#cth fic

[ughkat]

ughkat's

- ♡︎ 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ♡︎ -

(ongoing)

requests: open (requests sent during writing hiatus will be prioritized once i return!)

for now, i will not write:

- dd/lg

- pegging

- 5sos x each other (will do 4/4 x reader)

- cnc

(i have no problem with the listed situations and ideas, i am just not confident in my own writing ability to create a good story using those subjects at this time. i will likely be open to writing more of these story plots in the future. thanks!)

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𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐒/𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐑𝐁𝐒

calum:

moody (smut)

mornings (fluff)

attention (smut)

worship (smut)

ifhy (smut/angst)

ashton:

brothers best friend (smut)

portrait (fluff)

luke:

jealous (smut)

fantasy (smut)

brat (smut)

michael:

you're doing so good (fluff)

keep going (smut)

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𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐎 𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐒 / 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐁𝐎𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐒

calum:

boyfriend camera roll

san francisco

ashton:

boyfriend camera roll

luke:

boyfriend camera roll

michael:

boyfriend camera roll

red hair mood board

4/4:

2014 nostalgia

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𝐌𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐈-𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑

calum:

bleach: part 1

crush: part 1 | part 2

luke:

focus on me: part one | part two | part three | part four | part five | part six | part seven

caught: part one | part two

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[bratzforchris]

Latin and Pentagrams

Summary ⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆: A night of studying turns into something much darker when you stumble upon an old Latin book and end up summoning something less than human

Pairing: Demon!Calum x feminine!reader

Warnings: 18+ content (this is much darker than my other works, minors dni!!!!!), horror/scary themes, religious-ish imagery, teratophilia (attraction to monsterfucking/non human characters), fingering/handjobs (f and m receiving), p in v, orgasm denial, size kink, overstimulation, pet names, thigh riding, temporary body modification, fluffy ending (i think that's all but let me know if i missed something!)

Word Count: 7.4k

Note: This is much different than what I normally write, so I hope you all enjoy! This was somewhat inspired by my conversation with a friend a few days ago about taking AP Latin in high school so! Inspiration! I plan on trying to get a few more Halloween fics up 😈

☾

“I actually can’t believe you’re studying tonight, Y/N.” Your best friend, Gaia, said, rolling her eyes and giving you a light, playful shove. 

“I have a big Latin exam tomorrow,” You sighed. “You know that.”

“You can have one night of fun, Y/N.” she said, giving you the “pleaseeeeee” eyes. 

“Latin is my hardest subject. Besides, I hate parties. I’d rather enjoy Halloween with a candy bar and some movies.” You mumbled, running your finger across the stick-and-poke pentagram tattoo you’d given yourself in eleventh grade. 

All your life, you had adored travel and studying the history and culture of other places. The day you’d gotten the offer to exchange at University of St. Andrews in Scotland was probably the best day you’d ever had. But there were days, like right now, where you wondered if it was worth the sacrifice. You didn’t get “breaks” as an exchange student, especially if you went to a university as prestigious as this one. Being a History major, with a minor in Classics, wasn’t quite the field for going easy on the studying. You would’ve loved to go to a smaller Halloween party with Gaia and a few other friends, but in your head, duty called. 

“All Hallows Eve, you mean? Be a proper Scot.” she chuckled in her Scottish accent. 

“Yeah, sorry. See you tomorrow?” You offered, shoving your glasses up the bridge of your nose. 

It was beginning to grow dark and the chilly, crisp breeze was blowing the orange and red leaves across the damp sidewalk, creating the perfect autumnal and slightly bewitching aura for the night. You two had been sitting on the steps of the main campus library, discussing your classes, the upcoming holidays and everything in between, but now, you could see the urge to go party etching itself onto your friend’s face. 

“Duh,” Gaia giggled, standing up and giving you a hug. “You going in there to study?” she questioned, craning her head towards the giant, regal-looking, cobblestone building. 

“Yeah…” You gnawed on your lip, antsy to get to your studying. “It’s the only place that has the books I need.”

“Well, don’t get to summoning any demons or spirits tonight,” she booped your nose. “When you do the ‘o, s, t, -mus, -tis, -nt’ thing for present tense endings it sounds like a fuckin’ pagan chant.”

“I won’t, I promise,” You hoisted your backpack up onto your shoulder. “Now, go have fun.” You turned Gaia’s shoulders so that she could march down the stone steps.

She waved goodbye to you, hurrying down the steps and across the quad. As you watched her leave, a feeling itched its way into your skin, burying deep inside your bones. It wasn’t quite melancholy, but you felt yourself wishing that you could tag along to the parties, even if you didn’t enjoy them all that much. 

You shook your head, getting rid of all those angsty thoughts. Giving your tattoo a quick rub with the top of your pointer finger, you marched up the stairs and unlocked the door, walking into the library, breathing in the smell of carpet and old, musty books. Being a student employee had its benefits some days, and access to the library after hours and on holidays was definitely one of them. You flicked on the light by the front desk and sat down, taking it all in for a few moments before pulling out your supplies. 

The library was old and had the aire of a medieval castle or church, what with its stained glass windows, large chandeliers over every table, and beautiful, soaring woodwork carvings. You kicked your old, crusty Converse up onto the desk and chuckled as you replayed Gaia’s warnings in your head. Maybe it was the difference in growing up in Scotland versus your American upbringing, but she was always much more superstitious and believed in the supernatural more than you did. 

For some reason, you remembered that old legend she had told you when you were a new student last year, something about how devil worshippers used to use this very library for their secret meetings back when the university first opened in the 1400s. You could almost believe now as you lit the candle on the desk with a lighter from your back pocket. The flame cast the desk in an eerie, orange glow, which added to the ambience of the flickering chandelier over table three and the blacked-out back of the library where you hadn’t turned the lights on yet. 

You shook the thoughts from your head and pulled your laptop and books from your bag. The last thing you needed right now was to get off track because you were thinking about some silly legends. You began to run through your conjugations and tenses, reciting the lines to yourself. The Latin rolled off your tongue making you sound rather scholarly and a bit haunting if you said so yourself.

“Ugh.” You grumbled when you reached the portion of the study guide on the history of Latin and paganism. 

You threw the book down on the desk rather angrily, but couldn’t help the smile that crossed your face when you read the bit about Latin in pagan chants and then looked down at the pentagram tattoo. It had been stupid at first, you poking the design into your skin just for the aesthetic. But now, the more you studied, the more you felt connected to the art. You decided to take a break from the studying, pulling your phone from your pocket and opening up Tumblr. The first thing you saw when you opened the app was a rather scandalous fanart as the header for someone’s fanfic. It showed a feminine reader fucking with a rather monstrous, demonic-looking creature. You smirked and bit your lip, crossing your thighs. You’d never tell anyone else, but monsterfucking was your guilty pleasure when it came to kink. There was just something about someone who wasn’t from this world using you for their own pleasure that turned you on. 

You sometimes wondered what that would actually be like. Would it be the same as fucking with a human? You shook your head and clicked your phone off, placing it face down on the desk. Standing up and stretching, you looked around the library. It was almost the perfect setting for Halloween night. You looked down at your abandoned textbook, remembering what you’d told Gaia about the books in here. Maybe you did need a different book to help you study. 

You pushed around the desk and trailed down the aisles of the library, using your phone as a flashlight, until you came to the 600s section where the university kept their history books. You stooped, running your pointer finger along the spines of the books. There were so many here that you could easily spend all night studying, but you knew you had found a perfect book when your finger landed on a thick, leather-bound book, spine inlaid with gold plating. 

You pulled it out, staring at the soft, leather cover. It didn’t have a title, simply a pentagram on it in gold that matched the spine. You sunk down, leaning your back against the bookshelf as you flipped the cover open. The pages were browned, stained, and written on parchment. You gnawed on your lip as you realized that this was a true, historical book. You flipped past the cover page and shined your flashlight on the back side. There, in swirly, beautiful cursive it read “authored 1416” by someone whose name you couldn’t make out. 

Why did your school’s library have this historical gem among the other, modern books? You shrugged, brushing it off and flipping through the book. The first few pages didn’t particularly catch your eye, just lines upon lines of Latin, as well as crude sketches of the gods. All stuff you had looked at and read before. You sighed, randomly flipping to the middle of the book. You felt a calling to that section for some reason. Maybe it was your boredom, or maybe it was the Halloween spirit bewitching you to do something different. You could see as you looked out the window while flipping the pages that it was completely dark now. The moon was high and full in the sky. You were definitely one for the aesthetics, and this was the perfect Halloween setting. 

Finally, you reached the middle of the book. It had taken you a while to turn the pages because they were such delicate parchment, but now, the image before you was worth it. It was different from the other drawings in the book. The sketch pictured a hulking man, about eight feet tall, with bulging muscles. He had soft curls and a devilish smirk about him in the picture. He would’ve looked almost normal, despite the height, if it weren’t for the pointed horns curving from his head and tail protruding from his rear. He had sharp, knifelike claws on his hands, but there was something about him. He was sinfully beautiful. 

The sketch was much more fine and detailed than the rest of the book. The Latin paragraph by his drawing was also much more detailed and beautiful than the sentences written previously. You noticed at the top of the page there was the name of your university, and you quickly read the paragraph, the Latin rolling off your tongue like you had been practicing for so many years. It was a set of directions, pointing you to the back of the library. 

You pushed off your haunches, walking back to where the book was pointing you. You almost wondered if a Wiccan practitioner before you had walked this very path through the library. It wasn’t hard to believe; the library was centuries old. As you walked, you cradled the open book in your arms. Gaia’s tale about the devil worshippers in the 1400s rang through your mind as you realized when this book had been authored while walking. You didn’t exactly believe in anything supernatural or even devil worshippers, but you couldn’t help feeling a slight chill in your bones once you had reached the back of the library. 

It was dark back here, much darker than the rest of the library. The only light shone from your dying phone’s battery as you hit a stone wall. You’d never been at the back of the library, and it was very clear hardly anyone else had either. The stones were damp and cool and cobwebs littered the corners. You read the passage again, running your hand along the rocks. You didn’t know why you were doing this. It was clear you had literally hit a wall. Maybe it was procrastinating that you had an exam tomorrow, or maybe it was the urge to do something for Halloween. 

You looked down at your tattoo once more before reading the instructions on the book. All it said was to look for the sixth stone, in the sixth row, of the sixth column. Your eyes searched the wall before finding the stone and pressing it. Nothing happened. You sighed, going to turn away from the wall and walk back to the desk. You couldn’t wait to rub it in Gaia’s face tomorrow that the “devil worshippers” of the library were nothing but an urban legend. 

Suddenly, the wall rumbled, two sides splitting to reveal a large wooden door with the same designs as the book carved into it. You stood in front of it, absolutely gaping. There was no way a stone wall had just split in half. There was no way there was another door inside the wall, leading to who knew what. You knew you should turn around, go back to the desk and continue your studies and then go home to your dorm. The last thing you needed was to get stuck in some old passage. 

But you didn’t. Your subconscious pulled you towards the door, and you pulled the rusty, metal lock open. You coughed as the dust blew towards your face, beaming your phone across the room you had stepped into. It was small and earthen, almost like a prison cell, but it had an almost magical vibe to it. At the far end lay what looked like a stone hearth, and your feet pulled you towards it. You looked down at the book as you walked. This was where it had led you to, and now there were further directions for you to follow. 

At the foot of the altar was another pentagram, and on the ledge were a few wax candles in bronze holders, a box of matches at their base. It was as if the matches had been placed there recently, but it seemed like no one had been in this room for decades. It lay dead silent and still, like a tomb. You picked up the box of matches, but nearly jumped out of your skin when the door that had led you here slammed shut. Looking down at your tattoo once more, you began to read off the passage from the book. The Latin spilled from your mouth like an incantation as you lit the candles and slid your phone into your back pocket. 

As you did so, a warm, sweet heat curled through your core, blossoming in your tummy before traveling down to your thighs. You didn’t know what you were expecting to happen. Were you actually trying to summon a fucking demon? The feeling was wonderful and exhilarating, and you felt called to continue the chant as it ran down the page. Surely if you actually summoned the being there would be a way to banish him…right? You ignored the warnings on the page, written in red ink that looked suspiciously like blood. Demons probably weren’t even real; if anything, you’d get a good laugh at this later. 

As you finished the words on the page, your skin began to prickle with goosebumps, the hairs standing tall. That had to be a coincidence. There was no way anything was actually happening. You were making it up, your mind bewitched with Gaia’s folklore and the spirit of All Hallows’ Eve. If warning bells were supposed to be going off in your head, they weren’t. The only sensation you had was your heart fluttering with excitement. 

Just as you spoke the last word, an unnatural, purple fog flitted through the room, swirling about the chamber and ruffling the pages of the old book. It curled faster and harder until all you could see was purple smog, and the sconces on the wall firing to life on one-by-one, without you lighting them. Here you were, alone in a sealed chamber that no one alive knew about, summoning god knows what. Gaia’s playful joke about bringing a demon to life floated through your mind. Despite not being one to be superstitious, something supernatural was happening in this room. You should’ve felt scared, terrified, horrified, any antonym for excitement, but you didn’t. 

As if you had been studying the passage for weeks, the Latin chant flowed from your mouth like you had memorized it, even though you’d only read it once. You repeated the lines five more times for a total of six with your eyes closed. When you opened them, the smoke had cleared somewhat. The only wisp of purple that you saw was slowly seeping out of the walls, being edged by an invisible wind. It curled towards the middle of the room, twisting in a tornado like shape, further and further towards the ceiling. You didn’t know why, but you covered your face with your hands. Maybe it was fear of nothing actually happening. You had fallen asleep at the desk while studying and would wake up in a few moments to nothing but an empty page on your computer. 

After a few moments, you uncovered your eyes, seeing that the smoke was beginning to fade away. All of what had just happened was blocked out when you noticed the absolutely enormous figure standing in the middle of the etched pentagram, the sconces casting him in a warm, orange glow. You fisted your eyes once more to just make sure you were really seeing what you thought you were. The half-human, half-mythological creature came into view, standing before you regally. He was even more intimidating in person as he stared down at you with dark eyes, but the only way your body responded was through a heated moan. 

The beast was absolutely huge. His shoulders were nearly as broad as you were tall, with bulging muscles and unholy pecs. His skin was tanned and littered with inked tattoos, depicting battles he’d won and scenes from his tales. His black curls fell to his pointed ears, serving as a bed for his red horns. Your eyes caught on them for a moment, taking in how they were wider at the base but curled upwards, ending in knifelike daggers that scraped the ceiling. He was probably nearly eight feet tall, covered in muscle all over, but the thing that really made you heat up was his face. 

His chocolate-brown eyes looked you up and down curiously as his plump, pink lips curved into a smirk that started at his cupid’s bow. Whoever this demon was, his face was littered with a bit of stubble and despite his uncanny appearance, you longed to kiss his face all over, feeling the hair and telling him just how beautiful he was. He was like something one could only dream of. 

His chest was heaving with heavy, agitated breaths. His fists were clenched in front of him, but you could see the deep, black claws that jutted from his fingertips. Although his skin was a completely normal shade for a human, it was clear he was closer to a beast than any person. His legs were thick and muscular, but appeared human under the crude, burgundy, fabric shorts he wore. His bare feet were like that of an animal, more clawlike, the same type as his hands. The thing that stole your gaze the most, though, was the red tail, tipped with a pointed heart that protruded from his rear, flicking with arousal as the tent in his shorts grew. 

“I…” You started, whimpering slightly. 

You weren’t scared per say, but the demon was rather intimidating, both in stature and how capable he looked of pleasure. He cocked his head, his brown eyes growing lustful at the noises falling from your lips. The adrenaline of the situation had worn off and now you were gasping for air as you realized you had just summoned a magical, sinful creature. The demon stepped closer to you, tail curling behind him, eyes trained on you. Your body responded to his gaze by heating up, the warmth curling through your belly as you surveyed him. You didn’t question your body’s arousal towards him; you were so syrupy-sweet with desire that you paid no mind. 

“It was you who summoned me, angel?” the demon asked once he was about three feet away from you. 

His voice rattled through the stone chamber, a deliciously deep bass that snuck its way into your bones, settling there. You clenched your thighs together in your sweatpants as your clit began to throb with horniness. You craned your neck slowly, eyes traveling up his spectacular body until you met his face. Even with your neck leaned back so far, you just barely could meet the creature’s eyes. 

“It was me,” You admitted, gnawing on your lip to keep any unwanted noises from escaping. “I…wanted to.” You said, picking your words carefully, fearful of how such a beast would react to what you said. 

The chamber fell dead for a moment, the only sound being the demon’s breathing as he looked you up and down. You couldn’t tell if he was angry, or simply just curious. You wondered if he knew how someone summoned him, or if he simply just popped up wherever the spell called. Your question was answered when he spoke, that beautiful voice flowing from him once more. 

“The book told you to summon me?” he asked, raising a brow. 

You could tell now that he was more curious than anything, surprise making its way onto his features as you studied his face. You glanced around the room, mulling over your answer before speaking. You thought of the way you had skipped the Halloween parties, opting to sit in the library alone, the way you’d unusually ignored your studies to find another book, the way you’d skipped the rest of the book to look at the picture of the demon before you, and then follow the directions on it. 

“Yes,” You said, your voice shaking. “I felt called to summon you.”

“Do you believe in the supernatural, baby witch?” he asked you. 

“I…I don’t know,” You didn’t even recognize the voice that was coming from you, the words high and tinged with a mixture of fear and arousal. “I'm just letting the Halloween spirit get to me!” You said, backing against the altar. 

The devil smirked, pushing his body against your own, pinning you to the altar. “Sweetheart,” he started. “I think a little more than the Halloween spirit calls you to summon a sex demon.” he growled. 

The noise rumbled up from his chest and you tentatively lifted your head to meet his eyes. They had darkened to an almost black color, full of lust. His lips had a hungry look plastered across them, smirking when he met your eyes. His hulking body blocked out the light from the candles as he stood in front of you, casting his body in a warm glow. The light glinted off his white, razor-sharp fangs as he smirked, licking his lips with his forked, black tongue. 

“I wanted to know what fucking a demon is like…” You mumbled.

“What was that, angel?” he asked, grabbing your chin in his hand and lifting it to meet his eyes. “You will not mumble when you talk to me.”

“I wanted to know what fucking a demon is like!” You yelped, backing impossibly further, your body jolting with fear, but a wetness growing in your underwear nonetheless. 

Your emotions were an absolute jumble inside your chest. You felt fearful and nauseous with horror, but your desire to know the sinful creature was epically stronger. The dampness in your panties was only becoming more prominent, clinging to your skin and agitating your clit. The creature had caged you in with his humongous body, looking down at you. 

“Well then, I’m happy to fulfill your desires.” the demon cooed. 

He was practically salivating as he looked at you, moving his large claws to hold your body in place. He gave off such an air of power that despite the physical filling of the room, his personality was filling the chamber so tightly, blocking out everything that wasn’t him. 

“I won’t hurt you, baby witch.” he said with an unexpected softness, stroking your cheek. 

His gentleness shocked you, removing the fear from your body. As his body pressed ever closer to yours, you could smell his delicious scent, and you longed to bury your face in his glorious chest and never let go. The scent was like that of cigarettes and cherries, intoxicatingly sweet and a bit smoky.  

“I’m not a witch,” You whispered, voice shaky. “You…you have me confused with someone else.”

“You summoned me by reading the Latin, I’m quite literally a demon, and you have this,” he reeled off, stroking the claw of his thumb over your pentagram tattoo. “All of that qualifies you to be a witch.”

The creature wasn’t really lying. All of those things qualified you to be a witch, or at least a beginner in practicing magic. You longed to go back in time and heed Gaia’s warnings about the supernatural and its creatures, but for now, you were enjoying the way this half-man, half-beast far too much. You nodded your head in a sort of acceptance, looking into his deep, chocolate eyes. 

You weren’t sure if he smelled the fear melt from your body, or if the acceptance was written on your face, but the creature pinned you to the altar with his claws, his hips pressing against your upper body. He wrapped his tail around your upper thigh, almost like a garter, but to your surprise, it wasn’t cold and slimy like you had anticipated. It was warm and the heat made your body seize with arousal. You slowly relaxed into the touch, humming softly. His body was hotter than any human should be, both sexually and temperature-wise. 

“Do you have a name?” You asked him softly, melting in his grasp. 

The book had just called him “The Powerful One”, but if he was going to call you names like “angel” and “baby witch”, you thought it only fair to have one to use for him. He looked at you curiously, cocking his head as he searched your expression. 

“I can’t share my name with you, pet,” he hummed. The noise sounded almost like that of an enormous lion, akin to a purr. He used his right hand to cup your face with intention, his claws scraping softly against the nape of your neck. “It allows those who know the demon too much power.”

“Oh…” You said shyly and a bit sadly. 

After a moment though, the thought fleeted from your mind. The demon’s name was flowing further and further from you as you rested comfortably into his soft, burning hand. You blushed as you wondered if the rest of his body was like his chest and hands. Would he leave your own heat burning with affection?

“Angel,” he crooned, stroking your cheek to bring you back to reality. “I have been alive a millennia. That allows one many, many names. Rex, Dominus Potens, Magnūs. They are of your choosing." His voice was gentle as he spoke to you, almost like he was a human man speaking to his girlfriend, rather than a creature that spent his life in the depths of hell. 

“King, Powerful Master, and The Great One?” You looked to the beast as the Latin translations sloppily rolled off your tongue. 

He nodded, a soft smirk painting his lips. You would’ve expected a sex demon to be much rougher and less kind with you, but his softness was like that of a giant teddy bear. The soft personality that was stored inside that monstrous body just made you even more hungry for him. You wished to grind yourself against his body with erotic moans, but you chose to gently stroke his abdomen that was at eye level with you. A happy noise grumbled its way up from the devil’s throat, encouraging you to continue your motion. 

“Dominus…” You said softly. 

The demon gave you a nod of approval, making you utter the word again. This time it fell more smoothly from your lips, and you pushed yourself up on your tiptoes against the altar, wanting to know this magical beast. You were much too short to reach his lips, so you settled for puckering your own and leaving a kiss against his soft breast. His body heat ignited your own and you pushed yourself into him, knowing he would catch you. 

You longed to kiss him, and the creature could sense the feeling from radiating from your body. He was much too tall to stoop and kiss you though, his horns scraping against the ceiling, so he opted to pick you up by the waist, settling you on his hip, almost like a small child. Once he was sure you were set comfortably, he didn’t give you a moment’s more to think before his lips were on yours. 

The beast’s kisses were just like his personality; smooth and subtle, but with an underlying tone of something much more…promiscuous. Even though he was less than human, his empathy was like a wonderful, respectful man. He seemed to understand how small and fragile you were compared to him and he took that into consideration as he kissed you, his muscles bulging as he held you. He kissed you in such a frenzy that you felt high off his love, desperate for your next fix. 

You whined, grinding yourself into his hip as a whine escaped your mouth. To this, the demon deepened the kiss, turning it into a full makeout. You felt his mouth curve into a smirk as you kissed him more fervently. His forked tongue was providing you with overwhelming pleasure as whimpers and gasps fell from your lips. 

Whoever this demon was, his mouth tasted absolutely sinful. You had the urge to just let him rail you until you were beyond fucked-out. Your arms were wrapped around his thick neck as you cried out, practically riding his thigh. The feeling of the fabric rubbing against your clit, as well as the wetness in your panties made the movement pleasurable and you could tell the creature felt the same way. He was nearly growling, loud, erotic rumbles that burst from his chest in monstrous cries. 

“Please,” You panted out. “Please, fuck me, magnūs.”

“Are you ready for dick already, baby witch? Am I that pleasurable?” he asked with a smirk. 

You blushed, knowing your horniness was so visible, but you couldn’t be bothered as the demon’s own seductive noises just made your folds even more wet. “Yes! I am!” You cried out, riding his thigh frantically, trying to get yourself off. 

The demon placed your back against the altar once more, one of his hands holding you in place and the other gripping you under the ass. “So, you want to know what it’s like to fuck a sex demon, angel?” he asked with a smirk, running his tongue over his pearly fangs. “Need to get off on my unholy cock? Do you think you’ll be able to take it all?”

You whined against him, eyes traveling to the tent in his pants you had seen earlier. It was only growing larger, flicking underneath his crude shorts in unison with his maroon tail. The demon snapped his fingers, and suddenly, he was completely naked. You could now completely see his cock, and a moan immediately left you. He was already leaking pre-cum, the deep red organ pulsing with arousal. You had the urge to immediately drop to your knees and suck him off, offering up worship as his cum poured down your throat. 

“Do you think you can take it, baby witch? Or should I go back to where I came from? Forget this little rendezvous ever happened.” he chuckled deeply. 

You knew you would have a hard time fitting more than the head of his cock in your mouth. He was as thick around as your bicep, and nearly as long as your lower leg. Even the monsterfucking porn you looked at and read sometimes hadn’t prepared you for him. The sight should’ve made you nervous about trying to fit him into your cunt, but it didn’t. You simply longed for him to insert himself into your heat, fucking you until you couldn’t take it anymore as you worshipped him. 

“You came looking for me because you’re a slut, pet,” the devil teased you. “You love the idea of being stuffed full of demon cock, don’t you?” 

It was like he was reading your mind, but then again, you were staring so blatantly at his dick, practically salivating. You began to grind your pussy against his chest as he held you, begging him to touch you in any way he possibly could. 

“I can smell that you’re wet for me, baby witch,” he teased, but a tone of love laced his voice. “Are you ready to be split open on my dick?”

You nodded so quickly your head almost fell off. “Do more than that. Ruin my cunt. I’ve waited years to be fucked on a monstrous cock like yours.” You said, fluttering your lashes. 

“Angels aren’t supposed to be filthy,” he hummed. “But if you desire, I’m happy to obey your wish.”

The demon unwrapped his tail from your leg and used it to slowly tickle and tease your wetness through your pants, before he suddenly snapped his fingers once more, leaving you completely naked as well. He continued to tease your pussy as he craned his neck, beginning to softly suckle on your nipples until they were standing tall. He looked into your eyes solemnly when he lifted his head, brown eyes filled with lust. 

“Do you understand what it means to be taken by me, pet?” he cocked his head. “You will never be rid of me after this night. I will be embedded in you forever.” 

“Don’t care,” You whined, shoving yourself into him. “Just need you to fuck me now, Dominius!” You cried, beginning to give his cock that was only growing larger with arousal a handjob, stroking the veiny dick up and down. 

“Oh angel, you’re such a slut,” he chuckled, sliding one hand to insert into your heat. “Dom’t even care about the effects fucking a demon will have on you.”

You whined, practically riding his fingers already, to which he offered teases of how wet you were for him. Your hands had fallen away from his dick at this point, so pleased by his fingers that you tangled your fingers in his soft, black curls. 

“Need you, Rex. Need your cock.” You whimpered, tears pricking your eyes at how sexually frustrated you were. 

“Such a needy baby witch, aren’t you?” he hummed. 

You nodded quickly, tugging on his curls slightly. You were so full of lust and arousal that you would’ve said yes or agreed to anything he asked. The demon added another finger to your hole, slowly sliding them in and out. He used his tail to alternate caressing your face and belly, humming softly. 

“You need preparation for my cock.” he told you softly, explaining in a sort of way why he hadn’t pushed you to the wall and fucked you senseless. 

You slid your hand back down to his shaft and ran your thumb over his head. His pre-cum was warm and wet, practically drenching your entire hand. You tentatively brought your hand to your face and licked it slowly and sensually, savoring the delicious, sinful taste of him. At this, your demon made a pleased noise, pumping your pussy faster. 

“You need more than that, pet,” the beast told you. “Should I fuck your mouth so you can drink it like a sinner drinking holy water?”

You nodded so quickly, eager for him to go through with his words. “Oh please, magnūs.” You whined. 

By this point, you were riding the demon’s fingers, enjoying the way his claws felt inside your sensitive, wet cunt. He wasn’t letting you get off that easy, though. Suddenly the creature pulled out and gazed at you with a playful grin. 

“You didn’t think I was letting you get away with cumming on my fingers and not on my dick, did you, baby witch?” he raised a brow, taunting and challenging you. “I’m going to fill you with so much demon cock that you won’t know how to think and you will cum more times that you can fucking count.” 

Your devil lifted you so that your pening was placed directly over his enormous length. You could feel your wetness dripping onto him, making the organ twitch with pleasure. He was so tall and big that you had to wrap your arms around his torso as he held you under the ass, claws digging into your plump flesh. 

“Are you ready for my monstrous cock, angel?” he asked you, spreading your legs wider and placing his tip against your tiny, tight hole. 

“Yes! Please, Dominus.” You cried out, rocking yourself against it. 

Any of the fear or hesitation you had felt earlier melted away as the demon began to insert only the head of his dick into you. Even with his fingering, it took quite a few moments for him to fit all the way inside. You gasped out in a mixture of pain and pleasure once he was fully inside. It was unlike anything you had felt before. The creature’s dick was stretching your pussy beyond its limits, making you dig your nails into his skin. 

“Shhh, take it like the filthy angel you are,” the demon cooed, thrusting deeper into you. “You wanted this, I know you can do it, baby witch.” he coached you. 

You rocked your hips around him, trying to accommodate his massiveness. The only things falling from your lips were senseless sounds and whimpers as your body got adjusted to the feeling. “Feels amazing.” You slurred out, intoxicated with the ecstasy of him. 

“Your poor little pussy is going to be absolutely wrecked, pet.” he chuckled, beginning to suck on your neck as he rode you. 

The devil kept inserting himself into you, moving just wonderfully so that you could feel his dick nearly rearranging your insides. You didn’t know how much of him was left for you to take. Your walls were aching with the effort of taking him, but your demon was making you feel so good. He had taken such great care of your body and made it his own. You stared into his lustful eyes as he came suddenly, the same tingling sensation as when you had tasted his pre-cum filling your insides. 

“Oh god,” You panted out. “Magnūs, please.” Your nails were wrecking his back as he held you, his tail tickling in between your thighs for even more pleasure in your sensitive area.  

“Your turn, baby witch,” he cooed. “Cum all over my demon cock.”

You immediately did as he said, releasing so fucking quickly. The walls of your cunt tightened around his length, making you cry out. Your climax made your demon moan out, fucking you harder. With one last thrust, he shoved the rest of his cock into you, making you scream out in pleasure. You were fuller than you’d ever been in your life, and it felt amazing. The devil made a few erotic groans himself, shoving your hips down onto his dick to get the right angle for fucking you mindless. 

You could feel his balls, bigger than any you’d ever seen, slapping against your ass, leaving the most wonderful stinging sensation. His tail slowly snuck to your slit, tickling your electric spot while pounded into you. 

“It has been so long since someone summoned me,” he whispered huskily into your ear. “Thank you, angel.”

Just as he said that, he unloaded into you, your pussy being flooded with his cum. This time was more than the last and you screamed with pleasure, digging your nails into your back. The whole scene was hot enough that you immediately came around him, your walls clenching. The triple orgasm was better than any other man or toy could provide you. As soon as you finished, you slumped against his abdomen, panting heavily. 

The demon chuckled, slowly sliding his cock out of you and sinking to the ground with his back against the wall, still holding you. His dick had softened and you were laying over it now, enjoying the warmth. He was much warmer than any human man was, and it was an enjoyable sensation. He stroked your back with his claws, giving you a wonderful massage, while his tail rubbed up and down your legs. 

“You did wonderfully, pet.” he praised you, a purr coming from his mouth. 

You blushed, going to snuggle into him but pushing when you felt yourself stopped against his chest. You slowly reached a hand up and touched your head with wonder. “I…I have horns!” You exclaimed. 

“Did you read the terms and conditions at all, baby witch?” he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. 

“No,” You admitted shyly. “You were just too sexy for me to care.”

Your demon laughed, kissing your forehead. “Don’t inflate my ego anymore than it already is, angel. But yes, there are certain terms and conditions. Your small, human body isn’t made to take a cock like mine, so my cum changes you to accommodate it. Look behind you.” he offered, giving your ass a smack. 

“I have a tail!” You said excitedly, stroking the new, pink addition to your body. 

The demon chuckled at how childlike with happiness you were. But he appeared a bit sad as he stroked your body up and down. “This isn’t permanent, angel. The summoning isn’t, so neither are the side effects.” he said, voice laced with sadness. 

“Wait…you mean I’m never going to see you again?” tears pricked at your eyes. 

You loved this demon with your whole heart and soul and you knew you were meant to be with him. That was the only explanation for everything that had happened this evening; the studying, the call to the book, the urge to summon this wonderful creature. 

“You can summon me whenever you like, pet. But the summoning only lasts an hour,” he smiled softly. “After that, I go back to the underworld and your body goes back to normal.”

“But what if I don’t want that?” You were beginning to cry. “I want to be with you. Please don’t leave.”

The demon petted your hair, kissing your face softly. “You’ll see me again, angel. Summon me whenever you like.”

You craned your neck and began to kiss him fervently, not wanting him to leave you. “Please, I need you.” You moaned. 

“Haven’t had your fill of me?” he chuckled, beginning to makeout with you. 

You continued to kiss, enjoying your new features, until the hour was up. You said goodbye to your demon, kissing his lips softly and promising to summon him again as soon as possible. But just as he was dissolving into the same purple smoke, he looked at you solemnly before speaking. 

“Calum. That’s my name, baby witch. Call me Calum.”

“Goodbye, Calum.” You whispered as he disappeared. 

Your tail and horns disappeared with your lover, leaving you fully clothed in the empty, stone room, just like before. You clutched your hands to heart, promising yourself that you would summon Calum again as soon as possible. 

✯ One Year Later ✯

You excitedly stood in your apartment, the same book from last year clutched tightly in your arms. This was the final time you would ever summon Calum for an hour. You both loved the wild, sexual nights, but you missed your demon during the day. You two had spent the last year practicing magic, with Calum’s getting just strong enough for him to pass as human for just under a year. He would be able to be his true form at home with you, but he had gotten so skilled that he would now be able to pass as your human boyfriend to your friends and family. 

You chanted the spell just like that Halloween last year, but this time, you used your demon’s real name when you called upon him–Calum Hood. The same purple smoke appeared just like all those times before, but when the fog dissipated, a “human” man stood in front of you. Calum was about 6’2”, with those kind brown eyes that you loved so dearly. He still had his luscious curls and beautiful tattoos, but the horns, claws, and tail were gone for now. 

He immediately swept you off your feet, spinning you around. “I missed you, baby witch.” he hummed, running a finger over your same pentagram tattoo. 

“I missed you more, Cal.” You sniffled, on the verge of tears as you realized you would get to see Calum every day now. 

You knew in your heart that Calum was still of the underworld, and that was what you loved about him, but you were ready for a new start. To be able to show off the soul you loved oh-so-dearly to the world. He would still have to go back to the underworld every now and then, but you were so happy you didn’t care. 

“Don’t forget that I’ll always be your demon.” he smirked as you buried your face in his neck, breathing in that same, sinful scent of cigarettes and cherries.    

[delimeful]

carry them home (7)

warnings: illness, arguing, mentioned unwilling disordered eating, stressful situations, threats

-

It was good that Vee was so light, because Janus found himself carrying the changeling all the way back.

At first, he’d thought that perhaps the episode was less severe, since it hadn’t involved the gut-wrenching shrieks that he’d witnessed before, but the theory had fallen flat as the minutes dragged on. Back then, Vee had at least been coherent, talking and standing on his own shortly after the vision had run its course.

Whatever Vee was Seeing this time, it was taking far more out of him.

By the time Janus returned to the campsite, the soothsayer had fallen into a dazed, unresponsive state, staring right through Janus with that strange oil-spill substance still spilling from his eyes.

The other children didn’t react well.

“Put him down this instant!” Ro commanded furiously, the air warping with the force of the heat he was emitting.

Apparently, Vee hadn’t even deigned to inform them of his plan before gallivanting off with their pet hostage. Janus wished he had enough time to be properly annoyed about that little detail, but he sincerely doubted that they’d truly lost the Iron Guard. They could be relentless when they knew they’d caught the scent of a fae, and there were more ways than one to track quarry.

Especially when that quarry kept dripping an easily-followed trail of black ichor.

“The Guard is coming,” he replied, crouching low enough that he could convince his oath that he’d moved Vee down, and thus technically followed the order. “We have to move, or we’ll all be caught. Can Logan walk?”

“Wow! That’s awfully convenient,” Remus chimed in as he advanced, smiling with far too many teeth. “Lemme guess, you’ve got a place for us to head, too? Too bad you brought back our soothsayer all dazed and confused so he can’t check and see if it’s a trap or not.”

Janus resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. The two of them may have looked extremely similar, but they wore their anger in very different ways. Very inconvenient ways, since it would make it that much harder to convince the both of them with words alone. Patton wasn’t even present, probably busy watching over Logan if his condition really was as bad as Vee’s vision had foretold.

“What did you do to him?” Ro half-shouted, staring at Vee with blatant horror. His fists were clenching and unclenching at his sides, but he didn’t get closer, didn’t try to touch Vee or snap him out of his distant-eyed state. Was he afraid to get too close to Janus, or just to anyone?

“He took me to the town to get medicine,” Janus explained shortly, attempting for a moment to tug one of the packets from Vee’s grip to no avail. “We ran into a Guardsman on the way out, and Vee had an episode right in front of him, so they’re no doubt in pursuit. I am under oath to be honest about movements of the Iron Guard and other dangers to you all, and even more vitally, I will face the same danger as you if I’m caught aiding a gaggle of especially undersized fair folk, so can we move past the suspicion in time to make it out of this alive, please.”

Ro was bristling, sparks spiraling off of his skin, but Remus had stalked close enough to squash Vee’s face between his hands, and whatever he noticed there seemed to convince him of something.

“Specs can’t walk,” he said bluntly, ignoring the startled-offended crackle from Ro. “Lean forward, and I’ll take you to him.”

Ro was the one holding the blood oath’s leash, but Janus didn’t have any interest in forcing their hands. He bowed his head and leaned in, ignoring every shrieking instinct that told him to duck away as small, dusty hands planted themselves on either side of his forehead, fingers pressing against his temples firmly enough to make his skull ache.

The discomfort was almost enough to obscure the prickling sensation of something small and gritty being smeared against his skin. He jerked back slightly, and Remus released him, smiling that shark grin again.

“If you betray us, I’ll push a bunch of spores into your brain matter and grow zombie mushrooms out of your skeleton while you’re still alive,” he informed Janus, looking all too thrilled at the prospect.

Janus stared at the kid for a moment, trying and failing to find the appropriate emotional response to this information. “Wonderful. So be it. Are you satisfied? Can we escape a horrible, painful fate now, or would you like to sit here and add more restraints to the only human helping you on this entire continent?”

Remus cackled a little, something unrepentant and near-manic in his gaze. “Someone’s feeling bitchy!”

Janus couldn’t help the face he pulled at that, but neither twin reprimanded him for it, or for rising back to his feet with Vee still safely in his arms.

The sparse camp was already packed up, and they ducked further into the thick brush until a small, thorn-protected space amidst the trees revealed itself.

“Guys! You’re okay!” Patton was inside, and even his clear relief at seeing Vee and the twins unharmed couldn’t hide the way worry still hid in the wrinkles of his forehead.

At his side, Logan lay on his back, wings spread out on either side of him, his breathing heavy and strained. There was the damp shine of sweat on his skin, a raspy quality to each exhale, and despite the rustle of their arrival, he didn’t even twitch. He was in no state to go anywhere.

Janus swore mentally, and knelt to try and set Vee down on his feet, praying that the kid at least had the presence of mind to stay upright.

Vee kept his feet for about ten seconds after Janus let go, and then he was wavering to one side and his legs were crumpling beneath him, and Janus hissed out a swear as he caught the kid’s bony shoulders before he could topple completely.

“Language!” Patton said, but it was half hearted at best, and not a direct command anyhow, so Janus didn’t pay the comment any attention.

He glanced over the lot of them, and knew that there was no way any of the three would be able to haul even one of the two unconscious members without being slowed down far too much.

“Are you going to say we should leave one of them behind?” Remus asked, neck cracking uncannily as he tilted his head at a discomfiting angle. He hadn’t stopped staring at Janus with wide eyes and rigid posture, like a hunting dog straining at the end of a leash. “Are you going to try and make us choose?”

“If you would stop putting words with horrifying implications in my mouth, I would appreciate it oh-so much,” Janus replied, sharper than he should have. He inhaled, closing his eyes briefly, and then shed his coat and wrapped it loosely around Vee’s shoulders. “Help me get him onto my back.”

Remus narrowed his eyes slightly without losing the smile, like he was thinking of refusing just to be contrary, and it was Patton who stepped forward and took Vee’s weight while Janus turned around and crouched.

With a little maneuvering, they managed to get Vee propped up on Janus’s back, and he tied the arms and ends of his coat around his front, creating a sort of makeshift sling. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but Vee remained solidly in place even when Janus took a few testing steps and turns, so it would have to be good enough.

“Alright, pick up whatever you’re not leaving behind,” he instructed, and carefully slid a shoulder under Logan’s shoulders, pushing him up into a sitting position so he could carefully fold his wing closed.

Patton, who apparently traveled light, hovered anxiously for a moment before ducking forward to mirror the action on Logan’s other side. “You’ll be careful with him, right? He may be birdlike, but that doesn’t mean he’s untweetable, okay? We won’t give up, right?”

“I certainly wouldn’t be going to all this trouble if I meant to give up,” Janus told him, keeping his voice as soft as he could manage in the face of the kid’s obvious distress. “Vee got the medicine for him. All we need is a safe place to administer it, and the quicker we move, the faster we can make that happen.”

Patton nodded, those strange square pupils locked on his friend’s limp form. “Okay. Okay, got it.”

Logan’s expression pinched slightly as Janus wrapped an arm under his shoulders and wings, with the other looping around his knees, but he didn’t wake from the jostling. Probably for the best, seeing as Janus wasn’t the most reassuring face for him to see at the moment.

Janus braced as he moved to stand, only to find that Logan was startlingly light for his size. Hollow bones, possibly? He breathed a quiet sigh of relief as he hefted the kid fully into his arms, the task ahead feeling slightly less daunting.

There was a foreboding weakness in his arms, the result of too many skipped meals, but tucking Logan closer to his chest took some of the strain off, and Janus forced his mind away from it. No use in dwelling when there was nothing to be done.

“We’ve got to go. The town was south, so our heading should be any direction other than that. I’d advise sticking close to— no, wait, running water. I’d advise we head away from the river as well, so we don’t get pinned. Other than that, stealth is our best advantage.” He turned to face the three kids that were still on their feet. “Does anyone know how to cover tracks?”

A moment of silence, and then Ro hesitantly held up a flickering hand. “I could start a fire?”

Janus considered it, despite Patton’s unhappy expression at the idea. “Too risky. A single wrong turn, and we’d be in just as much danger.”

That, and he doubted Ro had the control necessary to keep the fire spreading into something catastrophic. The less people they had out for their blood, the better.

“It’s alright,” he said instead. “As long as we move fast and keep moving, it won’t matter if they can find our trail. I imagine Logan will be able to cast something to disguise it once he’s recovered.”

There were the right words. A little of their unease faded, and Janus turned and started off.

“Hey, wait!” Ro called, and Remus appeared at his side between one blink and the next. “Where are we going?”

“Away,” Janus emphasized, and then nodded at the forest ahead. “I can barely see past Logan, let alone pull out or read a map. I’ve given you all my advice, you’re the ones who should lead.”

He tried not to think about what the spores along his temples might do if the Guard caught them, if it seemed for even a moment that he’d betrayed them. No use dwelling, no use dwelling.

Remus was still watching him like a puzzle that needed to be figured out, but Ro had brightened at being put in charge of a task, and Janus followed in his heated-air wake, trying to keep his focus on the here and now.

Logan shifted slightly in his arms, turning his face against Janus’s torso as though attempting to hide from the sunlight. He made a small, raspy chirping sound before settling again, feathery ears at a less harsh angle than before.

He’d outmaneuvered the Guard before, and that was with only his life on the line. With his current burden, there was no other acceptable option than to repeat the feat.

No matter the cost.

[gothluke]

i 🩷 ashton

[ofmermaidstories]

Hiii! So first off, this is my first time interacting with you at all, except for leaving kudos on literally every single one of your fics on Ao3 lol. I don't really ever comment, but I adore you're writing and I think ever single one of your stories is amazing.

But the real 'ask' is this-

I've been recording myself reading 'Surrender' so that I have my own audiobook version of it to listen to whenever I want. I'm a big audiobook person because I do slightly mindless work for my 9 to 5, and because I love that story so much I want to have it at my fingertips. I would love to share it, eventually, so I wondered if you would mind me 'podfic'-ing it. I would of course credit you, I could even do the link-feature thingy on ao3 if you'd like. And I start it off by saying 'Surrender, Whenever You're Ready, By ofmermaids' so you're definitely mentioned in the audio, too.

Anyway, just wanted to ask! Excited to read the Deku fic conclusion. whenever you get it finished. And honestly, i'm subscribed to get a notification whenever you post ANYTHING new on ao3, and I always jump straight on it because I legitimately love your work that much.

chthonian—i recognise the username. 🥺 hello!! hi!!! i’m gonna be honest, i got so excited when i saw your name and read your ask that i dropped my phone LOL. last night i dreamt i smashed it so this was CONCERNING but it’s okay the phone is fine—yes!! 1000 times yes!!! a podfic??? those take HOURS. 😭 all that hard work and editing—of course, yes!!! it would be lovely to hear your cadence over it. 🥺 surreal!!! sometimes i make microsoft word read back whatever im currently writing, just to sort of listen to how it’s going and even that, with its robotic little voice is a thrill. i can’t imagine hearing a fic like surrender in a real voice, with real emotion. i would be absolutely honoured—and floored—if you wanted to share all your hard work. 🥺😭💕 i will be the no. 1 listener!!!! your voice can come for car drives with me. 😌 i’d love it, too, if we linked both fics—just so they’re paired together, like sisters. 🥹 oh my gosh. cthonian! i know that you are making this for yourself—but it feels like such a gift. thank-you for saying hello. 🥺 thank-you for being here. 🌷🌾 i will work as hard as i can on the deku fic—and on everything that gets posted to ao3. 💕

[moriche]

Drew this one in 2022 and I'm still incredibly happy with how the lighting ended up. Veryn in the Imperial Prison at the start of my Morrowind fic.

The Imperial Prison ran deep, all the way down to the old Ayleid ruins below the City. His cell was below the lake, damp and cold even in summer. The lack of daylight ensured that Veryn was unsure how long he slept, but his exhaustion told him it was never enough. He tossed and turned, often waking himself up when he tried to move around and instead feeling the iron manacles dig into his wrists. They allowed his hands no more than a foot of slack, and had Daedric runes carved on the rim: an enchantment to cut him off from any magicka. Almost everyone could cast a few spells, but to Veryn, doing magic used to be as natural as breathing. From Fear in a Handful of Dust, Chapter 1

Digital, Adobe Photoshop, Wacom Bamboo CTH-470, 2665x1808 px; 2022

[muniimyg]

just read the tags on your last ask and caught something interesting 😭

how does your therapist feel about your fanfics only if you are comfortable sharing that or you can ignore this ask!

Asking cause I used to write fanfics when I was like 15-19 years and I’m not that old (I’m 23 now😭🔫) yet but yeah have lost touch with my that side and considered telling my therapist about this..

anyway thank you and I love your fics!!

tw: anxiety & depression

she hasn’t read them or anything LOL but we jus talked abt how i use writing fanfics to help me process what i’m going thru as well as mapping out different perspectives… we’ve never discussed it in detail but she thinks it’s a healthy hobby for me. to be fair, she knows i’m delusional and aspire to marry yoongi so 😀

anyways..

because of the relationships i’ve grown up around,, i struggled a lot with communicating and dependency. also think that because of my anxiety and depression,, i’ve always found art in different mediums to be a great way to express and cope with the trauma or triggers i have. writing, as cliché as it sounds, has always been the greatest form of escape for me. it’s ironic cos as much as i use it to escape, i’ve also never been more found when i write 😍🤞🏽

also,, i’ve been writing fanfics for a while (but i only got decent at it now) since i was 12 actually…

on quotev,,, harry styles ofc…

then on wattpad for 5sos… i wrote a fanfic called 50 reasons why i won’t go out with you and my username was like cth-bluez or smt LOL

i stopped writing from 2016-2021 and then picked it up again when i got into bts and it was covid times! (my writing was HORRIBLE btw…) so its been 4ish years back in it and it’s been……. funny

we’re the same age btw! so we’ve lived the same amount of years and therefore i don’t have much to say about it.. except for the fact that i understand and see you. regardless if it’s burnout or not having enough time; writing is hard. getting back into it is hard !!! so to me,, to even think about writing again,,, is enough and i can’t wait for whatever stories you have to share with the world 🌟

not to be all sentimental but HAHAA i think my writing speaks for itself in terms of passion and growth. i’ve stressed abt updates, i’ve hated my own characters, i’ve had sleepless nights for writing concepts that got like 13 notes … i’ve had seasons of silence where it felt like i was jus writing to an empty crowd (which i truly was),,, but things change and before you know it you have strangers asking you about your writing journey 😹 don’t get me wrong,, there are definitely things that i’ve posted and absolutely hate atm,, and there are things that i think are my pride and joy… but that’s jus what it is. writing and its complexity of being everything and nothing to you all at once 🫶🏻

i think you should tell your therapist abt it! sometimes it’s nice to speak about the things we love(d) and lost in the past. you never know.. maybe it’s time to begin again :) yk what they sayyyyyyy

do it scared, do it tired, do it broke, do it alone, do it unsure, but do it anyway and then do it again

[malum-af-cth]

rebrand

i don't know if anyone even follows me anymore & i have remained a bystander on here for the longest time. I have come to learn that i can't just sit here and serial like the stories of my favorite writers anymore. it doesn't help them promote their hard work or help others delight in their art.

i use to write every now & then. i have so many unfinished wip that i still don't know how to finish & i do still like writing sometimes, i just do not have the discipline for that outlet rn. i think i love reading a little more than i like writing so i am going to use that as an outlet here. I am going to run my page like i am curating reading lists for friends.

with that being said, as i rebrand feel free to reach out & ask about fic recs, writers or even mood boards. i am excited to see what i come up with here. if you are reading this I hope you are having a good day & i do extend a forehead kiss for your taking. (only if you would like one though)

😘

ps. i might change my name so stay tuned for that.

currently: @malum-af-cth

[jmrothwell]

The WIP Tag Game

Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it.

Thanks @sarah-sandwich for tagging me, my WIP files have significantly grown since the last time I did this. 

Abandoned - Ray POV

Abandoning for now

meh

SIWNIYE Ch 7

3 Sentence Prompts

first sentence: Jan 20

(Kissed You) Good Night

WYitW Ch 7

WYitW Somewhere Else in the Story

CtH Why Can’t I share this!!

HBaM Here With You

CGY(OomM) Elsewhere in Story/Timeline

10th Kingdom Reggie/Carrie

FLarrie Ask me properly

Pacific Rim Headcanons

The Host AU

Unnamed Rulie Fake Marriage Fic (this is actually a whole folder)

Going to tag(no pressure to do it): @daintyduck99, @bananakarenina, @bbreaddog, @caswellseyes @ginervacade and anyone who feels so inclined

[sebchalex]

What is cth? If you don't mind!

it's a tag I used to track reference pics/gifs/articles for a WIP! the title is "Closer to Home", so that's why I abbreviated it as such :) it's about Seb's journey with racing and relationships, from Kimi, Jense, Mark, to Charles -- basically a coming of age fic. it's at 5k already but it's a research-extensive fic so I haven't gotten around to writing it again LOL

[dazedbymalum]

Monster Among Men - 06

ya girl is tired i’ll add it to my masterlist tomorrow, but i think y’all deserve this for getting me 21 likes on chapter 5!! love you guysss

word count: 1,053

~

Calum

We get our coffee and I watch Harlow, studying her movements. She takes a sip of her drink and then diverts her eyes back up to mine, then she quickly shifts her gaze and looks down at the table again. She can't look at me in the eyes, I've noticed that, whenever she does it doesn't last long. Interesting.

"W-who are you then? I told you about me." She asks me quietly. Little does she know. I kinda only asked her because I need to see what I'm getting myself into. I'm pretty sure she's a virgin...which is difficult to believe considering she's 20 fucking years old.

Fucking her would be doing her a favor. No friends or family either, and her one friend apparently lives extremely far away, which means it's unlikely I'll have some random ass crazy bitch coming for me once I fuck her. And no alcohol? She's probably waiting until she turns 21, how innocent.

I take one more sip of my coffee. "Okay babe, well I'm 22, I work at a bar in town, obviously I'm not from around here...moved here from Aus when I was a kid, uh I have some friends, some fuck-buddies, some party people. I like to party and get drunk. And uh I like to sleep and get more ink too." I shrug at my response to her question, her eyes widen a bit and I laugh.

"Is that too much for you to take in baby? I'm a bit of a handful...if you know what I mean." I give her a wink accompanied by a big smirk.

"My name...my name is Harlow, Calum...I don't like these nicknames." She says quietly, obviously uncomfortable. I instantly feel a pang if guilt? What the fuck? Why do I feel bad?

I watch her intently. "How come your hair is in braids and how come you're wearing that big ass hoodie? I've wondered this since yesterday, it's a bit hot and you're hair looks like it's so long and shit, most chicks like it down."

She lets out a huff, noticing I avoided her statement about the pet names. "My hair is long and gets in my way, and I wear this because I can Calum, I don't like what I look like, so I will wear this everyday until I like the way I look."

"Why don't you like the way you look? You're fucking hot." I tell her and feel a tent forming in my jeans. I just want to fuck her so bad, oh my fuck, I can only imagine her on her hands and knees while I'm bent over her pretty ass. Fuck that'd be a sight.

She looks at me "No, I am not. Lynn says that too, I am average. If I were so "hot" then I'd possibly have more friends and a boyfriend, but no. I have Lynn all the way in Australia and a rude boy taking me to coffee for some odd reason." Her cheeks are red and she takes a deep breath.

"Your friend lives in Aus? That's cool." I get a sudden interest in this Lynn girl, I haven't been back to Australia in months.

"Yeah..." Harlow mumbles quietly.

"And I'd apologize for being uh "rude" but that's just how I am I guess, try not to take it into offense sometimes." I shrug and watch her frown.

"It's not hard to be kind."

I roll my eyes at her statement. People don't deserve kindness, people are shit. I am shit. Kindness is a waste of time.

"You're right, but people don't deserve it. You can be kind all you want, but everyone will eventually fuck you over, so I don't waste my time."

She scoffs "Why do you curse so much?"

"Why don't you babe?" I smirk

"Harlow." She corrects me, "because that's rude and disrespectful, there are much nicer things to say, and I can curse, I just prefer not to."

"Well that's no fun, Harlow." I emphasize my use of her name, causing her to giggle.

"Who ever said I was fun?"

"I dunno, I could help you with that, I assure you. We would have so much fun." I grin.

I watch as she rolls her eyes "No thank you."

"You can't avoid me now love, I know where your apartment is." I laugh at her and she sighs "please don't bother me."

"I'm not a bother...most of the time." I watch as she furrows her eyebrows at my statement.

"Right."

...

"Well, um thank you for taking me to coffee...it was...nice?" Harlow stutters as we stand in front of her door.

"It's no problem, I'll text you, maybe we can do something again or some shit." I shrug, thank god I got her number, she's gonna be putty in my hands in no time.

"Oh yeah...sure, um I'll see you around Calum." She mumbles quietly with a smile and I nod "See ya."

I go back to the elevator, my apartment is the floor above her, still crazy to me she's been here this whole time.

I wish she wasn't so fucking uptight though, if she were more chill I'd have gotten a fuck tonight, but I guess I'll have to take care of this problem, she caused, by myself.

As soon as I get to my place I get in the shower. She's made me so fucking hard today, it's honestly kinda embarrassing that I've gotta jerk myself off when I could be buried up in her. Fuck, I bet she's so warm and tight.

So fucking innocent, she's got those big green eyes and her hair, fuck her hair is so long, so easy to tug on. And don't get me started on her ass, oh my god, I can't believe she doesn't like the way she looks. I would fuck her the second I got a chance. Her smart mouth is in need of punishment, ugh so sassy and fucking feisty.

Within minutes I'm coming in my hand, small grunts and groans escaping my lips as I think of her. I hope she thinks of me like this, fuck I wonder if she gets herself off? I wonder if she even knows how to? Oh fuck I'd love to show her, that would be a sight.

[ughkat]

focus on me | l.r.h

part one

tutor!luke au

your college professor assigns you to an unexpected tutor for your music class. ❥

overall story cw: smut, fluff, tutor x student

wordcount : 1131

-

Soft rock played through my headphone's as I took in the unfamiliar sights around me. It was my second week at my dream college in Los Angeles, but I had yet to make myself at home. I swiftly guided my way down sidewalks with my head down, and towards a building labeled "Music" and "Theater", the building containing my next subject.

My school counselor aided me to join a special elective or extracurricular for more credits, my options being an extra math class, or a music class. I went with what I thought was the easiest choice, choosing to not subject myself to extra math. Not that I had anymore interest in playing an instrument.

Within seconds of entering my class, my professor quietly beckoned me. I let out a heavy sigh, knowing he was going to mention my work ethic in his class.

"How's your morning going?" He spoke respectfully, not looking at me while he sipped a coffee. I took a seat at a small stool beside his desk.

"Fine." I smiled with a nod.

"I've noticed you're struggling a bit in here. Have you been practicing out of class?" He questioned.

"Uhm. A little, here and there. I get busy with my other classes." I tried my best to create an excuse for my lack of passion for guitar. My professor let out a quiet "Hm." before turning his chair towards me.

"A past student of mine is a tutor, every fall he comes back down here to help out my students." he began, "I think you would benefit greatly from his knowledge." I mentally rolled my eyes at the thought of someone tutoring me about something I had no drive to expand my knowledge on.

"I think I'll be okay." I spoke kindly. My professor let out a small chuckle.

"Y/n, I wasn't so much asking you as I was informing you." He spoke slowly. "You will continue losing credits if you keep up the work you're doing." I looked at him with frustration.

"So I have no choice?" I sighed.

"I'm sorry, I just want you to succeed, and

Luke is an amazing tutor." I stood up from the chair at took my assigned seat, dwelling on the idea of being taught guitar by a stranger for the rest of class.

"Y/n!" I heard a cheerful shout ahead of me.

I looked up from the floor as I exited the music building, and was met with the face of my best friend, Leah.

"Hey." I spoke flatly. Leah frowned.

"What's the matter with you?" We continued our way towards the courtyard for lunch, dodging the rush of students in our path.

"I have to have a tutor for my stupid guitar class." I began, "I don't even wanna be in that class."

"Have you met the tutor yet? Maybe it'll be fun?" Leah spoke with optimism.

"Not yet. He used to go here though, his name's Luke, I guess." I muttered. Leah stopped in her tracks, turning to me slowly.

"Luke what?" She questioned. I shrugged, confused to why his last name was so important to her.

"I don't know, I didn't ask." I mumbled.

"Find out and let me know." I raised an eyebrow at my friends eagerness as we arrived to the courtyard.

2:00

I swiftly finished my day, my music and sketchbooks helping the minutes pass. As I made my way towards my dorm, I had accidentally brushed shoulders with a faceless figure. Before I could see their face, they were paces behind me. He was tall, really tall. His hair had a slight sandy blond curl to it, and he walked with grace, but with a purpose.

Thinking nothing of it, I continued to my dorm.

I tossed my black tote bag onto my bed, myself following shortly after. I let out a sigh as I bent down to unlace my converse, kicking them off of my tired feet.

The burdening thought of my mystery tutor ached my head, I began to feel my mood slowly decline. Why should I have to put effort into something I have genuinely no interest in? And why is it my fault when I do bad in that subject? I reached for my phone and saw a text from Leah.

"Can I come to your room? I'm boreddd."

I giggled at the message before giving her a yes, beginning to tidy up the small space.

My roommate mysteriously disappeared after the first three days of school—by disappearing I mean she dropped out, and none of us are really allowed to talk about it—, leaving me with the dorm to myself. I thought I would appreciate the alone time, but I find myself wishing I had more company. I did my best to decorate the dull room with posters and plants, and some decorations from home.

Three simple knocks landed in my door, I sat up from my seat to let my friend in.

"Can you please elaborate why you need to know my tutor so desperately?" I laughed as we took our seats on my bed.

"It's so dumb, honestly." She began, shaking her head with a giggle, "I guess there was a boy in one of the music classes last year named Luke, and everyone I know says he's like, outrageously hot or something." She explained. I raised my eyebrow and laughed.

"Well, he can't be the only Luke in this school. It's probably not the same kid." I shrugged.

"Hopefully it is. I've heard every girl who tried to ask him out got rejected." Leah dramatically widened her eyes.

"Whatever." I giggled.

We spent the after noon and early evening gossiping about professors, new students, and my mystery tutor.

5:30

After Leah's departure, I stared blankly at the guitar in its case across the room from me. I huffed before getting up and grabbing it from its enclosure, taking my seat again.

I plucked cluelessly, unsure of where to even begin. I placed my fingers to where I thought I remembered was a C chord, and hesitantly strummed down. The guitar emitted a strenuous tune, causing my face to scrunch. I tried once more, readjusting my fingers and strumming again.

"Ugh!" I groaned, shoving the guitar to the side of me. I was aware of my own impatience, but was too prideful to admit that it was my own lack of motivation to practice that was causing it to sound bad, and not the guitar itself. I began to think to myself, maybe a tutor wouldn't hurt? The faster I get help with the tutor and do the bare minimum, the faster I can leave the class.

I laid on my back in my bed, soaking in my own boredom.

[ahoodgirl]

ahoodgirl's upcoming fics

So I have two Cal fics that are in the works and hopefully I can post them both before the end of the year, but I'll do my best.

1. the soccer stars' associate {soccerstar!cal} — this is something that I really got into about a month & ½ ago; it's basically just smut, but like helping Calum with his soccer contracts and getting seriously close.

2. teen pregnancy, he's yours; 4yrs later pt. ii {dad!cal / boxer!cal} — this is part 2 of my teen pregnancy fic with Calum. He picks up boxing on the side to help with the pregnancy and for the baby.

These are my two main fics that I am working on at the moment. Please let me know if you want to know anything else about these, and if you want to read a little bit of one.

[delimeful]

carry them home (6)

warnings: illness mention, tension/fear, panic, mentions of antiquated medical methods, blood and injury

-

The illness hit Logan hard and fast, not that Janus was allowed to witness it.

He’d been immediately ordered in no uncertain terms to stay far away from their normally unflappable leader in his compromised state, the result of Vee’s paranoia rearing its head at precisely the most inconvenient time.

For some reason, the forced distance grated on him as it hadn’t before. Perhaps it was the uselessness. Like this, he was absolutely no help at all. And sure, he was no healer, but he knew a thing or two about being sick.

In the early hours of the next morning, Vee approached him with fresh trails of ink-black dripping from his eyes, and told him they were going to the nearest town.

“If you try anything, I’ll kill you,” Vee said, and it wasn’t a threat, but a simple fact.

Janus didn’t ask what he had Seen. He didn’t need to.

Vee was driven by fear. There were only a few things that would frighten him more than walking into an unknown town with an untrustworthy human, alone.

He pushed himself to his feet, and held himself carefully still as Vee ducked behind him and sliced through the rope around his wrists. The changeling scurried back the moment the rope fell away, as though Janus was a wild animal he was trying not to corner. Or vice versa.

Janus stretched his shoulders out in big, slow motions, and then twitched a hand out to tug the hood of Vee’s cloak up over the kid’s head, ignoring the startled snarl it earned him.

“I can get you what you need,” Janus told him. “If you can deign to follow my lead while we’re there.”

Vee’s lip curled, displaying a sharp fang, but he didn’t argue. “Then let’s go.”

By the time they reached the outskirts of town, any remaining bravado had faded from the set of the kid’s shoulders, leaving behind barely-concealed terror. If they walked into town like this, even the slowest farmhand would notice the strangeness of it.

“Kid,” Janus said, lowering himself into a squat to meet Vee’s eyes under the hood. “You need to calm down.”

“Shut up,” Vee snapped, “you don’t know what I know. If you could– could see, you’d be scared, too.”

His breathing was getting faster, now. Janus managed half a syllable before the oath sent a bundle of warning shocks down his spine. Right, he’d been so politely instructed to shut up. So much for talking it out.

He reached out and grabbed Vee’s hand instead, holding on through the reflexive jerk away, and started tapping a simple rhythm on his knuckles. With each repetition, he inhaled and exhaled deeply, setting the example for the kid to follow.

It took a few moments– Janus was glad they hadn’t left the treeline yet– but eventually, Vee regained his senses. He had enough coherency to snatch his hand back, at least.

“We don’t have time for this,” he said, sounding more frustrated with himself than Janus. “Are you ready to do this, or not?”

Still rendered voiceless, Janus blinked pointedly at the kid until he realized.

“... You can talk again,” Vee told him, with more reluctance than Janus personally felt the instruction warranted.

“Very gracious of you,” he replied, levering himself back up to standing. That fit seemed to have wiped out some of the kid’s nervous energy, at least. “You’ll need to hold my hand.”

“What?” Vee asked, as though Janus had just instructed him to fill his pants with toads.

“My hand,” Janus repeated with all the patience he could summon, scanning the road into town for activity. “Most human children your size seek physical reassurance when afraid. You’ll seem shy, instead of seeming suspicious.”

There was a long moment as Vee processed the explanation, his disbelief slowly turning to resignation. “Fine.”

He stuck a hand out as though he was about to get it chopped off, and Janus considered for a moment before reaching over and arranging his fingers so that they were wrapped around his wrist, instead.

“I have delicate hand bones,” Janus informed him primly. “My wrists aren’t much better, so do try not to crush them into dust.”

The grip placed sharp nails right over his pulse point, the artery in easy severing range, and the angle meant that he couldn’t grab Vee back or hold him in place. The kid stared at him for a moment longer before looking away, hood tilting towards the road.

“Fine. Let’s go already.”

Figuring that was probably as good as it was going to get, Janus dusted himself off and led the way into town.

–

Though he probably didn’t intend to, Vee played an excellent shy younger sibling.

The cloak earned them quite a few second glances, but between Janus’s friendly sheepish smiles and the way Vee kept drifting closer to partially hide behind him, they slipped through most of the early morning market without drawing too much notice.

Vee’s grip on Janus’s wrist was crushing, the strength of it fluctuating depending on how many people were within striking range, but despite the way his bones ground together, nothing had actually snapped yet, so he continued on without faltering.

The apothecary’s shop was small but well-stocked, and Janus could already see that they’d find what they needed with relative ease. There were a few custom remedies in stock, but without knowing the skill of the brewer, they were better off with the basics: coriander to reduce fever, mint balm for stomach sickness, and comfrey for the lungs.

He scooted a morbidly-entranced Vee past the shelf with all the jars. They’d pass on the leeches.

The apothecary looked them over speculatively, and Janus offered him a smile, ignoring the way Vee’s nails were digging into his skin. “G’morning, sir.”

“I certainly hope so,” the man replied, pulling the bundles over to inspect what Janus had picked out. “One of you sick?”

Janus really hoped Vee wasn’t trembling visibly. He didn’t glance over to check.

“No sir, it’s for our father.” Janus let his smile falter just a bit. “Ma didn’t want to leave him, so she sent me to get some herbs. He’ll be right as rain, soon!”

The apothecary grunted, and then looked over at Vee. “And that one?”

Vee froze, and Janus prayed his eyes were hidden well enough by his cloak’s shadow as he reached over with his free hand to ruffle the kid’s hair through the hood. “The baby of the family. My ma didn’t want him to be alone but can’t spare an extra eye for him. He’s a bit shy, please don’t mind it.”

Vee shrugged the hand off with all the petulance of an offended kid, which was exactly what he was, so long as one didn’t count the inhuman prick of claws Janus’s wrist was currently receiving.

“Mm,” the man replied, and didn’t seem any more perturbed than before. “That’ll be seven silver.”

Janus contemplated trying to barter, because that left him with nothing but two coins and a deeply suspicious ruby-studded ring in his coinpurse, but in the end simply handed the money over.

It wasn’t like Vee would allow for any detours to pick up anything else, anyhow. No point in clinging to it.

Their goods were wrapped in simple brown paper and slid back over to them, and Janus felt the way Vee’s hand twitched against his arm.

“You want to help carry them?” he asked, using his most patronizing speaking-to-a-child voice for added effect.

Vee’s scowl was a tangible presence in the air, but he nodded and accepted the bundles from Janus with extreme care anyhow.

Janus led the way out of the shop, and picked a path through the mid-morning crowd at a leisurely rate, peering at the stalls closest as they passed like any other patron.

Predictably, Virgil’s posture grew more agitated the longer the act stretched, and within moments, he was overtaking Janus and practically tugging him along as he attempted to hasten their departure. Janus resisted the urge to grit his teeth, offering an eye roll to any wandering eyes that caught on their hurried movement.

“Slow down,” he instructed under his breath, pulling against the kid’s grip on him. “Moving quickly draws too much–!”

“Pick up the pace,” Virgil snapped back quietly, and Janus grimaced as he was forced to match the kid’s speed or suffer the deeply painful consequences.

Whatever. It wasn’t too unusual to see younger children dragging parents around. They still had a chance of making it out undetected–

“Hold, there.” Someone stepped in their path, a hand raised.

Virgil jerked to a sudden stop like a puppet on a string, about as suspiciously as humanly– or in this case, inhumanly– possible.

This time, Janus couldn’t even blame him, because he himself had experienced an unpleasant shock at the sight of their latest roadblock.

Donned in glittering chainmail and a smooth faceplate, the Iron Guard member was both discernable at a glance and entirely anonymous. Some fae could mimic human faces and voices, and would use the skill to imitate commanders or just generally sow discord into hunter groups. Thus, the masks.

Abruptly, Janus realized that Virgil was still frozen in place, the subtlest tremor vibrating through him. He stepped forward, putting part of himself between the Guard and the kid.

“Hail and well met, sir. How can I help you?” he greeted politely, ignoring the way the words tasted like ash on his tongue.

The dark eye slits of the mask watched him for a long moment. “You seem to be in a hurry. Is something the matter?”

Virgil’s grip turned bruising, but Janus didn’t let himself flinch.

“Oh! No, sir, or– yes, but not the sort of matter you’d handle. Our father is sick,” he repeated; the worst lie was an easily contradicted one. “It’s nothing serious, no plague or nothin’, but it's got him bedridden, and my baby brother scares easy.”

The Guard tilted his head slightly. Janus couldn’t tell whether or not he’d bought it.

He inhaled, planning to spin the sort of rambling, long-winded tale that he imagined most would expect from his current farmboy persona, but didn’t get further than the first syllable before Virgil’s grip spasmed around his arm.

The kid made a strangled noise, falling to his knees, and though his face was still covered by the hood, a splatter of black ichor hit the dirt for all to see.

The Guard must have been newly initiated. He took a moment to be startled, to stare, to clutch at the hilt of his blade without drawing it.

Janus indulged in no such hesitation. Between one moment and the next, he’d pulled a sharp, thin blade from his hip, and plunged it into the weak point of the Guard’s leather greaves.

The man toppled with a cry. Before he’d hit the ground, Janus was turning, sweeping Virgil up and into his arms.

Even as his undersized frame was wracked with convulsive shudders, the kid had maintained his grip on the medicine packets. Janus had to admire the dedication.

There was only one way forward: escape. There was never only a single Iron Guard in town, and blending in wasn’t an option while carrying a writhing kid that might start banshee screaming at any moment.

Luckily, Janus’s feet were almost as quick as his tongue.

He tucked the kid closer and wove through the meager crowd with ease, stealing down the closest backroad path as silently as he could manage. Virgil was making high pitched whines through grit teeth, and Janus took a moment to hope the kid hadn’t bit through his tongue.

Another turn, and the treeline was visible. Janus bolted for it, abandoning any modicum of stealth to slip away into the dark of the woods.

There were raised voices behind them, a commotion beginning to stir into a fully-fledged mob, but it didn’t matter. He was out, and he wouldn’t get caught. Not again.

[gothluke]

pink shirt i will always love u

[euphreana]

Close To Home - Bad Ending

Author's note: I went and wrote a short 'alternate' end for Close To Home for no apparent reason. Enjoy? (For those unfamiliar with the CTH comic, it's an AU where Amelia succeeds in recreating Alrick, only for him to be in danger of being shut down/deleted when One-One returns to power. You can read it here.)

-

There was no standard time on the train - everything operated in a perpetual twilight that worked with the various passengers' timezones from wherever they were in the world. Still, Alrick and Amelia kept a 24-hour clock to live by, and when Hazel arrived, she too adapted to it. That's why the house was dark when Alrick entered the spare bedroom, silently moving past Tuba's sleeping figure to the tiny bed he'd made for Hazel.

"Hazel... Hazel wake up." Alrick whispered, gently shaking Hazel's shoulder.

Hazel's eyes cracked open. "Alrick?" She mumbled, rolling over.

"Sh. Don't wake Tuba. Come outside. I want to show you something."

Hazel stumbled out of bed and followed Alrick to the living room. She rubbed her eyes, yawning. "Where's Amelia?"

Alrick paused. "She's... Busy." He moved to the door. "Come on, I want to show you something in the next car."

"But I'm in my jammies!"

"It's okay. You can change later."

"Okay..."

Hazel followed Alrick across the narrow bridge outside to the car following the house. She didn't notice Alrick's hands shaking as he opened the door and stepped inside. It was a living room, sparsely furnished, with a couch and coffee table in the center. A large suitcase sat on its side on the coffee table.

Hazel looked around, fully awake now. "What's this place?"

"It's... the car I was created in." Alrick stammered.

"It's cool!" Hazel said, sitting on the couch and bouncing on the cushions. "What's in the suitcase?"

Alrick didn't look up. He picked up the chessboard sitting next to the suitcase. Hazel recognized it as the set from the house.

"Hazel, why don't we play a chess game?"

Hazel shrugged and lifted the lid of the suitcase. "Are you going on a trip? Hey, my clothes are in here too!"

Alrick continued setting up the chess board. "Which color do you want to be?"

Hazel cocked her head to the side, still looking at the suitcase's contents. "Why isn't Amelia's stuff in here?"

"I'll be black. You can go first."

"... Alrick?"

The room fell into silence as Hazel looked up at Alrick. Things started to click into place; the suitcase, Alrick visibly trying to keep his composure, the fact that Tuba - the only one not created by Amelia - was absent, the conversation she'd overheard between the adults about possibly being turned off some day, the way she'd heard it described as a forever-sleep...

Hazel bolted for the door. 

Alrick caught her arm. "Hazel, wait!"

Hazel fought his grip. "TUBA! TUBA WAKE UP!"

Alrick held on tight. "Please..."

"No! I don't want to sleep forever!"

"Hazel we don't have a choice--"

"TUBA! WAKE UP!"

Alrick took Hazel by the shoulders "Hazel, listen--"

Hazel burst into tears, falling to the floor as her skin started to change to its turtle color. "I don't want to sleep forever..."

Alrick knelt next to her and took her face in his hands, brushing the hair from her face. "Listen. It's going to be okay. One-One will wake us up if he needs us. It's going to be okay."

Just then, a familiar fizzling noise filled the air as the room around them began to shift, like a decalibrated hologram.

Alrick bit back tears and hugged Hazel close, his own skin beginning to change color. "It's going to be okay."

The walls shifted away into nothing as the fizzling grew louder.

"It's going to be okay."

The furniture shifted into nothing.

"It's going to b--" He and Hazel froze in place, their outlines shifting.

The room began to disappear, starting with the outer edges and creeping inward. Soon, all that remained was Alrick and Hazel, frozen as they were. Then they too winked out of existence, leaving nothing but a black void.