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stusbunker · 5 months

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Spotless: Arpeggio

Chapter Twenty

Featuring: Dean Winchester/Reader, Dean/Bela

Other characters: Sam/Madison, Bobby/Annie, Pam/Lee, OFC Gibson, Ash, Benny, Cesar/Jesse, Kevin, Cas, and Charlie

Word Count: 4031

Warnings, etc: Mutual pining, recreational drug use, surprise birthday guests, Dean being a giant kid, actually it's everyone, more history and an uh-oh, unbeta'd

A/N: You know how you outline bullet points that you need covered in a chapter and then you write all day long and forget one of the biggest ones until literally the last sentence? Yeah, me neither.

Anyway, I can't believe we are TWENTY whole chapters into this beast. Thank you all, so SO much for hanging around. xoxo Stu

Series Masterlist

Dean’s morning began with a blow horn blast compliments of Sam, who then received a bitch slap from his very frightened and at odds older brother.

“Rise and shine, jerk. It’s the last year of your thirties!”

Dean groaned and buried his head beneath the pillows, poorly hiding from anymore horns. “Hephha waaff to wff agy hpp birfay”

“WHAT?! I can’t hear you?!”

Dean flipped Sam off and rolled over. “Helluva way to wish a guy Happy Birthday.”

Sam laughed. “Don’t worry, that’s not all.”

He pulled out a bag of the greasiest breakfast burritos from a shop around the corner from Charlies that they had discovered after being up all night gaming, drunk and caffeinated out of their minds.

“Oh my god, you do love me!” Dean snatched the bag out of Sam’s hand and grabbed a burrito and cradled it to his chest. He looked up at Sam and said fervently, “I take back every mean thing I’ve ever said to you.”

“No you don’t. You’re just hungry. You want me to leave you two alone or should I take it back downstairs where the coffee lives?”

Dean stared down at the warm lump in his hand and honestly considered eating it right away, but Sam was right and scrambled eggs and peppers were not something he wanted to clean off his sheets whenever he found them again after the coming festivities.

“Yeah, thanks, let me grab some clothes and I’ll meet you down there.”

“You got it,” Sam took the burrito back as Dean dropped it into his outstretched hand.

“No fucking with it now, I know how it’s supposed to be wrapped,” Dean warned with a firm pointer finger.

Sam rolled his eyes and his hair along with them and stalked out of Dean’s room towards the backstairs that led into the kitchen.

They ate breakfast in relative silence, coffee and contemplation and all that. Just two brothers celebrating a year that both of them were worried wouldn’t come. Aging might be a bitch, but it is definitely better than the alternative. And for the Winchester brothers, a blessing they weren’t ever quite sure they deserved.

Charlie and you slinked in just after noon, after Dean and Sam had half-heartedly worked off their breakfasts and showered for the day. You had the most obnoxious balloon cowboy hat for him while Charlie presented him with a ‘birthday prince’ sash that he was under orders to keep on all day.

Dean eyed you both with a simmering shame-twinged annoyance. This wasn’t supposed to be a big deal. He already got looks when he went out as it was, plus only a douche of a grown man demands strangers acknowledge his birthday that way.

“Guys, come on. I’m not— this is a little ridiculous,” Dean didn’t want to be ungrateful.

You sighed. “Okay, fine, spoilsport. Just let us take a few pictures and you can ditch the hat.”

“Oh! The hat was the best part!” Sam lamented.

“Can it, Sammy,” Dean snipped.

Charlie chuckled. “Okay, but you can totally wear the sash where we’re going, because nobody else will even be there to see you in it, just your friends.”

Dean pursed his lips and looked the redhead in the eye, she wasn’t going to let him win. “Great—- just great.”

Lee and Benny were gonna have a field day with this one.

“Atta boy! Say CHEESE!” Charlie chirped, taking way too many shots and angles with him and his birthday attire.

They hung out and shared a joint, picking at a cheese tray that Sam had pulled out. Sure they had places to be, but that was the beauty of being the guest of honor, everything revolved around Dean-time. And as absolutely narcissistic as that sounded, Dean could get used to that kind of schedule.

The party bus arrived just before two. It was actually the band’s touring bus, which meant it was roomy and stocked to the brim with alcohol and edibles. Bud itself was never left on the bus to dry out. Inside were Benny, Cesar and Jesse, all moderately sober as they were also acting as light security detail for the day. Pam and Lee brought Gibson along, which told Dean wherever they were headed was going to be fun, however wholesome. Madison and Annie were there with Bobby upfront driving ‘The Proud Mary’ as the bus was so lovingly called. And around the table in the small kitchenette were Kevin, Ash and Cas.

Holy shit, Dean had to blink.

He turned around on the stairs and looked at you, who were the only one daring enough to pull this off. “Are you kidding me right now?!”

“What?” You smirked and batted your eyelashes with fake innocence.

Dean looked at you and felt something in his chest crack. But before he could get overrun by the emotions, gratitude, fear, even anger, Sam cleared his throat.

“In or out, Dean, air’s on.”

Dean nodded and blinked away the awe. “Thank you,” he grunted beneath his breath and turned to the cheers and jeers of his people.

“There he is!”

“Birthday boy!”

“Hey Winchester, I like your do-hickey,” Benny teased.

“It’s a sash, dumbass,” Cesar quipped, flicking the brim of Benny’s cap.

“HAPPY BIRTH-DAY,” Pam started offkey and then everybody joined in. Dean nodded along, faux-conducting and fighting the blush on his cheeks with every out of tune note.

He bowed as the song ended and then griped, “Yeah, okay, enough of that. Let’s get this shit started, shall we?! Uh, Gibson you good to DD on the way home, buddy?”

Everyone laughed.

“UNCLE DEAN! I can’t drive yet.”

“You sure?”

“I’m only six!”

“I don’t know,” Dean said thoughtfully, bending to look the stringbean over. “I think you could pass for seven or eight maybe.”

“Nuh-uh!”

Dean ruffled his hair and pulled him into a hug. “Fine! I’ll let Bobby keep his spot for today, but when you get your license, come talk to me about a job young man,” Dean promised.

Dean eased onto the bus, with you and Sam on his heels until you broke off to find a seat. He nodded and accepted hugs and high fives before he made his way to the table in the back, well that section’s back. The bunks and the bathroom were down a short hallway past the eating area and bar.

“Hey guys, thanks for coming,” Dean said broadly, but his eyes couldn’t stop looking for Cas’.

“Of course, man! Gotta celebrate another trip around the sun,” Ash exclaimed, his hair bouncing with his enthusiasm.

Kevin sniggered as he looked up at Dean and back across to Cas. “You know he’s real and everything.”

“He even speaks,” Cas deadpanned, turning his glare at Kevin.

“Hey, Cas.”

“Happy birthday, Dean.”

Dean felt the lurch of the bus entering traffic and panic resurfaced. “Good to see you. But, uh, we’ll catch up at some point? I gotta,” Dean sputtered and thumbed toward the general direction of the side-by-side seats along one wall.

“Of course,” Cas nodded, but gave Dean a tentative smile. Dean felt lightheaded but he felt better when he had a solid seat underneath his ass. Talk about a mindfuck.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and silently thanked the universe that he agreed to these super secret, group, birthday shenanigans.

The adventure park was suspiciously abandoned, even for a weekend day. But Dean took it as part of the present, no paps, no families with kids too young for school clogging up the Skee Ball lanes or having accidents on the go karts. He was kind of amazed y’all were able to pull this off, but it was far enough away from the busier parts of town that maybe you had scored a good deal. Or maybe Dean didn’t want to think about how much you and Sam and probably Bobby had shelled out for the day.

Even after years of his own success, Dean felt guilty whenever people spent money on him.

“Okay, line up for your wristbands. Everyone gets one, if you run out of tokens, tough luck. Laser Tag and Go Karts are available if we ask, just make sure there’s a big enough group to make up for the staff being pulled to those locations. Pizza will be set out as a buffet at five. I’ll get pitchers of water and soda out in the meantime,” you used a teacher's voice over the rowdy crowd as they beelined out of the bus and up to the gates.

Dean was almost giddy; he was so excited.

You bestowed a lanyard over his head, instead of a wristband. Which meant unlimited tokens for games and a turn in the vortex machine where paper tickets floated around and he was supposed to catch them for prizes. He was banking on letting Gibson take that responsibility, but hadn’t said anything because he knew Pam hated to spoil him, especially on someone else’s birthday. Oh well, being a surrogate Uncle held some leeway afterall.

“First one to the gokarts is a rotten egg!” Ash called out, making everyone turn on their heels and book it through the doors.

Dean laughed at the reversion to grade school taunts, but definitely tripped Sam on his way passed.

Somehow, Bobby and Annie got the first kart, but then again Dean didn’t remember seeing them as you made your little announcement, so they must have had a head start. The line was a mass of people bickering for a turn, which color kart they wanted, or which number if you were Charlie and Kevin. Dean had his shotgun attached at his hip, bouncing on the soles of his feet. But everytime he glanced up and saw Cas talking to Sam or nodding at something Pam said, he had to do a double take.

In all, they filled nearly all the available twelve karts. Dean and Gibson were in number 11, Lee, Benny, Pam, Cas, Ash, Kevin, Cesar, Jesse and Charlie all drove solo. While Sam and Madison, Bobby and Annie paired off. No one could get you in one of those things if they tried, and they all knew better than to try. Which Dean was grateful for, he hated rehashing your shit for other people’s understanding.

They did four lap races for almost an hour, with Dean sneaking past Bobby for the final victory. But everyone (except for Ash and Charlie) had lost count of their stats by the time they got inside to chug some soda and hit the arcade area before dinner.

Dean was sweating, faux satin clinging to his back through his shirts as he polished off a cup of flat cola. But he couldn’t keep the grin off his face long, seeing all of his favorite people milling around, trying to one up each other or just beat one another to a coveted game. It was the stuff of childhood birthdays he had only ever dreamed about, but you had made possible.

Lee held Gibson on his shoulders as they took Sam on at the free throw alleys. Charlie and Madison were playing some kind of shooting game while Kevin and Cesar watched them, obviously impressed by their stances with the fake rifles. It made him think of Jo and Big Buck Hunter for the briefest moment, but he tucked that away and chose to relish in the moment instead. Cas and Jesse were at the air hockey table and Bobby and Ash huddled by the wall of Skeeball machines, not partaking themselves, just watching you as you sank ball after ball into the 300 or better rings.

Dean couldn’t pick what he wanted to do next, so he just watched for a few minutes, soaking in the joy around him.

Eventually, his stomach chose for him. The pizzas were delivered in a tidy row down a side table of every cheap topping option available. There was even a mushroom option, which was probably the only thing close to a vegetable in the place, but it meant Sam couldn’t bitch. Everyone chowed down, standing and sitting in hodgepodge groupings, laughing and debating on what to do next.

Pam was comparing Cas’ and Kevin’s tattoos as Dean approached, paper plate firmly in hand, chewing as he silently butt into the conversation.

“Looks good, I mean, he’d hate them, but you know that would only be for show,” Pam said about the late Rufus.

“Yeah,” Cas agreed, pulling his arm back.

“Crotchety old bastard,” Dean added between bites.

“May he rest in peace,” Pam added, respect and mirth flitted in her eyes.

“So, Cas, how’s the kid and the band and fucking everything?” Pam changed the subject.

“Uh, we’re—- making progress,” Cas said simply, clearly unsure what to do with Dean’s presence. He worried at his lip ring like he always did when he was uncomfortable, but Dean was too damn curious and stubborn to take the hint.

“They’re finding their sound, it’s kind of cool to see it happen. You should go with me sometime to their rehearsals. It’s very organic,” Kevin explained. “It’s like they can sense what the other is thinking and just go for it.”

Dean couldn’t even pretend that that didn’t sting.

He cleared his throat. “So, where do you guys practice?”

“Oh— my place,” Cas said.

The fact that Kevin had been hanging with Cas and getting tattoos was one thing. The fact that he was in on this new band and its budding chemistry all while getting to spend time in Cas’ space was nothing short of getting his knees kicked out.

Not to mention, Cas had barely a townhouse with only one extra bedroom. He always preferred to live simply, as he put it.

“How does that work?”

Pam crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows, seeing where this was going better than Dean. “Are you a garage band, Cas?”

He just shrugged.

Dean chuckled under his breath. “That’s what you meant by organic,” he said to Kevin.

“Not exactly— that’s part of it, but I don’t know if it’s like some gene thing or a psychic connection. They’re just really good together.”

Pamela inhaled as Dean squinted at Cas, who had gone stock still with Kevin’s words.

“Gene thing?”

“Dean—,” Pamela warned.

“Oh, crap,” Kevin said, realizing too late that Dean was apparently more in the dark than he’d known.

Castiel remained silent, eyes boring into Dean, waiting for the explosion. It made Dean sick to realize that Cas was afraid of him, of his temper, still.

Dean set down his slice of pizza and squared his shoulders, trying to keep it civil. To not be that guy anymore. “Cas, come on man. What’s that about? He some long lost cousin or something?”

“Jack’s my kid, actually.”

Dean sputtered. “Yeah right, nice one.”

Everyone glared at him.

“You’re serious? How? When? I would have fucking noticed if you had actually boned down some chick—- I mean how old is he?”

Cas rolled his eyes and Dean had the sinking sensation that absolutely none of this was his business. But Cas had been his best friend for most of their lives— it was important information to have, even if it was twenty years too late.

Kevin and Pam silently agreed to disappear, but Dean couldn’t pinpoint the moment it happened. They were there and then they were gone.

“Dean,” Cas chastised.

“No— I deserve to know. I mean, what the hell? A kid?”

Cas raised his eyebrow, the one with the damn ring in it and Dean wanted, not for the first time, to yank it out.

“Kind of like I— like we deserved to know you were in an underground fighting ring? Like you had some sort of deathwish pact with a pimp and a known murderer?”

Dean felt an icy chill run down his spine, his hands instantly turned to fists and he had to breathe to keep the rage at bay. But his chest was so tight and the shame had become worms in his stomach. He wasn’t going to puke at his own birthday party, not from something as pathetic as his own mistakes. Alcohol would have been an easier taste in his mouth.

The party continued around them, but Dean didn’t reply. He couldn’t.

Cas seemed to register that and looked down at his boots before meeting Dean’s eye once more. “Dean, I’m sorry— that— that was uncalled for.”

Dean swallowed down the bile and exhaled.

He unclenched his fists, shaking them slightly to feel something other than overwhelming emotion, the kind he’d need a few sessions with Missouri to even name.

“Don’t worry about it,” Dean grunted, head down as he got himself together.

“Dean— we should talk, but I can’t really explain myself in front of everyone.”

Dean hummed.

“It’s just— I think there’s a lot we never got off our chests and it only made the last couple of years harder— on both of us.”

“It seems like everyone else already knows your business, Cas. Just kind of sucks to be the last to know.”

Cas nodded, eyes still tight, still on guard.

“But I guess the way I was— kind of makes sense. I didn’t deserve to know.”

Cas’ face softened. “Dean— that’s not. Let’s not, right now. Later. Okay?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah. Okay.”

Dean inched around the corner, weapon drawn and head on a swivel. He couldn’t see much, but endless nooks for the enemy to hide. The arena was dark, out of necessity, but it only added to the adrenaline pumping through him. Dean nodded to his teammate and they spun around the next edge, fingers on their triggers as they stood back to back.

He really wished they had communication between the other members of Green Team, but that was just rich people thinking for a family entertainment center. It wasn’t like they were storming the beaches of Normandy here.

Something moved in his periphery but before Dean could turn you shot behind him, getting Kevin square in the chest. You both watched as Kevin fell dramatically to the floor, one down, five more to go.

“Nice shot,” Dean said out of the corner of his mouth.

“I feel like that was too easy,” you replied, searching the area while you whispered.

“Might have been a scout,” Dean agreed.

“Yeah, but—”

He felt you shift behind him and he rounded to cover you, but Benny was already there, a near wall of guns behind him.

“It was a fire fight!” Ash screamed out of his spot above them, taking Charlie out with the distraction.

You kept your body turned, lessening their target and fired without even blinking, but Sam had height on you and you ended up taking each other out. Dean, unable to make a shot connect, cursed, turned tail, and ran, ducking down a ladder and trying to loop back on Benny and Pam.

Three down to his team’s one, that he knew of, still good odds.

But then he saw Jesse sitting with his back against a wall, clearly down. Dean needed to find Cas and Cesar yesterday. Or they wouldn’t be able to call it in their favor. He crouched down and checked his back, without you to watch his six he felt extra exposed, though he kept to the edges, using the shadows to his advantage.

He heard whispering and he immediately hit the deck, rolling until he was flush with wall length-wise. But the voices stopped about ten feet away, either on the level above him or around the corner out of sight. Dean waited, gun drawn and senses on overdrive.

The telltale electronic chime of a chest plate activating sounded off and the voices turned from whispers to shouts of shock. Someone had gotten Pam.

Which meant that Lee and Benny were the only ones left from Sam’s team.

And Lee was alone looking to the rafters from the sounds of it.

Dean army-crawled around the corner and got Lee from underneath, his cackle of victory the only way Lee even knew he was there.

“You sonofabitch!” Lee griped, helping Dean up before disappearing to the land of misfit toys, aka following Pam to the nearest exit.

Cesar appeared, seemingly out of nowhere and nodded Dean back to the rest of the team. Cas and Ash were still alive and kicking, strategizing on how to find or draw out Benny. But before Dean could turn and let Cesar back into the huddle, his chest piece crackled to life: Benny had shot him in the back.

Dean waved him off, trying to catch up with Benny’s trail, as Ash and Cas flanked him widely. They tried to cast a broad net, but instead they left too much space and Benny wound around them and took Ash out without Dean or Cas even seeing him.

Dean looked at Cas and Cas nodded, doubling back and letting Dean take point.

It felt like hours, but really it only took maybe five more minutes of creeping around the obstacles in the center of the arena for Dean to catch sight of Benny. His sturdy frame ducked behind a pillar as Dean slowly followed. But he was too slow, because Benny had spun around and had his gun on Dean’s back plate before Dean could move.

“Bang bang,” Benny taunted, but he didn’t pull the trigger. He wanted Dean to surrender, but that wouldn’t do anything unless… Benny didn’t know Cas was still out there.

Dean held up his arms, but he didn’t drop his weapon.

“Alright, cher, nice and easy,” Benny coaxed Dean to turn face him.

“You got me,man,” Dean huffed, playing it up.

“Well, even the Birthday Prince loses sometimes.”

Then Benny’s chest flashed to life.

“What the—”

“And sometimes they still win,” Cas’ deadpan interrupted Benny’s surprise.

“Nice one, Cas!” Dean held up his hand for a high five, but Cas just cocked his head as the overheads snapped on, blinding them all in sudden light.

It wasn’t the first time that Dean thought Cas had some super-human senses. And he was happy to think that it probably wasn’t the last time either. Not anymore.

Everything considered, Gibson won the day. Every single adult, even Kevin, forked over the prize tickets they had wracked up on their wristbands for Gibson to exchange for a four foot long stuffed dog from some show or another. Dean fist bumped him and helped him carry the thing back onto the bus. But before Dean could haul himself up the first step, Sam pulled him back to the curb.

“Here— don’t say I never got you anything.” Sam handed him a massive rainbowed Slinky.

“Holy shit! I didn’t even see that! This is awesome,” Dean geeked out. “Thanks, man.”

Sam just shook his head and grinned.

Everyone got back on the bus and started in on the adult beverages as you sorted the tab and made sure everything was alright with the staff. Dean sat on his hands, forcing himself not to run back in and add on his own tip. He really did trust you, but some habits were hard to break.

“Ready?” Dean heard Bobby ask you before cranking the door shut.

The bus rumbled off the curb and into the neverending traffic of the city at night. But they had everything they could possibly need on board. And when you sat down in the spot beside him, Dean couldn’t think of a single thing that could make his birthday any better.

He looked over at you and smiled, soft, just a hint of it on his lips, trying to keep himself from saying something stupid. You rolled your eyes and smiled back. And yeah, today might have been one for the books. But there were still chapters left unwritten between you two and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to wait anymore to find out what they’d said.

Then his phone rang. “Dean? Happy birthday! How did you want to go celebrate?”

It was Bela.

He had completely forgotten to invite Bela.

And apparently, somehow, so had you.

Fuck.

Tagging:

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@fics-pics-andotherthings-i-like

@suckitands33

@ladysparkles78

@deans-baby-momma

@stoneyggirl2

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@rockhoochie

Chapter 22: Dolce

#spotless series #dean winchester fanfiction #dean/reader #dean/bela #slow burn #rockstar au #fake dating #dean fluff #dean angst

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theinfiknight · 4 months

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What if the characters of Discworld were Avatars of the 15 fears from the Magnus Archives?

Now, just a disclaimer, this is just my personal opinion of which character would best fit the bill. Regardless if you agree or disagree, feel absolutely free to do so either way. Also, obvious spoilers for the books excepting Shepherd's Crown and Raising Steam.

The Web:

This one is obvious and can be no one other than Lord Vetinari himself. An absolute master of subtle manipulation and long term planning, Vetinari is the perfect Avatar of the Web. He creates a reputation of pervasive fear and makes people believe that he could do away with them at a whim, despite him never once killing a single person who wasn't an irredeemable criminal of some sort, and even then usually giving them chances to redeem themselves first. This being the case, I'd say Lady Margolotta is also an Avatar, and the one who exposed Havelock to the Web in the first place.

The Hunt:

The most stereotypical aspect of the Hunt is manifested most by Wolfgang von Uberwald, the textbook Hunter who chases and kills for the thrill of it. Both Sam Vimes and Angua hear the call of the Blood, but both refuse to heed it, and so aren't Avatars. I'd argue that there's another Avatar of the Hunt fulfilling the other role, created by the Hunt to be the perpetually hunted, the never caught but ever pursued white stag/ golden doe, the one, though not only, Rincewind.

The Eye:

One Avatar is Jeannie and every Kelda before and after her. The Kelda sees everything and knows what has happened and what will. The alternate answer is Blind Io, given his literal eyeballs that float around and also that he's cognizant of everything that goes on in the Disc, and that everyone knows he's watching.

The Spiral:

The Elf Queen. The undisputed master of illusion and deception, creating false worlds that operate on her rules, trapping people in unreal dreams they cannot escape, making them see and believe what she wants them to see and believe. Bel Shamharoth is also a possible answer given how he distorts the senses and feeds on those he traps.

The Buried:

Albrecht Albrechtsson. Knockermen are undoubtedly Avatars of the Buried, with the complex stew of fear and reverence they feel for the underground, and Albrecht is the lowest among them. Agi Hammerthief is probably the only fully realised Avatar of the Buried, who dwells beneath the Disc where no one will ever reach him.

The Flesh:

The Igors and Nutt. The Igors for obvious reasons, their affinity for tinkering with bodies, and their indisputable understanding of the fact that meat is meat, and as such can be used for a lot more than its original intention. Nutt because he is a creation of said tinkering, flesh made warped, with a living engine of meat inside him.

The End:

Mort and Bill Door, and possibly every zombie. This really needs no explanation. Mort stepping into his Master's role is the textbook descent of a human into Avatarhood, developing strange powers and slowly becoming Other. I'm not counting Death because he is the personification of the thing and isn't human enough to qualify as an Avatar, and I'm not counting Susan because she never carried out the Duty.

The Slaughter:

Carcer, the Gonne, and Cohen the Barbarian. Carcer killed for the fun of it with no care for reasoning, consequence or morality. He WAS a one man slaughter by himself. Cohen's existence was also very similar to Carcer's, albeit he killed far more people and lived by a Code that ensured that though he mass murdered on the regular, he always did it with the same honesty as a man hunting for his next meal. As such perhaps Cohen was more an impersonal personification of the Slaughter like the Piper rather than an Avatar of it. The Gonne was more an a artifact that channeled the Slaughter into whoever held it, be it D'Eath, Cruces or even Vimes.

The Corruption:

Vorbis and the Cunning Man. Vorbis absolutely embodies the toxicity and insidious creeping infestation of the Corruption. He pollutes organisations and people, changing them and turning them into versions of himself, utilising extremely unhealthy relationship dynamics in order to do so, creating an atmosphere ripe with fear, desperation and despair. The Cunning Man is similar except his method of corruption is more direct than Vorbis's ie literally taking over the body of his victim while subtly influencing the minds of those around him when he's less corporeal. His presence is filth of the mind and stench of the soul, and incites disgust and fear among those aware of his true nature.

The Stranger:

I had some trouble with this but finally decided on Susan and Lu Tze. Although one would intuitively put Susan under The End, in practice the characteristics she actually exhibits line up more with the Stranger. She walks unseen among others, unknown in the places she passes through, never usually staying very long in one place unless that happens to be her dwelling at that time. Her presence unsettles people. She doesn't fit in among others and has always been set apart. She's too undead to be truly alive and too alive to be truly undead. The only people who really know her are Death and Time. To everyone else, she's a stranger they see sometimes.

And Lu Tze, of course, is just the Sweeper. No one knows the first thing about him apart from the fact that he happens to be there. He's a part of the background of whenever he is. If anyone ever truly Looked at him, and actually noticed what they saw, that he's in fact a stranger in their midst, the first words out of their mouths would be "I do not know you"

The Desolation:

Stratford, Spider the Rat King, and Ipslore the Red. Stratford was a motherfucker who would bleed every last drop before abandoning the corpse he created. This was a bastard who, wishing to cause Vimes as much pain as he could, chose to target his son rather than seek him out directly. A man after the Desolation's own heart. Spider was out for everything the humans had. It wanted their utter ruin and destruction and was well on its way to achieving it. And Ipslore attempted to destroy the whole world with his resentment, using and abusing his own son as his instrument to do so, and would have succeeded too, if it weren't for some idiot with a half brick in a sock.

The Extinction:

The Things from the Dungeon Dimensions. The Extinction is the end of the rule of Man and their replacement with the horrifying Other. And there's nothing that fits that description better than the Things from the Dungeon Dimensions, constantly seeking to bring about exactly what the Fear is.

The Lonely:

This was difficult to decide as well, but I believe the First Tooth Fairy might qualify. Living literally locked up in a bubble separate from the rest of reality, it lives apart from everyone and everything else, keeping alone for all eternity. Additionally, I believe that every living witch(with the exception of Nanny Ogg) carries a piece of the Lonely inside them. Its influence never goes away, and those who succumb to it are the ones who become cacklers.

The Vast:

Tiffany Aching and, funnily enough, a Simon once again. Tiffany's primary source of power is that she is, at her core, something far bigger than herself. She may be just Tiffany but she is also Land under Wave, the power and will of millions of years of life before her. At her most powerful she is aware of EVERYTHING, from the bones of the flint beneath the chalk to time itself to the stars being born in the distant sky. She is small but she is also Vast. And Simon sees the whole universe and truly understands what he's looking at. He sees and understands more than he can express and his knowledge of the Vast almost approaches comprehension.

The Dark:

The one, though once again not only, Samuel Vimes. There couldn't be any other answer here. The dark walks with him. He was born in it, moulded by it... By the time he saw the light it was nothing more than BLINDING. But yeah, he is most at peace in the true dark in the pissing rain on the cobbles, even before he was literally possessed by the living darkness itself. The dark aids him and talks to him. The dwarfs and the goblins may live in the dark, but Sam Vimes looked into the Abyss, and he wasn't the one who blinked.

#discworld #tma #the magnus archives #gnu terry pratchett #terry pratchett

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skz317cb97 · 1 year

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Street Fighter

Jeongin x Female reader

Word count: 2K

Synopsis: When your friend Jeongin shows up at your door with a black eye you insist on him explaining why he's playing real life street fighter again.

A/N: 18+ ONLY! Just a quick lil Jeongin fic that was inspired by some pictures in an ask I received. To anyone with a request I promise as soon as I'm back in the swing of things completely I'll be working on them again! Thank you for your patience. In the mean time if you all enjoy this story please give it a reblog, like, comment, shoot me an ask, I just love you guy's feedback! As always warnings and smut below the cut!

Warnings: 18+ ONLY MDNI! Cursing and strong language, mentions of fighting and mild violence, oral (m&f receiving), deep throating, gagging, breath play, unprotected piv sex, rough sex, choking, strength kink, Jeongin is a little possesive, praise, pet names (good girl, gorgeous, goddess), little degradation (Jeongin calls MC his slut/whore a couple of times), cream pie. I think that's everything but if I ever miss something please let me know and I'll add it immediately!

“Why the fuck do you have a black eye?!” Was, of course, the first question out of your mouth when you saw Jeongin. He sighed and walked through the door you had just opened.

“Can I come in before you start giving me the third degree, please?” You gave him just as heavy of a sigh.

“Can you not show up to my door after another fight club match with no explanation?” He gave you an incredulous look.

“I’ll tell you jeeze just let me put some ice on my face and I’ll explain everything.” You followed Jeongin into the kitchen and stood there with your arms crossed as he got a hand towel and some ice and pressed it against his face. He looked over at you and you gave him a look that said, ‘Well?’.

“Okay, okay! I was leaving the convenient store and I was on the way here when I ran into Sam.” You looked confused for a second.

“Sam?” Jeongin rolled his eyes clearly not a fan of ‘Sam’.

“Your ex.” Oh yea. You tried not to think about that one, it was bad. He was verbally abusive and he scared you. So you got away before things could get physical.

“Oh that Sam.” He nodded.

“Okay well what’s that have to do with your bl-…" You stopped and sighed.

“Please tell me you didn’t.” Jeongin grabbed the back of his neck.

“I just couldn’t help it. I thought about the last things he said to you and I saw red. I shoved him and he got a cheap shot in. We fought until a couple other guys split us up and we went separate ways.”

“Again? That's like the third time you’ve gotten into a fight with one of my ex’s. Are you gonna beat up every guy that breaks my heart?” Jeongin looked at you seriously.

“Yes...” You were about to say something but he cut you off.

“Yes, I will. Until you finally realize the guy you should have been with all along.” Your brow was furrowed in confusion again.

“Wha-what do you mean?” Jeongin put down the ice filled towel and walked over to you.

“Do you really not see...” He grabbed your hand.

“I mean I’m waiting for you to realize that I’m not agi ppang anymore. I’m a man, and I’m in love with you. It should be me you're with. I’d never treat you like any of those other guys. I’d treat you like a queen, worship you like the goddess you are.” He kissed your hand.

“I.N... I... I didn’t know you felt this way.” He took a chance and wrapped his arms around your waist pulling you closer to him.

“Well now that you do, how do you feel about it?” You put your arms around his broad shoulders and carded your fingers through the hair at his nape.

“I feel like...” He nodded a little smiling softly at you.

“I feel like I want to kiss you right now.” Jeongin chuckled and didn’t wait any longer. His lips found yours gently slotting together at first before quickly starting to nibble and trace your tongues along the others. It wasn’t long before you were grasping at each other frantically as you made out. You pulled away long enough to pull Jeongin’s shirt off over his head.

“Wait are we gon...” You cut him off with your lips.

“Stop talking and fuck me Innie.” He nodded and pulled your spaghetti strap top down, freeing your breasts then kissing you hard. You grabbed at his belt but before you could undo his button and fly he lifted your legs and wrapped them around him before slamming you against the fridge. You could feel his hard cock pressing into your throbbing core. It made you clench.

“GOD! YES! FUCK! Jeongin!” He kissed down your jaw and neck, biting a little harder each time.

“Fuck you sound so pretty. Make some noise for me gorgeous.” He bit you again, hard.

“OW! JEOn-” He rolled his hips into yours rubbing against your clit through your clothes.

“Fuck!” You grabbed two hand fulls of his hair and pulled as he started to nip his way down your neck again, more gently this time. You tugged and tilted his head back before sinking your teeth into the crook of his neck and shoulder.

“Mmmm, okay, I deserved that.” You both laughed and Jeongin gripped your ass and carried you to your bedroom. He tossed you on your bed and you laughed again.

“Get those shorts and panties off.” You smirked.

“What panties?” Jeongin’s mouth watered.

“Such a bad girl. No panties? Let’s see.” Jeongin grabbed your shorts and pulled revealing you in fact did not have any panties on. When he saw your glistening folds, he licked his lips. He took his fingers and spread you open then spit on your pussy before leaning down to lick it up. Your head flew back and you moaned at the contact. His warm wet tongue slowly, gently exploring every inch of you. Going down on you was as much for him as it was for you it seemed, the way he moaned into your cunt when he gently sucked at your clit. You gripped his hair tightly again.

“Ohh my god Innie fuck! You're doing so good god please! Fingers please!” Jeongin slurped at you and pushed two fingers inside. He started slow pumping them in and out, stretching you but when he started to get really excited his tongue worked faster and he finger fucked you harder.

“Yesyesyesyessss! Holy fucking don’t stop I’m gonna cum!” A guttural growl came from Jeongin as he curled his fingers inside you pushing you over the edge. You had never cum so hard in your life. Your legs shook and attempted to trap Jeongin between them only stopped by his strong hands pinning them down to the bed. He gave you one more lick from bottom to top and then kissed his way up your body. He kissed you so sweetly and then looked into your eyes.

“How do you feel about choking on my cock beautiful?” Truthfully your mouth watered at the idea. You got on your knees and Jeongin stood in front of you. You finally unfastened his pants and pulled them and his underwear down at the same time. His cock sprung out hard and ready. You grabbed him and gently licked the tip. Then again, then again.

“Don’t tease me now, or remember, payback is a bitch.” You smiled looking up at him then took his tip into your mouth swirling your tongue around him. He patted your hair.

“Such a good girl. Go on. More.” You took more of him into your mouth sliding down the shaft of his dick, coating it in plenty of saliva. The first time you went down enough to gag on him Jeongin let out a soft moan.

“That’s it. Deeper.” He thrusted when you went down, pushing the tip of his dick deeper into your throat. You gagged again.

“You can do it beautiful, choke on it.” You hummed and Jeongin held your head as he thrusted deeper into your throat, over and over, fucking your face as you drooled, spit dribbling down your chin.

“Look up at me. Fuck! Yes my pretty little slut! Open up and let me fuck that throat.” You opened your mouth and Jeongin’s cock squelched as he punished the back of your throat. He gripped your hair tightly and then pushed you all the way down on his cock, pressing your nose into his pubic muscle and then pinching it closed. You gagged and struggled a little and he let go allowing you to pull off him.

“God damn fuck yes you are such a good girl, a fucking goddess! Get that sexy ass up on this bed I’m fucking you stupid right now!” He practically lifted and tossed you on the bed again.

“Bend over.” It wasn’t a request and you weren’t going to argue anyway. You bent over and Jeongin gave your ass a smack.

“Fuck yes my good little whore listens so well, sucks so well, I gotta fill her up good.” You nodded leaning down into the mattress, your ass perched up high for Jeongin to admire. Both hands rubbed your ass cheeks and he gave one a smack again.

“God fuck me please!” Jeongin lined up with your dripping hole and started to push the tip in. You moaned out as he sank all the way into you. When his balls were pressed against you he let out a grunt.

“You’re so fucking tight! How are you this tight gorgeous? Those assholes weren’t even fucking you right huh?” You shook your head no, honestly none of your ex’s fucked you well. If you got off it was because you were on top and you got yourself off. Jeongin had you seeing stars already.

“Don’t worry this is my pussy now.” Just like with his fingers Jeongin slowly started thrusting into you from behind. After a minute his grip on your hips tightened and he started to go harder.

“God yes fuck me like that, hard!” If you told Jeongin to fuck you hard then he was going to do just that. He started fuckin you harder your face pressing further into your mattress with each thrust of his hips into yours. He felt divine. You couldn’t speak it felt so good.

“You already fucked dumb beautiful? Hmm? Come on let me hear you.” He pulled you up so that his chest was pressed against your back and his cock was so deep inside you all you could do was scream his name in pleasure.

“JEONGIN! FUCK SO DEEP! YES!” He felt you clenching and shaking, as your orgasm approached he grabbed you around the throat with both hands and started to squeeze, when you started to get a little bit of a head buzz Jeongin let go, you took a breath and came out of nowhere.

“Good girl cum on my cock. My little whore likes it deep and hard. You like it when I choke you?” You nodded as you reached back and gripped his hair with both hands holding on while he slowly grinded up into you and you rode out your high. Once you had clarity again Jeongin whispered in your ear.

“On your back gorgeous. I wanna see my goddess’ face when she creams on my cock this time.” His breathy, raunchy words made your body erupt in goosebumps and you shivered. Jeongin pulled out and you fell onto your back and spread your legs.

“Fuck that’s the prettiest pussy I’ve ever seen.” He rubbed the tip of his cock up and down your swollen cunt then pushed it inside you.

“Ohhh god yes!” Jeongin fit inside you perfectly, rubbed you in all the right places. He gripped your hips and went rough straight out the gate this time, slamming his hips into yours hard and deep. He leaned down over you, wrapping his arms around you and holding your shoulders as he fucked you harder, making you take all of him. All you could do was lay there and let him take you there. He let go of you and propped himself up over you. He slowed down and started rolling his hips, then one of his hands was wrapped around your throat again pressing with a deliciously perfect amount of pressure. Your legs started to shake and Jeongin knew you were close again.

“Go on, cum for me baby, give in, give it to me.” You exited your body for at least sixty full seconds before you felt Jeongin’s hips falter and his warm cum fill you.

“God yes beautiful fucking take it all!” You both shook and trembled through the last bits of your orgasms and then Jeongin fell on top of you sweaty and out of breath. He was heavy and crushing you.

“Innie, can’t breathe.” You both laughed and he rolled off of you.

“Sorry.” You giggled and scooted in close.

“It’s okay, you’re allowed to crush me after fucking me like that... just...” He raised an eyebrow at you.

“Refrain from crushing other men because of me please. I don’t like seeing you hurt.” Jeongin nodded, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you closer.

“I will refrain from crushing anyone but you.” You laughed and kissed him.

“There’s no one I’d rather be crushed by.”

Please do not repost or translate any of my works. My blog and stories are NSFW and 18+ ONLY! Minors, ageless, and blank blogs will be blocked!

@acciocriativity @caroline-ds-world @chansynie @ughbehavior @jquellen27 @jisuperboard @fixation-dump @lachinitaaaaa @rinrinndou @bangchans-angel @laylasbunbunny @owo-manii-uwu @armystay89 @b00dyguts @purplenimsicle @caticorn61 @lauraneuuh @channieandhisgoonsquad @minnysproutgriffinteddy @svintsandghosts @the-sweetest-rose @alice630 @3rachasninja @m0ri-apeuda @eastleighsblog @linoification @mlink64 @smally97 @fun-fanfics @chansducky10 @starfire21 @cessixja @siewoon @berryberrytan @binnies-minsung-fanclub @lethallyprotected

#stray kids smut #skz smut #yang jeongin smut #jeongin smut #in smut #skz317cb97 #cal 🖤

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collapsedsquid · 8 months

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Altman believes the two most important “currencies” of the future are “compute/intelligence” — again, conflating computation with intelligence — and energy. Acknowledging the higher demands of AI tools, Altman told attendees, “we still don’t appreciate the energy needs of this technology.” But instead of suggesting some moderation of his expansive vision of AI deployment, he said an energy breakthrough is necessary. In short, we need to place our faith in technology to deliver a development that will allow his vision for the future to be realized without making it even harder to achieve our climate goals. In Altman’s future, the AI tools made by OpenAI will not only become even more resource-intensive as the company seeks to make them more capable, but they will be built into virtually every aspect of our lives. That will require an even greater buildout of hyperscale data centers around the world as our demand for computation grows, requiring a lot more energy to power them — not to mention water and computer parts like graphics processing units (GPUs). Altman believes that energy should come from nuclear fission reactors and that a breakthrough in the technology will usher in a future of abundant and radically cheaper energy. However, while we wait for a breakthrough that may never materialize, he told Bloomberg the planet is “going to have to do something dramatic” and use “geoengineering as a stopgap” as emissions and temperatures continue to increase. That should set off some serious alarm bells.

On Here you see the anti-AI people go "Look at the ridiculous power requirements of this shit" while the opponents go "No look it's using some energy but not a ridiculous amount". Here though Sam Altman, the head of AI is going "No the AI critics are right, it's going to take a ridiculous amount of energy."

But, just like with the AGI superintelligence stuff, there's call for skepticism, and the idea that Sam is hyping up the energy costs of his technology as a way of emphasizing his importance.

#can think of this as similar to how conspiracy theories can get generated as a tool of power and PR

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mariacallous · 4 months

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In July last year, OpenAI announced the formation of a new research team that would prepare for the advent of supersmart artificial intelligence capable of outwitting and overpowering its creators. Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI’s chief scientist and one of the company’s cofounders, was named as the colead of this new team. OpenAI said the team would receive 20 percent of its computing power.

Now OpenAI’s “superalignment team” is no more, the company confirms. That comes after the departures of several researchers involved, Tuesday’s news that Sutskever was leaving the company, and the resignation of the team’s other colead. The group’s work will be absorbed into OpenAI’s other research efforts.

Sutskever’s departure made headlines because although he’d helped CEO Sam Altman start OpenAI in 2015 and set the direction of the research that led to ChatGPT, he was also one of the four board members who fired Altman in November. Altman was restored as CEO five chaotic days later after a mass revolt by OpenAI staff and the brokering of a deal in which Sutskever and two other company directors left the board. Hours after Sutskever’s departure was announced on Tuesday, Jan Leike, the former DeepMind researcher who was the superalignment team’s other colead, posted on X that he had resigned.

Neither Sutskever nor Leike responded to requests for comment. Sutskever did not offer an explanation for his decision to leave but offered support for OpenAI’s current path in a post on X. “The company’s trajectory has been nothing short of miraculous, and I’m confident that OpenAI will build AGI that is both safe and beneficial” under its current leadership, he wrote.

Leike posted a thread on X on Friday explaining that his decision came from a disagreement over the company’s priorities and how much resources his team was being allocated.

“I have been disagreeing with OpenAI leadership about the company's core priorities for quite some time, until we finally reached a breaking point,” Leike wrote. “Over the past few months my team has been sailing against the wind. Sometimes we were struggling for compute and it was getting harder and harder to get this crucial research done.”

The dissolution of OpenAI’s superalignment team adds to recent evidence of a shakeout inside the company in the wake of last November’s governance crisis. Two researchers on the team, Leopold Aschenbrenner and Pavel Izmailov, were dismissed for leaking company secrets, The Information reported last month. Another member of the team, William Saunders, left OpenAI in February, according to an internet forum post in his name.

Two more OpenAI researchers working on AI policy and governance also appear to have left the company recently. Cullen O'Keefe left his role as research lead on policy frontiers in April, according to LinkedIn. Daniel Kokotajlo, an OpenAI researcher who has coauthored several papers on the dangers of more capable AI models, “quit OpenAI due to losing confidence that it would behave responsibly around the time of AGI,” according to a posting on an internet forum in his name. None of the researchers who have apparently left responded to requests for comment.

OpenAI declined to comment on the departures of Sutskever or other members of the superalignment team, or the future of its work on long-term AI risks. Research on the risks associated with more powerful models will now be led by John Schulman, who coleads the team responsible for fine-tuning AI models after training.

The superalignment team was not the only team pondering the question of how to keep AI under control, although it was publicly positioned as the main one working on the most far-off version of that problem. The blog post announcing the superalignment team last summer stated: “Currently, we don't have a solution for steering or controlling a potentially superintelligent AI, and preventing it from going rogue.” OpenAI’s charter binds it to safely developing so-called artificial general intelligence, or technology that rivals or exceeds humans, safely and for the benefit of humanity. Sutskever and other leaders there have often spoken about the need to proceed cautiously. But OpenAI has also been early to develop and publicly release experimental AI projects to the public.

OpenAI was once unusual among prominent AI labs for the eagerness with which research leaders like Sutskever talked of creating superhuman AI and of the potential for such technology to turn on humanity. That kind of doomy AI talk became much more widespread last year, after ChatGPT turned OpenAI into the most prominent and closely-watched technology company on the planet. As researchers and policymakers wrestled with the implications of ChatGPT and the prospect of vastly more capable AI, it became less controversial to worry about AI harming humans or humanity as a whole.

The existential angst has since cooled—and AI has yet to make another massive leap—but the need for AI regulation remains a hot topic. And this week OpenAI showcased a new version of ChatGPT that could once again change people’s relationship with the technology in powerful and perhaps problematic new ways.

The departures of Sutskever and Leike come shortly after OpenAI’s latest big reveal—a new “multimodal” AI model called GPT-4o that allows ChatGPT to see the world and converse in a more natural and humanlike way. A livestreamed demonstration showed the new version of ChatGPT mimicking human emotions and even attempting to flirt with users. OpenAI has said it will make the new interface available to paid users within a couple of weeks.

There is no indication that the recent departures have anything to do with OpenAI’s efforts to develop more humanlike AI or to ship products. But the latest advances do raise ethical questions around privacy, emotional manipulation, and cybersecurity risks. OpenAI maintains another research group called the Preparedness team which focuses on these issues.

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abysswalkersknight · 1 year

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Here's a fic for the vampire Silver idea I mentioned some time ago, It's a little bit longer than my other ones though the concept was a bit new to me. Anyways please enjoy and let me know what you think!

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Silver always counts it a blessing whenever the shop is devoid of customers, certainly not because it’s crucial he keeps his supply runs as discreet as possible. Not at all.

‘Here you go, little imp.’ said Sam, hefting a large box into Silver’s arms. Silver frowns, the box was unusually heavy compared to his other runs. Sam notes his confused look ‘we’ve gotten word from our wonderful suppliers at the hospital that they won’t have enough stock to sell to us next month and knowing your situation they added in a few more bags though I suggest you ration them as much as you can’ stone cold dread chilled his bones. He quickly scanned the box’s contents. Average sized bags filled with a precious red liquid pervaded his vision, already he could feel his mouth watering at the sight, ah if only it was fresh. He vigorously shook his head, No! He can’t give in to that!

‘Is there possibly anywhere else we can get some in the meantime?’ he asks slowly, keeping his voice low. ‘It’s just that rationing will be difficult and…’ he didn’t want to finish that sentence. His vision still filled with red whenever he was reminded of that incident. Sam looks at him worriedly ‘are you going to be alright? Like if you somehow run out, is there someone you can go to for help?’ Silver pursed his lips in thought. Technically he had his father and Lord Malleus but he didn’t want to burden his father by compelling him to hunt for the both of them and Malleus would graciously offer his arm as a substitute, which Silver was more than happy to avoid resorting to. Nevertheless he relays this to the shop owner who nods carefully, and sends the boy on his way.

Silver suddenly pauses at the doorway. He swallows down his anxiety and hurries out into the night.

There were too many people awake - too many witnesses who might wonder why he’s out gathering supplies this late in the night when dinner has ended an hour ago. He kept his head down but still he felt curious looks crawl under his skin as he passed. But that was precisely why he couldn’t run, not with all these people watching. His fangs prickled the inside of his lip, oh why did everyone have to be out the very moment he needed the halls empty. He clutched his precious cargo closer. If he could make it to the mirror leading to Diasomnia’s dorm, then he should be safe, perhaps he would even run into Father or Sebek before…

Just as he reached the courtyard he passed Pomefiore’s vice housewarden leaning against a pillar while observing the ongoings of his fellow students. Rook gave him a sharp green stare, accompanied with an even sharper smile, he knows. Silver thought with a stab of panic. He recognised that look, it was the calculating look of a predator stalking his potential prey, it was the look father would always have whenever he returned home from a “hunt.”

‘Ah, good evening Monsieur Endormi! What lovely weather it is for a stroll, no?’ greets Rook as he comes into step next to Silver.

Silver stiffens but fought to keep his face calm, ‘Vice Housewarden Hunt, pleasure to see you’ he responds tersely keeping Rook in the corner of his eye ‘forgive my curiosity’ Rook says remorsefully though his eyes betray his lie ‘but I simply must implore why such a talented swordsman such as yourself is scurrying around like a frightened mouse hiding from the elusive owl? Are you perhaps hiding from someone?’ those alluring auroral eyes widened a fraction and, oh my, was that a tinge of red around those beautiful irises?

‘No, I’m not hiding, I’m simply in a hurry.’ Silver replies after taking a hidden deep breath, though of course it could not have escaped the acute ears of the hunter next to him. As if to prove his point Rook hums ‘are you quite sure my dear friend, you appear quite agitated, almost as if you are prepared to spring after your quarry. Or vice versa.’ To which he then falls silent, opting to observe his current interest. The normally stoic and aloof Diasomnian was turning paler by the second, his charming features threatening to pitch into an expression Rook couldn’t recognise. He only grins, it was obvious that Silver was hiding something, and from the looks of it something, interesting. For months Rook has seen the second year periodically leave Sam’s store at around the exact same time each night with a cardboard box that he clutches close to his chest as if the contents were the fragilest glass, it was intriguing yes, but what truly caught his attention was the faintest whiff of iron and rust permeating the air. A familiar scent, one that brought a rush of both ecstasy and disappointment through his veins, the telltale signs of the chase coming to an end. The smell of blood.

And lots of it.

Though judging by the way Silver carries the box it’s too light to be raw meat, and it couldn’t be a small amount of meat because the scent claimed that there was far too much blood for it to be so. Soon enough he concluded that the box must be full of blood bags, but why would he have so many? Were the rumours concerning a certain fae true? Or was there something else at hand? Ooo could the gentle Monsieur Endormi secretly be a fellow hunter himself! Oh the possibilities were endless!

Rook must find out the reason, he must! Oh how his hunter’s blood positively boils at the prospect of an unknown quarry.

Unfortunately his elation must have shown on his face because the second year seems to gulp and sidle away from Rook. The corners of his lips twitch as if wanting to bare teeth.

Never has Silver ever wanted to lash out and bite as much as he did right now, he was certain that Rook was trying to corner him, what if he tells someone? No, most likely he’ll just hold onto the information for blackmail, or maybe even stake Silver himself just to see what happens. Not if I get him first.

It would be so easy for Silver to sink his fangs into the young hunter’s soft flesh and silence both Rook and his own ravenous hunger. He caught himself licking his lips at the thought of drinking fresh blood.

No! He must get a hold of himself, that is not how he solves his problems and there’s no way he’s going to start now just because he was frightened by this overly curious student.

‘Pardon me, but why are you following me Rook? I presume you have more pressing tasks to attend to?’ he frowns, sending the Vice Housewarden a warning glare. Rook smiles and delightfully accepts the challenge ‘Oui! I do, but how could I leave an underclassman in distress all by their lonesome? Why I’d simply fall into the pits of despair and worry if I didn’t escort you myself to safety, Monsieur’ Rook leans forward expectantly. And suddenly Silver was wide awake.

‘Uh, very well then Rook, though I can reassure you that I’m quite alright going on my own, farewell.’ he says slowly, picking up speed. The third year hums and quickly follows ‘of course, of course, though I must inquire about something first.’ All of a sudden his hand grasps Silver’s shoulder. They both stare deep into each other's hard glares ‘Is that blood for a favoured friend of ours?’ you could almost hear a pin drop with the silence that followed, it was like the whole world had paused at that one little question. Silver’s lips parted slightly (careful to avoid showing the elongating fangs threatening to snap out), his mind was wild with panic, oh great thorn fairy, was this it? )Is this where everything ends? Yet he’s so close to the mirror chamber-.

He carefully schooled his face into the most confused expression he could muster. It’s not over yet, it’s not over until he’s dead and dead. Like his father would always say “deny everything until proven guilty, then deny some more.”

‘I’ve no idea what you mean Rook, why would I have something as disturbing as blood with me?’ then he let his face scrunch up into something furious ‘wait, what are you insinuating about Lilia? What rumours?’ They both knew he was well aware of the rumours about his father, though true as they are, Silver would do his best to keep them as that, just rumours. Rook chuckled and raised his hands in surrender 'my apologies monsieur, I didn't mean to offend you, but I must know, why does one such as yourself carry the fluid of life that should be in another’s body? C'est pour toi? Or perhaps someone else?' his green eyes narrowed inquisitively, some fingers twitched as if ready to physically unravel all of these delicious secrets ‘it is none of your concern, but if you must know this is simply tomato juice. Lilia ordered it and usually asks me to retrieve it for him, it’s really nothing more than that.’ groused Silver, raising an eyebrow ‘was it really necessary for you to disturb me like that for such a simple answer? Yes my unease may have been startling but that was because I had trouble sleeping last night. Now. If that was all I really must be on my way.’

Without looking back to gauge Rook’s reaction, Silver sped off. He would’ve crossed his arms for better effect if his hands weren’t already full. Once he was safely in the mirror chamber he cringed, great seven that was horrible! Ugh, his deliverance felt so pompous and arrogant, something he would never say unprompted. But just like father taught him it should ward off most offending people, though I must take better care to avoid someone like Rook. Yes. It was alarming enough that the Vice Housewarden had discovered the blood, though it didn’t seem as if he knew of its purpose, good that means I still have a chance to bluff my way out, knowing Rook though, his curiosity must have been piqued even further after their interaction. Silver had no doubt that things will become rather difficult in the future, as if there wasn’t already a problem with our short supply. He will definitely have to tell father and Malleus.

Back in the courtyard, Rook snickers into his hand ‘my, my Monsieur Endormi, what an interesting quarry you have become’ admittedly the second year had caught him off guard with his bitter answer, but it was clear that the boy had been lying, fu fu, Monsieur. I’d know the smell of tomato juice from anywhere.

And that was most certainly not tomato juice.

#knight's writing #silver twst #vampire au #Rook hunt #twst

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