothing had happened. Husk flipped him a middle claw in response as he slouched away. Alastor walked on.

 “Oh Husk,” Niffty called out. “Don’t forget that you need another bath tomorrow. I‘ll be happy to clean you all up!”

 “Suck it, shrimpy bitch!” he yelled.

 “Language, kitty!”

 Niffty hopped down from the bookshelf and scurried toward Alastor. He looked down at her.

 “Well hello little darling!” he greeted to the cyclops maid.

 “Hello Alastor,” she beamed. “I was just finishing up my rounds for the day when I heard you and Husk talking. It sounded like arguing…”

 “Oh it was nothing, my dear! Just Husk in his grumpy cat mood as usual. I was trying to cheer him up.”

 “Okay,” she said. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow, so much stuff to do! Is there anything else I can do to help out, sir?”

 Alastor waved his hand, “Nothing at all. You did a splendid job today.”

 “Are you sure?” she asked, her large golden eye darting back and forth. “You know, you look pretty dirty, no offence. Perhaps you could use a nice clean…” She looked over at his staff, then stared at the area around his legs a little bit too long. “Your staff I can so easily reach…”

 She extended her hand with a hungry expression.

 “Ha! No.”

 Alastor instinctively stepped back, his frozen smile still on his face. He walked briskly past her without another word.

 “See you in the morning!” she trilled with a happy wave before scurrying off.

 The room was quiet and empty.

 What in the world just happened?

 A nagging feeling spread through me as I walked in the same direction as Alastor. It was a strange urge to go and talk with him. His tall frame strolled down the hall and up a flight of stairs. I silently followed, careful to stay a distance away and out of sight. As I almost entered my room, Room 42, the feeling compelled me to wander towards Alastor’s room instead.

 His room was across from Charlie’s and Vaggie’s, not too far away from Angel’s. The black door was etched with red Voodoo symbols and had a golden deer knocker. Strangely enough, he left it slightly open. I inched closer and peered through the opening into a dim room.

 “Come in, dear.”

 The door opened wider on its own, revealing Alastor sitting in a dark red throne-like chair on a small balcony. He was facing the sunset sky, but must have sensed my presence. He had taken off his red pinstriped suit and had it neatly folded on a chair, near where his staff was. He appeared to be wearing a dark red old fashioned nightgown with slippers made of deer fur.

 In the room, there was a king-size bed with red satin sheets on it, an elegant bedside table and dresser to match. A small chandelier made of bones hung from the ceiling in the center, illuminating blood red carpets decorated with small golden eyes and antlers in rows. There was a large vanity mirror framed by round theater lights and an array of softly lit candles here and there. And of course, there were old fashioned radios all over the room in various sizes. A four-eyed deer head stared back at me from a plaque on the fancy red wallpaper. More disturbing were the various skin-stitched Voodoo dolls and skulls hanging from the ceiling.

 A cool soothing evening breeze met my face as I stepped outside into the inferno air. I sank down into another chair next to Alastor. The sky was painted a brilliant red and orange, the magenta pentagram glowing and moving above like a revolving clock.

 “I didn’t mean to disturb you sir…” I began. A small radio sat beside Alastor, emitting radio noises and various sound clips. Strangely they sounded almost the same every time I heard them. In fact, his habit of using his microphone for sound effects…it was almost like a comfort mechanism for him.

 “Well usually at a time like this I do prefer to be alone, but since you were nearby…”

 “I just…wanted to make sure you were alright.”

 “I’m perfectly splendid, sweetheart, no need to worry.”

 For a millisecond, his eyes told a different story. Not only did I have better senses, I could read expressions and sense intentions better as well.

 “I believe there is more than that. I heard you guys arguing. Frankly, Husk was being a bit of a jerk.”

 Alastor waved his hand. “That’s what he does.”

 “But it was different this time, wasn’t it?”

 Alastor just shrugged.

 “Charlie and I were talking today and we both can agree: you can’t hide your feelings forever.”

 “Whatever are you talking about?”

 “I can sense that you are lonely, deep down. You want to find a place to belong but your sadistic nature makes others afraid of you. You’re afraid to trust other people.”

 He turned to me with a deadly glare but I remained where I was. “If you’re planning on killing me, there’s no point as I’m already dead. Hear me out for a second.”

 He paused and leaned back to listen.

 “I’m not saying you should reveal your sad secrets to everyone. I’m just saying you should embrace the fact that we all have vulnerabilities and bad days. It’s perfectly okay to cry once in a while. Perhaps your search for entertainment is more than just that. It’s a search for your mother, your friends, a search for your true place on the stage of life.”

 “I’m never fully dressed without a smile,” he seethed with his plastic smile. “End of story. Since when has an audience member gave the star of the show directions?” he inquired, eyebrow raised. “You don’t know anything about me.”

 “Well perhaps you need a better script,” I added, arms folded. I stared at his long yellowed nails, his gloves off for a rare moment. “And serious bodily care.”

 A brief silence. Had I been anyone else, I’d be a pile of ash.

 I continued. “Husk did have a point, though. He wanted to be left alone but you still decided to invade his space. You told Charlie that you want to see people fail, despite her not wanting to hear it. Plus, I’d expect an evil killer like you to take joy in the fact that people run away from you in fear. But you don’t like it. Because you seek something more.”

 “I don’t need to hear your delusional words.”

 “I’m more observant than you think. You created me to be submissive, but also tough and smart. It’s my duty to serve you and the hotel right now. And you bet your bottom dollar that me and your friends will try and do what’s best for everyone.”

 More silence as we watched the sunset in deep thought. After several minutes, I turned to him and couldn’t believe what I saw. I spotted a stray tear fall from Alastor’s eye…and his smile slowly faded.

 I covered my mouth with my hands as I let out a soft surprised gasp.

 His look alone told me that I’d be demon meat if I told anyone else. Fortunately, I never break my promise.

 I thought of all his behaviors I noticed and it suddenly clicked. There was the feeling again, a sense of a peculiar deep connection between me and him. And I figured out what it was.

 “Alastor…do you know what autism is?”

 He gave me a perplexed look. “Stop making things up.”

 “It’s a real thing…but I imagine no one talked about it in your time. Autism is one of many developmental disorders that impairs socialization. Your behaviors appear to be very similar.”

 Alastor growled, teeth bared in warning. “I can assure you that I’m perfectly talkative enough. You call me dumb and I can easily…”

 “I know because I have it too.”

 Alastor’s eye twitched. “What?”

 “Do any of these traits sound familiar to you? Being a nerdy child lost in your own world? Being preoccupied and very skilled in your many talents as you grew up? Never quite fitting in with your peers no matter how hard you try?”

 Nothing was heard but the sounds of radio glitches. Orange light glinted off his monocle under his right eye.

 “Those with autism are often very knowledgeable, setting their minds to something and never letting go of it. But they have a hard time seeing things from another person’s perspective. It’s not that they are antisocial and heartless. Rather, they feel things deeply…but they don’t know how to communicate properly with others around them. Some of them aren’t interested in romance, either.”

 Alastor rolled his eyes. “I have shows to plan for my demonic audience. I don’t have time for feelings and…”

 I continued on. “You’re content with living in your own world of radios, music and murder…because for you, it was the only way to survive and make yourself known in your previous life. Communicating through the radio, playing music, dancing and singing on stage… that is when you feel truly alive. Because your listeners hang onto your every word, not caring who you are on the outside.”

 His pupils grew slightly. “You’re making assumptions. You’re forgetting about murder…”

 “Bringing joy to others outweighs bringing suffering...at least that’s how it should be. There’s nothing wrong with doing what you love…except when it causes harm to others.”

 “Demons kill and eat other all the time. Surely you must know that sometimes death and torture are necessary.”

 “You do have a good point. But…I’m talking about your previous life, and why you were sent down here…”

 “I killed those racist bastards for good reasons. When you discover there’s an afterlife full of magic, you go out of you way to make deals for power. It’s what I’ve been doing for years. It’s impossible to be sinless, for sinners lost their chance to ascend the moment they died on Earth!”

 “But it doesn’t have to be that way. Say we take the necessary steps to prove Heaven wrong…”

 “Heheheh, there you go, sounding delusional like Charlie.”

 “Just be glad I’m not as distrustful or hateful of men as Vaggie.”

 “Angel Dust is probably worse…”

 I chuckled out loud at that. “Personal space isn’t in his vocabulary.”

 I took a breath. “Look Alastor, I’m not saying it will be all be rainbows like Charlie claims. I’m just saying it’s not impossible to redeem sinners. Back to the main topic: we both have autism. Your special interests are radios, entertainment, murder and dark magic.”

 Alastor made a face and shook his head. “That term you mentioned didn’t exist when I was alive,” he said. “Anyone who was considered strange or deviant were ignored at best. At worst, they were arrested, killed or thrown into asylums. If it weren’t for my beloved mother…I would’ve wasted away a long time ago. And despite enjoying the company of beautiful ladies, I’ve never had much interest in intimacy. My broadcasting career was my life.”

 This time I listened quietly. He continued. “I’m only telling you all this because you technically don’t exist in the Hazbin timeline. And because…I can trust you enough, like Charlie and Rosie and Mimzy…”

 He sighed again. “Like a skilled actor, I learned not just how to present myself on the air. Thanks to my mama, I learned how to socialize and mimic others around me. It was a way for me to be confident in the face of daily disdain. Smiling became my way of life…my survival skill. If I were to cry and appear weak, who knows what might’ve happened to me. Eventually I became famous for my broadcasting and my music all throughout Louisiana, but it still wasn’t quite enough. I then found another coping mechanism…”

 The aura around him grew red…

 “One that made me feel like I found my place in the world. How good it felt when I could hear their screams…see the life leave their eyes. How from the moment their bodies turned cold, I knew they could never take advantage of me and my family again…”

 His black antlers arched slightly past his face. He lowered his head as static faded in and out. Here was the infamous and ferocious Radio Demon pouring out his secrets to me. I almost didn’t know what to say.

 He covered his eyes with his hands, long fingers in claw shapes almost tearing at his pale gray skin. His voice broke in a record scratch…and this time he spoke without the radio effect, barely audible: “I miss her so much.” His fluffy ear tufts briefly drooped as he conjured the loving smiling brown face of his French Creole mother in his head.

 We sat in silence for a while. “I hope you can see her again,” I said. “But…you need to have faith. Not in Charlie’s program per se…but in yourself. I know change is hard…I’m not saying go play with dogs and use new technology. I mean, don’t be afraid to explore your feelings, figure out what you truly want in your second life.”  

 Alastor’s remaining tears sizzled off his face and his tufts lifted back up. “That’s easy. I want to entertain others and have everyone do what I want…endlessly feast on flesh and never be bored…”

 “We both know it doesn’t work like that. What you want is nothing compared with what you need. You need love. Friends. The joys of music and a purpose. Instead of killing individuals…you need to kill off your own barriers.”

 “Easier said than done. What if I don’t want to change?”

 “You’ll either spiral downward into madness, or you’ll slowly change for the better while still retaining your good qualities. If you want to see your mother in Heaven, you’re gonna have to put in some effort. I may sound like Charlie when I say this but…I know you can do it.”

 Alastor gradually relaxed, his antlers retreating back to their usual stumps. He soon stood up, anxious to have some space. “Thank you for this lovely chat. Now I’m off to read my scripts and go to bed for a little.”

 I stood up and followed. “How long do you usually sleep?”

 “Thirty minutes,” he shrugged. “I rest by the wall with my eyes open.”

 I gasped out loud and bared my teeth. “Not on my watch, mister. Get into bed, now!”

 “Deer don’t need sleep.”

 I put my hands on my hips. “Everyone needs sleep, especially you! I promise nothing is going to happen. Your shadow will guard your room and suck the soul out of any intruder. Plus you have several friends and kingpins who are loyal to you. You want to truly be the star, Alastor? Start by taking care of yourself. You are the most important person in your life.”

 Alastor smirked. “Like I don’t already know that.”

 “Good. Now rest.”

 I turned to leave before I freeze. Gathering my courage, I turned to Alastor who sat on the bed. “Alastor…may I give you a hug?”

 He stared at me, taken aback. No one had ever asked him for a hug before. He almost flinched when I slowly walked toward him.

 After a moment, his face softened. “Just this once.” He leaned into my arms and chest. I got over my brief surprise by returning the embrace, my eyes closed, tears falling. I opened them and saw to my utter delight, his fluffy red and black deer tail wagging a bit! We soon parted and he wiped the tears from my face with his fingertips.

 “Now darling, don’t forget to smile! You’re never fully dressed without one.”

 I laughed through my tears. His charm worked every time. “Hey, don’t forget to ask people if they want to be touched before you do so. That’s lesson one.”

 “You’re my servant, not my teacher,” he spoke up.

 I spread out my arms. “This is Hell, Alastor, we can be anything. The world is a stage after all!”

 Alastor chuckled, but I sensed that he wasn’t content with taking my advice any time soon. But I had tried nonetheless.

 We bid our goodnights, me feeling slightly better. Just before I closed Alastor’s door and headed for my room, his whisper of a voice floated by my ears:

 “Thank you Ms. Prior. Stay tuned.”  

[phoenix-downer]

Life in Pink

For SoKai Week Day 2 - The Perfect Date

Ever since he’d gotten back, each day spent with Sora was a new adventure.

“Can I take the blindfold off yet?” Kairi asked, tugging at at the bandana wrapped around her eyes. She had no idea where he’d taken her this time; all she knew was that they weren’t on Destiny Islands anymore. Riding in the Gummi Ship without being able to see anything had been a trip.

Sora gave her hand a quick squeeze. “Not yet. We’re almost there.”

Her eyesight impeded, she had to go off her senses of smell and hearing instead. The ground beneath them was smooth, and the autumn air would be a little nippy if it weren’t for the jacket she’d “borrowed” (more like stolen) from Sora. Every now and then she’d catch a conversation here or there – young kids, old couples, families. They must be in a town.

And oooh, what was that smell? Like rosemary and garlic and butter and—

“Okay, we’re here. You can take the blindfold off.”

She did, and the first thing she saw was Sora’s smiling face and outstretched arms. Behind them was a fancy-looking sign that said “Le Grand Bistrot.” The windows and doorway were lit up, full of warmth and light that spilled out onto the patio. Happy couples and families just about filled all the tables, taking advantage of the nice autumn weather.

“Oh, the bistro!” She knew where they were now. Twilight Town.

“You’ve been here before?”

She nodded. “Uh-huh. Hayner, Pence, and Olette brought me here. The food’s great.”

He grinned at that. “Yeah.” Holding out his arm, he asked, “Shall we?”

She looped her arm through his as he led them inside, and a familiar face greeted them.

“Oh! Hey Sora, Kairi,” Hayner said, looking very official in his slacks and white button-down shirt. “I take it you’re here for your dinner reservation at seven?”

“Yup,” Sora answered, fiddling with his tie.

“You are good to go,” Hayner said as he crossed their name off the list. He nodded at Olette, and she smiled and grabbed two menus for them.

“Right this way, please,” she said. They went through the main dining room past all the busy tables and into a small room she hadn’t seen before. It was lit by candlelight, and there was a single table set for two. Kairi and Sora were written on fancy little cards in front of each of the chairs. A bouquet of daisies, asters, and forget-me-nots were in a vase in the center of the table, and the silverware was so elegant she almost hated to get it all messy by using it.

“Oh, Sora, this is beautiful,” she said softly.

Pence was waiting for them, a big grin on his face. “Welcome! Kairi, if I may?” he asked as he motioned towards Kairi’s jacket. She shrugged it off and handed it to him, and he took it and hung it up in the corner.

“Thanks, Pence, Olette, I’ll take it from here,” Sora said as he pulled Kairi’s chair out for her and she sat down and smoothed the skirt of her dress.

Pence gave them a thumbs up, and Olette set the menus down and grinned before closing the door behind them. “Enjoy!” she called with a wink.

Kairi turned to look at Sora as he took his suit jacket off and hung it up. “S-Sora?”

“I’ll be your chef and waiter tonight,” he said, giving her a shy smile as he donned an apron.

“You can cook?”

She plastered her hand over her mouth, not meaning her words to come out quite like that, but there was a twinkle in his eye.

“Hard to believe, huh? But it’s true, I can cook now. Learned from the very best.”

Kairi wondered who he meant, but before she could ask, he moved to the far side of the room and pulled the curtains back. The windows were clear glass and opened up directly onto the pristine kitchen. She’d have a good view of him as he made their food.

He turned to her again. “All those times when we were kids, you cooked for me,“ he said as he rolled his sleeves up. “Let me return the favor for once.”

She ducked her head, her cheeks flushing. “Okay.”

He grinned and grabbed a remote from the little stand in the corner. A few moments later, and one of her favorite pieces of music started playing. The lyrics were simple enough, but they’d always resonated with her. Life in pink, life through rose-tinted glasses, was a lot better than life in blue. Than life without Sora.

He gestured to the menu. “What will you be having tonight, mademoiselle?”

She giggled as she opened it. “I didn’t know you could speak French, either.”

“Un peu,” he said. “Picked it up from a friend. I know enough to translate any of the dishes you might not know.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a notepad. “Let me know when you’re ready.”

She flipped through the menu, and sure enough, everything had elegant French names. All the dishes looked delicious, too. She wasn’t sure how she was going to decide on what to eat.

“You can really make everything on the menu?”

“Yup.”

“What would you recommend, then, monsieur?”

“Hmmm, let’s see,” he said as he leaned over her shoulder. “The Ratatouille’s really good. It’s got a bunch of veggies with bay leaf and thyme. So’s the Pumpkin Velouté. It’s a soup with pumpkin and truffles. The Beef Bourguignon is probably my favorite meat dish, and if you want fish, the Eel Matelote and Sea Bass en Papillote are both really good. And for dessert I’d have to recommend the Chocolate Mousse or the Berries au Fromage.”

Her stomach growled. “It all sounds delicious. How about you surprise me?”

“Okay,” he said as he scribbled a few things down. “What will you have to drink?”

“Just water, please. Maybe coffee with dessert.”

“Alright, I’ll get started on your meal for you,” he said.

She watched as he went into the kitchen and prepared their meals. Every now and then he’d glance at her with a grin on his face, especially after he’d pulled off a particularly impressive trick with the ingredients, but mostly he was focused intently on the cooking.

She rested her chin on her hands and sighed. For some reason he was even cuter than normal. Maybe it was the way he bit his lower lip, or how the tip of his tongue stuck out when he was really focused on something. Or maybe it was the fact that he was cooking her gourmet French food. Either way, she felt all warm and fuzzy inside.

When he emerged from the kitchen again, it was with their drinks and appetizers: two hot dishes of Ratatouille. Kairi’s eyes fluttered shut as she savored the tasty vegetables. It was like all the flavors were blending together in perfect harmony.

He wasn’t done though. Afterwards came the Beef Bourguignon, which was to die for. The red wine gave it just the right flavor, and everything down to the garnish was impeccable. It was a good thing all this food took so long to prepare, because it meant she’d actually have enough room in her stomach for it.

After that came the dessert, coffee and the Chocolate Mousse. He brought that out to her and set it before her, but the fruit garnish was missing. He knelt at her feet, his head about level with the table.

“Kairi? I want you to meet the chef who taught me how to cook. He’s the one who came up with all these recipes, and he helped me make our food tonight, too.”

Kairi peered into the kitchen. How—

“Not in there. Here.”

Her eyes snapped back to Sora, or more specifically, Sora’s head. Because perched on his head, peeking out from between his spikes, was a— was a—

She put one hand over her mouth and clutched her napkin with another. “Sora, there’s a— there’s a—”

“A rat on my head?” Sora said with a grin. “Yeah, I know.” He reached his hand up, and the little rat hopped on. It wore a small bowtie, and in its paws it held a ripe red strawberry. “This is Little Chef, and he wanted to put the finishing touches on your dessert for you tonight.”

He presented Little Chef to Kairi, and she looked into the little rat’s eyes. He was so cute. Holding that strawberry for her because he wanted to put the finishing touches on the mousse himself. How sweet. Sure, he was a rat, but his little paws looked clean, and so did his fur. Who was she to say he couldn’t be a chef? And if Sora said he was one, then she believed him. As far as she was concerned, Little Chef was the world’s tiniest chef, and a talented one to boot.

He gestured towards the mousse with the strawberry, and she smiled and nodded.

“Please. Thank you, Little Chef.”

She could have sworn the little rat smiled back as he carefully placed the strawberry on top of her mousse. He grabbed another strawberry from Sora’s hand and put it on Sora’s mousse, then Sora offered him a little plate with a rat-sized portion of dessert on it.

“Mind if he joins us?”

“Not at all.”

Little Chef was adorable as he ate, too, clutching his food in his paws as he nibbled at it. And the mousse tasted incredible, the perfect cap to a wonderful meal. Kairi leaned back and sighed as she sipped on her coffee. What a lovely date.

Sora wasn’t finished, however. After they’d had time to digest their food, he hung his apron up and offered his hand. The music was still floating through the air, and it was back to her favorite song.

“May I have this dance?” he said.

She smiled and took his hand. “I thought you’d never ask.”

As they swayed back and forth in each other’s arms, Kairi sighed. What a lovely end to a lovely evening. Then it got even better as Sora softly sang the words of the song to her. Where he’d learned how to do that, she decided not to ask.

With him, life was always in pink. The wonderful date and delicious food were lovely, but they weren’t necessary.

As long as they were together, that was all she needed.

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

Back when I was doing the KH3 Countdown Challenge, I wrote a piece called Anyone Can Cook about Sora learning how to cook with Rémy. In it he mentioned wanting to cook for Kairi to surprise her, and I’ve been planning this followup for awhile now. Hope you enjoyed! The suggestion for Rémy to wear a bowtie is courtesy of @angel-with-a-pipette and this story is dedicated to her :)

The title is a reference to a famous French song - feel free to take a guess at what it is!

[isabellaklein97]

Is Cat Spray Different Than Urine Eye-Opening Useful Ideas

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How To Get Cat Spray Smell Out Of Furniture

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[spookyspaghettisundae]

In the Bottle

Mikey took another sip. He cradled the glass of beer in his hand. In truth, he struggled to maintain composure. Without looking over the counter, he could tell the bartender was observing him. If he ended up looking too drunk, he would get kicked out.

Again.

Mikey took another sip and winced over the pain in his hand. His face was all cut up and even though it had been days ago, the car accident had done a number on him. He still brandished several band-aids on his face, and his right hand was bandaged up. He had been gripping the bottle of beer so hard that he had forgotten all about the spot in his palm from where a jagged piece of plastic dashboard had been removed. Well, the booze had certainly helped to numb the pain.

“The accident wasn’t my fault,” Mikey grumbled, not even looking at the bartender.

The bartender grunted something and feigned interest. It dawned on Mikey that he did not know the man’s name, even though he was a regular in this dive. A shadow of guilt overcame him when he thought about how the accident had played out, but he washed it down with another sip of beer. People bother bartenders all the time with their life stories. Why should Mikey add to that?

“I had only looked down for one split second. One second,” Mikey continued. He immediately felt resentment towards himself for doing the exact opposite of what he had wanted to do, then wiped over the corners of his mouth with his thumb and index finger. “Green light. It was green light for me.”

He could feel the judging eyes of the bartender and even of some of the other people there at the bar. Nobody had been striking up a conversation with him anyway for the past hour or however long he had been here. He paid for his drinks and wobbled right out of this watering hole.

The next days were a haze. Most of it was a mess and a half, but things started looking up at his friend’s barbecue party. Jim was hosting it and whipping up his legendary ribs. Mikey had contributed with a sad attempt at a potato salad. Friends and guests alike gave feeble-smiled compliments for the salad. Mikey took them.

He was feeling good about himself that day. He clinked bottles with Jim and some other friends and took a good gulp of beer.

“I’m glad to be outta that ditch. The pay was terrible, the employees were all back-stabbing sheep, and my boss was a narcissistic jerk-wad,” Mikey said, finishing his rant while standing in a huddle with other party-goers.

Everybody was in a good mood, and there were some cheers of approval to that. Even though none of them really knew what it had been like in the office where Mikey had been employed until recently. It had not even been that bad there, but Mikey needed this right now. Besides, he was not naming or shaming anybody in particular, right?

“I went to high school with that douche of a boss of yours,” Jim laughed. “I wish I coulda seen his face when you quit!”

Mikey laughed and was handed another bottle of his favorite beer by Mara, Jim’s wife. This conversation was not making him feel any better, after all. Mainly because he noticed the half-truth of not correcting Jim there: he had not quit his job—he had been fired.

Gulp. Down with more of that tasty beer.

Mara was looking awfully pretty right then, but Mikey managed to keep to himself for the rest of the party. Those barbecued ribs had been marinated over night in a mixture of onion and wine and Jim’s special seasoning recipe. Their delicious taste blew Mikey’s mind. Everything afterwards was kind of a blur, a vague recollection of him having been driven home by friends, but that aftertaste really stuck with him, especially as he was falling asleep that night with the room spinning around him in his stupor.

A few days later, he realized that he could not for the life of him remember who had driven him home that night. He was feeling a bit more haunted by some blurry memories of the party coming back to him while he was sitting in front of the TV, idly flipping through channels while sipping from another bottle of his favorite beer, Magic Sunrise.

He might not have kept to himself all that well, after all. Memories are one hell of a mutable thing. He vaguely recalled that he may have groped Mara. She had laughed it off and gently pushed him away, but her eyes had silently screamed with terror. Jim’s brow had been furrowed whenever he saw him after that, Mikey thought. Or maybe he was misremembering things and just being paranoid.

He angrily finished the last sips of his bottle with a greedy gulp and then threw it at the other empty ones standing on his coffee table. They crashed off the glass edge with clattering sounds, and he sighed to himself, somehow disappointed that none of them had shattered. Whatever impotent rage he had felt only seconds ago now sank in with him like a bad hangover. Whatever was running on television, he did not know, nor did he care right now.

Mikey was off again in his own little world of distorted memories, remembering how his wife Karen strongly disliked it whenever Jim and Mara had visited. Mikey could not even deny to himself that his eyes were glued to Jim’s wife for a bit too long every time, and he laughed a bit too loudly whenever she said anything funny.

Not that it mattered now. Karen had left him a few days ago, right after she had learned about Mikey having lost his job. It was not like that had been the last straw, though. The last straw was probably the last time he had slapped Karen across the face, weeks ago, even before the car accident. It had left a dark red streak across her cheek, a mark that must have been visible for days.

“Screw her,” Mikey growled in his living room, all alone.

He swore out loud when he cracked open another bottle of Magic Sunrise and it fizzed with beer spraying out and spilling onto his stained shirt. This place stank to the high heavens.

Meanwhile, at the local micro-brewery Magic Sunrise, a dapper and well-groomed elderly man was overseeing the production. Despite his age, he appeared lively and energetic, almost as if he had a skip to his step. He wore a blindingly white suit and carried a glossy black cane in his hand, though he did not seem to need it to walk. One of the employees wearing an apron emblazoned with the brewery’s logo handed him a bottle of their latest batch.

The man in the white suit was the manager. He sniffed in some fumes rising from the bottleneck, then beamed with a delighted smile. The employee stared at him intently, with a hint of nervousness about him.

“I am very proud of the quality,” the manager declared cheerily.

The employee swallowed his fear as he thought he had seen a lake of fire in the eyes of the manager. After blinking, he reckoned that he might just have been imagining it.

“The boss downstairs will be pleased,” the manager added. “At this rate, we will be expanding soon. I cannot wait to see what happens when we take over the world with our product!”

The manager handed the man the bottle back and smiled to himself, walking away while playfully twirling the cane in his hand.

The employee looked at the bottle of Magic Sunrise. He then shot glances in different directions to make sure nobody saw.

And then he took a sip.

—Submitted by Wratts

[theolivechickken]

Spring Break pt. 1

March 8

Bussed to Salzburg airport, snatched the window seat even though my assigned one was an aisle, and flew EasyJet Airlines out to London Gatwick Airport! When we arrived, we spent a lot of time trying to contact Michaela to see if she wanted to ride the train with us into town. While we were waiting, we stopped inside the convenience store at the airport and picked up some salt and vinegar chips (crisps?) to snack on. She made it to the airport not long after we did, but got caught up in customs and passport check so we wished her luck and hopped on the train to head into the city. Helloooo expensive transportation (and everything else in general). We checked into Safestay at Elephant and Castle and unpacked our bags in our purple room.

Afterwards, we had a late lunch/ early dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant next door. We all ordered chicken pho and drank mango black tea with passionfruit boba. Super cozy for this rainy day. We explored the Asian market connected to the restaurant and I fangirled at any food that I recognized. There was still some light out, so we walked down the street of our hostel to see what was nearby. We ended up turning down East Street Market which was nestled in a black community. Several individuals were closing up their street shops, but a few were still opened for business. Aubree went in to see if she could find some natural hair products for her curly hair. Patrick and I continued down the street and eventually made our way back to the crew. He went on to visit Sharon across the river, so Raine and I stayed with Aubree as she excitedly went in to get her eyebrows threaded for a cheap price. Turns out the lady nearly ripped a chunk of her eyebrow hair out but hopefully it grows back quickly.

It was lightly drizzling outside, but the wind really made the rain fly at all directions. We went back to the hostel to rest and try to decide what we wanted to do for the rest of the night. It was a hoot and a half to find a place that sold oyster cards for public transportation. Finally, we hopped on a double-decker bus and rode it to the CLF Art Cafe. Raine discovered the place via google and was expecting live music/ a DJ with some good night life. But it was pretty dead in the area and the art club was located in a multiple story building tucked in an alley behind scaffolding. I guess we showed up too early but got free admission (??) to the art club lounge/bar area downstairs. We told Patrick to come through and waited around for him to show up. It was cool and lively in the room, and then people started moving furniture around to create a dance floor.

Definitely an interesting scene. I kinda liked that everyone was being weird and dancing to some off-brand 80s inspired synth music, but it wasn’t really the scene we were looking for tonight. Patrick eventually made it, but he couldn’t find the entrance to the place. Aubree went out to look for him and they both got stuck outdoors since you needed a wristband at this point for entry. Raine and I went upstairs to try and hear the kind of music the DJ would be playing, and we ran into two girls coming down the stairs telling us “IT’S SO DEAD DON’T GO but you should totally go in with us.” We had a quick conversation with these fellow Americans and then dipped to find our friends.

Chicken Soup McDonald's for the starving soul. We were on another level of being starving, delusional, and overall confused from the whole night, which lead to us dying of laughter in the McDonald’s and back out on the streets to the bus station. Don’t know why everything was especially funny, but I swear I nearly peed my pants from laughing so hard.

March 9

Why do our roommates hate us? They’re so loud in the morning :(( One guy was trying to pack his bag, and the other was blowdrying his hair IN THE ROOM while we were still trying to sleep. Oh well, I guess it got us to wake up and start our day. Hopped on the tube from Elephant and Castle and took it to Borough. Super excited to stroll through Borough Market for some free samples and street food! I love the hustle and bustle of this big city, and I absolutely love markets. Patrick and I got some hot tea with ginger, and Raine and I got prawn wraps. They did not hold back on the shrimp either. It wasn’t one of those sad seafood wraps where they throw in two pieces of shrimp and call it seafood. NAH. Oodles and oodles of shrimp (with lettuce and sweet-spicy Thai sauce) piled into this warm tortilla heaven. Also got some fresh cherries to share (which reminded me of home and the cherries that my Lola always puts out on the table).

Next, we rode the tube to Buckingham Palace. Our stop was right at Green Park, so we made ourselves comfy on the muddy grass (rip my jeans but I managed to save them by rubbing out the mud with saliva) before walking to the Palace to meet up with Amy and her roommate Victoria. We shared the cherries and sat in the company of some good ol’ Beatles tunes.

AMYYYY wow I missed you. We had fun walking around with our new additions to the squad. At the park, we squared up with a GIANT goose and also saw a majestic swan in the river. We made our way over to Westminster Abbey and Big Ben (but rip Ben since he's under construction till 2021). Aubree and Raine went back towards the hostel to meet up with Ollie and Tom (the Londoners we met in Prague). Meanwhile, Patrick, Amy, Victoria, and I spotted a telephone booth, a guard on horseback, and a police squad investigating a suspicious car. We paused by the London Eye and ventured out to the London Tower and London Bridge. The bridge was really neat! The floor had a section made out of glass, so you could see the traffic driving through underneath. Trippy.

We made our way back to Borough and had dinner at Honest Burger - honestly one of the best burgers and rosemary fries I've ever eaten. We all went back to our own hostels to rest for a bit before going back out to meet Aubree, Raine, Tom, and Ollie at Spoons. Later, Pat and I walked through Chinatown and joined Sharon, birthday girl Madison, and Michaela and her Redlands volleyball friends at O’Neills. Perks of being small at the club: no perks. Just elbows to your face or drinks nearly spilled on you, and you're too short to see anything half the time. All in all though it was a fun night, and then Sharon lost her phone so the mood turned sour. BUT then the girls found her phone since someone turned it in! It was a wild rollercoaster ride. We all walked to the tube and went our separate ways. Our connecting metro was closed, so Pat and I ended up walking the rest of the way to our hostel through the light rain and a quiet neighborhood.

March 10

Aubree and Raine came back to the room at 4am to discover Christmas music being blasted on Pat's phone and me drowning out the sound with my snore. Morning came with a hot mess and a crime scene: we think Pat's phone was stolen by the girl who slept in the bunk above Aubree and checked out early that morning. She also managed to leave her red panties in place of Pat’s phone. Weird flex, but okay. Pat was bummed, but he also handled the situation really well. We still went out to brunch at Spoons with Sharon and tried an English Breakfast. Unpopular opinion but it was kinda bland and sad.

Holy wind batman. Almost Vienna status but not as cold. Pat and I went to the British Museum and literally traveled through time and history. People are amazing and crazy and how did we manage to come so far in such a quick span of time? We viewed so many arts and artifacts in the 3 hours that we were stuck in a time machine. My feet are feeling it man but I'm still out here having a good time.

Took the Tube to Camden Market to meet Aubree, Raine, Matt, Cousin Sam, Jack, Will, and Milky. We went to a bar that had a DOG! And tried the somewhat citrusy Punk IPA. We also went to the Blues Bar for burgers and live music. Had a great time hanging out with this jolly group of guys. At one point, Milky was telling us the story of how he saved his fish that was swimming upside-down. The trick? "I feed my fish peas. But not a whole pea cause that’s too much.” Someone please test this out and let me know if this is true.

March 11

Checked out of Safestay Elephant and Castle and went down the street to Bagel King for breakfast. It’s definitely not not what we thought it would be. The bagels were weirdly fluffy and the cream cheese just didn’t seem right.. But the mango-guava juice was pretty tasty. Patrick and I said our goodbyes to Aubree and Raine, and headed to to the train station. We managed to pool our our coins together for one ticket (how was it exact??? AMAZING luck) and then paid for another with a card. Yay for getting rid of the pounds in my pocket.

Things seemed to be working out, but the train we needed to be on was delayed. Actually, all the trains are delayed??? We rushed to find a platform with a train that would take us towards Gatwick. Hopped on one train which detoured to East Croydon and hoped for the best. The cards were in our favor and the time was too since we had plenty to check in, get through security, and even eat lunch at Nando’s.

Barcelona we're coming for you :)))

So we arrived in the evening and waited around for Pat's bag to finally roll out to baggage claim. Managed to catch the sun setting as we rode the bus into the city. Barcelona makes me feel like I'm back home in LA. Maybe because of the smog, traffic, and large open freeways, or the desert scenery, trees, and beach?

Walked from La Plaza de Catalunya to HelloBCN Hostel. Hello major tourist street with people trying to sell you random souvenirs. Poor Pat has reached his limit. Apparently our hostel reservation never went through. Luckily the reception guy was really cool and they still had two beds open for us to stay for our planned days.

Stressed, but he still had the spirit to go out into the city for some food. We found a casual restaurant nearby that had tapas. Not the dinner I was really expecting, but it was still fun to try some tapas. We had Patatas Bravas (basically french fries with a creamy spicy dipping sauce), chips and guacamole, and Moroccan chicken skewers to share.

[sunshinetrappedinourhearts]

Malasada love (Valentine’s Day fic) - Haudion

Wheeew okay so this is the first time I’ve actually managed to write a Valentine’s Day fanfic before February 14. 8D I saved it so I could post it today, huehue. I hope you do all like it~  Title: Malasada love Fandom: Pokémon Sun and Moon Pairing: Hau/Gladion Word count: 4009 AO3 link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9713696 Summary:  "What he found was… something he had not expected. At all. It was a bread-like thing covered in way too much powdered sugar. It had a weird shape… what the hell, was it supposed to be a butt? Gladion frowned some more, trying to figure out the meaning of all this weird shit, until his gaze fell on a small envelope tied to the basket’s handle. He unlaced it before taking everything back inside and closing the door behind him. When opening the envelope, he nearly dropped the postcard that was revealed as the front was a huge red heart. Wait, it was February the 14th today, wasn’t it? Was someone trying to pull a prank on him or something? Oh man, he really did not want to open the card and deal with all this trouble and bullshit, but on the other hand, he would probably die of curiosity if the threw it away. So Gladion sighed and opened the card. A small look wouldn’t hurt, afterwards he could resume drinking coffee and doing the things he had planned to do today." In which Hau decides it's about time that something happened between him and Gladion, so he does something that would fit him the most: he makes him a malasada for Valentine's Day. However, things don't go exactly the way he had planned.

It was Monday evening, and it had already been dark outside for hours now. Hau found himself stuck in the huge kitchen of his grandfather, and it was getting late. Hala went to sleep long ago, and he strongly hoped that the man wouldn’t wake up in the middle of the night only to find out that his grandson was still working in the kitchen on the evening before Valentine’s Day.

Once again placing his creation in a pan filled with oil – how many times had he tried already? He had lost count – Hau let himself sink on the ground with a sigh, lowering himself against the kitchen counter. Maybe he was being way too passionate about this. One – most people just casually bought some sweets or a cute plush toy for their lovers for Valentine, instead of putting all of their sweat and tears into an own creation and two – he didn’t even have a lover. And anonymously sending presents or letters was something only done in movies or by love-struck teenage girls. Hau was not a love-struck teenage girl.  And yet here he found himself, trying to make a heart-shaped malasada. Even though Hau loved malasada’s dearly, he had never tried to make one himself, and he had never thought it would be so freaking difficult. On top of that, he felt his determination sinking since the one who was going to receive his gift – that is, if he actually managed to finish one without burning or undercooking it – was a grumpy dishonest emo kid who would never appreciate his efforts anyway. And since it was more than a little obvious from whom a malasada would come, he would figure it out immediately and probably despise Hau for the rest of his life.

Oh come on, Hau, don’t you go all emo now, like him. He told himself before standing up. After turning the malasada – that honestly looked more like a weird shaped apple or butt even – he let his eyes travel over the havoc he had created. It was bad. Like, really bad. The counter was a mess of flour, kitchen tools, and leftover dough sticking to it, and here and there were also his failures. Hau didn’t get mad easily, and if he did anyway he was always pretty good at controlling or hiding it, especially when he had company. But the truth was that once he actually let his anger win, he could become furious. And well… he might have just thrown some burned malasada’s around.

‘Oh man…’ he let out. ‘What have I done? It’s a complete mess.’

He took a quick glance at the ugly malasada that was happily sizzling in the oil – it still needed some time - and then grabbed his phone. There was a message from Moon, of course, since he had told her – way too enthusiastically – about his plans. Naturally, she now wanted to know everything about his progress and the particular person’s reaction tomorrow.

So, have you finished?? You gotta sleep well for tomorrow, it’ll be a big day!

Hau stared at the pan on the stove and sighed at himself.

Nope, I think this’ll be my last try. I’m getting tired.

Immediately, a reply arrived. Apparently Moon was not sleeping yet.

You better keep trying until you succeed!

Do you want me to cook all night? I don’t think I’m a good malasada cook, Moon.

Aww, come on, don’t give up! I’m sure this one will be fine. Just keep a close eye on it so it won’t burn. And don’t be too hasty. From what I’ve read, you need to give it a lot of time or it will be undercooked.

I know.

Good! Now, do you already know if you’re gonna give it to him directly tomorrow or anonymously?

Hau didn’t know. Just leaving the malasada in front of his apartment, knocking and running away sounded like something cowards would do. Moreover, he seemed like the kind of guy who would just ignore it altogether, which would mean Hau had worked his ass off for nothing. Because well, he didn’t really want to stay anonymous… The whole reason that he was doing this ridiculous thing was because he needed answers. He was eleven years old when he started developing a crush on the angry emo kid, and that was already four years ago now. Hau was tired. Nothing was happening. And the feelings were also not magically disappearing into the void.

               Sometimes, the other teenager would reach out to him and show him one of his rare smiles that made Hau’s heart flutter, but at other times he would push him away violently. Gladion was crazy like an ocean – pushing and pulling, always changing, never the same. Deep down, Hau understood that he was probably a little scared of friendship and love, considering all that he had been through in the past, so that meant Hau had to be patient and careful. But also that it was probably him who had to take the first step if he ever wanted to know if Gladion felt the same.

               So it was probably for the best to swallow his pride and leave the weird heart-shaped malasada with a cheesy letter at his doorstep, and then walk away. Gladion wasn’t stupid. He would immediately realize it was him. And then it was up to him to take the second step and search for Hau.

               Hau forced himself up and decided this would be his course of action. Only Moon didn’t need to know that. It was better if she left herself out of this. She was a little too… erm, blunt for these kind of situations. Didn’t really know what it meant to be subtle.

               Oh shit, the malasada! Quickly, Hau turned around and felt a wave of relief wash over him as soon as he saw his creation was still not black, like his predecessors. The alarm time that was still ticking, told him it still needed a few minutes until the malasada had reached its maximum cooking time. Patience, patience…

Hau actually felt like this one was going to be fine. Its shape was a little strange, but it still resembled a heart and, as a matter of fact, it looked tasty. His failures had never looked good in the slightest meaning of the word. He could feel new determination beating inside of him, turning into energy that made him move quickly towards the small rush basket het had prepared. It was already filled with napkins that looked as cheesy as could be – pink and red hearts were all over the place and Hau grimaced, almost wanting to laugh at himself. But no, he was going through with this, no turning back now.

               His alarm sounded and he turned off the stove, his bright eyes staring at his creation contently. It was okay! It wasn’t beautiful, but he would never be able to make it any better than this and he had been trying for more than three hours now. It does need to cool down though… Or it will completely soak the napkins in the basket with its oily mess.

               Yawning, Hau took a look at the time on his phone, deciding that he had no time to wait for it to cool down. It was already way too late. He would wake up very early tomorrow to keep his plan hidden from Hala and deliver the malasada to Gladion first thing in the morning. Yep. Now he would just go to sleep… well, after cleaning up this mess.

♥♥♥

Gladion was just making a cup of coffee for himself, and preparing some breakfast for his team – each cup a little different, according to their tastes – when there was a sound so loud that he almost let the kettle slip out of his hands. Just in time, he was able to catch it, but burned his hands in the process. Cursing, he threw the kettle on the kitchen counter and ran towards the tap to cool his hands. He angrily watched the door as he let the cold water drown his burning fingers, wondering what in the world had bounced on his door so fucking loud. There was no single sound right now, which meant they weren’t as impatient as they had announced themselves to be. Well, Gladion was not about to sprint towards the door to let them in. They made him burn his freaking hands, so they could wait.

                While he waited for his hands to cool down – he knew from experience that this needed quite some time or he would regret it later – he observed the damage and realized that he had actually managed to save both the hot water inside of the kettle and the hot milk he always mixed with his coffee. He might seem like a tough guy, but Gladion actually always had his coffee with a lot of milk, he didn’t really like bitterness as much, ironically.

               After his mother had recovered enough and she and Lillie returned from Kanto to take care of the Aether Foundation again, Wicke had advised him to go live by himself for a few years, to figure out who he was and what he wanted to do. Afterwards, he had a very emotional talk with his mother who had also told him that she wanted Gladion to be free, he need not feel responsible for the Foundation. Lillie had decided she wanted to stay with their mother, helping out at the Foundation and also slowly taking steps towards becoming a ‘real trainer’. But Gladion, he was old enough now to live on his own and he had to be aware he had a choice in all of this.

               So Gladion had once again left home, searching for an apartment and spending time training and doing all kinds of jobs to earn money. After a year, he had returned to Aether and now he was working part-time there, which felt a lot better than letting go of it completely. He knew that after he had earned a lot of money, he would go travel the world for some time with his team, exploring new places and getting stronger in the process. For now, he was living in Hau’oil city in a small house, and the situation as it was right now pleased him.  

               He was not very pleased by the sudden disturbance of his peaceful morning, however. So after a few minutes he closed the tap and went to open the door to find out who he was going to yell at. Except, there was no one at all when he opened the door, only the soft summer breeze slipping inside. Gladion felt his irritation rising and rising, and he groaned, rubbing his temples as he let his gaze fly over the surroundings outside.

               He was about to go back inside and angrily throw the door so he would feel the house shudder in a satisfying way, when he suddenly noticed a small rush basket on his doorstep. Frowning, he kneeled down and stared at it dumbfounded. It looked like a basket one would leave an unwanted baby Meowth in or something. Gladion reached out to open the basket – he could take whatever Pokémon was inside to Aether where they could care for it better than he could. He expected something to jump out and hiss at him, scared, but nothing happened, so he just proceeded with opening it.

               What he found was… something he had not expected. At all. It was a bread-like thing covered in way too much powdered sugar. It had a weird shape… what the hell, was it supposed to be a butt? Gladion frowned some more, trying to figure out the meaning of all this weird shit, until his gaze fell on a small envelope tied to the basket’s handle. He unlaced it before taking everything back inside and closing the door behind him.

               When opening the envelope, he nearly dropped the postcard that was revealed as the front was a huge red heart. Wait, it was February the 14th today, wasn’t it? Was someone trying to pull a prank on him or something? Oh man, he really did not want to open the card and deal with all this trouble and bullshit, but on the other hand, he would probably die of curiosity if the threw it away.

               So Gladion sighed and opened the card. A small look wouldn’t hurt, afterwards he could resume drinking coffee and doing the things he had planned to do today.

 Dear Gladion,

I dare you to come find me if you are smart enough to figure out who I am.

I have something to tell you.

Enjoy the malasada!

 With those words, maybe a million of thoughts crossed Gladion’s mind. It was such a chaos that he didn’t know how to feel anymore. Most of all, he was mad. It was more than obvious from whom this stupid butt-malasada came. And it was also no longer hidden deep inside that Gladion had a not so small crush on the slightly younger happy-go-lucky teen. It was also very clear to Gladion that Hau felt nothing like that for him, hell, it would be more likely that he had a crush on his younger sister. And now, the worst thing had happened. Hau was mocking him. Gladion had no idea how bad it was – had he figured out that he had an unrequited weird gay crush on him? Or was he just teasing him with the fact that Gladion would never get Valentine’s presents? He really hoped it was the last option, but he had no way of knowing.

               Angrily, he grabbed his coffee and took a sip. It was cold. And his Pokémon were hungry. What a great way to start the day.

♥♥♥

During the rest of the day, Gladion found himself unable to keep Hau out of his mind. It was extremely frustrating, since he had somewhat succeeded in living with this stupid crush, waiting for the feelings to die down, but it was like he was falling for him all over again, remembering every stupid little thing that had happened between the two of them.

               He was thinking about him when walking through the city in order to do his weekly groceries, when he was doing his daily training with Silvally and the others, when he went to the post office where he worked every Tuesday for sorting out mail. It was a good thing he only had to work for three hours today, because he made more mistakes than ever, thinking about the way Hau’s face seemed to fully light up when he smiled.

               When he came home after work he felt extremely exhausted, and he still had to make himself some dinner. He fell down on the couch first, telling himself he needed some proper rest before preparing anything.

               It was a little hard to admit, but Hau had fascinated him from the very first time they met. Back then, Hau challenged him to a battle and lost terribly. Still, he kept smiling, saying this was a great experience to learn from and he surely got better after battling such a powerful opponent. Gladion actually got mad and irritated with him at that time, but it was mostly because he did not know how to understand Hau’s way of doing things. Later, he would learn to, and it would inspire him. It was not a bad thing to lose, it was something to learn from and get stronger from in the process. Hau always kept smiling, even though things got hard, forever looking at the positive sight of everything. And he was beautiful like a ray of sunshine like that. The complete opposite of him.

Hau didn’t like him much though, always complaining about him trying to look cool and not being honest to himself. Later, it changed into him teasing Gladion with small things. He didn’t actually mean harm, and it never really hurt Gladion, so… That realisation made him wonder why Hau would go as far as making a butt-shaped malasada for Valentine’s Day in order to bully him with having no loved ones. Sure, Hau liked teasing, but like this? It was just a bit too harsh to be his style.

               Maybe he was just falling back to wishful thinking, which was not like him, meaning he was starting to get desperate and pathetic. But Hau actually said in his letter that he would wait for him. Maybe it was time to face him, see what he wanted, to learn the truth about this stupid prank and the reason for it.

‘Well then.’ Gladion got up, feeling impulses racing through his body. Before running out the door, he took the weird malasada with him, as proof.

♥♥♥

That’s it. He was not coming. Not today. Not ever. It had been a waste of time, stress and energy. Hau was washing the dishes after dinner, staring into nothingness as he repeated the same movement. He smiled sadly to himself. It had been too good to be true, hadn’t it? Of course Gladion wouldn’t come running to him, falling into his arms. They wouldn’t kiss and they wouldn’t start dating right then and there. Of course not. He also hadn’t really expected that, right? So why had he bothered anyway? Maybe he was starting to become a little pathetic, unable to do anything with his stupid crush. He just had to move on, trying to forget his feelings as they would quiet down over the years. For now, he really needed a walk, though. So quickly, Hau finished the dishes and yelled to Hala that he was going outside for a bit, before closing the door behind him.

               Immediately, he could feel the soft and pleasant evening air embracing him and he took a deep breath – the air tasted of ocean, of summer, of freedom. Hau never liked being inside for too long, he easily felt trapped between four walls. He was made to explore the world, be directly under the sky embraced by the sun’s light and the moon’s gaze. It was alright – he could just try to become friends with Gladion and then it would all be okay. Gladion would fall in love with someone else and he would to, eventually. Teenage crushes didn’t last forever anyway.

               But then, footsteps. Running. Hau turned around to see the person he had been thinking about all day, every hour, every minute. There were a lot of things he felt while looking at Gladion who was catching his breath before he could say anything. A lot of things. But on top of it all, he was pretty angry with him.

               ‘So, you’re finally here?’ he said, crossing his arms behind his head in a carless way. Well, that was that then. Now he had to make his confession anyway, even after deciding he would refrain from it. Stupid emo kid.

               Gladion didn’t reply with words, but lifted his malasada in the air. Hau didn’t like admitting it, but the sight struck his heart in a pretty painful way.

‘You didn’t even try it?’ He sounded more angry than sad, but that was good.

The other boy stared at him with a complicated expression on his face that Hau couldn’t quite read. So he waited. And waited. Until Gladion finally spoke.

‘Why’d you send me a butt-shaped malasada?’ The confused angry-ish frown the slightly older teen made was almost as cute as it was oblivious and for a second Hau didn’t know whether to scream at him or laugh at him. Or both. Or just cry.

Instead, he let out a sigh, closed his eyes to gather his thoughts and then turned to face Gladion. ‘Gladion. That is not a butt. Thank you very much for telling me I’m such a bad cook.’

‘It’s not?’

‘Nope.’

‘Then what is it?’

‘Why don’t you try to figure it out by yourself?’ Hau could feel a smirk taking over his lips. Honestly, he couldn’t help it. The fact that he was nervous as heck was making his tendency to tease the other boy a little worse than ever and it was not convenient. At all.

‘I don’t fucking know,’ Gladion growled. Hau could notice he was getting nervous as well, because his right hand was slightly moving towards his face already, a shadow of the twitch the teenager had ever since Hau knew him.

‘Taste it then? I worked hard on it, y’know. It hurts a little that you’re not eating it at all.’

‘Fine. How about you tell me what you meant by the stupid note that came with it after I taste the fucking malasada?’

‘Don’t curse so much, Gladion, calm down.’

He made a growl again and then took a bite so angrily, that Hau couldn’t hold back a smile. Shit. Gladion was cute. He was not going to get rid of this crush that easily. Well, yeah, of course not, you’ve been suffering from it for around four years now.

               Closely, Hau watched him as he took bite after bite, seeing his expression was relaxing more and more, until Gladion swallowed and looked him in the eye.

‘It’s good…’ he then said.

Those were just a few words, but they lit a fire within Hau, making him smile more bright than ever.

‘You put chocolate in it.’

‘Well, yeah, of course,’ Hau answered. ‘It’s Valentine’s Day after all.’

Gladion turned silent and his cheeks were getting slightly red, making Hau wonder if he had figured it out. Well, there was no way back anymore. He needed to confess right there, right now. And Hau had never felt more nervous in his whole damn life. His hands were shaking slightly and they felt sweaty, but he took a few steps forward anyway, until he was facing Gladion properly. It made him happy to notice he had actually grown to be a little taller than him over the past years. It felt like a nice, childish achievement.

‘Okay, now, I’ll tell you what I wanted to say.’ Hau scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Gladion was staring at him with those intense green eyes and he was… honestly a little scared. What would he say? What would he do? Would he hate him? Would he be disgusted? Would he leave immediately? Would he stop being his friend?

               There was no point in worrying about it, though. He had to say the words and face the consequences. Wasn't that also the whole purpose of him making the heart – not butt – shaped malasada for him?

‘Gladion…’ He forced himself to look him in the eyes. ‘I’m in love with you. Have been for a few years already. I didn’t know how to tell you, so yeah.’ He smiled nervously, again folding his arms behind his head.

For a while, there was no reaction. Gladion just kept staring at him, blinking, without any obvious expression and as silent as the night. It made Hau’s heart pound like crazy in anticipation, and he wondered absently if the other teen was able to hear his heartbeat like this.

‘You… really?’ Some words finally came, and Hau had to watch Gladion’s expression carefully in order to make sense of it. It was… a little sad, but not quite. Hurt… but also not really that either. Gladion fumbled with his hair, not meeting his gaze, and suddenly he understood. Gladion was scared to believe him.

               Without thinking straight, Hau reached out to touch his face softly. Slowly, he caressed his cheek, and nothing more than that, until Gladion was ready to look at him. When he did, there was honesty in his eyes, and tranquillity. There was no chaos, no panic, no dismay.

‘I… am in love with you too…’

And that was all Hau needed to close the small gap between their bodies and capture Gladion’s lips with his own. For now, and for ever.

[psychicdinneranon-blog]

Five Times Shou Eats Something He Shouldn’t (And 1 Time He Doesn’t)

This is part 4 of a series based off the MiB AU! From bakanohealthy and qcatter Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 5 Part 6

(Fourth Time: In Which Shou Eats TWO Microwaves)

(Note: Shou is an alien who thinks he can eat anything in this fic. However he is going to be eating some weird stuff in here, like basically garbage, if you are sensitive to this you may not want to read this particular fic.)

 Shou had done it. He had run away from home.

Now he would never ever have to go back to that stupid house where he had to endure hallways that warped and twisted and stretched on forever with dark silent rooms lining them. With the way the entire place echoed with the footsteps and low drumming of his father. And the air felt like it would choke his stardust lungs with how heavy it grew.

So now he would never have to go back there ever again.

But he couldn’t leave entirely.

Shou couldn’t run off and disappear to some far corner of the Earth. He couldn’t just up and leave with his father still in power over CLAW. He knew that. He was too smart to burn his bridges this early; so he just left his home and showed up at CLAW’s HQ whenever his father actually needed him. Sometimes it was a call to go investigate one of the lower branches, sometimes it was to demonstrate his powers as his father’s golden child in front of anyone foolish enough not to realize that his father was just preying on them and their lust for power.

And all the while he never set foot back in that home with his father.

But running away was not as easily done as just walking out the door. He had to worry about feeding himself now too.

At first Shou just raided whatever he could from CLAW. It was all too easy to get offered things that nobody wanted, especially with his reputation for eating anything.

Shou had already learned that he shouldn’t take important things. It was better if he ate things that weren’t useful, like broken machines, plastic wrappers and all the rocks he could find.

But he still had a “job” to do. And he couldn’t let his father think that he was slacking.

So really it was no wonder that on the sixth day since he had run away from home, he saw a pile of discarded wood waiting to be picked up as trash. He snuck over and gathered as much of it as he could into his hands. He planned to take the pile away to a slightly less open area to chow down on the old wood.

Until a voice called out from behind him.

“Now what do you think you’re doing with that, sonny?”

An elderly woman had her hands on her hips and a dog’s leash in her hands, dangling down to the small Chihuahua mix sniffing near her feet.

Shou pulled his hands away from the wood as fast as a lightning’s flash and stuck them into his pockets with a sheepish look. The wood he had gathered clattered to the ground behind him in same time he subdued the snap of fire that had burst from him unbidden.

“I was just cleaning it up. I’m sorry, I’ll go now.” Perhaps he could snag it while he was invisible. He had never turned anything but himself and his clothes, invisible before; but surely it wouldn’t be that hard?

As he was thinking he almost didn’t see the toothy smile aimed at his way. “Good thinking!” She said as she clapped a hand onto his shoulder. And Shou blinked owlishly in response.

But the old woman continued chattering happily. “We’ve been needing this old pile taken away for almost a week now. I can’t do it and Martha’s back has been bad as of late.” She frowned for a moment before waving it away. “But never the less, you’re a good young man for keeping the city clean. If you need any help with anything while you move it you just let me know.”

“Ah, thanks.” Shou was at a loss for words for a moment before slowly turning back to gather the wood. The woman went into what Shou presumed to be her house and he rushed away with the pile while he would not be stopped.

It was then that Shou realized that people left piles of unwanted things all over town. Just sitting outside, waiting to be taken away.

Sure everyone else thought of it as garbage, but well, Shou knew he could eat anything.

 ---

 It had been two weeks since he had run away from home and as long as he kept out of the way while he slept and ate; sleeping in the crevices of roofs on old buildings unseen by those on the ground and sneaking the garbage during the day with a bag at his side and invisibly during the night. As long as he followed the rules of not being caught, Shou was as free as a bird.

Well aside from the whole issue with his father and that organization, but he’d deal with that soon enough.

Then once his father finally saw reason and calmed down from his delusions of grandeur, then maybe his mother and father could both talk to each other again.

Maybe they could even be a family again, and not embroiled in this mess.

After all, Touichirou missed his mom as much as he missed her. If Shou could just get him to see reason… Well he had to hope for the best.

Shou wandered through the streets, absentmindedly watching the dark clouds for lightning with a half-smile flittering across his mouth. Even while he was cold and wet from the rain, the lightning would be there to light up the night with its wild laughter.

But then the thunder rumbled a bit too close to comfort, with a pounding that was deep and expansive and hauntingly familiar, so Shou phased into the nearest unoccupied object to hide.

Which turned out to be a dumpster.

This was okay though, since Shou discovered a multitude of cardboard boxes, crates and packaging materials filling the thing.

In order to make room for himself- and because there was all of this easily accessible food; Shou scarfed down the entire contents of the dumpster that he was hiding from the rain in.

Afterwards he stretched out and pressed himself to the metal sides, listening idly to the rain pitter-pattering against the metal lid.

He hardly noticed when he started to doze off.

Then all of a sudden a loud rumbling snapped him away and looking around himself blearily he saw that the entire dumpster, and him, were shaking. Shou felt himself being lifted into the air and watched as the dumpster turn upside down and felt gravity try to tug him downwards.

Not really wanting to stay in the dumpster anymore after it had been upturned, Shou allowed himself to slide down into the garbage truck. Making sure that he was invisible before entering the sight of anyone who might be watching.

Once inside the truck a sea of unwanted items greeted him. All of them ripe for the picking to go into his stomach.

Shou delicately plucked an aluminum can out from under his tail with a clawed hand and threw the thing into the air to allow it to fall into his mouth. With a snap of his jaw he crunched on it like a snake sinking its teeth into prey, and also much like a snake, he swallowed the can whole.

Shou spent the rest of the ride picking out more cans and bottles to munch on. He phased through any new items that fell through the same hole he had when the truck stopped and added to its load. And mostly he just relaxed as the truck continued to drive on.

Until he was upended again that is.

This time however he fell into an even larger pile of garbage.

Shou laid on his back for a while, looking up at the darkening sky and thought about what he wanted to do.

Then he saw the light glint off of a glass bottle. And he spent the rest of the night alternating between eating everything he could get his hands on and dozing lightly.

Even if he snapped awake at every sudden sound, he got more than enough sleep. And when the sun rose he climbed to the top of the tallest pile and watched the colors fill the sky.

Then he dusted himself off and went to meet the newest batch of cadre at headquarters. Then see if his father had anything new for him to do.

The next night he went back to the dump again.

And again the night after that and the night after that.

Instead of searching all over town for stray unwanted piles, Shou had stumbled upon the biggest unwanted pile of them all. So of course he delightedly plowed through and ate everything that he could lay his hands on.

Everything and anything, until he came to an old discarded microwave.

Something caused him to stop the mindless way his hands grabbed everything in their path. And Shou tilted his head and looked at the old appliance. There was something off about it, somehow, with old fuzzed over energy which clung to the dilapidated metal husk.

But this did not matter to Shou, so he reached out and eagerly swallowed it whole. He started to go back to the pile, floating a little in order to get to a particularly tasty looking bunch of singed fence-posts.

Then all of a sudden Shou was hit with a punch to the gut and he dropped from where he had been hovering.

Shou’s entire form recoiled and he curled in on himself. Instantly he was wracked with churning fiery pain racing through his system. He breathed out harshly through his teeth, biting at his tongue for a moment before another wave of pain washed through him.

Shou pressed himself to the ground as much as he could and clenched his teeth. He twisted in response to another wave of pain surging through him. His movement jostled the pile he was near and dislodged an old gaming console. It broke free and tumbled down and shattered into pieces a few feet away from the tip of his tail.

The sound startled something and all of Shou’s eyes snapped towards the figure fleeing in the darkness. He assumed it was a rat by the sound of the small skittering across wood and metal and plastic.

As he glanced up he noticed that a strange silhouette of a small robot puppy. Its blank eyes stared at him judgingly, wondering just how he had gotten himself into this mess.

Then he gave up trying to be quiet and the sound of a fork in the garbage disposal echoed throughout the dump.

Another shuddering wave hit him and he curled tighter into himself. It felt like his insides were dissolving into nothing, like cotton candy meeting water. And it only continued to sear through him.

It took the rest of the night, but by daybreak Shou had successfully managed to weather the pain, and in response to his stubbornness it had died down enough for him to jerkily make his way to HQ.

However all throughout the day Shou plotted.

He could do this, he could eat it. He just had to figure out a way how. He refused to let something as simple as a microwave get the better of him.

Giving up and just staying away from microwaves in the future never even occurred to Shou.

After all, if he was bested by a mere microwave then what would happen when he had to fight his father?

He refused to let this stand.

So when he went back to the dump again he came armed with a plan.

If he couldn’t (currently) eat a microwave whole then perhaps he could eat the thing in pieces. It would be worth a shot to try, he figured.

Of course first he had to find another microwave before he could test this theory. He began his search, nibbling on a few glass bottles here and there as he filtered through the piles.

It took him until midnight, he supposed his internal clock wasn’t that great after the sun went down, but he found another discarded microwave. The same type of old almost fuzzy energy clung to this one as well, like dryer lint caught in pockets.

Shou reached out and snapped off the microwave door effortlessly. He paused and after a moment of consideration split the thing in two.

After all, he did need to start small.

Then he popped half the door into his mouth and waited.

Much like last time he did not need to wait long for it to take an effect. However this time the surge of prickling pain was much much more bearable than the previous waves. After all he was still floating and not curled up on the ground, hands around his midsection like they would actually give him comfort.

So once the worst of the prickling faded, he ate the other half of the door.

It took the entire night for him to eat the whole thing. He had to wait out the surges of pain that made him feel like he was being twisted into knots, but by dawn Shou was still upright and very proud of himself.

He knew that as long as he was smart he could figure out a way around anything.

And later on, when Touichirou had placed Shou in charge of his own group, those of which Shou had personally selected, Shou figured out that there were little hideouts that dotted across the country under the use of CLAW. He had no trouble at all converting one into a base for him and his allies, after all it was still technically his father’s.

So ended the days where Shou would roam the town and the dump after his “work”. He needed to begin implementing his plan in convincing his father to see reason.

After all it was his responsibility to take his father down a few notches. Then things would get better.

Then he could go home.