#but even then I'm like. bro i am 15 feet behind you and it took me a While to get this far back

[gibbearish]

I've put this in the tags of a previous reblog but feel like it deserves its own post so PSA to tall people: your short friends likely have shorter legs than you and therefore physically can't walk as fast as you without exerting way more effort, they're not going slow on purpose or exaggerating/joking when they say they're more tired than you after an outing. your casual stroll is a speedwalk for them and doing that for extended periods of time is exhausting. also you will lose them in crowds way less if you make a conscious effort to match their pace rather than just assuming theyll keep up

[kusagrasskusa]

Orochimaru X Innocent! Reader - "Flower Crown"

This is sorta based off a story written by @marvelmymarvel called Not Wanted. It's adorable to see how attached Y/N is so Oro in the beginning, so I had to--

WARNING: Wattpad level writing :")

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hmpf!" The girl crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks at the thought of her big brother leaving her. Jiraya snickered at his little sister's adorable face and booped her nose with one hand, the other hand carrying a bag of his clothes and other needs. "Can I at least walk you to the place? I wanna meet the people you'll be staying with."

"You just wanna see if there's a girl on the team, don'tcha?" The 15 year old boy teased, making his little sister whimper cutely. Despite how childish she is, she's actually 14 years old. Yeah she's immature but she isn't stupid or helpless.

"I can't let you get a girlfriend, y'know!" Y/N barked back softly, blushing a little from embarrassment. Jiraya sighed and ruffled Y/N's hair with a caring look.

"I may trade you a lot, but I wouldn't dare hurt you. You don't gotta worry about some woman taken away your big bro's attention." Y/N eased her nerves, nodding. Jiraya smiled sweetly at her and extended his hand for her to take, then walked his way to the waiting post where his sensei and group is.

Jiraya was sure to impress his sister on the walk there, by the way. "And then this huge toad appeared right from under me! It told me I was the best toad summoner it's ever seen. Hell, my sensei and teammates even agreed that I was the best on their team, surpassing even some of greatest ninjas in history." Y/N giggled, nodding her head in agreement with him while thinking in the back of her head, what a lier.

"That's not how I remember it." The two siblings stopped and look ahead, noticing a pair of kids around Jiraya's age standing there. "Actually, didn't a tadpole appear over snd over again? Then sensei insulted you while we laughed?" A girl with blonde hair and a mischievous smirk on her face asked, making Jiraya's face turn red.

"Hey! Don't lie in front of my little sister!" Jiraya hissed, making Y/N giggled. Tsunade looked at the little girl besides him, raiding a brow. The girl looked so soft and sweet, and she was related to a complete idiot?

"Big brother, I know you're lying. You don't need to hide it," Y/N spoke in a sweet little voice that made Tsunade's voice melt.

The blonde appeared in front of Y/N instantly, talking over Jiraya's embarrassed yelling. "Woah, aren't you a cute girl! I'm Tsunade, what's your name?" Y/N's eyebrows furrowed as she examined the blonde.

"I'm Y/N. Are you big brother's girlfriend?" She asked, cocking her head. Tsunade made a face of pure disgust, replying with a hell no. Jiraya, who was now complaining about being ignored, was now complaining about how he wasn't that bad. Tsunade rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the embarrassed Jiraya.

The other person who was waiting by the bridge kept his yellow eyes locked with Y/N's E/C eyes. A light pink spread across her features as she stared at the pale man with a curious look on his face. Ignoring the two yelling people besides her, Y/N walked over to the pale man and bowed her head. "Who might you be?"

"I am Orochimaru. How old are you?" The raven asked back, bowing his head back.

Y/N raised her head and replied, "I'm 14. I'm assuming you're... 15?" The pale boy nodded his head, examining the smaller girl head from toe. Y/N felt nervous under the eye of the boy, but not because she was scared of him. No, she found him attractive; she was the kind of person to find many guys attractive you see.

"You're kimono. I have the same type," the boy spoke again. "However, the flower design is different. It's a pretty feature that suits you well." Y/N smiled at him softly, staring at her feet as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. As she opened her mouth to thank him, he began to walk away from the bridge they were stationed on. He sat down on a patch of flowers and motioned for her to take a seat by him. Hesitantly, Y/N rushed by his side and sat down.

"Your kimono is nice as well. It suits you a lot," she replied as she watched Orochimaru pull a few flowers from the flower bed and tie then together.

"I don't don't understand why you have to make everything so serious all the time! Can't I just have fun and make my sister proud!"

"It's difficult when you're lying to her you idiot! You're gonna corrupt her with your stupidity!"

The two friends argued profusely as Orochimaru and Y/N spoke sweetly to each other in the grass. Y/N now knew that her brother sure as hell wouldn't have a girlfriend anytime soon, so she didn't really worry about Tsunade anymore. Her focus was on the taller man who tightly put a bunch of golden flowers together tied.

"You know, you're not like your brother. You seem like you're quiet, aware of your surroundings, and concerned. I like that about a person," Orochimaru spoke as he put a few more flowers into his flower crown. He was swift in his movements, managing to finish the crown in the five minutes that it took before Tsunade and Jiraya to argue then shush.

"Thank you. You're difficult from most people I've seen too; apparently you prefer solitude and are an amazing fighter by yourself, according to rumor," Y/N explained, her face remaining heated up.

"Indeed I prefer solitude, however I could be better at fighting alone. It's like what I do is never enough."

"Well, I mean, it's good to take a break in order to come back stronger, right? That's what big brother tells me," Y/N explained, watching Orochimaru put in the last few flowers. Just when he finished, he looked over the smaller girl and smiled. Y/N's face reddened when the flower crown was placed on her head softly. "Oh, um-"

"Beautiful. It suits you well," Orochimaru spoke softly as he felt a small smile pull on his features. Y/N felt the flowers on her head and giggled softly, suppressing her excitement. Then Orochimaru stood up, holding out a hand for her. "The two stopped arguing, so we should probably get going now."

"Thank you so much!" Y/N spoke as she was pulled to her feet swiftly. In the background stood a stunned Tsunade and Jiraya, who's jaws hung open and eyes widened.

"What!" They screamed simultaneously, clearly scared as shit. "Is that even Orochimaru!" "Why is he around my sister!" "He's gonna kill her!" "She's gonna go corrupt and kill me!"

"Anyways!" Y/N spoke up, ignoring the worried yells from her brother and the blonde. She turned towards Orochimaru as she reached into a pocket of her kimono, pulling out a little necklace. It had a black string around a little purple gem in the shape of a heart. "Here! I like to work with healing gems and such so uh...this iolite might help you in your mission, hehe."

Oro examined the necklace for a moment, then took it. He examined the heart shaped gem, raising a brow. "You made this? It looks lovely," he stated as he put it around his neck, over his outfit.

"Yep! I sorta like to make things for people a lot so uh...I found a few gems and made things outta them, heh heh. This one is supposed to ease people's minds and bad habits. It might not do much, but I believe it will!" Y/N boosted in her sweet voice, reaching back into her pocket for other necklaces. There was rose quarts, honey calcites, and a painite. "I made a few of these this week, actually."

"Woah!" Tsunade came over, examining the works. "Can I have one?"

Jiraya walked over, hissing, "hey! She's my sister, I should get one!" Y/N giggled and rolled her eyes playfully, handing them both a necklace. As the two put their's on, Y/N hugged her big brother tightly.

"I'm gonna miss you! Be safe, okay?" She whimpered. Jiraya chuckled at her concern, patting her head.

"I'll be fiiine. Don't worry, sis!" He replied as he hugged her back. When they pulled away, Y/N faced Tsunade and Orochimaru, bowing to them.

"Stay safe. I hope we can meet again, you two!" And with a goodbye from those two, Y/N waved goodbye before walking off. When she left, a long talk about the younger girl was spoken from these three.

[peanutpinet]

Lucas (mafia leader) x Reader (female)

A/N: I had this thought for days now and was like, ya know, just let it out. This is my first NCT (?) WayV (?) fanfic? Scenario? Yea XD For those who have read my past fanfics/scenarios, you know how horrible I am in explaining XD but yea, essentially I just imagine that you, the reader are a uni student whilst Lucas is part of the NCT mafia, "leader" of the WayV unit (I know Kun is technically the leader, but just for the sake of the story), okie, leggo

Sighing in defeat, you gathered all your books, stationery and some clothing before sneakily going out of your dorm and to your boyfriend's apartment since he gave you the spare key, saying that it was for emergencies or whenever you wanted to come over.

After texting Lucas that you were heading to his apartment, you went to grab a cab and head there. Truth be told, you never really went there and only got the address from Lucas. Which is why upon arriving, your jaw nearly dropped when you saw his apartment; even making sure whether the address Lucas gave last time was the exact one and making a mental note to yourself to look up things beforehand.

Upon arriving, you felt like you just came from the countryside to the big city. You went to the front desk and inform them who were you looking for, handing in your ID card and was immediately directed to the elevator, one of the securities pressing the highest floor of the elevator and left you in the elevator on your own.

Just when you thought that it couldn't get any fancier, the minute you stepped out of the elevator, you were amazed at the decor and the fact that there was only one door made it even grander. Taking out the key Lucas gave you, you were actually hoping that it wasn't the correct one and Lucas just sent you the wrong address but as it turns out, the key fits and you took a deep breath, walking into the room.

But on Lucas' side, he actually didn't receive your text message. So, the second he heard someone coming into his suite, he was already reaching for his gun because he wasn't really expecting anyone to come. But as soon as he heard your signature nervous voice, he felt relieved but worried at the same time. Did something happen to you?

"Lucas? Ar-are you in here? The people at the front desk just directed me here. I uh sent you a text" you called out

"I'm here sweetheart. Now, what brings you here at this late hour? Is there anyone I should be concern with?" Lucas stated, coming out of his bedroom

"Huh? Wow. I mean, no. Sorry, it's my first time here. I uh, I was just wondering if I could stay for the night. The dorm was so loud that I couldn't study nor sleep" you admitted, trying to avoid eye contact with Lucas, thinking that it was a lame excuse to come over

"Of course you can. I gave you the spare key for a reason, didn't I? Uh, sorry about the mess and all. I didn't expect you to come. I didn't receive any messages. C'mere sweetheart" Lucas mentioned, giving a hand motion for you to go to him

"Really?! I could've sworn I...(looks at your phone) I forgot to click the send button" you sighed, hitting your head as you went over to Lucas

"Hey, hey. Don't do that. You'll hurt your brain even more. No harm sweetheart. My place is yours. Come. I'll order some McDonalds as well if you'd like" Lucas cooed, bringing you into his office

"Damn. Two desktops?! Bro and this processor is the latest one?!" you commented, placing your bag down and immediately inspecting his desk

"Sometimes I play some games with the guys. Feel free to use it if you'd like. Lemon tea or coke?" Lucas asked, scrolling through his phone

"Lemon tea, no ice. It's worth the money better. Are you sure I can study here? Am I not disturbing you?" you questioned, sitting on the chair

"Not at all, sweetheart. It's almost 10pm. I'm done with work. You're free to use my computer. I've ordered your favourites already. I'm going to go for a shower for a bit. Feel free to turn on some music as well, alright? And please don't study for too long. I worry you'll hurt that gorgeous head of yours" Lucas chuckled, kissing your forehead before leaving you in his study room

After settling, putting on some music with your account (which was already in Lucas' Spotify), you grabbed your books and stationery then started to study for your finals. In the midst of it, you heard Lucas coming in with McDonalds; wearing a plain T-shirt and sweats.

Because there was only one chair in his office, with your consent, Lucas placed you on his lap as he was feeding you McDonalds whilst scrolling through his phone, occasionally leaning his head on your back as he does so.

After finishing the food, Lucas was about to get up and cleaned up so you could study a bit better since he knew you didn't like a messy space but when he felt your head slightly leaning backwards, he questioned whether you were already sleepy or not.

"What's wrong love? Tired?" Lucas murmured as he placed his chin on your neck, wrapping his long arms around your waist

"Huh? Oh? Sorry. I didn't realise I was leaning back" you yawned, scrubbing your eyes but Lucas stopped the motion

"Don't. Your eyes will get irritated. I think it's about time you sleep, hmm?" Lucas commented, tucking a hair behind your ear as he kissed the side of your cheek

"Hmm. I guess so" you sighed, leaning onto Lucas's chest

"Alright princess, let me just shut everything off. Kay, let's go to bed" Lucas chuckled, carrying your small figure in his arms and tucking you into his bed before going to the other side of the bed

The next morning, you were woken up by the sound of your phone's alarm but just stayed in bed whilst scrolling through your phone until you realised that you had exams that starts in 45 minutes. Immediately, you got up and went back to the study room to grab your clothes, without even calling out to Lucas and head to the bathroom to get ready.

After getting ready, you were so ready to rush out the door and call a cab until Lucas finally called out to you. Once you told him that your exam was starting in literally 15 minutes, he just chuckled and told you that he'll drive you there; which was a first since all this time, you guys just have dates near your campus since your dorm had strict rules and Lucas would just walk you there (A/N: how you guys met is a story for next time, lol).

After packing some food for you, Lucas grabbed his car keys in one hand and your hand in the other, making your way down to the parking lot where your jaw also almost dropped again since the car Lucas owned is probably enough to pay your whole entire undergraduate life.

Whilst in the car, Lucas told you to eat so you wouldn't be hungry during the exam. He also mentioned that he'll come to pick you up to celebrate finishing your finals since he knew that you've been stressing over this last final for weeks; saying that he'll treat you out.

Once you've arrived, Lucas pulled you to give a slight peck on your forehead, encouraging you to do well in your finals and that he'll see you right after you're done. You smiled and thank him. Getting out of the car, you saw nearly the whole campus that was by the front gate staring at you; even your friends were stunned before rushing to you, managing to get a glimpse at Lucas who just smiled before leaving.

"Gurl!! I knew your boyfriend was hot, but well off? You definitely hit the jackpot!!" one of your friends blurted

"Sis!! Can we save the conversation for later? I need to get this exam over with first" you bargained

"Okay, okay, good luck with your exams!! I'll see you later!!" your friend exclaimed as you went to your exam hall

Thankfully, the exam wasn't as hard as you'd thought. You didn't know if it's because Lucas actually helped you study since he actually knew the subject or something else but you were glad to finally be done with it. After the exam, you got a text from Lucas, saying that he'll be running a bit late which you didn't mind. Your friend, who was also done with her exam, came to your exam hall and didn't spare a second before plastering with all sorts of questions.

Asking you where you've been the night before since you weren't at your dorm; and when you told her you were at Lucas' place, she squealed, asking if you guys did anything spicy which you immediately cut her off, saying that you just went there to study because the rooms near yours were getting too loud and rowdy.

You also explained how kind and caring Lucas was; despite the amount of work he had to deal with, he was still soft when it came to you. Ordering your favourites from McDonalds, letting you just barged into his apartment whenever and even using whatever he had; hearing this, all your friend can do was just squeal, saying that Lucas was the perfect boyfriend.

And right on cue, Lucas texted you saying that he's almost at the front gate. Your friend saw your smile and teased the heck out of you before letting you off just because she supported your relationship; knowing that you had a rough past and it was nice to finally see you happy with someone; someone that genuinely cares about you.

But of course, life ain't that easy. Because just as you were skidding along the halls to the front gate, you accidentally bumped into someone and dropped your phone. You immediately apologised about to get your phone when the person you bumped into stepped on your phone. Looking up, you met with the campus' miss popular with her boyfriend.

"Can you please let go. I really have to go now" you sighed, looking up

"Can't your boyfriend get you another one? Oh wait, is he the one that you're meeting? Honestly, I dunno what he sees in you. Oh wait, I think I do. He's probably just in it to play around or probably did it because of a bet" the girl scoffed but you were just not having it and shoved her feet off, nearly falling if it weren't for her boyfriend being there

After getting your phone, you were about to make a run for it before she grabbed your hair, pulling you back and making you fall; calling you names and all. When you got back to your feet again, she nearly slapped you when you got ahold of her hand about to push her back when her boyfriend came and took your hand, twisting it behind your back, allowing an opening for her to get a good punch out of you.

It felt like forever since you were trapped between the two "bullies" of your campus and for Lucas, it meant something was wrong. It's been almost 30 minutes since he arrived and called you but there was no answer at all. Frustrated, he called Winwin to track your phone as he went in to find you; thinking that you were held captive by one of NCT's enemy.

When he did see you, he felt a slight relief that it wasn't one of NCT's enemy but he was still very much pissed at the sight. When the girl was about to hit you for like the 15th time, Lucas grabbed ahold of her arm, throwing her to the floor before looking at her boyfriend who turns out to be one of the bartenders in one of NCT's bars.

"B-boss..." the man stammered, letting go of your hand as you almost dropped if it weren't for Lucas catching you

"You better come to work tonight. We'll have a lil discussion about respect? Hmm? Make sure everyone comes. Or I'll just have to report Taeyong about this" Lucas growled, making the man cowered in fear

"N-no sir. Everyone will come tonight" the man stuttered as Lucas stood up, holding your figure firmly in his arms

"Good. Wouldn't want to make a big deal out of this hmm? Oh, and do bring your girlfriend while I take mine to treat the wounds you both caused" Lucas scoffed, bringing you out of the campus

Once you've reached his car, he gently placed you and put your seatbelt on before going to the driver's seat. Once he was in, he called Kun, telling him what happened and that he's planning to have a meeting later tonight in the bar. After the call, Lucas took your hand in his, stroking your knuckles as he drove back to his apartment.

Upon arriving, he helped you get out of the car and into his apartment. Inside, he brought you to his room before going to the bathroom and grabbing some medicine for your bruised face and cut on the lips. Lucas treated all your wounds as gently as possible, worrying that he might accidentally hurt you, treating you as if you're as fragile as an egg.

After he was done, he threw all the cotton buds and ordered some food for the both of you; knowing that you will tell him whenever you're ready. He put his hoodie onto you before bringing you to the living room to cuddle and just watch the whole day. Occasionally, food will come and it was all from your favourite restaurants.

After the next 5th Disney movie ended, you told Lucas that you wanted to take a shower and he told you that you can borrow any of his clothes. He even said that he'll run you a bath but you told him that you were just going to take a light shower which Lucas didn't mind. Whilst you were showering, Lucas prepared a T-shirt and shorts along with the hoodie you were just wearing.

After your shower and putting on the clothes Lucas prepared, Lucas came and redid the medicine on your wounds before going back to watching some heart-warming movies on the bed. Feeling better, you decided to tell Lucas what happened and whilst it seemed that he was calm, his mind was off wondering the endless possibilities of teaching the two that harm you; whether it'd be physically or mentally.

Either way, Lucas listened to all your rambles, wrapping his arm around your shoulder, leaning you onto his chest, giving kisses on your forehead, cheeks and occasionally your neck, chuckling when he saw you flustered; basically making you 10x better, treating you like a queen up until you fell asleep.

When you did fall asleep, he gently tucked you into bed, kissing your forehead, smiling at your sleeping figure before leaving the room to the bar where he was more than ready to make the two-person harmed you suffer; not forgetting to ask Hendery and Yangyang to come over to watch over you.

"Sleep tight sweetheart. I'll be back before you know it, alright? No one treats my queen like trash and gets away with it" Lucas mumbled, kissing your forehead as he left as quietly as possible

and let's just say that everyone in the bar that night experienced a side of Lucas that no one would like to see or hear ever again.

"Try and lay a finger on her again, I won't be so nice next time" Lucas scoffed, seeing all the staff looked down, especially the two-person who hurt you

A/N: I hope that this was alright but yea, this fanfic has been stuck in my head for days

[spicycreativity]

For requests, honestly I wanna see any au you’ve had an idea for but haven’t been able to write for

Thank you so much for this opportunity, anon

AU: Johannes Cabal the Necromancer

Words: 2.6k

Content Warnings: characters held at gunpoint (no shots fired), threats of violence

BIG spoilers for the book Johannes Cabal the Necromancer, if you plan on reading it

I really should have had someone beta this to see if I explain the plot of the novel adequately enough to orient the viewer, but I simply did not feel like it 💕 Per the advice of @clearlynotjanus I'm trusting you to put the pieces together on your own.

Godspeed, readers. I'll see you in 15 minutes when I inevitably notice and attempt to covertly fix at least one typo.

It was a clear night, with not even the slightest cloud to obscure the silver light of the full moon as it shone down on the Carnival of Discord, or, as it was now known, the Cabal Bros. Traveling Carnival. The carnival, with its particolored neon lights, needed no assistance from the moon, and its beauty went largely unacknowledged among the revelry and, in certain select locations, debauchery) within.

Of the patrons of the carnival, only one even noticed the moonlight at all. This was ex-Detective Inspector Logan Barrow, who was currently trying to slow his breathing as he examined the lock on the desk drawer in front of him. The moon bathed the interior of the traincar in its greenish-silver light and Logan took a moment to be grateful for it as he groped behind him for the crowbar he'd brought with him. Remus Cabal's plan, whatever it was, hinged around the contents of that drawer. It was the only leverage Logan was likely to get, and he intended to seize the opportunity for escape with alacrity. 

What Logan did not know and was far too distracted to realize, was that Remus was watching him. He had arrived at the train mere moments before Logan, having put the pieces together in the brink of time. That Logan had brought a crowbar along had been a stroke of luck; Remus didn't make a habit of carrying his revolver around the carnival and he'd lost track of his sword cane in the earlier turmoil. With Roman still playing truant, there was no cavalry to be had.

Yes, the appearance of the crowbar had been lucky indeed. Remus gripped it and watched Logan reach out into the darkness, searching with his fingertips for the crowbar. A sadistic smile curled across his lips, anticipation thrumming in his chest. He had 20 minutes, one unsigned contract left, and one conveniently un-damned soul kneeling at his feet. The math practically did itself.

Logan's breathing quickened as he felt around in the darkness for a tool that was no longer there. He steeled himself and swallowed, forcing down the uneasiness.

That was when Remus turned on the lights.

Logan could not suppress a shudder at the feral wolf grin that greeted him when his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness. Remus bounced on his toes, brandishing the crowbar with explicit intent. "You've been a naughty boy, Logan," he admonished, every word shivering with malice. "Whatever am I going to do with you?"

"Remus," Logan said. If Remus was going to forgo the formalities of titles and surnames, then so was Logan. He got to his feet, scanning the narrow room for exits as he did so. Remus was standing in front of the door, leaving only the window as a possible means of escape. Not that Remus would stand idly by and let Logan attempt to break it, let alone clamber through it. No, diplomacy was the only possible way through this. "Good morning."

"Not yet," Remus said. It was true. It was still 18 minutes to midnight. He hadn't lost yet. "So." He spread his arms, the muscles in his forearm taut against the weight of the crowbar. "Let's discuss."

Logan eyed him warily, inevitability sinking sick and heavy in his belly. The calliope music from the carnival grew fainter for a dangerous moment and he swayed on his feet before clarity flooded his mind again. "What is there to discuss?"

With his free hand, Remus tapped his breast pocket where the final contract seemed to smolder against his skin. "Now that you mention it," he said, "nothing at all. You have two options: you sign over your soul, or I beat you to death."

Logan carefully did not look at the hourglass on the desk, instead using his peripherals to gauge the amount of sand in the upper bulb. "Why are you doing this?" he asked, staring intently into Remus' eyes. "What could you possibly want with 100 souls?"

Remus took a faux swing with the crowbar, letting it pass through the air at roughly the same height as Logan's head. "I need them," was all he said. But he said it twice, the second time with far more desperation than the first: "I need them."

"Some sort of exchange?" Logan guessed, drawing inspiration from the situation at hand. Then it hit him, and he couldn't help his sharp intake of breath at the realization. Only a soulless man could do what Remus had done.

Remus bared his teeth. "The only exchange that matters is this one," he said, once again indicating the contract in his pocket. "You're going to sign and I'm going to march right back down to Hell and take what's mine. Now grab a pen."

An image of Virgil flashed in Logan's mind. He let himself smile a little, comforted by the memory. "No."

"No?" Remus repeated incredulously. He tilted his head, studying Logan with the morbid fascination of an entomologist discovering half of a new species in his morning cereal. "Logan, I will kill you. Do you understand that?"

"I understand perfectly," Logan said. "The answer is no. I'm not signing. You're going to have to kill me."

"No!" Remus lunged at Logan across the desk, slamming both hands and the crowbar down on it with a heavy clunk. "You don't understand! You need to sign. I--" His face spasmed, lips drawing back in a snarl. "I need you to sign."

"Why?" Logan demanded, a sudden spike of hope rising unbidden in his chest. Remus was obviously upset; if Logan could just keep him talking…!

"Listen to me." Remus backed up, the crowbar something of an afterthought in his grip. "I'm doing-- I can-- " He tapped feverishly at his breast pocket, the parchment crinkling beneath his fingertips. "I can cure it; I'm going to cure death--"

"Necromancer."

"Obviously!"

Something clicked into place in Logan's mind, and the clean, precise logic of it made him smile a little. "You're crazy." This was neither pejorative nor accusatory; it simply was.

Remus glanced at the hourglass on the desk, then at his watch, before finally doing what he'd been itching to do for the duration of this maddening, miserable conversation: he lifted the crowbar and swung it at Logan's head.

Hauling an unconscious body out of a train was not the most difficult thing Remus had ever done, but it was certainly up there. Not that it was strictly necessary, but if he was going to bludgeon a man to death, he didn't want guts all over his tasteful office when they would show up much better against a light-colored background.

He was so involved in the process of moving Logan, in fact, that he did not notice that Virgil Barrow had stopped mid-stride in front of the train and was watching him in open-mouthed astonishment.

"Ah," said Remus, once he'd turned around and noticed Virgil standing there. He dropped Logan and slipped his gun out of his waistband, thankful he'd taken the time to retrieve from his desk.

Virgil was recovering rapidly from the shock; even though his face remained dangerously pale, his voice did not tremble as he searched Remus' face with wide, desperate eyes. "Is he dead? Did… Did you kill him?"

Remus sighed, looked down at Logan's body, then looked at the steps back into the train. Then he sighed again and dragged a hand down his face, sinking in his nails and drawing welts in its wake. This evening really was not going according to plan. Where the Hell was Roman when you needed him?

Remus halfheartedly aimed the gun at Virgil. "Get in," he said, nodding at the train. At least he had some leverage now, even if the ghost of his morality protested the thought of dragging Virgil into this. Virgil, while not the archetypal innocent ingenue, had a pure soul. Despite his best efforts at play-acting the jaded pessimist, he had never committed a true dark act. Even Remus knew he shouldn't be involved in this. But here he was, trudging up the steps onto the train.

Remus knelt, hefted Logan (who was already blinking and stirring) and followed. By instinct alone, Logan helped him on the last step and was even able to walk himself over to an armchair with a helpful shove from Remus. Virgil, wedding band glinting in the electric lights, caught him and helped him sit, murmuring gently to him all the while. Thank goodness for that, although Roman could have handled Logan with ease. Remus muttered a curse under his breath. Useless. What good was a vampire brother if he wasn't going to show up when you needed him most?

On the desk, the hourglass marked the time as faithfully as it ever had, black sand flowing steadily from the top bulb to the bottom. In a fit of pique, Remus aimed his revolver at it before the last vestiges of his impulse control stilled his trigger finger. Instead, he tucked the gun back into his waistband and pulled the final contract from his pocket. He unfolded it and placed it on the table in front of Logan, then uncapped a pen for him and placed it in his hand. Then he stepped back, took out his revolver again, and aimed it at Virgil.

Logan blinked hard. All his skin seemed to be buzzing and the rapid tilting of his body in space seemed to indicate that he had boarded one of Remus' carnival rides without his prior knowledge. The sensation of a hand on his face guided him back to reality and he realized in one sudden rush of pain and realization that Virgil was straightening his glasses for him.

The time jump bothered him little; Remus had obviously attempted to make good on his threat to beat Logan to death. Perhaps Virgil had stopped him, perhaps not. All that mattered now was the blank contract on the desk and the sand in the hourglass.

"Sign," Remus demanded, his gaze flicking feverishly between Logan and the contract, "or I kill him."

The sharp hiss of Virgil's gasp cut through the distant calliope music, followed by a crescendoing cascade of panicked breaths. But he didn't say anything. He just glared at Remus.

Logan put the pen down. "I told you I'm not doing it." Remus took a breath to speak, eyes widening in incredulity, but Logan interrupted just as calmly as before, "You won't kill him. I've seen the way you look at him."

"The way I--" Remus started to laugh in a sort of desperate, gasping fit. It was true. He'd been pushed to the edge, the very cusp of his humanity, and found himself wholly incapable of killing Virgil. Remus, even without his soul, had never taken an innocent life. It was antithetical to something in him, something that went deeper than all the desperation, deeper than whatever moral compass governed most men.

And with that insurmountable truth blossoming in the middle of the room, the clock struck 11:59. Remus had set it back exactly 60 seconds in anticipation of this night, this moment.

In the middle of everything: Remus' laughter, the chimes, the calliope's frantic piping, the rumble of the carnival rides, Logan Barrow smiled. "You lose."

"Then it's all over." Remus aimed the gun at Logan's head.

With no more fanfare than a look of deepest, seething hatred, Virgil snatched up the pen and signed the contract. "There's your damn contract," he said, thrusting the paper at Remus. "Now leave us alone."

Remus stared at the contract. The final grains of sand in the top bulb of the hourglass fell to the bottom and all the noise from the carnival ceased, leaving the room in deadly silence. "Now look what you did," he said to Logan in an uncharacteristically sober voice.

The train began to move.

The sudden change in momentum knocked Remus backwards, leaving Virgil and Logan standing on the tracks where it had been.

Virgil took Logan's hand as they watched the train seem to dissipate as it picked up speed, until nothing remained to suggest it had been there at all other than the overgrown tracks beneath their feet and the sorrow in their hearts.

"I wish--" Logan's voice broke. He cleared his throat and looked at Virgil, the tears on his cheeks shining in the moonlight. "I wish you hadn't done that."

"He was going to kill you," Virgil replied. "I had to."

Somewhere far, far away from the pair, Remus lay on the floor of a decrepit traincar. His face twitched as he began to regain consciousness, and a thousand explosions seemed to go off in his head once, leaving trails of throbbing agony in their wake.

Then came another explosion of pain: the very distinctive sensation of someone slapping him across the face. Hard.

"About time you showed up," Remus said, once the ringing in his ears had died down. He opened his eyes to better glare at Roman.

Roman glowered down at him and Remus took a moment to be grateful that even vampires could not kill with looks alone. "You've really done it this time, Remus."

"We've done it," Remus corrected. He sat up slowly, wary of the nausea simmering just below his ribs. He was probably concussed, and Roman's slap certainly hadn't done him any favors. Then the reality of the situation hit him and he grinned. "We did it!"

"At what cost?" Roman demanded, the white tips of his fangs peeking out beneath his lower lip.

Remus thought of Virgil, and the sudden surge of guilt in his stomach made him purse his lips and swallow. "It doesn't matter. It's over now."

"For us." Roman stamped his foot. "Not for them. Not for Virgil."

Remus' eyes flew to the oversized luggage trunk in the corner, where Roman spent his days while he waited for the sun to set. "You were watching? Thanks a lot for the backup, asshole!" 

"Watch it," Roman barked.

Remus put up his hands. "Sorry," he said begrudgingly. "I couldn't have done this without you--"

"Don't remind me," Roman muttered.

Remus wasn't really listening. "As soon as we get home, I promise I'll start working on finding a cure for, uh--" He ran his tongue along his own teeth while he tried to think of a suitable euphemism. 

Something caught his eye as he tried to force his thoughts to move quicker through damaged neural pathways, a glint of light off something metallic. The lock on his drawer.

Nearly forgetting Roman entirely, he got up to examine it and noticed a small scratch on the brass. "Well," he said, a wave of belated relief washing over him, "looks like Logan got a little closer than I'd thought. Um, but like I was saying…" He squinted at the scratch. It was finer than he would have expected from a crowbar. "As soon as we're home, I'll, uh…" Wouldn't it have made more sense for Logan to try to pry the drawer open, rather than get the lock off? "I'll start working on a cure for your condition." Yes, the scratch was definitely not made by a crowbar. It looked more like it was made by a--

"No," Roman said, accompanied by a noise of crinkling parchment, "you won't."

Lockpick. Remus' eyes widened and he whirled around, then staggered to regain his balance. "What did you do?" he demanded, his face as white as the blank contract in Roman's hand.

"I realized--" Roman's hand was shaking. He dropped it to his side and let the parchment fall. "At first, you were collecting the souls of people who were damned anyway. But I…" He exhaled sharply, took in a shivering breath. "I watched you. And I saw. You started targeting innocents, the closer we got to the deadline, and I had to be the one to steer you away. I had to see if you could learn to stop yourself and you never did. You never did. So I stopped you. One last time."

Remus fell to his knees.