#gotta match the crowley one

[spacecravat]

Aziraphale + book introduction

[marvelfanfn2187a113]

Useless

Sam and Dean Winchester & little sister!reader, Demon Dean & little sister!reader

Requested by @abiball027

Synopsis: Dean does some things as a demon that everyone regrets.

Warnings: demon blood addiction, demon Dean gets the reader addicted to demon blood, kidnapping, this one’s kinda dark guys, angst with a happy ending.

Your body was on autopilot as it led you through the bunker. You didn’t even realize you were headed to Dean’s room until you stopped in front of his door, unable to go further. Your hand twitched towards the knob, but you stopped yourself from reaching out to grab it.

There was nothing in there you wanted to see. You didn’t want to look at Dean’s body again; you couldn’t.

You staggered in surprise when the door flung open. Dean’s frame filled the doorway, and it was all you could do to stay upright.

“De…what…” you caught sight of Crowley in the room behind him, and you directed your next words at the king of hell. “You—did you bring him back?”

You didn’t want to wait for an answer; in fact, you were a split second away from throwing yourself at your big brother when Crowley stepped between you.

“I wouldn’t do that; he’s still adjusting.”

“Adjusting? Crowley, what did you do?” You demanded, before shaking your head. “You know what, it doesn’t matter. I’ve gotta tell Sam.” You turned to go, but Dean’s hand shot out at an inhuman speed, and he held your arm in a vice grip.

“What—Dean?” You looked up in surprise at your big brother.

“No Sam,” he demanded, but his eyes seemed unfocused. That is, until he blinked and they flashed black. You wrestled your arm from him and stepped back, your hand going to the demon knife at your belt. You pulled it out, directing it at Crowley.

“You…” your voice shook with anger, and you nearly choked on it. “You let one of your filthy demons possess my brother?”

“Not exactly.” Crowley shrugged.

“What—“

Dean interrupted you.

“It’s all me, sweetheart.”

“That’s not possible.” You shook your head. “It can’t be.”

“Oh it’s Dean alright,” Crowley said. “Because of the Mark of Cain, he can’t be killed. I merely brought his soul out of its little…hibernation. Or, chrysalis, I suppose is a better analogy. And now he’s evolved into…well, this.”

Dean and Crowley’s matching grins turned your stomach.

“W-we…” you swallowed, trying to let your mind catch up with your racing heart. “We can fix this. We know how-how to cure demons. I can get Sam and we—“

“No!” Dean’s sudden tone change made you flinch. “I don’t want to be cured, and you’re not going to get Sam.”

“I-I don’t understand.” you shivered.

“No. You wouldn’t.” Dean chuckled darkly. “You wouldn’t understand power.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb, sweetheart. You’ve always been the weak one, so you wouldn’t understand what having power feels like.” Dean’s eyes flashed black again, and you flinched. “Well I’ve got power now, and I like how it feels.”

“Stop it.” You shook your head, turning to Crowley. “Dean wouldn’t say this stuff. What did you do to him?” You yelped in surprise when Dean’s hands once again grabbed your arms.

“It’s all me, N/N. The new me. The better me.”

You tried to break free from Dean’s grip, but he wouldn’t let go. Crowley stepped forwards, putting a hand on Dean’s shoulder.

“We should get out of here while Moose is still gone.”

“You’re right.” Dean didn’t release his grip on your arm. “But I’m bringing her with.”

“What?” You and Crowley asked in horrified unison.

“Dean, you agreed to leave it all behind. You said you didn’t want—“

“I said I didn’t want Sam stopping me,” Dean interrupted Crowley. “She’s not strong enough to do anything to me.” Your cheeks flushed with embarrassment as Dean continued. “But, with a little help, she could be useful.”

“Help?” Crowley frowned. “How could she do anything for us?”

“She can…” Dean’s eyes flashed black—it seemed to be his new favorite trick. “If I give her a taste of power.” Dean shoved you towards Crowley. “Hold her still.”

Crowley took hold of your arms without question, although he was clearly hesitant.

Dean took the demon knife out of your hands easily, and he sliced a small cut on the heel of his hand.

“What are you—“

Dean took advantage of your mouth being open by pressing the heel of his hand to your lips. You froze up as Dean’s other hand came up to plug your nose.

He’d completely cut off your air, and you struggled as the metallic taste of Dean’s blood invaded your mouth. He and Crowley easily held you still, and Dean kept his hand there for several seconds before moving it so that his palm was covering your mouth. No more blood was going in, but you still couldn’t breathe.

“Swallow and I’ll let you go,” Dean said. You continued to struggle, but it was useless. “C’mon little sister, just swallow.”

You struggled until you felt dizzy and your lungs were screaming. You swallowed almost without meaning to, the bitter taste of Dean’s blood invading your senses. Dean and Crowley released you simultaneously.

You backed away from both men, stumbling against the wall as you gasped for breath. You didn’t even know what to say; you were too confused, too hurt, too scared.

“What was that?” Crowley asked, sounding as confused as you felt.

“Like I told you,” Dean growled. “With a little power, this little rugrat might be useful. And since I’m the one controlling the power…” Dean waved a hand over his cut wrist, and it healed itself. “I’m the one who she has to listen to. The perfect little sidekick.”

You didn’t need to hear anything more. You turned on your heel and tried to run, but Dean grabbed onto your arms and flung you against the wall. The back of your head hit the wall, and suddenly you couldn’t see or feel anything.

…

You awoke to the gentle purr of the Impala, and for a long moment you couldn’t tell what was going on. Were you on a hunt? You couldn’t remember. Then you tried to move your hands to rub your face, and they stopped, impeded by something metal. Your eyes fluttered open, and the first thing you saw was your hands cuffed to the back of Dean’s seat. Crowley was in the passenger seat, and the memories came back almost instantly.

“She’s awake,” Crowley said.

“Ahh, good morning sweetheart,” Dean grinned, a sickeningly sinister smirk that looked nothing like your big brother.

“Where are we? Where are we going?” You looked out the windows, but the road sides were no help to your poor sense of direction.

Dean just chuckled.

“Wherever we want.”

…

The three of you drove all day, and once the sun lowered behind the horizon line, Dean pulled into a seedy motel. He opened his door and came around to your door. He didn’t unlock your cuffs; instead, he pulled a flask from his back pocket and unscrewed it, bringing it up to your mouth. You knew it was his blood before the liquid touched your lips, but again your struggles were futile as Dean held his hands over your mouth and nose until you swallowed.

“See, that’s not so bad,” Dean cooed even as you shuddered. “A few more of these and you’ll be so hooked, you’ll be begging me for another hit.”

Crowley watched with an unreadable expression as Dean freed your wrists from the handcuffs and led you inside the motel. Within minutes, Dean had you cuffed to the air conditioner in his room, and he and Crowley were off to party at the nearest bar. You tried to wiggle around to reach into your pocket, only to discover that Dean must’ve taken your phone and lock picking kit while you were knocked out. With nothing to focus on, you became acutely aware of the hunger pangs that were becoming more frequent: you hadn’t eaten since you’d been in the bunker. But soon, a different hunger took hold of you. It was unfamiliar, and it hurt worse than normal hunger. Fear began to nag at you, but you shook it off. You couldn’t be hooked on demon blood already, could you?

You couldn’t be sure, and that only flamed your panic. This whole situation was crazy, and you didn’t know how to adjust; Dean, a demon; you, kidnapped; and demon blood being fed to you no matter how much you tried to resist. Your mind played around with the idea that it wasn’t really Dean—that Crowley had lied and it really was some random demon inside your brother’s corpse—but you knew that Crowley, as devious as he was, had no reason to lie.

And that meant that it really was your big brother, trying to turn you into a demon blood addict just so that he could use you.

“We’re back!” Dean crowed triumphantly, snapping you out of your thoughts as he entered the motel with Crowley at his heels. A fast food bag was tossed into your lap, and Dean reached over your head and released you from the handcuffs. You chowed down on the burger without hesitation—you were too hungry to be ornery—noting in the back of your mind that Dean had remembered exactly how you liked your food; maybe he was still in there somewhere.

To your dismay, the food could only satisfy so much, and that unfamiliar pain lingered. You felt your eyes unintentionally slipping towards Dean’s flask, and unfortunately Dean noticed too. A wide grin split his face as he looked from you to his flask.

“Knew it wouldn’t take much to have you hooked,” he said, and when you started to shake your head in a panic his gaze softened—if only slightly. “Hey now,” he soothed, coming to sit by you and pulling out his flask. “It hurts, right?” At your hesitant nod, he continued. “I know it does. Now let your big brother take the pain away, ok?”

His tone was so familiar, and yet so unfamiliar at the same time. Soothing words that Dean might say to you before stitching up a wound—but that was not what was happening now. Dean’s voice was gentle, but his eyes held a dead indifference that had never been directed at you, not from Dean. Everything felt so wrong, and you were so overwhelmed and hurting that you could do nothing but cry softly as Dean lifted the flask to your lips and forced the liquid down your throat. He didn’t even bother to plug your nose, as you were too tired to fight him—you swallowed with no protest other than the tears tracking down your cheeks.

White hot shame filled you along with the demon blood. You had more fight in you than this, you knew you did. But this was different.

You’d never expected to be fighting against your brother, and that thought alone drained all of the fight in you.

“There it is.” Dean’s smirk turned your stomach, and you were already starting to regret eating that burger. “See? Feels good, doesn’t it?”

You tried to turn away from him, but he grabbed onto your shoulder.

“C’mon, I’m gonna cuff you near the couch so you can get some sleep.”

Dean cuffed your hands to the nightstand next to the couch. You could lay on the couch with your arms stretched over your head; it was uncomfortable, but better than the floor you supposed.

To your surprise, you fell asleep quickly, drained from the long day on edge. But it was a fitful sleep, and some time in the middle of the night you awoke panting. It took you a moment to realize what was different; you weren’t handcuffed anymore. You looked down in your lap to see the cuffs in three pieces. You stared down at your hands; had you done that?

A groan from one of the beds had you flinching as Dean sat up. His eyes found you in the dark, and your heart skipped a beat when you saw the black abyss that used to be your brothers bright green eyes. Then he blinked, and the green was there, but it wasn’t the same.

“Go back to sleep,” he demanded, and you were laying back down when he suddenly got up. You felt your body shaking as Dean approached you; you’d never been more scared of anyone than you were of Dean right now.

“Seems the demon blood is working,” Dean chuckled as he held up the broken cuffs. His eyes flickered to you. “How does power feel, little sister?”

You didn’t know how to answer that question. You didn’t feel powerful. Sure, you could break steel without even meaning to, but you had no power over your situation; if anything you felt more helpless than you ever had.

Unless…

Remembering Sam’s powers when he’d been drinking demon blood, you pushed your hand out in front of you. Before you even made contact with Dean, he staggered back and fell—you had telekinesis!

You jumped up from the couch and ran for the door. It had the door-block on it, but it tore loose when you yanked the door open. You took one stride out into the night air before strong arms wrapped around your midsection and flung you backwards, back into the motel room.

“Your powerful, little sister,” Dean chuckled darkly. “But not more powerful than me.”

You backed away, not even looking where you were going as you tried to escape your approaching brother. Your foot caught on the desk, and you went down hard, but you kept backing away, using your hands to scoot back. It didn’t do much, and when Dean reached you he gripped your shoulder and dragged you to your feet. He shoved you back down onto the couch, and turned and walked out the door without another word. You sat there in confusion until Dean returned—presumably from the Impala—with thick chains in his hands.

“This should hold you for a bit longer.” He smirked. “At least until I can get you so addicted to blood that you won’t leave.”

“That’s not going to happen,” you insisted.

Dean just laughed.

…

The pain was all consuming; you could think of nothing else. You were hungry, too, and thirsty, and your back ached from sleeping on the couch; but none of that mattered. All you could think about was blood.

You found yourself suddenly much more sympathetic towards Sam; sure, you’d felt bad for him—you knew his addiction had hurt like crazy—but you’d never felt it before. It was a new kind of pain in a world where you thought you’d experienced every kind.

What made it hurt worse was knowing that it was your big brother inflicting this pain, and not to get you un-hooked on demon blood; he was doing it to teach you some kind of sick lesson. Or maybe he thought it would get you even more addicted; if so, it was working.

After your little stunt trying to run away, Dean had chained you up to the wall, gagged you, and left with Crowley. That was yesterday; he hadn’t returned, even when night came and went. He knew the withdrawal pains would hit you like a truck; you figured that was the point.

What if it wasn’t a lesson? What if he was just sick of dragging you around, and he left you there? His words wouldn’t stop echoing in your head…

“You’ve always been the weak one…”

You’d always felt that way, but to hear Dean—even a black-eyed Dean—say it out loud hurt more than you wanted to admit.

And the fact that, even with demon blood in you, you couldn’t break out of the chains Dean put on you seemed to aid his description of you.

Were you really so pathetic that you were only useful when pumped full of demon blood?

“Hiya sweetheart, did you miss me?”

You’d been so lost that you didn’t even notice Dean enter the hotel room until he was right in front of you, unlocking your cuffs and pulling the gag down. When he was done, you felt your hands grip onto his arm of their own accord, and your eyes found his pleadingly. You wanted to pretend you didn’t know what you were pleading for—food, maybe? Water? But you and Dean knew all too well.

“You did miss me,” Dean said with a grin. “Is this what you want?” Dean held up a fast food bag. You hadn’t eaten in a day, you should have wanted it.

But you didn’t even look at it.

“No?” Dean put the bag down and picked up a water bottle. “How about this? Not this either?”

“Dean…” you mumbled, your eyes slipping down to your hands. “It…it hurts, Dean.”

“Aww.” Dean chuckled. You knew he was patronizing you, but you didn’t care. You just wanted him to make the pain go away.

“What about this?” Your eyes lifted to see Dean pulling out his flask. You saw a hand reach out for it, surprised when you realized it was your own. Dean wouldn’t let you touch it, though. He pulled it out of reach, shaking his head. “Don’t touch, sweetheart. That’s my job.”

You didn’t move as Dean opened the flask and lifted it to your face. You wished you could pretend that he was forcing you to drink the blood, but it wasn’t true anymore. He really had gotten you hooked.

The only question now was what would Sammy do when he found you?

…

The next few weeks fell into a regime. You tagged along while Dean and Crowley dragged you to town after town, bar after bar, motel after motel. After the first week, Dean stopped using the chains; he didn’t need them anymore. The resourceful, smart Winchester in the back of your mind knew that he was training you like a dog—when you listened, he let you drink from his flask; when you disobeyed, he let you suffer—but there was nothing you could do. You couldn’t resist the demon blood anymore, it hurt too much. And a part of you—the part desperate to please your big brother—didn’t want to. Dean thought you were useless without powers, and you didn’t have it in you to disagree anymore. The only reason Dean even wanted you around was that you had powers. Without that…

You were snapped out of your thoughts when Crowley approached you and Dean.

“We need to talk,” he said to Dean.

“So talk,” Dean said with a shrug. “She won’t bother us.” Dean waved offhandedly at you.

That’s all you were now; the sidekick, the tool, meant to stand aside and keep quiet.

“I don’t think you want her to hear this.” When Dean didn’t respond, Crowley sighed and continued. “Moose called.”

You stiffened, and Dean noticed.

“Go take a walk, N/N,” Dean said. You didn’t argue—you’d given up on that—but you did hesitate. Dean blinked, his eyes flashing black, and you flinched. “I said take a walk.”

You left without another word, but your brain was going a million miles a minute.

Sam called? Was he coming? Would he fix Dean…and you?

…

You returned to Dean when he waved you over.

Like an obedient little puppy, you thought disgustedly. You thought you’d given up on your pride and your dignity weeks ago, but the thought of Sam returning to see you like this brought it all rushing back.

“Here.” Dean pulled out his flask when you approached him. You stiffened and you had to force your head to turn away from your big brother. Dean scoffed, “One mention of Sammy and now you’re all high and mighty?” Dean’s fingers clenched around your jaw, and he turned your chin to face him. “Let me make this clear; drink now, or I won’t let you for the next two days.”

Your breath caught in your throat; the most he’d ever cut you off was for about a day, and that had been one of the most painful days of your life. You couldn’t do it, you knew you couldn’t.

Dean let go of your face, and you tilted your head up slightly, your lips parting just a little. It was all the assent that Dean needed.

“That’s what I thought,” he huffed, uncapping his flask.

What had you gotten yourself into?

…

You’d been getting better and better with your powers. Dean had had you practicing, mostly on random demons that Crowley let get too close to him.

The better you got, the more you began to think that Dean was right; you had been useless before, never able to help your brothers. Now you could help—now you had power.

Every time you got better with your powers, Dean would flash you a wide grin—it was cocky, not at all like his old proud smile—but it was good to see nonetheless. It felt good to do something for your big brother. It felt like you were finally repaying him for everything he had done for you.

“Pick a side!”

You were snapped out of your thoughts by Crowley’s outburst. You had followed Dean into Crowley’s demon meeting after Dean murdered one of Crowley’s clients. After weeks around Crowley, you tended to tune him out, but now he seemed heated, and Dean was tense beside you.

“Or what?” Dean asked before shoving a Crowley across the floor. Crowley got up in a huff, glancing around as if to see if his demons had noticed—of course they had.

“This—“ Crowley gestured between himself and Dean “—is over. You’re too unpredictable.”

“Ok,” Dean said, a nonchalant smile gracing his lips. “How’s this for unpredictable?” And suddenly he was looking at you, eyes boring into you as if you could read his mind. To your surprise, you could; or at least, you knew what he wanted. He wanted to piss Crowley off—he wanted you to exorcise all of Crowley’s goons. You’d only ever exorcised one at a time, which was a far cry from the five that surrounded you now.

Still, your big brother wanted something from you, and you were going to do your best.

You closed your eyes in concentration, holding your hand out as almost an anchor. You could feel the power pulsing through your blood, as if the demon blood was intertwining with your own. You heard screams of pain from the demons, but you blocked them out, hyper-focused. When the screaming stopped, you opened your eyes to see five empty vessels strewn across the floor. Your attention turned to Crowley, your hand still outstretched.

He staggered back a half step, but Dean reached out and pushed your hand down.

“Hey, easy—not him sweetheart.”

Your attention turned to Dean at his words, and there it was; that proud grin. Your lips twitched up even as you thought that you missed the way the old Dean would let you know he was proud of you. The way that he’d smile a real smile, and ruffle your hair, and say, “Good job, kid.”

Instead, this Dean smirked and pulled his flask out of his back pocket, holding it for you to drink from even as he turned his attention back to Crowley.

“You want unpredictable? You want this to be over? Good; I don’t need you, I never did.” Dean capped his flask and turned to go.

He didn’t even look back to see if you would follow; he knew you would.

…

You sat on a stool beside a piano in an empty bar, watching Dean play around with the keys. It had been hours since he’d let you have a drink, but every time you tapped his arm he just snapped at you to leave him be. You were doing just that—sitting quietly and watching your big brother—when the door to the bar opened.

“Sam!” You jumped up before you’d even fully registered that it was Sam who’d walked in the door. When you started towards him, Dean’s voice stopped you.

“No.”

It was just the one word, but it was enough. Your body acted almost if its own accord, stopping the instant the word was out of Dean’s mouth. You’d gotten used to obeying him without question lately, and it was a habit you weren’t so sure you could break.

“Commere,” Dean said, and again you listened, going to stand beside him as he stood from the piano bench.

Your eyes drifted to Sam, who was looking from Dean to you in utter confusion.

“Good.” Dean’s voice brought your attention back to him, and you saw him reaching into his back pocket for his flask. Your stomach dropped to your toes; that was why he wouldn’t let you drink earlier. He suspected that Sam was coming, and he wanted you to be desperate enough to drink in front of him. Your heart caught in your throat as you stared up at Dean, as if he could somehow undo what he’d already done. He just smirked at you as he uncapped the flask and held it up.

Your body was screaming for it—you’d been achy, pain stiffening your muscles for at least an hour—you needed it. Keeping your eyes downcast so that you didn’t have to see Sam’s face, you took a half step closer to Dean and let him tilt the contents of the flask into your mouth.

“What are you doing?” Sam lurched forward, recognizing the substance immediately. “Dean, you can’t! Y/N, stop!”

“Aww, it’s not her fault, Sammy,” Dean chuckled as he pulled the flask away and capped it. “She was never gonna be strong enough to stop me.”

You ducked your head in shame even as your nerves were screaming for more blood. You couldn’t bear to even look in Sam’s direction.

“Dean, what did you do?” Sam demanded, panic lacing his tone.

“Made her useful!” Dean insisted, still grinning like this was all a great joke. “You should see her now, Sammy. She exorcised five demons all at once today, I bet she’s pretty tired out.”

Despite yourself, your lips twitched up in a small smile at Dean’s words. He was bragging on you to Sam—it was nice to hear.

“Useful?” Sam’s scoff brought the shame back. “Dean, she’s not an object! She’s not some kind of tool for you to use! She’s our sister!”

“So what? She was useless before, a weak and pathetic tag-along. I finally brought some purpose to her life.”

You bit down hard on your lip to keep it from quivering. You kept your gaze down so you didn’t have to see either of your brothers.

“Dean, stop it!” Sam yelled.

“Fine.” Dean shrugged. “You want me to stop? Try and bring her back. She won’t go, I’ve got her hooked more than you ever were.”

Dean stepped back, watching from the other side of the piano while Sam approached you. You kept your eyes on your shoes even as you heard Sam approaching.

“Honey, hey, look at me.” Sam came to a stop mere inches from you. Your breaths picked up as tears blurred your vision, but you forced yourself to blink them back and look up at your brother. The hate that you were expecting wasn’t there, neither was the disgust or the anger. Instead, Sam’s eyes were gentle; understanding. “I can help you. You don’t have to keep doing this.”

“But…” Dean’s words swam around in your head, and they were all you could think of. “But without this I’m useless. I wanna be useful. I’m useful, Sammy, I’m powerful!”

Sam’s gaze never wavered.

“But are you happy?”

You stopped. You’d been so worried about being useful to Dean, that you hadn’t even thought about…

Your head shook slowly from side to side, the tears returning. Sam’s gaze softened even more.

“Oh, sweetheart…”

“I’m…I’m sorry, Sam,” you whimpered, finally letting the tears fall. “I-I didn’t mean to—but I can’t st-stop.” You covered your face with your hands as you sobbed, and you flinched when you felt Sam’s hand on your shoulder.

“Shh, hey…” Sam pulled you into his embrace, and you felt him press a kiss to the top of your head as he rubbed your back. “Honey it’s ok. We can fix this, I just gotta take you home.”

“She’s not gonna leave me, Sammy,” Dean mocked. “I’ve got her hooked.”

“You’re coming too,” Sam directed at him. “I didn’t just come for her. We can cure demons, Dean.”

“Did you even stop to think that if I wanted to be cured, I wouldn’t have left? And I certainly wouldn’t have gotten our little sister addicted to demon blood just to cut off her supply.” Dean jeered, laughing. “I mean, what kind of brother would do that?”

“Enough, Dean! I’m bringing you back whether you want to come or not.” Sam reached into his back pocket and pulled out a pair of demon cuffs.

“Do you really think those will hold me?” Dean scoffed.

“We’re about to find out,” Sam sighed.

A hiss filled the air, followed by smoke that separated both of your brothers from your sight.

“Sam! Dean!” Your cries were followed by a fit of coughing when you breathed in the gas. A hand on your shoulder turned your attention to Dean, who was trying to drag you towards the door.

“Sammy,” you protested, searching through the gas for your brother.

“He’s fine,” Dean growled, pulling harder. “Now come on.”

“No!” You yanked your arm from Dean’s grasp. He didn’t try to grab you again; he didn’t think he had to.

“Y/N, come. That’s an order.”

You gritted your teeth, shoving down the pain in your body that begged you to listen to Dean.

“Screw your orders.”

Dean’s eyes flashed black as he advanced on you.

“You little—“

You didn’t hesitate—you lifted your hands and used the telekinesis that Dean had given you to fling him across the room. You turned your back, not even bothering to see where he landed.

…

You found Sam easily, and the two of you made it out of the building after Dean. The minute Sam stepped foot out the door, a man came out of nowhere and knocked him out.

“Sam!” You knelt next to your big brother, glancing in fear at the man who’d hit him. He hesitated when he saw you were just a kid.

“Stay out of my way, or you’re next,” he warned before turning to face Dean. You remembered Dean mentioning that a man was after him; you had no doubt that Dean would win this fight, so you turned your attention to waking Sam up—he was your only chance at bringing Dean home.

“Sammy, come on,” you urged. He only stirred once Dean and the other man were finished their fight—Dean won, but he didn’t kill the other man, to your surprise.

“Just stay here,” Sam instructed, shaking off his headache as he stood, demon cuffs held with his injured arm—you wondered suddenly how he’d been hurt—and holy water in the other hand.

You stayed back as Sam approached Dean from behind. It was over in mere seconds—Dean, distracted by the holy water, was unable to fight off the cuffs that Sam slapped on him.

“Dean, stop! It’s over.”

…

You got into the passenger’s seat after Sam ushered Dean into the back. Sam was outside, passing off the First Blade to Crowley.

“You picked the wrong side,” Dean said, and the sound of his voice made you flinch.

“Says the one in the handcuffs,” you shot back, but your voice was much too shaky for Dean to take seriously.

“Oh, this won’t last,” Dean said, lifting his hands. “And once these come off, you’re going to regret using those powers on me.”

…

You breathed easier when Sam returned to the Impala, and the three of you were off. Sam and Dean were arguing about Dean’s fight with that man, Cole. Sam was convinced that because Dean let him live, there was still some good in him.

“Letting him live was the worst thing I could’ve done to him,” Dean chuckled. “And that’s nothing compared to what I’m going to you.” Sam swallowed nervously, but Dean continued. “Or to our little sister.” You nearly jumped out of your seat when Dean kicked it.

“Stop it,” Sam demanded. “She…she didn’t do anything.”

“Oh, she picked her side,” Dean insisted. “And she picked wrong.”

…

You were shaking by the time the Impala reached the bunker. Sam kept glancing at you out of the corner of his eye, recognizing the symptoms; you needed more blood.

“Stay here,” he instructed as he stepped out to get Dean. “I’m gonna get him settled downstairs and I’ll come back for you.”

Sure enough, a few minutes later Sam returned and led you to your room.

“You know what I have to do, right?” He asked gently. You nodded.

“Tie me down and lock me up, right?”

“I’m sorry,” Sam said. “I don’t want to, but—“

“But there’s a demon in the bunker, and I’m about to go through extreme withdrawals,” you finished. “I-I know Sam. It’s not your fault.” Your gaze was glued to your fidgeting hands.

“Hey, look at me.” When you met his gaze, Sam continued. “It’s not your fault either. I know you didn’t want it.”

“I started to.” You swallowed the lump in your throat. “Af-after a while, I started to want it. The power…all of it.”

“It’s ok.” Sam pulled you close, and his embrace made you feel more at home than you had in weeks. “I know how that feels, but we’re gonna fix it. I’m gonna be right here.”

When he pulled away, you took a deep breath.

“I’m ready.”

…

You were wrong. Dead wrong, and so was Sam. Sam was killing you, you were sure of it.

Of course, that was the withdrawal talking, but you were too far deep in your pain to know that. All you knew was that you’d never hurt this much in your life, and the way to make the pain go away was right downstairs, but Sam wouldn’t let you near it.

“I need Dean,” you cried for the thousandth time. “Sammy, please!” You were in too much pain to even notice that Sam wasn’t there, and he hadn’t been in to check on you in a while. In fact, you were so distracted that you didn’t even notice the door opening, and the very person you were begging for walking in.

“I told you you picked the wrong side,” Dean chuckled, his voice grabbing your attention.

“Dean,” you whimpered, in too much pain to be scared or curious that he’d gotten out. “Dean, please.”

“You know—“ Dean sighed as he began to undo the straps holding your legs. “You talk too much.” Once both your legs were free, Dean made his way near your head. You swallowed hard as Dean picked up a knife that you’d left on your dresser. “So I think I’ve found the perfect punishment for you. I mean, you did use your powers on me. Did you think I was just going to forget that?”

“P-punishment?” You asked nervously.

“Yeah,” Dean glared down at you, his eyes flashing black. “First, I’m gonna cut off your tongue. Then, I’m gonna give you so much blood, that you won’t be able to think straight. Then you’re gonna help me kill Sammy, then Crowley. And if you ever disobey me again, I’ll slit your throat.” Dean grinned. “How’s that for a little brotherly love?”

Dean’s knife was inching closer to your mouth, his other hand gripping your face to keep you still, when the lights went out. Dean released you, and a tense silence filled the bunker for a moment or two before the emergency lights clicked on, red light casting an eery glow throughout your room.

“Looks like it’s your lucky day,” Dean said to you. “Now that I know where Sammy is, you can wait; after all, you’re not going anywhere.”

All you could do was watch as Dean turned and walked out, intent on killing your brother.

…

You were struggling against the restraints to no avail when Sam came bursting into the room.

“Did he hurt you?” Sam demanded, alarmed when you suddenly burst into tears.

“I-I thought he was gonna kill you,” you cried.

“It’s ok, I’m ok,” Sam assured you as he started to undo you restraints.

“Don’t!” You insisted. “I’m…I don’t think I’m clean yet.”

Sam halted his movements, his eyes trained on your face.

“He didn’t hurt you?” Sam asked.

“He didn’t get the chance.” You sniffled. “W…where is he?”

“Chained up again,” Sam sighed. “Cas is watching him. I think…I think maybe he’s almost human now.”

“Go to him,” you insisted. “I’ll be ok here until I’m clean, really.” Somehow, Dean’s threats had strengthened your resolve to stay away from demon blood. “Go bring our Dean back.”

…

“I want to see her.”

Sam was adamant. “You can’t, not yet.”

Dean sighed, rubbing his newly-freed hands over his face.

“Why not?”

Before Sam could answer, a cry of pain could be heard from your room. Sam cringed.

“She…she’s still in detox. She could go nuts if she sees you, even though you’re not a demon anymore. We can’t take that chance.”

Dean didn’t argue; he knew Sam was right. Still, the next two days were complete torture as he was forced to stay away from you, listening to your pleas for him. Every time you called out his name was a reminder that it was Dean’s fault that you were hurting.

“I’m sorry,” he found himself whispering over and over under his breath every time you cried out; he was desperate to tell you in person.

After those awful two days, the screaming stopped. Dean was already halfway to your room when he was stopped by Sam.

“She’s ok,” Sam insisted. “I think she’s clean. I just took her restraints off.”

“Ok,” Dean said simply, trying to move past Sam and toward your door. Sam moved in front of him.

“She’s sleeping. She needs it.”

Dean deflated, discouraged.

“What is this, Sam? Are you really trying to help her, or do you just not trust me?” He knew he was being unfair, but he had to know.

“It’s not about you,” Sam assured him, clearly pushing away his hurt at Dean’s implication. “She needs rest. Besides, I…I don’t know how she’ll react to seeing you again, and I don’t want to push her faster than I need to.”

Dean was silent for a long moment, before finally asking the question that had been nagging at him for days.

“Do you think she hates me?”

Sam looked pained, as if he had expected the question.

“Right now I…I almost wish she did,” Sam said. “Because I think she hates herself more than anything.”

…

You’d been awake for about twenty minutes, but you hadn’t moved. At least, your body hadn’t moved; your mind was going at a breakneck speed. You remembered briefly that Sam had said Dean was cured, but you couldn’t be sure if you’d imagined it in your withdrawal fog. You were pretty sure that most of yesterday had been a hallucination. Sam had insisted that he wouldn’t let Dean in, yet there he had been, jeering at you, saying again and again that the second you were clean, you’d be useless again.

You knew it wasn’t real, it couldn’t be. But the hallucination had been right anyway.

The sound of the door opening had your head turning, but your mind still hadn’t left its dark corner.

“Hey,” Sam greeted, and even though the door was only open a little, you could see Dean standing behind him. That only lasted for a moment before Sam squeezed himself into your room and shut the door behind him. “How are you?”

“He doesn’t want to see me?” Your eyes remained glued to the door where Dean had been standing, even as you sat up.

“What?” Sam frowned. “Of course he does, I just…I wanted to check with you first. Are you gonna be ok to see him?”

You nodded. “If…” you were suddenly nervous at the thought of seeing Dean after everything. “If he wants to.”

“Of course he does. Why wouldn’t he?”

Shame bubbled up in you as you thought about the past few weeks, and you ducked your head, unwilling to answer Sam’s question. He didn’t push it; instead, he turned to go, leaving the door open so that Dean could take his place.

“Hey sweetheart,” Dean greeted gently, and you heard rather than felt your breath pick up at the sound of his voice. You kept your eyes downcast.

What did Dean think of you? You remembered how disappointed and angry he had been with Sam when Sam had gotten hooked on demon blood. Would Dean hate you now? Would he finally see you as the burden you’d always been, now that you didn’t have powers anymore?

“Sweetheart, would you look at me?” When your eyes met his, you saw not anger or disappointment, but sadness. That was too much for you. The tears came suddenly and soundlessly. “Oh, kiddo…” Dean sighed, reaching his hands out to comfort you. However, you’d spent too much time with the rough, angry demon Dean to see comfort in his hands. When you flinched back, Dean stopped immediately, returning his hands to his sides. “I’m sorry, I…” Dean’s voice cracked. “I didn’t come here to scare you, I just wanted to apologize. I know that doesn’t make up for what I did, but…but I wanted you to know.”

You looked up suddenly, not surprised but doubtful. You’d expected an apology from Dean, but you hadn’t expected it to sound quite so sincere; you’d expected underlying disappointment at least.

“You…” you swallowed. “You’re not upset with me?”

“With you?” Dean was confused. “Why would I be upset with you?”

You ducked your head as the tears returned.

“I-I was weak,” you choked out. “I’m still weak.”

“Hey, hey.” Dean tilted your chin up with his fingers, his hands as gentle as could be on your skin. “None of this—not one bit—was your fault. I did this to you, and I don’t blame you, not for a second. Understand?”

You were shaking your head.

“I-I should’ve—“

“There was nothing you coulda done to stop me,” Dean said, self-loathing lacing his every word. “And I know how impossible it is to stop on your own after you’ve started, I’d never blame you for getting addicted.”

You stayed silent as you processed his words. Once you had, you felt the need to speak again.

“I don’t blame you either,” you insisted. “You weren’t the same—demon you. It wasn’t anything like you, it wasn’t your fault.”

Dean looked dubious, but he also didn’t bother to argue. Comfortable silence reigned for several minutes before he spoke again.

“How do you feel?”

“Starving,” you answered honestly, to which Dean smiled.

“You wanna take a little trip? You and me, I’ll take you to get some food.”

The idea of Dean bundling you into the Impala and driving off—without Sam nonetheless—had terror gripping your heart, accelerating its pace. You didn’t blame Dean for what he’d done, but the memories were still all too fresh.

“Or,” Dean countered, instantly noting your panicked expression. “Or I could go and get something to bring back, and you, me, and Sammy could have a movie night?”

You nodded—that sounded perfect. Dean was just turning to go when you stopped him.

“Dean? Does…is there any part of you that wishes I’d stayed that way?”

“What way?” Dean’s brows drew together, whether in concern or confusion you couldn’t tell. “You mean, addicted to demon blood?”

“I just mean…” you struggled to force the words out. “I mean…useful.”

Deans face fell, and you regretted asking.

“What?”

“I-I mean, I don’t really do anything around here. At least then, I—“

“Stop.” You weren’t sure if it was the seriousness of his tone, or the fact that you’d spent the last few weeks obeying his every word, but you shut up immediately when Dean spoke. “I want you to listen to me very carefully,” Dean said slowly and deliberately, and again you stayed obediently silent. “Nothing about what I did to you was good, ok? And you are not useless. Actually,” Dean waved his hand in front of his face dismissively. “Forget about use. Sam was right, you’re not some tool, ok? You’re important to us, and not because of what you can do. But even if it was about that, you do so much for us. You’ve been with me and Sammy through everything, and that matters way more than you moving stuff with your mind, ok?”

Despite the tears that were still falling, you felt a smile tug at your lips.

“Ok, Dean.”

“Ok,” Dean said with a firm nod. “Go find Sam, and I’ll head out for food.”

You stood almost mechanically and headed for the door without a word. Dean recognized your stance with a silent horror.

“Hey,” Dean’s voice was shaky as he reached out and grabbed your hand. “That…it wasn’t an order, ok? I’m not making you anything, I—“

“I know,” you interrupted, understanding his horror. “It’s just…habit, I-I guess. Shut up and obey, you know?” You wished you hadn’t added that last part when you saw Dean stiffen ever so slightly, swallowing hard.

“I’m so—“

“Don’t apologize again,” you pleaded. “I forgive you, ok? I-I guess I just need to unlearn some things.”

Dean nodded, but you could tell he was still beating himself up inside. You took two strides and reached him, pulling him into an embrace. His arms enveloped you entirely, and you realized that you’d forgotten how much you missed him.

“Tell me if I can help with that, ok?” He said.

“Ok,” you promised. “Now go get me some food, I’m starving.”

Dean’s chest rumbled next to your ear as he chuckled.

“Yes ma’am.”

Taglist:

@mrvlxgrl @nyotamalfoy @chocorade @inlovewhithafairytale @aestheticdaisies @that-wannabe-vangoghgurl

Fic Taglist:

@just-levyy @mfstargirlsworld

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hi! Have you seen the new Mickey Mouse Rebrushed trailer??? Twitter is goin crazy over it and how it’s related to twst 😭 just wanted to hear your thoughts on it

I did spot quite a few parallels with TWST from the Rebrushed trailer! I'm not familiar with Epic Mickey at all, so I'll just be commenting on what I noticed right away. You'll have to excuse my limited knowledge.

Firstly!! This design of Mickey is the exact same as the one we see in TWST. Most noticeable is his white face, which is a fleshy peach color in most modern iterations.

Mickey is reading Alice in Wonderland’s sequel, Through the Looking Glass. Of course, Twisted Wonderland has Wonderland in its title, and even opens with an Alice in Wonderland inspired dorm. Yuu and Mickey also connect via their dreams and through the mirror shared in their rooms.

The theme of dreams is very present and upfront here; Mickey wakes up from sleeping and then creeps to his mirror, which appears to be a portal into another world. Hmm... dreams, mirrors, and traveling to other worlds, now what does that remind you of? You'll also notice that Mickey's room is the exact same as Yuu's room in Ramshackle, right down to the "inverted" room that appears when Mickey passes through the mirror. Everything up until this point is very similar to what is depicted in the 1936 short, Thru the Mirror.

Next, Mickey spies on a wizard carefully using a magic paintbrush over what seems to be a diorama of a bunch of buildings on a plot of land. When the wizard leaves, Mickey fiddles with the paintbrush, causes a mess, and calls forth some kind of black ink monster with green light coming from within it. This seems to be a very close parallel to Overblots, particularly since the most recent OB has a signature neon green color. If we really are to connect Epic Mickey to TWST, this scene also seems to allude that Yuu, Mickey, and/or the "wizard" have parts to play in bringing these Overblots to life. And who do we know that is a powerful wizard that is aware of the corrupting power of blot and runs a large chunk of land... say, a campus? Crowley. This goes hand-in-hand with the theory that Crowley is intentionally allowing these OBs to happen or is even puppeteering his students into OBing.

I find this visual in particular to be very ominous; again, we have the colors that match a certain OB dragon fae but also the map itself reminds me of Twisted Wonderland's and the eerie visual of Malleus's thorns digging into Sage's Island and aiming to go way beyond it.

Anyway, the ink monster is temporarily contained while Mickey returns to his own world. We then get a montage of various Mickey media passing by, as well as a lot of imagery that would imply the passage of time (clocks, the date on the calendar changing, etc.). So... what? Is that implying not only parallel worlds, but also a time skip? Or maybe a time... loop? Like time loop theory???

The ink monster somehow eventually escapes and makes it to Mickey's world, with the blot dripping from the ceiling waking Mickey up from his sleep. It drags Mickey away into a hole drenched in ink. Kind of foreboding when you realize Yuu has also had prophetic dreams... Not of OBs, but of the events leading up to them. And being dragged away into an inky... opening? Like an... abyss? Like book 7, Ruler of the ABYSS?

That's how the trailer concludes!! Gotta say, there's definitely a lot of shared elements between this and TWST. If I recall correctly, Epic Mickey was a game that existed on the Wii waaay before TWST. It even has largely the same cinematic trailer (just with older graphics), so to me it feels like TWST probably took inspiration from Epic Mickey rather than the other way around. There are definitely too many parallels for it to be a coincidence. If that's the case, then we can probably pull some hints for what awaits us in the rest of book 7 from these cinematics. (This is a video comparing the two side-by-side if you think that might be of use!)

[yuurei20]

Grim Info Compilation part 6: Grim and the Prefect

Our first impression of Grim is his attempts to steal clothes from one of the sleeping students-to-be of Night Raven College.

He chases the prefect throughout the school demanding their clothing, until he is captured by Crowley.

He insists on taking the prefect’s place at the school as he can use magic. He is ejected from campus only to immediately return.

When asked if he believes himself to be the owner and the prefect to be the pet he responds, ‘of course,” which also comes up in Glorious Masquerade.

Upon realizing that the prefect has the ability to free him from his contract with Azul in Book 3 Grim says, “for the first time, I think I’m ready to recognize you as our prefect.”

Grim insists on sitting next to the prefect during Glorious Masquerade because “someone’s gotta look after ‘em,” and becomes distressed when it appears that the prefect may be harmed by the fire lotuses later on.

Grim will sometimes elude to playing games and watching movies with the prefect, saying more than once that he wants them to hurry back to the dorm to spend time together.

Grim is proud of how good the prefect looks in their outfit for Firelit Sky ( “That’s MY hench-human, after all”), asking them to buy him a toy from the marketplace.

The prefect’s participation in the exhibition match at the end of Book 2 is cut short by Grim striking them in the head with a Spelldrive disc.(While in-game Grim does not seem particularly concerned, novel-Grim is apologetic.)

Grim has a voice line of, “Spendin’ time with you ain’t half bad. So, uh…stick around, okay?”, and Grim’s jealousy of the prefect’s fondness for Stitch is a running theme in the “Lost in the Book with Stich” event.

Grim seems to greatly regret attacking the prefect at the end of Book 5, apologizing repeatedly once he has been saved.

[lineffability]

London, Soho, AZ Fell’s Bookshop, 1941

“That’s the trouble with you lot, you tend to see things in black and white. Sometimes, you just gotta blur the edges.”

“Well, maybe there is something to be said for… shades of gray?”

Their glasses clinked.

“Well, shades of dark gray,” Crowley corrected, and the ease crept back into their conversation along with the little correction, leaving the emotional vulnerability under the table, where the photograph rested on Aziraphale's thigh.

“Shades of a very light gray, I rather fancy.” Aziraphale smiled into his glass, preparing for their disagreement to turn into a full-blown silly discussion on color theory. Which it did. 

While their aesthetic discrepancies about various shades of gray were being discussed at length and in oral treatises, the angel and the demon were very much on the same page when it came to wine, and the drinking of it. They had not over-indulged, not tonight, but were emptying the bottle between them slowly and comfortably, having settled into a conversation of the same kind. The virtues of mixing colors, all that. It came to them easily, the debating, each fending for the role they had been assigned. 

“Of course, take too many colors and you just end up with a sort of brown-gray sludge,” Crowley said now, and made a face. “Bit like the walls of hell.”

This was the wrong term to drop so carelessly, on a night such as this, and the lapis-lazuli dreams of Aziraphale’s mind were washed right down the drain, where they traveled until they turned into a sort of brown-gray sludge and dripped onto the road to hell, which matched the walls in color. Hell, where Crowley had almost ended up tonight, and not to pay a friendly visit with a report card.

“Crowley, what would have… If they’d taken the photograph, what would have happened to you?”

Aziraphale had turned the page and stumbled upon a new chapter of their conversation, pricking himself on the safety pin that kept the messy draft of the novel of Them all in one tidy place. This was uncharted territory, both of their relationship and of his heart. Aziraphale really, really terribly loved a good story with a happy ending. Shame if it were to be cut short, finished before its time. But where was it headed? The proof was in the pudding. (A good kind of sludge, with a more pleasant color.) There were no instructions, not on the pudding box and not in the first and second and hundredth drafts of their millions of stories. Aziraphale was scared, he realized, of the open-endedness. 

He looked nervously at Crowley, for a moment, before his eyes flitted away. 

“Eehhhh,” Crowley said. “Eh. Dunno. Y'know. Bad stuff. Good at that , they are.”

Crowley wouldn’t answer him, Aziraphale realized. At least not properly. The demon began blubbering away now, about the creativity of hell, trying to work his way back to the topic of colors along the sludgy walls of hell and likely succeeding, but Aziraphale wasn’t really listening anymore.

Aziraphale didn’t say he was scared. He even tried not to show it. He’d shown too much, already, tonight. And look where it had gotten them, all this emotion. They were safe now, yes, but Crowley had risked too much for him today – and too many other days and nights, as well. It was all his fault. And he kept doing it, too, purposely even, sometimes (though not tonight) and it was so terribly selfish of him. 

Crowley’s safety was more important to him than anything else. 

And he was its biggest threat. 

They couldn’t keep doing this. Not after tonight. Not after Crowley had tread on hallowed ground for his sake; after Crowley had held a gun to his face, shaking, pleading no; after Crowley had almost gotten dragged down to hell for trusting an angel. Not after Aziraphale had realized that he– how much Crowley meant to him, and how much losing him would tear a hole into the very fabric of his being. Not the loss of his corporation – though that was its own kind of terror and a cause of many past nightmares – but the loss of him, Crowley, his very being. No more Crowley ever again, not in this body or any next. The thought had been so terrifying he'd rejected it immediately, and shut it away, but it was back now, a monster not constrained by drawers or cages of the mind. He'd realized there was no Aziraphale without Crowley, not really. And he couldn’t imagine it. But to keep him safe, to truly keep him safe–

“It’s getting awfully late. Maybe you should leave, now.”

–he needed to stay away. 

“Eh?” 

“I said it’s late, and I’m ti– tired… and– you should probably leave. We’ve spent– too much time together, today, have we not?” He tried to laugh, nervously, and Crowley furrowed his brows. 

He got up anyway, abruptly and a little stiffly. “If that’s what you want, angel.”

It’s not what I want at all. “Yes.”

Aziraphale got up, as well, pushing his chair into the table and following Crowley to the door. The demon was walking briskly, but stopped short before reaching the exit. Aziraphale came up to his side, looking torn, and lifted a hand as if to hold him. He, too, stopped short before making contact. Let it drop.  

“Angel,” Crowley started, but obviously didn’t know where to go with the words. What’s going on? The sudden change had thrown him off, and yet he was beginning to realize, slowly, what might have caused it. The worry in Aziraphale’s eyes was telling. 

“I can’t have you risking your life for me,” Aziraphale said now, very quietly. 

Crowley exhaled through his nostrils. We’ve both been risking our lives for each other for a very long time , he wanted to say. Wonder why that is? He said nothing. He didn’t want to think about the answer to that question, either. 

Aziraphale looked at him, and there was something in that look, in that god-unforsaken gaze , that tore at Crowley’s insides, and he leaned forward: just a bit. And Aziraphale didn’t draw back. They stayed like that for a moment entirely too long for it to mean anything but one thing, but neither closed what little distance remained between them. 

It was Crowley who turned away. 

“Good night, angel,” he murmured, and Aziraphale only registered the sound of the little door bell as the Bentley was already roaring to life.

He stood there, alone, for several more moments, grappling with what had not happened, before he returned to the back room, where the photograph lay on the table, mocking him and his silly little human feelings. He didn’t want to look at it. 

He should destroy it. Wasn’t that the right thing? The only thing? But Crowley’s absence hurt (already, already it hurt) and... what if he followed through and kept him at an arm’s length? What if nights like these were no longer possible? At least not until things had cooled down, one way or another. A few decades, maybe. 

But he couldn't do it. Couldn’t bear it. 

He pocketed the picture, carefully, in his waist coat. He suddenly felt like crying. Instead, he wandered into the shop, sat down at his desk, and opened a book. Paradise Lost. How wonderfully ironic. 

He kept reading until dusk, and longer still, and when the little bell chimed again, announcing a brave and forlorn customer, Aziraphale slid the photograph between the pages, and closed the book, and got up with a smile. 

[mrghostrat]

OK IM ANSWERING ASKS!! open for some delightful streamer au headcanons

Anonymous asked:

ohh y'all mentioned how crowley / aziraphale would react to edits and ... oh god the chaos of a media share stream crowley would ABSOLUTELY be swarmed with simping clips, no matter how good he thinks he is at copyright striking oh and song requests after singing reveal oh ANDDD things in French that are just. vile (complementary) he would probably not do media shares for a looooooong while after that lmao

this has such chat jukebox energy oh my god. i love media streams, they're insanity, which makes them perfect for crowley.

and poor sod, when he finally thinks he's escaped the last of the simp clips, chat starts sending him seemingly "innocuous" songs to play. good old fashioned lover boy. pale blue eyes. a nightingale sang. HMMM there seems to be a theme here........

@genderlessjacky asked:

okay okay "How Long Can We Protect Aziraphale From Dying game" is amazing , love it , no criticisms at all . but what if we go the other way Aziraphale is a GOD at COD or Halo or whatnot lets just say before he became a cozy streamer , he used to play like a crapton of shooter games when he was younger or when they came out and played them for YEARS in his younger ages until he got bored and started baking and reading and stuff , discovered it was his passion and continues doing it , streams it ectect and when this happens everyone expects like "Omg he is gonna get killed in the first 5 seconds but ends up carrying the entire team to victory and everyone is like "WHAT." so confused that this innocent , plump old angelic man who cooks and reads and barates anyone who swears , got 20 kills in a row in COD?? while not swearing and barating anyone in chat who does?? is my life a lie???????? Bonus : Crowley , Anathama and Newton had no knowledge of this. at all. like he just assumed that they already knew he was really good at this and when they ask him ab it he goes like "hm? i thought you already knew?" and the others going "WELL CLEARLY NOT."

aziraphale is a man of many talents 😂 i personally can't picture him enjoying games that revolve around killing and hurting people, but i love when he can constantly surprise everyone and crowley with out of pocket talents and hobbies ehehehe

Anonymous asked:

I would like to suggest the Western Hognose as a most patient and cuddly snake to be delivered during snake delivery, they are funky little tubes with no neck and cute upturned snoots

UGH THEY'RE SO CUTE I WANNA KISS EM. i drew crowley's snake as a big black python but now i can't stop imagining him with a little guy that hides up his sleeve while he games and is small enough that people might not notice it immediately......... aziraphale's hand reaching into frame with a guy wrapped around it, and they just kind of sit there half holding hands while they wait for the snake to slither from one wrist to another.

Anonymous asked:

Your art inspires a hc…. Someone (Crowley, probably) gets Aziraphale a pair of purple round glasses and when the do streams together they match

omg aziraphale with blue light glasses that look like his little reading glasses from the show 🥺

@samsteacup asked:

So Streamer AU won't leave my mind. So I gotta share this. I understand if you don't put it into your ff, it's your story but your followers might enjoy it. :D 1. Aziraphale collaborates in Crowley's stream where they wanna play a game. (some shooter) and they set up Aziraphale character together but Aziraphale spends way too long to perfect him. Crowley is all patient and all and then when they start playing Aziraphale just can't handle the controls for the love of god. So Crowley helps him and it's a fucking disaster, he's furiously protecting Aziraphale in game while simultaneously trying to explain to him what to do. But Crowley is incredibly patient, even when they lose because Aziraphale accidentally shoots someone from their own team. The chat loses it because he usually is so short tempered in streams. Aziraphale is still a bit overwhelmed and frustrated that he completely ignores the chat. Which is good because people are shipping them to death and writing the wildest (naughtiest) theories of what already happened to make Crowley so gentle and patient. So Crowley just bans them all. 2. Another collaboration but this time on Aziraphale's channel. They are baking Christmas cookies together while talking about the holidays, gift buying, songs and other cute traditions/Christmas memories. While preparing the dough Crowley is a bit too aggressive while kneeding the wet with the dry ingredients and he gets a cloud of flour into his face. Aziraphale chuckles and cleans his face with some wash cloth. They continue baking and having a great time. Though Crowley constantly steals the leftover dough from Aziraphale, after he punches out the forms with the cutter. While waiting for the cookies to bake and cool, they start making the icing and drink wine. Crowley kinda overdoes it with the wine and gets a bit tipsy. So at some point he just dips his finger in icing and holds it to Aziraphale's face, who gets all flustered but eventually eats the icing of Crowley's finger. (Which will definitely not end up a GIF that forever haunts both of them in their streams) When they finally start icing the cookies, Crowley is not just tipsy anymore but properly drunk. So half of the Santa cookies get penises or boobs or both. And Aziraphale just rolls his eyes, says "You're being silly" (yes, exactly in that voice!) and takes away the wine from Crowley.

what the fuck im so FED

crowley switching on his patience to help aziraphale in a new situation like 😭 "i won't leave you on your own"

IT SOUNDS LIKE CROWLEY JUST STRAIGHT UP FORGETS THEY'RE LIVE and gets caught up just havin a fun time oh my lord!! 😭😭😭

@squirrellegion26 asked:

hiiiiii hi hi SIR IM ADDRESSING UR STREAMER AU. im in love with itttttt buttt what if what if what if crowley’s head pops up in one of azi’s streams like a frickin cat over the counter and chat is like “ohhh myyy goodness he’s adorable!!!” and azi’s like “oh, hello, my dear” and then crowley’s like “see ya peace” and then slinks back to whatever dark hole he slithered out of anyway SO MUCH LOVE TO UR AU I LOVE IT I CANT WAIT UNTIL UR FIC COMES OUT I LOVE U OKAY BYR

thpfht it's giving

Anonymous asked:

I just found your good omens streamer au and I'm instantly obsessed, I love the concept and ideas so much. This scenario instantly came into my head aswell and I wanted to share!! Like Crowley just did a really long stream and wants to go sleep and doesn't end up fully stopping the stream by accident, so the viewers see him after he thinks he ended stream and he just calls out "Angel, I need hugs now" and just walks off without knowing the stream is still going. And everyone in chat goes crazy trying to let anyone know the stream is still going but also with the fact they saw Crowley switch to his soft side so quickly!! And either Anathema calls Crowley to tell him it's still going and he runs back cursing to turn it off... OR...Aziraphale goes into the room to maybe collect the mug of coffee he made for Crowley and finds the stream still going and the chat going MAD over it trying to get his attention but also freaking out that it's Aziraphale.

oh lord have mercy on m for all this second hand anxiety but

you GOT ME with the mask switching from streamer mode to soft tired angel hugs mode, i'm punching myself in the face

i imagine that footage of aziraphale walking onto crowley's room for mug collection is like cryptid footage that occasionally circulates the gossip subreddits even after crowley has deleted the vod

Anonymous asked:

i literally just found your streamer AU and i have read EVERY MORSEL YOU HAVE ABOUT IT. i am so excited to read the fic when you’re finished with it! all i can think about is Aziraphale sliding things under Crowleys door if its locked while he’s streaming. and its the most random things every time, and of course it gets turned into a compilation posted somewhere. i just think that idea is silly. AGAIN I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS AND EVERYTHING YOU SHARE ABOUT IT!! 💕

hthfph THANK YOU FOR SHARING HEADCANONS i mean it, it's so fun and silly and i love that everyone is getting into this together ✨

[ineffabildaddy]

6, 8, and 21 for the soft asks <3

omg hiii hehehe

6. say three nice things about yourself (three physical and three non-physical)

oh god okay, physical: my tattoos are sick, my beard's coming along nicely, and ermmm i'm stacked in the back lmfao

non-physical: i try to be a friendly person, i'm very organised and clean at work which i'm proud of, anddd i'd like to think i know a good amount about music

8. tag someone (or multiple people) who make you feel good

this bit's gna be long so i'll put it under the cut dlfjlkdg

@raining-stars-somewhere-else he's an inactive king atm but he's my bestie and i love him<3 so so hilarious and observant and talented and kind. he's my dude and he means a lot to me go away

@sad-chaos-goblin i feel like i can be totally insane around you and you'll get on my wavelength immediately, it's amazing dlkkkljgfjkld. also i feel really lucky to be friends with someone so well-rounded and driven and fun, not to mention compassionate<3 i'm really really lucky to have met you and i hope we get to do irl adventures in the nearish future!!! until then we're great friends from afar!!!

@omens-for-ophelia we're just perfectly matched for our headcanons and kinks and shit and i absolutely love it. u get me, i get u, we get each other on this front and on many others!!! ur an extremely nurturing person too. i also love having u around bc ur full of fun facts and passion and energy, and of course ur art is absolutely incredible, i'm scratching at the walls just thinking about it dklkjldfgjkl. can't wait to create more absolutely feral works of crowley and aziraphale [redacted] in various ways hahahhkshjdf. and also hopefully have some london hangouts soon<3

@queer-reader-07 of course i've gotta mention ya because you're one of my fave blogs! i feel so warm and welcome reading all your posts and tags because you're a very lovely individual, and you've also got so many valuable things to say and i really look forward to seeing your takes on everything<3 also as i said before ur a very funny person and i enjoy that heh. i always get so excited when u pop up in my notifs i'm like little old me????

@foolishlovers bestie your writing makes me so happy but chatting and things makes me even happier<3 you're a really enthusiastic friend to have and you've got so many wonderful qualities that i just wanna share the love as much as possible hehe. i'm very glad we're doing shhh it's a secret together and that we've become close in general uwu

@crowleyslvt ur a little lad who's always got something hilarious and insightful to say about literally anything i come to u with, whether it's fkn silly memes or an existential crisis lol. you have such a unique way of looking at the world and i really enjoy it. also having a giggle with u is always top tier and on top of that ur a very supportive king<3 and of course u writing's delish at all times in any context

@voluptatiscausa i can literally tell you my most redacted thoughts and you'll be like yeah this is just another day at the office dkffjddgl. you're a silly and goofy guy (gn) who's simultaneously very easy to open up to which is always a comfort<3 the fact that we both like mitchell and webb makes us collectively Not Like Other Girls and we need to capitalise on that more tbh. also i greatly enjoy ur writing ofc

@bowtiepastabitch you're jokes. also we're very different and yet somehow the same brand of fucked up which i love<3 the lore could not be more disparate but the vibes could not be more immaculate. pls continue to be my friend smh

some more legends i love @crowleyholmes @fearandhatred @crowleys-bentley-and-plants @celestialcrowley @sabotage-on-mercury @quoththemaiden @ineffable-rohese @crawley-fell

21. if you could tell your past self one thing, what would it be?

probably this - one day you're going to start sticking up for yourself, i promise<3

[your-fave-adopted-you]

twst teachers as your dad!(+Crowley)

The news were devastating, after all the efforts to bring you home, it finally became official : you could never return to your world, and your new home consisted on a magical institution and the friends you made along the way <\3

As sad as these news were for you, some teachers who had grown fond of you have waited for this moment, in hopes of adopting you (and keeping you safe from Crowley too, ofc)

1.Dire Crowley-

Had to fist fight Crewel for this to happen.

Has been planning on adopting you since week 1 (thus the lack of interest on bringing you back)

Bought custome matching pajamas with "the handsome man beside me is my dad" and "the kid beside me is the luckiest dad-haver ever" written on them.

No kidding, this was his way of celebrating your # 1st adoption anniversary.

A weird guy.

Invites you to very fancy family (of two) dinners, brings Pepsi with him and drinks it in front of everyone.

Also loves ordering whatever is currently the most expensive item of food at burguer King.

God forbid any male student looking your way ( very unfortunate because there's no actual female students)

If you are queer you would live in fear of telling him, but not because you think he's homophobic, but because you wouldn't be able to talk to anyone.

Not if you're a lesbian tho. that would be a blessing in his eyes. (he wouldn't let you out of school)

Encourages you to be your gothest self every day.

Tries to bribe the teachers to score you perfect grades.

Never works.

Tries to guiltrip you by saying that you would prefer Crewel as a father rather than him.

When you say "actually, yeah" he bursts in tears, like, ugly sobbing.

This is a common occurrence, every 4-6 days or so.

That's why you end up telling him that.

Not the best father but in this world full of magic and dangers you won't have the need to worry even once.

2.Divus Crewel-

Had to beat Crowley up for this multiple times.

Because before signing all the paperwork he kept on insisting you to reconsider.

And boy was he persistent.

Unlike Crowley, Crewel was actually concerned for you.

"Okay so this kid has lost any chance of seeing their og. family again if they have one, and their friends. maybe they had a pet???"

Whether you are of age or happen to be the independent type, he still takes those feelings into account.

That said

Prepare to become a fashion model.

Your new dad loves dressing up.

He asks you what kind of fashion do you incline towards and buys you lots of outfits.

If you never were the fashionista type or you just don't care about your appearance, he'll just have you dress like him.

And as a teacher.

Does he give you a special treatment? yep.

Does this mean extra work every day? also yes.

He's more forgiving with your other classes as long as you pass

But- if you are his kid- you HAVE TO be top student in science and potionology.

So whenever you don't get a perfect score he will flood you with extra work until you get everything right.

Also will always get you the best partners for his class.

He doesn't care who you date, but if they hurt you ... there will be consecuences.

Overall a pretty solid dad. A little strict and materialistic at times but i mean, at least he's not Crowley.

3.Mozus Trein

This man is not a dad. he's a certified Father.

Probably a grandpa already (?)

Maybe not in canon but, this man has basically three kids (yes I'm counting the cat)

His two actual kids however are around the age of Crewel if not just a few years younger.

He's been straight up suffering of empty nest syndrome for a long time.

He won't admit it tho.

This is why he initially takes interest on being your legal tutor.

(he thinks Crewel would be too superficial and could turn you like him.

he also doesn't want you to live like you're in the military, if Ashton adopted you,

and c'mon he's gotta keep you safe from Crowley.)

So, in his eyes, he's literally the only right option available.

Once he speaks his mind not even Crowley complains.

They are SHOCKED that this tired old man wants to take care of another kid.

When you come to his place for the long weekend, you are horrified at the specific old-wood smell that fills the house.

It's the furniture. This old, reddish dark, polished wood. around every corner.

His cat loves you already.

As a teacher, he's very much like Crewel.

He makes sure regularly that you remember what he taught you by randomly pop-quizzing you

You end up dreaming about history.

If you're queer and want to come out to him, i mean, he's not homophobic but he is very much and old man. yk.

If you're gay he's gonna tell you "but what is wrong with men/women?"

If you're bi/pan however, "could you be as ambitious when studying, please?"

If you're aro/ace he'll just be like. "i do understand you, really, but aren't you too young for this?"

He's not judging honestly.

He's not trying either.

Gives the best relationship advice having watched all the romantic disasters his older kids already went through.

Will teach you manners.

4. Ashton Vargas.

He adopted you because he really felt bad for you with all this "loosing where i belong, the people i love, the places i know" thing.

This kinda stuff can bring the best man down.

He won't let it happen!!

And you're so ridiculously out of shape!! he knows none of his colleagues would help you with that. He also doesn't think leaving you to Crowley is safe so.

Now you're his kid.

Wakes you up everyday at 5am for a morning jog to "start the engines" so you do better in school.

Doesn't let you eat anything from the cafeteria.

He meal preps once a week so now you will be eating slightly cooked veggies, eggs and non-spiced chicken everyday.

If you're vegan you will be eating a ridiculous high amount of legumes. half the timed they're just boiled and unsalted.

Will be a competitive dad. I mean, he will make everything a competition. who will wash the dishes faster? who will get to the bottom of the stairs first?

If you play competitive sports with him prepare to be absolutely destroyed.

But

If you're in any type of competition that he has trained you for, and you win, he will cry literal tears.

Of pride and happiness ofc

You do so much better in his classes now because you've being training 24/7

He won't ever say a thing about your crushes or partners unlike the others, even if he sees the red flags

Because he thinks it's better if you learn this kind of thing on your own, the hard way.

If you have an uterus and suffer from bad period cramps this man will research the whole market as well as natural and magical remedies because nothing should interfere with the grind 💪

[phantomram-b00]

Okay I gotta cut back on my spoilers since a family member I know is watching season 2 is so to keep my hyperfixation and brainrotting still functioning, I wanna share some headcanon:

(Warning that some might contain spoilers for season 1 or at least vague ones at that so spoiler warning ahead)

- Maggie reads coffee shop au or coffee shop romance books way before meeting Nina (who just so happen to own a coffee shop)

- Nina the type to tease in both banter or in a romantic manner.

- Crowley while don’t completely believe in astrology still loves to read about them and just to tease Aziraphale say “that is very much *insert Aziraphale’s zodiac sign* behavior Angel”.

- The Them and Anathema (plus Newton) still hang out and to this day talk about the almost apocalypse and wondering how Crowley and Aziraphale are doing

-Maggie and Aziraphale occasionally hang out and talk about either music or life. (Bonus if Aziraphale talk to Maggie about Crowley as Maggie search up “how to tell your friend they’re gay?”)

-Crowley stargazes either by himself or bring Aziraphale with him, and whenever Azirapahle talk about the stars being pretty, Crowley look at Aziraphale agreeing and/or whenever Crowley talk about the stars and funfact about them aziraphale look at him and listen with a smile.

- Nina hums while making coffee

- Nina secretly been wanted to get a gramophone or a Jukebox to play either at home or at her shop

- Heaven and Hell are still frazzled thag Aziraphael and Crowley still survived after their “executions” and even still talk about it to this day.

-Crowley replays what Gabriel told Aziraphale during the bodyswap episode in his mind (and given what I understand most likely never told Aziraphale what Gabriel said)

-Aziraphale bought a rubber duck for jokes and it either inside his bathroom or on his nightstand.

-Nina would sometimes check out the bookshop

-Adam still uses his powers but try not to do something big to alert either his parents or heaven or hell in case of another Armageddon.

-Anathema and Newton are engaged but had to wait as the pandemic happen.

-Aziraphale secretly miss whenever Crowley have long hair.

-Crowley secretly miss his long hair but doesn’t want to deal with the tangles (relatable)

-The them still go on adventures and still spend time with Adam even with school going on.

-the them for sure own discord and would video call each other to keep each touch, update and also have their laughs. (Bonus is that they matching pfp)

-Aziraphale sings at the comfort of his own home or while cleaning.

-Aziraphale/Crowley use any pronouns, they don’t mind being called he/him, she/her, they/them or whatnot.

-Crowley once made flower crown for Aziraphale and he (Aziraphale) love it that he does it occasionally.

Most likely have more but that all I can think off 🤭 hehehehe

[edosianorchids901]

Don't Stop Me Now

@flashfictionfridayofficial prompt - "gotta go fast"

“Oh! Do be careful!” Aziraphale clutched his hands together, nervous even after all these years of Crowley’s driving. “Crowley, what are you doing?”

Crowley wrenched the Bentley in between two cars and flashed him a brilliant grin. “Driving.”

“You are absolutely ridiculous, my dear.” With a huff, Aziraphale grabbed the picnic basket before it could go hurtling off into the depths of the vehicle. Crowley seemed utterly devoted to going as fast as possible whenever he drove. “You do realize these speeds aren’t necessary?”

“Come on! It’s fun, yeah?”

“No!”

Crowley raced down the road anyway, and it was all Aziraphale could do not to laugh with delight. This reckless driving made him anxious, yes, but it was also deeply thrilling. Much more thrilling than an angel ought to admit, even if that angel was retired.

The grin on Crowley’s face made Aziraphale feel truly reckless, too. It brought to mind all of the silly things he’d imagined doing over the course of their long, long friendship. The new desires had built slowly, at first so absurd that Aziraphale had dismissed them as the product of stress.

Now that they were free, though, he found it rather harder to resist any of other urges. This picnic was just the latest he’d finally given into.

“Whooo-eee, that was great!” Still grinning, Crawley slammed on the brakes. The Bentley screeched to a halt on the grass, and Aziraphale laughed nervously. “You good, angel?”

“Well, rather horrified! You fiend, driving so fast.” Aziraphale pouted at his best friend. “One might think you were trying to give me a heart attack.”

“One might.” Crowley winked at him, a quick flutter of an eyelid behind the dark glasses. He kicked the door open, hopped out, and came around to Aziraphale’s side. “Come on.”

“You’re simply ghastly,” Aziraphale said, taking his outstretched hand with pleasure.

Crowley plucked the picnic basket from his hand, swinging it beside himself as they walked across the Downs. He looked remarkably pleased with himself, at peace, and it made Aziraphale feel even happier about this picnic. There was nothing more fun than happily arguing with Crowley about everything.

“There, that’s a terrific spot.” Crowley flicked his hand, and the picnic blanket laid itself out. The plate of sandwiches and the bottle of wine joined the blanket with a second miracle. “Wanna get really drunk?”

Aziraphale put on his best theatrically shocked face. “How could you propose such a thing?”

He, of course, happily matched Crowley in alcohol consumption. That was always quite fun. Drinking and eating together felt right, as well as being wonderfully relaxing.

And oh, how lovely it was to do so out in a green field, under the expansive sky. Clouds obscured the sun, but bits of blue peaked through in cheerful bursts of color. Butterflies flitted past, and birds sang in the nearby trees.

“Guhh, that hit the spot.” Crowley flopped back on the blanket, folding his arms behind his head and staring up at the sky. He had the rather sated look of one who has eaten and drank entirely too much, and was now on the verge of a nap.

Aziraphale did not want Crowley to take a nap. He moved closer, a bit unsteady himself, and prodded Crowley in the ribs. “Crowley.”

“Mm?”

“Don’t go to sleep yet. It’s picnic time, not nap time.” He poked Crowley again, ignoring the irritated hiss. “Up you get.”

Crowley freed one hand from under his head and shoved his sunglasses up far enough for a proper glare. “Up for wot.”

“For…” Oh. Aziraphale hadn’t thought of that. “For dancing!”

The words slipping out, but he refused to regret them. It was worth it simply for the shock in Crowley’s wide, drink-bleary eyes. “Dancing?”

“Yes! We’ve been having a picnic, and it’s fun, and I want to dance now.” Aziraphale prodded Crowley in the ribs until the demon knocked his hand away with an irritable growl. “Come now. Dancing time.”

“I thought you said it was picnic time.”

“It was. But now it’s dancing time!” Aziraphale put on his best pleading eyes. “Please, Crowley. I feel like doing something naughty, and I can’t do it alone.”

“I mean, you absolutely can.” But a grin was spreading across Crowley’s face now. He caught Aziraphale’s hand, stopping the next attempt at prodding him. “Look. We can dance if you’ll let me steal your lap for a pillow.”

Delighted, Aziraphale shook his hand vigorously. “You have a deal!”

He helped Crowley upright—the silly old serpent was indeed very drunk, and not quite as hardy as a Principality—and pulled him into a close hold. Crowley pressed his face into Aziraphale’s curls, inhaling deeply. “Do you have any idea at all how to dance?”

“Um. I know how to do the gavotte.” But that was the sort of dance that would certainly not be safe for his dearest friend. Crowley’s hips and legs failed him at the best of times, and he would be even more accident prone while drunk. “Perhaps we can just sort of, um… sway?”

Crowley snorted and pulled him into motion. It was certainly not a formal dance, no fancy steps or music or really much coordination.

But it was sweet and comfortable, and Aziraphale found himself relaxing into the simple movements. He and Crowley touched their foreheads together, at peace.

The drive, dancing, and picnic had all come about rather fast. Even the idea to dance had been sudden. But the dancing itself called for a slower, gentler pace, the sort of thing that they could simply enjoy together.

[lowkeyclueless5137]

Uhhh does Kalim get to name the snakes in Jamil’s hair in that one overblot AU where Overblot boys can just henshin into their overblot forms. Plus how awkward or weird does it get when random students just see their housewarden(or Vice for Scarabia) in their Overblot form cause they are deadbeat tired and just needed to get a coffee(maybe Tea for Riddle) from their dorm’s kitchen(maybe a very rare time both Idia and one random Ignihyde student just accidentally head out to the kitchen at the same time?), plus any other time when their housewarden(or vice for scarabia) doing something normal or average for them, yet are also in their overblot form for some reason too

Kalim definitely gave the snakes lil nicknames. They are mostly variations of Jamil, like: Jaila, Jam, Jilin, etc, mostly so they would sound similar. :'3

And definitely it was very AWKWARD! Like Deuce coming in late to the dorm and almost having a fucking heart attack when he sees a tired overBlot Riddle just sitting on a chair and waiting for his tea to be ready. Or sum random student accidentally stepping on a cranky Leona's tail and rn they are trying to make peace with their god as fast as possible. Azul, Jamil, Vil and Idia are actively trying to keep this on the low, which makes it rare for the awkward instances. At least Idia is matching with his parents and lil bro now

The Dormhead meetings! Oh dear, those are nasty! Everyone is just tired and so done with Crowley's bullshit. They wanna yeet crow man off the roof, but ya know, they gotta keep face since when they are in this state, even the slightest mistake can get them to be less trusted. And rn, all of them want to just simply lay in a comfy bed and rest without someone having their magic pen at their throat.

They also realise that they could also change their clothes, even if they revert back to normal post transformation. So imagine that chaos, ESPECIALLY, when someone brings it up that at least their costume looks cooler.

OverBlot Bois swapping their overBlot costumes. Think about that :v

[ferris-the-wheel]

Greetings mortal being tis i crow presidante!!

I must humbley request a co tinuation to m!yuu x Epel where perhaps reader visits (and maybe bribes Crowley into letting them stay during winter while also telling the momma he will make sure epel is doing well) and just dose everything he can to irk vil while there and being a country boy..?

Of course!! I'm going to enjoy this very much.

m!MC x Epel Felmier (part 2)

Info: This is after the VDC but before the events of Chapter 6 of the main storyline. Epel used his "I performed in the VDC" privileges to convince Crowley to let you visit for a week. Also, Eps is a nickname you use for Epel when you're alone.

TW: None

Now what? You were standing in the lounge of Pomefiore, but you had no idea what to do. You texted Epel in the meantime.

You: Eps, I'm waiting here for ya

Eps💜: Be there in a sec, Vil's bothering me.

You: Know when he'll stop?

Eps💜: Nope.

You sighed, putting your phone away. You contemplated looking around for him, but decided you'd get lost. Several Pomefiore students looked at you while coming and going, but an irritated frown sent them off quickly enough.

"Ah, Monsieur Sour Apple! I see you've arrived!" You knew that voice. You begrudgedly turned around. Rook was standing behind you with what seemed to be his signature smile.

"Yep, sure have. Say, d'you know where Epel is? He said he's havin' a chat with Vil or somethin'." You said. Rook shook his head. "Non, Monsieur Sour Apple, I'm afraid I have not. But I would be more than willing to stay with you until he arrives." He suggested. Well... it was rather awkward standing there by yourself.

"Ah s'pose." You said. "Ah've been runnin' all over hell's half acre tryna get ready for this lil' visit, Ah'd be grateful to rest my feet. I reckon Epel's gonna drag me 'round everywhere showin' me things." You added, laughing inwardly at Rook's confusion.

"Pardon?" He asked with a polite smile that portrayed his confusion. You grinned. "You ain't gotta worry 'bout it. It don' mean nothin'." Rook appeared to be satisfied with this answer and turned away. His face lit up with a smile a few moments later.

"Ah, Monsieur Cherry Apple, Roi du Poison, bonjour! I've been keeping our guest here entertained." He said pleasantly. You turned to see Epel walking toward you with a taller blonde guy (who you assumed was Vil). Vil had a regal vibe to him and a serious yet polite face to match.

"Hello. I assume you're Epel's friend that the headmage allowed to visit for the week." Vil said. You nodded, plastering a hearty grin on your face. If you were honest though, this guy was slightly intimidating. Vil gave a smile and turned to Epel.

"The room next to yours should be vacant, your friend can stay there for the duration of his stay." Vil said, then turned back to you. "Before I forget, what's your name?" He asked.

"Y/N L/N." You stated. "Yours?" You decided that you'd be polite. For now. Vil seemed to be amused. "I'm Vil Schoenheit. And beside you is Rook Hunt." He added, gesturing offhandedly to Rook. Rook looked pleased for some reason.

"Aight, well, Epel and Ah should get goin' then. Ain't got all day." You said with a shrug, shouldering your bag. You hadn't brought much since Epel had said that you'd be supplied clothes during your stay. You saw Epel eyeing Vil, who's smile had turned into a frown. Oh yeah, now you remembered. Epel had mentioned that Vil didn't like his accent. You were gonna have a lot of fun with this.

"C'mon, Epel. Let's get goin'." You said, looping your arm with his.

. . .

"Give it!" Epel demanded. You two were in his room, tousling around on his floor. You held a bottle of apple juice that you held just out of his reach. "Y/N!" He huffed. You blew a raspberry at him, shoving his face back with your free hand. One of his hands was reaching for the bottle while the other was trying to push your hand away.

"Epel, is everything—" Vil opened the door and stopped as he saw what was going on. "Epel..." He started. His face deadpanned. Epel took the moment to jump forward and grab the apple juice from your hand while you were distracted. "EH— give it back!" You chased after him as he ran around the room, dodging you.

"Epel!" Vil said loudly, causing both of you to stop mid-stride. He looked irritated now. "Eh— yes, Vil?" Epel asked. Vil gave an exasperated sigh. "What have I told you about rough housing? It messes up your hair." He said sternly. You snickered. "Eps' hair already looks like a rat nest anyhow. A bit of rough housin' won' make much of a difference, I reckon."

Epel swatted at you, then seemed to remember the bottle of juice in his hand. He put it down on his desk and turned to you with a scowl. "Yours don— doesn't look much better, you know." He countered. Vil seemed about ready to start yelling, but you'd spent enough time around him to know he cared too much about keeping his composure.

"Just fix your hair," Vil said to Epel. You thought of something quickly. While it would undoubtedly make Vil extremely mad, you wanted to see him lose his cool for once.

"Say, Vil, d'ya want some a this apple juice? It's healthy and don' have nothin' added to it. Jus' plain ol' apple juice." You offered, snatching the bottle from Epel. You opened the lid and extended the bottle to Vil. He looked suspiciously at you. "Epel, what ingredients do you use in the apple juice?" He asked finally.

"Just apples, Vil. My grandmother doesn't like any of those preservatives and stuff." Epel said. Vil turned back and looked at the bottle. He seemed dubious but nodded. "If it's true what Epel says, I suppose a little couldn't hurt."

You grinned like the innocent angel you are and went to hand him the bottle. Only, whoops, your foot happened to stumble over something, and you felt the open bottle leave your hands as you fell. Its contents spilled all over Vil's dorm uniform. Oops. If only you weren't so clumsy.

You saw Vil's face flush as the apple juice splattered onto his face, in his hair, and on his outfit. He could have shielded himself with magic, but he hadn't expected anything bad to happen. Who would've? Of course, it was entirely an accident, no chaos intended.

He didn't say anything (disappointingly), and he left the room, closing the door. As soon as he was sure that Vil was out of earshot, Epel burst into hysterics, rolling around on the floor. "Ah reckon that was the best thin' Ah've ever seen in my life!" He gasped.

"Ah thought he was gonna skin me alive with the look he had on 'im!" You said, also laughing. That made Epel laugh harder. You grabbed the nearly empty bottle and tossed it to him. He missed, and the bottle smacked him in the face (luckily, it wasn't glass). The remnants of the apple juice got on his face and his hair was already beginning to stick together.

"Aw, great, now Ah gotta shower before we head down for dinner." He complained, grabbing up the bottle and walking toward the door. "Would it make you feel better if I showered with you?" You teased. You dodged as the bottle flew past you, the door closing. Not before you caught the redness on his face.

Boo!! Omg, I'm finally done! It took so long to figure out what to do for this one, but @prolonged-eyecontact, thank you for the request, and I hope you like it! Feel free (for everyone) to send requests in whenever you like! They normally don't take this long, I swear!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this post! Have a nice day/night~~!! 🧡

[siphoklansan]

Umm I reread the rules and I can send multiple asks, so I'll probably send one or two more after this one (or maybe perpetually, I don't know myself well enough)

So if I'm able to ask all three, what're their thoughts on World of Unire?

Unfortunately, both Anan and Charin don’t play video games that much :,) Especially Anan! It’s not that he dislikes it or anything, he just has other interests. While Charin, he plays World of Unire sometimes when he’s in the mood! And Anan would sit beside him and crochet, so he knows a thing or two about World of Unire.

Charin’s favorite character is Airleas! Anan doesn’t know much, but he likes Brielle. He thinks she’s really pretty.

“WOU? Ah, yeah I know that game.” Charin says, a small smile on his lips “Very fun- I like the storyline. Too bad I don’t have that much time on my hands…I gotta grind some materials for Airleas soon, though.”

Anan paused at the question before answering, “I have seen Charin play it from time to time. I must say the game is quite interesting— the characters are very well written.”

As for Siphok, she can’t afford a proper device to play WOU😭 *cough Crowley doesn’t pay her enough cough* BUT she really likes Raisel! She finds Raisel absolutely adorable, and she’s powerful too. Siphok comes over to Anan & Charin’s dorm sometimes to log into her account and play. She gets so immersed in the game that she forgot to check the time!

cue Grim waiting for his can of tuna:

yeah I REALLY like Raisel! SHE JUST LOOKS SO CUTE I WANNA HOLD HER GENTLY EVEN THOUGH SHE CAN SNAP ME IN HALF IF SHE WANTED TO<333 hjskdhdjs I have to say that I still don’t know too much about WOU and how the game works, so I tried to remember the details from WOU’s account (Alaida Driscoll’s posts? Or the Unire secrets stuff and the characters’ VA) I also took a look at their designs to figure out who my OC would like. Charin looks like he’d get along with Airleas, that’s why I chose him 🕺 As for Anan, Brielle just…idk matches his energy? The both look stoic and stuff /pos. Idk how to explain it (;´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`)

OC INTERACTION EVENT: CLOSED

[fakesaintess]

His Body Is My Coffin

Chap Summary: "Why, yes! He did go here!" Lilia's smile is bright, contrasting to the news he's about to share, "Haven't you heard the ghost story about the boy who was killed here? That's him! You can even see some nicks in his ribs from the stab wounds!"

Chapter 2

With speed that could make track members envious, Epel's vice housewarden is up close and personal to Deuce. Looking at Deuce the way a scientist would observe a slide under a microscope, he circles around Deuce. "Très bien! You are a sight to be seen! Rook Hunt here to make your humble acquaintance."

Deuce tries to sidestep away from Rook but it does nothing as Rook moves with him. "Deuce Spade. Here to be called names by everybody apparently." He replies as he steps.

It does make sense that in Deuce's eyes he is being subjected to name calling, that Epel can see. Epel can also see that to everyone else this is the first time someone has appeared as a zombie instead of a ghost so their reactions have no basis of what's considered rude or not. He thinks he feels bad for Deuce, he can only imagine what it feels like to wake up from sleep to find out you're now a shadow of a human in a world that's moved on. He doesn't find himself wanting to imagine what that's like quickly. Epel doesn't think he'd take this as calmly as Deuce takes it.

Yuu tugs Deuce to a darker corner of the room as leading members of the dorms begin to trickle into the room. They take their normal positions in the room, no one mentioning the boy in the corner.

"Do they not notice him? There's no way everyone doesn't see him. They gotta be keeping quiet." Epel thinks, casting glances from where Deuce and Yuu are gathered to the important dorm members.

Leona, the leader of Savanaclaw, arrives last. Without even looking around, he becomes the first new entry to say something about that situation. "What smells like flowers left in a graveyard?" He asks.

"Is that what I smell like?" Deuce asks Yuu specifically.

His voice catches the attention of those new in the room.

"What is that?" Riddle asks alarmed.

Deuce points at himself as if asking "Me?"

"He says his name is Deuce. Is he not a form of beauty unseen before now?" Rook replies to Riddle.

"It's certainly new." The vice housewarden of the same dorm Riddle leads and that Deuce formally belonged to, Trey, says. It's noticeable that he's trying to respond with no clear side chosen even though he does not feel anything like how Rook feels about what's happening.

"What a situation we've found ourselves in. I think this is a treat. I'm Jade Leech of Octavinelle, let our meeting be remembered." Jade is the first of the people who have recently spoken to introduce himself. Though, his introduction sounds more like a warning.

"Deuce Spade." Deuce responds, beginning to get tired of introducing himself over and over.

Jade looks Deuce over before looking at Riddle from the corner of his eyes with a sinister grin. "Say, that uniform of your's, are you a member of Heartslabyul?"

"Yeah. Does no one here know me?" Deuce asks before dejectedly adding, "That's kind of sad. I thought I was popular."

"What?! I stake no claim to that!" Riddle snaps, the mentioning of Deuce in his dorm tempting his temper.

"Who the hell are you to say if I belong to my dorm or not?!" Deuce seems to be able to match Riddle's anger.

"The housewarden! That dorm falls under my leadership and I will not have you there!" Riddle's face flushes red as he outdoes Deuce in the anger category.

"But you will!" Crowley tugs Deuce from the corner to where mostly everyone is gathered. "I'm reenrolling him. It'd certainly be a plus for the school to have someone so unique here." The word unique is carefully picked so Deuce won't be agitated any further.

Riddle's face pales in an instant.

With a smirk on his face Azul comments, "Aren't you lucky to have such a unique student in your dorm?" He's really rubbing salt in the wound.

Having someone like Deuce in the dorm will throw a wrench into the normal life Trey wants to lead. He changes the topic to allow some time to come up with a reason Deuce should be assigned to a different dorm. "Reenrolling? Was he a student here in the past? He's not anyone I've seen before." If only Trey had learned from Ace that distractions only make things worse.

"Why, yes! He did go here!" Lilia's smile is bright, contrasting to the news he's about to share, "Haven't you heard the ghost story about the boy who was killed here? That's him! You can even see some nicks in his ribs from the stab wounds!"

"Someone actually got killed here? There's no warnings about that anywhere on the web!" A voice echoes from a tablet Epel knows belongs to Idia from Ignihyde.

Deuce doesn't know that. He doesn't even know what a tablet is. "What's that?" He asks, pointing at the tablet.

Idia makes several fearful noises that Epel didn't know humans could make before saying, "That thing spoke to me!"

"So, that childish ghost story about a student here being killed by an admirer is true, but that doesn't explain why he's here now." Vil says, ignoring Idia. Vil would like to move the conversation along and leave the premises, and the zombie boy, behind. Vil needn't ruffle any feathers over Heartslabyul's burden. Until the time comes where he does need to but he's aware it's not yet that time so, for now, zero feathers are ruffled.

"That's the real question! It can't be a grudge because it's been too long since he got killed to take revenge. And there's nothing special happening anytime soon that'd create him. What has brought you back here to us?" Lilia makes direct eye contact with Deuce.

For a brief moment, Epel swears he can see horror in Deuce's eyes, like he's finally acknowledged what happened to him. Then, it all fades to a confused look. "If I was dead, how would I be here?" Deuce says.

"What do you think we're trying to figure out?!" Riddle snaps. He he's not fond of how his new dorm member is both undead and stupid.

"Do you remember anything before showing up here? Some sorta dream or the like?" Leona asks. He's not too particularly interested in what's happening but he's also not disinterested in finding out what's happening.

"Going to bed." Deuce answers straightforwardly.

"Epel, he say anything to you? Before you answer, make sure it's relevant to what's happening." Ace is the first of the first year group to say something.

"All he said was wakin' up in his room and being unable to get out." Epel replies.

"Not every story is interesting and whatever lead him here is one of those uninteresting stories." Ace says. "Back to an earlier topic, I don't want to share a dorm with him." Straight to the point and blunt, leaving no room to be misunderstood.

"Let's not reject Deuce so quickly." Trey says, also not wanting Deuce in the dorm but refraining from showing it. He's been unable to think of a convincing way to say Deuce belongs elsewhere.

"Are you all even somewhat capable of pretending you're not scared of him? He's dead, not unable to understand you guys don't like him." Leona doesn't say anyone in specific's name but they're each aware that they're the ones being addressed.

"I'm surprised he's able to understand anything seeing how clueless he is about everything." Idia mutters.

"No, seriously, what is that?" Deuce restates his earlier question, once again pointing at Idia's tablet.

"Yeah, he doesn't know anything beyond pay phones. He's only been recently defrosted into modern times." Ace informs the group about Deuce's lack of technology knowledge.

"Pay phones?" Idia is aghast. And a little bit disgusted.

"Listen, you understand magic. Just think about it as a magic slab that lets people far away talk to you." Ace may actively protest Deuce joining his dorm but that doesn't stop him from being one of the most helpful in the conversation.

"Sounds cool." Deuce responds.

"Surprised he doesn't say groovy." Idia is not over Deuce being behind in technology and may never be.

"I don't intend to be cruel. But I do intend to make it clear that Deuce Spade should not be in my dorm!" Riddle slams his hands down on the table.

"Thank you for remembering my full name. But I'm not leaving the dorm I was assigned to. You can't make me." Deuce says firmly.

"Standing his ground on this. Just like the ground he should be in." Ace takes his opportunity to make a joke.

"Come now Riddle, I thought your Heartslabyul would never lose a student yet here you are forcing a student out. Are you going to let your reputation take a hit over this?" Azul chimes in, not bothering to hide the pleasure he's taking in the situation.

Riddle grits his teeth, absolutely fuming at Azul's words that he's taken to heart. He refuses to let any of his dorm members drop out and, even if he doesn't accept Deuce, having him leave would be a blemish on Riddle's reputation. Face flushed red with anger he walks over to Deuce and offers his hand out for a handshake, "Welcome back to Heartslabyul."

With a smile on his face Deuce purposely lays his skeletal hand over Riddle's who noticeably shivers. "Thank you for welcoming me. I look forward to seeing how you run my dorm." He does genuinely look forward to seeing how Riddle runs Heartslabyul even though it looks like he's spiting Riddle with his current choices.

Riddle puts his other hand over Deuce's in attempt to prove his dominance. His unease over death incarnates' touch is nothing compared to his want to assert his superiority over his newest card solider. "I assure you to the fullest you'll be impressed with how well I run this dorm. It's the essence of the Queen of Hearts."

"I'm going to hang up now." Idia says broken up between pauses and then the tablet screen goes dark.

"Say bye-bye to the magic box. It's gone forever now." Ace answers the question Deuce hasn't asked yet but Ace knows he will.

"Bye-bye." Deuce says that without questioning Ace.

"Don't lie to him." Jack elbows Ace.

"I take it this meeting's over now. Unless you have there is something else to add?" Vil looks over at Crowley.

Seeing as things were solved with Crowley having to do little to nothing he's more than willing to end this meeting before new issues can sprout up. "Yes! I think it's been a long day for Deuce. Heartslabyul team, why don't you show him around the dorm? The rest of you can head out."

"There's still class to attend! I won't miss a class when I have no reason to! I've got dignity as a star student." Riddle raises his voice to show his . Class is very serious business to him.

"You do have a reason. It's your duty as housewarden to help new students." Crowley responds.

"I wish you two luck on introducing your new friend to your dorm. Deuce, I hope we meet again." Jade falsely wishes Trey and Riddle luck as he leaves the room with a majority of the other students gathered there.

"If you want I'm more than willing to show Deuce over there around the dorm. I'm part of the team, ain't I?" Ace slings an arm around Deuce's shoulders.

"Get to class." Riddle narrows his eyes at Ace.

"Damn. Worth a shot. C'mon Yuu, let's blow this popsicle stand." Ace heads out the door with the last gathering of people, leaving only Deuce, Riddle, Trey, and Epel behind.

Epel isn't exactly sure why he didn't leave with the rest of them. Maybe he wanted to see what Deuce would get up to next as he's seen out Deuce's journey this far. Maybe he wanted to apologize to Riddle for letting Deuce out into the world.

Maybe the reason he stayed was to hear Deuce ask Riddle, with the faintest hint of a dark blue blush on his cheeks, "How long are we going to hold hands for? It's kind of embarrassing."

Riddle yanks his hands away from Deuce and stumbles backwards. "I was distracted which caused me to linger in our earlier position. It won't happen again, I assure you.."

Deuce opens and closes his hand as if gripping the air in mourning of lost contact. Epel thinks he may feel sympathy for Deuce. Or, more likely, pity. For the past who-knows-how-long the meeting went on for Deuce had witnessed the people around him look at him with disdain or fear. He must be lonely, that loneliness increased by the fact no one he knew is at the school anymore.

"I guess we should show you around now while other members are in class." Trey says to Deuce. He thinks Deuce should slowly be introduced to the dorm members so hysteria doesn't break out. "It'll be challenging to show you around the dorm later in the day since people will want to get a good look at you."

"He's using excuses instead of saying what'll really happen. People will react real badly like they did here. Ain't no reason to tell excuses no more. He's caught on by now." Epel thinks to himself. He doesn't fear Deuce as much as he did when they first met. He's like a stray cat caught in the rain, you feel bad for his situation but you know not to get too close.

"Sounds good. Lead the way….Riddle and Riddle's vice housewarden…. Can you please tell me your name?" There's several pauses as Deuce grapples with his lack of knowledge on Trey's name and trying to make up for that. He gives a flustered smile like he's apologizing for it.

"Right, we haven't given our proper introductions. I'm Trey Clover, the vice housewarden of Heartslabyul. With me is Riddle Rosehearts, the housewarden, as you know." Trey fills Deuce in.

"Urk." Riddle is ashamed of his repeated failure to live up to his social rules. The current situation has worked him up in ways he's never been before causing him to forget his usual cues. He clears his throat, "Once again, I welcome you to my dorm."

"Thank you! Again!" Deuce cheerfully answers. "Oh, Epel, are you coming with us?" Deuce says without turning to face Epel.

"Just making sure everything's under control before we separate." Epel replies. That's close enough to a reason why he stayed.

"See you another time then!" Deuce says, the fact he's eagerly awaiting another meeting obvious in his expression.

A storm would be the typical metaphor for someone who causes a fuss and then leaves, but the same storm never blows through the same place twice. In Epel's mind Deuce is more like a nightingale, leaving for now but bound to return with a song that'll keep the neighborhood awake.

[neoninky]

TWST Fic "Her Ivory Crown": Ch. 8

Ch. 8: Revelry Among Rivals

The girl's dorm was on full lock down by the time the Rosabyrine girls had returned: plans were made and discussions were had, now was the time for action. Each of the dorm leaders were standing on pedestals in excitement, concern, or in some cases, dread as their attires were being adjusted and set on each of them by Jinnah and Manari - who were already dressed - to make sure that everything was in perfect shape. Adela was especially displeased with her lot in this whole situation.

"I cannot believe you chickadees talked me into this..." the senior sighed while pinching the bridge of her nose.

The younger girls had pleaded with their senior to fill this very specific and admittedly appropriate role, even going as far to mention that this was their first and last joint festival together and how it was a "once in a lifetime" opportunity....so she caved. Elise was in charge of the casting, so to speak, and she put a lot of thought into each decision. Some choices were obvious like picking for Manari and Jinnah. There was just no one else they could possibly be. Her role, she'd admit, was a bit biased but the others all agreed that it suited her perfectly. Other decisions needed further speculation but in the end, Elise felt satisfied. As the others were getting final touches put on, Reine stared at the name on the card she had been assigned with a bit of hesitation before giving Elise a concerned look...

"You're sure about this?"

"Of course!" Elise was borderline silly with enthusiasm, "It will be sensational! If we play our cards right, which I know we will with Mr. Ashengrotto's help, the crowd will already be too excited not to leap at the chance. But then, we take it to the next step and present a special VIP wild card...that being you, Your Elusive Majesty. Besides Petra will be right there with you as your 'second in command' so everything will be fine!" 

The third princess gave Reine a reassuring smile, "I gotta admit, I am a bit envious of you but I'd be lying if I said you weren't far superior for the role....also I get a really cool coat so it's still a win for me," Petra laughed. 

Reine looked back to the name on her card. She wasn't against the idea at all, it just seemed a bit...disrespectful maybe? Maybe he wouldn't mind though? She couldn't be sure. One of the ghosts suddenly popped into the lounge amidst all the excitement and interrupted Reine's thoughts.

"Miss Reine, Headmaster Crowley wants to see you in his office. One of your mother's advisors is there waiting for you. Seems important~"

Electric butterflies suddenly fluttered in Reine's stomach at the news. With all the excitement, she had forgotten her mother's promise to send her the rings for her suitor...for Zehn and herself, if things went the way the current queen wished. Reine pocketed the card and asked the girls to continue without her. 

- 

Two of the ghosts were kind enough to show her the way to the Headmaster's office but she couldn't ignore her nerves prickling all over. The rest of the day had been such a nice escape from her reality for a short time but...

"Here we are, Miss."

The princess smiled and thanked the ghosts for their help. Inside the office with Crowley stood one of her mother's chief advisors, a shorter man with snow-white hair and matching, long rabbit ears. He held a small box that fit in the palm of his hand, covered with intricate rose and thorn carvings. 

"Your Highness, it's so nice to see you again," his eyes were will full of kind affection that also reflected in his voice, "I insisted on delivering these precious rings to you in person and Headmaster Crowley was kind enough to oblige."

The white rabbit stepped forward and placed the box in her hands, not realizing just how heavy they felt in her grasp. He couldn't stop smiling at the young future queen. He had known Reine since she was a baby and now here she was taking the first vital steps toward securing the Queendom's future along with her own.

"If I may, Your Highness, your mother's court-soon to be your own-we have been nothing but thrilled for your success since your coronation. We await your formal announcement with bated breath. Congratulations, Young Mistress." He bowed to her with a silken grace that came with time and practice. The Headmaster couldn't help himself and offered an elated congratulations to her a well. Reine did what she did best: smile and offer a poised thank you to them both.

"I'm afraid duty calls, Your Highness. I must return to the court immediately. Forgive me for not properly seeing you safely returned to your lodgings."

Reine gently waved his apology aside, "No need. I will be fine I assure you. Night Raven College is still just a school campus and I know my way now." 

-

Reine was actually grateful to be walking alone back to the dorm. She felt exhausted, heavy. She knew that getting back as soon as possible was critical but even so...Reine took a slight detour first. Thankfully her destination was deserted. The princess stood on the main street of the campus, quietly looking up at her great aunt's statue. The Queen of Hearts: she always looked so sure, so unyielding in every single rendering of her presence Reine had ever seen whether it be on canvas or in stone. Yes her temper was legendary, but what power she must have held in her voice, her very grasp. Reine felt like a wilted weed in comparison.

 "We've never met, Auntie," the princess whispered, "but I've heard so much about you...you would have loved my cousins, I'm sure. They honor your drive, your discipline, and fire to this very day..."

Reine felt her throat tighten right as saltwater started to prickle at her eyes. She wanted so much. She had come so far, hadn't she? So why did it feel like she had barely accomplished anything at all?! Reine was to be queen, the ruler of the Rose Queendom, the highest authority in the land...and yet she felt as powerless as a toddler and just as limited. Reine gazed into her aunt's proud face through a curtain of tears as the words just tumbled out of her mouth.

 "I want...I want to be a queen you can be proud of, Auntie. I want to make everyone proud. I want...I want my daughters to be free to rule as they think best without being coddled and told otherwise! I...I want...."

A quiet sob ripped from her throat cutting off her rant. Reine sat at the foot of the statue's pedestal, clutching the ring box in one hand and trying to stop her tears with the other. No matter how hard she tried the tears seemed never-ending. It reminded her of the story of the girl who originally visited her aunt's rose labyrinth. It was said that she grew over a mile high and cried so many tears, it made a massive lake. A small laugh broke through Reine's sobs at the memory. It was such a fantastical tale that her mother always labeled it as nonsense but even so it was one of Reine's favorite stories. Reine looked at all of the Great Seven statues and smiled a bit to herself. In a place, in a world such as this, with great wizards, powerful magic, and people of every sort, what was actually wrong with some things being a bit 'nonsensical'? Many of her auntie's famous rules made absolutely no sense but good luck telling Her Royal Majesty that. Her tears began to dry and her breath returned to normal after letting her thoughts take her away to a much better place. Reine stood and curtsied to the Queen of Hearts' statue, silently thanking it for hearing her out. But of course...the calm relief was gone before it could properly settle in her heart. 

 "Lady Reine? What are you doing out here...?" 

A sharp, cold shiver ran through her as she quickly turned around and was face to face with a displeased Zehn. He had the same frustrated look on his face that Reine's mother used to give her for ruining her dresses in mud puddles as a child. It did not sit well with her at all...in fact, now she was feeling frustrated. 

"Lady Reine, why are you out here alone?" Zehn then noticed her bloodshot eyes, "Are you hurt?? What happened?" 

He approached her and went to take her arm but the princess quickly pulled away and stepped back, looking at him like an annoyed cat, "There is no need for concern, Mr. Cavalier," Reine reverting back to such a formal tone when addressing him left the same impact as if she slapped his hand away herself, "I was just on my way back to my dorm and decided to take a rest." 

Zehn frowned, "It's not safe for you to be walking about by yourself, Lady Reine," his tone was insistent, "You should have called for me." 

Her frustration rose to a higher degree at this boy's insolence and her own tone grew sharper, "Oh really? Why I am quite capable of walking down a pathway across a school's campus by myself, Mr. Cavalier. You say it's not safe. What exactly am I in danger of? Do tell."

The boy felt like someone was pulling a prank on him. It was in fact Reine standing in front of him but where was this unusually snippy tone coming from?! He frowned at her crossed arms and the impatient look on her face, "You are the heir to the Rose Queendom's throne. It isn't proper for you to just wander about without some sort of guard at your side. If something were to go wrong, it would be an immense diplomatic disaster. Lady Reine, it'd be best if you put your trust in me. I don't think these Night Raven boys are competent or trustworthy enough to take your safety into consideration." 

Reine noticed Zehn's eyes rise to look at the statues of the Great Seven which Night Raven College revered so greatly when he spoke of the campus' students. Her eyes narrowed at his implications.

" 'These Night Raven boys' have been nothing but perfect gentlemen since we have arrived. They have been immensely respectful and hospitable to not just me but the other girls as well. As for being competent, I see no issue. I've never felt safer outside my own home or Sacred Crown's walls. So I highly suggest you put your assumptions to rest once and for all," Reine huffed and covered her mouth as she let out another wet cough. Zehn moved towards her again as if she were made of sugar glass which only annoyed her further.

"Please leave me be, Mr. Cavalier!" 

The princess skirted past him and continued back to her dorm before he had the chance to stop her. He glared after Reine's retreating back as his patience left with her. He did not follow her, however. Instead, he pulled out his phone and messaged a few of his cohorts with simple instructions.

-

It was getting late and Reine felt dizzy by the time she entered the dorm's garden. She could see and hear the girls inside bustling about, nailing down every last detail for their part in the events for tomorrow. Reine didn't want to worry them and derail all of their efforts by returning in her current state. Instead, she sat on a stone bench under a nearby tree and took an extra moment to gather herself. Part of her felt guilty for snapping at Zehn like she did but...why, why was he being so intolerable?! So overbearing as if she were a child instead of his future queen! He was just as bad as her mother...Reine let out a shaky breath and looked down at the box in her hands. She opened it and gazed at the two rings inside, one white gold and one yellow gold. One golden ring of the pair was crafted specifically with the queen in mind and magically enchanted to fit her perfectly. Her white ring held a clear stone set in the center of a rose-shaped mounting with intricate leaves that held tiny clear stones making up the band. The yellow gold ring was plain with no stones or decoration whatsoever. This ring was meant for her chosen suitor and was also enchanted to not only change the size to fit him but also change shape and form to suit his personal tastes as well. Once Reine made her decision and her suitor accepted her proposal, they would both put on the rings at the same time, binding them to each other. 

Reine's frustration came to a boiling point as she snapped the box closed and set it off to the side, tears threatening to spill once more. This was supposed to be a happy occasion so why did it make her feel so miserable...? After a moment, she looked up and noticed something strange....since when did these green fireflies appear?

Reine stared at the tiny balls of light with wide eyes and even managed to catch one in her hands before sensing someone close by. She quickly looked around her...nothing. She looked on the other side of the tree...nope. It wasn't until Reine followed the glowing lights off the trail that she noticed a tall figure looking towards the dorm, still and quiet with an impressive set of horns coming from his head. His back was to her at first but as the princess stared him up and down in curious silence, the stranger's face slowly turned to look directly at her over his shoulder with luminescent green eyes that matched the fireflies. His gaze was hard to read, somewhere between intrigue and hesitation. This was their first time meeting face to face but Reine quickly put the pieces together. After all, his reputation proceeded him. 

"...Lord Draconia?" 

The formal address in this girl's proper tone made Malleus Draconia's eyes narrow in amusement as a curious feeling warmed his chest. He slowly stood to face her properly and the dark fae's eyes took in every little detail about her, from Reine's much shorter stature that did not shrink away from him to the look of wonder in her deep eyes. She knew his identity and yet faced him without fear or that odd obsession that some humans had in his presence as if he were some mythical creature to be caught. No, Reine just looked at him as a person meeting another. How interesting...

"Ooh...We haven't met before, have we?" Malleus's voice was gentle and deep like the evening air. Reine shook her head and properly bowed to him without hesitation. 

"Reine Castilene, crown princess of the Rose Queendom, it is an honor to finally meet you, Lord Draconia." 

Malleus returned the gesture and bowed to the princess with a tiny smile, "Malleus Draconia, successor to the Valley of Thorns. My name doesn't seem to frighten you, little rose queen...the queens of your homeland truly are fearless." he gave an amused chuckle.

Reine returned to her full height and gave him a reassuring smile, "Oh I am familiar with your name. I've heard it amongst my mother's court members several times before. They say you're one of the strongest mages in the world. Very impressive, my lord...if you don't mind me asking, why are you out here alone?"

Malleus mused to himself a moment before answering, "It's quiet here...well usually. I like to come here to be alone." 

Reine followed his stoic gaze back towards the dorm full of rambunctious girls and suddenly felt bad for disturbing his usual safe haven, "I see. Please forgive our intrusion. The girls mean well but they can get a bit rowdy. It'll be nice and quiet after we leave at the end of the week." The dark fae studied the ivory girl next to him as she spoke. He noticed the sadness creeping in during her last statement. 

"You seem troubled, little rose queen. Why is that?"

For someone so intimidating, powerful, and ridiculously tall, Malleus's eyes were soft with concern as was his voice. Reine wasn't sure where to begin or if she even should be honest. Seeing the patient look in his bright green eyes was oddly comforting though. 

"I suppose I am troubled. Very troubled over a few things...it's as you say, though I'm not queen yet, I will be someday. Just like how you will be the new king of your home. I'm not too familiar with the Valley of Thorns, honestly, but I imagine you have your own customs and expectations to live up to."

Malleus hummed softly in response and noticed the small box she had been carefully holding in her hands, sensing the magic coming from within. She followed his gaze and opened the box, showing him the rings, "My courtship rings. Do you have a tradition like this in your homeland?"

Malleus gave her a soft grin, "Dragon fae do hold a deep appreciation of bejeweled tokens but our ways are a bit different, I suppose. As the prince, I shall be the one to choose and court my bride someday. The Rose Queen is the one that does the pursuing in your culture it seems...how fascinating." 

The dragon prince found it a bit amusing that such a doll-like girl would be the hunter and not the hunted. Reine just laughed a bit dryly, "I wish it were that simple but...I'm afraid not. I do get to make the final decision but my potential suitors have been carefully curated on my behalf for years. You make it sound more exciting and romantic than it really is."

Malleus tilted his head as he pondered her expression. The tiny princess seemed displeased by this custom. How unfortunate. Marriages were supposed to be a cause of great celebration and joy...or so he heard. He rarely received any invitations to such occasions and mostly heard about them second-hand from Lilia who was far more well-traveled. 

"You are displeased with your selection of suitors, little rose queen? Is your homeland lacking in proper prospects?"

Reine met the dragon fae's inquiring gaze and found herself feeling a bit amused. He looked almost concerned or troubled over this notion as if he had completely invested in the situation himself. As a matter of fact, Malleus was quite talkative for having just met her only moments ago. Maybe he didn't have many people to talk to? It was oddly endearing. The princess just smiled softly, hoping to put him at ease.

"Oh no, it's not that. The Rose Queendom has many fine gentlemen to choose from. Just one, in particular, is being rather....difficult lately. Unfortunately, he's the one I'm expected to choose." 

"I see," he frowned with narrowing eyes, "an unsuitable prospect, offending his future queen. Why has he not been dealt with and swiftly struck down with lightning magic? Or perhaps fire...I'm not sure what elements the Rose Queendom favors."

Reine stared at him with wide eyes before busting out in laughter. Malleus just blinked in confusion at her reaction. He was being quite serious and didn't see how this could be interpreted as a joke whatsoever. The princess tried to stop and catch her breath before apologizing to him, "I am so sorry, Lord Draconia! It's just...oh if I could be as straightforward as you! It would definitely make things more simple, wouldn't it? I'm afraid that smiting my offenders is frowned upon. Especially by the current queen, my mother...she favors him and has for a while."

Malleus thought over her words carefully before answering, "How strange. The ways of your homeland seem complicated."

Reine sighed, "You have no idea..." 

"Perhaps you would like some assistance? I assure you I can do the deed quickly and no one would be the wiser. No acts of war would be issued, I promise."

Ok now Reine was sure that he had to be teasing her but she still laughed at this strange fae's offer, making him grin in return. The little queen was quite delightful in spite of her struggles. Reine's eyes suddenly lit up as she looked up to him, "Lord Draconia...If I may, there is something that I'd like your help with." She shyly beckoned him closer so she could whisper her request in his ear. Malleus' eyes widened in surprise and he let out a genuine chuckle after hearing her out.

"My, my...that does sound entertaining," Malleus hummed as his thoughts sped up, "I would like to see it and I believe Lilia and the others would be interested as well. Lilia, especially. Perhaps... I could lend a hand to add to the overall impression." 

Reine's eyes sparkled in both happiness and relief, "I'm so glad you think so. I was afraid that you might feel like we were making fun of you which we would never I assure you. But you should come to see it for yourself tomorrow!"

This was the second time Malleus felt taken aback with even more surprise. Could it be? Was...was this an invitation?! The princess practically read his mind as she pulled a pair of tickets from her pocket and handed them over. The girls worked fast in creating everything they needed for the event and Reine had managed to sneak a couple of the printed tickets just in case a rare opportunity arose and this was even better than she expected!

"My gate will only allow those who purchase VIP tickets the day of but given the circumstances, I'd like to give you and a friend admission personally. So please consider coming tomorrow," her smile was as radiant as starlight...though it may have been Malleus' now heightened imagination getting the better of him.

Once the Diasomnia prince returned to his dorm and told the others the news, the dorm hall filled with chatter, mostly coming from a very loud Sebek and very excited Lilia. Malleus turned to address Sebek and Silver specifically.  

"I have a request of you two. Consider it a special mission," he grinned smugly before turning serious, "I don't know that the little rose queen noticed, however...during our conversation, there seemed to be some Royal Sword students lurking about outside the gardens. I don't think they intend to do her harm but she spoke of someone troubling her recently. That won't do..." 

Sebek was quick to understand his lord's meaning and did not hesitate in spite of Reine being a human, "WE SHALL PROTECT THE GRACIOUS FAIR MAIDEN FROM ANY TROUBLEMAKERS, LORD MALLEUS!!"

Silver, who had been jolted awake by Sebek's loud proclamation, nodded seriously. Lilia chuckled darkly at Malleus' side, "My, my how the tables have turned...dragons protecting the princess from the white knights, fufufu~"

-

The campus had an odd buzz hovering about the next morning. Cater figured it had to do with the music and dance contest between the three schools happening later in the day but even so, the cafeteria breakfast rush seemed more scattered and distracted than usual. He noticed clusters of NRC students talking excitedly over some fliers that had popped up overnight. There were even some posts about it on Magicame already. Cater managed to spot one as he waited in line for an iced coffee and immediately grabbed it, reading it over with wide eyes, "Wha?!"

Back at the Heartslabyul dorm, Reine kept her promise and showed up to pour Riddle his tea. Normally he'd prefer it a bit later but the princess had politely specified that she still needed to help the girls finish preparations for the contest so Riddle didn't argue. If anything he was very curious about her today. Something was different. It was like she was hiding a secret behind that coy smile. That blasted, adorable smile...he was still a bit miffed that they had to cut the tea party short yesterday but apparently there was some sort of emergency back at the girls' dorm.  The princess had assured him that everything was fine when he asked about it. Still...he looked her up and down, as discreetly as possible, when she was distracted, trying to find the crack in the armor so to speak.  Nothing about her demeanor seemed strange, Reine was as lovely and pleasant as always. Although, he couldn't help but notice that her attire was all black; the flowy lace dress she wore with matching gloves, the ribbon in her hair, her sheer stockings, and even her boots?? No white, no red. Just black. Did she normally wear this much black? It was very striking if not downright alluring on her but still. Was he being overly suspicious for no reason? Surely not. Of course, the even bigger mystery was...why were Sebek and Silver following her around today? The two boys stood off the side, silently watching her and Riddle like perfectly poised guard dogs. It was bizarre if not a bit unsettling but Reine acted as if this was just another normal day as she gently slid Riddle's now full teacup towards him. 

"Your tea, Your Majesty," she said sweetly to him while giving him a curtsy. It was precious but still failed to distract Riddle from just how weird this setup was. He politely thanked her and took a sip while eyeing his fellow Equestrian club members like they were out of place gargoyles. 

"Um Miss Reine...if you don't mind me asking...is there a reason why you're-"

Cater suddenly burst into the garden, excited about something but came to a halt as soon as he saw the strange scene in front of him: Malleus' bodyguards standing by a suddenly gothic-looking Reine who was serving Riddle tea at a time that Riddle normally didn't take his tea....did he miss something?!

"Good morning, Cater," Reine said brightly to the confused boy before noticing the flier in his hand, "oh you saw our flier! How nice. I hope you join us at the contest later today," she was practically glowing with a hidden excitement. 

"Yeah I did! I gotta ask...what is this about exactly??"

Cater showed the color-pop style flier to Reine and Riddle that said the following: "One Day Exclusive! Sacred Crown Hall Presents 'Rare Collection Experience: Night Raven College Tribute!'" and showed each of the dorm emblems above what looked like blacked out silhouettes of seven different figures peering out from inside glowing coffins. Reine just smiled and said rather mysteriously, "You'll have to wait and see..."

"FAIR MAIDEN!! It is almost the meeting time Mistress Elise had previously scheduled!!" Only Reine seemed unphased by Sebek's boisterous announcement and without missing a beat, bid Cater and Riddle farewell. 

"I hope you both will attend the contest today. I promise you will not regret it."

- 

The area surrounding the arena was packed to the brim with students from both NRC and RSA, waiting to see exactly what all the mysterious hype surrounding those fliers was about. No one really seemed to know and was just as curious as the next person how it all came about. Riddle was getting irritated with just how crowded it was as he stood waiting to enter with Trey, Cater, Ace, and Deuce. The other Heartslabyul boys were just as much in the dark as he was. He spotted his classmates from Scarabia in the crowd as well. Kalim was his usual excitable self, rapid-firing off theories to Jamil what he thought the girls were up to. Jamil, meanwhile, just looked at the flier in his hand with a mixture of deep thought and exhaustion from his dorm leader's abundant energy. Vil, Rook, and Epel could be seen making their way through the crowd, trying to make their way to the designated dressing rooms for those performing today. Neige Le Blanche wasn't too far behind with his seven little friends heading in the same direction. Eventually, the gates finally opened and the river of students flowed into the main avenue that took them past what looked like several covered booths, each one had an NRC dorm's emblem above it which caused the curious chatter to increase. The crowd quieted down as Crowley's voice suddenly boomed over the arena's PA system.

"Welcome Students! The opening ceremony of Night Raven's first Three School Music and Dance contest will commence shortly! Please make your way to the main stage!"

Once everyone in the audience had settled into their seats around the big center stage, Crowley addressed them all in person in front of a veiled curtain. It was hard to tell for even those closest to the stage but it looked like there were six pedestals hiding behind the headmaster??

"Welcome to all of our visitors and our students!" Crowley was weirdly excited about all of this but seeing as how there were some photographers in the crowd, it was no mystery as to why "the performances from all three schools will start in about thirty minutes!"

There were two large monitors just off to the side of the stage that displayed the lineup of the contest's scheduled performances. There were other acts from all three schools but most of the crowd was here for Vil, Neige, and the main group from Sacred Crown, excited to see what the newcomers had in store for them. Riddle looked around the crowd and noticed that some of the girls from Sacred Crown were whispering amongst themselves excitedly. Most of the girls were in their usual classroom uniforms but he noted that each one had a dual-colored ribbon band around their arms, matching the ones from NRC. Every girl had different dorms' colors on her arm....what exactly were these girls up to now?

"But first! Our visitors from Sacred Crown Hall have an announcement to make!" 

Crowley took his leave as the curtain behind him parted. The shock in the audience was palpable as the lights came up and there in the center stood Elise Coralette...in full Octavinelle dorm leader attire, every detail in place down to Azul's small beauty mark below her lips. The only difference was that instead of trousers, she wore a smartly fitted pencil skirt instead. More lights came up to reveal the five other figures on pedestals and the crowd cried out in waves of surprise and shock. From left to right, the girls stood in order each dressed in almost exact replicas of the Night Raven College dorm leaders starting with Alyssa dressed as Riddle in his Heartslabyul dorm outfit with a belled skirt instead of pants all the way down to Hebe dressed as Ignihyde's own Idia, complete with bright blue streaks in her hair. 

"Welcome!" all six girls said in unison before Elise took over, "Greetings students from Night Raven College and Royal Sword Academy and other esteemed guests! The girls of Sacred Crown hope you enjoy today's performances along with the surprises we have personally prepared for you in honor of our wonderful hosts, Night Raven College!" 

The girls on stage along with the rest of their students and some of the more friendly RSA boys took a moment to give the very confused Night Raven students and their gleeful headmaster a round of applause. Elise continued as the screen display changed to a map of each of the booths everyone had passed previously. 

"We will be selling tickets to everyone and anyone who would like to have their own personal photo with each of our lovely dorm leaders you see up here, myself included," Elise gave a playful wink to the audience as the rest of the girls waved and hyped the audience up in their own ways which worked like a charm, "as you can see we have all six dorm leaders present and accounted for! Each one promising more exclusive prizes than the last! For those of you who are a bit more camera shy, fear not~ We have a treasure trove of treats ready and waiting just for you!"

The boys in the audience grew more excited as the two monitors suddenly started displaying fully staged photos of each girl, set to a background that perfectly suited the dorm leader she represented: Alyssa enjoying tea in a rose garden, Elise posing in their very own Mostro Lounge in ethereal underwater lighting, etc. 

"We have a special booth prepared to sell photosets, posters, and more of those gorgeous photos but keep in mind, supplies are limited so don't hesitate! Of course, we have yet another surprise for only the bravest of our lovely customers~ Only the boldest hearts can approach Her Royal Majesty and live to tell the tale after all...." Elise singsonged the end of her dialogue with a mischievous smile as the lights on the stage faded and the large monitors shifted again to a dark screen that showed fog flowing along the bottom and spikey vines slowly crawling up the edges. Once the screens flashed and revealed a new image, the crowd absolutely lost it and Riddle could see why. 

His eyes widened and his jaw went a bit slack as an elegant image of Reine in full Malleus Draconia regalia and sitting on a dragon motif throne appeared. The princess looked as if she could consume his soul in a fairy's wing beat and he would gladly accept said fate without question. The very thought made Riddle's heart do a backflip. The rest of the Heartslabyul boys had similar looks on their faces. Elsewhere in the crowd, the real Malleus and Lilia were thoroughly entertained. Malleus thought all the dramatic build-up was very amusing but still felt a glow of pride at just how closely Reine's outfit had stuck to his dorm uniform's original design and how she even managed to don smaller, more dainty versions of his horns on her head. The flowing skirt in place of his pants was a nice and appropriate change, however. 

"Oooh myyyy, she is enchanting! The Witch of Thorns would be so proud, fufu~" Lilia was almost giddy and already making plans to purchase Reine's merchandise for the dorm. Malleus just hummed in approval. Lilia was sure if Malleus' tail was out, it would be wagging from all the excitement rippling through the air. 

Elise's voice washed over the audience once again as the girls' announcement ended, "Exclusive VIP tickets are now for sale at the front gate for those who wish to have a once in a lifetime experience with our Queen of Thorns and her royal guard first hand! Hurry though, these tickets will not last! Thank you all for coming and good luck to our competitors today!" 

As soon as the curtains shut, there was only a split second before the crowd suddenly broke into a mad dash back towards the main entrance, just as the girls had predicted. A certain octopus was beyond satisfied with this reaction as he smirked at a safe distance, backstage.

"Ahh~ Such clever little sirens. They got the audience hooked with just a glimpse. Jade, Floyd. Be prepared to assist our angelfish in succeeding today. Their win is our win, after all..." Azul was devilishly pleased. The twin eels were practically tingling with interest. Today was going to be fun. 

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Tagging: @aiimee9 @1ndigowitch @victoria1676 @evieyouknow @foxwitchaine @iscarlettappel @wysteriadelights @nuitthegoddess

[chasing-daydreams]

I know it might just be coincidence that the the fourth set of birthday cards are just the 100 disney anniversary cards but I like to imagine that the three types of birthday cards are how birthdays are celebrated per year at NRC.

On your first year, you get a snazzy blazer that's very mature, very grown up. It's to celebrate your first few steps into adulthood and getting that premium magic education provided by one of the most renowned magical institutions that Crowley just loves to brag about. The little 'Birthday Boy' sash is to keep things silly and to remind you still about you're still young and going through the motions of growth. You got a long way to go through, you're still a boy. No need think that you gotta be as good as your upperclassmen.

In your second year, you get a very customized jacket with patches of your name, birth date, dorm, and club. Very individualistic and personalized. Maybe a celebration of identity with the dorm and club patches. It's so fun and casual it suits being a second year the most. You're in the middle of your time in NRC. No thinking about how inexperienced you are or your impending internship. Live a little. Enjoy your youth in this place.

In your third year, you get your Broomquet robes and it's sentimental. A bunch of flowers that reminds you of flowers at graduation ceremonies (bonus points the flower symbolism is ABOUT YOU). You get a matching set of very formal robes that make you look very mage-ly. Look at you! So dapper in them, you look very much like fully fledged mage you've been preparing three years now to be. Its some good, celebratory fun. It's a bittersweet send of before you go out in the real world to test your mettle as a magic user in what ever career you want.