#and my other brother has slightly wavy hair? but he keeps it short and its not curly enough to need a specific routine

[acidsaladd]

coaching my lil brother thru trying something new with his hair as if i know what im doing

[beananium]

its time to give you all kaito headcanons hell. yeah

note that this is partly based on an idea that "what if kaito was just a real guy"

-

26 years old

bisexual and, while does identify as a man, likes to play with his gender identity.

he's around 5'10"

he is fat. to me <3. he's been fat since he was a little kid, and takes pride in his appearance deep inside (even if he's not much of a show-off in general)

he also has more wavy hair in my opinion (instead of it being straight but messy)

i imagine his eyes have a more purple tint instead of just being the same color as his hair

he doesn't have the best vision. he mostly wears his glasses, but does own contacts as well. they go seldom-used though because he finds them slightly anxiety inducing to put on.

he has a bit darker of a skin tone than canon!kaito (closer to a beige than a white)

i also imagine him having a cute larger nose :]

he generally loves comfy clothing, as well as stuff that covers his neck, because...

when he was around 16 years old, he got an embarrassing scar on his neck from tripping holding a knife while cooking, and had to get stitches for it.

he always wanted to wear a dress, though never can find one in his style and size. he settles for cute skirts instead.

kaito also has an oral fixation. he has to keep his hair decently short because he would chew on it if he had it any longer. as well, he tends to eat a lot to give his mouth something to do. these problems are more prominent when he's stressed.

very allergic to shellfish, like lobster, crab and shrimp. he tends to stay away from most sea-food as a result of that.

kaito's a decent conversationalist, but tends to jump to one topic to another at a rapid rate.

he thankfully values quiet time as well, and tends to be absolutely silent when focusing on something (important or not).

however, that being said, his focus is very flighty. one day he could bang out everything he needed to get done within a week in just a couple of hours, and the other day he could just lay on his bed and kick his feet in the air since he really, really doesn't want to do whatever he's procrastinating on.

while he is really nice, he has his limits when it comes to tolerating rude / meanness directed at him or his friends. he can get quite cross if pushed over those limits.

he's a professional singer and voice-actor! he tried becoming an idol, but it didn't really work out for him, so he made his own path and started getting a following on his own (which was very slow to get started until an actual idol [cough miku cough] took notice).

he has a lot of younger brothers (mostly based on the shion siblings if you remember those guys.

his hands are ice cold. even in the summer, people still get chills when they touch his hands.

kiyoteru's his cousin, and meiko's his partner. theyre all good friends :]

-

ok thats it for now thanks for watching hit that like button and subscri

[misterewrites]

Intro Casey 101 (Mirror’s Edge)

Hello everyone, E hoping you are all doing good! Here it is! The next chapter of the side project that's now my second major one. Because I have a problem and cannot be stopped! Haha stay safe, wash your hands, wear your masks, keep yourself, your loved ones and each other safe, get the vaccine if you can and remember to take care of yourselves.

Feel free to share this with your friends, leave me comments, feedback, reblogs. every bit makes me happy and helps! Have a great week and stay safe! E is out!

If you want an easier time to read it or to read it from the beginning you can follow the link below. Tumblr hates links and will probably shadow block my tags but you know what? Tumblr hates me in general so oh well

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30599756/chapters/78163523

Summary:  Casey is the head of the local Neighborhood Watch (and by head, he means only employee) Whenever not helping his best friend take down corrupted, evil jerkbutts, he spends his time running, maintaining and helping the magical/supernatural residents of Willow's Brook. Life is never static but Casey sometimes wishes it was a little less hectic. Just because he can handle it doesn't mean he wants to.

-----

Willow Rook was a peaceful neighborhood suburb located on the outskirts of Newton Haven, just within the city’s boundaries. Rows of mismatched houses and apartments spread out across the maddening maze that was suburbia. Fernspeaker Drift park was nestled in the heart of the neighborhood, its magical and mundane flora bringing a peaceful harmonic nature to the urban sprawl of man. The towering skyscrapers of downtown could be seen far into the distance, a reminder to the residents the city was never too far away.

The sounds of children screaming and shouting is what awoke Casey. He let out an unhappy groan as he rose from the hard wooden desk he accidentally fell asleep on. He rubbed his aching jaw, trying to loosen it from the rough night he had.

“Fuck” He yawned groggily “I really need to have a pillow here or something.”

He ran his hand through his normally wavy dark brown hair as his sea green eyes glanced about his “office”.

Office was much too generous a word for what he worked out of: It was tiny bungalow with barely enough room for a desk and chair, a case file drawer and the tv that sat ontop of it. Casey mentally prepared himself as he pulled open the curtains and allowed natural light to hit his face.

“Ugggggggh” Casey shielded his eyes from the harsh gleam of the morning “Why must the sun punish me?”

Casey stretched the crick in his neck while keeping an eye on the outside world: The neighborhood was particularly lively today with people out and about. The elderly elf Mr. Thistlebush was complaining about something or another to his dwarfish neighbor Mrs. Boulderfist who politely nodded and humored the old elf. Evan Starsunder, a muscular orc with dark green skin, tipped his mail cap tiredly to everyone he passed as he made his way into his cozy abode for a well earned rest. The newly married halfing (similiar but legally distinct from hobbits) couple Mr. and Mrs. Tealeaf took a stroll across the grassy field where Casey’s office stood, hand in hand and very much the picturesque ideal of young love.

Casey opened the window to let everyone know he was open for business.

“Good morning Mister Remington!” Mr. Tealeaf waved with a smile.

“How are you doing this morning?” Mrs. Tealeaf asked, half curious and half cheerfully.

“Great!” Casey lied, trying to stifle a yawn “Just great. Keeping on eye on the neighborhood, same as usual.”

“Keep up the good work!”

“We appreciate everything you do for all of us!”

“You’re welcome!” he gave a halfhearted wave after the retreating couple.

He sighed, mindlessly fiddling with the engagement ring on his finger.

“I should take it off” Casey spoke to no one in particular “She probably isn’t wearing hers anymore. I shouldn’t give people the wrong idea. I should just take it off and that’ll be it. That’ll be it. Yep. One slip and….yeah.”

His voice trailed off as he was unable to finish the thought.

“CASE!” A voice shouted.

Casey leaned out and squinted, trying to see through the glare of the sunlight to find the person who demanded his attention.

“CASE!” The voice called out again, the blurry far off figure slowly shifting into a more recognizable shape.

Casey rolled his eyes “What is it Kay? I’m working!”

Kasey Remington or, as most people called her, Kay was Casey’s twin sister. Nearly identical face with the same wavy dark brown hair and sea green eyes except Kay had gotten their mother’s button nose out of the deal. Growing up, the twins often questioned why their parents had named them Casey with a C and Kasey with the K but the only response they ever gave was it was funny.

Well not to the twins but they were used to it by now.

Kasey, in her mommy cardigan and white blouse, flagged down her brother to come outside.

“Yeah I’m good up here.” Casey smiled from his slightly elevated position.

“You’re tall for like 5 minutes and you’re already being unbearable about it.” Kasey huffed, shooting her twin a stink eye.

Casey chuckled “Mad with power. Classic story troupes.”

“Cliche you mean.” Kasey laughed “Sorry to bother you but….did you sleep in your office again?”

Casey rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he realized he was still wearing his purple tank top and black basketball shorts from the other day.

“Umm well you see….”

“Is your office still a mess?”

Casey glanced at the half crumpled burger wrappers and scattered papers that littered every inch of desk.

“Pfft, no.”

“That’s a yes” Kasey replied with a knowing smirk “Case….”

Casey fiercely pointed at his twin “Don’t.”

“Case, you can’t keep…”

“Yes I can. Watch me.”

Kasey rolled her eyes “I have better things to do.”

Casey scrunched up his face with false hurt “Better than hanging out with your brother? Alright I see how it is. See if I get you anything for Christmas.”

“No! Not my possible Christmas presents!” Kasey fell to her knees dramatically “You monster! How could you do to this to me?”

“Like this.” Casey spoke with a grin, closing the window without another word.

And made his way out of the building a moment later. He offered a hand to his sister and the twins burst out with laughter as Casey helped Kasey to her feet.

“So what’s up Kay?” Casey asked with genuine interest “Where’s Chester?”

Kasey scratched her chin thoughtfully “He’s...got...a….little league game today.”

“Wooooow took you a full five seconds to remember what your kid’s up today.” Casey snickered “Finally stop signing him up for everything?”

“Ha flipping ha.” Kasey shook her head mockingly “It’s not my fault he wants to do any and everything. Besides it’s not the worst thing in the world to enable my son’s interests. I just wish he slowed down a bit.”

“True. Did you thank him for the house he made for me?”

“Yes and he said you’re welcome. Still got it?”

Casey scoffed as he pulled out his necklace: The simple shape of home clasped carefully onto his chain.

“As a cleric of the hearth nothing is more important than a family’s love.”

“Except” Kasey murmured softly “Maybe your fiancée?”

“Nope!” Casey threw his hands in the air and turned away from his sister “Not having this conversation. Byeeeee.”

“Case! Casey you’re acting like a child!”

“Would a child do this? Hey Seth!”

A gawky human teenager with dark black clothing and every skull accessory imaginable flinched uncomfortably at the sudden attention.

Casey nodded his head in confirmation “Yeah you! Curfew’s 2:30 A.M. The Hallow spell won’t work during the witching hour so I want you back here before 3. Got it?”

Seth gave a low mumble and wandered off as quickly as his legs could take him.

“Casey.” Kasey laced her voice with a firmness only a mother could muster.

“Whaaaaaat?” Casey whirled around irritated “Look I made my choice and she made hers and that’s it.”

Kasey raised an eyebrow “You two have been in love with each other since we were kids.”

“Don’t you…!”

“Case, why don’t you ask her again?”

Casey said nothing, opting to gesture to his office to answer his question. Written in bright white letters across the walls of the building were the words “Neighborhood Watch.”

Kasey rubbed her arm guiltily “Case…”

“You gonna take over?” Casey questioned, his voice soft but controlled “You gonna take over for mom? Cuz she retired and unless there’s someone running the watch, all of this...”

He motions to the families walking, playing, living their lives together in harmony. A magical community at peace.

“All this goes away. We’re going to have to move everyone into other magical neighborhoods and under their Neighborhood Watches. And that’s not fair to them.”

Kasey let out a sad sigh “It’s not fair to you.”

“I’m fine” Casey lied “I’m okay I promise. It’s for the best.”

Kasey shook her head “You can lie to yourself but you can’t lie to me. See you for dinner?”

Casey hugged his twin tightly, pouring as much love as he could into the gesture.

“Of course. I’ll bring fries.”

Kasey made a face, playfully pushing him away “Would you bring something else, please?”

“Fine, mashed potatoes.”

“Ugh. Bye Case.”

“Bye Kay!”

Kasey eyed the engagement ring for a moment before taking her leave.

Casey ran his hands through his hair, wondering how much worse today could get.

He turned to make his way back to his office when he spotted a familiar face nearby.

His heart began to thunder loudly in his ears, the phantom sensation of lips pressed against his own ran chills down his spine while his cheeks flushed a bright red. His legs felt weak and butterflies filled his stomach as he took in the sight of Jaime casually walking down the street.

Jaime looked as beautiful as ever: Her long dark red hair was tied into a single braid that hung over her shoulder and shimmered in the soft glow of the morning. Her light brown eyes gleamed with a thoughtfully gaze as she looked at her phone. She was wearing his dark purple hoodie with dark blue jeans and sneakers. Her glasses were cutely askew and Casey felt the overwhelming urge to run over and fix them for her.

The engagement ring on his finger felt impossibly heavy yet light all at once.

He should talk to her. That was okay, right? To talk to someone he’s in love with and desperately wanted to be with. Did she want to talk to him? They left on decent terms. Well maybe. Hopefully. God what if she was mad at him? Or worse, hated him? She could never hate him that was silly. But perhaps she wasn’t ready to speak to him.

He knew he wasn’t ready.

Casey turned to Jaime’s direction then pulled away. He pivoted on his feet to face her again before glancing downwards towards the grass. His hands fidgeted uneasily as a shout threatened to spill out of his mouth.

Casey returned quickly to his office and shut close the window. Resisting the urge to stare at Jaime, he opted instead to reach for a crumpled piece of paper. He smoothed it out and began mindlessly scrawling upon its surface, drawing nothing in particular.

It was comical how automatic Casey’s responses became while he worked in this building: Upon hearing the knock at his door, he rose to his feet and opened it without a second thought.

Casey’s heart leapt to his throat at the sight of Jaime standing at the base of the steps from the bungalow. She smiled shyly, pushing up her glasses further up on the bridge of nose before giving a friendly wave. Her other hand was tucked deeply in the hoodie’s pocket.

“Hey sweetie” Jaime paused, pursing her lips for a moment “Case. How are you Case? Doing good Case? Can I stop now?”

Casey let out a genuine laugh “Hey swe….Jaime. You can stop. I’m good. I’m good. Good.”

He caught sight of his engagement ring gleaming in the sunlight. He quickly shoved it inside his pocket.

“That’s good. That’s good.” Jaime nodded “I’m glad to hear that.”

Casey caught her wandering glance across the office and quickly shifted his weight to block the view.

“So how’s the new job?” He crossed his arms in an clumsy fashion “Everything okay at the Grimoire?”

Jaime dug at the grass with her shoe “It’s good. Chaotic as usual but hey what do you expect for a magical library, right?”

The two chuckled together and locked eyes for a moment. As one they broke off their gaze, their cheeks slowly turning a pinkish hue.

Casey recovered first “How’s your brother? We talk but ever since last month he hasn’t recruited me to topple any corrupt bosses lately. I’m getting bored.”

“You sure you bored?” Jaime rolled her eyes “There’s no way the Neighborhood Watch is getting that soft.” “Haha I wish.”

An awkward silence fell over the couple as the realization of what subject they landed on washed over them.

“Finn’s good. Busy but good.” Jaime spoke with a fragile softness in her voice “You know my bro, always trying to save the world.”

“Right...”

Casey couldn’t help but noticed Jaime’s body language: She tucked both of her hands into the pockets, her frame shrunk like she was mentally kicking herself as she gawkily fidgeted back and forth.

“Hey.”

Jaime glanced upwards towards Casey, her light brown eyes shining brightly in the sun’s glow.

Casey could feel his heart ache with love and longing as he spoke simply “Don’t worry about it beautiful.”

Jaime said nothing. Instead, she closed the distance between them, gently cupping his cheek in her hand.

“Take care of yourself sweetie. Please. For me?”

Casey could feel his ache worsen but he just nodded, murmuring softly “For you.”

Jaime’s smile was sad but lovely. She pulled away slowly, allowing her fingers to linger for a moment.

“Bye for now Casey.”

“Bye Jaime.”

She left without another word and Casey felt exhaustion rush into every fiber of his body. He closed the door reluctantly and took a seat. He stared unhappily at the drawing of Jaime he hadn’t realized he’d be sketching.

“Fucking hell.”

He slumped deeper into his chair, feeling much too drained to face the rest of the day.

-----

“Shit, shit, shit” Seth muttered to himself as he raced through the night. The normally inviting, homely suburb was cold and distant: The shadows moved in eerie unnatural ways and once or twice Seth could soft pattering of paws follow closely behind. The modest homes and apartments were silent, basked in the darkness as they towered over him in silence.

“Just a cat” He mumbled to himself, glancing at his phone and wincing at the 3:30 AM it showed in a white font.

Seth entered Willow Rook proper and paled at the lack of comfort he normally felt in the air. Casey had warned him the Hallow spell, a powerful ward of holy magic that protected the neighborhood and hid it away from the world, would not work between 3 and 4 AM. Seth assumed he was merely attempting to scare him to return early. It never occurred to him that Casey was telling the truth.

Seth fumed silently “It’s fine. I’m late, it’s fine nothing followed me here and it’s fine.”

A chill ran down his spine as something rustled nearby. He whirled around in time to see something lunge straight for his chest.

He was ashamed how quickly he flinched, closing his eyes shut while raise his hands in a poor attempt to defend himself. He made quick prayer to whatever deity who happened to be on duty at the moment.

Something thudded against his chest. It didn’t stay long, instead quickly making its way up his shirt and tucked itself comfortably on his shoulder. It wasn’t too heavy but it was big whatever it was. Seth was surprised how warm and fluffy it was and swore it was purring in his ear.

He cracked open his eyes and found himself staring at an orange tabby cat: it was a fat cat with stripes of white and orange running down its body. Its dark green eyes stared curiously at him. If he didn’t know better, he would’ve thought it was asking him a question.

“Hey buddy” Seth breathed a sigh of relief, scratching the cat’s chin “What are you doing out here? Scaring the shit out of me?”

The cat pawed at his face rather roughly and with enough force to actually make him turn his head.

Seth felt the blood drain as he saw something approach in the shifting shadows: A monstrous thing, thin and skeletal. Its skin was a dark shade, almost as black as the darkness it blended in with. It crawled forward slowly on all fours, thick talons digging up and cutting through the pavement with ease. A bloody wrap covered its eyes and two thick, elongated fangs protruded from its lower jaw. The rest of its face was smooth and featureless.

The words died in Seth’s throat. The best he could do was a pathetic croaking noise he was grateful no one could hear in the dead night.

The creature tilted its head as if listening for any sign of its prey.

Seth couldn’t move, the fear gripping him tightly in its thrall. His breathing hitched and he could feel his body shake beyond his control as the creature inched closer and closer.

The cat leapt off his shoulder, silently landing onto the grass and bolting into the night.

Seth’s stomach churned and twisted anxiously as the creature stared in his direction, a growling rumble escaping its mouth. It let loose a maddening shriek, one that shook Seth’s very bones. It stood on its hind legs and grew to an inhuman height. Its mouth lowered, stretching impossibly wide as it leapt forward.

Seth felt cold and empty as the sight of the monster filled his sight. The fight ebbed out of him and left only an overwhelming sense of dread and finality.

This is how it ended.

It was an odd sensation to feel at the end: the warmth and glow of the sun at his back. Perhaps some higher being was taking mercy on him in his last moments on this plane of existence.

Wait, no the warmth was getting brighter and hotter. An unbearably stuffy and blazing with an intensity of a summer day that grew each passing moment.

Seth groaned, wincing in pain as a sudden flash of light zoomed past with incredible speed. It burned brightly, dispelling the silhouetted shadows with a burning flame despite it being no bigger than a baseball.

The creature reared back and thrashed about, too caught off guard by the sudden glow to realize it was coming straight for it. The orb collided with the creature’s chest and sunk deeply into its chest. The creature howled and buckled in pain, bending and twisting at unnatural angles.

The light faded and the orb with it but Seth could see the fist sized hole it had burned through the chest of the creature.

The creature weakly swayed, seemingly weakened by whatever hit it.

“Not in my neighborhood you punkass bitch.”

Seth weakly turned to find Casey standing there, the fat orange tabby at his feet. The head of the Neighborhood Watch finally changed his clothes: He wore a purple jacket with a black shirt that read “Neighborhood Watch” in faded white lettering. His gray sweats were wrinkled and his feet were adorned with two different sneakers. Outstretched in his hand like he had taken a swing at something was a glowing metal baseball bat that pulsed with radiant power.

“Casey, I…” Seth mumbled out but Casey motioned with his head.

“Go home kid. This ain’t the minor leagues.”

Seth was ashamed to say he ran, frantically and as fast as his sore legs could take him. Whatever just attacked him was out of his weight class.

Luckily Casey was in a league of his own.

The creature clicked its tongue unhappily as it moved uneasily on its hind legs. It bent and twisted its neck in a way that would’ve broken it if the creature had been human.

Casey rolled his eyes as he gripped the bat tightly in his hand “Drama queen much, aren’t you?

The creature said nothing. Instead it threw itself forward full force towards the cleric.

“Here we go.” Casey murmured tiredly as he drew his bat back.

The creature took a swipe at him but Casey already moved out of the way, dodging to the side and allowing the creature sail past him. It twisted its head around only to get a face full of metal: Casey’s swing caught the creature in the cheek and sent it reeling backwards.

The creature shrieked in pain as smoke curled off its face, the cheek swollen and charred an ashy black. It didn’t hesitate to attack once more: It stood up and tried to crush Casey under its full weight.

Casey just shoved the bat directly into the hole he made earlier.

The creature hissed and retreated away from the holy infused weapon. More smoke bellowed from the now enlarged hole.

Casey raised his bat threateningly “Go back to wherever the hell you came from or I will beat you out of existence you flipping abomination.”

If the creature understood the threat, it made no indication. Instead it doubled down on its poor choices.

It sat back on the balls of its feet, tensing its legs in preparation for a mighty leap.

Between helping the inhabitants of the neighborhood with their requests, talking to Jaime and frankly being awoken to a fucking demon attack at 3 am, Casey was just done with all yesterday and evidently today.

Casey’s hand glowed with a dazzling radiant light as he spokes the words of faith. Magic formed and condensed into a single ball of pure sun in his palm.

The creature sprinted forward, tearing up the grass underneath its feet while it desperately made one final dash towards the cleric.

Casey lobbed the ball high in the air and fell into a batter’s stance.

The orb hung in the air for a moment like a blazing sun then fell back to earth.

The creature leapt, talons aimed for Casey’s neck.

Casey let out a mighty swing. There was a loud crack as the bat made contact with the orb. The ball of light sped off and shoved itself down the creature’s throat. The bat follow through connected with the head of the creature and knocked it cleaned off.

The ball gleamed bright in the beast’s stomach before exploding outward like a supernova. The creature flaked away into blacken ash, head and all.

The gleam of light vanished and Casey found himself under the cover of night once more.

He wiped at his eyes tiredly as his phone beeped. He glanced at it to see it was now 4 in the morning.

There was a soft hum as the Hallow reactivated: the air shimmered with an unseen power and grew warm with comfort.

The ashes vanished without warning, the unholy remains cleansed by the sanctity of the neighborhood.

The cat drew closer to Casey, its eyes peering at him thoughtfully.

“Hey Julius” Casey greeted the cat politely “Long night?”

Orange Julius meowed in response.

“Thanks for keeping an eye on him. I knew he’d stay out late but hopefully he understands why we have a rather generous curfew.”

Orange Julius nodded.

“That’s been like what? The third demonic hell beast/ abomination this month. That’s a lot for a month.”

Orange Julius meowed in agreement.

Casey pursed his lips thoughtfully “Hey, did you see Finn?”

The cat tilted his head quizzically.

“I mean all this time you. He. Well you aren’t around whenever he comes by” Casey scratched his neck sheepish “You are his dad’s cat. You sure Fernspeaker wouldn’t want you to be with him?”

The cat paused for a moment before shaking his head.

“It’s not because Jaime’s folks adopted him after…..well that happened, is it?”

The cat pawed the grass below him.

“Right.” Casey nodded in understanding “Neighborhood’s your responsibility. I get that.”

Orange Julius meowed then vanished into the darkness.

Casey glanced at the statue of Fernspeaker that stood tall in the center of park. It had been erected the same time the park was named after him, both shortly after his and his wife’s death 22 years ago.

Fernspeaker Drift, Finnrick’s biological father, was once a powerful druid, deeply in tune with nature and a firm believer in helping others. This neighborhood was his passion project. The Neighborhood Watch was formed after his passing.

The Neighborhood Watch was created because of his passing. Nobody wanted a repeat of what happened all those years ago.

Finnrick told him it was okay for Casey to not to take the job but it felt like such a disrespect to let this whole place dissolve and scatter its residents.

Casey sighed and wandered back to his office. Office hours were closed but the Neighborhood Watch’s job was never done.

[soulwillower]

quiet  • eddie kaspbrak

(step brother eddie x reader smut)

part 2 to this!

requested: Can you do a sequel to the stepbrother Eddie fic please?? Just like more smut, if not that's fine obviously, thank you!!  + Hi! Your writing is amazing and I love it so so much. I was hoping you could write another part to the stepbrother!eddie fic? Idk just some more smut or something, thank you! +        Please another Step Brother Eddie smut? You’re so talented!   +   Hey, can you maybe do another part to step brother!eddie? Just smutty stuff? Thanks!

holy shit sorry i’ve had most of these requests for this for so long!

warning: swearing, smut, hes ur step brother, unprotected sex, teasing???, unedited

[losers + reader are 18+ in this.]

2.3k words

♡

dinner was so fucking boring, you wanted to scream.

it wasn't very often that your dad, step mom, step brother and you were all home - or even tolerant enough - to gather around the dining room table and make small talk over a meal for an hour, but tonight was one of those rare occurrences.

after the hot tub a few nights ago, you and eddie had been so busy that you hadn't been able to see each other at all.

plus, he’d had his friends over all day today though and he had smirked when he'd told you they were going to use the hot tub. 

and it was excruciating enough to see him walking around, shirtless and smiling with all of his friends, but to see the knowing smirk and the glint in his eye as he mentioned the hot tub was downright torture.

so while he was out there, you'd taken one of his shirts from his room and now you were parading around in it with some shorts to see if it bothered him. childish, sure. you didn't really care, though.

now, your fingers trace the embroidered flowers on the tablecloth as sonia barks on about something extremely unimportant and excruciatingly boring as you try not to roll your eyes. you lull your head to the side and catch eddie's eye from where he's sat right next to you. you lift a brow and shoot a small gesture with your head toward his mother and eddie shakes his head with a smile, rolling his eyes discreetly at you.

his hair is more wavy than usual today - and he's wearing a soft orange shirt and he's tan from being in the sun all day. you watch his adam's apple bobs when he swallows and his eyelashes flutter when he blinks. 

you sigh as you watch him, wondering how your step brother could look so innocent and yet... be so not.

as the background noise of your step mother resonates through the dining room, you decide to have a little fun. slowly, you test the waters by watching your everyone's faces as you slip your hand under the table, letting it rest on the bench in the space between you and eddie. 

nobody bats an eye, and you thank god your psychotic step mother decided to buy those ugly wooden benches for the sides of the dining table because eddie is sitting very close to you.

you keep the growing smirk off your face as you slowly slip your hand onto eddie's thigh rubbing as discreetly as possible. out of your peripherals you see eddie look down at your hand and slowly turn his head to stare daggers into the side of your face as your hand slowly makes its way up.

"what are you fucking doing?" eddie hisses quietly under his breath, shooting you an incredulous stare. you smile at him innocently, slowly rubbing his thigh under the table. he's bright red but he stares ahead as sonia addresses him, telling him about a prescription that he has to pick up in the morning.

you watch him, balancing your chin on your other hand as you continue touching him. "-and ma, you know i can drive, i literally bought a car last y-" he cuts off, choking on his words as you slip your hand over his crotch, fingers dancing over his cock under the fabric of his pants.

his breath catches in his mouth and he shoots you a deadly glare, eyes huge. "are you okay, edward?" your dad asks, making you snort into your hand and eddie hold back an eye roll. "uh, i - just, uh, that i can drive there, ma. i don't have to walk." he sputters out, looking frustrated.

"eddie bear, what's wrong?" his mom asks, this time making you roll your eyes. "nothing." eddie snaps, hand reaching down to grab your hand and freeze your movements. he's intently avoiding eye contact with you.

you're shocked but also not at all surprised that sonia hasn't noticed your hand sitting firmly on her son's lap. you're not at all surprised that your father hasn't because he hasn't fully looked at anyone at all, instead focusing on the article he was reading.

sonia moves on fairly quickly though, starting a conversation with your father instead, which gives you a little time to collect yourself as you notice eddie's not pulling your hand off of him.

instead, he's slowly moving your hand against him as he nods along to the conversation. holy shit.

you think you might combust, especially when your dad asks you a question and you jump, pulling your hand up to rest on the table out of fear of being caught. you hear eddie chuckling quietly next to you and you kick him in the shin as you ask your father to repeat himself.

you kept your hands to yourself for the rest of dinner and your dad retired to his study, sonia going to their bedroom. you were finishing up doing the dishes, bent over to put away a mixing bowl in a bottom cabinet when you hear eddie walk into the kitchen. he doesn't say anything, so you turn your head to look up at him. his eyes snap quickly up to yours and his lips twitch as if he's half cocky and half embarrassed.

"like what you see?" you ask, wiggling your hips, still on your hands and knees. eddie scowls at you, though his lips display a small smile.  his hair slightly disheveled as he runs a hand through it and stalks towards you, causing you to stand up.

"what is wrong with you?" he asks exasperatedly, shooting you a glare that has no heat behind it. you grin, looking quickly to the kitchen door to make sure nobody was around before you lean up, attempting to brush your lips against his.

his hands fall on your waist and hold you in place as he gives you a narrow look, leaning his head back. you fake pout again and he narrows his eyes even more as his eyes rake over your body. "we shouldn't." he mumbles, eyes on your lips. you nod, biting your lip. "you're right." you say, looking at him. you want to, though. really bad. "but you started it earlier." you mumble, smirking lightly.

he scoffs, his lips almost pressed fully against yours. "i don't know what you're talking about. you're dangerous. its a bad idea." he mutters, his lips moving against you as he speaks. you laugh slightly, loving how close the two of you are in this moment. "yeah, maybe. but... i want to feel you again. like last time." you whisper, thinking back to the hot tub. he huffs a small laugh, his breath on your lips. "i'm sure you do, y/n/n." he mutters. you shiver for some reason but you don't get a moment to respond because eddie's pushing his lips against yours heatedly, taking you by surprise.

you lay your hands on his chest, heart thumping as you realize that the two of you could be caught at any moment. his lips move against yours deftly and you sigh into his mouth, desperate for him. "we-we need to go upstairs or something." eddie whispers as he pulls away and you nod, grinning as you pull him by the hand towards the stairs. you look back quickly to see him shaking his head but following you eagerly.

your lips were back on his as soon as your door shut, making his groan slightly at the force of your body on his. he stumbles and the two of you land on your bed, making you chuckle. his hand slides down your back as he sits up, your knees straddling him. "shut up." he says, kissing you again to mask his red cheeks.

his hands find your hips and he experimentally drag your hips slightly against his, causing you and him to let out quiet moans. "shit." he says quietly, eyes shut. your hands wind into his hair, tugging as you move your hips against his again. you feel his lips against your neck and you gasp, feeling instantly needly.

"you need to stop stealing my shirts." he mutters, mouthing against your neck. you chuckle, grinding slowly in his lap as you look down at him, grinning at him as he looks up at you. "why's that, eddie?" you whisper. he rolls his eyes, hands slipping down to squeeze your ass and pull you closer to him. "because i fucking n-" he moans, interrupting his own words. you smirk as you grind against him, moaning quietly to yourself. "i need them because they're mine, y/n." he spits. you smile, leaning close to his lips. "i think it just turns you on." you whisper onto his lips before pressing them together. his hands squeeze your ass and you buck your hips into his, feeling his cock strain below you.

"fuck- please, y/n." eddie mutters, his hands pulling your hips against him. you smirk down at him, tilting your head. "what do you want, eddie?" you ask innocently. he huffs in annoyance, his fingers slipping to rub you through your shorts. you whimper at the feeling of his fingers rubbing your clothed clit and he breathes out, "let me fuck you, please."

you desperately undo his belt and pull his pants off, biting your lips as you look at him. he's breathing heavily, eyes lidded with lust and you trace your fingers below you around the outline of his cock. he moans quietly, his fingers going to your waistband to pull your shorts and underwear down.

you quickly get off of his lap, shimmying out of your shorts and underwear as he watches with wide eyes. you grip the hem of his shirt and lift it off of him then slide off his boxers, licking your lips as his cock hits his stomach.

you slide back into his lap, lifting yourself onto your knees to grip his base and pump him a few times. he groans, his hands stabling himself on your bed. you look at him and pull off the shirt that hung on your torso, tossing it behind you. eddie exhales as he stares at you, naked in his lap. his head leans forward, a small groan leaving your lips as his mouth attaches to one of your nipples.

you tease his tip on your slit, eager to feel him inside of you. "fuck." you hiss, trying to stay quiet in case anybody hears the two of you. he pulls his lips off of your chest, looking at you as you slide on him slowly, taking him in inch by inch and gasping. he moans once he's buried to the hilt and your head falls to his shoulder.

"please move." he mutters, one hand palming your breast and the other on your hip. you moan in pleasure as you start to move slowly, feeling him fill you up. he groans and his mouth atatches to your other breast, tongue swirling around your nipple. you start to suck on his neck, leaving small fluttering kisses to distract yourself from the pleasure that makes you want to scream. you can't get caught.

you're in so much pleasure because he's so hot and this is so wrong and it feel so good that your legs stutter and get tired. "let me." eddie states, looking at you as he gently pulls you off of him, nudging you to lay down. your eyes widen as he climbs in between your legs, lining himself up at your entrance. a door slams downstairs and you gasp in shock as eddie pushes into you, immediately thrusting in order to chase his nearing high. he hits a deeper spot inside of him and you mutter, "holy shit, eddie, that feels so good."

he groans into your neck, thrusting into you as his hands rest on your hips. you can help the whimpering that leaves your mouth and eddie kisses you quickly, effectively ceasing your noises as he thrusts into you. "we have to be quiet." he whispers, pulling back to watch you below him as he thrusts into you. his eyebrows are drawn together and he looks like he's about to cum, so you grab his hand and pull it down to your clit. he immediately starts to rub figure eights on you as he hits a spot deep inside you.

"i'm c-close." he mutters and you nod, moving your hips against his as the familiar pull starts lulling you. "me too." you whine, moving your hips quicker. after a couple more thrusts, you're clenching around eddie as he cums, moaning quietly into your shoulder, you cum right after, covering your mouth with your own hand.

you ride out your highs together, bodies shuddering with pleasure as you finish together.

he slowly stops and pulls out of you, sighing as he flops next to you on the mattress. you suck air into your lungs, feeling totally exhausted and fulfilled as you laugh lightly. eddie huffs from next to you.

you sit up next to him, bending over to grab and pull on the shirt eddie was previously wearing. "see, now i'm giving you back the shirt i borrowed earlier." you say, winking at him as he rolls his eyes. "fuck off." he mutters. your finger runs aimlessly down his bare chest as he looks over to the clock on your desk, seemingly in thought. he looks like he wants to tell you something and youre about to ask until a knock sounds, making you both jump. 

"eddie bear? are you in there?" sonia calls from right outside of your door. 

your blood freezes and eddie's head snaps towards you, eyes wide with fear. "y-yeah, ma, one second!"

[itsthe-neo-zone]

Married To Mr Choi - TXT Series

Please read the Masterlist before continuing ahead with the chapter. (Check the warnings and read the interlude before reading the first chapter. Thank you)

Chapter 1: 

Every young girl dreams of her moment, the one where she drapes a sweet pearl gown over her figure and the sparkiest diamond headpiece over the crow of her head. Some even go as far as filling the grooms place with their ever-growing recent crush they have over the boy next door or their special friend in nursery.

Even I had those thoughts, me being the pride and joy of my family, the youngest girl -the only girl- in my house. The house of Tesoro, or Treasure in other words. Noble, famous, and extremely rich. Surely my moment in the snow gown and tiara would be the talk of the century? My marriage would be to the one I find, my soulmate, the true love and my prince that would save me from the towers I was locked in.

But as I stand here in front of my reflection, I didn’t feel any of the infatuations that I had as a young girl. No giddy or jittering feeling at the silky lace skin I wore over my own.

“What do you think of this one?”

“I don’t like it.”

A loud sigh sounded from behind me, she wasn’t even trying to hid it. The frustration dripping from between her teeth.

“I initiated the marriages for all 8 of your brothers and when I want to finally celebrate your coming of age you make my suffer through like this?”

“You didn’t even think about it sis.” A mutter came from the back. I wanted to turn and snap back at San but if it wasn’t for the overly extravagant and 8-pound heavy train splayed behind me. It blocked my movements if I wasn’t able to walk now how I was going to wear it on my freaking wedding day.

“Let’s see if we can try finding a middle ground for both the bride and her mother.” The assistant interrupted, feeling the tension thicken around the room.

She helped me down and as I pulled at the thick material against myself to avoid the troublesome look of tripping up. This whole ordeal was embarrassing, especially since I know this marriage wasn’t going to ever work out.

As I finished changing out of the dress and into the cotton robe that had chaffed my skin from the amount of dressing and undressing, I heard a light knock on my door.

“Come in.” I fixed and tugged at the robe covering myself thoroughly

“Are you feeling ok?” it was san, he pulled at the door and closed shut after he slipped inside. Locking it.

“No.”

“Why’s that.” He took a seat making himself comfortable on one of the many plush fuchsia armchairs scattered in the dressing lounge. “Is it the dresses? Or maybe mothers choice in compliments?”

He hummed in a sing song way, but I was no way in the mood to be teased and joked with. “I don’t call those compliments. She called me fat in one of the dresses and it wasn’t even me. It was the stupid cut of the dress.” My feet stomped a few times.

Smirking at the small pout that graced my lips, he played with a set of pearl beads that were hanging off the vanity. It was odd seeing my eldest brother in these types of surroundings. His work clothes didn’t match one bit. The gun strapped at his hips didn’t seem too friendly either.

It sacred most of the friendly and feminine-like workers and assistants in the bridal wear shop. But I was used to their outlandish and odd looks they wore. All part of their job, I guess.

“Just pick any goddamn dress and prepare yourself. Lets get this over with.” He stood up setting down the jewellery. “You know this is all for social reasons.”

“It’s unfair.” I stepped away turning my back. San could be volatile when he wants to be. Harsh and ruthless in his emotions, unlike Wooyoung.

“I know. But sometimes we have to do things we don’t like Mila. Deal with it.” He muttered; I could hear the gritting of his teeth beneath the sputtering of words.

“This is marriage. It isn’t a gathering I’m attending or befriending someone I hate. This can’t be undone.”

“So? You’re not marrying any random freak. This is the Choi family were talking about.” He thudded his steps to the door brushing slightly past me his boots hitting against the soft carpet mimicked the sound of muffled thunder.

“Mila, if you want peace of mind, you’ll marry him with no complaints, it’s whats best for the family.”  

‘its whats best for the family’

those words made my blood boil and my fists clench hard. Always those meaningless and hurtful words, so degrading and painful to my own thoughts and neglectful of my own desires.

I watched him push past the threshold of the doorway and push past the trembling assistant that was tugging at dresses double or triple her weight.

“I have a few more dresses I think you may like.”

“I don’t know about that.” Sighing I slip the robe off my body for the 60th time today.

“She actually picked a dress this time. Yes. Finally. So love are you going to be here for the ceremony.” The soft voice spoken mutedly and with a tone of contentment came from the main salon.

“Oh that’s good news. The sooner the better.” I heard mothers words muttered from the hallway. Gracing down the corridors I didn’t ever mean to listen in, but her voice and words were intriguing. It seems like she was talking to my father.

I rushed past the main doors making a beeline to my room. There on one of the soft ottomans sat Wooyoung.

“What are you doing here brother?” pushing the door shut with a soft click I turn to face him. He was adorned in his work clothes.

A dark shirt with his gun holster peaking out from underneath the leather jacket. His hair was ruffled up and he was wearing tight slacks with black wing tip oxfords. He had his handgun between his fingers swinging it round. I subconsciously hoped he had his safeguard on.  

“This is a pleasant surprise.” I sat at the edge of my bed lips in a tight line as I pushed a smile.

“Are you not happy with this wedding?” I let out an exasperated sigh. Not this again. Wooyoung doesn’t live with us. He’s married and he has his own estate a distance from here, this is the first time he’s heard of these complaints and I have a hint on who had blurted. His name begins with S.

“Did San tell you?”

“You know he cant keep his lips shut when he’s with me.” I nod glancing downwards.

“Mila, you know I picked this marriage for you. I wouldn’t choose someone that I know can’t look after you.”

“I know but I would have been happier to choose myself.” I played with the ends of my hair, twirling the soft strands around the tip of my finger.

“Marrying that Christopher guy would have been good for you but not for the family.” His eyes wavered slightly. He didn’t catch my lingering gaze. “You’re being self-centred when thinking about this.”

“And shouldn’t I be? It’s my marriage.”

“Christopher bang isn’t part pf this underground work his family have no presence in the mafia realm, so he won’t be of use to you?”

“To us, you’re a part of this.” The grunt leaving his mouth as he stood up warned me, I was entering dangerous territory.

“Really wish I wasn’t.”

The black wavy hair obscured his vison from me rendering me completely confused. He didn’t show much of his emotions, ever since we were young, I could only see them from his eyes. He wasn’t going to like those words no matter what I said.

“The truth is, you’re marrying from the choi family and that’s that.” His voice left no room for discussion. An exhale left my lips as I watched him leave. Judging from the direction his footsteps took he was going towards the salon.

 I had the afternoon to myself later after that heated discussion and the morning excursion. So I decided to take a bath and meet up with a friend, Afterall the afternoon was one of the last I would spend with a close friend as unmarried young ladies.

“So?” Yuna glanced to me before reaching out for her smoothie blend, we had both ordered, “You’re really marrying him?”

I wasn’t looking at her, my head was filled with many worries and they kept gnawing, taking as much of a chunk of my brain as they wanted. “Yeah I guess I am, marrying a Him.” I chewed at the ends of my lips slightly.

It feels different when I say it out loud, it feels real, it’s really happening having my lips voice what was coming gave me that reality check. I didn’t have any control over what was happening, and it was all slipping out of my hands like sand, I couldn’t stop a thing or grasp it.

Its sacred me.

“I heard one of the Choi brothers is married already.” Yuna spoke with caution. “You should double check about that, y’know?” taking another sip she set the glass down before moving closer, I could see her doe eyes from my peripheral.

“I’m not surprised. Anyone working in their fields has to hasten and rush in their life, everyday could be their last day living.” I mutter.

Bringing my glance from the fields of greenery in the estate towards the summer blend of fruit before me, I spare her a quick look before realizing she’s staring expectantly at me.

“What?”

“Nothing, it feels weird.”

I huff, I wasn’t expecting that.

“You shouldn’t think too much, its tiresome for you…” smirking I lift the glass mimicking her movements earlier.

“It’s just, we’ve grown up together Mila, we know almost everything there is to know about each other,” she shifted a little, her blond hair strands falling to shield her face. “I just- its…I never imagined this is how out would go for you.”

“Neither did I, what can we do though?”

A short pause was left between the two of us and as I was relishing in the moment of peace it took me back to when I was a child, not too long ago.

I loved the freedom and the happiness me and my brothers shared. Our innocence the purity on our fingertips.

“Run away?” Yuna offered but as she did, she let a giggle out smiling happily back at me. Yuna seemed so happy. I wish I could be the same. I was so envious of her.

“I wish I could do that Nana.”

I really did, now that we’ve all grown up it seems that the responsibilities piled up and increased.

The pressure toiled above our heads high and the hands my brothers had once filled with purity were covered in drenching blood. The guilt was intolerable they had learnt over the years to let go of it. Some - San - threw away all their emotions to give themselves peace of mind.

When I was a young girl, dreams of wearing a flowing white dress and holding hands with my prince was all I ever dreamed about.

I was infatuated and obsessed with the thought. We all are as young girls…

The idea was all that pushed me, I was oblivious to the happiness that was being sucked and stolen from us. Till this day I blame myself for my brothers situation. It hurts to see the empty voids of stone cold and ice grey look at me. It’s like they’re taunting me. This is what you’ve done. It’s all your fault.

Everything came at a price, this lavish lifestyle and our family legacy, I lost my family for all this and I’m about to lose my future too. 

That night, the insomnia came back to haunt me, i didn't get a seconds rest.

 ~~~

My fingers were getting tired, but I pushed through, I hadn’t reached anywhere, it was getting tiring trying to memorize the last few parts of this piece and it just wasn’t sticking in my head for some reason.

“First you spill the glass of juice, and now this?” San sniggers throwing himself against the main sofa adjacent to me. For someone who lived in an estate surrounded by lush fields and the glimmering view of a large pool reflecting onto the ceiling above me, I was too melancholic.

“What?” I snap back. Throwing a glare at him I continue fixing the thin strands of string on the harp I sat at. “It’s just not my day, is it…” I mumble gnawing on my lips subconsciously.

“If that’s correct then it’s not your month Mila?” the snickering continued. He clearly had nothing better to do today.

“Oh be quiet,” I rubbed the tips of my fingers, the creases were starting to form again.

“No I’m being serious. Why you always so bitter.”

“Leave her alone San.” A distinct grumbling and barely familiar voice entered the main salon. The tall male made his way across the entryway and into the open cuisine corner past the bar.

It had been a long time since I had heard his dull and monotonous voice echoing past the halls of the manor.

“Seonghwa, what a pleasant surprise.” San’s voice dripped with feigned adoring. He was just pushing his limits at this point and Seonghwa had low patience when it came to these decisions.

“Brother, how have you been.”

“Fine.” He grunted in response, seemed like something was on his mind troubling him. “Congratulations on the marriage news Mila.”

“Thanks.” I visibly cringed out of defence. San being the calculating and sly bane noticed the change in my demeanour.

“I wouldn’t congratulate her, knowing princess Mimi here,” he waved the pointer finger towards me  “she’d want the wedding over in any way possible.” The younger male smirked flinging his head back against the armrest of the extended chaise longue.

“Stop.” I mouthed, slightly hissing at him. He just wouldn’t cut his snarky attitude. I secretly hoped he’d choke on one of the grapes he was dropping into his mouth.

“Mila, is this true?”

I paused sighing. I noticed I’ve been doing that a lot more than the usual the past few days. Looking up to the taller male I caught his eyes with mine. They were blank.

From the early age of 6, I was amazed at how he could manipulate his voice to show emotion and sound genuine, when he truly felt not a single ounce of care or love for anyone or anything. Seonghwa being from a different mother along with my older brothers, it felt strange to have him around and so I never got to see him that much.

“I… it’s just-”

“Mila.” If I ever hated to hear my name come out of anyone’s voice in a calling tone it was my mothers. It gave me anxiety just hearing the two syllables.

“Yes mother?” I was barely able to blurt out the response, through my teeth I uttered the words loud enough for her to hear and enter the room.

“There you are, listen up.” “I just got off the phone with Mrs Choi, the date has been set and their family have accepted. Prepare yourself,”

“For what, when?” San asking the questions I needed to hear made me feel mixed emotions and all at the same time.

I felt grateful. I knew I couldn’t ,move my own tongue. It felt heavy. I opened my mouth, but I didn’t know what to say. It was like all knowledge of speaking had been erased from my mind.

At an unchanging moment I felt a rage and burning fury against him for being so oblivious and blind. Deep down I didn’t want to hear it. I never wanted to overhear a thing about this topic. I didn’t want him to ask, shed have to answer that way.

I already knew, I knew it from the moment she entered the room a bright grin plastered on her face. It wasn’t the marriage that had given me a little shock it was how soon it was.

I swore to myself that for a short moment, felt my heart pause. Was this what people said when they felt themselves have a heart attack?

 “You’re getting married, tomorrow.”

[my-brothers-corrupted]

Book Four - Part 12

Anti has realized he will never control Jackie, Marvin, and Henrik fully - but that only makes them expendable to him. Meanwhile, Dapper and Trick are locked in the upstairs room, and Anti is done messing around.

Tws for imprisonment, severe abuse, severe manipulation, and death threats.

Part 12 - Jack's Protagonist

Anonymous asked: Anti? Hello? We're completely cut off from everyone, please, we just want to know if they're okay... Even if we can't talk to them, we just want to know how they are.

It’s quiet in the room upstairs.

Really quiet. Quieter than it should be. There should be…

There should be…

Something.

Noise!

Right?

He doesn’t know what he’s listening for.

Just that it’s quiet in the master bedroom at the top of the house in the woods. Crazy quiet. Painful quiet. He closes his eyes and hears himself blink.

Anti steps past him, tidying clothes along the room. He tosses the camcorder, freshly activated, onto the bed, letting it flop over on its side, so you stare at him askew.

You can just see Trick’s head over the side of the bed. He sits up straight, watching Anti move. Eyes wide. A trickle of blood stained down a few stuck-together strands of his yellow-green hair.

“It’s really quiet,” he whispers.

“That’s why I’m letting you talk with the cameras,” Anti answers evenly, knocking his head at the camcorder. “Not for their sakes.”

Anti shoots you a glare, eyes slitted. “Yeah, yeah, hello, you’re welcome, whatever.”

Other than the nasty expression, he looks… fine.

He’s a classic early 2020 Jack, with glasses and short hair at its max waviness, making him look young and polite. He’s got a green hoodie and shorts on. Black gauges in his ears. He looks nice. A nice young man. He smiles, too, and cups Trick’s face in his hands.

“You’re being good,” he says soothingly, rubbing his thumb down Trick’s cheeks. “Don’t break that streak now and you don’t have to get hurt.”

Trick smiles weakly.

There are tears in his eyes and he doesn’t know why.

“Aww, look at him, crybaby Chasey. You really are Jack’s little sad dad, huh? Poor baby boy with no wife and no kids? When it’s just you and me and him, I’ll teach you why Dapper never lets himself cry when I’m around him.”

“Okay, Anti,” whispers Trick, his head lolling to the right. “Um, I – I – I, uh – ”

“I – I – I – I,” parrots Anti, squishing Trick’s face together. “There’s my Stammer. Don’t try and talk, sweetheart, you’re not doing yourself any favors. You know, you really don’t need this when we all sign.”

“Need – need what, Anti?”

Anti is holding his chin in his hands, staring down at his mouth. He runs his fingers over the curve of Trick’s throat.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Trick blinks slowly, trying to think. “What?”

“Don’t be so worried, Trickster. You don’t need to be anymore.”

“I don’t… need to be?”

“You’ll forget how to feel anything other than grateful soon enough,” whispers Anti, stroking his thumb across his cheek. “When I don’t have to focus on whipping anybody into shape but you and my little brother, the pair of you will be goddamn putty in my hands. I’ll take you to England and we’ll finish what was left unfinished, finally. Finish off what was left breathing. And then, at last, I’ll have some peace.”

“You’re… you’re… um…”

He can’t find his words. He doesn’t know what he’s trying to say, but he knows he’s trying to say something. He thinks maybe it’s important.

“You’re treating me badly,” he manages flimsily.

“And you’re asking to get hit again,” answers Anti.

Trick feels himself start to cry again, big hot tears rolling down his face as he sniffles. Anti coos at him and flicks his yellowing hair from his face, his smile sneering a little. Jack’s stolen eyes gleam.

“When it’s just you and me and Dap,” Anti says, stroking his hair. “You won’t remember how to be scared anymore.”

“I won’t – I won’t b-be – happy with you. Why are you… why are you hurting me?”

Anti takes his head in his hands and pulls him in close, nuzzling their noses for a second. He breathes the smell of Trick in.

“I don’t give a fuck if you’re happy,” he whispers. “I will make you complacent.”

Trick is sobbing.

“Now say ‘thank you, Anti.’”

He can barely get it out of his mouth he’s stammering so hard.

“Thank. You. An. Tee.”

“Now say ‘I love you.’”

“I love you.”

“And relax,” orders Anti pleasantly.

A haze like a drunkenness washes over him. He coughs and lies back against the end of the bed, blinking up at his monster, his cries dying off.

“There you go, amata,” says Anti, clucking his chin. “It only gets easier. I’ll be back soon. And as for you – ”

He points at your camera, lying on the bed.

“You’re only here cause I need a babysitter. Make sure neither of them kill themselves, yeah? Bye.”

And he turns his back on you, slams the door shut, and locks it behind him.

ari-trash asked: Trick, I know that it's probably very hard right now but can you answer us? Are you okay? Did Anti do anything to you and Dapper?

Trick sits panting beside the bed, body slumped.

You see him wipe at his face. At his eyes. At his bloodied hair.

He glances up at you, gaze exhausted and dull, but still he wants to sit with you a while. He pulls himself up to his shaking feet and then slides to the ground again, too dazed to get up.

“I don’t know what’s happening,” he whispers. “Don’t feel good.”

He licks at his dry mouth, blinking slowly. Trying to breathe. Everything feels cloying and tight. His head hurts.

“I’m okay,” he says. “Everything is going to be okay if I’m good.”

He explores the soft spot on his skull with his fingers, sniffling.

“Scared,” he admits quietly. “Dapper… oh, he’s here.”

Trick turns to look at the bed, but his little brother isn’t there. His mouth parts, confused.

“I thought he was in the room with me. Isn’t he? Where is he? Dapper?”

The whole room is quiet.

“I don’t… remember if he’s okay. I think I remember something bad. He was here. I know cause he ate the granola bars. I remember. And he was all black and white. Like a ghost. And he looked at me like a ghost. That’s my little brother, Dapper, or sometimes we call him Carver. He looks like me but he’s a little younger, really sweet-looking guy. He was around here. Have you seen him?”

ari-trash asked: No we haven't seen him, sorry. It's kinda why I asked if anything happened to him too... Say Trick, do you know if anything happened to Dok too?

“Happened to Dok?” asks Trick, managing to get back to his feet now. “He’s downstairs with my other brothers. I don’t know, we haven’t talked in a couple days.”

Anonymous asked: Dok, Henrik, are you okay? Are you with Anti or did you all get separated again?

“He’s definitely here,” says Trick. “I mean, not here, here, but in the house. Where would he go otherwise?”

Anonymous asked: Are you able to leave the room to have a look around the house, bud? Maybe find your brothers yourself? I know you don't feel well but we can't find them for you without access to another camera.

Trick gets up slowly and wanders to the door, putting his hands on the handle and tugging. The lock snags and the door doesn’t move. Trick’s mouth trembles like he might cry again, but he just turns around, looking lost.

“Anti locked me in my room,” he says. “I don’t know where the others are… Dapper was here, wasn’t he?”

He stares blankly at the bathroom door, and then over at the closet, but he doesn’t move again for a long time. He’s ready to go back to bed is the truth of it. But if you’re worried about Dapper he should find him.

Like, now, probably.

Trick stares down at the floor, eyes wide, swaying a little where he stands. He’s ready to go back to bed. He should find Dapper. He should, he should, he should. He’s going to. Right now.

He stands beside the door, hand on the wood. He wants to faceplant into bed.

There’s a good fifteen minutes of Trick’s internal dialogue urging him, without success, to find his brother before he actually manages to move, and even now, everything he does is sluggish and tired. But he makes his way over to the closet and knocks.

“Dapper?”

No answer, not even a whistle or a click. Except, now that he listens, some kind of faint scratching. He pushes the door slightly open.

Dapper kneels at the back of the walk-in closet, scraping his last stub of charcoal against the wall. He has drawn a crucifix against the plaster and paint with shaking hands, and the expression on the dying Christ’s face is gruesome enough that Trick actually steps back, disturbed.

“Dapper, hey. Hey. You’re shaking all over.”

Dapper’s head turns to Trick in a snap, his eyes looking right through him. Trick was right - Dapper is entirely black and white. His hands and face and arms and white shirt are all stained with charcoal, his skin gone ghostly as Christmas future and the lowlight draining all color from him.

Trick looks at him, frowning. Dapper turns back to his drawing and keeps working, his hair damp with sweat.

Anonymous asked: Dap? Are you awake? You're not hurt, are you? Anti must have left you with a camera too, right? He wants us to look after you.

“Hey. Dap.”

Trick steps over towards him and touches his shoulder, shaking him a little. Dapper doesn’t respond, working frantically on the last bit of his cross.

“Dapper.” Trick takes his hand and stops him, turning his head towards him. Dapper flinches hard when he’s grabbed, squeezing his eyes shut and drawing slightly away from his brother.

But Trick just sits down beside him, cupping his cheek. “Hey,” he says. “You’re okay, right? Not hurt?”

Dapper snuffles a little with every breath, his face sunken and dead. It takes him a second to register the question. Eventually, he lifts his wrist up to Trick.

Worn bandages slide easily away from his thin wrist, revealing Dark’s bite underneath, still miscolored and pussing slightly. Trick blinks at the smell, trying not to draw away. No one has cleaned this in days. He runs his fingers carefully along the stitches, trying to make sure they’re sound.

Dapper relaxes slowly at the feeling of his touch. He crawls slightly forward and then, before Trick can protest, he sets his head down on his shoulder and closes his eyes.

“You’re freezing,” whispers Trick, holding his head. “What’s going on? Are you okay? You haven’t been taking care of yourself, have you?”

Dapper presses himself harder into his shoulder, eyes closed. A moment later, Trick thinks he might have fallen asleep.

“Why are you hiding in the closet, bud?” you hear Trick mutter, scooping Dapper up and carrying him back towards the bed. “I don’t think you’re doing so hot.”

Anonymous asked: Dapper is dying, Trick. He's dying and Anti has just locked you both in a room instead of getting him help. Anti seems concerned about you two killing yourself but I'm more worried about you dying of natural causes because of sickness and being beaten into submission.

Trick rears back slightly even as he sets Dapper down, blinking. His eyes are already watering again. He can’t seem to stop crying.

“Yeah, that was mean, that’s mean to lock us in our room,” chokes Trick, sitting down beside Dapper. “I don’t know why he isn’t acting like himself. Hey, but you’re not dying, little man, no way. Look at you, all covered in soot. I know you’re not really in your right mind right now from the way you’re acting. Haven’t you been taking your medicine? Where is it?”

Dapper just reaches up to hold onto Trick’s shirt with his good hand. “Don’t go,” he signs.

“Hey, I won’t. I won’t. I just want to get you taken care of a little. Um. Where do I start? I mean, like, what do you need?”

“Just don’t go.”

Anonymous asked: Trick, you don't have to be good. You don't have to listen to him. He's separated you from Dok and he's killing every part of you that makes up "Trick". He's tearing you to pieces, man. You have to get out of this place.

Trick hugs Dapper to his chest, his breaths shaking out of him the more he thinks about it. “No, I - I’m scared. We gotta be good cause I don’t want him to kill somebody.”

He squeezes his eyes tightly shut, panting. “He keeps talking about killing everyone. And he makes my head hurt really bad when he’s close to me. I want somebody to make this stop, please. He’s not acting like himself. He’s really scaring me. I can’t think straight anymore, it hurts. I just want him to make it stop hurting so so bad. He says I just need to wait.”

Anonymous asked: Trick, has Anti been possessing you this whole time until now?

Trick grips at his head, trying to remember. “I don’t know… I don’t… was he possessing me? When? He said I got triggered so he took something out of my head so I don’t have to be upset. But I still feel upset. I just can’t remember why. I can’t remember hardly anything. Like when I wake up in the morning, I can tell I’m remembering different things than I did yesterday, but I don’t know what or how to remember. My head is so fuzzy. I’ve just been lying here trying to remember for days, I think.”

He hides his face beside Dapper, squeezing him close. “I don’t know where we are. I can’t remember the last time I ate. I can’t keep track of anything. Are Dok and Blue going to come take care of us? If you tell Red Anti is scaring me, he will protect me.”

Anonymous asked: Anti isnt "not acting like himself". He's just showing you his true colours for the first time in months, Trick. He was always this way, always wanted them dead. He's using threats to manipulate you into being good because of how close you all are to freedom.

“I can’t do anything about it,” cries Trick. “I can’t get out of my room or make him stop. He’ll scramble my head again. Will you tell Red and Blue I’m scared and tell Dok that Dapper is sick? I don’t know why they can’t come see me anymore. Anti said they’re being bad and I don’t know what he’s doing to them.”

His tears come fat and rolling, coursing down his cheeks while his body heaves, trying not to sob for Dapper’s sake. “I don’t know why he’s so mean right now. He was being nice. I was helping him but now I messed up I think because he’s being so mean no matter what I do.”

Anonymous asked: All we know is that Anti possessed you last time we saw you. Blue and Red are breaking free and trying to come rescue you from that place, from Anti making you so confused and scared. Anti might have tried to 'remove' you being suicidal after the possession.

Trick shudders and hugs Dapper, but at least a little of this message gives him hope. “Oh, good, okay,” he breathes. “Blue and Red are gonna come get me. They always make Anti a little calmer. I think his partner broke up with him or something and hurt his feelings.”

Trick breathes out, calming down a little. “Yes, you’re right, I think I remember being scared for a minute. And him possessing me? But it doesn’t hurt so bad now. It’s just foggy.”

nikkilbook asked: Jackie and Marvin are safe. They both had a pretty bad time when you saw them last, so they’re recovering, but they’ll come for you. We haven’t seen Schneep yet, but we’ll keep an eye out and tell all of you as soon as we see them. We will keep you all safe, okay? We’ll help you keep each other safe.

“Okay,” Trick breathes out, managing to soothe himself a little. “Okay, yeah. He’s gone now anyway. Probably won’t be back for a little while. And Red and Blue are coming for me, okay. Um, yeah, I hope the others are good. I can’t remember the last time I saw them. Someone shouts sometimes but I don’t know if it’s Anti or somebody else. They shout a lot, though.”

Anonymous asked: Red and Blue are worried about you and will come, but give them some time. You're in a bit of a hostage situation so they aren't sure if they can try anything without Anti hurting you or one of the others first. They want to help you but they want to do it right so everyone is as safe as possible.

“That makes more sense,” says Trick, breathing out a little. “Yeah, I kept telling myself they wouldn’t just leave me up here, but then I thought maybe they would even though I knew they wouldn’t. Like what did I do, you know? What’s so wrong with me no one will come help me even when I’m crying and can’t get out of bed? But they are coming so that’s good. Red always distracts Anti. Then maybe I can sneak downstairs and get something to eat.”

Anonymous asked: You remember the game Anti and Red agreed to, Trick? This is the last time. And Anti is losing, crashing and burning hard. He's being an asshole because he thinks he can win by torturing and abusing you into his loyal servant.

“I don’t know about any games,” says Trick reluctantly, playing with his hands. “I’d just like Anti to calm down and for things to go back to normal. It was fun hanging out with him for a while, but I think I’ve just pissed him off more now. We probably need some space. Probably Dapper too. I don’t remember how long he’s been in his room but I think he should be with Dok for a while.”

Trick strokes his fingers through Dapper’s hair, trying to smile at him. “Dok will make you feel better soon, bud. They’re coming.”

nikkilbook asked: What about a different normal? What about a normal where nobody ever got hurt, because Anti wasn’t around to hurt them? What about a normal where you could see your kids again, without worrying that Anti might hurt them too?

Trick stops short, eyes flashing over to you. “Do you… do you know where my kids are?”

Months later and he still has that piece of baby crinkle paper in his pocket. You see his fingers run over it, making it rustle, soothing and familiar beneath his hands.

Anonymous asked: Trick, how are you okay with being manipulated so heavily that you can watch Anti beat Jameson to a bloody pulp, try to bleed Jackie to death, threaten to kill your twin, and have completely forgotten it the next morning and believe that Anti is still a loving big brother? Don't let yourself be pulled so far under the waves that anyone trying to save you also drowns.

Trick begins to shiver again, curling close to Dapper. “I - I’m just scared now,” he whispers. “I’m scared of what he’ll do to us. But when he comes home and talks to me, I stop being scared. He makes me… forget that he’s hurt me. That he will hurt me again.”

He closes his eyes. “I can’t fight him. He gets inside my head. I… I’m not enough to make him stop acting like that. I thought I was special to him but he just - ”

Trick’s voice breaks off. He shakes his head and bites hard on his lip.

“Stupid,” he chokes out.

nikkilbook asked: I don’t know why you had to build the cairn, Chase. I don’t know if he was just missing or something else. I haven’t heard that part of the story yet. All I know is that you love him, because love is who you are.

Trick sighs, quiet and resigned.

“I’m never going to see my baby again,” he says quietly. “My babies. I don’t want to talk about it. Anti says he didn’t hurt them, just that they’re far away… now that I’m here, I wonder if maybe he did hurt them after all.”

Anonymous asked: Trick, honey, even if you were special to him it wouldn't stop him from acting like this. He is mean, and cruel, an abuser who takes our his anger, trauma and shame on you and your brothers. No amount of special will make him stop. He is beyond stopping this. He chose to be this way, and he won't change.

Trick nods slowly, staring down at the floor.

“I’m sure you’re right,” he mumbles, rubbing at his aching head. “Just… wish I could believe you.”

Trick sighs, turning his attention to his little brother, who’s tracing patterns in the empty air above him.

“I’ll look for your Haldol, okay?”

He pauses before he gets up, though, looking down at him.

“Guess if anybody could have saved that asshole from himself, it would have been you, huh?”

Dapper’s eyes refocus a little, gazing at Trick.

“Is that why you stick around even though he keeps you here?” asks Trick. “Trying to fix him?”

Dapper shakes his head slowly.

“No?”

“No,” he answers faintly, his injured hand stiff. “I love him, Chase. But there’s no saving somebody like that.”

Trick turns his mouth, looking away again. “Just a survival game, then, I guess.”

“Yes,” agrees Dapper, closing his eyes. “That’s all anything is.”

“I’ll find your Haldol.”

“Okay.”

Anonymous asked: Jackie, Blue, we're talking to Trick. We haven't seen Dapper or Schneep. Anti made it sound like he only wants Trick and Dap though. He wants to take them to England to kill Jack. Trick is getting hypnotized to the point of confusion, he doesn't know what's happening but he did make the connection he's not being treated well but based on how things are going, I don't know if he'll be able to cling to that knowledge for long.

Jackie and Blue both try and grab the camera at the same time.

“Did you?” they gasp, scrambling to sit up.

“He only wants Trick and Dap… Blue, he’ll kill Dok.”

“At least Trick is waking up a little. Can’t he and Dapper get Dok and get out?”

“Oh, right, Trick’s going to become decisive and bold in the next ten minutes.”

“Hey, he’s my lionheart! He’s perfect, you asshole. And Dapper’s my clever guy, my survivor.”

“Dapper’s sick, Blue. What are they going to do?”

“What are we going to do?”

They stare at each other, eyebrows drawn back.

“I don’t know.”

Anonymous asked: Jackie, how soon can you get back to the house and be with the others do you think? We saw them and things are... not pretty. Anti is hurting them badly and messing with Trick's memories to try and make him complacent and obedient. Don't blame yourself or panic about it, but they need their hero soon.

“Okay, I need a second,” breathes Blue, turning the camera away from him, his voice wavering. “He really is going after all three of them now.”

Jackie takes the camera into his hands.

“Maybe we just go down there and attack. Or try to sneak in.”

“We can’t sneak up on Anti. The cameras see everything and you don’t have access to that system anymore. He’s always watching.”

“Then I’ll just find him and kick his fucking ass!”

“Volume, Ro, fuck’s sake! So loud.”

“Sorry, just - let’s just go fight him, Blue, c’mon!”

“Didn’t that Jack guy tell you it would take all five of us?”

“I think that was more a prophecy than a fact, you know?”

“We need to be able to get to the others and make sure we’re on the same page, Ro.”

“Well, I’m going to the house today.”

“What?”

“Yeah. I decided.”

“Ro - ”

“I’m making my own choices now.”

“Hey! You still have to listen to me, tough guy.”

Jackie sighs, leaning back against the bed. “Still going today,” he mumbles.

Anonymous asked: Something bad may have happened to JJ, Trick mentioned something but he's too incoherent to remember right now. No sign of Henrik at all though Trick said he's still at home maybe? Anti also made a vague threat that they may all be signing soon and stroking Tricks throat when Trick was stuttering out his fear to him. I'm sorry we don't have any info on Anti's whereabouts, he just left. I don't know if it'll be safe for you guys to storm the house or if Anti's coming your way or not.

“Fuck,” whispers Jackie, his anger sliding away. “Where is my little brother? What’s he doing to you, Dok?”

Blue lays his head down on his brother’s shoulder.

Anonymous asked: Rushing and having no concrete plan is what got you trapped originally Jackie. Planning ahead is completely essential.

“Hey, shots fired!” he yelps. “You don’t know that, come on… don’t laugh, Blue! Fine, okay, I’ll slow down. But I’m not just letting them stay in there!”

“Why don’t we just go scope things out tonight?” asks Blue, setting a hand on his arm. “If Henrik’s not in the house, he’s probably lost in the forest and looking for us, or he made his way back to those nuns who fed us while I was in hospital. We can look around the house a little. Maybe see Trickster in the window if we can get in touch with him before Anti comes home. Okay?”

Ro meets his eyes. “Okay… yeah. We’ll start there.”

“Okay.”

Anonymous asked: Before you guys plan anything, we need to pinpoint where both Anti and Dok are. Trick mentioned he'd been hearing shouting from downstairs. There's a possibility Anti is hurting Dok elsewhere in the house, or he's away from the house entirely and Dok is trying to get the others attention and help.

“I can try and ask Anti where Dok is,” says Trick. “Or I’ll go try and find him when Anti lets us go get some food from the kitchen. Which I think he will do, won’t he? We’re out of food up here. I’m guessing little man is just as hungry as I am, specially since he’s been puking. Okay, up we go, bud.”

Trick helps Dapper out of bed, leading him towards the bathroom and setting him into the tub. He turns you slightly away and helps him get ready for a bath. Having someone to look after has calmed Trick down a little. He needs to look after Dapper - clean him up, get him his medicine, change his bandages and check on his broken ribs and the stitches in his wrist. He is, after all, Dok’s assistant.

The memory of it seems to buzz a little in his head. That’s right, isn’t it? He was always Dok’s helper, his nurse. He had forgotten. You hear the water turn on as Trick goes to get a pillow for Dapper to lie his head back. Trick sets you on the ground so you can at least see Dap’s head.

“Thank you,” you see him sign gently.

“Don’t worry about it,” Trick answers just as soft, letting the bathtub fill up. “That’s what twins are for.”

You see Dapper’s confusion, but he doesn’t really have the energy to deal with that right now.

nikkilbook asked: And Chase? Crying doesn’t make you bad. Being upset or overwhelmed doesn’t mean you are worth less as a person. Jackie’s been overwhelmed since he saw you last, and we’ve been helping him work through a pretty bad meltdown. Does the fact that he’s been crying a lot make him a bad brother? Or a bad person? I don’t think it does. And I don’t think it does for you, either.

Trick smiles uncertainly, rubbing at his head. “Yeah… I guess it’s okay to cry a little bit. I just wish I was… I don’t know.”

Feels weird to cry in front of Anti. He knows there was someone else he always came crying to, but he doesn’t remember. But the news of Red melting down makes him feel, oddly, a little bit better. He’s not the only one who’s upset. He remembers curling up in bed beside Ro, the two of them whispering to each other in the darkness that they would be better brothers to each other from here on out, but he isn’t sure when or where that was. Maybe a long time ago. He misses him.

Anonymous asked: trick. i can't make your mind up for you. but here's something blue had us tell him, back at the very beginning, when he thought he was going to lose himself, and i think it might help you. anti hurt your brothers, and made them thank him for it.

Trick washes soap and warm water over the bruises on Dapper’s chest, running his fingers across the blue and black markings shoved into his brother’s body. Dapper, usually self-conscious to be naked, is unmoving against the side of the tub, face white except for a circle of faint red swelling still surrounding the bottom of his eye. Trick pours water carefully over his head and shampoos his hair while covering his eyes with his hand. He washes Dapper’s feet and finds red sores, nearly holes, scattered across the bottoms of his feet. He washes his hands and his nails are dotted in white from vitamin deficiencies. He can feel the bumps of his spine and his ribs, scarred and fragile. Trick cleans the bite in his wrist for the first time in days.

As he goes, he remembers every fight and argument that lead to the bruises and the scars and the injuries that mark him from head to foot. He remembers long weeks without seeing him, no one able to check if he was eating enough or taking his medicine or doing alright. He remembers Dapper hanging off the side of a cliff, eyes hopeless, ready to fall. The hot water makes the room warm. Trick pulls his brother to his chest and hugs him in silence, closing his eyes.

Anti did this to him.

Anonymous asked: Hey trick, quick question: who's your twin? >_>

Trick opens his mouth to speak like the answer should come on instinct.

But a second later, his eyes cloud and his mouth closes again. He draws away from Dapper, blinking.

“Uh - well.”

He searches his mind.

“I… I’ve been upstairs a long time… Blue and Red are twins…”

He bites down on his nail, looking away. One hand reaches up to massage at his neck uncertainly.

Anonymous asked: Anti is doing the same thing to you he did to Dapper, always does to Dapper. He's changing you, blocking things from your head. He brags about you being easy to control, that he could kill someone, tell you everything is fine, and you would believe him. Trick he was going to kill Dok. He was going to take him away from you forever just because he's jealous and cruel and wants to be in control.

Trick searches the drawers of the bathroom for medicine, hands beginning to shake.

He can’t find Haldol or ointment for his feet or antiseptic or even lotion. Anti’s cleaned everything out. He doesn’t know where it went. He can’t do anything but bathe him.

He grips at his hair and grits his teeth. He knows who his twin is. He does. Anti can’t have blocked that much. Changed him that much.

But he has and Trick knows it, if he knows nothing else. He knows there should be more memory in his head, more awareness of what’s happening. Fuck, he knows you’re right. He’s getting lost the way he’s always known Dapper to be lost - remembering different things from one day to the next, personality shifting, unable to protect even his own mind.

He was going to kill Dok.

“Holy shit, he was going to kill Dok,” whispers Trick, struggling to breathe. “Holy shit. He wanted me to kill him. Is he - is he hurting Dok now? Holy shit.”

Anonymous asked: He has hurt you on purpose Trick. Many, many times. He made you burn your hand for no other reason than that he was hateful, angry, violent, and wanted to see you suffer. He's always been like that, and he always will be. He's had many opportunities to change in the long time you've been with him. He never has, not even when you all took bullets for him, killed your own friends for him. He won't be better to you. The only reason he's enamored with you right now is because you look/act like Jack.

Trick looks up at himself in the bathroom mirror.

Soft green-yellow hair swoops in a wave above his eyes, surrounded by dark brown hair. He has eyes that almost seem to gleam with blue here in the light above the mirror. Round cheeks and long eyelashes make him look trustworthy and friendly. The scar on his temple is hidden beneath his hair, but there is a faint cut just above his left eyebrow. He’s bearded and his ears stick out.

“Do I really look like Anti’s Jack?” he asks, but even as he says it he recognizes someone else in the face he’s looking at. The recognition is not invasive. It’s almost comforting.

He hears water moving and turns to look at Dapper, blinking.

“You were good friends,” he signs slowly, eyes circled with fatigue.

“Really? Anti says he made me to be miserable.”

“No.” Dapper shakes his head. “He made mistakes, maybe a lot of them. But he only ever wanted you to be happy.”

Well, he believes Dapper better than Anti these days. “Oh.”

“He used to call you his protagonist,” adds Dapper.

“What? He did? Me? Why?”

Dapper shrugs. “Never really got that far in the story. But he trusted you to be at the center of all this.”

Trick shakes his head slightly, bemused. He turns away from the mirror with a sigh and goes to help Dapper get out of the bath, toweling him carefully off and changing him into fresh clothes. Dapper clings sleepily to him and tries to stay standing.

“My medicine?”

“I can’t find it, man. I’m sorry.”

“Oh… I think I’ll be more ill tonight if I can’t have it.”

“I’ll ask Anti to get it, okay? I’ll take care of it.”

He carries him back to bed and lies him down.

“No, please, Trick - let me sleep in the closet.”

“What? Why? Are you scared? I’ll look after you.”

“I want to be by the cross in the closet, please,” begs Dapper, blessing himself once, twice, three times. “If I die I want Jesus to forgive me.”

“You’re not going to die, Dap, don’t say that. You’re paranoid cause you haven’t got your medicine. I’ll find you a cross or something. You can sleep in bed.”

He ends up just drawing a cross onto a piece of Dapper’s sketch paper and handing it to him. Dapper clings to it til his fingers rip the paper and closes his eyes.

Trick goes back to the mirror.

Jack looks back at him.

“Protagonist,” he whispers, shaking his head. “I can’t be the one who acts. I can’t do anything. I’ve never been able to do anything. I’m stuck in this room and Anti chooses what I think. You should have picked one of the others. Fuck…”

Anonymous asked: I know it's hard to realise all the abuse and neglect you and your brothers went through, it's a lot, especially with the haze slowly fading away from your mind. But don't fall to despair. Red and Blue are trying to come up with a plan to get you, Dap and Dok out of Anti's grasp. Just hang in there for a little bit longer, please

“Okay,” murmurs Trick, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “Okay. Yeah. I can hang in there. I’ll look after Dap and we’ll be okay. Help is coming.”

Breath in. Breath out.

“A little bit longer.”

.

They go to sleep early that night, Trick and Dap, wrapped up under the covers together. It’s summer-warm outside, but somehow the house seems frigidly cold. They’re a shared lump of blankets on the bed when you see movement in their room.

The silhouette of their captor approaches the bed. Slowly, gently, he wraps his hand around Dapper’s throat.

Blue eyes flash open in the darkness. Dapper stares up at Anti, raising his head slightly at he feels those fingers scratch at his throat. Not tight enough to strangle him. Not yet.

“You stabbed me in the back a long time ago,” whispers Anti. “Didn’t you?”

Dapper’s eyes water. He swallows and feels his throat flex against Anti’s hand.

“One benefit of losing Blue’s power,” Anti continues, “is that I’m fully intangible again when I want to be. Anywhere there are computers or phones, I can go. So I went to go visit an old friend of ours today.”

Dapper wraps his hand around Anti’s, feeling faint.

“You should see him, Dap… he’s older, but he still looks like himself. Talks like himself. He doesn’t record much these days, but he was playing with friends. It was easy. I just glitched one little bit out. Just to scare him. He would know it was me. I think he should have just felt me in the room, but I don’t think he did. Things cut out, buzzed, the colors seized across his screen. And do you know what he said?”

Dapper closes his eyes, digging his nails into the back of Anti’s palm. Anti’s grip tightens around his throat.

“He said ‘my fucking capture card is acting up again.’”

And it’s now, in the low light, in the shadow, that you see tears dripping down Anti’s face.

“He doesn’t remember me,” says Anti. “You were right. You made him forget. So he would stop looking for us. All this time, I was waiting for him to do something. To acknowledge me. To finish our story. And he doesn’t even remember who I am. My own creator. Jack. And I come to realize exactly whose fault it is - the only one of you who is actually my brother. I always thought you were created for me. I expected the others to screw me over, sure. Jackie and Marv were his fighters, Dok his healer, all meant to protect and save him. But you were his little sleeper agent all along. You, you, you - you were the real threat to me.”

Dapper cries in silence. “I tried to tell you,” he manages, beginning to wheeze as Anti’s grip tightens. “I - ”

“Months later,” says Anti. “When you knew I would find out from Dark. It wouldn’t matter even if you had told me, though. The fact is that he’s forgotten me, and it’s your fault.”

“I was psychotic, I was - ”

Anti squeezes his throat and Dapper scrambles at his brother’s hands, coughing. Trick stirs in the bed beside them until Anti touches his forehead and sends him back down into sleep.

“So, darling,” sighs Anti, brushing saltwater from his face. “What do I do with you now?”

ari-trash asked: Why are you so surprised? He told you more than once but you always brushed it off as "poor little Dapper being confused" You ignored it, even now you refuse to see that you were the cause of that snap, but you're still going to push the blame onto someone else. Just keep denying and hurting others, uh?

“I don’t care whether or not he told me, I care that it happened,” says Anti, eyes narrowing. “Did it happen, Dapper?”

“I was trying to protect him - ”

“It happened. You did it. The fact is we’re enemies now. So what do I do with you? Kill you like the others? I’m tired, Dap. I don’t want just Trick. He’s not as fierce as you are.”

“They’re right, though. You - you did make me snap.”

Anti snorts, taking his hand away. Dapper sucks in a deep breath.

“Yeah, well, maybe I did,” mutters Anti. “Doesn’t fix anything now.”

“Anti, you don’t have to do these things,” signs Dapper, reaching out to touch his chin and draw his gaze back. “You don’t have to hurt the others just because you got hurt.”

“I’m not fucking hurt,” snaps Anti.

“Anti.” Dapper shakes his head. “You’re unhappy and this isn’t going to fix it.”

Anti wipes angrily at his face, lying down beside Dapper. They look at each other for a moment. Anti’s hair turns teal at the fringe.

“Do you remember Japan?” he mumbles.

Dapper turns towards him, eyes heavy with exhaustion. “Of course.”

“You’re not supposed to…”

“I’m a time traveler, Anti. You can reset me as many times as you want and it won’t stick. I’m not like the others.”

“No,” Anti agrees quietly. “That’s what I mean.”

Dapper cups his cheek for a second. “In Japan, we lived in an apartment on the fourteenth floor of a complex, next door to a woman with three pomeranians.”

Anti laughs.

“You threatened to kill them just about every day for yapping all the time, but you never did. You were always buzzing with energy out there. That city was a hub of electricity. We would spend all day just exploring. You were just hiding me from the others back then, so we didn’t have any mission, any fights to fight. Sometimes you would go catch a kill for the hell of it. Then when you came home I would clean the blood off you and we’d play games and eat together. It was just you and me.”

Anti fidgets with the blankets, watching his brother’s hands.

“You still didn’t treat me very well,” continues Dapper.

“You were always disobeying me.”

“And you were still obsessed with Jack and the others. But it was tolerable. Sometimes, I think we were even happy.”

“I wasn’t,” Anti mumbles. “Not really.”

“But sometimes. Better than it was now. You told me you thought maybe we could be happy just the two of us.”

Anti nods, closing his eyes. Dapper touches his chin and Anti opens them again.

Anonymous asked: Anti, what good will it do? What's done is done. You have what you want, you always said you didn't need anyone else. At this rate, you'll be alone.

“They’re right,” says Dapper. “They’re right and I think you know it. Just too stubborn to admit it.”

Anti won’t look at him.

Dapper closes his eyes.

“We’re never going to get out of this cycle we’re stuck in, are we, Anti?”

“If I kill you, I think that would work.”

“You’d miss me.”

Anti grabs his throat again, yanking him to sit up. Dapper just keeps his eyes closed and tries to breathe slowly.

“And you’d go the fuck to hell, you little slaughterer,” hisses Anti. “That’s why you’re clutching that cross so hard.”

Dapper cries in silence. He waits without struggling in Anti’s hands.

“Admit it,” says Anti, letting go of his neck. “You’re with the others. Fighting against me. Trying to go. Admit it.”

“I wish it were true,” signs Dapper. “St. Jude, pray for me. I wish I had the faith to believe there was any point to fighting you anymore.”

“Yeah, well, there isn’t!” shouts Anti, drawing back his hand to hit him, though the blow never falls. “I guess you’re the only one smart enough to realize that!”

“Not smart,” says Dapper. “Hopeless.”

“You’re always going to be bound to me!” shrieks Anti, getting off the bed. “Even if you could get away, don’t you understand? You’ll always be my little killer! I conditioned you to attack anyone who touches you other than me, I watched you kill fucking dozens of people on my orders, I’m what you worship! It was your hands that killed Eshe, Jameson! She was screaming for you to stop!”

“No!” protests Dapper, tears rising in his eyes. “No! You were possessing me, it’s not - the others are my fault, God, but not her. I loved her.”

“And it still wasn’t enough to save her!” screams Anti. “So there’s your happy ending, JJ - we killed it together and left it bleeding out in your hospital room! You are never, ever getting away from me unless I choose to let you go! And even if I did kill you, you know exactly where your soul will end up, sweetheart - burning right next to mine.”

Dapper tears himself out of their bed and staggers towards the door, yanking on the handle. Anti gets up and follows him, making Dapper cower against the frame. Anti grabs him by the hair and -

A stone thunks against the window.

Anti stops, staring. His eyes are bright in the darkness.

“Anti,” someone calls.

He stills. Looks back towards the window. Turns to Jameson.

“You get out of my sight before I kill you,” he says, voice trembling. He opens the door and shoves Dapper into the hallway. “Try to step out of this house and I’ll do it, no matter who you’re praying to.”

Dapper can barely stand, let alone run away. But as he looks back at Anti, he knows that he wouldn’t try to run, even if he could.

Some days, he’s stayed because he was locked into a room. Some days, he’s stayed because he was ill and couldn’t think straight.

But some days, the only reason he stayed was because he could take the rope off from around his neck - and he doesn’t.

He doesn’t.

The others don’t remember all the things Anti has done to them and made them do, but even realizing what’s been going on over the last few months was enough to make them leave. But him - he knows. He knows everything. And he still doesn’t go. That’s the difference. That’s what Anti means when he says that he’s not like the others.

The others are still fighting. The others still hope.

Dapper slumps down outside the door of the master bedroom.

You watch that paper cross flutter out of his fingers.

He doesn’t pick it up again.

Anonymous asked: How does it feel for your finely crafted machinations of self delusion to all come crashing down on you like a poorly balanced house of cards? I hope that it crushed you, knowing that most of what you did was practically for nothing

Anti screams, stalking towards you. He picks up the camcorder and smashes it against the dresser, once, twice, three times, until your vision cuts out.

You hear him panting.

“I’m going to let you keep an eye on them because they’re apart right now and neither of them is safe without supervision,” he pants. “That’s the only reason you’re still around.”

He lets all the cameras in the house turn back on, so you can see Dapper outside the room and Trick unconscious inside, as well as the rest of the house.

And outside, in the yard -

Dark throws another rock.

As the camera comes on, they regard you, faintly irritated, faintly tired.

“Tell your master to get the fuck out here,” they snap. “I can tell that he’s about to do something stupid.”

Anonymous asked: So what now? Do you still keep trick and Dapper? Get rid of one of them? Or simply kill everyone and let yourself be alone and wither away into obscurity?

“I don’t… I don’t know,” mumbles Anti, chewing on his nail. “I, um - I gotta go see who’s outside. Probably Jackie and Marvin. Just - leave me alone!”

He glitches down into the living room, looking out the backdoor. Past the pool and the -

What is that?

There’s something lying by the door.

Past the pool and the figure by the door, there is Dark.

Anti stills, mouth parted. He draws back for a second. Manifests a knife and grips it in his hands. Tucks it away again. Hesitates.

“Come here, you little disaster,” calls Dark, cocking their head at him. “What a mess you’ve made of things.”

Anti brushes furiously at his cheeks, shaking his head out to calm down. He throws the door open and steps over that shape on the porch, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Drop the act,” says Dark. “I can feel your distress from halfway across the forest. Pull yourself together.”

“Why are you here?” shouts Anti, stalking towards them. “You want to die?”

“Is that the only state of being you’re capable of? Murderous?”

“Dammit, Dark,” spits Anti, voice shaking. “Just leave me the hell alone.”

“Is that really what you want?”

Anti grips at his knife, licking his mouth. Dark looks back at him, eyes quiet.

“What?” asks Dark softly. “What, little monster?”

Anti drops his blade. His eyes turn blue, his sneakers push against the grass, and he races towards them. A moment later, he is scooped up in their arms, pressed to their chest, hidden against their heart.

“Dark,” he whispers.

“It took me a little while,” says Dark. “But here I am.”

Anonymous asked: The only reason we've been able to contact Trick at all is because Anti placed us on suicide prevention duty. So I think the only cameras that may be on are the one trick has and one anti has, baby-monitor-style. That's a BIG, risky assumption on my end though, but if it's right, we may be able to distract Anti to go upstairs long enough for you guys to at least get inside and find Dok if need be. I'm just speculating and spitting out ideas. Y'all know the house better anyway.

“He’s distracted now,” mumbles Ro, staring out at Dark and Anti. “We could try to sneak in.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Blue answers. “Dark can sense when people are close and Anti has the cameras on. We need them to get out of the house.”

“Or distract Anti even better. I could be bait?”

“No way. Not with Dark around. It’s two against two and those two have a bit of an upper hand when it comes to raw power.”

“I don’t know,” says Jackie mildly. “I think you could handle them.”

Blue can’t help but smile, looking up at him.

They’re in the forest outside the house, spying.

“There’s something on the porch. What is that?”

“I wish we had binoculars.”

Anonymous asked: jameson, lovely boy. you're just as capable of freedom as any of the others."bound to him", tch, yeah right. he only says that to manipulate you into thinking you're trapped. you have been free before and you will be free again. the lord will forgive your sins, you surely pray enough, i doubt He would hold a demon's manipulation against you. you're a fighter more than he says. you fight for yourself harder than you've ever fought for him. don't forget the jj that slapped the monster in the face.

“Thank you,” signs JJ quietly. “I don’t know. I think I just slapped him because I was angry. I didn’t think I was going anywhere.”

Through the window above the front door, the moon casts him in pale light and makes his eyes glow, blue and silver in the lowlight.

“I just… I miss when I could tell myself that we were really a family… in Japan, in Italy, in Sweden, in Norway… I could believe it back then. It was a delusion, I know. Partly my disorder and partly being confused by him changing my thoughts without my permission and taking my memories away. And you’d think that, the moment I realized we weren’t family, I would want to run. But I didn’t. I mean, Max even offered to bring me with him and Jackie back home to England and I - I told him no? What’s wrong with me?”

He stares down at his hands. At his broken arm and injured wrist.

“Anti talks about me being different from the others,” he signs. “He says I’m more ferocious. But the truth is, they’re the ones who have a fight in them. I’m the coward. I can fight like a fucking fox in a scrap, I can take whatever pain he throws at me, but daring to hope for anything… I’m just not brave enough. And that’s why I tried to kill myself last month. I know the others said they would make things better so I didn’t have to feel like that anymore, but I can’t take much more of this.”

He buries his face in his arms, knees drawn up to his chest.

“I’m just not enough. I’m sorry. Please take care of the others when Anti takes me away.”

Anonymous asked: Have hope, sweet Monochroma. Don't falter, you're so close. 3 out of 5 are free, free and fighting for you all. You have escaped before and you will escape again, this time with Anti dead forever. Jack made you for happy endings. You are made for joy and light. Grasp to the straws you have until your brothers pull you out of the darkness.

JJ looks up at you again, mouth shaking a little. He closes his eyes and tries to breathe.

“I - I can try to hold on. I just - I hope… I don’t know. I just want the others to be safe, so they can be happy now. They deserve that. Maybe Jack did plan happy endings, but he never got a chance to finish our stories, and that’s my fault. It’s okay if it doesn’t turn out perfect. I hope he’s happier, not remembering. And I hope the others can be happy too.”

And for a second, he can almost imagine it, because for every moment of pain that he remembers, he remembers joy too, distant and numb as it is now. Chase swinging his children around, a shrieking toddler under each arm, and Marvin cuddled up with a cat on the couch, watching re-runs of medical dramas. Henrik coming home burning with caffeine and shouting about his latest idea, only to crash on the couch ten minutes later. Jackie going red in the cheeks when his phone would buzz, racing out the door for another adventure with his partner.

And JJ in the middle of all of them. Safe and loved and beginning to be happy. Trying out different jobs, building hedgehog boxes in the backyard, baking sourdough bread and eating it with butter and dripping. Kissing a girl who loved him and going dancing with his friends. Falling asleep during family movie night. Smiling when Chase would turn a camera to him. Long drives and hikes in the forest. Fireworks and home-made pasta. Freedom.

He closes his eyes. Fuck, but that would be worth hoping for. Maybe he can. Just a little.

Just one little spark of hope.

aether-mae asked: Dark better know what he’s doing rn

“What the fuck are they doing, really?” demands Blue in a hiss, hidden in the trees with his brother.

“Making up, by the looks of it,” answers Jackie dryly, not particularly pleased with this turn of events. “Possibly plotting.”

“Most likely plotting.”

“We have to assume that they’re plotting.”

“Right.”

“But for now they’re just hugging.”

“Oh. Willingly?”

“Anti looks pretty drained, honestly. Just slumped against their chest.”

“Oh, well I feel so, so bad for him. Nothing but sympathy. I’ll get him a fucking tissue. Can you hear what they’re saying?”

“No.”

“Goddammit.”

.

“What changed?” asks Anti quietly.

“I just needed time to remember.”

“You really did forget,” whispers Anti, wrapping his arms tighter around Dark's neck. “Just like Jack.”

“Your little boy is more powerful than you realized,” they tell him. “You were foolish to think you had him under your control.”

“I didn’t know,” protests Anti, clinging to their suit. “How could Jack make him so powerful? I didn’t know.”

“We can’t underestimate storytellers,” says Dark, as though the word is poison on their tongue. “In the old world, stories could only go so far, and so the magic was limited by the number of ears who might hear of it. Gods and legends became true in magician’s mouths, but their power would come and go with their meager popularity, dying with their creators. But these days the only limitation is their imagination. Millions of people can hear the same story. So much power. Are you surprised they become cruel? It’s a game to Mark… I’m sure his friend is the same.”

Anti nods attentively, eyes wide. “He has been cruel.”

“And you’ve been stupid,” replies Dark, clucking his chin. “But never mind, child. We can make it right.”

“I’m thirty-three, I’m an adult,” protests Anti. “Or maybe seven, depending on who you ask, but - ”

“You’ve certainly been acting like a child,” says Dark. Anti’s mouth falls and he looks away, hiding in Dark’s jacket again. “But I’m here now. I’ll help.”

“You will?”

“Course, Anti. We were friends, right?”

Anti cheers up instantly, leaning up to peck Dark eagerly on the cheek. “You can help me make sure Trick and Dapper are good!”

“If you want,” they answer mildly.

“I’ll kill Dok right now, then,” says Anti. “And we can go get Red and Blue too! Then I’ll bring Trick and Dap to you and we can make everything okay. Change the heart and the head at the same time and it can last for months and months. That was my favorite, when Dapper loved me so much because of you. Oh, you can help me make Jack remember me! And then kill him.”

“You’re still thinking with your anger,” chides Dark. “Are you stupid, Anti?”

“No, I’m not, Dark, I’m not, I promise. You used to call me clever. You said I was shrewd. There’s just a lot going on.”

“I’m a lot older than you,” says Dark. “And clever as you are, you’re letting your anger control you. Anti. Don’t kill the three that don’t want you.”

Anti rears back. “What?”

“It won’t make anything better,” says Dark, stroking his hair soothingly, pulling him carefully back to their chest. “Won’t make you feel better. Won’t make Mark’s friend remember you. What it will do is turn your last two against you completely.”

“But I’ll make them forget the other three!” Anti insists. “It’ll be like they never existed.”

“Wrong again,” says Dark, setting a hand on Anti’s waist and taking his hand in the other, like they’re about to start dancing. He sways them gently back and forth there on the grass and it makes Anti smile. “But what more could I expect from a little mind-sneak such as yourself? You can change thoughts and memories, Anti. But in their hearts…”

They brush their fingers across Anti’s chest.

“Their brothers will still remain. It is the same reason your gunman still cries for his children, without even remembering their names. It is the same reason my gunman still comes home to me, no matter how many times he forgets who I am. There are those who remain imprinted on the soul. Love does not die, Anti. Not by anyone else’s hands.”

Anti stares up at Dark, his fingers curling absent-mindedly through the hair at the nape of their neck. “But then… they’ll always want the others. And I can’t keep Red and Blue and Dok anymore. I told Red this would be the last time we played the game.”

“Killing them will hurt your youngest,” Dark agrees, pulling Anti slightly closer. “So you must leave them alive.”

“But - ”

“Don’t interrupt me,” says Dark, flicking Anti’s chin again. “Listen if you want to make things right. Take the other two away. Take away their memories if you want, but then explain to them that the others are still safe somewhere else in the world. Teach them that their siblings ran away or were put in prison. It doesn’t matter.”

“Why can’t I just kill them and then tell Trick and Dap they’re alive?” scowls Anti.

“You’re the mind manipulator. Think with your brain and tell me the answer to that.”

Anti glares a little, but he knows. “There has to be a central truth to build on. Otherwise the deception has too many holes.”

“Just like this cute little ‘family’ of yours,” laughs Dark, tone low and mocking. “You built it on the five truths of their brotherhood and hid the one lie inside of it - that you belong among them.”

Anti turns away, body glitching slightly. “It was working well until Jackie’s stupid boyfriend showed up. Deshmukh fucked this all up. I’ll kill him too.”

Dark pulls away, irritation in their eyes.

“Well, I - if I get around to it,” Anti corrects himself quickly. “I’ll worry about Trick and Dap right now.”

“That sounds good,” agrees Dark, putting their hands back on his waist.

“Cause we’re going to make it alright again, huh, Dark? You’re going to help me?”

“Yes, Anti. It’s clear you need it, don’t you?”

Anti bites on his lip. “I’d have figured it out.”

“You wouldn’t have,” replies Dark. “So you better listen to me. There’s no point to killing your oldest three. Let them go. Then, once they move on, you can come back here with your favorites and I will set them right again. And you can keep them here as long as you want.”

“You’d let me stay with you!”

“There’s plenty of room in the houses, little monster.”

Anti wraps himself around Dark again, head on their shoulder, and they rock together there on the lawn, arms around each other.

“You’ll do what I tell you to, won’t you, Anti? You’re not stupid, are you?”

“I just… need to think on it a little. I don’t want Jackie and Marv to hunt me my whole life.”

“You’re a coward as well as stupid, then?”

“No! I’m just - I’m just trying to decide, okay?”

“You’ll let me know by tomorrow,” says Dark, tugging a little harshly on a strand of his hair. “You don’t want to disappoint me, do you, Anti? We can have fun together again.”

“I’d like that,” whispers Anti. “It’s why I came back.”

“Then let the others go and bring your favorites back to me in a few weeks,” says Dark, rubbing his back. “When you and Dapper are here with me, we’ll have plenty of fun - and plenty of power to do whatever we want.”

“And then Mark and Jack will be sorry,” says Anti.

This time, the cold smile on Dark’s mouth is all too genuine.

“Yes, my little monster. Then Mark will be sorry.”

Anonymous asked: It’s gotta be Dok by the door, right? Who else could it be?

Jackie stands up straight, mouth parting.

No. It can’t be. Is that figure by the porch really a body, curled up that small?

“Why would he just be lying there?” whispers Jackie. “Why just leave him outside? No… no, come on, Dok. Move for me or something, my brother.”

“What?” asks Blue, squinting at the porch. This far away, he can barely even make out the shape of the house, let alone the little body outside the door. “What are you talking about?”

Jackie steps forward, making towards the house.

“Hey, Ro, Ro, wait! Dark and Anti are right there!”

“I don’t care,” says Jackie, voice tight. “So is Dok.”

“You can’t just walk past the two of them! We need a plan.”

Jackie pulls his fighting staff out of his bag and unclips it.

“You and I are the plan,” he says. “Let’s go.”

Anonymous asked: Trick is unconscious, JJ isn't doing well and Anti threatened to kill him, and there's a figure on the porch that I am very worried might be Henrik. Jackie, Blue, you need to find a way to the house fast, or at least find a way to get a message to them that you're coming to save them.

“Oh, I’m here!” shouts Ro.

In the yard, Dark vanishes suddenly from Anti’s arms, leaving him with nothing but a cloud of smoke against his palms. Anti’s expression flares with grief and anger as he whirls on his older brother, hands clenched together.

“Jackieboy,” he spits, eyes bleeding to black. “What a pleasant surprise. I guess killing you once wasn’t enough for you.”

“Yeah, it’s me,” answers Jackie. “Don’t kid yourself, you never killed me. And fuck, but it feels good to be your enemy again.”

“It’ll feel good to tear you apart again without caring if you die or not,” shoots back Anti, fangs poking out of his mouth. “Before, I was just doing it to hear you scream.”

Jackie bends to sprint forward, but Anti is faster than he is.

“Ah - ah - ah!”

He’s glitched up to the porch, pulling a knife from his hoodie. Before Jackie can even shout his name, Anti reaches down and picks Henrik up by the barbed wire wrapped around his throat.

“Dok!” You hear Blue scream.

He does not need eyes unclouded to see how beat his little brother is. The blood is oozing from Henrik’s body. The doctor does not move.

“You keep your fucking distance until I’m ready to deal with you!” shouts Anti, shoving his blade up to Dok’s throat. “Otherwise you can lose this little shit right now. I don’t give a fuck about him anymore. Traitorous coward. You can’t get into this house without my cameras seeing you, and I will transport right here to put this blade to his throat every time you try! Nothing gets rid of me. Soon, we’ll be gone. Whether or not he survives me taking Trick and Dapper is up to you.”

“Get your hands off him!” screams Jackie. Blue clutches his hands, aching to make the plants leap up and tear Anti apart, but the risk to Dok is too great while he’s at Anti’s mercy like this. “You goddamn monster, leave all of them alone!”

Anti pulls Dok’s gun from his side, aiming it out at the two twins, forcing them to step back.

“No games, now, Jackieboy! Jack’s special little favorite. I wonder if he’d remember you if I shipped your body back to him in pieces - or would he just be horrified as his own dismembered body parts started coming in the mail? Either way, I think it’d be great fun for me. I start taking shots in three… two…”

Anonymous asked: Dark advised Anti to leave you two and Schneep alive so as to not shatter trick and daps blind love of Anti. Anti's reluctant to follow that advice so I wouldn't push your luck, but either way, he's planning on relocating in order to lose you and then moving in with Dark.

“…three.”

Blue and Red duck towards the trees as shots start ringing out, ducking down beside trunks and rocks. The noise disorients Jackie - he can’t tell if he’s triggered or overwhelmed. There’s a short yelp from his sibling and his eyes flash up just in time to see Blue trying to come towards him, a line of blood along the back of his short speaking to Anti’s deadly aim.

“Blue!” Red grabs him and drags him behind the thickest tree in the copse, hiding them from view. Anti stops shooting.

“Ow, ow, ow,” whimpers Blue, brushing his fingers over the cut across his back.

“It’s not deep, don’t be scared. That was stupid.”

“I wanted to be next to you. You’re the one who charged Anti and Dark!”

“Fuck, we really can’t trust Dark now, can we?”

“We’re going to have to bring the others somewhere else when we get them,” agrees Blue. “It’s pretty clear Anti and Dark have unresolved issues. It’s not safe for them there.”

“Is it safe for us there? What if Dark turns us over to Anti?”

“I don’t trust Dark,” says Blue. “But I do trust Shep and Gigi.”

“Alright. If you do, I do. And I don’t know if I should be hopeful or scared that Anti might let us live and just take our little brothers,” mumbles Ro. “Them being alive and alone with Anti might be a fate worse than death.”

Anonymous asked: Is there a chance at possibly getting Dok's necklaces, if not Dok himself? Or are those something only he can remove? I believe the shield one is to remain with him for the duration of one or two months, and Jackie used the warrior one already but there is still the animal one...

“They can’t be taken off him intact,” says Blue. “The necklaces are made to stay with him until he gives them away or they’re broken for him to use. Snapping the cord will unleash the magic, which is why Anti hasn’t done it - scared of getting hit by it. If anyone tries to take them off Dok, they’ll be burned.”

Anonymous asked: Uh-oh, Anti's packing. Retreat, regroup! We at least know where everyone is and the states that they're in. I know it won't feel like enough until they're with you and completely safe, but there's too much at risk right now to guarantee anyone's safety, yours included. We'll take what we know and come up with something as quick as we can, okay?

“I can’t leave him lying there on the porch!”

“Ro, we have to. Ro, look at me. Jackie, look at me.”

At this, Jackie’s eyes flash over to him, surprised. Blue reaches up to hold onto his shoulder, grounding him. “We know where they all are. We’re pretty sure they’re alive. And the cameras have eyes on them. We’ll come back tomorrow, okay?”

Jackie still turns his gaze to the house, digging his hands into Blue’s shirt.

“Jackie. Hey. Tomorrow, okay? We’ll come back tomorrow. You need to help me with this wound.”

A bullet cuts through the tree beside them, sending wood splintering through the air.

“I see you,” sings Anti, stepping towards them.

“Okay, let’s go,” agrees Jackie, leaping to his feet. “Only cause we’re about to get shot.”

“Going so soon?” calls Anti, cocking the gun and pointing it back at Dok. “Guess Jack’s little hero is just as helpless as he used to be. You could never save them from me, Jackie. And you never will.”

Flame in Jackie’s vision. His nostrils burn and his mouth tastes blood.

He steps out into Anti’s view.

“Don’t worry,” he says. “I’m coming back soon. When I do, you better be ready. You know how we talked about playing this game one last time? About winners and losers, victory and defeat?”

His eyes burn with moonlight and rage. Anti stares back at him, shadowed by the house.

“This is the victory and the defeat, Anti. This is the last fight.”

He turns his back on him. Anti does not shoot.

“Oh, and by the way,” Ro adds, turning to look at him. “I loved you with everything I was. Goodbye, little brother.”

He takes Blue’s hand.

Anti looks back at them, motionless.

They disappear into that sylvan night.

Anonymous asked: Anti, what did Dark literally just say. Like literally two minutes ago he was like "don't kill the three that don't want you" and you were like "yeah okay that's a good idea actually." It really went in one ear and out the other huh, you dumb baby man. You screaming infant. You silly little child. Do you want control back or do you want to ruin your chances of ever having control again? Because you're headed down the latter path at the moment.

Anti drops the gun in the grass.

The crickets and cicadas are so loud it hurts his head, the forest seeming to vibrate with the force and movement of them. Squirrels scatter through the trees and birds flicker in the sky above him. The moon gazes down with her single eye, enormous and condescending, cold and faraway from him. The whole world is in motion, the whole world is speaking, and the whole world is regarding him as he stands there in the center of the lawn, listening to the water of the pool lapping slightly at its edges, trying to get out.

“Dark doesn’t care about me,” says Anti, turning to move back towards the house. “They just want Dapper.”

He had known what it felt like to be the center of Dark’s attention, to have their glittering eyes fixed only on him. He had loved it. Even back then, he always knew that Dark was using him. It was who they were, as far as he was concerned. But he didn’t mind that either. It meant that he was always sure Dark truly wanted him around. Always sure that Dark thought he was truly clever and dangerous and useful and attractive. Because if Dark didn’t think that, they would leave Anti in a heartbeat. It was a terrible kind of security, but Anti liked it.

“Dark thinks they’re more clever than everyone else,” says Anti. “But you’ve seen them in videos. They never get more subtle than that, ha. Did you hear them just now? Trying to get me to bring Dapper and Trick back to stay with them. Trying to make me indebted to them. Yeah… they think I’m stupid. Maybe I am. But I know… I know… well.”

He had known what it felt like. To be wanted by Dark.

It didn’t feel like that.

“Don’t know what they want him for,” he continues faintly, entering the house and glancing around. “It’s my fault for offering him like a talisman in the first place. Dark must have sensed how powerful he was when they had him prisoner. Now they’re interested in keeping him. To do that, they need me to control him. So they promise me help and guidance and a happy ending. Insult me so I feel like I need them. But they don’t really care. Not anymore. They forgot for too long, and now they’ve moved on.”

He sits down at the bottom of the stairs, chin in his hands.

“But I still think maybe I wouldn’t mind,” he whispers, eyes going distant. “Staying with them. They could use Dapper if they wanted. Then maybe, with time, they’d look at me again like they used to. And then maybe we’d be…”

Happy?

He closes his eyes.

Anonymous asked: JJ, do you remember that conversation you had with Max back at that hotel in Colombia? About fighting for the things you want for your family and taking the chance to be happier than you are now? You said you would try. That's all we have ever asked of you is that you try, not just for the others, but for yourself as well. No matter how much you slip back to being Carver or Dapper or any of the names Anti has given you, we're always able to find traces of Jameson, because we know you're trying.

“I did promise that,” his hands admit. “I did promise… I asked Dok to fight for me, too. He promised he would.”

It’s hard to have faith in faraway things, but he does have faith in Dok.

“I’ll try,” he signs. “I’ll keep trying. Just a little. I can. I can.”

But right now he’s just slumped outside the door at the top of the stairs, his hold on his own shoulders getting weaker as his eyelids droop. When did the house get so cold? He misses hearing his brothers running around or talking in the kitchen, seeing them playing in the pool outside his window. Now everything’s so dead quiet. So dead cold. His heart feels slow in a way that hurts, like the blood is draining out of him. He sits back against the wall, too tired to shiver.

“Dap.”

He startles back to consciousness some fifteen minutes later, nearly falling onto his side as he tries to sit up, his body resisting even the slight movement. Anti watches him with mismatched eyes, his hair no longer teal. He looks back to himself a little - a clean, green-haired version of Jack, only revealing an inhumanity in faint glitches and flashes of green.

Dapper looks up at him, running his eyes over his form. He wonders if Anti came back to finish him off or if he’s here to take care of him. He never knows.

He reaches up his arms.

Anti’s gaze softens with fatigue and familiarity. He walks up onto that top step and reaches down, scooping Dapper into his arms. Heaving him close to his chest, he carries him back into the bedroom and locks the door behind them.

Dapper wishes he could tell you he wasn’t relieved to be back in that bed again, but he just needs some sleep. Anti crawls into bed at his right side and Trick stirs at last, though he does not wake. Anti pulls his arm over him and then turns to Dapper, burrowing under the covers and pulling him into his arms.

“I should kill you,” mumbles Anti. “But I won’t. Is that love?”

Definitely not.

And Dapper knows it.

But he doesn’t want to be sarcastic or straight-forward right now. He doesn’t want the truth. He’s too tired.

He puts his head on Anti’s chest and wraps his arms around him.

“Yeah,” he nods against his chest. “Yeah, maybe it is.”

Maybe just for right now, just for a second, it is.

He presses an “I love you,” over Anti’s heart.

“Good night, Dapper.”

“Good night, Anti.”

They have shared a bed for more than a year. With his body against him and his hand on his chest, Anti rests.

[legolasoftherings]

Second Time pt. 2

Pairing: Modern(coffee shop)!Kili x reader Word Count: 2339 Warnings: lots of smoochin, a tiny bit of jealousy, so so so much tooth decaying fluff A/N: Seriously, not even joking, this is completely full of cliches but whatEVER. Honestly, it’s so cute it made me cry writing it. Also, remember how I said this would be updated weekly? I lied (unintentionally, but still). Happy reading, darlings <3

PART 1

As the day went by, Kili almost completely forgot about you. Customers seemed ruder today, but he pushed through with the promise of seeing you at the end of the day. At 1:57, he heard the door open. “Hi welcome to-- oh,” he said looking up. To his surprise, it was you, “You’re a little early.” “I just needed to come work on things for a little while, and thought I’d come here,” you replied with a shrug and a grin. “Well, what would you like?” “What’s the most caffeinated thing you’ve got?” “I like your style,” he smirked with a knowing look on his face, “One cold brew with an extra shot coming up!” 

You sat up at the bar and chatted as he made your coffee, his smile boring through your defenses. You couldn’t stop yourself from blushing, and you tripped over your words, but he was too caught up in his own nervous thoughts to notice.   “Here you go,” he said with a sweet smile, passing the cup to you. Your fingers brushed his, and you swore your heart stopped. Recovering quickly, you grabbed your bag and choked out, “Thanks.” Sitting down at a small table, you pulled out your laptop and tried to focus on the work email you were trying to reply to, but unfortunately, you couldn’t help but admire Kili as he worked. His hair was pulled back into a bun, but small wavy strands framed his face effortlessly. The t-shirt he was wearing was just tight enough to emphasize his toned chest and biceps, and you quickly took a sip of your cold brew to stop your mouth from falling open. After you had gotten your coffee and sat down, Kili breathed a sigh of relief. I didn’t mess it up too badly, he thought to himself. Just then, he heard a laugh behind him. “Good going, lover boy,” Dwalin teased, slow clapping. Kili hit him with the towel he was holding with a groan. Dwalin laughed and said, “What? I didn’t say you did bad! I think she really likes you.” “Well, thanks for the analysis,” Kili deadpanned. Just then, a customer walked in the door and up to the counter. He ordered a latte, paid, and stepped back. Turning around, the customer surveyed the almost empty coffee shop, and recognized you. “Y/N?” You turned towards the voice, and your eyes lit up. “Bard!” you exclaimed, jumping up and running towards him, “It’s been so long, old man.” He laughed at the nickname, and retorted, “You and I both know that I’m two days older than you. That doesn’t mean I’m old.” “Sorry, I forgot! It means you’re practically ancient!” You gave him a bear hug as he kissed your forehead, his mustache pleasantly scratching your skin. The two of you continued to talk as he grabbed his coffee; you were completely oblivious to Kili watching you sulkily, however, Dwalin was not. “What’s going on, lover boy?” “WIll you stop calling me that?” Kili snapped, seething. Dwalin chuckled and got back to work, leaving Kili alone with his thoughts. You pulled Bard back to your table, and continued to chatter away with your old friend. For you, the time flew by, and suddenly, it was 2:30. “I’m so sorry to cut this short, but I have to drive the guy behind the counter home,” you said. Bard raised an eyebrow at you, and you blushed slightly. “How’d you two meet?” he asked with a wink and a smile. “Just at some party,” you said, pausing, “Do you want to meet for dinner soon?” you asked, changing the subject. “Definitely! I’ll text you later,” he replied, “Bye, loser.” “Bye, dumbass,” you said, giving him a squeeze and kiss on the forehead as you grabbed your things.   Kili heard the last little bit of the conversation as he stepped out from behind the counter and scowled. You smiled at him, oblivious to his sullen face and walked him out the door. Unfortunately, it had begun to rain, and you had parked farther away, and you hadn’t thought to bring a jacket. “Here,” Kili murmured, draping his black bomber jacket over you as you shivered slightly in the damp cold. You looked up at him in grateful surprise, and he smiled softly at your expression. Trying to think of something to say, your mind raced. Finally, you spoke, “Sorry I parked so far away. If I’d known it was going to rain, I would have parked closer.” “Y/N, it’s totally fine. If anything, I’m glad I get to spend more time with you,” he replied smoothly, putting his hands in his pockets. You flushed and quickly looked away, biting the inside of your cheek. The rain felt cool on the skin of your face, contrasting noticeably with your burning cheeks. Avoiding Kili’s eyes felt like the best choice, so you focused on the orange and red hues of the trees lining the rain-soaked street.     When you arrived at your car at last, your hair was damp and tangling. Kili, ever the gentleman, pulled your car door open, bowing low with a cheesy grin. “Thank you, good sir,” you wisecracked, returning his bow with a curtsy, and sitting down in the driver’s seat. He crossed over to the other side of the car, and climbed in. He pulled his hair out of its low bun, letting the softly curling waves spill over his shoulders effortlessly. You tried not to stare, but you couldn’t help yourself. You could tell he was wrestling with his thoughts, and you waited with aching anticipation. Eventually, he sighed, “Who was that guy?” He didn’t even try to hide the twinge of jealousy in his voice “Kili, please, don’t worry about it. That was Bard, a family friend. He’s like my brother, we’ve been friends forever!” you exclaimed defensively, “Are you jealous?” “Well-” “Kili, you’re jealous!” your incredulous reply came almost laughingly. “Maybe I am!” His abrupt statement sent your mind reeling. You exhaled and put your hands on your knees, unsure of what to say. “I like you, Y/N. A lot,” he continued, his chocolate brown eyes peering into yours for some kind of response, “You haven’t left my mind since the second time I met you, but I don’t know if you feel the same.” “Kili,” you breathed, moving closer to him, “I feel exactly the same.” With that, you leaned over the console and gently brushed your lips against his. Grinning into the kiss, Kili reached out to pull you closer, somehow pulling you over the console and into his lap. Your fingers tangled themselves in his waves, and you gasped for breath. Looking into his eyes, you realized how much you had craved him. Without warning, you wrapped your arms around his neck and hugged him close. His arms wrapped you up tightly as you breathed in the scent of freshly brewed coffee in his hair. You leaned against his toned chest, and heard his faint heartbeat drumming against your ear. No words needed to be said, and nothing disturbed your peaceful silence until he spoke. “How about I take you on a real date, hmm?” he asked, “What do you think?” “I’d like that,” you replied, looking up at his cheerful face. “Does a picnic sound alright? I make a mean BLT.” Giggling, you answered,“Kili, anything with you sounds wonderful.” “So it’s settled, then. Friday, 6:30, I’ll pick you up.” “Kili, in case you forgot, you don’t have a car at the moment.” “Oh… uh, yeah. I’ll get that figured out.” “Well then, I’ll be waiting,” you smiled, “Speaking of picking up, I should probably take you home.” “Right,” he sighed, “One more kiss?” You laughed and gave his smirking lips a final kiss before you opened his door and moved to the driver's seat. “Do you want the aux?” you asked as you pulled out of the parking spot, “The cord is in the glove compartment.” He pulled the cord out and connected his phone, and you couldn’t help but notice his background. “Is that your cat?” “Yeah, that’s Misty,” he replied fondly, “This is a picture of her a few months ago when she was just a kitten, she’s a little bigger now.” “She’s adorable!” “I could introduce you, if you’d like,” Kili suggested, trying to hide his excitement. Little did you know, this boy loved his cat more than almost anything. “Really? I’d love to, if it’s alright.” “It’s totally fine with me.” He grinned and opened his music app. You noticed a playlist with your name on it, and you raised your eyebrows. He avoided your questioning eyes and pressed shuffle, and a soft guitar and male voice floated in. Looking at your dashboard display, you read: Second Time- Bruno Major. “We were playing twenty one In the pitch black of a country night I was struck like a drum…” You smiled at the lyrics, and began the route back to Kili’s apartment. “I was dangerously tangled, second time I met you And now I'm so impatient to adore you I crashed my car last night.” You turned abruptly to Kili, who just smiled. “My past week has been written in a song,” he murmured, “It’s a sign.” You barely stopped yourself from laughing aloud as you realized he was dead serious. Quickly regaining your composure, you listened and drove silently until the last notes of the song faded out. The next one began, and you recognized the artist almost immediately. The soft piano and humming of Ella Fitzgerald piped in through the speakers, and you were impressed. “I knew you had taste, but I didn’t know your taste was this good,” you commented, as the verse began. “I’ve got a crush on someone Guess who?” As you glanced at Kili once more, he was gazing out the window at the falling leaves. Feeling your eyes on him, he turned toward you and winked not-so-subtly with a smirk.   “I would kiss you again if I wasn’t driving,” you quipped. “You could pull over,” he replied smoothly, laughing softly at your eye roll. “I’m trying to take you home, but we’ll never get there if you keep distracting me.” He raised his hands in defeat with a cocky grin and turned the music up slightly. “I never had the least notion that I could fall with so much emotion...” The music faded into the background of your thoughts, which were running wild. The fleeting thoughts felt like the fallen leaves breezing by your windows, listless and separated. All you could think of was Kili, and your brain took that in all directions. You pulled into the parking lot of his apartment building. “Y/N,” piped in through your daydreams, but it didn’t register, “Y/N.” “Hmm?” “I said, do you want to come inside?” “I can’t stay long, Kili.”   “Well, do you want to come inside or not?” The next thing you knew, Kili was unlocking his front door, and calling, “I’m home!” You looked at him with a raised eyebrow, confused as to who he was talking to, but then you saw it. A small dark grey cat, which you recognized as a Russian blue, padded softly towards you, meowing sweetly. Kili squatted down, murmuring, “Hello, darling,” as the small cat rubbed her face against his palm and looked expectantly up at you. You knelt down next to Kili as Misty approached you and rubbed herself against your legs. “You’re such a sweetheart,” you said softly to the cat, who meowed in response and snuggled her face into your open hand. “She’s never warmed up to anyone this quick before,” he commented, reaching out to scratch her ear, “Usually, she stays away when company’s over.” “Do you have company often?” “Mostly just my brother, Fili, and my mom and uncle.” “Huh. Is being devastatingly attractive a family trait?” Kili laughed and picked up the cat, cuddling her close to his chest as he said, “Yes, but I’m the best looking.” “That’s good to know. I made the best choice, then,” you returned, scratching Misty’s furry face gently. You were so focused on her that you didn’t notice Kili leaning in to kiss your lips. He caught you by surprise, making you giggle into his mouth. The sound was music to his ears, and he almost dropped Misty to pull you closer. You took the cat and gently placed her on the ground before he could protest, and tangled your fingers in his hair. He kissed you again softly, wrapping his arms around your middle. “Ki,” you murmured, slightly surprised at how easily the nickname fell from your tongue, “I have to go home.” “So soon?” he asked, a pathetic frown crossing his features as he leaned his forehead against yours. “Kili, we’re going on a date in a few days. I promise I’ll text you before then, it’ll be like I never left,” you replied, moving toward the front door. “In that case, I’ll be waiting by my phone.” “Bye, Ki.” “Goodbye, Y/N,” he responded, pressing a final kiss to your forehead. You smiled at him, and shut the door behind you. As you stepped down the stairs, you were almost dizzy with giddiness. The cool, misty rain took you by surprise, but it was a welcome one. As you opened your car door, you felt your phone vibrate. Kili: I miss you already You grinned, and moved to get into your car, but it vibrated again. Kili: look up Looking up at his apartment window, you saw him holding Misty and waving at you with a stupid, toothy grin. You texted back, and watched him check his phone and reply. You: dork Kili: only for you, Y/N You blew him a kiss, and he caught it, pressing it to his heart. Giggling like a child, you got in the car and waved him goodbye for the final time before you drove away.

[forevercaroline]

Forbes chapter 1

This is a spin off of beautiful dirty rich another fic I have. I didn’t expect this first chapter to be so long but it is this is also an au. Tagging @misssophiachase, @caritobear, @crazychicke, @bearolle24, @infernal-panda, @walter-boswell428 , @karinanic, @austennerdita2533

Xxx

The forbes are the cousins of the Salvatore family one of the richest families in the world the mother’s side of the family. Where as they live in New York City the forbes reside in Bel Air California. They live in a beautiful fairy tale like gated estate with views of the Pacific Ocean and downtown Los Angeles.

Lexi Forbes wakes up in her big bedroom with white walls, a purple egg shaped chair in corner that has pillows on it, sun shining through her window above the window seat she has blankets and pillows on. After a shower in her en-suite bathroom she sits down at her vanity table and after she’s finished doing her hair which she has her long blonde hair wavy and flowing down her back and makeup which she keeps simple. She picks out a pair of teal skinny jeans a white tank top and a grey sweater with tan knee high stiletto boots and a white and tan purse. She has matched it with tan sunglasses and her rose gold diamond choker her mom gave her and a couple rings.

As she enters the breakfast room which is smaller then the dinning room. The breakfast room has double doors to go out to the front lawns. The quaint room is yellow, with flowers painted on the walls and fresh flowers in a vase on the table. Her mother designed their many homes.

She kisses her father on the cheek as she sits down next to him, Sabine a member of their staff at the mansion brings her a bowl of raspberries, strawberries and watermelon. “What are you doing today dad?”

Peter Hale Forbes has sharp cheek bones that would cut glass, his short but volumed brown hair is always styled. He always looks incredible and wears a lot of v necks. Today he has on a grey v neck and a pair of fitted jeans. Their wealth comes from his hotel’s but also the Forbes family comes from old money making 19 year old Lexi an heiress. “I’m going to check in on the hotels.”

As Lexi is bringing the last piece of fruit in the bowl a piece of watermelon to her mouth she asks, “Is your friend coming over today?”

Peter raises an eyebrow how does Lexi know about her he’s been so careful only bringing her around while Lexi was at school or out for a extended amount of time. He looks away from his breakfast of fruit; watermelon, blueberries, peaches and mango’s. “What friend are you referring too?”

Lexi pulls a orange cheetah print bra out of her purse. “The friend this belongs too, I know its not mine. The only other teenage girl here is Greta but since she’s in high school and works for us I doubt she’s helping her mom clean the mansion in cheetah print lingerie, nor any of the staff.”

Peter grabs the bra out of his daughters hand and puts it on the other side of him on the table. “Where did you find this?”

“Outside your suite couldn’t even wait till you got inside the first set of double doors. I didn’t find it Aiden did. He found it the day before we left for New York City and there was no time to bring it up then and when we got back they came with so now is the perfect time. That day I needed to finish packing and Aiden and Ethan came up with me, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye and it was that.”

Peter closes his eyes and puts his head in his hands. He knew he had to have this conversation with her eventually but he didn’t think it would be this soon. “I miss your mom everyday, But I have to learn to move on. I have been seeing a women named Alexis she beautiful, eclectic, fun I enjoy her. “

“Dad mom’s been dead for almost five years I miss her too I don’t think mom would be mad at you for moving on. I’m glad you have someone.”

As Lexi gets up Peter adds. “I forgot to mention Alexis is a escort, I don’t pay her for her time it’s not like that. There is actual feeling on both sides.”

Lexi closes her eyes and bites her lip. She knew there was a woman but she never thought there was actual feelings which she knows is wrong of her. She remembers when her grandmother Cece’s new boyfriend who is only 11 years older then her showed up a couple weeks ago and Cece introduced everyone to him that took awhile to get over, some of the grandchildren are still not over it. “I hope to meet her one day.” She leaves a kiss on her dads cheek. “I’m going to school see you later.”

Xxx

Before Lexi can leave she has to go get her two best friends identical twins Aiden and Ethan who live in their guest house but Lexi knows they like to take a morning swim.

So coming into the backyard from the kitchen she goes down the stairs off the Balcony. There is a little sitting area at the top of a slope which has long steps and water cascading in between the two staircases at the bottom of the slope there is a fountain surrounded by statues of the four seasons in their own alcove. To the right there is a bush/pathway to the pool which has a glass bottom. The 75 foot size pool is in the middle with potted trees on the sides. A table off to the side with an umbrella and chairs surrounding it, on the other side of the pool there are lounge chairs. Behind the pool is the pool house/dome.

The pool house/dome is practically another house, Its three floors. Before her mom died they would have pool parties all the time. The pool house lounge level always had drunk happy party people coming in and out of it, teen and adults alike.

The first floor is a living area is simple from the plain white and brown stripes of the wallpaper to the tan furniture. Her mom always said nobody will be looking at the walls when they enter this place. The white French style windows letting in the morning light over the navy blue curved couch underneath it with the red, white and blue striped pillows. The cushions of the couch have been washed so many times the blue has faded.

On the opposite side of the room is a fully stocked circular bar. In the middle of the room there is a tan matching table and chairs that seats eight people. Off to the side there is a door to a kitchen. Opposite the kitchen there is a doorway to a full changing room with lockers, and a floor to ceiling mirror.

When you walk into the living area the smell of popcorn and chlorine fill the air popcorn from the home theater with concession stand upstairs and chlorine from the indoor pool downstairs it never bothers anyone since they are so busy doing other stuff.

Her heels echo through the enclosed spiral staircase as she descends down to the lower level and opens the glass door to come into the indoor pool/jacuzzi room. All the rooms in the lower level have glass doors except for the sauna which has a wooden almost bamboo like door.

Aiden and Ethan are identical they are both lean and muscular and are of medium stature not only do they look alike but they have the same short reddish brown haircut which the sides of their hair are shaved shorter then the top of their hair but only by inches. Ethan is slightly taller then Aiden. They are currently in the indoor pool seeing who can do more laps. They are to occupied in competing with each other that they don’t notice Lexi. The main house and the dome are the only two homes on the estate that have spiral staircases.

Lexi, Aiden and Ethan have been best friends since they were two. Their moms were friends and Lexi’s mom had invited the twins mom over one day and she brought her two year old twins and the three have been inseparable ever since.

“Get out of the pool time for school.”

Both twins say at the same time. “Aww but mom.”

All three laugh. “You know how we all laughed when Aiden found that bra and joked my dad had a hooker.

They nod as Ethan is climb himself up out of the pool and Aiden is floating on his back to the side to get out. “Well turns out not a joke my dads been seeing a hooker named Alexis but not in a sexual payment way. There’s feelings involved. I just don’t know how to feel.”

“Aww honey we’re there for you whatever you need.”

“Yeah hon you can always stay with us in the guest house.”

Lexi smiles at them they can always make her feel better. “Thanks guys.”

Xxx

Beautiful red haired insanely smart and very social 19 year old Lydia Martin is awoken by her phone ringing. As she slides a hand out from underneath the covers and cracks an eye open to read the text from her best friend Allison Argent “Where are you? You didn’t come home last night.”

She notices the time out of the corner of her eye and her eyes widen and she quickly sits up waking the guy in bed next to her.

“Oh my god is that time I have to go.”

Lydia scrambles around his bedroom looking for her clothes from last night. As she is zipping up her ankle booties she leans back and kisses the guy in bed on the lips. “Last night was fun see you later.”

The twenty four year old brunette watches as Lydia hurries out of his apartment.

Xxx

“I had an idea.”

Lexi cuts Aiden off. “Aiden I love you I really do you and Ethan are the brothers I never had but because of your idea’s the police know where we live.”

“True but hear me out.”

Lexi pulls up to a stop sign and looks to Ethan who has the apprehension look on his face too. They both turn to look at Aiden in the backseat of the hot pink lamborghini convertible Lexi got for an eighteenth birthday present before she was driving a black Ferrari. Lexi has a couple different luxury cars and all of them are different colors. “Ok Aiden what is your idea?”

“We throw a party at the end of the year one last bash before summer.”

“Way to go Aiden you finally had a good idea.” Ethan leans back and hits his brother in the leg. Which earns him Aiden sticking his tongue out at his brother and Ethan laughing.

As the stop light turns green Lexi asks. “And where would we be having this party, I doubt there are many abandoned warehouses in Bel Air and our home yes it’s gorgeous but there are not many open area’s for people to party besides the pool.”

Aiden looks up into the rear view mirror and Lexi notices him. “I know what your thinking and I doubt people would drive a little over an hour to Montecito for a party. Even if our home there would be big enough.”

“Its a black light party and the night club would be perfect for it.”

As Lexi is pulling into a her spot behind the Kappa Kappa Gamma house on sorority row at UCLA she tells them. “I’ll ask my dad for the keys no promises he said he’s going to be out today so I might have to steal them. I love that home but it doesn’t get used often which is a shame its very beautiful.”

“All your family homes are beautiful.”

“Why are we at Kappa?”

It’s to early for anyone to be coming in and out of the house. Lexi mainly lives at the Forbes estate but some nights she spends at the sorority house. She loves being a kappa and with her friends but with the good comes the bad. “I left some lip liner here and I was looking for it this morning. See you later in psych.”

Xxx

The Kappa house is styled like an old Tuscany villa. As she is coming down the hallway from the kitchen to the stairs the front door opens and Lydia quietly comes in wearing the clothes she had on yesterday a red floral mock mini dress and black heels

Both girls hear voices calling them. One from the living room and one from the stairs.

Isaac Lahey who is tall with a lean and muscular build and dirty blonde hair that is slightly curly, and large deep set blue eyes. He is sitting in the living room in kappa waiting for his friend Erica Reyes to finish getting ready so they can go to class when Lexi walks past. Isaac has only been in America for six months and since Erica introduced him to Lexi Forbes he has thought she was so beautiful.

“Lexi hi.”

Lexi turns towards the living room and smiles at him, “Isaac are you waiting for Erica? I have to go upstairs anyway I’ll see what’s taking so long.”

Allison Argent and Malia Tate has come down the stairs and noticed Lydia just coming home. “Lydia spill, your still wearing the same clothes from last night.”

“Lydia Martin smartest women in the house is doing the walk of shame I’m so proud of you.”

Lexi puts arm around lydia’s shoulders as Lydia tells her friends. “It’s not a walk of shame and if you must know I maybe seeing someone. That is all the information I’m giving now I have to change I have class in fifteen minutes.”

Lexi opens her door to see her roommate Erica Reyes who is tall, lean and beautiful with light blonde hair and large brown eyes putting on her signature cheetah print pumps. “Isaac is downstairs, is it just me or did he get hotter?”

Erica flips her light blonde hair out from underneath her black leather jacket. ‘It’s just you, maybe you should ask him out?”

Lexi looks at her through the mirror as she puts on her pink lip liner. “Maybe I will.”

Xxx

Later that morning Lexi sits between Aiden and Ethan in psychology. “I’m going to go back to the estate for lunch and see if my dads there and get the keys to the Montecito home.”

Lydia walks past them to her seat with Allison and Malia next to her Aiden leans forward and calls out to them. “Hi Lydia.”

Lydia looks back at them and raises an eyebrow. “The answer is still no.”

Lexi and Ethan laugh. Ever since Aiden met Lydia he has asked her out multiple times and every time she has rejected him. “What is that now 112?”

“No I think it’s closer to 174. We should of kept a tally.”

Aiden glares back at his best friend and twin brother. Erica walks past them and Lexi leans over and whispers in Aiden’s ear. “Since Lydia is never going to say yes, she came into Kappa this morning doing a walk of shame. Rumor has it she is having a fling with one of the campus security guards Jordan Parrish. Maybe ask Erica out you know she’s been a little down since Stiles left for Quantico.”

He raises an eyebrow as he looks at Erica laugh at something Boyd said.

A couple minutes into class the professor has not shown up, “ If the professor doesn’t show up we’re leaving.”

Ethan leans over to his brother. “If he doesn’t show up want to go for coffee.”

Aiden nods and they both look at Lexi.“Someone rushed us out of the house this morning before we could grab anything for breakfast.”

“Not my fault you decided to go for competition rounds this morning instead of your usual fifty.”

As everyone is getting up to leave a handsome guy in tan pants, and a long white sleeve shirt comes in. “I’m your new professor, your last professor has had a mental breakdown so I will be taking over my name is Derek Hale.”

Allison leans over to Lydia. “He’s cute.”

Lydia shrugs her shoulders.

Ethan leans over to Lexi, “He is cute.”

“I think his mom is my business professor. Plus don’t you think your hands full with Jackson and Danny.”

He runs a finger down her nose. “Don’t be jealous.”

She scrunches up her face at him.

Jackson who is sitting next to Danny a couple rows in front of them looks behind him and spots Ethan they share a smile.

Xxx

Lexi pulls her car into the car gallery she notices all her father’s cars are here so he hasn’t left yet. Off of the car gallery is the temperature controlled wine room and an elevator. The elevator takes her up to the bedrooms level of the mansion which is the second floor. Her dad has the biggest bedroom on the floor. On a daily basis only two of the eleven bedrooms get used.

Peter Forbes’ bedroom has two sets of double doors, the first set opens up to a little hallway with a private elevator that almost never gets used, and extra shelving. The second set of doors opens up into the bedroom across from double doors are three sets of double doors to go out to a balcony. The amount of natural light coming into the room makes the black silk sheets shine. Across from the bed is a marble two sided fireplace and tv. On each side of the marble is a black bench.

As Lexi’s perfectly painted purple sparkly nails wrap around the first set of door knobs her phone rings with one hand she reaches in her back pocket and grabs her phone while turning the knob. It’s a text from Isaac. ‘My next class is not for another two hours I was wondering if you wanted to grab lunch or coffee.’

‘I’m not on campus right now but will be back soon I’d love to do lunch or coffee. I’ll text you when I get back.’

She is focused on her phone when she opens the second set of doors and walks into her fathers room. “Hey dad. The keys to the-“ Lexi finishes her text and puts her phone back in her pocket. “Oh my god.”

The black silk sheets are all messed up because her father is on top of a brunette very pretty woman who she assumes is Alexis and thrusting into her.

Lexi looks up to the ceiling. “Put some clothes on. I have a simple question, I’ll just wait downstairs.” As she is walking backwards she announces. “Nice to meet you Alexis.”

“Door.” As Peter is rolling off her and pulling the sheet over both of them.

Lexi nods but to late she hits the side with her back. “I’m ok.”

Xxx

Peter scrambles out of his bed and grabs his jeans. He finds his daughter in her room throwing clothes in a bag. “What are doing?”

“I can’t sleep here tonight, I also can’t get the image of you thrusting into that woman out of my head.”

“Her name is Alexis, and when I told you about her this morning you didn’t seem to have any problems and you were nice just now to her.”

Lexi turns back to her father who never did grab a shirt so he’s in fitted blue jeans and nothing else. “I was faking it. I had other things on my mind when you told me. Thankfully my business class is in the morning because there is no way I would of focused on that test after this. I’m tempted to skip my afternoon class I’m so traumatized but I have a coffee date and I drove Ethan and Aiden so I can’t.”

Peter rubs his forehead this family can be so dramatic. The whole family the whole Forbes/Salvatore family is one big rich dramatic family. “This is not how I wanted this to go. Also where are you going to sleep?”

“I’ll sleep at the sorority house or the guest house. What do you mean you never wanted it to go this way. How did you want this to go?”

Peter is leaning against the wall just inside her bedroom with his arms crossed and his toned physic on display. “Eventually I wanted to invite her over and have you two meet. Did you only have morning classes?’

Lexi is still in her big walk in closet where her clothes are sorted into sections of party clothes, tops, pants/skirts/shorts, dresses, sweaters/jackets. The back wall is just one big shoe rack with heels, wedges, boots. All her jewelry is in the glass top island in the middle of the closet. Her belts are hung up on each side of the shoe wall.

“No my next class is not till 1:30 I need the keys to the Montecito home we were thinking of throwing a end of the year beginning of the summer party.”

“We meaning Aiden?”

Lexi nods, “We meaning Aiden had the idea but after telling us Ethan and I thought it was a good idea. A black light party in the night club would be perfect. Think about it live band on the polo field black light party in the nightclub. Plus the home does not get used enough to this party would really show the home some love.”

“I don’t like that this was Aiden’s idea, let’s hope this does not end with the Montecito police being called. The keys are in my office. What is it about Alexis you do not like.”

She turns back to her dad she can’t believe this question she barely knows the woman. “Other then the fact that I hardly know her and then see her getting rammed by my dad. She looks a couple years older then me and our names are similar.”

“She’s twenty six almost twenty seven I didn’t even realize the name thing.”

Lexi picks up her bag and as she is leaving she notes. “Why is this a theme in this family Cece cougar is with Chris who is thirty, you and Alexis who twenty six and a half, and Uncle Sawyer who has had sex with a hooker too.... Maybe the same one.”

Lexi gets halfway down the stairs when Peter calls after her. “We are not done with this get back here.”

The blonde turns around on the white with black and brown fabric spiral staircase. Her father is coming down to meet her. The light is shining on them through the three windows on the side of the stairs and there is a chandelier hanging from the cathedral high ceiling of the white marble grand foyer showering the grand foyer in natural light.

“I’m not a cougar like Cece, Alexis and I there is a relationship there. You know not to bring up Uncle Sawyer. Plus for us to have the same woman he would have to stay in the same place for more then a few days.”

“He’s been in Europe for a while, can you blame him for not wanting to come to America his money was withheld from him and he was in that plane crash. Are you forgetting Alexis is a hooker she sleeps with men for money and makes them feel good about themselves while she does. I do not want you to get hurt when you realize this.”

While the two forbes are on the stairs having this conversation their staff is busing around the estate some are cleaning, some are making food but nobody wants to go into the foyer.

Peter puts a hand on his daughters upper arm it’s just been the two of them for almost five years. No matter how old Lexi is she is always going to care and want to protect her dads feelings. His wife and her mom’s death hit them both hard.

“She’s an escort she is not just playing me. I know what I’m doing.”

Lexi nods. “Why couldn’t you decide to sleep with the sorority house mom Melissa or anyone else.”

Peter laughs “You know us forbes we don’t fall for the boy or girl next door.”

“True Aunt Liz is dating a drug kingpin.”

“That wedding when it happens will be interesting.”

XXX

Erica, Lydia, Allison and Malia are walking Greek row back to the house when they see campus patrol officer Jordan Parrish, young twenty four brunette Parrish. “Good after noon ladies. Miss Martin I found this on the ground and was wondering if it was yours?”

Parrish holds out a gold bracelet that Lydia was wearing last night as she takes it they share a smile. Alison Erica and Malia are watching this and once Parrish walks past them all three girls look at the red head. “Oh my god you and Jordan Parrish.”

“ Scandalous.”

“He’s hot.”

Lydia puts a finger up to her lips “Will you please keep it down.” They are passing Kappa Kappa Theta who tries to compete with Kappa Kappa Gamma. They do not need the president of Theta Hayden Romeo knowing this piece of gossip to use against Lydia and Gamma.

Once they get past Theta Lydia keeping her voice down tells her friends “Yes I’ve been seeing Jordan Parrish. “

All three girls get a text from their house mother Melissa McCall. “House meeting 3’o’clock.”

Kira is in Japanese history when her phone vibrates.

Xxx

Peter runs a hand through his hair before he returns to his bedroom expecting to find Alexis waiting for him in bed but the bed is empty, he glances in his big walk in closet his side is full of clothes his wife’s side is empty. A year after her death Lexi and him mustered up the courage to clean out her side of the closet they sold of the clothes but kept most of it and is now in storage.

He finds Alexis in his big en-suite bathroom she is in his bathtub which is full of bubbles. He bends down next to her. “I’m sorry about that earlier.”

She smiles at him and cups his chin with her hand which is dripping water on the floor. “Usually it’s the wife that walks in this is the first time a daughter has walked in on me.”

“How would you like to meet her?”

Her eyes widen and she drops all flirtation. “Excuse me she just walked in on us and you want the three of us to have a sit down dinner family style.”

Peter lets out a sigh and reaches out to push back a piece of her brunette hair behind her ear. “Of course not but maybe a actual meeting where nobody is caught having sex.”

Alexis puts her hand on her chin on the side of the porcelain tub. “She is not going to accept me. I doubt she will even take me serious I’m an escort who is dating her father.”

Xxx

While driving back to campus Lexi is tapping her finger against the stirring wheel, her phone rings but she’s busy driving so she doesn’t answer. When she gets back to Campus and meets Isaac at one of the coffee carts and after they get their coffee’s they both get French vanilla Frappuccino’s.

They sit down and while Isaac is talking about how he loves California he misses London Lexi is tapping her finger against the cup. “Are you ok?”

His voice pulls her out the trance she was in while he was talking she didn’t mean for it to happen. “Huh... oh yeah just a lot on my mind and Ethan and Aiden have a class I can’t tell them.”

Isaac feels bad for the sad blonde in front of him he likes her and he wishes she would confine in him. “Maybe I can help.”

She smiles at him it’s sweet he is offering to help her. “ Thanks maybe another time I will take a hug if your offering.”

They stand up and Isaac wraps his arms around her and she snuggles her head into his neck and he can feel her breath of relief during their hug.

Xxx

As Peter is walking her to the door something has been bugging him since Lexi mentioned he knows she brought it up tp hurt him but he has to know. “By any chance have you ever been with a tall, attractive I guess, super annoying, egocentric, has nicknames for everyone, blonde shaggy hair, wears leather jackets or button up shirts, probably conned you out of some money guy named Sawyer?”

Alexis stops at the front door and thinks about it everyone before Peter was a one and done. Peter is the first where they come back to each other and she enjoys him. “I don’t think so why do you know a Sawyer?”

Peter smirks as he open the door but she doesn’t see. “No.”

Xxx

House meeting always take place in the living room. There is a very open living layout of the house. There is a fireplace which is not used often since California and two couches with a table between them. There are a few chairs in the room too, two in front of the windows and one on the other side of the room in the corner. Above the fireplace there a photo of everyone in the house in front of the house.Lexi and Erica are always next to each other during house meetings and usually leaning against the pillars on each side of the entrance of the living room. Allison and Lydia are sitting in the chairs in front of the windows and the other girls are filling into the room. When everyone is there house mom Melissa McCall who is a mom to all the young ladies in the house but also a trained nurse and helps out in the hospital part of the school. Her long brown curly hair is dangling over her shoulders as she addresses all the ladies.

“Friday night is movie night and our annual sisters retreat is coming up where do you girls want to go.”

“Vegas.” Malia looks down at Lydia since Malia is sitting on the arm of her chair. “We all know she wants to go to Vegas to gamble.” Lydia nods.

“Mexico.”

Melissa looks over at the two girls sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, “Not twenty one and let’s keep it in America.”

“Aspen.”

“Who knows how to ski or snowboard.”

Half of the girls raise their hands including Lexi, Erica, Allison, Lydia and Malia and her roommate Kira.

Erica leans over to Lexi and whispers. “I remember the last time we went to aspen us, the twins and your parents for winter break. We had so much fun.”

Lexi smiles at the memory then gets sad because that was their last winter with her mom. “We did have a lot of fun. My dad is thinking of selling the place since we haven’t been there in a while.”

“Aspen it is, Now does anyone have any homes in Aspen or are we staying in a hotel?”

Most of the girls look up at Lexi. Some of the girls are jealous that Lexi has so much money and can have anything she wants on the outside looking in her life looks perfect little do they know her life is more dramatic then perfect. Her life may not be as dramatic as her cousins in New York City but she still deals with dramatic moments.

Melissa notices the young ladies look at Lexi. She’s heard their snide comments about Lexi, Melissa is privy to all the gossip in the house. As house mother Melissa is to care for these ladies and she treats them like her children. She also has a son who goes to UCLA Scott when he drops by the house sometimes the younger ladies of the house go crazy and surround him.

“Meeting dismissed. Lexi can I speak with you for a moment.”

Erica and Lexi share a look they both know what Melissa wants to ask her.

Xxx

Peter’s black Shelby 1000 Cobra pulls up outside his hotel and the valet take the keys and park it while he goes in and and makes sure everything is still running smoothly.

Xxx

Aiden and Ethan have been waiting behind Kappa for Lexi for almost fifteen minutes when she comes out. “What was going on in there and why do you have a duffel bag in the backseat?”

“House meeting were going to Aspen and guess where everyone is staying if you guessed our home you are correct.”

Ethan and Aiden share a look of worry as the doors unlock and they get in. Sure they could of got in before the doors were unlocked its a convertible and there is no hood but they are respectful of the Forbes family.

Lexi pulls up to a stoplight on sunset strip and her fingers are tapping on the steering wheel. The light turns green and she does not drive Aiden who is in the backseat looks behind them at a car and before the car can honk he waves his hand for the car to go around them. Ethan leans over and puts a hand on Lexi’s shoulder. “Are you ok hon.”

That touch of familiarity brings her out of her haze, “Huh oh right um.” She goes to put the car in park and Ethan puts a hand over hers. “I don’t know what’s wrong but before we get into an accident or someone flips us off I’m driving.”

Lexi does get to pull the car off to the side so they are not in the road. Ethan gets in the driver seat while Lexi is in the passengers seat and Aiden slides over so he’s behind the passengers seat then behind the driver seat.

Aiden slides his hands on each of the head rest and massages Lexi’s shoulders while she puts her head on the headrest and closes her eyes. Ethan takes a breath and looks in the mirror at his brother and they nod at each other. They live at the forbes estate and Lexi’s calls them the brothers she never had but they never drive the Forbes cars and this is a custom Lamborghini.

Once they are back on the road and headed to Montecito. Aiden asks “What happened to you this afternoon? You were fine when we left psychology.”

Lexi leans forward and runs a hand through her long blonde hair. “I met her when I went home to get the keys.”

“Met her as in....”

“Yes well met is not the right word saw her today.”

Ethan still keeping his eyes on the highway asks. “Saw her, saw her where?”

Lexi turns towards him and raises an eyebrow. Both twins at the same time go. “Ewww.”

“Yeah can’t get it out of my head. Forgot to mention I’m sleeping in the guest house tonight its still to fresh to step on the bedroom floor.”

“Totally get it.”

“So what is she like?”

Lexi looks back at Aiden in the rear view mirror. “Seriously.”

He shrugs and she sighs “Young she’s twenty six and a half brunette hair and has long dangling feather earrings and tattoos I couldn’t see what tattoos I was busy averting my eyes from the image of my dad thrusting into her.”

Xxx

Once they are through the gate and up the long driveway leading to the courtyard of the house. Since they are not going to be here long they just park outside the home not in the garage.

As they enter the octagon shaped grand foyer with natural lighting streaming in from a skylight, glass chandelier hanging down from the ceiling. A pink couch against the wall below a painting opposite the front doors are there are stairs going into the main house. “I love being in a sorority, but with the exception of Erica, Lydia Allison, Malia and Kira everyone thinks I’m made of money and I can just throw money at every situation. News flash people just because I’m rich doesn’t mean I have to spent it on you and stop expecting me too, plus stop expecting me to give up our homes as a place for you to use. Our home in Aspen we might be putting up for sale so we might not have it anymore but everyone just expects me to give up our home to host retreats. So they can brag we have a Forbes in our sorority. I just wished they wanted me as a person and not as Forbes.”

Both Ethan and Aiden put an arm around her shoulders. “We love you as you not because your a Forbes.”

They go through the mansion and where other homes have basements this home has a nightclub, wine tasting room, wellness center, sports bar and movie theater. The nightclub has a dj booth, six area’s for seating including white chairs, sofa and tables. On the far side there are doors to go out to the pool but with the black shades down it darkens the room to make it have more of the club vibe.

While Aiden is looking around the room planning the party in his head Ethan and Lexi flop onto one of the white fluffy love seats. Lexi has her head back and her eyes closed. “You need a massage after the afternoon you’ve had.”

“The masseuse is not here.”

Ethan smiles as he stands and grabs her hands to pull her up. “You go to the wellness center and I’ll call her or him then we’ll leave, it will give you time to get a massage, Aiden enough time to check this area out and I’ll be in the find something to do. Maybe catch a movie.”

“You love living vicariously through my heiress life.”

Ethan goes to open his mouth but Aiden who is at the clear dj booth which when on changes colors answers. “Yeah but don’t lie you love your heiress life.”

Lexi shrugs her shoulders “Your right I do its a hard life but someone has to live it.”

They laugh as Ethan slides his arm through Lexi’s linking their arms by the elbow. “Now my dear you are coming with me and Aiden is calling a masseuse.”

At the end of hallway there is three steps then a door and inside the door is the wellness center. A little waiting room with chairs, and a water jug and a little fridge with cucumbers and lemons to make cucumber and lemon water. There is a little changing room with robes, next to the massage room with two massage tables always ready.

As they are waiting for the masseuse Lexi and Ethan are just sitting on the table’s Lexi has a robe on ready to go when the masseuse gets here.

“By summer I’m going to choose between Jackson and Danny. I know I can not keep stringing them along.”

“I choose Jackson only because yes you and Danny are cute together he’s a hot guy from Nebraska he doesn’t understand the luxury of our lives, I think he’s only seen the guest house but was still surprised by it. Meanwhile Jackson is from Malibu he understands our lifestyles better. Plus while you and Danny are adorable you and Jackson are hot.”

The doorbell echo’s through the empty long halls of the mansion.Lexi slides off the table to get it but Ethan stops her “I’ll get it.”

Ethan opens the door to a cute tall man with light blonde hair, hazel eyes and stubble on his chin and mustache. “Cute you’ll do, let me show you to the massage room.”

When they enter Ethan hops back on the other table while Lexi is laying on her stomach and leans up to look at the masseur.”mmmh.”

While he is getting everything ready Ethan and Lexi are continuing their conversation like there was no interruptions. “So I can either be adorable or hot?”

“What is Aiden’s thought?”

”Jackson.”

The masseur slides his hands down Lexi’s bare back and up her shoulders. “Your shoulders have new stress.”

“Very new.”

“I’m going to text Melissa instead of going to Aspen in march why not come here for the retreat this home has everything.”

The masseur hands move from the knots in her shoulders to her lower back and Ethan agrees. “Good idea, since your selling the Aspen house that home could be gone by march.”

“Considering where it is and how much it is I doubt someone will snatch it up quickly plus its not even on market yet.”

Ethan stands up and bends down to be face to face with her “Have fun I’m going to the theater.”

“This is a beautiful home you have here Miss-“

Lexi even though her head is through the hole on the table she smiles all she can see is his black jeans and black shoes. “Forbes, Lexi Forbes you can just call me Lexi if you want.”

“Oliver.” He moves his hands from her back to her leg and runs them down her legs massaging the tissue.

Lexi loves to get a massage it’s more then just a spa day activity for her, it’s a relaxation thing where her life is so hectic people always around but when she gets a massage it’s just her and the masseur or masseuse.

“You really do have a beautiful home Lexi.”

“Thank you its one of my favorites.”

Oliver has made her flip and has gone back to the shoulders. “Was that your boyfriend that let me in.”

Lexi lets out a little laugh. “No that is one of my best friends his twin is around here somewhere.”

Xxx

After her massage she walks Oliver out, “Hope to see you again.” He nods as he leaves.

After Lexi changes back into a pair of teal skinny jeans a white tank top and a grey sweater with tan knee high stiletto boots and a white and tan purse. She has matched it with tan sunglasses and her rose gold diamond choker her mom gave her and a couple rings. She finds Ethan in the soundproof movie theater. “What movie is this?”

“Couldn’t decide didn’t want to get invested only to be interrupted.”

“Ready to go home?”

Ethan puts an arm around her shoulders as they leave. “I’m driving?”

Lexi smiles she might have just created a Lamborghini monster letting Ethan drive. “I feel great after the massage my mind is clear the shock is wearing off. Oliver really knows his stuff.”

“Ohhh Oliver.”

Lexi shoves him as they enter the night club and find Aiden on one of the couches. “Shut up. Ready to go hon?”

Aiden nods as he joins his twin and best friend. “Coming here really was what was needed today.”

Xxx

Lexi pulls her car into the gallery and they take a golf cart to the guest house. The estate is so big that there are several golf carts around the estate. If they don’t want to walk or are tired they can just get on a golf cart.

Xxx

Jordan Parrish is having trouble putting his key in his door while he has one hand holding Lydia up and she has her legs around his waist and peppering his neck with kisses. After a couple more tries he does get the door open.

Lydia’s lips go from peppering his neck to attacking his lips.

Xxx

Romania:

Six foot shaggy blonde haired Sawyer Forbes he has stubble on his chin and mustache. His innocent face and his smooth talking gets him in and out of so many problems he’s got himself into over the years. He walks into the bar and spots a familiar brunette at the bar and smirks. “We just keep running into each other freckles you going to tell me your name this time.”

The brunette turns around and smirks up at him. “Hello Sawyer your place or mine.”

He downs a shot and smiles down at her. “We went to mine in London so your place here.”

She downs her shot before picking up her coat “Your place last time my place this time if this happens a third where will we go that time?”

“Depends on where we are.”

She flips her hair out from underneath her coat and looks back at him. “It’s Kate.”

He smirks and puts an arm out “Lead the way freckles.”

[masquerade-story]

Chapter 1 - Moving In

"Whose dumb idea was it to go camping like this anyway?" Grey grumbled, smacking away a tree branch that seemed determined to get friendly with his face.

Walking behind him, his twin sister Lillian rolled her eyes and poked the small of her brother's back. "Yours. It was your idea."

"Oh please Crystal! Please oh please might we go live at the haunted house in the woods where we'll certainly perish! I, Dorian Grey Duvall, swear on my sister's honor to let you protect me!" Rayne fluttered her eyelashes, lowering her voice to sound more like Dorian. She yanked the handcart she was dragging over a set of roots, careful to steady its contents before resuming her walk.

"Has to swear on my honor cuz he doesn't have any of his own left after the last time," Lillian snickered, while Grey pointedly ignored their teasing and continued clearing the overgrown path.

Bringing up the rear with a digital camera trained on everyone's back, Crystal grinned and panned the camera to take in the large, dense trees, and huge, leafy bushes. "For a haunted forest, it's actually pretty nice here. Ah, more meadow rue! Specifically thalictrum rochebrunianum, neat."

"Gesundheit," Rayne said, eliciting giggles from the group.

"The lacy one over there with the purple flowers," Crystal clarified. "There's some rue anemone and meadow rue 'splendide' around here too. Don't touch the white flowery plant up ahead by the way, it's giant hogweed. The leaves and sap can give you phytophotodermatitis, making you blister up in the sun."

"Bro, how do you remember any of this? And as for you, you're a scary bitch," Grey cringed away from the plant in question while swearing at it, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at its pretty little flower clusters.

"I read a lot."

"Me too, doesn't mean I absorb any of it! I spent like six hours on Wikipedia the other day, don't even fully remember what I looked up."

"Was it about The Hobbit or Merlin? Cuz that's all you ever look up."

"Look, Lils. I know I'm walking in the front and all, but you don't need to stab me in the back like that. Also sometimes it's Pacific Rim, thank you very much."

"Was it Pacific Rim?"

"No it was The Hobbit."

The group talking and laughing were the self-proclaimed 'Fairy Rock' band Aos Sí Echtrae. Each of them wore a hiking backpack containing personal items, while Rayne also tugged along a sturdy handcart holding supplies and instruments with ease - a drum kit, harp, bouzouki, and keyboard piled up alongside some smaller instruments and the camping stuff Crystal insisted they bring along.

Though their banter was light-hearted and comfortable, they took their excursion very seriously. After all, they'd temporarily rented a locally infamous haunted house to use for a music video! It was a large investment, but they'd become popular online and had enough supporters that they were able to fulfill one of their member's dearest dreams.

Dorian Duvall, or Grey as he preferred to be called by friends, and his twin sister Lillian Duvall played bouzouki and keyboard respectively. Both had the same willowy stature, button nose and almond eye shape, but despite their similarities they both gave off very different impressions. Where Lillian looked soft and gentle, with large doe-like green eyes, and a kind smile, Grey had a mischievous glint in his hazel eyes and a roguish grin that he utilized with careless abandon. Lillian wore her sleek black hair long and loose, falling down past her waist and kept away from her face by a cloth headband, while Grey wore his hair in a high ponytail decorated with small braids.

As the one who absolutely loved haunted houses and anything spooky, it was Grey's idea to film on location for their new Halloween-themed album, Masquerade. Though it was the middle of July, they were hoping to get everything ready for an September promotional release before the album dropped in October, and so hurriedly set up for their video shoot in order to give themselves plenty of time for editing.

All four of them worked together to compose their music, write lyrics, and design stage costumes as well as fan merchandise. They also lacked anything resembling a lead vocalist, taking turns depending on what sound worked best with each song, and preferring harmonies rather than solos.

"Ray! There's a log up here!" Grey called out suddenly, kicking the fallen tree blocking their path. Rayne grunted acknowledgment, and shuffled around Lillian to help move the obstruction.

Rayne Rose played the drums, and also did a majority of the heavy lifting due to being the strongest person present in any room that didn't involve professional weightlifters. Her muscular arms were covered with watercolor flower tattoos, which she proudly showed off by refusing to wear any shirt with sleeves. Her curly hair, dyed a gradient of aqua blue and purple, was cropped close to her face for summertime weather. The short style purposefully revealed ear gauges and more than a dozen total ear piercings, matching the many piercings on her brows, lips, and nose.

The twins had fresh yet roguish charms, while Rayne had a more heroic air with heavy brows and an intense black gaze over lips naturally curved into an amused smirk. She dusted off her hands after tossing the log aside with little effort, while Grey panted for breath from the exertion of merely helping her lift it. Crystal, for her part, made sure to get the whole thing on video for future blackmail purposes.

Crystal Rose, Rayne's older sister, played the harp. Unlike her athletic and statuesque sister, Crystal was on the soft and plump side. Her long, wavy blonde hair was pulled back into a messy twist to keep it off her neck, the ends still pink from the last time she dyed it. Her face was round and childish, with bluish gray eyes above an upturned nose and broad cheekbones, unremarkable features made more charming by her innate overwhelming charisma and natural exuberance.

She was the kind of person that random strangers would strike up a conversation with, lost kids would try to hold her hand, wild animals would approach like an old friend, and when she raised her voice even the most crowded room would quiet down. She was also the kind of person who got carded when buying alcohol despite being thirty years of age, due to what Grey dubbed 'Acute Babyface Syndrome'.

"Anyone need to clean their glasses?" Crystal asked, pulling a cloth from her pocket to swipe hers clean. Aside from Rayne, who wore her contacts, Grey and Lillian both opted to wear glasses for the hike so they wouldn't have to worry about losing a contact forever if they tripped - a serious and ever-present concern for the slightly clumsy twins.

"I'm good!"

"Not yet, thanks."

"I'll take it," Rayne said, keeping her expression blank, and Crystal narrowed her eyes.

"If you wipe your sweaty face with the glasses cloth I'll push you into the patch of poison ivy over there."

"Ope, nevermind then."

The haunted house was a thirty minute hike from the nearest road, along a mostly uphill path that hardly anyone ever used and certainly wasn't wide or steady enough for any automobiles. By the time they reached the stone fence encircling the house's enormous overgrown yard, everyone except Rayne was ready to collapse.

"I'm gonna be so in shape after this if my binder doesn't kill me first," Grey wheezed, leaning on the stone fence and looking up at the haunted house of his dreams with a longing yet exhausted expression. It stood atop a hill in the distance, surrounded by several acres worth of mostly empty property speckled by a few large trees and scraggly bushes. Behind it was a small barn, a chicken coop that hadn't seen use in ages, and a greenhouse conspicuously lacking anything actually green. "A stone brick cottage in the middle of the woods overgrown by vines, a sagging peaked roof with exposed beams, and gaping windows whose panes are cracked like spiderwebs... Looks spooky enough! If the door doesn't creak ominously when we open it, I'm filing a complaint."

Rayne pulled the handcart into the yard, then glanced over her shoulder at Crystal, who was panning the camera up to take a wide shot of the house from just inside the fence gate. "How's it feel, Coco?"

Crystal frowned, furrowing her brows. All four of them believed in the supernatural after they all experienced several strange circumstances growing up, and Crystal had long proven to have abilities that most people would've considered fake nonsense.

She kept a dream diary after experiencing incidents where she'd dream events before they occurred, and wanted to prove to herself it wasn't a figment of her imagination. Whenever something weird happened, she was the first to alert everyone and get them away from danger before anything bad happened, and had an uncanny sense of whether people were lying.

"Hard to say. It does feel... Weird. The walk through the whole forest was fine, but as soon as I walked into the yard... The air's different."

"Really?" Grey raised his eyebrows, hopping over the fence and holding out his arms. He was the second most sensitive to any external oddities, with a particular penchant for finding rather nasty unexplained phenomena. After a few seconds he frowned as well. "No, yeah. That's a weird vibe for sure. It's like, the forest was fine and funky fresh, then you get over here and it's..."

"Musty," Crystal and Grey finished at the same time, and exchanged wry smiles.

"Could be trepidation from perceived fears," Lillian pointed out, gesturing toward the house. Though she also believed in the supernatural, Lillian also liked trying to find reasonable explanations before resorting to the occult. "The big empty windows feel eerie because people expect houses to be brighter and look more lived in, right? It's possible it's just a subconscious response to an old, dilapidated building."

"Dilapidated..." Rayne muttered, raising her eyebrows as she surveyed the house. She had a sensitivity to people's emotions and motivations, and could sometimes pick up lingering feelings from objects, but she didn't feel anything in particular coming from the building. "I don't think it looks that bad? We've lived in worse."

"It hurts me, physically, every time you and Crystal tell us about that kind of thing," Lillian sighed, patting her hand over her heart while Grey nodded next to her. "This place looks gross! It's horrible to imagine little Ray and little Coco in a place even worse than this..."

"Hey, they hired someone to clean the inside and arrange some basic furniture for us to use," Grey said. "It won't be fancy, but the interior shouldn't be too gross! And we'll sleep in the same room for safety! After all... This is the Corpse Consuming Cottage!"

"Ugh, that name..." Crystal and Rayne both cringed at the same time, while Lillian's eyebrows shot up.

"Wait, it's called what?!"

"Yup! Bad, right? But it's earned the name cuz of how many people have gone missing here. Poof! Gone without a trace! Every single person who's ever bought this place has disappeared, along with any family they brought along." Grey grinned, wiggling his fingers at his suddenly horrified twin. "I even made a spooky spreadsheet citing all my sources, aren't you proud? It's legit, this place is either hella haunted or hella cursed."

"Will we be okay!?" Lillian muttered, color draining from her cheeks.

"There's a loophole," Rayne said, and Crystal nodded.

"Yeah, we didn't buy the house. We're just renting. Supernatural stories are always big sticklers on rules, right? Chanting something three times, turning a certain way, walking a certain pattern. If buying the house is part of the problem, then renting it shouldn't be counted as the same thing because possession isn't being transferred." Crystal turned the camera to zoom in on poor Lillian's pale face, hiding her mischievous grin behind the lens. "Theoretically."

"Don't even pretend you aren't absolutely terrified too, Miss I Can't Go On The Haunted House Ride At The Amusement Park I Have A Doctor's Note," Grey scoffed.

"I don't like ghosts or wraiths or poltergeists or whatever wicked whatsits terrorize the night because I feel bad for them thanks very much, but..." Crystal glanced over at the house and frowned, furrowing her brow again. "I feel bothered but not... Threatened? Like there's something here watching but it won't hurt us."

"That's as good as a gold star to me. Let's crack this bitch open and make some lunch!" With renewed vigor, Grey fished the key from his shorts pocket and ran up the creaky old porch to the front door. "Come on in, it's nice and cool inside! Comparatively speaking, I don't think there's an air conditioner. Just fans. But it'll be clean!"

Like he'd promised, the interior was cleaner than the exterior condition belied. Furniture was sparse, but they were all fine wood antiques with a hand-polished sheen. Everyone dropped their backpacks in the foyer and stretched for a moment before getting to work.

"Water's on!" Grey called from the kitchen, where he set the tap to run. "There's dishes and cookware in here too!"

"Silverware?" Lillian called back, in the middle of helping Crystal and Rayne unload the handcart.

"Yup, as requested! I think they're all antique like the rest of everything here."

"Don't you dare break any antique dishes, Dorian Grey!"

"No promises!"

"Electricity works," Crystal said with some surprise, flicking a nearby switch after setting her harp case on the floor in the living room, alongside a towering pile of boxes holding personal things they'd had delivered via the realtor. She held her breath to listen for any crackles or pops, but the overhead light didn't give so much as a flicker. "Wires might actually be okay? That's surprising, this house is really old. Must've been recently renovated."

"Probably to try and reel in prospective buyers," Rayne said, setting down three drum cases. The rest of her kit was already unloaded, so she took a moment to glance around the living room with Crystal. "Inside looks much nicer than outside."

"We can make it look spookier with filters and editing," Crystal said, running her finger against the windowsill. When it came up without dust, she furrowed her brows. "They were real thorough cleaning this place."

"Found the terrifying cellar!" Grey's faint muffled cry echoed from somewhere in the house, followed by the sound of Lillian shouting his full name and charging off after him.

"Any cold spots?" Crystal shouted down the stairs after circling the entire bottom floor trying to find them. The cellar door was tucked into the kitchen's pantry, which was a full walk-in room rather than a little cabinet.

Since the house was so far from town, part of the rental contract involved the current real estate agent making sure the kitchen was stocked before tenants took over. All the shelves were packed full with newly purchased dry goods and spices, mostly sorted into pretty glass jars for aesthetic appeal.

"No cold spots, just some nice shelving, big old ground freezer and a wine rack! Fruit preserves and stuff but they didn't leave any complimentary wine. Zero out of ten, not recommended."

"What makes it terrifying then?"

"Big spiders."

Crystal grimaced and backed away from the cellar door, narrowly evading Lillian as she retreated up the stairs at maximum speed.

The house was surprisingly large. The ground floor had a large open kitchen with an attached breakfast room, a living room, a dining room, a sitting room, a study with empty floor-to-ceiling bookshelves alongside display cabinets, and a laundry/changing room attached to a bathroom with an enormous sunken bath large enough to be used as a hot tub.

"I would buy this house just for the tub," Lillian said, stroking the porcelain with obvious affection.

"Please don't," Grey muttered. "We're evading the horrible disappearance curse via fairy loopholes, don't you go walking into the trap face-first like that!"

"Fine, but when we leave, we're bringing the tub with us."

"Yeah sure that's completely feasible and not at all slightly insane."

The upper floor had five large bedrooms with attached changing rooms, two lavatories, and a walk-in storage closet. Rayne carried their bags into the master bedroom, then returned to the handcart to retrieve the extra supplies they brought - a couple of brand new air mattresses, blankets, boxes of instant food, tents in case the house was in worse shape than expected, a first aid kit, and little tools like scissors, binoculars, and lighters.

"This place is supposed to be super haunted and cursed, yet..." Rayne hummed to herself, patting the mattress in the master bedroom. Every bed in the house was neatly made, with clean sheets and blankets that still smelled like soap. "Won't need the air mattresses. They really worked hard to make this place nice, huh?"

Finally, the attic under the peaked roof had a few small gaps in the shingles, but otherwise lacked any signs of weathering or exposure damage. The only things occupying the space were a few cobwebs in the darkest corners. "Ugh, nothing for us to snoop through," Grey muttered, poking his head into the attic for only moment before heading back downstairs to start moving boxes from the living room into various bedrooms for later sorting.

Crystal and Rayne turned the fans on in all the rooms to start circulating air, opening windows on the shaded side of the house to catch any stray breezes, while Lillian and Grey got started on making lunch. The house which stood empty for so long soon filled with laughter, conversation, and the smell of good food.

"I just can't get over how unhaunted this haunted house is," Grey lamented, tapping a fork against his empty plate. "I've been looking and there's not so much as a suspiciously shadowed corner or creaky stair board!"

"Are you sure those disappearances were legit?" Lillian asked, gesturing for Crystal to pass the salt so she could douse her potato salad. "You checked the sources themselves, right?"

"I did! That's why it's so weird!" Grey drained the remaining water from his glass, glaring down at the ice cubes rattling at the bottom. "Other than the terrible cell reception, weak internet signal, and our gut feelings, there's really no sign of anything being weird. I was promised jumpscares!"

"You were promised no such thing," Rayne muttered around a mouthful of grilled chicken sandwich, deftly capturing some lettuce before it escaped her lips and hit the table. "The outside looks spooky enough for use in our video, we can think of this like a vacation and relax for a bit until we have to leave."

"There's a barn out back, maybe that's haunted?" Crystal suggested, but Grey shook his head.

"I already checked... It's clean as a whistle. No disturbed earth or rattling rusty tools or anything!"

"Would you feel better if one of us got possessed by a demon?"

"Maybe. It'd have to be a really good possession though, if you're not crawling on the ceiling I want a refund."

"Oh, you're paying us?"

"Hell no, a refund of my feelings. My feelings!"

"Speaking of feelings, how do you feel, Coco? Lils?" Rayne interrupted just as Grey was about to get dramatic. "That was a doozy of a hike. You guys alright?"

Both Lillian and Crystal suffered from several health problems when they were younger, and were still weaker than the average person because of it. They had to work harder to remain healthy than most people did.

Lillian, since her mouth was full, flexed her arm and gave a thumbs up to show she was feeling alright. Once her mouth was clear of food, she added: "Mostly just sore, but nothing a long bath and some music won't cure!"

"Coco?"

Crystal gave a start, realizing she'd been staring out the nearest window for awhile and tuning out the conversation. She turned back to Rayne and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, what was that?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Just feel a bit woozy, I think."

"Sensing something weird?"

"Honestly? I don't know." Crystal sighed, opening a can of grape soda and pouring it into her glass. "I still feel like we're being watched. And..."

She hesitated, then shook her head. No matter how Grey tried to cajole the rest of the sentence from her, Crystal kept the rest of her thoughts to herself. If she felt they were in danger she wouldn't be so tight-lipped, so they dropped the subject and started discussing their upcoming album instead.

After lunch they moved several beds into one room, turning the master bedroom into a big slumber party area. The rest of the afternoon and early evening was spent getting video and photos of the house and its yard, trying to find the perfect angles for use during the actual performance recording.

Rayne gathered some logs for firewood after noticing a fire pit in the back with some carved stone benches surrounding it. Dinner consisted of an open flame barbecue using packaged meats they found in the fridge, and a few veggies and fruit rolled into foil packs.

"We've really gotta thank that agent lady," Grey said, reclining in his chair. "She really came through with the supplies! It's so good having a fully stocked kitchen from the start, I was worried we'd be having pancakes and instant ramen for days."

"I'll head to town tomorrow and grab more meat for the freezer in the cellar," Rayne said, chewing on a skewer of chicken. "It's got a little variety right now but I'd like to stock up so we don't have to make as many trips. You and Lils might be fine with rabbit food, but Crystal and I need that good good protein."

"We're natural carnivores," Crystal agreed.

"Is there anything else we need from the store?"

"Nah, I can't think of anything. There's like, four entire bags of toilet paper, and towels and wash cloths and soaps and detergent and even pads and stuff. Like, I know we paid for the service but the level of consideration is really impressive!"

Crystal stared into the flickering flames, watching the embers rise into the rapidly darkening sky only to flicker away among the stars. The strange feeling she'd had all day was building to a crescendo, swelling in her chest in anticipation of...

Something.

Rayne glanced over, nudging her sister in the arm. "Coco? You're out of it again."

Crystal nodded. She opened her mouth, closed it, then opened again. Seeing her strange behavior, Lillian and Grey both fell silent.

Finally, Crystal heaved a sigh and poked at the burning logs with a long stick. "Remember when we first posted the video for our band? It was uploading and we were all watching the loading bar while holding our breaths? How it felt?"

"Don't get nostalgic on me old man," Grey muttered. Though his tone was teasing, there was an affectionate smile on his face.

Lillian nodded and smiled. "It was so exciting and terrifying at the same time. Maybe nothing would happen, maybe we'd be one of many bands that never got any traction. But maybe... Maybe we'd get lucky."

"It was kind of a relief too," Rayne added, gesturing with the skewer in her hand. "Like, we did it! We made our first song, and did our first video, and were gonna show it to the world. It felt really real right then. All our hard work."

"Yeah... And remember what I said?" When they all shook their heads, Crystal chuckled and poked the fire hard enough to send a flurried shower of sparks into the air. "I said it felt like a change was coming. For better or worse, something big was about to happen."

"Right, right! We'd either succeed in our dream or fail absolutely, with no in-between. That's what you said, yeah?" Grey sighed, patting his full stomach. "I remember. Man, that was heavy. I couldn't even sleep that night, you know?"

"Is it happening again?" Lillian asked, her voice even softer than usual. "That feeling?"

"Yeah. I've felt that way all day. I thought maybe it's cuz we never did anything as big as this, renting a house and doing a whole video shoot on location, that maybe I was worried about how ambitious our idea was, but..." Crystal bit her lip, poking the fire again. She made a point of avoiding their gazes, focusing on the burning embers and crackling logs. "I think if we stay here tonight, there's no going back."

Silence reigned for a few minutes. Then, quietly, Rayne whispered: "Are we in danger?"

"It's not like that. It's just... A massive change, that feels... Overwhelming. This is bigger than the previous time."

"Bigger than chasing our dream?"

"Yeah."

Rayne reached over to grab Crystal's hand, while Grey hopped up and sprawled across Lillian's lap despite her protests. He just laughed and said, "What's that matter? No matter what happens tonight, tomorrow, or whatever! We'll get through it together like we always have. You and me, sweethearts. Us against the world!"

Crystal smiled and gently squeezed Rayne's hand. "Yeah. We'll be fine, no matter what."

Once dinner was finished, the fire fully smothered and the leftovers packed away for later, everyone did rock-paper-scissors to determine order of bathtub usage. One by one, they soaked away their worries, changed into the pajamas they brought, and crawled into one of the master bedroom's beds.

As midnight ticked over, a single shaft of light from the full moon filtered through the room's lacy curtains, illuminating their peaceful faces. The sleeping occupants remained blissfully unaware of the tendrils of fog creeping along the ground, emerging from the forest to wrap the entire house in a dome of mist.

Several hours later, as the first rays of dawn burst from the horizon, they were finally awoken by a piercing scream.

[ozymandiascezn]

schrei es in die winde ||1|| chapter one

fandom original pairing original oc x original oc warnings potential/references to depression and dark thoughts - “What are you staring at?” ��You.” “Why? You see me every day!” He can’t help the smile that tugs at his lips, his eyes remain on her, on the dress she wears and how she twirls in it. How she smiles when she’s wearing it. She’s the air that he breathes. “I know.” She’s so drastically different than him, smaller, petite, but filled with so much fight. Brown hair curls around her shoulders, long and wavy, eyes doe-like and brown, filled with love that only she could harbor for him. The dress is red, a compliment to her pale complexion and dark eyes. It’s his least favorite color, but when she wears it, his whole world topples upside down and robs him of his breath.

He remembers the red dress vividly, the last dress she had worn. He despises it now, he despises every color, but not nearly as much as he hates red. It was the last thing he saw her wear. He doubted he could ever look at a single thing of hers and feel the love and adoration he once had — it’s all replaced with voices that say it’s his fault. The study is quiet, the room is dark. The curtains cover the windows and not even the lanterns are on. It’s the only comfort he can afford himself, the only grief he can allow himself to feel. The tears he has cried so far burn, denting his skin with their bitterness. They followed the creases in his skin, leaving a trail of fire. The saltiness of his pain burns, it burns far more than he ever wanted it to. Papers on his desk draw his attention; business papers that need resolving and responses. A textile factory and several printing presses are all under his name and they need funds, ideas, plans on where to go next. What new clothing pattern is “in”, what is going on in the world, all of it belongs to him. And all of it needs him to be at his best. There’s no time for grieving, no time to just sit and wonder how it all fell apart. “She’s all settled into her new room.” The voice startles Andrej more than he’d care to admit, but when he recovers and notices Victoria standing in the doorway, he relaxes. “Lovely,” he coughs, returning his gaze to the papers before him, “can you take a look at these samples for me? The factory wants to know what to go with for the summer styles.” She approaches, quietly, staring at him as if he’s lost his mind. “You just suffered a great loss and you’re working? I’m sure all this can afford to wait.” “The world doesn’t wait for those who grieve, we just accept our fate and move on.” He replies gruffly, and though his heart shatters a little more at his own words, he knows he’s right. The world continues to move, he can’t afford to stop while everything else carries on. Weakness makes him easy to prey on. “I appreciate your concern, but work must continue. Now, which sample should I send back?” Frustrated, Victoria just points to one of the samples and watches as he tosses the other two away. She can tell he’s hurting, it’s in the way his hands shake, it’s in the way he won’t meet her gaze, and it’s in the way the room is so dark. “At least take some breaks, okay? The world needs you, but we need you more.” She sighs softly, eyeing him for a moment longer. “You should come down to dinner. Get acclimated with the things shifting around.” He looks up, eyeing her suspiciously for a moment. “Vic, I appreciate whatever it is you’re aiming to do, but I just want to be alone. Please.” “Okay, okay, just… just remember to look after yourself. I’ll be up to bring you something to eat around dinnertime.” She leaves, the door clicking shut behind her. He’s alone again and it’s something he hasn’t felt in such a long time. The loneliness is soul crushing, especially when you know just under this roof is someone you once held so dear. But he’s done what he can do, now he must work. Ink meets paper, twirling to meet words that fall from his fingertips like a lie falls from the lips of an experienced thief. He’s done things like this a million times that it now all feels so natural to him. It’s clockwork. If the amount of fabric exceeds the amount of money they have, he siphons money from Engelbrecht Printing to pay for whatever they can’t, and vice versa. Though people could afford to go without the newspaper, but clothes were a much needed necessity. Sometimes people needed favors, be it through opening a tab or sharing information. On occasion this information has aided him in freeing many mutants from a fate worse than death. They were a hunted species, one whose only crime was being born with powers beyond the general public’s understanding. Time and time again he had witnessed his brothers and sisters be murdered in their homes, in the streets, anywhere they were found. You could be accused of being a mutant and if you had no means to silence such

accusations, you would be. Andrej was the Jack of All Trades. There wasn’t a thing he couldn’t do — though it all comes at a great price. He’s learned long ago to keep everything under wraps, but the randomness of his mutant ability comes in handy when he rescues others like him. Especially when he smuggles them across the border into Canada. Though he isn’t lucky enough to decide what ability he gets to use, it is still a useful tool regardless. Oftentimes it’s set at the ability to control the final destination of a bullet. It’s what he’s known for. He’s grown tired of it — reasonably so. He’s been fighting the fight for mutants ever since he was old enough to understand the severity of existing as a mutant. He fought to protect mutants in Germany, now he has to do the same in America. But after the fall of New Tech after the twenty-first century, having to constantly monitor what goes into the daily paper before it’s put out has its toll. He controls what the people see, typically only making sure everything is propaganda free, but oftentimes, something slips by. To the untrained eye, the things that slip by are just jumbled messes, but to Andrej, they’re threats. They’re hints at where to find bodies, where they’re going to strike mutants next, etc. All of which has puts a large burden on his shoulders. The papers can wait, he decides, heading out of the study and downstairs. Papers like that can always wait. He’s never been one to enjoy the sights they had to offer anyways. She’s down there, with Victoria, and the paperboy he often uses to deliver most of his messages. Elizabeth, Victoria, and Philip. They’re playing a game of chess with Philip watching, but the moment he enters the room, they look at him. “Oh! I got a letter for you, boss!” Philip is on his feet, rummaging through his pockets to produce a slightly crumpled letter. “Came all the way from Germany, Sir! Just for you!” Andrej eyes him with suspicion before taking the letter. “Have you had coffee today, Philip? It’s not healthy for you. You get too hyper.” Philip is a little over a foot shorter than he is with golden hair and dark green eyes. He’s freckled, but his face is covered in dirt from his run to the shared home. He’s content with fulfilling his duties though, sparing Andrej a sloppy grin. “Maybe, Sir, but it looked tasty!” He retorts, keeping his lopsided grin. “Whatcha gettin’ letters from Germany for?” “It’s nothing of importance,” he tucks the letter away, “most likely in regards to my sister, but I’ll read it later.” “Sister? You have a sister?” Elizabeth perks up and he tenses incredibly. She’s beautiful, a lot more than he ever seemed to recall. But he forces his mind to think of her as average. She has average brown hair, average brown eyes, average voice. Nothing outstanding about her. He purses his lips, as if deciding whether she was worth talking to or not. “I do. She writes often.” “Then shouldn’t you read it and respond to her? I’m sure she’d be eager to hear your response!” She’s bright and happy, a complete opposite to everything he’s become. To everything that stands in Old York. She doesn’t belong here. “When I read and respond to my mail, is not your concern.” He returns, sharp and quick with his words. “She can wait a while until I have time. For now, there’s stuff to be done.” “Not more work is it? You’ve been working way too much for someone who lost the love of his life.” Victoria warns, eyeing him suspiciously. “I guess we’ll never know what I’m up to, then,” he retorts, returning her warning gaze, “I have to go drop by the factory and after that a trip to the main printing shop. I’m looking at buying more property, a bar, maybe. Can never have too much alcohol, besides, people talk when they’re drunk. We need that information.” Victoria leans back, brows raised. “Don’t make any quick decisions on the bar, then. We should look at locations that’ll provide a higher chance of accurate information.” “I’ve got a few places picked out, they’re in a folder on my desk somewhere. You’re welcome to look through

them,” Andrej nods, distracted almost, “and while you’re at it, there’s a few pages I pulled from printing that mention some young mutants. I’ve found where they are, just bring them here so we can get them set up.” She watches him curiously. “Can I take Elizabeth? Show her how we roll around here? Philip can come too, they’ll probably trust him more if they’re near his age.” “Take who you like, Vic. Just keep an eye out. Things have been getting rough all around.” He pulls out a watch from his vest pocket, opening it to check the time. “Three hours. I’ll need you back in three hours. Not a minute later unless you’re looking for trouble. I’m short staffed already, I don’t need more.” Philip lets out a small whoop of excitement much to Andrej’s utter dismay, but at least someone was enjoying themselves. He’s only thirteen so Andrej can’t quite fault him for the excitement, even if it’s a little false and wrong to feel such an emotion in a time of great turmoil. Not like people were dropping like flies every day. “Andrej, you’re doing the thing again,” Victoria snaps her fingers in front of her eyes, “you zoned out again. You should see someone about that, you’ve been doing it pretty often recently.” “It’s just stress, I’ll be fine. A little rest is all that can cure stress, I’m afraid, and right now I can’t do that.” He shakes his head, though, every part of him whines for him to just stop and rest. He can’t let his mind wander to darker spaces, not when there are still people who need to be saved. If he falters once, he might not come back from it. “I’ll rest when I can, okay? Just give me some time.” “Alright,” Victoria relents, smiling, “you should take a stop by O’Conner’s when you come back. Pick up some of that good bread, and maybe, just maybe some sweets? We all deserve it.” He snorts. “Yes, yes. I’ll bring back some good bread and sweets. You’re all a bunch of addicted fools, but I’ll do it anyway.” He can feel Elizabeth’s eyes on him, but he shakes the uneasy feeling as he finally heads out. He doesn’t like being looked at like that, nor was he a fan of her, really, but the staring made him feel like he was in some sort of freak show. It robs him of everything in one fell swoop, as if he’s nothing but a freak to throw things at.

[un-lovely]

OC Masterpost

Diana

female, early 20s

short, with long black hair that reaches her calves; hazel eyes with epicanthic fold; sharp facial structure and lean build

daughter of Rhea and Sebastian, both from noble families; has 3 siblings (order): Selena, Brigid, and Iris; 3rd born, after Brigid

can be stuck up and rude, but is not unkind; can be aggressive to those she dislikes and possessive with those close to her

is best friends with Antonio (calls him Toni) and they are actually platonic soulmates

love interest is Adan; their relationship is a constant push/pull of the other, which balances them out

in near constant conflict with her sister, Selena, due to personality differences

struggles with emotional issues

is the best cook out of all OCs but doesn't like baking other than hand making bread

Antonio

male, 5 years younger than Diana

medium height, black eyes, sun streaked hair with a lean build; has buck teeth and a crooked smile with a youthful face

father disappeared during childhood and mother passed away when he was young; no other relatives

is mute; speaks in sign language and voice output on phone

is generally crotchety with a no-nonsense attitude, but is very supporting and affectionate with loved ones

is best friends with Diana; they're both stubborn, a fact that keeps them friends but often leads to them butting heads

love interest is Carlos; he is genuine, kind-hearted, and a little awkward, which Toni finds endearing

doesn't like Adan because he and Diana always meet explosively or in terrible circumstances

came from a humble background, as opposed to Diana, which lead to fights about money

he doesn't like to lie

likes to garden in his free time

Adan

male, 3 years younger than Diana

taller than Toni, but thicker; has a belly and muscle; short, black hair, strong jaw, and heavy-lidded dark brown eyes

large family consisting of parents and 6 siblings; is the 4th oldest

reticent and hyper empathetic; still waters run deep; slow to the point of stagnation

is best friends with Isaias, like brothers from a different mother

love interests are Diana and Sara, but Diana is the push to his pull and understands silence well

will overthink a problem till it no longer exists

hates being called boring

can be surprisingly intimidating and dominant when pushed/angry

hobby is playing guitar

Lucio

male, 2 years older than Diana

the most attractive OC, lean but not muscled, with long, black hair that passes his shoulders; grim features that always make him look serious; light brown eyes

mother passed away due to illness in teens, father is abusive; has a twin sister, Liliana, and other unnamed siblings

always serious, but is not unkind and will always help those in need

no love interest; was engaged to Diana in Supernatural AU but does not care for her romantically

either is friends or enemies with Diana, depending on the AU

likes reading

Carlos

male, 4 years older than Toni

taller than Toni but not by much; brown skin and brown, curly hair; has green eyes and dimples

has parents and cousins but they live far away; don't really speak that often; is an only child

generous and kind; even tempered and always looking out for others; can be kind of shy with strangers but is more open with friends and family; described as "warm"

lives alone and has no close friends except for pets

love interest is Antonio, who he finds hides a beautifully noble and wise mind beneath his cranky exterior

not very good at interacting with Diana, but considers her a friend

is a very good neighbor

experiences bouts of loneliness due to his distance from most people and society

hobby is tending to his farm

Rhea

female, middle aged

average height, but still taller than Diana; wavy black hair, honey brown eyes the same shape as Diana's and a rounder face; has curves but mostly lean

mother passed away young and she never knew her father; has a younger brother; married to Sebastian and has 4 daughters

has a kind heart, but can be selfish at times; very loving to all, but has to learn how to act like a family head and aquire confidence; very playful and youthful

best friend is Maria, a servant girl she grew up with but that sees as her own sister

love interest is Sebastian; they are true soulmates, both romantically and in terms of friendship; they understand each other without words

has had a rocky relationship with Diana for years, but this is due to her being overbearing at times

is heartbroken her daughters (Diana and Selena) are constantly fighting

gets along very well with her mother-in-law, Angelica and goes to her for advice

hobby is any activity with a family member or the entire family

Sebastian

male, middle aged

very tall with a thin, bony frame; light brown hair, large nose, and bony features; green, slightly droopy eyes; wears glasses

has both parents and a brother almost 20 years older than him; no other extended family

is neither shy nor awkward but does not make it a habit to talk to others; he is mild-mannered and noble; gets stuck in his own head often

best friend and lover is Rhea; they are two halves of one whole, a two headed being

he has a rocky relationship with his mother, Angelica

comes from a dying, cursed line of nobles

The Best Dad™️

likes reading everything but law and business; he dislikes business majors

Selena

female, 6 years older than Diana

average height, curvy, with wavy, brown hair; dark brown eyes; face shape like Sebastian's

has both parents and 3 sisters; Brigid, Diana, and Iris; is the oldest

can act haughty but is serious and practical; can be a bit of a killjoy and has a hard time loosening up; is not mean but will not respect someone until they earn it

best friend and lover is Liliana; she helps Selena see the beauty of the world without its practicality; they lead a quiet life together

is constantly in conflict with Diana, mostly due to her hurting their mother

likes fashion and making her own clothing

Brigida (developing)

female, 3 years older than Diana

short, thick and curvy; black, wavy hair and a round face with upturned eyebrows; has her paternal grandfather's eyes

has both parents, and 3 sisters; Selena, Diana, and Iris; is 2nd oldest; is married with 2 children

soft-spoken and a bit of a pushover; finds confidence in her husband and children

she grew up being the peacemaker between Selena and Diana, and as such, dislikes conflict of any kind

is kind of afraid of Diana

likes cooking and watching TV

Iris (developing)

female presenting, 3 years younger than Diana

average height, thin, and slim; long brown hair and thin face; eyes similar to Rhea; androgynous features

has both parents and 3 sisters; Selena, Brigida, and Diana; is youngest

is often silent and speaks softly; many regard her as mysterious; difficult to pin down

best friend is (Nameless OC #33)

she takes after her paternal grandmother in terms of gifts

hobbies are taking walks and daydreaming

Isaias

male, 3 years older than Adan

tall and wiry, very skinny; thin, fine features with brown, curly hair and dark brown eyes

mother leads a bad life and father is in jail though none of them speak; no other blood family known; unofficially adopted by Adan's family

can be charming and likable, but finds it difficult to be genuine; is self conscious about his family history; likes figuring people out like puzzles

best friend is Adan, likes to anger him by pretending to be his lover in public

no love interest

used to have anger issues that he's been working on; they still get the best of him sometimes

has an intense stare

hobbies are harassing Adan to see how he'll react and going out clubbing

Angelica

female, much older than she looks

very tall, taller than Sebastian; long, tight curly hair, heavy lidded eyes and a large nose; curvy

has no living blood relatives; married to Gabriel and has 2 sons, Gabriel Jr and Sebastian

is mysterious and seems to always know more than she lets on; very wise and is someone many come to for advice; always tells the truth but never answers a question

best friend and lover is Gabriel Sr; they understand each other well and have weathered tough times together

Gabriel Sr calls her "my sphynx"

she is a powerfully gifted psychic with an affinity to pyromancy

she mourns her rocky relationship with Sebastian, though it's cause is well-warranted if accidental

she considers her oldest son to be a good friend of hers

her hobbies are being admired by her husband and tending to her doves

Liliana

female, late 20s

beautiful; medium height with a lot of curves; large hazel eyes and a round, chubby face; hair is toffee colored

mother passed away and has only a father; is twin to Lucio and has other unnamed siblings

she is soft-spoken and always happy; some would call her an airhead due to her bubbly attitude but she is in fact very clever

best friend and lover is Selena; they love each other dearly and hope to start a family of their own soon

hobbies are embroidery and making her wife laugh

Rene (developing)

nonbinary, age unknown

tall, with copper hair and light brown eyes

blood family unknown; has an unknown lover

will mold their personality to fit the people around them, all the while maintaining emotional distance

works for Diana in some AUs

is a sort of spy

Maria

female, age close to Rhea

average height, with a rectangular figure; brown hair and an oval face; pretty brown eyes

has a mother, no father, and unnamed siblings; is married with 2 children

is always laughing and cheerful; exudes a girlish innocence but is trained to kill; she is not afraid of lying to protect her loved ones

best friend is Rhea; despite having been raised and trained to protect her, Maria's affection for her is genuine

husband works far away, so she sees him rarely

seeing as she became good friends with Rhea, she was educated in combat, psychology, and noble etiquette from a young age without Rhea's knowledge

likes Sebastian immensely and finds his physical and personal attributes charming; she is happy he brings Rhea joy

Rhea's girls call her AuntieMum

hobbies are spending time with her family and gossiping with Rhea while cooking dinner

Sara

female, around Adan's age

short and stout; bigger frame; curly, black hair with a round face and large, dark eyes

has a large family

she is generous and has a cheerful disposition; she loves to talk, though she sometimes doesn't want or like silence

love interest is Adan; they are a good match but she is sometimes unwilling to coerce him from his bouts of silence and stagnation

Ricardo

age unknown, very old

a dog that lives with Angelica and Gabriel

simply wants validation

Clementine

age unknown

an orange cat that lives with Diana

has only 1 braincell but experiences frequent power outages

Last updated: Aug 21, 2021

[tinytendril]

Prompt: “Can I pet your dog?” “Do I know you?” Pairing: Robb/Margaery Word Count: 1315 Rating: T

Greywind wasn’t by any means a new puppy. Firstly, he was nearing seven in June. Secondly, he was well-trained to listen to commands, and even understood coded looks Robb would occasionally give him. And he definitely didn’t carry on with impulsive behaviour if Robb was around to reprimand him.

Yet, the strength in which Greywind pulls on his leash nearly makes Robb trip over his own feet as they head toward the grotto area of the park. ‘Grey! Heel!’ Robb tries to catch up to his husky.

‘What’s gotten into ya’?’ He finally reaches Greywind, who finally stops bounding ahead of him. He tries to make his furry head face him, asking, ‘‘Y’arite, pal?’

He doesn’t understand Greywind’s eagerness to reach this secluded part of the park. Godswood has always been their favourite retreat from the bustling town centre, but this particular path wasn’t part of their usual walk. It’s true that he’s been needing more fresh air from holing himself up in his flat since his falling out and subsequent break up with his ex, Jeyne, a few weeks ago. But that didn’t mean he needed to be distracted and extend the short walk he intended to have with his dog in the first place.

Peering around the thicket of green and brown shrubs, high fir trees, babbling brooks, and a small lake that led to a cave, he wonders, ‘Why have you taken me here, Grey? You know we usually go--’

Greywind stands alert again and starts sniffing away from him.

He thinks to shout out, bad dog or something along those lines to reprimand him, something he is surprised he’s not done since Greywind wet the bathroom tile as a puppy. Instead, he grumbles, ‘Right, we haven’t got time for this now. We’ve only got an hour before we promised Sansa a visit.’

Just as Robb tries to reel the leash toward him, he sees what his dog might have been searching for up ahead. Around the corner of the thicket and more trees, where Greywind continues to pad toward, is a woman with wavy, blonde hair wearing a dress he can only imagine being too thin for Winterfell’s deceivingly sunny yet cold spring day.

‘Oi! Grey!’ He loses the leash altogether, cursing at what he realizes was his momentary distraction. Embarrassment floods his senses, watching the woman turn to find Greywind barking for her attention, the leash zipping toward him as it starts to coil toward his collar from its automatic mechanism.

He catches up, and he doesn’t have an excuse past the short jog he does to get to them for his nervous intake of breath. She’s even more distracting up close, beautiful in the way he remembers women looking in the black and white films his mother used to watch when he was younger. Her hair is curled and pinned in the same way he remembers Vivien Leigh’s hair was in one of those films.

‘Can I pet your dog?’ She bites down on her bottom lip, seemingly ignorant of his speechlessness. When he only nods, she kneels to scratch behind the Greywind’s ears, something that makes him nuzzles toward her touch.

The amount of trust and affection his dog has for her would perplex him if it wasn’t for his sudden urge to focus on the sound of her voice. She sounded oddly familiar, and, as he embarrassingly stares on, he thinks he recognizes her. ‘Do I know you?’

She gives a surprising burst of giggles at Greywind licking at her cheek, trying to let out, ‘I don’t think so.’

‘Sorry,’ he apologizes, and finally gets the overeager dog to sit properly with a firm command. ‘I don’t know why he’s acting this way, he’s usually better behaved. He must not have been able to resist your scent.’

He mentally cringes. What did you just say, idiot?

‘Oh, he’s lovely,’ she says, rising to her feet. She’s wearing low heels, but heels nonetheless. And, alongside her summer dress, this was all he needed to gather that she wasn’t from Winterfell.

‘Do you mind me assuming… that you’re lost?’ he asks hesitantly.

There’s an appealing quirk at the side of her mouth. It curls upward to make a lopsided smile. ‘I am, actually. I was just on my mobile with a friend that I’m meant to meet later. I only wanted to visit the rose gardens in the park before I meet her, but I obviously took a wrong turn. Luckily, you came along… would you…’

‘Of course, it’s only just around the corner from here,’ he says, thinking of his luck as well. ‘I’m Robb, by the way.’

‘Margaery,’ she smiles widely as she says so.

As they redirect themselves, and as they roam idly within the rose gardens, he learns about her hometown of Highgarden and her pack of brothers. He compares his own family with hers, noting that his brothers would more likely be described as a pack of wolves. He also learns that she finds him funny. It takes some restraint to not overdo his string of jokes to hear more of her laughter, clear and melodious as a bell.

They reach Godwood’s exit when he realizes that he hadn’t been keeping track of the time, something that he knows has to do with how much he was drawn into their conversation. One that mostly kept him on his toes from how quick her mind seemed to work. Curiously, he wonders if the nerves he wasn’t yet able to temper around her meant that he wasn’t as tragically hung up on Jeyne as his friends and family thought he was.

Again, he’s staring after her too long and, as soon as he strikes up the courage to ask for her number, he’s taken aback to find her briskly offering her thanks and a hand to shake.

He can only manage, ‘Oh.’

‘I’m sorry, I really should be going. I promised my friend I’d be meeting her--er--about fifteen minutes ago.’ She certainly looks disappointed or maybe he imagines her looking as gutted as he feels. ‘Goodbye, Robb.’

As her figure shrinks in the other directions of the street, he feels regret growing with each step she takes away from him. Even Greywind’s demeanour seems to feel heavier with his head slightly bowed.

‘Sansa,’ he sighs as he picks up her call. ‘I know, I know, I’m late. Listen, I--’

‘Robb, you’re lucky my friend is late too,' Sansa starts in a clipped tone. 'And before you tell me to stop setting you up with my friends, and that I'm obviously tricking you into visiting me today to meet someone instead, I should have you know that she’s coming all the way from--’

‘Highgarden,’ he doesn’t hide how hopeful or potentially off the mark he sounds.

There’s a beat over the line before she replies, ‘How could you possibly know that?’

‘Is your friend… Margaery?’

‘Robb, how the hell--yes, that’s her.’ There’s shuffling on the other side of her line, and he images his sister repositioning or scratching her head in confusion. ‘She used to come to mum’s summer cottage in Riverland when you and Jon spent the summers hunting with dad’s friend in Stormsend. You might have crossed paths one summer, but I can’t remember now. But I can't imagine you knowing about her when I've only just reconnected with her this past month… would you?’

‘Sansa… I’ve got to go,’ he says, eyes settling on the horizon that Margaery disappeared into. He doesn’t explain much after that, ending their phone call with a cryptic promise to be on his way soon.

Even Greywind picks up on the sudden alertness in his stance, his yellow, canine eyes peering up at him, waiting for a command. Robb tells him, ‘Can you find her again, pal?’

With the tug of his leash, he tries to keep up once more. Good dog.

[halloweenonthemoon]

Joey Meeting Cas’s Parents.

Time is a thought pattern and measurement made up by the human mind. Sometimes we use it to keep track of important days and events in our lives. Sometimes it seems to take forever, and other days it seems to pass like one is going through a time machine. Just one hour, just 60 minutes, 60 seconds within each one of those individual minutes, is all I have to convince them. These were the thoughts that ran across Cas’s mind as he finished tying his dark ocean blue tie. The blue popped and drew one’s eye away from the rest of the swan white suit. “My Sunday best” Cas signed softly in a mocking tone before nervously picking at the loose ends in the fabric. His bright seafoam eyes darted to the grandfather clock standing in the hallway.

The clock was a gift from this great grandmother on his mother’s side. It stood at a height of 7 feet and was the tallest being in the house. It was made of dark oak wood that could be found in any fairy tale forest. The clock has a man-made touch that ruined its magic. The golden hands shined like the sun on a pleasant summer day and it had a little ticking sound that sounded like a robin’s morning cry to the world. This was what Cas’s parent’s found perfect for their home and their traditions.

If there is one thing to be known about Cas Rare’s family is that traditions are everything to them and they have kept some very old ones alive. There are always the weird ones, like knocking three things before entering the office and the kitchen, and then of course some more serious ones. For example, poor Cas knew this one too well, everyone in his family had married their high school sweetheart without fail. Some are still together though that’s not the case for most of the family. That doesn’t matter to the Rares though, as long as the action happens then to them the tradition is still kept.

Then a loud ringing broke the silence that swallowed the emotionally empty home whole. Cas jumped back towards his old light brown bed with the many shades of green plants surrounding it. “That’s just the doorbell, take a breath you’re okie. Gods, you’re such a nervous wreck don’t let them see into your eyes. Act normal.” His inner voice yelled at him hoping he would understand the importance of this. Cas shook his head to clear any emotion from his face. Even though he’s the master at faking a poker face, the one thing that usually gives him away is his eyes. There’s a saying that the eyes are the window to the soul and with Cas, that statement is most definitely true. He started his journey down the seemingly endless hallway heading to what he considered a death wish though others would just call it a set of stairs.

The old woodland stairs creaked as he made his way down, carefully counting out how many seconds it took him to get to the bottom. “Your girlfriend is late,” a cold and disapproving voice called out from the kitchen. Girlfriend, what an odd word thought Cas. This wasn’t the first time he heard that word in the romantic sense and probably wouldn’t be the last. His parents, teachers, teammates, and even some of the town folks ask him how a young man like him is still single. He’s the captain of the football team, on the student console, and the vice president. He’s a straight-A student and even helps with the school’s volunteering program. They say he’s the faithful son and a model student. They claim Cas is fulfilling the American dream.

Little do they realize that Cas has been hiding a huge secret. A secret he learned to keep from a young age and what happens when you don’t. The sad part is the town may have the occasional jerk but that’s not why Cas guards this secret with his life. How does one explain to the people who claim to love you unconditionally that you’re the thing they hate the most? That no matter what you do you can’t change it. How does one explain to a person with a strong homophobic belief that you’re part of the community?

“I’m sorry sir; she lives across town and most likely lost track of time” Cas called back to his father while straightening his back. “Hmm, that's the disappointing son. A young girl should know to respect others' time.” Mr. Rare called back, his voice holding the same emotion and tone as his words. Cas signed to himself before jogging over to the tall doorway that seems to tower over anyone with an avenger human height. He knew parents hate surprises and they're about to get a big one. Good thing they don’t have any heart issues, he joked softly in his mind.

When he opened the door, he could not believe his eyes. There stood his boyfriend in a black suit with the coat opened to show off a salmon pink shirt. His usual long, wavy light and a slight orangish-brown hair braided showing off his side cut. Of course, he was wearing his tall black boots under his suit and was holding a gift of pretty greens and sunset pink roses. “Wow, those roses do draw your eyes out dear,” Cas smiled at his boyfriend while feeling both jumpy and at peace.“Sorry for being late love!” The short man explained quickly, “I told Jackie I wanted to pick up some flowers for you, and I lost track of time.” Jackie was an older brother figure to Joey Light and had taken him in when he was twelve-thirteen years old. Now being 16 Joey had a sense of getting used to his new life and this town...for the most part at least. Sometimes he forgets about how the locals are stuck in their old ways and the dangers that hold.

“You’re ten mintu-” “Ooo, is she here now?” Mrs. Rare cut off Mr. Rare running from the kitchen to greet who she thought was going to be her future daughter-in-law.

Mrs.Rare is the president of the books for kids program, and many in the town love her for her general kindness to others. If someone needs a helping hand, usually, Mrs.Rare is there. If it wasn't for her the town’s new and improved library wouldn’t exist. Though Mrs.Rare has a darker side to her that not many had seen. She has this undercurrent of believing she was above you and a slight god complex.

“Oh,” She stated gently while her honey-dyed hair swayed from side to side. “Hello, May I ask your name child?” Mrs. Rare hummed, placing her hands on her waist, as a small power move. Joey smiled trying to come off confident stating “Hello Mrs.Rare, my name is Joey” mentally cursing himself for not sounding more “proper” before widening his smile. Joey can feel Mrs.Rare’s eyes judging him while trying to give off the “I’m like second mother” vibes.

“I’m sorry hon, but I’m afraid that Cas is busy tonight. His girlfriend is coming over to finally meet the family!” she says quickly before placing her hand onto Cas’s arm with a small pulling motion. Joey was about to speak up, but Cas conquered him. “Actually mother, Joey is supposed to be over here. I want to explain it to you and father during dinner” his right hand was grabbing his left wrist and rubbing it in circles. Mrs. Rare’s eyes were processing but stopped and went dilated for a minute. They darted from Cas to Joey a few times before saying “Please come in” while rushing to the dining room.

The air in the room seemed to disappear at that moment and Cas felt like he was in outer space. All the noises of the world were muted for the purest minute, and objects were floating. Cas nearly felt like a sleepwalker as Joey seized hold of his hand. He was the sunshine in this world and was a burning candle in this gloomy house. Smiling at his boyfriend, the two of them made their way to the dining room, mentally preparing for whatever battle faced them.

The room was massive with a huge chandelier of shades of white and baby blue hanging down from the ceiling shining all over. There was an extensive dark oak table that usually is only used for meetings and fancy gales. Tonight the table will be a battleground between two opposing sides. Joey recalled how in this situation he felt like a tiny mouse trying to hide from the humans who had enough misfortune to discover him in their kitchen. He tried not to reveal his fear though and puffed out his chest standing next to Cas.

“You’re 11 minutes late, Miss” Mr.Rare called out, entering the dining room with his wife behind him carrying drinks for the small group. Mr. Rare was a tall man with the air of being a naturally born leader. He had these honey brown eyes that always seemed to be looking down at you and a mouth that seems to be just a thin stick. The people voted him for mayor because he reminded them of an old wartime warrior. Tough and gets what needs to be completed. He was surprisingly good with people and especially those of the older generation.

Joey quickly took a step forward trying to seem confident and not like he was wanting to walk straight back out the door. Fear is something he would never let win, and he wasn’t going to start today. He raised his hand and looked Mr. Rare in the eyes. Joey may be short and a tiny guy but he has a lot of guts and attitude to make up for it. “Hello, Mr.Rare. My name is Joey Light, and I deeply apologize for being late. I thought it would be the gentleman thing to get your son some flowers.”

Cas loved and hated when Joey did this. He tried to hide the forming smile on his face while trying not to be petrified that Joey had said that while looking his father dead in the eyes. “Excuse me Father; Joey is my guest tonight, I should have told you early.” Cas quickly explained stepping slightly in between Joey and his father. His father raised one eye to the two men and nodded gently before saying “I see...why don’t we sit down and have some lovely food that your mother made for us?

Mrs. Rare quickly set down the glasses on the table and explained that she’ll be right back with some silverware. Mr. Rare took a seat at the usual spot-the head of the table while Cas took out a chair for Joey. The sitting arrangement planned out the week before was Mr.Rare at the head of the table, Mrs.Rare on the right side of him, Cas’s “girlfriend” on the left side of Mr.Rare, and Cas next to his “girlfriend.” Cas knew his father would be annoyed about him changing it up last minute, but he also wanted to keep Joey safe. Even as Mr.Rare was glaring at his son as he sat on the left side of him.

After 5 minutes Mr.Rare appeared with a huge smile on her face that was the opposite of her eyes. “Here’s the silverware” She hummed before taking a seat at her throne and poured some water into everyone’s glass. She looked like a lioness with her curly frame and long face. There was a silence that felt like forever to Cas and he knew his parents wanted an explanation. This was a power game, and he was smart enough to give in first. He made the mental note that he had 39 minutes left to convince his parents not to kick him out of the family.

Clearing his voice, Cas said “Father, Mother, I know you're expecting my girlfriend to come tonight for dinner but-” “Ah yes, I was wondering when she would be here.” his father chimed in looking at him with a confused look. Cas felt like a deer in headlights and felt his heart skip a beat. Joey quickly grabbed Cas’s hand under the table and gave it a comforting squeeze. Cas looked up to a soft smile that he knew was a rare sight.

He took a breath and continued making sure he was strong with his tone “I’m afraid she can’t come tonight because she doesn’t exist.” Cas let his eyes travel to his mother’s face which was the perfect look of surprise and to his father’s- the eyebrow raised again but there’s a fire in his eyes now. No one said anything as there was this moment of silence before Mrs.Rare looked over to Mr.Rare.

“What do you mean she doesn’t exist?” She singed gently while straightening her back. She had that same fire that Cas’s father has, though hers represent more expression. Cas jerked his head and spoke louder hoping it would aid him to sound more sure, “I mean she doesn't exist. Mother, Father, I’m a part of the lgbtq+ community- technically Bi. I would like to introduce you to my boyfriend Joey Light.” Joey smiled at his boyfriend. It was the first time he heard his boyfriend stand up for himself and he was proud. Though he retained enough knowledge to prepare for the fight that was about to go down.

Mr. Rare spat out the water he was drinking before loudly saying “You’re what?!”If it wasn’t for the situation the look on his face would have been comical. His eyes darted between the two boys processing what he just heard. The corners of his mouth twitched into a smile before he started laughing. The laugh was hollow and seemed more than just fake. It scared everyone at the table a little bit.

Mrs. Rare had a better reaction by just sitting there staring down at her food with a slight smirk on her face. Cas didn’t know which reaction was the worst. He knew this was very out of character for his parents.

“Hahaha, you tell the best jokes son” Mr.Rare laughed out before wiping away some of the tears from his eyes “You genuinely had me fooled for a minute.” Cas felt his cheeks turn a rosily pink shade before speaking up again, “I’m not joking Father…”. Now it was his mother that spoke up with that smile; looked smug before explaining to a child why they can’t have a cookie before dinner “Honey you can’t be bi, it’s just so unnatural and a choice. Besides, why would you date a man if you like women?”

“Excuse me?” Joey, who’s been quiet the whole dinner, finally spoke up with his usual amount of sass. “This is why you’re uncomfortable whenever your folks get brought up in the conversion darling?” Joey said promptly, altering his voice into a honey-like texture while turning to face Cas. Cas could merely bob his head and tried to think of a way to quickly diffuse the situation at hand.

Mr. Rare stood up and pointed a finger at Joey getting more and more angry stating “Young man, who do you think you're talking to? She has a very reasonable statement. Thank God he is only Bi, there’s still hope then.” Now he is getting up and walking behind Mrs.Rare’s chair placing his hands on her shoulders.

The room was divided down the middle between the parents and the young boys. One side was the older generation with their traditions and the newer generation with a wave of change. The two were different colors: blue and red, dark and light, the sun and moon...etc.

“Still hope? Sir with all due expectations that is a horrible thing to say. So what if Cas likes girls and guys, he’s still a great person and an amazing friend. ”Joey knew he was taking charge where he shouldn’t, but he didn’t care. The only care on his mind right now was protecting Cas.

“Great Person?” Mrs. Ruth questioned raising her drinking glass to make a toast. Humming, she stared at the young men sitting in front of her deciding her words carefully. “I know what you’re kind does. They think they’re so special and for what? You had a choice to make, and you chose to go against society. Everything could be normal if your generation just followed the guidelines in place!”

Cas looked down at the table with a look of pure rage while his hands were shaking. Emotions that he had been burying were traveling to the surface and threatening to spill over. His voice was barely above a whisper when he made his statement “Choice? Do you think we get a choice? Do you think I would choose to be afraid of telling people who I’m dating? You think it’s a choice to have to hide a part of my identity, so I don’t get jumped? You think I would choose to spend every day being judged by people like you!” His voice was growing in volume and emotions during the whole speech. In the end, Cas felt his cheeks burn from embarrassment and tears stung his eyes.

There was an air of quiet where one can feel the energy in the room through the walls. Both boys were standing by now, Cas trying not to break down and Joey comforting him while shooting dirty looks at Cas’s parents. Mr.Rare was watching with a hateful look at the young boys' interaction, and Mrs.Rare was nearly shaking her head at this display.“You’re being just like your sister. You know why we disowned her.” Mr.Rare coldly stated and started to look at this watch as bored with everything going on.

“Older sister?” Joey questioned and was caught off guard by this statement. He never realized or thought to ask if Cas even had any siblings. He solely thought he was an only child and that’s why Cas’s folks were exceedingly hard on him. Cas shook his head before adding a sign. “At least use his pronouns, he uses him/him” Cas continued looking tired, probably because he had this conservation a million times before about his brother. “What, did you kick his brother out for coming out of the closet?” Joey joked while a smirk on his face until the realization struck him.

“You disowned him? Wow, you’re undoubtedly an unpleasant person. I mean, I encountered some pathetic people but you guys take the cake.” Joey’s voice was harsh like an icy storm while he was leading closer to the parents.“I know you don’t like it, but things are changing. You can’t stop change. You either could change with it or get left in the past.”

Mr. Rare was going to reply when the grandfather could be heard clicking and ticking. He frowned and looked down at his wife who merely smiled back. “Cas we will continue this conversion later, your mother and I have a town meeting.” Mr. Rare called softly before both of the parents walked out of the room. The boys know that this is the first of many fights to come but they're not going to give up. They got each other, and they know they’ll make it just fine. Cas may have not been able to convince his parents in an hour, but it’s a step.

*this copied kinda of weird from my Google Doc, though please enjoy! Feel free to ask questions.*

[pllandcompany]

I Choose You

Summary: Hospital AU! A look into how Roman and Logan’s relationship developed.

Pairings: Pre-romantic into Romantic Logince, background QPP Moxiety

Warnings: discussion of medical procedures, blood mention, violence/shooting mention, mention of drug use/addiction, anxiety, crying, a (and one almost) kiss

Tagged:  @shxtxpp @apologieslogan  @crofters-jam @asylia5911 @ab-artist @band-be-boss-blog @unbefuckinglieveable@flyingfreeyt @thecatchat @thefallendog @backatthebein @insufferablegayastronaut

Notes: Guess who’s back at it again after months of writer’s block?? I’ve wanted to write this story for a while. It does reference a few other fics I’ve written in this AU so here, here, and here are the links for those stories if you want more context as the events of this story are not in order of how they happened based on the established timeline. Also, heads up that I’ve only linked the first part of Out Loud (last link) and Don’t You Remember (second link) but If you want full details (or if you just love my writing so much, insert eye roll here), go to my masterlist and read all of the parts. Still, it should be fairly clear even without reading the previous stories. Okay! Enough talking! Enjoy!

Why wasn’t he awake?

That deadly, nerve-wracking, gut-twisting question had been bouncing around Dr. Roman Courtland’s mind for five days now. The deadline of the withdrawal of care date loomed over his head like a terrorizing and expansive storm ready to break open at any moment. Fourteen days was just simply not enough time. Did the man have no hope?

Note to self: Remind Logan to change that stupidly short time period when he wakes up.

In all actuality, Logan being in a coma was not the expected outcome. It was a nearly perfect surgery. The bleeding was minimal and deftly controlled by his swift hand when it occurred. There was no sign of post-operative stroke or brain death. He should be awake. Yet there Logan lay as still and pale as driven snow, the steady beep of the machines being the only sign of life in the room. It shouldn’t be the case, but it was and Roman was damned determined to find out why. This wasn’t just any patient. No, this was a colleague and a gifted one at that; Logan was quite possibly the most brilliant cardio-thoracic surgeons this hospital had ever seen. Not only was this a professional point of pride, Logan was also the man who saved his brother’s life while simultaneously putting up with his relentless torment the entire time Remy was hospitalized. Roman knew he had been unfair to the surgeon, cruel even and he has certainly spent an exorbitant amount of energy trying to make up for that fact since, including personally taking on his case when Logan turned up with a brain tumor. Shortly before his diagnosis, the two finally found themselves on better terms and Roman was…looking forward to getting to know the doctor more, figure out what truly makes him tick. Now he was potentially the surgeon responsible for destroying that precious of a mind, for squandering the opportunity to…learn more about Logan? Roman refused to accept that reality. Logan Taylor was going to wake up if he had any say in it. He had to; Roman wasn’t ready to lose him-

“Roman? What are you still doing here?”

Patton. Damn it. “Looking over Logan’s post-op scans.” Roman felt the deep sigh more than he heard it.

“For the hundredth time, I bet. Roman, take a break, please. You have to step away at least for a moment. Have you even eaten anything?”

“Have I figured this out yet? Then the answer is no and I’m not leaving until that changes.” A small pang of guilt tightened Roman’s chest briefly. Yelling at Patton was like kicking a puppy, a completely undeserved action. As usual, Patton didn’t even seem fazed which only served to make the neurosurgeon feel worse. Instead, he simply sat across from the distraught doctor, empathy shining in his eyes.

“Roman, you can’t keep doing this to yourself.”

“Then what the hell else am I supposed to do?!” Roman flailed his arms in sheer frustration, the force of action flinging the scans everywhere. He roughly ran a shaky hand through his hair and breathed deeply, trying to control himself while Patton quietly picked up the discarded films.

“I wish I could tell you what to do, Roman. I don’t know how to fix Logan. But I do know you’re not going to find the answer like this. Please take a break. Get some sleep. Come at this again in the morning.”

Roman buried his head into his hands. “What if something happens when I walk away? What if he gets worse and I’m not here to stop it? What if I can’t figure this out and I…and we lose him?” Patton gently took Roman’s hands out of his hair and smoothed the wavy locks down, a solemn yet knowing smile playing on his lips.

“I know you’re scared. I am too. But we don’t get to know what’s going to happen sometimes. All we can do is our best. Which you can’t do if you’re exhausted. So, come with me. We’re going to have dinner and then you’re going to an on-call room to lie down. You don’t have to sleep. You can ramble all the medicine at me that you want, every detail. Maybe then we can come up with something together. How does that sound?” Roman nodded silently, allowing Patton to lead him out of his office.

An hour and a sandwich later, Roman was out like a light and Patton was quietly sneaking out of the on-call room.

Mission successful.

****

“Good morning, nerd!”

God, Roman was insufferable. Logan let out a soul-exiting sigh. “Dr. Courtland, must you insist on calling me that?”

“Oh, don’t get your briefs in a twist, Dr. Taylor; you know I tease only out of love.” Logan hoped the tenseness in his shoulders wasn’t noticeable.

There he was using that word around him again.

“You cannot possibly love me. We’ve only known each other a few months. Besides, I seem to recall you having a certain disdain for me when I first arrived here. It would be impossible for that to have resolved itself in totality so soon.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Roman stop and turn back to him. Suddenly, Logan was grateful they were the only two in the lounge.

“Logan…you still think so ill of me?” The cardiologist barely held back the gasp that bubbled in his throat at the hurt look on the neurosurgeon’s face.

“No…not of you?”

“Then of yourself?” Roman sat next to Logan, setting his thigh ablaze when they brushed against each other. Logan hesitated for a moment as his mind struggled to find the best way to answer.

“That’s not it either. I simply meant that we are very different people with not much in common. I’m not certain as to how we will coalesce outside of being coworkers.” If we will.

“Well, that isn’t always a negative thing. I like that we’re different. Means there’s much we can learn from each other.”

“Of course. Our specialties differ greatly; there’s bound to be new information learned between us.” Roman chuckled warmly. 

“While I find your habit of taking things literally quite refreshing, in this case it led you astray. You’re so much more than the job, Lo. You are strong and wise, brilliant and beautifully complicated in ways I’d like to know more about. If you’d let me that is.” The neurosurgeon’s face held so much hope, it metaphorically made Logan’s heart just…stop. How ironic that he, the cardio-thoracic surgeon would be the one to need pulmonary resuscitation from just one look from the towheaded neurosurgeon. ​ It just wasn’t reasonable how one person could be so disarming, so confounding, so attractive…

Logan had to get out of there.

“Ah! Yes, well, then I concede to your point, Dr. Courtland. Fare-farewell.” The older doctor jumped up like a jack in the box and practically sprinted out of the room, the edge of his white coat narrowly missing Roman’s face. 

It didn’t bother him too much once he realized that Logan hadn’t said no.

****

“Okay, Logan. Let’s try this again. Pick up the pencil and write your name.” Logan stared at the yellow No. 2 as if it would jump up and slap him at any moment. “Can we go back to the ball?”

Roman almost chuckled. “You’ve already done that portion. Your grip strength is greatly improved. Now we need to build your prehensile strength back. Go ahead, pick up the pencil. Just try.”

After a few tense moments, Logan finally held the writing instrument. His heart pounded with anticipation as he gingerly placed the tip to the paper in front of him. He pressed down ever so slightly and began to write his name.

He didn’t make it through the ‘g’ before the force of his tremor snapped the graphite.

In a fit of pure rage, Logan swiftly grabbed the pencil in his left hand and threw it across the room. It sailed past Roman’s ear so close he felt the wind move his hair. Before he could react, Logan was standing and tossing his chair across the room. A loud clattering sound stunned Roman into stock still reticence, not daring to test the cardiologist in this state.

“Damn it! Damn it all to hell!”

“Logan, just try to stay calm- “

“No, you said this would work! Yet it’s been a month and I still can’t use my hand! An entire month and I still can’t operate because you make promises you can’t keep!” Silence. “I’m sorry. That was…an unbecoming display.” He moved to restore the room to its original order but Roman intercepted him. He placed two warm hands on Logan’s shoulders, drawing a gasp from the sudden contact.

“You don’t have to apologize, Logan. I understand. I’m surprised you’ve held it together this long.”

Logan refused to make eye contact with Roman. “I still should not have behaved in that manner. Especially after everything you’ve done for me, I shouldn’t be lashing out at you, I am alive because of you, I should just be grateful for that- “

“Dr. Taylor, will you please look at me?” When Logan didn’t move, Roman took his hand under the surgeon’s chin and gently lifted his head. His heart nearly broke at the shattered look on Logan’s face. “See? I’m not mad. What you’re feeling is normal because what you’re going through is hard. It’s okay to get frustrated.” Roman pushed back a lock of the cardiologist’s dark hair and Logan’s eyes closed, leaning into the touch. His head dropped alarmingly close to Roman’s forehead and the neurosurgeon shifted to hold his face with both hands. Logan’s lips parted and his gaze suddenly changed to something…insistent, almost desperate. The question he was asking was obvious and oh, how Roman wanted to acquiesce. Maybe he could, maybe it would be okay…no, it wouldn’t be right; Logan was his very vulnerable patient right now and his coworker. Complicated wouldn’t even begin to describe the nature of their involvement. Roman took a step back and cleared his throat, turning to grab the chair and returned it to the table.

“Look, your hand works. You just have to remind your brilliant brain that it does. And it takes time to build new neural pathways so…try again. Write your name, as much as you can.” Logan swallowed tensely, seating himself once again in the chair. He closed his eyes in a silent prayer, willing the pressure in his chest to release. He looked when he felt velvet skin against the back of his hand: Roman was holding it. Smiling gently at the supportive touch, he picked up the second pencil Roman had conjured from his white coat.

This time, he made it through the ‘g.’

****

“Tell me a secret.”

“…what?”

“We’re getting to know each other. Setting aside our differences, becoming…friends. Friends tell each other things so…tell me a secret.”

“We are sitting on a bench on our lunch break in the middle of our workday. What about this setting makes you suddenly want to have an intimate conversation?”

“Deflecting…”

“Oh, for heavens’ sake, fine!”

“…Paging Dr. Taylor? Are you actually going to say something?”

“I…I want children. Or at least a child. I want to be a father.”

“Well, that’s a mighty forward proposition.”

“Dr. Courtland…”

“Oh, hush now, you know I’m kidding! But why is that such a secret?”

“Because no one expects it of me. People see me as cold and emotionless; no one would think me fit to be a father, much less have a desire to raise children. I’m not like Patton; I don’t seem like ‘the type,’ if you will.”

“I don’t agree with that at all. I think you’d make an excellent father. You’re very practical and you’re extremely dedicated to your patients. There’s no way that wouldn’t translate over into being a parent.”

“Oh…well, uh, thank you. I, uh, believe it is your turn.”

“…I have a twin.”

“In addition to your four other brothers?”

“No, he’s one of the five of us. His name is…was Remus.”

“Was?”

“Truth be told, I don’t know if I should be saying is or was about him. I don’t even know if he’s alive or not.”

“Roman…”

“He was a surgeon in the military. Reconstructive surgery was technically his specialty but over there he functioned mostly as a trauma surgeon. He loved it; he was never phased by gruesome injuries or the horrors of combat. He just did his job saving as many lives as he could so they could go on to keep ours back home safe. One day, their compound was raided and…he was never heard from again. A lot of soldiers died that day but…they never found his body.”

“Oh, Roman…you have my deepest condolences. The amount of grief you’ve had to endure…it’s quite unfair.”

“Don’t worry, Specs. I’m all right. I know it may sound…completely ridiculous but he could still be alive. It’s one of the few things I still hope for…that one day I’ll see my brother again.”

“I understand even more why you’re so protective of the brothers you have here now.”

“Congratulations, Doctor. You just figured out why we tell each other secrets.”

****

The first thing Roman felt when he woke up was pain. Pain in his chest, pain in his throat, God, it felt like he was choking on something-

“Roman? Roman, calm down, don’t fight the intubation, okay? We’ll get it out, just hold on.” That sounded like Virgil, why was Virgil taking him off a vent?

Oh. Right. He got shot.

He got shot and almost died.

He got shot and needed surgery. He had just had surgery to take a bullet out of his chest. Chest…cardiovascular…where was Logan?

Roman knew he wouldn’t be able to get much out at first, but he had to try. He took a breath that rattled in his throat and attempted to speak. “Lo…Lo-”

“Shh, shh, don’t try to talk, Ro. I know who you want; I’ll go get him.” Virgil turned to leave, not even making it one step before he was stopped short by a vice-like grip on his wrist. He turned back to see Roman staring at him with wide eyes, almost pleading with him to understand. Virgil nodded; the message clearly received.

“I know you’re grateful. I’m not hurt. I’m just…really glad to see you make it, man.” Virgil left before anyone could acknowledge the tears threatening to stain his face and Roman found that being alone was scarier than it should be. After all, he had no idea where the shooter was; Logan could have hidden him away to fix him, he could still be here somewhere, lurking, waiting to take another shot that would surely end his life this time-

“Roman? Calm down, your heart rate is way too high. Just breathe, you’re safe.” The neurosurgeon’s eyes met with two dark pools of worry and he locked onto them, Logan urging him to match his breathing. “That’s right; breathe with me. You’re safe. We’re safe right now.” Once Roman’s chest evened out, Logan reached over and grabbed a paper cup full of lukewarm water and handed it to the eager patient.

“Don’t drink too fast, Roman. Slow sips. There you go.” A moment of silence passed. “I’m sorry it’s not cold, I couldn’t seem to locate any ice.”

“The…the shooter-”

“Dead.” Logan’s tone was abrupt and cold. “The shooter is dead; you don’t have to worry about him any longer.”

Roman nodded slowly to not aggravate his already sore body any further. “You saved me.”

Logan nodded absently, staring a hole into the linoleum floor. “I know.”

“Then you know…you know I cannot thank you enough- “

“How dare you?” Logan whispered softly.

“Wh- what?”

“How dare you! How dare you just…waltz into my life and torture me and make me hate you then apologize and befriend me and make me respect you?”

Roman’s eyes widened in shock. “I-I’m sorry- “

“No! No, you do not get to apologize because…because you don’t even leave it there; I can’t just respect you, you then start to make me like you and want you around and want to be near you and then, oh God, you even go as far as to make me fall for you! And just when I figure that out, just when I’m finally able to admit the depth of my feelings for you to myself, just when I finally muster up the courage to even consider telling you about how I…feel, then you decide to go and almost die on me?! And on top of it, you make me be the one to have to save you! How DARE YOU?!”

The entire room stuttered to a halt, save for Logan’s ragged breathing. He was outright crying at this point and quite honestly, Roman wasn’t far behind him. “Logan…I’m so sorry- “

“Shut up! Just shut up! Please just…just tell me you want me too. Tell me I’m not crazy. Tell me that I don’t ever have to live without you because today I learned that losing you feels far too similarly to dying myself so if that is not the case…tell me now so I can figure out how to survive.” A long, tense, quiet moment passed before either of them spoke again.

“Logan,” Roman coughed abruptly, wincing as the motion sent shockwaves of pain through his ribs. He cleared his abused throat and tried again. “Logan, look at me.” The dark-haired surgeon looked up into the soulful eyes of the injured man laying in the hospital bed below him.

“Roman, please,” he pleaded, his voice impossibly soft.

“You can survive without me…but I promise you, as long as I am alive, you will not ever have to.” Logan’s head shot up and before he could control himself, he launched into the bed with Roman, just barely remembering to avoid his ribs and all the wires attached to him. He mumbled a hushed prayer of thank you, thank you, thank you as he curled himself into the space between Roman’s body and the railing of the bed. Roman took a moment to settle before he rested his head against the taller man’s shoulder, exhaustion beginning to blur out the edges of his vision. Logan kissed the crown of his head and wrapped his arms around his newfound love in the gentlest protective hold he could muster, allowing the neurosurgeon to succumb to sleep.

“Rest, Roman. I have you. You are safe. You’re safe with me.”

****

Dr. Picani was a typically patient man but this? This argument he was deeply tired of.

“What I fail to understand is how I continually prove myself to be trustworthy over and over again and you continually shut me out!”

“It is not about you, Roman.”

“Then what is it about? Why wouldn’t you tell me about something like this?”

“I’m telling you now!”

“Yeah, two weeks after the fact and I technically had to hear about it from Virgil!”

“Have you considered that. just maybe, I felt some shame? I had achieved six months of solid sobriety and I nearly threw all of that away in mere minutes!”

“You were obviously triggered by something.”

“I was weak! I failed to keep myself together yet again! And if it weren’t for Virgil dragging me to a meeting and convincing me to tell you, I’d probably still be failing.” Struggling doesn’t make you weak, Logan. The therapist scribbled the thought in his notebook, making a reminder to bring that point up later. He was about to interject when he realized that for the first time in a few minutes, there was silence. Dr. Picani’s head snapped up at the sudden quiet to see Roman’s eyes rapidly filling with tears. Well, this is unexpected.

“Roman? What’s wrong? Say what you’re thinking.”

“I…am I the trigger? Have I pushed you too far?” Good job, Roman, the therapist praised silently, way to take ownership!

Logan’s stomach churned guiltily at the tentative question. “No. You have gotten so much better about that. You did nothing wrong, you are perfect, it’s me, I am…broken.” Logan cursed himself internally for how his voice cracked at the end of his sentence, but he had to keep going. “I want to be good enough for you, but I constantly fail you and I don’t want you to see it. But I fear that one day you will and the fact that I love you won’t be enough to make you stay.” And good job being honest about your fears, Logan. These two have come so far.

While Roman knew just how necessary it was for Logan to admit how he felt, God, how it broke Roman’s heart. He reached out slowly and touched Logan’s hand, chest tightening even more when he felt the muscles jump under his palm. He breathed a sigh of relief when the brunette managed to make eye contact with him, the shared gaze giving him the courage to continue.

“Logan, you’re forgetting one very important thing. I love you too. I don’t want you to be perfect. I want you to be you. Yes, you are strong and brilliant, and I love when you are confident and at your best. But I don’t just love you then. I also love you when you’re hurt, when you’re scared, when you’re less than perfect. Lord knows that I am all those things and you don’t shy away from any of that with me. We’re all a little bit broken but we need each other to keep ourselves together. So, yes, I want you to be strong and healthy but if you can’t be? If it gets hard for you to be that? I still want you.”

“All of me?” Logan whispered.

“The whole damn thing.” Roman paused suddenly, a moment of deliberation passing through his eyes. Logan watched as he seemed to come to some sort of internal decision. He felt the grip on his hand tighten into a gentle squeeze…and then gasped as he watched Roman slide off the couch they shared and drop to one knee.

“Oh my God,” Logan choked out. A loud clatter sounded in front of them as Emile dropped his notebook, both hands flying up to either side of his face,

“Oh my God!” Roman chuckled damply at the poorly contained squeal.

“Save it for the end, Picani.” He pulled out a small black box from his pocket, relishing in the way Logan’s eyes lit up at the sight of it. “I’ve been carrying around this thing for weeks wondering when the right time to ask you was, but truth be told, I could have done it anytime. I didn’t have to wait for some perfect moment because every moment is perfect with you. An appropriate time period in our relationship didn’t need to pass because every minute that goes by is another minute that I am undoubtedly grateful to have spent with you. I didn’t need a counselor to tell me if I’m making the right decision. I just need to look at you and see that all my futures, all my forevers and tomorrows live in your eyes. You are the answer to every question I’ve ever had, even the ones I didn’t know I was asking. So today, I am not proposing marriage. I am affirming my sure commitment to you for the rest of my life. The ring is yours today, tomorrow, and for years to come. There’s no time limit, no expiration date. All you have to do is take it when you’re ready.”

Logan sat in stunned silence as his mind turned over every word of Roman’s confession. Slowly taking the sapphire studded ring from the now open box, he turned it over in his fingers and watched as the light danced with the gems, searching the depths of his heart for any hesitation. He handed the ring back to Roman and slowly turned his hand over, palm facing down.

“Put it on me. I’m ready.”

The squeal that Dr. Picani let out threatened to break glass.

****

“Patton, I must insist that you let go of me before you completely cut off my oxygen supply!"

Patton somehow managed to squeeze Logan even tighter for the briefest of seconds before releasing him.

“Sorry, Doc, I’m just so darned excited for you both! Virgil, isn’t it just amazing? They’re getting married!” Virgil chuckled at the giddy look on Patton’s face.

“I swear, you are a living heart eyes emoji. And yeah, it’s pretty damn cool considering you guys hated each other when you met.”

“My God, you would bring that up,” Roman rolled his eyes as Logan and Patton collectively groaned. Patton delivered a playful smack to Virgil’s arm.

“Virgil! Leave them alone, they’re in love now.” Virgil raised an eyebrow down at his partner’s glossy eyes, almost feverish with excitement and something close to…envy? He elected not to comment as turned to embrace the newly engaged pair one more time.

“Whatever, I know the truth. But seriously, congratulations. I’m sorry I’ve gotta run, I’m assisting on a general surgery case and I’ve gotta change out of chief attire. I’ll see you both later this week, celebratory sushi? Friday night?”

“You bet, Tickle-Me-Emo!” Virgil glared at the nickname as he disappeared into the bathroom of the attendings’ lounge. Patton went in for the hundredth hug and jumped as his pager suddenly went off.

“Uh oh, gotta run, looks like a crash C-section. Congrats to you both again! Bye!” he shouted boisterously as he ran down the hallway.

“I’m afraid I must depart as well, my love. It does not inspire respect in my residents if I’m late for rounds.” Roman beamed at the cardiac surgeon, seemingly unaware of anything he just said. “What?” Logan asked hotly.

“You called me your love. You claimed me.” Embarrassment curled up Logan’s neck as he shook his head fondly and leaned in to kiss his now fiancée.

“You are so endearingly sentimental. I will see you at home, my love.” He smirked as he walked out of the door at the way Roman’s knees seemed to buckle just the smallest amount. The neurosurgeon stood in the middle of the room chuckling to himself when he heard a low, smooth voice speak up behind him.

“You’re engaged?” Roman turned around, his face falling in sympathy at the person behind him.

“Oh, Declan…yes. Yes, I am.” The fellow surgeon turned his face to the side to hide his tears, displaying the long scar that ran down the left side of his face. Without warning, he was suddenly being embraced by Roman who seemed to be unable to stop his own tears as they soaked the corner of his scrubs.

“You know, if Remus were here and we weren’t already married by now, we could have planned a double wedding,” Declan murmured.

“He would have loved that. He loved you so much.” Declan pulled away, his glance suddenly dropping to the floor.

“I wish I could tell you what happened to him.” Roman placed a hand on the orthopedic surgeon’s shoulder.

“It’s okay. I know you weren’t there. You couldn’t have done anything to change it.” Declan smiled weakly, nodding a silent goodbye before leaving the room. He paused at the doorway facing the empty hallway.

“Congratulations. Really, you deserve to be happy.” Roman let out a small sob as Declan left, swiftly brushing the tears away before heading to his own rounds.

Neither of them remembered that Virgil was in the bathroom, listening to their entire conversation…and absolutely seething with fury.

[pixelatedrose]

Soulbound Character Descriptions

Well you guys responded pretty clearly!! If there's anything you have questions about, just shoot me an ask! Whether it be plot related, character related, or about the world in general! I can't promise to answer all of them seeing as a lot of stuff is going to be answered in the story, but yeah! Hope you enjoy these physical descriptions of the Soulbound cast!!

Deceit: His scales is represented with vitiligo and is the darkest skinned of the bunch. He has very amber eyes that seem almost yellow in some cases and lighting. He has pretty straight dark dark brown hair and he's the shortest of the bunch clocking in at 5"2. He wears a lot of bracelets and tends to wear longer sleeves and coats. He has a nose stud and wears a beanie just about 24/7. He doesn't have a backpack, but rather a satchel cause he's an aesthetic bitch. He has a few pins on his satchel strap, including a very particular two headed snake pin. He does not have any visible soulmarks. (That we know of)

Emile: he looks like Picani. That's it. Done. HOWEVER!! In place of Thomas's normal hairstyle, Emile has short, curly, bleach blond hair that's dyed a pastel pink on the inner layers. He has round glasses and will sometimes be seen walking around with pink tinted heart shaped ones too, however no one has been able to verify that they're actually prescripted and Remy refuses to talk. He has hazel eyes and wears a golden locket at all times of the day. He's Roman's height, coming in at 5"11. Whenever asked, he likes to proudly show off the tattoo of a rabbit in a bubble that has its place on his collarbone.

Logan: He's the tallest of the bunch at 6"0, and he owns it proudly. He has either very dark brown hair or black hair, I haven't really decided yet. He's fairly pale, but not as much as Virgil. He tends to wear neater clothes, looking much akin to canon Logan, minus the tie. He has rectangular glasses and deep blue eyes. He has two visible soulmarks, one on his left wrist that has Patton's name as well as the date and time he met him, and the other being a big galaxy tattoo that stretches over his left shoulder and covers a quarter of his back.

Patton: He has golden blonde curly hair and light blue eyes. He tends to wear big fluffy sweaters during the wintertime and late fall, and t-shirts and blouses during the warmer times of the year. He has a ton of cute freckles pretty much everywhere and he's slightly more tan, though not as much as Roman. He's the second shortest of the lot, at 5"4 and is adorably chubby. He has one visible soulmark on his right wrist with Logan's name and the date and time tattooed there.

Remus: He has brown hair like his brother, but dyed a strip of it silver and black in the front since he got tired of people confusing the two. He has a scraggly mustache and green eyes. His wardrobe is sort of a mystery. He wears anything and everything that catches his eye, from jean jackets to croptops to fishnet tights to thigh-high leather boots to fluffy tinsle skirts. One thing that does however stay consistent is the thick bracelets he wears on both his wrists, completely covering them. He is- of course- Roman's height of 5"11. He has a spattering of freckles on his face and a mole under his right eye. He does not have any visible soulmarks. (That we know of)

Remy: His outfit is basically canon Remy, like Logan's, however he is known to wear croptops and short shorts too. He has brown eyes (not that many people know since he wears his aviator shades ALL THE TIME) and likes to paint his nails from time to time. He has brown hair, like Thomas, but with the change of the occasional blonde streak in it. He too, like Dee, doesn't wear a backpack, opting for a stylish satchel instead. He has pins and buttons absolutely COATING this thing, from reality tv references, to cartoon ones that Emile got him, to like four different pride ones. He has a silver locket he's never seen without as well as a bracelet he never takes off. If you've seen my Soulbound Canons post you know what that's about. He is actually only a little bit taller than Virgil at 5"7 and honestly doesn't seem to mind as long as you don't keep nagging him about it. He very very proudly displays his soulmark of a rabbit in a bubble as often as he can, wearing low cut shirts whenever possible.

Roman: he has wavy brown hair, his eyes are green and his skin tone is tanned. His wardrobe is pretty staic, wearing t-shirts most of the time with his varsity jacket. Though, on semi-rare occasions, he will wear croptops. He has one visible soulmark of a galaxy that stretches over his left shoulder and covers a quarter of his back. He's the second tallest at 5"11 and is proud of it.

Thomas: as a teacher, he tends to wear loose button-up shirts and leaves the sleeves rolled up. In general he wears what he normally wears. He looks like Thomas. Like. It's hard to get more specific than that. He has two visible soulmarks on him, one on his left arm of rose becoming a ball of yarn, and the other on his right arm, right above his elbow, of the words, "My name's Joan."

Virgil: he is the palest of the gang and has a smattering of freckles he's embarrassed about on his nose and cheeks. While he is naturally blond, he doesn't like it and has his hair purple or black 99.9% of the time. He has blue-grey eyes that can be pretty accurately described as what it looks like to be looking through water at the bottom of a rock-and-stone bedded river. He's pretty thin and gangly, but not in an unattractive way. He wears jackets and hoodies 24/7 no matter the weather, and likes to wear long sleeved shirts 78% of the time as well, layering down further in winter by wearing a tanktop under that as well. He wears black, weathered skinny jeans and combat boots. He has no visible soulmarks (that we know of) and is quite ashamed of that. He has scars all up and down his arms and shoulders as well as some on his chest, sides, ankles, legs, and one or two on his hands. He says they're from the cat he's never owned. He wears canon Virgil makeup everyday and on the days he doesn't, he doesn't tend to leave the house.

Sorry for bad formating, I'm on mobile and don't have access to a computer right now. I'll fix it all later and link this to the masterpost (That’s the link!!) as soon as possible. Stay fresh and minty my lovely turtle angels!! 💛

Edit: yes I'm a dork and put them in alphabetical order cause at the time i was really bored okay don't judge me

@anxietea-and-insanitea @just-a-hufflepuff @ambrechandra @sanderssidesweirdo @athenashipsthings @nerd-in-space @badluckkaren @slitherynchiken @icequeenoriginal @hitmewiththatfanart33

Double edit: i...forgot to......tag everything.......whoops

[buttered-ghost-toast]

Listen, if you don't fill out all of those numbers and tell me everything about your MC I'm going to feel robbed

Oh geez, fam! ...aight. That took me a minute. But below you will find out more about my girl, Niri! 

1.      What is their favourite food?—

Cheeseburgers and carrots. 

2.       Do they have a fear of an animal? If so, what animal? –

Not a fan of snakes, lizards, frogs, sharks.

3.       What do they wear to bed? –

Shorts and a t-shirt. Sometimes nothing at all!! That had to stop when she moved into the HoL though. Brothers poppin’ in at all hours gettin’ an eyeful. Lucifer was upset. 

4.       Do they like cuddling?—

1000000000%. Niri’s a big ol’ cuddle bug. Asmo’s all about it. So is Beel. 

5.       Do they have a secret handshake with anyone? -- With Astaroth. It’s quite elaborate and they only ever do it when they decide to get up to trouble.

 6.       What do they look like? – 

She cute if I may say so myselffff (don’t judge me, she’s a self insert hah!) Mid to slightly above average height for a human female, fairly toned. Brown eyes, mid-back length hair that’s brown at the root, fades to a teal and purple under layers. Sometimes her hair will fade to a light yellowy-green. She has the hookup for dye from Barbatos who likes to procure things for her from the human realm. She also has quite a few tattoos.

 7.       Do they like chocolate? –

Only dark. She’s allergic to additives in certain milk chocolates so she doesn’t eat it much. 

 8.      What are their good and bad traits?

Good: Helpful, kind, encouraging, quite a hard worker in any task given her.

Bad: Easily swept up into trouble by others, will prioritize naps over other stuff sometimes, awfully flirtatious which gets her in hot water with Lucifer because apparently lesser demons keep poppin’ by the house with gifts also HUMAN, DID YOU REALLY JUST SAY THAT TO LORD DIAVOLO?! Oopsssssss~ Also, you know how Luci’s always doing the “MAAAAMMMOOOONNNNN…”…yeah, that’s almost always followed by “NIIIIIRIIIIIIIIII….”

 9.      Do they have any artistic talent?

Yes. She’s a musician so there’s that…and she likes to paint.

10.  What is their favourite room to be in, in the house they live in?

She likes the music room since the boys tend to spend quite a bit of time in there together, but she’s usually found in the kitchen making loads of food and baked goods…also, that’s where you���re more likely to find Beel, and she reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally likes Beel.

11.  Do they believe in luck?

To an extent. She believes that luck exists, but she thinks relying on it is a bit naïve.

12.  Can they do magic?

Like pull a rabbit out of a hat type thing? Yes. She picked up a few little tricks here and there from a friend who loves show magic. Def not the real stuff though.

13.  Do they believe in dragons?

She didn’t until she went to the Devildom. Not that they just have dragons hangin’ out all willy-nilly, but she’s heard stories from the brothers and others about dragons.

 14.  What is a pet peeve of theirs?

Rudeness and liars who don’t give up even after they’ve been caught in the lie. Also people who demand things of others as if they’re property and not living beings with feelings …this isn’t about Belphegor at all. Nope. She doesn’t have issues with him still.

15.  What was the last thing they cried about?

She was able to talk to all her bandmates at once for her weekly call home. They all just really miss each other, ok? It sucks that she has to lie to them about where she is because she knows they’re worried about her, but it was just nice to hear their voices.

16.  What is their sexuality?

Pan.

17.  Do they have a best friend? If so, who, and what makes them their best friend?

We’ll narrow this down to the Devildom. Niri gets along with everyone and literally loves all the beings she’s met and knows she could count on them for most anything, but there’s definitely a more solid feeling to her connection with Beelzebub. They sort of just get to be vulnerable and entirely open with one another and there is never judgement or ill will, even when Beel eats her secret snack stash…again.

 She’s kind of getting to that point with Astaroth as well, but she can sense he’s still a little guarded in certain aspects, and she’s not going to push.

18.  Have they ever been in a romantic relationship?

Yes, quite a few. It’s not her favorite thing to talk about since she’s been quite unlucky in that aspect, but hey, the past is the past.

19.  What does their relationship with their family look like? Are they close? Distant? Ect.

Her actual family family (with the exception of her brother) are not close in the least. They’re sort of barely on speaking terms. Her chosen family (comprised of her band and some of the closest staff) is extremely close.

20.  Do they have a pet?

No. She loves animals and had a dog up until recently, but they passed. It’s okay though, they had a good long life and it wasn’t painful for them when it happened.

21.  Do they have a familiar?

Nope. Non-magical.

22.  Are they a supernatural being?

Nope! “Boring” human, but she does seem to always find herself in weird situations that are sorta paranormal.

23.  How do they usually wear their hair?

It really just depends on the day. If she had time to work on it, it’s down and straight. If it’s a rush in the morning (read: fight for the bathroom because Beel won’t MOVE) she’ll toss it in a bun or ponytail depending on how hot it is outside. There are the odd days when she’ll just let it vibe in its natural wavy/curly state, but she kind of got fed up with the brothers calling her a sheep because it’s so fluffy.

24.  Can they play an instrument? If so, what instrument and what can they play?

Yes! She learned guitar and bass at a young age and was tinkering with drums before she was whisked away to the Devildom.

25.  What type a high schooler are/were they?

She was the quiet weird kid that didn’t quite fit in with the weird weird crowd, but also wasn’t popular. Plenty of people knew her or of her, but she mainly stuck with her group of friends and was nice to everyone.

26.  Have they ever been in a physical fight before? If so, with who? Who won?

Yes. Just small bits of violence. No one of import, tbh. But there was that one time they all went out to party at the fall and Mammon and Levi started teasing her and in her drunken state, Niri went to punch Mammon who managed to duck so she hit Levi square in the nose. He was fiiiiiiine.

27.  What is their favourite holiday?

Halloween because it’s fun, Christmas because of the togetherness, and EASTER BECAUSE MARSHMALLOW PEEPS!

 28.  If they could have one wish, what would they wish for?

A pass to go from the Devildom to the Human realm and back whenever she wants forever.

 29.  Do they wants kids? If they already have kids, do they want more?

No. Never.

 30.  Do they have a job?

Yes? Being a singer in a band is a job, right? It doesn’t always feel like a job because it’s awesome, but it’s a job.

 31.  Do they know how to drive?

Yes. She has convinced Mammon to let her drive his car on a few occasions and every time they get back he swears NEVER AGAIN. She a little speed demon.

 32.  Do they get stressed out easily?

Funny story, actually…YES. But she is pretty good at not letting it show. So on the outside she’s like la-la-la~ but inside it’s all AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~~~

 33.  Did they ever dye their hair before? If so, to what colour? Did they like it?

Absolutely lol. Niri has gone through a few colors in her life, but her favorite is and always will be the teal. (Fun fact: the purple came from a happy accident a few years back when she dyed over a pink shade and a layer turned out purple. She liked it so now she does it that way on purpose.)

 34.  Have they ever broken the law?

Never anything egregious, but she’s gotten tickets for stuff in the human world. Disturbing the peace, speeding, she was fined once (along with her bandmates) for a surprise free show they did in front of a train station which got a lot more attention than they were expecting and wound up shutting down a couple city blocks. Oooooooooopsss~

 35.  Do they own a plant?

She’s really bad with plants. REALLY bad. She was gifted a plant by Simeon a couple weeks into the exchange program and it took an embarrassingly long time for her to notice it was a fake plant…since he knows she sucks at keeping things alive.

 36.  Have they ever rode a horse before?

Once, and it was a terrifying experience so she just keeps her distance now.

 37.  What is their favorite gif?

anything featuring Titus Andromedon.

 38.  Do they get along with others easily?

 She tries to. It’s not always possible, but she tries, dammit!

 39.  Do they have any tattoos?

Several, yes. One arm sleeve done, starting the other arm, both thighs have massive pieces on them and both ribs done as well. There are also a few small things on her fingers and back.

 40.  If I wanted to draw them, what would be distinct physical features that I would have to know to draw them correctly?

Lotta hair. Looooooottttta hair. And heavily winged eyeliner. Big lashes.

 41.  What is their favourite breed of dog?

Huskies. They’re just so cute and sassy! And perfectly sized!! Great cuddle buddies and fun to run with!

 42.  Do they live with anyone? If so, who?

Not in the human world, but she’s got 7 kinda irritating roomies in the Devildom!

 43.  Where is their dream vacation?

She’s traveled extensively, so there isn’t anywhere she dreams of going that she hasn’t already seen. Her favorite place is anywhere mountainous and lush.

 44.  Do they know more than one language?

Yep. Niri’s a language nerd. Because she likes to speak to fans and stuff, she has set it on herself to learn as many languages as she can. She’s not perfectly fluent in all of them, but it’s a good handful that she can hold a full conversation in. She and Satan like to practice with one another around the house, despite complaints from the others.

 45.  Are they a quick learner?

Depends. Most things, yes…..math and processes requiring math, NO.

 46.  Have they ever won a contest before? If so, what for? What did they win?

No, she’s not really the luck having type.

 47.  If the world were to end in 24 hours, where would they be and who would they be with?

Probably hugging Beel. They hug often. They’re kinda always together. It’s gross according to Leviathan and Belphegor.

 48.  What does their room look like?

She didn’t change much in the room she was given at the HoL. Just added her fake plant from Simeon and a few human things…she actually got the “Hang in There” kitty poster just for kicks. Lucifer hates it.

 49.  If they could have an extinct animal for a pet, what would they have?

A dodo bird. Because they’re weird and cool.

 50.  If they got called out by someone, what would they do?

Laugh and argue probably. Depends what they’re calling her out on.

51.  Have they ever shot a gun before?

Yep. Actually enjoys shooting, it’s a fun stress reliever. She makes a point to drop by shooting ranges every once in a while back home.

 52.  Have they ever been axe throwing?

Once at a renaissance festival on an odd week of downtime. She didn’t do so well. The throwing was fine, but she never hit the target. Just be glad she didn’t hit a person either!

 53.  What is something that they want but can’t have?

At the moment, all the people she loves in one place.

 54.  Do they know how to fish?

Nope! She’s a mess with that kind of thing. Also, she doesn’t like the idea of fishing for anything herself. It makes her cry to think of the fish on the hook :<.

 55.  What is something they always wanted to do but too scared?

Hmm…Niri tries to live her life in a way that she won’t have regrets, so even if something is scary, she’ll pluck up the courage to do it. But…she still hasn’t jumped out of a plane.

 56.  Do they own their own baby pictures?

Absolutely not. She cringes thinking of the outfits her parents used to put her in, so she did her best to keep those kinds of things buried and acts like they never existed. Nope. Was never a baby. Nope.

 57.  What makes them standout among others?

Niri is a pro at pretending she’s confident, so she tends to draw attention when she walks in a room like she owns the place. Also her hair is kinda bright.

 58.  Do they like to show off?

Not really. She’s flamboyant in a sense, but she doesn’t go out of her way to call attention or to be center stage…heh.

 59.  What is their favourite song?

She can never pick, honestly. There are so many songs that are so amazing!

 60.  What would be their dream vehicle?

That’s a very good question. Probably something sitting in her garage back home. Probably being driven by one of her bandmates. Because hey, what are friends for?

 61.  What is their favourite book?

Not that she isn’t a big reader, but she doesn’t really get the time to enjoy books. There’s always something that needs attention or someplace to be and she’s required to engage, so focusing on a book or story is hard, but she’s a fan of classic novels, poetry, and Greek tragedies are always good!

 62.  Who, in their opinion, makes the best food?

She likes everything Barbatos makes and thinks Luke’s desserts are fantastic, but there’s something about a human recipe that just warms her heart, so…..herself. Lol.

 63.  Are they approachable?

Absolutely! If you can get past her intimidating resting face.

 64.  Did they ever change their appearance?

Not drastically, but she has gone through a few different phases until settling on a good one.

65.  What makes them smile?

The silliness of those around her. Thinking of good memories with family/friends. Puppies.

 66.  Do they like glowsticks?

Yes. She has a stockpile of glowsticks that the brothers keep adding to.

 67.  What is something that is simple, but always makes them smile?

Watching the brothers bicker, even if it’s getting out of hand. It reminds her of her friends and how they always pick on one another.

 68.  Are they a day or night person?

Night, usually. Not that she dislikes the daytime, but day usually has so much stuff to be done whereas night is the fun stuff that doesn’t need a schedule.

 69.  Are they allergic to anything?

Some milk chocolate, bell peppers, and certain devildom plants.

 70.  What do you, the creator of this OC, like most about them?

She’s a spunky little thing who loves to have fun and make others smile above all else.

 71.  Who is their ride or die?

In the Devildom, Beelzebub and Astaroth.

Beel for most things, and Asta for the stuff Beel won’t do.

 72.  Do they currently have a significant other? If not, are they going to get one later one?

Erm…eh…look, it’s never been officially labeled or anything, ok? Like yeah they’re kind always together and have pet names for each other and like always touch and cuddle and like snuggle up in bed together and stuffffffffffff but like, idk? Is Beel her dude? Like….do we wanna even get into that?????? I mean, maybe someday? Like…what? What was the question??

 73.  What attracts them to another person?

A genuine heart, a killer smile, and a rockin’ bod. Yeah okay look everyone can be a little shallow sometimes okay get off her case >__<.  

 74.  Who is one person that can always make them laugh?

She’s a damn fool and will laugh at ANYTHING, so it’s not hard. Everyone makes her laugh. The girl will 9 times out of 10 laugh at herself for the dumbest moments.

 75.  Have they ever partied too hard and their friends had to take them home?

Oh yes many times. Many many times.  One of the first few times she hung out (went on a date) one-on-one with Beel they had a drinking contest and as it turns out, he can really hold his devil liquor.

 76.  Who would be their cuddle buddy?

She’ll cuddle up to Beel 99.9% of the time because he’s big and warm and always happy to hold, but she also really enjoys cuddling with Asmodeus. He’s such a sweetie and he smells so nice and they just snuggle and talk and laugh and it’s a nice escape. (Loads of times there are Asmo x Niri x Asta sandwiches in Asmo’s room.)

 77.  Who would cheer them up after a long day?

She tends to go to one of the brothers depending on what kind of day it’s been. Most of the time it’s gonna be Beel because again, big/warm/happy to hold her, but there are occasions where she’ll drag Beel to one of the others’ rooms and they’ll just hang out.

 78.  If they had a nightmare, who would they run to?

I mean…Beel. Lol. He’s right there.

 79.  What object to the care for the most?

She has a picture of her friends from back home that sits on her desk. She treasures that above all while she’s down in the Devildom.

 80.  Do they like other people’s children?

Sure. Kids are fine as long as they go back to their parents after a bit.

 81.  How would they react if someone broke into their home?

Seeing as there’s always someone coming into her room regardless if she’s there or not, she probably would just shrug it off. If someone decided to have a bad lapse in judgement and break into the HoL? She wouldn’t have to lift a finger.

 82.  Does anyone make them have butterflies in their stomach?

I mean….Beel. Lol. He so big and cute! Also Diavolo because he also big and cute.

 83.  What is something that they are good at?

Crying to get out of trouble. She’s a little shit. Lol.

 84.  What is their neutral expression?

Niri kinda always looks pissed off or uninterested?  Until she smiles and you realize oh, she’s just a big ol’ faker.

 85.  Do they like to cook?

Yes. It’s one of her very favorite things to do!

 86.  What is something they can’t leave home without?

Her phone! (and Beel) but like, there’s just so much a phone can do!

 87.  Who is someone that they rely on?

Have I mentioned ever that Simeon is (or was at one time) Niri’s guardian angel? He seems to always be there and ready to help in any way, so she’s pretty reliant on him and hopes he feels the same toward her. (He does. Cue uwu’s)

 88.  Do they liked to be tickled?

Absolutely not. She’s extremely ticklish and hates being tickled. She flails and cries.

 89.  Have they ever been a sword fight before?

No. No she has not lol. Unless empty wrapping paper tubes count? She’s done that.  

 90.  What is a joke that they would find funny?

All the bad ones. All of them. Ugly laugh here we go!

 91.  Do they have a place that can go and turn off their brain?

The gardens at RAD. It’s peaceful and there’s a great  view of the sky.

 92.  What was their childhood like?

Not bad, but not memorable. There was a lot of pressure put on her to be a perfect kid, and she didn’t get to have a whole ton of fun.

 93.  What are they like as an adult?

Responsible, but definitely fun-loving. Like I mentioned before, she likes to live in a way that she won’t ever regret not having done something she wanted to do, or regret any actions she took, so she’s always got an open mind and welcomes new experiences. She’s a big ol’ kid.

 94.  Do they take criticism well?

Yes. She welcomes criticism in any form as she is always looking to be the best person she can be.

 95.  Have they ever jumped out of a plane?

No. Not yet!

 96.  Who do they like to make jokes with?

Literally anyone. A total joker. Big big clown.

 97.  Have you ever drawn them before? If you are comfortable with it, would you post a picture?

Yes! I draw Niri every once in a while. I actually need to draw her again soon! I miss that girl.