#from the unfortunate souls to take on a challenge of fear in the wrong house. one of which is inhabited by monsters

[aria0fgold]

Yaknow what, I'm just gonna be thinking about the House and the newfound knowledge I've obtained in regards to its anatomy and connection with its inhabitants. As well as what I can do with that story wise considering that I DO! have an abandoned house connected with my OCs.

[hinaaspanda]

...and they were (more than) roommates! | njm

Pairing: Campus Pretty Boy + Roommate! Jaemin x Dancer! Reader

Warnings: Swearing

Genre: Fluff, Angst

Word Count: 9576

Your easily distracted mind had made it maddeningly clear; no song, no matter what the tempo or melody, could take your mind off of your one and only roommate, Na Jaemin. 

a/n; hi! for this fic i tried adding my own oc (Hina) just to spice things up!! lol totally not to insert myself as jenos love interest or anything ahaha anyways please enjoy!

Huang Renjun never thought that breaking off one college relationship would be so detrimental to your heart. 

It really was such a small relationship, just one month of innocent pecks on the cheeks in between classes, weekend dinner dates, and trips around the city on your breaks. It was such a minute thing, yet your heart couldn’t get enough. You grew invested, never wanting to let go. Becoming dependent on mere goodbye kisses. And after one month of being together, you were stuck watching him drift away, fingers intertwined with that of someone new. Now, of course, one question remained; if it was such a short relationship, why in the world did it hurt your heart so much? 

You sat under the brisk afternoon sunlight, gnawing at the cafeteria food as your campus friends began bickering over god knows what. You tune out the ruckus before you, your mind wandering like a lost child between the aisles of a supermarket. An image of him swims into your mind as you curse under your breath. It didn’t matter how healthy your break up was, or how put together your persona must’ve seemed. The only thing you wanted was to be in Renjun’s arms once again. 

Suddenly, you felt the stares of a concerned Hina and Shotaro burning through you. Your shoulders shivering at the sudden thrust into the spotlight. Was your thinking face that miserable-looking? You sent a half-assed chuckle in the hopes of diverting their attention.

“Is something wrong-”

“You were thinking about him again, weren’t you?” Your childhood friend, Hina, began rather harshly, throwing off your more laid-back classmate, Shotaro. “About Renjun?” 

The soda that slid down your throat almost shot out of your lips, straight into the air as Hina stared you down, interrogating you. How obvious were you? You pondered for a little bit, your eyes now meeting Hina’s and Shotaro’s concerned ones. You couldn’t defy the truth to your overly caring friends, even if you tried. “...Yeah. I was.” 

The somber air around you thickened with each passing minute as you finished off your lunch for the day. You wince, fearing your friends would, out of disappointment in your inability to shut up about your failed love life, cut ties with you right then and there. You wouldn’t blame them, though. Even you were starting to get tired of your weak, measly heart. Shotaro breaks the silence, a sweet grin plastered on his face. 

“Don’t worry about it, y/n! You just need to find something to get your mind off of him!” Shotaro chirps, his upbeat demeanor infecting Hina beside him. Hina continues, a grin now lining her lips.

“How about another date? With someone new!” 

You almost scoff out loud. “Another date?”

The bold figure of Hina crossed her arms in disbelief. “There are other guys out there, y/n. What about your roommate? Isn’t he single?.”

“My roommate? No! We’re just friends, nothing else!” You quickly retort, waving your hands in a very strong denial. Hina’s head tilted in persuasion.

“You’ll never know until you try, y/n.” Your head hung low as you let out the fifth sigh that day. You loved Hina, you truly did, but with these outlandish ideas protruding from her head, you were convinced she was going crazy. 

...

“What? You gonna chicken out or something?” Donghyuck scoffed through a disgusting amount of food stuffed in his mouth. “You’re telling me the campus hottie’s too scared to go on a date?” Jaemin’s eyes sent nothing but death threats to the aggravating college student, sipping on the vending machine drink destructive to his health. He was offended, to say the least. Offended at how inaccurate his so called ‘friend’ was being, anyways. 

Na Jaemin had it all.  A decent fashion sense, heavenly proportions, good grades and work ethic. A face most people would classify as attractive, and a bright, luring smile to tie it all together. Some say he was the whole package, driving the women of the campus insane as they line up to get a simple glimpse of the school’s resident hottie. He was the campus pretty boy, but one question remained; why was he still single?

It’s been theorized by many, some believing in his virtuous desire to focus on his studies, while others believe he might just swing another way or simply not interested in the idea of romance. But one thing stayed true, Na Jaemin was not some coward who couldn’t get a date. 

The pretty boy sat before his set of now intrigued college friends, Donghyuck, Jeno, and Yangyang, all riddled with such an irritating curiosity it made Jaemin cringe. It was only Tuesday, Jaemin had a tower of school work waiting for him back at home, and the last thing he needed was three idiots challenging his love life. He reached for another sip of his drink, cursing at lack of said drink in the can. 

 “Don’t be stupid, Hyuck. I could get a girl if I wanted to. I’m just...busy right now, with schoolwork and stuff” 

“Oh really?” Donghyuck’s sly voice ticked a flame in Jaemin’s soul. He huffed out a disbelieving scoff as he leaned back on the cheap, plastic chair.   Was he really doubting him? He quite literally had the entire female population of the school at his grasp, and Donghyuck was doubting him? Lee Donghyuck was bound to eat his words, as gross as a child to their ice cream. 

“Yeah, I can get any girl around here, just watch. And if I don’t?” Jaemin’s eyes scour around, searching for a way out another stupid idea before finally landing on the trash pile that was Yangyang’s homework. “...I’ll do your guy’s homework for a week.” 

Everyone’s eyes widened at Jaemin’s proposal, a proposal that stunted even the slyest of prankers, Lee Donghyuck himself. Was he really going all out? Sacrificing a week of freetime for some measly bet? Even stupefying the once unbothered Jeno, trapped in his own, unexpectedly unfortunate love life. 

“Dude are you serious? Deal!” Donghyuck and Yangyang practically hollered, both sending Jaemin a crisp slap on the back. Na Jaemin, how much of an idiot are you?

“So, who do you think you're gonna go for?” Jeno gripped the strap of his school bag as him and Jaemin trotted away from their final class of the day. Jaemin huffed out what felt like the 100th sigh that afternoon. His eyes grazing the trees peeking through the campus windows. Surely he needed a plan, right? No matter how many girls relished in his good looks, he wouldn’t possibly survive without one. Jaemin’s palms grew cold, pupils shaking in a sudden fear. God, maybe he would be stuck writing Yangyang’s overdue essays for the next week. 

“What about that y/n girl?” Jeno suddenly chirped. “The quiet one from the dance department?” 

Jaemin froze in his tracks, looking synonymous to a deer caught in headlights. He tilted his head, puzzled, to say the least. “...y/n?” 

“Yeah, I heard she got out of a relationship recently.” 

Jaemin’s once boastful voice soon grew into a stuttering mess as Jeno walked past him, sending a heartwarming chuckle. Jeno turned around, giving one final look to Jaemin, currently bathing underneath the small snippets of evening sunlight. 

“It’s just something to think about, Jaem. Don’t worry about it too much.” 

...

Your legs were anything but stable as you stepped off the city bus that night. You loved to dance, but you wouldn’t be lying if you said it drained you faster than a mosquito sucking out your blood. The mustard streetlight effortlessly cascaded off of your frame as your wobbly figure began its long trek to your apartment. Sudden buzzes from your phone shook you awake一a sensation your exhausted self clearly needed一before you clicked on the notification. 

Roomie :) [7:34pm]: I bought us some dinner before I got home

Roomie :) [7:34pm]: sorry it’s frozen pizza lol I’m too poor :((

Roomie :) [7:36pm]: oh also I got a favour to ask when u get here

Your mind trails back to lunch, with a familiar phrase replaying in your head for the umpteenth time that day. 

 How about another date? With someone new?

You huffed out another somber sigh, something you found yourself doing a lot, lately. Could you really do it? Could you finally let go of the dead weight? Finally free yourself of the heartbreak tainting you? You feel your heart clenching inside you as you fumble with your house keys. Could your heart handle another simple date?

What about your roommate? Isn’t he single?

No, your roommate didn’t deserve that. He didn’t deserve being bombarded with the atrocity that was your failed love life. He was too sweet, too caring to deal with anything of the sort. Besides, with how gentle and pleasant he is, it was certain you didn’t deserve him. 

This wouldn’t have been the first time you held your roommate in such high regard. He really had it all, a kind personality, decent looks, and an exquisite taste in cheap, diabetes inducing food. He knew all the best coffee places and knew the perfect times to surprise you with your favorite drinks. He wasn’t just some rando who split the rent with you. He was your friend. A sudden rush of unwanted blood heats up your cheeks as you stop in your tracks. 

He was your friend. Nothing more. 

The golden light of your apartment blinded you as you strolled in. The figure of your roommate was cast before you, dawning his classic ivory shirt and grey sweatpants, paired perfectly with his undone hair, and a plate of steaming hot pizza, straight from the microwave. It looked nothing like the pretty boy image he left your apartment with before class this morning. It was surreal, really. Only you got the luxury to see him like this. It was one of the strange perks of being roommates with the one and only, Na Jaemin. 

“Welcome home!” Jaemin chirped to your sleepy figure. He thrusted the plate of pizza to you, a smile wiped across his cheeks. “Pizza?” 

...

Your heart almost leaped out of your chest.

Your trembling, sweaty palms couldn’t stop shaking since dinner, almost breaking one of your scarce dinner plates in the process of washing them. You couldn’t blame yourself, though. Na Jaemin’s proposal was nothing but calming.

“So, what were you gonna ask me, anyways?” You spat through your mouth full of rubbery pizza. God, you need to eat properly before practice. You glanced at our roommate, currently fiddling with the tips of some miscellaneous fork as he suddenly dodged your eyes. 

“Uh, yea, that.” He stuttered. So timid, it was unreal to you. Usually this man had no fear of asking for favours. Whether it was doing his laundry or fixing up dinner on his assigned day of the week, he would never show any hesitation on asking you to do anything. 

“Okay this is gonna sound weird, but…” Jaemin started, breaking into a cold sweat. “I need you to go on a fake date with me.” Jaemin finally exhaled before connecting his eyes with yours. The whites of your eyes spilled out, along with the juice that almost had the chance of successfully slipping down your throat. He wanted... what?

“Don’t worry! It’s just gonna be one date! I made this stupid bet with Hyuck, and if I don’t get a date soon, I need to do their homework for a whole week!” He gripped the locks of his hair as he slumped onto his side of the dining table.

You shuffled back to the dining room, clenching your paper towel tightly in your palm. Anything to help calm your rapid heart down, just for a moment. “And, you can use this as a chance to distract yourself from that Renjun asshole.”

A sudden pain struck your chest like a lightning bolt to a lanky tree, barren in a grassland. You wince at the sudden calling of that name, your taste buds growing sour. You let out another soft sigh. You really need to get over him, fast. You stretch up from your seat, hoisting up the now empty dinner plate as you trudge towards the sink. But not before stopping in your tracks, tilting your head in Jaemin’s direction. 

“I-uh-I’ll think about it.” 

Oh, you thought about it, alright. Screamed into your poor, innocent pillow about it, at least. 

It all zoomed too fast for you, too swift for your brain to handle. Your breathing grew short and shallow. You felt as if you could die, right then and there, gripping onto your bed sheets while freaking out about Na Jaemin, your bold roommate. No, you couldn’t take up his risque offer. You were in no shape to go on another date, even if it did have no actual meaning behind it. You were too tangled in your mess of a life, and this stupid move would only fan the fire. 

You can use this as a chance to distract yourself from Renjun. 

The phrase rang through your head more time than you would’ve liked. No matter how much you shielded yourself from his claim, Jaemin would still be right in that manner. You needed to distract yourself, sure. But was this the way to go? 

Another sigh escapes your lips as you rush down the hall of your apartment. Your steps, hesitant as ever, dripping in a mix of confusion, exhaustion and nervousness. It’s official. You are the worst at well thought-out decisions. 

“Hey” you huffed at your roommate, eyeing him timidly as he washes the dishes. Something your shaken figure couldn’t properly complete without breaking a glass that night. He shifts to face you, a slightly nervous expression painting him. You clear your throat before continuing, hoping that small cough would stop time in its tracks. 

“I-I’ll go on that date with you.”

His classic boisterous smile spreads across his face once again. If your mind wasn’t rushing around in four different places at once, you could probably admit that you found it the slightest bit cute. 

“Really? Thanks so much! How does this Saturday at 7 sound?”

You only had the mental energy to swiftly nod your head as you zoomed back into the confines of your room, your safe space. You couldn’t help but notice the heat rising back to your cheeks as you plopped back onto the bed, vigorously scrolling through your phone to find your saviours.

the gorls and shotaro [9:48pm]: guys I need help with something

the gorls and shotaro [9:49pm]: let’s meet at hina’s after class

...

“I don’t care if you’re just going on some fake date to lie to his friends, I still wanna make you look hot!” Hina never failed to leave you, Shotaro, and probably some people passing by her house, shaken by her booming voice. With her small, fragile looking frame, she was the last one you’d expect to have such a bold personality. 

“Please, that’s the fifth dress in your closet she’s tried already. It’s just a fake date, we don’t even need to try hard!” Shotaro challenges, his attention leaving a now grumbling Hina as it turns towards you. “Why did you even say yes, anyways?” 

“I dunno, I’m stupid?” You murmur, the hint of bitterness caught in your breath. You give a subpar twirl to your audience, a deadpan expression shielding your face. “I guess I wanna help him? It would suck to do all that homework for a week.” 

“Yeah, but he could easily ask any other girl on the campus. This is freaking Na Jaemin we’re talking about!” Hina once again hollered. An action that would guarantee her a slap on the head if you didn’t love her so much.

“Are you sure it's just for that stupid bet?”

You slip into the makeshift change room, which was really just blankets hung on coat hangers, propped across two sides of a corner in Hina’s room. After making your final decision for your outfit of the night, you change back into your own clothes, stalling your response to Hina’s question. You never knew why you felt the need to stall, though. You should know your answer by now, right?

“Yeah, it’s just for the bet, nothing else.” You find your voice trailing off at those last words of yours as you emerge from the corner, holding the destined outfit that made the cut. Hina sighed, plopping onto the bed like the main character of those dramas after they finally find out they’re in love. 

“Just make sure you aren’t lying to yourself, y/n. It could hurt you.”

“Oh really? Isn’t it time you listen to your own advice??” Shotaro provoked, Hina now shooting up from the bed in irritation. “How are things going with that Jeno guy, huh?” 

“I am going to murder you.” Hina’s voice stayed low, barely trembling before zooming through the door, chasing a now escaping Shotaro and his incredibly fast feet. You, however, couldn’t pray for Shotaro’s survival. Not with your mind stuck in it’s own rut, and your cheeks now glowing a violent pink. 

This was just for a bet, nothing else. You reminded yourself once again.

...

“This wasn’t too bad, right?” His soothing voice swam through your ears softly, but it did absolutely nothing to calm down your heart, which was currently pacing anywhere but your chest. You mustered up all the courage in the world to glance back at his eyes across the restaurant table, your breaths stopping in an effort to hide the sudden rush of blood flowing to your cheeks. With his unbothered eyes locking onto yours in an instant, Na Jaemin sent you another one of his heartache-inducing smiles. “Thanks for helping me with this.” 

This shouldn’t be affecting you this much. After all, the only thing you and Jaemin really did was sit under the restaurant roof, order dishes deemed perfect under the social media lens, and take pictures with said dishes, becoming the perfect pieces of evidence to show that Na Jaemin was no coward. However, with the romantic, first date type outfit draped onto your figure, and the general ambience of the room, you couldn’t help but feel just the slightest bit flustered. You shot him another smile, one hiding the forest fire that was your mental state. “Uh, yeah! No problem!”

Silence fell over the two of you as you listened to the clinks of glass sounding off from the dishwashing station behind you. A silence that you wanted to hold onto more than anything. But alas, Your roommate breaks it, glancing up from the ground. 

“You look great, by the way.”

Your cheeks flush a deep vermillion. They’ve been doing that a lot lately.

“Thanks, Jaem.” You barely muster out, dodging his eyes. “But you don’t have to say stuff like that, this is all fake, remember?” You took the time to remind him, not fully sure who truly needed it. You fiddled with your fingers as your ears picked up the sudden ruckus of obnoxious college students coming from down the dining hall.

“You should ask her out, Jeno!” a voice chirped

“No! Are you crazy? She probably thinks I’m weird or something”

“I doubt it, you’re hot! Plus, she’s in my department! I can alway ask-”

“Guys, quick, look! Over there!”

The voices grew closer and closer, the whites of your eyes spilling more and more in utter shock. You can’t help but check on Jaemin, the same expression now burning through you. You mirrored each other so much, you could tell the exact words running through his mind right now. Mostly because they ran through yours, too. Oh Shit.

“JAEMIN!!” The voice of an irritating Lee Donghyuck rang through your ears at an alarming, and unwanted rate. The hollers of an equally aggravating Liu Yangyang from Jaemin’s class, swiftly followed, leaving behind the only tolerable one, Lee Jeno behind. “I didn’t know you’d be here!” 

“Ahaha, hey!” Jaemin stuttered, panic overflowing in his eyes as the three intruders squished into the already occupied, two person booth. His eyes scanned the restaurant, grasping for any way to escape. Afterall, this was certainly not part of the plan. Donghyuck’s curious eyes scanned, too, his pupils finally focusing on you. “And who might this be?”

“I-I’m y/n” You stuttered out, your wrist feeling heavy as you began gesturing to the date in front of you. “I’m his da-”

A lightbulb jumped from Jaemin’s head, his shoulder jolting in response. Na Jaemin wasn’t one for outlandish pranks, especially if you were at the receiving end, which only made your thumping heart wonder; what the hell was he trying to pull now?

“She’s my date.”

Suddenly, your once isolated and vacant hand was tugged to the center of the dinner table before softly getting encased in his. His fingers, notably bigger than your nimble ones, interlocked with yours. Heat began to creep up at your ears. Who knew your hand fit so perfectly in his? You looked down, foolishly hoping that your cheeks would stop flushing into that embarrassing red if you hid it well enough. “See?”

“Oh!” Donghyuck lined his lips with a stupid grin, his eyebrows wiggling as he scoffs in disbelief. Yangyang riled up with excitement beside him, and even the calm Jeno couldn’t stop his jaw from falling to the floor. Na Jaemin did it. He really pulled it off. “I guess we’re disturbing something, then?” 

“No worries! We were just about to leave, anyways” Jaemin still held onto that panicked tremble in his voice as the two of you shuffled through the restaurant booth. He stalked behind you before handing you your coat. “See you guys tomorrow!” 

Your mind couldn’t help but focus on the light touch Jaemin’s palm left on the lower, small of your back as he gently escorted you from the restaurant. You felt like a princess, protected by your knight’s brute strength, as you tiptoed on your path of feathers.  That darned flushed heat wouldn’t leave your cheeks. Na Jaemin, your one and only roommate, was driving you crazy.  

The wind roughly brushes against your cheek as the two of you finally exit the restaurant. The breeze was the last thing you would’ve classified as comfortable, which was why you felt just the slightest twinge of disappointment once the warmth of his hand snaked away from you. His palm hugged the nape of his neck as his eyes softened from their former panic. 

“Sorry about that, I didn’t know they’d show up so randomly.”

No, he had nothing to apologize for. It was your fault for being so greedy. You instinctively widen the distance between you, saving yourself from a wave of embarrassment.  

“It’s fine.”

It’s official, you hated your weak heart more than anyone. 

...

Three. There were three instances in which your heart was set on fire the next day, by none other than the infamous Na Jaemin, of course. 

[10:49 am]

A violent GAME OVER! blasted through your ear drums as you slumped on the couch, watching your roommate die for the 70th time that evening. He let out an equally jolting groan, throwing the controller to the depths of your living room carpet before rushing to check if it was okay. You sat promptly on the couch he leaned against, mindlessly scrolling through your phone as if last night you didn’t experience the most heart-collapsing date in the 19 years of your life. 

Your heart still hasn’t properly healed from it, either. Every time you pass by him in the halls, whether it be a quick snack or a glass of water, your heart never fails to tense up, your throat tightening up in a cruel response. You swear, Na Jaemin was out for your blood the moment he asked you to stay in the living room with him, even if it was to simply watch him fail play. 

“Aw fuck me!” Jaemin suddenly blurted out as he examined the now loosened control button. As if on cue, an army of redness storms through your cheeks as you listen in, his simple word choice setting you off. Your head shakes vigorously enough to give you a pounding headache, before you get the chance to fill your head with certain spoiled thoughts. Wow, you really are evil. 

You didn’t spare him the explanation for your sudden departure from the living room couch. All you knew was that your mind and heart were running haywire, and the only thing that could stop you from thinking about your roommate as anything but your roommate was a deep rethinking of your own morals beside your castle of stuffed animals. 

[2:45 pm]

“Here, I’ll get that for you.” Jaemin’s towering figure shielded your back from the apartment kitchen as he stretched over, retrieving the ranging dish your pitiful frame couldn’t reach. He closed the air between you, his extended chest grazing your shoulder as you stood frozen, your mouth gaping open. He sends you a playful grin as he hands you the plate. “You should try growing a little more, y/n!”

You were too stuck in your questionable haze to tighten your grip on the glass plate, so it was only natural to feel the glass slip through your fingers, shards of the crisp material scattering around your bare feet. Frightened, Jaemin scurried below you, the gentleness of his fingers as he picks up each shard of glass sending butterflies to your stomach. 

“Oh my god! Y/n, are you alright!?” You wanted to scoff at his face. Of course you weren’t.

“Uh, yeah. I’m okay.” 

He glances up from below you, his fingers circling the new scratch on your foot that only surfaced from your astound clumsiness. 

“Be careful next time, alright?” 

You nod hesitantly, staying frozen as Jaemin swiftly works around you; throwing out the dangerous glass shards, running away to retrieve your first aid kit, and patching up your pathetic wound in what felt like one swift heartbeat. God, how pathetic were you?

[8:22 pm]

“Have you seen my hoodie? The blue one?” Jaemin showed no mercy to your innocent door as it swung straight into the wall beside it. You let out an award-winning shriek, your once calm figure jumping from its curled up position. “I think it’s in your laundry bin.”

What he actually had on was...minimal. Nothing but tousled, damp hair and a white towel hooked around his waist. You would let out another shriek if you wanted to, but the lack of air reaching your lungs, all from the utter shock of a half-naked Na Jaemin in your wake, stopped you from spitting out any kind of noise imaginable. You dig your fingernails into the flesh of your poor teddy bear as you shield your eyes from your door frame. 

“Gahh! What are you doing?”

“Huh? Oh.” It finally clicked in his mind that his current appearance was not for the faint of heart. Not for yours, at least. You let out another ear- piercing wail. “Put on a shirt already!!” 

Jaemin let out a boastful, childish laugh. He leaned over, digging for your eyes, which were currently finding anything else to lay their attention on. “What, are you getting flustered?”

Your eyes finally meet up with his as he keeps you hostage with his stare. A familiar heat storms up your cheeks for the millionth time that evening as you grip the limb of another one of your stuffies on standby. With one final whine, you chuck the plush at his direction. Your lack of looking back all in an effort to hide your glowing red face, out for revenge. “Get out!”

“You’re so cute, y/n.” Jaemin teasingly hums as he slips out of your door frame. You let out an exhausted huff, your chest loosening so much, you’re convinced you haven’t been properly breathing before then. 

Na Jaemin will seriously be the death of you. 

...

You knew it was cowardly, but you just had to run away. Your weak heart wouldn’t be able to survive otherwise. 

You wisp into the barren walls of the dance studio, the flickering lights blinding your vision as you switch them on. You shuffle to the corner of the room, dropping your bag before fumbling with the music station. A soothing song swims through your ears as you settle down in the center of the room, an eye keeping watch of your posture. You close your eyes. Maybe this will finally calm your heart down. 

You start slowly, an arm traveling artistically through the air as your legs twirl around the floor. The melody of the music carries your limbs away, leaving your mind alone to think. 

They were just simple interactions, a simple slip up ending with a broken dish, a simple choice of words, a simple clasp of the hands to keep up with some measly lie. They were such small things, so why did your heart light up in flames everytime? Why did each instance leave a staining image of Jaemin in your mind, everytime? 

You think back to the man that held your heart, before brutally smashing it with his own fist. Huang Renjun. He hasn’t grazed your mind for quite some time now, but this familiar feeling wasn’t exactly pleasurable. Your heart soaked itself in that same lonely feeling, the desire to cling back. You froze from your dance, expecting full well your mind would submerge in a pool of sorrow. Yet, this week was just full of surprises, wasn’t it?

Another image of your horrid roommate flies into your mind, your head mentally swatting it away like a pestering insect. Nonetheless, it’s trailed back, persistent as ever, as you grumble your way to turn off the music. Na Jaemin, wins again. 

You could admit, Jaemin kept his promise at shielding your mind away from your failing love life, but he never warned you about the repercussions that were of him seeping into a corner of your heart. His risque, almost flirty behaviour, his teasing remarks, a smile that would brighten up a barren world. He just wouldn’t leave your mind. Yet, you knew you couldn’t have him. If your forest fire of a romance with Renjun had taught you anything, it was that you couldn’t love. You were too clueless, too childish to properly hold someone’s heart. You didn’t deserve anyone’s love. 

After gathering your belongings, you trek out the door. You were so lost in your thoughts, not even the thing you held to your heart so dearly, dancing, could pull you out of your rut. You were in no state to go back home just yet, so your fingers trace your phone screen to look for Hina, your resident childhood friend and therapist, apparently. And you wished you had the luxury of plopping onto Hina’s bed, screaming out all your anger into her pillow as she sneaks snacks up to her room, but your horrid life had other plans. 

A familiar figure stop’s in their tracks, their bag swaying in their grasp一a grasp that was almost loosened in pure shock一 as they connect their eyes to yours. You stay frozen, your breath hitching as you search for anything to say. And by the looks of it, they were doing the same. 

“Y-y/n?” The voice of a flabbergasted Huang Renjun rings through your ear. “W-what are you doing here?”

...

It didn’t take Jaemin long to realize you had left early that morning. Your dance bag left an awkward space beside your night stand in its absence, the dish drying rack was already occupied, with one simple plate and a glass turned over. But more importantly, Jaemin woke up with an empty, lost feeling rumbling inside him一something he only felt when you weren’t around. 

It first occurred during the third week of splitting rent, when you joined the school’s dance team. You had left the room without a trace, leaving Jaemin to search for you like a lost puppy to its reluctant owner, instead of getting ready for his afternoon class. He tried his best to brush it off as simple boredom, but with the way his vision simply lights up in your presence, even he started to get suspicious of himself. 

He couldn’t quite pinpoint it at first, the very reason you always trailed in his mind. It could have been anything. Your immense amount of talent, the wisp of anonymity that surrounded you, one he strived to break to get to know you better. The angelic personality he was first greeted with once he did break down that barrier. Anything about you could’ve easily pulled his heart closer to you. He was in love. 

Nevertheless, he clearly wasn’t obvious enough, as within weeks of beginning your college career, your figure was cradled in the arms of another man. Huang Renjun, resident A+ student and Jaemin’s childhood classmate.  

As the days pass by, and he becomes bombarded with endless homework, the two of you slowly drift apart, returning to the simple ‘roommate’ label on your contact lists. He resorts to the abundance of girls around the campus. Hoping each one he’d fool around with could finally get his head away from you. Yet, as he always comes home just to see your face, so did his heart, apparently. 

Don’t get him wrong, he felt terrible the night you trudged home in tears, the fresh sadness of a break up welling through you. And he tried everything in his power to make you feel better, though it never worked. But一 and he would rather kill a man than ever let this slip from his tongue一he couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit relieved that you were finally in his grasp once again.

“So, how serious are you? About her?” Jeno quizzed through the phone, a now distressed Na Jaemin on the other side of the line. Jaemin fell onto the bed, dust particles jumping into the air. 

“I really like her” Jaemin huffed.

“So? Then go tell her! You should be with her, not here blabbering about her to me. Look, you don’t have anything to worry about, Jaem. It’s not like she’s in a relationship anymore.”

Jaemin's eyes widen and Jeno’s nonchalant words. That's right. You weren’t taken anymore. Not trapped in the confines of another man’s arms. It was what he was fighting for, all those months ago. Na Jaemin finally had a shot with you. 

“Are you sure you like her?” Jeno pulled Jaemin back to reality as Jaemin scrambled to the bathroom. He placed the device down on the bathroom sink, his eyes locking in with his reflection from the bathroom mirror. “Yeah.”

He chuckled to himself before ending the call, an image of you rolling into his mind. ‘Like’ would be a deep understatement. He was in love, has been for months now, and he was finally ready to tell the truth. He probably looked like a little kid hungry for ice cream, but he didn’t care. He paced out the door. He was going to finally have you, once and for all. 

...

“She and I are good, yeah.” Renjun stuttered out, not looking past the drink he hastily purchased before the two of you sat down in the campus cafe. “What about you? How have you been?” 

With all your might, you stopped your throat from belting out a petty laugh. How have you been? Was he being serious? You’ve been pleasant, aside from all the inner turmoil ringing through your heart at the moment. You sent a bogus smile at the man in front of you. “I’ve been...alright.”

The awkward silence suffocated you, squeezing your throat so tight, not a single sliver of air could slip through. Why did he come across you now of all times? And why did he have to be so much more emotionally sound than you were? Renjun shifted around, clearing his chest with a small ahem! You knew he was always a man who would never beat around the bush, and today was no exception. 

“I’m sorry…” His sudden confession shook you to your core, the liquid inside your glass mimicking your shivering movements. Your eyes, out of pure shock, finally take the courage to graze across Renjun as he continues. “I’m sorry for leaving you like that, I know I didn’t give you that much of an explanation back then.” 

Your eyes retire back to the wooden table in front of you. He didn’t need to apologize. He didn’t need to explain himself at all, not when your greedy heart was at fault. “I knew I couldn’t give you what you wanted. I wasn’t enough for you.” 

“You don’t have to apologize, Renjun.” You were having enough trouble forgetting him as it is, you didn’t need this. 

“I didn’t wanna lie to myself, so that’s why I left you so abruptly like that.” He explains, his fingers turning white from his grip on the coffee cup. Your breaths grow short, your mind scurrying to find the hidden meaning behind his words. All this time, your mind retired to the idea of him running away from your clinging figure, claiming that now rash narrative as valid; correct. Tearing your heart up into little pieces in the process. 

“So we didn’t break up because I was being...selfish?”

“Selfish? Of course not.” He comforted. “You deserve someone else, someone way better than me.” 

Your mind trails back to your roommate once again, his smile growing more contagious. You find your lips sneaking in a small smile at the thought of him. Except, this time, no twinge of sorrow had followed. Like a bag of bricks lifted off your shoulders, you were finally free. You shined a genuine grin, your first in a long while. “So, we’re good?”

“Of course, y/n.”

You were so trapped in your own childish thoughts, you didn’t notice the hasty booming steps crash through the cafe door frame. 

“Y/N!” The voice of your roommate flew through your ears, striking you like a deer caught in blinding headlights. His volume was so loud, you wouldn’t be surprised if someone heard him from the outside of the cafe.  “I’ve been looking all over for you!”

...

Usually, Na Jaemin was laid back. Generally unbothered with a smirk lining his lips every now and then. It was one of the ways he stayed on top of the collective campus hierarchy for so long, he was always calm, cool, and collected. He always was, except for today. Instead, he was scrambling at his feet, thumbing through every inch of the school, looking for the infamous y/n. 

He finally skips to the cafe, the faint scent of coffee and flavouring overtaking him. He was a panting mess, his hands gripping at the bolts of his knees as he leaned over in pure exhaustion. It was weird, Jaemin always considered himself to be decently fit. It must’ve been you, suddenly turning his world upside down. 

She’s gotta be here. 

As if on cue, your head pops up on the corner of his eye, basking under the afternoon sunlight which generously seeped through the cafe window. Your eyes weren’t on him, but that wasn’t the worst of his problems. His eyes travel further down your direction, his limp legs mindlessly following like a puppet on two strings. Your eyes weren’t on Jaemin. They were on someone else. 

Renjun.

A familiar clenching feeling pulls on his heart harshly, so much so, that his hands reach up to palm the pain through his chest. He’s only felt this rude awakening one other time in the 19 years of his life; the moment you left the house on your first ever date with Huang Renjun. A flame ignites within him as he stalks up to the table. With his heaving breaths and awkward, stiff posture, it was inevitable he'd summon a couple of stares from various customers, but he couldn’t care less. 

Usually, Na Jaemin was laid back, but because of you, he became this gross, jealous, poor excuse of a man. 

“You didn’t have to be so loud, you know!” You found your voice peaking at the end of your sentence, probably gathering more attention than what you were currently lecturing Jaemin for. A blush stained the circles of your cheeks, though you were never quite sure whether it was the embarrassment of being the center of attention, or the fact that Na Jaemin came rushed and disheveled, looking for you. You cleared your throat to hide your obscene thoughts一a practice you’ve been getting the hang of, lately. “What did you need from me anyway-”

“Why were you with him.” Jaemin cut in. Although, with his stone cold frame now towering over you, his eyes; unassuming and distant, and shallow, hitched breaths, you weren’t even certain this was the same roommate you couldn’t get out of your head for the past week. You simply wave your hand away. 

“We just happened to meet up by accident, and we got to talk some stuff out, that's all.” You prayed that your calm voice could soothe the currently tempered man before you. Of course, however, it didn’t. 

“Was it really?”

“Yes! Okay, Jaem? What’s with you today?”

“Don’t visit him anymore.” His voice boomed towards the end of his sentences, startling even the finest of nature as two innocent birds fly away in fear. 

Something didn’t click, didn’t sit right in your head. Since when was he so demanding? So rude? You found yourself slowly backing away from his figure, an action you thought you’d have to do in your life. Before, he was always a safe space for you, even without your confusing feelings for him. He was always there for you. But now, the air around turned gray, and you were scared more than anything. You scoff, throwing Jaemin off. 

“Are you telling me what to do?” 

“I’m only worried for you, y/n.”

“Worried about what, exactly? That I’d get back with Renjun?” You stand firm before him. Y/n, what the hell are you doing now. To your own dismay, you continue. “Why would you care about that anyways?”

“Am I not allowed to care about you!?” He practically hollered at the top of his lungs. A fire welled up inside you, with no way of fanning it down. Who does this guy think he is?  

“Last time I checked, we didn’t have anything real! Everything between us was all a damn lie! So no, maybe you don’t!” 

You lay one final blow straight to Jaemin’s chest, knocking him down like a line of concurred dominoes. Your heart clenches in a cruel response. You were right, factually correct, but the truth always came with a price. Spectators began to crowd around the scene, as a fuming Jaemin stalks towards you, closing the distance between your shoulder blades and brick wall behind you. 

“WELL MAYBE I WANTED SOMETHING REAL!” Jaemin retorted, eyes holding a flame you never thought your calm roommate could ignite within him. The air around you grew cautious, the only things sounding off were the weary engines driving past the scene of the crime. His breath grew shallow as it brushed against your skin, your trembling figure watching as he let out an aggravated sigh. His fingers, laced in irritation, comb through his hair as he softens his voice into one final whisper. 

“But you don’t want anything like that, right? ‘Cause you’re still caught up with that Renjun asshole?” 

“Jae-”

“Forget it” Jaemin spits, his eyes finally dodging yours. He backs away from your trembling figure, his hands buried in his pockets as he quickened his pace away from you. Jaemin hissed under his breath, everything finally clearing up in his head. You didn’t want him, You were never ready to move on. It’s official, Na Jaemin couldn’t have you, and he never will.  

...

Your brain always had a knack for remembering things, keeping random nuggets of knowledge stored deep within random crevices of your head. Your brain always had a good memory, and today was no exception. 

Forget it.

You could probably liven up a lifeless desert with your endless tears that stained Hina’s pillows that night. It would be life or death to retire properly to your own home, not with the atrocity that was this afternoon still thriving in your wake. One more bottled emotion, and your body would simply burst out of existence. You could only properly pinpoint three of them; exhaustion welling up in your feet, confusion tearing through your brain, and guilt overflowing in your heart. 

“What am I gonna do?” you weep through the flesh of Hina’s teddy bear. After tossing the empty pop can into her makeshift trash can, Hina plopped onto her bed beside you, drilling a finger straight into her temple. “You need to tell him how you feel, y/n, you can’t just leave him in the dark like that. That’s probably why he got so riled up.”

Your eyes shake as they stay on the ground. Hina shuffles around arms crossing in a full interrogation. “You do know what you want, right?”

Slowly, and without much thought pulling at your strings, you slowly nod. “Well then, what is it?” 

An image of your roommate shines into your head once again. The kind roommate you had the great luxury of coming home to, the one always saving you a slice of frozen pizza for when you arrive, the one who reaches the irritating dishes at the top of the cupboard, the one you couldn't get out of your mind. His heartwarming demeanour, his charming smile, his everything. You can’t lie to yourself anymore. With a twinge of determination, you lock eyes with Hina.

“I want it all to be real. I wanna be with Jaemin.”

Hina rested her back onto the plump mattress, a smug grin lining her lips as she crossed her arms in pride. “So you’re finally gonna start listening to me, hm?”

...

“Are you sure about this, Jaem?” Yangyang has never一in Jaemin’s two years of knowing him一sounded so concerned for his friend’s wellbeing. It sent shivers down his spine, how pitiful Jaemin must’ve looked right now. His fingers grasped the horrendous stack of papers; one wrong move could easily decorate the floor with the homework, and Jaemin was...concerned, to say the least.

“Why are we even doing this? You won the bet!” Donghyuck hugged his own stack close to his chest as the three boys watched Jaemin’s head sink low to the floor, and watched his heart sink even lower. “Yeah, about that...”

Even if the truth hurts, it needs to be said, right?

“...Y/n wasn’t my date at the restaurant. I never asked anyone out, actually. The truth is… she’s my roommate. I only asked her out on a fake date so I could keep the bet going.”

Jaemin felt the confused, yet somber stares of Jeno burn through his skin. It only made sense that Jeno had a few questions; Na Jaemin’s beaten up, hunched over figure was nothing like the lovestruck, head-over-heels Jaemin he’d witnessed just a couple of days prior. “But it didn’t work out that well with her, so here I am, ready for the punishment.” 

It struck Jaemin’s chest more times that could count, slashing at his heart, his pride, everything he loved. How could he be so foolish? Convincing himself his simple crush could ever reciprocate his feelings. Could ever love him back. Nevertheless, it was more clear now than ever before. To you, he would always just have one label; a simple roommate. 

“Jaemin-” Donghyuck reluctantly brushed his palm on Jaemin’s shoulder, his best excuse for a peace offering. Jaemin, however, finally snapped, shooting a glare through the eyes of his rather persistent friends. 

“What? You were right, okay? I can’t get any girl I want. I really am just a coward, so I deserve this!” Jaemin slumped his figure一drenched in a sorrow he’s gotten quite familiar with, as of late一into a cheap, cafeteria chair, his heart leaping through his throat. 

“She was the only one I wanted, anyway, so what’s the point?” 

“I think you got a few things wrong there, buddy.” A familiar voice rang through Jaemin’s ears. The whites of his eyes spilled out of their sockets as Jaemin shot up. You couldn’t blame him, though. The last thing he expected to see was his childhood classmate, Huang Renjun, before him. “You still have a chance with y/n, Jaemin.”

Jaemin sent a rough hiss at Renjun before slowly backing down at Renjun’s unnaturally calm demeanour. “What?”

“I’m not after her anymore, nor is she after me.”

Jaemin’s eyebrows wrinkled. “Then why-”

“It was an accident, we didn’t mean to meet up like that. And that talk at the cafe? It was all for closure. It was something she and I both needed, a lot, if I might add.” 

“So… you weren’t trying to get her back?”

Renjun squinted at the utter dumbassary currently blinding him at the moment. “No, are you stupid? I have a girlfriend. And besides, when she first saw you barge into the cafe, her flustered reaction tells me she feels the same way, so I wouldn’t worry too much.” 

Heat rushed over to Jaemin’s cheeks, the cause being a 50-50 blend of pure embarrassment一from letting his jealous heart take over his mind一and the simple, but beautiful thought of you. Everything started to fall back in their rightful places. His head was finally cleared, his anger had finally wisped away. And more importantly, you were moment’s away from being his. Moments away from retiring the ‘roommate’ label. 

Donghyuck leaped from his seat. A directing hand pointed towards the dance department wing as Donghyuck shifted into his ‘fight or flight’ stance, riling up with energy. “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR? CONFESS!!”  

Without any further hesitation, Jaemin shot from his seat, his eyes etched with determination, and his heart moments away from bursting through his chest. Donghyuck let out a defeated sigh, arms crossing in disappointment. “God, I can’t believe the campus playboy is such a wuss!” 

...

Your easily distracted mind had made it maddeningly clear; no song, no matter what the tempo or melody, could take your mind off of your one and only roommate, Na Jaemin. It also didn’t matter that you spent a whopping one night without his bedroom just across the hall from yours; as your heart was still drenched in the guilt you couldn’t seem to get rid of. However, one thing was made clear that night. Your heart purely and utterly belonged to Na Jaemin alone. Only one thing stayed in your way; he may more may not hate your guts now. 

Your palms dripped in a cold sweat as your limbs begrudgingly swam in the air. It was bad enough your dance instructor gave not one, but two lectures about getting distracted to blow your ears dry, but even after that public display of embarrassment, your head couldn’t stop recounting the different ways you could finally tell Na Jaemin the truth; the whole truth. 

I want the real thing with you

I don’t just want something fake, Jaemin

I wanna be with you

That last statement threw your cheeks into a heated, rosy frenzy. You cup your hands attempting to hide your horrid thoughts as your dance instructor, with a few deadpan words, sets your class free for the evening. You scurry to the corner, peacefully shoving your things into your bag when Shotaro’s voice suddenly rings behind your ear. 

“Y/n? Oh yeah, she’s right over there.” 

“Great, thanks.” 

  You freeze on the spot. You could recognize that voice from a mile away. It was almost concerning on your part. 

“Y/n!” The voice yelps, in a tone you hadn’t heard in a while. You smile under your breath. You missed his cheerful voice. You slowly prop up, dropping your bag to the depths of the dance room floor. You pivot on your heel, your chest coming face to face with none other than Na Jaemin, in the flesh. “I need to tell you something.” 

After scrambling out of the dance room, certainly not attracting the attention of any unwanted instructors, the two of you hide behind the studio entrance. Jaemin stood just centimeters before you, his breath shivering despite the warmer weather. Although, and you wouldn’t be surprised, but this warm sensation could simply be deriving from your cheeks, which was nothing new. 

“I’m sorry I lashed out at you yesterday, I never wanted to be mean to you or anything, I was just… heated, yeah.” Jaemin finally began, scratching the nape of his neck. You didn’t like the fact that he was the one apologizing to you, when you knew it should’ve been the other way around. “You don’t need to say sorry, Jaem. I lashed out too and-”

“I was being all selfish, when I really should’ve been thinking clearly. I-I was jealous when I saw you two together, and I couldn’t take it.” 

You stopped dead in your tracks. Jealous? He was jealous?

“Truth is… I’ve liked you for some time now, probably ever since we first met. And while the fake date was really fake…” His eyes finally lock yours up, keeping them hostage in his determined glare. “...I really wanted something real between us.” 

Jaemin’s hand reached down, cupping your nimble fingers in it as he kept his eye contact tight. His breath hitched as he eyed you, all flustered and adorable with your eyebrows furrowed in a hopeful confusion. Everything about you made him want to cradle you in his arms, never letting go, forever. 

“Can I be more than just your roommate, y/n?” 

You stayed frozen, mouth gaping wide open at every confession he threw at you. You stayed so still, the only thing visibly moving on your body was the rapid blush zooming through your ears and cheeks, except this time, you didn’t feel the sudden urge to hide such a sensation. Your mind didn’t carry the necessary brian capacity properly function, so naturally, your arms did the job for you. 

Your palms cupped the edges of Jaemin’s jaw, a sudden confidence surging through you as you pulled him closer. The tips of your noses collide moments before the surfaces of your lips. You melt into a passion filled kiss, a kiss that’s been pending since the day you first moved in together. Jaemin hugs the small of your waist as you hug his neck. Instinctively, your stomach tucks itself, hiding the embarrassing butterflies fluttering within it. You felt like a celebrity, kissing the campus’ pretty boy; Na Jaemin. Your eyes flicker open. 

“Of course you can.”

Your’s and Jaemin’s world crashes back into reality at the sound of a pestering holler, one which Jaemin could only sigh in grief to in response. You turn around only to find a snooping crowd right behind you. Shotaro, joined with two of Jaemin’s friends you first met at the restaurant; Yangyang and Donghyuck, jump for joy at the sight of you two, while a distressed Hina rips her hair out at the fact that she missed the most world shattering confession scene known to man. Jeno, to the right of her, calms her down in a heartbeat. Those two were really perfect for each other. You turn back to Jaemin, a wide grin now taking over his face. He tightens the grip around your hand, a hand that you noticed he’s never let go since he first arrived at your department. 

“Do you have another class after this?” “No, why?”

A sly smirk lines his lips as he raises an eyebrow. “Then, shall we go home, darling?” 

Gosh, he was such a dork. “Of course.” 

…

The long awaited kiss between Hina and Jeno was much more dramatic than any first kiss you could’ve imagined. In fact, it was practically ripped right out the current episode of the drama you and Jaemin had settled down to watch. The air was filled with cheerful hollers roaring from Yangyang and Shotaro and the pathetic wails of Donghyuck realizing that一with Shotaro’s crush on the new girl on campus and the random girl Yangyang met online一he would be the last one standing in the terribly single committeeTM. Jaemin grumbled beside you, his head tucked under your chin as you sat cradled in his arms

“Jeez, Jeno’s stealing my thunder!”

“Let them live, Jaem. They’re in love.” 

Jaemin huffed with over exaggeration. “I can’t believe Jeno would betray me like that!”

You pulled Jaemin’s chin up, his face now inches from yours. “Why don’t you forget about them, alright? Just focus on me instead.”

The two of you lean into a kiss, basking in the afternoon sunlight that was peeking through the campus roof. It didn’t matter who was around you anymore, whether they were random strangers or your annoying yet close knit friends. You had already won at life, being the girlfriend of the infamous Na Jaemin; your very special roommate.

[theonewiththefanfics]

Upside Down (one-shot)

Synopsis: Being a Henderson, the Reader never thought the Billy Hargrove would even spare her a glance, but she was wrong. He absolutely fell for her. And she fell for him. But the Upside Down doesn’t like it when people are happy.

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x f!Henderson!Reader

Genre: angst/ fluff

Warnings: descriptions of gross wounds and gore, swearing, could be potentially triggering to domestic abuse survivors, kinda PTSD

Word count: 7911 (a big boi)

I’ve mixed up the timeline and events a bit so that they fit this story :) Also note - I don’t condone Billy’s actions in the show. Abuse in any form is NOT okay. This is basically an AU! when looking at it

Hawkins was anything but what Billy had expected when moving to the small town. He’d set his mind on a place where nothing ever happened, the people were the dullest shades of grey, and the only resemblance of happiness he’d ever experience again, would be through the couple of pictures he’d managed to grab before moving from California. And he’d been right. Sort of.

Billy had been a wave of excitement that rolled into Hawkins High School in a long while, which meant all the attention was on him, and he liked it. He was splashy and wanted to make an impression, no matter how it went. He wasn’t there to make friends, just to finish his degree, and then he’d be free to go off and do whatever he wanted. But before he could do that, he had to make a statement.

The opportunity came to him at Tina’s Halloween party. Dressed in a black leather jacket and jeans, a bandana around his blond hair, Billy’s chest was left exposed, and when he sprayed out the leftover beer as he demolished the keg stand, he certainly cemented himself as the new king of Hawkins. 

People buzzed around him, and he revelled in the attention, but then he saw something that turned his world upside down even more that it already had been. Or rather a someone.

Clad in a black beaded corset that rattled rhythmically with every step and sway of her hips, fishnet tights on her legs, sheer gloves that wrapped around her middle fingers up to her elbows, and a cheekbone length black bob, she was the epitome of a 1920s cabaret dancer; sultry and sexy, ready to destroy a man’s life. Some musical came to mind, but he couldn’t pinpoint which, because she took his breath away much like the cigarette smoke invading his lungs.

He nudged Tommy’s shoulder and pointed at the girl with his chin. “Who’s that?”

“That’s Nancy, come on dude.”

“No, I mean the girl next to her,” and this time he pointed directly at her.

Tommy’s eyebrows looked like they were about to shoot up in the stratosphere. “Y/N? You mean Y/N Henderson?”

That name changed everything, and he wasn’t even aware of it.

She was the other Henderson. A nerd, much like her brother, a bit shy but would never back down from a challenge and could never hold her tongue behind her teeth, even when it hurt her. She was the color the horrid town had lacked so much, and after how Tommy had put her down, Billy was just as surprised as she was when he started talking to her.

“Are you lost or something?” Y/N’s eyebrow rose as she faced the boy leaning against her neighbouring locker. 

“Uhh, no?” he chuckled chewing on his bottom lip.

“Okay, so, have you already gone through all the girls that would let you? Because you can skip right along to the next one. I ain't it.”

Billy bristled a bit, shifting on his feet. He hadn’t expected the spunk. “Can’t I just talk to a pretty girl?”

“No, because people like you don’t talk to people like me.”

Don’t get her wrong, she by no means thought she was ugly or undeserving of attention. She just knew had it not been for Nancy, the popular crowd of Vicky, Tommy, Carol and the like, would’ve never given her the time of the day. And nowadays they didn’t. So, when the new king of Hawkins decided to strike up a conversation, things just felt odd. 

“Nah, I just,” Billy fumbled a bit, “I uh, just wanted to get to know you. We didn’t get a chance to talk at Tina’s.”

Y/N closed her eyes and smiled before turning to Nancy and saying she’d catch up with her in chem class.

“Alright, Billy boy,” she turned back around to face the Californian. “Let’s get to know one another.”

The smile that appeared on his face was the most genuine he’d shown in a month. And somehow it didn’t end just there. He kept talking to her, meeting her at her locker, walking her to her car, or when it was at the repair shop, he offered Y/N a ride home. He laid his soul out to her on a silver platter, and instead of smashing it like he feared she would, Y/N took it in her hands and kept it safe within her grasp.

It was on a starry night when he’d chucked stones at her window to wake the girl up and made her sneak out of the house for a late drive to the ice cream shop when things took a turn.

“If Dustin comes back, and I’m not home, he’s gonna snitch on me, and I’m so gonna blame you,” she scolded Billy, but there was no animosity in her tone, and when she threw him a grin, it made his heart stutter in his chest.

It had been happening quite a lot recently. The stuttering. His heart skipped a beat when he woke up and thought of how he’d see Y/N waiting for him by her locker, it skipped a beat when he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her next to him, and it skipped a beat when she rolled her Y/E/C eyes at whatever he'd said, and then hid her face in his side. And it scared him.

He’d never felt that way before, but he understood what it meant, especially when his chest got being ripped apart whenever she wasn’t near, so that’s when he started to drive to her place for their nightly outings because he just needed to be near her. Not that he’d say anything to Max, nor Y/N would ever mention it to Dustin. 

But unfortunately, as much as she laid out her own heart to Billy, there were also things she’d never tell him. Because her heart skipped a beat as well whenever the Californian entered her mind, and Y/N had already lost too much the year prior. His world hadn’t been the only one that’d turned upside down.

With his jacket draped over her shoulders, they crept around her house to the blue Camaro waiting a bit further down the driveway, so the lights wouldn’t give him away. Not that it would’ve mattered when her and Dustin’s mother was out of the town for the week, but they still liked to be as careful as possible.

Def Leppard blasted through the speakers, and they talked about what they'd done. It was a Saturday, so Y/N had spent the whole day at home, while Dustin hung out with the party. She needed the quiet as much as possible while dealing with a chem project, and that included Billy not visiting. When his phone had rung with her saying she was done, he was finally able to scratch the itch that was time spent without Y/N.

At that moment, they were sitting comfortably in the seats of the Camaro parked by Lover’s Lake and watching the scenery. She hadn’t told him how much nighttime actually scared her, but that was because, with him, she felt safe. It was alone when the thoughts of Barb and the Demogorgon came back. But never with him. Though what he said next, pulled her out of the dark reminiscing.

“Let’s go on a date.”

“What?” Y/N choked on her ice cream, looking over at Billy with eyes wide as saucers.

He took in a shuddering breath, but when he repeated the words they were as steady as ever. “Let’s go on a date.”

“Is this – is this some kind of a joke?”

Billy shook his head before taking away the melting ice cream in the little paper cup and placed it on the dashboard, taking Y/N’s hand in his, intertwining their fingers.

“Look I really like you. I have for a while, and yeah, it started off just like you’d like a friend, but now... when I see you, my heart does this weird thing where it starts beating really fast, and my stomach tosses and turns and shit… and that only happens when I think or look at you… so I like you. And I’d like to go on a date with you.

Stunned silence settled between the two teenagers as Y/N processed his words. He no longer could read her facial expression as it had turned into a blank piece of paper instead of the book, he used to be able to leaf through without any problems or hiccups.

A gentle finger pushed a piece of Y/H/C hair out of her face. “What’s going on through that pretty head of yours?” a nervous chuckle escaped him. “You know I can take whatever you throw at me. ‘S not gonna make me care less for you.”

“No, I uh,” Y/N snorted and shook her head, pressing her free hand to her mouth. “I just didn’t expect that from you.”

“What did you expect?”

“I dunno,” she shrugged. “I mean whenever you go out with girls, it’s never been with someone like me. And every time you did it, I pretended I was okay with it. Cause I cared about you too and wanted you to be happy. Even if it wasn’t with me.”

Billy’s eyes widened, and a small smile started pulling on his lips. “You were jealous?”

“Of course, I was! I’ve liked you for close to a month, but every time I heard you talk about taking a chick out, I pushed my feelings away.” Y/N looked at him and gave him a tight smile. “Love triangles aren’t like they show in the movies. Typically, there’re two happy people and one really sad who won’t show any emotions at all. Guess which one was me?”

He let out a short laugh and squeezed her hand a bit tighter, finally feeling free enough to press a kiss to the skin of her palm. “We’re both quite thick, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess we are,” Y/N agreed, looking at their clasped palms that fit together like two puzzle pieces. Sure, they’d held hands before, this wasn’t the first time, but it was the first time with the knowledge their feelings were returned.

“Can I kiss you?” Billy asked. 

Y/N’s head shot up. He never asked to kiss someone, girls practically threw themselves at him to have their lips sucked off their face, but his shaky tone and scared eyes showed he was terrified she’d say no. 

Slowly she leaned in, and when he didn’t pull back, Y/N pressed her lips to his. It was absolutely euphoric for both of them. The days and weeks of pent up frustrations and heartache inducing thoughts evaporated as they moved their lips in a dance.

He didn’t want to pull back, and neither did she, but their lungs burned from the lack of air, though Billy didn’t let Y/N get too far, bringing a palm to the base of her neck to keep her close, foreheads resting against one another. Not that she wanted to get away in the first place.

“So, go on a date with me?”

Y/N grinned caressing his face and pulling him closer, much as he did with her, taking hold of her waist and helping her straddle him in the seat, hands keeping her hips away from digging into the steering wheel. “I don’t just kiss all the pretty guys who bat their eyelashes at me.”

When she was close to him like that, his heart flipped and skipped and revved and started once more, but now he loved the feeling because, through the three layers of fabric that separated their skins, he could feel Y/N’s heart beating out of her chest as well. 

“We can’t tell Dustin though,” she murmured pressing her lips to his in a quick peck. “He’ll rip our heads off.”

“Max too.”

“And Steve… and Nancy and Johnathan… basically the whole party.”

Billy nodded before diving in for another kiss. “Agreed.”

 ***

For a couple of weeks, they lived in a state of bliss. Now the late-night sneak outs were filled with kisses by the lake and hands that held one another as close as possible as if they’d disappear into thin air. But the happiness didn’t’ last long, and Billy couldn't find anyone to blame.

It was a pretty standard day for them, as he found Y/N talking with Nancy by her locker, up until he saw her facial expression. 

“ -ought we were done with that,” Y/N hissed. “Fuck, I can’t! I can’t lose more people.”

Billy frowned when he heard that. Yes, he knew she’d lost one of her friends, though he didn’t know the details, he understood how much impact that'd had on Y/N’s life, but when she talked about it happening again and losing people again, his stomach churned.

“Everything alright here?”

Y/N jumped, not expecting the voice, almost slamming her head against the locker, and her reaction made Billy even more scared.

“I’ll talk to you later,” Nancy squeezed Y/N’s bicep before leaving her and the boy on their own. 

Nancy wasn’t stupid and knew how much her friend cared for Billy and suspected there was more between them, so her heart ached at the thought how Y/N’s mind immediately went to the dark places where the Demogorgon lurked.

“Y/N, what’s wrong?” 

His palms were like velvet as he cupped her face, and he didn’t care anymore if people found out they were together. All he cared about was what his girl was so fearful of. 

“Talk to me,” he whispered. “Please.”

But when she shook her head and plastered on the fakest smile ever, his heart shattered. 

“I’m fine,” she said. “Just Nancy reminded of the chem test coming up, and I’m so unprepared.”

She was lying to him. Y/N never did that, and he didn’t lie to her either. It was an unspoken rule they’d made up that there'd be no secrets between the two, but Billy now realized his girlfriend might have quite a few things he was unaware of. And she wasn’t planning on sharing. 

“You ready for calculus?” Y/N changed the subject and wrapped her hand around his waist, not even thinking of how people might start speculating. Even when they weren’t together, they were attached at the hip, and Billy was as soft as a feather around her. “Miss Baxter is gonna kill me with those equations.”

But Billy wasn’t listening to her rambles about math and unimportant things, because his heart was sinking with every step he took as the fear he’d had in him about Y/N rejecting him, came back almost tenfold. And when that cursed Halloween rolled around, it didn't help the situation at all.

Y/N was nowhere to be found, which was unsurprising to him at that point; she’d been pulling away hour by hour, breaking his already fragile belief in love. He was upset and pissed and had decided enough was enough. He wanted answers. 

Just as he was about to leave the house, Neil barged in, enraged Max was still out after her curfew.

“She’s probably with those friends of hers,” Billy said. “She’ll be back in no time.”

Neil stepped inside the room, and instantly the atmosphere changed. “You’re gonna go and find her, and then get the fuck back home.”

Billy straightened out, facing his father. He couldn't let him ruin what could still be saved. “I have plans! I need to see Y/N!”

“Your whore can wait.”

“Don’t you dare call her a wh-“ Billy's head slammed against his wardrobe, sparks flying behind his eyelids, and a hand tightly wrapped around his throat, cutting off the air.

“Now,” Neil’s voice was like the calm before the storm. “You’re gonna go out there, find your sister, and then come home. You’re not gonna go and see that slut, and you’re not gonna go to your friends. Understood?”

The hand squeezed tighter around Billy's neck, and he barely managed to rasp out a ‘yes’.

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, sir.”

Finally, Neil let him go, and he gulped breath after breath, his own hand going to soothe the skin where there would undeniably be finger marks left the next day. 

A single tear rolled down Billy’s cheek, as his poor excuse of a father left, Susan’s sympathetic gaze the last thing he saw before the door slammed shut. 

He crumpled down on the floor, fingers fisting in his hair. He felt so alone, and all he wanted was to be held by Y/N, but even she was pulling away. 

Angrily he wiped away the salty pearls from his face and stomped to his car setting off on his search for Max but not before delivering a few punches to the wheel. When he got to the Byers’ house, he wasn’t feeling any better. In fact, he turned worse, seeing red when Max's face flashed through the window. 

Like some angry bull, he went after Steve, pummeling him into the ground, and almost knocked a few punches into Lucas had it not been for Max and the tranquillizer she pushed into his system.

In all honesty, the night was a blur. He couldn’t remember how he ended up in his car, nor how he managed to safely drive to Y/N’s - the only place he knew someone would help him.

She had, but it backfired. He’d felt the distance between them grow even more afterwards, and he understood her reasons. Partially. After patching him up, he was left to rest in her bed, which gave her the time to find out what the hell had happened between him and the party. They had enough shit to deal with, with all the Demodogs and the Upside Down being back again.

When Max and Dustin spilt the beans (albeit reluctantly because they knew how happy their siblings were together), Y/N gave Billy the silent treatment for three whole weeks. She only started talking to him after he’d apologized not only to her but to the two boys one of which he'd beaten to a pulp. 

But it only helped a little. He got her back into his life somewhat, yet not fully, and right before the Snowball dance it all crumbled as she broke up with him.

To say he was stunned would be an understatement. He’d gone to her place expecting them to talk out their issues, and he could end it with asking her to go to the dance, but instead, she’d stood twelve feet away from him, arms crossed, eyes on the ground saying they can’t be together anymore. 

“I don’t understand,” he whispered looking at Y/N, hoping she’d meet his gaze. She didn’t. “I thought we were alright. If this is about Hallowe-“

“This isn’t about that night.” Y/N shook her head. “Well, it is. Kind of. But not all of it.”

“Then please explain, so I can fix it. Let me make things right.”

She let out a sigh and sat down onto the bed. “I can’t. And even if I did, you wouldn’t believe me.”

“Is this about what happened to Barb?’

Y/N finally looked at Billy, her Y/E/C gaze meeting his blue. “Yes.”

That was it. No further explanations, no elaborations, no excuses.

“Y/N – “

“Can you please leave now?”

“Sweetheart – “

“Please,” she whimpered out, hugging herself. “Please just leave.”

And he did, but it felt like his body was fighting his mind, as his brain screamed to stay and comfort and hold, but his legs had their own agency, and carried Billy out of Y/N’s house, past a disappointed Dustin who’d been listening in on the conversation and shook his head, closing his door, and to his car where he sat for twenty minutes just staring into the distance trying to process what the hell had just happened.

When he went into school the next day, Billy was in a haze, his mind not really functioning.

“Where’s the leech?” Tommy H. cackled beside him, clapping Billy on the shoulder.

“What?”

“I asked where’s the other Henderson that’s always stuck to your side?”

“She uh,” Billy stopped mid-sentence. Tommy H. didn't need to know they dated. “We kinda fell out.”

“Fucking finally,” his ‘friend’ scoffed. “Told you she was a waste of time and space.”

Billy was just about ready to clock him, when his eyes befell on Y/N who finally entered the hallway. There was nothing left of the girl he used to know. She was now part of the grey mass Hawkins seemed to him in the beginning, but even then, she stood out, because even then she didn’t match the shades. She was darker, almost black without the spark that made Y/N Y/N. Billy wished she would turn grey, because he'd never been surer that's how it felt to look down an abyss.

The rest of the day was a nightmare. He had to watch from the side-lines as the person he loved most practically withered away. She was closed off, even to Nancy (which he found out after sucking up his ego and asking Wheeler), and he knew the issue ran much deeper than the simple confirmation of his suspicions, but he couldn’t help if she didn’t let him in. 

He wanted to reach out, he wanted her to use him as a shoulder to cry on, to wrap her arms around him and mumble all her worries into his skin, but any time Billy even so much as looked at her, Y/N would turn her blank stare to the window or the wall or the floor. Anywhere that wasn’t him. 

 ***

 Though when summer came along… summer was a different beast. Billy got a job at the pool, and Y/N got a job at the newly built mall in a department store, and when he saw the girl as she came to pick up Dustin and the rest of the party, she once again looked full of life.

She was practically glowing, and Billy had to say a quick thank you to whoever invented summer breaks, as it seemed, being out of the school environment, was what Y/N needed.

The canary yellow one-piece bathing suit made her seem like the ray of sunshine the teenager knew her to be, and the cobalt wrap around her neck was the summer sky that appeared after the dark clouds dissipated. Though what irked Billy was she still kept her distance from him, and as a surprise for Y/N, he wasn’t giving up.

The girl was there to pick Dustin up once again because he wanted to see Steve at ‘Scoops Ahoy’ before meeting up with the rest of his friends, so Billy took his chance.

She’d scoped out the open pool area for the blond boy, and was relieved he wasn’t on his shift, think it'd be a quick in and out. 

“Dustin, come on!” Y/N hollered. “We gotta go!”

But she wasn’t as sly as she'd hoped she'd be when a shadow started to loom over her. 

There was no doubt in her mind who it was, and her theory was confirmed when Y/N came face to face with the naked chest of Billy. It wasn’t the first time, she’d been in that position, but the circumstances used to be different. Back then, when the hole that were the thoughts and fears of the Demogorgon was the size of a pebble, Billy would be like that on top of Y/N, her nails scratching along the golden skin and leaving loving red marks as her lips worked on the side of his neck to muster up some purplish ones for him to remember her by.

“Hey,” he breathed out taking off his sunglasses.

“Hey yourself,” Y/N breathed out as well. She hadn’t been this close to Billy even before winter break, so all the suppressed feelings were starting to bubble up again, especially when he cleared his throat and reminded her how shy he could actually be, and it pulled at her chest even more. 

“Look, can we talk? Please? I just… I just want to know how you’re doing.”

“I’m alright,” she shrugged. “Happy?”

Billy sighed, placing his hands on his hips. “You know I don’t believe you.”

“Then what do you want from me?” she crossed her arms motioning with her head for Dustin to hurry up.

“I want my girlfriend back,” Billy muttered just so she heard him and not the prying ears of the classmates that had gathered by the poolside. “If not that, then at least my best friend. I miss you.”

And she couldn’t deny the fact she missed him as well. Y/N’s own body language betrayed her. He could see how much she wanted to be wrapped in his warmth, and Billy prayed she’d give in and melt against him.

Finally, she sighed. “Are you closing the pool tonight?”

Billy shook his head, blond curls bouncing. “Heather is, but I can ask and switch.”

“I’ll be here at eight,” Y/N stated right as Dustin bounded up to her ready to leave for the mall.

 ***

 Eight couldn’t come fast enough. His shift felt like it was being dragged out by a supernatural force. By the time six rolled around, there was no one but Heather and him left to clean the poolside. Seven came, and Billy was on his own, mopping the men’s locker room, and wiping down the sauna door. An hour later, Billy was sitting on the edge of the pool, legs inside the warm water.

“Get any acceptance letters yet?”

Her voice brought him out of a trance, and he was about to jump up when she sat down beside him, putting her own legs in the liquid. In normal circumstances, Y/N would lean against him, and Billy would wrap her into his side, but they were no longer in the normal days.

“I mean I did only apply to UCLA, so waiting on that… if it even comes. Heather applied as well, and she received hers yesterday.”

“You’ll get in, Billy, don’t worry,” Y/N's tone was as soft as it was with him when they'd been together. “You’re smart, so don’t put yourself down, and I’m sure UCLA will see it too.”

“You?” he nudged her shoulder with his. “I remember you rambling on about NYU, Brown, Oxford and a bunch of others.”

She shrugged. “Not yet. Though with how last semester went dunno if I will. Kinda went off the deep end.”

Y/N knew Billy wanted to know exactly about that. Why did she suddenly shut down, what was the real reason she broke up with him and completely cut him out of her life, but the second she opened her mouth, finally ready to speak, the lights flickered around them. Instantly, Y/N froze and spaced out, much like when Billy had surprised her all those months ago by her locker.

“Hey, hey,” he cupped her face trying to get her attention. “Come back to me. You’re alright, you’re safe. It’s just me and you,” he placed a hand on her chest and one of hers on his. “Can you feel how I’m breathing?”

Shakily Y/N nodded. 

“Okay,” he nodded back. “Now try to breathe the same way. In,” he took a breath and watched as Y/N mimicked him. “Hold. And out.”

For five minutes as the lights continued to flicker and then finally went out, they kept on with the pattern.

“It’s just a blackout, sweetheart. And you’re not alone. Not if you don’t push me away,” he whispered pressing his forehead to hers. “Please let me in. Please let me be there for you.”

“You can be there for me without knowing why,” her voice still shook from the fright, but with Billy’s presence it slowly levelled out.

His grip on her wrist tightened and he brought it to his lips. “How can I protect you without knowing what to protect you from?”

“Why can’t you just trust me with this? That it’s better not to know.” This whole episode had proved Y/N's point to her – it was safer to not know. Especially for Billy. He already had enough shit to deal with at home.

“Because you don’t trust me to keep you safe.”

“I do,” Y/N sighed, standing up, defeated that he wouldn’t give up and stepped away. “And I love you even more, but I’d prefer if you were alive.”

“You can’t just say shit like that and then tell me not to worry! You can’t tell me I could die from knowing and walk around without me scared shitless!” he jumped up and walked after her, but when Y/N spun around, tears of anger in her eyes, he stopped mid-step.

“I’ve been dealing with this shit for three years now, and I lost one of my best friends because of it! Dustin almost lost one of his best friends! I can’t lose you too,” the last bit came out like a choked back whimper. “I’d rather you hate me than be dead.”

 ***

 That night hadn’t gone how she thought it would. Sure, Y/N had expected to be pretty much interrogated by Billy, but she hadn’t expected the blackout and the all-encompassing fear that erupted throughout her body when the lights blinked out. It was two days later when she finally decided to talk to someone about it

“I’m alright, Nance,” she sighed rolling over in her bed as she talked to her friend. “It was just… fuck. I don’t know when this shit will end. It’s like any time someone turns off the light, I start to see the shadows move and shit. I can’t go on like that.”

She heard some shuffling and muttering from the other end, and Y/N could only guess Johnathan was with her. “Look,” Nancy came back. “Maybe… maybe you can tell him. About everything. He could help us… he could help you, fuck, a blind person could see how much he calms you down.”

“I can’t do that; you know it, Nance! I can’t put him in unnecessary danger.”

“If you’re thinking about Barb, then please stop. This is not the same, in fact, it’s the opposite,” a thick silence settled between the two girls as they thought back to their friend. “Maybe had we known; I wouldn’t have let her leave.”

“Nancy, it wasn’t your fault,” Y/N choked back. “It’s no one’s fault but that monsters.”

“I know, but I’m saying had she known… had we all known, maybe we could’ve been more careful.”

Y/N had nothing to say against that. Had Barb known, maybe she truly would still be with them, and they’d still have their weekly girl’s nights. 

“I just don’t want to risk it. I don’t want to lose him,” she whispered to Nancy. “I can’t lose

him.”

“You’re already losing him by pushing him away.”

She hated Nancy was right, absolutely despised it, but it was Y/N’s safety mechanism, not only to keep the other out of harm’s way but herself as well. If she pushed away enough, maybe once Billy left her, it wouldn’t hurt as much. 

“Look, Johnathan and I will come over and we can have a chillout. Some shit’s been going on, so we need a bit of a break as well,” Nancy said. “And I ain’t suggesting. So, get cleaned up, we’ll come round and help you with the house, but if you look like a homeless man when we arrive, I’ll personally shave off your head.”

There was no room for arguments, especially when the long beep announced Nancy had dropped the call. So, with a sigh, Y/N peeled herself off from where she’d practically melted in the bed and trudged to her adjoined bathroom. She’d almost physically fought Dustin for it, but the ‘older sibling’ card had ultimately won. 

Per Nancy’s instructions, Y/N started to pull herself together. She ran a bath, adding some lavender bubbles and applied a facemask to the sun-kissed skin. It felt kind of tight after being outside by the pool when typically, she barely let the rays touch her, so it definitely needed some moisturizing. 

For the first time in a long while, Y/N felt relaxed, as the hot bubbles encased her. She let out a soft moan when her body was fully submerged and rested her head against the side of the bath. A soft smile appeared on her face when she thought back on the times, she’d done this with Billy and used him as a place to lay her head against. His rough palms would gently caress her sides and massage the knots that'd settled in her shoulders before bringing in her lips for a kiss. But that was the past. 

She pulled her hand out of the liquid cocoon and reached for the razor on the side of the tub. Her skin was slathered enough, that Y/N just decided to go for it, though, with the first stroke of the blades, a sharp sting wrapped around her ankle. 

“Shit,” Y/N hissed, instantly wiping away the blood and licking her finger. “Shit, fucking hell, really?”

As quickly as she could, she shaved both of her legs, without any injuries this time, and got out of the tub to go search for a band-aid. She dried herself off and pulled the old Jaws shirt she’d stolen one night from Billy and refused to give back, saying she preferred to sleep in something of his when he couldn’t be next, and took a pair of work out shorts as bottoms because the heat of Hawkins was unforgiving. 

A glance at the fridge where two notes stood, one from her mom saying she’d be out of the town for the remained of the week on a work trip, and the other from Dustin threatening Y/N if she even so much as looked at his portion of cookies while he was out he’d snap her neck, she scoffed and grabbed a couple of the chocolate chip circles. 

“Dickhead,” Y/N muttered through a stuffed mouth, reaching for a stool to get to their first aid kit.

Red drops had seeped through the tissue paper she’d wrapped around her ankle and splattered onto the floor.

A light flickered.

When Nancy and Johnathan pulled up, all they saw was the lights in Y/N’s house going haywire accompanied by screams.

 ***

 Meanwhile, Billy had had the shittiest couple of days of them all. After getting nowhere with Y/N, just more concerned for her wellbeing, he’d spent the nights in the garage working on his beloved Camaro, or inside his room, headphones on and AC/DC blaring through his Walkman. 

He’d tried calling, but when the phone went unanswered or when Dustin picked up telling how Y/N wasn’t even talking to him, Billy gave up. Maybe it was finally time to let it go and let her go. She seemed to have one hundred percent decided it was either Billy put on a mask of ignorance and they went back to how it used to be, or she wanted nothing to do with him. And Billy couldn’t pretend he didn’t care.

Aggressive banging against his door jerked him out of the self-pity hole he’d been in the past couple of days and towards the invader. Max’s face was unimpressed when he ripped open the door.

“What?” he growled. “What do you want?”

Pretty much everyone that lived in Hawkins piled into his room without a single uttered word – Dustin, Mike, Lucas, the new girl El, Will, Max, but what surprised him the most was Steve. 

“What are you doing here, Harrington?” Billy puffed out his chest. “Need another round?”

“Do that, and you’ll never get back with my sister,” Dustin started, going over to Billy’s curtains and drawing them closed. “And you do want to get back with Y/N, right?”

“What kind of a question is that?” Billy scoffed.

“A simple yes or no,” Max butted in. “If it’s a no, then we’re leaving and you can continue to wallow in your misery, or you can sit down and let us explain.”

A sarcastic snort escaped him, but he relented. Plopping back onto the bed, he rolled his eyes giving Y/N’s brother the go for him to get on with whatever the hell he had to, as long as they’d leave him alone after this and never came in a five feet radius.

“You have to keep an open mind, cause this shit will sound absolutely crazy, but it’s a hundred percent true,” Dustin looked around at the rest of the people. When everyone had given an affirmative nod, he dove into the tale that began two years prior.

Throughout the whole recounting of how Will and Barb had gone missing, how Nancy, Y/N and Johnathan had ventured into the woods at night and had been greeted by a monster with a meat flower for a head and had had to hide for their lives, and how the kids had found El, all leading up to where she’d destroyed it with telekinesis, Billy was practically emotionless, apart from the moment when Steve said while him, Johnathan, Nancy and Y/N had been fighting the thing at Byers’, she’d barely escaped from the Demogorgon and had almost been caught in the flame trap they’d set.

“We thought we were done with that shit, but last year it came back, and it's back now too,” Dustin sighed looking over at Will who’d hung his head. “That’s why Y/N was pushing you away. Things were getting out of hand, and she was afraid the Mind Flayer might get to you. She was just trying to protect you in a really dumbass way.”

“So,” Billy cleared his throat leaning on the edge of the bed and resting his chin against his clasped hands. “You’re telling me your sister broke up with me because an interdimensional monster was terrorizing you and she was afraid it would go after me?” 

Dustin chewed on his bottom lip. “Well when you say it like that, it sounds insane.” 

“Because it is!” the blond exploded. “God, if Y/N didn’t want to see me, she could’ve just told me she didn’t have any feelings anymore, not make you tell me some bullshit story. I get you, Henderson, and I know you’re a dick, Harrington, but I didn’t believe you had that little brain left to go along with this shit.”

The bitter chuckle that made its way out of Steve’s mouth was almost like a cue for everyone to leave. “Yeah, well the thing is, I’m going along with it because it’s the fucking truth. But it’s your loss. She was always way out of your league anyway.”

The sudden shrill ring of the phone made everyone jump before Max ran out of Billy’s room to pick it up. 

“Did you not hear about the part where we said El’s got literal superpowers?” Mike butted in absolutely done with Billy, which made the older boy scoff. 

“Of course, I fucking did, but I decided to block it out, cause given how the whole story’s bullshit, it makes even less sense!” he gestured towards the girl, who’d been standing somewhat behind Mike the whole time. “Come on then! Give us a show!”

“No, you know what, El?” Will popped in. “Don’t. If he doesn’t want to believe us, then so be it. You’re not some circus freak to entertain people. Like Steve said – it’s his loss. This whole thing was a waste of time.”

As everyone left Billy’s room, leaving him to ponder what the fuck had just happened, he heard Max’s panicked voice, and how the kids with Steve in tow sprinted out of the house.

“Hey!” he yelled after the redhead, who only stopped for a second before rushing to Steve's car. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”

“To Dustin’s. Y/N’s hurt.”

 ***

Those words, no matter what they’d told him before, struck true, and Billy bolted to his own Camaro, following Steve almost to the point he crashed into the vehicle a couple of times when the other guy pressed on the brakes.

Yells of pain greeted him when he jumped into the night air and rushed inside the now-demolished house. Lamps and glass littered the ground in jagged pieces, couch and pillow fillings dusted around like sprinkles on a cake, but the worst sight was the scarlet drops of blood on the walls and ground, some places oozing black like puss from a wound.

“Fuck, shit, fuck,” Billy could hear Y/N’s panting from where her room was, and practically showing her brother out of the way, ran to the pain-filled voice, but was stopped in the middle of the doorway when seeing Johnathan with a blazing white knife in hand. It made bile rise in Billy’s stomach, but what put him on the verge of throwing up was what happened next.

“What the –“ Johnathan exclaimed, noticing the Californian’s arrival, but instantly switched when the kids ran in Y/N’s room, completely unaffected by how everything looked. “El, hold her down,” Johnathan said, and in an instant, Y/N was no longer trying to get away from him.

She was stiff as a statue, eyes wide and filled with fear and pain, while El’s nose had a little stream of blood running from it, an outstretched hand towards Y/N, radiating unseen power that immobilized the girl he loved. 

Everything the kids said, had said had been true. All of it, him being a witness to El’s telekinesis firsthand. Mike's gagging made him snap out of the daze and run to Y/N’s side where he pulled her to rest against his chest

“There’s something in there!” the youngest Wheeler shouted as Johnathan moved closer, kneeling down on bloodied rags that reeked of metal and alcohol.

“I know, what do you think we’re trying to do?” he said it as if he was calming himself down not Y/N. “Quick and fast.”

When the knife moved closer to the open wound, whatever was inside moved away, and it visibly caused Y/N pain, as tears streamed down her cheeks in an endless river.

“No, please,” Y/N whimpered. “It hurts, Billy. Please make it stop.”

“I will, baby, I promise,” he kissed the side of her head where it had lolled to rest against his shoulder. He had to process this quickly to help her. “I will. But you gotta hold on, alright? It’s gonna hurt only for a bit, and after that, it’ll be alright.” 

But she kept shaking her head with every inch that the white-hot steel moved closer to her. The knife hadn’t even touched her. Her whimpers turned into screams. Finally, Billy snapped.

“Can’t you see you’re only hurting her?”

“Do you have any better ideas?” Nancy yelled back. She was crying as well; it was giving her no pleasure seeing one of her closest friends in such an immense amount of pain. “We gotta get it out and cauterize the wound. She could bleed to death.”

It was like a lightbulb went off in his head.

“She could pull it out,” Billy turned hopefully to El. “Right? If you can hold her down, why wouldn’t you be able to pull out whatever it is?”

“It’s still gonna hurt,” her voice was quiet and apologetic as she looked at Y/N, who only shook her head as if saying ‘it’s alright. I forgive you’, now freed from El’s hold, and able to sag against Billy’s front.

“Probably not as much as that would’ve.”

This gave them a few seconds to recuperate, and Nancy ran to her room taking three steps at a time before sprinting downstairs with a can of hairspray and a belt, as the rest tried to somewhat clean Y/N’s room and the house. Billy didn’t want to think about how much of the blood was hers and how much the monsters.

“What happened?” Billy muttered into Y/N’s hair and inhaled the scent of grapefruit and chamomile. He’d missed that smell. He’d missed falling asleep next to her, where he could hide his face by the crook of her neck and just drift off into a peaceful sleep. 

The girl shuddered when he exhaled, the warm puff of air which used to be so soothing, now an unwelcome sensation, courtesy of the part of the Mind Flayer stuck in her body. “Was taking a bath,” Y/N murmured. “Decided to shave and accidentally cut myself. Next thing I know, all the lights started to flicker and this… mass of goo with tentacles was practically throwing me around the house. Luckily Nancy and Johnathan got here, and we were able to stave it off, but when she axed off one of the legs or whatever, I guess not everything retreated.”

A moan of displeasure invaded Billy’s ears, as she shifted a bit. “What are you doing here?”

“Dustin told me everything.”

She grunted straightening out in his hold. “I swear if I didn’t feel like someone played paper shredder with me, I’d kill him.”

“The question is why didn’t you tell me?”

“Had I, would you have believed me?”

Billy looked at her chest and focused on how it moved up and down in short quick breaths while thinking back on the confrontation and how the truth had been laid out to him a mere hour ago. His silence was her answer.

“Did you ever think maybe I was trying to protect you? It’s bad enough the kids are involved. This isn’t just shits and giggles. This is life and death. And if you somehow manage to get through this, you could go to jail. If you can’t tell, I’m not having the time of my life right now, Billy and –“

“I won’t let you do this without me. Not anymore.”

There was no room for discussion. The intensity of his gaze paralyzed Y/N, and as much as she hated to have him involved with the Upside Down business, as much as she hated he was now a possible target, she no longer could tell her heart no, so, she wove a hand into his curls and pulled him down for a kiss. 

For a moment both forgot the situation they were in, and nothing but the sweet taste of the other existed. It was like their souls had been revived and their hearts synced to once more beat in the same rhythm.

When they pulled back and looked around the room, no one was watching, giving the pair some resemblance of privacy, and it made her chuckle, though the levity was soon eradicated when El stepped up.

“Bite on this,” Nancy handed the leather strip to Y/N, who only weakly nodded, and Billy fished out his lighter, tossing it to her.

“The second it's out, light it on fire.

Y/N was fully pressed against Billy now, his arms like a vice around her waist and shoulders, and hers on top of his biceps.

“You ready?” Steve asked kneeling down and putting both palms on her upper thigh, so she’d be as still as possible while El tried to extract whatever thing lurked underneath the tissues of her leg.

Y/N bit down harder on the belt and tightened her grip on Billy. He held her back just as tightly. For reassurance. For security. For safety. She was no longer in this alone. Billy would keep her safe. And she him.

Tags (crossed out wouldn’t take): 

Forever tags: @lumelgy @palaiasaurus64 @supernaturalbaesduh​ @breezy1415 @crazy--me @thatawkwardlittlefangirl @sea040561​ @staryeyedgirl​ @deathbyarabbit @s-c-a-r-e-d-po-t-t-e-r @reblogger-not-a-blogger @m-a-t-91​ @dalilx​ @i-need-a-hero-i-need-a-loki​ @maladaptive-ninja-returns​ @averyrogers83​ @in-the-end-im-still-trash​ @gallifreyansass​ @dewy-biitch​ @avxgers​ @unlikelygalaxygiver​ @magicwithaknife​ @ollyoxenfrees​ @bnhvrdy​ @tvwhoresblog @celebsimagines​ @thatkindofgurl​ @sj-thefan​ @teenwolflover28

Billy Hargrove’s tag list: @la-reina-tigresa​ @youcanstandundermyumbrella @ephmrl-love​

A/N: I hope everyone’s staying home and is alright during these crazy times. I was in quarantine myself, I got out of the UK in the nick of time so that I could wait this out at home (I wasn’t in contact with people and I was in a safe space away from everyone). I did have the sniffles and a sore throat which is chronic at this point and luckily it’s was just that, as I did go and get tested for COVID-19, but even if you’re like me - please check your temperature 2x a day, drink loads of tea with lemon and honey, and eat a lot of garlic. And don’t forget WASH YOUR FUCKING HANDS! I HAVE SHIT TO DO AND PLACES TO BE AND I NEED THIS OVER BY JUNE!!! (please note I do hope we can get back to our normal lives by the end of May, (April would be amazing) but we need to listen to the medical professionals and advice from them. Not politicians, unless they tell you to stay the fuck inside, but actual people who know about disease and viruses. Trust them. They’re putting their lives on the line by being around the infected and treating them while we can sit home on our couches. If not for the respect of other people, then for the ones actually out there trying to curb and combat this.)

Stay safe my frens, and please know - if you need anyone to talk to don’t be afraid to message me. I know i’m quite bad at replying, but I’ll try to be more active at this time, as I know we’re supposed to be “social distancing” but I’d like to call it physical distancing. Heard that somewhere, didn’t make it up myself :D humans by nature are social creatures and as big of a homebody I am, I’m kinda going crazy (was in quarantine for 2 days and was already bored out of my mind). We all need people to talk to. If you need a vent or just someone to have a chat with for 5 mins, I’ll be here :) (P.S. please note I most likely have a huge time zone difference with everyone, so replies might be at off times :D)I’ll be trying to post more fics, but I do have my assignment still (we now have another 2 week deadline extension and I’m so fucking confused as to when are my new deadlines. Hopefully I’ll be able to finish everything in my quarantine, and I’ll be able to write some shizz up)

P.S. my tags are always open :)

P.S.S. what did ya think?

[jenonctcity]

Charia Kingdom - Masterlist

An NCT Dream Fantasy Series.

Charia Kingdom - A place that has equal amounts of sunshine and rain, hot and cold, rich and poor, and, humans and creatures that couldn’t be identified as that of human status. Ruled by the Lee family with a king whose cutthroat and unforgiving nature is feared by many. The poor not cared for by people who have everything, where disease takes the lives of those unfortunate enough to not have the funds to purchase medicine. A place where humans live among  creatures many would find terrifying. It’s no secret that Vampires, Werewolves, Wizards, etc live amongst them like normal people. Unless you murder someone, you’re considered normal. Everyone lives their own lives, whether it be a happy life, or a sorrowful life...

Mark Lee - Born into a family of renowned witches and wizards, there came a time for Mark to fly the nest. The nest being their comfortable home in the middle of the bustling kingdom. After the death of the castle’s witch, 17 year old Mark was brought in to take her place. He lives up to his family’s name and has impressed the royal family with his natural talents. Now 20 years old with the trust of the royal family and kingdom, shy, quiet Mark is given a new obstacle when a new maid is brought to work alongside him in the castle. Granted she’s mostly there to clean up his mess, but he finds she plays a much bigger role in his life than just that. With the new light in his life, Mark faces a new task at hand. Keeping her safe from the horrors of the castle. 

Perils Brewing - [S], [A], [F]

Huang Renjun - Being chased from the royal family’s castle at the age of 16 was never something Renjun hoped for when he was growing up. Having lived in the castle since his birth, his mother, the castles witch, raised him alone. After finding out a huge secret and confronting the king, the king has Renjun’s mother killed, leading Renjun to use the dark powers he never knew he had to curse the Prince of the kingdom. After a bounty is put on his head for his crimes, he lives his life on the run, burrowing away in a cabin far out in the depths of the dangerous forest. A place where many lethal creatures live. Now 19, Renjun has lived in solitude for 3 years, and never expected a girl to break into his home in the dead of night. The girl he encounters is on the run herself, but refuses to tell him why. The stubborn, mentally strong, and brave girl persaudes him to let her stay with him. Can he live alongside another being when he’s still got dark magic flowing through his veins and a huge secret heavy in his heart?

Running From The Dark - [S], [A], [F]

Lee Jeno - Being the crown prince of Charia Kingdom was never something that worried Jeno. He was raised by his mother to smile when talked to, and to have a kind heart so that he would rule the kingdom differently to how his father had. At 16, he’s unexpectedly hit by a powerful curse after hearing a ruckus going on in the echoing halls of the castle. It flips his life around, his new status as a werewolf being a challenge he hates with all his heart. It turned the kingdoms sweetheart into an angry, brooding boy. Now 19, Jeno has learned how to control when he phases with the help of the remedies Mark brews for him. The only thing he can’t control is bursting into a gigantic wolf every time a negative emotion takes over his mind. No one apart from the workers of the castle know that he’s a wolf, it being kept a secret from the public. He runs in the forest in his wolf form calm him down, until he comes face to face with a rogue wolf who threatens his life with her piercing glare. After imprinting on each other, Jeno has to learn how to balance his new love, his duties as prince, his burning rage, and a secret that is revealed to him that changes his life once again. 

Stepping Into The Moonlight - [S], [A], [F]

Lee Donghyuck - Donghyuck the cheeky, charismatic boy who wasn't born a demon. As a human Donghyuck was known for his greed and crimes. So when he died at the age of 19, Satan offered him an eternal life in exchange for completing tasks. At the age of 79 he was banished from hell for failing to take the life of someone he decided upon himself didn't deserve to die. For his sin, as punishment he was sent to live on earth forever. Being immortal and watching people you make connections with die from illness, old age, or suicide was a far bigger punishment than dying. Currently 128 years old, he’s seen many of his peers around him die in many ways, and every time it happens it chips away at his sanity and positive attitude. He swore never to fall in love, but upon meeting the princess of Charia, he can’t keep away from her. After falling in love with her, it’s becoming more likely that she will be ripped away from him sooner rather than later. With his emotions flipping completely, can he manage to stop himself from sinning to save the woman he loves?

Coming Soon...

Na Jaemin - At the age of 19, Jaemin was brutally beaten by a knight of the royal family and left for dead. He was found by a creature of the night and turned into a blood craving vampire. Many years later, he’s now 210 years old and lives life one day at a time. He’s rather peaceful for a murderous creature, only being considered dangerous when he’s starved of the only thing he needs; blood. Before his death, he was an orphan, abandoned with only a pile of letters telling him of his true heritage. Something that’s always planted in the back of his mind. After hunting one night, he hears screams coming from the kingdoms small hospital. There he finds a nurse being attacked by a patient. After defusing the attack, he has no other choice but to help the wounded nurse, not being able to leave her there half dead as he was once before. The addicting scent of her makes him keep her around despite the danger that he poses to her by having her in his home. He finds himself doing something he never would have dreamed of doing to keep her around. After finding out about his true heritage, she changes, for the good or bad? Will this be a love story, or a tragedy?

Coming Soon...

Zhong Chenle - Born as an angel in heaven, Chenle had always been obsessed over how humans lived on earth. But forbidden to step foot on earth he had to always watch from above. Turning 18 he decided to take a risk. A risk that lead him to be ripped from his family, forced to live his life on earth like a mortal human. He has his halo taken from him, but is plagued by the wings that have a heavier feeling on his back than what they used to in heaven. Living the life he always wanted, he’s a happy soul, rarely being sad even if he can’t leave the house as much as he would like. His wings are hard to conceal, and with fallen angel’s being a more than rare thing, he’s scared he will be killed for his wings. You’d think if he was killed he would go to back heaven right? Wrong. After being thrown to earth, he had no means of survival other than stealing to stay alive. One night he meets the hyperactive, bubbly girl who works in the local bookstore. A friendship immediately occurs between the two. He soon finds himself falling for the girl and has hopes of living the normal life he always wanted. As he gets used to living as a human does, will life pan out the way sweet Chenle wants?

Coming Soon...

Park Jisung - In human form, Jisung looks like the worlds softest boy. His shy, slightly awkward persona often tricks people into thinking that he couldn’t even fight off a new-born baby. So why has the royal family put this lanky, slender 17 year old boy in front of the castles main gate as its protector when the rumours are that a terrifying dragon is the guarder of the castle. Well, something not many people know about the boy is that he’s a dragon hybrid. And can turn into an overwhelmingly huge dragon that has even the bravest of knights quivering in their chain mail. So far no one has ever gotten past the boy, and he intends on keeping it that way. So when a girl who looks around the same age as him slips past him and is found stealing from the castle, he’s not too impressed. She’s locked away in the dungeon, and the curious boy has to meet the only person to ever get past him. She’s sentenced to death but after pleading with his friend Prince Jeno, her crimes are pardoned, but only if Jisung keeps her with him as his assistant. He encourages her to change her thieving ways, but will he ever be able to change the hard-headed girl he argues with daily? What if you add strange feelings of love into the mix and a promise that one of them doesn't intend on keeping?

Coming Soon...

(A/N: Hi! I’m so excited to for this series I hope you enjoyed the teasers! whose are you most looking forward to? I worked really, really hard on these so please let me know your thoughts and give it loads of love! Also as all of this series hasn't been written yet, things may change in the plots and summaries but it shouldn't be anything too drastic. Also this series will contain smut, angst and fluff. Obviously no smut for Chenle and Jisung, and each story will get warnings and categories marked on them when they’re published.)

[xlady-saya]

Hello! I don’t really use this account a whole lot but I wanted to go ahead and make a pinned post, which I’ll hopefully remember to update frequently lol. Anyways, here’s a collection of the fics I’ve written for aftg, andreil, and others so far ^^

progress comes in small steps series [complete]

and we’re just starting to get it [Rated T, 11.1k]

Neil is nothing and everything all at once, the entire universe for Andrew, however small of a universe that is. Even Aaron is starting to see it, though the pieces still don't line up.

And Andrew is trying to convince Aaron that he's never jealous? Yeah right. You don't spend your entire life being denied, being hurt, going through foster care with nothing to call your own only to be okay with someone else trying to take the one bright piece of life you call yours.

Or, Aaron is done with Andrew's shit and makes it his job to prove his brother wrong.

there’s always more to learn [Rated T, 12.3k]

The subject of Katelyn and Neil hasn't felt like dangerous territory in a long time, but Aaron feels the bomb countdown already coming to an end before Bee even opens her mouth.

"Well, the two of them are so alike," Bee goes on, oblivious to the tension leaking into the space. Her smile is pleasant, teasing. "It just goes to show how you and Andrew have similar tastes despite being so different."

The world freezes on its axis.

Andrew inhales a little too loudly the same time Aaron chokes on his spit. "W-What?"

trust is a slow process [Rated T, 7.3k]

If Katelyn had been stealthier, she could've escaped the crowded dance floor without Andrew seeing her.

But of course, she's no Neil.

Or: Katelyn and Andrew spend some unwanted quality time together, and Katelyn sees things for what they are.

someday there won’t be scowls [Rated T, 8.1k]

Neil finds that even with his mind's best efforts to hang onto the wounds of the past, his opinion of Aaron just isn't what it used to be. He can thank Andrew and Katelyn for a lot of it, but his own observations certainly help.

When he sees Aaron like this, the mix of worry and adoration on his face as he thinks of Katelyn, Neil can't help but feel too exposed himself.

It's a start.

I want this touch to be familiar [Rated E, 38.1k]

Deep down, Andrew knew he would always reach this crossroads, a time where the thought became too strong to ignore.

Going all the way with Neil. It's not something he can continue to avoid thinking about. When Andrew looks back to the days where he held Neil's hands down, when he never got off with him in the same room, he's forced to acknowledge how much he's allowed.

Not allowed. Welcomed. Wanted.

But that’s not all there is to it, and the desire to make a decision finally makes itself known.

if magic exists, you’re the closest thing [Rated T, 16.2k]

The concept of love is not one Andrew understands.

For a long time, it escaped him. It's always fuzzy, always distorted. He'd given up on it long ago, so why is he still chasing answers?

Whatever the reason, he's content to blame Jean Moreau for a lot of things, Katelyn too.

It's their fault he's here, at the happiest place on earth.

this red is for you [Rated T, 10.8k]

Katelyn never considered herself capable of doling out violence.

It has always been a far away thought, dampened by college courses and late night dates with her boyfriend. She lives a stereotypical life, despite everything she's been through with Aaron. Aside from her growing connection with the notoriously troublesome Foxes, nothing much about her life has changed.

Even then, she's learning she's still able to surprise herself. When Katelyn witnesses Neil defending Andrew, her own protective rage rears its head, ready to be explored.

And maybe that's a good thing.

an unconventional crossing [Rated T, 8.1k]

Aaron likes to believe he and Andrew have a lot more practice navigating their conversations now. And he’s right, mostly. But sometimes, challenges arise at the strangest times, and especially when their significant others are concerned.

In which Andrew and Aaron run into each other at the grocery store, and choose not to part ways.

the roads I traveled with you [Rated T, 35.5k]

When his brother gets engaged, Aaron doesn't expect it to send his head spinning as much as it does. Marriage has always felt like a dream, or a nightmare, one he never thought either of them would be able to achieve.

In that moment, Aaron remembers what he's always known, what keeps his head above water. He wants to be with Katelyn forever. That's never been a question. But marriage hadn't been brought up. For so long it was this abstract concept, a fantasy. He'd always reasoned with himself that it would happen, rationally of course it would, but now...

Now Andrew has made the idea a reality, and Aaron has to confront his own wants for his future.

one shots/multichapters

I’ve had a love of my own [Rated T, ongoing]

Despite everything Neil could’ve imagined for his life, he never thought he’d be here, finally giving the world the interview they’ve always wanted.

It’s been decades, but even with his numerous accolades and sports wins, he finds that they’re the least important thing about his life.

Neil can’t help but laugh. Andrew would be so annoyed if he were here.

Of course, Neil only wants to talk about him, and the life they spent together.

slurred [Rated M, 1.6k]

They're not the type of people to give up control, but with each other they're willing to bend the rules.

growing pains [Rated T, 10.6k]

Stuart knows it’s perfectly normal for teenagers to have crushes. That’s why he’s not surprised in the slightest when Neil starts acting strange; lighter, happier. However, what he doesn’t expect is for the crush to leak into his everyday life—or literally take up residence in his house. Or: five times Stuart knew Neil was hiding a nighttime guest, and one time he actually met him.

your hands are mine to hold [Rated E, 6.7k]

It has taken a long time for Thea to accept a lot of aspects of their past. Her eyes track the fear in Kevin's eyes, emboldened by how his own resolve wears it away year by year. She'll never take that sight for granted.

It's hard to ignore the weights on both of them, with their lives so eaten up by the Exy world and memories of the Nest, but one thing has always remained consistent.

Thea trusts Kevin Day with her everything, and she'll never hesitate to follow him into battle.

better than a night light [Rated T, 7.3k]

Neil hasn’t had the chance to examine the feeling of fear in a long time. He’s all too familiar with it though; from the nightmares, to the memories of a cold basement floor, he knows the feeling like the back of his hand.

But this fear is new, loaded with ridiculousness and a complete lack of reason. It’s nothing more than pixels on a screen, far away theories that can’t hurt him like his past can.

Maybe that’s why he’s beginning to not mind it as much. It doesn’t hurt that Andrew is also there to hold him through it.

Playtime [Rated E, 6.7k]

There was a time when Andrew might've questioned being so into this.

Not anymore.

take what you want [Rated E, 5.4k]

Laila has come a long way from her freshman year, past all the worries and pressure to behave a certain way. She never thought she’d realize it here, lounging poolside with her girlfriend.

The urge to seduce Alvarez is just too good to let go.

a product of absence [Rated T, 7.8k]

It’s funny, Andrew thinks, that this would be seen as a curse in any other situation. Two people, thrown apart by time and circumstances, desperately searching for one another.

But Andrew has never doubted Neil’s return. He’s not running, he’s not worried. It’s perhaps the only waiting game that’s been worth it, that he understands, because this bond with Neil has only ever made sense to him.

In another life, Neil made this much clear: they would always find each other in the end.

here I am, there you go again [Rated T, 17.5k]

There's many things about the past Neil chooses to leave behind, and most of the time it's for the best. For some reason though, his brain can't help but cling to the last memories of him.

"My Ex." Neil bites his tongue at the word, because it never feels right. At this point, so many years later, that man is no one. A stranger. He shouldn't presume to know him anymore than his ex should presume to know Neil.

If he remembers Neil at all.

But Neil should know better than anyone that the past always has a way of catching up to him, and this time, he's not as willing to run as he might've initially thought.

losing battle [Rated M, 3.4k]

It's always been Nicky's dream to be closer with his cousins. However, when he opens Andrew's mail to find more than he bargained for, he finds himself regretting the wish. Unfortunately, no matter how much Andrew's warmed up to him in the last few years, Nicky's pretty sure he'll die (literally) if Andrew finds out.

Nicky's mission begins.

temper, temper [Rated T, 3.7k]

"You paid for the deluxe package," Neil says as he scrolls through his payment history to find his client's invoice. His system is simple:

Basic Package: Fuck you. A general statement of displeasure and a brief description of the wrongdoing.

Intermediate Package: Fuck you, with passion. Everything in the basic package, but with additional insults. Customizable for an extra fee.

Deluxe Package: Fuck you to hell. Everything from the first two packages, for an extended period of time, and with extra viciousness.

And it looks like Andrew Minyard is the unlucky soul today.

a new contract [Rated T, 7.2k]

Neil’s request is simple on its face, but infinitely complicated given his history.

“Convince your team to sign me.”

And this was Andrew’s deal: If Neil can prove that he’s serious, that he can build a new life for himself so that he doesn’t end up crawling back to Riko, Andrew will convince his coach to recommend him for recruitment in the fall.

Yes, it was meant to be black and white…

But Andrew should’ve known better. Nothing ever is.

What a Rush [Rated E, 1.6k]

It's always Andrew's goal to stretch Neil's pleasure to its limits, and he's barely begun to scratch the surface.

locked together [Rated E, 8.3k]

Andrew licks his lips and tugs on the tail of the beast inside him, righting it so it can point him in the direction of what he's searching for. Neil looks good on top of him, panting and giddy, and it's rare that Andrew doesn't want to flip them over and make Neil fall apart.

But...every once in a while...

Well, he's relaxed today. He wants to listen, he wants orders, he wants to be controlled so long as the control comes from Neil.

do you like scary movies? [Rated T, 22.5k]

To say Andrew has never seen the benefit in the make-believe would be a lie. However, he finds less and less use for it as he grows older. He especially fails to see the benefits of anything from the horror genre; he’s made plenty of his own mistakes, has seen more than enough to terrify him in his life. He doesn’t need to rely on jump scares and idiotic protagonists.

But when he meets Neil, self-proclaimed horror archivist, he finds that maybe he never gave the genre the credit it was due, and he ends up thanking the dull movies eventually…

They lead him to Neil, the realest thing he’s ever known.

[samesanegirl]

The Weasley-Potter Clan

Teddy Lupin: 

The most loved and admired member of the Weasley-Potter clan

Has a special bond with every single one of his cousins

Whenever there is a Quidditch match in the clan, everyone fights for Teddy to be in their team

Pansexual king

Is totally into rock and punk music

Loves Victoire more than life itself

Social butterfly due to his charm and caring nature

Listens to The Weird Sisters non stop

He constantly changes his hair colour. However, he always keeps a pink and brown streak for his parents

Uses his Metamorphous powers to cheer others up

Hufflepuff beater - has taken the pleasure of training the Weasley-Potter children in Quidditch

Underneath his gleeful attitude, he often mourns over his parents and never forgets them

Victoire Weasley: 

Adores children, which explains why Hugo and Lily Luna love her

Other than Teddy, she would be best friends with Molly II due to their close age.

Charming, witty and drop-dead gorgeous

Has a very elegant presence and she is very feminine

Unashamedly girly and does not believe femininity makes her ‘weak’

Others assumed she was dumb, despite that she was sorted into Ravenclaw. This pushed Victoire to work harder

Ended up being Head Girl, graduating at the top of her class and becoming a Healer.

Unlike her cousins, Victoire didn’t play Quidditch 

Instead, she loves swimming as she grew up on Shell Cottage

Head-over-heels in love with Teddy Lupin.

Willingly helps others and loves giving advice

Critical about certain things and has opinionated & blunt nature

James Sirius Potter: 

Makes boring situations fun, no matter what

Chanels the spirit of the marauders

Quidditch fanatic

His free-spirited personality is contrasted against his competitive and serious attitude when playing Quidditch

Gryffindor Keeper

Whenever he wins a match, he throws the loudest parties ever seen in Hogwarts

Is the literal embodiment of Gryffindor

Has the craziest stories to tell

Loves to think himself as the ladies’ man. Unfortunately, Louis snatched that title once he hit puberty

Often takes the blame when everything goes wrong

When a girl captures his heart, he is romantic and cheesy as fuck

Fred Weasley: 

He grew up witnessing his father cope with grief. Thus, he has learned to not take anyone for granted

His obsession with Quidditch is on the same level with James

He and James can’t live without each other

Soul-brothers with James

Gryffindor Chaser alongside Dominique and Rose. They are unbeatable when united together

Very sweet and protective around her female cousins

Inherits Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes

Keeps a cool head whenever he, James and Dominique get into trouble

Gets drunk extremely easily

Girls fawn over his charming personality and looks

Willingly accepts any challenge, no matter how wild and crazy it is, he finds a way to complete it

Dominique Weasley: 

While Victoire is graceful and lady-like, Dominique is loud and rebellious

Considerably smart but never tries in Hogwarts

Complete wisecrack and smartass

Prank trio with James Sirius and Fred II

Dyes her hair different colours three times a year

Gryffindor Chaser

Uses her Veela powers to get what she wants

Flirty, confident and hilarious

Will get into a literal fist fight if you insult her loved ones

Loves road trips, parties, festivals and Quidditch

Suggests the wildest challenges and games to her cousins

A social butterfly and life of the party

Roxanne Weasley: 

Extremely loyal to those who win her approval

Fanatic of The Weird Sisters - something that her and Teddy obsess over

Has no mercy on the Quidditch pitch

Underneath her toughness, she is sensitive and sweet

Ferocious Gryffindor Beater

Badass as fuck and she knows it

Believes in female empowerment and is very accepting towards others

Has no time for bullshit or small talk

Lesbian and proud of it

Aspires to become a rock musician in the Wizarding World

Always has your back, no matter what

Does not give a shit about what you think or say about her

But if you insult her cousins, she will make your life a misery

Hugo Weasley: 

On the autism spectrum, but is fucking intelligent

Surprisingly, Hugo is smarter than his sister

Has a crush on Lysander Scamander

Equally obsessed with the Chudley Cannons like his father

The best chess player in the family

Always hangs out with Lily Luna and Roxanne

Ravenclaw Keeper, but switches to Beater position when playing Quidditch with his cousins

Fascinated by Magical Creatures and studies them

Is socially awkward and can be insensitive and blunt when he is stressed

Has a kind heart and a strong moral compass

Is passionate about activism and calling out injustices

Can be bossy and is fearful of breaking the rules

Has random knowledge about the most obscure things

Believes that house elves deserve their freedom and are not slaves

Louis Weasley: 

Once he hit puberty, the girls could not leave him alone

Fluent in French and English

Sweet temperament and an absolute gentleman

Interested in French and British culture

Obsessed with film and the Muggle World

Loves to travel to other countries and visit famous landmarks

Hufflepuff beater

Can be a little naive at times but is emotionally mature

Calm demeanour but lives for adventure 

People pleaser and can sometimes be a push-over

Genuinely wants the best for you

People come to him for comfort or support and to flirt in the process 

Molly Weasley: 

Loveable, warm, kind-hearted

Loves physical affection and always hugs her cousins for no reason

Makes the people she loves feel special and likes doing surprise parties or sleepovers

Loves to cook and bake different things

Obsessed with English Literature

Headgirl in her last year at Hogwarts

Whilst she is intelligent and hard-worker, she was nowhere near as competitive or ambitious as Percy

Does not play for the Gryffindor Quidditch team either, although she likes to watch it

Hopeless romantic and ships absolutely everything

Everyone is naturally drawn to her optimism

Lucy Weasley: 

Gets teased for being a nerd and for liking Muggle things, but she proudly admits it

Has a small blue streak on her hair

Does not play for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. However, she plays as Chaser in the Weasley Annual Quidditch matches

Not academically competitive like Percy but manages to ace her exams anyway

Introverted and painfully awkward, but is loud around her best friends

People make assumptions around her asexuality and she hates it

Lucy has a close friendship with all her female cousins, whether they like the same things or not

Obsessed with comic books and Marvel films

Sarcastic humour and amazing comebacks

Fascinated with Muggle pop culture

Lily Luna Potter: 

The youngest in the family

Is in love with love and is an intense shipper of the relationships that her cousins are in

Mostly calm under stressful circumstances

Inherited her father’s sass and her mother’s humour

Daydreams 24/7

Super talkative - could start a conversation in an empty room

Has a very kind and lively nature

Intuitive, trusting and sensitive

Social butterfly and gets along with everyone she meets

Gryffindor Seeker - just as good as Albus Potter

Stands up for what is right and never hesitates to defend others

Dreams to be a journalist

Whenever Rita Skeeter makes rumours about her cousins, she jumps to their defence and roasts her

Rose Weasley: 

Perfectionist and very demanding of herself

Nothing can ever stop her from accomplishing her goals

Feels the pressures of being the daughter of two war heroes and tries to succeed in everything to please them and herself

Gryffindor Chaser

Her love for Quidditch matches James and Fred’s

Loyal to the Chudley Cannons, no matter how many times they lose

Vivacious and funny around her friends but is dead-serious when confronted with challenges

Competitive as fuck, whether it is Quidditch, academics or on a bet

Loving, caring and overprotective

Outspoken about her views and hates injustices

If you hurt her loved ones, she will Sectusembra your ass

Fiery temper and not to be messed with

Breaks the rules at school and manages to fool Hogwarts professors with her flawless grades 

Bonds with Scorpius over their shared neediness and love of books

Albus Severus Potter: 

Talented at Potions, which is his best subject as well

Very intelligent but is silent about it

Hates being centre of attention

Slytherin Seeker - and a supremely talented one

Hates his middle name after having a deep conversation with Professor Longbottom

Is confused why his dad didn't name him after Hagrid

Sarcastic as fuck

Would take the Killing Curse for Rose and Scorpius

Secretly listens to emo music

Is a pro at escaping trouble and is great at creating loopholes by thinking on the spot

Slightly awkward upon first introductions but he is very kind and caring

Avoids the Wizarding press as much as possible

Scorpius Malfoy: 

Strong moral compass and hates injustices

Generally reserved and quiet around those he does not know very well

Once you win his loyalty, he will move the earth just for you

Is a great judge of character and is an expert on body language

An absolute gentleman

Whenever his friends are stuck in trouble, he is a master at acting innocent and naive in order to help them

Quietly determined and ambitious

His kind nature is often mistaken for weakness

But Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy is the strongest person ever

He knows how to defend himself and does not tolerate bullshit

When Molly gave him a Weasley sweater for Christmas, he was in tears

Fascinated with the Muggle world and loves spending it there with Al and Rose

Incredibly intelligent and nerdy

Slytherin keeper

Is in love with Muggle literature, museums, architecture and art

[imjeralee]

Comfort in Despair: Chapter 6 - It’s You

Leon x F!Reader

Disclaimer: Do not own Pokemon

Summary:

Galar is rich in folklore and tales of the supernatural.

As a Pokemon Researcher who specialises in ghost types, this is a great opportunity for you to investigate and learn more about the paranormal.

Along the way, you meet Leon (in the most awkward way possible) who becomes embroiled in your adventures.

^ Basically this story is about ghosts :/

Rating: General/Teen

Warnings: Blood, also I think this chapter is quite dark

It's You

...

...

[Unused testimonial, submitted by Chief Inspector Chris Graves: She's used to dealing with death. It doesn't get easier, but it doesn't surprise her anymore.]

...

...

A droplet of icy cold water splashes over Leon's cheek, forcing him to stir.

Opening his eyes groggily, he lets his vision settle before he looks up and around, discovering that he has been brought to a cave and is lying on an incredibly chilly and hard surface. He doesn't see Charizard anywhere.

Surrounded by nothing but doom and gloom, Leon emits a groan as he attempts to sit up. He gathers as much strength as he can to his arms and eases his elbows backwards in order to push himself off the ground but discovers he cannot move; glancing down, he sees a sheet of ice covering his legs and feet, preventing means of escape. Although he's wearing clothing that would combat the cold to an extent, he finds himself shivering from the extreme frigidness of this cavern.

"Where am I...?" he mutters, before an eerie and ethereal wail shakes the cavern walls and Leon tosses a glimpse to the source of the sound.

A writhing, ghostly white figure bobs up and down over the cavern floor in the distance, bounding closer and closer to him.

It's a Froslass.

He's never seen a wild one in Galar before and unfortunately he makes eye contact with it and the Froslass trills happily when she sees that he is awake and floats over to him, reaching for him with her little cold and elongated white paws that are attached to the sides of her head. She proceeds to stroke his long hair and nuzzles her face over the top of his head and buries her cheeks over the scruff of his beard affectionately.

Overjoyed, Froslass releases him, turning away before quickly whirling round, revealing that she has brought a leppa berry for him and she leaves it on the ground near his right thigh. She continues to float around him daintily before heading to the far side of the cave to go through a collection of rucksacks and opening them happily one by one and emptying them of contents.

Froslass goes through them whilst singing unintelligibly, occasionally throwing away items that aren't of interest before she pulls out a packet of mixed mushrooms and holds them high in the air. She emits a loud squeal of glee and clutches the packet in her paws. Next, she finds a comb from one of the bags and returns to Leon's side. She nudges the packet for his taking.

With the comb, she settles beside him and begins brushing his hair, purring with affection.

She appears to be fond of him.

...

When Charizard brings you to the area where he had lost Leon, he lands in the middle of a lonely path hidden between a large cluster of trees and you hop off his back and onto the ground, the dirt scrunching under your shoes.

Charizard and Gengar watch you silently as you begin assessing your surroundings. You're aware Leon has a bad sense of direction and despite your warning, he's vanished in the Giant's Seat. They camped outside, but from what Charizard is attempting to tell you, Leon was lured in.

And the moment Charizard brought you here, you knew something was wrong immediately. The negative energy that lingers here is suffocating. To the untrained eye, it's a typical, clear day. However, you can sense that the atmosphere is heavy and thick as fog. There is a miasma that has taken ahold of the vicinity, filling it up with nothing but misery, fear and regret.

Gengar appears to sense it too for he shivers on his spot.

It's very late now and there is not a single soul in sight, allowing you to work quickly and silently with no disruption. It's too dark and dank here so you decide not to waste your time dressing up as a boy in order to get yourself captured or to look for tracks or footprints, granted if there are any. Finding Leon as quickly as possible is your priority here and you have a technique that would assist you here, therefore you hurriedly drop to your knees on the ground, grabbing your bag and zipping it open.

Charizard and Gengar move to your left and right respectively and observe as you pull out a small strip of clean bandages, a pouch containing a small blank piece of scritta paper and a swiss army knife with red handle.

"Don't look if you're squeamish," you warn them as you settle the piece of paper over the ground in front of you, using your knee to prevent it from flying away in the wind, but the Pokemon don't retreat in response to your words of caution and you swipe the blade over your left palm, drawing blood.

Charizard balks at your action but Gengar doesn't flinch at all and you dab your a finger into your bloodied palm and proceed to draw a symbol on the paper. When you're done, you quickly bandage your hand, pull your gloves back on, close your eyes and place the talisman over the middle of your forehead where it doesn't fall off.

You activate it with a murmured chant, re-open your eyes, and immediately the world around you has shifted; the woods are no longer empty but filled with several pale, humanoid figures that stand listlessly behind bushes and near the path. There is even one hanging motionless from a tree. There is also one standing on the cliff overlooking the horizon before it slowly shuffles away from sight.

The talisman helps weed out these weaker presences and you're able to focus on a stronger and sinister entity. Your eyes narrow once more as you hone in on the source of the overwhelming energy that plagues the entire area. It's a white and wispy trail that beckons you to follow the path before it disappears to the left, into the trees and towards the cliffs.

There.

That's where Leon was taken.

You get up to stand with Charizard and Gengar by your side.

"Let's go."

You use the talisman and the additional boon it has granted you to follow the trail that whisks you and the Pokemon far away from the gym challenger's normal path and towards the forest. Much like the haunted house case, no-one should be able to come across here unless they deliberately go off trail.

Your group continues to wade through the tall grass and through the undergrowth, trying to avoid disrupting the wild pokemon until you finally arrive at a steep and winding path that leads uphill. With a plethora of trees and bushes bordering everywhere you look, you realise you have no idea where you are. You've completely gone off track and you find yourself in a remote area devoid of anyone and anything. There are even no pokemon lurking about; you have no idea of how deep you are in the Giant's Seat.

The talisman's effect is beginning to wear off, the wispy white trail growing fainter and fainter, so you hasten your pace. The dwindling trail leads you to a powerful, rushing river and Charizard needs to help you out here. Once again, he allows you to ride on his back and carries you safely across whilst Gengar floats after you both.

On the other side of the river, a deteriorated path leads directly to the mountain that lines the border and once you reach this unknown new area, a familiar black cap sits lopsided near a berry tree. Eyes wide, Charizard zooms towards it and picks it up.

It's Leon's snapback.

"He's close," you tell him, and Charizard hugs the cap to his chest before handing you the cap which you keep safe in your bag. The talisman is showing you that the trail continues, leading further ahead into the mountain. "We need to go up."

Charizard nods and when you climb onto his back, he takes off to the sky with a huge flap of his wings. Once you're high enough in the air, Charizard lets you scan the horizon where you see a large gathering of the white wisp within one of the many small summits.

You ask Charizard to land and he does so; you hop off without much further ado once you're back on land and inspect your new surroundings.

It's a strange spectacle; the summit is covered entirely in snow and there are scattered remains of a campsite which have been completely frozen solid. The tent is still standing on its frames and zipped open, the flaps fluttering uselessly in the icy breeze. You're grateful you're wearing thermal clothes for the temperature here must be bordering sub zero.

Leon must be here.

"Leon!!" you call out, shivering somewhat, "Leon, can you hear me?"

Charizard roars and bellows for his friend, his fiery tail melting away some of the ice. You inspect the campsite but there are no footprints (aside from yours and Charizard's), it does not look like it has been subjected to a pokemon attack but it does appear someone was camping here and had left rather abruptly.

You see a plate on the ground near the tent, covered in snow and full of uneaten, rotten food which you suppose is curry. An opened metal flask stands beside it, full of frozen water. Then you check the firewood, picking up one of the pieces and you notice it is charred on one side, which indicates it had been burning for a while before eventually fizzing out. Whilst Charizard and Gengar look around, you step over to check the tent, pulling the flap down to see a pair of running shoes and rolled up socks stuffed inside, along with a sleeping bag and journal and a ballpoint pen lying near the pillow.

Gengar floats inside, picks the journal up and hands it to you; you thank him and read through the pages and discover it belongs to Maisy, the first missing victim and the latest diary entry is dated roughly three months ago as per below:

'Day 10. I'm still camping in the Wild Area, somewhere in the Giant's Seat. I found this neat spot in the mountain and I don't think anyone else has been here. It's awesome! It's like I have the whole place to myself! I've visited a few pokemon dens too but I kept getting tossed out. Can't stop thinking about that Watt Trader I met in the Rolling Fields either, he is so cute! Even Rookidee thinks so!'

The entry finishes there.

Closing the book, you gingerly place it down and move from the tent. Maisy was here but there is no sign of her anywhere.

"What happened to her...?" you murmur to yourself.

The effect of the talisman eventually wears off and your vision returns to normal. You pull it off your forehead and the little paper flutters limply in the wind and disappears down the cliff. You continue searching the campsite to look for clues until you drop to your knees, clutching your chest. A particularly oppressive force has wrapped itself around you and you struggle to breathe.

The negative energy appears to cloak the entire campsite. You move to stand, blindly take a step forward near the pile of firewood and the snowy ground underneath you completely gives way. You shriek as you fall, promptly dropping inside the small hole.

Gengar is quick to dive in, catching you in mid-air and he gently lets you down on the ground and onto your feet, the bottom of your shoes crunching under the snow.

"Thanks Gengar," you mutter and he grins wider.

Glancing left and right, jagged, sharp rocks surround you, covered in a slippery sheen of ice. You can no longer hear the howl of the icy wind outside and it is hauntingly quiet in this hole. Charizard arrives at the rounded entrance, resembling somewhat of a speck. He waves at you and you tell him you're fine, your voice echoing. It's a huge drop...a fall from this height would surely kill someone...

Gengar gestures if you want to be brought back up but you shake your head.

"I think this is it," you tell him whilst Charizard tries to squeeze himself in but he is too big, unable to fit into the hole. You're quite certain this is a Pokemon den.

Gengar tugs on your arm and you turn to where he is pointing to.

There is a medium-sized hollow to your left that indicates an entrance of some sort and it appears to be your next destination. Thanking Gengar for his vigilance, you are about to enter only to be halted immediately by the faint stench of putrefaction which hits you square in the nose. You and Gengar turn to look at each other before you both throw your glance to the uneven level of snow beneath your feet.

"....Do you think...?" you croak out, and Gengar nods.

Dread begins piling in your gut as you lower yourself to your knees and begin brushing and shovelling away the snow. Gengar assists, uncovering as much of the snow as he can with his paws until you unearth a pile of jagged rocks of all shapes and sizes. Gengar helps lift them up and moves them to the side, revealing a dull pea-green, flimsy material with a broken yellow, plastic zipper and the symbol 'LASS'. You curl your fist and gently rap your knuckles against it; there is something rock-solid underneath.

Inhaling a shaky breath, you continue to brush away more snow until you uncover an eye.

Charizard growls loudly as you pause, wondering what you have discovered, but you quickly sweep the remainder of the snow away using the sides of your palms and soon, you have uncovered a pale, white face.

Her head is bent to one side, her eyes open and staring endlessly at the sky. Ice crystals frame her face and eyelashes, her lips painted an eggshell blue.

"Oh..." you murmur under your breath, "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."

Gengar watches you silently, then averts his gaze to the dead body. There's one more rock to move and he inches it out of its spot, revealing a dirtied bag crushed underneath and pulls it out. Holding it upside down, a crushed pokeball drops out and Gengar holds it up to you for your taking.

You're reluctant, but you take it off him and push the button and a red light fizzes limply, revealing a Rookidee... though it is unmoving as it lies on the ground, eyes closed. You reach for the little bird and cradle it in your arms, stroking its cold and limp feathers. It doesn't respond.

You look at Gengar and he shakes his head sadly.

It is dead.

Squeezing your eyes shut, you feel their loneliness, fear and pain and emit a hoarse cry from the back of your throat before you murmur a prayer for them under your breath.

However, Charizard growls louder, forcing you to place the little Rookidee beside its trainer. Your legs feel heavy as you force yourself to stand up and rub your eyes with the back of your wrist, inhaling a deep and heavy breath.

Turning to Charizard, you yell, "Go to Wyndon Police Station and find Chief Inspector Graves! Bring him here."

Charizard nods, takes off, and the silence returns.

The hole to your left is your next destination now and so without further ado, Gengar hitches a ride in your shadow and you climb inside, lifting your left leg first then your right, and you shimmy in as carefully as you can and try not to lose balance or else you risk falling and dropping on a sharp rock. You squeeze yourself into the tight and narrow passageway which is covered in cobwebs and frost, ducking to avoid jagged rocks.

You grab your torch and shine the light in front of you only to be greeted with darkness.

It's a long trip. You cannot see anything else up ahead except pitch black. With one gloved on the wall and another gripping your trusty flashlight, you continue in your journey, using the rocks as support and taking baby steps so not to slip or fall, until the area around you becomes colder and colder, your breath escaping into the air in the form of thick puffs of smoke.

Throwing your glance over your shoulder, it's an equally long trip back to the way you came from.

You can't stop now. Emitting a grunt, you push yourself forwards, squeezing through the narrow passageway.

Eventually, it comes to an end when you see the small, glimmering flicker of light and you are hopeful you have made it into the pokemon den. The light grows brighter and brighter, shifting to a slightly blue tinge and you arrive at a large and empty cavern with rocky, uneven walls that are completely frozen over with ice. It's even colder here than it is outside.

You're bathed in blue and your jaw drops slightly as you make your way further inside where you are greeted with the sight of huge stalactites and stalagmites.

The stalagmites are a beautiful, crystalline azure in colour and you inch towards one to peer into it, you see a magnificent rainbow of colours within as the light from your torch reflects off. It is as tall as yourself, stretching from the ground and creeping towards the ceiling where an equally impressive-looking stalactite points dangerously above.

You shine the torch around, not quite sure what you will find here until you spot a large assortment of random bags and rucksacks piled up in one corner, including many empty phone cases.

Next, you shine the long beam of your torch to the wall where the bags are and a peaky face encased within the icy walls stares at you from across the expanse and you realise it is one of the missing gym challengers. His eyes are open, mouth agape with unheard terror, his body lodged deep within a thick case of ice.

Shining the torch to his right, he is not alone. There is another body... and another. In fact, the walls are embedded with the bodies of the missing people you were looking for. Some of them are displayed far apart and appear to have been forced into a strange, outlandish pose, with their arms and legs splayed in odd formation. Their faces are etched with horror and agony.

Resembling grotesque, stringless puppets that have been casually positioned in a canvas of ice, you struggle to breathe again as you are hit with their terror and grief which overwhelms you; the atmosphere is full of anguish and you squeeze your eyes shut with pain.

Gengar emerges from your shadow and floats into the air, looking around cautiously and on high alert.

You did it.

You found the missing people, but...

Where is Leon?

You shine the torch everywhere, calling out for the Champion until you see a familiar figure reflected off one of the stalactites. He is lying on the ground near a particularly large boulder which would've been missed.

"Leon!” you yell.

You rush over despite the icy ground and Gengar trails after you as you struggle to maintain your balance, your feet occasionally slipping or sliding over the glacial floor; when you reach the boulder, Leon is unmoving on the ground, his body covered in a thin sheet of ice. He appears paler than usual and his lips are turning a shade of blue. It appears he is in mid-process of being frozen alive but his woolly sweats are still keeping him warm to an extent.

"Leon!" you exclaim with relief, dropping to your knees beside him.

You lift up his arm, pulling his sleeve to his elbow and applying two fingers over his wrist. You find the thrum of his pulse before lowering his arm back down and you gently place your ear over his chest. When you sit up, you notice he doesn't seem to be breathing.

Being a Researcher means you have to be well-versed with at least some emergency procedures and CPR is included, though you didn't think you would ever have to carry out CPR on the Champion of Galar.

Without further ado, you move the heel of your hand over the centre of his chest, then place your other hand on top and begin to routinely press down.

Gengar floats over and watches as you administer the chest compressions before you lean down and tilt Leon's head gently, lifting his chin up to yours and pinch the bridge of his nose carefully.

You proceed to press your lips over Leon's and provide two rescue breaths before you retreat and check if his chest rises. Nothing happens and Leon is still unconscious so you repeat the process a second time until Leon's mouth opens on his own accord, he inhales a sharp breath and coughs and you release him.

He slowly opens his eyes, those deep honey pools landing on your form and the corner of his lips tugs upwards into a wide grin.

“Leon, you're okay! Thank Arceus!!” you exclaim with relief.

You want to be careful with him as much as you can as it looks like he's in a lot of pain but it doesn't stop you from hugging him tightly; you wrap your arms around his head, bringing him into your embrace and holding him tightly, resting your chin atop his head and smoothing your hand over his hair.

Leon blinks sluggishly at you as you let go of him briefly, inspect the rest of his features by placing a hand over his icy cold cheeks. He watches you as you continue to hug him and croaks out, "...It's you..."

"Yeah, it's me."

"...What're you doing here...?"

"We came to rescue you. You got taken by a Froslass...Geez, you're freezing," you utter, before you gently let go of him to pull your warm coat off. You proceed to drape it around him, pulling the lapels tightly together, followed by your scarf which you fish out from your bag and loop around his neck again and again. Leon's gaze is fixed on you the entire time, watching you tear your gloves off your hands and ease them over his own. "Is that better?"

He nods as you sneeze, your teeth beginning to chatter. "Aren't you..."

"It's fine. I'm fine," you say quickly, before you encircle your arms around his shoulders once more.

"...I read your blog...You're so brave..." he mutters and when he notices that your exposed fingers are shaking from the cold, he reaches for your hand and entwines your fingers together. His hand is so much larger than yours, his fingers curling around yours, and he grips you rather firmly. He's grateful for your warmth, brushing his thumb over the back of your palm.

However, he runs his fingers over your bandages and along the middle of your palm where you had cut yourself. He looks up and you throw your glance down; your gazes meet and he says, "What happened to your hand? You're hurt..."

"It's nothing."

"...Nothing?"

"Yeah."

He blinks slowly at you and murmurs your name. "I really admire you..."

"Save your strength. You're delirious from the cold," you say to the woozy Leon.

"And you're pretty..."

"Now you're just delusional."

"Where’s Charizard...?”

"I asked him to get help.”

"...How did you find me?”

"Charizard brought me to the area where you went missing and I followed this trail and...”

You can’t tell if he’s listening but he appears to be studying you carefully.

"......Charizard let you ride on his back?”

”Yeah."

Leon says nothing and you wonder why he’s fallen silent until he suddenly points at something in front of you.

You quickly look up to see an intense flurry of snow materialising in the middle of the cave before you, hovering in the air in a tight ball.

The cavern's temperature drops even further and Gengar hastily stands in front of you and Leon protectively, ready to battle.

An unearthly, mournful wail rips through the cave and sends numerous shivers down your spine and rattles your very core before the hail of snow unravels violently, revealing a ghostly white figure within, her blue eyes glowing brightly under the dim light.

It's Froslass, and she's enraged that you've trespassed her home and found her prey.

"Gengar, use Dark Pulse!" you yell, and Gengar immediately leaps towards her, summoning a bright ball of purple energy in his hands before he shoots it at the pokemon.

Froslass avoids the attack with a dainty twirl and hurls a glowing white ball at him in response. It's a Confuse Ray. He avoids by leaping to the side and you instruct him to use another Dark Pulse attack whilst Froslass counterattacks, unleashing a barrage of icicles towards your direction.

You protect Leon from the frost by throwing yourself in front of him, shielding him with your body though your back bears the brunt of the attack and you squeeze your eyes shut, biting down on your lip to blot out the pain. Leon's eyes grow wide at your action and a vicious snowstorm brews inside the cavern. As you start to shiver and twitch furiously, Leon drapes his arms around you and pulls you closer to you to him and you open your eyes in shock, whipping your head up to him.

He offers you a gentle smile and as the snowstorm rages, he moves one hand to the back of your head and the other around your shoulders as you huddle together on the ground.

Gengar darts left and right to avoid the harsh snow and Froslass' incoming attacks. His eyes glow a bright red before he soars into the air and holds his arms out, circular beams of energy shooting out.

The snow stops at once, the little round particles frozen in mid-air, and you and Leon avert your gazes to the beautiful but deadly sight. Froslass looks confused until Gengar waggles his finger and the sleet returns to her, shooting towards her direction.

You're not sure what kind of move that was but it appears to be a psychic move and Froslass is battered by her own technique.

"Way to go, Gengar!" you exclaim as you look up, still shivering, "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

Gengar returns to land in front of you and Leon, turns to you and nods, grinning wickedly.

As Froslass reels from the impact, it's then you see various shadowy tendrils emerging from her weakened body and Leon loosens his grip on you so you can stick your hand into your bag, pulling out the Odd Keystone and tossing it upwards where it lingers in mid-air and begins to shake rigorously.

"In nómine Pátris, et Fílii, et Spirítus Sancti." you say aloud, aware that Leon is staring at you.

Trembling violently, a loud crack emits from the Odd Keystone and the fissure begins to glow.

The dark shadow is forcibly pulled from Froslass and the pokemon drops to the floor, severely weakened. The shadow screams agonisingly, the sounds echoing off the walls of the cave but the Odd Keystone continues quaking furiously, effectively sucking the shadow inside. Shadows also begin to arise from the multiple corpses that are frozen in the walls, a mix of contorted horrifying screams following as a number of dark, shadowy outlines become sucked out from the ice and towards the stone.

The Odd Keystone glows brighter as the shadows resist. It is futile, the keystone drags them in with a power like no other, the screams grows fainter and fainter until the dreadful sounds stop entirely, and the cavern goes silent and all grows still. The Keystone drops to the ground but Gengar quickly catches it in his paws and brings it carefully to you.

"Thank you, Gengar," you say, and he grins in response as you return the keystone safely into your bag.

Leon has been watching the entire time, eyes wide.

Averting attention to the downed Froslass, you take out a Dusk Ball from your bag, tossing it at the pokemon and the capsule smacks into the pokemon and opens, sucking the critter inside. The ball drops to the ground and wiggles for a few seconds before it successfully clicks shut.

Emitting a huge sigh of relief, you turn and bury your face in Leon's chest.

It's over.

You glance at Gengar, teeth chattering. "Gengar....can you check if...if Charizard's come back?"

He nods and heads for the narrow passageway you had emerged from, disappearing into the darkness.

It's you and Leon all alone again, and the temperature of the den is not improving; having given Leon your coat and other warm gear, you pull yourself off his chest to sit beside him against the boulder, though you still slink your arms around him, hoping to keep him warm until help arrives.

He reaches for your hand again, glancing up as you shake and your teeth chatter. "....You're cold..."

"I-I-I'm fine...don't worry about me..."

"The coat's big enough for the two of us." he utters, but you shake your head and pull the coat properly over him and zip it up to his chin. You let go of him, retreating your hand away from his and choosing to roll and curl up in a fetal position, clutching your bag to your chest for warmth.

“You need it more than I do, Leon…” you utter as you close your eyes, hugging your bag firmly.

A silence settles between you both and you don’t know how long has passed but the cold is getting worse; your fingertips are growing numb and you cannot stop trembling. You’re wondering what is taking Charizard and Gengar so long until you hear Leon fumbling around in his spot; you throw a cautious glance over your shoulder to see that he has pulled the zip down, unwrapped the coat again and he reaches for you, slinking his arms around your waist, pulling you into his embrace.

“…W-what are you doing…”

His lips tug upwards into a grin of reassurance. “It’s okay…”

You gawp at him but you are so cold, you cannot move, resist or protest, and so Leon attempts to sit up with you sitting limply in his lap. He also unravels the scarf from his neck and drapes it around you and you glimpse down at yourself. You're sharing the scarf now. The coat is not forgotten and he pulls and tugs the thick fabric to cover you before he settles his sturdy arms around your waist and you're instantly swept up by Leon's lingering warmth. He rests his chin atop your head, the scruff of his beard tickling your scalp as he emits a hum under his breath.

You're surprised by his bold actions but you feel at ease at once and you slump against him, your cheek smushed against his chest. “….If the press saw us, they'd have a field day…” you mumble under your breath.

He chuckles, his chest rumbling. "I know, but I wouldn't care and neither should you," he utters, "...Thank you for saving me."

"You're welcome, Leon."

"Is your back okay?"

You nod.

He gives you a tight squeeze and although you know it's to keep you warm, you can't help the frantic thudding of your heart as you consider how close you are and how tightly he's holding you to him. You wonder if he's feeling the same.

"So...so cold..." you croak out, your breathing laboured.

He glances at you in surprise, then rubs your arm up and down with his large palm soothingly. "Is that better?"

"...Yeah."

Leon throws his gaze to the ceiling as he continuously rubs your arm. It grows silent briefly until he utters, "Hey, I got a question..."

"What...?"

"Who’s Rosie?”

"...How...how do you know that name?"

"I thought I heard you say that name when we were camping."

"Oh..." you mutter, “Rosie is my little sister…”

“…Did something happen to her?”

You grow tense, squeezing your eyes shut and curling your fists. “……..You....wouldn't understand.” And you didn’t think you would tell Leon this, if at all. "...But if she was still here, she would've been Hop's age. She would've started her pokemon journey..."

There is a silence following your revelation, but Leon gives your waist a squeeze as he shifts his arms. You cannot tell if it was accidental or not but it makes your heartbeat soar.

“...I’m sorry," he murmurs.

You shake your head limply in response.

Before Leon can ask further questions, the cave begins to tremble and a muffled but loud noise is accompanied with a fierce roar; it must be Charizard. He is not alone, you can hear several voices echoing through the passageway.

"Mr Champion??" yells a familiar voice, "We have a team coming to get you, please sit tight!"

It's Graves.

You are saved.

...

Charizard has returned to the pokemon den with the Chief Inspector, who has brought a team with him.

Maisy's body and Froslass' victims have been recovered.

Leon is brought to the nearest hospital and so are you. You had spent the long wait in the Pokemon den huddling together until Graves arrived. The whole trip is a rather nerve-wracking one as you sit in the ambulance by Leon's side. He falls unconscious as he's wheeled in and fitted with a breathing mask but he holds onto your hand the entire time and refuses to let go, even when the paramedics attempts to split the two of you up.

Once you arrive at the hospital, you're forced to separate and Leon's fingers are pried off yours; you're extremely worried, watching as Leon is wheeled away by the medics out of the ambulance and into the hospital. He's taken to a private room away from the curious bystanders and journalists, whereas you're redirected to the main A&E area and forced to sit on a bed with the curtain pulled round, tended by a nurse on her nightshift.

Your shredded palm is properly dressed and she checks the rest of your body and back and then after that brief checkup, she tells you you're free to go. The coat is returned to you and so are the rest of your belongings.

When you return to the main waiting area, Chief Inspector Graves picks you up for questioning and to take some testimony off you which you do to your best ability.

You're dismissed a second time after a long and particularly gruelling session and you return to the waiting area again whilst he disappears to buy a coffee from the vending machines. You find the same seat again, sit down and spot a man in a white tracksuit, cap and sunglasses who passes you and realise it is Chairman Rose of Macro Cosmos when his stoic assistant Oleana strides beside him. Despite the late hour, they appear immaculate and they're heading towards the direction of Leon's room.

You attempt to follow them, albeit maintaining a safe and short distance away and they vanish further down the corridor and into the room, the door slamming shut. As you pass several rooms, you see numerous Lampents hanging outside, staring woefully at the patients through the windows.

It appears no-one is bothered by their presences but your priority is Leon. You want to see how Leon is doing, so you want to go with them but there is already a small crowd and the nurses are doing their best to disperse them.

It's not ideal to go see Leon right now; he needs time to rest so you return to the main waiting area where you find an empty seat and sit down, glancing at Froslass' capsule.

You're not sure what to do with her.

A short while later, a dark-skinned woman and little boy (with piercing golden eyes that resembles Leon's) enters the hospital and you hear them asking for Leon at the desk and you're well aware that this is his mother and his little brother, Hop. His mother's face is sagging with concern and fear whilst Hop hugs his Wooloo to himself tightly. You can't help but feel bad for them. You observe as they disappear down the same route Rose and Oleana had ventured to.

You still have Leon's snapback with you which you want to return to him, but you think it's best to return it to him the next morning when he's better and circumstances have cooled down.

The TV in the corner broadcasts a quick thirty second run of 'Breaking News' about eight bodies being found in the Giant's Seat that are believed to be the missing gym challengers. There are no news about Leon being part of the bunch and it shifts to a Turrfield Orchards commercial.

You sit in your seat, pondering to yourself.

You had found Leon in the nick of time. Froslass never froze him entirely because she became infatuated with him so she had spared his life. Also, his clothes were warm enough to a certain extent. He will recover but according to the Pokemon League's official website, his match has been postponed and Rose has to give him a week or so, maybe longer, to recuperate.

You can imagine what is most likely to happen.

The League will have to reassess the areas that can be explored in the Wild Area, due to the deaths of several gym challengers. You can already imagine the social media content that will emerge such as 'Galar's Gym Challenge and the Perils of the Wild Area: How Safe is Safe?' and 'The Reason Why I'm No Longer Going to Pursue The Gym Challenge, Read Full Article Here'.

The gym challenge won't be cancelled and will continue to exist but sections of the Wild Area considered dangerous for gym challengers such as the mountain summit and the pokemon den where you found Leon, will be sealed off for good and Macro Cosmos will introduce more Watt Traders to patrol so this wouldn't happen again.

You sit for an hour or so, waiting for further updates until you hear the sounds of footsteps approaching and you look up; it's Graves and another police officer, escorting one of your clients you had spoken to earlier on in the day.

She's ashen-faced and quiet until she spots you in your seat. "You liar! He's dead! My son is dead!" she roars accusingly at once, her eyes wild and full of hatred. She is quickly apprehended by Graves and the officer, blocking her from approaching you any further.

"Ma'am, calm down," Graves says and his stern looks and commanding tone serves to quell her anger in seconds.

The woman's furious expression crumbles and she begins sobbing loudly. Graves leaves the woman snivelling and wailing with the officer, heading towards your direction.

"Why're you still here?" he asks gruffly when he stops by your side. Despite the late hour, Graves doesn't look tired. He's used to pulling late night shifts just like you. "Leon's fine, if that's what you're worried about."

"...Are there any survivors?" you ask, "The Pokemon?"

Graves shakes his head. "Frozen to death."

You tense in your seat. "What about their Rotoms?"

"Gone."

...which means they're also dead. "Okay," you say quietly as you throw your glance to your lap.

"We can handle it from here, kiddo. I'm going to speak to Rose and we'll deal with the victim's families and the press. Thanks for your help; you did good. Real good. Your parents would be proud," he scrubs his face with his palm and says, "Go home, it's late. Magnolia will be worried."

You nod in response, Graves returns to the weeping woman and escorts her away with the officer. She's grieving so you don't blame her for her outburst. It's not the first time you have been called a liar anyway.

You let out a gentle sigh under your breath before you shift your gaze to the TV again where it's showing that Chairman Rose is supposed to release some formal statement first thing tomorrow morning. There's no further reason to linger anymore and even Graves is telling you to go home. Your work here is done so you should head back to Wedgehurst. You will try to visit Leon in the morning if you can.

You get up from the seat and Gengar suddenly appears from your shadow. You look at him with a smile and he grins in response. Together, you leave the hospital and emerge outside; it's foggy and cold as you step into the night.

A single light shines from the lamppost that stands near the exit, bathing you in a warm yellow glow.

You tug your coat firmly to yourself, glance up and around before you leave the light, disappearing into the darkness.

...

Instead of heading to Wedgehurst, you take a late night Corviknight taxi and ask if the cabbie can take you to Greyson's Cemetery which is close to the Meetup Spot but a mile or so past the Dappled Grove and Rolling Fields.

The cabbie wonders why you're wanting to go to such a spooky and desolate place at night but says nothing of it since you're paying for the ride after all. He and Corviknight carry you to the entrance of the cemetery where you hop out of the huge carriage and pay the fare.

Pained screams emit from within and the cabbie's face pales. "W-what was that?!"

"You don't want to know," is your reply.

He hurriedly hands you the change then flies off with Corviknight.

You watch them leave before you push open the huge steel gates and step inside, making your way down the worn path whilst the agonising howls increase steadily in volume.

The cemetery is hardly visited during daylight hours and even less during the night.

It's a gloomy and creepy place, covered in heavy mist and fog. Rows and rows of old, grungy gravestones poke out of the soil and up ahead, a single mausoleum stands silently in the middle with the door ajar. The light is on, indicating someone is inside.

As you venture further in, you glance at all the ghost pokemon ranging from Pumpkaboo and Sableyes who are hanging around and playing together. Gengar greets a few Ghastlys and Haunters who are lurking around the fountain that contains an old statue of an angel. Looks like they're having a party.

You leave Gengar to his own devices and stroll down the empty path, eventually arriving at the mausoleum and peer between the gap of the door. A dishevelled-looking man in a black duster, shirt, trousers and flip flops with an Absol beside him can be seen within, facing a woman who is tied to a chair made out of stone. She is drenched with water, hissing and spitting and snarling through gritted teeth, her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

Absol is first to notice you, leaving the man's side to trot up to you and nudge the door open to a small extent. You smile as you squat down, patting her on the head whilst the man chants under his breath, holding a silver cross up in his withered hands.

"Exsúrgat Deus et dissipéntur inimíci ejus: et fúgiant qui odérunt eum a fácie ejus," he mutters, stepping around the woman who responds with fierce gnashes of the teeth before she hurls colourful abuse at him in a deep voice.

He presses the cross against the woman's forehead and immediately, her skin sizzles and burns, smoke emitting. She begins shaking violently against the restraints, flailing in a frenzied manner, flinging her head side to side until her features resembles a blur.

The man is undeterred and continues, "Sicut déficit fumus defíciant; sicut fluit cera a fácie ígnis, sic péreant peccatóres a fácie Dei."

You decide not to intervene and find a nice spot by a random gravestone, waiting in silence and twiddling your fingers together. The noises from within become more and more animalistic, resembling feral growls and grunts before it grows silent and the door opens.

The man emerges, drenched in blood and what appears to be vomit.

Meanwhile, the ghost Pokemon behind you frolic and play, oblivious.

You stand up at once. "Ezra!"

He emits a wheezy cough, smacking a clenched fist over his chest repeatedly before he erupts into a violent coughing fit and turns to the side, spitting out some blood.

You immediately go over to help him stand, holding him up by the arm.

He says, "Hey kid."

"Take it easy..." you help him over the steps of the mausoleum and as Ezra plops himself down with a heavy sigh, Absol joins him and he pats her gently on the head. "What's going on? Do you need help?"

"It's fine, nothin' for you to concern yourself with."

You peek inside the mausoleum to see the woman is now sitting limply in the chair with her eyes closed. “She gonna be okay?"

"...Yeah."

"Who is she?"

"I dunno, she just ran inside screamin' and sayin' she been hearin' voices in her head....then she began speakin' in tongues." Ezra grunts, before he enters another harsh coughing fit. When he's finished wheezing, he grabs a cigarette from his pockets along with a lighter and lights it up, inhaling a deep drag and exhaling into the air with a deep but inaudible sigh. "Bring me a beer, kiddo. I left it behind that grave over there."

"Okay," you head over to where he's pointing to, pull out the aforementioned pack of six beers and return to his side.

"That's it, gimme."

Handing one to the old man, he flips the lid, brings the can to his lips and takes a messy swig before sighing with relief. You open your bag and pull out the Odd Keystone that pulses gently in your grip, "I think it's time I gave this back to you. Can you hold onto it for a while?"

He nods, you hand him the stone and he holds it in his limp hands. "Good job," he murmurs, and you know he's talking about the number of evil spirits you've collected, "...Looks like you got yourself a partner too."

"Yep. Gengar, this is my mentor, Ezra."

Gengar stops floating around the Haunters and hovers to your side, then glances at Ezra and Absol. Absol merely regards the shadow pokemon quietly but pays no attention and returns to lie down on her front paws. Gengar floats towards Ezra's direction and takes note of his rather bedraggled appearance, the blood and vomit, before he glances at the silver cross dangling off his neck. Then he notices the old man's pupils are dull, glazed and white. They don't react to anything in front of him, not even when Gengar waves a hand in front of his face.

Ezra doesn't respond, though his smirk widens and he inhales another deep drag, the lit end of his cigarette glowing brightly before the ashes flutter to his feet. "...Isn't that something," he utters, "You two play nice now."

"We get on really well. Right, Gengar?" you add, and Gengar nods as he returns to your side and floats behind you.

"So," Ezra begins, "Did you find the missing folk?"

"Yeah. It was a Froslass haunting the Giant's Seat. A gym challenger fell down a pokemon den during a snowstorm and died. She was crushed by rocks and so were her pokemon. She ended up kidnapping young men and using them as decorations in her cave. I guess she didn't want to be lonely," you emit a sigh and throw your glance to your shoes. "They were already dead. I was too late."

There is a brief silence following until he pats you on the shoulder. "...I'm sorry, kid. You know what it's like. You know what you signed up for. Most people walk in the light and then there's people like us, who tread in the darkness. This is the path you chose," he replies, "Don't be so hard on yourself. You did your best."

You don't reply to that but you gesture to the pack of beer, "Can I have one?"

"Help yourself."

"Thanks," you grab a can and pull the lid off, downing the booze in big gulps.

Ezra returns to the mausoleum, whistling loudly. "Absol, let's go." He mutters, and the dark pokemon stretches on her paws before she joins her trainer and Ezra closes the door behind them.

You're left on your own.

Throwing your glance up to the full moon, you think about Leon and how many worlds apart you are.

...

[ladyreapermc]

Fic: Sympathy for the Devil (John Wick) 4/4

Summary: Your best friend is getting married and you’re very excited until you find out that your ex is coming to the wedding. After a night of too much drinking and without a date for the big day, you summon a demon to make a deal.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Author’s notes: This is the last part! I loved the idea when I came to me and fell in love even more while writing it. Wanna thank everyone who stuck around for this ride! I hope you people enjoyed as much as I did and I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. Maybe I’ll return to this in the near future.

Wordcount: 4999

Warnings: bad language; mentions of blood and other bodily fluids

You stared at the empty spot that John had previously occupied, too confused to move, before letting out a deep sigh and rubbing your face. Of course, you screwed this up. You always screw it up. It almost felt like a curse. Whenever you got close and started to fall for someone, they ran away from you, more often than not without a goodbye or explanation.

With another sigh, you got into John’s car, on the driver’s seat this time, relieved to see that he had left the keys in the ignition. You adjusted the seat and mirrors grimacing at the way the mess of fluids running down your leg made you stick uncomfortably to the seat. It would probably stain the leather, but you couldn’t give a single fuck. He left you stranded in the middle of nowhere. Getting a cum stain on his seat was a very small punishment for it.

As you drove back home, angry tears prickled on the corner of your eyes and you wiped them away, smearing your mascara. You had been such a fool for letting yourself be swept by a man who was a literal demon, whose only interest was to take you straight to hell and you gave in to him. Might as well had handened your soul to him on a silver platter. Shouldn’t you have a better sense of self-preservation?

You had been on this road before. You had fallen for the wrong man once. Gave him your whole heart and he smashed into pieces, left you broken and ruined, unable to really trust again. Or so you thought. Because here you were, giving yourself to the wrong person again getting involved in something that would only lead to pain.

You parked the car at the driveway of your parents’ house and headed inside, straight to your bedroom. You all but tore the dress off yourself and stepped into the burning hot shower to wash away every trace of your night with John, scrubbing away the smell of his cologne from your skin.

Unfortunately, you couldn’t wash away the bruises and love bites he left on your neck, hips, and thighs and as you stared at yourself in the mirror of your room you felt an emptiness in your chest. You already missed him.

You slept poorly, tossing and turning, your dreams haunted by John’s face and his smell and his touch and you longed for him so much you woke up in the early hours of the morning gasping his name, the emptiness almost crushing you.

You needed to see him and talk to him and feel him… You needed him. But you didn’t know where he went when he disappeared in thin air like that. You didn’t know anything about him. Nothing except he was a demon and could hear your thoughts and feel what you felt, but you didn’t know how close he needed to be for that.

You felt silly sitting on your bed, eyes squeezed shut in concentration as you shouted his name in your head.

‘JOHN! Can you hear me? JOHN!’

There was a shift in the air, a lingering smell of sulfur and when you opened your eyes, John was standing there, in sweatpants and a white shirt, hair messy and dark circles under his eyes. He looked like he slept as badly as you did.

“You don’t have to shout,” he said with a yawn. “I can hear you just fine.”

“Well how am I supposed to know how good reception is in hell?” you said, standing up to face him, arms crossed over your chest.

“Is there where you think I go?” He asked with a small amused snort and you shrugged, your cheeks heating up. “I’m staying at a hotel, darling. Getting in and out of hell isn’t exactly an easy trip.”

“Oh,” you said dumbly. “So, when I summoned you…”

“I was already in town that’s why I answered,” he explained, taking a seat on the edge of your bed and reaching for you. After a moment of hesitation, you let him pull you closer until you were standing between his legs and he rested his cheek against your belly.

“You live on Earth then?” you asked, combing your fingers through his hair. The emptiness was finally gone now that you were touching him. He nodded, his hands running up your thighs as he nuzzled your stomach. “And you have a regular job and everything?”

“Even demons have bills to pay,” he replied with a chuckle, looking up at you and for the first time, you noticed his eyes weren’t black, but a warm shade of brown. “I restore antique books.”

“So that was why you were at Callum’s,” you said, bending down to kiss him, sighing happily against his lips. You should be furious. He abandoned you yesterday but at the sight of him, all the anger bleed out from you.

“I’m sorry, darling” John whispered against your mouth. “I shouldn’t have left like that. I was just…”

“Confused? Overwhelmed?” you offered, and John nodded, pulling you to sit on his lap. “Why?”

“I’m a demon, I’m not supposed to feel,” he said, tracing your face. “But you, my darling, are making me feel everything.”

“Love?” you asked, hesitantly and John nodded. “Me too.”

“I know,” he smiled, cradling your face and you scrunched up your nose as he kissed it. John chuckled.

“It’s not fair, you know? You know everything about me, and I don’t know anything about you. I don’t even know if your real name is John.”

“It isn’t.”

“What is it then?”

“I can’t tell you,” John replied with a sigh, caressing your cheek.

“Can’t or won’t?” you challenged.

“Can’t. Names have power in my world. Giving someone your name is giving them control over you.”

“Is that why you call me darling all the time?” you asked, earning a soft smile.

“Part of it, yes,” he said, tucking a lock of hair behind your ear. “But mostly is because I like you.”

“So, what can you tell me? About yourself?”

John took a deep breath before he started to tell you about his human life. He told you about how he killed so many people that it wasn’t really a surprise his soul went straight to hell when he died at age 49. He told you about the torture he endured before becoming a demon himself and being allowed to go back to his old home, New York. He told you about his job of collecting and corrupting souls, but that you already knew. John never lied to you about it.

“So, is there a point system or something?” you asked as a joke. “How many points did I get by having my brains fucked out by a demon?”

John stood up so suddenly you nearly fell out of his lap. It was only your quick reflexes that made you catch your footing as he moved away from you.

“Don’t kid about that,” he said, his voice turning hard. “It’s not funny.”

“John…” you started, reaching for him but he pulled away from you, eyes haunted.

“No. We need to end this deal before…” he trailed off, shaking his head.

“Before what?” you asked, taking a step towards him again. “Before my soul is damned for all eternity? John, I told you, I don’t…”

“I care!” he shouted cutting you off. “I don’t want you to go through what I did. I can’t break the deal, but I can stop tainting you. Maybe that will be enough…” He shook his head again and his eyes were so full of pain it broke your heart. “I’ll be back tonight to take you to the wedding, our deal will be done, and you will never see me again.”

Before you could say a word of protest, he was gone again, and you wanted to scream. One of these days, you were gonna learn a way to keep him from leaving you like that.

---

As John fixed his tie for the night, he felt a lump on his throat. This was the last time he was going to see her, and it was breaking his heart but he knew it was for the best. If he stopped now he would be able to save her, keep her from having the same destiny he had. Unlike John, she didn’t deserve eternal damnation. Not if what Marcus told him was true. She was the last person in the world that deserve it.

Last night, when John poured his heart out to his friend, it only took him saying her name for Marcus to understand what was happening. The purity John felt on her was the remains of the angelic powers that allowed her birth. She was a miracle. A literal fucking miracle, which meant at the same rate that John tainted her soul, she redeemed his. That was why he was feeling emotions again and falling in love. He was turning back to human as he damned her soul to hell.

If it was anyone else John would jump at the chance of being human again, free of hell’s influence and with the opportunity of doing things differently, lead a normal life. But it wasn’t anyone else. It was her and he wouldn’t risk her soul. Who would have thought John one day would put someone else above himself? Definitely not him.

With one last look at the mirror, John wondered what happened to him. How could he have changed so much in just under two days? Here he was, wearing his familiar black suit, his hair gelled back and once upon a time the sight of him in this outfit would strike fear in the hearts of humans and demons alike. Tonight, all he could see when he looked at himself was a pale shadow of the imposing figure he used to be.

With a sigh, he searched for his car keys and remembered he left with her. Once again she was waiting for him at the door and stepped out as soon as he knocked. She threw the keys his way and John opened the passenger door for her. She got in without a word, but he could feel the tentative glances she kept sending him and the way her pretty lips would part as if she was about to say something to him but thought better of it, remaining silent.

The tense silence between them endured through the entire trip to the church and John was almost thankful for the fact that she was the maid of honor and had to sit in the front roll with the rest of the wedding entourage while he hung in the back.

The ceremony was shorter than he expected and soon enough they were on their way to the party, being greeted by the newly wedded couple. As John shook hands with the groom, he caught the way the bride whispered something to her, apparently catching the tension between them. Once again she lied, this time much more smoothly. He barely felt the taste of her sin. It made him worry for her soul. Was he too late?

Guilt gnawed his guts with an intensity he never felt before, not even when he was human, and John wished he had the power to speed time and end this party already. He wanted to be done with this deal before he ruined her completely. John headed for the bar, ordering himself a bourbon which he swallowed in one go, enjoying the burn on his tongue and throat. He pushed a hundred dollars bill to the bartender.

“I don’t wanna see this glass empty for the rest of the night,” he said and the man nodded, immediately refilling the glass while he pocketed the money.

John kept watching her from afar, they way she was talking and laughing with her friends, actually enjoying herself. Sometimes she would glance his way. Worry and pain would flash in her eyes and that was enough to break his heart all over again, make him move away, out of her sight.

He moved to one of the quieter corners of the party. Hoping some distance could dull some of the pain he felt for hurting her, even if it was the only way to protect her. John nursed his drink, counting the minutes for the party to be over while he mulled over the favor he had to ask her to end this deal once in for all.

He was so distracted with brooding, his senses a little hindered by the alcohol that it took John a while to pick up her discomfort. As soon as he did, he was on his feet, searching for her and wasn’t even surprised to find her once against cornered by Ryan.

“I really need to talk to you,” Ryan said, and she sighed.

“Ryan, this isn’t a good time,” she replied, trying to sidestep him but he grabbed her arm. The sight of him touching her had John seething and as he was about to intervene, he heard her voice in his head.

‘Stay out of it.’ He froze in place. John didn’t even know she had noticed his approach.

“Fine! Talk.” She pulled her arm from Ryan’s grip, crossing them over her chest and glaring daggers at him.

Ryan stayed quiet as if he was figuring out what he wanted to say. John took a peek at his confused thoughts, realizing what the other man was about to do only seconds before the words were out of Ryan’s mouth.

“I still love you.” Her eyes went wide in shock at his words. “I never wanted to leave you but your father… he made me. I regretted the second I stepped in that bus.”

“My dad made you leave?” she asked, and John could feel her confusion. “How?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Ryan shook his head, trying to wave the question away and John couldn’t help but snort, drawing their attention to his presence.

“That’s not true, is it, Ryan?” John said stepping closer until he was standing next to her. “It does matter.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Ryan hissed, glaring at John.

“Your father offered him a check,” John declared, shifting his attention to her before Ryan could say anything else. “And he took it.”

He watched as she swallowed hard, her eyes glistening as she glanced back at Ryan. Her hurt was almost crushing, and John had to grab onto the wall to not succumb to it.

“Is this true?” she asked, and Ryan gaped wordlessly. “It is, isn’t it? John doesn’t lie.”

“I…” he started his expression angsty. “I regret taking that money every single day. I swear. If I could turn back time…” She shook her head and snorted, tears streaking down her face.  

“You know, I never thought you could hurt me anymore than you had done that night,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I was wrong.”

Turning on her heels, she walked away. Ryan made a motion to follow but John stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

“I think you’ve done enough,” John said with a dangerous glare. “You should go back to your date and leave her alone.”

“Or what?” Ryan challenged emboldened by whiskey and John almost felt tempted in letting him take the first blow just so he would have an excuse to break this man.

“Or you’ll regret it,” John replied, his eyes turning fully black.

The terror in Ryan’s face as he stumbled back and away was quite satisfying and John chuckled as the man ran away. His amusement faded at the overwhelming feeling of pain making him choke up and his eyes burn. John didn’t even know he could still cry. He followed the path she had taken, finding her sitting outside, face in her hands.

“I’m a good person,” she declared startling John as she turned to look at him. “I am, right? I mean I’m no saint, but I follow the law and protect citizens. I recycle and I help old ladies cross the street… I’m a good person.”

“Darling…” he sighed, taking her hand in his. “You’re way more than just good. You have one of the purest souls I have ever encountered.”

“So why does it feel like I’m being punished all the time?” she asked with a sniffle. “I thought I was over Ryan and here he is, breaking my heart all over again and you… You can’t even bear look at me.”

“You know how I feel about you,” John said with a shaky breath and she snorted.

“Do I?” she stood up, hugging herself. “You never told me.”

John stood as well, bringing her into his embrace and catching her lips for a kiss.

“I love you, my darling,” he whispered against her mouth, her hot tears wetting his cheeks. John wasn’t sure if she was crying because she was still hurt and raw or because the wedding was almost over and every second that passed brought them closer to completing their bargain.

John cradled her face in his hands, looking into her eyes, he needed to ask his favor now. There was only one thing he wanted but it was the only thing he couldn’t have. Not if he wanted to protect her.

“Please forgive me,” he asked instead, his voice breaking slightly.

“There’s nothing to forgive, John,” she said with a confused frown.

“Not yet,” John sighed, tracing her face, committing it to memory.

“That’s the favor, isn’t it?” she asked, eyes welling up again and John nodded. “I forgive you, John.”

“Thank you,” he said with a sigh. There was just one thing left to do now.

John brushed away the rest of her tears from her cheeks before he caught her lips in a kiss. It was slow and full of longing, but when John finally pulled away from her, he could no longer hear or feel her. The deal was finished.

“Goodbye, darling,” he whispered against her lips before fading into the night, leaving her for the last time.

---

You stood in the cemetery in front of the tombstone, jewelry box in hand as you contemplated if you were really going through with this. It had been six months since Claire’s wedding. Six months since your entire life had been turned upside down. Not only you had run into the man you thought had been the love of your life after years without seeing him, but he also confessed that he still loved you and why he had left.

When you got back to your parents' house that night the fight had been epic. How dare your father mess with your life like that? Pay your boyfriend to abandon you, break your heart.

“I don’t regret it,” he said, his tone never wavering. “A broken heart is easier to mend than a ruined life. You’re my only daughter. I wasn’t gonna let that scumbag end your future. Hate me all you want but if he really loved you, he wouldn’t have taken a cent. No matter how much I offered.”

You had no answer to that, so you just stumped your way back to your room, slamming the door shut like a teenager throwing a temper tantrum. Deep down you knew he was right. If Ryan had stayed, would you have gone to college? Police academy? Would you have met John?

Your heart arched as your thoughts traveled back to the demon. You understood why he did what he did. He was trying to protect you, save you from hell, even if his job was to do the exact opposite. However, you hated that he took the choice away from you. You would have gladly damned your soul to hell if you got to keep him, but that wasn’t an option. Not anymore apparently.

You went back to your life, trying to put the entire thing behind you. You eventually forgave your dad and looked up Ryan's girlfriend, telling her everything that had happened at the wedding. Was it vindictive and petty of you? Yes. Did you regret it? Absolutely not. Especially when she showed you the video of her burning every single piece of clothes Ryan owned when she dumped him. It was entertaining as hell and you made an amazing new friend. All in all, your father was right, and you dodged a bullet getting rid of Ryan. Warning Maggie was just your way of paying it forward.

As the weeks went by, you threw yourself into work, expecting the gaping hole in your heart to diminish, but it didn’t. You missed John and nothing could make that better. Maybe that was what made you a little more daring, a little more reckless in your job.

You started to always be the first through the door of any dangerous situation, the first to draw your weapon and confront perps. You kept toeing the line and lost count of how many times you got yelled by your Captain or how many close calls you got. It was in one of these calls that you found yourself face to face with a man called Charon.

You were stepping out of the 99th precinct after spending a week chasing this guy who killed his wife. You managed to nail him, but it was a close call and you were exhausted and ready to sleep for a whole day. Instead, you were confronted with Charon waiting outside a black sedan as he called your name and opened the passenger door for you.

“My employee would like to have a word with you about a mutual acquaintance,” Charon said after introducing himself.

“What mutual acquaintance?” You asked with an arched eyebrow.

“You might know him as John Wick.”

You were inside the car as fast as your legs could carry you and Charon drove to a fancy hotel called the Continental, leading the way to the rooftop overlooking the New York skyline where a man with greying hair and in an elegant cravat sipped tea.

“So you’re the reason my most efficient demon has been in suffering for weeks.” His voice was deep and gravelly; his eyes dark and piercing as he turned your way, giving you a quick once-over. “Are you aware of what you’ve done to Jonathan?”

“We made a deal, but that’s…

“Over?” Winston cut you off with a snort. “The deal might be, but the repercussions… you started him in the path of redemption. Now every soul he takes causes him great pain. He’s useless to High Table like that. As a soul collector at least.”

His words sparked hope in your chest. if John was useless to hell, maybe…

“Maybe you get to keep him?” Winston voiced your thoughts, his lips drawing into a smirk. “You do love him, don’t you?”

“Yes.” You didn’t flinch or hesitate at the word. You weren’t afraid of it anymore.

Winston just nodded, glancing to the side when Charon appeared, handing him a small black book and a rolled-up parchment, yellowed and frail.

“How about we strike a deal, my dear?” Winston started, moving closer to you. “We recently had a breach in our gates and a few, shall we say, strays got loose. Hell isn’t chaos, you know? We have a strict balance to keep.”

“Ok and?” you asked, arching your eyebrow at him. You think you knew where this was going, but you wanted to make sure.

“We could use some help in herding these strays back to where they belong,” Winston continued. “Help from someone with special abilities. With enough power to find and bind them.”

“You think I have that?” you asked, and Winston snorted.

“If you could summon John, you can definitely find these lost souls and lower demons,” he said with a flick of his hand. “Just by looking at you I can see the raw potential. You just need a proper master to teach you.”

“Say I accept this, what do I get?” you asked, watching as Winston smirked.

“Exactly what you want,” he said showing her the parchment. “John’s contract.”

“He’ll be free?” you asked, your heart hammering in your chest.

“As free as he can be as a demon.”

“I accept,” you declared, stepping up to Winston but he stopped you by raising his hand.

“A simple handshake will surface with me, dear,” he said, offering his hand. When your palm touched his, a sharp burning pain in your wrist made you hiss. There was now a black mark etched on your skin. “Just insurance. If you do not follow my terms, John’s soul remains with me and I’ll have yours.”

“I should’ve read the fine print, huh?” you said with a derisive snort and Winston smirked, handing you the book and a business card.

“Learn what you need first, then you get what you want.”

With one last nod, you walked away from Winston and started your deep dive into the supernatural world. learning everything you could find on heaven and hell; demons and angels; lost souls and anything else you could find under the guidance of a witch doctor by the name of Bowery King.

Now here you stood, six months later with brand-new skills and exactly what you needed to get what you wanted. You just hoped you got the right grave otherwise this was going to be awkward.

With a deep breath, you set the box on the ground. Aash and bone and silver already inside. Only one thing missing. You took out the small vial of blood you had collected earlier that day. One of the things the King taught you was that just because magic was an ancient force didn’t mean it needed to be archaic. Blood drawn with a syringe worked just as well as drawn from a cut but hurt way less and didn’t leave you vulnerable to infection.

You dripped the blood in the box and whispered the same words you had said that night at the crossroad. This time you didn’t stumble over your Latin and you finished with a name:

“Jardani Jovanovic.” For a while, nothing happened and then a shudder ran through you when you heard his voice.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” his tone was harsh and angry, and you had to smile. Damn, you had missed him.

“Well hello to you too, John,” you said turning to face him. “Or do you prefer Jardani?” He almost stumbled back in shock.

“Where did you hear that name?” he asked, voice shaking, and you stepped closer to him.

“Well, it wasn’t easy to find out. All I had to start was that you were 49 and died in New York. Do you know how much I had to dig to find out your human identity? I’m on a first-name basis with every single employee at the Public Library. But I found you, John.”

“Good for you,” he growled. “You still shouldn’t have done this, summoned me or any other demon for that matter. You have no idea what you’re doing.” He turned around to leave but froze at your next words.

“I met Winston.”

“What?” John looked back at you with wide eyes.

“Winston. That’s your boss, right?” you said, stepping towards him again and before you could even think about stopping him, John grabbed your right hand, turning your wrist so he could see the black marker on your skin.

“Darling, what have you done? After everything I did to keep your soul safe…”

“I never asked you to do that,” you pointed out, anger coloring your tone. “At least Winston gave me a choice. You just made it for me!”

“I did what I had to do!” He hissed, eyes flashing with anger as he let go of you. “Whatever it is you think you’re doing; I want no part on it. I will not help you damn your soul to hell.”

You saw his eyes turning the familiar black they usually did when he was using his powers to vanish but this time nothing happened. John looked at you in confusion and you smirked, nodding at his feet and he glanced down at the devil’s trap you had drawn before you summoned him.

“Have a little faith, Jonathan. I do know what I’m doing now. You don’t have to worry about my soul. As a matter of fact, I’m here to save yours.”

“What?” John looked at you with a frown and you smiled.

“I can get your contract,” you explained, taking out the black book from your jacket pocket. “I just have to wrangle up a few hundred escapees from hell and I could use some help. So how about a deal?”

“I help you and you give me my contract?” John asked, his anger long gone, leaving only hope and you nodded with a smile. “And then what? We drive out into the sunset together? I know Winston, darling. And I know the High Table. It’s not gonna be that easy.”

“Probably not.” You shrugged. “But it’s a shot at least. More than we had before. John, I’m doing this with or without you. If you don’t want this, just say the word. I’ll break the trap and…”

You didn’t get to finish your sentence before John was smashing his lips against yours in a desperate kiss. You grinned against his mouth, arms going around his neck and soon enough you felt it running through you, the thrum of power as the deal was sealed.

‘Can you hear me?’ You thought just to make sure, and John pulled back grinning.

“Yes,” he said bringing your hand to his lips. “And I can feel you.”

“Yeah? And how am I feeling?” you asked, combing your fingers through his hair and resting your forehead against his, sighing.

“Happy.”

xxx

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[dantesinfcrno]

trigger warnings !!  suicide, suicidal thoughts, drug use / overdose, body horror, death, blood, violence, self harm, abusive relationships. most importantly, bad writing!

                                𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈  ：𝐇𝐘𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐀 .

frigidity, heartlessness ╱ the absence of love ╱ virgin mary, corrupted .

winter child with shards on its mouth –– the snow quivers before khione, goddess whose lips do not tremble. cataclysm upon birth, no life to be seen as monster opens its eyes. before words could be uttered, before a name could be given to beast, untamed, it knew of fate. worthless creature, undeserving of shedding a tear. void big enough to fill any mansion, all touch lost –– who would cradle an interrupted demon, a fallen angel?  who would wipe the anguish that never created roots inside tiny body, broken?  

                                                         ( … )

one vivid memory: it sitting down in the floor a living room ( no house is ever the same: all empty in a pantheon of different ways ). it is invisible, as Father dreams of his own tales, as Mother unravels the world. no one holds it up. –––– galatea?  –––– it calls for Her, voice too firm for a child, first words incisive ╱ poignant knife. She stares into its eyes, peering at the chaos She created –– and turns Her back.

                                                         ( … )

verses wrote themselves against its skin, fairies would whisper secrets into its heart. before it could walk, small deity devoured books –– in search of a love he did not know of, this powerful feeling it could never obtain. the titans who gave birth to lucifer ╱ lilith, anew, could spare it no sweet nothings. the tutors brought in could not hold down treacherous creature, could not embrace it, could not understand it. oh, the gentle kiss that would break the curse. oh, the sweet princess that would awake humanity inside tainted guts. the choirs sang of redemption, absolution –– but they also snarled at child born with a target on its back, holy water falling at its feet. you were never meant to receive tenderness ; you shall not know what love entails. it all echoed inside this fortitude: melancholy the only tune beast ever knew ╱ maddening: to never be touched ; to never be loved without worship, without loathing.

                                                         ( … )

poignant claws would drag themselves over a violin, and he interrogated the stars. who else, who else. can famine become savior?  can ferocious teeth learn to taste another’s core without devouring it whole?  i can try, i can try. boy, blizzard –– locking itself in the garden of eden, mortality discovered as fingers bleed, as thorns find home in the anatomy of god, interrupted. –––– you can be anything you desire, vessel. –––– serpent hisses, crawling up its core. –––– i choose to live. i choose to love all monsters, made out of darkness & concrete alike. –––– dante replies, half-smothered, half-breathing, apple tasting sanguine on his lips. ophidian smiles, knowing this end will be self-made. –––– you can’t be helped, child, you can’t be helped.

                  –––––– 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 . ––––––

                               𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐈  ：𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐀 .

resentment, anger ╱ agape ╱ your presence soothes me .

to seize the adoration one was never deserving of: a sin, an addiction. bringer of nightmares, a king crowned with madness –– and all he wants is all he can never have, prince amongst commoners, crawling through cobbled streets in search of scraps. there is relief in the tender stares he receives from older women, insisting him to turn back and find home. i don’t have one, i never had one. bones of a boy, muscles of a boy, but he –– savage, feral, bleeding life into a world that despises him.

                                                         ( … )

this is what he knows of love: he must give it, even when it hurts –– somebody must be willing to rip their own flash, gift it away, and remain lacking forever. with hate, he learns this: puncture your flesh in order to feed the mouths that bite your legs ; turn your head to receive double the punishment, as it might turn you palatable ( they all want to break you, and if you shatter prettily enough, you might find gilded dregs to store inside your ribs ) ; swallow what no one wants to hear &  drown in it.

                                                        ( … )

being made entirely of open wounds, there is no deity capable of dragging him back to the fiery pits that gifted him life ╱ gifted him curse. lucky vessel, so close to a heart of his own. he rips one off a deer ( unfortunate as all that cross his path ) ; does not recall his face as he becomes other. the horror of inevitability is the only beauty he knows of, as he undresses, carrying only skin &  blood. summer child ╱ crooked teeth, crooked smile. eris lies underneath ophelia: sweet, poisoned honey. there is an empty space, and there is laughter by its side. lord shiva, this is all i have, this is all i am. is there any other way to love, but to turn into madness?  dante’s shrines are always filled with silence –– but he still brings limbs, lungs, livers as offerings to friends, lovers, foes.

                                                         ( … )

light quivers through the cracks –– through the smile always perched on his lips, meaningless. he embraces the world: atlas, knee-deep in dirt, bound to shackles rooted in tartarus. he bears the weight with joyous laughter, bullet-wound on his throat. unconditional love to all but himself. –––– this is how my salvation will come. –––– he mumbles, wine-drunk, licking aphrodite’s mouth. oracle, foolish in his hopefulness. –––– i will love, love, love, until the point of murder. i will love the unlovable ; and i won’t ask for anything in return. –––– as he kisses madness into a stranger’s lips, as his body becomes a one night miracle for those who need it most. –––– i can give, and give, and give, and you won’t hear my voice begging for anything else. –––– as he lays in a bed that is not his own, as he wraps his tongue against quickened pulse, as he becomes one with a galaxy that had long disowned him. dante holds the unknown in his arms, and promises to adore it ( sweet, inescapable destiny ╱ ouroboros: we therefore commit this body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, beast to beast ).

            –––––– 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐭: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟                  𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐛. 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟,                               𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 . ––––––

                               𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐈𝐈  ：𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐄 .

withering hope, abandonment ╱ philautia ╱ unfading love .

there is a limit to what forsaken hands can do. dante has picked stars, reached burning celestial bodies, cut his palms while tending to flowers with more thorns than petals. maybe i will encounter the lacking piece ; maybe there is half a soul to be found. a possibility is all that drives him forward, as skies turn grey and greyer. death is served, and young piece of sunshine ╱ corrupted shard of blood moon refuses to take it. i will keep on living –– i refuse to pass, i will not become more ghost than i already am. he moves around life, life runs right through him –– a sword lodged below his collarbone, forcing him to cough up blood. he is not a memory anyone can have. dante thinks about his absence in a world that already feels much like nothing: everchanging figure with a thousand names, an opaque face, a hidden mouth.

                                                        ( … )

merciless crow weighs heavily on his shoulder –– that, a haunting dante can’t run away from. he pledged the remnants of his tortured soul ; promised to bloom flowers inside of his guts ; swore he would not howl when the thorns slayed him. –––– how do i love without feeling it flow in my body, how do i love without receiving it in my bloodstream?  –––– fallen next to thanatos, locked away in a luxurious bathroom, he wonders and wonders. foolish messenger, victim of hubris ╱ icarus, aware the sun would burn his wings, but taking the leap of faith &  crashing, drowning in saltwater. –––– who am i to challenge the gods? –––– he murmured, anguish sorrow rising and falling in the rhythm of his chest. dante remembers rain falling endlessly –– but, most of all, he remembers silence. –––– oh, dear. i am alone, aren’t i?  –––– he questions a ghost, tears rupturing his flesh. what he tried to hide meets sunlight in its last breaths. miserable boy, crestfallen human –– he discovers himself once he uncovers death. soothsayer full of shame, guts filled with medicine, wrists torn by ache. what prophecy could he utter with such a defiled existence?  no one will come for him, is his last rational thought. no one will remember him. dante: nothing, no one, infinitesimal. –––– all i have tried to give is all i do not have. –––– the veil falls from his face and the earth quiets.

                                                        ( … )

he wakes up, bittersweet taste lingering in his body. my bones have finally shattered, he muses, not entirely awake, i have nothing else to give. his tutor does not spend the night by the side of his hospital bed ( white, everything pearlescent, pristine, sickening ), and dante doesn’t expect his parents to come –– and they don’t. ordinary, meaningless existence. he should have passed to another realm, but he had vowed to keep on living. –––– fate is anything but forgiving. –––– is what he mumbles to a kind nurse: the one individual worried for him, but only because it is her job. he holds her by the wrist one day, mouth opening and then closing. can you stay with me?  can you let me go?  –––– thank you. –––– and there are no other words he is able of uttering throughout his stay. alone, is all he’ll ever be, no pink hues to enlighten his days. he notices his age in a file, wrong by two years, but does not say anything about it. who cares?  who cares but you?  do you at all?  

                                                         ( … )

his scars do not turn into bird wings. what should i fear, if not death, if not desolation?  the torment of being devoured –– no, that is what he loves the most. in one of many nights ( lustful, adoring, fickle ), basile fast asleep by his side, dante’s fingertips caress exposed skin –– brutal tenderness, a blade he could never inflict upon himself. –––– i think i can only ever love whatever part of me when i find it mirrored in you, mon cher. –––– he confesses, obsidian irises shining. to hold on, to make room for fragile things, to fracture in the same crevices, even with leaden bones. –––– dragons and butterflies are one in the same, aren’t they?  –––– dante whispers, cherry lips dragging across basile’s ears as emerald cradles carnelian closer, closer.

          –––––– 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 . ––––––

                       𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐕  ：𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐄 .

unfortunate attachment ╱ philia ╱ i have lost all .

grief supposedly works like this: denial ; anger ; bargain ; depression ; acceptance. dante has never fell into the latter –– there was not a day he felt his mother’s absence as an axiom. galatea died in his arms, no last breath redemption gifted to her only heir, but her number remains his emergency contact. perhaps–– this is the closest he will get to love: half-ghost, half-illusion ; one he can confess all his sins to ; one that will not reprimand him no more ; one hollow image ╱ sacrilegious saint he can pour his most selfish desires onto. once her body is laid five feet underground, dante kneels. –––– i would have done you a favour, mother, had i died before you.

                                                         ( … )

dante’s dismay is always reminiscent of a forest, petrichor, and a bonfire put out during the night. galatea by his side, barely addressing his existence. miles deep into the woods, birds were singing once he heard mother, titaness, whimper. dante reached for her, cradled her, hugged her –– for the first time, for the first time, for the last time. intact arrows were lodged on her throat, on her chest. what could he do? –––– stay with me, please. –––– dante begged and begged, but galatea’s eyes were no more. trembling hand holding cold fingers, desperate cries as he forced himself to walk, to search for an exit he knew no longer existed. his feet were cursed with blisters once he found a small village, his cheeks marred by dried tears, his arms covered in matriarchal blood. catatonic emptiness –– and each new fracture of his soul was a new explosion, sharp, dangerous, lost. he remained by her side, acute desperation as the reality crashed upon him, a rogue wave. –––– come back to me. –––– as he curled his body next to hers. always freezing, you were always this cold anyway. –––– come back. you have to come back. –––– as he clung to her limbs, as his eyes sunk in sorrow. does this pain have a name?  

                                                        ( … )

poppy’s empty room and the vacant space left by galatea were one in the same. dante lingered around her bed, head throbbing –– grief never leaves, it only evolves into smothering shadow. dante places a small bouquet atop her pillows, mumbles a prayer in a faint voice. –––– i never had much. –––– he whispers, and hopes poppy can hear him, feel him. –––– but i had you. and i will find you, baby girl. i promise i will. –––– there are no smiles to brighten up his complexion, no light shining through his ribs. this night, like many others, is spent entirely on research. who can i reach next?  what can i sell of my soul to have you back?  

                                   –––––– 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 . ––––––

                           𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐕  ：𝐂𝐘𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍 .

departure, resignation ╱ pragma ╱ all good things come to an end .

spring child, full of heartache. oh, how he wishes he could give it back: so many lives lost as he aimed for a pulse of his own, and dante now chases numbness. bodies become a blur, just in time for him to turn into a ghost. cheap whiskey and smoke mix themselves in his tongue, there are pills dissolving in his mouth, there is a stranger pressing him up against a wall. why is it not enough?  why must i crave what i can never have?  oh, to grow yourself a heart only for a friend to pull it out, for a friend to crush it beneath their feet. foolish boy. you should’ve been grateful for the void i gifted you, is the echo growing inside his brain, his mother’s voice a tortured ghost. to believe one could truly love him –– the most reckless of all behaviours, the pain that could extinguish him into dust. what is heavier than this emptiness?  what is more consuming than this void? –––– she … she told me she was going to find someone else to go home with. –––– hollis’ words can’t be erased from his mind, and dante finally crumbles beneath their weight.

                                                        ( … )

his eyes are swelled up once he reaches london. perhaps, there is a limit –– even for a demon, even for a grotesque creature. perhaps, as he crawls atop galatea’s grave, he meets his end. knife wound, love wound: it bleeds all the same. his body is freezing, even when the night is still –– there is an image replaying in an infinite cycle behind his eyelids, frozen tears clinging to reddened cheeks. –––– was saying ❝ i love you ❞ my undoing?  –––– he murmurs into the night, the claws of a demon resting upon his shoulders, smothering and lukewarm, and shivers caress his spine ( tiny spiders, nails across a chalkboard, vermins crawling through a corpse ). –––– he asked me to find him, and i did. –––– there is no humour in his laughter. such unforgivable stupidity, and he can only punish himself for it. unsheathed talons lacerate his scalp: apathy as a life-threatening poison, as he sinks rotten nails inside of his flesh and hopes to come up with a crown, reborn. there is no rage as perished daisies become his halo, as dead mother becomes dead son, on his knees, forehead to the ground. cold rain soaks up his bones: a preferable fate to succumbing to loneliness –– suffering, but religious ( i am only holy when broken, i can only adore as a morgue does with a corpse ). can rose taste him in basile, he wonders?  is he too fleeting to be felt, even by a tourmaline angel?  –– the one that loves him, loved him, somehow. melinoe whispers in his ear ( mother of madness, but he trusts her –– who else does he have? ) : that was a lie. what does one gain from worshipping you?  –– hell, fervent kisses, languid hands, consuming touch, everything, too much, nothing at all.

                                                        ( … )

jester, conquering his way through pleasing his majesty’s body, filling his bed. oh, to be aware of one’s low worth –– never good enough, even when it came down to being used. tiring illusionist, shuffling the same cards, over and over and over… could he blame anyone for forsaking him?  ares, begging to be forgotten. no more pain, no more. the heavens are deaf, however, and it continues: plague in his bones ; hunger in his chest ; torture in his skull. if he stays down for long enough, perhaps no one will bother to look for him. pitiful dead boy turns blind man, hearing his last heartbeat, moonlight on his tongue, constellations on his lips. what is there to be said at his tombstone?  unknown, unloved, unmissed. this, the only way he’d ever be able to go. you may have broken my heart, but only i hold the power of shattering my own soul. water springs from his eyes: weeping angel, at home in a cemetery. –––– not even your ghost is capable of loving me, mother. and still, you’re all i have. –––– he whispers, restless, plunging prayers down the earth. love me, you should’ve loved me, love me, please.

                 –––––– 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞: 𝐚 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐧𝐨𝐭                                          𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 . ––––––

                            𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐕𝐈  ：𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐊 .

you will be my death ╱ eros ╱ poisonous calamity .

eros finds him –– no mercy, no mercy. mercutio picks him up from the ground, dirty and paralyzed, says nothing. dante wakes up in his bed, undressed, filthy, sore. –––– you always come back, don’t you?  –––– the emerald’s voice reverberates in his head, each syllable another nail on his coffin. phobos &  deimos are also children of aphrodite, is what he learns with mercutio –– standing tall, smile of a hunter, canines of a wolf. –––– i am really everything you have, huh? –––– his laughter is haunting, and the desai becomes child, forgotten –– once more, once more. 

–––– i never had you. –––– dante mumbles, looking out the window. the abyss stares back, offers no answers, vanishes. –––– never had anyone at all.

                                                        ( … )

when the morning comes, mercutio presses dante against a wall –– hand around his neck, vicious. dante does not blink as breaths become shallow, as lights seem to fade. –––– i’m not scared of you, fool. –––– melancholy in defiance, tone dripping in dark blue. –––– kill me. I’m all yours. –––– and he smiles only after his feet touch the ground, a slap across his cheek. bitter glory. thanatos is always lingering in his spine, never daring to break him. untouchable, even by death. sobriety in nothingness, in madness: mercutio looks inside his soul, and realizes he is messing with a demon with nothing to lose. –––– you have stepped over my guts and claimed the beast inside of me as yours. you have more reasons to fear me than anyone else, and you better start acting like it. –––– dante bows, and leaves. always an actor leaving a stage –– trickster, villain or tragedy?  he doesn’t know anymore.

                    –––––– 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚) 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐛) 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫, 𝐜) 𝐬𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 ?  ––––––

                            𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐕𝐈𝐈 ：𝐀𝐒𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐋 .

my regrets follow you to the grave ╱ memento mori ╱ remembered beyond the tomb .

dante comes back at midnight, after four long days. there are finger marks against his trachea, there are new quicksilver lines against his body, there is new darkness pressed underneath his eyes. quiet –– inside his heart, white noise. inside his mind, an ocean in which he’s drowning. for poppy, he muses, for poppy: he must move onward for her, if not for anyone else. he can barely hear his own heart, beating, struggling. just until i find her, and then...

[pauldron-pieces]

Destrier Revel: For Leofore

Fandom: Dungeons And Dragons (5E)

Pairing: N/A, Leofore-Centric

Rating: Holy shit M.

AN: This is a hypothetical narrative boss battle scenario featuring original characters in a world created by my Dungeon Master. As usual, this is non-canon and I own nothing aside from intellectual properties specifically attached to Destrier Revel. This installment is mechanically unsound in a multitude of ways and ignores certain important lore facets. Trigger warnings are listed inside. Enjoy!

Taglist: @sporadic-fics and @cookiethewriter!

Inspired By: Fire Emblem: Three Houses OST: The Apex of the World (Rain) and Written By Wolves: To Tell You The Truth

Destrier Revel’s Backstory: Burn The Wicked

[Leofore is a human Oathbreaker/fallen paladin, and his appearance can be found here.]

[!TRIGGER WARNING!: This installment contains multiple triggering scenes including vivid descriptions of gore, emotional/physical duress and character death. Stay safe!]

When we last left our party, Knight-Commander Leofore was believed to be dead, a casualty of the war. To the shock and dismay of the party, Leofore returned on the eve of their most ambitious push against the Urgals, their former friend and mentor twisted nearly beyond recognition and wearing a strange mask. Leofore proceeded to berate the King's Elite for their inaction before kidnapping both the prince and the queen and escaping into the night. The party has tracked him down in an effort to rescue the queen and prince, and possibly, Destrier's mentor as well ...

  He knew they had arrived before they even entered the portal. Thranrok was always so loud .

  The sound of their voices filled him with melancholy he did not entirely understand. Leofore's mind seemed to be in a fog, a daze that stole the strength from his very spirit. Was this what being undead was truly like? 

  The queen was still secured beside the throne, her regal poise maintained throughout the ordeal. Frail hands trembled ever so slightly as his gauntlet wrapped around her bound wrists, but other than that she gave no indication of her fear while she was pulled upright. King Jonathan's wife had always been the picture of composure, whether dealing with unruly nobility or Urgal hordes. 

  Leofore offered her a smile devoid of warmth. "It would seem your salvation is at hand, your Majesty. Better late than never. Unfortunately though, you will not live long enough to be rescued."

  "I pray that your friends will be able to rescue you from the inky depths you've sunk to." The queen replied softly. "The Leofore I knew would never surrender so easily, would never stoop so low as to condone murder and kidnapping."

  The torches lining the room suddenly flared bright, no doubt in reply to Thranrok's talents. A forlorn fondness swept the paladin when his old friends were revealed in the rising torchlight, his dagger moving without his input to slit the queen's throat. 

  Leofore couldn't remember why that caused him such distress, his thoughts clouded and confused while her hands weakly pawed at his blackened breastplate. He shoved her body away gracelessly, opening his arms in greeting instead. "My friends!" The paladin said gladly.

  "Why the hell would you do that?!" Thranrok squawked, the sorcerer already bristling. 

  Naero advanced cautiously, his attention obviously split between concern for the queen and wariness for Leofore. " Easy big guy, we did what you asked for. We're here. Your negotiating skills could use a little polish, but whatever gets the job done." 

  Leofore could hear the judgement in his quiet words. Naero had always been good at reading him.

  Knight Revel silently gathered the queen in his arms and Leofore's gaze was drawn to the large shield strapped on his back, identical to the one he himself had carried. The knight passed the rapidly fading woman off to Ganymethios, who looked as grim as a dragonborn could while he began to softly murmur a spell that would no doubt steal her back from death.

  Pity they never afforded you such courtesies.

  Leofore paid the queen's removal no further mind, predatory focus shifting to the two who now stood at the foot of the dais. The elf at least had the wherewithal to keep his expression neutral, but Destrier… "It is good to see you again." Leofore announced, his smile all bared teeth and false pleasantries. "How I wish that I had been able to see you all one last time before I died. Alone on the battlefield, eyes fixed to the horizon where I expected my aid to come from."

  Died rang hollow in his head. He knew it was wrong , but he was unsure why. Why would that be wrong? He had perished. 

  Right?  

  The spectral grip at the nape of his neck tightened, phantom fingers digging in like iron talons. Right . "Would that we could meet under happier circumstances," The paladin mused. 

  "The feeling's mutual, trust me." Thranrok muttered. 

  Argon already looked ready to tear Leofore limb from limb, the werebear sampling the air briefly before affixing those beady little eyes on the paladin atop the dais. 

  He will be a problem. Get rid of him. That cold voice in his head again, the claws digging deeper. Leofore shook off the sensation, straightening his shoulders. "After you all so callously abandoned me to die , really, what was I to do?" He asked no one in particular, clasping his hands behind his back as he surveyed the room. 

  Destrier's voice cracked when he spoke up, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, Knight-Commander. I had never seen King Jonathan weep so openly before that day, the day that he gave us the order to march on the main encampment instead of dividing his senior officers." 

  Leofore glanced at the young man he had trained and he was perturbed by the expression Destrier wore. The blond looked like someone had ripped the soul from his chest. And the idea of his dear friend King Yokam ordering the battalions forward with tears streaming down his face...it was-

  Exactly what you wanted! He abandoned you, let him suffer!

  Bitterness soured his mouth.

  "We grieved for you, we mourned your loss!" Destrier continued when he did not comment, his fists clenched at his sides. "And when Gany told us that he may be able to return you to your former state-"

  "I needed some time to work on the spell and gather resources, but yeah. We weren't letting you go without a fight." Gany inserted himself into the one-sided conversation, placing a hand on Destrier's shoulder to quiet him. "Thranrok and I aren't one hundred percent sure on what's going on, but for you?"

  "Of course we would try!" The hairless dwarf chimed in. Leofore's throat tightened. "Leaving you behind-- none of us agreed with it! They called us heroes, honored your memory, but without you there…"

  "An inescapable void in our team where our compatriot used to be." Naero paused, sharp eyes meeting Leofore's own steadily. "All the poetic words in the world won't cure the horror your lost soul must feel, therefore I won't bother with them."

  Despite their relative proximity, Leofore suddenly felt as though there was a bottomless pit between himself and his stalwart brothers in arms.

  Destrier raised his lance in a knightly salute. "You will never die alone again, my friend. We will lay you to rest as many times as it takes. I swear it." He promised fervently. "Whatever power dragged you from your grave, we will dismantle it and grant you the peace you deserve."

  "I think all this is pointless." Argon rumbled bluntly. "He's not just gonna' lie down no matter how much you idiots talk at him. Even if he wasn't all screwed up, this is Leofore ."

  "Too true, my ursine friend!" Leofore agreed with another smile, genuine this time. It was good to see them all again-

  The angry mask of his helm slammed down without warning, the ability to control his own motions entirely removed. 

  What am I doing?  

  A terrible oath in Urgal left the mouth he did not own and then a pinpoint of black flame tossed itself lazily into the center of his former allies. Fick was the only one quick enough to sidestep the attack, the elf having the audacity to look bored. 

  What am I doing? Stop!  

  Knight Revel and Ganymethios were unable to avoid the hellfire explosion and were thrown back from the throne dais, the knight striking a pillar sickeningly hard and the wizard tumbling across the floor with a loud clatter of scaled limbs. 

  Stop!

  His lance felt unwieldy and clumsy in his hand. Leofore advanced on the individuals he had fought beside so many times, his attention fixed on Argon. Argon, First General, was the largest and strongest of the group, the werebear towering head and shoulders over even Knight-Commander Leofore himself. 

  Get rid of him or he will cause trouble.

  Thranrok struggled to help Gany rise, the sorcerer hurling angry verbiage in Dwarvish at Leofore. With those two preoccupied, Leofore was free to attack Argon uninterrupted. The werebear stared him down, then opened his mouth and let out a fierce roar of challenge. 

  An arrow sang through the air, Leofore dodging the shot to the face with a speed he did not possess. Fick grunted something that sounded like a swear under his breath and Leofore knew he was supposed to hear it, simply because the Spymaster didn't speak for his own benefit even when he was frustrated. 

  The familiarity was ice cold down his spine. He would have to kill them. Argon would feint left, then strike right. Destrier would use the haft of his lance to knock him off balance before going in for the kill. Ganymethios was the wild card, but even he had predictable routes. Thranrok would attack from the air, and Naero-

  Gods help me. I will end up killing them.

  But then, Argon bolted right . Leofore was caught off guard, unable to get his lance up in time to fend him off and the werebear grappled him with massive paws. Claws raked through his armor and Leofore snarled, words foreign to his tongue imbuing his lance with a terrible power. He pulled his arm back as best as he could to strike, to stagger, to kill -

  He had forgotten about Destrier, more was the pity. "Garuda denies it!" the blond man barked sharply, his hand outstretched to render Leofore's spell null. The Knight-Commander was not even allowed the time to be irritated as Argon proceeded to maul him. Or try to, anyway. The blood hunter was certainly making quick work of his armor! Leofore was strangely lighthearted about this turn of events. Argon had factored in that he knew their methods inside and out. To change such tried and true strategies mere moments before battle-!

  Revel was abruptly inches from his face and Leofore blinked, unsure if he had hallucinated the curled onyx horns he had seen briefly on either side of Destrier's pale visage. The younger man's lance roared like a bonfire when he struck Leofore, pinpricks of strange light arcing around his form.

  The dark-haired paladin was then subjected to an ethereal weapon colliding with the side of his mask, catching the barest glimpse of a glassy obsidian battleaxe--no! A double-bladed spear, laced through with stars and flanked by those horns. It vanished as quickly as it appeared. Since when could Revel do that?! That was also a variable. It seemed Argon was not the only one who had adapted his strategies! Bittersweet pride surged in Leofore, seeing the determined look in those familiar brown eyes.

  Please, my friends, stop me. I am lost to you, please stop me.

  Kill them all, you insolent fool!

  The decaying bodies of his men rose from the shadows beside the pillars, shambling corpses heading for the recovering wizard and unconscious queen. Thranrok flew into the air, fire whirling to life and immolating their would-be attackers. The stars that began shimmering around his bald pate warned Leofore that he was about to have much more than the angry First General werebear, his fierce Knight-Captain and their potshot-taking Spymaster to endure. 

  Get rid of Argon, before it's too late! He is the largest threat!

  Leofore struggled wildly against Argon's grip, his lance puncturing the blood hunter over and over in a frenzy. Argon held on doggedly while the necrotic energy seared his flesh, one enormous paw swiping at the mask. 

  Destrier had entirely abandoned any pretense of composure, his attacks little more than frantic swings until Argon yelled at him to focus on the damn mask, Revel! Instead of stabbing his deadly lance through Leofore's head like a sane man would have, Destrier spun the weapon around and rammed the blunt end of it up into the underside of Leofore's chin. 

  Colors exploded across his limited field of vision and Leofore feared for a moment that Revel had shattered his jaw. The older paladin tasted blood in his mouth, viscous liquid spattering down his breastplate when he gasped for air. Argon's hold on him tightened even further, grim blackened pauldrons creaking in warning; another arrow glanced off the mask, chipping the bridge of the nose. 

  "Keep him still , will you?" Naero complained.

  " Look Fick, he's hellbent on making me into a damn pincushion-- will you knock it off?! " Argon interrupted himself to pound a furry fist into the side of Leofore's head, the blood hunter sounding more like he was berating a child than fighting for his life.

  Destrier abandoned his lance in favor of fumbling with the smooth edges of the mask, the knight swearing a blue streak when Leofore jerked his face up out of reach. "We are here to help you, Leofore!" He cried, clearly distraught. " Stop! "

  Leofore silently bent his legs at the knee and planted his black sabatons in the center of Revel's chest, using the solid wall of Argon to his advantage so he could knock Destrier flat on his back. A mote of pure starlight struck Leofore squarely in the temple and he heard a loud crack as the mask lost a small piece from the forehead. 

  "Ha!" Thranrok sounded pleased, which boded poorly-

  You stupid fool, kill him now!  

  Another Urgal spell left his lips and paralysis rippled across the battlefield. Thranrok tumbled helplessly to the ground, the dwarf landing hard beside Ganymethios and the queen.

  Leofore wordlessly flipped his lance around and thrust it into his own stomach. His plate and chainmail shrieked in protest before giving way and the pain from his wounds (which had been a far-off, dreamy sort of thing), rushed to clarity. Radiant energy cut him to the quick and he choked down his yell, shoving the lance through himself and into Argon. 

  The werebear roared at the explosion of power and loosened his grip, finally allowing Leofore to tear free. 

  The man dropped heavily to the stone floor, another mote of starlight crashing into the mask and knocking him onto his hands and knees. Leofore was dimly aware that he was slavering as he clawed at the mask, beating a fist into the ground in frustration when it would not budge. 

  He scrabbled frantically at his belt for his dagger, drawing it and feeling bile surge up his throat when he realized the blade was still stained with the queen's blood. 

  Leofore then jammed it under the edge of the mask, trying desperately to pry it off. Fight it, Leofore! That was Thranrok's voice in his head, concerned, loudbright , grounding him in reality. Knight-Commander Leofore, leader of the King's Elite, reduced to this?

  The dagger cut into his cheek while he struggled, the paladin digging and scraping like a rabid animal until the blade suddenly snapped with a sharp pang!

  I warned you, thrall. Now, kill Argon.

  " No! " Leofore screamed, slamming his face into the floor one last time and then staggering upright against his will. The chainmail covering his stomach was slick with blood; Leofore could feel it trickling into his greaves. He pressed a hand to the wound and gripped his lance even tighter, his breathing coming in harsh, liquid gasps. 

  The werebear lay still on the flagstones several feet away, badly bloodied. First one foot, then the other, Leofore slowly advanced the prone blood hunter.

  "Don't make me do this." The paladin whispered, fighting for control with every step. "Gods, don't make me do this." The icy fingers dug deep into the nape of his neck, making him grimace.

  You have no choice.

  Destrier grabbed his lance arm, the knight digging in his heels when Leofore tried to shake him off. " I won't let you! " Destrier raged, his voice hoarse from yelling as he roughly dragged the larger man back a step. 

  On the opposite side, Thranrok wrapped his entire body around the paladin's other arm, the stocky sorcerer slowing him down even further. "Gany, get it off him!" Thranrok exclaimed urgently. " Hurry! "

  The dragonborn's talons sank into Leofore's face before he could even think about dodging, Gany not even attempting to remove the mask so much as he was skinning it off of him. A crack formed down the center, the mask giving out under the strain.

  No!

  Thank you, my friends .

  Pain shot through his veins, fever-hot and furious. Leofore couldn't help but cry out, a weak shudder of agony rocking his battered body. Ganymethios carried on with his grisly task and Leofore finally felt something at the nape of his neck snap off with a dull crunch.  

  /x\

  Leofore collapsed face first, mere inches from his intended target. 

  Destrier couldn't keep from dry heaving at the sight of the bloody mask Gany now held, the dragonborn shooting him an apologetic grimace before stating, "Nasty stuff, but it had to be done."

  Naero sauntered forward, already putting on his gloves. Destrier gripped his lance tightly while the elf reached down, two fingers tapping on the side of Leofore's neck in habitual search of a pulse. He wasn't sure what on earth Naero hoped to find, Leofore was-

  Fick's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "He's still circulating, boys." 

  "What? But I thought that he was undead!" Thranrok voiced what they were all thinking, scratching where his sideburns would be. 

  Destrier hardly cared, digging his gauntlets in at Leofore's sides so he could roll him over onto his back. He glanced to Gany, opening his mouth to ask for help, but the dragonborn was already muttering theories to Thranrok. The two of them were scrutinizing the inside of the mask pieces in the torchlight, holding the objects gingerly between them. Better not to interrupt if I can do it myself.

  Destrier gave his healing freely, the hole in Leofore's stomach and his mangled face knitting themselves back together at a glacial pace. Revel's abilities may be able to keep himself alive in battle, but Ganymethios would forever be the better healer. Destrier's help had always been more akin to filling a pond by flooding it.

  The Knight-Commander was breathing, the blond realized in stunned silence, watching the rise and fall of his chest. Destrier leaned forward, resting his forehead on Leofore's breastplate so he could feel the steady motion of his breath. " Please ." He implored softly, not sure of entirely who or what he was even asking for. He felt Naero's hand on his shoulder, the elf giving it a brief squeeze between pauldron and gorget.

  Argon groaned, sounding more annoyed than pained. "Excuse me, senior officer over here? Guy who did all the work? Anyone want to give me a hand?"

  Gany chuckled, absently tracing a well-worn sigil in the air. "Relax, Argon. We wouldn't leave you out in the cold."

  The werebear grumbled at the quip, slowly moving to sit up after a moment or two. "So is he alive or what?" He asked. Destrier was uncertain who he had addressed, the Knight-Captain still slumped with his head bowed against Leofore's chest. Gany's healing spell washed over them all, but even after that Leofore did not stir. 

  "He breathes, anyway." Naero answered. "We should also make certain her Majesty is safe, and sweep the room for any further threats."

  A gauntlet fumbled to grasp the back of Destrier's neck heavily. "Are you alright?" Leofore rasped, his voice barely audible. The younger knight was not particularly proud of how loud his sob of relief was, turning his face against his own shoulder in a futile attempt to muffle the pitiful noise with his tattered mantle. 

  "And lo, our sleeping beauty awakens." Fick said dryly. "The real question is, do we have to have Argon knock some sense into you again or will you behave this time?"

  "I offer no promises." Leofore's laugh was a shadow of its former glory, the sound ragged. "I feel like death warmed over. Help me sit up, boys." Gany assisted Destrier with shifting their Knight-Commander into a sitting position on the stairs to the dais, Leofore nodding his thanks to the pair before glancing around the room. "What has happened?" He asked worriedly.

  "We were hoping you could tell us." Fick replied. "This is lich business, after all. And someone didn't do their required reading the last time we dealt with one!"

  "Hey! I can only apologize for not knowing about phylacteries so many times!" Thranrok protested. "Lich books are always so damn dry ."

  "Well the one who reigned here was so damnable proud of his phylactery, he practically put the thing in my hands." Leofore shook his head. "That may have been the worst part of this whole endeavor, removing the reign of this lich while languishing under the tyranny of the previous one! That blasted mask-" 

  "Won't be able to do anything ever again." Thranrok interjected. "Gany and I will see to that."

  "I thank you, my friends." Leofore sighed. "Near as I can recall, the prince is secured beneath the throne. The queen..."

  "Already acquired. She lies over there, unconscious but alive." Ganymethios assured as Naero bolted for the throne. 

  "We must convene with Jonathan, discuss how to approach dealing with that other lich." Leofore rose slowly, clearly still weary from their pitched battle. He extended a hand to help Argon up from the floor, and was nearly toppled for his trouble. 

  The blood hunter grinned toothily, slapping the man on the shoulder. "We'll save you coming to my rescue for some other time, eh troublemaker?"

  "Aye, I suppose we shall." Leofore paused for a moment, then turned to Thranrok. " Please tell me you can teleport us out of here, something . I am ready to be rid of this nightmare."

  Thranrok looked offended. "Ex- cuse me, Leofore? Do my ears deceive me, or do I detect a hint of doubt in your tone?" A scroll was drawn from one of his many pockets. "The nerve of you, thinking that I wouldn't be prepared!" The sorcerer blustered. 

  "Wait, wait, we definitely shouldn't go directly to the castle." Naero called, hauling the prince's unconscious body out of a small cell beneath the elaborate throne. "King Jonathan is likely to slaughter us first and ask questions later if we just appear with his unconscious family and Dread Knight Leofore in tow."

  "Too true!" Thranrok tapped his chin in thought, then snapped his fingers. "I've got it! Grab her Majesty, Gany."

  "Wait, perhaps we should-" 

  Whatever Leofore was about to suggest was cut off as Thranrok enthusiastically rattled off the power words written on the parchment in his hands and the party was unceremoniously teleported away.

  The familiar storage room of Maplecrest solidified around them and Destrier realized a split-second later that a wicked-looking cudgel was being swung at his head. His shield came up on instinct, deflecting the blow and making the metal ring loudly. "Illeria!" He said gladly, not really caring that she had come remarkably close to taking his head off.

  The diminutive innkeeper dropped her weapon, her eyes wide in the dim light of morning. "Destrier! And--oh. And...Prince Timothy. Is that the queen? " She hissed, starting to hastily smooth out her skirts and apron. 

  She halted when she noticed Leofore and Revel reached out a steadying hand, certain that the young woman was preparing to grab her cudgel again. "It's alright, Illeria." He soothed.

  Thranrok sidled to the main door of the inn, quickly scrawling a sign on a spare piece of vellum and then tacking it to the outside of the door. "We're buying you out for the day, Illeria. Y'know, for the trouble." The dwarf explained, the tips of his ears tinged slightly pink.

  Illeria nodded dumbly, yanking on Destrier's arm. The knight allowed himself to be dragged into her living quarters, caught between laughing and crying when she whirled on him. "What the hell is going on, Revel?! You all-"

  "I know. I can't even tell if I'm dreaming or not." Destrier confessed. "We had thought Leofore was lost to us, but he was working under the influence of a threat we believed we had destroyed."

  "What, more Urgals?" She asked incredulously. 

  "Something akin to that, yes." Whatever Illeria muttered was decidedly uncharitable, the young woman holding her head in her hands. Destrier hesitated, then opened his arms. "Would you-?"

  She tucked herself into his embrace without another word. The knight rested his chin on the top of her head, feeling a peace he had not known since Leofore had vanished.

  "It is good to be home again." Destrier whispered.

  "Home?"

  "Aye. Home ."

  /x\

  Leofore stood in front of King Jonathan, his body language pensive. He still wore the blackened armor, stating that he felt unworthy of his gold and white plate, so he made quite the bedraggled sight. Once the king was done squeezing the breath out of his wife and son, he turned a stern look to the Knight-Commander. 

  "Fallen Knight Leofore." 

  Destrier grimaced at Leofore's wince. They had known this would come, but it still hurt. Leofore dropped to a knee, his shoulders rigid. "Your Majesty." He replied evenly.

  King Jonathan meandered off the throne dais. Naero elbowed Destrier in the ribs, pointing surreptitiously at Jonathan's hands. More specifically, at the gauntlets he now wore. Destrier's brow furrowed in confusion, since when did his Majesty…?

  Jonathan bade Leofore to rise, placing his right hand on the taller man's shoulder. Before anyone could react (though Destrier suspected Leofore knew the punishment was coming), he balled his left gauntlet into a fist and slammed it squarely into Leofore's nose. 

  Argon huffed out a breath that sounded suspiciously close to a snicker. Ganymethios was taken by a sudden coughing fit, Thranrok slapping him as high up on the back as he could reach.

  Leofore staggered back with a grunt, cupping his face. Jonathan looked a fair bit pained himself, shaking off the impact of the blow. "Return to your duties, Knight-Commander Leofore. There is much work to be done." Despite his fierce expression, the king's eyes fairly danced with good humor. "It brings me great joy to have you back, my friend."

  "Aye, the feeling is mutual." Leofore replied with a rueful smile, wiping the blood from his nose off his upper lip. "We bring news of enemy plots, my liege."

  "Naero has informed me. We will tackle this topic ere the morn. Tonight, we feast." The king clapped Leofore's shoulder once again. "The queen and prince have returned, as well as the brave Knight-Commander we thought had been slain and the rest of the King's Elite. I would say that is cause for celebration!" He gestured a manservant forward, distributing tankards of fine ale amongst the adventurers before raising his own goblet. "A toast, my friends, for the new era! An age of peace shall finally dawn."

  "For Leofore!" Prince Timothy exclaimed, saluting the Knight-Commander who waved it off with a quiet chuckle. 

  " For Leofore! " The King's Elite echoed, and there was the sudden snap of leather straps giving way as Destrier's shield flung itself off his back to hover at his side.

  "You...gods, really? " Argon sighed.

  Destrier rubbed the back of his neck, clearing his throat awkwardly. "It had to be a phrase I would remember." He tried to explain, feeling thoroughly embarrassed. "I wanted it to serve as a reminder of what we fought so hard for and why we fought as hard as we did."

  "Well spake, my flushed friend!" Timothy teased, knuckling the other man's shoulder. "But come, we have a feast to prepare and drinks to indulge in!" Leofore's expression was unreadable when Destrier dared to glance over, and the younger knight feared that he had offended him. 

  Leofore approached him once the festivities were truly under way, asking for Destrier's presence while he circled the grounds. "It is very loud here, but I do not wish to be alone." He said by way of explanation, blue eyes strangely mournful.

  Destrier agreed and the two of them made their way to the ramparts, walking at an easy pace and making inconsequential conversation. 

  Once there, Leofore ran a hand along the rich buntings that bore the kingdom's colors and insignia, his gaze far away. " Wars are not won or lost, merely ended ." He mused. "I know not who coined that phrase, but I have always found it to ring true." The dark-haired man leaned against a parapet and fixed Destrier with a calculating look. "Have we won this war, Revel? Or are we simply ending it?"

  "Does it matter overmuch?" Destrier replied pragmatically with a question of his own, fixated on the bonfire in the courtyard far below crackling merrily away. "History will remember us as the victors and the people will recover with our help. Our work will not be over when the fighting is, you know that."

  "Aye," Leofore nodded. "About the shield, Destrier…"

  "I can change it." Revel rushed to assure him but Leofore waved him off.

  "It brings me comfort to know that you would hold me in such high esteem." Then, "do you think Argon will forgive me for trying to turn him into a kitchen sieve?" Destrier tried to stifle his laugh to no avail. Leofore grinned at him, the older knight mussing his hair teasingly before returning to staring out toward the horizon. "Many things have changed, and yet even more stay the same. I will not be so foolhardy this time." He promised solemnly. 

  "I do not think we would be able to carry on with this new era if you were absent, my friend."

  "Surely you jest. The strength I witnessed from all of you, the tenacity? I feared I would burst with pride. I understand your sentiment, though. I shall not go looking for my death, nor rush headlong into danger."

  "Not alone, anyway." Destrier amended. "That is all I can ask for, Knight-Commander." He extended his hand and they clasped forearms in the typical knightly fashion. Leofore searched his eyes for a long moment and then nodded, seeming to have found whatever he was looking for.

  "You have changed as well, Knight-Captain Revel. For the better, I would wager."

Part Three: Light And Home

[galemalio]

Dr. Flug Theory: Growing Up Neglected and Being the Scapegoat

Black Hat kept Flug after Flug crashed his plane into his house. But ever wonder why Flug chose to work under Black Hat?

Black Hat abuses Flug and constantly puts him under stress, fear and pressure. Yet Flug chose to work for him and chose to stay. 

Why?

If it’s true that Flug, 5.0.5. and Demencia have no shadows because they have sold their souls to BlackHat, what would Flug sell his soul for?

Warning: this is going to be a long post.

Growing Up Neglected

We first get a glimpse of this in “Villainous-Villain Orientation Guide: Mojo Jojo” where Flug gets emotionally affected by Mojo Jojo’s backstory. 

Mojo Jojo went on about how he was continuously overshadowed by his "sisters’" (Powerpuff Girls) physical power and how his "brilliant achievements went unnoticed".

Did Mojo Jojo’s story hit too close to home? 

The Family Picture

We can catch a glimpse of how Flug grew up on based further on one picture:

(screenshot from @gabygirl1243)

This picture is already evaluated by other Tumblr users such as gabygirl1243. In essence, I’ll just be summarizing what they have said, while adding my own thoughts to it. 

There are theories out there that Goldheart is Flug’s brother. 

When Goldheart first appeared, he was glowing yellow and wearing yellow. Therefore yellow might be his identifying character color. 

In the family picture, the woman in pink is the mom who’s intimate and shows affection to her yellow son while the man in gray can be the father standing proudly beside him. Their golden child.

Meanwhile, there’s Flug.  He wears blue, his identifying color that goes with his signature shirt. He keeps to himself, hands behind his back, with the way his mother’s back is facing him, there is distance between him and his family. 

If Mojo Jojo and Flug’s backstories are parallel, Flug is constantly overshadowed by Goldheart. Goldheart, a hero who can fly, glow and is seemingly powerful. He even got a heroic name to the play of words "heart of gold”.

Then there is Flug. No matter his brilliance, no matter his inventions, are constantly ignored in favor of his brother who has more impressive superpowers. Sure, Flug has a pilot’s license but Goldheart can fly! (Ouch.)

The family picture alone shows that Flug grew up with childhood neglect. 

The fact that the family picture is torn from the neck up is scary. Because Flug still kept it. To me, this might be a process of impersonalization to rid himself of sympathy and warmth to what was once his family. It’s beyond emotionally distancing himself to them. 

He’s emotionally cutting them off by tearing off their heads. So that when he would meet them again, they would mean nothing to him. He would never be under their “control” again (more on this later).

The Drive to Prove Himself

Growing up overshadowed, Flug is constantly filling the void of what he lacked.

Flug lacked recognition, validation and attention so he looks for it outside his family. One of the other pictures in Flug’s room is this:

Based by the body type, hands and signature color blue of the shirt, the person on the right is Flug being interviewed by an anchorwoman. Whatever the story behind this photo, it was important enough for Flug that he puts it on the wall.

Even Flug’s dream in “The Dreadful Dawn” is about earning a praise from BlackHat and is the thing he anticipates the most at the end of the episode.

If Flug stayed around the side of the good guys, he would never escape Goldheart’s shadow. 

Goldheart would always outshine Flug no matter how many doctorates he would get or inventions he would make. (Which is kinda bad when he’s already ignored in his family). So that might be one of his reasons for going to the other side (aside from science without ethics allows him to experiment on others).

Perhaps his desire to start on the other side started in his teenage years.

High School

It’s very concerning that Flug graduated from a High School of Evil:

His posture is timid, anxious and wimpy. He’s a dog with his tail between his legs. 

Edit: This is young Flug with poor self-esteem. As Good Therapy states, “When a parent is not emotionally attuned to a child, there is no mirror held up, no positive reflection being shared with the child. Developing a positive sense of self, then, becomes more challenging for the child. ” 

I doubt that his parents even let him learn how to fight to defend himself since he’s not his brother. 

And why does he has a recycle bin over his head? It’s like someone put it in there and he’s too scared to take it off or he doesn’t want anyone recognizing him. But why would he choose such a filthy bin to cover his head?

Does his parents even know he’s enrolled in a high school for villains? Or they don’t care where he studies?

Flug, however, has a deeper problem than childhood neglect.

The ScapeGoat and the Golden Child

Comparing Flug and Goldheart in the family picture, Flug can be seen as someone who is closed off while Goldheart has his hand out in a peace sign, a more friendly gesture. Flug is dressed neatly, while his brother has a not so properly tucked shirt and a crooked tie. Yet his parents dote over him. Goldheart, in their eyes, is the son that can do no wrong. 

Goldheart is the golden child both literally and figuratively.

Scapegoats have their major achievements are dismissed. Any time, money or effort spent on them is the bare minimum which might explain how Flug was able to go to the high school of evil. 

Even if their parents see themselves as good people, I don’t think they realize how bad they’ve been treating Flug because having a scapegoat lets them project all the faults into, allowing the parents to think themselves and their son as emotionally healthier and more stable than they actually are. 

Edit:  “Goldheart” in Flug’s dream doesn’t have a heart of gold.

With their parents assigning them to these roles, it pretty much affected the relationship between Flug and Goldheart.

In Flug's dream, Goldheart said, "Admit it, Flug. You're a failure. They should call you Dr. Failure. It doesn't matter what you try."

With these words in Flug’s subconscious, I don’t think Flug was imagining that this was what his family thinks of him. This is just me but it seems like Flug has been hearing this his whole life that it got inside his subconscious.

Their parents may have said those words to him in one form or another, in many ways while growing up. With Goldheart as the perfect child, Flug was the "not good enough”.

Some scapegoats can become high achievers to disprove their parents' claims and the emotional neglect motivates them to perfectionism in order to be worthy to others. Scapegoats can become rebels at the constant state of being looked down upon. Some would find the strength to distance themselves from their abusive family and their reality.

This is what Flug did. Unfortunately he did it by going to the other side.

GoldHeart

Golden children is just a different flavor of abuse. Driven by the constant expectations on them, they lose their sense of self. As Psychology Today states, "It’s a world governed by external achievements, how good you look to other people (including your mother), and not at all about your character, empathy, or inner self."

Which might explain why Goldheart in Flug's dream is a jerk.

Parents of scapegoats and golden children are often narcissistic, seeing the golden child as an extension of themselves and living through them while projecting all their ills to the scapegoats. Goldheart grew up with this.

When Goldheart says those words to Flug in his dream, Goldheart is only reaffirming Flug's role in the family because it's the only way he has a sense of identity: being perfect compared to him.

He knew, subconsciously or consciously, that their parents' love is conditional and that if he stops being perfect, he's going to get treated like Flug. Worse, he might be the new Flug. So he tramples on Flug just to stay in place.  

Why Black Hat?

But why Black Hat? Flug could’ve chosen any other villain that would’ve treated him better.

Black Hat is the baddest villain of them all and Flug is going to associate himself to the best of the best of the other side. (If you can’t be loved, why not be feared?) Black Hat recognizes his skill and uses it so. 

His boss’ attention is mostly negative and stressful, but at least there’s recognition and validation through sales and being left to live for another day. Flug is basically a person escaping his abusive family and entering another abusive relationship to find what he’s lacking and interpreting the new treatment of abuse as some form of “better”.

All of these, are just theories and character explorations. I can’t wait to watch the next 6 episodes of villainous to learn more :)

[harryandhishook]

2-Blind First Date 100 writing prompt challenge - ConVin

Pairing: Connor x Gavin Reed

Setting: Detroit

Warning: Swearing, Gavin being Gavin, Cute Gayness

Summary:  Tina found out about Gavins little crush after he let slip when they were drinking and now she’s determined to get his mind of it. So, with a blind date and Gavin being the nervous wreck that he is, will he be able to find love?

Words: 4776

Requested: No, however it is part of a 100 writing Prompt challenge I’m challenging myself to do, I found this on DeviantArt from ribonsnlace and wanted to give myself more than just Descendants and I needed more Android Connnor cuteness

Side note: (I’m not changing the side note because it’s the exact same excuse) For anyone reading my Harry Hook fanfiction, ‘Wings are made to Fly’ I promise I will update soon, I’ve just been so busy and had a slight bit of writers block on it for a while that I needed to try something else to get me into writing again, thanks for understanding :D 

Three months, three months since Connor came back, three months since Gavin made it up to Connor, three months since Detroit became Android friendly completely and life was quite comfortable. The DPD were no longer searching for Deviants, the policies on them had changed and now, both Android and Human were charged under the same code, anything they did were now seen as completely the same under any court of law in most states; the only difference in laws now, Anti-Android acts and protest were completely illegal and anyone caught involved with such a thing were to be immediately arrested and brought in for questioning.

Unfortunately, with everything going on and all the new laws being enforced, Gavin had no time in trying to spend any moment with his new found friend; the only moments he could steal from the Android were about an hour or so at lunch and maybe a few moments after their shifts but it seemed, after that, neither one of them could get a moment alone.

So, Gavin sat in his home, sat and drank his problem away.

The rugged detective had told no one, not a single soul about his developing crush on the Android. From the moment they met, the minute he punched the Android in the stomach, he knew he was done for, the detective couldn’t resist how breath-taking they had made something that was just machine and code, making him detest everything around him even more than before. When the revolution was over and Connor no longer worked alongside them, Gavin realised just how much he actual missed the man and his attraction grew a little stronger every day, each day, staring at the empty desk across the bullpen just pining. The day Connor came back, he had planned everything he was going to say, planned his apology and if the Android wanted, he had planned a place for them to spend some time together but when the day came, he just sat there, unmoving and scared, no matter how much he talked to himself, he couldn’t bring himself to stand up, march over and speak. When he finally did speak to Connor, plucking up the courage to make a move and leave the old Gavin behind, he wasn’t expecting what the Android had to say, he felt like such a terrible person, ashamed of everything he had done, if he was being honest with himself, he hadn’t even tried to prepare himself for the hatred or the distrust that would be thrown at him but when he spotted the Androids hand reaching out for him, he was more than happy to take it and restart his life.

Now was just the matter of trying to get any time with him, he knew he could probably just ask when he was free or maybe even just cut straight to the chase and ask him on a date or he could … he could …

Gavin sighed, once again, bottle in hand, drinking his thoughts silent which normally helped … if Tina wasn’t currently sat across from him in the booth they’d chosen at some dingy little bar they had found. She hadn’t been convinced by his ‘I’m fine’ and ‘Nothing’s wrong’ when she’d confronted him but even the younger detective knew she’d need a couple of whiskeys thrown down his neck before he’d reveal anything, which to her surprised, did not take very long,

“I’m sick of it … no matter how much I try to get him alone, he always gets called to do something” he grumbled, chest practically laid on the table, arms crossed in front of him as he rested his chin atop them, “Why the hell does life have to get in the way, I mean, the bastard doesn’t sleep so why the hell can’t he spare a few hours” he growled, staring at the almost empty glass that had been neglected in front of him; he gave a simple huff of annoyance as he glanced over to his best friend whose face was that of an annoyed parents,

“Have you even asked this guy out? Like actually walked up to him and said, ‘hey, you free tonight?’ or maybe, ‘hey, next time you have some time on your hands, you wanna maybe hang?’, have you actually done that?” the woman asked, clearly regretting even getting him into this situation; for the entire time she’s known him, she already knew the answer to that question but apparently he’d only ever listens to her when she spells it out in plan simple god damn English and from the way the detective looked away, she was right,

“Well, not exactly … no … but I can’t, I barely get a moment alone with him, he’s always surrounded by someone and even if I do get a chance to ask, I can’t, what if he doesn’t want me like that or what if he just isn’t built like that at all … UGH” he groaned louder, hiding his face in his arms like a child who just couldn’t get his own way. Tina took a long sip from the cocktail she had been nurturing in her hand, trying so hard to hold herself back from shaking some sense and maybe a little bit of courage into the overgrown marshmallow,

“Okay, who the fuck are you? Gavin Reed has never cowered away from asking someone if they wanted to go back to his house for a fuck before so why should asking someone out be any different? You like the guy, right?” Tina asked, waiting for the tiniest nod from the man across from her before continuing, “There, so stop being such a pussy and don’t bring the bullshit of, ‘but it’s commitment’, I don’t want to hear it, you’ve dated people before so this is no different, you always put up such a strong and badass front so use it and go for it, if he rejects you then we can down a few bottles of vodka and cry while watching Toy Story 3, alright?” She asked once more, taking a deep breath and another sip of her drink as Gavin finally looked up from his little hidey hole,

“But I don’t know the first thing about Androids, I don’t even know if he’d be capable of love like that and Hanks always around him, I’ve heard him call that idiot ‘Dad’ before so that’s gonna be one hell of a wall to get through and why would he go for someone li-“ Gavin had to pause, jumping into a sitting position as he watched Tina almost do some crazy spit take, choking slightly on her drink,

“Wait … YOU’VE GOT THE HOTS FOR CONNOR?!” She screamed, the entire bar of drunks and horny couples around them turned to glare at the two as Tina leaned across the table, wide eyed and very serious, all the while, Gavins eyes flew around their booth in a panic, his fingers gripped the edge of the table in fear of his best, slightly drunk, friend, “You mean to tell me, that the guy you’re talking about, the guy you’ve obviously be fawning over for ages now, is Connor, practically Hanks son anyway, Anderson, the Android you tried to mur…well, the Android you hated … wait a minute, you told me earlier that you’ve been crushing on him since you … met … him … oh god, Gavin, tell me you didn’t bully him because you were in love with him!” she begged, her eyes a lot less stern and now filled with pity,

“Okay … I won’t then” Gavin mumbled, his gaze lowering down to his, now almost, pure white knuckles. He could tell he had just given Tina the most hated types of headaches when she sighed in both defeat and annoyance,

“Gavin … how the hell did you think this would ever go …” she whispered, more to herself than anyone around her as she leaned back into her seat with a soft thump, her cocktail long forgotten now, “if I know you, and I do, I know you aren’t ever gonna try, so, how about, we get you a few more drinks, take our minds off of it and if you still don’t think you can even begin to try when you’re sober, I set you up with a friend, see if you can maybe get away from this whole thing?” She asked, knowing full well that the idiot in front of her will probably come running to her by tomorrow to help, like he had done a few times before when he needed to get laid and couldn’t find someone himself,

“Okay … If I can’t bring myself to do it, you can set me up and get my mind off him …” he mumbled defeatedly, sinking into his seat a little, he grabbed the remains of his drink, downing it in one as if it was the first drink he had had in years and by the looks on Tinas face, she understand his mood.

True to his word though, Gavin approached Tina the next day, only a few minutes before they were meant to leave and begged her to be set up with someone and in her opinion, he looked just that, desperate, but, she wasn’t going to say no.

So for the next few days, before, during and even after work, she googled and called and messaged away, trying to get everything in place, all the while, Gavin tried his hardest to keep his mind off of the cute little Android that would always walk in smiling and laughing away with Hank and the others, lucky for Tina, that was a perfect enough distraction for her to make sure he would never catch wind of any of these plans and soon, everything was done.

December 21st, the day of Gavins blind date and boy, was he nervous. Tina had told him the date, time and place but nothing else, the plan was; meet in the park near his apartment at 6pm, that would give him enough time to go home, shower, change and get there, his date would, hopefully, show up and they would head out to a little café she had found that was a cute, new, Android friendly place that was also owned by one, they would talk, share stories, laugh and hopefully, really like each other then, they would leave the café and, if it went well, arrange to meet again, that was the plan but the leather covered detective wasn’t so sure.

It was now 6:15pm, it was snowing, not heavily enough for him to leave but enough to make him regret all this, he felt like an idiot. Maybe Tina did this to teach him a lesson or maybe the person knew who he was and how much of an asshole he was so decided not to come without telling him or Tina; with a sigh, he shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans, ready to leave until, the small droplets of snow stopped hitting him.

Looking up towards the sky, he spotted the familiar silhouette of an umbrella covering the bright illuminating lampposts of the park and blocking any more pieces of freezing snow from attacking his hair, someone must have seen him but he was too far gone to even turn around and see what empathetic person had decided to pity him with some cover from the weather,

“You know, I might not be able to feel the cold like you do but even I know that you could catch your death out here” a smooth voice spoke out from behind him causing Gavin to freeze and this time, not from the freezing temperatures, he didn’t dare turn around, he wanted so badly for the voice to match who he thought it was but he was too scared that if he did, it would be someone else with the same voice, so he continued to stare at the umbrella … until the voice spoke again, this time a little closer than before, “I don’t really know how these ‘dates’ work but I’m pretty sure we can’t talk if you don’t at least look at me” the voice chuckled and Gavin could just picture the goofy smile.

So, with enough courage, the man turned slowly, his gaze moving down to the ground, the first thing that entered his line of sight was some nice, clean trainers, definitely and obviously not picked out by the man himself; moving his gaze up were the usual jeans that Gavin had come to recognise with a simple yet nice navy blue shirt tucked in covered by a nice but definitely different jacket. Finally, the detective pulled his gaze up enough to take in the mans features and his heart almost stopped at the sight.

Connor, the Connor, stood in front of him, his usual goofy smile etched on his face as he held the umbrella above them both, his hair as perfect as ever, his posture as perfect as ever, him as perfect as ever and that was enough to make Gavin bit his lip hard and blush which must have been bright enough for the Android to see since his head tilted to one side and his expression turned to one of confusion,

“Gavin, are you okay?” he asked softly, stepping ever so closer, “Your body temperature seems to have risen slightly above normal, are you getting sick?” he continued like the cute little innocent Android he was; quickly, Gavin shook his head and chuckled nervously, running a hand across the back of his recently shaven undercut,

“Yeah, I-I’m fine … it’s just … I didn’t know Tina had asked you and I was worried you weren’t gonna show since it’s getting later and I was getting nervous about this whole thing and …” the detective realized just how much he had started rambling, pulling his hand quickly to his side and chuckling once again, looking slightly to the side, “I’m fine … erm … you wanna still head to the café?” he asked, pointing nonchalantly towards the direction he was given which obviously was a good sign since the Android seemed to light up again, nodding excitedly, “Cool, let’s go” he mumbled as he turned away to start walking when he felt an arm link hesitantly with his, pausing any movements thereafter,

“Is this okay?” the android asked nervously, looking down at his feet, “I’ve seen people do this before and thought that maybe, we could too…” he explained, shooting Gavins heart with millions of tiny little heart shaped bullets, making him melt almost immediately as the man realized just how new Connor was to all this, so he grabbed the Androids wrist, pulling his arm tighter through his, making the link stronger between them,

“Of course it’s okay, it’s your first ever date, gotta have some experience, right?” the detective reassured, making sure their arms were tightly interlocked before taking the Umbrella from Connors other hand and leading them out of the park and into the just as quiet streets.

Amazingly, not many people had decided to come back to Detroit after the revolution and the people who did were still quite wary, however, there was a lot of unwanted attention but lucky for them, it seemed they actually slept and were nowhere to be seen.

So, as the harsh wind blew through the winter air of Detroit, the two of them silently strolled towards a single illuminated store on the street, the sweet smell of baked goods instantly assaulted Gavins nose causing the detectives stomach to growl like a dying whale speaking into a megaphone, normally that would have made him exclaim about his hunger while trying to hide how self-conscious he was becoming but apparently, since he was already insanely nervous, his self-consciousness grew immensely and, even in the dark, his blushing face wasn’t too easy to hide.

A soft giggle caught the rugged detective off guard, turning his gaze towards the source of the noise, the sight in front of him was almost too much for him to handle; Connor covered his mouth with his hand as he giggled, the little wrinkles around his eyes brightened his face in a way that could never be done before, this was probably the first time Gavin actually ever saw the Android laugh and he never wanted to see anything else,

“I … I guess I’m hungry” he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he looked away as if he was now a teenager in love, “Probably should go and sort that out” he offered, peering back up at the man in front who was now gazing back with a fond smile only causing the older man to look away once again, heart racing like a jackhammer.

Without another word, Gavin continued their journey, pulling Connor quickly alone with him, hoping to any being above that the puppy dog android didn’t decide to scan his vitals and luckily, before Connor could reveal if he had or not, both their movements had stopped as they were now stood right outside of their date location.

Gavin was about to speak, state the obvious or something stupid but it seemed like his entire tongue had been strapped down and banned from speaking when the only thing he could do was make a strange hum of acknowledgment as he pulled open the door, gesturing for the Android to walk in which he did after closing and shaking the umbrella.

Once inside, it didn’t take them long to get seated at a small little two seated table near the window which normally Gavin would have avoided at all cost but … TINA HAD RESERVED A GODDAMN TABLE FOR THEM … so here they were, in view of anyone who walked past, neither one of them brave enough to speak as they both skimmed over the menus. Finally, Connor couldn’t take the silence as he pushed the menu to the side and politely folded his hands on the table,

“From all the signs I’ve been noticing, this is just as strange for you as it is for me, isn’t it?” the Android asked, smiling nervously as he watched the detective in front of him look up quizzically from his menu, “I’ve never been on a date before and to be honest, I’ve never really thought about anyone romantically, everything has been quite hectic after becoming deviant, learning emotions and doing things for myself, I’ve never really had time to think about the most human thing out there” he explained, noticing how Gavin had leaned himself onto the table to listen better, “When Tina cornered me, I was quite confused, she had started rambling about dates and potential relationships, at first I was very sceptical and didn’t really feel ready to push myself into things like that with people I didn’t know … but then she said your name and, well, I was quite amazed you hadn’t asked me first, I would have preferred you to” he finished, his shy gaze moving to his now twiddling fingers, which instantly caught Gavins attention.

It had taken the detective a moment to process the information Connor had just released to him but it was enough to have him, once again, speechless. His heart raced again as he realized that Connor had been wanting him to ask instead of Tina, that meant that he always had a chance and he was going to blow it away, wow he was an idiot,

“Wait, you wanted me to ask you out on a date?” Gavin asked, not confused per say, he just wanted conformation of that one statement which seemed to tickle the android a little as a small little chuckle blessed the mans ears,

“Well, a little, yes, I mean, I didn’t exactly know about all this dating or relationships but I was hoping you would ask me to spend more time with you, until now, I didn’t realize I had an attraction towards you” the android answered, a small blush appearing across his cheeks which instantly answered a question Gavin didn’t know he had, Androids do blush blue and now the asshole realized he was probably going to have to open up a little too, so he did, at least, he did the best he could,

“Since we’re confessing our sins, I should probably tell you that this whole attraction isn’t recent” he started, looking a little ashamed as he head lowered slightly, “the moment I saw you in the break room, I thought you were … well … hot, it pissed me off that an android could look that good so I tried to get it to go away by being an asshole to you which apparently didn’t work because when you left … I missed you … a lot, I missed your smile and your goofy way of talking and just, anyway, when you came back, I was ready to stop being a dick because I still had this huge crush on you and I wanted to try and actually get to know you better but I got scared, I thought you’d hate me and even when you said it was all cool, I still thought you’d hate me so I kept drinking to try and forget but that didn’t work and … yeah …” his eyes flickered back up to Connor who was watching him very intently, obviously keeping track of everything he just said making Gavin realize just how much he laid on him, “Sorry, that was probably way too much to dump on you on the first date … I know, how about we forget all that, all the crazy shit that happened, order food or drinks or whatever and get to know each other … wait, what can you have?” the detective mused as he lowered his gaze down to the menu, quickly perusing each item until his attention was caught by a soft chuckle across from him,

“That’s because you have the human menu” the Android mentioned, holding up his blue coloured menu with a cheeky smile, “our menus are different, they created a simple way for everyone to identify the different items here” Connor stated, to anyone, it would have sounded like he was being a know it all but Gavin to see the little twinkle behind his eye, revealing his little joking manner.

The rest of the evening went off without a hitch, they ordered food, chatted, joked, Gavin hesitantly tried the strange little smoothie looking concoction of Connors, which he had to admit, tasted like blueberries,

“…And then, she handed me this bright pink drink, I mean, it was like a glow stick and I was like ‘oh no, I am not putting that into my body, I just downed an entire bottle of Hennessy, no way’ and she was not letting up, so I took the glass, prayed to whatever deity is out there and downed it … wanna know what that bitch Tina gave me?” the detective asked as he ranted about one of his many drunken adventures, from the other side of the table, as Connor stared with intrigue, there was a little nod which gave Gavin the indication to continue, “That lying little bitch, made me down an entire glass of Pepto-Bismol, you know the stuff for stomach acid, she told me it was a cocktail and I downed it, to be honest, I can’t remember most of the night after that” Gavin finished, taking another bite out of his food as Connor gave him a soft giggle, obviously finding it quite amusing what with being around Hank and his humour,

“That was quite a story” the android thought out loud as he sipped on his ‘smoothie’, even with his limited knowledge on human gatherings and outings, he still understood a practical joke when he was told one, “It seems your friends are quite the tricksters” he commented with a smile and as the other man sent a cheeky smirk towards him, he had never felt more at home, something about this felt perfect, to Connor, Gavin felt like his long lost safe place, the piece he was truly missing,

“Yeah, Tina knows just how to make a night fun or deadly, I swear she’s out to kill me” he chuckled, placing his fork down with a light clatter onto the plate, “but, what I really want to know, does the ex-deviant hunter have any stories to tell? You must have done stuff over the year you weren’t here” Gavin asked, leaning his elbows onto the table to get a little closer to the Android which must have been a good little flirting technique when Connor, ever so lightly, bit his lip, moving his gaze to the side,

“Well, there wasn’t much I could do, I mostly stayed in Hanks house … well … there was one time I let Sumo into his room early one morning, he told me he never allows Sumo into his room when he’s in there but his alarm had been going off for at least ten minutes, he was refusing to wake up, so I allowed our little attack dog in to make sure he wasn’t dead … he didn’t appreciate that very much, especially when he started chasing me around the house with dog slobber all over his face” the Android chuckled, recited the story as if it was only yesterday, a huge grin graced his face setting Gavins chest on fire, the grin slowly turned into one of love and happiness, “That was the first time I ever called him dad” he whispered softly which seemed to melt Gavin into a little puddle on the floor.

The both of them sat for a little while longer, smiling and giggling every so often when they caught each other’s eye, neither speaking as the night continued on, patrons left and the café became quiet enough for Gavin to realize that the staff seemed to be getting giddy from watching the detectives date,

“Hey Connor, it seems to be getting quite late, we should probably head out before Hank sends a search party” he mumbled with a small blush covering his scarred nose, his chair scraping on the floor as he carefully stood, placing some money down on the table and a tip for the staff before holding out his hand for the Android to take, “Come on, I’ll walk you home” he offered, well, more told than offered but he didn’t want to come off pushy.

Gavin watched with slight amusement as Connor slowly placed his soft hand in the outstretched one nervously, standing from his seat ready to leave but the detective could easily see the slight movement of the Androids eyes between him and their hands.

After about 20 minutes of comfortable chatter and soft hand squeezes, the street leading to Connors home came into view causing both detectives to slow their pace until they had completely stopped, standing on the corner under a bright streetlamp, the light washing over the two of them as they turned to gaze at each other. Connors eyes seemed to glow brighter than they normally do, making Gavin step just that little bit closer like a moth to fire, something seemed to draw him in and he didn’t want to disobey,

“I know I’m going to walk you to your door but I guess I don’t want Hank to disturb us before we go our separate ways … but I wanted to say … thanks, for all this, agreeing to the date and … everything, I guess I wasn’t all that used to the idea of 2nd chances so all this, it was really nice and it helped, I’m just happy you-“ his words were cut short by a pair of incredibly soft lips pressing against his chapped ones, silencing any further thought that were to slip out and who was he to deny one of the sweetest ways to say ‘shut up’, so the detective closed the distance between their bodies, wrapping his arms tenderly around the androids neck as he made sure that Connor knew how much he never wanted this night to end.

Unbeknown to either men, two pairs of eyes were watching their every move through binoculars from a silent house not too far down the street, a grumpy older Lieutenant with greying hair and a younger overly-excited detective who was currently exclaiming how she was the worlds best matchmaker.

[hashtag-amf]

Welcome to my Tumblr blog. Here I will give my honest opinions and pour out my thoughts about the ideas behind my Wattpad books. You can take inspiration from this blog when you are planning to write a novel. I wanted to write a separate Wattpad book where I could talk about this. But I then decided that I wanted to reach a wider audience, and Tumblr was better suited for this purpose.

Please note: This will be posted in parts every Friday!

Edited by @wayward-heronstairs , @hashtag-amf and Hemingway Editor

I started my Wattpad journey in May 2016. I was staying at my cousin’s house, and she asked me whether I knew about the app called Wattpad. I had never heard the name before. It was such an odd name for an app, I thought to myself. I was not interested in downloading the app because reading didn't appeal to so much. A few hours later, I downloaded Wattpad. Yay.

Then came the shocker. I got my first follower. A thin guy with spectacles. I was nervous because I had never been on a social media platform before. I didn't know what to do. I was staring at his profile pic, wondering if he was a psychopath or just crazy enough to follow me on Wattpad. I am anxious like that. I wondered how on earth did he find my account within six hours as I had not posted any stories on Wattpad yet.

The first book I read on Wattpad was fanfic about 'The Fault in Our Stars.' At that time, I had no idea what fanfic was. I picked that book to read because I had watched TFIOS twice now. Unfortunately, I didn't like the fanfic, so I uninstalled the app the same night.

Then came December of 2016. It was the Christmas holidays, and I was very tired of studying. I owned that crappy Nokia XL neon green phone. Urgh, that stock Android phone was a nightmare. I downloaded Wattpad and looked for some good books to read. At that time, Midika Crane’s books were a huge hit. Her books had those dark black and white covers were guys with eight pack abs stared out of the cover at the reader. At first, I hated the cover because I thought she hadn't done a great job of selecting a good cover for the book. I remember clicking on 'Alpha Kaden', a currently published novel. I had spent half an hour on one page trying to decipher what was written. Halfway through the Prologue and I couldn't read more. Her professional level of writing was not understandable by me.

When I was halfway done with Midika’s book, I added ‘She’s With Me’ by Ava Violet to my Wattpad reading list. It was such an amazing book. I loved reading it. It was about Amelia who was running away from her past. She had enrolled herself in the school. I don’t remember the name because I read it a long time back) and she meets the heartthrob of the school and his friends. The story was like a cliché romance novel but what stood out was Amelia’s back story.

After reading more than 90 books on Wattpad I decided to make a writing debut on Wattpad. I spent more time reading Wattpad books than studying. I would read Wattpad books in the canteen, the student's study room, at home when my mom wasn't watching. It was addicting. In 2017, the first book I wrote was a fanfic of Hellboy, the 2004 film. I never imagined myself writing fanfiction about a movie I was so scared to watch. As a child, I was so terrified of that movie that the moment I saw Hellboy on the screen, I would look away in fear. All that I remember as a kid was the scene from the second installment of the movie 'The Golden Army'. He was holding twin infants wrapped in a white blanket. There was some sort of fantasy creatures running around the street. Hellboy was spot on with his aim, that she shot them with his gun.

Then in May 2014, I got a chance to watch Hellboy on the television again. As a teenager, I wasn't scared of him anymore, but I was more intrigued by it. I loved that movie so much that I had a crush on John Myers (Rupert Evans). He was 'the dude that didn't get the girl', you know. I empathized with him as he took so much trouble by fighting alongside Hellboy. He deserved more.

Later in the movie, the professor tells John that he is dying, and Hellboy needs someone in his absence. In the movie, Hellboy treated Myers like trash. He is more of a nanny and less of an FBI Agent. And because of this, Myers tells the professor that he cannot stay at the BRDP any longer. The professor tells him that he chose him for a reason as he saw potential in Myers. He adds that in many medieval stories there is a white night and Myers was that. He tells him to take care of Hellboy after he passes away.

Another reason why I felt like writing fanfic was that Myers and Liz's chemistry was so adorable. He tried his best to flirt with Liz (Selma Blair). I hoped that he and Liz ended up as a couple. But Hollywood movies are unkind to side actors. So, when Hellboy got the girl, my heart dropped. My heart couldn't handle it. I was screaming at this heartbreaking injustice. I was like, this man needs a girl. I had to make a way to help him get the girl so that I didn't have this heaviness building inside me.

Above: Rupert Evans as John Myers in Hellboy (2004)

And thanks to being a Wattpad writer, I came up with my own story. I named it Hellboy 3. The reason for keeping this title was because of Hellboy: The Golden Army released in 2008. I didn’t want to confuse readers about which Hellboy movie the fanfic was about. I researched Wikipedia thinking that Rupert Evans had reprised his role as John Myers in it, but I was wrong. As per Wikipedia reports, Evans was filming ‘The Kiss of a Spiderwoman’ so he couldn’t be a part of the movie.

Writing the fanfic was challenging. I was stumbling through the dialogues and the scenes. I thought that this will not get more than 20 chapters, but if I am not wrong, it surpassed 20 chapters. The story got some likes, some encouraging comments, but then I was not happy with my writing. I deleted it.

In 2017-ish, I wrote another story about vampires. I wrote down the story on one of the leftover books I had in my drawer. I had a good time writing it as it was one of my original stories. I made my original characters, a mythical place cursed by time. I named it ‘The Kingsmen’. Then after I had filled half of the pages by writing, I decided it was time to edit. I posted it on Wattpad. I published the chapters with no updating schedule. After surpassing fifteen chapters, I deleted the book because the grammar was awful. I felt I was adding unnecessary commas after the dialogues. I didn't have someone to edit the story, and I also had this nagging suspicion that my mom knew I wasn't studying. I hated college because I would get tired, and the studies bored me to the core. I studied for the heck of it. Everything was fine when one fine day, I forgot the password to my Wattpad account.

It was hell on earth. Panic rose within me. It was like the end of the world was near. I tried to calm myself down. I had to remember the password. I felt that I was such a miserable person for forgetting a simple thing as a password. I tried password recovery. I scourged my Gmail account for the recovery link, but Wattpad wasn't sending the link. At that time, Wattpad was super slow when it came to sending recovery links for passwords. I remember Wattpad sent me recovery passwords five hours later. Wattpaders know that logging via recovery link is time-sensitive. When I clicked the link, Wattpad said that the link wasn't valid. I did this three times till my patience wore me out.

I was devastated. I had put so much of my heart and soul while writing that book. It was my baby, and now the account was gone….I didn't cry. Thank God I didn't cry. I was sad. It felt like someone took a piece of my heart away from me and didn't return it.

This is how it looked:

In January 2018, I made a new account on Wattpad. Now I have written down all the passwords in a notebook, not going to repeat the mistake.

Okay! This was the end of part one. Tell me how you liked it!!

By the way, I got the chance to watch Hellboy (2004) on the television today. John Myers is such a cutie!! Please check my latest IG highlights for the video. I cannot embedded the video on Tumblr :( 

[daredevile]

In The Streets Lies The Dark

Summary: No one wonders about the horrors that prey in the darkness, all the horrors that he witnesses so others don't have the burden of crime haunting their nightmares. [Police AU]

Warnings: None - [Steve Approved]

A/N: This one is for @buckthegrump for @bucky-smiles' Secret Santa writing challenge, I’m so terribly sorry for being late! I’ve re-written this at least three times and ended up here - hope you like it!

It's the feeling of familiarity that calms his racing thoughts; the cool air caressing his face, the peaceful hum of some melody teasing his ears, the alluring fragrance of home. It dissolves the touch of all the horrors he endures and lives through daily. There's a sense of peace and tranquillity that he finds nowhere else but here - all alone in the corner, away from innocent eyes.

A sigh escapes his lips when the stack of paper-filled case files leaves his tired grip and cascades onto the table, sharp edges of crime scene photos and evidence peaking out of their place. The files reveal nothing less than unsettling descriptions of sinister crimes and damages to victims, all tainted by the lurid strokes of a murderous red. His eyes glide over the words, subconsciously painting the reality onto his recurrent nightmares that embrace him to his slumber.

The abrupt presence of a marble coffee mug diverts his attention to the apologetic barista. Like some primal reflex, his arms subtly shield the contents of the files from curious eyes - purity doesn't need to be scarred by the unfortunate truth, he thinks.

"Long day, Sergeant?"

He laughs. Smiling at the sheer touch of simplicity lingering behind her words, she joins in and he recalls a time when he too was this youthful, this unaware of all malice and prejudice lurking amongst the good. He almost misses it. Going about his day, not regularly looking over his shoulder for suspicious activity, not instinctively reaching for the gun strapped to his side - not caring about anyone or anything but himself.

"Always."

It seems selfish now. Filling his mind with such thoughts after seeing, with his own eyes, all kinds of darkness plaguing the streets of New York. Constantly reminding himself that 'someone should be responsible for the safety of the people' whenever he reconsiders ever accepting this uneven trail of life.

As she turns to retreat to the coffee machine, a mere flash of white grasps his concentration. He studies as you chat with the barista, switching the stack of patient records over to your other hand, a simple dance of friendly smiles when you catch him staring. The buzzing of his phone shreds any chance of introducing himself; he groans, managing to glimpse at the message before rubbing his temple in defeat. And when he realizes you are already gone, the pace of his footsteps begins to fade along with the distant possibility of ever seeing you again.

---------

Breathing in the fresh, crisp breeze in the AM on an early jog is a part of the job cherishes most; the desolate alleys, the streaks of the morning glow across the soaring skies, the sounds of oblivion. Across miles of barren streets, he hears the delicate hustling of the city awakening another day.

The aroma of caffeine hones his senses as he pushes the door, welcome by the array of beaming baristas already preparing his order - another part of the job he admires. The dark creamy liquid swirls around, melting into a cup of sugary bliss, it's naturally routine when he continues to his corner, but realizes it's occupied by you.

Stepping behind the bookshelves, he runs his free hand through his sweaty hair in a pathetic attempt to tame it down. A short breath escapes him before he moves into your line of sight, indicating his presence by clearing his throat.

The quirk of your eyebrows stills his breathing, his eyes flicker to the seat opposite yours, silently asking for permission. And when you respond with a smile, the coffee nearly spills atop the pristine files on the table. There's no conversation, his mind is blank, anxious even as he sips on the scorching hot liquid.

A chuckle escapes your lips, his eyes shift to yours in surprise. The reddening of his cheeks becomes more apparent as you gaze at his reaction and for a moment, he forgets the burning sensation on his tongue.

"Here." You say, nudging a bottle of water in his direction.

He mumbles a 'thank you', grateful for the rush of cool water simmering the sizzle of fire down his throat. Though the feeling of elation disappears as swiftly as it came when you begin to gather your belongings. His arm grasps yours - halting your movements. The soft warmth of your skin beneath his calloused hands jumbles the well-rehearsed line pausing at the tip of his tongue.

"Sergeant?"

"I- would you like to have coffee sometime? With me?" He stutters, noticing your eyes flick to his arm holding yours - he releases it in an instant.

"I'd love to, my shift ends at seven. Is that alright?" Your question goes unheard to his ears and you know it based on the boyish grin he attempts to bite back.

"Yeah - yeah, that's great!" He says, bouncing his foot underneath the table. As you walk past him, the fragrance of your perfume tickles his nose and he takes a deep breath before snapping his head towards the door, "Wait! I don't know your name."

"Y/N." And that's the only thing he hears despite the loud sounds of the city outside.

The blanket of darkness settles over the daylight, the luminous glow of the moon casting a glistening spotlight over the row of buildings. The tiny lamps dispersed across the cafe flicker on and the room is lightened by a faint golden hue. A glance at your phone and the time reads 7:02 pm. He's probably running late, you think, shoving other thoughts away from your stream of consciousness.

Ever so often, your attention focuses on the door as it opens, straightening your posture before realizing it's another stranger that strolls in. Your thumbs fiddle with your phone, lighting up the screen and the time now reads 7:12 pm. 'Doctors end up with doctors for a reason', some relative's words circles in your mind.

He nudges the door with the good shoulder, wincing when a sharp jolt of pain shoots up the left arm. He catches his reflection on the glass pane; dark strands of hair falling out of place, little wounds and gashes scattering his body - he doesn't look too good nor does he feel too good. He stumbles onto the couch, leaning his head back against the velvet and locks eyes with you from across the room.

Wasting no more time, you make your way towards him. He doesn't miss the faint gasp that leaves your lips when you take in his injured state. Your hand reaches out, grabbing the side of his face as you lean forward to examine the cuts on his cheeks. He stares at your features, the deep colour of your eyes, the curl of your eyelashes, the way you bite your lips.

"What's wrong, Doc?" He asks, lightening the mood. But when the distance between your bodies decreases, he holds his breath because he's convinced you can hear the rushing beat of his heart.

"You're late." You say, taking in the rich musk of his cologne. The honeyed tone of his laughter reaches your ears and you forget how long you were waiting in the first place. "And, it's Doc-in-training."

He shrugs in response, "Was a little occupied." The deep timbre of his voice has your stomach twisting for more.

---------

There's a spring in his step as he speeds up the stairs to your apartment. Grace, the barista, had told him you didn't come in for your morning coffee as soon as he had wandered in and examined the room. It's been nearly a week since he last kissed you goodbye before leaving for a case - and he just couldn't wait for another second longer.

With a quick knock against the wood, he waits for the shuffling of your footsteps, the creaking of the door - yet he hears nothing, just pure silence. It reminds him of his morning jogs, but this was nowhere near comforting. He shakes the doorknob in a furious effort to force the lock open. There's a brief pause before he kicks the door, all familiar memories of breaking into houses flooding into his mind - not yours, not you.

He prepares himself to see the worst, to see red all over. Unfortunately or fortunately - he can't decide - the place is as clean as it ever was. Everything placed in its precise spot. He scans through the apartment, with a heaviness in his chest and the blood in his face drains as he walks into your room.

A knife.

On the wall.

A piece of paper.

And he knows exactly where you are.

He's impatient. Eyes flicking to the watch resting on his wrist. Just wishing for all this to disappear and have you safe in his arms, away from all darkness only he sees lying in the streets amongst the good. He ignores the muffling of police commands from the walkie-talkie, darting out the car as the tires screech to a stop. The gun sneaks back into its position, the agony of fear never seeps through his thoughts - but this time, his weakness is you.

The alleys are lit up by the dark and he doesn't notice two guards sneak up from behind and beat him to his knees. He doesn't register the shocks of anguish all over his body as he's brought to the main room and forced on the cold, hard gravel.

He hears whimpers from the side and he recognizes that voice in a heartbeat. No amount of pain he had ever felt in his life matches what trembles its path into his soul. With a glimpse at your frightened form, he longs to erase this memory from your mind, gladly accepting the worst if it meant you could escape from this reality, 'purity doesn't need to be scarred by the unfortunate truth’, he thinks.

"Take me instead." He spits out, immediately feeling a burning sensation as the guards kick him in the sides.

"Bucky! Let me help him, please!" You shout, fighting against the tightness of the ropes.

The sound of devilish laughter follows, hollow footsteps pausing right in front of you. The man forces a gun into your tied up hands, pushing you forward - into Bucky's line of sight.

"You shoot him, or I'll kill you both." He smirks, releasing his hand from your shoulder. You turn at the sound of Bucky's groans, he sends you the same smile he did the first time you met and the gun threatens to speak. He gives you a nod, glancing at his watch once more.

"I'm gonna need your help, Doc." The words float in the air like a magic spell, an unknown strength within you arises and you slam the spine of the gun towards the man behind you.

Heavy footsteps roar from across the shadowy room, you hear the rattling of bullets, the enraged shouts as Bucky rushes to you. He signals the rest of the officers with different instructions and tears the rope's grip on your innocence. Strong arms draw you to an embrace before evacuating the area and you notice the blood streaming out his abdomen. Guiding his hand with yours, you firmly push against the wound, the pressure ceases the blood flow, he flinches from the tension on the cut. Your other hand rests on his shoulder as you stand on tip-toes, sealing the gap between your lips.

---------

He's running. He feels the lack of oxygen in his lungs as his feet hit the cement in a hurry. The watch glares at him with a dull 5:55 am when the cool air surrounds him again, he feels secure. Grace motions to the corner and his signature million-dollar grin makes an appearance when he sees you reading. The feeling of familiarity swirls in his mind, and all the darkness fades into the past.

[corpse--diem]

The Organ Trail | Nic & Erin

Tips hat in shady

@bountybossier

White Crest seemed incredibly open about their less-than-mundane characteristics and that was what Nicodemus appreciated about it. The less complicated his job, the more streamlined he could keep his internal database. It didn’t take long to find a bounty worth his time. A bigwig at Nichols’ Funeral Home. Shit, if there were ever a place to be inconspicuous while slinging a body bag over his shoulder. At least the day was burrowing into the evening and no one was likely to pay him any mind. He adjusted the body and rapped at the back door. “Evening.”

Erin wasn’t expecting anyone that night. The staff had just finished up, filling the house with that sweet silence she could only truly enjoy for a few hours of the night. Not willing to waste any of it on sleep, she disappeared to the basement, the influx of new arrivals ready and waiting. The “sky fish”, as she’d seen on the news, had reigned down on more than a few unfortunate souls that week. Between the skull fractures and the heavy bruising, she finally had some worthwhile challenges to sink her teeth into. It was gonna be a good night. But when the knock came, her first thought went to Dale. That wasn’t right, though, was it? He wasn’t due for another few days. Today was Tuesday, right? Scalpel in hand, she held it to her side as she opened the door. Not Dale. Definitely not Dale. “Can I… help you?” She asked, though her eyes were locked on the hefty bag he had in tow.

Nicodemus blinked complacently and shifted his weight to his right side. The client had told him that there’d be someone else at the building when he arrived. On purpose, too. At least she hadn’t come out swinging at him, though he could read the tension in her shoulders well enough. It wasn’t anything for him to bat an eye at. His arrivals typically ran the route of unexpected. Of course, it did likely look strange. A man with a bodybag and more than a few scratches to show for how he might have got it. “Nichols, right?” He said after a shared silence, voice gravel on a broken road. He remembered the name the client gave him, but had placed the client’s own on the backburner. It would only matter if the check bounced. “I hear you know your way around organs.” His grip tightened on the body bag. “Your boss said that you do a hell of a job an’ all.”

Her boss? Great. Erin’s lips pursed together as the initial shock eased into an angry-shocked hybrid. “Jesus,” she mumbled, stepping back to open the door wider. “Yeah that—that’s me.” Body bags were normal around here. Walking in with one slung over your shoulder? This guy was trying to look as suspicious as possible. Nonchalant as can be - like he was a pizza delivery boy or something. “Get in, hurry up,” she took a quick glance, seeing and hearing nothing, then locked it behind her. “What is this?” Her voice grew shrill and her eyes popped open. “Who is this?” That sinking feeling she got every time she slipped a bag of organs into the freezer instead of placing them back where they belonged overwhelmed her. “Who are you?”

Nic’s brow furrowed as he stepped in. “You got it.” She hadn’t been expecting him. Annoyance thrummed against the back of his eye. His teeth dug into the inside of his cheek. He would demand a higher price the next time he spoke to her boss, because dropping a werewolf body on an unsuspecting person most certainly cost extra. The hunter creed didn’t mean as much to him as it did others. Even then, he tried. “So he didn’t tell you.” Even saying it outloud had his arm clenching tighter around the still-warm body bag. He swore and took in a breath. How to explain? The straightforward route seemed appropriate. “Your boss wanted a certain set of organs from a certain type of person,” he explained, casual as the weather. Whether or not it would set her mind at ease, he couldn’t be certain. A body was a body was a body to him. “I’m just the guy your boss hired. Nic works fine.” He glanced around carefully. “There a sink I can use?”

A certain set of organs from a certain type of person. Erin hated the way those words fell so smoothly from this man’s lips. As if he’d done this before. Or something like it, anyway. She hated that this man probably also had something to do with whoever it was inside that bag. She hated that there was absolutely nothing she could do about any of this either, unless she wanted to wind up in one of these too. She pointed to an empty metal slab for him to lay the body down. “Cold day in hell before anyone does anything but dump things in my lap,” she muttered darkly. Before she even realized it, she was slipping on her scrubs, mind slipping into auto-pilot. “Over there,” she tilted her head toward the sink at the end of the room. “What, uh--” she paused to swallow, fighting with her rubber gloves. “Did he mention what he wanted? Specifically.”

For as rough as he could be, Nicodemus laid the body down carefully. He reached up and stretched his shoulders, popped the bones in his clavicle as he shook himself out. It really cramped up the body to lug a corpse around. “Ain’t that just the way,” he said in response as he headed toward the sink she indicated. He rolled up the sleeves of his henley and scrubbed away at his skin, his face, until the water went from red to clear. He dabbed at his face with paper towels as he returned, maintaining a respectful distance. “Livers and kidneys, I think,” he answered. “Y’know, the good stuff.” His expression was just as flat as his voice. “So, boss really didn’t tell you, huh?” He sighed low into his chest. Unbelievable. It could have been disastrous and he wasn’t above choking a man out in front of a grieving family. “Pretty fucked up. He prone to shit like that?”

Erin kept an eye on Nic as she unzipped the bag. Didn’t miss how warm the body was the second she touched the bag, either. This was something she’d done a thousand times. Never hand delivered by a stranger without proper documentation, though. “I’m still new to this, but I’ve gathered he’s the ‘does whatever the fuck he wants’ kind of guy.” Like, having his henchmen murder a guy and have his mortician slice him up like she was on fucking retainer or something. Her shoulder rolled, and she took a final steadying breath before unzipping the bag. Something was wrong, just not in the way that she had anticipated. Her body sagged and she glared up at Nico. “This is a dog,” was all she said, her voice flat but also slightly relieved.

The hunter watched her watch him as she opened the bag. “Yeah, I’m gathering as much. These black market types usually are, but they can’t be bothered to actually do a damn thing themselves.” As much as Nicodemus could complain about it, it kept him, for lack of a better word, employed. He folded his arms and leaned back against the nearest counter. The appearance of fur in the bag didn’t phase him a bit. Wolves died however they lived, just how the world worked. His face screwed up at her statement. “The dog has thumbs. Big fuckin’ ones,” he stated, just as flat. “That ain’t a dog.”

Erin would’ve cringed at hearing the words black market actually spoken out loud to her, but all she could focus on was the dead dog in the body bag. “A dog, a wolf—whatever. I’m not a fucking veterinarian.” She let the bag close and stepped away, searching for a cooler to put the organs into. The relief was there, but the confusion stepped in where the initial fear had been. “He couldn’t have sent this thing to a—a butcher or something to take care of this?” What a fucking day this was turning out to be. “I can’t believe this guy,” she mumbled, shaking her head. “Boss guy, not you,” she corrected, not forgetting this guy had killed something before he got here. She had a rough idea of how this would go, but she’d never dissected a dog before. Her first cut was careful, intentional, desperately trying not to puncture one of the nonspecific organs requested.

Nicodemus stared blankly at the mortician. “And I’m not fuckin’ Jesus, but sometimes we have to make wine out of water.” Even if she thought it was just a dog, that didn’t stop her from grabbing organ coolers anyway. He could appreciate her work ethic and the way she handled a scalpel. “Well, if we’re gonna be frank...” He figured they had established a report of honesty, dog thumbs and all. Maybe it would be helpful if her boss continued to pull fast ones of the organ collecting variety. “Bossman said you were good when it came to matters of the delicate type. And considering that’s a werewolf you’re gettin’ handsy with…” He paused and searched for his flask to take a small sip. A shrug followed. “I can follow the logic.” A quick glance at his flask and then back to her. “...you want a drink?

Erin tilted her head a bit. Glad to know her shadowy boss figure at least had some faith in her. Was she glad, actually? At least of all his henchmen, Nic was up front about his intentions. Her nose turned upwards at the smell of dog filling the room, fingers exploring warm innards—“what?” She asked, caught off guard. Werewolf? It was a big dog but—a werewolf? It’s barely been a week since she’d just touched on the fact that vampires and bear-people were a thing. And already she was elbow deep in a fucking werewolf? “Werewolf,” she repeated the word, an exasperated laugh following. “A werewolf. Naturally. Of course it is. Of course.” She pulled her hands out of it’s chest, reaching for the flask with the gloves hand with the least amount of blood on it. If this guy killed this thing, what did it matter? “Yes,” she answered. “More than you know.”

“Yup,” Nicodemus affirmed. Better to rip the whole fucked up world view bandaid off then try and take it slow. “A whole ass werewolf.” He wasn’t attuned to any normal sense of human expression, but she seemed to be taking it well. She hadn’t fainted, screamed, or stabbed him yet. All perfectly acceptable responses. Maybe that meant it was going well. For the time being, he would assume that it did. He blinked in surprise as she reached for the flask, a quiet hell yeah sounding in his head. “You got it. Don’t worry, I won’t tell your boss you were drinkin’ on the job,” he said with a half-smile as he passed it off to her. The place was fucking freezing but his neck felt warm. “This not your first, uh, rodeo then?”

For all of the internal screaming she was doing, Erin was thankful that Nic was at least trying to be a calming presence during this. Plus, he brought the alcohol, and was thoughtful enough to share. “I think there’d be more cause for concern if I didn’t drink,” she gave a small smile back before she felt the liquid burn down her throat. Tried to rub off any blood onto her scrubs, but couldn’t help the little bit that stuck to the flask. She gave an apologetic wince when she handed it back. “Not my first collection. But it’s my first werewolf. Thank you so much for sharing this experience with me.” Nic kept saying it, and she’d said it a few times now, but all she could see was a dog. A massive, dead dog. She raised an eyebrow at him. Oh, great. “So did you think about whether or not bossman wanted the heart before or after you stabbed it?” She questioned, pulling out a chunk for him to see.

Nicodemus snorted and shook his head. He hadn’t expected them to idly chat while a werewolf’s entire innards were on display, but he had stranger ways of making a first impression. “Yeah, I’d hate to see you try this shit sober.” The smell was the first thing he had to become accustomed to, his grandfather all but sticking his face into gut rot night after night. After that, the rest came easy like Sunday morning. He eyed the blood on the flask, but didn’t pay it much mind when he stuck it back into his pocket. Wouldn’t be the last time blood got in weird places. “Oh, sure. Wouldn’t miss it,” he said. “Not just a dog anymore, huh? Told you, it’s the thumbs. Besides, her boss had wanted him there anyway. After what he had learned, he assumed it was meant as some sort of intimidation tactic. He could only hope that her boss would see his remark of being good at killing shit other than beasts as one too. His mouth turned down thoughtfully. “If he wanted it, he should have been specific. He wasn’t. Besides, everything else is more useful.”

“It’s not the thumbs—“ Erin sighed, but gave up halfway through with a roll of her eyes. “It’s just not the weirdest thing I’ve seen in the past few weeks.” A deformed dog. A werewolf. Whatever it was, it would be out of her basement faster than she could study it. She tossed the heart chunk into a waste bin next to her, “Well if he asks, be sure to let him know you played chop suey with it, not me,” she told him rather than asked him. She realized she had very little control in any of this, but she could pretend, right? She kneeled a bit, digging in a little further, getting to the good stuff, as Nic has put it. “So,” she glanced up after an awkward moment, making careful slices around the creature’s liver. “Is this your, uh—thing? Dog catcher and delivery boy?” A hint of a smile followed, remembering again that he was still the one with the bigger knife here.

He didn’t fight the slim smile that cracked his relaxed expression. “Fair enough,” Nicodemus hummed. “Plenty of fucky stuff around here that this might as well be white bread.” His eyes crept across the room, taking in every sharp and shiny edge. A far cry from the back alley chop shops he wandered into every now and then. Erin Nichols was a lot more accommodating, let alone easy to talk to, than the last man he met that simply went by Butcher Pete. “By the time I’m done talking to him, the heart’ll be the last thing on his mind,” he said as he pulled out the flask again, tightening and loosening the cap to keep his hands busy. The hunter was about to take another drink when she spoke up again. Delivery boy? A frown lacking any true distaste appeared. “Depends on the order,” he answered after a drink. “Sometimes I deliver, sometimes I don’t.” He shot her a knowing look. “It’s different every night, but as long as the check clears...Little bit of both.” With her elbow deep in werewolf and him sprinkled with blood, honesty came easy among thieves of a varying nature. “Should I be doin’ anything other than just standing here?”

“Why, do you plan on sweet talking him? Or giving him hell for not preparing either one of us for tonight? ” Erin had seen enough crime movies to get the gist of what Nic was saying. He was a hitman for hire, from what it sounded like. Not unnerving at all. Her hand only shook a little as she tried desperately not to knick the dog—the werewolf’s—internal organs. “Gotcha,” she nodded, cautiously pulling out the thing’s liver, setting it inside the cooler. Raised a brow at his question as she dove back in. “Unless you know how to remove werewolf kidneys, just keep sittin’ pretty,” she smirked up at him. This wasn’t the worst shady interaction she’s had since moving back to White Crest. “There’s whiskey in the cabinet by the sink. I don’t think there’s enough in that little flask of yours for the both of us after this.”

"A little somethin' like that," Nicodemus said as he tipped his head to the side. "Givin' him hell an' all, 'cause I'm a little rusty at sweet talkin'." The hunter tried to gauge her reaction, but if she was bothered at all by what his words all but confirmed, she kept cool about it. The werewolf's liver came out and he was looking at that instead of her. He didn't stick around too long to see what the parts he delivered were ever truly used for. There was a distinct feeling that would change while he was in White Crest, especially if the two of them made a night of organ harvesting a weekly endeavour.  "Well, can't say I do, so yes ma'am, sittin' pretty it is." He bit back the dry smile that threatened to creep. At the suggestion of whiskey though, his brows rose. Oh, really? He hadn't expected that. Unlike her boss's surprise, he liked that one a bit more. Hell of a lot more. The bottle was quickly found and he held it up to the light. "Well goddamn. Probably makes it easier dealing with your boss."

“You? Rusty at sweet talking?” Erin scoffed, but she still shot a smile his way. “I don’t believe it.” This guy was dangerous, but there was something… warm about him? Maybe that wasn’t the word, but she probably wasn’t as terrified as she should have been. Or maybe she was still numb to this. Either way, he was doing a fantastic job at making this oddly casual. “I didn’t start keeping that down here until I found out about our mutual… friend,” she grumbled. A few more organs came out and Erin gave pause, almost forgetting the big one. “Sorry, buddy,” she murmured to the wolf as she dug around for her brainsaw. It wasn’t often that she got to use it, as the medical examiner usually got to this part first. “Hope you’re not squeamish,” she said a little louder to Nic as the saw buzzed to life. A few minutes later, and some snipping around the edges, the surprisingly large brain joined the rest of the organs in the cooler. “That should do it,” she said, clicking the container shut. Thank god.

“Well, shit. Give it time, you’ll see.” Bashful was not a word the hunter would ever use to describe himself. Nor would anyone else under threat of an imminent throat punch or nighttime garroting. That being said, socially unprepared for anything less than a business conversation wouldn’t be inaccurate. Her smile unnerved Nicodemus. He wanted to frown back as some sort of equalizer, but his face, the bastard, betrayed him. Just like he knew it would. Something would have to die after this, that would probably help stifle anything. Suddenly, he became very interested in the organs she pulled out. “This isn’t my first impromptu anatomy session. I ain’t gonna faint.” The top of the bottle came spinning off as soon as the organ cooler shut. All he had done was bring the werewolf in, yet he felt like a drink was suddenly incredibly important. “Looks good to me,” he said with a nod. Considering the blood and guts, he turned on the sink for her and stepped aside. A thought slipped by him and he snorted. “Got any clean jars around? We could really old school the hell out of this if we wanted.”

Was this supposedly dangerous man trying to fight that smile on his face? Was he actually having a good time right now? Despite the circumstances, the better question - was she? Erin was wholly perturbed at the thought, even as she pulled the bloody scrubs off and watched him turn the sink on for her. “Glad to know I’m not your first,” she smirked, then narrowed her eyes in confusion (mostly at herself) after she turned. This was weird. She needed that drink more than ever. After washing her hands, she leaned down and sorted through one of the cabinets. “You’re just in luck,” she said as she dug, the sound of glasses bouncing off each other echoing through the room. “I promise, these have been thoroughly sterilized.” She set them down on one of the empty metal tables, snatching the whiskey back from him. Found herself smirking up at him again as she poured. “I can’t imagine all of your ‘meetings’ go exactly like this though.”

The hunter made a sound like a cross between a snort and a laugh. Nicodemus was glad for the momentary reprieve from her gaze, as he looked down at the floor, completely bewildered. What the utter absolute hell was happening? Biting the inside of his lip brought him back to reality, as well as the smell of blood that settled heavy in his nose. At least he could thank his senses for making him completely incapable of just projecting his way out of a room. “Holy shit, I was half-joking, but hell yeah,” he said as he found his voice again, gravel and all. “I’ll take your word for it, but if I get dysentery, I’m gonna be pissed.” His hand stayed suspended after she grabbed the bottle. Right, hands were used for shit and he grabbed the jar. Damn it, he’d need to kill something else while he was out. “They sure as shit don’t, but it hasn’t been that bad. Was it good for you, organs an’ all?”

Erin wished she could blame some of the flush in her cheeks on the drink from his flask earlier. But nope. All her. And a lot thanks to him, too. “Dysentery for two, then,” she laughed, lifting her jar and clinking it to his. She almost choked on her sip, the alcohol burning her sinuses as it tried to force its way back up. “Wow, well, when you put it that way,” she nodded, sure that now whatever cool demeanor she’d been projecting was entirely out of the window. “Not my worst organ collection, no. You’re better company than the usual guy. Dale? Total dick. Never offers booze. Just a lot of creepy smirks and vague threats.” She let out a longer laugh now, shaking her head, trying to stare at her drink instead of him. This was her life, huh? That’s when her eyes fell back onto the wolf carcass. “You’re going to take that with you too, right?”

"Dysentery for two," Nicodemus agreed, eyes on the shaking surface of the whiskey for a beat before he finally looked at her. He took a long draw of his drink, relishing the burn to distract him from the heat rising up the back of his neck. He was a grown ass man, this was ridiculous. But she was also a grown ass woman and she was smiling at him like he'd never really been smiled at before. What the fuck was he supposed to do with that? The tally for the night grew larger. They were supposed to just be digging for organs and calling it a night, not whatever this was. "Dale, huh? Yeah sounds like a real chip on the shoulder." Fuck he needed to leave. Immediately. The distraction of the carcass worked wonders. He finished the rest of his drink with a hefty swallow. "Well, appreciate the drink an' all but gotta hit the ol' dusty trail…" He set the glass down and swiftly shut the body bag as an answer to her question. It was easier to fall back into that rhythm. Body bag slung over his shoulder and a small smile on, he went for the door. "See you at the next harvest."

It was hard to gross out a mortician, but the feeling swelling in Erin’s stomach was enough to make her nauseous. Especially when she was torn between relief and disappointment when he started to pick things up. Be cool, she internally screamed at herself. This guy had killed a… thing she wasn’t entirely unconvinced was just an oversized wolf he found in the woods. “Safe travels,” she nodded, shaking her head at the harvest joke. Fuck. He was funny. She held the basement door for him, handing off the cooler like she was handing off his lunch pail. “Hey, uh—give bossman a little extra hell, just for me, won’t ya?”

[maggyme13]

Slave or Freedom?

AN: This is my entry for  @theimaginesyouneveraskedfor Writing Challenge. My time period is ancient Rome and the pairing is Stucky x Reader ( though it not really turned out as one- sorry).

I once planned on making it an angsty and dark story, though after I wrote the first half, writersblock struck me. SO this is what I got and I hope you like it. Maybe I will try to do my plan another time ! Have fun^^

Wordcount: around 3000

Warning: slavery (historical), sexual harassment against a female

A month. That was how long the young woman had already been with the fat man who was currently praising every little detail he could think of about her  to everyone who could be an interested buyer

Yes, buyer- the young female was one of the many unfortunate souls to be sold into slavery.

And so she stood under the canopy of a ´larger´ stand, chained to a wooden beam – Naked.

Her current owner (the seller) luckily was one of the more ´high end´ slave traders adnd so her and the others were treated rather well, with food, water- and shadow.

With nothing else to do, did the female look around the busy market. Slaves, owners and free people were walking around, doing purchases of different kinds or just strolling through the stands.

I used to do that. How fate can change.

“She is young. Still has her innocence and would make and would make a perfect house slave. I have her for a month now. Trained her myself and can vouch for the quality.”, the leering voice of her seller caught her attention. He was standing right next to her with another person though she didn’t dare to look at them to see who it might be- he did not like that and she had learned that the hard way.

´Unless ordered, never look at any free person. No one wants to see a slaves face!´, echoed his painful lesson through her head and she had supress a wince.

“150 Coins and she can be yours.”, the merchant offered happy.

“How can I know that you don’t lie to me and she really has her innocence? I don’t like to pay for damaged goods. I demand proof.”, the interested customer hollered. He sounded old and she did not like the way the conversation hinted. A dark shiver went down her body.

What?

“Well, if you want, you could check for yourself. Though I must charge you for any damage you cause. You know- to compensate the damaged goods.”, the merchant offered.

“Whatever. I don’t care if the quality is worth it in the end. Slave. Come here.”, the interested man hollered, and the female was jerked sideways towards him, “Lean forward and spread your legs.”

Tears gathered in her eyes and even though she did not want to do what was demanded from her, she complied. The world of pain she would otherwise enter were far scarier at that moment.

A big hand moved down her spine and came to a rest on her ass, ready to move between her legs and make that check, when another male voice spoke up.

“You said you want 150 for her. I will give you 250 just the way she is now. No checks, no refunds later.”, this voice was deeper than the other two, and colder at the same time.

“Oi. I was already looking at this slave.”

“250 and she is yours.”, the Merchant ignored the first interested buyer, for the far more lucrative sounding one.

“Here.”, she once again heard the new person say, followed by the sound of a sack of coins being thrown and caught, “now get your hands of my purchase before I call the guards and let you be arrested for damaging what I own. And you. Take of her shackles and chains and give her something to cover her with. I don’t like people to look at what is mine.”

At once her feet and arms were freed and a fabric was tossed at her.

“A pleasure doing business with you. Please come back. I will give you a discount on your next purchase.”

“Will see. I don’t have time. Come with me.”, her new owner growled, after accepting the paperwork from the merchant, a strong hand clutched around her upper arm. Though instead dragging her along with force, he more or less guided her through the crowds and towards their destination.

Her eyes were cast onto the floor in front of her the whole time.

He brought her further and further away from the city-centre and into one of the bigger and more elite neighbourhoods. One large estate adjoined the other and the longer they walked the bigger they got; at least if the distance between the gated were any indication.

And they kept walking.

Where are we going? My feet hurt; these stones are hot from the sun. What plans does he has with me?

She was pulled out of her musing, when the male suddenly took a sharp right turn.

“We are almost there.”, he spoke, his voice far softer and happy with anticipation(?). The young slave only nodded in understanding.

´Only speak if demanded!´, another one of the rules she had learned over the past four weeks or so.

To her relief, her new owner had planted trees every other meter along the path they took and so it was bathed in shadow more than not.

Out of the corner of the eyes she could see flowers and green grow alongside the path, and she had to admit: what she was able to see was beautiful. Even though it wasn’t much.

“We are here. Wait here. I will be back shortly.”, the man ordered, and once again she only nodded her understanding.

The cool marble of the floor easing the pain radiating from the soles of her feet.

Within seconds his footsteps had become silent and fear of her imminent future crept over her body. Trying to spend herself some comfort, she pulled her arms around her upper body.

Minutes past and the man still had not returned.

Where is he? What is he doing?

“What do you mean you brought a slave?! Are you fucking kidding me? You went out to place orders for the reception in three weeks. Not to buy a slave! We will talk about this later.”, another male voice stated angrily, and panic sat in her stomach; the man who bought her wasn´t allowed to do so? What now? He had said there would be ´no refunds´.

Please-

Footsteps came closer, and the young female tried to get as small as possible without changing her position.

She was visibly shaking now, and tears were ready to fall.

“Where did you leave her Bucky? I swear if you left her waiting in the sun-“

“She´s in the atrium, calm down. I am not stupid!”, the buyer growled back annoyed.

“It seems you are that stupid. She is barefoot. Don´t tell me you had her walk the whole way! What is your name.”, the new voice directed the last part at her.

“(y/n), Dominus.”, she whispered.

“(y/n), follow him. I will see to you later.”, the new man told her, his voice gentler than before, and she nodded in understanding.

Trying to figure out, where the first man was standing, the young woman lifted her head ever so slightly without losing her submissive stature.

“Come. I will show you where you will stay for the time being.”, the man that had spoken, was tall. Very tall -and muscular, with dark brown hair that was pulled back, his left arm covered by the dark tunic he was wearing.

Lowering her head once more, the young female walked towards said male and she thought she heard a sigh from both of them, alerting her at once.

Did I do something wrong?

 “This is where you will be staying. There is water you can use to wash, or drink- we have our own spring, so it is safe. There will be some clothes and food brought to you shortly. I advise you to rest. Steve and I have something to discuss in the meantime.��, the man, she had concluded was named Bucky, told her with a gentle voice, motioning at the room they had just stopped in front of, before turning around and walking to where they had come from.

Exhausted (mentally and physically) she stepped into the room and straight to the bed that stood beneath a small window (that was covered by wooded claps to keep most of the warm air out. To her surprise was the matrass softer than anticipated, as were the linen covering it.

This is nothing like the things I had with the Merchant. It is almost like back home.

With that thought in mind, her eyes grew heavy and she slipped into a light slumber.

__

She didn’t know how long she had been able to sleep, when a light shake pulled the young female out of her slumber.

“Wake up, my name is Wanda. I was asked to show you to the guest-bath to wash before dinner. The main bath we usually use are currently been cleaned, so don’t worry, I asked the Domini before I came here.”, a young woman with long and wavy brown hair smiled down at her, “Follow me, I will get you something new to wear and ointment for your feet. I cant believe he let you walk barefoot.”

Doing as told, (y/n) stood, flinching when her feet began to burn, but she tried to not let it show. But she was slow and had a slight limp in her steps, that didn’t go unnoticed by the other female.

“Don´t worry, it isn’t far, just down that hallway. Just a few more metres and then you can relax your feet in some cool water and wash the grime and sweat of your skin. You will feel a lot better after that, trust me. And if you need something while I am gone, just call.”, Wanda told you, opening the wooden door that revealed a large room with two big basins.

One was steaming with hot water and the other one must have been filled with cooler water, flowers and oils of different colours and scents littered the shelves and walls were painted with the pictures of relaxing gods and goddesses.

This is beautiful.

“Now, just get out of this crap and take care of you. I will be back in a bit with the promised closing. You seemed of either mine or Nats size. We will lend you some until you get your own clothing. Now go ahead, and don’t worry. NO ONE will dare to enter this bath without knocking. Everybody knows you are currently in here and both Bucky and Steve will have their heads if they still try to enter. Though one of the younger once is a bit chaotic and all over the place, though he doesn’t mean any harm and I promise you, he will turn as red as wine and then apologise while running into the wall because he closes his eyes and refuse to open them for minutes until he is sure he is FAR away. Dinner usually is eaten in three hours, so take your time.”, she smiled once again, chuckling at the memory of the young boy she was talking about.

“Thank you, Wanda.”, (y/n) whispered, her head bowed in a sign of respect and submission.

“No worries, see you later then.”, and with that, the young slave was all alone in this beautiful bath.

I should start with getting the dirt out of my feet and clean them properly, or they get infected.

Mentally planning what she would do, the young female filled a large bowl with water from the cool basin and sat on a beautifully carved bench, when the door swung open, almost causing her to have a cardiac arrest. The bowl hit the ground, causing the other person to have a cardiac arrest as well.

“Oh by the gods I am sorry. I – I forgot the towels and thought Wanda was just getting you- I am soooo sorry, please don’t tell Dominus Steve and Dominus Bucky, they will be mad, well not mad, more like disappointed and that even worse- I don’t want them to be disappointed. I swear I saw nothing, not that I even tried- I -I will just should up now and lay the towels here on the floor and leave. Yes leaving. I am terribly sorry- ouch- I swear it won´t – ouch- happen- ouch shit- again. See you later.”, a young boy cursed and stumbled over his own words, immediately turning a deep red shade and covering his eyes with the hand that was not carrying the towels. After placing the towels down on the floor, the young male managed to run into the wall three times before finding the door and escaping out of it.

Another “I apologise deeply.” Halled through the closed door one more time before there was silence again.

So, that must be the one Wanda was talking about. He really doesn’t seem to mean harm. It was almost adorable. But I need to hurry.

__

An hour went by, and (y/n) was just finished with rinsing out her hair with cold water, when a knock sounded from the door.

“(y/n) it´s me Wanda, may I come in? I have the clothes with me.”

“Yes.”, she answered, barely loud enough to be heard through the thick door. That slowly opened.

“Here, I didn’t know what colour you like, so I brought different kinds for you to choose from. The red ones are mine and the white and dark ones are Nats. Choose what you like and I will help you get dressed.”, the young woman smiled and laid five different garbs out for her to choose from.

Those are no slave dresses. What is going on?

Wanda must have noticed your hesitation, because she asked you if something was wrong.

“N-no. I- Its just. Those are not dressings for a slave. I would ruin them.”, she whispered, making herself smaller with every passing second.

“(y/n), that´s because you are no slave here. No one of us is, even though some of us where when we came here. Just like you. We are servants. We get paid and even have days of if we need them or don´t feel well. Everyone living in this villa is free and equal in their rights, even though Bucky and Steve are the domini.”, Wanda smiled fondly and reassuring, “Now chose. I love your hair by the way.”

No slave? Am I free?

“No slaves? But why did he buy me then?”, the young female muttered more to herself than anything else.

“He probably saw something in you that made him do that. He is a good man and he knows how- well, he should tell you himself. If you are ready, I can help you with your feet and then show you around the grounds. This is a huge estate and one can easily get lost if you don’t know where you are going.”

“Thank you.”

“Not for that. I once was in your sandals and know how you must feel like.”

Wearing a light greenish tunic and with dressings on her feet, (y/n) followed Wanda through the hallways and another smaller atrium, out on a terrace that overlook the vast gardens and fields.

“Everything you see belongs to the domini. There are stables down that path, as well as a pond and some fruit-trees.”

One more hour they walked through lush grass and over soft grounds, before entering a pavilion that was seated at the back of the large villa, where almost a dozen people were sitting. Two of them the Domini and another one the young boy who immediately became flushed and looked away, earning himself raised eyebrows from some of the other people.

“He forgot the towels and ran into you in the bath, didn’t he?”, Wanda whispered only for her new friend to hear, who only nodded with a suppressed smile dancing on her lips.

“He will be apologising to you for weeks now. Poor boy. The others will make a bit of fun of him too. Did he run into the walls again?”

“Yes, even though I hadn’t even started with undressing yet.”

“At least he didn’t break his nose this time. He did when he accidentally ran into me. Sorry we are late, but I didn’t keep in mind that she isn’t as fast normally with her injured feet. I hope you hadn’t had to wait too long.”, Wanda apologised while taking her seat and motioning for (y/n) to take a seat beside her. What she did.

“So, (y/n). How do you like it here?”, the man she had learned was called Steve asked, with a generous smile on his face, “I hope your room and the clothes are to you liking. You were a surprise.”

The last part was added by a pointed look (or glare?) at his friend, Dominus Bucky.

“I already told you I am not sorry! You weren’t there.”, the other one sighted, with a glare on his own, “Now can we eat? I am sorry for making you walk all the way though, I didn’t realize you were barefoot. I should have carried you part of the way.”

Is – is he apologising to me?

“I- its okay. Injured feet are nothing to – to – to was about to. To my other – Thank you.”, the young female stuttered, the memories about her fate resurfacing after being almost forgotten, “but –“

“You are wondering what you are doing here and why you are not treated as a slave, am I right?”, the blond Dominus concluded.

“Yes.”, she whispered.

“Because you are no slave. No one here is. Every single one of the people you see at this table is a free person.”, he said.

“I once was a slave as well. Before that, I was a soldier, with Steve, but got captured and sold into slavery as a gladiator. No matter that I was a roman citizen- even though it wasn’t allowed. I was made to fight and kill. One day Steve found and freed me.  They made me wear an helmet and a Manicae, with only a short sword as my weapon.*I know how it is to be on that side of society. You are free now. Free to make your own choices. And if you want to stay, stay. If not, that is fine as well- you don’t own us anything. But enough of this. Now it is time to eat, and to tell why Peter isn’t able to look up from his plate.”, her saviour explained and she finally understood- at least it became clearer to her.

Let’s see what the future will hold…

AN 2.0:

*  similar to this ( the one on the left)

Alright, I hope you guys liked it and please let me know what you think ( this was my first au that not really played in the MCU (like my soulmate fic- “Soulmate 21” did), so I am sorry if it didn’t turn out as you (and I ) wanted.

Until next time and thank you for reading :)

~MaggY :)

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