#it seemed like she only left when i directed him to go greet her. literally as soon as i put 'greet elle' in his queue she left

[fingertipsmp3]

Things that happened in my sims game today that ✨just make sense✨

-My sim went on a date with his stalker

[uranometrias]

wait for your love, spencer reid (pt. 2)

this is the second part to this. tysm for all the love on the first part, as well as all the new follows. this literally took so long, and i'm literally so sorry. i suck, but i hope you all enjoy it nonetheless. xx

you can read the alternate version for jj right here.

pairing: aaron hotchner x bau! reader | spencer reid x bau! reader | s7 team x bau! reader (platonic)

summary: following the dismissal of the case against the bureau, you're trying to get back into the swing of things. that moment of realization that comes with discovering the love you feel for someone else isn't reciprocates is never fun. but it's a truth you're meant to accept nonetheless, with a bit of help from your dearest friend spencer, you find that through a conversation about the realities of music and their hidden messages getting the courage to move on is not quite as difficult as you might have initially thought. especially when there's someone like spencer reid waiting on the other side. except of course, things always get difficult when it seems now as you're moving on, the past object of your desires is believed to feel the same way you always have.

content warnings: this is the sequel to angst lol. it's still very kind of angsty, but not as bad! it doesn't exactly end with spence/reader running off into the distance together, but i think it has a very bittersweet & sort of hopeful ending, which i felt made the most sense for a storyline like this. sometimes people have feelings for people that don't like them back, and sometimes it's just something we have to deal with.. sad but true. && i didn't want spence to seem like a rebound for reader, so i tried to go the route of her slowly putting the pieces together that maybe spence had romantic feelings for her && going from there. still spencer somewhat confesses his feelings for reader, hints that hotch might actually like reader, jj/reader reconciliation, because it needed to happen soz! she might have feelings for y/n too idk... she's kinda pulling everybody. this feels kinda melodramatic, but also idk i want epic romance vibes so i tried my best xx

i also love how hotch was such a focal part of this story and never physically showed up once... hmm.

tagged the people that asked for part 2 xx

@stvrlitsky , @cocopuff213 , @aaronhotchnerlover , @ofagathachristies , @blurpleuni-squid , @wolf-phoenix-lover , @babyspiderling , @queermaxwooo , @jihyowrrld , @minkyungseokie , @silentjudger , @btskzfav , @barbeddreams , @ah-blossom , @darker-december

It had been about a week since the court proceedings, you'd been more than a little surprised to find that you all managed to walk away scot free. You still hadn't managed to work up the courage to place your resignation papers on Hotch's desk, probably because you still hadn't gotten up the strength to face him or anyone else for that matter. You weren't outwardly abrasive, you'd offer small nods of greeting when you showed up in the morning, waves as you left.

But everyone knew that it wasn't the same.

Penelope had been trying to get you out for a night of bonding with her, Emily, and JJ, and you'd been keen on turning her down. You don't think you were quite there yet, the wound however surface level was still fresh. Looking at Emily, only reminded you of your grief, how much you had missed her. Looking at JJ only reminded you of how she hadn't had the courage necessary to tell you the truth. You'd tried to take their positions into account, look at things through a different view, but it hardly worked. You just wanted to be left alone.

Spencer was still the only one privy to the thoughts you had about ending your career at the FBI, and everyday he seemed to be holding his breath. It had become a habit to catch him staring at you with his face pinched up like he was deep in thought. It was partially why, even as your eyes skimmed over a file, you knew that he was looking in your direction. "Spence." you mutter quietly, eyes not quite meeting his as you highlighted something of importance in blue.

He sits at attention, back straight, eyes wide. He looked like a puppy that'd been caught doing something bad and was waiting for punishment. "You're doing it again." you exhale, and then you finally manage to peel your eyes from your work, eyebrow raising as you take him in tiredly. "Do you need something?" and he bares down on his bottom lip, almost as if he was thinking over his next move. He stands tall, grabbing hold of his chair and tugging it until it was planted on the other side of yours, before he sat down politely.

"Are you okay?" he's talking quietly, likely to salvage a bit of your privacy. You'd become a bit of a walking attraction in the bullpen, everyone seemed to follow every one of your actions with their eyes. You tap your highlighter against your desk, head tipping to the side as you scrutinize the man. You didn't know exactly what was going on with Spencer, but you had a small inkling, it was nothing more than an internal feeling if you were completely honest about it.

Your sister had been asking about him quite constantly lately, and after learning that day in the courtroom that for some odd reason the duo spoke over the phone, it made you pay a bit more attention to the certified genius than before. "I'm fine, Spencer. Just like I was when you asked me yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that." you keep your tone light, not wanting him to think that you were by any means annoyed with him. "What's going on?"

"I guess I keep waiting for you to disappear." he admits, head nodding involuntarily. "You're here right now, and you look fine." he continues, and you like listening to him, even if he was breaking one of the rules, and choosing to profile you. "So shouldn't things feel different? Better at least, like before?" he asks, and you don't expect that. Maybe he wasn't profiling you at all, and instead was expressing himself to a friend. "At least a little bit?" he asks, and you think it over.

"I don't think it'll ever be like before, Spence." and you hate to be the Betty Buzzkill, but it's as true as you can be. "How can it?" and Spencer's eyes jump across the room, landing on Emily who was not so subtly watching the two of you speak. You follow his gaze, and blink harshly when Emily's eyes connect with your own. It forces you to look right back at Spencer. He looks pensive, and you wonder how long he's been working up the courage to say more than 'Are you alright?'

"She was dead... and now suddenly she's not. That's great, but I grieved my friend, and maybe I'm not done grieving the Emily I knew before." and it's the first time you're admitting this aloud. "Our Emily, not the- Interpol Superspy." and you huff. "And look, I know I should be grateful, how many people get back the people they love after death?" and Spencer doesn't answer. "But is she really back? Is she really still our Emily? And how long before she's ready to pack up her stuff and take off? I'm not opening myself up to that again."

Spencer thinks your point is valid, he at one point had insisted that he had the worse abandonment issues on the team, but you had been right there through most of it. You were, in your own way protecting yourself from being hurt again. He couldn't fault you for that, none of them should. "I understand." and truthfully he does, and he's glad that at least you trust him enough to be upfront about it. "There's nothing wrong with shielding yourself from heartache, I just don't want you to close off completely... not from all of us."

You falter, and Spencer hates that he can't just say that he doesn't want you to close off from him. He didn't want this situation to change the way you behaved with him, he couldn't handle losing you.

"I won't." you promise. "And I won't do anything to jeopardize what we do here, I've got enough self control to be civil." you add with a small smile. "I haven't quite decided what a future at the bureau will look like, but I am willing to give things here a chance to get better." and you do love your work, Profiling was something you enjoyed doing, you wouldn't toss it away, unless you absolutely had no other choice. "So you don't have to worry about losing me, Spence." and you hold your breath, mostly because it's a bit audacious on your part.

He offers you a half smile, and you notice the way he visibly relaxes. Still, he doesn't want you to feel obligated to stay somewhere just for his sake, so he feels the need to be honest with you. "I'm not worried." he promises you, and it's a tiny fib, one that could become true if he grew just a touch more confidence. "Even if you did decide to leave one day I would put in the work to keep you in my life." and his smile stretches across his face now, and reaches his eyes. "You're not someone anyone would want to lose." your stomach twists.

"You're not either, Spencer." and you say it firmly, mainly to show just how much you need him to believe it. "I'd just make it my job to take up all your free time outside of work." and his face feels incessantly warm, like he'd stuck his head directly in the stream of scalding shower water. The funny thing about you was that you were oftentimes one of the hardest on the team to read. He figured that because he spent so much time hyper focused on you that he'd get better at it. He still hadn't, and you still managed to leave him stuck.

Comments like the one you just made were common for you, but the meaning behind it always escaped him. Were you flirting with him or were you just being nice? Was it possible that you knew that he had feelings for you? Were you using him as a rebound after the mess you'd found yourself entangled into with Hotch just months ago? The thought of him merely being an emotional rebound made him sad, disappointed, and insecure. But then he's taking in your expression, how despite your confidence you still look shy, and reels it in.

You had never been that sort of person, maybe you were just as oblivious as he was. "I'd be okay with that now." and you look a bit surprised, but also pleased. You nod your head slightly, leaning forward just a little in your seat. Spencer isn't sure if he's moved too quickly, but he's got no room to second guess it now.

"We should do something." it's not at all what he'd expected you to say, and he's surprised, it's more than evident on his face.

"Who? Us? Just the two of us?" he asks, and you find yourself offering him an amused sort of glance.

"Yeah, it could be fun." you insist, and you're not trying to play with his feelings, at least not in the traditional sense. Spencer Reid was no rebound. "It's not often we have days off, you know?" and you lean against your palm, head tipping slightly to the side. "Only if you want." you add, hoping that this addition would make him feel a touch more comfortable. It seems to work, because he untenses just a bit.

"Y-Yeah." he nods his head slightly, hair moving with the action just slightly. "Yeah, we should definitely do something." he agrees, and your smile is bright, clearly pleased at the turn of events. "When would you?" his eyes jump to his watch, and he shakes his head. "Obviously, not right now." he says and you're staring at him a bit bemused, because Spencer Reid was nothing if not a bit unserious.

"There's this music store I've been dying to check out." you say, and you witness Spencer's eyes seem to brighten. "It's sort of right on the strip, if you don't mind going with me to look at some vinyls and cd's for my collection, we could just go-" and you're eyebrows are raised, "And see what happens? There's a lot you could do..." you finish, and Spencer's already nodding his head in agreement.

"T-That's..." and he clears his throat, you think to keep you from acknowledging the fact his voice cracked in his nervousness. "Yeah, I don't mind that at all." he agrees politely. "Did you know that in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, record stores only sold gramophone records, but over time they've sold other formats like eight-track tapes, compact cassettes, and compact discs." his hands curl into one another as he relays this message and you snort.

"Did you know that there's a national record store day? It started back in 2008." and he's a bit surprised that you're shooting him a fact of your own, and one that he wasn't actually aware of.

"Really?" he questions, and your eyes sort of crinkle, smile broadening enough to show off both rows of your teeth.

"Don't tell me that I know something the brilliant Doctor Reid doesn't." you tease, and his eyes roll, though his entire demeanor remains lighthearted. "So, what's your poison?" you sidestep, but just barely, your work ignored as you focus all your efforts on keeping this conversation with Reid going.

"My poison?" and his mind of course drifts to alcohol, a bit of a confusing pivot in the conversation. "I don't really see myself as much of a drinker." he admits truthfully, and he's confused when you're laughing, hand flying up to cover your mouth as his face contorts.

"I meant your favorite music genre." you correct. "And I know you're partial to classical," and you try not to stretch your eyes. "It's great when I need to concentrate, but I wouldn't exactly say I'm dying to put on Bach and Tchaikovsky in a regular setting." you explain, both hands resting against your cheeks as you await the hopefully longwinded answer he'd have to give you.

"What if that's my only answer?" he asks, and you scoff.

"It's not." you deadpan, and he exhales through his nose. "I know you and Morgan have that understanding about music..." you explain, head cocked to the side. "He got you to listen to Nas." you remind him as he purses his lips at the reminder. "And Garcia's always sending music recommendations." you proceed as Spencer shoots you a look that clearly reads 'What's your point?'.

"Are you really telling me that out of every genre of music that's ever been released to the entire world, the only genre that's ever stood out to you is the one where old men sit behind a piano and twinkle the keys to their hearts content?" Spencer's releasing another one of those quiet laughs, this one is clearly full of exasperation though.

"I think they're doing a little bit more than twinkling keys." he corrects you, and you know that. You'd only said it to get under his skin just a little, he was fun to mess with. "Classical music is one of the only genres that seemingly does so little and is able to express the full spectrum of human emotion and life experience." he explains, and you fight your smile, leaning in just a bit more to show you were focused. You weren't sure what was happening or if anything was really happening at all, and it was all in your mind.

But you were finding that you didn't mind just listening to Spencer go on and on about whatever he wanted. You thought a lot about what had happened outside of that court room, how he'd listened to you. Really listened to you, and had never once made you feel like the emotional failure you'd imagined yourself to be. You couldn't say that in the span of a week all of your feelings for Hotch had vanished. That'd be bullshit, because deep down you knew it wasn't that easy.

And sometimes you wished it could be, sometimes you wondered why you had to fall for Hotch when Spencer was right there.

Still, whether or not you were being forced to come to grips with the fact that Hotch was not, and wouldn't ever love you the way you loved him, you couldn't deny that it was nice to have a friend there. Spencer wasn't coming to you with heavy confessions and tear-streaked cheeks begging you to look and see that he was perfect for you, which is why you think you like him even more. You knew a lot of times it was hard, rare even to find someone who would just care for you without expecting anything in return. That was Spence to a T.

"Go on." you instruct, and you find that despite the way you'd baited him into this conversation, it was well worth it. He didn't get a lot of time to just be Spencer, and with no clock over your heads, no rush for time to solve a case, you figured it was the least you could do. Especially after he'd spent the last week trying to show you how much he cared.

"I just mean that in classical music, it's actually very common to have one piece of music encompass an entire host of emotions, experiences, and subject matter." he expresses, and you hum, nodding along. "And it's all because most classical pieces use a similar formula that uses textures, dynamic colors and key modulations to express things certain words can't properly articulate." he proceeds. "That's why certain sounds and notes manage to adduce certain reactions." he seems finished.

"Oh, yeah?" you press and he nods limply, seemingly awaiting the moment you offer some jab regarding his oversharing. "I guess Mozart and Beethoven were really onto something." you mutter, and he snorts. "Still, I'd much rather listen to something a bit more obvious." you admit, not that you had a real problem with Classical Music.

"What do you mean?"

"Well I'm just saying... music's always sort of been the perfect tool for expressing everything you might need to say." you counter. "And while I agree that music in any form does a great job of invoking certain emotions, sometimes you don't want to guess what someone means." you admit, and it's partially (mostly) because you had never been good at reading in between the lines. Things always made the most sense when they were plainly spelled out.

"Or maybe that's just a me thing." you correct. "I've found that I always enjoy things when they're a little more laid out... there's no way to misunderstand when it's spelled out for you, right?" you ask and Spencer's lips curve down into a slight frown. He's not pitying you, mostly just sympathizing with how torn up you must have been about everything. Especially as your eyes instinctively are drawn to the shut doorway of Hotch's office. Spencer thinks that's when reality sets back in and hits him like a brick.

Because he knew something that you didn't. Something that would probably make everything better for you, but would undoubtedly double his heartache. In truth, he, much like everyone else on the team tried their hardest to ignore just how obvious you'd been about your feelings for hotch. spencer more than anyone.

He remembered how things had changed a few months back, how you'd started to move on all for the rug to be pulled from up under your feet. It had been outwardly cruel, undoubtedly. because while everyone else on the team seemed to be just fine with 'don't ask, don't tell', Spencer had been unable to not pay attention to the way Hotch had actually changed too. Did he hate him? Absolutely not... and he knew you didn't either, because despite how idiotic the plan was, he hadn't done much besides give you more attention.

And Spencer guessed the act of giving you more attention had unsurprisingly ended with Aaron Hotchner realizing it was something he actually enjoyed. Hence the sudden change their boss underwent.

He supposed that was the worst part about it all, the fact that everyone had the right to tell you that "nothing had happened", and there was nothing you could do about it. Because in the grand scheme of things nothing really had happened. Hotch was no heartless womanizer, Spencer couldn't even imagine the man flirting with anyone, let alone stringing someone along for kicks. Still, that didn't change the fact that you'd gotten your hopes up, and now you were back to your own harsh reality.

Not because it wasn't a real possibility, more so because Hotch was self destructive, and sabotaged himself and his happiness at every turn. Spencer wants to stay quiet, to bask in the fact that you were slowly on your own terms getting over Hotch, and paying more attention to him, but he can't do that. He'd hate it if someone did it to him. So instead he decides to throw you a bone, push you in the right direction. "Why haven't you just talked to him?" it's not what he had meant to say. He had meant to play the role of the supportive friend.

He'd wanted to pat you on the back, mumble some agreeance that would validate how you were feeling, and possibly give him cool points. Instead, here he was about to push you in the direction of someone else. He supposed that's how stupid love made you.

"What?" you exclaim, and Spencer doesn't know what's so exasperating about his question. It was obvious that you needed to, it wasn't fair that you were slowly deteriorating on the inside whilst trying to maintain some semblance of being a "team player". He said 'screw the team' if it wasn't genuine. And clearly, from the way you'd still been icing out JJ and Emily, it wasn't. Not fully anyway. He'd never rush you to get over it, mostly because it'd make him a hypocrite. He still cringes at the thought of the tears he'd shed to JJ.

But, that was his own problem.

"Hotch." he lowers his voice a little, because it's just now hitting him that the two of you have been slacking off for a while now. Emily wasn't exactly focused in on the both of you anymore, but every so often, he'd find that she still look up every few moments. JJ, Derek, and Rossi had made a habit of leaving their respective offices, eyes glued to what was apparently becoming unit news. "You should talk to him." he says simply as your eyes cross dramatically.

"What's there to talk about?" you ask suddenly distracted by a smudge on the corner of your desk.

"What happened." he says simply. "I mean, don't you think there might be some explanation you might be missing?" Spencer tries, and you curl into yourself just a little bit.

"It's still work hours and he's still Hotch." you deny, and Spencer's lips push to the side, an obvious sign of his slight discomfort about what he was going to say next. "He's not going to want to talk about it." you admit. "And what exactly do you say in a conversation like that? Oh by the way boss, I was in love with you, and it kinda felt like maybe you felt the same, except oh wait, it was just a ploy to keep me from realizing you were lying about Emily being alive?" you say sarcastically. Spencer huffs in retaliation.

"Yes actually, you could say exactly that. Maybe you'll learn something you didn't know before." he deadpans, and your nose curls. You cut your eyes over at the man, who's not amused.

"I kinda thought you'd be the last person pushing for this sort of confrontation, you know?' you admit before you can really help yourself. You watch as Spencer's face seems to set into one of surprise, his cheeks and neck slowly gaining a red sort of tint to them.

"What do you mean?" he questions, and your mouth parts just slightly. And you think the same way he's been gentle with you is the exact same way you need to be gentle with him, so you pivot, head shaking from side to side.

"Nothing." you say firmly. "Forget about it." you say quietly, and then you're looking back at your paperwork. Spencer, embarrassed finds himself fiddling with his fingers, trying to scold his heartbeat back into submission. It suddenly felt way too cramped sitting at your desk.

"You should go after work." he says, and your eyes snap back to him. "Talk to Hotch after work, I mean." he says and your stomach feels a bit tight. "I think it'll be best." he proceeds, and you frown.

"You do?" you question, and you try not to sound despondent.

"Y-Yeah, I do." he agrees despite his stutter. "Things like this don't go away on their own, you know?" and you chew on the inside of your lip, and feel that gloom cloud from earlier making its way back.

"I thought we were supposed to be hanging out today, Spencer." you start and he blinks owlishly, long lashes nearly caressing the tops of his cheekbones.

"We could always raincheck." he says, and you stare at him just a bit blankly. "It's not like it was a date or anything. They were just plans..." he adds, and your teeth chomp down on your bottom lip. He doesn't really know how to read the look on your face, but he knows that he feels like he's being noble.

"Just plans." you shrug your shoulders dismissively. "Right." and then you pick up your pen. "Well if that's what you want, I guess it's fine by me." you add, body curling into itself as you position yourself away from him.

"Isn't that what you want?" he questions, and you cut your eyes.

"Do you think I'd be sitting here if it was?" you keep your voice level, but your leg is bouncing. You're not quite sure why, maybe because Spencer was being Spencer. You supposed your comment that made it clear that you knew that he had feelings for you had scared him. Now, he was trying to protect himself, but you weren't so hungry for a relationship that you'd string him along for the sole purpose of getting over Hotch. You would've made this call had you figured it out or not, and you supposed the fact he didn't get that was what sucked. "I'm not that pathetic." you add with a quiet scoff.

"It's not about you being pathetic." he denies. "I don't think that about you., I just know that you're in a vulnerable place. You had real feelings for him, and I think it'd be best for you to get it all off your chest correctly, before you start projecting all those leftover feelings to the first person you can." and he doesn't mean it in the way it sounds. In fact the statistics about rebounds would sound a lot worse, but as usual, he's horrible at communicating exactly what he feels.

You blink. Once, twice, three times.

"I can't believe you just said that to me." you say, and you're abruptly standing up, mostly because you're about to cry like the fucking baby you were. Spencer's certain this is a new record for how quickly things could go left just because he couldn't shut the hell up. What he'd been trying to convey was that after a rejection, it was much easier to mistake platonic feelings for romantic ones. He had been a consistent shoulder for you to lean on since everything went south.

He didn't want you to think that he was being nice to you only because he had feelings for you, and convince yourself that you felt the same all because you refused to fully shut the door with Hotch. But he'd never actually meant to make it seem like you'd be so desperate, and especially not with him. "Y/N, wait. That's not what I meant-" except you're already leaving, taking in the shaky breath that told him he'd stupidly made you cry.

"L/N?" Emily's calling as you pass her, but you don't respond to her either. Instead you're rushing off in the direction of the bathroom, likely to calm yourself down. Emily's eyes are immediately snapping over to Spencer, and her eyebrows are furrowed. He instinctively looks away, internally cursing himself out.

────────────────────────

"Y/N/N?" you're surprised to hear JJ entering the bathroom, and you're hurriedly moving to splash at your face with water to keep it from looking so puffy. Still, JJ was as perceptive as she was pushy, so it's clear she's already put it together that you're crying. "Hey, is everything alright?" she takes on that motherly tone she uses with Henry, and the rest of the team when they're feeling down.

"I'm fine." you insist, and she doesn't look convinced. She takes a tentative step towards you, standing beside the sink you were occupying. "Seriously JJ, please just leave me alone." you partially beg.

"I know you're upset with me, but you're still my friend." she reminds you. "I'm not going to leave you in here when it's clear you're upset." she exclaims. "So you can talk to me or not, but I'm not going anywhere." she deadpans, and you sniffle, rubbing harshly at your cheeks. They're sensitive to the action, blood rushing to your face.

"You're so annoying." you mumble, but there's no bite. It makes JJ snicker, and it's a step in the right direction you're sure.

"It's my job." she retorts with a shrug, and she leans her back against the sink beside you, legs crossing slightly. "Is everything okay?" she tries again, much more gently as you frown. No, everything was not okay. You hadn't actually expected to be sitting here crying over Spencer's remark, but you supposed that the fact he believed you'd ever use him as a rebound had kind of hurt. You supposed it also didn't help that he'd so callously canceled your plans.

You'd actually started to look forward to hanging out with him.

"Do you think I'm desperate?" you question haughtily, and JJ's eyes widen, surprise overtaking her features as she turns to you fully.

"Of course not." she denies firmly, blonde ponytail bobbing with all her intense animation. "What would make you think that?" she pries, and you cut your eyes just slightly.

"You guys could have trusted me with the truth." you counter, and she falls silent. "And even if you couldn't there were so many other ways to keep me from finding out about Emily. Ways that didn't involve making me look like an idiot to the rest of the team." you mumble crossly, and you blink enough that you feel like your lashes are crumpling into your cornea. it forces you to drag a hand over them roughly, rubbing harshly at your eyes until the sensation left.

"That wasn't what we were trying to do." JJ tries, and it doesn't really matter what exactly she was trying to do. What mattered was what had happened. "You know that." she adds, and you think she's trying to appeal to the part of you that knew the type of people she and Hotch were. The ones that had proven their loyalty to the team for years and years. "Is this about Hotch?" she says and you wince because the problem wasn't that simple.

And you didn't understand why everyone seemed to think so.

You weren't some girl that couldn't handle rejection, what bothered you the most was that Hotch and JJ had felt like they couldn't trust you, and it bothered you that Hotch had felt like he had to play along to some stupid fantasy to ensure you'd play your role. And it especially bothered you that you'd mourned your friend Emily and everything you thought you knew about her, and all anyone could focus on was the fact that you liked Hotch and he didn't like you back. As if your entire world stopped all because of it.

"No, it's not about Hotch." you deadpan. "I wish you guys would just stop being so casual about it." you add on as JJ's mouth parts.

"Y/N... it's not really something that you'd ever really been subtle about. Everyone knows." and she's still trying to be gentle, despite the fact that the words still managed to slice at you.

"So that makes what you guys did, okay?" you shoot back. "Is that really the hill you want to die on?" and you're growing crosser. "This isn't about not being liked back by a guy, this is about me believing that the people I spend most of my days with have my back. How are we supposed to be a team when I can't trust you?" you press. "Because you never would have done that to Spence." you add, and JJ blinks, mostly because she doesn't know how to counter that.

"You didn't have to do it to Derek or Rossi or Penelope either." you remind her. "So what was it about me, about this that made your only course of action rubbing salt in a wound that I was doing a damn good job of healing all on my own?"

"I-I don't know." she admits, and you suppose it was an answer.

"Yeah, well I don't know if I have the patience to wait around for you all to figure that out." you mumble.

"What are you saying?" and JJ's blinking a bit more, eyes misty but not quite showing any signs of shed tears.

"I'm saying that before I didn't know if I wanted to stay here anymore. I love my job, but I don't love how it makes me feel now." you say plainly. "When Elle got like that and ignored her gut it got someone shot." you say, and it sounds melodramatic, but it doesn't feel that way at all. JJ gasps, though it's faint. "I just don't want to wait around for that to happen to me." and you inhale sharply, shuddered breath wracking through you as JJ stares at you clearly gobsmacked.

"But-" and she can't quite grasp the words. "You can't just leave." she exclaims, and it sounds like she's pleading. "Look-" and she's starting to sound just a little desperate. "Look we never wanted to hurt you, okay? And-and none of us..." and she stops to make sure she's staring you directly in your eyes. "None of us want to lose you, Y/N." she insists. "I-" and she's shaking her head again. "Please don't do this." and she sounds the same way Spencer did when he said it. Your nose twitches, "We just got the team back together." she mutters.

"JJ, that's not fair." you huff at her, and she's not really trying to be fair. She just doesn't want you to leave.

"I'm so sorry that we hurt you." and while most apologies that start that way are usually rife with deceit, JJ sounds more sincere than she probably ever has before. "And I'm sorry if it feels a little flat, especially with you already having a foot out the door." she sighs, "It wasn't okay, but-but I know how Hotch feels about you. How the entire team feels about you." she reiterates. "We can't do this without you, we can't." she emphasizes sternly. "And maybe that's selfish to bring up, but we all care so much about you." she promises.

You want to cut her off, but she doesn't give you the chance.

Classic JJ.

"Do whatever you need to! Take as much time away as you need, hate us forever if you have to, but please don't- don't walk away from what you do here." she exhales shakily. "And-and for the record, whether it helps or not... we didn't sit around discussing your... feelings for Hotch." she tells you quietly. "It wasn't some master plan that we composed, and-and I don't know... it couldn't have all been fake." she whispers, and you wonder why she's changing her tune, because just last week she was telling you that 'it wasn't real'

"JJ-" you finally manage and she's shaking her head.

"I'm serious." she insists, and your nose crinkles up again.

"Stop." you deadpan. "You're being really mean." you huff, and you begin to click at your nails just slightly. JJ thinks you're a little bit exasperating. Too stubborn for your own good, but she wont push.

"Could you just listen for one second?" she exclaims, and you're pouting as she grows more overwhelmed at it all. "I wouldn't lie to you about this." she insists, and you wonder why she, and Spencer have taken this sort of stance with you. It should make you hopeful, right? Oh, there was some chance that Hotch felt the same way as you. Except you can't be happy about it, because he's not the one that was sitting here telling you this. It was JJ.

What had you told Spencer earlier? 'There's no way to misunderstand when it's spelled out for you, right', and emotionally exhausted or not, you meant it. Which meant you refused to do the work for him. If he couldn't say it, if he couldn't admit it, than it was as if it wasn't true at all. Which is why you exhale, blinking away whatever bleariness tried to keep itself latched to your eyes. "I love you for trying so hard, but I'd rather you didn't." you instruct sternly.

JJ inhales deeply, audibly expelling the breath from her nose. "That's what you're missing, Y/N." she begins, and she reaches out, hand cupping your shoulder. "I'm not trying to do anything. Everything I've said today I meant. You're important, and you're a lot to lose." she admits. "If you're going to leave, leave because you hate the job, do it because you don't feel fulfilled any longer. But don't let this be what makes you throw in the towel, Y/N." she says and you huff again.

You were doing a lot of that today. "We'll make up for it." she begins, and then she sighs. "I'll make up for it, however long it takes." and you think her pivot from sharing the blame to taking it all for herself makes you feel a little less like you were being ganged up on. She was no longer the spokesperson for everyone involved, and was back to just being JJ, your friend JJ. "Please?" she tries again, and it's not like her to beg, which tells you all you need to know about how serious she was.

"We should get back to work." you mumble, and it's not quite the answer she's expecting, but at the very least it was a promise that you both still had until the end of the day at the very least. She doesn't have the strength to fight her smile, arms looping around you in a move that's much too invasive for your still sour mood, but you don't slight her for it. You instead let her hug you, because obviously it meant a lot more to her than you knew. She'd missed you.

"Alright, alright. That's enough." you tease, moving to lightly push the blonde off of you as she exhales.

"Can you blame me? I thought you were gonna hate me forever." she admits honestly, and you crinkle your nose.

"Guess I'm softer than I thought." you reply, and she waves you off at the remark. Still, despite this slight turn in the direction of your relationship with JJ, you still couldn't feel all that settled. But, you know hiding out in the restroom was by no means the best choice. So when JJ moves to leave, you tail her, surprised when on the other side is a nearly pacing Reid.

"Spence?" JJ exclaims in surprise, the tawny haired man turns to you both. He's immediately looking past JJ to take you in. JJ follows hos gaze and whistles under her breath, deciding that her job was done. She offers you a hopeful sort of look before she continues on towards her desk, leaving you and Spencer mostly alone.

"Are you okay?" he asks, and you're subjectively alright, for the moment. You're better than you were, but not as good as you could be. You're not anywhere near where or who you were before, but you suppose after what the team endured there wasn't much that could be done about that last bit. "I'm so sorry." he's exclaiming, and of course, he means it. He always means it. "I didn't mean to-" and he doesn't really know how to articulate all his thoughts correctly.

He's good with words, knows facts and statistics and data, knows what runs through his mind when he thinks about you, and knows what he wants to say. It's when he opens his mouth that things go awry, because despite all his grand attempts, he always manages to screw up when it came to expressing the emotional side of things. His pep talks sometimes fell flat, and a lot of times he missed the mark when it came to cheering someone up. But, he'd never wanted to be a person who hurt you, so he needed to fix it.

Even if it ruined everything forever.

"I wasn't trying to insinuate that you'd-" and he motions between the both of you. "I don't think that you see me as a rebound." he finally vocalizes. "That would mean you'd have to see me in a potentially romantic way." Spencer's voice is as steady as it often was when he was giving a geographical profile or helping to relay some form of fact or evidence during a case. Which said a lot about his intentions, and how serious he was about you not misunderstanding him.

"I was merely trying to note that a lot of times in circumstances where we're faced rejection from someone we hold to a high regard, it's really easy to misinterpret our own feelings and latch onto people before we really mean to." he expresses, and your chewing on the inside of your cheek, albeit subtly. "For example, because you've established me as someone who you can trust during this time, it'd be really easy for you to misinterpret what you think you feel for me." he says, and your eyebrows furrow inwardly.

"How could I possibly do that? They're my own feelings." you retort.

"Because, the first thing people do after a breakup, is they seek validation, or a new way to boost their esteem and self worth." he doesn't quite lecture, but it's clear he's intent on your knowing all of this. "And that doesn't necessarily mean that you're vying for me as a potential person to bounce back with, but a lot of times when you don't process the end of a previous emotional bond, your view of the entire new dynamic can be warped." he proceeds, and you're still not really understanding his point, instead you're feeling more silly.

"What are you saying, Spencer?" you question quietly.

"All I'm trying to explain is that I don't want you to tell me that you want to go out and listen to me promenade facts unless it's what you really want to do." he says, "I don't want you to feel like you're obligated to play along, because you think we're in the same boat... where we- we love someone that we can't have?" he presses, and he winces once it's out, you think you may have started holding your breath. "Does that make sense to you?"

You nod your head limply, and you take in his words. You find that your little hunch about your dear Spencer was correct. You also note that it doesn't quite scare you the way you'd initially believed it would. "Spence, I wouldn't do that to you." you remind him, and he nods too.

"I know that." he promises. "At least not consciously, but our minds can play tricks on us. You could think that this is what's best, moving on... forgetting about- about everything that happened." he presses, and your lips form into a thin line. "And then wake up in three weeks and remember why you fell in love with Hotch to begin with."

"Or-" and his eyes widen.

"Or?"

"Or...I could choose to stop waiting around for someone to not be afraid to love me." you counter. "I could- I could choose to hang out with my friend, Spencer and be okay with whatever happens after that. I could- We could do that. And it could be okay." you purse your lips. "Because, it's what I want to do. Nobody's entitled to my feelings but me, and you know what that means, Spencer? It means that if you think that you might love me, you need to be okay with that." he looks a bit startled that you're saying it so bluntly, but stays quiet.

"And you need to know that sometimes your statistics are gonna be wrong, and sometimes the guy that's too scared to admit how they feel doesn't get the girl." it's a shock, you can't say that you've fallen out of love in a day, you can't say that you've fallen in love in a day. But you do know that Spencer Reid managed to invoke a hope inside of you that you hadn't managed to feel in a long time. He made you girlishly giddy, and you liked talking to him, you liked listening to him, you liked the way it felt when you'd made plans together.

And maybe there was no such thing as a happily ever after where everyone gets who they want, maybe in three weeks you would wake up and find that you and Spencer were better off as friends, but you weren't going to hold up your life in the hopes that maybe someday Aaron Hotchner would wake up and decide he was finally ready to love you out loud. Not when there was a chance to take your own life, your own emotions by the balls and do with them what you wanted.

"He doesn't?" Spencer asks, and you're not quite sure you can place what emotions are resting on his face and in his eyes.

"We can find out." you offer, and it's not some heady and heavy declaration of unyielding devotion, but wasn't that sort of how every relationship started? With some decision to take a chance. Maybe, you didn't really know. "There's this music store I've been dying to check out." you say, and for the second time that day Spencer seems to brighten right in front of your eyes. "It's sort of right on the strip, if you don't mind going with me... there's a lot we could do…" and the small change is almost everything. It's scary, causes a pit in your gut.

Still, it's a nicer feeling than uncertainty and the hollowness left behind by idleness. "Are you in?" you ask, and Spencer is already nodding his head, smile reaching his eyes as his pretty teeth reveal themselves to you, eyes twinkling in a way that's very very beautiful.

"Yes." he agrees with a simple nod. "I would-" and you think it's cute the way his smile refuses to leave, and sweet the way he's suddenly grown nervous all over again. "I'd like that-" and his voice cracks, and earns him a laugh, your own demeanor seeming to change as your excitement starts to brew in the depths of your chest.

"Good." you beam.

"Good." he repeats, and there's a small moment, a flicker where you're certain you both look nervous, frightful of what came next. But it only lasts a second, because you're both suddenly being called by Derek, a resounding 'Pretty Boy, Pretty Girl' forcing you out of your bubble and back into the fray. With another shared smile you find yourselves in step, making your way back towards the heart of the bullpen where the rest of the team is huddled. It's rare when work is so light, but you know as well as everyone else, you'll all take advantage of it.

When Penelope smiles at you, you smile back, and it's real.

When JJ plants herself on top of your desk, the two of you actually laugh, spilling secrets and trading gossip like nothing's ever changed.

When Rossi calls you Piccola, you relax even more into the familiarity of being surrounded by your teammates.

When Derek slings an arm around your shoulder and plants a kiss to the top of your head, you remember why you loved your job.

When Emily calls your name and waves you and JJ over to the group, you oblige, meeting Emily's eyes with no mirth left behind. When she calls you by your nickname, you feel that familiar swarm of familial adoration filling your chest, and recognize that things with her would be okay. You find that in the grand scheme she is still your Emily.

When you find yourself standing next to your boss, his usually stern and stoic persona shed in the presence of the team he considered family, you hardly bat an eye. When he smiles at a joke you make, you're pleased, but the anxiety, the panic that tormented you is all gone. The butterflies are too, replaced with the respect you remember.

And when you find yourself looking across the circle and meet the pretty brown eyes of one Spencer Reid, you feel it when your heart tremors, just a little bit.

And you think, in the end, you made the right decision.

[moralesmilesanhour]

'cold turkey' but i rewrote it - part two!

summary: the festivities have begun! but you forgot the drinks. whoops. wc: 2k+ a/n: I almost cut this short at like a thousand words but I knew in my SPIRIIITT that I wanted to add more twists and turns to this thing. It's a bit rushed but let's just say I'm very glad I did! if you feel like it: comment your favorite holiday-related dishes :) part one part two

“Traffic was nuts today,” your older sister Alanna sighed as she hauled a carton full of cans of soda over to the kitchen. She looked up and saw Miles, who smiled and gave her a quick wave. “Oh my god, Miles?”

“One and only,” he replied. “Been a minute, ain’t it?”

The woman set the carton down on the floor. “When did you get so big? You're taller than me!”

Miles shrugged. “Growth spurt.”

“Alright then, nice seeing you,” Alanna turned and joined you on the couch with that glint in her eye and smirk that appeared only when she was scheming. “He’s mad cute now, right?”

You rolled your eyes and sighed, “ ‘Lana, no. Not happening.”

“Come on, I’ve seen the niggas you been with and he’s literally your type–”

“Can you lower your voice? He’s right there!” you yell-whispered. 

You craned your neck to see if Miles was listening. His head was down, all focus seemingly directed towards cooking beans. 

You turned back towards Alanna. “Anyway, he’s Jeff’s kid. I don’t want beef with Jeff or his mama if we break up. They literally live around the corner, do you know how awkward that’s gonna be?”

“So pessimistic,” Alanna’s lips were upturned into a pout. “How you just met him and you already imagining the breakup?”

“I’m being realisti–”

“The beans are done!” Miles’ voice interrupted. 

You called out, “That’s great, thank you so much! I’ll see you later this evening?”

He emerged from the kitchen and began to put on his sneakers. “Yup, lookin’ forward to it,” he stood up and made direct eye contact with you as he smiled. “Good luck with med school.”

With that, Miles grabbed his jacket off of the hook by the entrance, and left.

Your sister watched the door shut behind him with a satisfied grin. “He likes you.”

“No he don’t,” you retorted, keeping your eyes glued to your socks. “You want him to like me.”

The image of fluttering lashes and the scar on his cheek returned to you. How Alanna could tell even without her knowing about that little encounter was a mystery.

“Well, either way, do what you want,” she rose from the couch with a sigh of resignation. “I’m just saying he seems sweet. Now, help me decorate, and I’ll let you make the playlist after.”

You perked up at the thought of having DJ privileges and hopped to your feet. “You got it!”

-

Only half an hour had passed since relatives and family friends began trickling in, but you were already exhausted. One more inescapable hug and barrage of questioning, and you swore you’d have a breakdown. 

Ding dong!

“I’ll get it!” you announced, narrowly escaping being accosted by one of your aunts as you made a beeline for the door.

It was Miles again, this time with company.

“Welcome back,” you greeted Miles and stepped back to open the door wider. “Hey Mr. and Mrs. Morales!”

“Y/N! It’s been so long, tú eres tan guapa!” Rio Morales briefly took both of your hands in hers before entering, tugging Miles along with her.

Jefferson Morales was the last to go inside. His warm smile was a stark contrast to his wide, imposing frame. “I see Miles didn’t burn your kitchen down,” he laughed heartily. “He wasn’t too much trouble?”

Not in the way you were expecting.

You shook her head politely, “No, not at all! He even helped me finish dinner.”

Jefferson’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Well, that’s good to hear. We really appreciate the invite.”

“No problem,” you nodded as you shut the door.

“Y/N!” Alanna rushed up to you not a moment later, looking mildly panicked. “Do you remember where you put the drinks? The alcoholic ones, I mean.”

Your eyes widened. “Fuck, I think I forgot to buy them.”

“...Now, your mother was going to nursing school at the time, so she had to…”

Jefferson’s deep voice carried over the music, catching Alanna’s attention. He stood near the tin of mac and cheese telling a story that–judging by the look on Miles’ face–he had told several times before.

That same smirk from before spread across her lips. ‘Do what you want’, sure, but a little helpful push wouldn’t hurt.

“Miles, do you wanna help out Y/N again? She forgot to go out and buy drinks.”

He perked up, relief written all over his face. “Yeah, it’s no problem! I’ll drive her.”

You narrowed your eyes at your sister, but didn’t push back. “That’s cool with me. I’ll go get my sweater.”

-

You squeezed your fingers nervously as Miles turned the key and brought the car roaring to life. 

What could you possibly say to him? ‘Hey, so we almost kissed earlier. Thoughts on that?’ 

“What kinda drinks y’all need?” his voice ripped you away from your thoughts as he pulled onto the road. 

You didn’t answer, your eyes fixated on the motion of his hands spinning the wheel.

“Y/N?”

You blinked.

“Huh?”

“What kind of drinks are we looking for?”

“Oh, um, wine and cider and shit,” you waved a hand in the air, “Stuff that goes with turkey.”

“Cool.”

The ride was quiet, largely because you were busy racking your brain trying to think of something–anything–to fill the silence with. You’d already asked about school, and you knew Miles’ parents. But what about him?

He stopped at a red light, drumming his fingers on the wheel.

“So what do you do, like, outside of school?”

You winced. Small talk was not your forte.

Miles didn’t seem to mind though, appearing deep in thought before he answered, “I draw, when I got the time. Sing a little on the side.”

“I believe you. You look like you have a nice voice.”

An impish smile played on his lips. “Is that your way of saying I’m cute?”

“I…” the words were trapped in your throat. Part of you didn’t want to tell him the truth outright, but he was smiling at you and the sparkle in his eyes made you feel funny. 

“Maybe. Don’t get your hopes up, though.”

He raised an eyebrow. “So there’s a low, but non-zero chance.”

You snorted, “Alright, physics major. The light’s green.”

“Oh, shit. Thanks.” Miles focused his attention back onto the road and continued driving.

You didn’t say anything more for the remainder of the ride, but he caught you staring at him every now and then through the rear view mirror, curiosity written on your face.

Soon enough, he pulled over in front of the supermarket.

“Think you’ll find ‘stuff that goes with turkey’ in here?”

“I hope so,” you laughed, unbuckling your seat belt, “My sister’s gonna put me in the dirt if I don’t.”

“Well, good luck!”

Miles unlocked the door, and you set out on your mission.

Luckily, it only took you about twenty minutes to locate a bottle of moscato and some hard apple cider. Just as he saw you emerge from the double doors, though, a familiar buzzing in the back of his head tipped him off.

Really? On Thanksgiving?

A man wearing an inconspicuous black ski mask and hoodie stood waiting by the entrance, ready to strike. 

“Yo, empty your pocke–”

Miles swung into action the moment he spotted the gleam of a firearm.

You yelped as a string of white web shot out from seemingly nowhere and yanked the gun from your assailant’s hands. 

“It’s the holidays! C’mon, man!” 

“Spider-Man?” Your jaw dropped at the sight of the masked hero. 

He was perched on top of a low building right next to the supermarket, only his white eyes and the bright red streaks lining his suit visible in the pitch-black of night.

“At your service, ma’am!” 

With a quick salute, he was gone as suddenly as he’d appeared. Like, literally gone. You didn’t see him leave.

You let out a deep exhale and made your way back to Miles’ car, but you couldn’t see him in the window. A pit began to form in your stomach, until a voice made you jump.

“Hey, you alright?”

It was Miles, who had somehow appeared at your side without a sound. He was out of breath, leaning his elbow on the side of the vehicle for support.

Your eyes narrowed. “I’m…fine. Are you okay? Where’d you go?”

“Bathroom,” he lied. He pointed towards the bags you were holding. “Need help with those?”

You handed them over without a second thought. “Definitely. You know this nigga almost robbed me outside the store just now? Then, right as he’s about to pull a gun on me, guess who shows up?”

Miles grinned knowingly. “Spider-Man?”

“Showed up quick as hell! Even on Thanksgiving, can you imagine?”

“Crazy.”

He opened the door to the passenger’s side for you to get in. 

“Thanks.”

Miles did a slight bow, allowing you to catch a flash of red and black peeking out from beneath his jacket. You had assumed that he was wearing a turtleneck at first, but upon closer inspection–

“At your service,” he said with a grin before making his way over to the driver’s seat.

As you shut the door, Spider-Man’s voice returned to you.

At your service, ma’am.

The rest of the way home, you replayed both sentences in your head, alternating between the two and replaying the night’s events.

Miles had just so happened to reappear mere seconds after Spider-Man had said the words. They even shared an accent. You considered the absurd possibility for a moment; the police chief’s son being the masked vigilante would make quite the headline, almost poetic in its irony. 

Too poetic.

But just as you were about to let it go, Miles went over a speedbump, causing a jolt that made something begin to slip out from his jacket’s right pocket.

Black, red and white.

You pondered how to broach the subject once he pulled up in front of your house, when a lightbulb went off in your head.

Reaching over to the red button that released your seatbelt, you pressed it halfway, over and over again.

“Miles, I think my seatbelt’s stuck. Help me out?”

Miles removed his own with a click. “Sure, lemme see.”

He leaned over and reached the passenger’s seat with ease. His breath hit the side of your neck as he moved closer, making your heart rate quicken, but you maintained focus.

What mattered was that he was in close quarters. You had to see the suit.

“Got it,” Miles said once he released your not-actually-stuck seatbelt. “You’re free–”

Before he could move any further, you grabbed the collar of his jacket and unzipped it halfway.

“I knew it!”

The look of sheer terror on Miles’ face sealed the deal. Here was Spider-Man, in all of his glory.

“Are you…gonna…tell anyone?” 

His voice was hushed as he spoke. Almost small. You looked into those round, glassy eyes and felt a wave of guilt. 

“I–no, of course not,” you shook your head. “I just…I needed to be sure.”

He relaxed, some of the humor returning to his face. “And now that you’re sure?”

A cheeky grin spread across your lips.

“I guess I should thank you.”

You tugged at his collar one more time and brought his lips crashing against yours.

After getting over the initial surprise, Miles brought a hand up to caress one side of your face and deepen the kiss. Your other hand reached up and brushed the cold metal of one of his stud earrings before you snaked your arm around his neck.

Miles was the first to pull away, zipping his jacket back up.

“I don’t think I can stay in this position for that long,” he smiled. “We gotta get back inside with these drinks.”

You sighed, head still pounding with adrenaline. “You’re right, let’s get outta here.”

By the time you made it up the steps, Alanna was already holding the door open. She gave your face a good once-over and stifled a laugh.

“Did you two have fun on your little adventure?”

You took one of the bags from Miles and held it up like a trophy. “Yup, mission accomplished.”

“That’s not what I meant, baby,” she gestured towards her lips and mouthed “your lip gloss.”

Your eyes widened as she snickered, and let the two of you in. 

“Don’t worry, we’ll fix it in the bathroom. Hurry up!”

A few makeup wipes and a liner touch-up later, you emerged from the bathroom just in time for dinner.

Out of all the chairs strewn about the living room, you ended up seated between Miles and Jefferson. The former kept quiet, save for the occasional joke or wink thrown in your direction. Jefferson kept inquiring about your studies, which would then bounce back to Miles’ studies, which Miles then would somehow deflect back to you. Any and all conversation with Jeff became awkward, considering you had just made out with his son.

The party ending felt like a weight lifted off of your shoulders.

You stood at the entrance, waving goodbye to the steady stream of guests as their conversations stretched on, even from their cars. The Morales family were the last to leave.

After his parents went down the steps, Miles stopped in front of the door.

“Hey,” he smiled and tilted his head.

“Hey. You ready to go? I’m not letting you stay the night,” you teased.

“Wasn’t planning to, I promise. I just wanted to ask…” 

He shoved his hands into his pockets. “When are you goin’ back to campus?”

“Monday.”

Miles winced, “Damn.”

“I know, I literally gotta start packing to-night! It’s a nightmare!”

“In that case,” he took out his phone, and held it out to you gingerly. “Can we keep in touch?”

You accepted the offer, rapidly entering your digits and saving them under your name. “Worried about me spilling your secret identity?”

“Absolutely. I gotta keep an eye on you from now on. Like witness protection, but backwards–”

“Miles, vamos!” Rio called out from a distance.

“I’m coming, mami!” he replied before turning back to you. “See you winter break?”

You planted a kiss on his cheek. “Maybe. Non-zero chance.”

"I'll take it."

[milkgemini]

Tip Of The Iceberg

Pairing: Josh Kiszka X f!reader Word Count: 3.2k

A/N: josh in that beanie had a chokehold on me tonight.. so how could i not. shout out to my baby @babyhoneygvf for helping me come up with this. ily pookie. as always, plsssss let me know your thoughts! 🫶🏻

Part 2

Jake 4:59 pm

“Get up ya lazy shit. We’re going skating in an hour” 

You 5:05 pm

“Im up Im up. I’ll be over in 20.” 

The friendship you shared with Jake was something near and dear to your heart. He felt like a big brother to you. You both shared the same humor. He would tease you and call you names, but at the end of the day, you knew he would never let anything happen to you. 

His twin brother, Josh, was a different story. You didn’t dislike Josh. You didn’t know him well enough to even dislike him. There had never been a time where you hung out with Josh one on one. Jake or Sam had always been there to ease the awkward tension. You had tried to spark up a conversation with him before at parties the boys had thrown, but had always felt like a nuisance to him. Like he couldn’t be bothered to be included in the conversation. So you stopped trying. 

You were always civil towards him. It was in your nature. He was your best friend’s other half, literally. The least you could do was acknowledge his presence as he entered the room. 

It was just past 6 when you had shown up to the Airbnb they had rented. The 3 Kiszka boys had been staying with their parents for the holiday, but decided to rent this place so they could create their version of a Christmas break, which included a little more volume than their parents could handle. 

As you entered the rental, you couldn’t spot anyone right away, but were greeted with the volume of voices which seemed to be coming from the kitchen around the corner. Your presence was made known as you stepped into the frame of the room. 5 heads turning towards your direction, with only 4 them showing excitement that you came. 

“Hey hey! There she is!” Jake chimes in pulling you into a hug. One of the most important things in your friendship with Jake was the fact that his girlfriend Jita was respectful and understanding of the bond you two shared. They had been together for years and never once had she questioned you two, so to see the smile on her face as you reached your arms out to embrace her as well made your heart feel warm. 

Danny and Sam were leaning against the counter, sipping on whatever experimental concoction they had decided to whip up tonight. Sam's eyebrow rose over the rim of his drink, gulping down a sip while simultaneously throwing an arm around you to welcome you. “Hi you two. What’s the drink of choice tonight?” you hesitantly asked, fearful they would force you to try. “This right here is a secret family recipe.” Sam replies, smacking his lips acting as if he’s savoring the flavors of the cocktail. “I’d tell ya the ingredients, but like I said, it’s a secret so you’ll just have to try yourself.” He gives you a smirk while pushing the rim of the cup closer and closer to your lips. 

“He’s full of shit, don’t believe him. There’s no family recipe.” Danny warns you just as you’re about to fall for Sam's tricks. “Aw come on, Daniel. I almost had her!” With a wave of your hand, you roll your eyes to Sam, realizing there’s one person left in the kitchen you’ve not yet said hello to. 

Josh had also been leaning against the kitchen counter a little farther down from Sam and Danny. He had a red solo cup in his hand, silently sipping his drink perusing the scene of people in the room. His legs were crossed at the ankles, and he watched over the rim of his cup as you greeted the rest of the crew. Once you had realized it was rude of you not to at least say something, you faced his direction. “Hi Josh” you waved meekly towards him. His only response was to lift his cup giving you a tight grin. 

“Well, that was awkward.” you thought to yourself. And as if your best friend could read your mind, Jake saved you from any further embarrassment by interrupting. 

“Alright guys. Uber’s gonna be here in 10, so get your shit together.” 

As you all exited the kitchen, each of you began bundling yourselves with jackets, hats, scarves, and gloves in preparation of bracing the bitter Michigan winter air. With your hat, scarves and gloves secured, you patted the pockets of your winter coat making sure you had all of your belongings before leaving. 

“Think you left this” a flat voice called from behind you. 

Josh stood there, holding your wallet in his right hand, wiggling it towards you. 

“Right, thanks.” was all you could reply. 

Stuffing the wallet into your side pocket, you followed behind Sam as you all crammed into the van taking you to the ice rink. 

The place was packed. It was Christmas break so you didn’t expect any less. As you approached the booth to pay, you began to feel your nerves rise in your stomach. Here you were about to step onto the ice, with no clue in the world of how to skate. 

You followed Jake over to the stand where it was time to pick out your skates. You whispered to him, “I don’t know what I’m doing, so..” He huffed a laugh and turned to the employee before the desk. “She’s a size 7.” The man behind the counter had handed you a pair of white skates, heavier than you expected. 

The 6 of you had found a bench outside, and everyone started untying their shoes to put their skates on. Unsure of how to tie your own skates but unwilling to admit it, you peeked out of the corner of your eye to mimic Jake’s movements. 

“Is this right?” You pointed your feet in his direction, laces not tied properly. 

“Lift up for me.” He tapped his thigh signaling to lift your feet to him. 

Jake fixed your laces for you, tying them extra tight, resulting in you huffing out a breath to him. 

“You’ll thank me later” he shot a wink at you before grabbing Jitas hand, and walking towards the entrance to the rink. 

Sam and Danny had already gotten out there, Josh following in his twin brother's footsteps right behind him. Which left you by yourself to wobble up to the entrance, clinging on to anything in sight that would help stable your balance. 

As you stood in the entryway, you closed your eyes and said a quick affirmation to yourself before stepping on the ice. You clung to the side walls as you moved your skates centimeters apart. Jake and Jita skated by you with ease and you flashed them a fake smile, immediately rolling your eyes when they were no longer in sight. 

“Well, I paid for this so I might as well at least try..” you thought to yourself. You had no idea where this shot of courage came from, but before you could overthink it, you pushed yourself from the edge of the rink and tried skating on your own. 

“Slow and steady wins the race” you repeat to yourself, as other people whip by you showing off how well they could skate. A younger boy in a hockey jersey was skating incredibly fast with friends behind you. Their volume increased, giving you a warning they were approaching quickly. The boy was paying no attention to you, just trying to get past as fast as he could, unfortunately knocking your shoulder in the process. Nudging you a bit too hard, you had lost your balance, sticking your arms out into nothing, bracing yourself for the fall you knew was coming. 

Just before falling on your ass, you felt two sets of hands steady you by your elbows, straightening you up, saving you from the fall. 

With the hands still gripping your elbows, and you too terrified to move an inch, all you could do was turn your head to the side to catch a glimpse of who was behind you. 

“Josh?” you blurted out. “Oh um… thank you. I was about to bust my ass” you chuckled to yourself. 

“I saw. Here. Go slow, let’s just get to the edge.” With his back flush to your chest, his hands still gripping the back of your arms tight, he guided you to the edge of the rink. 

As best you could, you used your mittens to try to push your bangs out of your eyesight and readjusted the hat on your head. 

“I’m not very good at this.” You admitted to him with a half smile. 

“Takes practice. Jake and I started really young.” he responded flatly. 

“Yeah well, I’m over it. You guys go head. I'm gonna grab a hot chocolate.” Before giving him time to respond, you began to creep along the edge of the rink towards the entrance. 

“Wait!” 

You turned to Josh with wide eyes. You weren’t even expecting him to be there anymore after you told him you’re finished with skating. You figured he wouldn’t really care what you were doing actually. 

“I was thinking of getting a beer myself, so if you don’t mind…” he trails off 

“Sure, what do you want? I’ll bring it back over. Just meet me on the side and I’ll hand it to you.” you absentmindedly start reaching in your pocket for your wallet. 

“I meant… do you mind if I join?” he retorts back to you, looking directly in your eyes this time. 

His question shocked you. Not once has Josh put the energy into hanging out, just you two. If anything, sometimes it seemed like he went out of his way to avoid this exact circumstance from happening. 

“Oh umm. Yeah of course.” you tried your best to hide the surprised look on your face. 

Slowly but surely, you reached the exit gate to the rink, stepping down onto the rubbery ground. It was much easier to walk on the skates now, so you had no trouble finding a bench and plopping yourself down. Until you were faced with your next challenge. You look down at your skates to see the jumbled mess of laces Jake had tied for you earlier. You leaned over and tried to tackle the knots. Josh sitting next to you, had already untied his skates and laced up his boots. 

“Need some help?” He asked. 

“I think I got it. It’s just stuc-“ 

“Gimme it” he reaches down to grab your ankle, pulling your skate into his lap. Within seconds, he unties the mess his twin made earlier, and taps the skate to signal for you to bring your next foot up. 

You finished tying the laces to your own boots, skates in hand and stood up next to Josh. 

“Ready?” He asks, nodding towards the concession stand. 

You trail behind him, unsure of how this is going to go. You were so used to awkward situations when it came to Josh. Was this going to be filled with uncomfortable silence? 

As you reach the concession stand, you scan your eyes over the menu. Josh steps up to the counter first. 

“Hey how are you?” He greets the woman behind the cash register with a tight lipped grin. “Can I get a Dogfish Namaste and a hot chocolate?” He whips his head around back to you. “Anything else?” He asks. 

“Uhh, no just the hot chocolate. Thanks.” The thought of him buying your drink for you without questioning it made a smile creep up on your face. 

The woman at the counter handed over both of your drinks to which Josh thanked her and stuffed a few bills in their tip jar. He turned to you, extending his hand with your warm drink. 

“Thank you, Josh. You didn’t have to do that. I have my wallet, remember?” You reminded him. 

“Don’t worry about it.” He took a sip from his beer. 

You both started walking towards an empty table inside, needing the extra warmth right now. 

As you sat down, just the two of you at the table, you started to pick at the skin around your finger nails, worried about how awkward this might be. You decided to be the one to spark the conversation to ease the tension. 

“I like your beanie” you complimented him. 

The smallest smile shown on his face, as he reached up to feel the black knit hat on his head as if he forgot he was wearing it. 

“Oh, thanks. My mom got it for me for Christmas.” 

As you scanned Josh, you started to realize he looked different tonight. He looked good. The beanie was pulled tight onto his head, his curls stuffed inside. All you could see coming through were the shaved sides of his head. He kept his ears out of the beanie, which made the dainty golden hoops he wore even more noticeable to you. 

“You ever try this kind?” He lifted the beer up to you. 

Was he finally trying to carry on an actual conversation with you? 

“I’ve tried their other ones, but I’ve never had that kind before.” You replied to him, trying your best not to show your excitement from him continuing the conversation. 

“Try it. It’s good. It’s a wheat beer so if you like anything Belgian style, you’ll like this” he hands the beer across the table to you. As you wrap your fingers around the can, you also cover his fingers in the process before he has time to let go. Keeping your eyes on him, you watch his bashful reaction as he hands the can over and tries to find anything else to look at. 

You take a sip of the beer, swirling your tongue in your mouth to take in the flavor. Josh watches your mouth from across the table. 

“It’s good! I like it. I’ll have to pick this one up next time.” You hand the can back over to Josh. 

A familiar set of voices can be heard coming from behind you. 

“There you guys are!” Sam interjects, playfully slapping his brother’s shoulder. 

“We thought you guys ubered back and left us here.” Jake huffed a laugh and looked at both you and Josh. “You guys ready to go? We called the Uber before we even stepped off the ice. It’s fucking freezing out there.” 

The notification on Jake’s phone alerted you that the Uber was pulling into the parking lot. The 6 of you made your way out, tumbling into your seats and huffing out a breath as you all settled in. 

Sam sat in the front seat, Jake and Jita in the two separate seats in the middle of the van. Which left you, Josh, and Danny in the row in the back, with you sandwiched between them. It was a tight squeeze, and all you could think about was making sure your thigh wasn’t leaning on Josh’s side too much. 

He could tell you were tensing yourself, almost leaning into Danny to avoid your leg pressing up against his. As your Uber driver took a sharp turn rounding the block of the Airbnb, it caused your knee to brush against him, which you quickly retreated back. 

“No worries” Josh leaned over to whisper towards you, giving your thigh a soft pat. 

Thank god it was dark in that van, because the flush of your cheeks could be spotted from a mile away. 

As you exited the car and walked through the front door of the house, everyone gathered in the kitchen, cracking open a new beer or pouring a new glass. 

Remembering that you had been the last to show up to the function, and the only sober one left, you opted for a glass of wine to catch up to the others. You grabbed a red solo cup from the stack, and held the bottle of Pinot by the neck to pour into your cup. 

Once everyone’s drinks had been refilled, most of the group had walked over to the living room, leaving you and Josh in the kitchen. Screwing the cap back on the bottle of wine, Josh had resumed his position from earlier. Ankles crossed, sipping his drink, peering at you over the edge of his can. 

As you returned the bottle back to the wine rack, you could feel his eyes follow you around the kitchen. Before you could pick your cup up to follow the others to the living room, his voice stopped you. 

“Is there a reason you’re so hesitant towards me?” He finally breaks the silence. 

“What?” You look up at him with a questioning face. 

“In the van. It was almost as if you were trying to get away from me back there. You can only scooch so close to Danny before you’re in his lap.” He took another sip of his beer, looking at you over the can with raised eyebrows. 

“I…. Didn’t mean to it’s just-“ you continued

“Just what?” He stepped closer to you, placing his hand on the counter space between the two of you. 

“I don’t know. I’ve always felt like I annoyed you, so I didn’t want to press it any further.” You admitted to him shyly. 

He set his beer down on the counter, stepping even closer to you now, the smallest space separating your hips from touching. 

“Which part of tonight made you think I was annoyed by you” his back left the edge of the counter to stand directly in front of you now. Your eyes wide as you gazed back at him, mouth parted in shock that he was so close to you right now. 

With the toes of your boots touching, he stood in front of you, his eyes flicking back and forth between your wide stare and your lips. 

“Was it the way I gripped onto you tight, making sure you never hit the ground…” he lifts his hand to your face, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear while leaning closer before finishing his sentence. 

“Or was it the way I tried my best to get you alone earlier to share a drink?” His fingertips trailed from behind your ear to your jaw, tracing along the outline of it. As he got to your chin, he held it with his thumb, the knuckle of his pointer finger curled below it. 

He moved his face closer to yours now, noses close to touching. Your eyes fluttered at his movements. He tilted your face up to him while keeping his eyes on your lips, his mouth parted. 

As he moved closer to you, his lips came to your ear, just brushing up against it. 

As you felt his soft lips brush against the shell of your ear he whispered to you. 

“And what about now? Can you tell how bad I want you?” 

to be continued….

Taglist: @gretasimp @writingcold

[anarchiii]

World’s apart-7 —ACOTAR x TOG AU

Part seven | warnings: !Kaltain! Brief mention of Arobynn (🤢), angst? | Azriel x Celaena Sardothien

Summary; Pain and suffering one after the other, Azriel decides that maybe he’s not meant for this world, but maybe he is meant for another…

Note: this is an AU it’s not in the books.

Masterlist / Series Masterlist

Celaena’s POV

To say she was in a bad mood was an understatement, she was in a horrible mood, she’d spent the night arguing with Chaol about their situation, and the fact that they couldn’t bring Dorian to the healers and was still unconscious thanks to that little, minor, fact. So it was no surprise when a headache greeted her when she woke up and had not left her since, Azriel had a permanent frown etched into his face, twin to the one Chaol had on, they seemed to deepen when both of them were in the same room as eachother, and Celaena had not a clue what that was about but she didn’t not notice the longing in both their eyes directed at her, and the look Celaena could only call ‘simply male—men— pissy-ness’ that they gave eachother.

“Is he going to die?” Chaol said, Azriel snorted in response, glaring at both of them, she said, “no, Chaol, he shouldn’t, and for the fifth time, I am not a docter. I’m a literal un-docter. I kill people, didn’t we establish that?” The captain sighed, waving to them and walking out the door, clearly sick of them, that made three of them.

-

Two hours later and Dorian seemed to be getting better, why he hadn’t woken up yet, she didn’t know, she hadn’t thought Az had hit him that hard, but then again, Celaena was pretty sure he had intended to kill him, thank the Gods that hadn’t happened. She didn’t feel like going to the gallows right now. But seeing as how the day was going, that thought might change.

“Surely you can get some medicine from a Healer,” Azriel said flatly from behind her, she could, but no good excuses came to mind, it seemed she had used all her’s up, Celaena groaned, rubbing her face vigorously. “Perhaps.” She started, “you may need to come with me though. . .” “Very well, how hard could it be? It’s just a Healer.”

-

Azriel’s POV

“Azriel I mean this in the nicest way possible when I say this, you seriously need to Shut. The. Fuck. Up when we are in there, got it? I can’t have anyone seeing those fangs of yours,” He tried not to be offended by that, but where Celaena was concerned, he never knew if she meant it or not, it was probably for the best that he never found that out. Still. It got on his nerves, he was the fearsome Shadowsinger, Spymaster to the most powerful High Lord in history and worked for the most influential and powerful places, and yet, before her. He was no more than an infant. A mere cadet bowing down before a Queen.

She put a finger to her lips, signaling to ‘shut the fuck up’, he only frowned and followed her into the Healers Quarters, the faint sound of clinking and pouring met his ears, soon enough they were met with a human face, simple but pretty, her ruddy brown hair was tied back in a tight bun, hazel eyes tired but clear as she took them in. “Hello. How can I help you. . .” She started, taking in Celaena in her tight black suit, all of her considerable curves on display, not that he had noticed that, she bowed her head at the Golden One. He could’ve sworn a hint of fear flashed across her face before it was smoothly masked into cool calm.

“I am in need of something, my friend has a sore head and It hasn’t gotten any better since it started, is there anything you have that might help with that?” Celaena asked, “may I ask what happened to their head?”, he listened to their conversation. Not uttering a word.

“Err. . . We were training in the courtyard when I accidentally hit him with the hilt of my sword, the blood stopped flowing soon enough but he has been dazed since,” a good enough excuse, “oh and,” she said. “I have been having trouble waking up in the morning. Is there something I can get for that too?” Lies, lies, and more lies.

The Healer made a contemplative sound, looking back to what seemed to be her desk, the wood covered in books and glasses filled with a variety of items and liquids, the scent of mint and rosemary surrounding the room, he noticed that a unfinished letter had her name down the bottom, Sorscha then.

She grabbed a two small vials, handing them to the Assassin, her throat bobbed as she looked at them once more, finally noticing the daggers strapped to both of them, eyes lingering on them, she said, “I hope these help. Contact me if your friend doesn’t get any better.” Celaena nodded before turning around walking through the door, Azriel quickly followed after her, not noticing that behind him, Sorscha grabbed a pen from her ink bottle and started frantically scribbling onto a piece of paper, her previous letter forgotten.

-

Celaena’s POV

“You can talk now, you know, no one’s around,” she started, carefully placing the amber liquid into her thigh pocket, the vial quickly disappearing from sight, Azriel caught up to her quickly, a frown plastered to his face. One that was not there before.

“I don’t trust her,” he said simply, she glanced over her shoulder at him, “neither do I,”

That was all they said as they walked down the countless halls and corridors of the Castle, Ardalanian flags blowing in the wind from the open windows, the red waving around like blood. The gold accents like the fire the king loved so much. The fire she feared and avoided.

It was dead silent as they walked, but that soon changed when she heard the clicking of heels on the marble floors from behind her, Celaena slowed to a stop. Placing a hand on her dagger. She turned around, immediately meeting a horrific sight, Kaltain.

“Lillian!” Kaltain chirped, her voice annoyingly high, the woman opened her arms and ran to her but she swiftly moved out of the way, right into Azriel, he instinctively wraps an arm around her waist. Keeping her steady. And Celaena is too preoccupied with cringing at Kaltain that she doesn’t move out of his grasp.

“Kaltain. . .” She winces, “I’d love to sit and chat with you about. . . Normal things, but you’ve caught me at a really bad time!” These lies were starting to way on her. Ten or so years of keeping them up could do that to a person. Human or Fae, perhaps even Witch.

She watched as she eyed down Azriel, her gaze unyielding over his body, lingering south and remaining south, she had the sudden urge to either punch Kaltain in her snobby face or growl like a Fae beast, she shoved those instincts down. Far down. Having enough, Celaena didn’t wait for the woman to answer before she was grabbing Azriel’s arm from around her waist and bolting down the hall, hissing as she thought of the way that pompous woman had looked at him. Like he was a piece of meat and she was a hungry lion.

Grabbing the handle to her chamber’s harshly, she went straight to Dorian, grabbing the vials from out of her pocket, she felt Azriel’s eyes on her but she didn’t turn around to meet them, putting the back of her hand to the Prince’s forehead, she checked his temperature. Better than before but still not great. It was true that she didn’t have much experience in healing people but she knew the basics, it was required to know how to handle wounds, severe or not, as an assassin, Celaena had acquired numerous wounds over the years—from slightly questionable training—that she’d had to heal herself, Arobynn had made sure of it.

It was only when Azriel’s scarred hand grabbed her own hand that she escaped her thoughts, realising that her knuckles were white as they gripped the medicine, his eyes met her own, whisky meeting cerulean, “you should rest. I can do this.” He said, his voice surprisingly soft, she simply nodded and handed over the medicine, she turned away from him, walking over to the balcony and breathing in the crisp air. Soon it would warm with spring.

Celaena stood out there on the balcony until the sun had set and the winter chill seeped into her bones, Azriel’s eyes never leaving her, his stare oddly comforting. She let out a cross between a laugh and a sigh. What a strange situation she found herself in.

The End.

Note: I did it, guys, I wrote an actually long chapter!! 🫶

-Taglist

@cynthiesjmxazrielslover

@azrielslittleslut

@aelincaddel

[barry-j-blupjeans]

Ise can you write an ise cube about Barry and Lup participating in No Necromancy November

Lup had been going to the kitchen. Honestly! She hadn't been able to sleep- something she was blaming on the giant, ever-screaming squirrels outside her window this cycle- and wanted to make some pancakes. Pancakes made everything better, she was pretty sure. Maybe she could have made a big one and thrown it out at them to get them to shut up for just like, just a second! But instead, she had snuck down the hallway and, accidentally, not on purpose, ended up in the lab.

Was there a big sign on the door telling her not to go in? Yes. Davenport had put it up yesterday after she and Barry had, uh... redecorated the lab with their necromancy experiment. That was barely even necromancy anyway if you went with the textbook definition. Had he asked explicitly that she stay away from the lab for at least a month, or until they found the Light? Yes.

But. But! Lup left... coffee. In there. She left coffee in there. Yes, that's what she was going with.

The lab was dark and Lup didn't bother turning on the light because she had dark vision, anyway. It was only going to be a few seconds. Minutes, maybe, if she struggled to remember where the cup was. But then she came face to face with the whiteboard of the theories she and Barry had drafted out and she couldn't just leave it up there. She had to erase that or Davenport would be upset.

But it'd be a shame to erase it before they were finished. And honestly, it wouldn't take that long. A few minutes, at most! Maybe half an hour, in total.

It must have only been twenty minutes before the door of the lab opened again. Lup immediately stretched across the counter towards her coffee cup- which she was getting to!- covering the project she had been finishing up. It was meant to look like she was just reaching over for the cup, but her arms weren't that long, she was half on the counter with her legs dangling off the side when the light flicked on.

"Just getting my coffee, Dav!" Lup said. But it wasn't Davenport at all.

It was Barry.

He stared at her for a moment. His hair was mussed like he had been tossing and turning in bed. Lup sagged against the counter and started to pull back. Barry seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in and came further in, carefully shutting the door behind him. Lup, who was now completely off the counter, raised her hand in greeting.

"I, uh," Barry said. "Came to get your coffee. To wash the cup."

"Right," Lup said. "Get a labcoat on, Barold."

"Yeah, okay," Barry said, grabbing one from the hanger near the door. He grabbed a pair of goggles, too. "What'cha working on?"

"Barney," Lup said, showing Barry the dead frog they had collected from outside. One of the giant squirrels had gotten to it and the insides were all ripped up. Two nights ago, Barry had made it a top hat, which it was still wearing.

"Ah," Barry said, getting some gloves too. "Is he tap-dancing yet?"

"Not quite," Lup said. "More of a slow dance. And by slow dance I mean he's literally not moved. I don't know what I'm doing wrong."

"Lemme take a crack at it," Barry said. Lup slid the dish over to him and he squinted at it. Lup leaned back on the counter to watch him.

A bad thing about being secretly in love with someone is that Lup did just tune out everything else around her when she was watching him. One time, Taako had just kept handing her things to see how long it would take her to notice and it had taken her a, frankly, embarrassing long time to realize. This time, she forgot to process the words Barry was saying as he said them. It was only when he turned to her that she realized those words were directed at her.

"Lup?" he said.

"Oh," Lup said. "Uh, yeah? What's crackin', babe?"

She had it so, so bad.

"I-" Barry did a little laugh, sort of breathless. At least she had charm. "I was trying to ask if you, uh, wanted to come back tomorrow night as well? Obviously, if someone asks, we weren't here-"

"Dav's really put us in a fuckin' No Necromancy November challenge, huh?" Lup said. Barry wheezed and then immediately slapped his hand over his mouth to cover the noise. Lup grinned. "But yeah, I mean, I'd be down to come back tomorrow. And totally not do any necromancy. Whatsoever."

"Y- yeah," Barry said, with barely constrained laughter. "None- none at all. I don't even know what necromancy is."

"I think it's a spice," Lup said. "Y'know like, put a little necromancy in this pumpkin pie-"

Barry had to hide his face in his hands for that one. His laugh, even though he was trying very hard to conceal it, was adorable. He was adorable. That's what Davenport didn't understand about banning them from the lab. Like, they were gonna do this anyway, because otherwise, Lup wouldn't know what the fuck to say to get Barry to hang out with her. Phrasing it as "let's go make a dead frog tapdance" was a lot easier than saying "hey, can you hang out with me because you're super hot and I love you?"

A lab ban was like a Lup and Barry ban. And, as she watched Barry struggle to stay quiet in the bright fluorescent lights, Lup decided that that simply wouldn't do.

[cvbullshit]

Influencers (Dusttale: Bad Influence x CV)

Before we get started:

-The "Dusttale: Bad Influence" AU is created by @liliallowed / @lilibanned

-I did this solely for fun

-If I got characters wrong, I'm sorry lili

-This is not canon... To at least Dusttale: Bad Influence

Part 1:

Meet n' Greet

Noelle was wandering around, near the woods of Snowdin area, having heard something that sounded like someone screaming, though it sounded decently far. She didn't know what to make of it, it almost seemed like she was the only one who heard it as Sans never even batted an eye, gone to check. That can't be so, though, it was pretty loud, wasn't it? She wanted to see if anyone was in danger, hurt, or worse, despite the fact that no one should be left. Having gone by herself as she felt too timid to try to convince Sans that she heard something, especially when he had gone off to deal with The Core.

Why was she even investigating alone?? This is so stupid. She makes her way deeper into the woods, "Hello?? Heellooo?!" She called out, "Is anybody there?!" She looked around before hearing some distant voices. She looked towards the direction she heard them from, staring before hesitantly going, trying not to make too much noise just in case.

As she got closer, she could make out some of what the voices were saying.

"...And we need to stay alert." "Was already on that." "Yeah, we got this, you can trust us to be calm, collected, put together, and careful!" "...As much as I love you guys..." "That was the biggest lie you've ever heard? Yeah, I know." "Literally, Ink is already gone."

Noelle was confused for a moment but just pushed that aside, she didn't have context to the conversation, she turns and looks onward from behind a tree. There was a group, talking and distracted by each other to not notice her. A wide range of characters on the table who certainly stood out. There was a glitchy black skeleton who just stood there, not seeming bothered by anything but interested in the area around him, a human in an.. interesting outfit was propped up on his shoulder, seeming heavily annoyed for no reason, she had her arms crossed as she leaned up against the glitchy skeleton. There was a tall skeleton with a lab coat, standing next to another skeleton, wearing a blue scarf and looking incredibly tired of life. This tall skeleton seemed to be the most calm and collected. There was a human lady who wore some sort of uniform like outfit, having a long ponytail tied up by a white bow, she seemed the main one slightly worried and trying to give advice to the group. The one who stood out to Noelle was a skeleton who looked basically identical to Sans, and not in the similar face shape that the glitchy and blue scarfed skeletons had, but almost one for one, the difference being his sweater and right eye, that had purple in it instead of blue.

"Ah.." The human girl in uniform looked around a bit before sighing, "Ink.." She mumbled. The tall skeleton looked around as well, staying completely silent.

Noelle was about to speak up, as there were suddenly more monsters, and humans but so far the humans seemed alright, however she heard a noise behind her, she turned around quickly, a bit freaked out due to the sudden movement. A very short/small skeleton came out from behind a tree, crawling on all fours and sniffing the ground before suddenly looking at Noelle, having a long brown scarf, something black splattered on his cheek, and every unique eye lights. Noelle stared in confusion a bit, unsure of what to say or do in response to... Any of this. The small skeleton smiled at her, his eye lights changing with every blink, "Hiii!" He said happily as he crawled toward her in an oddly enduring and somewhat cute way. Noelle blinks more, "Erm.. Hello??" She responded, leaning down a bit, looking at him carefully, "How... How... Um.. Who are you?" She asked the short skeleton. Suddenly, a voice came from behind her, towards where the group was, "That would take a lot of explaining."

She quickly looked behind her to see the tall skeleton, looking down at her with a dull, calm, yet somewhat intimidating expression, his sudden appearance making her squeak from surprise, or was that slight fear? Excitement?

...

Meanwhile...

Sans was working on The Core, sweating a bit from working and the heat of Hotland. As he just got one part done, he suddenly felt this weird aura wash over him, almost a happy vibe? Something felt off. Not just the sudden positive energy he felt. He then heard voices, new ones. He blinked in confusion before looking the direction the voices came from. He looked to The Core then to the direction of the voices, he then shook his head and quickly dropped his tools, cautiously heading towards the voices. It'll only take a second.

When he got to the voices' source, he saw two skeletons. One skeleton had gold eye lights and a yellow and black outfit. The other was much bigger than both himself and the yellow skeleton put together, having a more formal attire that was black and red, sharp teeth in his mouth holding a single gold tooth, red eye lights. The bigger one held a cigar that bled out red smoke, he took a puff before grumbling, "This ain't suppose to happen in your wacky bullshit house?" He asked the yellow skeleton. The yellow skeleton looked at him, "No! Well.. Yes and no? Depends." He retorted quickly, as if trying to defend something however there wasn't much to defend in this matter. The bigger skeleton grew an annoyed expression, "Whatever, Sunshine." He said, rather sarcastically, "Just use your portal nonsense to take us back, we have business to do." He added, sort of demanding. The yellow skeleton sighs, "Alright, but I think.." He was instantly cut off by the bigger one's glare, "You think, what's the point? Think all you want, we don't have time for this!" He snapped slightly.

Sans watched for a moment before narrowing his eyes, pushing his confusion aside to focus, before he could do anything though, he was suddenly lifted into the air by his foot, leaving him dangling there, "Wh-" He began to say before looking at his leg, there was nothing holding him up. He then heard a series of whispering from multiple voices from behind him, he glanced behind him to see a giant skeleton shadow casted on the wall, having gaps in the face to make two eyes and a smile, the eyes narrowed at him as the whispers got louder. The shadow thing was right next to his own, floating shadow, looking like it was holding his shadow up by the leg as well.

"Well." He heard, he turn back to the two skeletons, who's attention was on him, glaring at them, he wasn't in the mood for this.

The bigger skeleton grinned at Sans, the yellow one looking mildly guilty.. Or worried.. Or upset.. It was hard to tell. "Look what we have 'ere, Sunshine." The bigger one said before taking another puff of his cigar, chuckling darkly.

Part 1 | Next

[toontails]

Toon Quest

Chapter 7: It Had Big Ears and a Long Tail!

The sound of wind blew into Y/n’s ears. The sound of water hitting each other, she felt herself breathing. A heavy warm feeling was across her body. She was regaining herself, her eyes fluttering open and she was met with a clear blue sky, she felt like her body was wobbling—as if..she were moving. Slowly sitting up, Y/n’s eyes immediately closed, her eyes felt sore from the amount of light that evaded it. 

After a moment of her eyes being closed, she slowly opened them back up, her eyes landed on nothing by pure blue water. The ocean. 

Y/n felt someone was leaning on her and she looked over to see Bendy had his arms wrapped around her—and was fast asleep, his leaned resting back on the wall of the boat, the brown blanket wrapped around the two. 

Y/n looked ahead to see Panchito, Oswald, Donald, Cuphead and Mugman fast asleep as well. It seemed they were in the cockpit of the boat, there weren't any beds—but just floors with various blankets sprawled out. But that didn’t seem to bother everyone as they were tucked away in the blankets, getting the sleep they so utterly desired hours ago. 

Spunk was fast asleep under a pile of blankets as well, what he needed to sleep for? Y/n had no clue..but nevertheless, the pup was fast asleep. 

Y/n felt Bendy shuffle and soon sit up, looking over at the demon, Bendy gently rubbed at his eyes before looking at Y/n. “You’re up…” he starts and Y/n nods. 

“You feelin’ okay?” He asks and Y/n nods once more. “Yeah..did I pass out or something?” She asks, the last thing she remembered was being in town, not getting in a boat. But either way she was At Least grateful they all got away from whatever fiasco last night was. 

“Felix said you went into shock. They must have really shaken you up..you passed out when they left, and you’ve been sleepin’ this entire time.” Bendy recalls—Atleast she wasn’t out for too long. Y/n went silent as she slowly looked away from Bendy and onto the floor. 

Bendy looks away from Y/n shortly after before he glances over at her wrist which had been wrapped in bandages prior to her being asleep. Looking away from the covered wound Y/n spotted Felix on the other side of the boat, seated—he was the only other person awake. Standing up Y/n walked over to Felix, which was did to do on a semi moving boat, but when she made it over to him, she dropped down next to him, he was sitting on the ledge of the boat staring down in the water, his ears standing on its ends. 

“Glad you’re awake.” He greets Y/n as his eyes are still glued onto the water. “How long have we been sailing now?” Y/n asks. Felix looks away from the water finally and back to the human. “About a good 7 hours now. 3 of those hours were spent getting the boat in the right direction with the help of the book—but after a while the trail went away so we’ve just been trailing off into the same direction it led us too.” Felix informed her. Well Atleast they had a direction. 

“Whoa..” Y/n says. She looks back out into the ocean nothing but water and sky—no land anywhere in sight. It was scary, yet fascinating to see so much water as far as the eye can see. 

Y/n leans over the boat and down into the blue water. 

“You venture off to places and stuff, right? Is it hard telling where to go on the sea?” Y/n asks Felix, placing a fingertip in the salty water. Felix shook his head. 

“Oh no! Not at all, it’s actually quite simple in fact. When it’s dark out the stars usually are like a map to lead you to different areas around the world.” Y/n felt like Felix has  tons of stories to share and Y/n most certainly would love to listen to them. Literally. This was the best big thing! Adventure! 

Y/n felt someone tug at the back of her shirt gently to sit her up away from the water, sitting down correctly, Y/n saw it was Bendy who was the one to lead her away from the water and sat down next to her. 

“So what’s so different to the other lands compared to the mainlands?” Y/n asks Felix. 

“The environment is very different from the mainlands, because it's divided by different magical realms, something the mainland’s doesn't have.” 

“We get to see dragons?!” Y/n flinched at Cuphead’s sudden voice. The cup had somehow managed to sneak behind her and was standing there like he wasn’t just asleep at all. 

“Cuphead, lower your voice.” Mugman groaned as he stood up from the floor and trudged over. Oswald, Donald and Panchito were starting to wake up as well. 

“Remember guys, entering the offlands is very dangerous. There’s creatures and different things there that are very dangerous.” Felix says sternly before he quickly smiles. “Which is why I think it’s awesome!” 

“Oh leave it up to me. I’ll keep us all safe.” Cuphead boasted as he placed his hands on his hips and winked at Y/n. Y/n let out a small laugh and looked away. 

“We’re voyaging with the greatest adventurer of the generation, are you gonna teach us how to make traps with shoelaces?” Y/n quickly asks. 

“How to turn radioactive water into purified water?!” Mugman asks shortly after. 

“Or cut open a camel and sit in its guts for warmth?” Cuphead smiled and Y/n grimaced and furrowed her eyebrows at Cuphead. “Ew..”

Felix chuckled and nodded. “I’ll teach you all everything I know throughout our journey out here.” 

“This should be fun.” Panchito smiles and Oswald and Donald—Donald was busy looking off into the sea before looking at Panchito. 

“So, how long until we reach the next location?”  Oswald asks and Donald looks off into the sea. “Well, if we had a map of the location I could figure it out, but the stupid book only gave us a trail. Barely even that.” Donald answered—Y/n almost forgot that Donald sailed. She actually did start to wonder if he was a good swimmer considering he has webbed feet. And is literally a duck. 

Cuphead pulled something from his pocket and handed it to Donald, it was a rolled up paper—the map that Puck had given them back in town—Donald looked down at the map and took it before unfolding it. 

“Oh yeah, Puck gave us that.” Y/n answered and Donald’s tail feathers wagged for a moment as he placed the map on the floor and sat down to start pinpointing their location and work his magic. 

Panchito sat down next to Donald and curiously watched him start drawing on the map with the pencil that Felix had handed him shortly after he sat down. 

Y/n felt Cuphead nudge her slightly, she looked at the cup and he motioned to Bendy who was sitting down still staring off into the water. “What’s up with him?” He asks. Y/n slowly shrugs—as much as Y/n wanted to find out, she didn’t know much about Bendy, but still nevertheless seeing him look somehow dejected did raise a few questions as to what made him upset. Or maybe was he still sleepy? Was he hungry? Sick? 

“Maybe he’s homesick. I know I was when we left Inkwell.” Mugman gently pipes up. Maybe that could also be a reason. 

“If you ask me, I believe he may be upset about last night, specifically the Angel.” Oswald says the three look at Oswald to see him standing near them, which Y/n clearly wasn’t there for the interaction they had with the archangel and the other toon. She was too busy getting her ass handed too by some masked weirdo. So much for being harmless— as Cuphead promised Pib wouldn’t harm a fly. 

“Oh yeah, must be an honor meeting an archangel, yeah, I was busy getting my ass kicked by the person Cuphead said wouldn’t do much harm.” Y/n grumbled and Cuphead let out a nervous chuckle. 

“Sorry about that..really, I didn’t think she would do that.” He apologized and Mugman rocked back and forth on his feet. 

“Well, the good thing is, you’re alive?” Mugman tried to weigh the bad with the good, but Y/n only shook her head at the two. 

“I’m gonna go speak to Bendy.” She says as she turns around and walks over to Bendy. Cuphead quickly looks at Oswald. “She ain’t mad at me right?” He quickly asks almost as if that was his worst nightmare coming to bite his head off. Oswald gives him a confused expression. 

“Uh…I don’t know.” 

Bendy heard the boat creak slightly and looked over to see Y/n sitting back next to him. The human looks at him for a moment before looking out into the ocean. “You don’t look too happy.” Proclaimed Y/n.

Bendy hummed for a moment. “And, what makes you think that?” He asks. Y/n looks back at him and back out into the ocean. 

After a moment of silence Bendy spoke. “I thought you were done for last night.” He confessed and Y/n chuckled and slowly nodded. “You? I thought I was done for, she damn near dropped be from a 80 foot bridge above water.”

“What?” Bendy says—now he didn’t know that but then again when the two vanished he didn’t know what the hell Y/n went through. 

“But I’m alive though.” The human moves on as she looks back at the ocean, Bendy stares at Y/n for a moment before looking back at the water as well. 

“Yeah…” he muttered. 

There was a moment of silence, listening to the boat creak and the waves collapsing onto each other. Bendy didn’t seem to want to talk much, but after a few more moments he looked at Y/n’s wrist. “Is your wrists okay?” 

Y/n glanced down at her bandaged arms and nodded. “Yeah, they don’t hurt or anything. I mean, I guess it kinda is bruised but, I’m okay..” she fiddled with the bandage. 

“But no really, are you okay?” Y/n asks. Bendy chuckles and nods, lifting his head up to show he was alright—or in a way to portray it, but Y/n had a feeling that he wasn’t telling much, pulling off a facade of something that he wasn’t telling her, but it was nowhere in Y/n’s place to pester about it. Bendy could tell with Y/n’s suspicions of his attitude but he only chuckled. 

“M’fine, really.” 

Y/n was silent for a moment before she wrapped her arm around Bendy’s and leaned head onto his shoulder, watching the ocean travel miles away from home, Bendy glanced down at Y/n and placed a hand on hers, he looks back out into the ocean and silently took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. His eyebrows furrowed together before leaning his head on top of Y/n’s. 

-

The muffled noise of jazz playing from the radio reached the ears of the masked individual. Standing on the balcony, hands resting on the banner. Pib watched the city folk wander down the streets, her finger tapped the banner slowly and in a deep frustration. 

Standing in the doorway was the winged creature, Abel. He had been watching Pib for the last 10 minutes stare off into nothing, not a single word ever since arriving back to the base. 

“You know, it’s good to eat every once in a while, you haven't done that in the last few hours.” Abel brings up. Pib slowly glanced at Abel from over her shoulder before looking back out into the street. 

“Pib’ll come around, probably pissed is all.” Slice appeared next to Abel, he glanced at the toon who reached up and removed the mask form her face, revealing the white hair and look of fierce determination. 

Slicer placed the mask onto a nearby table and walked over to Pib, who was not bothering to pay the two any mind. “Well either way, it’s been a few hours since she ate anything. She needs to eat.” Abel pestered and Slicer waves her hand in a swatting motion. 

“C’mon, leave ‘em be. She just needs a little heart to heart with space.” Slicer placed a hand on Pib’s arm. And Abel deadpans for a moment. Carley only chuckled before she motioned towards the door. “Fine then.” She says before turning and leaving. Abel looks away from the door before his eyes land on Pib. He walked over to them and stood beside the human. 

“You let your anger get the best of you.” He starts. Pib looks at Abel before looking back at the city, Pib rolls her shoulders, a small pop from her bones emits into the air. 

Abel stared at Pib for a moment before looking at the town as well. The quiet tapping of Pib’s finger hitting the railing reached his ears. “Come rest. You’ll stress yourself to death.” He turned around and his wing gently pushed Pib away from the railing and turned the human around to walk with him, which Pib did and the two entered the building. 

Once they did Abel had released Pib and watched as Bettigan seemingly was searching around the room for something, Mango had been aimlessly floating around the room in hopes of an idea to spark in his head and Slicer had been standing near the front door with her arms behind her back, watching Bettigan search for whatever he was looking for. 

“Dog gone it..where the hell did I leave it?” He muttered under his breath. Abel’s eyes watched as Bettigan lifted the couch pillow, his eyes trailed down to see the missing revolver from his holster. 

“He’s looking for his gun, that’s his most prized possession.” Mango cackles and Bettigan rolled his eyes. “Yeah—real funny, I coulda sworn I just had it!” 

“I mean, you could have dropped it, you two couldn’t tell those brothers were working under your noses this entire time.” Slicer pipes up and Bettigan grunts. 

“Actually kinda glad they’re Atleast gone for now. Won’t have to listen to them argue every second.” He grumbled and Mango frowned slightly. 

“I dunno, I sorta miss Mugman.” Mango sighs and portrays an expression of sadness before immediately smiling. 

“I’m over it now!” He cackled, he was such a strange…person. Mango could never keep one emotion in line. 

“Well. It’s late, and I believe they left town, we can think of something tomorrow, but as of now, Pib used too much energy today and need—“ When Abel looked over to take a glance at Pib who was supposed to have been by his side, but he was met with an empty spot. Abel furrowed his eyebrows and looked around the room to look for Pib, but alas, she was nowhere to be found. 

“God dammit..” 

-

Pib curiously followed behind an injured bird, it went on with its everyday life as it paddles around the towns sidewalk, Pib at their eyes glued on the bird, it’s wing was injured as it laid loosely to its side, it flapped its wings every once in awhile to hop forward, but it didn’t get anywhere far. 

It wandered into the grass which Pib followed, only to quickly get distracted by a child who had stumbled and fell onto the ground a few inches away, Pib reaches down and gently sets the child up by the back of her shirt with ease, in which she smiled up at Pib before thanking her and scurrying off, Pib looks back forward to see the bird had rested itself in the grass, it must have gotten tired after the short walk. Pib slowly walked over and slowly sat down onto the grass, the bird looks up at Pib who had gently reached a hand out and took the bird in her hand, a chirp resonated from the small bird, lifting another hand, the familiar golden aura of light gently glowed from the palm of her hand, the golden veins articulating and slowly traveled to her index finger which Pib placed on the birds broken wing. 

The bird stayed still as it nestled into the warm palm of Pib’s.

Pib gently brushed four fingers against the bird's wing as if wiping something off, and removed her hand, the bird springs up as if it were reminded of something. Chirping in a sweet melody, it hops up from Pib’s hand and opens its wings before flapping and raising itself from her hand, the bird gently pressing its head against the masked figure's face before flying off. 

Pib watched the bird, watching as it slowly disappeared into the night sky. The sound of shuffling was the cause of her looking away, when her eyes landed on the new figure she spotted a kid who stared at her in shock, standing next to his mother who also was shocked, the mother blindly grabbed her sons hand before quickly backtracking wherever they walked from until they were away from view. Pib looks away before staring off into the trees. 

-

M/n stood next to Henry as he glanced down at the clipboard in pure attentiveness. They had been so busy planning for the big celebration, Henry hardly noticed how Alice, Boris and the Butchers weren’t present in the studio for the last 3 days, not that he needed them for anything or needed to know where they were 24/7 as they had free will to go anywhere they so please, but when M/n took notice of it. She asked around the studio for Alice, or maybe Boris, but all she got back was. ‘I don’t know’ 

That was until Alice showed up a few hours ago with a box of chocolates for Wally as a gift for letting them use his car. And ever since Alice hadn’t stopped pestering them for some odd reason, not that M/n didn’t appreciate the angels' conversations, but she did have a tendency to ask many questions, Alice had always been curious, but god, never this curious. 

“So..is this like a suit and tie celebration?” Alice asked the 1000th question for the night and M/n gave Alice a strained Y/n. “Alice..don’t you have..anything better to do?” M/n chuckles, Alice giggles and shakes her head. “Oh not at all! I hadn’t seen you guys in the last couple a’ days, I missed ya!” Alice smiles brightly, the halo on her head shines brightly that M/n squints her eyes close for a moment. 

“I missed you too Alice.” M/n laughs softly.

Alice swats her hand as if saying; ‘oh stop it’ 

The Angel had continued the day really just observing M/n and Henry’s talks. All she could think about was how much she wanted everyone to come home safely. 

-

Y/n’s eyes curiously watched as the fishes of different kinds swam past the boat—they seemed to be chasing each other as if they were playing tag. Mugman was curiously scrolling through the book now that he had time to settle down to assess everything, he took the time to read the book and maybe find some interesting things that could be useful, when Y/n asked about how long he planned on reading the book as it seemed Mugman had been reading for several hours now, but with how Mugman seemed to enjoy telling her about his findings in the book—that mostly was about various detailed information about various creatures outside of the mainland, like a centaur! 

Y/n came to the agreement with herself that Mugman clearly had to be a book nerd. But atleast he had something to entertain himself with as time would pass by. Bendy was put to rest by Felix after the demon clearly wasn’t feeling too well and his dull demeanor hadn’t cleaned up so he had been asleep for some time now, Donald was busy marking things off on the map for later, like marking trails, and some directions and what time the sun sets and rises. While Y/n spent some time watching him do that, Oswald and Panchito also were busy watching him as well, but it consisted of Oswald going to sleep after a short while and Panchito silently watching Donald. Felix was busy making sure the boat was going in the right direction—after the trail disappeared the only best thing he could think of was keep going straight—he knew the ocean just as much as Donald did—even more because at times she would see him direct the boat somewhere else if he felt they were going off course, which Y/n really wanted to know how Felix was able to do these things, not only was Felix an archeologist, but an adventurer, adventuring in the deep depths of earth. Which did make Felix tell  the human a few stories about his adventures. 

And Cuphead, he would follow her around the boat, it seemed like he came a leech to her side, not that she was complaining for anything. 

At first the two was playing a make up game of goldfish using scrap paper from Y/n’s bag, but that got boring after awhile, the two started to become restless, they wanted to move around, Cuphead was tempted to jump out of the water at first for a sim but Y/n scolded him not to. 

Now Y/n had been watching some fishes swim by, she could see the ocean floor—the water had to only be Atleast 6 feet, she didn’t know that in some parts of the ocean, the ocean floor were like hills, some were steep leading you to the bottom of the ocean and some had the ocean floor still present, Y/n slowly reached her head down and stuck her face into the water curiously, her eyes closing on instant before opening her eyes to see the crystal blue water, seeing the coral and the various colored fishes, some fishes she hadn’t even seen before, Y/n eyes widen slightly as she glanced around the ocean floor, a fish swam over to her and gently pecked at her nose before swimming off. Y/n laughed, the air bubbles leaving her mouth as, school of fish swam by and some of their fins tickled Y/n’s face. 

Y/n sits up, the water falling from her face and down to her shoulders and chest, she looks over to see Cuphead looking at her and Y/n smiles and points at the water. “Look at these fishes.” She says, Cuphead removes his back from the way before getting onto his knees  glancing down at the water, the ripples of the water made it hard to see, but he watched as Y/n stuck her face into the water, Cuphead repeats her action and smiled when he spotted the fishes swimming around, the two pointed out various fishes and sea creatures like a sea urchin and a few plants, and Y/n never expected to see these things in her lifetime, but she was glad to see them now, they were so wondering and colorful in person. 

Felix felt the boat shake slightly from the two moving around and curiously leaning over just to see the sea creatures. He smiled softly at the curiosity of the two. 

Y/n hardly noticed Felix walking over until she felt a presence by her, removing her face from the water, she looked over to see Felix holding two snorkels in his hands—which 9 times out of 10 it probably came from the never ending life saving fanny pack of his. 

“If you two can keep up with the boat and stay around the area, you guys can swim around.“ he says, Y/n smiles immediately and nods. “Yeah!” The two answered. 

-

Considering there was nowhere to change, and as cool as the magic fanny pack was, Felix didn’t have any wetsuits, so Y/n kicked off her shoes and socks, removed the bandanna and work the plaid shirts underneath that she had more prior to the show because the costume we're making her legs itchy, and Cuphead only removed his shoes—the two were happy to do Atleast something to pass the time. 

Y/n stood up on the edge of the boat and fixed the goggles on her face before looking over at Cuphead. Cuphead fumbled with the goggles for a moment before looking at Y/n, Y/n smiled and jumped into the water with a loud laugh, Cuphead following the same. 

When the bubbles subsided, Y/n felt the water engulf her body—not like earliers unfortunate slight mishap with Pib damn near drowning here but Y/n felt warmth as she felt like she was floating in the water, floating over into her back she spread her arms out and her fingers grazed the coral, Cuphead swam next to her as he reached a hand out in an attempt to catch a fish, floating over to a rock, Y/n pressed her hand against it to stop her from moving, pushing herself from the rock she felt her legs slowly kick up and slowly she did a front flip, the fishes moved from her way as she swam down to the sand, feeling the fins of the fishes and the soft soothing thump of her heart. 

Y/n slowly flipped to her back to look at Cuphead, who was following her, she smiled at Cuphead revealing whatever he had been hiding behind his back. It was a shell he had picked up from the floor, slowly down in her swim, Y/n stood up straight and waited until Cuphead floated over to her where he too soon stood in front of her as the two looked down at the shell. 

The rigged sharp points of the shell were a tad bit dull—but the color was as similar and bright as a sunset. Little red particles dotted the shell and Y/n gently took it from Cuphead’s hands, before she swam back up to the surface of the water for fresh air, Cuphead following in tow as he came back up and Y/n held the shell above her head. 

“I saw tons of stuff!” Cuphead points out and Y/n nods. “Me too! There was a stingray.” She answered as the two swam back over to the boat which hadn’t moved too far, it seemed Felix slowed the boat down so the two could explore the area for a little while longer. 

Y/n placed her hand in the boat and placed the shell inside where her bag was seated which had Spunk sitting protectively next to the bag. 

Cuphead tugged at Y/n’s shirt. “C’mon, I wanna get that starfish down there.” 

Y/n nods and the two dove back underwater and swam back to the floor, the starfish that Cuphead spotted was laying on the ocean floor, the two gently landed onto the floor, Y/n felt the sand beneath her feet—between her toes and the little rocks and pebbles gently poked at the sole of her feet. Cuphead picked up the starfish, with a slight tug, when it was removed from the ground, the particles of sand floated up slightly from his tugging—but Y/n’s attention was torn away when she spotted the golden trail that she knew oh so well. It pulsated slightly and Y/n turned her head to see where it was leading, it went around a corner of a large rock, with coral and fishes and other deep water plants surrounding it. Y/n looked back at Cuphead who was still looking at the starfish and patted his shoulder, Cuphead looked at Y/n and the human pointed towards the area the trail was leading them. 

Not waiting for a response, Y/n swam off in the direction, she felt the water behind her move, signaling that Cuphead was following close behind her. When they rounded the corner, there was a hole in the ground—it resembled more like a cave—but what was interesting was the glass water like wall in the corridor of the cave, almost like an air bubble. Y/n felt Cuphead brush shoulders with her and stared at their findings, he perked up slightly and started swimming towards the cave but Y/n took him by the forearm, causing him to look back at her and give her a perplexed expression as if saying; ‘what’s wrong?’ 

Y/n shook her head before she pointed up at the surface of the water and pointed to her chest, referring that she needed to breathe, Cuphead gently took her by the waist and gently pushed her up to the surface, and the two swam back up, once reaching the surface Y/n inhaled the air and looked at Cuphead. 

“The trail is leading to the cave.” Y/n says and Cuphead nods—“Yeah, well let’s go check it out.” He ushered and was about to dive back in before Y/n grabbed him by the handle, Cuphead’s stops before coming back up and looking at Y/n. 

“We can’t go in there, we don’t have any proper oxygen tanks to go in there and we don’t know how far it goes and we can’t just hold our breaths the entire t-“ 

“You’re startin’ to sound like Mugsy.” Cuphead dismissed Y/n deadpans and slowly shook her head. 

“And what do ya’ mean you can’t hold your breath for long, I know tons of folks who can hold it for 20–me personally I can do 23, Mugs can go almost 30 minutes.” That actually did catch Y/n’s attention though. She tilts her head slightly and gives Cuphead a confused expression, usually she ignored the statement that didn’t have to do what they originally were talking about because Cuphead clearly had the tendency to get sidetracked at times either physically or verbally, but this did…catch her attention. 

“What..?” She tilts her head slightly as if she didn’t hear him correctly. 

“Let’s go to the cave?” He says as if trying to see if that was what she meant for him to repeat. 

“You said something about being able to hold your breath for almost 30 minutes.” She repeats. 

“23.” Cuphead corrects Y/n huffs and shakes her head slightly as if saying; ‘I don’t give a damn’ 

“But yeah, we all can do it.” Cuphead chuckled and Y/n shook her head and furrowed her eyebrows.

 “I can’t. Actually no human can hold their breath underwater for 30 minutes straight, maybe for a world record where they practice specifically for it, but last I checked the only human that went the longest holding their breath underwater was 24 minutes, even then, they still couldn’t do half an hour.” Could toons hold their breath longer than humans?

Cuphead was silent for a moment as if he were thinking. “Huh..” he says as he takes in the information. 

“Can ya..remove an arm?” He asks. 

“Not unless there’s a medical reason to, and even then we can’t take our limbs off and just put them back on. Maybe surgically but, overall no.”

“Hit yerself in the the head and see stars, my stars are blue and Mugman’s are red, ain’t that cool? Ya’ know with our colors an everythin.” Cuphead laughed slightly and Y/n shook her head. 

“Can you pull random stuff from behind you, like this.” Cuphead digs in his head and pulls out a fish that was flipping around before tossing it back in the water, Y/n laughs and shakes her head. 

“No.” 

“Really..? Man..” He says his eyes fell onto her hand and he perked up. “Geez, you don’t even have 4 fingers!” He grabbed her hand and examined Y/n’s 5 fingers, His thumbs pressed against the palm of her hand before releasing it. 

“Yeah, humans got 5…you really never seen a human, have you?” Y/n says. She knew the brothers were from off the mainland, and he mentioned his lack of human contact, but wow, never this much. 

“Yep, just me, Mugsy and our Elder Kettle.”  Cuphead nods and Y/n slowly nods. “So..no humans on inkwell?” 

“None. I never knew humans were so…” Cuphead paused for a moment Y/n looked at him and saw he seemed to watch what he said and hesitate for a moment.  “Fragile.” He says but quickly pushed what he said prior away so Y/n couldn't react. 

“I just can’t teach you to hold your breath?” He asked and Y/n shook her head. “Cuphead, if I were a child, you would probably succeed in doing that, but my body is used to only holding my breath for at least 3 minutes, maybe 4. Practicing me to hold my breath now will take ages and even then I more than likely won’t succeed in passing the 30 minute mark unless I just go unconscious.” 

“Wow, talk about can’t teach an old dog new tricks..” Cuphead mutters under his breath and Y/n glared at the cup before splashing the water in his face, Cuphead sputters and swats his hand from the water. 

“Okay, well. What can you do?” He asks and Y/n gives him a confused expression. “What do you mean?” 

“Cuphead humans have a very different build than toons.” Cuphead and Y/n looked to see Felix standing on the boat and watching the two, Y/n swam over to the boat and Cuphead followed along and peered up at Felix. 

“Really now.” Cuphead says and Felix nods. 

“Human anatomy is different from toons by speed, durability, health and mentality. Reason why you don’t see humans running towards hungry tigers on a daily basis.” Felix seemed to know a thing or two about biology as well. 

“So..they can just die? Just like that?” Cuphead asks and Felix nods his head. 

“You guys can’t die?” Y/n asks Cuphead before looking at Felix.

“Well, yes, toons can die and get injured, but it’ll take some time, think of it like a shield in front of a toon, they can take a few attacks and what not, a few hits to the head, but overall it won’t kill them on impact, but overtime that shield can wear out and that can eventually kill them.” He explained it and Y/n actually learned something new, she never knew that about toons, no wonder every time they got chased the others hadn’t even remotely been injured to the point of being bed ridden, unlike her, if she messed up just once, she could just kiss this world goodbye. 

“Wow. That’s unfair.” Y/n grumbled. 

“Oh, don’t worry, it’s not anything too drastically different, that doesn't mean that makes you any different from us, and us any different from you.” Felix comforts. 

“So, anythin’ can literally kill a human is what you’re tellin’ me?” Cuphead reiterated and Felix’s eyes quickly glanced at Y/n and he motioned a: ‘sorta’ answer with his hand. 

“I can hold my end just fine, I managed to get away from that Pib thing back in town.” Y/n justifies and holds onto the boat as if desperately wanting to prove her point. 

“And I’m certain you did and you can protect yourself, Y/n.” Felix says—he seemed to portray the teacher calming down a short fuse between two classmates. 

“Well uh..! There was this cave a few feet under that the trail led to, I think it went under water when you said it disappeared.” Cuphead quickly changes the subject, Felix’s ears perk up and he tilts his head. “Really now.” 

“Yeah, it has this weird bubble pocket.” Adds Y/n and Felix nods. “Well if that’s the case then maybe that’s one of the locations.” He says—which Y/n agreed but what would be in there?

“Oh! We are going scuba diving?” Y/n looked over to Panchito looking down at the two, Oswald and Donald walked over as well and looked into the water and Y/n smiled up at Panchito. 

“Does this mean we’re going cave exploring?” Cuphead asks Felix and Donald and Oswald looks at the two.

“Cave exploring?” Oswald asks before eyeing the ocean. “Where’s a cave?” 

“It’s a few feet under, we’ll have to swim in order to get there.” Felix answered as he stood back up from him crouching down and grabbing the starfish that Cuphead randomly handed him. 

Panchito leaned over and offered his hand to Y/n, which she took it and he helped her back onto the boat, heaving herself up, she removed herself from the water and stood next to the rooster, the air nipped at her skin and she shivered slightly as Cuphead crawled back onto the boat as well. 

As the boys planned on what the overall plan was to enter the cave, Y/n spotted Mugman steal seated, reading the book in his palms, she walked over to him and drop down next to him, the toon flinches slightly before quickly looking at Y/n—the water dripping from her body and creating a small puddle beneath her. 

“You were in the water?”  Asks Mugman, the human nods and motions to Cuphead. 

“Yeah, we found this cave and we’re gonna go explore it.” She replied and that seemed to get Mugman’s attention, he opened the book and showed it to Y/n. 

“I was reading and saw this. Look.”

Y/n looked down at the book to see shadow drawn people on the page—and various words to the side that Y/n didn’t feel like reading. But the picture was captivating as there were alot of them drawn across both of the pages. 

“It’s called the Shadow Realm. A Realm where this witch keeps closed because it’s too powerful—it says that’s where negativity and despair is held.” Mugman points at the middle of the page of what seemed to be a figure with their arms extended towards the shadow creatures, as if banishing them away. 

“She banished them away because at one point someone freed them for that realm, and an attack was put through the world, and it did a lot of damage, but it left behind one omen, death.” He flipped the page to present what looked like an angel, holding some sort of staff in their hands. 

“And there were these like, angels—they weren’t real angels, clearly. But they were called them because they fought the darkness, to put the shadows back to where they belonged, and these guys have, like, super inhumane strength!” 

“Is that what that Abel guy is?” Y/n asks and Mugman thinks for a moment. “Wow..I never put that together..” 

Y/n and Mugman looked at each other for a moment. “Well, if that’s the case, then why is he trying to kill us?” 

“Well…he did mention about his sort of vendetta against Bendy.” Mugman lowered his voice as his eyes flickered to Bendy who was still asleep on the floor with the blanket tossed over his shoulder. 

The two looked back at each other and Y/n slowly lifted her shoulders as if she were going to shrug. “Well. What’s the omen then? That means it’s like some imprint right?” 

“Yeah but..I don’t know what it is. It didn’t specify it. Just death..unfortunately.” He seemed to shiver at that before slowly closing the book. 

Y/n silently looked at the ground before glancing at Mugman. “Well Atleast we learned something new.” 

“You bet, this might come in handy.” Mugman pats the book. 

-

“Okay, we’re going to enter the cave, so that means anything can be down there.” Felix starts, Y/n placing her shoes in her bag along with the book and removing thighs she didn’t want to get water damaged like her phone, pencils and some papers—how would the book react under water? She had no clue, she just hoped that the damn thing didn’t get soaked to the point of it not working—which he doubted considering…it’s a magic book and all…

Bendy had woken up—but he still looked exhausted, but he seemed to sway away the various; ‘are you sure you’re okay?’ Which Y/n and the others asked him multiple times. 

“Oh please, we’ll be fine.” Cuphead dismissed and Mugman nudged his brother and shook his head. 

“This better be good if we have to swim and look through a cave with…gods knows what’s in it.” Donald grumbled as he stepped off the boat and into the water, which had been anchored and wouldn’t go anywhere, that would be the last thing they needed which was to be stranded in the middle of the ocean. 

Oswald was already in the water and was examining a shell he had picked up when he got distracted. 

“Well. We’ll make it quick. It’s not good to wander through caves anyway.” Felix responds and Panchito looks at him. 

“Oh? But I thought it was a hobby for people to explore caves.” Panchito was confused, why would it be so bad. 

“On the mainland it is, but out here, not so much.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Mugman nervously asks and Cuphead laughs before slipping into the water. “Don’t worry so much Mugsy.” 

“Alright, stay together, don’t split off, if anyone gets lost, return to the front of the cave, don’t enter the water.” Felix laid out various rules in case anything happened, Y/n realized that Felix was  used to adventuring on his own, so having a group with him would probably be nerve wracking and a handful. 

“Alright, alright. Let’s go.” Donald calls out as he was already in the water, Panchito had placed his hat down and gotten into the water as well and Y/n followed after alongside with Bendy. 

Y/n turns back to the boat to see Spunk peering down at the group in the water. “Spunky, stay here and watch the boat, okay?” 

“Bark!” Spunk responds before sitting down and immediately keeping an eye out for anything. Not that anything would happen so far out in the ocean, but still, it was good to be sure. 

“Ew! Seaweed!” Cuphead shouts from in the background. 

“Here. I’ll show you guys where it’s at. Follow me.” Y/n dove into the water, her bookbag made it a tad bit more difficult to swim properly, but she could manage. Swimming back over to the open cave, she turned around to see the others had followed her, pointing to the cave Felix slowly swam over to it and examined it before sticking his hand in the cave where the air bubble was. He pulled his hand back and looked back at everyone and made a motion to follow him before he entered the cave, Y/n followed after, and stumbled through, it felt like she jumped off the porch—or very similar to like catching a fall as she lands on her feet and in the cave, it was pitch black dark—the only light coming from was from the blue water behind her, the sound of water dripping onto the cold rock echoed, Y/n felt the cold rock under her feet and immediately took her bookbag off to place her shoes on with the little light she had. 

She unzipped the bag and removed her shoes and placed them on, as she did so, everyone else followed after—Cuphead damn near falling onto her, the last to arrive was Bendy, and he coughed up some water and shook his head before squinting his eyes. 

“I can’t see anythin’ in here.” His voice echoed as Felix glanced around the area, Panchito shook the water from his feathers fiercely, similar to a dog, small droplets of water hit everyone as if it were raining.

Oswald squeezed his ears gently and water fell from them. “Yeah. We don’t have a flashlight either.” He points out. 

“Good thing you can always make one.” Felix chuckled and walked over to a sharp drip stone hanging from the ceiling, he yanked it off and dug in his pocket and pulled out a towel, wrapping it around the sharp stone that was being used as a torch holder, and glanced at Mugman. 

“Here, light this.” 

Mugman placed the tip of his index finger on the towel wrapped around the stone and shot it—which went up in flames before lowering down and there..a torch. 

“Whoa.” Y/n says as she stood up from the ground, her shoes were wet, but it was better than walking on gods know what in here barefooted. But now that there was light. Y/n could see the cave lit up, drip stone littered the walls, and the ceiling grew higher the further the cave went. A blue hue filled the cave and Y/n glanced around in awe, she’s never been in a cave before, the air felt stale and still, and any noise echoed. 

“Mirarías esto, this place is crazy.” Panchito mumbled and looked around as well. 

“Alright everyone. Careful where you step.” Felix calls out before turning and walking away, everyone follows behind him. 

“You know I never expected Cave exploring to be anywhere near fun.” Oswald says and Y/n agrees. “Me either.”

“Oh wow!” Cuphead was about to scurry over to a glowing flower that came into view that was on the far side of the cave leading to another direction, until Felix without missing a beat grabbed Cuphead by his handle and guided him back over to him. 

“Hey, hey, hey. What did I say about staying together?” Felix scolds gently and Cuphead grunts in pain before Felix lets go of his handle. 

“Alright, alright, geez, don’t gotta pull so hard ya know..” 

Walking deeper into the cave, Y/n was busy indulging herself in the new environment, she had never seen these things before? Of course not being in a cave and everything but she’s seen plenty of caves online but this? She’s never seen glowing flowers, bugs that crawled the walls that looked like they glowed in the dark. She’s never seen bioluminescence that littered the walls like stars and grass that sparkled with a blue soft glow when you walked through it. She felt a small beetle land on her forehead, gently reaching up to touch it, it spread its wings and flew away. 

Y/n smiled as she placed her hand on the walls and dragged her fingertips along it, a blue gently glow trail being left in its wake, it seemed the more they traveled in the cave the more lively it grew. 

The sound of the water dripping onto rock had dissipated the further they walked. And soon they didn’t need the torch really, but Felix kept it lit just in case. 

“This place is cool..” Y/n muttered to herself which Bendy heard. “Yeah it is. Never knew glowing rocks existed until now.” He looked at a rock that glowed slightly. Y/n busy infatuated by what the cave had to present, she hardly noticed a shadow scurrying away. Oswald’s ears slowly perked up as he had picked up on the noise. “What’s that noise?” Oswald asks, slowly stopping in his tracks, Felix turned around and looked at Oswald before his ears perked up as well, hearing pebbles and rocks hitting the ground in the distance, not too far ahead. 

Donald looks at Oswald and raises an eyebrow. “I don’t hear anything.” 

“I can hear something moving.” Oswald explained, his ears lowered for a second before raising once more, as if trying to track down where the sound was coming from. 

“I do too.” Felix says—but it seemed as if he were distracted as he glanced up at the ceiling of the cave.

“Could be some cave critters.” Felix guessed—but he still seemed cautious. Y/n looked away from behind her before she continued walking with the others, the colors of the bioluminescence had started to fade away, leaving a cold moist cave, the orange light from the torch flickered and lit of the glistening rocky walls, Y/n fixed the straps of her bookbag and felt like she was suffocating in the now dark area. 

Felix had soon stopped walking when they reached a dead end, he turned back to look at the others. 

“Well, it doesn't look like anything in here, are you two sure it led to this cave?” Felix asks Y/n and Cuphead and Cuphead nods. 

“Pretty positive—“ just when Cuphead had replied, the flame on the torch went out, as if someone blew it out. Y/n flinched slightly at the darkness and neared Bendy which she knew he was the closest to her, wrapping an arm around his, Bendy placed a hand on hers as the two stood next to each other. 

“Uh oh.” Donald says but stumbles slightly. “Ow, Panchito, that’s my foot you’re standing on!” 

“Ah, sorry my friend.” Panchito quickly apologized. 

Mugman heard Felix shuffling around slightly to get the light to engtite again with a blow to the heated cloth. While he almost had it, Mugman felt a drip on his head, causing him to flinch and furrow his eyebrows thinking his brother must have been pulling a light prank on him. 

He blindly shoved his arm in Cuphead’s direction as last he checked his brother was beside him. “Stop flicking water at me.” Mugman complained and Cuphead gently grabbed Mugman’s hand. “That wasn’t me.” 

“Stop shoving!” Mugman pushes Cuphead and Cuphead grunts and glares at the darkness. 

“Then stop shovin’ me you dingus.” 

“Is Felix done with the light yet?” Y/n mumbled. 

“I thought Bendy had the light.” Mugman calls out to Y/n, which causes her great confusion as everyone watches Felix with the torch—and Mugman even helped light the torch up. 

“No, Felix had it.” Y/n slowly says. Mugman was silent for a moment, he lifted a hand up, a light blue flame ignited from the top of his index finger like a lighter. Lighting up a small portion of the area, Y/n was a few inches away from Mugman and Cuphead. 

Mugman looks between Cuphead and Y/n and the three glanced at each other in confusion, Y/n looks over to her side where her arm was still intertwined with Bendy’s, the light hadn’t shown his face—only from the neck down, she looks over to Cuphead and Mugman who were still dead silent. 

“What…the fuck…” Y/n whispered. Mugman nervously shuffled on his feet and he seemed to cower for a moment. 

“Guys..I don’t think they’re here..”  whispered Mugman. Y/n felt Bendy remove his arm from Y/n, he steps into the light and looks at the three. “What’s going on?” He asks. Y/n moves over to Mugman and Cuphead and Mugman points a finger at Bendy. 

“Stay back—whatever you are!” Mugman shouts and Bendy gives him a tired expression, the same expression he had when they were on the boat. “Mugman, that’s not funny.” He grumbled. 

“Stop yelling, it’s already loud in here.” Oswald pipes up, the three look over to Oswald who was rubbing his head, and Panchito fixes the collar of his shirt.

“Can’t seem to get this thing to work.” Felix grumbles and tosses the torch off to the side. 

“We can just use Mugman’s light.” Donald pipes up as he motions to the mug, Felix nods and motions for Mugman to continue the path back the way they came, considering that they were still at a dead end. 

Mugman looks down the path before looking at Mugman. “But I thought you were suppose ta’ be leadin,” he grimaced and Felix looks back at Mugman. 

“Well how else are you all supposed to learn the ways of being away from the mainlands? I think you guys can handle yourself walking on your own.” Felix encourages. 

“We’re not doing that.” Y/n held onto both of the brothers arms and they gently backed away from the group. The light on Mugman’s finger flickered ever so slightly and soon it went and Mugman shook his hand viscously. “Oh come on!” Mugman grumbled, when the light flickered back on his finger, revealing the empty area, Cuphead and Y/n made shocked noises before looking at Mugman. 

“Okay, I’m just going to let you know, in the next few minutes I’m going to piss my pants if we don’t get out of here.” Y/n panicked as she shook the two boys arms. Cuphead placed a hand on Y/n’s arm to calm her down. 

“Don’t worry! It’s okay, alls we gotta do is just walk back the way we came.” Cuphead comforts and Mugman glances up at the ceiling when he hears rocks moving, his straw when limp as he feels the air get sucked from his body and he frantically taps Cuphead and Y/n’s arms. 

Y/n looks at Mugman confusion to see his petrified yet shocked expression, but Cuphead looked up at the ceiling as well and his eyes widened with a gasp and soon Y/n looked up as well, her eyes landed in a. 8 black eyes, two sharp pointing fangs with a long string of saliva dripping from its maw, it hung upside down and the three were frozen in fear until the spider like let’s out a loud piercing screech. The three shrieks in fear before they turned around and dashed away, hopping over rocks and almost tumbling to the ground, the spider swung an arm down and it collided with the rock behind the three? Causing them to fly in the air upon impact. 

Cuphead waved his hands frantically before he points his had towards the ground, the peashooter shoots from his finger and exploded on the ground creating a hole as the three fell into it, 

The three landed into a pool of water, Y/n quickly swam up as did the brothers, finding a platform to crawl on, Y/n quickly crawled onto the ground and stumbled slightly, the water dripping from her as Cuphead and Mugman quickly stood up as well. 

“What was that?!” Cuphead quickly asks. 

“It’s a mind eating amoeba! It makes you hallucinate! Felix and the others were never in here!” Mugman shouts—recalling from reading it from the book. The wall across from them bursts open, a dark appendage bursts through and soon the head of the spider-like creature bursts through as well, staring at the three with a glowering look, Y/n takes a step back and glances around frantically for a way out. 

“You enter my home, thinking you’ll take what’s mine?! I harness this power!” A voice echoes throughout the cave, the womanly voice was Eldridge—it can speak?!

“What..” Y/n Whispered before she saw Cuphead take a step back—a glowing bright ball of energy forming in his hands before he shoved his hands as if shoving someone and the ball of energy shoots towards the spiders face, the spider lets out a screeching sound in pain and backs away from the hole if burst through the caves wall. 

The three heard a whistle from afar and looked up to see Felix, holding a rope in his hand. “Up here!” He calls out, the three quickly ran over to Felix and looked up at him as he was standing on top of a platform. 

“Felix!” The three exclaims. 

“You left us! And we thought we all came in here as a group but it really wasn't. It was actually the spider making it seem like you guys were with us!” Y/n explains frantically as she grabbed onto the rope and climbed up, Felix nods as he tugged at the rope to get the three up to where he was. 

“Good job guys for not falling for it.” Felix praises and ruffles the top of Y/n’s head and pats Cuphead and Mugman’s shoulders. 

“Well how do we know we’re speaking to the real Felix?!” Mugman accuses and points a finger at the cat. 

“You cried so hard last night snot shot from your nose.” Felix recalls and Mugman blinks slowly and shuffles on his feet. “Let’s not bring that back up again..” he muttered. 

“Where’s Bendy and the others?” Y/n asks, as soon as she did the voice from above caught their attention. 

“Up here!” Y/n looks up to see another ledge where Panchito, Oswald, Donald and Bendy were. 

“I’m assuming we all got split up?” Donald asks and Felix nods. “Yeah, that’s how usually how it gets people alone, it creates scenarios in the host's head to lure them away for an easier attack.“

“Climb up.” Panchito threw down a rope for the four, Y/n grabbed onto the rope and climbed up and stood next to Oswald, she glanced down at her hands to see her previous wounds from before had started to heal, once Felix had made it up Bendy looked away from over the edge. “Okay, so how did we get out of here?” He asks. 

“I would say back the way we came, but I don’t think that would be a smart idea..” Felix muttered under his breath.

“I dunno. If it led us down here, then maybe there’s something we need to be looking for?” Mugman suggested and Donald made a small noise. “You kiddin? Look at the size of that thing? That thing can kill us in one sitting.” 

“Yeah, I agree.” Oswald agrees with Donald and Y/n slowly nods her head. “Well. When it was speaking, it said something about harnessing power, maybe it’s inside it.” 

“Maybe it is one of the pieces perhaps?” Panchito brings up and it would make sense, it had to be. 

“Alright, well. How do we kill it?” Bendy questioned and no one answered nor really had an idea how to without—well being severely injured. 

“Well clearly all we gots to do is kill it.” Cuphead pointed out the obvious and Oswald deadpans.

“Oh really? I was thinking maybe take it out alive.” He complained sarcastically. 

“Maybe just kill it with a rock?” Panchito suggests and points over to a stack of rocks above the cave. Felix looks over to it before thinking. 

“Not a bad idea..” 

“Ya’ know if that’s the case, then we needs a distraction..” Bendy’s eyes slowly slid over to Cuphead. Cuphead looks at Bendy and glanced over at everyone else who was already looking at him. Cuphead's eye twitched before he threw his head back in a loud groan. 

“Oh come on!” 

-

 Watching Cuphead a few meters away, standing next to Mugman behind a rock, Oswald, Bendy, Panchito, Donald and Felix stood behind another rock next to theirs as Cuphead stood out in the open, the plan was to lure the spider out where Cuphead was, Mugman would shoot at the boulder above where the spider would stand—and it would land on top of it. Hopefully killing it in the process. 

“Where is this stupid thing?” Cuphead complains and Y/n looks at Mugman. “You can aim, right?”

Mugman gives her a look as if she offended him. “Of course I can!” 

Cuphead had still been pacing back and forth; he slowly stopped when he heard the sound of rubble moving and soon the creature dropped in front of him, right where he needed it. 

The creature lets out an intimidating hissing sound, Cuphead backs away and Mugman hops from behind the rock—quicker than anything he shoots at the bolder above—but alas..it didn’t move. 

“Why ain’t it working?!” Cuphead shouts over to Mugman who shuffles on his feet. “Don’t shout at me or I’ll panic!” Mugman whines, Oswald shoves Donald from behind the rock and Donald stumbles beside Cuphead. Donald glares over at Oswald and furrows his eyebrows. “What was that for?!” 

The rock magically fell down and landed on the spider, Cuphead was shocked for a moment and Donald glanced at the spider before deflating. “Right..” 

“See? Told you bad luck would come in hand after a while.” Oswald insist as he walks over to Donald and placed a hand on his shoulder, Panchito, Felix and Bendy walks over as well, Mugman and Y/n walks over and Y/n carefully examined the the creature as the others poke in the background about how to retrieve the stone—if it even had it as it was just a lucky guess. But Y/n was too curious about the creature as she examined the small hairs on its appendages, the oddly..scary eyes and the color—she had never seen anything like this before, but then again they weren’t in the mainlands any more. Y/n spotted a familiar green glow coming from the spiders maw, spotting the green stone piece that they needed, Y/n cautiously picks up the stone, and backs away from the spider, looking down at it she turns around, but only pauses when she spots a small child standing behind her. It was..her. 

The child wore jean overalls, holding a teddy bear in her arms, pale gray sweater and busted tennis shoes. The girl stared up at Y/n and Y/n silently stared back. 

“I would say you are naive, but you just lack knowledge of something so simple.” The voice of the creature appeared behind Y/n. Y/n clutched the stone and glanced over her shoulder to see the spider towering behind her—almost as if it never was hit by the boulder. 

The sound of laughter reached Y/n’s ears and Y/n glanced over to see the child in the arms of her mother and father, the two held onto the child before smiling ahead of them as if they were posing for a photo. 

“But I believe you may have forgotten who your real enemy is.” Y/n turned her head over to see Bendy, who was seated on the ground—he actually appeared to be a lot younger than before. Sitting in front of the child as he held onto a toy train. The child held some paper in her hands along with a pencil as she blindly colored on the page. Bendy places the toy train down before leaning over to see what the child was drawing, the toddler covers the paper and shakes her head to Bendy, refusing to show him the picture. 

“What do you mean?” Y/n asks, but the creature didn’t respond, when Y/n turned back around to face it—she was only met with the corpse of the creature still crushed under the boulder, standing beside it was the small child. She curiously had her hands on the rock, the child looked up at Y/n and smiled. They jumped up and tapped Y/n’s forearm and laughed before backing away—almost as if she wanted to play tag, Y/n felt the small hand of the child but she didn’t move from her spot. The child backs away even more as if waiting for Y/n to chase her but Y/n slowly furrowed her eyebrows. 

The child caught on that maybe Y/n didn’t want to play tag and she smiled before walking back over to Y/n and gently took her hand and didn’t move. 

Y/n’s eyes never left the child and the child stared up Y/n and smiled. 

“Y/n.” 

Y/n blinks at the call of her name and she furrowed her eyebrows to see Panchito standing in front of her with Bendy beside him, Panchito had a hand on her head and Y/n blinks a couple more times and glanced down at her hands to see she was still holding the stone but not the child’s hand. She grimaced as she was nauseous and grunted. “Damn.” 

“Are you okay?” Bendy asks and she nods. “Yeah.” 

She then slowly held up the stone. “It spat this out also.”

“Okay, good news and bad news.” Felix pipes up, Y/n turns around to face him to see he has climbed down from a ledge, he must have left to go somewhere. 

“The entrance we came in from is blocked off—and the only way to get through it is if we blast through it—but that’ll risk a rock avalanche which..isn’t the best thing right now…” he was silent for a moment.

“But there is an alternate path back up to the surface. But it’s a 10 minute swim up.” Felix then glanced at Y/n. “But that’s also too risky too.” 

“Oh..” Y/n slowly said before slowly nodding. “I can do it.”

-

Wading in the water, Y/n watched as Mugman cautiously looked at her. “Are you sure you’re ready?” He asks and Y/n nods. “Yeah, it’s just 10 minutes, it’s not like I’m going 20 minutes.” 

“Just take a deep breath, and swim quickly.” Felix tells Y/n and Bendy lets out a sneeze, the water sputters from his mouth and hits Donald who quakes and fiercely wipes at his face. Bendy rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Oh please, you’ll survive.” 

Felix went under the water to guide everyone to where they needed to go, Donald followed after, then Oswald, Panchito, Mugman and soon Cuphead. Bendy glanced at Y/n and nodded. 

“Deep breath.” He says and Y/n nods before inhaling a large ball of air and soon sinking into the water. 

Following everyone Y/n felt fine—but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t lose air in the next minute or so. 

Bendy had stayed beside her to make sure she kept up at a decent pace—which she did. They swam through rocks and other small tunnels, up until they made it out into the open where the light from the sun had been beaming down on the water's surface. They were almost there but Y/n’s chest tightened and the only thing she was thinking was air. She couldn’t go back now—she was too close…and also because that would just waste more time just for her to go back and get some air. 

With a few more seconds Y/n reached the surface and immediately opened her mouth for air and coughed, the water from her hair and head she leaned onto the boat and let out a heavy sigh. 

“You did it!” Panchito praised Y/n. Y/n let out a weak laugh as she leaned her head on the boat and closed her eyes, heaving heavily from the lack of air for so long. 

Spunk barked once he spotted the group come back up, his tail wagging as he watched as they all climbed and piled back into the boat, the boat might as well have become a boat with all the water falling into it from everyone. 

“Never am I entering a cave with you guys again. Ever.”  Oswald wrings the water from his ears and Panchito lets out a small laugh. “It was just a short stop, I’m sure we won’t have to enter another cave anytime soon, besides, we have the other piece, so that is a good thing!” Panchito brings up the piece that they managed to snag away from the spiders Y/n was placing the piece in the wet bag and placed the bag onto the corner of the boat and wringed the water from her shirt. 

“What did I tell ya? You can hold your breath for more than 5 minutes.” Cuphead nudges Y/n and the human gently shoves him away from her. “Shut up.” 

“So, are we just going to continue the same direction?” Mugman asks Felix who had been in the background moving around to sail the boat again. 

“Yeah, it seems to be taking us in the right path.” He agrees. 

“Maravilloso! 24 more hours to go!” Panchito smiled brightly and Donald deadpans. “Great..”

-

“I think..that one is the brightest.” Cuphead points to a random star in the sky, Y/n was trying her hardest to keep her eyes open—she didn’t know what time it was—as it was hard to really tell and she didn’t feel like rummaging through her bag to get her phone, but she was sure it was somewhere nearing midnight, and they still were in the middle of the ocean, traveling. For the most part, everyone was asleep, but Cuphead and Y/n were sure the guy didn’t even have a sleep schedule. 

Y/n only took one nap—but she wasn’t used to sleeping..out in the middle of the ocean so she couldn’t complain too much, but then again, sleep was very much a nice thing to have though.

“Mmhmm..” Y/n agreed gently as she lazily pulled the blankets up to her chin, Cuphead sat up from beside her and looked down at her. “Geez, don’t tell me you’re gettin’ all doozy on me.” 

“Cuphead, go to bed..we’ve been up all day.” Y/n slowly opened her eyes to look at him and Cuphead shrugs. 

“Eh. I ain’t too tired.”

“When are you ever tired?” 

“Uh..whenever I’m tired?” 

Y/n was silent for a moment as she gave Cuphead a blank expression before slowly shaking her head. She heaved herself up to sit up and fixed the blankets so they were wrapped around her shoulders and the two silently stared off into the ocean, Cuphead being oddly silent as the two basked in the moment of silence. 

“So…what happened back there in the cave?” He abruptly asks, Y/n’s tired expression turned into one of confusion as she moved her gaze to him. 

“What?” She asks. 

“When you were blacked out for a moment.” He recalls which Y/n then remembered the small—deja vu moment that she didn’t think to ponder too much about. Now thinking about it, what the hell did it mean? She could try to make an understanding of it all day but she was sure she wouldn't get any answers, and on top of that, the thing was probably telling her fibs—it didn’t try to potentially kill them after all. 

Y/n pondered for a moment on the best way to explain it without making herself seem crazy—which she doubted Cuphead would care if she was losing her last brain cell. 

“It was so weird..I was like, talking to myself.” She started. 

“Like yourself? Physically?” 

“Yeah, but she was a kid. And the thing was telling me—basically I was stupid or something like that, I don’t know why, but it was weird, you know?” Y/n slowly looked back at the water and she felt herself gently wringing her fingers—she felt nervous, as if it were something she should have paid more attention to, but..she didn’t. 

“But I ain’t too worried about it.” Y/n mocks what Cuphead would usually say every once in a while, the cup perked up and smiled before wrapping an arm around her shoulder. 

“Ah man, you sure do know how to make a cup proud.” Cuphead sighs in content before speaking. “But whatever happens, I’m there, you can count on it.” 

“I will.” 

-

Y/n felt the frantic sniffs and the cold nose press against her forehead. Y/n furrowed her eyebrows before moving her head to see Spunk was waking her up and—the boat was still. She slowly sat up to see that they were at a dock, and what appeared to be a village ahead of them with people walking around—with horses and carriages, it actually reminded her of something you would see from a fantasy’s film, she excitedly shot up and stared at the town ahead of her. Felix walked over and grabbed Y/n from under her arms and stood her up on her feet. 

“Alright, we’re here, the trail led us here, I don’t know what we’re exactly looking for but I’m sure we’ll get a clue.” Felix says as he fixed Y/n’s bandanna, the human seemed excited to run off and explore the town but if it weren’t for Felix having her by the bandana he was certain she would have scurried off.  

“So are we sure this place doesn't have dragons?” Cuphead reiterated and Mugman rolled his eyes as he stepped off the boat and onto the dock. “I’m positive, I don’t think dragons exist in this world outside of Inkwell.” Mugman answered. Panchito was curiously picking up a few seashells a couple feet away from off the beach shore 

Donald and Oswald stood beside Mugman waiting for everyone, Y/n grabbed her bag and tossed it over her shoulder—while it was still wet..

“Ew…my bag is still wet.” She muttered as she stepped onto the dock. 

“Hey! Look at this one!” Panchito shouts over as he holds up a sea shell he found—a few of the town folk gazed over at his abrupt shouting. 

“Yeah we most definitely look like we don’t belong here.” Donald grumbled. 

“I think it would be best to get new clothes? Salt water does not dry up quickly.“ Oswald says and he shakes his leg while water drips from his pants and Felix nods. “Yeah, maybe that’s a good idea—I’m sure there’s a shop somewhere in town.” 

“You kiddin? I felt like I was walking around in wet socks the entire time.” Bendy pipes up and Y/n nods in agreement. She had a hard time sleeping because her clothes were still damp from the swim they all had earlier. 

Mugman takes a huge deep breath of air and exhales. “Ahh, the sweet smell of adventur—CUPHEAD!” Mugman shouts over to his brother who had found his way over to a booth and was busy taking whatever bread rolls the vendor was selling—without him looking. Cuphead paused in his action and immediately hid the stolen dessert behind his back and smiled at his brother innocently. 

-

Walking through the town was far more interesting than Y/n anticipated, there weren’t any cars, but mostly carriages and horses, which was not entirely a shocker to see considering she knew about those, but seeing that was what this town only transportation is was actually cool to see. 

They had stopped by a clothing shop to get more clothes—preferably some more comfortable ones, and had been inside the shop for a good 30 minutes now. Y/n had fixed the button up to her shirt and gazed at herself in the mirror. The man that had gifted the clothes to the group had gifted them for free, which was nice for him. 

Y/n actually liked her bandanna and decided to keep it. Spunk sat near Y/n’s foot as he waited for her to finish examining herself in the mirror. The clothes were light weight, and she had many pockets on her cargo pants, she even had a new travel bag where it fit the book perfectly and some other essentials. Gazing down at the boots that protected her feet from anything that may try to nip, stick or poke at her feet. Her feet felt way more protected than the tennis shoes she was once wearing—which was ruined by the saltwater by the way..

“Feels nice.” Y/n says as she looks down at Spunk, who had looked up at her and lets out a bark in agreement. 

“I feel a little weird without my hat.” Panchito pipes up as he walks over. He wore something similar to what Y/n had on. Except he had on a brown vest, Y/n spotted the gun holster by his side and she perked up slightly. Oh yeah, she forgot he had a gun. 

“You can probably hold my toy gun.” She jokes as she takes off her book bag and digs through the bag and reaches for the pistol before pulling it out. Panchito tilts his head for a moment. 

“When did you get that?” He asks. 

“Charley gave it to me before we left town, it’s from the venue.” She replied and gently spun the gun around her finger with the trigger. 

“Clearly he trusts me with i—“

The sound of the bullet being released from the gun echoed in the room—and thank goodness it didn’t hit anyone as it embedded itself in the floor. Y/n’s mouth opened in shock as Panchito’s feathers ruffled up in shock from the sudden noise, the two went silent as Panchito slowly looked at Y/n who had the gun clutched by the handle, her finger nowhere near the trigger now.

“….I..did not know that was a real gun..” she muttered and Panchito slowly took the revolver away from her and smiled. 

“Ah…yes, I will be..keeping this, thank you..”  he says as he placed it in the empty holster. 

-

Soon after awhile they were back out into the town—mainly exploring rather than looking for a clue, Spunk was busy sneaking up on a chicken who had been pecking some food off of the ground, the pup barked and the chicken scurried away in fear. 

“Out of all the places we visited, this would have to be one of the only places that hasn't tried to kill us.” Oswald picks up and Felix nods in agreement. “Yeah true.”

There were toons and humans amongst each other speaking, joking, trading and what—going on with their everyday lives, Y/n was stopped by a woman gasping upon seeing the group, which caused the human to slowly pause in her walk—oh great, did they do something wrong? The last thing she needed was a town full of people coming to kill them. 

Bendy shook his head slightly from the fatigue that had started to take over him again, his lack of sleep was starting to get to him—not to mention he couldn’t properly sleep on the boat, Y/n had been walking next to him the entire time and noticed his lack of speaking and wrapped her arm around Bendy’s and looked at him. 

“Are you okay?” She asks and he nods before giving her a soft smile. “Yeah I’m okay sweets..just a bit tired is all.” He answered and Y/n slowly nodded as she then released Bendy from her hold.

“Hey.” Y/n looked over to see Cuphead, he gently nudged her and motioned over to a game booth. 

“C’mon, let’s go play.” He says before the two scurried off to the booth, Mugman noticed the two had wandered off and soon followed after them—of course once telling Felix he was touting explore the town with the two which Felix agreed and said they would remain in the center of the town for the day, all considering it would be best to maybe get some rest before venturing off into the unknown. 

The game was very ordinary and simple, toss the beanbag into the hole to get a point—but the thing was, there weren’t any prizes to be won—which Y/n noticed as she gazed at the booth. 

She heard footsteps behind her and looked back to see Mugman had jogged over. No one really seemed to be playing the game and at first he thought it was empty seeing there wasn’t a vendor. 

“Huh..no one’s here.” Mugman points out and Cuphead leans on the booth and rolls his eyes. “Boring, I came over here for a stupid game.” Cuphead grumbled before pushing himself from the booth and stood beside the two. 

“Maybe they left for a moment, I’m sure there’s other stuff in the market—“ Y/n was cut from her word, when a dark cloud of smoke poofed into the air inside the booth. 

Poof! 

Y/n, Cuphead and Mugman took a step back from the sudden smoke, and a man appeared inside the booth, Y/n’s eyes widened, she‘s never seen anyone do that before! 

The man was clad in a dark cloak—golden pen days decorated the chests of the cloak—as if they were badges. He had a silver gray beard and cold eyes, his dark pupils were like slits, almost like a snake. 

“I see you all came up to my stand.” He spoke his words smooth like honey. And Cuphead blankly stared at the man and rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah. I just wanted to play bag toss.” Cuphead shot to the point and the man chuckled. “Of course, of course.” He says as he lifts a hand from under his cloak. 4 bean bags clutched between his slender fingers. 

“You toss these 4 bags in that hole—“ he points over to the hole before looking back at Cuphead. “You walk away free—“

“No prize? Nevahmind—this game sucks, what typa game is that? I win, I gets nothin?” Cuphead huffs before turning around to walk off and reaches to grab Y/n by the arm but is stopped when the man speaks up.

“Then we make a deal.” 

That seemed to make Cuphead stop as he turned his head back to the man, Mugman slowly squinted his eyes and started to shake his head. “On second thought, I think we’ll pass on this..” Mugman's voice wavered as he glanced at Cuphead, Y/n looked at Cuphead before glancing at Mugman and then at the man. 

“You win three rounds, 4 holes each, 12 in all, you walk away with the riches of this land, if you don’t, you’ll be running away with your tails between your legs.” The man looks at the three of them instead of just Cuphead and Y/n slowly raises her eyebrows. She wasn’t even playing, why did she have to be included in this? 

“A small scare? Oh I can take that, and I can most definitely make 12 holes.” Cuphead placed his hand out, you could practically see the confidence radiating off of him. 

Mugman grabs Cuphead’s arm and glares at him. “You dimwit! We don’t need another deal.” Mugman whispered to him and Cuphead shrugged. 

“Relax Mugsy, it ain’t a real deal unless you sign something’ or shake on it, it’s just a game. Ya know I think the Devil got you shaken up.” Cuphead brushed it off and Mugman removed himself from Cuphead and deflated, what was the point, trying to talk to Cuphead was like speaking to a brick wall half the time, when he had his mind set on something, there most definitely weren’t no letting go. 

Cuphead retrieved the throw bags and Y/n looked at Mugman. “Is it a bad thing?” She asks him when she noticed his sour expression, but it soon went away when he heard the human speaking to him, Y/n only knew Cuphead just a tad bit, she wasn’t aware of his issue of running into situations without thinking—mostly death defying issues, Mugman sweats for a moment before fixes the collar of his shirt. 

“Ahaha…uh…no..no, don’t worry.” Mugman smiled at her nervously as she gave him a confused expression before looking over to Cuphead to see he actually was doing a pretty good job at tossing the bags in the target one by one, the man didn’t even have to move to get the bags and hand them back to Cuphead, they just appeared right on the counter for him to grab. 

One bag after the other Mugman was watching Cuphead like a hawk, but it seemed Cuphead could handle himself just fine, tossing the bags with ease and even doing a few tricks.

Y/n smiled and clapped her hands at some of the tricks—she was impressed to say. “Good job Cuphead!” She praised, and Cuphead hesitated for a moment as he turned to look at Y/n before slowly smiling—he was in the midst of throwing the bag that he barely noticed it hit the side of the target until Y/n’s expression changed to one of surprisement and he turned to see the bag had landed on the ground.

“Shit..” Cuphead cursed and the man chuckled before looking at the three. 

“Take your losses.” The voice echoed.

-

Y/n groaned as she shakily lifted herself up from the ground, the soil squishing between her thin pink fingers…pink? 

Y/n eyes quickly opened back up as she scurried up from the ground, she looked at her hands to see four pink fingers, looking down she saw two pink feet, brown fur, she felt her heart start to quicken and her blood started to pump. She quickly touched her face to feel snout, and big ears. Looking over she spotted a glass shard, leaning on a huge wooden pallet. The glass shard acted as a mirror where she spotted a mouse, two big ears, brown fur with white spots littering the body, almost similar to a reverse Dalmatian, a long pink tail and a tuft of curly hair sprouting from the top of her head. 

“AHHHHHHHH!” Y/n let out a terrifying horrifying scream, her hands reached to tug at her ears, she was a rat! A rat! A rat! A cute one…BUT SHE WAS A RAT! 

She felt tears start to swell in her eyes, oh god, how could this happen! Was she going to spend the rest of her life like this?! She couldn’t! She had a life! A family! A dog! And cool little action figures back at home and a bunch of stuff! 

“Ugh..wha..what’s going on?” The familiar voice of Mugman pipes up, Y/n quickly looks over to see Mugman stumbling up from behind a rock, he stands up and places a tired hand on his head. He was also a rat, blue nose, and a white mass of fur that seemed to turn gray near his feet. 

Cuphead quickly shoots up from the ground which he was a few inches away from, he hits his head from a low stick hanging above, but he grunts and quickly rubs his head before looking at the two. 

“Guys?” He calls out. He looked similar to Mugman, expect for his cherry red nose and untamed hair unlike Mugman’s he seemed to be combed back. 

“What—what’s going on?!” Panics Y/n. She pressed her hands against the glass shard and her ears quickly folds back. 

“WE’RE RATS!” 

“Hey, hey! Calm down toots.” Cuphead quickly scampered over and gently placed a hand on Y/n’s shoulders and gently turned her to face him. Her eyes glazed over with tears and he was silent for a moment as he opened his mouth to speak. 

“I—jeez, don’t look at me like that will ya? You’re makin’ me feel bad..” Cuphead frowned, Mugman glares at Cuphead before stomping over. 

“You should feel bad! This is your fault we’re in this mess! If you only just stopped  playing the game we wouldn’t be in this mess!” Mugman scolds his brother and Cuphead only rolls his eyes at Mugman. 

“Okay, okay, are we done playin’ the blaming game game?” Cuphead grunts through his teeth. 

“No! Goodness knows how long we’ll be stuck like this!” Mugman places a hand on Y/n’s shoulder and she notices how much shorter she was compared to the two, regularly they really weren’t that much taller than her, only by a foot when they were..normal..

Y/n let’s out a soft hiccup. “Oh god we’re going to die like this.” 

“Well—it if it weren’t for Y/n distractin’ me, we wouldn’t be like this!” Cuphead just said the first thing that came to his head to really just shoot back at Mugman but when he felt Y/n look at him, he quickly looked at her and his ears quickly flattened when he saw her hard cold glare. 

“Not-not sayin’ that this is your fault or anythin—I was just—I—“

Cuphead stops himself from stammering as he watches Y/n for a moment.

“You..have big gorgeous ears..?” He gives her a nervous yet strained laugh. Y/n couldn’t contain it before she quickly pounced onto Cuphead, her hands immediately moving to grab ahold of his ears, the two rolled to the ground, somersaulting out into the open of the wooden area.

“Ow! Ow! I’m sorry!” Cuphead shouts out various apologies and tried to remove Y/n from him, who was busy tugging at his ears, her foot pressed against his snout, Mugman quickly ran over and grabbed ahold of Y/n, he tried to pick her up from Cuphead but she had a tight hold on his nose. 

“Jeez! You really have a grip!” Mugman strains as he holds tightly onto Y/n as if he were hugging her as he holds her close and pulls away. The sound of flapping and a gust of wind reached the threes ears, they looked up to see an owl swooping down, it’s sharp talons reaching out, the three screamed as Y/n lets go of Cuphead, causing herself and Mugman to fall back, the owl missed them and lands on the ground where they once had been. Y/n and Mugman quickly stands up as did Cuphead and the three quickly then scurried off, the sound of the owl screeching echoed, Y/n hardly noticed how quickly they had fled if it weren’t for them running away on all fours—it was a miracle what different creatures could do to escape. 

“Quick!” Cuphead stands up and skids to a stop and points up a tree, the three quickly without a thought scurried up the tree, it didn’t feel any different from running on the ground and it actually felt odd to see the world from such a bigger perspective. The bird screeches as the three scurry onto a branch, the bird swoops down, it’s talons claws onto the branch causing it to shake, Y/n felt her feet lift from the ground, but she kept a strong hold onto the branch, there was no way in hell she was dying by falling a hundred some odd feet in the air. Mugman falls into Y/n causing her to slide from the branch, her lower half hanging off which knocks Mugman off, he lets out a shout and ultimately grabs hold of Y/n tail, the stinging pain of her muscles felt like they were being pulled by the weight of Mugman.

Y/n’s nails digs into the wood as she slams her face into the branch and lets out a muffled shriek. Suddenly Cuphead shouts and falls off the branch, quickly grabbing onto Mugman’s leg which ultimately added more weight onto Mugman’s iron grip. The sensation was unbearable at this point and caused Y/n to lift her head up and let out a loud ear piercing scream. 

“OW!!!!” 

The bird shakes the branch causing it to deep slightly and it lets go of the branch, which shoots up, sending the three flying into the air, Mugman releases Y/n’s tail as the three screamed in fear, the bird flew up and was about to close its maw—but it only missed by a few inches as its wing got caught on a vine bringing it back down to the tree under it. 

Which was good, if the three weren’t plummeting to the ground, hundreds of feet below. Hitting leaves which did slow down their fall, Y/n fell into a bushel of vines, she let out a few grunts as she ultimately passed through them. 

Mugman lands in a body of water a few inches away, but Cuphead falls face first onto the ground, hard. A loud ‘oof!’ emits from it. His tail sticks up as Y/n lands on top of him, his tail being the main source in catching her, while she is held up, her body facing the sky in shock. 

Her chest heaved up and down as she looked over her shoulder to see Cuphead hadn’t moved, his tail slowly lowered to the ground to place Y/n down. Her feet gently touching the grass as she cautiously stared at Cuphead, her body was shaking from the adrenaline rush. 

“Cuphead…are you okay?” She asks. Her foot gently poked at the side of his head, he let out a long muffled groan before shakily pushing himself off the ground, Y/n heard a few cracks from his bones as he slowly—yet dizzily stood up. “Nothin..I can’t handle..” he garbles. 

The sound of wet footsteps emits from behind Y/n, Y/n turns to see Mugman trudging over..with a not so happy expression ridden on his face. 

The water dripping from his form was sorta comical up until he shook the water off and it got onto Y/n. She shielded her face from the water and Mugman huffs. 

“Well what now? We aren’t even an hour in and we’re already going to die from some massive bird!” Mugman complains as he walks over to Y/n and removes a blade of grass from her hair. Cuphead placed his hands on his back as he stretched, more bones popping as he did so. 

“Look—let’s just calm down, I’m sure we’ll find a way out of our rat s-“

“Your.” Mugman blatantly corrects.

“My…rat problem.” Cuphead sighs. Y/n had been looking around as the two spoke and she furrowed her eyebrows. The trees surrounded the tree. The sound of cicadas in the air echoed and the rustling of the leaves entered her ears. There were so many trees the sun rays peeked through the holes of the trees, touching the ground with light. It would be a relaxing sight, if everything wasn’t 10 times bigger. 

“We aren’t even in the village anymore.” Y/n points out and Mugman’s ears perked up before he looked around and took in his surroundings. 

“You have to be kidding me..” he sighs. 

“Don’t worry, we can just..” Cuphead turned one direction and placed his hands on his hips.

“Go this way.” He turns to Mugman and Y/n, who both had the same readable expression on their faces. 

“And what makes you think that would lead us anywhere?” Mugman asks. Cuphead was silent for a moment.

“I got a good sense of direction Mugsy, all it takes is a little bit of manpower!” Cuphead flexes his arm before he starts ahead. 

“Let’s move my friends! We’s gots ourselves our own little adventure, mission is now in action!” Cuphead calls out as he walks, Y/n’s ears slowly flattened as her tail dropped to the ground, Mugman looks at her and gently frowns. 

“Hey, it’ll be alright.” He starts before placing a hand on Y/n’s shoulder. “Cuphead may be a cup filled with nothing, but he usually knows how ta’ get outta these sorta situations.” Mugman comforts as the two start to follow after Cuphead. Mugman had to remind himself that Y/n—as a human. These situations don’t come as an everyday thing to them. Humans were so simple, they lived simple lives, it wasn’t everyday they get tossed into an adventure and had to go save the world and in the midst get turned into a rat. 

Toons could say they can find themselves in that sort of situation, because that’s the sort of logic they had. Humans were so odd when it came to having to experience new things like this, Mugman had to remind himself that they were like babies sometimes, they needed time to learn, and Y/n was unfortunately one of them. So sad it had to be with Cuphead the absolute knucklehead. 

“Thanks, I’ll be fine.” She nods as the two watched as Cuphead was saying something incoherent up ahead. Atleast he could make it Atleast enjoyable. 

-

Felix watches as Panchito danced around with the children of town, Bendy was stuck on the bench—assigned by Felix so he could rest. It was nice to actually get a room from a local hotel owner, which could come in handy considering it was now getting late, but they were waiting for the three to return, that being the cup brothers and Y/n, and just as Felix worried, the moment Cuphead left, he had a feeling the knuckle head would cause trouble. 

“Why did I let him walk off by himself..oh right. Because he isn’t a kid..” Felix spoke to himself before slowly shaking his head and sighing. They would have been back by now but considering the sun was about a good hour away from setting, they were either lost..or gods knows what could have happened to them. 

“You don’t look too happy.” Oswald points out, he had been standing beside Felix for the majority of the time.

“The brothers haven’t been back ever since leaving 3 hours ago and they have Y/n with them.” Felix points out and Oswald was silent for a moment. 

“Now that you mentioned it, they have been gone for some time.” When Oswald said that, it seemed to have set off some trigger in Bendy’s head, he perked up slightly and quickly looked at the two. 

“What?” He immediately asks. Donald placed a hand between Bendy’s horns. “Ah, don’t get your tail in a twist, I’m sure they’re just exploring the town.” 

“They can handle their own, I’m certain of it, we just got to give them time.” Felix says.

“Just give them time..” 

-

Y/n stared up at the sky—the purple, orange hue was vibrant yet so dark, the sound of creatures she never even heard before howling and bellowing from the distance filled the air. It seemed no matter how far they walked the trees looked the same and the burning feeling in her feet was yelling for her to sit down. 

“How far are we going to keep walking? I’m tired..” Y/n groans as she feels herself slow down, Mugman slowly stops before he gently grabs Y/n’s wrist to help guide her. 

“Just a few more and we can take a break.” He reassured. 

“Yeah, I see an opening patch of land, there might be somethin’ there.” Cuphead tells the two as he points ahead, Y/n looks up to see that there indeed was a cut off. And an open area—which seemed to look like dirt. 

Y/n decided to just silence herself and follow along, as she did so she heard the slightest sound from in the tall grass, her ears perked up as she looked over to nothing but the vegetation. 

Once they reached the open area, the three hid behind a decent sized rock and cautiously perked behind it to look around and make sure no predatory animals were scouting around nearby. Ahead of them looked to be a small cottage, which seemed well kept together and very welcoming aside from all the other locations that were a bit questionable. 

“There might be someone in there that can help.” Y/n points out and Cuphead nods. “Yeah, sounds g—“

Y/n was dragged back by the tip of her tail, watching the world move upside down, Y/n let out a shout as she was suddenly picked up unannounced. Mugman and Cuphead quickly turn around to see her being held by her tail—following the furry hand it was..a stray cat. Standing on its hind legs it’s left eye seemed to be missing—giving off an intimidating expression. The orange fur turned gray near his chest.

“Hey! Put her down!” Mugman shouts, the cat looks away from Y/n who had slowly rotated around to look at the feline. Cuphead took a step back and ran forwards getting ready to pounce onto the cat until he was snatched up by the neck of his fur by two claws. He let out a shout as he was hoisted up with ease by another straw cat, squatting on a rock, all gray fur and a look of excitement in his eyes as he held Cuphead up. 

“Look at this one, he gots a red nose.” The cat laughs, Mugman was picked up as well by another cat that was white— Hoisting Mugman up by his tail as well. Cuphead was gently tossed up and grabbed by his tail as well. The three left dangling in the air. 

“Who are you three and why are you trespassing?” The orange cat asks, Y/n could only assume he was the head honcho of everything. Y/n kicked her feet frantically and flared up at him. 

“We’re just passing by!” She quickly answered.

“We-we—we’re looking for someone to help us, it’s a long story, we got turned into rats and we’re just looking for someone to get us back to normal!” Mugman answered completely. The orange cat was silent for a moment as he stared down at the three, he lifted Y/n up to his head and Mugman and Cuphead gasped. 

“Hey-hey-hey! Don’t eat the girl, okay? This is my fault!” Cuphead quickly spews as the cat sniffs at Y/n, Y/n felt the wind of the sniffing hit her back and she gently squirmed around and let out a grunt. 

“I’m sorry, I really am, if this area is your guys territory we’ll leave.” Cuphead filled in the silence with his frantic talking. The cat pulled away from Y/n and his ears quickly perked up as he stared at her. 

“Wait a second..” he says. Y/n slowly rotated around as she uncontrollably faced the cat, whom which curiously examined Y/n. 

“Set them down.” The cat orders, in which the other two obeyed and sat Cuphead and Mugman back onto the ground, the boss sets Y/n down as well in which Cuphead slowly eased over to Y/n and grabbed her arm to pull her to him and Mugman. 

“You.” The cat stares down at Y/n. 

“What is your name?” He asks. His voice was rough and demanding.

“Uh..Y/n..” Y/n slowly answered.

“The grandchild of Hector Vendolez.” Well..she didn’t expect that. Y/n shuffled on her feet for a moment as she glanced at Cuphead and Mugman who had looked at her. 

“Well..from what I’ve been told—“ 

“You crazy?! Hector was the most well known adventurers of all time!” The cat from behind the three loudly exclaims before he lets out a laugh. 

“Pipe down you idiot.” The white cat grumbled. 

“Who are you guys?” Mugman asks cautiously. 

“I’m Ruck, that’s Don and Meek.” Ruck introduced himself—despite being intimidating a few moments ago, he portrayed himself as calm as possible to the point Y/n didn’t fear they would kill them at any given moment. 

“How do you guys know Hector?” Y/n asks. 

“We used to work with him a couple of years ago.” Don answered, he seemed pretty stoic and blank aside from Meek who had slid from off the rock and happily jumped from one foot to the other. 

“Yeah! We tagged along with him when we set sail from the mainlands!” Meek smiles happily and Mugman furrows his eyebrows. 

“How is that even possible?! He’s been dead for over 70 some odd years! You guys should be old by now.” Mugman asks suspiciously and Y/n slowly nodded in agreement. That would make sense considering Hector clearly wasn’t born anytime in recent years. 

“We were cast by a curse from a witch back in 48.” Ruck answered and Cuphead hissed through his teeth. 

“Talk about old.” He jokes and Mugman slowly turns his head and glares at his brother in which he had quickly stopped laughing. 

“A curse you say?” Mugman asks as he turns his head to continue speaking with Ruck, who had nodded upon Mugman’s question. 

“A witch was looking for Hector at the time and we didn’t give up where he ran off to.” 

“So you guys risked your lives for the guy?” Cuphead asks bewildered.

“Oh trust, he was a good guy! Kinda wish he was still here.” Meek sat down on the ground to make himself appear small with a lighthearted smile on his face. 

“So you guys been stuck on this island for 70 plus years?” Y/n asks and Don hums in agreement. “Unfortunately.” 

“And I’m taking in account you three got yourselves into some mess?” Ruck asks and Y/n and Mugman both turn and look at Cuphead. He nervously smiled and gently rubbed the back of his nervously. 

“It’s..a long story..” he says and Y/n looks back at Ruck. 

“Some witch guy made us into rats after playing a bag toss game, we woke up here and we need to get back to our friends or else they’ll think we’re dead, which I’m sure someone noticed by now.” Y/n explains and Ruck slowly nods. 

“Good thing for you guys, your spell is brand spanking new! You got time to get it off you and reverse it!” Meek explains and that caused Y/n to perk up quickly. “Really?” 

“Yes, but it has to be before midnight.” Ruck answered and Mugman made a noise. 

“Okay…but how do we get back to normal? Play the game again? Find him?” 

“Make a deal with someone else to bring you back to normal. These curses and deals are locked tight, this ain’t a fairytale kid, you get yourself into a mess you’ll be scraping pennies to get out of it.” Ruck explained which did cause Y/n to deflate..well..

“We can’t just make a deal with someone else! That’ll contradict everything!” Mugman shouts in frustration.

“Then maybe you all should tread more lightly, you aren’t on the mainland anymore, you’re out in the unknown naked, anything can happen.” Ruck moves his sharp gaze down to Y/n whose ears flattened as she nervously looked away from somewhere else. 

“Bendy.” Cuphead pipes up and Mugman looks at Cuphead. 

“He’s a demon, he can make deals.” 

Mugman sputtered before tugging on his ears. “We’re not doing this again! Besides, he’s not that sorta demon. I'm positive he can’t make a deal like the devil can, and on top of that he’ll kill us if he finds out what happened.” Mugman names off various things and Meek looks away from Mugman before looking at Y/n. 

“Jeez, this guy always so pent up?”

“I’m not pent up!!” Mugman shouts and Y/n places a hand on Mugman’s shoulder to comfort him. “I agree with Cuphead, maybe we should head back to town and see if Bendy can do a deal.” Y/n says and Mugman visibly calms down, his tail drops to the ground.

“Can you guys help us back into town?” Cuphead asks the three and Ruck was silent for a moment. 

“Of course. We must hurry, it’s already getting late.”

-

Y/n had been following aside Ruck for majority of the time, he had been telling stories about Hector and how odd he was as person, seemingly Hector was very curious about the outside world—or to put it simple, outside of the mainlands—and Y/n couldn’t agree more, everything she’s discovered so far was far more different from an everyday life back home. Ruck was very stoic and blatant, he clearly didn’t seem like the type of guy to joke around, he spoke in a set rough tone or authority, like some sergeant of some sort—but to Y/n it sort of reminded her of Gill of Finding Nemo, especially with his missing she.

“So. You were good friends with him?” Y/n asks as she tried to keep up with Ruck as best as she could—being 10 times smaller than him was the major difference but he seemed to slow his pace down when he noticed how persistent Y/n was in speaking to him and learning more about Hector. 

“I’m his brother.” Ruck corrects which Y/n fell silent for a moment as she stared up at Ruck. Her tail quickly swings side to side in excitement. “So that means you’re technically my great uncle!” Y/n quickly exclaims and Ruck chuckles gently. 

“Smart kid.” He points out. 

“You know this is actually great, my dads side of the family mother and father passed away a few years before I was born so I never knew them, and my mothers grandmother, I call her G-Ma, she lives up north and she rarely comes to visit because she doesn't like traveling much, she only does it during the holidays, and my mother was the only child growing up so she doesn't have any siblings, and my father was also the only child growing up as well.” Y/n quickly explains she felt Cuphead and Mugman scurry next to her and Mugman perks up. 

“So, you three aren’t siblings?” Ruck asks as he eyed the three and Mugman shook his head. 

“Oh no no no, we’re her friends. This is my brother.” Mugman placed a hand on Cuphead’s shoulder and Ruck nodded before looking ahead as the two continued down the dirt path. 

“You know about your grandfather, you sailed here because of him?” Ruck asks and Y/n slowly shakes her head. 

“No..not entirely..we’re here because of a book, and it told us to leave the mainlands to search for these pieces of a stone that goes to an island called Ruby Falls.” Y/n explains and Ruck looks at Y/n as she explained.

“And there’s these guys that are looking for the book, though I doubt they’re here now.” Mugman adds and Y/n nods in agreement. 

“Hm..” Ruck starts. 

“Just a regular kid.” Ruck looked back down at Y/n and she was silent for a moment as she stepped over a stick. 

“Well..yeah, it’s not everyday some magical book comes to someone and forces them on a voyage around the world.” Y/n points out, who did she think she was? Spider-Man? 

“So, these people that are after you guys, you take them out yet?” Ruck asks and Y/n glanced at Cuphead and Mugman who the three all shared the same expression of nervousness and anticipation. 

“Uh..no..not exactly..” Mugman answered and Ruck raised an eyebrow.

“They’re really strong guys, we were lucky to even get away barely scratched..she almost took my head off.” Y/n aimed that last statement to Cuphead and Mugman, referring to Pib, who by far was one of the only guys she was aiming to disregard fighting and steer clear from whenever she runs into them again—hopefully never. 

“The excuse to not fight back because of someone else’s strength, only makes you weaker.” Ruck says and the three were silent for a moment. Cuphead rolled his eyes but he didn’t say anything. 

“You have a lot to learn.” Ruck looks back down at Y/n as she gives him a confused expression. 

“Like what?” She asks. 

“You won’t survive out here, that book keeps up the tradition with casting one human to it, Hector was one, and now you are. You can’t bounce back like your toon friends, you’re human. You have one life and if you mess that up, you’re out of here, kid.” Rick seemed..very blatant, Y/n was about to say something until Cuphead intervenes and points an accusing finger up at the feline. 

“Now you listen here! She knows exactly what she’s doin’ she got this far and ain’t 6 feet unde-“ he was cut off by Ruck gently shoving Cuphead with his tail, Cuphead trips and falls into the ground face first and Y/n turns around to help Cuphead off the ground until Ruck placed a paw in front of Y/n. 

“And the first rule is for you to understand defending you, by yourself.” Ruck emphasized and Y/n looks up at him as he lets her go, Cuphead huffs and pushes himself from the ground. 

“So, what do you know kid?” Meek asks Y/n and she thinks for a moment; “What do you mean?” She asks. 

“How are your survival skills? You know, you being the only human and all that jazz, you gotta have some sort of knowledge on how to keep yourself alive.” Meek adds on for better explanation and Y/n slowly shrugs. 

“I..don’t have one?” 

“Ah geez.” Don grumbled and Meek let out a soft laugh. “Ah, Ruck, you could be her mentor!” Meek brings to the table and Ruck is silent for a moment before Meek looks back down at Y/n. 

“Hector always went on about having kids of his own so he could show off the world to, you know how estatic the guy would be today seeing you take his shoes?” It felt like Meek wasn’t entirely aiming that statement to Y/n but more so to Ruck who didn’t seem to care to speak but more so led the two through the forest. 

Meek gently leaned down to speak to Y/n. “An adventurer is in your blood, kid.” He whispered before fixing his posture. 

“It don’t matter if you grew up in front of a TV all day with no knowledge of the outside world and all the things it holds? I mean like you said, it ain’t everyday someone’s traveling the world runnin’ for their lives with an ancient book someone specifically used to own.” Meek edges before Ruck turns to the two and furrows his eyebrows. 

“She’s a lost cause.” Ruck grumbled before looking away from Meek and to Y/n. 

“We’ll lead you to town, and you get back to normal and head back home. This place isn’t for you.” Ruck finished before turning away and continuing on, Y/n’s tail slowly lowered to the ground as she furrowed her eyebrows. 

“Hey! You can’t just tell us to return home! We’re here because we need to be!” Mugman declares.

“You’ll die out here. Especially you, Y/n.” 

Y/n remained silent as she walked alongside Cuphead and Mugman, Mugman placed a hand on Y/n’s shoulder. “Don’t listen to him, you’ll be fine.” 

“Oh come on Ruck, give the kid a chance, teach her what you know. She is Hector's blood, she’ll adapt quickly.” Don brings up. 

“Shut it.” Ruck grumbled and Don slowly shook his head as they all continued walking. 

-

Once making it into town, the sun had set and the lights of the town flared and danced around in the night with life. 

“Alright, they should still be in the middle of town, hopefully.” Y/n announced as she ducks back behind the stall and looks at the five. 

“Geez..Bendy’s not gonna be happy about this..” Mugman nervously said—he seemed to catch on that Bendy wasn’t too careless around Y/n, if he finds out that the two got her into some trouble for the second time Mugman feared the guy might actually behead the two. 

“I ain’t too worried about it, the guy is all bark no bite.” Cuphead shrugs his shoulders before walking out. “Now come on, I gots a deal to make.”

Y/n followed after and Ruck, Don and Meek followed after, clearly it wasn’t uncommon to see stray cats walking around town, Y/n was glad some passersby didn’t see three walking rats, that surely be something she did not want to deal with at the time. 

It took over 10 minutes to find the group—which Spunk was the first one they spotted. The pup curiously watched the small group of animals and bent down in a playful position as he hopped side to side as he stared at Ruck. 

“Arf!” Barks Spunk and Ruck tilts his head. “That’s Spunk, Hector made him.” Y/n explained. Spunk’s ears perked up when he heard Y/n’s voice.

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot the guy created stuff on the side.” Meek pipes up. 

“Where’s Bendy and the others?” Mugman asks Spunk who looks down at Mugman and gently moves his head down to sniff at him. Spunk perks up before pointing his nose in the opposite direction and barks. 

“He’s a smart dog too..” Ruck points out and Y/n nods. “He is. He can assess things very quickly.” Y/n answered. 

“How long you’ve had him?” Ruck asks.

“About 2 days.” 

“And how long you’ve been on the run with the book?” Ruck asks. And Y/n had to calculate that for a moment, it felt like forever but surely not much time had passed since the day Panchito arrived to her with the book. 

“About a week, now two weeks.” She answered and Ruck slowly nodded and Meek looked at Ruck with an expression as if saying: ‘see? See? She’s a good kid!’ 

Spunk let out a small noise before he turned back, picked Y/n up by the neck of her fur with his maw and gently scurried over to Donald who came into view. Cuphead and Mugman quickly followed after  and stood beside Spunk who lifted a paw and gently tapped Donald leg, who was busy fiddling with something in his hand. Donald looks away from his hand and down at Spunk, Donald quickly furrows his eyebrows and shakes his head. 

“Hey! Put that down.” He immediately scolds the pup, Spunk sets Y/n down and Y/n raises her arms to Donald. 

“Donald! It’s me Y/n!” She immediately says before he could try to step on her or something. Donald froze for a moment before looking over to see Cuphead and Mugman who both nervously smiled at Donald. 

“What happened?!” Donald panics and Cuphead nervously smiled and slowly looked away. “Yeah..it’s uh..it’s a long story.” 

“They led us back into town.” Y/n points over to Ruck, Don and Meek. Who had been standing a few feet away watching the interaction. 

Donald placed a hand down on the ground and Y/n immediately crawled onto his hand and he moved to pick up Cuphead and Mugman.

“We have to make a deal with Bendy to uh..turn us back to normal..” Cuphead said and Donald looked over to where the others were and Bendy—who was standing beside Panchito and Felix. 

“He can make deals?” Donald asks and Cuphead only shrugs. “I dunno, I just assumed.” 

Donald walks over to the small group who seemed to be busy talking, Y/n couldn’t lie she was a tad bit nervous but hey—this had to be better than running around as a rat all her life. 

“Guys, I found them.” Donald pipes, Bendy, Panchito and Felix turned around to face Donald once he mentioned finding the three and Felix’s eyes immediately flickers down to the three who stared at the three silently.

“Now, I suspected you three got into something, but not this.” Felix deadpans and Bendy squints eyes for a moment as he tries to comprehend exactly what happened. 

“I was playin’ this game at a stall, it was a bag toss game and the guy made a deal for a scare if I lost but the thing is I didn’t think it was anythin’ too serious' and I lost one round and now..we’re rats. And we have to make a deal to get back to normal.” Cuphead then slowly looks at Bendy who didn’t at all look pleased with the story. 

“Mind you..” Cuphead added as he raised a finger and smiled at Bendy who slowly furrowed his eyebrows at Cuphead. 

“Since you are a demon..you can undo the deal and create a new one that way we can get back to normal.” Cuphead finishes and Bendy looks at the three before he extends his index finger to Cuphead. A golden hue slowly flickers in his hand—very similar to the glow that Y/n had seen on Pib.

“Alright, you three turn back to normal, and..I dunno. Stop runnin’ off..” Bendy starts—it was clear he never made a deal before, ever as he didn’t know exactly how to make a deal that would benefit both parties but Y/n was more so focused that Bendy could make a deal, he was an actual demon? That means that Alice had to be an actual Angel! 

“Or I’ll kill you.” Bendy’s expression hardened and Cuphead had grown silent.

“He doesn't mean that.” Y/n’s voice pipes up from in the background and Cuphead sighs. 

“Fine, but you also gotta undo their curse as well.” Cuphead points over to the three felines in the background and Bendy looks over to look at them before looking at Cuphead. 

“Who are they?”  He asked and Mugman slowly smiled. “One of them is Y/n’s uncle and they know about Hector.”

“I say that’s a good idea.” Felix agreed, who else would be nice to lead them around the island than someone who’s lived here? 

“I stop jumpin’ into trouble, you bring us, and the three over there back to normal.” Cuphead offers and Bendy nods. 

“Deal.”

-

Y/n hadn’t slept so heavenly in so long, the bed was warm and soft and the blankets felt like a pocket heater, after the deal was made—they didn’t immediately turn back to normal, turns out the deal wouldn’t take effect until a few hours later—however long they may be—since Bendy does not heavily makes deals, who knew depending on how many deals you make how long it takes for the deal to take action. Y/n certainly was learning something new everyday. 

Y/n flexed her toes and wiggled her fingers, stretching nice and big. She slowly cracked her eyes open, to see the sun rays peeking from the blinds of the room. She felt Spunk gently move around at the bottom of the bed, he opened his mouth and let out a big yawn before slowly crawling over to Y/n and laying beside her shoulder. 

Y/n raises her hands in front of her to see her normal hands, flexing her fingers Y/n slowly smiled before sitting up and removing the blanket to see her legs and feet, wearing some shorts and a tank top that she wore under the new clothing she had gotten from yesterday, Y/n let’s out a sigh of relief. For a second there she truly thought she was a goner. 

Spunk gently nudged his head into Y/n’s back to signal her to get out of bed, which she did as she placed her feet onto the wooden floor and let out a soft sigh before standing up. 

Walking over to her book bag Y/n unzipped it and took the clothes from yesterday out of it before quickly getting dressed. As she did so, Spunk gently slid off of the bed by the blanket and sniffed the floor and slowly tracked down something, his head gently hitting the wall as he wasn’t paying attention, the pup shakes his head gently before looking up to see it was actually a cabinet he had run into. 

Y/n finished tying off the bandanna and turned around and was met with Spunk holding a granola bar in his mouth. Y/n leans down and takes the granola bar and Spunk lets out a short bark before scurrying over to the door to wait for Y/n. 

Y/n placed the energy bar into her pocket and picks up the bookbag before walking over to her shoes that were placed near the bed and slipped them on as well. 

Knock knock knock 

The knocking emitted from the door and she looked over—which Spunk was sitting by the door looking up at it curiously. Y/n walks over to the door and opens it to reveal a man, who seemed to be somewhere in his 50s, he wore a beige button up, with brown cargo like pants with fitted boots, his skin was toned yet rough, he had a dark beard that was gray towards the middle and dark hair that glistened under the light. His left eye was a sickly gray as his right eye was brown and thick bushy eyebrows with a pencil like mustache. He had his hands on his hips and Y/n shuffled on her feet at his sudden and rather cold appearance. 

“You’re finally up.” He says. That was when the familiar voice piped up and Y/n immediately recognized it. 

“Ruck?” She questioned.

“Yeah, looks like your little friend stood true to his word.” Ruck refers to Bendy and Y/n slowly nods. “Of course he will, he’s a good guy.” Y/n states and Ruck motioned for Y/n to follow as he moved away and started down the hallway of the inn, Y/n followed after and Spunk removed himself from the floor and followed along as well. 

“I took in account that you’ll…probably do fine out in this world.” Ruck starts as the two slowly walk down the hall to—well Y/n didn’t know she was blindly just following Ruck. 

“And I’ll be there to help you understand how to use your resources.” When he mentioned that Y/n looked at Ruck and smiled but his expression stayed the same. 

“Really? Oh man, that's great! So do I like—get badges or something? You know like scouts do? Like, a badge for when you make a fire or when you make monkey fist with the rope—I always wanted to do that, oh! What about being able to—“

“Hey, hey, hey. Christ.” Ruck immediately stopped Y/n from frantically talking which she immediately stopped as she grinned up at him in excitement.

“Listen kid, this ain’t Girl Scouts, you’re away from the mainlands, so you’ll be adapting to here, there are no EMT’s so you’ll be using your brain-“ he taps her head.

“Your sight—“ he flicked her eye and Y/n flinched and immediately placed a hand on her eye as he gently flicked. 

“And your strength.” He gently pats her arm before straightening his posture and staring down at her with his hands on his hips. 

“Your friend Felix seems very educated—I already spoke to him, so it ain’t just you getting this treatment..” his eyes flickered up behind Y/n and she turned her gaze behind her to see a room door opened, she spotted Cuphead and Mugman wrestling on the ground, Mugman didn’t seem to be in the mood to fight as Cuphead had his brother's head in a choke hold. 

“Geez! You’re squeezin’ too hard!” Mugman cried out and Cuphead only laughed in response. Panchito was busy watching in interest with the two fighting and Mugman quickly squeezed his head from Cuphead’s hold and shuffled away. “That’s enough Cuphead!” Mugman dusts his clothes before heaving himself from the floor and Cuphead laughs as he also removes himself from the floor and looks at Panchito. 

“How was that!” Cuphead calls out and Panchito smiles. 

“I mean, he quit a lot earlier than last time.” He recalls and Mugman huffs and shakes his head. 

“Be careful—the last time you two broke something.” Oswald scolds Cuphead and Mugman—mainly Cuphead. Bendy was busy sitting on the couch—which he seemed to be asleep, shockingly. 

Donald had been packing something in his bag quietly. 

“They have a lot to learn as well, but not nearly as much as you.” Ruck’s voice brought her attention back to him and Y/n slowly nodded. 

“Is it because I’m human?” 

“Glad you got common sense.” Ruck answered. While it was a bummer, with Y/n being human and not a toon, it was a lot easier for her to die from something simple out there unlike being a toon with a lot more durability.

“When do we start then? We have to find the next stone piece as well.” Y/n brings up, not trying to get off track that they needed the next stone piece and it could be just about anywhere. 

“Then hop to it, go get ready.” Ruck gently guided Y/n into the room, in which she smiled once they spotted her walking in, Felix the first one to walk over to make sure she was alright after being a rat and all not even 24 hours ago. 

“Oh boy, this should be fun, I hadn’t had a good adventure in a while.” A scrawny male dressed in similar clothing walked over to Ruck who was busy watching Y/n. The male had blonde unkempt hair—and he seemed to be in his 40s, another man was over as well.  Dark hair and a stoic expression. It was Don and Meek. 

“What made you change your mind?” Don asks and Ruck was silent for a moment. 

“She’s a strong kid..I can tell.” Ruck answered as the three looked into the room. 

“She just needs a push, and I’m sure it’ll be hard for her when it comes to it. She's been cradled, but she has people around her.”

He watched as Felix checked her ears and hair for any minor scars or anything out of the ordinary, she opened her mouth as he checked her teeth and he soon ruffled her hair and Y/n smiled at him as Spunk barked at Cuphead who wrapped an arm around Y/n’s neck and dragged her to the ground, Panchito laughs as Y/n struggled to get up from the ground and Bendy woke up and shouted at Cuphead to let her go. As Mugman shakes his head in disappointment.

“I said don’t break anything!” Oswald shouts from across the room. 

“Like Hector says, a heavy bond makes a strong person.”

[topazy]

Inside, outside

Pairing: 10k x reader, Addy Carver x sister reader

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of blood and violence

Chapter: 4.03

“Shit!” you hiss through gritted teeth before putting your knife through the head of a Z. It was the fourth one you’d killed in the space of ten minutes, and you had no idea where they were coming from.

“Astra! Astra, can you hear me?”

“10k?”

Hearing 10k’s voice, you spin around fast to see a much faster Z coming at you. You aimed your gun, but before you had a chance to pull the trigger, its brains were blown out by 10K. He stood in front of you and cupped your face, gently turning your head to the side as he inspected the splatting of blood covering one side of your face.

“Yours?”

“No, just a z. When did you guys get back?”

“Just now. What the hell are you doing out here alone? And where’s Red?”

“I-I'm not sure,” you said, running your fingers through your hair. “I left camp for a while, and when I went back, she was gone. Is Sun Mei fine? I gave her one of my guns and just left her to try and find Red. I’m sorry... I just need to find her.”

Hearing the pain in your voice, the 10k’s face softened and he pulled you into his chest. He stroked your hair for a few minutes before signing, “We need to get back to camp.”

“What about Red?”

“We should go back and get more supplies and come back out to look for her, along with Doc for backup.”

—

“God dammit! Where the hell have you been?” Doc asks, pulling you and 10K into a hug the moment you step foot into the camp. “You have got to stop leaving me like that.”

The older man had explained that when 10k found out you weren’t in camp, he took off running, leaving him and Sun Mei behind.

When you walk further into camp, you spot a blonde-haired woman smiling at you. It takes you a moment to realise who it is because of how different she looks. “Warren! I can’t believe it’s really you.”

She greets you and 10k with a wide grin, but it’s short-lived as Murphy bursts out of one of the tents yelling that Burgess, who was in charge of the mission 10k and Doc had gone on, was gone.

“What do you mean gone?”

“Gone as in he’s gone,” Murphy scoffs.

You shake your head and look to your left and stare in disbelief as a girl who looked old enough to be a teenager smiled at you. Lucy. You couldn’t believe how fast the blue-skinned girl had grown up. You had so many questions, mainly how and why she was aging so fast. Also, why was Murphy's skin no longer blue and back to a living human colour?

Hearing a snarling noise, you shoved the young girl behind you and aimed your arrow in the direction it was coming from.

Seconds later, Burgess ran up to the gate leading into camp, now a Z with black blood drooling from his mouth. Everyone, including Lucy, started to shoot at Burgess, but no amount of bullets seemed to slow him down. Everyone took a turn at trying to show him mercy, but nothing worked.

From the opposite gate, Private Lilley called for everyone to move out of the way as she aimed her machine gun at Burgess, arms wrapped around your waist pulling you out of the way. You crashed to the ground with a thud and looked over to see Doc was beside you. “Thanks.”

The older man gave you the thumbs up before returning his attention to the zombified Burgess, whose body was slowly starting to fall apart. You watched as Lilly’s crystal blue eyes filled with tears as she quite literally destroyed someone she once loved. The only way to stop Burgess was to dismember his body parts with bullets.

—

You watched silently as Lilly dug a grave for Burgess. You’d offered to help her, but she insisted on doing it herself.

“I heard a congratulations is in order,” Murphy said as he approached you. “Who popped the big old question, you or him?”

“Tommy did.”

The stern tone of your voice caused Murphy to frown. You had really hoped you’d seen the last of Alvin Murphy when he got shot, but deep down you knew he’d come crashing back into your lives at some point.

“Well,” he clicked his tongue. “I’m hoping, since two years have passed, that you’ve gotten over our little tiff from before.”

Before he could finish his sentence, you first collided with his nose. He hissed out a string of curse words while clutching at his nose, “What the fuck? I’m guessing you're not over our little tiff from before.”

“A little tiff? You bit 10k, told me he was dead, then tried to manipulate all of us while trying to take over the world. So no, I’m not over it.”

“I saved his life. I’m the good guy here.”

You held his glare, “the good guy, huh? Then tell me, would you have saved 10k if you didn’t think one of us would have killed you if you didn't.”

He didn’t answer you.

You scoffed, “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

—

After Lilly said her goodbyes to Burgess, your group packed up the rest of their belongings to start heading north.

You spot Warren walking in the wrong direction as everyone else starts to get into the vehicle, and start to run after her. “Warren? You’re going east; we need to go north.”

She ignored you and continued to walk east. You look back at 10k and Doc, who both shrug. Not knowing what else to do, you all start to follow in Warren’s direction.

[sinnabee]

Requesting some The Bunny and the Beast for WIP Wedensday please!

Y'ALL ARE MENACES!!!! LOOK AT THIS!!!!!! This is by far my longest piece of writing ever and it's never really seen the light of day because it's an OCxCanon TF piece. That is very incomplete and needs a lot of editing. BUT - it is honestly my most beloved work, so thank you to all of you for making me work on it. Here's what I managed to get done! (Even managed over 21 sentences, which is neat!) Excerpt under the readmore!

Rabbit belongs to my lovely girlfriend @merrydearest, I'm feral about her. (As evidenced by me writing 80+ pages about her and Soundwave.)

It was something like… a shift. Subtle, perhaps. But to Soundwave it felt glaringly obvious. Something had changed.

For a student, Rabbit’s dedication had already been impressive. But there was a new focus to her movements, an added edge to her manner when they sparred. She still engaged in light teasing, either directed at himself or the cassettes, but there was something heavier lying underneath it. Ravage and Laserbeak noticed, as well. For the first time since their training began, they had been forced to increase the difficulty of their dodging exercises.

And then, after only a few cycles, they had had to do it again.

Rabbit was still no match for him - every spar, every training session, he would swiftly knock her off her pedes and back onto the ground. But it took less time for her to get back up. She bounced back quicker, literally and figuratively. Now, when Soundwave thwarted her plan of attack, Rabbit merely wiped the dirt from her armor and came at him again with a grin.

At long last, she was treating the training as a challenge, and not a chore. 

She still lost the majority of her matches. She still had a long, long way to go. But as Soundwave studied the numbers on his holopad in his hab at the end of the cycle, he felt nothing but satisfaction.

As he watched, they ticked slowly up.

---

“Training: canceled.”

He was aware that Rabbit had taken a new attitude when it came to their training together. Even still, the immediate effect his words had on the pink bot left him surprised.

Rabbit had been shadowboxing in the center of their usual training area when he came in, kept company by Laserbeak on one of the nearby dummies. She had initially turned to greet him with an eager grin, but as soon as he delivered his news, he saw her antennae drop.

“Training - what?” Her servos drifted uncertainly in front of her chassis, like she was no longer quite sure what to do with them. “Canceled? Why canceled?”

Soundwave inclined his helm. 

“Clench: organized surprise match. My presence: required.”

One of Rabbit’s antennae perked back up, but the other remained firmly canted to the side. She released a sharp burst of air from her vents and shifted her weight to one hip, popping a servo on it as well. Soundwave felt a light flare of irritation from her EM field, but it was followed quickly by a wave of comfort, as though she was worried he might think her ire laid with him.

“Psh, figures. Clench is always making shady backdoor deals.”

Sounwave resists the urge to tilt his helm. He is aware of Rabbit’s connection to the pitmaster, but she didn’t know that. Did she recognize that it was not exactly… usual for a bot with slave coding to be aware of the pit master’s more unsavory pastimes?

Rabbit seemed to shrug her irritation off quickly, and once again adopted her usual cheer. She held out one arm for Laserbeak to perch on, which the small raptor did with a pleased chirp. Rabbit closed the distance between the two of them with a smile.

“Well, I’ll be in the stands cheering you on, alright? I hope it’s a good show -” She leaned in, then, helm tilting back and forth as though searching for eavesdroppers. Bemused, Soundwave hesitated only a moment before leaning in as well. With the arm not supporting Laserbeak, she lifted one servo and cupped it around her mouth before whispering:

 “If you’re not careful, I might just sneak up on you and steal your spot as number one!”

Laserbeak squawked loudly, and he felt a surge of amusement and glee from her end of the bond. 

:Oh, Soundwave, better watch out! Looks like she’s gunning for your title!: 

Rabbit stuck out her glossa and wiggled her antennae at him playfully. 

“That’s right I am! I’ll be shooting up the ranks before you know it!”

Laserbeak was still cackling as she hopped her way from Rabbit’s arm to Soundwave’s, before settling in snugly against his shoulder. Soundwave flared his EM field in a gentle, contemplative, wave before answering.

“Suggestion: Improbable. Rabbit: aiming too high. Number 2 at best.”

The truly outraged gasp was worth it, and for the first time, Soundwave made a conscious decision to breach Rabbit’s personal space outside of their sparring. He reached up and gently tapped her nose with one digit.

“Rabbit: Still has a long way to go.”

With that, he flared his field once more in amusement before tucking it close and turning on his heel and heading out the door. The hydraulic hiss of the doors almost drowned it out, but Soundwave was certain he heard the subtle thunk of her fans kicking in.

Interesting.

Soundwave ignored the mischievous pings from Laserbeak, and the curious prodding from Ravage’s end of the bond that followed soon after. He had a match to win, after all.

[thatamatuerauthor]

My Fair Luna

Chapter 8

If Emma had known the sheer amount of work that was waiting for her at this new job, she would've thought twice.

But she still would have taken it, if she was honest.

So the grounds needed work, and tasks needed delegating…and room assignments completed and gardening to oversee and meal planning to go over and a new row of houses needed to go up so supplies needed to be ordered and patches of trees felled and kids activities to plan and…

Oh boy

A lot of work needed to be done. It had Emma wondering just what was so important that the boss man and his family had to leave. Because she was starting to feel like they had left all these people high and dry.

Or they had more faith in Rex and Luke than was appropriate. Sorry guys.

Either way, by the time Sunday had rolled around, the time for her to phone in to her parents, Emma was surprised to find herself smack dab in the middle of a construction site as people began directing all their questions towards her about what to do.

It was Luna this and Luna that. Honestly she didn't know what to think about that nickname at first. It didn't really seem to fit in with the whole wolf theme. Until she realized it meant moon, and wolves howl at the moon, and right now all these people were 'howling' at her expecting her to know and/or fix everything.

And here I thought it was because I was pasty white…she grumbled internally.

The first time someone had called her that, she can't quite remember who now that everyone does it, Faye and Jade had practically glared holes into the poor soul's head. She wasn't sure what the big deal was. After all, having a nickname means she's one of them now, right?

When she said it was ok to call her that, everyone relaxed and seemed so happy about it. Further making her feel like she was missing some vital peice if the puzzle that was Camp Lobo. But Jade and Faye seemed particularly thrilled and called her Luna often. She was coming to really enjoy their company.

A tune began playing softly from her pocket, catching several people's attention. Emma pulled her phone from her jeans and answered it without looking. She knew who it was based on the song.

"Hey dad," She greeted, unknowingly perking interest around her as sensitive ears listened in. "What's up?"

"Nothing much, Jo and I were just waiting on your call."

Emma paused. "Right, sorry." She blew out a breath and motioned to the foreman that she was stepping away. "Everything's been so hectic since day one I haven't had a chance to do much but eat and sleep."

"So I take it you got the job?"

"Yeah, that very day in fact." Emma figured her dad would pick up on the oddities like she had. Only he'd understand them better.

"That day?"

"On the spot." Emma smiled as a few workers carrying insulation passed her. "You could tell he was in over his head."

"Bossman was that desperate?"

"He's actually acting boss." That was the kicker, and she knew her dad was thinking the same thing she has because he let out a long hum.

"Did he get permission from Bossman?"

Emma blew out a breath. "Not that I know of."

Her dad hummed again. "You do realize that could make you temporary hire."

"Yeah, I know."

"Do you like it there?"

"I love it, it's absolutely gorgeous. I'll take some pictures of the grounds when I get the chance. You and mom would love it here." She gushed, not realizing the people around her were smiling.

"Ok, camp rat. How's the food? Is it as good as your mom's?"

"Some is, some isn't. But I don't think anyone's gonna top her homemade bread."

"True-"

"Luna can you-" Just as the worker interrupt her a few of the workers around her shushed him.

"Someone calling you?" Her dad asked.

"Yeah, I'm literally in the middle of putting up the inner walls of the new building."

"Oh?"

"Hey man, I'm only overseeing the project and helping the foreman stay on task. Everybody already knows what they're doing."

"Alright, if you need any help give me a call."

"I will. Love you dad." She had already thought of calling him since he was a painter/contractor but the workers here had everything handled.

"Love you too-"

"LOVE YOU BABY!" Her mom yelled into her dad's ear. Not that it bothered him, he's half deaf. But it blared across her phone speaker.

"Love you too mom." Emma lightly rolled her eyes.

"Hey, before you go just…be careful and try not to step on any toes."

"That's the plan." She sighed again.

"Alright, love you baby."

"Love you too, bye."

"Bye."

Line Break

Fay and Jade stood aside and watched as Luna Emma spoke to her parents. The week had gone a lot smoother than they could've hoped. Except for the fact that everyone knows…

Faye was not the only one to apparently recognize her for what she is. On one hand, this made her transition into the pack rather smooth, on the other…they were never going to hear the end of it from Matt when he gets back.

"I think it happened this way for reason." Jade, like Faye, didn't take her eyes off of their Luna.

"And why is that?" Faye asked.

"Think about it. Not only did she come when we needed her the most, but do you think if Alpha Matt had met her earlier that Alpha and Luna would have accepted her?"

Faye frowned. "Why wouldn't they? She is our next Luna. Everyone can tell."

"Strange isn't it?" Jade continued. "That we would be able to recognize her?" Faye glanced at Jade. "You knowing is understandable. But the rest of us should just see a human. So why are we connecting with her so easily?"

Fay had no answers. Now that she thought about it too…it was more than odd. It was unheard of. But there had to be a reason.

"And then there's the timing." Jade pointed out. "She came when we needed her. Almost as if she's proving herself without the pressure of being ridiculed by those in power because she is the highest rank among us."

"You think Alpha Derek and Luna Mae would have rejected her." Faye swallowed thickly, she didn't like the thought.

"Undoubtedly." Jade didn't hesitate to answer.

[minimune-studymode]

[FANFIC] The Hypothetical Lover Of Your Professor

*an modern AU of Antoine and Maximilien

*Maximilien does have the professor vide

*want both of them to have a better life since there is no need for revolution and stuff

*it is actually part of a fanfic novel about my ship

Professor left the office to give us room for discussion. Actually, he was getting coffee for all of us. It was already 10 PM. We only chatted a bit and exchanged with our professor. Although Professor usually left his office quite late at night, but we still felt sorry for having bothered him until now. Professor told us not to worry since he had nothing to do tonight and tomorrow. It was a Friday night, so he could have some rest for at least a day. His tenderness touched us. It was not the first time. When I first met him, he recognized me immediately being his doctorate. Being an international student in Paris was not easy, but professor had helped me go through most of the difficulties. Professor only took five doctorates this year, and all of us in some way have been taken care by him.

We greeted professor, wishing him have a nice evening, and left the office together. The night of Paris in winter was refreshing. It was a mediocre term to describe. It had became a habit for our group to light a cigarette after a day of work. We were leaning against the wall, chatting about the Licence students and the rumours that we have heard from those kids.

Suddenly, Marie grabbed my arm. She raised her jaw, her eyes were filled with delight and curiosity. She was pointing at a direction implicitly. We were confused, but all followed her sight.

There was a man, tall, fit, wearing a coat, standing under the street light. It seemed that he was waiting someone.

"He looks familiar," said Félix, frowning but with interest, "I am sure that I have met him, somewhere."

At that moment, we were the kids gossiping about an Apollo on the street.

"Who could he be waiting for? There was no one except us and professor Robespierre." Cécile held her cigarette between her fingers."

"Has he left yet?" It was Beatrice.

"No, no! He just came out. Wait a sec. That's him! That's him!"

Marie's voice suddenly turned sharp, full of surprise. She moved a bit forward, but hiding herself under the shadow. Then I saw Professor Robespierre, walking towards that beautiful man. The man seemed a bit younger than professor. He took professor's handbag and held his hand.

Our breaths stopped for a second. I could even feel that my heart has jumped out from my lips. I knew that I was not the only one who felt it. We all tried so hard to find out what they were talking about, but we could not hear anything due to the distance. The cigarettes lost all its attraction. We watched professor and the man walking in opposite direction, soon disappeared in the darkness of Paris.

"GUYS! TELL ME THAT I AM NOT BLIND YET! THAT IS OUR PROFESSOR?"

I heard Beatrice's voice shaking. I assured her: "You're not. All of us saw it. That guy just held our beloved professor's hand and our professor did not reject it. And it is a bit weird."

"Bruh, literally who the heck is that guy? No one knows who he is? Is that his brother?"

"Would you hold your brother's hand like that?"

Cecile rolled her eyes: "Stop disgust me. But the thing is, the whole school knew that our professor has no private life. He is so devoted into his studies. I almost thought that he might be asexual."

"He seems like it." I responded, "Felix, you haven't been talking since then. Any idea?"

Felix took a deep breath: "Some, maybe. I have definitely seen that guy, but I forgot when and where."

"You should never forget the day when you saw that kind of creature. Your brain doesn't fonction so well."

"OMG okay, okay! I remembered! Do you guys remember the day that our professor's journalist friend came to visit him?"

"You mean Camille Desmoulin?"

"Yeah, him. And when they left the uni together, there was a guy waiting outside."

"Why haven't we seen him?"

"You guys were just gossiping about what a nice friend Mr Desmoulin is and asked the others to work harder. But anyway, I am a hundred percent sure that was the same guy waiting. Same procedure. So intimate, both of them, but Mr Demsoulin was kinda mad. You guys know that there was no fusion between any kind of romantic relationships and our professor, so I thought probably just another friend of his whom the best friend hates so much."

"Oh yeah, I would hate my bestie's boyfriend, enemy of life."

After a second of silence, we burst into laughter. We did not talk about this discovery after the night. We had thought about the mysterious man who waited for our professor, and indeed we have seen him a few more times after. And years after, on Marie's wedding ceremony, I saw our professor accompanied by that man.

It was the first time I knew his name. And at the moment knowing his name, I was recalled of whom he was.

The top lawyer of one of the top law office in France, Louis Antoine de Saint-Just, also being the husband of Professor Maximilien Robespierre.

[pantherazuredevil]

Japan Trip 2023 - Day 5 (Fushimi Inari Taisha) Part 2

Continued from Part 1. Pictures of the torii gates while descending, and some smaller shrines. There are literally tons of these small shrines scattered throughout the mountain.

I came upon a woman holding a cat in her lap, and immediately struck up a conversation with her about the cats in the area. This one was so friendly, and allowed me to pet it with no problems. It was such a dear. I asked for permission to take the picture above.

I also queried her about the way down and she pointed me in the right direction, so I thanked her and went on my merry way. I soon came upon a fork in the road, and here is where I made my 3rd big mistake of the day. Once again, the fork diverged into a path that seemed to be leading upwards or at least was flat enough to not be seen as a downward path, while a path with no torii gates leading into the mountain wilderness was headed down. Naturally, with my lack of experience climbing mountains, I decided heading down would be correct.

Once again, it was a path filled with no people. I passed a Japanese couple early on and the husband said "こんにちわ" to me but I was spacing out, and only when he said it a second time did I realize he was greeting me, and I hurriedly greeted him back while apologizing. It would be some time later before I realized why he had greeted me.

The path was once again steep and devoid of human activity for the most part. The two pictures above were of the stairs that I took part of the way. They were steep and dangerous once more, but at least they were stairs. Here's a video of the path and the surroundings I walked through, taken at 11:28 AM.

The path reminded me of the way I felt when I was walking along Tashirojima's deserted pathways, except that this time I knew there were tons of others on the same mountain as me. If something did happen to me here I could at least count on help arriving in time.

There were a few abandoned buildings and stuff like that along the path I walked too. I didn't think much of them, but I suppose they would be a sad sight to take in.

I came to a fork in the road which would prove to be my 4th big mistake of the day. I actually took a video of this fork, this was around 11:32 AM. The sign in the video clearly said to follow that particular way to a shrine, which would also likely lead me back to the main path, but I continued on in my mistaken belief that down was right and went downwards.

I must admit though, the path this time round was an actual road, so it wasn't so bad going down it, the steep stairs were early on and I was descending anyway. It was clear however somewhere I had gone wrong once again, but I didn't really mind since it was still the morning and I had planned to make Mt. Inari the main highlight of my time in Kyoto. I had estimated I would take no longer than 2 hours for the round trip up and down, and I ended up being way wrong thanks to all the mistakes I made. I wasn't in a rush to go anywhere else afterwards at least. Here's a video I took of part of the path after I left the fork.

Imagine my surprise when I exited into this residential area. I knew for sure that I had taken the wrong path somewhere. Still, my friends had mentioned that they also exited into a residential area before, so while I was a little shocked, I wasn't too worried.

I did walk for a while and couldn't find a proper way out, so I decided to look for someone who could help me instead. I found an ojiichan tending to some plants outside his home with a dog, so I asked him for directions. He kindly informed me that getting out of the district would be an almost fruitless endeavor taking quite some time, and that I was on the opposite side of Mt. Inari from where I had entered via the main entrance of the shrine. That was quite something to take in.

A little more discussion and querying ensued before he told me it would indeed be best to return the way I came, so I thanked him profusely and retraced my steps. At the place where I entered the residential area, I met two white guys who had also taken the wrong path that I had. We had a short chat where I advised them about not entering the residential area. One of them had a phone out and said that Google was telling him to walk along the base of the mountain to go back to the main part, an 18-minute walk. They did invite me to join them but I said I wanted to find out where we went wrong, so we parted ways as I climbed Mt. Inari for the 2nd time that day.

I reached the fork without incident, and went up the way to the shrine so clearly indicated by the fork's sign this time. I soon met a Japanese guy coming downwards, and immediately asked him about the way up. His response was that I was on the right path but "この階段はまだしばらく続く" to which I could only react to with an expression of laughter and pain. We both knew what that meant for me - another extremely tough climb. I thanked him for his info and help and began the second steep climb of the day, thinking to myself I didn't come to Japan for this and yet here I am.

These were part of the steep staircase and other climbing hazards I faced while re-climbing. At least, they had railings here. It wasn't as tough as the first time up but I still had to take one or two rests here and there huffing as I went. The picture was taken, once again, halfway up this particular flight of stairs as I paused to rest, so it's an upward and downward view. It was exhausting to have to do this twice in a day, to say the least, as I definitely wasn't used to it.

I exited at what I've been told is the halfway vantage point, where there were lots of people taking a rest, at about 12:05 PM. Finally, I could heave a sigh of relief, as I was back to the main path at last and there was (almost) no danger of getting lost once again or taking the wrong path. Here's a video to commemorate my reaching the proper halfway point. I also took a short break here.

I made my way down slowly despite the somewhat late hour for lunch, and came across this friendly cat above. There are indeed quite a number of cats scattered throughout the mountain, which was what was also told to me by the lady with the cat. It's nice to also see them here.

As I descended I came across a number of shops. I bought a shirt I thought looked nice and fitted me well at one of the shops, which I'll feature in the loot post after blogging about the entire trip. I also bought a small charm before all these shenanigans, when I first reached the place.

One of the things I've always wanted to try after seeing it in anime was amazake, and I was glad to finally have the chance to sit down for a cup. This cup was ￥500 at the shop I had it, with a very friendly obaasan informing me they only had warm amazake left, which was exactly what I wanted anyway since I don't take cold drinks. It was lovingly sweet but not overly so, and quite the refreshing drink to have after the ordeal.

I had a small chat with her as well and we were both in agreement that Kansai people were friendlier than Tokyo's. Her exact words were "知らんふりをする" when people asked them for help, damn.

After that I made my way back to the start point, where I finally did the coin toss and prayer. I waited for a small group of students approaching with their teacher, who explained what to do and I listened in so I wouldn't make a mistake. I followed his instructions of tossing the ￥100 coin (which I obtained as change from one of my purchases), 2 bows and 2 claps with a final bow while making the wish. Scratch that off the bucket list.

I returned to Kyoto Station from Mt. Inari and went looking for a rather late lunch (about 1 PM). I wasn't too bothered by now on what to eat so long as it was filling, so I went inside some 定食 restaurant and ordered a soba + tatenoko (bamboo shoot) rice set for around ￥1200-1300, it was quite fine and more importantly, filling.

Continued in Part 3

[kiarazuri]

Chapter 13: Eya

Golden Tickets.      Golden Tickets.      Eya’s been thinking about them all day. All through the (excruciatingly tedious and egregiously insulting) meeting with the CC Hunters and on the ride back to town. Thoughts of the DuCiel’s contest won’t stop going round and round in his head.      We need to win.      It may complicate things further—but they need to get into The Factorie.      If for no other reason than to slake this burning curiosity in Eya’s gut.      I need to know what the DuCiels are.      And I need to prove their innocence.      That last thought is a new one. One only born after JJ’s date. Is it a selfish wish? Maybe. But Eya hasn’t seen JJ so interested in someone else in eons. And Eya’s never been so… enthralled by one of JJ’s partners in… ever.      He’s never wanted to share a partner as much as he does now.      I haven’t even had a proper conversation with him! Eya reminds himself.      Himself doesn’t care, apparently.      The witch goes back to the hotel with AJ but doesn’t stick around. He grabs the ingredients for a locator spell and heads straight for Délicieux Carré.      He doesn’t expect to find such a humongous line when he gets there.      Shit. He tries not to show his concern, but his mind is whirling ’cause how the fuck am I supposed to use a locating spell with so many people? especially if he’ll need to ask the DuCiel at the counter to pick for him. Fuuuuuck.      He wishes JJ could help him but judging by the blurriness in the corner of his eye, his husband’s caught in Lottie’s obscuration spell again.      Luck don’t fail me now.      It doesn’t take very long to reach the front, but by the time he gets there Eya’s a little concerned they won’t even have any bars left–the spatial distortion spell in here is immaculate, he notes as he finally steps up to the counter. The walk was at least three times as long as the last time he was here. He’d be jealous of such pristine magic if it didn’t unnerve him so much.      It’s like no witch’s magic he’s ever encountered.      Once again reminding him that they’ve still not a clue what kinda supes the DuCiels are.      Lée DuCiel is at the counter again today and greets him with a smile. “Welcome back, what’re you feeling?” She asks, gesturing at the case between them. Eya pays close attention to how nonchalant she’s being, giving absolutely no indication she’s worried about the most recent murder. No doubt it’s the reason for the (very) sudden contest.      “Actually, I was hoping you had some chocolate bars left.”      “Sure do! How many’d you like?”      “What flavors have you got?”      “They’re on display over there–” she points in the opposite direction of JJ and Lottie’s privacy cloud. “If you’d like, you can pay for your wares now and then select your flavors after. Many of our customers like to think over the selection while they drink a cup of coffee.”      “They must take this very seriously,” he notes.      Lée smiles wide and infectious. “You could say that.”      “Okay then, I’ll take… nine.” He thinks just getting one would be suspicious, and there’s no guarantee that his spell will lock onto a golden ticket directly, it could very well alert to a bar that’s touching a winning bar and not the winner itself. So, not one. Three for each of them should suffice. (Besides, AJ may not appreciate it, but Eya likes chocolate just as much as his husband.)      Fangs glint in Lée’s mouth as her smile widens. “How ’bout that drink?”      “Uh, yeah,” Eya looks at the cakes in the display between them. They seem to be breakfast and café themed this time. “Hot spiced chai and craisin crumb cake?”      “‘O course, cher, that’ll be $XX.XX.” Eya places the cash in the little tray. “Parfait! How ’bout you find yourself a seat and I’ll bring it right along.”      Eya smiles and does as he’s told, finding (impossibly) a seat at the counter directly in front of the display (literally impossible considering how many people are already loitering in the same area. If the spatial distortion is so pristine here I can’t imagine what the magic must be like in the factorie itself, Eya thinks. No wonder it’s so hard to get an accurate layout of the place.)      Glancing around to make sure no one’s watching. Eya takes the opportunity to pull out a handful of lodestones, magnetized pieces of beautifully black, glossy magnetite, dangling at the end of three individual lanyards. Lodestones, when properly harnessed, will pull towards whatever the spellcaster desires.      All Eya has to do is properly formulate his spell.      He hovers the stones over the bottom row of DuCiel chocolate bars (gods I hope one’s here–the more rows he has to go through, the more likely he’ll be to get caught). The lanyards sway slowly over the bars.

Seekers of the North, / Hear my plea — find for me what I now seek,
 / paper, plastic, gold, and ink / Leading stones,
 / Help me find what I aspire,
 / By moon and sun and air and fire, / 
Show me the way to my heart’s desire / Compass of the earth and sea,
 / To find what I seek–I now invoke the power of thee: / 
paper, plastic, gold, and ink
 / paper, plastic, gold, and ink
 / paper, plastic, gold, and ink

Eya’s voice is soft, careful, as he encants the stones. The black lodestones glow with an internal light, brightening with each word out of his mouth. As the spell finishes, the light gets almost too bright, too noticeable, and Eya mutters a panicked obscuration spell over them before anyone sees.      The gems’ dimmed lights pulse at him as if annoyed by the interference, but continue swaying back and forth, slowly but surely slowing until it stops at an unnaturally steep angle. Eya moves his hand in the direction the stone wants to go, getting closer and closer till the stop stops on a stack of spiced caramel dark chocolate bars.      Eya grabs the stack and splits it in half. He keeps doing so, letting the gems choose inbetween each split, until the gems are fixated on a single chocolate bar.      Eya whoops internally at the success. He quickly makes a little tear on the back of the bar’s wrapper, puts the other bars away, and stuffs the lodestones warm bodies back in his pocket.      Just in time.      “Sorry ’bout that, the chai took longer than expected.”      Lée’s voice is too close and when Eya looks up, he finds her standing just on the other side of the counter, watching him with an amused expression with his order in hand. There’s a tilt to Sucre’s mouth and the gleam in his eyes that makes Eya wonder if she knows. She at least suspects something, that much is clear. Eya wonders just how many people have tried to use magic to get a Golden Ticket and a feeling of dread sinks in his gut. Is… this the trap? If it is, then the actual “trapping” portion of the trap has yet to release. And it doesn’t look as if Lée is the one in charge of doing the releasing.      Eya withholds the urge to peak over at the cloud obscuring Lottie and his husband.      “Have you found a flavor you like?”      Eya holds up his prize. “One down. Eight to go.”      “Well you got plenty of time,” She smiles, placing the plate and mug in front of him. “Enjoy!”      Eya alternates between taking a bite, a sip, and selecting a chocolate bar (using the lodestones a few more times just to double-check his original selection) until he’s finished and has exactly 9. He’s taking his final sip when he sees movement on the otherside of the counter. Expecting it to be Lée, he looks up. The words “that was delicious, give my compliments to the baker” die on his tongue.      Or rather, his tongue becomes too tied to speak.      ‘Cause Lottie’s there, watching him with a warm, coy smile.      “You came back.”      Eya nods. It’s all he can do.      Gods I forgot how fucking gorgeous you are.      He must stare a little too long.      “Cat got your tongue, cher?”      Eya jolts out of the trance and coughs to clear his throat. “Sorry, wasn’t uh, wasn’t expecting you.”      “I had another customer to tend to, he left though–” Lottie gives a wistful little sigh and looks longingly at the front door before turning back to Eya. “Then I saw you.”      Then you saw me.      And you came straight over.      To me.      Eya’s mind is an anxious, excited mess at the implications.      Gods what the fuck is wrong with me?      Lottie’s fangs glint as his smile widens. “I know my baby sister already got you’re order but can I get you anything?”      Your number.      Lottie laughs. A full body, throw his head back kind of laugh and–oh fuck. “Did I say that out loud?” Eya asks, horrified.      It takes the DuCiel a second to control himself but when he does he leans over the counter towards Eya with a soft, absolutely gorgeous expression on his face. “Sure did, cher.” He holds his hand out to Eya and the man just stares at it. Swallows. And places his phone obediently into the DuCiel’s palm.      When Lottie slides the phone back towards him there’s a text that reads “cutie from the cakerie” sent to a brand new contact: L♡ttie.      Eya turns his head to hide his embarrassed smile, but it only makes Lottie laugh.      “Next time I’ll buy you the coffee, yeah?”      Lée’s voice breaks in between them with an annoyed shout from the back room. Lottie groans and hangs his head.      One day we’ll get to have an actual conversation without any interruptions, Eya vows.      “Sorry, cher, duty calls,” Lottie says as he pushes off from the counter. His eyes linger on Eya’s face and the witch has to hold back the ridiculous urge to kiss the man goodbye. “Text me,” He glances down at the chocolate bars and smiles. “If you get a lucky one, let me know.”      He winks.      Then he gone.      And Eya’s left to wonder if he’s just made a terrible mistake… or one of the greatest decisions of his life.

To Be Continued in Chapter 14 💗

[sounmashnews]

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[house-of-slayterr]

Inappropriate Work Conduct:

Ravi had been working with you for months now, enjoying having a secondary lab assistant when Liv was helping Detective Babineaux. You rolled your shoulders, groaning as you bones ached. There had been a huge incident down at the bank earlier that morning, twelve hostages were killed and many more injured. You were sure the hospital felt just as swamped as you did.

Moving bodies around all day was exhausting, but this job was what you loved. You weren’t as keen on the people side of things, preferring to stick to yourself. Working in funeral directing wasn’t something you wanted, but something your parents pushed you into. Family tradition and what not, but when they passed, you moved onto something a little more tolerable. Now the only people you had to deal with where your lab partners and the cops. Which, other than Clive, none seemed to want to come down here.

You didn’t mind it though. It meant more quiet time. You must have zoned out, with your hands in someone chest cavity, because Ravi was calling your name.

“Hello! Earth to Y/N” he waved a hand in front of your face.

You came back to, to see your best friend waving at you.

“Where you even listening to me?”

You frowned.

“Sorry.”

“What’s gotten into you lately. I know you don’t talk much, but listening ears are your strong suit.”

You rolled your eyes at the statement. Was that meant to be a compliment?

“Yeah, sorry, just thinking.”

“Clearly, I thought I saw smoke over here.”

Another one of his jokes. You’d grown used to them, not finding them as annoying as you once did.

“Spill!”

“What are you, a teenage girl?”

“Liv would back me up!”

“That’s because she actually is a a teenage girl, did you see how giddy she was when she left today? Weird.”

He gave you his best puppy dog eyes, and you caved as always.

“I was thinking about a boy, ok? Happy?”

“Very.” He smirked, leaning in.

You groaned at his childishness.

“You’re not getting any details.”

“Oh come on, we’re friends.”

“We work together.”

“Ouch.��

“That’s not what I meant and you know it. No talking boys on the job Chakrabarti! Now can you get back to dissecting John Doe over there, he’s not gonna do it himself and I don’t want to be here until 3am.”

It was his turn to roll his eyes. I sighed heavily.

“Look, there’s not much to tell ok. We met last night at the club-“

“You went to a club?”

“I do have a life outside of work, you know that right?”

“I know but I was expecting library, not dank building full of writhing bodies.”

“We’ll you’re not wrong on the first part, but my sister was in town, she dragged me out for her birthday, before leaving this morning. God I don’t know how she got up that early for a flight when she was out all night.”

“You’re sister was in town?”

“Not important.”

“Is she hot?”

“Ravi! I will cut off your gossiping privileges I swear to god. Never call my sister hot again.”

“What?!? If she looks anything like you-“

You blushed.

“I am going to stab you.” You picked up a scalpel from the table. “I can make it look like an accident”

He held up his hands in defeat.

“Ok ok, your sister is off limits, got it. Now continue.”

“I don’t know, he bought me a few drinks, we danced, snogged a little. Nothing fancy, but for some reason I can’t get him off my mind.”

“Awwww somebodies in love!”

“Hardly.”

“Says the person daydreaming about a guy, while another man’s heart is literally in your hands.”

You looked down to see you were indeed holding the aforementioned organ. When did you remove it? Must have gone back into auto pilot.

“Was he good?”

“What?”

“At kissing?”

“Eww, Ravi why must you be like this?”

You threw a pair of pliers in his direction. Consciously choosing the tool that would hurt the least, at least you tried to aim away from him. You did have good aim. You were interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

“Hello Detective, how can we help?” Ravi greeted.

You looked down at you feet, awkwardly shuffling around the table. You weren’t trying to be rude, but the Detective had an intense personality. His aura was all consuming, like that one friend of Liv and Ravi’s, Major. And you wouldn’t even get started on Peyton, she scared you beyond belief. But most strong women did, you couldn’t help it, she was pretty and it made your brain stupid. You hoped you weren’t making him feel awkward, it was nothing personal. You just only made eye contact with a select few, and even then it was pretty much limited to when Ravi wanted something from you.

“Any updates on the bodies?”

He always sounded so stiff and uncomfortable when he came down here. It kinda make you laugh, which apparently you were so out fo it today that you’d actually laughed out loud. All eyes in the room where on you.

“Sorry, thought of a joke.” You lied.

Big mistake, cause now Ravi wouldn’t drop it. It seemed even the Detective was anxious to hear why you’d interrupted him. You just wanted the two men to stop looking.

“What do you get when you cross a morgue and a comedy club?”

Ravi waited in silent anticipation, and the detective raised a brow at you.

“An open Mike, night.”

You emphasised the joke by lifting the pair of lung in your hands, before setting them on the table. Ravi chuckled a little, which made you feel better about your impromptue joke skills.

“Wasn’t aware you were such a comedian Miss Y/N.”

“Sorry, continue.” You said.

“Nothing really special about any of the kills, average nine millimetre rounds. Except Jane doe over there had strangulation marks around her neck, and a bite mark post mortem.” Ravi explained.

You watched as he showed her to the detective. You kinda felt bad. What kind of person strangles a woman, shoots her in the head and then bites her neck? A phone rang and the detective looked annoyed, picking it yup.

“Hello? Yeah… he’s right here… really? Alright, be there in a second.” He sighed.

You raised a brow at Ravi, that the detective didn’t see.

“Liv is requesting you, crazy psychic stuff.”

You’d forgotten about that. Was Olivia really a psychic? It was she just good at reading people and wanted an excuse to leave the stuffy lab. You wanted any excuse to stay down here.

“You’ll be ok by yourself?“ Ravi asked, genuinely sounding bad about leaving you with all the work.

You nodded toward the staircase, letting him know it was ok. He came over and gave you a hug goodbye, something you should be used to by now, but you still stiffened at the touch.

“Maybe you can tell your joke again, I’m sure they’ll appreciate it.” Clive spoke, gesturing to the bodies splayed all over your workspace.

You were grateful when they left, finally having the morgue all to yourself. But that didn’t last long. After about half an hour of working, there was a knock at the end of the stairs, a curtesy knock at best. You didn’t bother to look up, humming in a “can I help you?” tone. The person seemed to understand your gesture.

“Sorry, was just wondering when the pretty lady who works down here, had some free time.”

You recognised the voice instantly. You head shot up as you looked at the guy from last night. You squinted your eyes at him, you hadn’t told him where you worked. You hid a scalpel in your back pocket, just in case. You walked over to the sink, taking off your gloves and scrubbing your arms clean. He seemed to make himself comfortable as he leaned against the desk in the corner.

“What can I do for you?” You asked, putting on your best professional voice.

“Oh come on, not even a blush at my compliment? You seemed to like them last night.” You hated that stupid smirk on his face, god was he handsome.

“Contextualise it.” You deadpanned.

He spread his lips in a tight line.

“What are you doing here?” You asked, suspiciously.

“We’ll I was looking for a short blonde, dead in the eyes, annoyingly chipper… you know her?”

It clicked, he was here for Liv, not you. You sighed, loosening your grip on the “weapon”

“She out with Ravi and the Detective, you just missed them.”

“Shame.” He hummed.

He fidgeted with some stuff on Ravi’s desk.

“Need me to leave a message?”

“No no, it’s alright.”

You raised a brow when he made no attempt to leave. You shrugged it off and went back to work.

“Whatever you say.”

He watched from the desk as you easily dismembered the next body. He had to admit, you looked really nice in your lab gear, sawing into some girls chest. Everything you did looked effortless, like you were in your element. He licked his lips hungrily, getting up from the desk. You watched as he got closer, turning off the saw and lifting your goggles.

“Yes?”

Without skipping a beat, this idiot attempted to flirt with you on the job.

“So, my love life has been as dead as this poor guy. Feel like opening up the casket and resurrecting it?”

You eyes widened, and you let out a snort, quickly devolving into a little chuckle. He found it utterly adorable.

“You did not just- I don’t even remember your name Blondie.” You giggled.

“Blaine, but you can call me yours.” He attempted.

You laughed once again, taking off your gear once more, not wanting to continue this conversation covered in some girls blood. Not that he would mind, he found it quite hot actually.

“Nice one Casanova.” You jeered.

“Oh come on, you find me charming.”

“We’re you this cocky last night?” You questioned, looking back as you scrubbed yourself clean once more.

“I’m only as cocky as you want me to be.”

You rolled your eyes, making your way over to him. You maintained eye contact, which surprised even you. You weren’t normally this bold.

“And you presume to know what it is that I want?”

It was his turn to chuckle, who talked like that in this day and age. You were much more eloquent when you weren’t drunk. But he was glad you didn’t seem to be Ignoring his advances. You were different from the other girls he flirted with, in fact, he didn’t want to be flirting with anyone else right now. You’d been on his mind all night.

“I’m hardly presumable.” He mocked your tone.

You placed a hand on his chest, attempting to push him toward the stairs.

“Not that this little spat wasn’t fun, mate, but as you can see, there’s lots of work to be done. I can’t have you distracting me.”

“So I’m distracting?” He questioned.

You rolled your eyes.

“Tell me you’ll let me take you out, and I’ll leave!” He declared.

“What is this? A hostage situation!” You joked.

“You’d make a cute hostage.”

Creepy, but you saw where his attempt was.

“And if I say no?”

“Then poor Jane Doe over there is gonna have to wait, cause I’m a rather good distraction.” He grinned.

You hummed.

“And where would you take me?“

You walked over to your own desk, taking down your hair to readjust it.

“Anywhere you want.”

“Anywhere? How romantic? This how you bag all the girls?”

“I can’t tell if you’re making fun of me, or just really good at making insensitive jokes.” He pointed to the three body bags in the corner of the room.

“Both?” You laughed. “What can I say, my humours a crowd killer.”

He laughed at that, a sound you wanted so desperately to hear again.

He came over to your desk, standing over you. He was quite a bit taller, and you felt small under his gaze.

“The worlds yours, where do you want to go?”

You thought for a moment.

“Honestly, I just want to go home.”

“Trying to get me in bed are we?”

You playfully slapped his chest.

“No, just not a fan of outings. We wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t my sisters birthday.”

“We’ll tell her I say thank you.”

“I never said that was a good thing.” You joked.

“Ouch!” He placed a hand over his heart.

“So what would we do?”

“I could cook.” You suggested.

“I’m asking you out, and you want to cook me a home cooked meal? You you say I’m the romantic.”

You could tell there was something off about that statement. Most men would be happy about free food.

“Not of fan of that idea?”

“No no, It’s good. I just have a strict diet. Wouldn’t want to make you do that extra work. How about a movie instead?”

“It wouldn’t be a big deal, but sure, I like movies.”

“And what would we watch?” He asked, tilting your chin up to make him look at you.

You could get lost on his eyes for hours. Which is why you weren’t a fan of eye contact. It was making you squirm, which you were sure is exactly what he wanted. It had been so long since you’d even had a crush on someone, let alone been with anyone. What was it, premed school… yikes. No wonder you were down bad for the first man to shamelessly throw himself at you.

“Texas Chainsaw Massacre!” You declared.

Far happier about that statement than you expected. It was always your habit, trying to scare away people who weren’t worth your time. Normally boys left the second they found out what your job was. But he he was, flirting you up at work.

“That’s hot.” He said.

Before you could stop yourself, you grabbed his face and pulled him in for a hungry kiss. Finally breaking the thick tension in the room. He kissed back feverishly. You walked backwards, pushing him up against Ravi’s desk. Something fell, but you’d replace whatever it was later. He fiddled with your lab coat, pulling it off, and you attempted to unbutton his shirt. But you two were hit off but someone clearing their throat once more. Much to his displeasure.

You pulled back, running a hand through your hair as you looked to see Liv, Ravi and Clive standing there. Blaine smirked at them, sending a wink to Liv.

“What the hell are you doing, get away from her!” Ravi shouted.

You raised a brow.

“Sorry, may have gotten a little carried away there, that was my fault.” You apologised, straightening yourself out.

“Guys this is Blaine, guy from the club.”

He raised a brow at that statement, chuckling under his breath. Was that all he was, some guy from the club.

“We know who he is.” Liv spat bitterly, “and you’re going to stay far, far away from her.” She looked to him.

Where was this coming from. He seemed like a decent guy, why were the suddenly acting live over protective parents? Sure you were the youngest, but this was excessive.

“No can do Liverooni, we have a date.” He said proudly. “It would be rude of me to cancel”

“Yeah he’s not cancelling. It was inappropriate for me to, Ummm, kiss him at work, but that doesn’t mean it ok for you to voice your opinions on who I date.”

Clive had to give you that much. He himself didn’t quite know why the two hated this man. But he knew he must have been no good if that was the case. Liv and Ravi didn’t hate anyone, let alone together.

“He’s going to hurt you.” Liv said.

“And maybe it’s my prerogative to get hurt? Who are you to decide if that’s worth it to me? Besides, I respectfully disagree.”

You walked over to the desk, scribbling your number on a piece of paper and shoving it in his chest. You pointed to the stairwell.

“I think you should leave, thank for the visit.”

He grinned down at you, seeing how quickly you shifted from fierce, to shy again.

“See you later Killer.” He joked, referencing your love for horror movies.

Each of your coworkers raised a brow at that. Liv opened her mouth to say something else but you cut her off.

“You’ve said enough, I’ve got work to do” you said exasperated.

Clive excused himself from to the group, following the sketchy man out the door.

“We don’t talk about boys at work?” Ravi joked.

At least he was trying. But what was the deal with Blaine? What was so bad about him that both your best friends despised him?

An: nobody asked for this lol, but I’m back on zombie Brain rot 😈