#I just thought having a skeleton in the library hallway would be nice

[latalpavolante]

It’s 2am and I can’t really tell if this screenshot needs an explanation or not.

[queenofcats17]

So, @blacktobackmesa shared a headcanon with me and it made me want to write it.

Have a lighter story!

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“Do you want me to cut your hair?”

The question caught Benrey off guard.

It was one of the rare days when Gordon had decided to spend some time with Benrey. Things were always rather awkward when Gordon decided to do this. Most of the time they just sat in silence, neither entirely sure what to say to the other. Sometimes they would wander the halls, looking at old puzzles or reading books from the library. They didn’t do this too often as it had the potential to awaken unpleasant memories.

They never went to that hallway. Although Gordon’s skeleton was gone, both of them still thought they could see it if they found themselves in that space.

Mostly they just stayed in the cave, trying and failing to make small talk. It was painfully awkward. Gordon would try to ask what Benrey had been up to, which would lead to Benrey drawing into himself, as he didn’t tend to do much and was usually alone. Benrey didn’t feel like he had the right to ask Gordon about his life, the life he had taken away from him for nearly a year.

So, Gordon tended to take the lead. Benrey was happy to just listen, especially when Gordon talked about Joshua. He liked seeing how Gordon’s entire being lit up when he talked about some silly thing Joshua had done.

He hadn’t expected Gordon to ask to do something for him. After all, why would Gordon want to do anything for him? He’d ruined Gordon’s life, leaving him with mental scars he’d probably carry until the day he died. He didn’t deserve to have anyone do anything for him. Not after all the pain he’d caused.

Benrey blinked. “Huh?”

“I said, do you want me to cut your hair?” Gordon repeated. “The long hair bothers you, right?”

“It...does,” Benrey conceded.

“So, do you want me to cut it?” Gordon asked again.

Benrey stared at him, trying to figure out why Gordon would be asking him this.

“It’s not a trap or anything,” Gordon said with a weak laugh. “I just thought maybe you’d like it.”

“I-I do,” Benrey replied quickly, lest Gordon think that he wasn’t interested. “I just...don’t get why.”

“Why what?”

“Why’re you offering?”

“I thought it would be...nice?” Gordon seemed genuinely confused by Benrey’s reaction. “I didn’t think it was that weird of a thing to ask.”

“I don’t...I don’t get why you’re bein’ nice to me,” Benrey clarified. “After all the stuff I did...why would you wanna be nice to me?”

“Oh.” Gordon let out a long exhale, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Look, I want us to be able to move forward. I want to help you move forward.”

“Why?”

“Because seeing you mope around like this makes me miserable too.” A hint of irritation entered Gordon’s voice. “I can’t move on if you’re still wallowing in the past.”

Benrey felt his face begin to grow warm with shame. “Oh. Yeah. That...That makes sense.”

“So, do you want me to cut your hair or not?” Gordon asked, folding his arms. He looked utterly exhausted.

“Yes, please.” Benrey nodded meekly.

Gordon smiled wearily. “Great. Let’s get going then.”

Gordon took him to the room with the scissors. It seemed the most logical choice, after all. Why try to find another sharp implement when they already knew where one was? Besides, Gordon didn’t really want to go hunting around the game, lest they run into locations with unsavory memories.

Before they went in, Benrey paused in front of the door to the room with the Benrey bear.

“Something wrong?” Gordon asked.

“Just...gimme a sec..” Benrey hurried off to the locker room, where he assumed the Gordon bear still was.

Sure enough, it was still in the locker labeled “Freeman”, leaning against the wall. Benrey gingerly picked it up, holding it out in front of him. He knew it was probably just him, but the bear almost seemed sad. 

“...Sorry about before,” Benrey whispered, hugging the bear to his chest. “I won’t hurt you again, I promise.”

He lingered for a moment or two longer before leaving the locker room and heading back to where Gordon was waiting. Gordon frowned slightly at the bear.

“Wanna put him with the other one...” Benrey mumbled. “They should be together.”

“But don’t you have to...?” Gordon trailed off, making a snipping motion with his fingers. 

Benrey shook his head, holding the bear tighter. “No. ‘M gonna...gonna make the basket bigger or something.”

Gordon’s expression softened. “That’s...sweet.”

“...Thanks.” Benrey ducked into the room with the Benrey bear.

Just like the Gordon bear, the Benrey bear was exactly where he remembered it being, sitting slightly slumped in its basket. Benrey sat it up a bit, placing the Gordon bear in its arms. As he wrapped the bigger bear’s arms around the smaller one, the Benrey bear’s paws seemed to stitch together, holding the Gordon bear tight to its chest.

Benrey was surprised but smiled slightly. Good. This was...good. Certainly better than before. Hopefully, it would stay like this.

Satisfied, he left the bear room, returning to where Gordon was waiting.

“You ready?” Gordon asked.

Benrey nodded and the two of them headed into the scissors room.

Like with the bear room, it was exactly as Benrey remembered. Gordon gestured for Benrey to sit beside the table with the scissors, which Benrey tentatively did. Gordon took up position behind him, picking up the scissors and beginning to cut away at the ends of Benrey’s waterfall of hair.

“I haven’t cut a lot of hair so, uh, I’m sorry if this turns out ugly,” Gordon said.

“‘S fine,” Benrey replied.

Neither of them said anything after that, the only sounds in the room being the snipping of the scissors and the clank of the chain as Gordon moved the scissors.

In the past, this sort of silence would have made Benrey uncomfortable. In the past, it would have been a reminder of how awkward things were between him and Gordon, how much he’d ruined their friendship. But right now...Right now it was just...nice. It was comfortable.

It felt like trust.

And, of course, there was something to be said about letting someone get close to your neck with something sharp. Not that the scissors could do anything to him, especially not like this.

As time went on, more and more of Benrey’s hair fell to the floor, bringing Gordon closer and closer to Benrey’s neck.

When Gordon was right behind him, close enough that Benrey could feel Gordon’s breath on the back of his neck, Benrey finally spoke, giving voice to a question he’d been wondering for a long time now.

“Are we still friends?” His voice was small, fearful. He thought he knew what the answer would be, but he hoped it would be different.

Gordon paused, letting out a long exhale. “I...I don’t know,” he finally said after what felt like an agonizingly long time. “I don’t know, man.”

Benrey had expected this response, but once again, like everything else, it didn’t make it hurt any less.

“Like I said before, I want to move forward,” Gordon continued. “I don’t want this to haunt us for the rest of, like, forever. But…” He trailed off.

“How do we move forward from something like this?” Benrey finished.

“Yeah. Exactly.” Gordon nodded. “I don’t think we’re ever going to be friends the way we were before. I don’t forgive you for what you did and I don’t know if I ever will. But...” He let out another exhale. “I want to help you be a new version of yourself. Show you that you can make choices about who you can be now. You don’t have to be the person you were before. The one who did those things. You can change.” He put his hands on Benrey’s shoulders. “We both can.”

Benrey instinctively put his hand on Gordon’s. Gordon didn’t pull away.

“Things are never going to be the way they were,” Gordon said. “But they can be better. We can be better.”

Benrey didn’t say anything, but he did give a slight nod of acknowledgment. He knew Gordon was right, but there was still something...scary about the idea of moving on. What if he did something awful again? What if he hurt his friends even worse than he had before? He didn’t trust himself to make those decisions anymore.

It felt...safe to wallow in his misery, to punish himself for his wrongdoings.

“Is this a good length or do you want it shorter?” Gordon’s question drew him back to reality.

“Uh...” Benrey felt at his hair. It came down to about his chin, still floating around him as though he were underwater. “Maybe a little shorter. If that’s okay.”

“Okay.” Gordon went back to cutting, removing his hands from Benrey’s shoulders to do so.

Benrey allowed his own hands to fall in his lap, letting his mind drift back to their situation.

There was no magic button that would fix everything, no miracle that would erase all the trauma and pain they’d gone through. Even now that everything had been set right, or as right as it could be, it wasn’t completely okay. But that didn’t mean it would be like this forever.

Things could get better. And they would.

They just had to keep working at it.

[strangeinternetwasteland]

Imprint- Werewolf Bakugo x Fem! Reader Pt 1

A/N: I wrote this for @chaoticyuna and her summerween event which can be found here …this probably will be a multipart series…

WC: 1.7k

Warnings: None really this part is pretty SFW

There were always stories about your college UA. The ghosts that moaned and haunted the hallways, the skeletons they found buried deep beneath the school, the vampires that roamed openly on campus at night. None were ever as exaggerated as the tale of the werewolf that runs through the forest at night.

Of course, you didn’t believe any of this. The closest thing to ghosts or vampires were the pale-faced, sleep-deprived students you attended the school with. The fact that wolves even lived in the forest around the school seemed absurd. So when you started your first year at UA, the seniors would try to scare the freshmen.

You never gave in nor did you believe the stories. So when you decided to join a sorority, of course your initiation was to spend a night in the forest. Honestly, it was pathetic that so many gave into the stories like this. You refused to do such an act and were not accepted into the Sorority.

You tried again with another sorority that seemed to align with your ideals concerning the “supernatural” existence of beings. Your initiation was similar to the other sorority, only you had to go to the forest on a full moon and spend the whole night there. To you it wasn’t anything, you’d been camping many times with your family since you were little. One night wouldn’t hurt.

So you packed your sleeping bag, a few snacks, water, and some extra clothes. The warmth of the fall day gave false hope. You had checked the weather and made sure that it wasn’t going to be raining that night or extraordinarily cold. Everything seemed to have been perfect.

After dinner, you took your stuff and ventured off into the forest. You found a nice clearing not too long after the sun had just set, just before it became too dark to see. You set up camp, built a fire, and let your thoughts take you wherever they pleased while looking under the starry sky. You had drifted off to sleep fairly quickly.

A few hours later, you were awoken by the sound of a low growl of a wolf. The sound meant danger, and even in your half-sleeping state, you knew something was wrong. You quietly, and quickly tried to pack your things without attracting too much attention, you backed up slowly and felt yourself press up against something soft. You held your breath as you slowly turned to face a massive carmel colored wolf with red eyes. The last thought you had before everything turned cold and dark was, ‘I am going to die here, but why does he look sort of humane?’

You woke up just after the sun rose, in a cold sweat. Unsure if you dreamt of the giant wolf, or if it really happened. You argued with yourself while you packed up your things, but a feeling of uneasiness settled over you, almost as if you were being watched. You shook it off and chalked it up to your imagination. You walked back to the sorority house and reported your finding of nothing.

The next two weeks passed quickly, without much of anything happening. You were part of the Sorority, participating in house parties, thinking of charity events, and of course school. It was almost two months into school when you got a new student in your business marketing class, which was normally not a thing that happened often. When he entered the room all the girls in class stared at him. He oozed confidence and cockiness. Whispers were murmured amongst the girls.

When you looked up to see the commotion, you saw him walking toward you. Something about his stance and aura made you not want to make eye contact with him.

“Is this seat taken?” He asked you gruffly while pointing to the one directly next to you. You shook your head no, and kept your head down and gaze averted.

“I’m Katsuki Bakugo.” He told you while holding his hand out to you. You really wanted to look at him, but everything inside you screamed not to. You ignored him as best as you could, but your interaction  made the whole classroom whisper again.

“Alright, everyone settle down. Today’s assignment and your homework is to create a business model that you think would have sustainable growth in a five year model. You will be working with a partner. You have two weeks to complete this and present it to the class.” You swore you saw all the girls' eyes glued to Bakugo as the professor spoke.

“Bakugo, since you’re new to this class, I will let you pick your partner first.” The Professor said, but all the girls sat up a little straighter trying to get Bakugo’s attention. “I advise you though, that just because you are starting so late, I won’t make any excuse for you not to get your work done. You have quite a bit to catch up on.” He continued.

You saw Bakugo give a sly grin when the Professor said this. He nodded his head curtly.

“I choose Y/N as my partner for this assignment.” Bakugo spoke aloud, and you saw all the girls in the room deflate a little bit. You didn’t know Bakugo so how did he know you? You thought to yourself.  When you looked at him after he spoke, for the first time since he entered the room, something about him seemed so familiar. His eyes softened a bit as you looked at one another before he tore his eyes away from you. You felt his whole mood shift from confident to anger. You couldn’t explain it, but you knew something was off with Bakugo.

After everyone was partnered up, and you heard a few quips from the other females about how unfair it was that Bakugo picked you, the two of you were set off to work. As uncomfortable as Bakugo seemed with you, or the classroom, he had a lot of ideas for the assignment. Just before class the two of you exchanged numbers and planned to meet at the library tomorrow night.

Every other night you and Bakugo spent time at the library together until close. He always seemed very tense when around you, and you thought perhaps, it was just your personality that he didn’t like. He’d walk you to your dorm or sorority house when needed. The night before your presentation to the class, you were supposed to meet him, but he never showed up.

You walked around the school looking for him. You caught up with one of his friends Kirishima, who told you that Bakugo wasn’t feeling well. You thanked Kirishima, and gave him a message for Bakugo. You noticed that it was a full moon, and a cool fall night. You walked toward the forest where you felt most at peace. As you felt the cool crisp air biting at your cheeks, and feel your troubles melt away, you walked aimlessly.

Suddenly, you were in the darkest part of the forest, where very little moonlight filtered through the trees. You felt that uneasiness once again, and realized you were lost. Behind you, you heard a branch crack and break. Your heartbeat raced and you realized that you heard a low, warning growl from a wolf. This time you knew you weren’t dreaming.

In front of you was a snarling shadow with the bluest eyes you’d ever seen. You were shaking from adrenaline and while you should have ran away, you heard the gruffest, “Don’t Move” inside your head. So you obeyed. From above you lept a lighter colored wolf, who placed himself in front of you.

The two snarled at one another for a bit, but seemed to be communicating somehow. The sight was incredible and unbelievable. When the other wolf left without your legs gave out and you fainted once again.

When you woke you were surrounded with the feeling of warm fur, and the smell of carmel that pulled you back into sleep. You didn’t dream of anything more, but hours later you woke up in a fit, and inside your dorm. When you exited your dorm to rush to class, you were greeted by Bakugo.

“Hey, Y/N. Are you okay?” You eyed him suspiciously, he wasn’t as tense as he normally was.

“I am fine. I’ve just had nightmares as of late.” You snapped at him.

“Alright.” He said nonchalantly. The truth was you had a million questions for him, but you knew you couldn’t ask him.

“I meant, last night, I found you passed out in front of your dorm when I was walking back from the store.” He told you. You opened your mouth and then closed it.

“You know what? I don’t need this fake sympathy from you. Let’s do this stupid presentation and then we will never have to speak again.” You shouted at him.

He fell behind you as you walked as quickly as you could to the classroom. You both gave your presentation and ignored Bakugo as best as you could for the rest of class.

After class, you were the first one out and ran straight back to your dorm. You turned off your phone and fell asleep for the rest of the day. Your dorm mates Momo, Mina, and Ochako came and went.  Mina, whom you shared a room with, asked you if you wanted to join them. You told her no, and she knew that sometimes all you needed was space, gave you a head pat and left.

When they all left you were able to sleep again and at one point you swore you heard a knock at the door, but ignored it and everyone for the rest of the day. When you turned your phone on the next day, you saw the 5 missed phone calls from Bakugo. You were angry looking at that. The long apologetic text message didn’t seem to help either, nor did the box of Flamin’ hot Cheetos, which you assumed was Mina. However, you spotted the little note scribbled on top from Bakugo, you sat down angrily on the couch in the common area between your room and the other one, and ate the chips angrily. You were determined to ignore Bakugo for as long as possible.

[carelesscreativity]

Bad Guy Poly (Focus on Uncorrupted!Nightmare) For ZellAlmasy: Commission For Ko-Fi

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(SFW, Fluff)

He was back in the castle again. This place felt familiar, yet Nightmare didn’t recognize it at all. He held his book against his chest. He’d been here a couple times before. He could only assume it was a recurring dream. He never saw his brother. He’d JUST fallen asleep next to Dream, using the cape he’d made as a blanket and both of them sheltered by the branches on the Tree of Feelings.

Now, he was in a magnificent library. Bathed in moonlight from one huge window. It was beautiful here. He’d woken up on the couch, a book in his lap. He’d recognized it, being one that he often read to Dream. He was holding it because it was familiar to him. He moved over to the window uncertainly, staring up at the moon. He never got to see it like this. It was so beautiful.

He raised a bony hand and pressed it up against the glass. It was cold and he was able to see his breath against the clear surface. “Boss?” He jumped as a voice spoke and he turned, his eyes wide. He blinked. He did recognize this skeleton from past dreams. It was Cross. The other stared at him with wide, mismatched eyes. “Oh...” Nightmare tipped his head.

“You were looking for your boss last time I was here... did you not find him?” His question was soft and Cross seemed taken back. He stuttered for a moment that he had found him, but now he had disappeared again. Nightmare furrowed his brow. “Does he do that often?” Cross shook his head. He murmured that he only did it once in a while. Nightmare nodded before gripping the book a little tighter and murmuring that it was nice to see him again.

Cross’ cheeks tinted purple and he nodded, murmuring that it was nice to see him too. Nightmare gave a tiny little shiver and turned back to the window, quietly hoping Cross hadn’t noticed. Unfortunately for him, Cross was a trained soldier, who’d immediately noticed the small movement. “Are you cold?” Cross asked as he came around the couch and moved up to stare out the window with Nightmare.

Nightmare felt a soft heat rise to his own face as he stubbornly muttered that he wasn’t. Cross glanced at him before nodding. He blinked and reached out to Nightmare. Immediately, Nightmare flinched away. Cross stared at him with wide eyes. Nightmare shook and apologized quietly. Cross gulped and spoke in a strangled voice that he shouldn’t have just reached out without telling him.

He sounded upset and Nightmare momentarily feared that he’d made Cross angry. He’d never seen any of them angry towards him. In a way, it relieved him because most of them seemed a little unhinged, but none of them ever showed any kind of resentment towards him. “I’m not mad at you.” He blinked as Cross spoke. “I’m mad at whoever caused you to react like that.”

Nightmare blinked and gave a quiet nod, feeling a little bit of relief in his sore soul. There was another shuffle and a soft scoff. Nightmare could tell who it was immediately. He turned with wide eyes as Killer came around the other side of the couch. “Hello, little moon. It’s been a while since you were here.” His raspy voice was quiet and his target soul seemed to shift upon seeing Nightmare.

White-ringed eyelights were appearing and his crooked grin was warm. Nightmare blushed and ducked his head as he quietly greeted Killer. “Cross, can you fetch everyone else?” Cross nodded and turned, teleporting away. Killer sighed and stared at Nightmare. “Look at you...” He sounded smitten and it only flustered Nightmare more. Nightmare jumped as the castle gave a small rattle.

Immediately, the prince moved against Killer, unsure of what was going on. Killer wrapped an arm around him, seeming instinctive. “Seems like Dust is having a hard time again.” Killer noted. He was warm and Nightmare momentarily wanted to bury himself against him. He resisted the urge, not wanting to appear weak, no matter how many times they’d told him it was okay.

The first to appear was Error, a fizzling portal opening and dropping the glitch onto the couch. He sighed quietly. Nightmare lit up at the sight of him as Error’s portal closed. Error raised his eyes and his perpetual frown seemed to soften at the sight of Nightmare. “H-H-Hey...” Nightmare gave a small greeting in return. He liked sitting with Error, since the other would show him string tricks that he could wake up and show Dream.

There was a scraping noise from the hallway and Nightmare backed against Killer again. The noise came into library, echoing around before Horror appeared with his axe. He had his hand dug deep into his head wound and Killer immediately moved away from Nightmare, heading over to Horror. “Hey, hey. You ain’t supposed to do that anymore.” Killer reminded the broken skeleton quietly.

The castle rattled again and Nightmare inhaled sharply. Error took notice and held out his hand. Nightmare paused. “B-But your haphephobia...” He said softly, not wanting to trigger anything. Error murmured that he’d gotten better since the last time he’d seen him. Nightmare wasn’t sure and he hesitantly reached out, slipping his hand into Error’s. “Y-Y-You’re cold.” The glitch noted, a brow raising. Nightmare immediately became stubborn once more.

“I’m NOT.” He insisted. Error fixed him with a flat look and Nightmare huffed. Error rolled his eyes and shrugged, pulling him over so Nightmare was sitting next to him on the couch. Killer was bringing Horror around, carrying his axe for him. The broken skeleton was trembling, not doing well with the rattling castle. Nightmare set down his book and reached out to Horror.

The other stared at him before slowly sitting down and pressing his cheek into Nightmare’s hand. Nightmare reached up and began to gently rub Horror’s head wound. The broken skeleton immediately whimpered, tipping his head so Nightmare could reach it easier. “You’re okay, Horror.” Killer murmured next to him, helping the other lean against the back of the couch. Nightmare echoed him softly.

He shivered again, scrunching up his shoulders and he heard Error sigh. A portal was heard opening and closing before something warm was draped over his shoulders. A bright blue blanket. Nightmare blushed and turned to look at Error. “But I’m not-”

“Y-Y-Y-You are, you stubborn prince.” Error muttered, gently flicking his nose. Nightmare whined. He was cut off as he felt teeth gently press against his. He was wide-eyed as Error pulled away. “I t-t-told you. My haphephobia’s gotten a lot better...” Error murmured, his own cheeks a little blue. Nightmare gave a flustered nod. Error hadn’t been able to do that last time.

“Hey, if Glitchy gets one, so do we.” Killer said, chuckling as he sat against the arm of the couch. Nightmare blushed and scrunched up his shoulders. He huffed a little.

“I’m not moving.” He said stubbornly. He jumped as Killer moved in front of him, grinning. He murmured that that was fine with him before cupping Nightmare’s cheek and pulling him into a kiss. Killer was a little more forceful with his kisses and it always made Nightmare’s soul jump a little. He reached up, wrapping his arms around Killer’s neck as he pressed back.

He pulled back and Killer gave him a gentle nudge. He glanced over and gave a crooked grin. “What? Jealous?” Nightmare jumped and looked over at Error, who’d been watching them with a bright blue face. He quickly snapped that he wasn’t, looking away. Killer reached out, smiling as Nightmare unhooked his arms from his neck. Error glared at Killer before taking his hand and glitching in embarrassment as Killer pressed a kiss to his knuckles.

Nightmare gave a weak smile. He jumped as he felt his crown shift and turned to look at Horror, who pulled his hands back with a quiet apology. “Sorry... was crooked...” He reached up towards his own head again and Nightmare gently caught his hand, assuring him it was okay. Horror stared at him before blushing and nodding quietly. Nightmare felt his soul melt a little and he leaned up, gently pecking Horror’s cheek.

The broken skeleton made a soft noise, scrunching himself up in embarrassment. Nightmare smiled. He thought it was cute. He jumped as the last two appeared. The library shook as magic crackled along Dust’s body. He was panting, hunched over and leaning heavily against Cross. His eyes were dangerously bright as he kept whispering. Cross was injured and Nightmare got up from the couch, Killer quickly moving as well.

Killer pulled Cross away from Dust for a moment, leaving the hooded skeleton to stumble. Killer was checking over Cross, who breathlessly insisting that he was fine and kept trying to push him away. Killer had to kiss him to shut him up, flushing Cross’ face purple. Nightmare turned his attention to Dust. He was hesitant. He knew Dust’s freakouts were bad and he’d only seen one before.

It had shocked him awake when Dust had touched him and the next time he’d appeared here, Dust couldn’t look him in the face. It took two more visits to assure the hooded skeleton that he could touch Nightmare again. Dust seemed to see him and flinched back, feverishly whispering that Nightmare shouldn’t touch him. He was twitching badly.

He screwed his eyes shut and held his hands up to his head. “Dust. Dust, please come here.” He’d been learning healing magic just for him. The hooded skeleton seemed wary and uncertain. He gulped and shook his head again. “Okay, then don’t move. But I’m coming over to you then.” Nightmare was firm as he spoke. Dust could only whimper in response and it made Nightmare hurt.

He moved over and reached up, able to feel the magic crackling around Dust’s bones. His hands lit up purple and he slipped them under Dust’s hood, gently placing them on either side of the other’s head. Immediately, Dust’s eyes widened and he slowly dropped to his knees, raising his hands to keep Nightmare’s pressed to his skull. “It’s okay...” Nightmare murmured quietly.

He pressed his teeth to the top of Dust’s head. Dust’s breathing was off and he inhaled shakily. “It’s okay...” Nightmare assured him again. He kept sending soothing pulses through the other. Dust inhaled quietly, leaning forward and burying his face against Nightmare’s tunic, weakly hugging him. The prince stared down at him. Dust seemed subdued and Nightmare carefully pulled his hands away.

He managed to get Dust to his feet, asking if he was okay. Dust nodded weakly, thanking him in his jumbled, deep voice. Nightmare smiled and Dust’s cheeks flushed purple. Nightmare heard a scoff and looked over at Killer and Cross. Both of them were staring at him with pride or awe and the attention made Nightmare flustered as he looked away. He reached out to Dust, knowing he liked to cuddle with Horror the most.

He gently took Dust’s sleeve and pulled him along, the other stumbling behind him. Nightmare led him to the couch and Horror lit up as he saw Dust. Dust nuzzled Nightmare in thanks before sitting down and leaning against Horror. Horror let out a rusty-sounding purr. There was a soft exclaimation and Nightmare looked up. His face flushed as he watched Killer deeply kissing Cross.

He couldn’t help but stare and Cross seemed to notice him through his daze, lighting up purple and avoiding his gaze. Killer blinked and glanced back at Nightmare, only to give a crooked grin. “What? You want in, little moon?” Nightmare squeaked and looked away, scrunching up his shoulders. He shivered again and Cross sighed. He moved away from Killer after a soft nudge and came over to Nightmare.

He took off his jacket and wrapped the fluffy garment around the small prince. “I’m not-” He was cut off again as Cross gently pecked his teeth, rubbing his cheek. He studied him with a warm look.

“You are cold.” He said softly. Nightmare puffed out his cheeks and looked down. He noticed everyone staring and went dark purple, trying to hide in Cross’ coat. Cross went over and sat on the floor, leaning against the side of the couch where Error was, laying his head back against the other. Error didn’t seem to mind. Killer came up last, hugging Nightmare from behind.

“It’s so rare we see you. And just like last time...” He gently pressed his teeth to the back of Nightmare’s neck. “I want to remind you that you are loved here. By all of us. Even if SOME of us won’t admit it.” He pointedly looked over at Error and Cross, both of them flushing their respective colors and looking away. Nightmare gave a weak smile. “You are loved, little moon.”

They were all staring at him fondly, all of them bathed in moonlight. It made Nightmare’s soul feel warm. He scrunched up his shoulders and murmured in a quiet voice that he knew. He gave another soft smile. “I love you all too.”

[one-small-nightmare]

One Small Nightmare

Based on One Small Dream by @calcium-cat

Chapter 3

A few seconds of silence passed by. The younger version of nightmare blinked and finally spoke. “who.....WHO ARE YOU GUYS?!? W-WHAT IS THIS PLACE.” He pointed at them and then saw his hand “w-wait why is my hand.....” He looked at the rest of his body. “Wait why am I covered in black goo?!? W-what did you guys do to me!?!” “W-we didn’t do anything! Don’t you remember me nightmare?? It’s me, Dream.”

“D-dream....?” The goopy skeleton said. “Yeah it’s me! Don’t you remember?” Dream replied. “You do look like my brother, but how can I be sure that your not pretending to be him?!?” Nightmare crossed his arms. “B-besides he’s not a grown up yet.” Dream tried to think what he should say. He decided to say some of the truth but if he said all of it maybe it would be too much right now. “Well s-something happened that made me a grown up...” Dream Lied about that part. “And why your all goopy is because back at the village...you were guarding our tree because I was doing something else....and then the villagers came....they...cut down the tree and you tried to save an apple but...it was corrupted and you...ate it...” Nightmare looked at Dream with some tears starting to form. “I-I ate......it?” Nightmare asked. Dream nodded with a sad expression. “then you....scared the villagers away and I tried to stop you...but-“ Dream was cut off by Nightmare starting to cry. “D-Dream *sniff* I *hic*...I’m...I’m sorry!“ Nightmare said while crying. He went over and hugged Dream tightly, his tentacles subconsciously curling themselves around them. Dream looked down at nightmare a little bit surprised but then smiled. “Nightmare it’s ok! I forgive you” Dream said with a smile. “Y-you do..?” Nightmare asked. “Of course I do!” Dream said while hugging nightmare. Nightmare wiped his tears. “*sniff* O-ok.....so then where are we.....” Nightmare asked. “We’re at....uh....our new home! With two of my friends..” Dream replied. Nightmare looked at blue and ink. Blue waved while smiling. Ink seemed to still be processing what just happened. “I don’t trust them.........” he finally said. “Don’t worry they’re good! They won’t hurt you!” Dream responded. Nightmare still looked unsure of the other two. Dream spoke “You can..um..stay in my room!” “Ok..” Nightmare replied. Night,are got of the sofa and went over to Dream. He hid behind Dream and looked at Blue and ink. He then followed Dream to his room.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting that to happen...” Blue said. “Right Ink? ........Ink?” Blue looked at Ink. Ink was still staring unblinkingly. “iiinkk” Blue waved his hand in front of Ink’s face. “INK!” blue shouted. “HUH, WHAT, WHERES THE FIRE- oh” Ink said. “You were kind of zoned out” blue told him. “Oh...wait where did nightmare and dream go?” Ink asked. “They went to Dream’s room. Nightmare doesn’t seem to trust us though.” Blue responded. “Then again he hasn’t met us before so we just need to get him warmed up to us!”

Nightmare hurried to catch up to dream, his head hurt and he couldn’t remember much for some reason. Maybe he had a bad headache? “M-my head hurts.......” Nightmare finally said to Dream. “Don’t worry, You can rest in our new bedroom!” Dream replied. They walked down the hallway until they reached a white door with yellow star stickers on it. Dream opened the door and let nightmare go in first. Nightmare slowly stepped into the room looking around as Dream turned the lights on. The room was painted gold and white with a sun and moon glow in the dark sticker on the ceiling surrounded by star stickers that also glowed. He went over to the bed and sat on it, leaning on one of the pillows. “S-so you said your head hurts..?” Dream asked. “It does but I guess it’s not as bad right now. It hurts more when I try to think back on what happened before you found me. But I can’t remember anything from there......” Nightmare responded. “It’s ok, atleast we found you! And your not hurt apart from I guess a headache.”

Dream replied “I guess, but this is all really new. I don’t even know what these things do.” Nightmare lifted up one of his tentacles which where moving around by themselves. “And now I’m also covered in some weird goo and there’s two new monsters here. I thought we were the only skeletons in the village.”

“W-well I saw them one day and they’re nice and we became friends. You don’t have to worry about them!” Dream responded. “I still don’t really trust them...” Nightmare said. Dream walked over to the bed and sat next to Nightmare. Nightmare leaned on Dream. Dream had a slight smile.

Dream opened his phone and texted the star sans group chat. Hey blue, can you make some lunch for all of us including nightmare? Then he quickly added to the text Something EDIBLE. He turned off his phone and looked at his brother, who had fallen asleep. He gently placed laid his brother under the sheets and quietly walked over the door. He turned of the lights, the stickers glowed as Dream silently closed the door.

About an hour passed. Nightmare was thrashing around in the bed. A loud noise had waken him up earlier. He didn’t see Dream anywhere so he tried to go back to sleep but was unable to. He was bored anyways so he decided to get up and explore.

He opened the door a crack to see if anyone was infront of it. No one was there so he opened the rest of the door slowly and stepped outside. He found himself in the corner of the hallway. There were two ways he could go, forward and right. He decided to go forward. The hallway was pretty long with some locked doors until he found a big door. He decided to open it to see what was there, and there was a small library section there. It looked so cool!

He went inside and saw a ladder. It was hard to push but he was strong! He pushed it over to a section of a bookshelf filled with many colorful books. He climbed up the ladder as it wobbled slightly and looked through the books. He saw a book called The Moon and Sun and decided to take it along with two other colorful books. He climbed down and went to go back to the bedroom when he heard a sound coming from the other part of the hallway that he didn’t go to. Whatever was happening over there must’ve been what woke him up in the first place. He decided to leave the books on the bed and then go and investigate. He peeked from a corner and saw one of the skeletons that Dream said were some of his friends. The skeleton was wearing a short blue scarf and had blue eye lights. It looked like he was cooking something. He looked around the room until he found a skeleton with a stain on his cheek bone looking directly at him. “AAAAAH-“ Nightmare yelped while stepping back. “Hey there, Don’t be afraid!” The skeleton responded with a slight worried expression but also slightly smiling. “Ink, remember! He’s not used to us yet.” The other skeleton yelled. Nightmare ran away to him and his brother’s bedroom and closed the door. He could hear some muffled voices as he sat on the bed and turned a lamp on. He didn’t trust those skeletons, he would’ve stood his ground and been brave. It’s just that they caught him off guard is all.

He heard the bedroom door open and braced himself. He then realized that it was just his brother coming in. “Dream!” Nightmare ran over to him hugging his leg. Dream smiled. “Lunch is ready!” Dream said.

“Lunch?” Nightmare asked while looking up at Dream. “Yeah! One of my friends prepared lunch for all of us!” Dream replied.

“O-oh. I saw them earlier, one of them spoke to me.” Nightmare said. “Oh yeah, Ink said that he saw you and said hi but then you ran away.” Dream responded.

Nightmare became a bit embarrassed. “W-Well they just scared me a little bit is all. I-I wasn’t expecting him to talk to me all of a sudden.”

“Well, come on! Let’s go eat lunch!” Dream said. “O-ok..” nightmare said with a bit of an unsure expression.

He followed Dream to the dining room where the other two skeletons were waiting. The one with the blue scarf waved at him. The other one named Ink smiled at him. He sat down as Dream handed him a sandwich for lunch with a cup of orange juice. “Thank you...” he said to his brother.

Dream sat down and they began to eat. Nightmare took a bite out of the sandwhich. It was good! Then the skeleton with the blue scarf spoke to him. “Hi there!”

“H-hi..” Nightmare shyly replied. “My names blue! I made lunch for us. And this is ink, he’s the one who spoke to you earlier.” Blue said. Ink waved and then spoke. “Sorry if I scared you!”

“I-it’s ok...” Nightmare said. “I just wasn’t expecting-“ he was interrupted by him sneezing. “Bless you!” Everyone said. Nightmare was a bit embarrassed. He also coughed a little bit and sneezed again. His nose was getting stuffy. “Nightmare are you ok?” Dream asked worriedly. “I-I...I’m not sure....” nightmare felt a bit dizzy.

“Nightmare? Nightmare!” He heard dreams voice say as it faded away and he passed out.

This one is a bit of a long one but I finished it! Hope you guys enjoy :3

Also remember to go check out one small Dream!!

Previous Chapter ( 2 )

[jacquihyde]

Nighthawks

It’s a cold winter in Gotham, and the long nights provide a perfect backdrop for mysterious, dangerous occurrences on the campus of Gotham University. Tim Drake believes that the case will be open-and-shut, but combined with the weight of the secrets he is keeping from his family, his boyfriend, and himself, the skeletons in the university’s closet may succeed in drawing him too close.

Part 3: The Only Ones Left In The World

Bernard had his own room at Tim’s apartment, but he had fallen asleep in Tim’s own room the first night that he moved in and hadn’t gone back since. It had gotten to the point that Tim’s bed felt empty without him. 

It was empty now. Bernard was at Gotham University studying while Tim continued to investigate the strange events occurring on campus. Scouring social media had told him that there had been a few more sightings of shadows, strange feelings, even apparitions. At least one person had ended up with a handprint mark like Mikaela’s somewhere on their body.

Tim put a hand to his own neck, imagining it. It was cold, but not frostbite cold. Not leave a lasting scar cold. 

Tim spotted movement at the door and glanced up, seeing Bernard silhouetted in the yellow light spilling out of the hallway. “Hey,” he said.

“You’re home earlier than I thought,” Tim said.

Bernard groaned. “I could not do those readings anymore.” He flopped dramatically onto the bed, and Tim tried not to flinch. “What are you up to?”

Tim shuffled over slightly. “You remember the thing with Mikaela?”

Bernard nodded. “You’re looking into that?”

“Yeah,” Tim said. “Not getting much, though. Have you seen anything weird happening on campus?”

Bernard leaned back against the pillows. “Oh, there were some people LARPing The Princess Bride in front of the library when I was leaving. That was a little strange.”

Tim grinned. “Weird like supernatural weird.”

Bernard shrugged. “I mean, there’s always rumors,” he said. “Some people think there are secret tunnels under the school, but I think that pretty much every college has that rumor. And the frats can get kind of crazy with hazing, they’re always telling stories...oh, speaking of frats.”

“This can’t be good.” 

Bernard laughed. “I got invited to an Omega Chi Omega party on Friday, and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me.”

“Weren’t you telling me that Omega Chi Omega is kind of insane?”

“Yeah, and I want to experience it. Come on, it’s college. I like parties.” Bernard leaned closer to Tim. “And I like you.”

Tim sat up straighter. “You said it was rush week,” he said. “Are you pledging?”

“Fuck no,” Bernard said. “But I think it’s funny that I got invited to this party like they thought I was going to.” He shot a questioning glance at Tim’s laptop. “Hey, don’t you usually work downstairs?”

Tim shrugged. “I’m tired.”

Bernard raised his eyebrows. “Are you?”

Tim was tired. Among other things. “Yes,” he said. He turned back to his laptop. “Um, do you -”

“Hey, what’s that on your shirt?”

Tim knew without having to look that he’d started bleeding again. “Oh,” he said, glancing down anyway. A steadily-growing spot of bright red had appeared on his side, standing out against his light gray shirt. “Um, I was stabbed.”

Bernard was staring at him with wide eyes. “I’m sorry, you were stabbed?”

“Lightly stabbed,” Tim said.

“Oh, lightly stabbed. That’s so much better.” 

“It is, though!” Tim said. “It didn’t hit anything vital. I won’t even need stitches.” 

“Yeah, sure,” Bernard said. “Where do you keep first aid kits, again? I know you have at least twelve stashed around here.”

Tim sighed. He knew when to give up. “There’s one under the bed.” 

Bernard disappeared underneath the bed. “Take your shirt off,” he said, his voice muffled.

“As you wish,” Tim said. He heard Bernard laugh and couldn’t help but smile. It turned into a pained hiss as he twisted to remove his t-shirt.

“Shit,” Bernard said. “Here, let me…” Tim heard a thunk as he tossed the first aid kit onto the bed, then Bernard’s hands were on his skin, helping him take off the shirt. Tim could feel Bernard’s stare at the wound like it was another scar. “Did you even do anything to treat it?”

“I did!” Tim protested weakly.

“Like what? What did you do?”

“Waited for it to stop bleeding and then tried not to move,” Tim admitted.

Bernard glared at him. “Wrong answer.”

“I promise that it had stopped bleeding,” Tim said. “I don’t know what happened.” Bernard took out his phone, typing something. “What are you doing?” Tim asked.

“Googling how to treat a stab wound,” Bernard said.

“Wow,” Tim said. “I’m glad I’m in such safe hands.”

“Sorry that my neuroscience homework didn’t prepare me for treating my boyfriend’s ‘light stab wound’,” Bernard said. “Okay, so this is going to sting a bit.”

Tim braced himself, but still winced at the feeling of antiseptic against his skin. “It’s not that deep,” Bernard said. “And it’s pretty clean, considering...what you do. Who was it, anyway? It wasn’t…”

“It was not one of my brothers,” Tim affirmed. “We’re past that. Um, it was a gang fight that I got in the middle of. Red Hood went after them, B made me go home.” 

“Good,” Bernard said. The cold of the antiseptic was gone, followed by mild pressure. “So you’ve been doing this for how long?” he asked, quieter this time.

“Since I was thirteen,” Tim said. 

“Hm,” Bernard said. “And how many stab wounds have you had?” 

His tone was humorous, but Bernard would have to be a stranger for Tim not to notice the darker tone lurking underneath his words. “Not too many, I promise,” Tim said. 

“I think we might have different definitions of ‘not too many’.” 

Bernard brushed his fingers against another scar on Tim’s abdomen, then another, then another. Tim caught his hand, bringing it up to his lips. “I’m okay,” he murmured. 

Bernard finally finished applying the bandages and sat back up, his lips just a breath away from Tim’s. “I know you are,” he said softly.

Tim leaned in to kiss him, and they didn’t talk for a while after that.

Apparently Bernard was serious about the frat party. Tim didn’t quite believe him until they were on Gotham U’s campus, standing in front of a brightly lit house. Loud music and laughter spilled out of the open windows and door. It looked like something out of a bad movie. He turned to Bernard to tell him that when suddenly the door slammed open, two guys dashing outside. They stopped short upon seeing Bernard and Tim. “Bernard!” one yelled, then turned to his friend. “This is the guy I was telling you about. You know, my chem lab partner. Super cool.”

“Oh, you’re Bernard,” the other dude said. He was taller, a Gotham University cap sitting sideways on his head. “Nice to meet you. My name’s Chad.” Of course it is, Tim thought. 

“Nice to meet you too. And nice seeing you, Zac,” Bernard said. “Um, this is my boyfriend Tim.”

Zac narrowed his eyes at Tim. “Do I know you?” he asked. “You look really familiar.”

“Um,” Tim said. 

“Holy shit, you’re Tim Drake-Wayne,” Chad interrupted. He looked over at Zac. “Did you know he was dating Tim Drake-Wayne?”

“Dude, no,” Zac said. “That’s so cool, bro.”

“Um, thanks,” Bernard said. “I think so too. I think we’re going to head inside -”

“Oh!” Chad said. “Before you go in, just make sure to steer clear of the basement. We’ve locked it up for a reason, you know?”

Bernard raised his eyebrows. “...Okay,” he said. He took Tim’s hand and the two of them headed into the house. They almost immediately met crowds of people — sitting on the stairs, dancing in the living room, drinking in the kitchen. Bernard had told him that Omega Chi Omega threw some of the biggest parties on campus. Tim definitely believed him. 

“They were interesting,” Tim said.

“Who, Zac and Chad?” Bernard said. “Yeah, sorry about them.”

“No, it’s fine,” Tim said. “I’m glad I could boost your popularity.”

Bernard laughed. Tim glanced around at the students surrounding them. That could have been me, he thought. If he had never witnessed Dick’s parents’ deaths. If Jason had never gone to Ethiopia. If Tim hadn’t dropped out of Ivy Town U. If, if, if.

“Hey, are you okay?” Bernard asked.

Tim glanced over at him. To be heard, he would either have to yell or get a whisper’s breath away from Bernard. He much preferred the latter. “It’s kind of a lot,” he said. 

He didn’t explain, but he didn’t need to. “Do you want to leave?" Bernard asked. "Because we can. It's no big deal.”

Tim shook his head. “No, just…” He trailed off, not sure how to put it into words.

Bernard smiled. “Just focus on me, okay?”

Tim couldn’t help but smile back. “Okay.” He wanted to kiss him. It took him a moment to remember that that was something that he could do now, whenever he wanted. And so he did. He felt Bernard’s grin against his lips, his arms wrapping loosely around his neck. They were surrounded by people, and yet Tim felt like they were the only ones in the world.

“Tim?”

The illusion disappeared as instantly as it had taken shape. Tim was suddenly aware of the people surrounding him, the loud music and chatter. And there, standing behind him, was Steph. He couldn’t see her face. He didn’t want to see her face. But he knew exactly who she was, exactly where she was. It would be impossible for him not to.

Tim forced himself to turn around, and sure enough, there she was. He couldn’t read her expression. He could count on one hand the number of times that that had happened. The LED lights lining the room faded from blue to purple. Steph would like that, he thought dimly. 

He realized that she was speaking and forced himself to tune back in. “...don’t think we’ve met,” she was saying to Bernard. Tim unconsciously found himself squeezing Bernard’s hand. He wasn’t sure of when he’d taken hold of it. Part of him wanted to let go, but the rest of him knew that he couldn’t.

Bernard squeezed back. “Um, I’m Bernard.”

Steph smiled slightly. “Oh, I remember Tim talking about you! I’m Stephanie.”

Bernard’s eyes widened. “You’re real? Back in high school I thought that Tim was making you up.”

Steph laughed, and Tim took advantage of her split second distraction to meet Bernard’s gaze. Tim wasn’t sure exactly what emotion was behind his own eyes — something along the lines of panic, probably — but Bernard got the hint. “Um, I’m going to go get drinks,” he said. “Do you want anything?”

Tim shook his head. Bernard squeezed his hand once more and then disappeared into the crowd. Tim turned to Steph, acutely aware of his heartbeat echoing in his ears. He tried to remember some of the grounding techniques that Jaine had taught him. Five things he could see — the purple lights, the car passing by outside the window, the lock on the basement door…

“So are you going to talk, or should I?” Steph said.

Tim wrenched his attention back to her. “I don’t know what to say,” he said weakly. 

Steph shrugged. “I can talk, if you want,” she offered.

“I’m sorry,” Tim blurted out.

Steph frowned. “You’re...sorry,” she repeated. “For what?”

“I…” Tim swallowed hard. “You know.”

“Tim.” Steph took a step closer to him. “You don’t have to apologize. I’m not mad. Seriously.”

“I should have told you.”

Steph shook her head. “You didn’t have to. That was up to you.” She looked off in the direction that Bernard had gone. “I do remember you talking about him in high school, you know,” she said. “You always really liked him.”

“I didn’t know what it was that I was feeling,” Tim said. “I didn’t even register it until...until the whole cult thing.”

Steph let out a breath. “God, of course it was the cult thing. That’s exactly the kind of weird shit you would get into.”

Tim laughed. He could feel the weight sliding off his shoulders as Steph pulled him into a hug. “I did love you, you know,” he whispered. “I still do.”

She held onto him tighter. “I love you too.”

Tim leaned his head against her shoulder, opening his eyes. He caught a glimpse of the basement door behind her. The door was wide open, the padlock hanging uselessly from the doorknob. He barely had time to register it before the world went black.

He stumbled backwards, pulling away from Steph. She kept a hold on his arm amidst the screams from the other partygoers. “What the hell?” she yelled, her mouth close to his ear. “Did a fuse blow or something?”

Tim tried to scan the room, but his eyes hadn’t yet adjusted. “I don’t think…”

The LED lights flashed back on — blue, then purple, then pink. There was a shriek coming from somewhere to Tim’s left, not tinged with laughter or exhilaration as the earlier yells had been, but infused with terror. He didn’t have to say a word. Steph was already moving, pulling him with her.

The crowd had grown too thick to easily maneuver through, but the two of them were smaller enough than most of the frat boys that they could form a path. Even then, Tim could only catch fleeting glimpses of the body lying still on the ground, the guy's skin covered in frost and handprints. His eyes were open, but glazed over, unresponsive. 

Tim had barely managed to process the image in front of him before he was hearing more screaming, this time from another corner of the room. He didn’t even have to look to know that there was another comatose body frozen on the floor. 

He turned to Steph. “Get everyone out,” he said.

She nodded, her eyes wide. “What about you?”

“I need to check something out,” he said. 

“So you’re going to go towards whatever’s causing this?” she said. “Tim Drake, you would be the first to die in a horror movie.”

“I know,” Tim said. Without another word he moved away, shoving through the crowd towards the basement door. Everyone was too distracted to notice him approaching the forbidden location. Some were still gathered around the bodies, but most had figured out that escape was their best option. 

“Tim!” 

Tim turned away from the door, and there was Bernard, barely visible through the fleeing crowds. He made eye contact with him, feeling the screaming, the running footsteps, the heat of the crowd surrounding them fade away. The only ones left in the world. 

Tim stepped backwards, closing the basement door behind him. The last thing he saw was Bernard’s stricken face, a word that Tim never got to hear still hanging on his lips.

It was even darker in the basement. Windows lined the tops of the walls, letting the dim glow of the streetlights outside stream in. Tim kept a hand on the wall as he carefully navigated the stairs. It looked like the room hadn’t been renovated, or even cleaned, in decades. Tim could just barely make out the faded posters lining the room, and, surrounding them, the graffiti. It looked as if everyone who had ever been a part of Omega Chi Omega had signed these walls. Some deep-set instinct told Tim to stop touching them. 

The only furniture was the shelves lining the walls. They were little more than worn-out planks of wood, looking as though they were going to give out at any moment. Most of them were unused, with only a few places throughout the room, seemingly random, having objects placed upon them. He approached the closest, a folded-up Gotham University Nighthawks jersey. He could just barely make out a name and a number — Rivers, 11. Amidst the scramble of words written on the wall, Tim could read one in particular, written deliberately above where the jersey was lying. “Logan Rivers, 2024,” he murmured aloud.

He made his way around the room, investigating each shelf. There was a black ring (David Choi, 2009), a faded and empty journal (Jamie Collins, 1978), a torn red tie (Alec Samuel, 1994). Tim wondered idly if it was some kind of hall of fame or something. It obviously wasn’t just anyone who got to leave an artifact down here.

At the far end of the room, there was a silver locket, so small and unassuming that Tim almost completely missed it. “Sam Kingston, 1985,” he read. His hand hovered above the locket, but he didn’t touch it. Something felt sacred about it, too personal for him to see.

There was a creak from the stairs, and Tim whirled around, his hand flying to his waist for a weapon that didn’t exist. One of the bros — Chad — was standing in the shadows engulfing the last stair. “Hey,” Tim said. “Sorry, I know you said not to come down here, but I got kind of pushed down in the whole chaos upstairs. I’ll leave.”

Chad said nothing, just continued to stare at him. Tim’s heart leaped into his throat. “Chad?”

Tim didn’t even see him move. One moment Chad was on the stairs, the next he was leaping at him, hands outstretched. Tim barely managed to leap aside, and even then, Chad was close enough for him to feel the cold wafting off of his skin. “Shit,” Tim whispered as Chad turned back around to face him. His skin had gone pale, and Tim could see the edges of a frost-encrusted handprint peering out of his collar. “Chad, this isn’t you.”

Chad charged him again. Tim drove him back with an elbow to the stomach, jumping out of the way of his hands. He had no clue how this thing spread, but he could tell that it wasn’t anything he wanted to take any chances on. It affects different people in different ways, he thought, shoving Chad back again. Chad’s back hit the shelves and he stumbled as the wood gave a dangerous creak. Mikaela was fine, just shaken. The people outside were knocked out. Chad… It was like he was possessed. He was faster than before. Much stronger than he should have been. And there was nothing, nothing at all, left behind his eyes.

Tim ran for the stairs. He knew that Chad was right behind him, but if he timed it right…

He vaulted over the railing. Chad was going too fast to stop himself and slammed right into it. Tim watched as he took one step, then two, then collapsed onto the ground, his soulless eyes slowly shutting. 

Tim jumped down off of the stairs, approaching Chad as quietly as possible. The color was slowly returning to his skin, but the handprint still stood out, stark-white and frozen. He could see the fight going out of him. Hopefully, he would be back to normal, if a little disoriented, by the time he woke up.

Tim maneuvered out of one of the basement windows, just wide enough for him to fit through. Someone had called the cops, and the outside of the frat house was bathed in red and blue light. Tim slipped past the crowds onto the sidewalk, away from where the officers were roaming. 

“Tim!” 

He whirled around, and there was Bernard, getting to his feet from where he was sitting on the curb. Tim rushed over to him. “What the hell happened in there?” Bernard asked. 

Tim shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said. “It was like what happened to Mikaela, but on a whole other level.” He glanced around. “Where did Steph go?”

“She was talking to the cops, last I saw her,” Bernard said. His voice dropped lower. “You didn’t tell me that you dated Spoiler.”

Tim raised his eyebrows. “Did she tell you that?”

“No,” Bernard said. “I figured it out.”

Tim wished he could go back in time and tell his thirteen-year-old self all about the guy he would eventually end up dating. “Well. You were right,” he said. 

Bernard laughed, but it seemed subdued. Tim reached out, grasping his hand again. “Is everything okay?” he asked.

Bernard nodded. “Yeah. It’s just kind of hitting me that I’m dating a vigilante. When you went down to the basement...it kind of freaked me out. Same as when you got stabbed the other day. Not only because I don’t want you to get hurt, but because…” He stopped suddenly. “This is stupid.”

Tim shook his head. “No, what is it?” 

Bernard sighed. “I’m just never going to really know that part of your life, am I?” Tim stared at him, and Bernard begrudgingly continued. “It’s like...you looked right at me after everything went crazy tonight. And you didn’t say anything, you just ran right into danger without saying a word. And the whole stabbing thing, you were going to hide that from me. And I get it. I really do. It’s just a lot to think about.”

Tim swallowed hard. “I’m…” he started to say.

Bernard cut him off. “Don’t say you’re sorry,” he said. “I’m not mad. It was just a weird night and everything’s kind of hitting me all at once.” He looked up over Tim’s head at the dispersing crowds behind them. “We should head home. I don’t want to get caught up in whatever happens here next.”

Tim couldn’t get Bernard’s words out of his head. He couldn’t tell what Bernard was thinking either, and it haunted him, running as a constant undercurrent in his mind. It was only a matter of time before someone noticed, and of course that someone ended up being Jaine.

“You have something to say,” she told him. She couldn’t even see his face — she was at her desk while Tim was turned away from her, giving Batman the axolotl bite-sized pieces of earthworm. “I can always tell with you.”

Tim nodded. “Something happened the other day,” he said, pushing past the reluctance. Batman finished the last piece of earthworm and turned to look at him with unblinking eyes. “That’s all I’ve got,” Tim told him. Batman, predictably, did not respond.

“Was it a Robin thing or a Tim Drake thing?” Jaine asked.

“Sort of both.” Tim sat back down. “Bernard and I were at this party…” He slowly told her about the Omega Chi Omega incident, from the moment that Steph caught him and Bernard to their conversation after Tim left the basement. “And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it,” he finished quietly, barely able to be heard over Batman’s filter bubbling. 

Jaine nodded. “Do you feel guilty about it?”

“Maybe not guilty,” Tim said. “Except…” He sighed. “I want him to be a part of my life,” he said. “Every bit of it. Even the darker parts. But I don’t know how to do that.” 

“What do you mean you don’t know how?” Jaine asked. “You can’t, or you won’t?”

“Both,” Tim said. “I think. I don’t really know how to define it. I’m just not used to opening up to people like that. Even if I want to, the words get stuck in my throat. And mixing that with what I’m letting him into…”

Jaine nodded. “It’s hard,” she said. “He knows Tim, and he knows Robin. But knowing both, that’s different.”

“Yeah,” Tim said. “Different. It feels like it shouldn’t be possible.” 

“But you know that it is,” Jaine pointed out. “And he’d tell you that too.”

Tim nodded. “Yeah,” he said softly. “That and a million other things.” 

“So what are you going to tell him?” Jaine asked. 

Tim thought about it, and then spoke.

At the end of the night, Robin was perched on his own windowsill, peering in through the window. Bernard was in the living room, typing something on his laptop. Light streamed in from the hallway behind him, making him look as if he was made of gold. Tim knocked on the window lightly and Bernard glanced up. He smiled slightly when he saw Tim outside, getting up to unlock the window.

“This is a surprise,” Bernard said as he slid the window open. “There’s a perfectly good entrance downstairs.”

“I needed to talk to you,” Tim said. “And I didn’t want to wait.” Bernard frowned, and Tim instantly felt guilty. “It’s nothing bad, I promise. It’s just about the other day at the party.”

“Oh,” Bernard said. “I told you, I’m not mad about it -”

“I know you’re not,” Tim said. “There are just some things that I want to say.” 

Bernard nodded. “Okay,” he said. Tim was silent, and Bernard raised his eyebrows. “So are you going to talk, or…”

“I am, I just...ugh. I literally rehearsed this. Why is it so hard?” 

“You rehearsed it?” Bernard repeated.

“I don’t want to get this wrong,” Tim said. “I’ve never done this before. Any of this.”

Bernard nodded. “Like, dating a guy?”

“Yes,” Tim said. “No. It’s not just about that. I’ve never dated someone who knows about every side of me who isn’t a vigilante themselves. And I want to say that that’s why I instinctively want to hide things from you. It’s not like the ‘because I love you’ thing -” He realized what he had said and cut himself off, his cheeks flushing bright red. Bernard stared at him, his mouth slightly open. Tim forced himself to keep talking. “That’s not what I want it to be like. But I do want to protect you. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you, not again, not ever. But that’s...that’s not the whole truth. I don’t really know how to open up. I’m trying to learn how, but it’s never been something that I’ve ever been good at, not ever. And you deserve better than that, and I’m sorry. I really am.”

Bernard stepped closer to him. When he spoke, their lips almost brushed together. “You know that you can talk to me about anything.”

“I do know that,” Tim replied. “I’m just not great at making myself believe it.”

“You’re getting better,” Bernard said. “You’re talking to me now, right?” He reached up, his hands framing the sides of Tim’s face. “Can I?” he said. Tim nodded, and Bernard gently peeled the mask away from Tim’s eyes. He leaned forwards, their foreheads brushing together.

“What was that for?” Tim asked.

“I wanted to see you,” Bernard said. He moved just enough for their lips to brush together, then pulled away. “I love you too, you know,” he whispered. 

Tim moved his hands up to cover Bernard’s. “Thank you,” he managed to say.

Bernard’s brows knit together. “For...”

Tim shook his head. There were so many things he wanted to say about Bernard, so many words that he could say, and yet his mind kept coming up blank. “Just for existing,” he finally said. It was the closest he could come to containing it all.

[tooruluv]

Tooru Oikawa x F!Reader ( part 4 )

❝ my love for him is much like winter, a skeleton for the world to see. too bad he never liked the cold. ❞

description: being the neighbor and lifelong best friend of tooru oikawa definitely had it’s perks. you were never an outcast, always had a seat at lunch, got into volleyball games for free. the problem was, however, that being in love with him outweighed those perks. you would never tell him that, though, even if it hurt like hell.

genre: best friends to lovers, angst, unrequited love, fluff if you squint hard enough

word count: 2,320

warnings/notes: i’m posting this early because i’m so busy this weekend! hope you enjoy!

tag list: @afuckingunicornn​ @maii-flowers​ @clandestinerays​ @brownandchill​ @readeretal​

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You wanted to hate Sana. You wanted to resent her, wanted her to be a bitch. But she wasn’t. She was beautiful, and kind, and she just wanted to date Tooru Oikawa. Who were you to blame her for that?

“What is your skincare routine?” Sana asked. She pulled you closer, eyeing you as if she could see into your soul. “You have to tell me what you do with your skin.”

“Only if you tell me what hair products you use.” You told her before thinking. Sana also happened to be very easy to talk to.

She turned to Oikawa, smiling with her hand wrapped around yours. “I’ll see you later, babe, but right now I’m going to get some incredible insight. I might steal her from you.”

Oikawa just stood there. You had never seen him more confused in your entire life. He looked out of place. Like he wasn’t expecting things to happen the way they were. “Go for it.” He said. Stoic.

Sana basically dragged you away, arm in arm. She was taller than you, so you had to put in effort to keep up (something you happened to be very good, all your friends were giants). The two of you spoke nonsense about skin and hair and some other things you couldn’t remember.

“You know, I was scared to meet you.” She told you as you stopped in front of her locker. You gaped. “I know, I know. I just didn’t want you to blame Tooru for not telling you about us. I asked him not to.”

“Can I ask why?”

She giggled. It was soft. “I wanted you to like me.” She pulled out a book and shoved it into her bag. “I needed the soulmate stamp of approval.”

“..Soulmate?”

“You’re kidding, right?” Sana turned to you. Her hair flipped over her shoulder as she did, her bangs never leaving the perfect place across her forehead. “You guys are literally inseparable. You and Tooru. A lot of us joke about how the universe put you guys together, platonic soulmates.”

Platonic soulmates, she said.

“I couldn’t possibly let myself be with him if you didn’t like me.” Sana continued, not really gauging how you were responding. “That’s why he hasn’t really talked to you. I’m so sorry for that, I shouldn’t have told him to keep his distance.”

“I guess I just thought he was mad at me.” You told her. Again without thinking. “We’ve never gone this long without talking, ever. And he was…” you paused. “He asked me for his jersey back and I didn’t really..”

“He asked you for his jersey back?” Sana slammed her locker shut. “I swear I’m going to kill him.”

She mumbled something about how he doesn’t listen. You stood beside her, hands at your sides.

“I literally told him not to do that.” She told you. “He offered me the jersey, and I told him that it was not my place as his girlfriend of a god damn week to take a jersey you’ve worn for years. He’s an idiot. Keep it, I’m serious.”

You didn’t know what to say.

You wanted to hate her, you really did. You tried to find a flaw, something to stick to, but nothing came up. God how you wanted her to be a bitch.

“You don’t hang out with girls often, do you?” She asked. You were walking to class now, her arm linked with yours as her bag hung over her other shoulder.

“I only hang out with ‘Kawa and the boys.” You shrugged.

“Well consider me your official girl best friend. Starting now.” Sana stopped, gasping as though she came to a sudden realization. “Oh my god! We should go to the mall together this weekend!”

You shifted your backpack on your shoulders. “I.. I don’t think..”

“Oh, come on! It’ll be super fun.” She continued, her face lighting up. “We can even have a sleepover after! Please!”

“I’ll have to talk to my parents… I..” You gave up trying to make her the Bad Guy. “Yeah. That sounds fun. We can stay at mine, if you don’t care.”

Sana sent you the brightest smile. “I can’t wait. I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Your arms were unlinked, you heading down a different hallway to your class. “Oh, and Sana?”

“Yes?”

“You have the soulmate stamp of approval.” You turned around before you could see her response.

“You’re not mad at him?” Iwaizumi asked you. “How are you not livid right now?”

“I am mad.” You twisted a pencil in your hand. “But I’m more mad at him for completely ignoring me than having a girlfriend.”

“If I were you I would beat the shit out of him.” Matsukawa spoke up from beside you. He gasped. “Oh my god, I can beat his ass for you. Do you want me to?”

You chuckled. “I’m flattered, but no. Not worth your time or energy.”

The three of you were in the library during lunch, again. You know you should go back to the cafeteria, find a new spot at the lunch table (your previous spot next to Oikawa, in between him and Iwa at the circle tables). But the three of you liked to have a break and just hang out and talk shit at lunch. It became a thing between you and Iwaizumi, but you were happy to have Matsukawa join.

“Speaking of me being pissed off,” you changed the topic. “I’m pissed off that I’m the only one who knows about you two? Um, hello? When will you guys just say you’re dating and get it over with?”

“Hanamaki knows, though his suspicions are unconfirmed.” Matsukawa said.

They were official, you knew. The two of them never told you “hey we’re dating!” or anything like that, but you knew. The same way Iwaizumi knew you were (are) in love with Oikawa. And, it doesn’t held that both of them call each other nicknames and have each other as “bf” with about three trillion hearts in their phones.

“We’re going to wait.” Iwaizumi said. He wasn’t uncomfortable. “I have to tell my parents first. Then we can tell everyone.”

“Oh shit, I’m sorry Iwa I didn’t even think…”

“Seriously, don’t apologize.” He smiled at you. “You just want us to be happy. And right now, we are with what we have.”

Matsu put his arm around your shoulder from beside you. You were happy for them, too. Though the same couldn’t be said the same about your love life.

Tooru Oikawa invented a game when the two of you were kids. It was a stupid game, and you were pretty sure it was just a game he found while playing with other kids, but it was so fun to you.

You would invite kids over, including Iwaizumi, and would play it all the time in your backyard. The game was simple. Someone was the Catcher, and whoever was Catcher had to stand with their back to the players as the players stood against your house. The Catcher would then shout out a color, and if a player was wearing that color, they would have to run to Oikawa’s house (and touch it) before the Catcher caught them. Oikawa called it “Rainbow”.

One day while playing, Oikawa caught you while you were sprinting. He snatched you by the waist and basically bear hugged you. Everyone was a giggling mess, as kids are.

“Got you!” Kid Oikawa exclaimed. “Got you, got you! You’re it!”

Sometimes, you wished you had the ability to see when you grew up.

Sana ended up becoming a pretty decent acquaintance, despite only knowing her for a day. She was very nice, and extremely fun to talk to. Sana just wanted a girl friend; and after talking to her, maybe that’s what you wanted too.

You were walking in the hallway with her, arms linked as Sana preferred, talking nonsense about classes and the game that night. It was the beginning of the day, so the halls were filled with people who weren’t in class still.

“Are we still on for tonight and tomorrow?” she asked you.

“Yeah. If you’re cool with staying at my house, I think my parents were excited to hear me bring a friend whos a girl over.” You said.

“Oh my god, yes. That sounds perfect!” She nudged you with her arm.

“Okay.” You thought for a second. “If you like to drink, we can get some bottles or wine coolers or something before going home. I know a place.”

“That’s the best idea I’ve ever heard.”

You stopped in front of your class and she unlinked your arms. “I’m not kidding when I tell you that I’m excited. I’ve told you before that I was nervous about meeting you when I started dating Tooru, but you’re so cool. Thank you.”

“You’re thanking me?” you laughed. “For what?”

“For being the coolest friend to Oikawa.” A bell. “I got to go to class, if I get another tardy my parents will have my head. But I’ll see you at the game! Wear the jersey!���

She sent you a wink before heading to class.

“Thank you!” you called, and she turned around. “For being the coolest girlfriend to Oikawa.”

After school, Iwaizumi came over. They had a bit of time before the game, so most of the guys like to come home to eat a little bit or hype themselves up.

Like most days, you were sprawled out on your floor as he sat up against some random object in your room. That day, it was your dresser. He was exhausted, and you could tell.

“Iwa, can we be serious for a minute?” you asked.

“I was going to ask you the same thing.” he said, and you sat up. “You’re in love with him. You’ve been in love with him for years. How did you know?”

Your eyes flickered between his. “What do you mean? I thought you already asked this before.”

“No, no.” he was nervous to ask you. “No, how did you know that you were in love with him? Like what does that feel like?”

You couldn’t hold back a gasp and a smile. “Oh my God! Hajime Iwaizumi, you’re in love!”

“No..”

“Yes you are!”

The teasing went on like that for a while. It went on and on, the both of you giggling and bickering about teenage love. You didn’t remember exactly how it ended up like this, your head resting on his lap and Iwaizumi’s hand in your hair. You felt your friendship with him, in that moment.

“I think I am, in love with Matsu I mean.”

“I think you are too.” You spoke. “I see the way you two are with each other. The glances and feeling. He definitely loves you too.”

“We’ve been together way longer than when you found us in the closet.”

“I know.”

“Are you still in love with him?’

A pause. “Yeah.”

“He’s an idiot.”

“’Kawa may be the stupidest person I know.”

“…but..?”

“No but. He’s just the stupidest person I know.”

A chorus of laughter. You didn’t even hear yourself, didn’t hear Iwa. You missed this.

You also didn’t hear Oikawa come in, and didn’t notice him standing at your doorway.

“Right.” Oikawa said, bringing a silence to the room. He just turned and left.

You stared at the now-empty doorway. You didn’t remember when you sat up.

“Go.” Iwaizumi pushed you at your waist. “Go get him.”

Without thinking, you rushed out of your room and down the stairs. You finally caught up to him outside, in the middle of your houses.

“Are you ever going to talk to me?” You called. You were angry, upset.

Oikawa’s back was toward you. He wasn’t walking, but you didn’t get any closer. It was like talking to a fucking brick wall.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” He said simply.

“We almost kissed, ‘Kawa.” You said. Your hands were in fists at your sides, shaking. “We almost kissed. And you haven’t talked to me, haven’t even looked at me since. You don’t get to be mad at me. You don’t get to be mad I’m hanging out with Iwa when you haven’t talked to him either. And you can’t hide behind Sana asking you to not tell me about you two, not anymore. Please just talk to me.”

“Like I said.” He still had his back toward you. “Nothing to talk about.”

With that, he walked back to his house. You stayed on the sidewalk until you felt Iwaizumi pull you back to reality.

You were pretty sure that anger took over every emotion that night. As you sat at the game, in that stupid fucking jersey you put on as routine, you stared daggers at the floor from the bleachers. You weren’t even in the student section.

You were slouched in the bleacher, arms crossed, when you felt a body sit next to you.

“You seem far too pissed off to be watching a volleyball game.” The boy told you. “A game you’re winning.”

You stole a glance, not leaving your slouched position between the bleachers. He was cute, dark hair and definitely tall (though it could just be because you were sitting). He wasn’t even looking at you, so you turned your eyes back to the court.

He offered you an already open bag of chips, holding them in front of you.

“You don’t go here.” You ignored his offering.

“You’re not wrong.” He looked at you. “I’m here from another school. Trying to see what some friends of mine are up against.” You finally looked up at him. “What’s your name?”

You deadpanned. “What’s yours?”

“I asked you first.”

“Second the best, first the worst. I win.” You said. “What’s your name?”

The boy set his bag of chips down and held out his hand. “I’m Kuroo, Tetsurou Kuroo.”

[prurientpuddlejumper]

Hopelessness of Wanting [Part 2]

<- Part 1 | Part 3 ->

Frederick Chilton x Reader

Continuation of an angsty dark fic request. 

Warnings: suicidal thoughts/attempt (I made myself real sad with this one so be warned if you’re vulnerable to negative thinking), NSFW, smut (gender-neutral), unhealthy relationship, depression, neurodivergent reader. Melancholy rambling. 

3,200 words

“Don’t worry about what Dr. Chilton thinks,” Nurse Clerval advised as soon as he was out of earshot. “He’s an asshole.”

“Yeah, but”—you tugged the hem of your scrubs—“He’s right. I keep messing up. I think he hates me.” You stopped there, too ashamed to admit you were the biggest fuck-up on the entire staff, new or not, or that you could tell Dr. Chilton regretted his decision to hire you.

“And the rest of us hate him. Just keep doing your job, learn the ropes—he’ll back off.”

You nodded silently and continued your rounds, delivering meds and checking in on patients. Amy had to be restrained again when she wouldn’t stop biting. Julianne seemed more confused lately, though you hadn’t known any of them long enough to tell what was normal.

Clerval’s words hung over you. It didn’t seem right that everyone hated Dr. Chilton. He was a little brusque, yes, but intelligent. Wickedly sarcastic. Posturing and puffing himself up whenever people he admired came to visit the hospital, and he wanted badly to impress them. Lonely.

Your cheeks heated at the thought of those intense bursts of green under his brow—the first thing you noticed when he conducted your interview. His eyes almost matched the light green scrubs you wore at the hospital you trained in, though the uniform here was white (as if leaning into the One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest vibe.)

But what drew you in wasn’t that his eyes were beautiful—though they were—it was the way they made contact with yours. Staring you down with fake confidence, as if he were forcing it. That stare must have been off-putting to most people, but it made your spirit leap with that particular spark of connection one only feels when finding a kindred spirit.

“Hey! Still sulking? Hurry it up,” Clerval called, jolting you to attention. You trotted after.

It was nice having a mentor on the staff, but at the same time, it just felt like having another person to eventually disappoint.

“Here! What’s next?” you beamed.

***

Dr. Chilton didn’t back off over the next few weeks as Nurse Clerval suggested. The more you thought you were getting the hang of routines at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, the more mistakes you seemed to make, and the harder its administrator came down on you. And the more the handsome, scarred Dr. Chilton hated you, the more nervous mistakes you made.

In nursing school, you aced everything technical. Every written test. Every memorized statistic, sterilization procedure, medication instruction, and anatomy diagram. But when it came to interacting with patients and families—being compassionate yet professional—nothing came naturally. As a child, you learned how to fake eye contact by staring at the bridge of someone’s nose. How to smile bright and encourage others so they don’t reject you. So they don’t see you as cold or weird. But sometimes, you felt like an alien just parroting human behavior.

The guy you had been dating when you started working at the BSHCI said something similar to you when he broke it off. That you were “unavailable” and never understood what he needed.

There was a reason your first choice job was at a hospital where the only patients were mentally ill murderers.

Dr. Frederick Chilton was the same way. Just better at hiding it, or braver about not caring when his mannerisms rubbed people the wrong way. He didn’t fall apart like you did. He was… incredible. As soon as you met him, you knew you wanted the job. His smile was forced but friendly that first day, and you went home dreaming about getting to know him better.

But as soon as you were hired, the friendliness went out of his eyes. On your very first day, you passed him in the hall and smiled. He frowned and informed you that you were five minutes late clocking in. Everything—every forgotten ID card and typo on a patient file—was proof to Dr. Chilton that you were incompetent.

Worthless.

He even pointed it out when you couldn’t stand up for yourself and let Nurse Clerval defend you.

Pathetic.

Why did you ever think someone like him might like you?

He wasn’t an asshole. The constant reprimanding and disciplinary write-ups were no more than you deserved. It just hurt coming from someone you admired and wished things could be different with.

God, you wished just once he would smile at you again. Tell you that you did a good job.

Your fist hovered over the dark mahogany of the carved doors to Dr. Chilton’s office, poised to knock. To tender your resignation. You hadn’t seen the extravagant interior of his office since your interview, but you could imagine him in there: laying back on the leather couch sipping a Scotch, surrounded by tall shelves of medical books and sculpted wall molding. The air filled with the library smell of old paper.

In your imagination, his cold green eyes would soften, and he would ask why you were leaving. Apologize for being so hard on you. The Chilton in your mind clasped your hand, and you both blushed, wondering if the gesture was merely a show of professional support, or if it held a deeper meaning. He clasped tighter instead of dropping your hand, knowing— understanding—the heat behind your gaze.

A dull thud came from inside the office, followed by footsteps and a muttering voice, muffled through the door. The footsteps started heading your way, and you walked briskly down the hall toward the exit, not looking back when a moment later, the mahogany doors creaked open.

Coward.

There was no point quitting, anyway. You would never find another hospital job as slow-paced, where you rarely had to speak with outsiders—only the regular long-term patient-inmates, and a small staff of orderlies, guards, nurses, and psychiatrists.

Sometimes you thought you should quit nursing altogether, but then what would you do? Flip burgers? You’d be bad at that, too. There was nothing you wouldn’t be a failure at.

A fog hovered over you, creeping its tendrils into every thought, turning every tiny setback into the end of the world, and making every success unimportant. Leaving BSHCI wouldn’t make it better. Nothing would make it better. You were the fuck-up. Anywhere you went, the problem would always be you.

Every smile you gave was forced, but you kept smiling as if everything was normal. So long as nobody could see you drowning, it wasn’t real. There was still hope that you could get your shit together, and no one would be the wiser that you were actually a disgusting piece of human trash. So long as you could smile like you were fine, you weren’t a complete failure.

But the more you pretended to be upbeat—pretended to be someone likable—the more you were certain your coworkers didn’t like you. They must have been sick of covering for you by now.

A week later, the nurse you were replacing grunted, “Finally,” as you sprinted through the door three minutes after your shift started. That one unremarkable interaction was the final proof of a theory you had been nursing for a long time:

Everyone’s lives would be easier without you.

That was the final conclusion, the final, creeping thought the suffocating fog wormed into your head. The crescendo of a distorted symphony that had been subtly building to this from the beginning.

You couldn’t force yourself to smile anymore.

***

You didn’t have authorized access to the medication supply room, but you swiped a key from Dr. Tenley’s office. For a secure facility, the doctors of the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane were lax about locking their own offices. She would notice it was missing by Monday morning, and there would be serious repercussions for stealing it, but you weren’t concerned. You wouldn’t be around to face them.

With the high-potency drugs available in a hospital and a working knowledge of pharmacology, ending a life could be quick and relatively painless.

The key clicked in the door. You glanced up and down the hallway to make sure no one was coming. But the coast was clear.

A halfhearted breath puffed from your nose. Part of you wanted to find it funny how easy this was, but you just couldn’t bring yourself to laugh.

You stealthily opened the windowless metal door, stepped inside, and shut and locked it behind you without making a sound. Once inside the small room, you let out a silent sigh of relief (or despair). Only a handful of people had a key, so you were unlikely to be interrupted, especially at night with only a skeleton staff on duty.

There were three rows of tall storage shelves crammed into the walk-in closet with clean tile in the few places wall was exposed. The whir of a climate-control system drowned out the pulse in your ears as you scanned for the drugs you were looking for.

You found them faster than expected. They could have at least been hidden. The universe could have put a few more obstacles in your path, but instead, the universe was giving you a big fat sign it wanted you dead.

You picked up the packaging. Turned it over in your hand.

Just a handful of these, and all the problems you cause would be over. No more reprimands. No more disappointing everyone you meet. No more wrenching in your gut every time Dr. Chilton looks at you with contempt when you long to see a smile. No more trying so hard every minute of every day.

It wasn’t like too many people would be sad you were gone anyway. Most of them will be relieved.

Your eyes stung.

Wasn’t someone going to walk in and stop you?

Your lip trembled. Why would anyone want to stop you?

Tears rolled down your face as the reality of your plan set in. Survival instinct kicked and clawed at the cloying fog of twisted logic that promised you would be helping everyone if you stopped existing, but it was losing the battle.

And then you heard someone call your name.

You sniffed and looked up. No… not someone calling your name. Moaning it. You crept to the last row of shelves at the back and gasped—Dr. Chilton had his laptop tucked onto a shelf and was watching a clip of security feed on loop. His red, glistening erection thick in his hand as he masturbated, whimpering your name over and over.

You watched silently—he was so engrossed he didn’t notice your shadow falling over the aisle. It was only when the package of drugs slipped from your hand and clattered on the floor that he jumped with a shriek, covering himself, though his massive erection was still conspicuous in his pants. His eyes bugged out at you, face red with embarrassment—but then they quickly narrowed to anger.

“What are you doing in here? You are not authorized to be in this room,” he barked.

All you could think about was what you heard—the name gasping from his lips. It overpowered every other thought. “Were you… imagining me?”

His nostrils flared. He hastily shut the laptop which was looping security footage of you outside his office door.

Then he laughed—forced and cruel. “What I imagine is not your concern. Do not read into it. I have never shown you special treatment, have I? Do you think that I could have feelings for an incompetent nurse?”

“I know that!” Your lip trembled again now that the briefest spark of hope you had was shattered. Of course he didn’t like you. He was just a pervert who jacked off to all the nurses. “Don’t you think I know that I’m worthless? You’ve made it abundantly clear.”

Fresh tears rolled down your cheeks, and Chilton’s eyes softened, as if for the first time realizing that all his attempts to hurt you had succeeded. You were hurt. And he did not enjoy it as much as he thought.

“You are not worthless,” he said quietly. Then his eyes flicked down to the floor, at the medication you dropped. He picked it up, read what it was. His expression fell. “What were you doing in here, nurse?” he swallowed.

“Nothing. I just… needed something for a patient.”

“Lie,” he said.

You looked away. Everything was numb. It barely even occurred to you that someone stopped you after all. A handsome, awkward, cruel doctor you admired was in the same room with you and had said his first kind words since the day you met.

He took a slow step toward you. Then another. His hand—slender and surprisingly large—pressed your arm in an attempt at a comforting gesture. An alien parroting human behavior.

“You are not worthless. I assure you, none of your mistakes have been grievous. You are certainly not the least competent of my staff. Far from it. So don’t…” He swallowed. “…Do not do anything rash.”

“Sure,” you scoffed. “Then why am I the one you’re always reprimanding? The one always being called to your office?” You knew what he thought of you; he was just trying to talk you down.

“That…” he began in a broken voice, “That must be painfully obvious now.”

Your eyes peeled away from the floor and found his face, and the storm of emotions flashing over it. Shame. Trepidation. A faint light of hope.

“You like me?” Your voice sounded far away. The analytical part of your brain was whirring away above the swamp of depression bogging you down with lies that nobody could like you. But it made sense. As the words spilled from your mouth, it was like a veil lifted.

Pulling pigtails. He was pulling your pigtails because he liked you. A middle-aged psychiatrist ought to have more emotional maturity handling a crush than a third-grader, but there was a reason he worked at a hospital where the only patients were mentally ill murderers. There was a reason his staff hated him. Why he was lonely, and why you desperately wanted to be the one to fill the empty space by his side.

Frederick Chilton was a lot like you.

You could understand each other and be less alone in this world, together.

***

His eyes were closed and he was muttering something self-flagellating and vaguely apologetic when the kinetic sense of you moving closer caused Frederick Chilton to look up.

No longer out at arm’s distance, you were within each other’s breathing space. And now, he was genuinely terrified—terrified you were going to return his feelings. Of the joy it might bring crashing down on him like an airplane. He read something he never expected to see in your body language, and it shook him deeper than being walked in on with his cock in his hands.

You should have reported him for ethics violations.

If you made the case to the hospital board that he created a hostile work environment because he wanted you sexually, he would lose his job and do everybody a favor.

But this—the intention in your body—this was the farthest thing from what he deserved. You confirmed his fear when your soft, perfect lips melded against his. Yet, as always when he knew a thing was wrong, he did not push you away. Did nothing to stop you. He let you deepen the kiss slowly, and you were warm, the taste of you sweeter than he imagined in all his lonely nights of fantasizing.

His cock twitched, your closeness awakening his urges again. He moaned as your lips parted, his lips parting with them, and your tongue gently probed inside. You were tentative at first, investigating only the nearest reaches of his inner lips, and then his hand spasmed on your arm, and with a low growl, he pulled your closer—then you became ravenous. All the turbulent emotions churning within you broke free in that kiss. You sobbed into his mouth, your tongue, hot and fervent, explored and assaulted the depths of him, your hands weaving into the hair behind his neck, and he could taste your salt. It was all his tongue could do to keep up—to let himself be consumed.

Dear god, if only that passion would have ended him then and there. The moment your lips met his in an unexpected act of reciprocation was the fulfillment of every want, every tattered and twisted hope—the highest delight a man such as him could achieve. And he knew—rightly so—that all that could follow was suffering of his own design.

Dear god, let me die before I see this in ruins. Let me die with my happiness.

***

The sex wasn’t all that good. But then again, you had gone into that supply closet intending to never come out, so overall, being fucked by the man you had been pining for was a positive turn of events.

It wasn’t how you’d imagined your first time with Dr. Chilton, pressed against a cold tile wall. A hungry kiss led to his clothed erection pushing against your thigh, led to you unbuckling his belt.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he whispered hoarsely, nervous eyes darkened with lust—and you nodded, sliding down your scrub pants, which stuck on your sneakers, hobbling your ankles. He was in too much of a rush to let you take them off—he only opened up his slacks and pulled his cock out of the fly of his briefs. And then he was thrusting into you from behind—frantic, desperate. Your ankles being bound only added to the thrill of him being in control. Dr. Chilton wanted you after all—fantasized about you—and now he was taking you, and all you had to do was surrender to his desire.

His breathy moans rose with each snap of his hips, his hands traveling up your chest under your shirt, fingers curling around your neck, possessing you. Touching every inch of skin he could get his hands on. And that noise that saved your life, your name on his lips, he chanted in your ear.

He was fast—hips racing as if this were his only chance, and if he waited, you would disappear—and he finished fast. You didn’t spend long with your face pressed to the cold tile when his moans broke into a shattered scream, and his head slumped, sweaty, against your back.

Then he turned you around to face him and got on his knees. Heedless of his own mess that he’d left sticky and bitter inside you, he pumped his fingers into you and sucked like he was fulfilling a duty. Clinical about the task, and efficient. It didn��t take him long to bring your arousal to a climax in his mouth.

After, he was quiet. When you had cleaned up, he looked at you like you were a mistake… only you weren’t certain what kind of mistake. If you reached out to reassure him, would he jerk away and tell you to never speak of this again?

“Was it… all you expected?” you asked robotically. Your arm crossed your body, hugging yourself.

And then he kissed you again, softly. He ran his fingers over your hair and pulled back just far enough to study your face. His eyes were wet, clouded with a million thoughts and regrets you would only learn about later.

“You are perfect,” he whispered.

• ● • ━━━━━─ ••●•• ─━━━━━ • ● •

Since I went some places this chapter... Please don’t bottle up your feelings if they’re telling you horrible things about yourself. They aren’t true, I promise. You matter. ❤️

Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

Online chat: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/

Help via Text: https://www.crisistextline.org/ (Text HOME to 741741)

List of additional resources: https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/suicide-resource-guide 

Tags:

@beccabarba​ / @itsjustmyfantasyroom / @thatesqcrush / @dianilaws / @permanentlydizzy / @mrsrafaelbarba / @madamsnape921 / @astrangegirlsmind / @neely1177 / @onerestein / @dreamlover31 / @stormtrooperofficerbrowneyes / @barbasimp / @storiesofsvu / @welcometothemxdhouse / @feedthemadness-sweetie / @law-nerd105 / @amelia-song-pond / @michael-rooker / @xecq 

[witchyfictional]

Week 12 pt.1 (SPRING 12/13)

Professional Log of Harper Tobin, Journeyman Witch

Patient #1: Tybalt Potter again, although this time it wasn’t a prank but self-inflicted misfortune.

Ailment: Yeti Chest [hair*] [lungs*] The poor lad came to me rumbling sheepishly about how he bought a tranformative potion out of a magazine because he thought it would make him seem more tough and impressive, but now he’s afraid his party will just laugh at him even more. I told him that he’s probably correct, knowing his so-called friends, but that I thought the new fur was actually quite nice if he wanted to keep it. He declined.

Recommend: Skeleton Dust to get rid of the hair, Gull Drake Guano to clear the lungs and correct his voice

Patient #2: An elderly barbarian named Hildahrafn, enormous in her old age but even more imposing for it.

Ailment: Loss of Experience [mood**] [magic*] (T4) She’s in a funk about not measuring up to her glory days, thanks to a wayward magical effect. Honestly it’s hard not to roll my eyes when this particular problem arises in veteran adventurers. It’s nothing but a pity party escalated to the point where she’s at risk of lashing out at other people. But, a job’s a job.

Recommend: Coldrust to banish the magic influence, Fairy Dust to lift her mood

Field Notes:

While gathering the necessary Fairy Dust in the Glimmerwood, without warning or provocation I was suddenly shot – yes, shot, with a gun – right in the shoulder. Thankfully it only grazed me, nothing crippling or very serious, but it was a painful shock. Outraged, I was able to spot a stout woman with a rifle crouching the nearby bushes. I have no idea who she was or why on earth she could have wanted to shoot at me. I sent Shadow on her as she tried to flee, and he dragged her down by and ankle. That was probably retaliation enough, but I confess I was too incensed to think straight. I’m ashamed to even admit some of the curses that went through my mind at that moment, but in the end I regained just enough sense to refrain from anything truly damaging. Instead, I took her gun and demanded answers.

She called herself Tori Baggle and claimed to only be out truffle hunting. She had no excuses for why she shot at me, only looked angry and refused to speak further. So, while Shadow held her in place, I force-fed her a mushroom I uprooted from the nearby fairy ring. If it’s truffles she wants, then truffles she’ll get. There will soon be one more embarrassing case of Fae Wind in High Rannoc, and I don’t think this one will find remedy any time soon. I then told her to get out of my sight, and warned her that the next time I would not be so gentle...and neither would my panther.

That entire incident cost me both time and blood, and I was forced to return home immediately to treat my wound. Resentfully, I had to use the Coldrust I already had in stock to mix up the cure for old Hildahrafn. I suspected if I couldn’t get her remedy sent quickly she might fly into a rage and ruin Nana Dorea’s cottage.

“Affirmation Potation”

Crush Coldrust into a fine powder

Add raw Fairy Dust and mix thoroughly

Dissolve combined powder into high proof vodka

End result is chilled but spicy, best consumed the same way as any shot of alcohol

Paid: 60 silver I sent off the small bottle along with a note advising that the woman would probably benefit more from some therapy.

Now that the more urgent problem was taken care of, I left for Hero’s Hollow to gather the Skeleton Dust I needed for poor Tybalt, as well as possibly stock up on my depleted Coldrust. I easily found some more of the latter on a half-destroyed suit of armor in the old library, and the former was collected in a deeper hallway where I knew Skeleton Paul tends to take naps. He wasn’t there today, but I did nearly step on a shivering redheaded girl in a chainmail bikini. She offered to pay me if I led her back to the entrance, and I agreed without thinking, although I would have done so without payment as well. She was covered in dungeon grime and looked like she hadn’t slept in a while. I asked why on earth had she chosen to wear nothing but metal underwear and she looked mortified that I’d ask. Eventually I got her to admit that she had been told it was enchanted armor. It wasn’t.

She gave me +10 silver as we emerged into the sunlight, and shyly introduced herself as Relissa Sparrow before thanking me again. I asked if she lived in High Rannoc and she said no, she’d just been traveling, but she might look for a place there to stay for a bit so she could rethink her equipment. I told her where to find me at the apothecary if she ever needed to, then sent her off with recommendations for the more experienced adventurers if she desired to join a party.

While I was collecting Gull Drake Guano off one of the rock formations that jut out of the center of Meltwater Loch, I heard the familiar rumble of a pained sea dragon before the water around me even shifted. I turned to grab at my supplies just as Bàs Bàta beached the surface. Somehow my little boat managed not to flip, so I gathered my string of coconuts and held steady. Bàs Bàta’s mouth was wide open in a scream, and I briefly considered trying to bola-whip them inside, but as cool as that would make me look I doubt I could actually pull off such a feat – especially not while it was still thrashing around. Instead I had to do this the hard way. I waved my arms and shouted to get its attention and hoped it wasn’t so out of its head that it would just attack me.

It snarled as it pushed its great head my way, but it seemed to be listening. Using the loudest and clearest voice I could muster, I explained that I’ve made some pills for it (the coconuts) and that they will make the pain go away. It didn’t seem like Bàs Bàta was buying into it, at first, and as it reared back I thought it might be readying to capsize my boat. I yelled up that the Lady Yeza of the Strange had helped me gather some of the supplies. Thankfully, it seems that name holds some sway, as I hoped it might. I immediately knelt and bowed as low as I could, trying to show it I meant no harm and only respect. I proffered my coconuts again and waited.

After what felt like a wet and harrowing eternity, Bàs Bàta lowered its head to me again and opened its jaws just enough to snatch at the end of the coconut string. I let it go, and the beast dove back into the water before I could even say another word. A little shaky, I decided to head back to shore for the rest of my foraging.

I was initially quite successful, as a Shockfish had gotten caught in one of the tidepools that had formed in the holes of a giant button wedges among the rocks. It was easily caught, but my luck soon turned around completely as I made the mistake of wandering too close to the Gull Drake scavenging grounds. The whole flock descended on me and actually managed to steal my Shockfish before flying off again. Frustrated and feeling challenged, I decided to risk the shallows of the lake and hunt for another one around the site of the sunken pirate ship. Not only did Shadow catch two replacement Shockfish, but I also found another of the lost treasure chests.

Before I could drag the chest ashore to see what was inside, I noticed that Shadow was agitated, and I caught the approach of an enormous dark shape looming out of the murk from the deeper side of the lake. I intended to swim away, but the shape was too quick, and I soon recognized it as Bàs Bàta’s head, snaking right toward me. I froze, only barely keeping my senses and my breath. I’ve never seen Bàs Bàta this close to shore before. I was worried that perhaps it hadn’t taken my cure after all, but as soon as it drew near I could tell that it was much calmer and more clear-eyed than I’ve ever seen it.

Bàs Bàta stopped so close to me I could have reached out a touched its snout. Suddenly I heard a deep, reverberating voice, and I couldn’t tell if it was only echoing in my head or if it was vibrating in the water all around me.

“THANK YOU.”

Unsure of what manners were called for with dragons, I could only bow in return – awkwardly, since I’m not used to that kind of thing underwater. Bàs Bàta then opened its mouth only slightly, and out from its jaws fell a very distressed Shadow Shark. I was alarmed, at first, before I realized it was trying to give me a gift. I gingerly took hold of the terrified shark’s tail and quickly gathered some of its ink in an empty bottle before allowing it to swim away in fright. I bowed my thanks again, and to my shock, Bàs Bàta bowed its head to me in return.

I stared, stunned, for a long while as I watched the great sea dragon coil back upon itself and take its leave. I watched it until every part of it had swam out of sight, down into the depths of the lake...which, I suddenly noticed, weren’t remotely as dark and murky as they’ve always been. In fact, as Bàs Bàta swam gracefully downward instead of kicking up silt with its usual thrashing, I caught a glimpse of strange lights and silhouettes…distant shapes that almost reminded me of a city.

The residual ink cloud from the Shadow Shark was spreading too far in front of me to see further, but I plan to revisit this later.

“Chest-right Chowder”

Crush Gull-Drake guano evenly into dust

Dissolve and boil guano dust until the color of the mixture stays consistent

Crush Skeleton Dust into a fine, flour-like powder

Stir powder into the guano broth until it thickens

End result tastes almost like fish chowder

Paid: 20 silver Tybalt left with some relief and some disappointment as he shed the last of the yeti fur. I told the kid that his self esteem shouldn’t be determined by body hair.

[continued in PART 2 here]

OOC: Rep – 19 [Intermediate] Silver – 374 Tools – basics / coracle / sickle (+2 foraging points) Familiar skill – Hunter (-3 to find Animal reagents) Golem Helper: learning to read & write

Upgrades: – Garden plot (x1; Surgeon Sap) – Raven Loft (take 2 jobs; if both on time, x2 pay for second draw) – Treatment Room (+3 all Timers, +10 silver /successful potion)

Surplus reagents: ** Surgeon Sap [wound] [burn] [+1s]  — (freely available) *** Amethyst Antlers [magic] [curse] [mood] — (x2) ~Candy Rock [+4s] — (x1) * Coldrust [hot] [magic] — (x1) * Deep Reed [ear] [blood] [stomach] — (x1) ** Dentist Crabs [teeth] [mouth] [lungs] [infection] — (x1) ** Foot Fungus [burn] [boils] [rash] [+2p] — (x2) *** Fossil Fish [time] [magic] — (x1) * Gas Weed [lungs] — (x1) *** Ghost Goo [spirit] [curse] — (x1) ** Glittersnow [curse] [magic] — (x1) * Hermit Snails [wound] [bones] — (x1) *** Innocent’s Suffering [pain] [sleep] [nerves] [wound] — (x2) ! *** Jumpkin [stomach] [cold] — (x1) ** Mermaid’s Gift [hair] [+1p] — (x1) *** Moon Moss [blood] [curse] — (x1) ** Princess Toad [wart] [rash] [mood] — (x1) * Scramble Bramble [mood] [senses] [+1p] — (x1) * Skullcap [poison] [pain] — (x4) **Shadow Shark [pain] [burn] [rash] [-1s] — (x1) ** Shockfish [nerves] [pain] [boils] — (x3) * Silverleaf [infection] [rash] — (x1) *** Wigfish [mood] [sleep] [hair] — (x2)

[musicallisto]

hello! congrats on 800 <3 with such an amazing writing, you totally deserve it ^-^ may i ask for a harry potter ship (specifically with the marauders if you don't mind?) I'm straight so preferrably a male ship pls ^_^. I'm an ENFJ ravenclaw who loves to talk a lot and is considered to be the mum in a group which is a bit ironic since I'm literally 4'11 XD I'm the type of person who prefers to give than receive and it makes me guilty if someone gives me a gift and I dont have one to give them in return. I sing, draw and read a lot. I also love dogs and magical creatures. Some of my friends told me that my eyes and hair (despite being dark brown) changes into a hazel color wheneever the sun hits them.

Thank you and have a nice day!

hi! thank you so much for the compliment! here’s your vanilla milkshake! i ship you with remus lupin!

remus is entirely enamored with your energy and your optimism. no matter how bleak or grim of a day he’s having, he knows you’ll always find a way to cheer him up with your enthusiasm, whether that be from a stupid joke, some cheerful, encouraging words, or just your general presence and smile.

when you’re walking down the streets of magical london together, maybe going for a shopping stroll on diagon alley before the beginning of the school year, and enjoying an ice cream or a waffle together, he’ll sometimes see a campaign against werewolves in the storefronts on the sides; or maybe a reminder that the full moon is nearing, and a sudden pang in his chest makes him feel like he’s swallowed lead

he’ll try to conceal his discomfort by reaffirming his grip on your hand and listening to you attentively, as though nothing were wrong

but he doesn’t have to pretend very long, because literally ten seconds later you’ll point excitedly at the other side of the street and squeal

“oh my god, remus, look at that DOG!!!”

and his mood lifts by 1000%.

it’s also your favorite joke whenever you see sirius. it’s a recurrent comical motif among the marauders and you, that whenever you see sirius, especially when he’s not in his animagus form, you just yell excitedly “omg remus look at that dog!!!!!”

and that always confuses the heck out of all the people around you because,, There Is No Dog? that is literally a human teenager?

but sirius laughs with his catching, bark-like laughter, and remus always laughs as well. for some reason, you all think that’s the peak of comedy.

(the only time you don’t laugh at that old joke is when remus staggers back into the castle, at the end of a full moon night, all covered in cuts and bruises, before you all found out about his condition - you had stayed up all night with the others, too anxious to sleep, and when he had devised sirius’ sleepy frame he had muttered “look at the dog, he’s so cute...” before almost collapsing on the staircase)

(you had spent the entire night by his side in the nursing wing, despite madam pofresh’s protestations, and that’s when he knew he would hate himself forever if he let you go someday)

also I imagine that remus is all. tall and lanky so the height difference between the two of you is amazing and ADORABLE.

and he gives you piggyback rides in the hallways!!

at first he doesn’t want to because he’s a Good Student and he doesn’t want to get into any trouble and he has a reputation to uphold and all that - he must be the marauders’ wise head

but then the rest of the marauders (the not wise heads) convince him (and you) with two words that go straight to his grown child’s heart:

piggyback races.

so Peter is perched on James’ back and you on Remus’ and Sirius referees the whole thing (he wanted to be the one riding but James argued there is no way in hell he’ll lift his heavy skeleton and run through the corridor with it)

and of course, you win all your races, though it’s unclear whether or not you actually won of it Sirius is just pissed at James for calling him “heavy skeleton” and therefore purposefully makes him lose

“we just make a great team, James, no need to be all pissed about it”

“you make a great team of cheats!”

but in truth, you do make a great team

and your parent instincts are STRONG!

remus is also kind of the mom friend a little bit (though james can be Super Mom as well)

but when he’s with you he’ll either go full mom mode to assist you in preventing the others from... falling off cliffs or sticking out their eyes with their wands or something

or completely give up and be the the most tired (but still mischievous) child you’ve ever seen

remus loves gifting you stuff, but he also loves receiving gifts from you - they’re always so heartfelt and mirror a conversation you’ve had in the past, or something he told you off-handedly and he never thought you’d remember

like a book he used to read when he was very young and had been looking for everywhere - you searched far and wide in every london library to find it and gift it to him

his eyes sparkle like a sky full of stars when you give him the wrapped book and he instantly knows what it is; he can’t really believe someone would go to these lenghts just to gift him a little something

not because his parents or family didn’t love him or wouldn’t have - he had formidable and devoted parents, but they simply did not express affections in such ways, and it warms his heart so much to be loved in a new manner.

in conclusion, you teach each other love in ways you never thought you’d ever experience, and that’s why you are such a heartfelt and passionate duo.

800 follower sleepover CLOSED!

[geckolady]

Skulduggery Pleasant: Raising Cain - Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - First day on the job

Stephanie woke up in the morning to an empty room but the sound of a lot of activity. She groaned, remembering exactly what a blubbering mess she had been the day before, but then she remembered that this was her house and her friends were here and they owed her a lot of hugs, especially now they were her brothers. How dare they be her brothers for – she checked her phone – twelve hours and she only got a hug from anyone but Skulduggery!

She stomped from the room and found them scattered in the hallway with various pieces of furniture and objects.

“Unacceptable!” She shouted at them. They all went silent and looked at her nervously. “How dare you!”

Dexter stepped forwards and put his hands up when she glared. “Stephanie, we thought you wouldn’t mind if we did some changes. We thought you would like it if you didn’t have to move home, you see, and we were moving out things–”

“Unacceptable! You did all this, made plans, and I haven’t even gotten any hugs. It’s not fair!”

She stepped forwards and clutched Dexter in a hug as tight as she could. “I love you!” She shouted into his chest.

He started laughing and hugged her back. “I love you too.”

She moved onto the others, getting better hugs as she went down the maturity scale, leaving her finally with Snake. “I got you a present,” he declared and looked around. His grin was replaced with a frown. “I lost it.”

Stephanie laughed and left to get herself breakfast since all they were doing was moving boxes into the bedrooms next to hers. When her stomach was full, she went back up to find the place clear of almost everything and the big man was carving names into some of the doors expertly. They were really nice – Erskine, Saracen, Ghastly, Anton. “Whose Anton?”

“Me,” he grunted.

She grinned. “I like that name.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ve always called you Bear.”

“Why?”

She shrugged. “I gave you all nicknames. They’re fun, and I was little when I did it.”

He nodded and got back to his work so she left him and used the bathroom at the end of the hall – there was one on either end, luckily, and the rooms were large enough that they were not actually that close to each other. She’d have to really shout to get someone’s attention if they were at the other end of the hall. When she was ready, she went downstairs to the living room to find her friends sitting in there looking quite at home. It made her smile. They looked like a family.

Her smile faded.

She felt a little excluded with them looking so happy and close. They knew each other from every angle. She couldn’t compete with that type of friendship, couldn’t dominate that type of love. Where would she fit now Gordon wasn’t here to help her?

“Steph!” Dexter said, spotting her first. “What are you doing standing around? Come sit.”

There were no seats so Stephanie dragged the bean bag into the middle of the room and sat in the centre. Gordon said she if she was unsure, get right in the middle. She was probably misunderstanding but she was doing it, right?

“What are we doing today?” She asked them.

“Well,” Skulduggery, Crow, said, “I think a talk is necessary before we do anything.”

Ghastly, Panda, nodded. “Your uncle wanted to wait but this is different.”

Crow nodded. “Usually I would try to respect Gordon’s decisions even when he is not around but in this case our hands are simply being forced. Stephanie, do you believe in magic?”

And that was how she learned about magic. About skeletons and mages and fire and Elementals and Adepts and that her uncle had tried to keep her from such incredible things.

“Why didn’t Gordon want me to know about this?” She asked, feeling a little resentful.

“Your Uncle wanted you to understand the repercussions of making life decisions before you had to make one. I know that it may seem like he held you back from this, but he really just wanted to make you happy.”

Stephanie mulled it over in her mind. She supposed that was possible. It sounded like something he’d said once, so…

“Okay. So what are we doing today?” She asked again.

“Well, there is one more thing we need to tell you,” Panda said, scratching the back of his scared head. “Your uncle…”

“He was murdered,” Stephanie said. The others were incredibly quiet and looked almost guilty. “Yeah… I sort of got the impression when you started talking about that Serpine man, and how angry you are, and how much you all hate him, and how he keeps killing people. It was suspiciously stressed upon. I mean, it feels like you sort of wanted me to work it out. But Gordon told me you guys take down bad guys all the time. So you’re going to track him down, aren’t you?”

There was a long silence. “Fuck, this is going to be fun,” Wolf laughed, standing and pulling Stephanie into his arms. “Come along little brothers, we have a case to solve!”

Stephanie laughed and banged her head against the top of the door frame and laughed even more, falling over Wolf’s shoulder and just sort of hung there laughing. They were followed out to the cars. Panda’s van was there and so was Crow’s beautiful Bentley.

“So,” Wolf said when they were standing in front of their options. “Do you want to go with Skulduggery and visit China for information or do you want to go with Ghastly and help him make you some awesome new protective clothes?”

Stephanie pretended to think about it. “Crow. But I want to help afterwards.”

“That’s my girl,” and she was let down to get in the car. Wolf opened the door and pulled down the front seat for her. “In you get.”

Stephanie looked at the car. She looked at Wolf. “No.”

He hesitated. “Why?”

“I call shotgun.”

He grinned and she almost grinned back. “But I want shotgun.”

“I called it first,” she informed him. “Now get in.”

He sighed but did get in and Stephanie allowed herself to grin. It was a silly victory, but it was so fun to boss Wolf around.

Crow joined them and the three drove into the city to a residential area to park. Stephanie wasn’t worried about the car as she was too busy laughing with Wolf as he showed her his purple electricity magic.

“Aww, come on Crow,” she said, looking over her shoulder. He looked grumpy. “It’s not all that bad.”

He shook his head. “I promised Gordon I’d raise you into a respectable young woman with good prospects and without bias. Dexter is ruining that.”

“Are you saying Wolf is going to ruin me?”

“Yeah, don’t be so mean to my Cub!” Wolf defended her, putting an arm around her shoulder.

“I will not be ruined by anything. I am quite happy here. I’ve wanted to get to know you all since I was a little kid and go on adventures and solve cases and have fun. I’m doing that. Isn’t that exactly what Gordon would have wanted?”

He sighed. “Of course,” Crow admitted. “But not like this.”

Stephanie didn’t have an answer to that. She just asked Wolf if he could electrocute her if he used his magic with his other hand if he was holding her. He laughed but she felt like electricity would flow through him to her – it wasn’t that bad of a question.

Crow went ahead of them into the dingy old building and the two made a ruckus laughing and joking about falling through the stairs. “You two need to quieten down,” Crow told them. “China won’t be happy if you don’t stop.”

“Whose China?” Stephanie asked.

“China is a lady I often go to for information. She is the most beautiful lady in the world and people fall in love with her on sight. She abuses that love and makes them bring her things for her collection. She owns a library, you see.”

“Oh. She doesn’t sound the nicest.”

“She isn’t,” Wolf said, more serious than she’d seen that day. “China isn’t to ever be trusted, but she is a good ally, and very useful for getting information. People talk to her you see. And one more thing before we go in,” he said as they stood in front of a man with a bow tie. “Do not tell anyone your name. If you do they can control you, remember?”

She nodded. “Never.”

“That’s my Cub.”

They went silently through the aisles of the library in search of the beautiful lady. Stephanie had been worried she wouldn’t know it was her but as soon as the woman was in front of her she could do nothing but stare entranced by her. She wanted to fall to her knees, kiss her feet, do anything and everything for her.

“China,” Crow said, “stop it.”

The wonderful creature laughed, making Stephanie think of little crystal bells blowing in the breeze, and the feeling of absolute devotion lessened to a minor obsession. “I’m sorry, I forget what effect I can have on new people, especially the young. Allow me to introduce myself: I am China Sorrows. And you are?”

Stephanie almost told her but Wolf squeezed her shoulder, where his arm still lay, and she shut her mouth again.

Wolf rolled his eye. “She’s too smart to fall for that.”

China grinned, and Stephanie felt she was being mocked. It certainly let her shake off a little more of the overpowering emotions she was feeling.

“Don’t you have anything for me today Dexter? Not even a hug?” China asked.

“Naa, this is my only girl now.”

“I see I’ve been replaced then, and I don’t even get to hear her speak. So, tell me, why are you visiting me today?”

Crow took over. “We have reason to believe Gordon was murdered.”

“By who?”

He was silent.

“Oh, no,” China said with a gentle laugh. “Not Serpine again? Skulduggery, you think Serpine is guilty of every crime you stumble across.”

“That’s because he usually is.”

“Well I still can’t help you. I have heard nothing but nonsense rumours that don’t even deserve to be called rumours,” she said with a smirk. “I imagine it would make you laugh.”

“What is it then?” Stephanie asked, getting annoyed at the back and forth.

China laughed. “The word is that Serpine has begun believing in fairy tales. In the Sceptre of the Ancients.”

Crow was silent for a moment. “Has he found it?”

“Skulduggery, dear, the Sceptre is a legend and nothing more. There is nothing to find no matter how much he searches.”

“If he’s looking it has some value.”

“That doesn’t mean it exists though, only that he has become more insane.”

“He doesn’t sound like a stupid man,” Stephanie said quietly. “If he thinks it’s real, there has to be a reason, and you said he was looking right? So, he has an idea of where it was. Does that mean he killed Gordon for it? Did Gordon have it?”

The adults looked at each other. “I think you found a lead,” Skulduggery said after a moment of consideration.

They left quickly, trotting down the stairs and out to the car. Crow called the others and put it on speaker, letting Stephanie hold the phone up for him while he drove to Panda’s tailor shop.

“What did you find?” Panda asked when he picked up.

“He’s searching for the Sceptre,” Crow said.

“How did you figure that out?” Weasel, who was really Saracen Rue, asked confusedly. “I never would have thought up that.”

“I didn’t need you to,” Crow said. “My partner in crime did.”

There was a short silence. “Why does she get to be yourapprentice? I want a prodigy too.”

Stephanie grinned and tried not to start giggling as all six men started bickering over her. Eventually it was too much, and she started laughing uproariously at them, making them stop. She could feel them get embarrassed and probably defensive, but it just made her laugh more.

“Oh, please, stop!” She choked out between her laughs. “I’m gonna pee.”

“No! Ghastly, she’s yours,” Crow said in a panic.

She snorted. “I’m not really.”

“She’s mine.”

“You never said about what I thought.”

“Ah, yes. Stephanie realised that Gordon must have had it in his possession at some point, or else had information on where it must be. That’s why Serpine killed him,” Crow said, working it through. “Remember the legends. There can only be one owner of the Sceptre. If Gordon found it after centuries of it being lost, then he was the owner. Upon his death, the Sceptre became free for the taking again, making Serpine able to take the Sceptre with no problems.”

“That means it must be in the mansion,” Stephanie said. “There’s so many trap doors and spaces in the walls, and he never let me in the basement or loft or most of the third floor, or the fourth at all. It could be anywhere in there.”

Crow nodded. “Exactly.” He pulled the car to park on a dodgy looking street. Crow told them they were coming to the shop and they hung up, Stephanie letting Wolf out the back at which point his protective arm returned to her shoulders. It was fun having a big brother.

The shop was grey and a little run down, like the rest of the area, but when they entered it was bight, open and nice looking, if a little like a bachelor pad that had clashed badly with silk, chiffon, tweed and every imaginable button, thread, colour and material. It somehow was still masculine, made better by the muscles on Panda as he run a black as night material through his sewing machine with tender care. She couldn’t help but grin.

“Where in the mansion?” Snake, really Erskine, asked when they had locked the door. They were sprawled around the room, leaving Stephanie the only person standing. They had even taken the table space. She sat, instead, on the arm of the sofa next to Anton.

“Under the mansion is a cave system,” Crow admitted. “Gordon said when he was looking for his home that it was the only place with a magic history – he only wanted one steeped in as much magic as possible – that had only a negative history attached to its magic. Of course, he loved the scandal and bought it, and said once that it had a cave system beneath it. He found a journal from the owner a year later and was raving that he got in and there’re magic creatures. I agree he could have decided to hide the Sceptre anywhere, perhaps to trick someone into going into the caves, but it doesn’t seem his style.”

“If Gordon loved magic as much as you say, and he has a magical cave system with magic security, why wouldn’t he hide it there? It sort of makes sense he’d decide that.”

“Precisely. The Sceptre is free for taking so long as you can get into the caves, so long as you can get passed the monsters and whatever other traps have been set up, if you can get out afterwards. It can be done, but can he do it before us?”

“Nope,” Stephanie said. “We have the house, we can get it today.”

“How do we get in?” Bear asked.

“We need a key. I doubt Gordon would have left that around the house,” Crow said, rubbing his bone jaw.

“So the key is to find the key,” Snake said, smirking. “Any ideas.”

They were silent thinking it through.

Crow cleared his non-throat. “Gordon said what I searched for was right in front of me.”

“Oh fuck,” Stephanie said, sagging. She got looks of shock and scandal, and a few winks. “Fergus and Beryl have the key.”

[somuchchaoss]

When Witches Connect Over Literature (Lumity Fic) (Pt 2)

Chapter Two: Soft Hours

It all seemed so normal now, for Amity and Luz, to head down to the library and bury themselves with the weighted blanket and to read the Azura books together. And they both, well...enjoyed it! They loved reading aloud to each other the most, with Luz doing the silly voices, which made Amity laugh. The two had grown closer as friends and they both would share secret smiles during class, as if they were sharing a telepathic inside joke. And all was well and good. Till one Tuesday afternoon.

__________________________________

Amity never really thought that there would be schedule changes. She always thought that she and Luz would meet up at the library in the secret room with two mugs of hot chocolate ready and the warm weighted blanket at the edge of the bean bag chairs. But as she met Luz outside of her class, she noticed Luz seemed a little nervous. 'Okay, this is weird. Did I do something?' Amity wondered, her heart filling up with dread. But she smiled anyway as she made her way to Luz. "Hey, so are you ready to go?" Amity asked when she reached the other girl. Luz gulped and nervously twisted the edge of her shirt. "Uh, Amity, I didn't exactly want to tell you this, but..." Luz began, growing more nervous as she spoke. "Whatever I did, I'm sorry! I know I messed up on Azuras voice last time, but you told me it was okay but I didn't think you'd be upset by it." Amity interjected. Luz shook her head. "No, you didn't do anything wrong, and besides your Azura voice is perfect," Luz replied. "It's just that..." Luz paused, as if working up the courage to tell Amity this big thing. "We can't meet at the library today." Luz finished, saying it so fast Amity almost couldn't tell what she had said. Amity's smile fell. "Oh..." was all she could say. "So are we not meeting today?"

"No, no. We're still meeting." Luz said. "We just have to meet at the Owl House." she said the last part with a whisper. "What, why?" Amity asked, cringing at her sharp tone. "Eda needs me at the house to help her with a customer. Apparently, he's like her ex or something?" Luz said. "And she needs me around to make sure he doesn't con her, even though she's definitely going to con him." she continued. Amity pondered this for a second, before sighing. "Okay, but it'll still be at the same time, right?" she asked. Luz nodded. "Alright," Amity half smiled. "I'll see you there then." And with that, she walked away, leaving Luz alone in the hallway.

___________________________________

Amity felt nervous as she made her way to the Owl House. She had never been there, and she had really never fully met the Owl Lady. Of course, there was that one time when she was with her siblings, and the other time during Luz and Amity's witches duel, where both parties had cheated. But still, what could she really expect from this all powerful witch?

As she made her way to the door, she was met with a horrifying sight: a long necked owl face.

"Heyyyyyyyyyyyyy, hoot hoot." The owl face hooted. Amity yelped and jumped back in shock. "Um, I, uh-" Amity stammered over her words. "Hooty, is that Luz's girl crush or whatever? The Blight girl?" A voice called from inside the house. "I don't know, hoot hoot." The owl face, Hooty, hooted. "Just let the darn girl in, for crying out loud." The voice snapped. "Alright, jeez, hoot." Hooty groaned, opening the door (or, he just opened himself or something, cause he is the door).

Inside, she saw the Owl Lady, Eda, laying on the couch with a small skeleton like dog creature curled up at her toes. 'Aw, what a cutie.' Amity gushed in her head. "So you're the Blight girl that Luz talks about so often?" Eda asked, looking up at the girl. Amity quickly nodded, surprised by the witch speaking to her. "Alrighty. Luz is upstairs in the spare room. But you'll have to end the meeting when my ex- er, my customer arrives, got it?" Eda asked. "Yes ma'am." Amity squeaked. "Jeez kid, lighten up. I'm not that scary, haha!" she snorted. Amity nervously laughed as she made her way upstairs. As Amity left, Eda watched her and shook her head. "I don't know what the heck Luz sees in that kid." she said to herself.

_____________________________________

Amity searched for this spare room for a while until she spotted a few floating lights in a dimly lit room. She peeked inside to spot Luz drawing another light spell. The room, while not as cozy as the secret room, still had that cozy atmosphere. There were two mugs have hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows next to the mugs. There were two pillows on the floor with a fuzzy striped pink, purple, and blue blanket guarding the pillows. Luz looked up with a frenzied grin.

"Hey! Glad you could make it!" Luz said. Amity nodded, still a bit overwhelmed by the change of venue. "You, uh... got a nice place here." Amity said, looking around the dimly lit room. Luz shrugged. "It's the only room Eda allowed for this to happen." Luz said. Amity crossed her arms and looked away. "So ready to get started?" Luz asked, patting the pillow next to her while holding Amity's mug of hot chocolate. "Yeah...sure." Amity replied, sitting next to Luz.

[inheritedfang]

Some of my Thoughts About Dark Souls 1

Considering how I’ve heard people talk about this game for years and years, and I both finished my first playthrough and got more than halfway through a new playthrough in one night (it’s 7:30 a.m. and I haven’t slept at all, help), I have a few things I want to talk about.

I’m going to start off with my biggest point: is it just me or does the game drop in quality after Ornstein and Smough? Up until then the game is incredibly atmospheric, with fantastic level design and that whole “difficult but fair” thing everyone tells you about when you first find out about the game. However after I beat Ornstein and Smough and was told to go after the four Lord souls, the game stopped feeling fair and just became irritating. Tomb of the Giants? Admittedly not the worst at first, but once you get to the second bonfire it just becomes a mad sprint past the massive beast skeletons that’ll tear you apart if you stop to fight them. Not to mention the fact that unless you found the Skull Lantern in the Catacombs, you have to navigate the Tomb of the Giants in the pitch black, barely able to see two feet in front of you until Patches shoves you off a cliff just after the first bonfire.  This area is capped off by Gravelord Nito, who is somehow frustrating and easy at the same time. I, a big mistake on my part, went in without a divine weapon as getting one to a decent level would have taken far too long. I could detail every bad thing that happened, but one example sums it up perfectly; I dodged one of Nito’s attacks, only for him to immediately follow up with a grab. I messed up the dodge and he grabbed me, doing a bunch of damage before gently laying me down on the floor. In the corner. Right in between the three skeletons. I couldn’t roll away, I couldn’t kill them quick enough, I couldn’t heal. I promptly died.

The Duke’s Archives was even worse, with the majority of my experience being boiled down to running around in circles trying to figure out where to go while being spammed to death by projectiles being fired from God knows where. After escaping my cell and returning to the Library I got lost for an unbearable amount of time, running back and forth trying to figure out where I was supposed to go when everything looked exactly the same. The enemies are irritating as well; the worst being the archers and the big sorcerer enemies (can’t remember their names), who just spam soul arrows at you then teleport away when you get close. I may be slightly biased because I just started a Sorcerer playthrough which was complete and utter hell in the Archives, getting nearly two shot by literally everything, but regardless. I don’t have much to say about the Crystal Caves. It looks nice, the invisible floor mechanic was odd and seemed pointless to me but it was easy to figure out where to go anyway and it was harmless all things considered. Seath the Scaleless, the boss of this area, was a complete joke. Trying to sever the tail for the Moonlight Greatsword was a pain at first, sure, but just going for the kill was pathetic. I beat him by running at one of the two front tentacles and just sprint attacking over and over. Seath barely even attacked me while I did this, it was a massive disappointment. Also special mention to that one garden area between the Duke’s Archives and the Crystal Caves, it looks unforgivably bad. I don’t have a good image of it unfortunately, but it looks genuinely unfinished. Especially with the Crystal Golems that look like they’ve just been randomly thrown about the garden with no thought put in whatsoever. I felt like I was playing a developer test level.

The Demon Ruins were very fun, fighting through the ruins gave me the same feeling as first carving my way through Undead Burg, seeing everything ruined around me, taking in the various details of the environment as I slowly overcome the various enemies blocking my path. The very copy and paste feeling of some of the enemy placements was strange, however. Seeing five or six weaker Capra Demons dumped in a hallway and seeing seven or so Minor Taurus Demons off in the distance, all standing together in the lava lake made me think that they could have been leftover placeholders that were kept in due to time constraints. But overall, without going into too much detail, the Demon Ruins was a refreshingly enjoyable area, especially after just trudging through Tomb of the Giants, so after killing the Centipede Demon I was excited to see what would be next. And then Lost Izalith ruined everything.  My time in Lost Izalith was spent taking off my clothes and running through boiling hot lava and it was about as fun as it sounds. The sprint to the boss was stupidly long and had you taking an incredibly linear winding path through the lava lake to avoid attracting the attention of massive Tyrannosaur-looking Demons that just stand around completely still like until you accidentally step too close and get squashed. But despite the painful area leading up to it, maybe the boss would redeem it? Maybe the boss would be good enough to make all the suffering I’d endured worth it? Haha.

No.

The Bed of Chaos is easily the worst, most infuriating boss in the game and one of the worst I’ve played in a long time. It’s not fun having to run through the entirety of Lost Izalith, only to spend about five seconds in the boss fight before being swept into a bottomless pit and sent right back to the bonfire at the start of the area. Finally killing the boss isn’t even satisfying because once you’ve gotten past the asinine jump and managed to avoid being knocked into the death hole by the almighty hand of God himself, you find that the boss is just a pathetic little bug that goes down in one hit and doesn’t even fight back.

The last of the four Lords, the Four Kings and the area leading up to them, New Londo Ruins are my favourites of the Lords and their areas. New Londo Ruins had a brilliant aesthetic and atmosphere, the Dark Wraiths were threatening as all hell (although surprisingly easy to kill) and the idea of fighting the literal ghosts of those who had died when New Londo fell is incredibly cool. The atmosphere especially ramps up when you drain the ruins and head down, only to be greeted with piles and piles of endless corpses that you have to step over to carry onward. It’s intense. It only took me two tries to beat the Four Kings, but it was one of the most tense fights in the game for me (I’m not counting the time where I dropped into the arena then took off the Artorias ring and was consumed by the Abyss shhhh that doesn’t count). The first time round was me testing the waters then quickly calling the fight cheap because I was swarmed by three Kings at once that I’d obliviously allowed to spawn, but then the second time round I realised that I could reliably tank their attacks without needing to heal and kill each one before the next one spawned, so it quickly became “neck a green blossom and just rush them there’s no time for second thoughts”. It was easy, but damn was it fun.

And so came the final boss, Gwyn. The Kiln of the First Flame was a brilliant area that did everything it needed to, being an atmospheric and foreboding lead up to the final fight. The few black knights along the way were good parrying practice and they dropped tons of upgrade materials that’ll no doubt be useful in New Game Plus. But before long, I finally arrived at the fog gate. Weapon at the ready, I stepped through, prepared to meet the final battle this fantastic game has for me. 

Remember how I said that “The few black knights along the way were good parrying practice”? Well, that was some subtle foreshadowing because parrying completely and utterly trivialises the final boss. Parrying isn’t something you can usually do in the boss fights, however for whatever reason Gwyn is able to be parried. So despite what the game’s story has been leading to and the beautiful, melancholy music backing your fight would have you believe, it’s much less an epic duel between Chosen Undead and forsaken Lord, and more just the Chosen Undead slapping Gwyn’s sword away and stabbing him in the chest every ten seconds. Good build up and once again good atmosphere, but a pretty underwhelming fight overall.

That sums up my thoughts on the second half of Dark Souls 1 pretty well; underwhelming. The first half is exactly as it should be: you fight your way up from nothing, constantly facing overwhelming odds as you prove your worth as the Chosen Undead through sheer determination and strength. The second half lost that same feeling for me, and I think it’s due to the levels relying more on gimmicks like the darkness of the Tomb of the Giants or the entirety of Lost Izalith. The game is still fantastic, but I do wish it managed to keep up the same level of quality that it held at the beginning.

Because I started writing that at about 7:30 a.m. and it’s now 9:21 a.m., I’m going to just summarise my last point and then go the bloody hell to sleep.

I feel that Anor Londo is somewhat overhyped. I’m not a big fan of the design and while I understand that it’s entirely by design and intentional, the big and abandoned feel of the city doesn’t work for me at times. I still love exploring it, but I don’t understand the tons and tons of love people give it. As well as this, the Anor Londo archers really aren’t that hard. I’ve heard people rant about their difficulty numerous times before, but once I’d finally encountered them, I just walked up to the one on the right, baited him into pulling out his sword and attacking me, parried the attack and one shot him. The pillar blocks the other archer’s view of you so they can’t do anything about it. It really isn’t that hard. Same with Ornstein and Smough, they’re definitely difficult, but not quite as difficult as I’ve heard people say.

Anyway I’m off to sleep for fifteen years, have a good one lads

[ottofinch]

      so so thrilled to be here with the figurehead, n i know it was a really tough decision for the admins so i just hope i can do him justice ! please find below everything i have thus far on otto ballantyne, the younger brother of nate, and a theatre and classics student who was arranged to be married to daisey. i’ve honestly been itching to play a character like otto for months, so i can’t wait to get my teeth stuck into him. please bombard me with discord messages for plots.

part one: ooc information 

nora, 23, she/her, gmt.

part two: the muse !

skeleton: the figurehead.

faceclaim: froy gutierrez  

otto horatio ballantyne. 

cisgender male.

twenty-one

theatre arts major, minoring in classics.

clubs: student government, mock trial, theatre.

apartment 004. 

part three: the skeleton !

      heavy is the head that wears the crown, though yours is the size of a tennis ball when you are born three weeks premature, barely formed enough to open your eyes. for those first few weeks all your parents knew were fear and love --- fear that you would leave them, love that you had made it through so much, hooked up to wires like a fish in a cryogenic tank. to them your heart that learned one day to beat of its own accord was a miracle. perhaps that’s why you became their golden boy.

      being born as a boy on the brink of death makes you invulnerable. you were achilles and the world couldn’t touch you for you were shielded from harm by a mother’s protective spell. should nathaniel lay so much as a finger on your skin, a voice would raise like the sound of a god from the veranda where she sat sipping her wine, play nice, boys! the sound of it thick with merlot. in every fight they took your side ; angel-headed creatures never lied. you soon learned that adults would believe anything if they liked you, that flattery will get you anywhere and to the well-trained mind, conversation was little more than a parlour game.

      you harboured your mother’s beauty, the softness of her voice, the firmness of her skin and light in the corners of her smile. of your father, they’d say you inherited his wit, though that was your own --- as was the golden hair that tousled your head, taken not from ambrose ballantyne but rather the bout of his three-week business trip to germany when your mother had bedded the gardener. if he knew, he never mentioned it. to believe such a fate would imply that he was not enough for her. though you noticed one day when you were nearing five and the sun was ripe on your freckle-flecked skin that the gardener had stopped coming at all. the grass, once shaven to its scalp, now grew to your knees.

      at school, you learned with porridge still clinging to your mouth that the way to win over your teachers was through your smile. yours was the kind of school where the christmas play was not the nativity but rather the story of the gods, and stardom came to you in the role of apollo, sun shining from your beaming face, a bright halo of hair around your head. this was the first time you noticed a coldness in nathaniel’s eyes as your father threw you over his shoulder and your mother drenched you in praise. a bout of food-poisoning on your brother’s part rendered the italian restaurant, visited in your honour, abandoned. you never did find out if he was faking.

      the room to his door remained shut after that and you learned to wile away your hours in the company of nannies and children from neighbouring castles, played at knights and rescued princesses from nearby dungeons, a tin-foil crown lopsided on your head. you learned to seek influence in the faces of those around you, how their eyes would widen as they hung like stalactites to your words. storyteller. prophet. riddler. prince. you cut your tongue into a well-kept sword and sparred with it thrice a day.

      by nine you had read all of dickens novels. by eleven, all of shakespeare’s comedies --- though you understood them as much as a cricket knows the meaning of the cosmos. still, it sounded rich and impressive when asked by aunties at dinner parties, what are you reading in school, otto? he finds the curriculum tiring, your mother would say, stroking a hand through your thick head of hair. otto’s just finished the merchant of venice. soon you grew to ignore your brother’s glowers at your back. your mother’s was the only smile you needed.

      in cap and blazer your mother would drop you off at school, gated and turreted, the kind that was the envy of poorer neighborhood wives. when you were young, you were sure the gifts that came your way were yours alone, though as you grew older, you learned to expect them in the same way the school expected cheques from your parents. they named them benefactors, you noticed one day, on the wooden plaques fixed to the common room walls. the same plaques you would one day notice their names engraved upon in the arching hallways of st. ettienne’s. acclaim was bought, not earned, and your success was littered with blood money.

      what’s a king without a kingdom? your father surely wanted you to inherit his, though it was not in law and corporal finance that you found yourself a castle, but rather upon the stage. when red curtains split, you found you could become anything with the power of your will --- boy, man, lion, snake, each of them wrung out by wordsmiths dead in their graves, a certain romance in the dusky smell of stage lights. when every eye in the room was focused on you --- that was when you felt most powerful. like a piece of art, you were something to be looked at and admired --- and perhaps in the absence of self-earned merit your vanity blossomed, for even if the trophies that lined your cabinets and the a-grades in columns on a sheet came from heavy pockets, your parents could never buy the sound of applause.

      actors are by nature volatile. though your facade was swifter than an arrow, backstage they would call you tempestuous, bigoted, vain. still, it never left the wings of the theatre. there was a kind of reverence surrounding you that words could not taper, godliness following you from school to college, a peer admired in the practice rooms of st. etienne where you poured over chekhov and ibsen but yearned to read sophocles and euripides. 

      you learned to pride yourself on your looks --- a sharpened jawline and a sharper tongue --- and found that people would do almost anything for a beautiful face. in the beginning, daisey was one so much. first colleagues, then friends, then a frequentor to the table in your families house. with arrogance carried in the curve of your brow, you only ever saw her as an accessory. that changed when let yourself stumble, brogues in a size that differed from your own kicked beneath your bed, a shirt with a larger neck size, pulled sheets, the smell of a foreign cologne.

       talk travelled. it wouldn’t do to have word of your deviance spread further than the ballantyne house. while your parents would claim they were forward-thinking, more lenient than their parents had been, there was a conservative priggishness to the way they’d brush such matters under the rug, your father scarcely able to meet your eye over the dinner table. soon after, the arrangement was set with you all but exalted from the plans until daisey had been informed. too late to back out, neither of you all that eager to be wed, though your families would coo when you fixed your hair or she, in keeping with the role, adjusted your tie. at first it amused you to play house with one such as daisey, but soon you grew listless. like a caged beast you felt suffocated by the falseness of it all. you’d leave the dinners held by your joint households and return bedraggled, smelling of whiskey and sex. you’re not sure daisey ever knew the reason why you couldn’t love her, though perhaps she suspected. at night, the names that would fall from your lips would never be hers. oliver. daniel. mason. rupert. charles.

 part four: the secret !

REDACTED. 

part five: the investigation !

         otto’s an extremely materialistic character who obtains pleasure through the things you can buy in life rather than that which comes to you by way of humble experience. he likes rolex watches, armani suits, louis vuitton travel bags, silk scarves imported from india. he likes to drink wine from decades gone by, where he can almost taste the funk of a victorian farmer hand pressing the grapes into a pulp, or to read a manuscript from the special collections section of the library that he knows has passed through hands which have gone on to achieve greatness. to otto, daisey was always an extension of this hedonistic, pleasure-seeking attitude --- she was something to be paraded like the equestrian trophies on his bookshelf, or his name on the honour roll. it’s not that he didn’t see her as a person --- he’s hardly a chauvinist, although it could easily be inferred from the disdain with which he talks to some women --- but rather that he saw her as someone ethereal and admirable and of high social standing who would elevate his social standing, by extension, were he to spend time with her. (this was such a convoluted sentence omg sorry)

         obviously, the engagement was not his choice. even the idea of it had never crossed his mind. he had never thought to marry -- marriage to otto was a tool used for financial gain --- and being already wealthy, he was content to live out his days as a bachelor. he would take lovers, of course, but it would be on his own terms without the involvement of the law. daisey was chosen as a match for otto because she was from a wealthy, well-liked family and the two had been friends since childhood. it seemed to their parents inevitable that they would marry, and so all that was left was the agreed arrangement between the families and the exchanging of rings. strictly speaking, if the marriage between otto and daisey had gone ahead, then daisey would have been nothing more than a trophy wife to otto. it would have been a miserable marriage for her, and he would have grown to resent her for it --- not resent her for the fact that he could never truly be free to love someone he wanted (for he still would) but resent her, and by extension his family, for taking the option to do that openly and publicly away from him. she would always be seen as the beard, the scorned lover, the cuckold, and it would dampen any future relationships he held with the stain of that upset. 

part six: optional !

pinterest

wanted plots !

a secret society that exists vaguely timelessly where everyone communicates with pretentious quotes 

people who grew up in ashmont and have known otto since childhood, and know of his family. he’s always been fairly popular and well-liked, because he’s got this way of winning people over that he worked out quite quickly.

people who he was friends with as a child but grew apart from when he was sent to private school / they view him as entitled now and the two no longer have much in common

someone who he regularly meets up with to practise his french, maybe they go for coffee or for lunch and they just spend the whole hour speaking french.

fellow thespians ! they could really admire n respect him or ??? actually think he’s overrated as an actor and type cast ??

someone who auditioned for the same role as him, but otto got it, and they’ve resented him for it ever since

sOmEoNe WhO hELpEd hIM BuRy ThE bODy hAha no but seriously anyone who could incriminate him or has something against him, for example, knowing he’s low-key closeted gay and wasn’t into daisey, and therefore has a motive

on the topic of that, [blink 182 vc] all the. gay things. otto’s pretty hedonistic, when he goes out he goes all out, it isn’t rare for him to wake up with a stranger in his bed, he’s thought by most of the student population to be charming and beautiful. i feel like while he’s not out, and almost keeps it a secret, he’s pretty secure in his sexuality??? like he’s always known he was gay, but he’s never felt the need to Come Out bcos its no one’s business what he’s into. 

hasn’t really dated anyone? at college, he tends to hook up with people in a vapid sort of way? so he wouldn’t rEALly have past relationships with boys unless it was..... incredibly quiet and on the DL, literally meeting up in the woods after school to read plato and play with each others hair. suddenly realised i want this. 

alternatively someone who he had a vapid, senseless hook up with and grew attached to :/ rude

literally anyone to go on expensive shopping sprees with him where he spends his monthly allowance on ridiculously priced cufflinks and pocket squares

unlikely friendships ?? with people he wouldn’t usually be drawn to ?? like, he very much sticks to his people, birds of a feather flock together, but ?? maybe he is friend with someone from a vastly different lifestyle??

people he knows on a very superficial and base level in the fact that their only interactions together involve doing coke off someone’s sink 

ples plot w me

[butwhyduh]

The Fall Festival

College Peter Parker x Reader

Warning: smut, danger, maybe language. Word count: 3300 Summary: just a normal day for Peter Parker full of a science club meeting, a hay ride, and rescuing the a bunch of people in front of his awesome girlfriend. @thewackywriter

Peter Parker fucking loved fall. He also liked the pumpkin spiced food and the pretty fall scents girls wore. Peter liked the swirly leaves in the park. Mr. Delmar would sell pumpkin empanadas on Fridays in October and they were awesome. The Halloween decorations would spill out everywhere and Peter prided himself on having the best spider webs on the block, probably all of New York. What kind of Spider-Man would he be if he didnt?

But this year he had extra reasons to love fall. He was a freshman at ESU majoring in biophysics and minoring in photography. He wasn't too far from home and could hang out with Ned who went to Queens College and obviously majored in computer science.

And finally, Peter had a girlfriend. He couldn't believe that he found a girl that liked him back. Liz was a disaster and MJ ended up with her coming out gay to Peter after he kissed her. It was horrible. Even though she was really nice about it.

But then he met you at an event at college. He couldn't help but stare at you from across the room. It was pretty unforgettable how you first saw him. It was at the end of the event and he tried to grab a donut beside you and instead you turned around and your foam coffee cup was crushed against his chest. Peter ripped his soaked steaming hot t shirt off right away.

Your eyes widened at his fit form. Woah, he was a nerd with those abs? You quickly looked away and flushed. Peter noticed of course. Instead of asking you out, he turned brick red and basically ran out of the room.

It was a week later, you finally had enough of his eyes on you but never talking to you. You walked up to Peter, who dropped his pen on the floor in the library, and asked him out. He barely stuttered out a yes. A month later you were now officially dating.

You had your hand in Peter's as you walked into the student union building. The science club was meeting and Peter had talked you into going. You sat in one of the last stools in the room. Peter stood behind you with his head on your shoulder. You ran a hand through his hair as the group began. Peter hummed as you scratched his scalp.

Normally Peter was involved but today he was distracted by the smell of your hair, the softness of your sweater, and the way you were scratching his head. He resisted the urge to kiss your neck. You gently tugged at his hair and he stifled a moan.

"Peter, do you agree?" You asked him. He shook out of his thoughts.

"With what?"

"Study group for genetics?" You asked smiling. Peter had been day dreaming. Peter turned red again and nodded in agreement. You noticed he softly gazed at you the rest of the meeting. You tried to pay attention but those soft doe brown eyes were hard to ignore. Especially looking at you like that.

"Hey Pete, what was that? In the meeting. You kept looking at me?" You reminded him. He adjusted his back pack before grabbing yours. You would complain but he always insisted. Plus he was freaky strong. You saw him pick up the corner of a fridge once to get something from under it.

"You...ah.. you look really pretty today," he said. You smiled at him. Sometimes he was too good to be true. You pulled him to the side of the hallway as the meeting room cleared out.

"You're the sweetest boyfriend," you said pulling his collar until he was face level. He grinned at you before lightly placing his lips on yours. You deepened the kiss and Peter practically melted in your arms. He groaned when you bit his lip.

Peter quickly pulled away and adjusted his pants before grabbing your hand and pulling you towards the door. You smirked at the thought that you had affected him so. Peter slowed down after a minute and stopped in front of the bulletin board.

"Hey, they're having a haunted hay ride tonight. Do you want to go?" Peter asked excited. You felt nervous. You hadn't ever gone on one. "Come on. Lets go on a hay ride."

You felt his big brown eyes persuade you. "Okay, fine. Don't make me regret this."

You pulled Peter to your dorm room. You needed to study. Plus, you kinda left him in a state. Peter was sweet but too nice and you had to take care of him because he would never ask. He tossed the back pack on your bean bag chair and sat on your bed. You basically pounced him.You straddled him and pulled his beanie and jacket off. "Woah." He ran his hands on your outer thighs. You kissed him deeply and soon you felt his arousal on your thigh.

You pulled his t shirt off and stripped your own top off. Peter gripped your hips tightly as you kissed his neck. He softly panted as you sucked a hickie on his collar bone. His eyes closed and his hands grasped at your bottom.

You lightly pushed at his chest for him to lay back. He flopped to the bed. His erection painfully tight in his pants. You unbuttoned and pulled them off. You shimmied out of your pants and panties. Peter tried to unclasp your bra and you helped him because he wasn't getting it.

You reached in your night stand for the box of condoms as Peter massaged your breasts. You opened the box to find it empty. Your head flopped down as you showed him the box in disappointment. He groaned.

"How are we out?" He whined.

"Uh.." you thought of the last time you had sex. It was after a basketball game and Peter actually took charge and pinned you against the headboard. You had mindless grabbed a condom from the box in the heat of the moment.

"We'll have to get creative," you said simply before bending and kissing his belly button. He shuttered at the sensation.

"Are you gonna?... oh my God," Peter said closing his eye tightly as you took him in your mouth. You were the first girl to go down on him and he still couldn't handle it. Peter began whining as you kitten licked the tip.

When you took him deep in your mouth he whimpered and grasped at the sheets. He was trying hard to not cum. You bobbed your head and his hips bucked softly. Peter panted heavily. Unbeknownst to you, his super senses were going crazy.

"I...I'm..." he gasped. You knew he was close the way he twitched. You softly ran a hand on his thigh as you took him deeper in your mouth. A panicked look flashed across his face and he made a strangled gasp as he came.

A knock at the door made you jump. Peter scrambled to put on his pants. You pulled your clothes on quickly and called, "just a minute." You looked at yourself in the mirror to make sure you didn't look crazy before opening a crack in the door. It was your RA.

"Don't forget that we have a haunted hay ride tonight," she said bubbly. She handed you an orange flyer with the info. You thanked her and shut the door.

Peter sat awkwardly on the bed. You smiled at him. "We should go. Oh, crap. Its almost time," you said looking at your phone.

Peter pulled his shirt on and nodded. "Yeah, okay. You don't want me to..." he trailed off. You grinned at him.

"Afterwards. We can stop at Walgreens on the way back," you whispered and winked. You grabbed your hoodie, okay Peter's, and pulled him to the subway.

Soon you arrived at the stop for the park the university was using for their hay ride. They had a food stand to buy hot chocolate and cider donuts. Kids ran around dressed as characters. Peter grinned largely at any superheroes.

You climbed on the hay ride next to Peter. He held your hand with one hand and wrapped his arm around your shoulder on the other. Soon the trailer was full of college kids and teenagers. A man dressed as a skeleton jumped on the front of the trailer dramatically.

"I'm going to take you to hell!" He began dramatically. An older woman looked at him sternly. "Not really, sorry Mrs Smith. Anyways I'm going to tell you all about the horrors of the park." She raised her eyebrows and he corrected, "the history of the park."

He began telling a story about a legend of the park as the trailer slowly drove down the gravel path dimly lit with Christmas lights around trees. You couldn't quite pay attention because of Peter's close proximity and your unfinished earlier activity.

"This bridge was built in 1904 by the city council because it was common for carriages to get stuck in the mud. During high river level that could be dangerous. So it's probably plenty haunted of people who drown," the guide whispered darkly. The trailer creaked over the bridge decorated with plastic bats and spiders.

"Tyler," Mrs Smith chided.

"Sorry, probably not super haunted. Not as haunted as our next spot that was an early medical facility. Which is also probably not haunted," he said after her look.

Peter suddenly sat straighter and looked around. His spidey senses were tingling. A loud clangour and then screech came from the bridge where the truck and trailer behind them was. Peter jumped from the trailer, grabbed his web shooters and mask from his back pack, and hoped you didn't see him swing through the trees. You definitely saw him. Your blood stopped in confusion and fear. The bridge wiggled visibly. People on the trailer shreiked.

"Karen, what's wrong?" Peter asked.

"Bolts on the top left of the northern side of the bridge are compromised. A 45% chance of collapse," Karen said. Peter cautiously swung close to the side. Ancient metal flaked gold rust.

"Jesus, has anyone ever updated this bridge?" Peter asked himself. He began webbing the broken bolts together. Above him the driver of the truck tried to drive forward. A bolt on the right side snapped loudly and the bridge began to lean the opposite direction.

"There is now an 85% chance of collapse. You need to get them off the bridge, Peter," Karen warned.

"On it," He yelped swinging to the other side. Peter webbed the bolts together. "Drive," he yelled at the driver. The man nodded before flooring the truck. The bridge groaned but held as it drove over. The bridge creaked and whined as it shook. Peter quickly swung away from it and into a tree. In a deafening groan, the bridge collapsed into the river below.

Peter climbed high in the tree to avoid being seen. He pulled off the mask and web shooter and shoved them in his pockets. The police began to arrive and Peter weaved his way through the crowd to you. He prayed that somehow you wouldn't notice his lack of presence.

You searched for him in the crowd. Peter was Spider-Man. Peter was Spider-Man, your mind kept repeating. You lost sight of him as the bridge collapsed. Suddenly you saw him searching for you in the crowd. You ran to him and hugged his roughly.

"You're okay," you gasped. He wrapped his arms around you. You pulled back. "Peter, we need to talk. Not here."

"Uhh.. w-why?" He asked nervously.

"You know," you said seriously. He visibly gulped and looked at you warily. You refused to let go of his hand as you left the growing crowd.

Back at his dorm you sat on the edge of his bed. He stood nearby awkwardly running his hands along the edge of his sweater. The room felt incredibly silent.

"So... you're Spider-Man?" You began.

"Uh... yeah..."

"How? How can you do that... stuff?" You asked confused. He was very strong, you knew. But a superhero? Your boyfriend?

"Well... uh... I was uh.. bit by a spider," he mumbled running a hand through his hair.

"A spider? What kind of spider? Are you messing with me?" You asked.

"No, no, I'm not. At Oscorp I was bit by a radioactive spider that changed my DNA," he said biting his lip. "And now I can do stuff. Don't tell anyone."

"That's... crazy. How long? What can you do? Did you really fight captain America?" You asked rapidly. He smiled slightly.

"It doesn't bother you?"

"Uh... I worry about you. But its... its actually kinda hot," you said slyly. Peter's eyes widened.

"It... uh... it is?" He said quickly. You nodded.

"Too bad we didn't stop at the store," you mumbled.

"I'll go right now. If.. If you want," he said eagerly. You laughed.

"Uh, yeah. Sure," you flushed. He grabbed your face and kissed you before running out the door. You grinned at the thought. Now what should you do? Take everything off? Take some things off? Put on his clothing? Do nothing?

You turned on his radio and walked the room. There were subtle clues to Spider-Man everywhere. He had a photo of a spider on his bulletin board and what looked like a blue print of an iron man armor. A newspaper claiming the evils of Spider-Man sat on the desk. His genetics textbook sat on top despite him taking the class the year before.

Peter came back lightning fast. His face pink and his hands clutching a small bag. He dropped the bag on the bed and walked behind you where you were looking at an old photo. Peter wrapped his arms around you.

"What are you looking at?" He said kissing your neck.

"Your graduation. You looked so happy," you smiled running a hand to his hair.

"I almost didn't make it on time. There was a bus that ran through traffic I barely stopped," he remembered. You turned to look at him.

"That's insane. You stopped it with your bare hands?" You said looking at his brown eyes in amazement. He blushed.

"Uh.. yeah, I did."

"That means you can lift a lot," you said with an idea. "There is... uh, something I want to try if that's okay..."

"What? What is it?" Peter asked.

"Can you pick me up when we.. you know," you said looking away.

"You want me to pick you up while having sex? I can do that," Peter said grabbing the back of your legs and wrapping them around his waist. You gasped in surprise. Somehow between your earlier activities, the fear from earlier, and this new knowledge about Peter, you've never been more turned on.

You grabbed his face and began kissing him. Peter groaned as you lightly pulled his hair. He carried you to the bed and laid you down softly. Peter pulled off his shirt and you scrambled out of yours. He grasped the buttons on your jeans and pulled them down. You unbuttoned his pants and pulled them off. Peter quickly yanked his boxers down and then your panties.

You grasped him and rubbed your thumb over his tip as you pumped him. He groaned in your hand. He ran a finger up your slit and rubbed a few circles around your clit before pulling his hand away. You moaned slightly. Peter pulled your hand from his cock and moved to grab a condom. You ran your hand between your legs and began circling your aching clit.

"Woah," he said when he was done rolling the condom on. "That's so hot. Like, wow."

You pinched a nipple between the fingers of your other hand. Your hips rocked as you fucked your fingers. Peter gulped and massaged himself while watching. You pulled your fingers from yourself and put it in your mouth and tasted yourself. He had never seen you do that.

"God, you're fucking beautiful," he groaned. You gave him a come hither motion and he practically hopped across the room. "Do you want me to pick you up? Like- like you said," he stuttered. You nodded.

He wrapped his arms around your bottom ad you grasped his shoulders as he pulled you up. You felt his arousal on your thigh. You kissed him, running your tongue in his mouth to massage his. Your hips ground on him and his hips jumped at the contact.

Peter pulled your hips slightly back and guided you on his length. Nether of you had ever tried this before. You stilled at the sensation. He felt so good in you. Finally you took him deep as you could and began grinding on him again. You could tell Peter wanted more but this position was perfect for rubbing your clit again him.

"Bounce, baby. Please," he finally whined. You began thrusting slowly. His hands deeply massaged your ass cheeks. You groaned as he hit the perfect spot inside you. Every once in a while you swirled your hips and Peter would whine softly. Peter tried to let you control, and you clenched around him felt amazing, but he needed more so he began moving your hips for you setting a harder and faster pace.

You felt your core tighten as you got closer. "Peter, fuck, Peter, fuck," you moaned as he bounced you on his cock. He got a perfect view of your head thrown back and tits bouncing. "Don't stop, it feels so good."

"Yeah, you're so fucking tight and wet. Gonna make me cum, baby girl," he groaned. You gasped in surprise. Peter had never said anything like that. He opened his eyes and slowed down to see what was wrong. "What?"

"Don't fucking stop. I'm close. Keep talking," you groaned as your hips bounced. He growled and continued bouncing you.

"So tight. Such a perfect pussy. Taking it so good. God, I love you," He whimpered lying his head on your shoulder. He was trembling trying not to come.

"Don't stop. Don't stop. dontstop. I'm gonna cum. Gonna cum. Gonnacum," you gasped and your body clenched around his cock and you moaned loudly in ecstasy and your thighs shook. He sped up before losing his pace and he gasped loudly in release, his cock twitching inside you. You kept your legs wrapped around him. His chest beat wildly next to yours. Too soon he laid you on the bed and removed the condom and threw it away. He scooted by you and pulled you on his chest. You lazily ran your fingers on his hand. He rubbed your outer arm with the thumb of his other hand.

"That was... I thought... it was... that was great. Did you-did you think so," he babbled nervously. You smiled.

"Babe, that was awesome. We should definitely do that again. Next week I get my loan and I'll be going to the doctor," you said.

"Oh, for like a check up?" He asked.

"Yeah, and I'm gonna get on birth control," you said casually. Peter stopped moving.

"Does that mean no more condoms?" He asked hopefully. You laughed heartily.

"Yeah, hun, it does. We've got a little while for it to work and everything. You know what we should do?" You asked.

"I'm a... a little to tired-" Peter began.

"Not that. We should get a pumpkin," you said sitting up. You reached over for your clothing and began putting them on. "You know? since we missed it with my boyfriend having to save the day and all. I wanted to get one today."

[choisgirls]

Could you write a scenario where RFA + V and Saeran decided to prank MC (because it’s haLLOWEN) by scaring her while she was wandering around 707’s bunker? Sorry for disturbing you. ^^"

A/N: You aren’tdisturbing me, love!!! hhmm im gonna do my best here! ^^ I’m gonna mix it upand do a fic for this because can you imagine all of them trying to do it ~atonce~

Words: 3,830

Pairings: None!

Theme: RFSpook!

Warnings: Um, slight gore mentions? But it’s all costumes, I swear! But it’s here as a warning!

Under a cut due to length!

Masterlist~

Of course Saeyoungwanted to have a personal party at his bunker, and of course he had to go allout and completely decorate it for Halloween. I’m talking the dark ambiance,the skeletons, the spider webs you were positive were real and probably droveVanderwood crazy- you were positive he even had his bunker renovated solely forthis party. You don’t remember him having a literaltrap door in front of his door before- password yes, trap door no.

When you arrived tothe front door, you knew better than to stand right in front of it. That doorin the floor was not subtle, not even in the slightest. You rang the bell andhoped he would hear it, considering you could hear his Spooky Mix Soundtrack, Tape 7 (you knew that was its name becausethat’s all he would mention in the group chat for weeks) blaring throughsurround sound speakers. The door seemed to creak open enough to show it haddone it on its own. You sighed, knowing that agreeing to this “party”was already a mistake. You pushed the door open all the way, peeking in andcalling out for Saeyoung. When there wasn’t an answer, you stepped in andclosed the door behind you. You debated turning around and leaving, honestly.

The inside of hisbunker looked nothing like it normally did. It looked like a completely newhouse. You thought he only decorated intensely outside- you were wrong. Youstood in the entryway, taking in the scene before you. The music switched tosomething ominous and a terrifyingly echo of a laugh traveled through thehouse. Saeyoung, what the fuck?

And with that, thescreen turned black and retracted back into the ceiling. You blinked inconfusion and shook your head in annoyance. ‘Why? Why can’t we have a nice,normal get together?’ You thought to yourself. You loved them all and normallyhad fun, but you weren’t the type to scare easily. Not to mention, you wereready from some treats, not this trick.

You moved forward,walking down a hall lined with old portraits. The eyes followed you as youwalked- but you paid them no mind. You figured it was Saeyoung attempting tohide his cameras to watch you. How long was this hallway? You’ve been walkingfor around 5 minutes, this is way too long. You stop and watch as you movebackwards without your feet lifting. You look down to find the floor had beenturned into a moving walkway. You give an unamused look to the closest paintingbefore taking large steps to make it to the end, jumping off of the walkway toventure on.

The room beyond thehallway held nothing but a large standing mirror in the middle of it and a dooropposite the one you came in from. You looked around, turning quickly when thedoor slammed shut behind you. Why would there just randomly be a mirror inhere? What kind of joke was this? Looking behind it, you see nothing and noone. After a few minutes of trying to open either door and trying to find anysort of clue on how to get out, you stand in front of this mirror.

You check out youroutfit- should you have worn a better costume? Did you make it too simple? Yourmundane thoughts were cut short when you start to notice the room filling withfog. The once clear image of yourself was quickly becoming a blur as the mirrorfogged up as well. Suddenly, a hand smacked from the other side of the mirror,dragging down to leave behind streaks- you watched as it fogged back up. ‘Isthat it?’ you thought to yourself, ‘Is it really just some weird projectionscreen? Do they think fog is gonna scare me?’ Words started to scribble out onthe mirror, you read them each out loud as they showed up.

“'Hello, MC. I’mwatching.. you… Would you… like to see… me? Just.. close your eyes.. andstep.. through.. I won’t.. bite…’ Wait- I know that handwriting,” yourealized, shooting a disgruntled look behind the mirror quickly to watch acertain small, blonde boy in a creepy, bloody monster costume jump and squealat your movement.

“MC! You weresupposed to be scared, not scare me!” he whined, “Were you even alittle afraid?” When you shook your head, he threw his hands up inexasperation before dropping them to cross his arms and curl his lip into apout. “That isn’t fair. I looked on the internet for weeks on how do this!I had to ask Saeyoung for help! ….Really, not even a little bit?” Youoffered him a sympathy shrug and had to pat the back of his head gently when hethrew his forehead against your shoulder to pout and cry a little about. Youheard mumbles of 'I’m a man’ and 'I can be scary too’. He sent you on your waythrough the door to move on to the next room. You had to give it to Saeyoung,he went all out in renovating just for this haunted house.

The next room was setup like an old school library- books lined the walls, floor to ceiling. A deskwith a large, cushion chair pushed towards the side of the room. Like theprevious room, the door slammed shut and you assumed it was already locked. Youlooked around, watching for the next so called 'scare’ so you could move on.The lights started to flicker and shut off. The window to the room screeched asthe wind and rain pounded against it. Lightning illuminated the room for meremoments, you knew how this was going to play out, so you stand and wait untilyou see a large, dark figure in front of you. With each crack of light, thefigure came closer and closer, until it was right in front of you and threwtheir arms open, revealing themselves from under their cape, letting out aloud, deep “boo”.

With the flick of yourwrist, you turn on your phone flashlight and find yourself face to face with acertain Jumin Han, with his tongue out between his face vampire fangs, lookingas unamused as you did.

“I will, uh, suckyour blood, MC. Bleh bleh bleh.” he said, bringing his hands up to make aslight 'rawr’ action. You stared at him, dead in the eye, face void of allemotion. He gave a soft shrug before standing up straight. “I made myattempt. I didn’t wish to really participate in this, but we know how Saeyoung canbe,” he elegantly produced a key from the sleeve of his shirt, offering itto you before gesturing to the large door behind him. “Feel free to keepgoing, MC. You’ve got quite a few to get through before we can have our party.I’ll make sure to keep a glass of wine just for you.”

The next room was setup like an eloquent dining room. A table dawned with a crisp white table clothand silver cloche in the middle of it, shiny and inviting. That would be whereyou’d have to go- but maybe they were tricky and did it to throw you off.

You don’t even botherwith the doors, anymore. You know you need to find the key to get out. The fasteryou’re out, the faster this party and go on, and the faster you can make ithome to eat that candy you tried convincing yourself you would share.

Looking through all ofthe napkins that lined different tables, you found nothing- you sighed. Youwere going to have to take it upon yourself to look under the cloche. Who’sroom was this? What was waiting under there?

You lifted it upquickly, already expecting something to jump out at you. Instead, you take alook at Jaehee’s head- bloody, pale, and a fountain pen right through her eye.You blinked, frowning a little bit. Reaching out, you touched a little bit ofthe blood dripping down her face.

Her hand shot out fromunder the table, grabbing onto your leg. You didn’t even flinch.

“Really, MC? Eventhat didn’t frighten you? Hmm. Was it the makeup? Was it not scaryenough?” She removed her head from the hole in the table and popped outfrom under the tablecloth. She was dressed in one of her older work suits.

“It’s hard tobelieve it when it smells like strawberry jam,” you remarked, licking offthe jam from your finger, “Dare I even ask about your costume? You’re in adining room, shouldn’t you be in more.. food related attire?”

“I have to workon paperwork after this party. I figured I’d make my costume realistic to whatmy emotions will be later on,” she answered without skipping a beat. Younodded in understanding and asked for the key to move on, which she was happyto supply if that meant she could go sit in an actual chair rather than crampedunder that table.

The next room held aring of full length mirrors- you had a feeling you knew who’s room this was.

“Zen!” youcalled, standing in the center of them, “Come here! I want to just getthis party going!” You watched as he walked up, in all 3 mirrors, tostrike a pose in his prince costume.

“MC! How did youknow it was me?” he asked, flicking his hair over his shoulder, “Wecan go to the party later! First! Let’s play~” he shot you a wink beforemoving closer to the mirrors, all four of them seemed to be looking you in theeye. “Time to play, Which is the Real Zen! Choose wisely,sweetheart~” he sang. You looked closely at all of them, stepping closerto the one in the middle- you stretched your hand out, reaching for him, whensuddenly his arm flew out of the one to your left, wrapping around your waistand pulling you through to a completely dark portion of the room. You sighedwhen the lights turned on and you found the room completely packed with fullbody, and extremely accurate, wax models of Zen. You knew he was taking theseall home at the end of the day- that is if Jaehee doesn’t get her hands on themfirst.

“I suppose I haveto come find you?” you ask loudly, hearing your voice echo- but were metwith no response. Great. This could take a little while. 'Everyone else triedto be scary,’ you thought to yourself, 'But nnooo Zen has to be overdramatic. Ijust want some pizza.’

Carefully examiningeach figure you pass by, one of them near the door catches your attention.Squinting in suspicion, you walk up to it, eyeing it up and down. You lean inclose as he jumps, throwing his hands out to grab you, yelling a loud 'boo’.You just stared at him, crossing your arms and tilting your head slightly tomatch the frown on your face.

“…MC do youhave a soul, at all. Does anything scare you? Anything?” you shook yourhead as he threw his hands up in exasperation before leading you through thenext door. With a swift bow, he closed the door behind you, leaving you in aroom decked out in children’s decor.

You have to admit toyourself that this room gave you the creeps- but only because it looked sosimilar to your own childhood bedroom… wait.. the.. the stuffed animals onthe bed, the stickers on the wall- this was completely a replica of yourchildhood bedroom. Well, isn’t that creepy. Who would recreate your bedroomjust for this stupid joke?

Out of the corner ofyour eye, the rocking chair started to move and a small shadow darted aroundbehind you. Turning towards the area where the ruckus had been, you ended upface to face with a creepy baby doll, suspended from the ceiling- it started togoo and cry, until the voice box started to die and it’s once sweet voiceturned more demonic. You frowned and yanked it off of its suspended wires,tossing it over your shoulder.

“Just come outalready! I’m so tired of all these stupid-” you started, before you werecut off by your knee giving out suddenly from a hard impact. You whipped yourhead around to find a tall figure sitting on a tiny tricycle, their face lookedporcelain and broken. A creepy, child-like laugh came from the person, as theysuddenly lunged at you, knocking you down and sitting over you. Leaning closeto your face, the creepy laugh continued as the person grabbed hold of the tearin their face, pulling down both sides. All that you could hear is a maniacallaugh, and the ripping sound of this person’s 'skin’. You could see the gluetearing and as the 'blood’ fell to your face, you could smell it was strawberryjam- Jaehee must have helped out there.

“Hi Vanderwood,”you stared completely unfazed by the scene above you. He finished taking offthe glued on mask and wiped part of his face off with his sleeve, shooting youa disapproving look.

“I spent thiswhole time trying to get the damn mask on. Do you know how sticky this is? Theglue and the jam? It’s fucking sticky, MC, this isn’t fun for me,” hespat, getting up and offering his hand to help you up. “I’m starting tothink you’re some sort of robot instead of human, we could use you in theagency,” he mused, crossing his arms and watching as you dusted yourselfoff, sneering at his offer.

“That’s probablythe scariest thing I’ve heard all day, thank you,” you held your hand outexpectantly, “give me the key and I’ll keep going so we can actually eatsomething.” With a roll of his eyes, you’ve got the key in the palm ofyour hand and you’re on your way to the next room.

This room had acomplete wall of screens, and you knew it was bound to be one of the Choitwins- now which one was it?

Deep, creepy laughtererupted from the screens, causing you to sigh for the forty seventh time today.Looking at the monitors, you’re met with the mask from earlier in the night-you definitely know which Choi it was this time.

“Saeyoung, youreally went all out for this party. I can’t believe you  spent all this time even renovating yourhouse-”

“I KNOW NOT OFTHIS 'SAEYOUNG’ YOU SPEAK ABOUT. MC, TELL ME, WILL YOU PLAY A GAME?” hecut you off, yelling into his voice changer. You crossed your arms and mutteredsome choice words under your breath before turning around to address the soundyou were hearing.

In the center of theroom, a single table rose from a secret floor compartment, dawning a clear boxwith a hole large enough to stick your arm in- the other end of the box heldthe key to the next door.

“The game issimple, MC- stick your hand inside the box, and answer a few questions. Youwin, you get the key!” he followed his explanation with a creepy, darkgiggle. You looked at the screens and raised an eyebrow, sticking your arm intothe box.

“And if Ilose?” you asked, watching him clap with glee.

“THEN YOU REALLYLOSE, AHAHAHA!” A locked clamp attached itself to your arm and your eyesfocused on the box as small saws in the side of the box activated and waited tomake their move. You frowned a little bit and turned back to him.

“Are you ready MC?No? Too bad!” he giggled, leaning close to the camera, “QUESTION ONE!We’ll keep it easy on this question- WHAT IS THE BINARY FOR 'SAEYOUNG IS THEBEST’? YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS!” You stared at the screen, spacing outcompletely- you didn’t know this. If you did, five seconds wasn’t long enoughto recite it. He imitated an annoying buzzer sound before telling you time wasup- the saws in the box moved a bit closer to your arm as you just stared atthem, wondering just how much time this boy had on his hands to make this.

“ROUND TWO, DINGDING! What part of fish-shaped bread do I eat first?” he tapped hisfingers together, expectantly. Hell- you don’t remember! Most of the time, youforget he actually eats anything else besides chips…

“The…head?” you guessed. He’s a sadist, maybe he gets pleasure from ripping offthe poor fish-bread’s head off.

“DING DONG, YOUARE WRONG!” he yelled followed by an evil giggle, “The belly, MC! Thebelly is the best! You know that!” you sighed- you did know that. Whydidn’t you guess that? The sound of the saw got louder as you watched it dropeven closer to your arm.

“ONE MORE CHANCE,MC. OR YOU’LL HAVE TO WAVE GOODBYE TO YOUR ARM! Oh, but wait, you won’t be ableto, AHAHAHA!” Your previous frown deepened- he’s enjoying himself too muchhere. “FINAL QUESTION! What, in this world, makes our very own Jumin Hananxious?” Oh! You knew this! You looked him straight in the eyes andanswered.

“Diagonals insuits,” You answered with confidence, yet he hit the error button anyway.

“YOU’RE CORRECT!But, due to the circumstances, I’m going to deny the fact that you are correct.Say goodbye to your precious hand, MC!” You turned back to the box towatch the saws drop, almost touching your skin. You didn’t even flinch. Youknew he would never actually hurt you. You turned back to the screens, raisingan eyebrow at the redhead as he removed his mask. “Aw, MC! Not even a blink?Seriously? Those are real saws!” he sighed in defeat and turned them off,allowing you to remove your arm and open the other side that held the key.“I worked so hard for all of this and you haven’t been scared once! Not atall! You’re a robot. That’s it- I’ve cracked the code!” With a roll ofyour eyes and a flick of your hand, you waved him off and ventured to the nextroom.

Taking in the decor ofthe next room- it was almost as if you were outside in an actual graveyard. Younotice a ghostly figure walk through the wall- how did they set that up?

You looked above you-a projector, of course.

Opening above groundcoffins, looking at tombstones for any tricks, you searched for the key. Youwere getting real fucking tired of these ghosts screeching and walking throughyou. You felt a tap on your shoulder and sighed.

“I don’t know howyou got the projectors to actually tap me but I’m no longer in the mood forthis shit,” you called before taking a look over your shoulder. You sawSaeran dressed as a skeleton with an annoyed look on his face that rivals yourown- he was holding out his hand to help you off of the ground where you hadsat to think things through.

“Look, I’m not inthe mood either, I just fucking want some pizza,” he said pulling you toyour feet. Yes, finally, someone agrees with you. “Just take this and beover with it, please. Saeyoung will not let us eat until you walk through thatdoor and I’m real close to fighting him.” He held his other hand out toreveal a- dare you say it- skeleton key. You took it and turned, headingtowards the door, when a hand shot out of the dirt of a grave, grabbing yourankle and yanking you to the ground hard, as it starts to try and pull youthrough the dirt itself.

You look up at Saeranwith an unfazed look marking your face, as his expression mirrors yours beforehe kicks the hand off of your leg.

“I forgot to turnthe robots off,” he gave the lame excuse as you put your hands to yourhips, mocking him with a ridiculous imitation of him.

“I forgot to turnthe robots off,” you stuck your tongue out at him before walking towardsthe door again, this time avoiding the graves between. He followed behind,mumbling something along the lines of, 'You’re lucky I just want food,’ and, 'Ishould’ve pushed you into one of those graves’. Someone was hangry, but thenagain, so were you. Please, let the food be on the other side of this door.

Throwing the dooropen, you were greeted with the scent of the pizza that has been promised,amongst various other foods. Your friends stood around the room, welcoming youto the end of the line and congratulating you on your journey. You all spent atleast half an hour eating, describing how their pranks went, and how you seemedto not be afraid of anything. Laughter erupted from your chest, waving offtheir assumptions. You opened your eyes because you felt something crawling onyour arm.

With your heartbeating out of your chest and your eyes as wide as saucers, you slowly lookdown at your arm as everyone looks with you. There, crawling slowly to yourshoulder, was a gigantic spider. You stared for a moment, trying to processyour thoughts.

A loud, shrill screambubbled out of your throat as you swat at the spider to get it off. Yourepeatedly jumped in place, shaking, doing anything you could to make sure thespider was truly off of you. You even jumped into Jumin’s arms, knowing he wasthe tallest and therefore the furthest away you could get from that evil thing.

Everyone ran away fromthe furry thing, hiding behind any object they could. There was a soft gigglefrom under the food table. You watched as a familiar head of mint hair poppedout from under the table cloth, shooting one of his award-winning smiles at allof you. He gently coaxed his eight-legged friend back into his container andstood up, laughing again.

“You guys triedso hard to scare MC.. but you should have stuck to the classics,” he said,now shoving a cookie into his mouth to hide the sly smirk that spread acrosshis face. You looked at him, amazed that Jihyun, this sweet yet devilish man,could scare you. With a spider, of all things.

The good title of the“Undefeated Scare” was ruined. You have been bested by a mint man andhis spider companion. You couldn’t believe it.

Your heart was stillracing, and you could still feel the ghost of the creatures legs running upyour body.

Well, Happy Halloweento you.