#Halloween is coming up and I worry for its safety

[mando-abs]

Currently begging the cat distribution agency right now

[hazelsmirrorball]

My Girlfriend is a Werewolf | Hazel Callahan

Pairings: werewolf! Hazel Callahan x fem! Reader 

Summary: People are going insane trying to kill the new werewolf in town due to the fact they have a big bounty attached to their head. Y/n desperately needs the money but Hazel is a little defensive of the fact that the trio wants to kill a werewolf.  Warnings: death, blood, werewolves. Not proof read. Sorry for any mistakes, English isn't my main language.  a/n: something for halloween! Hope you guys like it! I really love reading ur comments, they really make my day <3

part two

The term supernatural beings wasn’t new to people at Rockbridge. The phenomena or entities beyond the laws of nature was something familiar to them. Angels, demons, gods and spirits people knew of them but they never expected them to be real and come to their town. But when a new lycanthrope had shown up to Rockbridge taking its citizens as bait made people worry for their lives not wanting to be killed by the claws of a wolf. 

The first werewolf had shown up almost a century ago. A group of sorcerers had enslaved a powerful demon and when they had removed the spirit, they had put it in a powerful box named “triskelion”. The sorcerers had selected an honorable demon hunter to bestow the triskelion upon him. The power of the triskelion turned the hunter into the first ever werewolf who was full of rampage. After an ungodly amount of years of running in rampage, the werewolves disappeared, until now. 

The people were going insane when it popped on the news that a student from Rockbridge High had been found with his chest slashed. The citizens knew that this was an act of a werewolf and they were coming to get vengeance on the town that had vanished them. 

50,000,000 dollars to the person that brought the werewolf that was going around town dead or alive to the authorities. 

All the news headlines were the same. Rockbridge was a town where people had monster hunting in their blood. Everyone wanted to get their hands on the werewolf for two reasons, the money they had attached to their name or the safety of the town, but mainly it was the money. 

Everyone was scared, yes people around here were supernatural things coming from time to time but that werewolf had killed hundreds of innocent people. People were aware that he was powerful. Due to the things that were going around town, students were taught about  the history of a werewolf and how to deal with one. 

Lycanthropes have enhanced physical capabilities that are far greater than any human or animal. They had razor-sharp claws & fangs that could be used for killing their prey. All werewolves are seen with blue, gold, or red eyes which seem to glow, seemingly when the werewolves are feeling considerable emotion, oftentimes anger.

Although werewolves often use their claws to slash through things and slash their prey in half, they are quite capable of being used in gouging attacks and are often best-suited for holding onto an unfortunate victim while the larger and sharper canine teeth are used to kill. A werewolf's bite is indeed very powerful, easily capable of breaking the thickest bones of any animal of any size comparable to cattle and below. The tooth pattern of the werewolf is similar to that of a wolf, with four very large canines, two on the upper jaw and two on the lower, with four incisors in between each. Behind them are the premolars which are used to tear flesh, and finally, the molars at the very back for chewing. The musculature of the head is presumably that of an enlarged dire wolf's, in that the structure and shape of killing.

How did Y/n know all those things about werewolves? Well, she could assure you it wasn’t the fact she had learned it at school, that’s for sure. She had investigated, well all her friend group had investigated about the supernatural creature. PJ, Josie and Y/n were certain that they were going to catch that werewolf and kill it. All three of them desperately needed the money so they were going to risk everything to get it. 

The reward had originally started at 100 dollars but as the beast killed more people or got older the amount would increase exponentially. There was a rumor going around town that they were going to push up to a rough $500,000,000 due to the latest kills the werewolf had done. 

“Tomorrow’s a full moon. I personally think we should go to the woods and find that damn wolf. People don’t want to risk their lives by going to the woods on a full moon so it increases our chances of getting the money for just the three of us.” PJ said, placing her sandwich down as she looked at the new “lycanthrope” book Josie had checked out from the library. Josie and Y/n stayed quiet not knowing if it was a good idea to put themselves in the middle of the war zone. Yes, it was a huge amount of money but was it really worth it if one of them died or worse the three of them were ripped to shreds.  Before one of them could say anything, Hazel Callahan sat next to Y/n placing a soft kiss on her lips. 

“Hey babe” Y/n smiled softly staring at Hazel in aw while PJ threw her head back groaning. Hazel turned to PJ seeing the book in her hands rolling her eyes dramatically. 

“Hazel. I’ve already told you this, you are not a part of her club. This is a private meeting and locking lips with Y/n doesn’t excuse you to the rules. So please do us a favor and leave” PJ replied, closing the book roughly sending a glare towards Hazel as she placed her things down not giving PJ a second thought. 

“PJ, everyone in school knows that you guys want to kill that poor werewolf. It’s not that big of a secret. If you guys wanted it to be a secret I wouldn’t turn the cafeteria table into a detective string board, it’s a dead giveaway.” Hazel said while taking a bite of her food as Y/n leaned towards her. 

“Oh, shut up Hazel. Poor werewolf? You don’t know a thing about our plans or about werewolves so why don’t you shut it” PJ exclaimed angrily, while she slammed her hands against the table. 

“Actually, I do know about your guys' plans. Just because I sit next to Y/n doesn’t mean I don’t  hear the dumb shit you three say. Werewolfs are dangerous and I know you guys act all strong in fight club. But we are not talking about teenage girls, we are talking about a man eating werewolf. They could snap you in half just by looking at you. Personally I think you guys should drop it, this week werewolves are as vicious as possible because the full moon is near and I really care about you guys to find you three dead” Hazel said, dropping her spoon to look at the girls seriously. 

“Hazel, you are literally the strongest of the three of us. You almost killed Sylvie with that punch you gave her last week. You are inhumanly strong. If you helped us we could take down that werewolf. We could split the money four ways. Don’t you want to be ric…You know what scratch that. We already know you're loaded. Help your girlfriend out, you know she needs it.” Josie started looking at Hazel with sympathetic eyes. She shook her head now wrapping her arm around Y/n protectively. 

“I’ll help and protect her by telling her to stay in and not do dumb shit with you two. Forget about that money, haven’t you guys seen how many people died trying to kill it. I know that werewolf isn’t trying to kill people, maybe it’s just defending itself” Hazel said defensively squeezing Y/n’s side. 

“Hazel, since when did you become the biggest werewolf defender? It’s killing people so it should fucking die and rot in hell.” Pj responded in the same tone. Y/n let out a sigh making Hazel turn to look at her.

“I really need that money, Haze.” Y/n said, breaking her silence while Hazel looked at her with pity eyes. 

Hazel knew that her girlfriend wasn’t one of the richest persons around. She lived in the poorest part of town and her parents barely made enough to keep the three of them alive. Hazel also knew that she really needed the money and that Y/n’s parents were at the verge of being fired. Y/n had big dreams, going to college with her friends was one of them but the bad income surrounding her life made it quite impossible for her to dream. Putting herself out in the wild to kill the werewolf would finally make her economically stable but at what cost?

Hazel Callahan was scared. Deadly afraid of being killed at night, but not because of the fact that there was a raging killing werewolf but the fact that people wanted to kill the raging killing werewolf. Hazel’s name was worth 500,000,000, everyone wanted her dead or atleast the wolf version of herself. 

Hazel had inherited her great grandmother's lupine parvovirus which was responsible for her lycanthropy. Her “powers” had shown up around freshman year, superhero strength, innate wellness and immunity to all diseases, animal senses and enhanced mobility, combat ability, endurance and stamina, meta regeneration and much more. Hazel at first had everything under control, she had informed herself about everything and had managed to keep herself and everyone safe why she was in her wolf form. She had found in her basement inhumane chains, which she had found herself chained up to every full moon. But everything changed when her feelings got involved with her inner wolf. 

Even though Hazel thought she had everything under control, when she had heard a football player talking about her girlfriend all she could see was red. She had ended in the middle of the woods, something that she rarely did after she became a wolf. As she tried to ease up out of nowhere the football player had shown up  and Hazel had snapped to reality when she noticed the dead football player under her. After all that, hell had broken loose. 

Everyone had it out for her, she had found herself trying to hide her wolf form but after that killing she couldn’t control it anymore. She didn’t want to kill all those people, but all of them came launching towards her and in her wolf form all type of hits were deadly. 

So after the night hit, Hazel wasn’t in control, she became a man eating monster. All she felt was rage and hate. They had increased the bounty on her, which angered her more than ever. If people were really out to get her she was going to make their lives a living hell. Hazel stood in hiding waiting for someone to show up, she knew that someone was going to be brave enough to kill her before the full moon. She could see from her hiding two silhouettes approaching her area. Hazel took a whiff smelling the wolfsbane near, they came prepared, they had true intention. So before they could come near her, Hazel lashed out not even waiting for them to say a word, ripping them into  pieces. All she could see was red, blood covered all of their bodies as she continued pounding onto them. Screams and cries for mercy begged her to stop which made Hazel go even rougher on them. She could hear both of their heartbeat stopped.  Her breath became heavy as she tried catching up with her anger but before she could continue going any further she looked at the familiar lifeless eyes looking at her. She could feel her heart stopped and her body slowly shifting in her normal form. She slowly reached for her clothes, slipping them on quickly while looking down at the bloody faces. Hazel could feel her heart stop as she looked for words to say at the dead bodies in front of her.

At first, Hazel had felt bad for killing but as the weeks passed by she felt content because she knew they were out to get her. The people that wanted her dead didn’t have a reason so she did have a reason to kill them. But right now, it was like a sense of humanity had shown up once again. She felt horrible, like a true evil monster from those films she would watch with Y/n. 

She hoped the pair would succeed in killing her, knowing that they actually needed it. That if she was dead they could be happy and she wouldn’t even mind at all. But now they were dead and all she could feel was the guilt spilling upon her. The people that had received her with open arms were dead on the floor. The family that had shown her nothing but love and accepted her in their family were dead because of her. The two people that had supported Hazel through everything while her mom and dad were mia, were dead.  

Y/n’s last hope of family was dead, killed by the claws her girlfriends had. So not only were they dead, now Hazel was going to be dead to her.

...

next part

Thank you for reading

[weirdmarioenemies]

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We have a frightening tale for you today... reader be scare, you're in to beware! Please, come in. Sit in the Chilling Chair at our Terrible Table in our Devious Dining Room. Now, I hope you're hungry, because we've made plenty of PETRIFYING PASTA! Fufufu... let's begin.

It was looking to be a very special Halloween. This particular year, the holiday had fallen on Friday the 13th! Spooktacular! Alas, nobody could go trick or treating, for there was a blood moon that day, and nobody wanted to be outside where their costumes would be stained with all the blood. Sigh... what a boring, uneventful day it was shaping up to be!

But then... a sound right outside. The sound of the mailbox opening and closing. Mail? On this federal holiday? How strange! And a bit disconcerting... who would dare to venture out with the town moist with blood? Maybe a vampire... eep! I opened the door, shivering, worried I may accidentally invite the hypothetical vampire inside, only to find...

Nobody there. No body at all. Just a severed, green hand clinging to the mailbox. So that's what the sound was! And here I was, worried it would be something scary. I shooed the little critter away, and as it scuttled off on its fingers, I saw that it had left something in the mailbox! Something familiar.

Why, it was a copy of Super Mario 64 DS! How generous, a Halloween miracle! I had been wanting to play this lately, but my childhood game card had stopped working. This was shaping up to be a nice Halloween after all! It was a used copy, and it still had the price sticker on it, having been resold at $6.66. Upon seeing this number, I immediately screamed. Someone had gotten an incredible deal on this game!

So, I opened the box. Everything was in great condition! Even the manual was included! I don't remember the manual looking like a torn piece of paper with "I SEE YOU" written on it with blood, but it's been a long time. I know I still have my original manual around somewhere, so no need to flip through this one. I got right to playing the game!

What a rush of nostalgia! There was my friend Mario's funny face on the touch screen, ready to be tapped! And tap I did! Rather than the game drawing the lineart of Mario's face, though, it drew something else. A tombstone with my full name, date of birth, and another, later date written on it. Weird! Must be a weird coincidental thing drawn by the previous owner? I played around with the squiggly lines and spun it around. It was fun :)

I got right into the game, and everything was just as I remembered it! I was visited by Lakitu, went into the castle, and jumped into the first painting, like I had so many times before. But something definitely was strange here. I was reasonably certain that the first mission of Bob-omb Battlefield was not called "Kill The Big Bob-omb Dead" in any version of the game! Nevertheless, I continued on.

That was when I saw it. Where I would expect a Bob-omb Buddy to stand was the most terrifying character design I had ever seen. Against my better judgement, I approached and interacted with it.

"Hi! I'm Bob-omb...

BLOODY!!!"

EEK! I could not believe my eyes! I would expect such material in an "adults only"-rated game, but in MARIO?! I had no idea what to do. I continued playing for some foolish reason, running off toward the Big Bob-omb the way I always would, hoping to find comfort in the familiar. The game felt normal again, aside from how Big Bob-omb left a large splatter of realistic blood on the ground when defeated, and I was mercifully brought back to the safety of Peach's Castle.

And yet... I felt a morbid curiosity. An urge to continue playing. Maybe it was just a glitch? Maybe the second mission would be back to normal, and I would get to see my friend Koopa the Quick? That would be nice. I selected the second mission, and...

It was normal. It was safe. The Bob-ombs, Buddies. Maybe none of that was even real. Maybe I was still shaken up about the knock at the door earlier? Whatever it was, it wasn't important anymore. I could finally play my funny Mario game and have fun! I walked on over to my friend the Koopa and interacted with him.

"Excuse me? Can I help you? Who are you?"

I was confused. Wasn't he supposed to ask for Mario? Wasn't this Koopa the Quick?

And then, as if he heard me, he turned his head. He wasn't looking at Yoshi. He was looking straight through the screen at me, and his eyes were more realistic than ever.

"I'm not Koopa the Quick.

I'm Koopa the TRICK!"

AIIIIIEEEEE!!!

Of course, none of this has been real! Just some Halloween Hijinxs! There is no such thing as a realistic turtle!

...Or is there?

That's for you to find out... heehee! Happy Halloween!

[kyberblade]

Bring You Back (Din x Reader) - Back To You Halloween AU

A/N: You all can blame @fordo-kixed-rex for this. She asked me, “What would happen if there was an AU where the reader in BTY went Darkside?” And I said how dare you here’s what would happen and it went from there. I’ve been sitting on this for months. It’s been torture. The name is based off of a song that just clicked for it, Bring You Back by Gold Brother, LIIV and if you want extra emotional damage, put it on repeat while you read. I am not advising this for health and safety reasons. I’m not to be held responsible for any turmoil this may cause. You do so at your own peril.

I do not own Star Wars or it’s characters. Sadly. But I carry them in my heart. Does that count for something? My soul says yes.

Summary: The Darkside is always a temptation, even at the best of times…. What would happen if you ended up slipping further and further down a dark path? ….A path they couldn’t follow?

Warnings: Angst. Fluff. I know. I’m confusing. Welcome to my brain. Part of the Back To You Universe, so you’ll be kinda confused if you read it on its own, bc spoilers, but it can be read as a stand alone if you want. (Idk where exactly it takes place, but I know it’s after Part 19, sometime before or during TBoBF timeline that will be coming up in the sequel Close To Home.) Mando’a. Arguing. Mentions of saga typical violence. (See how frustratingly vague I was there?) It ends on a brighter note, don’t worry. It’s not all gloom and doom. I couldn’t do that to them. ……or could I? 😈

Word count: 2,326 (I know. What even is this drivel?)

Thank you to @fordo-kixed-rex for the idea and seeing this through from start to finish. And @littlemisspascal and @what-the-heckin-heck for flailing on this with me as it developed. I really appreciate you guys. You make me smile a lot. 😁

Also, stay tuned at the end for some kick ass art by @fordo-kixed-rex. 👀 (You’re not prepared. I’m telling you now. Buckle up, children.)

Xxx

Din POV

It had been little things, at first. Just small things he’d normally not think twice about, but they started to make him take a closer look. 

The way you’d look at an enemy.

At him.

His son.

It was icy, glazed over, and distant, yet fiery and ruthless all at the same time. It painted those under its gaze in shades of fear. 

Of disdain.

With something close to death.

Din hated that last thought, but he’d been around enough of that in his life to know what it looked like. He knew death intimately. It was a close acquaintance. He’d brushed up against it time and time again, and each time it would kiss his cheek with a promised, soon, as he whispered back, not today.

He wouldn’t pretend to know the workings of the Force. It was still a mystery to him. But he knew you.

And this wasn’t it.

This was something else.

You were shadows. Shadows of what you were. Of yourself. A shell. Something wasn’t right. But like always, Din felt like he was looking at a sun when he’d stare at you for too long, so he could never look long enough to tell exactly what was off. He’d only get lingering impressions, spotted vision that left him open and vulnerable.

A rattled crate here. A broken box there.

A common thief just after a few credits left clutching their throat as the life was choked out of them by an unseen hand; their wide eyes peering over your shoulder, pleading with him through his visor for just an ounce of mercy, an ounce of forgiveness from this…. Hell they had found themselves in.

But what could he do?

It had been made clear time and time again you didn’t listen when he told you what to do. In fact, you came to resent it. I am not a tooka, you would say, he remembered fondly, smiling down at the painting in his hands.

He’d bought it for you once upon a time. A token. A promise. Though unspoken, it was his vow at the time to always make it back to you. Then it had been used as a threat against him, against you, that had propelled this whole adventure into motion. Until….

Now….

Now he looked at the painting that once symbolized home, a dream, and he saw…. A void. Nothing.

He sighed.

If this was the path you truly chose, then he had to choose his own. For the good of the child. Himself. And for you.

He’d confront you somewhere private. Some backwater planet. You’d always wanted to see somewhere green…. He just wished he’d gotten around to it sooner. Maybe then…. Maybe then you’d be happy about this visit, instead of what he expected, which was anger at him.

But he couldn’t keep waiting.

Couldn’t keep putting it off.

Din turned toward the ramp with another sigh. He knew this would break your heart.

He knew because his was already breaking.

Xxx

Normal POV

You looked around at the towering trees, smiling. Off in the distance between mighty boughs, a flicker of light…. Then another…. And another…. “Fireflies!” Despite your voice going up several octaves in excitement, you kept it hushed, hoping to not scare off the insects. But it turned out you didn’t need to worry about your voice, because as soon as you started toward them, they scattered, despite being a whole ships distance away from you.

Cocking your head, you tried to move towards another batch, but they too suddenly disappeared, scattering like the sparks of a dying fire.

Your brows narrowed in confusion as you came to a stop. They’d always swarmed to you, swirling around you in a cloud of light and energy, never had they run from you.

“That’s weird.”

“Maybe they sense it, too.”

You whirled around at Din’s low modulated voice. Once again he’d been able to sneak up on you, not a single bootfall down the ramp giving him away.

Smiling bemusedly at him, you settled your weight easily, head tipping back in question. “What do you mean?” You asked after a moment, turning to give him your full attention.

“Your powers, mesh’la. They’ve changed you.” His voice was low, pained. He stayed near the bottom of the ramp, his weight shifting slightly before he planted his feet and stood resolute, a sigh shrugging his shoulders gently before he went on. “At first I thought that was just the Jedi way, what do I know?” You chuckled softly. “But things have gotten worse. You’re…. You’re different.”

You scoffed, arms coming across your chest as your hip cocked out to the side, head tilting slightly with a sarcastic smirk. “You’re right. What do you know?” The words practically sneered from your lips, and you regretted them the moment they spilled, but you didn’t make a move to take them back.

It was like something had taken over your body, your motions…. Nothing felt entirely like your own, but it also felt so right down to your very bones. It made you shudder slightly at the contradiction warring inside your mind. 

Ignoring your slight, Din went on, his weight shifted to one leg. “Fine. Explain it to me.”

Arms going wide, you began to gesture as you spoke, voice raising with each word. “I’m doing this to protect the two of you, Din! I was useless before! Now I’m-“

“Now you’re what?”

“Strong.” Your brow furrowed as you stared up at his visor bravely. Holding his gaze, you never once wavered under its unforgiving stare. “Now I can help.”

“Really?” Din nearly chuckled, gesturing vaguely back toward the ship. “Because Grogu is so scared of you,” he dropped his arm, leaning in closer to you, his voice lowered, “he won’t leave the ship.”

“That’s not-“ you turned around in a circle and realized the kid wasn’t there. “Where is he, Din? You’re hiding him aren’t you? To prove a point.” Looking around once again, you let out an emotionless chuckle. “You stashed him in the bunk, didn’t you?” You started up the ramp. “I told you not to-“

“Don’t.”

You stopped in your tracks, staring blankly ahead toward the opening of the Crest, not really seeing anything in front of you but the white hot anger that began to brew just under your skin. “Excuse me?” If your words were any quieter, you’d not have heard them yourself. Turning to him, you arched a brow.

He stared at you in silence for only a moment before he spoke in a soft, but firm, voice. “Until you sort this out, don’t go back on the ship.”

With a scoff in disbelief, you shifted your weight to your other hip, one hand coming to rest there, and rolled your eyes. “It’s my home, Din.” You chuckled again, your tone still dry and mirthless. “What are you talking about?”

He walked past you up the ramp, turning once he was at the top and hesitantly lifting his hand onto the lever. “Until you sort this out, until you get back to…. You…. It’s not.” His visor fixed squarely on you, Din’s fingers rolled in a procession of indecision along the spine of the metal gripped tightly in his hand, his gloves creaking with the effort in the silence. You stared right back. Met him ounce for ounce. Until…. He pulled down and closed the ramp.

Stumbling backwards as the ship lifted a few feet off the ground, the ramp beginning to close, you fell to the ground with a thump , landing flat on your back. The wind knocked out of you as you stared up at the shrinking form of the Crest, an anger you’d never felt before consumed you, and you reached out one hand, crying out in anguish as you held the ship firmly in place. 

Whether it was a cry of pain, emotional or physical, fear, maybe even frustration, you didn’t know. All you knew was you couldn’t let them leave, and whatever it was boiled up and out of your throat as you watched the ship struggle against your hold. The metal moaned and groaned against your pull, the trees surrounding it bowing and bending in the wind from the engines. Limbs began to catch fire from the flames as Din hit the accelerators to try and break free from the phantom grip, but it was no use. 

Somehow you made it to your feet, one hand extended to keep the ship held still, tree limbs doused in flames falling to the forest floor with loud thuds all around you. With your other hand, you reached for your saber, not really sure why, but suddenly it was in your hand and ignited as you made your way toward the viewport of the ship.

Stalking around the corner, you stopped short when you saw your reflection in the transparisteel - your eyes had gone yellow and your saber - it had started to bleed. Red streaks were oozing down from the tip, tainting the once brilliant purple glow of balance with the bright red of hate. 

Blinking rapidly and shaking your head as you released the ship, you disengaged the blade and threw it to the ground, staring at it as if it had bit you while Din brought the ship back down with a thunk. 

The blaze of the fallen branches painted the reflective hull of the Crest in an eerie glow, shadows dancing all around as you curled in on yourself, staring at your saber where it had landed on the forest floor.

Din lowered the ramp and stomped down to you, getting in your face, but didn’t touch you. A deep enough breath would be all it would take to close the distance. You had to crane your neck back to hold the gaze of his visor, your face about to crumble under its weight this time. It’s the first time he’s seen you flinch in a long while. Looking at your reflection in his visor, you see your eyes are back to normal, but that settled next to nothing in your gut. “Let us go, mesh’la.”

“No. I won’t.” Then quieter. “I can’t.”

Din sighed, and you almost smiled at the borderline normal response from the Mandalorian. “Why not?”

Eyes fluttering shut, you willed yourself not to cry. “Because without the two of you, I’ll completely break. And when that happens….. when that happens, you’ll never get me back.” Making your way the few steps to the bottom of the ramp, you sat on it, still looking up at your warped reflection in his visor. It was fitting. Your eyes may be back to normal, but your face…. Your face looked twisted and broken. Exactly how you felt. “I’ll never get back to you.”

Xxx

Shooting up in the small confines of the bunk space of the Crest, you took a sharp breath. Eyes darting all over, familiar blinking lights winking at you in greeting, the thunk under the cargo hold saying hello, and the soft snores of Grogu sawing steadily away in the background….

You jumped as strong, warm arms wound around your waist, the comforting press of a familiar chest leaning into your spine, the prickle of facial hair tickled your shoulder where it softly came to rest as gentle breaths puffed against your cheek….

“Mesh’la….?” A deep voice hummed in question.

A voice you’d know anywhere.

Vocoder or not.

“Sorry,” you breathed. “Bad dream.” Huffing out a laugh, you shook your head gently. “Bad dream.”

“Wanna talk about it?” He sounded like he was already halfway back asleep.

Turning your head to look at his profile in the low light of the bunk, you smiled softly as your eyes flicked over his face. “No, cyare.” Reaching a hand up to cup his cheek, you pulled him into you for a soft kiss. “Thank you. I’ll be fine. Nuhoy.” (“Beloved.”) (“Sleep.”)

As he pulled you back down toward the bedroll with him, your face melted into something a bit more contemplative.

It hadn’t been just a dream.

It had been a warning.

Slipping from the bunk once Din’s breaths had evened out, you walked over to where your belt hung by the fresher. Taking the saber from the belt, you glanced over to the open bunk, your expression tight, and closed the door with a wave of your hand.

Dismantling it down to the kyber inside, you breathed a sigh of relief when the crystal winked at you in the low light, unblemished. It’s purple hue completely unmarred from the ugly red it’d had in your dream.

After you reassembled the hilt, you ignited the blade and relaxed your shoulders further when the cargo hold was illuminated in the soft purple glow.

You stared at the blade for a moment, getting lost in the sea of silence hyperspace surrounded you with.

Careful.

Careful. 

Careful.

Be mindful, little one.

I sense much fear in you….

“Not right now, kyber blade,” you mumbled to yourself as you addressed the saber. “Now it’s time for sleep. Not time for voices.” Disengaging the blade, you clipped it back to your belt before making your way back into the bunk. “I couldn’t get a blue crystal. Or green. No. I had to get a wise ass purple one. The universe is testing me. Literally.”

Luke had told you to be careful, as well.

Maybe you needed to listen.

But this was a problem for the morning.

For now, you needed to do nothing but settle into the arms of your Mandalorian and rest.

But come morning…. Come morning, things were going to happen.

And you knew you would do whatever you needed to do to protect your family, your aliit.

Your clan of three.

Whatever it took, no matter how far you had to go….

You would always find a way to bring them back to you.

Xxx

(Click here for just the art in its own post.)

Xxx

Tags To Come!

[dark-side-blog3]

I read all the yandere Deuce spade stuff I could find, and its his birthday (at least it was when I was still writing this-- I’ve overshot by five minutes by the time I post this). So naturally, I wrote out my head-canons about Deuce as a yandere! 

Character is aged up to 18

+++++++++++++++++++

- Deuce Spade gets a bad rap as being nothing more than a dumb himbo who means well. And sure, thinking of his feet while staying in the confines of being a good person is hard. He’s trying to completely overhaul his old personality. Deuce used to be the leader of a gang of over 30 guys, when he was only fourteen years old. You don’t get to that level of power without knowing the basic fundamentals of diplomacy: Know how to get people to let down their guard, and know how to strike hard before they get the chance to retaliate. 

- Deuce knows how to lure people around him into a false sense of security. No spoilers, but a Halloween event card shows him displaying this tactic to the letter. 

- And when they’re out of earshot of immediate help, he strikes. Its hard, fast, and he always makes sure to stop when they’ve got it pounded in their skulls that he could do way worse the next time they piss him off. 

- Deuce does try to limit his beatdowns, now that he’s in a good school, and he’s allowed a fresh start. 

- But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t feel tempted to take some people into a stairwell, or out behind the school if they’re a threat to his goals. And Deuce does take the safety of those close to him seriously. 

- He’s not necessarily overprotective, so much as he is just protective. He could be way more intense-- some students in NRC really outshine him when it comes to frantic panicking over their darlings health. 

- That said, if you’re lucky enough to be considered Deuces darling, you don’t have to worry about him hurting you. Much. Maybe a few smacks upside the head when you make him worry needlessly. Or accidentally crushing your leg with a cauldron. 

- He’s definitely a softer yandere in that respect... No intentional harm or sadism directed at you. 

- Deuce wouldn’t force himself on you-- which, in his mind, isn’t as much of a morally reprehensible action as it is... Unnecessary. He won’t sleep with you if you don’t want to, he won’t kiss you if he doesn’t check first that you want to, and Deuce wouldn’t even cozy up to you on the same piece of furniture unless you dropped hints over and over just so he could make sure you actually wanted to. 

- Rape isn’t about intimacy, its about using intimate acts as a tool for violence. Deuce knows that. He’s not a fan. 

-  So. Deuce Spade is kinda nice, right? Not a violent asshole to his darling, he’s protective, he respects some boundaries... What’s the catch? 

- Deuce strikes me as a possessive yandere. He does love you, but his love for you is ultimately focused on himself. He wants the perfect life, a total 180 from his old self. And having a loving partner he white-knights against the horrors of a new world against is a total difference from the delinquent gang leader who would mug anyone weaker than him.

- Your desires, beyond the basic respect of your physical body, are irrelevant. Anything you want can be negotiated down to something he wants too. There is nothing that should be more important to you than him. The future he can work provide you. He’s going to work hard enough to support you. So trying to find ways to be, or stay independent aren’t going to fly for him. 

- How are you going to be part of his future if you have a way to leave? If you have a life in another world you want to run back to? And a world that he’s not equipped to support you in-- All of his schooling is based on magic, something you don’t have in your world. All the history he knows is wrong. Basic science is wrong. Deuce may not be the best student, but if he got dragged to your world, he would be utterly fucked. He couldn’t support you, and you might be able to leave him behind. 

- Deuce knows he can’t ever completely replace the ache of missing your home... But he can help you make new memories, a new home. 

- You can’t leave him. Deuce can’t let you. 

[abeinginsand]

The Locket - A Supernatural Lark/Terry AU

Bringing out a brand new au for Halloween week Day 3 Werewolves! Summary:

After his father is murdered by an elusive vampire, a young adult Terry--raised a wizard--jumps straight into the life of a monster hunter. He charges and stumbles through his quest for both vengeance and closure... And meets a brash, rather rude, and... ruggedly charming werewolf along the way. The two team up after several run-ins and a realization that their families seem to be connected to each other and that vampire. Connected by what? On the day of his dad's death, both he and his mother noticed Terry Sr's locket necklace had been stolen. Ripped from his neck.. A special engraved and enchanted locket that looks exactly like the one Lark wears around his neck! ---- This AU is still in progress but here's three sections of it so far (below the cut) :D

Beginnings Born to two wizards, a Mr. and Mrs. Stevens, Terry Jr was living an average, pleasantly magical life and looking forward to helping out with his family's shop when he got older... Until tragedy struck a few months after his 20th birthday, leaving only his grieving mother, himself, and the all too quiet Terry Sr. resting in a coffin...not a drop of blood or life in him. A vampire had come for him while he was at the shop. One folks knew, but no one dare speak about. Even to a son that had just lost his dad. Instead of continuing his studies to prepare to take over the shop, Terry impulsively becomes a monster hunter instead. The kind of person he'd only read about in stories before. He dedicates much time traveling during the day, for supplies and info. But switching from scholar to hunter in search a short amount of time was no easy task. It was hard to keep up with every little detail on what being may be weak to what ingredient or material. And that's trouble leads him to his first encounter with a certain wolf in the nearby forest. ----

First Meeting Terry gets into an argument with his mother. She is worried but he feels like giving up the search would be giving up on his dad altogether. He rushes out at night to clear his head and has forgotten its a full moon. The young man accidently interrupts hunting time--and ends up being chased away. When only one wolf keeps up with him the further he goes, he tries to confront the beast. Coming to a full-stop and tossing a ball of garlic at its howling mouth-- Only for the werewolf to pause and then gulp the ingredient down. Shit, right, werewolf goes with silver not garlic. Terry expects the being to lunge, but instead the creature staring back at him somehow has this vibe that it's smirking at him, Laughing. He glares, ears flushed and runs off while the wolf is still in a good mood. ---

"Huh, you're shorter than I expected." Basically, the two keep running into each other but only when Lark's in wolf or the stronger/ferocious werewolf form. They've exchanged names via speech (Terry) and written (Lark). The two bicker at times and find a friend in each other other times. Lark's mostly stuck around due to amusement and that Terry...seems so knowledgeable and passionate. Just not about the monster hunter stuff that he seems to be so set on right now. (He sees a bit of himself in that same situation...) Anyways, Lark's family always hunts far from their home as a safety precaution. So, Terry's never been over in that town where Lark's living his daily life. Until this point in the au, where Terry Jr's come to town to get some ingredients for his mom from the Oak-Garcia farm. He meets Sparrow first--friendly, polite, an eerie glint in their eyes. The wolf ears do distract from that though. It seems the family were some kind of werewolves. As weary as he was, he trusted his mom's judgment. The purchasing goes well and right after he uses a transport spell to zap the stuff to his mom's front door... Another man is suddenly holding him up by the collar. With a near similar face to the polite person from earlier. Bright green eyes, furrowed eyebrows, and flared wolf ears. The features seemed familiar in away Sparrow's had not. "What are you--Did you follow me here? You've never done that before...should have never trusted a wizard." "...Lark, is that really you? " "Why are you acting like you don't know, Terry? How are you here if you don't--" "Huh, hm...h-huh, with you holding me up this high...I can see you're shorter than I expected?" Lark lets him down after that, probably saying 'yeah, bet I'm a lot stronger too' with a grumble and a tail wag which Terry would say is cute but he's not testing his luck further that day haha Both talk a little to reach an understanding that Terry's there by coincidence and not out of malice. This is hinted to have happened to this oak-garcia family before. With the scar on Lark's right cheek and one on Sparrow's left hand etc ...To be continued!

[cosymelody]

Happy Halloween everyone!

YIPPEE! Part three for all the Four lovers out there! I kinda forgot about this for a few days then suddenly remembered it so I'll try to get the final part uploaded some time tomorrow ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ

.•♫•♬• 𝑷𝒕. 𝟏 •♬•♫•.

.•♫•♬• 𝑷𝒕. 𝟐 •♬•♫•.

.•♫•♬• 𝑶𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒕 𝑷𝒕. 𝟑 •♬•♫•.

Four made an attempt to get up to protect you and finish off the Lizalfos, only for Cyan to frantically and silently gesture for him to stay down. Cyan's eyes were filled with worry and urgency, knowing that Four's safety was just as important as each of yours. Four reluctantly obeyed, understanding that their role was to support and protect from the sidelines, trusting in Cyan's expertise and strategy.

Orange rushed into the battle with an odd amount of speed that no normal person would be capable of, effortlessly dodging the Lizalfos' attacks with swift and precise movements. Their agility was mesmerizing, leaving Four in awe of their skills. It was clear that you had some hidden abilities or training that you hadn't revealed before.

As Orange charged towards the monster, Crimson and Gray each lifted their swords just as Orange did, preparing for the final strike to kill the beast. Crimson let out a loud growl as they swung their sword at the Lizalfos, followed by Gray, who was laughing maniacally, and Orange, who remained silent as they landed the final blow with a skull-shattering hit. The monster let out a deafening screech as the combined force of their strikes brought it down. The victory filled the air with a sense of accomplishment as they stood over the lifeless body of the slain monster.

Each of them took deep breaths as they regained their composure and surveyed the aftermath of their battle. The beast lay lifeless before them, its once menacing presence reduced to a mere carcass. As they exchanged glances, a shared understanding passed between them—they had proven their strength and unity in the face of danger. Orange was the first to speak up after they all calmed down a bit.

"Well, this sure is interesting. To think that you two could get along so well in the heat of battle. However, knowing you both, it was probably only because of your shared love for violence." As Orange chuckled, Gray and Crimson exchanged playful glances.

"Oh, come on now," Gray retorted with a smirk. "You know how far in the deep end we are when it comes to our bloodlust." Crimson chimed in, roughly nudging Gray. "Yeah, it's like a twisted bond we share. But hey, at least we can finally channel all that negative energy into something useful." The trio shared a laugh, their unity evident in their banter.

Four and Cyan watched as the three chatted before Cyan slowly and nervously walked over to join the group, with Four following behind. Orange immediately saw their approach and talked in a pleasant and caring tone, almost like a parent would to someone they care about. Orange was clearly the dominant personality in you, followed by Gray and Crimson, who were slightly tied for second, and Cyan, who came in last.

"Ah, I'm glad to see you both. This whole ordeal was quite troubling, wasn't it? Thankfully, it's over now, and everyone is safe and sound now." Orange gestured for Four to join the conversation, acknowledging their presence. The group gathered around, their expressions filled with relief and anticipation as they prepared to delve into a thorough discussion about the way you were split now.

"So, I assume you were well aware of this effect that your sword caused? I guess it makes sense with your nickname, Four." Four nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Yeah, my sword has always possessed this unique ability to separate individuals into four parts of themselves. It's a power I've come to understand and control over time."

"Ya know, this wouldn't have happened if you just respected our damn boundaries. For fucks sake, we told you that we needed some alone time, but no, you just had to follow us and keep pushing our buttons." Crimson spoke in an aggressive and irritated tone as they glared at Four, their fierce gaze piercing through him. Gray let out a mischievous giggle as they poked Crimson's face, which only made Crimson's anger shift to Gray.

"Easy, Crimson. Well, it's good to finally know about this situation." Orange spoke softly as they glanced back at Gray and Crimson, who were roughhousing nearby due to Gray messing with them. "It must have been quite the journey for you, learning to harness such a powerful weapon. I can only imagine the challenges you faced along the way."

Cyan nervously stood by Orange as they continued to talk, feeling a mix of curiosity and concern for Crimson and Gray's escalating conflict. Eventually, the two stopped fighting and got back up, with Crimson returning to the conversation between Orange and Four while Gray made their way over to the carcass of the monster and started picking at it, occasionally giggling to themselves.

"Hm... Remember how I said that the sword splits the user into four different parts of themselves? I'm curious about each of you and which parts of you all are." Four spoke up, his voice tinged with a mix of intrigue and curiosity. Orange and Crimson exchanged glances, unsure of how much they were willing to reveal. Meanwhile, Gray's curiosity seemed to be piqued as they abandoned their poking and joined the conversation, eager to explore the depths of their own fragmented selves.

"If you can't tell by now, I'm pretty sure Crim over there has our anger issues and spite." Gray said while giggling a bit, Crimson snarling and glaring daggers into Gray. "Not to mention their rage and hatred for monsters and some people that come with it, hehe." Orange, sensing the tension in the air, decided to diffuse the situation. "Let's not forget that Gray also has their fair share of inner demons," Orange interjected calmly.

"Yeah, like how they're technically insane. After all, they are the embodiment of our broken and deranged minds." Crimson growled out as they stared at Gray, who only laughed a little at Crimson's fierce and defensive nature. Gray shrugged off Crimson's comment, seemingly unfazed. "Insanity is subjective," Gray replied with a smirk hidden under their mask but clear as day in their voice. "But I prefer to think of myself as uniquely eccentric rather than broken."...

[adoptsomecookies]

Some information on adopting Captain Caviar and Candy Diver? I don't want to adopt the two apart :(

* Of course, one essay just for you, dear watcher!

* Captain Caviar Cookies and Candy Diver Cookies were discovered around the same time as eachother, and as a result, both cookie types seem to enjoy and cooperate well with eachother. Captain Caviar Cookies can act as translators for a Candy Diver Cookie, converting the bubbles, clicks and sloshing into coherent speech for their human (or otherwise) housemates as well as being capable of picking up their Candy Diver Cookie companions without making them panic, making them quite valuable in a Candy Diver's care is the caretaker is of the worrying sort.

*As indivuduals, Candy diver cookies are quite bubbly (heh) and cheerful in most cases, but are always the happiest out in the sea, exploring the sand and seafloor for pretty rocks or seashells, but can also be just as happy with those silly gemstone dig kits you could find at walmart and the like if a large body of water is not avaliable where a caretaker lives. Candy Diver Cookies can be serious when need be, and won't hesitate to put their foot down if children are involved and their safety is at risk, so its very, VERY important that children are told about it beforehand, and to always moniter your children if they are playing with a candy diver cookie.

* Captain Caviar Cookies, on the other hand, are loud, proud, and particularly sturdy cookies dispite coming from The Elders line of cookie types, they are capable of withstanding alot more stress than a good handful of other cookies and even waterproof! Due to this nature, Captain Caviar Cookies are most popular with sailors and divers, just like Candy Diver Cookies, and are extremely loyal to those he deems as his 'crew' (Even when hes just in a normal household...), however, due to a captain caviars headstrong nature, he may get into more than a few scraps against any perceived threats to his family, so make sure to remind him to not stray too far away from time to time.

*Now, as for preparations you could do for the two cookies, its mainly just the basic cookie needs, a room (or at least some semblance of a private space, though Captain Caviar Cookies don't mind sharing rooms), jellies stocked, sugar and flour in case they get severely injured, etc. Some unique things you will have to prepare for is some entertainment for the candy diver cookie, who love treasures and sparkly things, and captain caviar cookies would appreciate a key to the house so he can routinely exercise thoughout the years.

*As for cookies that both would enjoy, many of the npc brand cookies that were discovered alongside them, such as Tube Coral Cookies (Republic Sailor Cookie 2), Horn Coral Cookies (Republich Sailor Cookie 1) and Rookie Cookies, and all those cookies together including a candy diver can bring tears to a captain caviar cookies eyes. As for indivudual likes, Captain caviars do enjoy some of their fellow elder line cookies, but enjoy Oyster Cookies the most and oftentimes get concerned about a Black Pearl Cookies wellbeing (though the hatred can be a tad bit one sided in terms of the Black Pearl Cookies opinion on things), and Candy Diver Cookies LOVE Squid Ink Cookies, who share their passion with shiny treasures, and are known to swap their shiny things between eachother like kids trading candy during Halloween.

*thats about all I can say! If you have any further questions that i may have missed, do let me know in an ask or a direct message!

[aokuro-san]

Anyway… Continuing with the experiment.

I'm pretty tired now, so I won't start talking like usual.

New history! This time I have opted for one that I wrote in October of last year for a Wattpad contest in which I didn't win, but I received quite a few good comments about it. More than horror, it is dark fantasy, and its protagonist (or antagonist, rather) are characters from inca mythology.

I hope you enjoy it as much as the previous one (as you can see I'm happy with little, haha)!

@iwanttofuckereh69 I already tagged you, don't worry 💛😅

Thank you for reading^^

PS: If you see any errors, as always! Don't be afraid to tell me (after all, I don't speak English)!

They were there to investigate a sinkhole that had appeared near the mines, but that didn't stop the leader from preparing a small party. It was Halloween after all. He had organized it with one of the Asian guides, expecting some enthusiasm from the rest. However, when they returned, most of them gave exhausted smiles and dressed up more out of commitment. Although Dimara, no. As her best friend had warned them, she lived on celebrations. So it was no problem for her to put on the blood-colored dress that Victor had consciously given her and go out dancing.

"Asu mare!". The leader approached her as he took a step toward what looked like a makeshift dance floor. "You are just like Mina".

"Come on, don't talk to me about mines, Vicky!", she snorted as she grabbed his arm. "Let's better move our hips, huh? I like the music you've played".

It was just a random song on her phone, but Dimara always managed to make his feel like a genius. She was grateful that the Sernageomin and the company had recommended her for that job, even though the hole seemed to be a rather problematic case for everyone's safety.

According to her, that hole was abnormal.

"The first time it was thirty-three meters wide and about two hundred feet deep," she informed him a week before the party. "But in today's calculations the diameter has grown to almost four centimeters wide and we cannot find the bottom".

"I see it as normal," he had tried to reassure her. "We are surrounded by mining settlements, the sinkholes are growing".

"It's not that it's not normal," Dimara reflected, almost offended, "but the logical thing is that it wouldn't have changed so much. But it's not there! The fund has gone overnight! Isn't it amazing!?".

She didn't want to bring up the topic while they were both jumping to the rhythm of rock. She had made it clear. However, she had forgotten to ask the others about today's progress. So she gasped like a minnow, searching for the right words that wouldn't spoil the mood, until Dimara diverted his attention from his.

"Wow, who is that?"

There was a man dressed as Van Hellsing resting his ass on one of the tables.

"Does it sound familiar to you?", she insisted.

"No," answered the leader, before smiling. "I guess it's a good costume".

Dimara did not pay attention to him and said:

"He's looking at Ruth".

Her best friend was chatting with one of her fellow geologists, but the attention of the stranger made her lose concentration. He had the darkest eyes either of them had ever seen, and Dimara almost had the feeling that, more than flirting with her, what he intended was to eat her. However, that did not allow him not to let Ruth approach him with a shy smile and, later, she disappeared with him in the bathroom area, while she sent Dimara a look of pride. He thought that if he interfered, Ruth would not stop berating her, knowing that she didn't like arguing with her. Therefore, she ended up sighing simultaneously with the change of song and tried not to digress on how little she recognized that pale hunter.

Dimara didn't see her again until midnight, when she herself went to the toilets and Ruth's disfigured corpse appeared inside one of the individual tents. She gasped, screams of horror stuck in her throat. Her best friend was sitting on the portable toilet, without her nun outfit or her plump hips. In fact, her flesh and fat had disappeared from the thighs up and a kind of demonic, skinless cat was observing her, imposing, from inside her abdomen.

"Keep calm," the kitten meowed as he transformed into a tiny Inca with a dragon face, "or I'll have to shut you up."

As expected, this had the opposite effect on Dimara and the being was forced to modify itself faster than normal. She locked them both in the bathroom, attached to Ruth's body, and there animal metamorphosed into a broad man of medium height who silenced the geologist's screams with a suffocating hug.

"Stop it," he threatened harshly. "Do you understand, Diana Maria? Enough of nonsense. When I catch the pishtaco you can cry whatever you want. But until then I need a calm guide to help me detect it among so many false masks".

Her initial response was to cry, staring blankly at the zipper of the store. Afterwards, she sniffed while she tried not to vomit, and finally nodded; without really knowing why.

As she lifted her chin toward him, she thought she was being hypnotized by his glassy, piercing eyes. She didn't feel less than a rag doll.

"Now guide me," she ordered and ipso facto she left the bathrooms towards her ignorant colleagues, with the being's claws pressing on her shoulders. Would others see it? No one seemed to realize what was happening and he heard the creature's voice incessantly in his head, as if a swarm of flies had settled there inside.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It was my mission to ensure that he did not go out tonight. But that damn hole has given him the perfect opportunity to go out and do his thing for Kai Pacha".

"Why did he…?" Dimara asked him, practically gone. He couldn't find Van Hellsing.

"Who knows. Maybe eat? Maybe cover the scales of the Uku Pacha with your fat and thus earn our forgiveness? He has always been a peculiar guy".

Suddenly, someone whispered an apology to them. A man with a unique beard who brushed his cape with Dimara and made his hair stand on end. He didn't need to take a look at him eye sockets to know who it was, and he chased him through the crowd. Of course, the pishtaco quickly realized this and, almost knowing that his god was also tracking him, he pulled out a kind of knife from his sleeve and savagely cut the throats of several members of the team who were dancing around him. He continued to rip out their flaccid parts in record time; the rest panicked and hindered his captors' mission enough for he to flee down the valley, toward the place where he had come from.

"Run, Diana Maria!" the demon encouraged her as her leader begged her to return to the hill.

Dimara trotted across the broken earth, following the billowing cape the creature wore. How well he had done in not taking off his boots! She was grateful that she hadn't given in to his hedonism, for once, as she tried not to fall into some treacherous hole. Even though it wasn't easy for him to do it with a devil imprisoning his neck.

From one moment to the next, the sinkhole appeared in front of them and Dimara had to brake hard. The pishtaco had disappeared and he decided to look into the hole. Would he have returned to the world of the dead? He couldn't help but compare the darkness of that hole with the murderer's eyes and, almost instantly, he appeared solemnly on the other side of the gap, as if he had come from nowhere. Neither in his hands nor in his mouth was there a trace of what happened that evening. However, he pulled out the gun again; this time to threaten his own life.

Dimara's voice shook when he spoke.

"What have you done?", she asked. Nevertheless, the being didn't even glance at her. He spoke directly to the devil, who had already adopted the corporeal form of a red, hairy dragon that ran over the voluminous body of his guide.

"I still have fat, Supay," said the pishtaco. "We can treat as before".

"You know that evil must exist, but not be the only thing," said the evil one. "The scale always exceeds when you are around. Too many dead children in exchange for your little effort, too many crashed planes because of the fruitlessness of your methods. Recognize, at least, that you only bring misfortunes without teaching,” he laughed, bored. "And because? Because of your nature? Control is what defines the gods. Therefore, until you understand it, you must remain in me".

Then, Supay glided over the sinkhole and, transformed into a gigantic warrior with long fangs, caught the being with a bite and disappeared with him through the hole, without saying goodbye, or thank you, to a Dimara who was as stunned as she was silent. Afterwards, the geologist was finally on the verge of crying. But the sudden vision of Ruth's soul made her swallow every one of her tears. She was in the same place where pishtaco had just met her end, accompanied by the rest of the lost souls on Halloween. They smiled at him. And they didn't stop doing it even when Dimara saw them rushing towards the same place where his judge and her executioner had gone.

[demona-andariel]

Object of Obsession - 15 / 46

Fandom: Halloween

Pairing: Michael Myers x OFC

Summary: In Haddonfield everyone knows the legend that was Michael Myers. Content and at ease, they’d forgotten what it was to feel fear in the month of October. But now, he finds himself back and ready for blood but then a bond forms between him and one of his victims. A bond he can’t seem to break. And it starts to make him do things he never thought of doing before.

Warnings: (Encompassing the whole story in no particular order) kidnapping, noncon, explicit sexual content, smut, loss of virginity, rough sex, blood and violence, knifeplay, canon-typical violence

Author Note: Minors DNI!

Word Count: 3,327

Chapter 15 - Gretchen's Apartment

How had he gotten there? 

Michael slowly examined Gretchen’s very quiet apartment. The curtains had been left open, allowing the midday sun to brighten the place. He meant to avoid anything to do with her, and yet there he was, in her apartment.

He shook his head in annoyance at himself. Her apartment might as well be in the middle of town, it was at the edge of the main street that had most of the local shops. He was begging to get caught.

He strode over to her windows and closed the curtains, darkening the place and assuring more of his own safety. What a silly thing for him to worry about. But he had to think and he didn’t want to get interrupted. 

Michael took off his mask and set it on the kitchen counter along with his knife. There was no reason to keep it on. It wasn’t as if she were coming home. Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath. The place still smelled like her, and she’d been gone for about a week he roughly calculated. Time had little meaning to him there was no reason to be exact. His heart picked up its beat, making him open his eyes. 

There was a battle waging inside of him.

Something had happened mere hours ago. Something that forced him to leave the house early. Very early. Sleep should have hit him quickly. It had ever since he brought her to his old family home, every time he fucked her. But instead, he ended up tossing and turning. His mind, his emotions a twisted mess. Emotions? Twisted? Him?

He clenched one hand into a fist and slammed it down on the counter, eyes focusing on his mask. It wasn’t supposed to end like that. Killer, cold, rough Michael, that’s who he was. He always thought about himself and his own needs, only bringing her into the mix because he wanted her and he needed her to be alive. He wasn’t nice, he wasn’t a lover.

Liar. 

Michael’s eyes narrowed. When had things turned on him? When had his resolve to show her that he wasn’t nice, that she was nothing more than a means to his own satisfied end shifted? 

Things had been different from the start. She always fought him. Always resisted. It should have been easy. He enjoyed watching her fight back, knowing, in the end, she’d relent. Was it because she didn’t fight him? There was a bit of defiance in her eyes, but overall, she was quite willing. Eager, even.

Michael loosened his fist and then tapped the countertop with his fingers. 

That had caught him off-guard, but it didn’t change things. Since she always came around anyway, only this time she made things easier for him. When she yelled at him to stop, he figured she changed her mind, that she was going to resist after all. And, in the back of his mind, he approved. Resist me so I can force you. He didn’t mean to catch her when she started to fall. It had been instinctual, automatic. Letting her go as quickly as he caught her was for his own sake. 

That glare she shot him helped restore the balance between them. Good. She was going to be defiant. But then, she got shy and nervous. An attitude he’d never seen before. And she had to make a request. She didn’t demand. She asked that he not be rough all the time. Not only that, she made it quite clear to him that the rough sex hadn’t bothered her as much as he assumed it had. It gave him pause. Enough of a pause to notice that single erect nipple again. 

Michael brought his hand up to rub his chin. 

That nipple. Seeing her eyes half close and hearing her let out a small set of grunts as he barely stroked one nipple set his mind down a new path. He wanted to kiss her, deep and long. Maybe get her to moan while doing that. He wanted to explore every aspect of her being with his hands and his mouth before fucking her. Just, truly see what kinda of woman she was. He hadn’t stopped to get a real good look at her fully naked body.  

Michael stepped away from the counter.

He needed to be rough and uncaring and she had to say please? His own heavy breathing amplified by his mask then reminded him of what was important. He wasn’t nice. She had forgotten that and so had he. 

It should have worked. The look on her face when he pushed her against the wall and gave her a small nick should have allowed his colder side to take control. But instead, he found her more attractive. He wanted to hoist her up, take off his mask and plant his mouth between her breasts to lick and suck the tiny wound before attacking her breasts. He wanted to feel her lose control.

Mask stays on!

His pleasure, not hers! All about him. He had to remind himself. His toy. A blowjob. Yes. That would work. It was all about him. He wasn’t nice. He didn’t need to worry about taking off his mask. He could see her perfectly. She shouldn’t expect him to be nice. The flash of defiance was back. He needed that. He needed to make her do things she didn’t want to do. Hell, he half hoped she’d tried to spit out his cum just to force her to swallow. He needed to latch onto something else other than his sudden intense need to hear those sweet words that started to echo in his head.

Please. I need to come. Michael felt his heart rate pick up as his breathing deepened. What he wanted to do to her was not what he needed to do. They both had their place in the world. 

She understood. At least, he thought she did. Her mood and body language changed, resigning herself to sucking his cock how he wanted. And then she had to get cute again, forgetting her place. 

He didn’t care what lube she was interested in using. Why would he? He just wanted his cock sucked. Feel her warm wet mouth and plump lips wrapped around his cock, while her tongue pressed and licked around him. He was committed to taking more control, choke her with his cock if he had to to get his message across. He wasn’t nice. Yet for whatever reason, that resigned attitude vanished before she even reached him, and was replaced with a more lustful look. Those eyes held a hunger, a need. And that walk. Suggestively swinging her hips. Even having her panties on didn’t change his sudden mesmerization. He couldn’t move. 

Her hands were so soft, gentle, and yet firm when she placed them on his stomach and the feeling of them running down to grasp his cock was something else. Much like the first time, she grasped his cock firmly, not timid or shy. Did she even know how she looked at him in that moment? Her mouth had opened into a big grin at his response. 

She had to flip things on him. Suddenly, she had the control over his pleasure. And, for whatever reason, he didn’t want to take it back. He was curious as to what she would do. How could he be cold, uncaring Michael when she turned into this seductive, sensual creature. Her hazel eyes caught his, burning with desire and need. Mask stays on. She started touching herself. She tried to be subtle about it, moving her hand from fondling his balls to her leg. Except it traveled further down. He could see the muscles of that arm move. 

Michael rubbed his face as a heat started to stir inside of him. No! He wasn’t trying to turn himself on. He was trying to figure out what had happened. But, that was it, wasn’t it? That was when things truly changed for him. He wanted to know how she could get such joy out of sucking his cock. How could that turn her on? 

Michael shifted with unease. 

One moment she was happily sucking his cock, making noises, touching herself, and then the next she grew serious. She was still sucking his cock, bringing her slick fingers with her own juices to join her other hand that rubbed his shaft. The passion, the eagerness, the acceptance was gone.

You won’t keep her if you continue to act like this. You will lose her. 

Michael frowned. She belonged to him. How could he lose her? It was just about sex and what he wanted. They both knew that. Was that what went through her head when he started to reach his peak? 

Michael shut his memory down to focus his attention on the present. He didn’t want to think about it anymore. 

Hmm, he mused. Her apartment, yes, why was he there? 

It was two a bedroom, one bath single apartment that was over top of a little antique store. And the only one there so she didn’t have neighbors. Despite it being noon, the antique shop was closed. Was it the weekend? 

Doesn’t matter, he thought to himself.

The apartment was cozy and immaculate. Nothing seemed to be out of place. So still and lifeless. But, it was her home. He’d used her key to open the front door and a letter in her car had that address. 

He strode over to the kitchen and pulled the fridge door open, revealing the semi-fresh produce inside. Yeah. She lived there. He paused by the dining room table and opened her laptop. It was dead. Probably had been for a while. 

Her bedroom was clean, the bed nicely made, and her clothes were organized in her closet. He rifled through them, seeing which one looked interesting. Perhaps he’d bring a couple back with him.

Stop, he warned himself, pulling away from her bedroom, and closing the door behind him. He wasn’t quite ready to think about that.

Stepping into the second bedroom, Michael cocked his head to one side. She had converted it into a little art studio. He had noticed her sketchbook and was curious about what was in it, but not enough to go out of his way and look. 

He examined the various canvases. Many were partially worked on, most were paintings of various landscapes or the sky. He knew nothing about art, but the paintings didn’t look half bad in his opinion. Setting one of the landscapes back down, he spotted another canvas in the back that intrigued him. With a curious tilt of his head, he pulled it up, carefully examining it.

There wasn’t anything special about it. It was just a meadow with a forest in the background. But he liked it. There was something nice and serene, an odd pleasantness he’d never felt before. 

Pleasantness…

He set the painting down, feeling slightly uncomfortable about that feeling. Pleasant? 

Michael walked back into the main living area and surveyed the apartment again. Something felt off. Nothing looked out of place, but his senses were telling him something was wrong.

His eyes widened and he quickly searched the place again. That was it. Nothing was out of place. The whole apartment didn’t look as if it had been searched through at all. She said she had family and that they’d be looking for her, but they weren’t. Had she lied to him? Too worried that he’d kill her if he didn’t know people would look for her? Or was it some attempt to garner his compassion?

No. He had no doubt she could lie. But those emotions, that face she made when she told him she rather he didn’t kill her family, that wasn’t the face of a liar. Which meant they, for whatever reason, had yet to check her apartment. Did they even know she was missing? How strange.

He rolled his shoulders in annoyance. There was still something off. Something else was nagging him about the apartment. Yes, it hadn’t been searched through. The fact that her laptop was still on the dining room table was more than enough proof of that. 

A small bookshelf next to the TV caught his attention, making him walk over to it. He pulled one out, flipping through the pages, and snorted in amusement. All of them were similar in vein, dealing with the supernatural and occult. He had noticed she opted to say “gods” over “God”. Not that he cared. He wasn’t religious in any manner. He cocked his head to one side and pulled another book out. “The Darkness Among Us” by Dr. Samuel Loomis. 

He slid the book back into its spot. Whatever was written in there was not important. But, he did find it interesting that she had a book from his dear old “friend” Dr. Loomis. But of course. She lived in Haddonfield. He had little doubt that his story had become the stuff of legends. 

Hmm, he mused, once again surveying the place. That bookshelf was personal, the little art studio she had made was personal. He stared at the bare white wall for a moment. 

His eyes widened and once again he gave the apartment another once-through. That’s what was missing. Personal photos. In fact, looking around, he realized that her apartment wasn’t very personal at all. It was lived in, but it didn’t have the sense of someone making it their home. Very strange. It made him curious. Which, was a bit of an annoyance since he couldn’t ask her.

Gretchen. That woman. He should have fucked her against the wall instead of on the bed as she had suggested. She wouldn’t have spread her legs like she had, she wouldn’t have looked at him with such a wanton face. Once again, he almost tossed his mask to one side to kiss her. He wanted to see the way her face moved when he filled her up with his cock. 

She drove him crazy. He thought flipping her over would have restored the balance in him. All he had to do was fuck her and quickly. Only, his plan backfired on him.  He shouldn’t have licked her. He shouldn’t have tasted her. But she was just far too tempting and in the perfect position: ass up in the air, head buried in the bed. She wouldn’t be able to see his face if he took off his mask. And if she tried he had plenty of time to put it back on.

The moment he snuck a taste he knew he was done for. Hearing her mewls, her breathing, seeing her struggle to have him please her, wreaked havoc on him. Was that how she felt when it came to him? It was addicting. He wanted to turn her onto her back, watch her expression as he ate her out, and then fuck her. He hadn’t really seen her face while he fucked her since their first night together. And that wasn’t the most pleasant of memories. At least for her. 

What a curious thought to pop into his mind. As if he cared what her memories were.

It took too much self-control to reign himself back. To force himself to fuck her while all he really wanted to do at that moment was just get her to come with his mouth.

He rubbed his face with his hand in frustration.

Why did she have to move? Why did she have to drag her body across the bed so that he could lay over her? He should have pulled her back and positioned her the way she was. That was another mistake.

Even though she was on her stomach, having her underneath him and not up against a wall or counter felt amazing. He enjoyed the other times as well, but this. There was something about feeling her body completely under his that just turned him on more. It felt… he wasn’t sure what word he was looking for. He didn’t know if he wanted to fuck her hard or slow. So, he ended up with a mixture of both. 

That’s when he officially got lost. He focused on listening to her, paying attention to the way her body moved. He rubbed her clit because he knew she wasn’t expecting it and received that delightful surprised response from her. He wasn’t sure at what point his mask had come off. Seeing her help herself to her own orgasm while he fucked her, feeling her pussy clench around him, hearing that loud moan of pure pleasure, and her body tremble under him was almost too much. He almost kissed her without his mask, barely remembering it was beside him to hastily put most of it on before he demanded her lips.

No hesitation, no resistance, but on the same page as he was. Her hand pressed his cheek to keep him near as if she were afraid he’d pull away too soon. It was too much. He couldn’t hold back anymore, and then that was it. He was done. They were done. 

Idiot, he snapped at himself. He just had to rest his forehead on the back of her head for a moment. Breathing in the smell of her hair. What was that? That connection between them. They weren’t even fucking, just there together in that after moment. And, he liked it. But, he wasn’t allowed to like it. He wasn’t nice. She needed to know that. 

He’d fucked up.

Leaving her bed was a lot harder than he thought it would be. He could barely look at her. It was far too dangerous. He knew what would happen if he lingered too long. He’d go back to her, and he’d end up doing things that would only strengthen her ability to ask things of him. But, he found the strength, with his mask back on, putting that barrier between him and her. 

That look she gave him before he walked out. He’d never seen it before. 

He clapped his hands on his knees and stood up. What was done was done. So, why was he fretting? This wasn’t like him. 

You’re a killer, Michael. And she’s your victim, he chided himself. A killer without remorse. He thought of no one but himself and his own needs. Knife, cock, either way, someone was getting stabbed, and they weren’t supposed to like it.

He let out a dramatic sigh. The problem was, he was lying to himself and he knew it. Out in the world, he was Michael Myers, the serial killer. A soulless man without remorse and no care for who his victims were. But there, in that house, he was turning into something else. 

Michael walked over to the counter and picked up his mask. Truly, it all came down to his mask in the end. As long as he kept it on, he kept that barrier between him and her. He could still fall back on the colder Michael. The one who was more willing to fuck her and leave her. 

A loud playful scream interrupted his musing. He strode over to the window and pulled the curtain to one side, just enough to peak out. 

A couple caught his attention. A little boy hopped with joy in front of them before his father shouted something. The man’s words were muffled by his distance. Not that it mattered.  

They weren’t the only ones out. A few other people were roaming about. Casually walking along the sidewalk to whatever destination they were headed to. Victims. All of them. Perhaps a killing spree was in order. Straighten out his mind. Get rid of those pesky emotions that he somehow brought with him out of the house. He didn’t need someone else in his life. He didn’t care if he hurt anyone.

Michael slipped his mask back on, making sure it was secure. Yes, a killing spree sounded like a good plan.

Chapter 16 - It

[catflowerqueen]

The more I think about the scenario where Y/N is a children’s author, the more interesting possibilities come to light. Most prominently, it provides the opportunity for a little “role reversal” in their interactions with the Daycare attendants.

A lot of times fanfic authors/artists tend to portray their Y/Ns as having at least basic knowledge of Fazbear Entertainment Industries, if not Sun and Moon specifically, but with a Y/N who is a children’s book author? There is a high probability they would already know who they are through reading their works to the kids—especially Moon, if he was using them as bedtime stories for naptime. And even if this Y/N was using a pseudonym or something, you know how there is often an author’s photo in the back of books (maybe not so much for picture books, but let’s just pretend for the sake of this scenario—or assume that Y/N has also dabbled into some longer works which would use them)? Sun and Moon would definitely be able to use that for facial recognition purposes.

So what I’m saying is—it is entirely possible for Sun, and especially Moon, since he would probably be the one doing the most reading of Y/N’s works in this scenario, to be complete fanboys of author!Y/N, and be the ones more hesitant to interact and approach, or be nervous about deeper interactions and wondering if they were coming off as “creepy,” or worrying that Y/N’s friendliness and possible flirtations were just them putting on a persona as part of their work.

Also, I just find it funny to imagine a Glitchtrap-infested Moon basically just bluescreening and snapping out of murder-mode in the face of how big of a fan he is of Y/N’s work. Even funnier is imagining that Y/N also wrote novels that weren’t so much “child focused,” so even Vanny and William Afton himself were fans of their work.

The whole plan breaks down via the power of fandom. Subsequent chases are more of the rabid fanboy variety as Moon/Vanny tries to get Y/N’s autograph.

…It does also open up the possibility for one of them to try and enact some sort of Stephen King’s Misery situation on them, but I kind of prefer the funny option more.

And I’ve also thought of a few ideas for children’s books Y/N could write as part of their commission for the Pizzaplex—the generic “all the animatronics are friends and go on adventure” stuff, sure, but also things like:

-the animatronics don’t want to listen to listen to Sun and Moon when it comes to the importance of cleaning, but soon learn its value after they can’t find Moon’s beloved hat after Freddy’s birthday party because they’ve let the house get too messy.

-Sun and Moon list the pros and cons of their preferred time of day, one of the major cons being that their sibling is not around during the day/night respectively.

-a child tells their parent about how much fun the Superstar Daycare is via detailing a typical day’s schedule (also acts as one of the more blatant forms of advertising)

-Sun teaches kids about the weather

-Moon teaches kids about basic astronomy and the phases of the moon (points out how Sun/the sun is a literal “super star”

-Moon teaches kids about basic safety/security

-Moon thinks there is an intruder in the pizzaplex, but it just turns out to be a racoon (or whatever animal is the mascot of Fazbear’s rival entertainment industry, because I’m sure they have one)

-Probably one of the books would be specifically about fire safety, in a sort of ironic nod to those endings where the pizzaplex gets caught on fire.

-also probably some sort of cutesy ghost story for a Halloween book, which also has… interesting implications considering what all has gone down at various Fazbear locations

Finally, I feel like this Y/N would totally get the chance to deck Burntrap in the face. At least once. Whether this is because third time was not the charm when it came to trying to defeat him with fire, or just as a prelude to that event.

Possibly even unrelated to Gregory, and including the “William is a fanboy” thing from above. Like… before the events of Security Breach Y/N, for some reason, gets clearance to explore the Pizzaplex—probably for inspirational purposes/they got lost trying to find the VIP lounge or something—and finds themself down in the area he is hanging out in. He wakes up, starts to go in for the kill but is stunned into a fanboy daze when he recognizes them, and Y/N’s fight or flight response mashes the “fight” button and they punch him hard enough to knock him over before they turn tail and get the heck out of dodge. William is then either too stunned to do anything other than go back into standby mode/actually got knocked down so hard he got unplugged and has to await Vanny to come rescue him and set him back up.

Maybe the punching and disconnection combined with the fanboyness actually gets his soul to literally and finally leave his body, and everyone gets freed from the virus.

Fandom literally saving the day right there.

Meanwhile Y/N pretends none of that happened, other than to possibly use the experience as inspiration fodder for a new horror story.

[halfawitch-willow]

Make a Ship-Shape Showplace of Our Little Shop ❁ WSoH 6

Eilonwy's been getting worried about Willow and goes to the Garden Grove to check on her. Things in the shop are immediately ✨Weird✨ and don't exactly reassure her that everything is fine... Takes place Oct 24th 1 // What Do You Want From Me, Blood? 2 // Someone Tell Lady Luck I’m Stuck Here 3 // Long As You Don't Make A Habit Out Of It 4 // Does This Look Inanimate To You? 5 // Show A Little ‘nitiative, Work Up Some Guts Interlude // Most Innocent and Unlikely Of Places @eilonwy-notjustgirl tw: mention of blood, lowkey abusive dynamics between a girl and her Death Plant, mentions of past child abuse

WILLOW

It was hard to hear the door chimes over the chattering and murmuring of all the plants, and Willow completely missed it. She was barely awake, honestly; all of the flowers and plants were encouraging her to go back into the greenhouse and catch a few more hours of sleep. One of the hanging vines that was over the desk had grown nearly to the floor and one long vine was curled around her shoulders, petting gently behind her ear and pushing feelings of safety and rest at her. 

Her head felt so heavy, and she was barely staying upright at the desk. “No, I can’t,” Willow slurred. “I gotta… Flower trusted me…”

sleep, darling little bloom, let us protect you. sweet dreams. warm forests. rich soil. sunlightsunlightsunlightfirelight-

Willow perked up a little as recognition washed through the shop, the flowers turning to watch as the light sorcerer passed them. Oh, Eilonwy! Willow smiled and gently nudged the vine away from her shoulders before Eilonwy came into view. “Hey, Lony,” she said softly, waving to her friend. She had her head up, but she was still leaning heavily on her elbows. 

lonylonylonylony the flowers hummed and sung, content to let her pass.

EILONWY

Eilonwy was getting more and more worried about Willow. It seemed like every time they saw each other, the bags under the other girl’s eyes were heavier, the smiles a little wearier and more stressed. Even the times where they were able to see each other had gotten fewer during the weeks that had passed, and while she knew her own schedule was busy, this felt different. 

So, obviously, the solution was to go corner Willow at a place that Eilonwy knew she would be to check on her! 

The Garden Grove was always a fun place to be, even if - was that plant moving more than she remembered? She knew that plants were alive, and some could be a little livelier than most, but she didn’t think….no, maybe that was just her mind playing tricks. She was just worried, it was fine. She didn’t come in here often enough to know what normal was anyway right? 

“Hi Willow! How are you?”

WILLOW

Some of the more mobile flowers turned to look at the blonde once she was past them, watching her curiously. Willow didn’t get a lot of guests for her, so they were all paying close attention.

Willow smiled at Eilonwy, shrugging. “Pretty good,” she said. “It’s been a quiet day so far.”

They hadn’t been getting a whole lot of customers recently, she’d noticed. And the few that did make it inside usually made the plants all go on the defensive. She’d caught one of the pumpkins they had by the front tripping a woman with its stem, and Willow had to give all the gourds a firm talking to.

The hanging vine wrapped around her ankle instead of her shoulders, and Willow swiped at it gently with her tail. “How about you? Need any flowers?” she asked Eilonwy.

EILONWY

That was a little bit of a surprise to Eilonwy. Sure, it wasn’t Valentines or anything which she knew was a big flower season. But with so many pumpkins here, didn’t they usually get a lot of customers for getting ready for Halloween?

Probably another sign of something Mayor Kanamori had done. Somehow. 

She nodded at that and came over to stand a little closer to Willow. While her primary goal was checking on her friend, she also knew it was usually easier to do that if that didn’t look like it was her primary goal. Plus most people were more relaxed when they were doing something so it would be easier to slip in some of the other questions. (Yes, she was aware this was probably manipulative but it was for a good cause so she didn’t feel guilty about it.)

“Yeah! I wanted to get sort of an autumn-y bouquet for Edward. I know roses are his favorite, but it’s fun to mix it up and his current flowers in the flat are looking a little bit droopy. I figured I would come in and give you puppy dog eyes and you could make something pretty.” She smiled winningly.

WILLOW

When Eilonwy came around the counter, the hanging vine tightened its hold on Willow, but she just giggled. "Puppy eyes aren't required," she teased tiredly. "You know I'm happy to help."

She stood from her stool carefully, aiming not to step on any of the vines that covered the floor, and stumbled a bit as her head rolled from the change. One of the vines slithered around her waist to keep her upright and the whole shop erupted in worried mutters that crowded in her head. "Head rush," she muttered, one hand to her temple as she tried to find her balance. "I'm okay," she reassured the plants.

EILONWY

As Willow stumbled, Eilonwy lunged forward to try and catch her, although Willow seemed to catch herself before she made it there. She felt a slight twinge along her side as she did so, but it wasn’t overly painful. Just her ribs making themself known at any sudden movement still. 

But it looked like the opening she’d been hoping to find at some point to talk to Willow about this had come a little earlier than expected - and only served to increase her worry.

“When is the last time you ate something? If you need to take a quick break to do that, you can, I don’t have anywhere else to be for today and I can cover the basics if someone comes in while you’re doing that.”

WILLOW

Willow shook her head as Eilonwy spoke. “No, no, it’s okay,” she said with a smile that looked more like a grimace. “I ate a little this morning, and I’ll eat lunch once I’m done helping you. I’m just a little tired, that’s all. Thank you for offering, though.” 

She found her balance again, and once she was upright and her head wasn’t spinning around the room, she reached behind her to tug gently at the vine around her waist. It refused to let go, at first, wanting to drag her back to the greenhouses to rest, but Willow was insistent. It slowly slithered away until Willow was free and she looked at Eilonwy with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. 

“Come on, we can sit and have lunch together once we get the bouquet put together,” she said, stepping around Eilonwy and heading towards the display of pre-made bouquets. 

EILONWY

“If you’re getting that dizzy, it’s more than just a little tired.” Wait, where had that plant come from? Eilonwy was watching and that vine definitely hadn’t been there before, but now it seemed like it was almost holding on to Willow. Maybe it wasn’t an almost. 

Certain that her concern had just been confirmed, she followed Willow over to the bouquets, staying close enough that she could catch the girl if she needed to. The light around her had dimmed and was holding close, as if it could provide her comfort, but she could feel the way tiny motes were streaming towards her to add to the collection. As if she was getting ready for something - although she couldn’t say exactly what. 

She supposed it was good she’d at least gotten Willow to agree to eat lunch. Maybe if she had company, she would eat a little bit more. Damn, she should have brought a loaf of bread or something with her. Next time. 

WILLOW

All of the flowers Willow passed tried to reach out to her with varying levels of success, and she let her fingers trail over their petals in a reassuring gesture as she passed. They were humming with concern, pleading for her to stop and rest, to listen to the lightbringer, but Willow just hummed back at them.

“My sleep schedule kind of tanked at the beginning of the semester, so I’m just now starting to get it back to normal,” Willow admitted to Eilonwy when she stopped in front of the bouquets. The cut flowers weren’t really alive, but the residual magic from Flower and Willow kept them beautiful and fresh, and they opened up a little at Willow’s proximity.

Her eye was drawn to a bouquet that had several sunflowers in it. Some were a normal vivid yellow, while some bled from gold to red like a sunset. There were a few daisies and deep burgundy roses nestled among them, with white and yellow filler flowers. Willow had made it a couple of days ago, and she smiled happily as she scooped it up out of the display. “We could add some wheat grass to this,” she offered.

EILONWY

Eilonwy’s gaze was fixed on Willow, concern shining clearly in her eyes even as she tried to keep an easy smile on her lips. Pressure would likely only make Willow feel worse, so she was trying not to do that. But she also knew she was right. 

(Was it maybe a little hypocritical for her of all people to be worrying about Willow’s sleep and lecturing her? Sure. She didn’t see any problem with that. One, she expected the people she cared about to make better choices than she did because she cared about them and worried about them. Two, she could get away with borrowing the energy from light which her friends couldn’t do.)(Three, she learned to care best by watching the people around her, so it was Laurel and Ian’s words as much as her own that echoed through her thoughts, but she wasn’t sure how to say that either.)

“I understand that, it can be a lot to adjust to - having a roommate, starting new classes, new place, all of that. But still, if you’re this tired you could get hurt. Especially in a place like the greenhouse. So just, be careful? Or if you need, I can look after the shop while you take a nap. I volunteer with Martin all the time so I know the basics.”

The bouquet that Willow drew her attention to was perfect. “Oh, it even has roses! He’d love that. And the wheat grass sounds great.” 

WILLOW

At the mention of being hurt, Willow’s hand curled a little further around the bouquet to make sure Eilonwy couldn’t see the fading gash across the heel of her left palm. Her papa’s healing potion meant it had closed in a night, although it still ached a little. 

That was hardly the biggest consequence of her sleepy fumbling. That honor went to the massive bloom in the restricted greenhouse that was getting bigger every single day. The biggest flower in the bed was easily the size of Willow’s torso now, the petals becoming speckled with pale freckles against the dark mauve. It was overtaking the greenhouse now, vines curling along the floor and massive leaves blocking out the light whenever Willow went to sleep in the greenhouse.

With Amity's reassurance, Willow had decided to tend to the bloom and see what came of the accidental experiment with her magic. The bigger it got, the more certain Willow was it meant her no harm. When she slept in the greenhouse, it would hum lullabies to her, mimicking her dads’ voices perfectly, and she felt safer than she had since coming to Swynlake. The flower was like her, in a way; just a mishmash of different things that should have never been brought together, lonely and scared.

She could feel it at the edge of her awareness now, missing her and calling her back to the greenhouse. She gently rejected the suggestion, and it writhed.

“I’ll be careful,” Willow promised with a wane smile. “I think a good lunch will perk me right up!”  

She waved for Eilonwy to follow her back to the counter. The hanging vine had wrapped around a perfect vase, and Willow thanked it under her breath before putting it on the counter and carefully putting the bouquet inside. “I swear I had some wheat grass on the floor somewhere,” she muttered, and across the room, a plant shook a tall bin full of the pale gold fronds. Willow grinned. “Perfect!”

EILONWY

Yeah, Eilonwy didn’t really believe that. Or rather, she did, but she also knew what could happen when you were trying to be careful and fighting your body at the same time. 

For all the scars people could see - small knife cuts on her hands, faded burn marks on her arms, nicks from swordfighting, and the evidence of many of the disasters that had occurred - there were more that almost no one had seen. Some of those scars were from when she was tired enough to get careless, to be fighting her body on even simple tasks. She didn’t want that for Willow. What if she got hurt and there was no one around to help?

Lunch was a start. And maybe while they were eating lunch, Eilonwy could talk Willow into a little more rest as well. 

Chewing the inside of her cheek, she followed Willow back towards the counter, eyes darting around as she saw the way the vine moved nearby. The sudden rustling inside had her jerking slightly towards the sound, seeing a plant suddenly go still from where it had been shaking a box. 

Had the plants always been this lively? Why didn’t she remember that? And how could they do all that when Flower wasn’t even here?

WILLOW

Willow crossed the room with a hum, scooping up the wheat grass and brushing her invisible tail against the plant that had helped her out. When she got back to the counter, she filled the vase with water and some of the specialty plant food that Flower made themselves. It shimmered a little in the water, the pixie dust refracting light across the desk and Willow’s hands as she set the bouquet inside the vase. She adjusted the bouquet with expert ease, adding in the wheat grass and other fillers wherever the bouquet looked incomplete.

“So how are midterms going?” Willow asked, not looking away from the flowers. Her tongue poked out of the corner of her mouth as she worked.

EILONWY

There was something about this whole place that was making Eilonwy twitchier than usual, but she was trying to keep it under control. She didn’t want to worry Willow since she worked here. But something was going on that she didn’t understand. 

“Oh, they’re going fine! My lab classes don’t really do a midterm since they just focus on the big exam at the end, but I’m almost done with my midterm essays for the History classes which is nice. It’s a lot easier now that I can actually use two hands to type them up anyway. How are yours going?”

WILLOW

Willow smiled at Eilonwy, the expression bright even as exhaustion clung to the corners of her eyes. "Really well, actually!" she said happily. She'd gotten most of the papers she needed to write taken care of, and studied for her tests with the help of the flowers in the shop.

The hybrid flower in the restricted greenhouse would even quiz her in her Papa's voice.

"I'm feeling good about the tests I have to take," she said, looking the bouquet over critically. "School is so much easier here, I actually have good grades for once!"

EILONWY

“That’s great!” Willow didn’t talk a lot about her life before Swynlake (Eilonwy could relate to that), but the little bits she did drop never seemed to be very happy (Eilonwy could also relate to that). It was nice to hear that something was going well. That this move was good. 

Even if right now, it seemed like it was causing other problems. 

But it meant the joy was real along with the worry at Willow’s response. “If you ever want to study together, just tell me, okay? My schedule is pretty flexible and I come with study snacks basically always.”

WILLOW

Jealousy shot through the plants and flowers in the shop like an arrow at Eilonwy’s offer, and Willow barely kept herself from flinching as the pain stabbed through her brain.

nononono stay stay staYSTAYSTAY SAFE HERE LOVEHERE MINEMINEMINE-

A vine curled around her ankle, thick and thorned, and Willow gave Eilonwy a strained smile. “Thanks for the offer,” she said as the thorns threatened to prick through her skin, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Willow sent as much reassurance through the flowers as she could, hoping they would relax. They were so protective of her since Flower left; they’d even lashed out at a few customers that had been rude to her, though Willow had been able to mitigate the worst of it. 

“You can come here to the shop to study, too!” Willow offered, biting back a yelp as the thorns broke through the first layer of skin. The counteroffer seemed to appease the flowers, and the vine around her ankle retreated. There was going to be blood spots on her jeans, now.

EILONWY

“Yeah that would be good!” Eilonwy didn’t really care where she studied, she could mostly work anywhere if she was motivated enough. Fun little side effect of needing to do most of her studying as a child in stolen moments as she snuck around to get access to the information her guardian insisted she should know but didn’t want to give her. 

But especially if Willow was more comfortable here, that was fine with her. She liked to be in the places that made her friends happy. 

“Like I said, just tell me when. My schedule is pretty flexible.” Perk of not working any kind of formal job. 

“That bouquet looks amazing though! I love it! And I know Edward will too.” 

WILLOW

Willow nearly sighed in relief as the flowers and plants all backed down, their protective jealousy mollified. She knew she would have to break away after lunch to go comfort her hybrid in the restricted greenhouse personally before too long. Otherwise it might start to howl again, and Willow really didn’t want to have to explain that to Eilonwy.

She smiled shyly at Eilonwy’s compliment, and the flowers all opened up a little more at her happiness. “I’m so glad,” Willow said. “I can put it back here while we eat, that way it’s out of the way.” She wasn’t planning on taking Eilonwy’s money for the bouquet; she and Edward had been such good friends to her that she wanted to repay them in as many small ways as she could.

EILONWY

“That works for me!” After all, she wasn’t on any kind of time limit and Edward didn’t know she was getting this for him, although she’d probably tell him all about this conversation later. She knew how much he liked Willow, and it would be better if there were two sets of eyes looking out for her at this point. 

She thought about telling Hunter as well, but she decided to wait on that one. The memory of his collapse a month back was still vivid in her mind and she didn’t want to stress him out if she could avoid it. 

As Willow finished, Eilonwy pushed away from the counter to straighten up. “Lunch time! I can follow you wherever.” 

WILLOW

“Want to call in an order to Tiana’s? We can go pick it up and come back here to eat,” Willow offered. The latter part was mostly tacked on for the shop’s benefit, the flowers all calming down when they were reassured.

“I just have to go get my purse from the back.” Aka, she had to go sooth the hybrid so it didn’t shake the greenhouse down in its anxiety. 

EILONWY

“That sounds great!” She went to Tiana’s all the time so she had the menu basically memorized, but she started pulling it up on her phone anyway. There might be a new fun special to check out this time. 

She sat down on one of the stools near the front and smiled up at Willow. “I’ll be here when you’re ready.” 

[warrenwilkinson]

I fell in love with the love that we made

TIME: January 12nd, 2023 PLACE: The library and Maya’s apartment. BETWEEN: Maya ( @msmayaparker ) & Warren NOTES: Written on Discord. Several TW (see tags) Title from here

[TXT] Can you come down to the library? There's something I want you to ask you about

[TXT] Yes. I'll be there in no time. Did you find something new?

[TXT] Maybe?

[TXT] Ok, I'm on my way.

Warren didn't take long to get to the library. It was a good thing he had been at the hotel when Maya texted cause that was closer than his place. He smiled a bit when he spotted her and walked towards her, "Hey, what is it?" he asked in almost a whisper because the last thing they needed was to get kicked out.

Maya sat behind the counter, looking over the security footage. Her head hurt. She could remember seeing the figure a few times at work and maybe once at the cafe near the apartment. When the door opened, she turned to see Warren walking in. She hadn't called him since the night she had stayed over. She hadn't called much of anyone since the night she had stayed over. Maya did her best to give him a smile. "Yeah, hi," she said before pointing to the image on screen, "Do you recognize this person?"

Warren walked around the counter and looked over Maya's shoulder to the screen. His blood went cold when he recognized her and quickly realized Maya had forgotten to meet her, "yes, is Désirée... you two met on Halloween... I hadn't seen her in a long time, we had a fling centuries ago, she came to town, we saw her during the carnival, then I talked to her over coffee, and I thought she had left town," he frowned, "Scheiße" he muttered under his breath because that was weird, "has she been following you?" he asked worriedly.

She glanced up at him. Clearly, he did recognize them. She nodded. All she could do was believe that had happened. There had been no mention of a Désirée in the phone. Maya looked back to the security video and shook her head. "She's been in every few days and I think I saw her at the cafe by the apartment one morning. She might just like the library, but it’s always during my shifts," she replied with a shrug, "Coco pointed it out today."

That wasn’t right. Why would Désirée be frequenting the places Maya went to? Something felt wrong about it. Warren knew her or at least he thought he did. He had been very clear that there was no chance for them to get together again when she tried to flirt with him during that coffee meeting. He had told her he was in love with Maya and Désirée had laughed, she had reminded him that he was incapable of loving but she seemed hurt when he said just because he couldn’t love her it didn’t mean he couldn’t love someone else. Fuck! He had caused this! Désirée probably went after Maya. “Ok can you do me a favor?” he asked with a worried expression he used to mask his anger, “I need you to go to Erik’s or Sebastian’s and stay there. She’s not human and she could be the one who did this to you,” he said in a low tone in case she was around because he was aware Faes could hear perfectly fine from afar, “can you do that for me please?”

Maya frowned. On its face, she wasn't super excited about entrusting her safety to someone else, someone she didn't remember well. But more than that, it was the idea that he would go after this person without her. "I'm not going to sit in another closet and wait for someone else to save me. If you think this is who did this to me, I'm going with you," she replied like a statement rather than a request or a question.}

Warren wanted to argue but the way she said it. How she reminded him of the last time she had to hide to keep herself safe made him sigh heavily. She was right but that didn’t mean he was gonna let her get at risk. Especially if it was Désirée who put the spell on her. That only showed the fae’s intentions and they were no good at all. “Fine but we’re gonna stop at your place to pick up a weapon cause I’m not letting you be there with someone as powerful as her without having something to protect yourself,” he said in a contained tone, “bring something made of iron,” he added as he waited for her to gather her things to leave.

She was grateful that he didn't argue with her. She would've just had to follow him if he did and that had made it all unnecessarily complicated. "Okay," she said with a nod as she logged out of the security portal. She didn't know what weapon he was talking about exactly, but there were strange artifacts at the apartment. As for something made of iron, she frowned. "I think I have a cast iron pan?" Maya offered. She slipped on her jacket and grabbed her bag before standing. "Shall we?" she asked.

He chuckled at the mention of the pan, “yeah that’s definitively gonna work,” he said cause there was no way a fae would want to get close to her while holding that. He nodded when and followed her out of the library, “how much do you know about fae magic?” he asked wondering if there was something else that could help them. As far as he knew fae casted spells on words. It was always a riddle and solving them could ensure breaking it, but the thing was that Maya probably didn’t remember whatever Désirée had said.

She nodded again. She was a bit nervous, of course. Unlike Warren, Maya would be going into this discussion with barely more than a name. Although, she would have Warren, so there was that maybe. She shook her head as they walked out of the library. Her shift had been over for hours while she combed through the footage. "Just what's in stories," she replied, "Like don't give them your name and Rumpelstiltskin sort of stuff." She thought for a moment about what she did know before adding. "I don't remember her at all, so if it’s one of those figure out my name riddle sort of situations, I don't even know what the question is."

Warren nodded because most of the stories were true. What they didn’t mention often was how cunning Fae could be or how dangerous. Their sweet and appealing appearance, “She looks harmless but that’s exactly her best power so don’t trust anything she says and try not to respond when she uses her name, they do use names to cast spells,” he sighed remembering it had been his fault she knew Maya’s name to begin with. “Knowing her she might use a riddle for this,” he groaned unsure if he should give Maya more contexts of why this might be happening.

"Well, we have that in common at least," she replied. She didn't think it would do much. And certainly, when people underestimated Maya, it didn't have quite the same consequences. She sighed, not trusting people had been her forte. She was trying to trust people now and it was working out. At least she hoped. "So, think before I talk and don't get heated. Got it," Maya said. Contrary to popular belief, she could hold her tongue, when she had to. She waited until they were climbing the stairs to her apartment to ask, "Do you have any idea what I might've done to piss her off this much?"

Warren arched a brow, "you don't look harmless at all, sugar," he smiled a bit hoping the pet name wouldn't bother her. He couldn't help to chuckle, "pretty much. Especially cause she's gonna try to upset you or use you to upset me," he added with a sigh wondering if Maya had already realized how he would do anything for her. "It wasn't because of you. Not directly," he said not sure if it was a great idea to tell her this whole mess had been his fault, "she wants what we have... she wants me to want her the way I want you and she probably thought this was a way to get you out of the equation," he admitted trying to keep his temper at bay as they entered Maya's apartment.

It was weird to be there again because he had a lot of fond memories of the place but he knew Maya couldn't remember any of those yet, "the weapon I mentioned is a knife. It must be in your room but I'm not sure were. I kept away from it cause it's the only weapon that can be used to kill me," he swallowed hard.

She let out a huff of a laugh, "Maybe you just know me too well." Maybe she didn't look harmless. In fact, she had tried to cultivate a tough reputation mostly in the service of protecting others and herself. But she was used to being underestimated. She nodded. She could appear to remain calm. Or at least try to. The fact that this Désirée had been so cruel to the people who loved the other version of Maya as to take her away from them wasn't exactly helping. Nor was she happy that this was all happening to her.

She frowned as she let them into the apartment and Warren explained his theory. Her great sin, it seemed, was to being happy and finding love. Tears welled up in her green eyes at that clicked in her head. It wasn't fair. She swallowed hard and blinked a few times to clear her eyes. She would not cry now, not when there was work to be done. "Then she's also a dumbass," Maya said, "Hurting me clearly doesn't endear anyone to you."

When he said that he didn't actually know where the weapon was, she tried not to let her surprise show. Even more so when he revealed that it was the only weapon that could kill him. "Then we probably shouldn't bring it," she replied, "This person seems pretty willing to go to extremes and she's about to find out her goal is hopeless. There has to be something between kitchen knife and only weapon that could kill you." It was probably in a bathroom drawer. Somewhere safe, but not obviously important. It's where this version of Maya would hide something like that. Instead, though, she looked for the small cast iron pan that Warren had also recommended.

“Maybe I do,” he smiled, “I’ve seen you many times at the fight club and you’re very intimidating,” he assured, “I’m pretty sure that’s part of why she went on this route, she probably knew she couldn’t win against you in any other way,” he sighed.

Warren hated this and how much it was hurting Maya. With memories or not, this whole situation was painful to her, “She doesn’t understand love the way others do. She things is something you can turn on and off so in her twisted mind she probably thought that if you forgot about me that would make me stop loving you,” he said looking down, “I’m sure that even if she had tried to make me forget you, I would have fallen in love with you all over again… she could never make me stop loving you,” he assured with confidence.

“I doubt she would kill me, and I doubt she could even touch that weapon without hurting herself… Barachiel was very smart because not many creatures can use an angelic blade,” he said a little amused of the archangel’s antics. He chuckled when he saw Maya with the iron pan, “I don’t know why the idea of you smacking her face with that pan seems funny… unreal like a cartoon but funny,” he said unable to stop smiling.

"There's a fight club? How could you not tell me about a fight club?" she asked, but then quickly followed it up with, "Wait, no, just heard it out loud and I do get it." Maya gave Warren smiled though when he confirmed in his belief in her skill. She had to wonder if he had never underestimated and if that was what had first drawn her to him.

She did her best to camouflage her hurt. It didn't matter if it hurt. It didn't matter if her lot in life was not to be happy. There was a problem to fix, and they should stay focused on that. Taking a deep breath, Maya shook her head. "We shouldn't...I can't do this right now," she said, "Let's just fix me and then we can talk what ifs." She didn't know if him being right or him being wrong scared her more. She tried not to think about it.

Maya still wasn't sure it was a good idea to bring it, but she deferred to his judgement. He knew the woman after all. He also probably knew whoever the hell Barachiel was. She nodded, "Okay, I think I know where she might've put it." Standing with the pan in her hand, she had to laugh at the picture he painted. "I always did like Wile E," she replied.

Heading upstairs, she found the weapon in the bathroom drawer she had thought it would be in. Some things didn't change she guessed. It looked like a small switchblade but picking it up she could feel the power in her hand. She took a deep breath. She could do this; they could do this. It would be over soon. She returned to the kitchen and asked Warren, "You know where to find her?"

Warren chuckle and was about to answer when she said she got it, “you have a great reputation there. I’m sure they miss you,” he smiled sadly realizing all the things Maya had lost for a whim. One he had caused without realizing. “I’m sure you’ll get back there stronger than the last time you kicked someone ass there,” he said confidently.

He swallowed hard and nodded when he noticed her expression, “I’m sorry,” he sighed. She was right, it was pointless to talk about something like this. It had been a very long time since Warren had felt guilt but now, he was feeling it hard. All this mess had been his fault. Barachiel and Gilmore had been right, he was only gonna ruin Maya’s life.

He tried to smile when she laughed at his silly joke, “it was my favorite too,” he confessed as he leaned against the doorway while Maya moved upstairs to retrieve the angelic blade.

Maya’s footsteps made him look up, “I can feel her power so we’ll find her,” he assured having the feeling that she would be close. If her plan was to see how her stupid spell worked, she would keep around to make sure she could get close to Warren again. Once outside he closed his eyes and focused on the Fae’s energy. There were two new Fae’s energy he hadn’t noticed before, but it was easy to notice Désirée, “She’s in the woods,” he said in a dangerous tone, “ready?”

Maya waited as Warren zoned in on the woman's energy. She played with the switchblade in her hand, twirling and spinning it nervous energy. When he opened his eyes and announced where she was, Maya nodded, "Lead the way." She was ready for it to be over, ready to fix her brain and maybe be happy again.

Warren nodded and started to lead the way towards the forest. There was a house just before the outskirts of It and she was sure Désirée was there. “I’m pretty sure it’s here and she’s home,” he announced as he moved in front of Maya and knocked the door. He couldn’t help to get tense when he felt the energy approaching and the door opened reveling the person they were looking for, “I need we have a lot to talk about, Désirée,” he said in a neutral tone even if he was fuming.

Following him, she forced herself not to give into fear. This woman clearly had no regard for Maya herself and getting killed didn't seem like an impossibility. Of course, dying was never an impossibility for her. They arrived shortly at a house on the edge of the forest. In her jacket pocket, she gripped the switchblade tighter. It felt reassuring to have a weapon. She only nodded at Warren said that he and Désirée had a lot to talk about. At this point, there wasn't much for her to say. Really, she was almost a side note in all this.

Désirée smiled politely and said some kind of greeting in another language and Warren only scoffed, “English, don’t try to be funny. You know what you did, and you won’t get what you want,” he assured as the woman looked over his shoulder, “Miss Maya! What a pleasure,” the Fae greeted with a fake smile, making Warren growl, “Don’t use her name,” he warned, “I know it was you who did this to her and you’re gonna fix it,” he said reaching to hold Maya’s hand to keep her behind him.

Her eyes narrowed when the fae greeted them both in another language. It reinforced that side note feeling. It was no surprise to Maya that she didn't remember seeing Désirée anywhere other than on the security footage. She didn't let herself try to remember now. There were more important things at hand. Her grip tightened on Warren's hand. Her mind was working overtime, looking for something, anything she could take advantage of. Or at the very least some clue to how to fix what had been done to her. "Or at the very least tell me how to fix it. I have a right to know that much," she said.

Désirée laughed and Warren growled again, “It’s not funny,” he pointed when the Fae kept acting like everything was a game, “There is no need to get angry, War, you know me, I never hurt anyone. I didn’t hurt her, and I was right. What you have is not love, dear, you don’t know what is to love. No truly. If it was, the spell would be broken now,” she smiled looking at the way they hold each other’s hand and her smile faltered, “she is mortal. You would be better with someone like me, it doesn’t have to be love. Love is a myth, it’s for kids and fools, you and I are neither,” he she added and Warren couldn’t help to move forwards and grab her by the shirt, letting Maya go without noticing, “You don’t that. You know nothing… what you and I had was never love. I never loved you and never will, Désirée. Going after her is only making It worse for you, you don’t want me as your enemy,” he said through gritted teeth.

Maya's mind raced. You don't know what it is to love...the spell would be broken now But Warren wasn't the problem here. He loved her. She thought he loved her. For the first time being reminded of her own mortality stung. She had always known she would die and likely that she would die young. Why it stung now she could only place intellectually. But the words did give her an idea as to how the spell could be broken.

She swallowed. "Mortal or not," she said, voice perfectly level despite the rage swirling in her stomach, "I have a right to know what you did to me. Can't learn the lesson without knowing why I got punished." The solution was the most important thing to her mind. Revenge had never been something she allowed herself. In her pocket, her grip on the switchblade had gone white knuckle.

Désirée didn’t even flinch when Warren grabbed her and threatened her, instead she focus on Maya when she spoke, “I didn’t want to punish you, girl. This wasn’t about you. You’re just a mortal, why would I want to punish you?” I wanted him to realize that he was lying to himself,” she smirked as she explained, “I have to admit that the spell went further than I expected. The goal was for you to forget him, not everything else, but you have power and it backfired. If you were a simple human, it would have worked better but I didn’t know you were supernatural too. Your human fragility hides it too well.

Warren tightened his grip on her shirt, “Whatever your plan was it didn’t work. It didn’t change my feeling for her. I don’t care if she can’t remember me, that won’t make me stop loving her,” he said looking at the Fae in the eyes, “I could kill you right now. It’d be too easy, and you would lose. Even if I let you live, you’d lose cause I don’t care if we need to start over, I love her and no one can change that.”

A bitter laugh slipped between her lips. She held her tongue though as not to point out that it was hardly her fault that Désirée couldn't control her magic well enough. "Fine," she replied, expression flat and dead, "Then tell him how he was supposed to break it, which moment proved you right." Having her human fragility referred to didn't sting in the same room. With any luck, Désirée didn't think of Maya as a threat and wouldn't hesitate to answer her question.

Her gaze slid over to Warren. His fury was clear. The determination was clear there too. She didn't let herself read into Warren's promise to start over or the pressure it made her feel that there was in fact a standard she needed to live up to. It wouldn't matter if they could fix it. For now, Maya didn't point out the problem wasn't Warren. The less Désirée thought they had figured out the better.

Warren looked over his shoulder to check on Maya when he heard her tone, but then Désirée spoke again, “If it was love all you two needed to do was kiss,” she smirked, “I know you called him and he picked you up and took you to his hotel,” she said with a please smirk, “if you two love each other as you both think, you would have remembered him. Love is not only in memories. Love it’s supposed to be a feeling not attached to memories, so I was right,” her tone filled with confidence.

Her words hit Warren hard. He tried to hide how much it hurt. He was sure he loved Maya, he was certain. Maybe Désirée was right. Maybe Warren wasn’t meant to love. Maybe he didn’t know what it was to love.

It was her. She was the problem. As the fae had started explaining, she had thought that maybe it was a True Love's Kiss situation. Maya did remember that night and remembered all the feelings she had been trying to quiet in Warren's arms and against his lips. What she had done was not love. She swallowed. The guilt and hurt she felt at knowing that everyone's continued pain and frustration didn't enter her expression. She wouldn't give the fae the satisfaction. "Jesus fucking Christ, get a hobby," she said.

There was one piece of comfort. Désirée was wrong. Love was not just a feeling, and it certainly wasn't disconnected from memories. This was solvable. If she could just figure out how to fall in love with him again. At the moment, that task seemed like climbing Everest. But she had done it once before.

Her gaze cut again to Warren and the hurt in his expression felt like someone had cut her. It was that rather than any feeling on her own behalf that finally caused her anger to boil over. "Does it feel good? Big tough immortal fucking around with fragile little mortals? Does it make the fact you're going to die alone easier?" she asked, her tone dripping with venom. She could never stand a bully, even one far more powerful than her.

Warren almost laughed at Maya’s sour answer, and she wasn’t wrong. Désirée definitively needed a hobby, “you decided to mess with the wrong people, Désirée, you’re getting some dangerous enemies and you should know better than to have me as one,” he almost spitted the words.

The fae laughed, “fragile? I don’t believe you think yourself as fragile. I’m sure he doesn’t see you as fragile either. I do enjoy messing with other’s lives and I see no difference on them being mortal or not,” her voice sweet as honey, “Oh honey, no, I’m not going to die alone. In the end, he’ll be alone and come back to me,” she assured making Warren laugh, “I’d rather kill myself with my own blade right now than to be with you.”

Maya was still furious. But it occurred to her that their reaction, their suffering was what Désirée seemed to want. She shook her head. "Warren, let's go," she said, "We know how to fix it. The rest of it is a waste of breath." She turned away then. They had gotten what they had come for. And continuing to fight and argue with Désirée felt like only giving her what she wanted.

Warren finally let go of Désirée and turned away to look at Maya. He wasn’t sure they really knew how to fix it. The probably would need to fix him. He was the problem. He nodded and followed Maya but not before warning the fae away from her with the promise of his blade bathed in her blood if she decided to come near Maya again.

He kept quiet all the way back to Maya’s place. His mind running miles a minute trying to understand how he could fix this and give Maya her memories back. Once they got closer to her apartment he finally spoke, “I’m sorry about all that. It was my fault. I promised you I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you and it’s because of me you’re hurting right now. Maybe she is right. Maybe I wasn’t meant to be with you and I’m only making it all worse for you.”

On the walk back, Maya's mind too was racing. It was her fault. She couldn't remember because she didn't know how to love. While she had said they knew how to fix it, she had no idea how to actually going about doing it.

Warren speaking dragged her from her guilt spiral. She blinked. "What?" she said first. But quickly she was shaking her head. "What someone else did is not your fault. The fact she fucked up her spell isn't your fault. I don't know if anyone's meant to be with anyone, but I think you made me happy, and I can't remember the last time someone took care of me like you did that night." She sighed, "And as for the fact that the spell hasn't been broken yet that's very obviously my fault."

Warren smiled a little when she said that she thought he made her happy, “I think I did make you happy. I did everything I could to make you happy… I saw that change in you, how you started trusting and opening up to me. How you shared your darkest secrets and realized that it didn’t change how I feel about you,” he sighed and reached for Maya’s hand to stop her and make her turn to look at him, “it’s not your fault, Maya… It’s not you. I’m sure it’s me because I wasn’t created to love,” he swallowed hard, “I’m sure I love you. I know it in my head and my heart that I do, but maybe it’s just another cruel joke of God… maybe my love is not enough or I don’t even know how to love you properly to break this stupid spell,” he looked down.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. If she got to be happy in the end, maybe it would be okay to try and fall in love again. As long as Warren didn't get tired or bored with waiting around for her. She could only nod.

Then it was her turn to swallow hard. "But I don't love you. Or I don't remember how to," she confessed like it was a sin. She looked down at their joined hands. After licking her lips, Maya explained, "That night in the hotel, I just felt so awful. I wanted to feel anything other than awful. I was selfish. I was so fucking selfish and love's not selfish." She closed her eyes briefly to keep from crying.

"We should go inside," she said, voice almost not shaking, "Get somewhere private."

Warren winced when Maya said she didn’t love him. It hurt. It hurt way more than he imagined it would. It didn’t compare with the pain of have losing Barachiel. There was some hope when she said she didn’t remember how. It was a tiny light of hope in his heart, and he smiled a bit. “I know, and I was never mad at you for it. I knew what you needed and I’m sorry I couldn’t give it to you,” he sighed, “no, stop, you weren’t selfish, you just wanted the pain and confusion to stop, I understand that, Maya,” he sighed.

He let go of her hand and nodded, “Ok, yes, we should talk about this inside,” he agreed and followed Maya into her apartment. He wasn’t sure if there was more to talk about but what he did know was that neither of them needed to be alone then.

She hadn't wanted to hurt him by admitting she didn't know how to love him anymore. But it was necessary. She was certain that was why the spell hadn't been broken when they kissed. Still holding his hand, Maya walked up into her apartment before speaking again. Her mind was turning, trying to fit in what she did remember with what she had worked out with what Warren had said. By the time the apartment door closed behind them her hands were shaking. "Do you want anything? Coffee? Water? I think there's some whiskey left in the freezer," she asked. Hermes trailed closely behind her, sensing the distress the two of them were exerting.

Only after he answered did Maya pick up the conversation where they had left it. "I don't think sex really was what I needed," she said, "I've had sex that felt worse than just sleeping with you. Especially when I was on the road." She was trying not to panic, not to think about how afraid she was of opening up to him again and maybe not being enough this time. Hermes barked, trying to get her to sit down and relax. "I think that was the problem though. I wasn't kissing you just because I wanted to kiss you," she swallowed, not sure how to explain her guilt in a way that Warren would agree with. "Love can't be detached from the memories it built on. We're not in a fairytale. But...My mind doesn't remember, but sometimes it feels like my body does. Even with everything else, kissing you felt right and being around you feels safe in a way it never has with someone I remember knowing as long as I can remember knowing you."

Warren knew Maya too well to know her mind was probably reeling as much as his own, but he didn’t think it was in the exact same direction. He shook his head at the offer and moved further into the apartment, “No, I’m fine, thanks,” he lied cause he was far from fine but she didn’t need to worry about that. It wasn’t about him and their relationship. She had lost far more than just the memories of him, and it was important that she could remember everyone else.

He smiled a bit at her confession, but it was a sad smile, “that’s probably because deep down you knew you were safe with me and it wasn’t about the sex,” he sighed but then frowned when she explained, “well that kinda make sense… I guess we’ll have to find another way to break the spell. You shouldn’t have to go through this because of me and my inability to keep away from dangerous creatures,” he tried to joke. He swallowed hard when she talked about the memories and loved being attached and how they weren’t a fairy tale, “maybe it’s just gonna take a little longer, maybe you just need to be around me a bit more to trust me better or to see…” he stopped himself and sighed in frustration, “I know you don’t need to hear this and you probably don’t want to but I need to say it,” he took a deep breath, “I do love you, Maya. I am sure I do because nothing has ever felt this right in my whole existence. You are everything and more of anything I’ve ever wished for and I’m sorry if that wasn’t enough to break the spell... maybe she is right. Maybe I don’t know how to love. Maybe I can’t love properly, but I do love you,” he said looking down, unable to look at Maya’s reaction due fear of her reaction.

"Okay," Maya replied, nodding. She then proceeded to stand awkwardly in the kitchen, not sure what to do with herself. Her hands were still shaking. Hermes nudged at her, trying to convince her to get comfortable.

She nodded again. Although, she didn't know if she knew that. Maybe some part of her still remembered. As far as his joke though, Maya managed a thin laugh. "Then we'll just have to work on mine," she replied. Clearly, she still had a penchant for getting herself into trouble. When he spoke again though, she chewed her bottom lip. She hadn't reached out much, and she knew logically that he was trying to give her space. But she still couldn't shake the feeling that he didn't want to spend time with this version of her. She swallowed, willing herself not to mention that. Everything was difficult enough without her doubt.

About what he said next though, she had no doubts. Well, she wasn't completely convinced that Warren loved this version of her. There was one thing she was sure of though. "It's not you. The spell's not on you," she said, voice sharp with certainty. Her voice broke as she continued, "It's me. And I don't know...maybe you shouldn't love me. If she's right and love shouldn't rely on memories, then I'm the one who can't love you properly. Which you know..." She shrugged helplessly. Tears had blurred her vision, "That tracks."

Warren smiled cause she was right, they both seemed to attract some unnecessary situations. Maybe that was another thing that made things easier between them. They felt right because they were used to attract chaos and that didn’t necessarily meant they were good for each other. The mere thought made Warren swallowed hard and his smile to falter.

He wanted to argue that. He wanted to say that there was nothing wrong with her because there wasn’t but he stood there, frozen in realization that there was a chance that Maya couldn’t love him. Who could love a monster like him? “I don’t think it’s like that… you don’t have to love someone to have them love you back… if I should love you or not, it doesn’t matter,” he shrugged with an expression close to defeat, “I understand if you can’t love me. I told you before and I’m gonna tell you again, you don’t have to love me for me to love you. What I feel for you won’t change even if you don’t love me,” he admitted cause that was a fact, “please don’t cry,” he moved closer and reached to cup her face, “we’ll fix it, I’ll find a way to fix it, Maya. I’ll get the rest of your memories back,” he promised because it broke him to see her so sad, “it doesn’t matter if you can’t remember me, or if you can’t love me, I don’t care, I just want you to be happy again,” even if that meant without him. He’d do it for her.

As she tried to hold herself tighter, the shaking only got worse. She watched him approach, wanting to run not from him but from herself. But she knew the moment she tried to move she would fall apart. He touched her so gently, promising her the kind of love she hadn't had since her parents died. Her mind was so focused on keeping her together that Maya didn't quite put the pieces together that he might think she was saying she couldn't love him rather than she just didn't know if she could love anyone properly.

In what she could call a moment of weakness, she threw her arms around his neck and collapsed against him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she sobbed, "Please don't leave me." Maya fought the urge to kiss him. It was an old instinct to offer the one thing she had of value, her body. He didn't want that. A voice in her head whispered that Warren didn't want this version of her at all.

Warren’s breath got caught in his throat when Maya threw herself into his arms but he didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around her, keeping her close against his body, “don’t do that, you don’t have to apologize, baby girl,” he sighed pressing his cheek against the top of her head, “I’m not going anywhere, I’m never gonna leave you unless you ask me to,” he promised in a soft tone before pressing a soft kiss on her hair.

He has been very selfish thinking about his own pain of losing what he had with Maya that he had failed to realize how different and more painful it was for her to have lost a life that had taken her a year to build, “I’m sorry for everything… if I had known being with me would hurt you like this I would have chosen your happiness over mine,” he murmured in a sad tone.

Tightening her arms around him, Maya sobbed harder. She clung to him like he was an anchor. It helped, having his arms around her helped. He was warm and solid against her thin body. She had lost weight since all of this began, her ribs and hips once again prominent.

Eventually, wrung out and tired, she quieted. As she did, Maya shook her head. "I was happy though," she said, voice raw and painful, "I've seen the pictures. I was happy." She swallowed, uncertainty, entering her expression. "I think I was happy at least," she added.

He could feel her light and fragile against his body. I was clear she wasn’t taking care of herself as she used to. She had gone back to those dark days and bad habits they both had worked on together but now she thought she had to do it alone and in a way, it was his fault for keeping his distance from her. He had done it not to hurt her, but it turned out worse.

Warren wiped away some remains of her tears with his thumb and smiled when she said she had seen the picture and realized that she was happy, “then let me make you happy again,” he asked with a gleam of hope in his eyes, “lemme try to make you happy again, let’s start over,” he sighed, “I know I’m asking for too much but we can go at your pace. I won’t rush you; I won’t talk about what we had, we can have it all again and more if you give me a chance to show you this spell doesn’t mean you can’t be happy again.”

Maya nodded as she let him wipe away the last of the tears on her cheeks. It had ruined her mascara, leaving dark marks under her eyes. "Okay," she said softly, "okay." She was scared, terrified that he would always be comparing her to the other version of herself and this version would be found lacking. But the other choice was to give up. If only because it would mean letting Desirée win and that she couldn't abide.

Carefully, unsure of if he would stop her again, Maya leaned forward to kiss him. It seemed right, sealing his promise to make her happy again this way.

Warren smiled when she accepted and this time the smile almost reached his eyes. It still hurt and even more to know that it had been his fault things had come to this but now at least he could try again and do it better.

He wasn’t expecting her to kiss him, but he missed her too much to deny himself. He didn’t want to reject her; he didn’t want to hurt her so this time he was gonna give her anything she needed from him. He sighed against her lips and wrapped his arms around her, deepening the kiss, trying to show her that he meant every words and that she was still the same Maya he loved so deeply.

This time, kissing him was not a desperate act to fill the emptiness inside her, but instead a promise for new start. Even as he deepened it, there was something gentle to the act. As Warren pulled her tighter and she sighed against him, something crumbled in her head. Like a dam being broken, it all started to come rushing back. She knew these lips, these arms, this man. She loved him. Maya paused, pulling away slightly. In her eyes was the brightness of recognition. "Warren," she breathed, "I'm here." She kissed him again. "I love you," she whispered against his lips, "I love you."

When they broke apart, Warren kept his eyes closed for a moment, just wanting to treasure this new first kiss but as soon as she said his name like that. Like she had before. Like she remembered him. He opened his eyes surprised and felt the tears forming when she said she was there and that she loved him, “Maya?” he asked in a broken tone before she kissed him again. She was back. His Maya was back. “I love you so much,” he murmured against her lips before picking her up and start peppering her face with kisses as he felt himself cry like he hadn’t done in centuries. Désirée had been wrong. This was love. What they had was love and this was the proof of it.

She nodded even as she kissed him. It was relief in this moment to remember. She didn't stop kissing him or repeating that she loved him, after all she had a few weeks of saying it to catch up on. "I'm sorry, I'm home," Maya said, "I love you. I love you."

But something was wrong. Her brow furrowed. There was so much to remember. It was overwhelming like a siren going off during a concert in her head. She had to bury her face in the crook of his neck. Her arms tightened around him. It hurt. More than when she had tried to remember, it hurt. There was too much, the cacophony of the whole year at once in her head.

Warren didn’t even realize the moment he started chuckling at the kisses and how she kept on saying she loved him. How he had missed those words from her mouth.

His smile faltered when she frowned and hid her face on the crock of her neck, “Maya? What’s wrong, sugar’” he asked worriedly as he moved to sit on the couch with her on her lap, “what’s happening?” he started to panic wondering if there was something more about that spell that the stupid fae had kept hidden from them.

Slowly, Maya lifted her head. "It’s a lot," she said, pain clear on her expression. "It's..." she began. But she didn't finish the sentence. Instead, golden light, the same color as her mother's illusionary magic, flashed in her eyes. They then rolled back in her head before closing as she slumped against him, unconscious. Her breathing remained normal as did her heartbeat. But she was out cold, still save for the rise and fall of her breath.

Warren noticed the particular gleam on her eyes and that made him understand this was related to her magic, but it did nothing to lessen his worries, “Maya?” he asked worriedly before she fainted. He picked her up and tried to wake her but he could hear her heart beating steadily.

He took Maya to her bedroom and settled her on the bed before calling one of his friends, a doctor with magic knowledge. Maybe he could help them or at least explain what was going on.

[wonderinglullaby]

Not sure if you or may not have done this but CG Head of Shoto Aizawa from MHA ? , In my dream/mind he's like a dad CG and often times I call him dad if you're not wanting to do it then it's fine Happy Halloween 🎃🐺🌙🍭🍬🍫

🧸 : I’m a Bit late to this - well, it’s been a week since halloween so maybe not a bit, whoops 😅but it is Aizawa’s birthday today (nov. 8)!! so it’s the perfect time that I got around to this 💕 I love Aizawa so much! This was so fun

🤎 CG! Shouto Aizawa

• Personally I see him as a flip leaning towards regressor, but of course Aizawa’s dad instincts (tm) always come in when needed. Being a carer helps him a lot too - he really enjoys taking care of younger ages and finds it’s oddly relaxing to him. Better then watching over some stupid rowdy teenagers.

• Aizawa is in between caring but very strict. He’s protective over his little ones, he wants to make sure you won’t get hurt. He hardly ever is harsh but when it comes to your safety he Won’t mess around. If that means carrying you around with his scarfs to save himself some heartache, he will do that. basically? if you almost hit your head one day he might just hold you the rest of the time you’re small just to assure you’re safe.

• He’s very calm and chill as always (if not tired), and he might be extremely awkward to be with at first. He seems closed off but that’s never the case! You and him both just gotta adjust to it and the way he functions. He’s busy trying to figure out what’s best for you before he really gets into the caregiver role. He’s easy to warm up to, even though he’s intimidating sometimes he’s got that welcoming dad energy. He’s pretty easy to approach when you need anything.

• Usaully, he will go with the flow of the day, and has kinda a bullet-point schedule. Like “these things need to be done, but it doesn’t matter what order they’re done in.” He‘s gotta make sure you take care of yourself.

• Not big on using nicknames much, he sticks with normal names and sometimes uses “little one.” Especially when he’s trying to be comforting. For him though? Yeah he likes any variation of “dad” most definitely. It makes him feel oddly proud and happy. like he’s doing something right.

• He’s the type that will just sit there as his little climbs on him and wiggles around, nothing phases him much. Chewing on his scarf? It’s okay, it’s like he doesn’t even notice. As long as you’re happy.

• This man does not know how to cook, prepare for him bringing home McDonald’s and Lunchables for you. He will insist he “cooked it himself“ just to get a giggle out of you.

• Getting down and playing is not exactly his strong suit - instead, he likes reading stories or giving you things to help you learn. Like alphabet cards and stuff! He also likes drawing with you. He made this little game up where you draw him a picture and he draws one for you, then you trade! He’s not the best at drawing but he tries his best, and he’s always happy to praise and admire the art you make him. Some of them he’s framed and placed at his desk.

• He will always having everything set up for you if need be. Regressed on a slow day? he’s got a blanket set up with all your toys and favorite things already. Slipping in public, no worries! He’ll hold your hand keep calm, assuring you its okay, you don’t have to feel bad about it. he’s got a small bag of some stuff you need just in case! He can easily pick up on when you’re small and decides to just have stuff on hand.

• He will pick up every little thing you say. It doesn’t seem like he does, but mention it off-hand and it’ll be in your hands the next day. Said you liked this one candy? He’s got it for you. even if you’re like “I don’t rementering telling you I liked these - do you know when I told you?” He just shrugs and goes “I don’t know when, I just remembered.” He is just as good as remembering stuffies’ names or your favorite cartoon characters.

• He will never admit he really enjoys cuddling, but of course he does. Sleeping is his favorite pastime after all! There’s nothing better then getting to snuggle up with a bunch of blankets with his little one and having a nap together on a quiet afternoon.

• I also see him lighting candles a lot, like he likes the calming energy of them. and a candle could just make the mood of a day better. He gets specific smells you like, and smells that make you feel nostalgic. maybe even get some with cool designs on the inside.

[lostinanothersmemories]

Do you have any headcannos about how Darlin interacting with the newborns?

I die for Darlin is good with kids because well its cute

The first time they met them was really because they were going to talk to Will. They kids are just snoops, they were keeping an eye out but darlin would look at them everytime.

Bright would call them an owl just they just always knew when the two were watching. It was at this time they corrected with "I'm a wolf shifter actually but close, I guess."

They are much more helpful to Bright then they are Frederick because they understand Bright in a deeper way. Bright actually broke down and hugged them after a conversation about how they know what Bright was doing there on that halloween night and why.

Frederick is a bit difficult because at first he's intimidated by them. They tend to give off an aura of don't come near me and Frederick listens to those. He realizes they are an idiot when he hears them call Sam cowboy for the fifteenth million time. His peace offering? A home made cookie which has Darlin swooning. They accidentally stay up way too late Frederick talking about everything and anything. Darlin is a very good listener attentive and always ready with a question to keep a tangent going.

They had to pull Bright back in because they thought Darlin was choosing Frederick over them.

Overall Darlin acts like a big sibling most of the time, comforting and present but willing to lay down unbreakable rules if it comes to their safety even if it's mental. They see their protective side anytime they get worried. Bright and Frederick will be put behind their back for their safety.

[fleetwoodmak99]

Long Past Dawn

Eric Draven x reader

This is requested from @sister-morticia "Hi!! Can I please request an Eric Draven x reader whump with lots of hurt and comfort/worried!Eric? I need some caring fluff! Thank you!! ☺️" I had so much fun working on this!!! I'll be posting a part 2 as hcs of the aftermath soon. It will focus more on the comforting aspects. Also I’m really sorry this is long. 

WARNINGS: Panic attacks, hyperventilating, serious wounds, gun violence, mentions of blood, depression, talks of deep sadness, death, resurrection, paranoia, explosions, and fainting.

SUMMARY: It has been a year since you lost your lover, Eric Draven. While you have managed to get by, it has been extremely difficult. After having a particularly hard night, you decide it might be a good idea to go for a walk to release some steam, only to fall upon a danger situation.

Its been a entire year since you had lost the love of your life, Eric Draven.

It was around Halloween. The leaves on the trees were starting to change from green to orange and yellow as the air turned cool.

Halloween used to be Eric’s favorite time of the year. Always making a big deal about it with lots of horror movie marathons and tons of candy. Now, you had none of that.

No celebrating, no watching horror movies all night, no eating a bunch of candy, no Eric.

Even though it had been a whole year since that dark night, it still haunted your every waking thought.

Every day seemed to bring a new struggle. The worst of it being at night. The pain of losing Eric broke you down to the point where you could do nothing but spend most nights crying.

Anxiety making itself known at every turn. Always worried that the men responsible for taking the life of your lover and leaving you for dead will one day realize you aren't and come after you.

Memories of that night plagued your dreams often. Seeing flashes of T-Birds gang breaking through the door of your shared apartment and attacking you while you were cooking dinner.

The panic consuming your chest becoming too overpowering as you relived that night over and over again. Jolting awake in a pile of sweat when it became too much. Feeling your stomach turn to the sickening thoughts roaming around in your head.

You tried to calm your thoughts. You really did. But the terror that filled your chest was too powerful.

A strong force making you leave the warmth of your bed in an attempt to ease your mind. Pacing around the room, completely lost in thought.

Are they going to come after me? Will they want to harm me?

The demanding thoughts running through your head was starting to cause a wave of nausea to wash over your body.

No. They don't know you are alive. They would have come after you if they had.

You were lucky enough to get Sergeant Albrecht assigned to your case. He was the only one on the force who was kind to you.

Albrecht helped you stay under the radar until you were able to get enough money to move far, far away. The main problem being that you couldn't find a good steady income that would get you out of this hell hole while not blowing your cover, creating the never ending cycle of being trapped in the city. Being doomed to live here forever with no escape.

Still, you felt an overwhelming ache in your stomach every time you thought of Top Dollar still being out there, controlling most of the violence in the city. Hoping that the brutality won't one day unleash on you.

Knowing that it went against the rules you had started following in an attempt to protect yourself further, you decided it might be a good idea to go for a quick late night walk. Noting the dangers of what you might be doing, but it was your last attempt to ease your anxieties and distract you from the pain.

Hoping that the fresh cool air will be a jolt to your system, you grabbed a light jacket and black high tops, placing it over your pajamas and venturing out into the night.

Stepping out of the safety of the apartment building and into the bitter cold. Feeling the tip of your fingers and toes already starting to turn into ice. Still, you were determined to complete your walk as it has always been a good way of distraction you from your intrusive thoughts.

With that being said, the streets of Detroit certainly looked different at night. Feeling a thick layer of sorrow and rage in the air. It being so thick it became difficult to breath.

Choosing to ignore it, you kept walking.

A smile spreading across your lips when you see a group of children in Halloween costumes running with bags of candy in their hands, laughing as they did so.

Curiosity taking over as to why children would be out this late on Devil’s Night. Seeing as you did much worse things when you were a kid, you let it slide.

Either way, you began to have doubts if this was a good idea, deciding it might be time to head back and hide from the world once more.

Turning around and walking the other way, you could already feel a wave of relief washing over you as you made your way back only for your heart to be ripped out of your chest when a booming explosion erupted just up the road. A burst of light blinding you as the ground rumbled.

The sudden event sending you onto the ground, holding your heads up to your head in an attempt to protect yourself from the eruption.

Trying your best to focus on what exactly was happening as the light started to dim into small flames and a bundle of smoke coming from an old abandoned building.

At first, you wanted to run the other way. Knowing that this was most likely the work of Top Dollar or some other big mob boss trying to cause some havoc in an already broken city.

Yet when you tried to get up, you remained planted on the ground. Your body being completely immobilized and without breath.

As you tried getting your strength back, you started to hear a faint scream coming from up the road. Your thoughts immediately going to the children you had seen giggling to each other just moments ago.

You tried remembering which way they had went. Hoping that they were far away from the building now engulfed in flames but after hearing more yelling, you knew you had to make sure no one was hurt or worse.

With a new found determination, you felt yourself starting to grow stronger, experiencing a rush of adrenaline fueling your body.

This time when attempting to get up, you were able to get onto your feet. Your legs still feeling weak, you forced yourself not to waste time and move towards the very thing you made you shake.

Getting closer to the fire, you could start to feel the heat coming from the flames. Inspecting the building, you couldn't see anyone inside. In fact, you couldn't see anyone at all.

You thought for sure the police or at least the fire department would be on their way considering it was a Devil’s Night tradition for the whole city to burn. Yet no one was there. It was almost unnatural.

You were pulled from your thoughts when you heard not a scream but groaning, murmuring and the collusion of masses coming from the back side of another building. 

With caution, you started to make your way towards the sounds. Leaning on another building for support, gaining distance from the heat.

Hearing the unknown sounds starting to grow louder and louder, you could see the silhouette of different bodies laying on the ground. You didn't know if they were dead or unconscious.

Deciding to grab a nearby wooden stick. Just in case.

Two men suddenly bursting in front of you, struggling against each other. They rolled around the dirt floor, one trying to get the upper hand on the other. Both eventually getting up and starting to throw hands. 

You couldn't decide whether to intervene and try to break them up or start running, but once again your body worked against you. Forcing your mind to turn blank and stay in place. Making you now watch the whole thing go down.

At first glance, you couldn't recognized who the men were yet you couldn't help the strange feeling that you were meant to be here. Somehow this was related to you. You felt it deep down.

You tried analyzing them as they continued, trying your best not to be seen.

One of the men was a lot shorter than the other and had greasy shaggy dark brown hair underneath a worn out black knit hat with baggy clothes.

While the other one taller, and more muscular. Mostly wearing tight fit leather. His dark brown hair was longer than the other one, resting just above his shoulders. Black and white paint covering his face as some type of mask.

His hits being more calculated and precise going against the others, who was becoming more and more sloppy by the minute.

As the two men start to taunt each other. Somehow neither seemed to notice you as you stood there in fear. Your heart sinking when you hear one of the men starting to speak. You recognized that voice, clear as day.

The short man was Skank. He was apart of T-Bird's gang, who worked for none other than Top Dollar.

Shit. You need to leave now.

Finally, you were able to slowly make yourself move backwards as your feet stumbled on themselves. You tried your best not to make any noise, not even risking breathing. You couldn't help your eyes from being glued to them.

"I-I know you. You're that guy we had to straighten out cause you and your partner were protesting Top Dollar's tenant relocation program. B-But you're supposed to be dead. We killed you, dead." Skank mumbled, slightly laughing in disbelief at the end.

This made you stop. Your body turning cold.

You knew exactly what he was talking about. Remember a few months before the attack, gathering other tenants to protest. But that wasn't what was making your nerves go wild.

It was who Skank was fighting with.

No. There was no way. He has to be talking about someone else.

You didn't even want to think of the possibility of seeing Eric again. Knowing that there was no possible way that could ever happen.

But why did he look so familiar? When you heard the strangers voice, deep down you knew.

"I guess not all things that die, stay dead." His voice was deep and raspy, showing off his classic sarcasm that reminded you of Eric before his death.

How could this be happening? There was no way that could be Eric. No way.

As your thoughts battled it out in your head as to if this was a dream or not, Skank began to laugh hysterically like he was losing his mind as well. Slowly starting to move his hand behind his back to retrieve the loaded gun resting on his waistband.

While you hadn't noticed, Eric did. Giving off an eerie smile before springing into action, darting right for Skank.

Not being quick enough as a gun shot ring out, causing you to let out a small shriek. Placing your hands upon your ears in an attempt to shelter them from the sharp pain booming through it. Dropping the wooden stick in the process. Closing your eyes to try and hid yourself, knowing fully well that it was useless.

Not being able to contain your breath anymore, you started to hyperventilate. Trying your best to get your breath under control but finding it almost impossible as it kept escaping you.

Not even realizing that the two men had turned their attention to you. Eric taking a second glance as he couldn't believe his eye. He was in complete disbelief that it was you standing right there. Eric assumed you died as well that night, seeing you there made his blood drain from his face.

As the pain in your ears started to die down, you slowly forced your eyes open. Blinking a few times before getting a clear picture as to what was going on. Seeing the two men wrestling to take control of the gun. Eric grabbing at Skank's face, trying to block his vision. Somehow Eric seemed completely fine for being just fired upon.

Was he hit at all? Was he hurt?

Panic fueling your body to run but when you looked at Eric, you knew that wasn't going to be possible.

Now you needed answers.

What was he doing here? How is he alive? How long has he been alive? A day? The whole year?

Not knowing if it was the sense of curiosity or the excitement of seeing Eric in the flesh that made your heart pound. Being completely convinced that this was all just a dream. 

Hearing another bang piercing through your ears once again, causing your body to flinch out of instinct. All this followed by a tight pressure coming from the side of your thigh. Even though it wasn’t painful, it was still enough to send your body to the cold ground. 

At first not realizing why until you began to see a pool of red liquid starting to collect underneath your leg. Knowing fully well now that you were Skank's target. Lucky for you, he has terrible aim. 

Hearing who you assumed to be Eric and Shank struggle against each other once again but you couldn't find the courage to look away from your wound.

Now feeling a strong burning sensation beginning to form on the right side of your thigh, pinpointing exactly where a bullet had ripped itself through your leg. Leaving a nickel sized hole in its place.

Quickly placing your hand on it, in an attempt to somehow ease the intense feeling that throbbed through your entire leg. Feeling a wet sticky substance slipping through your fingers.

Your body starting to jitter uncontrollably as darkness began to form around the edges of your vision. The world starting to go blurry around you.

A comforting hand suddenly resting on top of yours, causing you to jerk yourself back. Only for you to make eye contact with the worried gray eyes of Eric.

A sense of relief washing over you, a small smile resting on your lips. Quickly fading, when he applied a slight pressure to your injury, trying to stop the bleeding. Causing the pain to become more intense.

Your thoughts moving to Skank, hoping he was no longer a threat. You scanned the area, your sight landing on him running down the alleyway and disappearing as he rounded the corner of a building. Your vision starting to become more and more faint as you tried to focus.

You felt a gentle hand caressing your cheek, pulling your sight back to Eric.

"I need you to stay awake, y/n." You could hear the panic in Eric’s voice.

You tried to respond.

You wanted to tell him you were trying, that you missed him, that you loved him. Yet nothing but a slight whine came out.

The energy starting to leave your body as a dull ache started to form at the back of your head. Losing all control off your body as it went limp.

The darkness completely consuming your vision as your heart pounded.

Eventually not fighting it anymore and allowing sleep to take over as the world disappeared. The last thing you remembered was hearing Eric calling your name.