#lost boys hellhound adventures

[silvermaplealder]

Hellhound Adventures: David Chapter 1

Since I got my own puppy, I've felt so inclined to write this. Perhaps I'm just self projecting onto these characters, but I thought it would be very adorable for this to be how they obtained their hellhounds. I'm not going to lie, this story is just a wholesome mess of puppies and the lost boys being dog dads. Each boy will have several chapters of how they got their pup and the little bit of life of caring for them. Mostly because David's full story is already over 4k words (of cute David and puppy chaos) so I realized I'd have to break this down lol. Anyways, Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Who Could Hate Puppies?

Words: 2400ish

Normally Max wouldn’t have wanted David to accompany him anywhere. He didn’t want to risk being seen with his “son” because the image he curated in public was so pristine he didn’t want David to soil the hard work he built up. Today was different though. 

David sat in the passenger seat of Max’s red car. Thorn was at home, close to retiring from his job. Max wanted to start looking into getting a new hellhound puppy for himself, and he urged David to accompany him. David rolled his eyes at first, though all it took was the appearance of a beautiful bottle of whiskey for him to agree to go. 

The two vampires sat in the car with Nickelback playing in the background. “You think I listen to Nickelback?” David asked with a bit of attitude, still a little ticked off about having to leave the rest of the Lost Boys for the night. Not that he was missing much. The other three boys were going to the movie theater tonight to keep themselves occupied. 

“I don’t know,” Max admitted. “You and I haven’t spent much time together lately.” 

“Maybe it’s because your dog tries to rip my arm off each time I come within ten feet of you,” David responded. “And now you’re trying to get a second one.” 

The older vampire sighed. “I require a daytime protector,” he explained, as he had many other times. “And perhaps you do too.” 

David snorted, his eyes averting to look at the side of the road. “The cave is a great deterrent.” 

“Really?” Max stated. “Didn’t Paul tell me you guys had a midday snack earlier this week? A couple of younger college goons looking to explore the cave if I recall.” 

A smile crept across David’s face. “Yeah, it was nice.” 

“But it’s dangerous,” Max chided. “They could have been vampire killers. You could have been dead.” 

David shrugged. “But we didn’t die.” 

Max knew it wasn’t worth arguing with David. He tried many times before, but his son was stubborn. Countless times had David lied to Max’s face and then went home and did exactly what he said he wouldn’t. No matter what he said to David, if David made up his mind it was all worthless. “I suppose you’re right,” Max sighed, adjusting his glasses. Max knew if he wanted David to do something, he needed David to come to the conclusion himself.

The two vampires pulled into a long driveway. The house in the distance was lively with activity. The rooms were brightly lit downstairs, and people were walking between the rooms. Max pulled his car up to the main walkway to the front door. He cut the engine and the two vampires exited the vehicle. Max adjusted his light jacket. “This won’t take long,” he promised. “Just come inside and play nice.” 

“Play nice with who?” David teased, adjusting his long overcoat. Max shot him a stern look. “Who are we here to see?” 

“I’m here to see Stella. She sold me Thorn many years ago. You’re here because I talk about my sons all the time and people are starting to think I’m delusional,” Max chided. “Behave and you just might wake up at sunset to another bottle of whiskey waiting for you.” 

David drew his lips into a tight line. He did like whiskey. “Fine.” 

Max knocked at the door. A chorus of barking dogs erupted, though they were silenced quickly. Footsteps approached the front door. Max stood a little taller and offered a warm smile as the door swung open. 

A woman stood on the other side. Her short hair was a vibrant pink with a streak of dark red. She wasn’t someone David expected Max to hang out with. The woman was punk and glowing. Her clothes were brighter than David’s future. He almost felt the need to wear sunglasses from just looking at her. “Ah, Maxwell!” She praised. She offered a hearty handshake. She moved to David next after taking Max’s hand. “Well, you must be Max’s son.” 

“David,” he introduced, shaking her hand. 

“Well David, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” She stepped aside from the doorway. “Come on in. Make yourself at home!” 

David and Max entered the house. David’s eyes immediately fell on a hellhound at the entrance of the parlor room. He tensed up, remembering how Thorn always responded to him. But this dog wagged her tail, and it was clear to David that she had a litter of puppies recently. 

“That’s Delilah,” Stella commented, motioning to the dog. “Her litter turns seven weeks tomorrow. Vet is coming to give them their first round of shots.” 

“How cute,” Max stated. He put his hand casually on David’s shoulder. “Why don’t you work on that fear of dogs that you have and sit with the puppies? I’m sure those little fellas couldn’t do anything to harm you.” 

“All hellhounds are sweethearts to vampires,” Stella said. She kneeled beside the short haired shepherd dog. “A hellhound will bond with a single owner and they’ll become protective of them. Like Thorn and Max.” She stroked the mama hellhound’s head gently. “But Delilah here knows her job. She needs to let other vampires get close to pick a hellhound of their own. I promise, none of my dogs here will hurt you.” 

David narrowed his eyes and slid his gaze to Max. He knew exactly what Max was up to now. “I’m all good, thanks. I don’t like dogs.” 

Max put his hand onto David’s back. “Just sit in with them, won’t you? It’s good for their socialization to meet new people.” 

David ground his teeth and looked to the parlor. A whelping box was set up with a litter of seven puppies bouncing around. A knot began to form in his stomach as Max gave a gentle nudge for him to go towards the puppies. “Max I don’t want a dog-” David growled. 

“They need socialization,” Stella said. “The puppies are spoken for.” 

David looked between them skeptically, but he trudged across the parlor to the whelping box. He was only doing this for the bottle of whiskey. The puppies were excited to greet him as he stepped over the barrier and entered the puppy pile. Max and Stella vanished into another room, taking Delilah with them. 

The blonde vampire wrinkled his nose as the puppies climbed on his boots. He nudged them aside, careful not to push too hard. “Rat dogs,” he whispered. He made his way into the corner of the box. He shrugged off his overcoat and tucked his gloves into the pockets, not wanting the pups to attempt to bite at them. He tossed it outside the whelping box and sat on the ground. 

To his surprise, the pups lost interest in him and began to tussle between each other. He didn’t know very much about dogs other than they had teeth and would bite when near him. Marko and Paul had a dog phase where they tried to convince David to let them get a puppy. David proved his point by bringing them to a shelter and a dog managed to bite through Paul’s hand in almost thirty seconds after arriving. 

David eyed each puppy nervously. He was anxious, and he was certain that dogs smell fear. He inhaled deeply and fidgeted with his hands. He usually would outline the watch faces on his jacket when he was nervous, but his jacket was safe away from the jaws of the land sharks. These puppies looked like rats to him. They had short tannish fur with dark faces and big, pointed ears. 

One of the puppies meandered towards him. The puppy’s beady eyes looked up to meet David’s. The vampire's lips twitched. If he had a beating heart, it would have been pounding in his ears. His anxiety was telling him to kick the menace away from him, but he would never have the heart to kick a puppy. 

The puppy casually dropped to lay on David’s boot. The black boot had cuffs from all his nights riding motorcycles and performing stunts. David casually twisted his ankle to roll the puppy off him. “Don’t,” he growled. 

The puppy tumbled away from David. Her eyes blinked without a thought behind them. So she did it again. She padded over and dropped onto his boot, putting her chin onto the top of his foot. 

David exhaled sharply and he rolled the puppy away again. The puppy tumbled and rolled to her feet. Still it tried to get to David. 

“Well I’m done here,” David growled. He placed his hands down on the ground to push himself up, but the puppy bounced onto his hand. David stared down at the animal as it stared back up at him. “You just don’t give up, do you?” He scruffed the puppy and put her closer to the other pups. “I will not hesitate to punt kick you next time.” 

It suddenly became a game. He got to his feet and the puppy was on his boot. He picked the puppy up roughly and tossed her with the others. But still, it would wander back. “I hope this is the socializing that Stella was looking for,” David mumbled to himself. 

With one last huff, he grabbed the puppy as the pup bit his spur. He held the pup out in the air at arm’s length. “Do you want me to hurl you out the fucking window or-?” He asked. 

The puppy stared at him, her tail wagging thoroughly. Its whole body was wiggling as the puppy stared at David. The vampire set the puppy down and stepped out of the whelping box. He leaned over and grabbed a hold of his coat. The puppy sailed over the whelping box barrier and tumbled to David’s boots again. 

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” David hissed. He snatched the puppy from the ground and brought it up to his chest. “Will this make you fucking stop?” He demanded. 

The pup immediately nuzzled her nose right into the crevice of David’s bicep. David sighed. He gently ran his fingers across the fur of the puppy. His fingers twitched when he felt how soft it was. The puppy became a limp puddle of fur in his arms as he stroked her back. It had been a very, very long time since he held a puppy like this- if he even ever did. He could barely remember the last time he interacted with a dog and it turned out fine. 

With each pet, the tension in his shoulders loosened. Soon he found himself sitting on the couch in the parlor, leaning back to support the puppy against his chest. The weight of her on him was soothing the dog anxiety that had built up inside him. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back. 

He was startled as Stella and Max entered the room. The puppy stretched and nuzzled further against the vampire. David ground his teeth as he thought of an excuse to why he was holding a puppy. Nothing could come to his mind fast enough though. It was clear as day- he was genuinely in love with this puppy. 

Stella stepped in front of David and held her hands out. “Blue collar pup got snuggly with you, huh,” she said, holding her hands out. 

David carefully lifted the puppy from his chest and handed the pup over. The small puppy whimpered as it shifted hands to Stella. David inhaled and sat up, as if nothing had happened, trying to shove down his emotions quickly. 

Max grabbed David’s overcoat from the ground and casually handed it to the other vampire. Stella put the puppy back into the whelping box. David took the coat and shrugged it on. “Well, we settled our agreement. Are you ready to go?” Max asked. 

“Yeah,” David sighed. “Let’s go.” 

The two vampires went back to the car. Max pulled out some paperwork from his jacket and set it in the center console. “I’m getting another hellhound puppy,” Max explained. “Probably not for another year, but Stella has shown me her future litters.” He started up the car, and pulled out of the driveway. 

David was too curious. He grabbed the paperwork and unfolded it. There were dog names and pedigrees that he couldn’t read very well along with various acronyms he was confused by. 

The blonde vampire folded the paperwork up and set it down again. The two of them were silent as they returned back to Santa Carla. David stared out the window, his mind swirling with compressed emotions. 

“You know,” Max said, breaking the silence. “Those pups she has now, they’re going to their new homes next week.” 

“Nice,” David commented. 

“Yeah.” Max pulled up towards the cliffside by the lighthouse. He put the car in park. The two of them glanced over to the single motorcycle that sat partially hidden in the brush. No one else was home. “Well, thanks for coming with me. Stella was glad to have another vampire around to help with socialization.” 

“Of course,” David mumbled. He got out of the car and adjusted his coat. 

“How much are those pups? Out of curiosity,” David asked, leaning up against the phone booth while cradling the payphone against his ear. He casually flipped through his wallet, seeing only a handful of bills left. Damn nicotine addiction. David spent the whole day dreaming about that puppy. When he woke up he felt antsy. All he could think about was having a dog. 

The elder vampire departed, and David returned to the cave. He dropped down onto his wheelchair throne and for a split second he imagined what it would have been like to feel the puppy on his lap. His fingers twitched as he remembered the soft fur under his hands. 

-----

He knew Max was smiling on the other end of the phone. “Are you perhaps thinking about that blue collared puppy? Because Stella told me the person who was supposed to buy him backed out.” 

“Coincidental, huh?” David commented. He knew it was too coincidental, but he wasn’t in the mood to argue now. He wanted that puppy.

“Stella sells her hellhound puppies for forty-five hundred dollars.” 

“Forty-five hundred!” David gasped. “That’s insane.” 

“But-” Max cut in. “If you are genuinely interested, don’t worry about the cost. I can cover it.” 

David fidgeted with the clock faces on his jacket. His eyes darted around as his emotions raced through his dead heart. “What else do I need for it?”

tags: @misslavenderlady

[depressedhouseplant]

🔞 AU Concepts 🔞

‼️These are NOT to be used without my permission. If you’d like to use one please DM me or comment & also credit me for use of the concept. This includes changing the fandom / ship ‼️

* Boys of Summer (Namjin):

Every year, Jin sees the same boy come to his oceanside hometown. Every year, he also looks miserable. Determined to give him at least one good summer, Jin discovers exactly why the boy never smiles

* Bang, You’re Dead (Yoonminseok):

When line cook Yoongi witnesses a gang assassination behind his restaurant, he’s given a protective detail. Detectives Jimin and Hoseok have never liked each other and now they’re stuck watching the same witness 24/7

* Hellhound (Yoonminseok):

Hoseok and Jimin have been dating for several months. However, Jimin has yet to spend the night. Why? Because he isn’t human. They consult a mint haired witch to reverse Jimin’s curse

* Watch It Burn (Bbangju):

Alpha King Juyeon has everything - a beautiful Omega Queen and a pup on the way. When Younghoon is kidnapped, Juyeon will burn down the kingdom to get him back

* Idolatry (Milsun):

Idols Sunwoo and Hyunjae have constantly crossed paths since debut. After a one night stand in Paris, one of them realizes his feelings are more than lust

* Mortal Fools (Taejoon):

Namjoon has always dreamed of becoming a mainstream rapper. When he gets his big break, he’s forced to leave his boyfriend Taehyung behind. When he returns for a break, the boy he loved is a man he doesn’t recognize

* Something Wicked (JiHope):

Prince Jimin has a blood witch wreaking havoc on his province. His only hope is water witch Hoseok. Who happens to be his ex-betrothed

* Ivory Sun (SOPE):

Sun God Hoseok doesn’t think much about his job. He brings the sunlight. One winter he notices messages and art in the snow. He meets Winter God Yoongi and realizes their paths can never truly cross

* Moonshine Nation (BTS Rap Line):

Namjoon runs the largest bootleg operation on the east coast. His 2 lieutenants Yoongi and Hoseok owe him their lives. In return he hides their true relationship - lovers

* Demonology (JiHope):

Before an archangel and a horseman were bound, there was a demon who desired an angel and would have him no matter the cost (prequel to Wings of War)

* Wings of War (Taejoon):

Taehyung in an Archangel. Namjoon is a Horseman of the Apocalypse. When Taehyung heals him in the mortal realm, the two are bound together permanently.

(I actually started writing this fic but then hit the wall)

* Broken (SOPE):

After a car accident Hoseok is put in a coma. His boyfriend Yoongi can only hope his words get through

* You’re My Light (2seok):

Hoseok and Jin are 2 high powered men with wives to match. Jin has never wanted anyone, including his wife, until he meets Hoseok. Hoseok is happy to meet Jin’s needs. How long will their secret keep?

* Eternal Hearts (Minjoon)

Cursed by a witch with eternal life, Jimin has lived a solitary existence for hundreds of years. Then an adventurous trick or treater is dared to approach his home. When he opens the door, he sees someone he thought he lost centuries ago

* Best Man (Jakehoon):

“I’m getting married,”

Those three words felt like the end of Jake’s world. His best friend, who he was also hopelessly in love with, Park Sunghoon, was engaged to someone else.

(This is omegaverse)

* Smoke and Shadows (Sunkyu):

Kim Sunwoo is a serial sugar baby. When notoriously private chaebol Ji Changmin offers him a lifestyle he never imagined, Sunwoo happily accepts. However, what the world doesn’t know about Changmin can hurt them.

* Let’s Ride It Out (Bbangju):

When Younghoon confesses to Juyeon that he doesn’t want to approach his crush until he’s more experienced, Juyeon offers to help. It ends just as poorly as these things usually do

* Baby, Don’t Be So Jealous (Bbangnyukyu):

Younghoon’s boyfriend is the jealous type. He’d like to break him of that.

Enter: Ji Changmin

* Did It Hurt? (Jumil):

After one too many drinks, Hyunjae sends a pickup line to his favorite idol during a live. Fortunately, Juyeon’s English isn’t great. Unfortunately, Juyeon’s co-idol speaks fluent English.

* Trust Issues (VHope):

Hobi has always known he’s gay, but he makes good money in the straight porn industry. When he finally gets up the courage to come out, he’s fired. Taehyung helps him get a job in the gay porn industry & might be the one to patch up Hobi’s damaged feelings

[chloeriversong]

[New] Masterlist For Reader Inserts

Hi everyone, I've decided to post the newer version of the list of already-done reader inserts.

P.S, If the links don't work, let me know since I have been noticing that some links don't work. ^^'

>ANIME<

Dragon Ball Z/GT/Super

Boku No Hero Academia/My Hero Academia Nermuri Kayama [Midnight] X Reader Inserts [Fluff] Nemuri Kayama And Teen! Daughter Reader A Strong Bond Toshinori Yagi [All Might] X Reader Inserts [Fluff] Toshinori Yagi And Female! Child Reader Father Knows Best Part One

One Piece

Pokemon (Sun and Moon, Sword and Shield, Pokemon Legends: Arceus)

Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack On Titan

Kimetsu No Yaiba/Demon Slayer

>ANIMATED SHOWS/YOUTUBE SERIES<

RWBY

Hazbin Hotel Carmilla Carmine X Reader Inserts [Angst And Fluff] Carmilla Carmine And Hellhound Female Child! Reader Care

Helluva Boss

Blood Of Zeus

Transformers Prime Arcee X Reader Inserts [Fluff] Holoform Arcee X Human! Female Reader Jealously

Transformers Beast Wars

Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Bad Batch Star Wars Rebels Fenn Rau X Reader Inserts [Angst To Fluff] Fenn Rau And Teen Daughter! Reader Father's Care

Transformers Animated Prowl X Reader Inserts [Fluff] TFA Prowl And Human Female! Reader Human for Days

The Owl House

>T.V SERIES<

House Of The Dragon

The Mandalorian

>MOVIES< The Lost Boys [1987]

Alien Vs Predator/Predators Grayback X Reader Inserts [Angst To Fluff] Father! Greyback And Teen! Hybrid Daughter! Reader Reunion

Transformers [Bayverse]

How To Train Your Dragon (Along with the shows)

Star Wars Prequels and Original Trilogy

>GAMES<

Borderlands

Devil May Cry

Mortal Kombat Meet the Readers Sheeva X Reader Inserts [Fluff] Sheeva X Female! Human Reader A Family? Part One Milleena X Reader Inserts [Angst? To Fluff] Mileena And Teen! Daughter Reader Mother’s Love {Old}

Mass Effect

Skyrim

Hades

God Of War

Red Dead Redemption

Destiny

Monster Hunter World

Monster Hunter Stories

Resident Evil

Obey Me [Mobile Game]

>COMICS<

DC

Marvel

IDW Transformers

Series that I need to rewatch or Replay: Undertale (Game) Toriel X Reader Inserts [Fluff] Toriel X Female! Human Child Reader School Days

Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler (Anime)

Bleach (Anime)

Five Nights At Freddy’s (Game)

Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime)

Naruto (Anime)

Supernatural (T.V Series)

The Walking Dead (T.V Series)

Game Of Thrones (TV series) Daenerys Targaryen X Reader Inserts [Fluff] Daenerys Targaryen And Female Child! Reader A Mother's Care Part One [Fluff with Mid-Angst] Daenerys Targaryen And Female Child! Reader A Mother's Care Part Two

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (Anime) Josuke Higashikata [Part 4] X Reader Inserts [Fluff] Josuke Higashikata X Female! Reader Movie Night Once again, if the links don't work, please let me know and I'll try to fix it. ^^ RULES AND FANDOMS MASTERLIST FOR CANON X OC INSERTS

[evilours]

[   𝙻𝙾𝙰𝙳𝙸𝙽𝙶  .   .   .  𝙻𝙴𝙾𝙽 𝙺.  ]  

*   𝐓𝐇𝐄   𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒 ,

𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥   𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞   :   leon kang.   𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞   :   some  day  during  the  13th  century .   𝐚𝐠𝐞   :   700  years   old  ( 31 )   𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞   :   ???   𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭  𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞   :   saint city ,   alaska.   𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫   :   cis   male .    𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧   :   heterosexual   .

𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬   :   taeho     kang    &    minhee  cho     𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬   :   none     𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬   :   english  ,    korean,    mandarin,    french    &    spanish      𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧   :     sergeant detective .  𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫     𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬    :    chuck   bass.  (  gossip   girl  )  ,    damon     salvatore ( tvd ) ,   dean     winchester.   (  supernatural   )    spike    (   buffy   &   the    vampire   slayer  ) ,    zuko  (   the  legend of korra  ) 

   wi    ha    joon    ,    he    and    him    ,    cis    male    .    leon    kang    crossed    the    city    limits    into    saints    :        you    know    ,    the   seven   hundred   year   old   (  thirty    one   )   hellhound    ,    who    is    told    they    give    off    nonstop    by    drake    vibes    .    they've    been    here    for    all    their    life    ,    gracing    the    city    with    their    beguile    but    meticulous    attitude    . 

*   𝐓𝐇𝐄   𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 .

no    one    knew    who    leon's    parents    were    but    they    all    knew    that    he    spent    his    young    life    hunting,    living    next    to    swamp    shed,    and    selling    things    that    the    village    needed.    he    spent    his    childhood    in    peace,    without    any    disturbance    until    he    met    the    villages    own    hunter.   

 how    could    a    young    boy    live    without    any    parental    guidance?    thus    ,        the    hunter    then    began    his    investigation.    he    soon    found    out    that    the    only    reason    why    no    one    cared    to    step    in    was    because    they    were    scared.    they    heard    stories    of    animalistic    beasts    with    sharp    teeth    that    could    rip    you    to    shred,    and    without    a    second    thought,    labeled    leon    as    one    of    their    ..    lost    cubs.      

  it    was    hard    at    first    to    gain    the    trust    of    a    10    year    old    boy    who    knew    that    everyone    despite    his    being    and    only    wanted    the    things    he    hunted    for;    the    things    they    feared    getting    themselves.  

  after    months    of    repeated    bickering,    the    hunter    then    grew    to    be    a    father    figure    to    the    young    boy.    leon    found    happiness    within    his    home    and    it    wasn't    just    him    sailing    on    a    small    boat,    hunting    for    food    and    going    into    the    village    for    the    small    things    he    needed.    he    was    soon    provided    with    a    new    home,    new    clothes    and    of    course,    new    places    to    explore.    the    stigma    that    he    was    a    werewolf    cub    ceased    to    exist    after    he    brought    to    the    village.    turns    out    --    the    hunter    had    a    bigger    title    then    what    leon    thought.    he    was    the    king    to    the    village    and    what    does    a    king    always    need?    a    heir.  

  the    young    crown    prince    grown    to    be    a    mischievous    adventurer    who    quickly    learned    the    nooks    and    crannies    of    the    castle    and    how    to    slip    away    from    guards    and    caretakers.    but    at    the    age    of    17,    his    father    declared    that    it    was    time    for    him    to    stop    with    the    nonsense    and    learn    how    to    do    what    was    expected    of    him.    (    to    kill    werewolves    and    vampires    )      

  like    fish    to    water,    he    was    a    natural    at    finding    out    where    they    were,    what    their    weaknesses    are    and    everything    else    in    between.    even    in    hand    to    hand    combat,    he    proved    to    be    a    leader    of    men.    often    considered    dauntless,    there    was    nothing    he    would    ask    another    to    do    that    he    wasn’t    willing    to    do    himself.    because    of    this,    he    often    found    himself    on    dangerous    missions,    ones    a    royal    prince    shouldn’t    have    been    on    but    refused    to    take    no    for    an    answer.    

he    was    thirty    years    old    when    his    life    began    to    take    a    dark    turn.    there's    been    a    wolf    terrorizing    his    village,    and    leon    already    knowing    the    ropes    and    doing    his    handful    amount    of    killing    himself    knew    that    this    was    no    big    threat    to    him.    that    was    until    he    found    out    that    the    wolf    who    was    killing    his    people    without    no    remorse    was.  

  it    was    his    father,    the    king,    the    hunter    who    taught    him    how    to    kill    every    supernatural    out    there.    it    was    all    just    apart    of    the    plan.    the    king    needed    a    heir,    someone    who    was    at    a    disadvantage,    someone    he    knew    wouldn't    say    no    to    such    an    offer    ...    someone    who    he    trained,    who    he    could    deceive.    but    did    his    plan    really    work    when    he    was    caught    red    handed    feasting    on    the    queen?    driven    by    rage    and    anger    at    the    thought    of    his    whole    life    being    a    pawn    in    the    king's    game,    he    wielded    his    sword    but    unfortunately    ..    his    father    knew    his    every    move.    he    did    train    him,    after    all.     

   before    he    knew    it,    he    was    on    the    floor,    bleeding    out    and    saying    goodbye    to    the    sad    life    he    lived    while    the    king    still    walked,    deceiving    the    village    people    and    turning    them    to    make    an    army.    it    was    indeed,    a    festering    bite    on    his    shoulder    that    he    did    not    take.    the    kingdom    that    night    ended    in    flames,    the    empire    has    fell    and    the    only    remaining    survivor    was    leon.    he    began    his    life    alone,    he    died    alone,    but    he    rose    again    ..    surviving    alone    with    a    great    curse    (    a    blessing    ).            living    his    life    filled    with    hatred,    he    only    ever    did    the    only    thing    he    ever    knew.    hunt    to    kill.    he    saw    kingdoms    fall    because    of    him,    the    fear    in    the    eyes    of    cruel    kings    whose    army    had    no    chance    against    him.   

 he    moved    around    a    lot,    he    was    immortal    after    all.    and    he    was    loved    adventures    and    fooling    around.    he    found    himself    in    saint    city    when    it    was    built,    he    saw    how    the    originals    and    the    council    lived    and    he    couldn't    help    but    laugh.    he    knew    this    town    will    go    down    in    flames,    it    was    funny    to    him    how    they    all    think    they    could    live    together    in    harmony.    it    was    unusual    for    him    but    he    still    had    to    contribute,    had    a    role    to    play    if    he    wanted    to    live    there.            

    from    a    royal    title    came    the    title    of    a    sergeant    detective.    he    doesn't    hunt    to    kill    now,    he    hunts    to    find    out    the    truth    ..    quite    the    contrary    of    what    he    was    trained    to    do    in    the    beginning    but    still    it    aligned    pretty    well    to    what    his    life    had    led    to.

TL:DR ..   leon    was    born    a    natural    hunter    and    caught    the    eye    of    the    king    of    his    village    who    then    took    him    in    with    the    plan    of    wanting    a    heir    but    things    took    a    bad    turn    when    leon    found    out    that    the    person    who    was    terrorizing    their    village    was    the    king    himself.    the    king    was    the    one    who    bit    leon    but    ofc    ..    he    didn’t    die    and    wanting    revenge    for    it,    along    with    how    the    king    played    with    him    all    his    life    ..    leon    went    on    a    rampage    and    killed    everyone    in    the    kingdom    .    toured    around    the    world    before    settling    himself    in    saints,    laughs    at    the    idea    of    the    town    wanting    to    be    in    harmony    with    each    other    but    ofc    ..    he    has    a    role    to    play    so    he    follows    through. 

I    didn’t    expect    this    to    be    long    as    fuckkkkkk    tbfh    ...    I    have    some    written    wanted    connections    here    and    musings    over    here    for    a    glimpse    into    leon    a    little    bit    more    since    i    didn’t    really    go    in    depth    with    his    personality    ..    just    think    damon    salvatore.  MXMMXMXMX

[harringtonstilinski]

You’ll Always Be My Hero - Chapter 77 ; A Credible Threat

Author: @harringtonstilinski Characters: Stiles Stilinski x Emma Thomas (OC) Word Count: 4,954 Warnings: angst, squint for fluff, mentions of injuries, lacrosse  A/N: Hi, friends! Chapter 77 is here! If you like this chapter, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox. As always, read at your own risk and enjoy 😊

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It’s been a couple of days since shit went down at Eichen with me and Lydia. I was told by our own personal nurse, Melissa McCall, that we needed to stay put, rest and let the hole in our heads heal. Did she think I was gonna listen? Probably. Did she know I wasn’t gonna listen? You bet your ass! I wasn’t about to let Stiles, Liam and Scott go on an adventure without me. Last time they did that, I was pissed. I mean, they were helping Malia out with the full moons, but so what! 

Scott’s phone pinging with a text brought me back to the present. “He’s headed to the school.”

“You know your dad’s gonna be pissed to find out you’re out with us and not resting,” Stiles said.

I shrugged. “He’ll get over it.”

Liam disregarded everything Stiles and I just said and leaned forward in between the seats a little. “Why’s Parrish going to the school?”

“It’s not Parrish,” Scott said.

“At least not right now,” I added.

Oh! That’s another reason why I’m here. The Banshee and the Hellhound have a connection. Not just Hellhound Parrish and Lydia, but also me as well. All three of us are connected.

“Okay, why’s a Hellhound going to the school?” Liam asked. 

“ ‘Cause he’s got a yearning for higher education,” Stiles sarcastically said.

I snorted, groaning a little at the movement it brought. 

Stiles reached over and laced our fingers as he said, “Liam, Hellhound’s headed to the school, so we're headed to the school. Okay?” He let go of my hand to switch gears, lacing our fingers once more when I whined in protest.

We pull up to the school, all of us getting out. Not all at once, of course. ‘Cause that would be a little difficult. Stiles rounded the front of the Jeep, taking my hand after he came up to my side.

The sound of the passenger door slamming shut caused me to jump out of my skin while the boys just stood there for a moment. The three of us turned around, looking at the culprit; Liam Dunbar.

I shook my head at him as he said, “Sorry,” quietly.

Scott and Stiles sighed as I chuckled a little, turning to face forward again.

“Ya’know, the last time we were here at night we were trapped because of Peter,” I said, a little on edge.

Stiles squeezed my hand in reassurance. “That’s not happening tonight. Not a chance in hell.”

The four of us walked up the steps in front of us, seeing… Argent? Since when was he back in town?

“Where’s Parrish?” Scott asked once we were standing close enough to him that he didn’t have to yell.

“I lost him. He’s moving too fast,” Argent said. “Emma, how’s your head? Shouldn’t you be resting?”

“I’m fine, and yes, I should be, but I wanted to be here, so,” I said, shrugging with my last words.

“Scott,” Liam said.

We all turned our attention in Liam’s direction, seeing a body in the middle of the sidewalk.

“That guy’s not moving at all.”

Stiles and I didn’t move as Scott, Argent and Liam did, looking at Scott like they were stupid for even starting their walk towards the guy. Stiles and I looked at each other and I shrugged, chuckling at the look on his face he gave as his answer. We started walking behind them, carefully.

Scott looked at me, wondering if I’d had a feeling, a Banshee feeling… to which I shook my head at.

The guy’s chest was slashed with claw marks, covered in blood.

We stepped around him, and I shook my head again. I looked up at Stiles at the squeeze of his hand, to which I shook my head again, telling him I’d tell him later.

Dreadful feeling came to light as another body appeared a few feet between us and the buses.

“Look,” Liam said.

I quietly gasped at what I saw; two white eyes staring back at me… well, more-so our direction. There were more bodies on the bus, bloodied and, well… dead.

“If I scream, it’s not because of my Banshee senses,” I whispered. I hadn’t screamed in a while due to finding dead bodies, just the feeling of ultimate dread.

A guy picked his head up, reaching his hand out, saying, “Help me.”

“It’s a trap,” Parrish said, walking towards us. I looked over, seeing that he was in Hellhound form. He stopped in between us and the dead guy on the sidewalk.

Dude on the bus pleaded with us to save him, but I was gonna go with the advice of the Hellhound… who I’m apparently supernaturally connected to.

Parrish looked back at us, Orange eyes shining at us as Scott moved a couple steps forward. “You can’t help him,” Parrish said.

I squealed in shock as half of the dude’s body slid off the back of the bus and to the ground. Stiles put his arms around me as I put my hands over my mouth.

The Beast growled as it stood up more inside the bus. “That’s big,” Stiles said.

“No one said it was that big,” I added, voice shaky from the tears I was fighting back.

“I did,” Liam said.

The Beast roared, Stiles’ hold on me tightening. 

Parrish flamed out, claws growing out of his fingers. He ran at the Beast as the Beast turned and ran through the bus, busting out of the front window.

The five of us ran after them, a few feet, stopping once Parrish was barely out of sight.

“What the hell’s happening?” Scott said.

“It’s getting smarter,” Argent said.

~~~

Waking up to a text from Corey saying that he was leaving broke my heart. I just got him back and now I’m losing him again? What the hell is going on with him?

As I was wiping a tear away, I felt a hand rub my lower back. I sniffled and turned my head over my shoulder, seeing Stiles looking at me, sleep lacing his expression.

“What’s wrong, beautiful?” he asked, sleep in his voice.

I sniffled again and turned my head back over my shoulder. “Uhm. Corey is apparently leaving. Thinks that life in Beacon Hills isn’t worth it if his parents, my aunt and uncle, don’t pay attention to him, and that putting himself in danger isn’t worth it. I mean, I just got him back and now…” I sighed, not knowing where I was heading with this.

He sat up, pulling me into his arms, engulfing me in a weird hug. “It’s gonna be okay. He’s smart. He’ll figure out that being with Theo and leaving because of his life now isn’t worth it and he’ll come back to you… as his cousin.”

I chuckled and looked at him, a small smile on my face. “I love you.”

“I love you. Now, get ready. We have school.”

~~~

School is so not where I wanted to be after having my head drilled into. Scott, Lydia, Stiles and I were in the library, going over study sheets and all that jazz for our classes… plus, some homework.

Liam came and sat down next to me, launching into an explanation. “Mason said it’s not just a transmitted frequency. It’s high-powered. Like it has to be a really strong signal.”

“And that’s causing it to shift?” Lydia asked.

“No. I don’t think it’s just that,” Scott said. “Last night Argent said it’s getting smarter. What if the Dread Doctors are trying to make the Beast grow faster?”

“With frequencies?” Stiles asked.

“No, by shifting,” I said. “The frequency is just the trigger.”

“The important part is when it shifts into the werewolf,” Scott added.

“Like Peter,” Lydia and I said in unison.

“Right. Yeah, when Peter was an Alpha, he got stronger every full moon,” Scott explained. “Eventually, the burns healed and he was back to normal.”

“Torturing and almost killing two of the best girls that’s ever happened to Beacon Hills,” I sassed.

Ignoring what I said, Liam theorized, “So the Dread Doctors don’t want to wait for the full moon.”

“They want the Beast to be as strong as possible, as fast as possible,” Scott said. 

“Because of Parrish.”

“So if this is happening tonight, what are we going to do?” Lydia asked. 

Raising a finger, Stiles said, “Uh, we’ve got one clue to go on.” He reached into his backpack and pulled out a picture of one of the shoe prints I’d found, and set it on the table. “This came from the hospital. Whoever’s lurking inside the Beast is wearing a size 10 of indeterminate make.”

“Indeterminate?” Lydia asked, voice lacing with disinterest.

“Means it’s a partial print,” I said. “Basically, it was all we were able to get considering all the fire, blood and carnage.”

“How many size 10s are out there?” Scott asked.

“Only one with Parrish’s blood on the sole,” Stiles said.

“So are we gonna try and get the game canceled?” Liam asked.

“Uh, no. No, no, you three are gonna play, but you’re just gonna hope really hard that it doesn’t turn into a blood-soaked massacre,” I said, looking at Liam with a thin smile.

“Okay, but, uhm--” Liam said. “Aren’t we kind of missing out on a chance to catch this thing? We don’t have the who, but we have where and the when.”

We looked to Scott, waiting for his Alpha-ness to shine through. “There’s too many people.”

“And we still don’t actually know if it’s going to happen,” Lydia said. “It might just end up being a regular lacrosse game. It’s possible, right?”

“That’s absolutely possible,” Stiles said. He looked at me, giving me a right? look.

“So, we’re still getting the game canceled?” Liam asked, not looking at me this time.

“We’re getting the game canceled,” Scott confirmed.

I scoffed, pointing to myself with both hands, palms out. “You both do realize I’m the assistant coach, right?”

The boys ignored me as they packed their things and stood up from the table. I scoffed again in disbelief, looking at Lydia. She chuckled and nodded with her head for me to follow.

I grabbed my bag and started walking with her when we both stopped in our tracks. She looked at me, questioning eyes staring into mine.

“Do you feel that?” she asked.

I nodded as she turned her head back to her right. She grabbed my hand and led me over to a shelf, seeing a book on the ground. Walking forward to pick it up, she handed me her bag. 

“Lydia,” Parrish’s voice said. She looked up through the shelf as I bent down a little, seeing Parrish sitting against the shelf on the other side.

We both moved to stand in front of him, slash marks all over his chest and left arm.

My phone rang, so I grabbed it from my pocket, seeing Stiles’ picture lighting up my screen. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Where are you?”

“With Lydia, why?”

“I need you to come with me to the station. I need your beauty.”

“You’re gonna have it for life. Why do you-- Oh, no. I’ll be right there.” I hung up the phone, putting it back in my pocket. “I hate to do this, Lydia, but I have to run.”

She nodded as I handed her bag back to her.

“Keep me updated on him?” I asked, to which she nodded. I ran out of the library, finding Stiles already standing at his Jeep. “If Bobby ever finds out, he’ll kill you.”

~~~

“Guys, we’re-- I’m not so sure I can actually have that authority,” Sheriff said, grabbing a file off his desk. 

Stiles moved to open the door for this father. “You’re the County Sheriff. You can’t cancel a high school lacrosse game?”

“It’s a charity game which generates tens of thousands of dollars,” Sheriff said, putting the file on a deputy’s desk. “I’d have to go to the school board with evidence of a credible threat.”

Dad walked up to me, giving me a side hug. “What’s going on?”

“Stiles is trying to get Noah to cancel the game tonight,” I whispered.

“Aren’t you the Assistant Coach? Don’t you also get to make that call?” Dad asked.

“Yeah, but they don’t care.”

“One, I do care, and two--,” Stiles said, turning around and pointing at me. He turned back to his dad, doing a little jump. “A giant werewolf might rampage across the field killing people. That’s an incredible threat.”

Dad sighed, deciding to answer for Sheriff on this one. “Look, we’re going to have a presence at the game already. We’ll double it, we’ll triple it.”

Stiles looked back at me and Dad, stating, “Triple-- Carter, quadruple it.” He turned back to his dad, saying as more of a question than a statement, “Octuple it.” 

Dad and Sheriff sighed.

“There’s always a person who could forfeit the game--” Sheriff said. “The Coach.”

“Or Assistant, in this case,” Dad said, putting his arm around me, smiling.

“Not when you’re stuck with a substitute who’s strictly by the book,” Stiles said, making Dad’s smile fall with his words.

“He’s right,” I nodded. I walked up next to Stiles’ side, him taking my dad’s stance with his arm around my shoulders.

“What about Finstock?” Sheriff asked.

“Rehab for the last seven months,” I said.

Sheriff looked at me as Dad came around to face me. “Maybe it’s time to check on his progress.”

~~~

Stiles and I recruited Scott into coming to Stepping Stones with us to see Coach. I went to open the door before they both stopped me, Scott pointing to where Coach was sitting… with his head leaned back against the couch, a little lean in his position.

“Oh, my--” Stiles and I said, although I was chuckling at my uncle.

We walked in the building, Stiles asking, “What’s he doing?” We stood at the arms of the couch, me chuckling at the look on his face, an almost catatonic look.

“Hey, Coach, it’s-- it’s Scott, Stiles and Emma,” Scott said, him and Stiles taking seats next to Coach. I stood in front of him, looking at the game of checkers that was sitting in front of him. 

I looked at Stiles at the tap he gave my leg, gesturing to my uncle. I sighed, “Bobby, you’re in rehab. You didn’t have a labotomy.” Shaking my head, I looked back at the game board, an idea coming to my mind.

“Coach?” Scott asked.

I looked back at Coach then back at the board, moving my hand to move one of the pieces… when Coach shot his arm out and placed his hand on my knee.

“Don’t you touch it, Emma Grace,” Coach said. I looked at him as he moved his head to look at me. “I’ve got Nurse Gonzalez by the balls the last three moves, and she knows it,” he said, chuckling his last sentence.

“There he is, ladies and germs,” I sassed. I took a breath and shook my head lightly. “Bobby, let it go. You’re checking out of this place now.”

He shushed me before saying, “Not a chance.” He looked behind him as I rolled my eyes, moving the board out of the way to sit in front of him on the table.

“Okay, Coach. But, we know you’re fine,” Scott said.

It was Scott’s turn to get shushed, Coach turning his head back in our direction. We all looked at each other, them with confusion and me with humor.

“I have a debilitating disease,” Coach said, miming like he was drinking.

“Oh, for the love of God,” I mumbled, placing two of my fingers on my forehead, eyes closed.

“It’s called I'm Not Gonna Take Another Arrow To My Stomach Phobia. Look it up,” he enunciated.

“Bobby, that was last year,” I reminded.

“Yeah, and nobody’s shooting arrows at anyone, okay?” Scott added.

“We just need you to coach the charity game,” I said as sweetly as I could.

Coach scoffed. “Charity? Not a chance.”

“How exactly have you been conning them into letting you stay here?” Stiles asked.

“I, uh-- I have relapses. It’s-- it’s serious. I’ve had seven of them,” Coach explained.

“So once a month? Like a period?” I asked, sass laced all throughout my tone.

“Yeah, you see, uh, every time they’re just about to discharge me,” he stopped his words to click his tongue before continuing, “I relapse.”

I looked up at the ceiling, dancing my eyes around as I muttered, “That’s why Mom said she’s not coming back here at the end of the month.” I looked back down at my uncle, raising a brow. “And no one’s noticed that pattern?”

“I have phenomenal health insurance,” Coach said, looking from me to Stiles and Scott. “So why don’t you guys get the hell out of here. I hate charity games. They’re meaningless.”

“Okay, well, I don’t think the charities would agree,” Stiles said. 

Coach sighed before asking, “What’s it for this year?”

“Cancer,” Scott and I answered.

“For or against?”

I narrowed my eyes at my uncle as Stiles and I said in unison, “Against, Coach. Deeply against.”

“Yeah, okay, well, I’m deeply not interested,” Coach said. 

“Bobby, we need you,” I said, reaching forward and placing my hand on his knee.

He put his hand on top of mine. “I will never coach there again.”

“That’s okay. Because we don’t actually need you to coach the game,” Stiles said.

Scott looked at me, telling me to break the news.

I sighed, “We need you to forfeit.”

The look on his face told me he was slowly thinking about it.

~~~

It was nice seeing the pack all back together again. Minus Lydia, who was currently with Parrish, Argent and apparently Gerard. I’d like to have a few words with him about beating the hell out of Stiles sophomore year.

Scott walked in the classroom we were using for our little meeting and rounded the lab table as Stiles and I were sitting on the teacher’s desk. Well, he was sitting, I was just standing in between his legs with his arms around my waist, back to his chest.

“Mason, you know your part--” Scott said.

“Corey and I break into the Devenford bus and search their shoes,” Mason said.

“Smack him for me, please. Thank you,” I sassed.

Mason and Stiles chuckled as Malia stepped forward, saying, “I take out the TV vans.”

“Right before the whistle, Coach forfeits the game,” Stiles said.

“The rest of us are looking for a size 10 with a bloody sole,” Liam added.

“Just out of curiosity, what if it doesn’t work?” Malia asked.

What was up with this girl and not thinking something’s gonna work, I mean, damn, dude! Have a little faith!

“What if we have to go up against this thing?” she added, interrupting my thoughts. “I mean, I hate to bring up bad memories--” “Well, don’t” I sassed.

“Em,” Stiles whispered, leaning his forehead on my shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I’m just... stressed about the Beast possibly showing up while you guys are on the field,” I said quietly, turning my head a little to speak to him over my shoulder.

“But, Scott’s still healing from what Theo did to him,” Malia added.

“No, he’s not,” Kira said.

“She’s right,” Scott said. He lifted his jersey and undershirt, showing his chest/stomach area. Completely healed. Little happy trail the only thing showing. He looked at me, a small smirk on his face. “It happened the night we got Lydia and Emma out of Eichen House.”

“You mean just Lydia? I was just an accessory,” I said.

“Doesn’t matter,” Scott said. “I healed. When we were all together again, when we were a pack.”

“The Beast doesn’t have a pack,” Liam said.

“Not like us,” Scott added. “We can do this, guys. No one dies tonight.”

I sighed, and looked around at the ones wearing jerseys. “If you’re wearing a maroon jersey, you probably want to get a move on. Asses on the field.”

~~~

I was standing by Coach, looking at my clipboard, waiting for Stiles to come up and tell my uncle it was time to forfeit.

Stiles walked up to my side, putting his arm around my shoulders. “Hey, Coach, now is the, uh, time to forfeit the game.”

I started shaking my head, looking over the plays for the evening. I saw Coach from the corner of my eye playing with this whistle.

“Now’s the perfect time to forfeit the game,” Stiles reiterated. 

Coach crossed his arms, completely unfazed by Stiles.

“You gotta-- Coach?”

“Stilinski,” Coach said.

I chucked. “Here we go.”

“I’ve never forfeited a game and I never will,” Coach said, chuckling after his words. “Get on the field.” He blew his whistle, letting the other players know that it was go time.

Devenford players moved to the field while Scott and Stiles stood there, looking at each other. Scott and Liam ran to the field, helmets on and sticks in hand as Stiles and I met up with our dads at the back of the stands.

“What if-what if we call in a bomb threat?” Stiles suggested.

“You remember the bomb threat at the airport three weeks ago?” Sheriff asked.

“Yeah, of course I do. It was all over the news.”

“Babe,” I said.

“I see your point.”

We looked to the field as the crowd cheered, seeing two players getting into ready position at the ball.

“Emma, shouldn’t you be over there with Bobby?” Dad asked.

“He’ll never notice I’m gone,” I waved him off. I turned to Stiles. “You. Ass on the field.”

I gave Dad a hug and ran off with Stiles back to the field, picking my clipboard back up as I had dropped it when we hightailed it to our dads. Stiles donned on his helmet and ran onto the field.

Kira got the ball from a Devenford player, tossing him to the ground. She ran up near the goal, and geared up to take the shot… to which she did. The crowd erupted into cheers as I ran onto the field, standing between Scott and Stiles.

“You think Kira’s playing a tad aggressive?” Stiles asked. 

She twirled her lacrosse stick around, almost like a sword, looking in our direction.

Groaning behind us had our heads turning in that direction, three other players on the ground… in pain… from Kira.

I looked back over at her, seeing her eyes shining their bright Kitsune Orange.

“We might have a problem,” Scott said.

~~~

One-- two Devenford players down before the ref blew his whistle, stopping Kira dead in her tracks.

Coach sighed beside me, elbowing my arm. “That girl is damn serious about charity.”

“Apparently,” I muttered. 

I watched Scott run up to Kira, removing his helmet.

“Kira, maybe you should ease up on the other players,” Scott said.

“I’m trying to win,” Kira said.

I jerked my head back a little, brow raised. “Attitude alert.”

“But you didn’t even have the ball,” Scott reminded.

Kira looked back at the players she’d knocked down then back to Scott, and even from here I could hear the distortion in her voice as she said, “Stay out of my way,” before she shoulder-checked him as she walked away.

Liam ran up next to Scott. “Go with the back-up plan?”

“Go with a back-up plan,” Scott repeated, putting his helmet back on. The ref blew the whistle as Scott ran back onto the field.

I looked around, wondering where the hell my boyfriend went. With the crowd groaning, I looked back at the field, seeing Kira on the ground.

“Not so tough now, are you?” Brett asked.

“Oh, no,” I groaned.

Kira stood up and hit Brett’s helmet with her lacrosse stick, sending him and his helmet to the ground.

“You! You’re done. Get off the field,” Ref said.

Kira walked off angrily, Scott chasing after her. I couldn’t hear if they were talking, so I went back to looking at the next play on my board.

~~~

Scott and I ran over to Liam after a player knocked him to the ground.

“We’re getting crushed,” Liam said. 

“It’s okay,” Scott said.

“All you two need to do is give the others enough time,” I said.

“Like I said, no one’s getting hurt.”

Liam sighed and grabbed his wrist. 

“Except for you two,” I said.

Scott looked over towards the stands, a worried look on his face.

“What?” I asked.

“Kira.”

He ran off to his girlfriend while I went to find my spazz of a boyfriend.

“Where the hell is he?” I asked myself. When I finally found him, he was on the field… so, I ran over to him with Liam.

“Something’s wrong. I don’t think Malia’s got all the vans,” Stiles said.

The three of us looked over to the vans.

“Then we’ll get her more time,” Liam said.

“How the hell are we gonna do that?” Stiles asked.

“You’ll even up the score,” I said.

Both boys looked at me.  “Once again, babe… how the hell are we gonna do that?” Stiles asked.

Pointing to Liam, I said, “Just get Liam the ball.” I leaned up and placed a chaste kiss to Stiles’ lips, sending them both off on the field while I turned and ran back to the benches, seeing the look on Coach’s face. “What?”

“You know what,” Coach said.

I let out an exasperated sigh. “I know, I know. No PDA while players are in uniform. I know, I know.”

Liam and Brett got in ready position, Ref blowing the whistle. Liam scooped up the ball, running as fast as he humanly could to the goal while dodging Devenford players. He shot the ball and brought our score up; 2-5.

Coach looked at me like he couldn’t believe it. I shrugged and looked back at the field, watching Stiles take his helmet off as our players surrounded Liam. I walked over to Stiles for a quick chat, taking my board so that Coach wouldn’t yell at me.

“Reminds me of when you shot your first goal,” I said, smiling while looking up at the boy I loved.

He looked down at me, a small smirk on his lips. He started backing up slowly towards the bleachers, my smile falling.

“What are you doing? Stiles motherfreakin’ Stilinski, what are you doing?” I asked.

He didn’t say anything, just turned around, setting his helmet and stick down with his bag.

“Oh, dear God. This boy will be the literal death of me,” I mumbled to myself, walking back over to Coach.

Liam got back down in ready position at the ball, the ref blowing the whistle not long after. He scooped up the ball, running down the field, dodging players left and right. He shot the ball, making it into the goal… like always. The crowd erupted into more cheers for Liam, bringing the score from 2-5 to 3-5.

Coach clapped and looked at me, stating, “This is a good start.”

I chuckled at him, not really knowing what to say with everything else on my mind. I heard something hit the bleachers and turned around, curiosity written on my face. It turned into a small smirk and shake of my head when I saw Stiles walking from behind the bleachers, holding his head before falling to the ground.

I chuckled and walked to the bench, going through the first aid kit, picking up an instant ice pack and shaking it to get it going. “Dramatic ass.”

I heard the crowd cheer as I walked over to Stiles, handing him the ice pack.

“That’s overtime!” Ref said.

“You’re so dramatic,” I chuckled.

“That really hurt. Did you not see me fall?” Stiles said.

“Yes, I did. Hence why I’m chuckling.”

He leveled me with a look as he put the ice pack up to his head, putting his elbow up on the bleachers. 

“But I never said I didn’t love your dramatic ass,” I reminded, putting my arms around his waist, looking up at him.

He wrapped his free arm around my shoulders, sighing.

“Yeah, well, this dramatic ass loves your sassy ass, too.”

I smiled and rested the side of my head on his chest. His grip on my shoulders tightened as the lights from the news vans exploded, sending a high pitched squealing out into the air.

I groaned as I put my hands over my ears. Sounds were still a little sensitive, even after Deaton put the Mistletoe in my head.

“You okay?” Stiles asked after the sound died down.

“Yeah. Still a little sensitive to sounds like that,” I said.

I felt him move around a little… then stop. “What?” I asked, looking up at him. He was looking dead ahead, so I turned my head over my shoulder, seeing nothing but hearing soft growls.

“Wait a sec,” I said to myself, looking down at the ground. “High pitched sounds, soft growling...” I picked my head up, eyes wide. “Oh, no.” I saw Liam running towards the buses. “Shit.”

Stiles and I ran out onto the field after him.  “Liam. Liam, wait!” Stiles yelled.

But, of course, our little hot-headed puppy didn’t listen. We watched as he jumped in the air at the same time the Beast was jumping over the bus.

“This game just got a lot more interesting,” I sassed.

Everybody in the stands started running from their seats. The only place they could go was into the school, so that’s where they headed.

Well, this was going to be a fun night.

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

A/N 2:  hi, friends! this is late as hell because mental health and migraines just awesome. let me know what you thought! again, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox. gif was found on google.

~~~

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~~~

*Please don’t post my writing anywhere else without my consent. The author of this work will always and forever be @harringtonstilinski.

All characters, story lines, and plot aside from Emma and her storyline & plot, are all of the work of Jeff Davis. Our home slice Emma was made up all by me. As well we her parents and their storyline throughout the series.

*These works contain material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited.

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Posted on May 21, 2022

[hallowedmuses]

discord: dancing with your ghost

SUMMARY: As Belgirel’s swap with his twin comes to an end, he has one final person to see and one very important thing to tell her. TRIGGERS: Mentions of torture, assault, PTSD, grief, and loss WRITTEN WITH: @offallenfeathers (Belgirel), @ofhellsbells, @ofcupidslove, @zztophat, @ofwarriors, @ofbrokenhalos (Aamon, Asmodeus, Andras)

DAGON: It was night time now in the pocket universe Zatanna had created for Dagon. It was determined that she would be the last stop on this journey. The setting that Zee had created for her was a cozy cottage by the sea. Dagon was in the main living room warming herself by the fire. She'd dimmed most of the lights by now because her eyes were tired and her nerves were shot, but some fairy lights, candles, and the welcoming fireplace kept the room warmly lit. One of the hellhounds from her kingdom had decided to join her in order to keep her company. He was laying lazily on the couch behind her.

She was trying hard to focus on the book in her hand. It was a collection of the real and true adventures of Peter Pan. This version had gone unpublished because it was a collection of stories the Lost Boys had given her about their adventures with Belgirel when he was alive. They weren't exactly accurate retellings but neither was the story that J.M. Barrie had published in the end. Tonight though she didn't need stories. Tonight she had the real thing.

She gently set the book aside and sighed. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous. She was...only in love with him and had no idea if he felt that way too. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Should she tell him? What if he didn't feel the same? What if he did? Could she live with that? Could he go back to the Void with that knowledge? Would the Void know from this interaction even if she didn't say anything? Could she live with the regret? Would she ever see him again? Was this her last chance? "Stop," she told herself. "Stop." Sometimes the only way to stop the ruminations was to tell them to stop.

The hellhound, who'd once belonged to Belgirel, could see her struggling. He laid his had on her shoulder to let her know he was there. Dagon reached behind her and scratched him lovingly behind the ears.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to try to recenter herself before the visit. She could hear the sound of the waves crashing in the distance. The sea was calm tonight. There really weren't any clouds and the stars were perfectly visible as was the moon. She could smell and taste the sea salt in the air as a warm breeze blew in through the open window.

She startled for a moment, a few snakes appearing from under her hair, when she heard a knock at the door. He was here. "Play it cool," she warned them. They sighed and disappeared back into her hair as she stood up. She patted the hellhound on the head as he stood to follow her to the door. Dagon took a deep breath at the door, the hound nudging her feet and urging her to open it. "Okay, alright," she laughed at the dog and let the tension fall from her shoulders.

She opened the door and her heart skipped a few beats when she saw him. He was framed by the glow of warm fairy lights and summer fire flies. He was dressed not in the clothes Belphegor had left in that morning, but rather a fancy suit that looked a bit like something Val or Asmo would have liked. He looked handsome as always. But the beautiful suit did nothing to hide the complicated emotions he felt underneath. "Hey..." she whispered gently as she stepped out onto the well lit porch and hugged him tightly. "I missed you."

BELGIREL: Emotional and physical exhaustion weighed Belgirel down as he prepared for the final pocket universe. He'd only held off on going to see Dagon because he was scared. He'd gotten support from the people he had talked to, but he still had a lot of emotions swirling in him. He'd spent a lot of his time with Aamon just crying, and the effects of that still showed as he came into Dagon's pocket universe. He was grateful for the surroundings. The sound of the ocean was calming, and he appreciated the cottage giving him a little more time to collect himself, so he didn't just overwhelm her by saying he loved her as soon as he saw her.

After he knocked on the door and she opened it, they both just stood there for a minute. He wasn't used to the fashion of the modern world, but it didn't matter. She still looked amazing no matter what garments she wore, and these specifically accentuated the shape of her body in ways he'd never seen. "Hey," he whispered back, pulling her closer to hug her tighter. "I've been hearing that a lot today," he joked. "I-UGH!" He grunted as the hellhound excitedly jumped up between them and shoved him to the ground. Slobbery kisses covered his face no matter how much he tried to stop it. "Hey," he laughed. "Get down." The hellhound obeyed and sat down beside him, happily wagging its tail and looking between him and Dagon.

DAGON: She didn't want to let go. She was afraid if she did he'd slip away. She knew they still had a few hours, but that didn't keep the fear of losing him again at bay. She didn't know if she was strong enough to go through that a second time. Unfortunately for her, Ferus decided for them as he got between them and excitedly tackled Gears to the ground. It was hard to stay mad for too long given how cute it was. "And I even had a pep talk with him before this about not doing that," she laughed and shook her head at the dog as she helped Gears up. She imagined Ferus was at least still better behaved than her twin must've been.

She helped Gears shake off some of the dust, dirt, and sea salt off his clothes. "You look nice," she smiled. "And a little tired. Come on," she took his hand. "You've had a long journey. Let's get you down by the fire and you can rest a little while." She pushed the door open and walked into the dim little cottage, still holding his hand. Ferus followed in behind them and nudged the door to a close. They were home, or at least the closest they'd get to feeling at home.

BELGIREL: After sitting up, he was able to actually recognize the hellhound as his own. The fall had changed its appearance but not its behavior. "I don't think you could have convinced him. He needed a hug too." Apparently,  everyone did, not that Belgirel minded. It gave him another reason to hold Dagon's hand as she pulled him up.

"Asmo and Val made me wear these. They said it was so I could feel like I was part of Figs and Cupid's wedding too." He didn't really, but it was a nice sentiment. "Do you want to be my plus one?" He joked. It was just like her to see through him like that and try to get him to take care of himself. "I talked to Cupid about how I really felt about her." He told her as they sat by the fire. I was really planning in telling her first, but she blew that plan out the window by point blank asking me if I'm in love with her."

DAGON: "It was hard enough work convincing your entire regiment they couldn't come with me. They're probably jealous of Ferus here," she laughed as she scratched the dog behind the ear. He took his place back on the couch while Dagon sat down on a pile of blankets and pillows set out by the fire. She tossed a blanket over Gears not because she thought he might've been cold, but simply because she thought he'd like the comfort of the soft fabric. She imagined he didn't get to experience those sorts of things where he was.

She tried to push those sad thoughts away as he explained what he'd done in Val and Asmo's pocket dimensions. "I figured Andras would've beat me to that," she joked. She paused for a moment and observed him when he told her that he'd talked to Cupid about how he felt about her. So, he still felt that way about her then. Dagon pushed back the hollow ache that filled her chest. "Belphegor's straightforwardness must be rubbing off on her." Dagon knew Cupid's heart was with Belphegor and she would've told him that. It was hard to get a read on where he was emotionally right now. He was overwhelmed. He felt sad and happy and scared all at once. She wasn't sure what feelings were brought up by what situations, but he didn't seem too forlorn over his conversation with Cupid. Then again, he might've just been trying to hide the pain. "That had to be a hard conversation. Are you holding up okay or are you just pretending?" Belphegor wasn't the only one who could be straightforward with their questions.

BELGIREL: "I was actually surprised Andras didn't bring them. I was expecting a full fleet to tackle me, but Andras is basically one on his own." Andras probably just didn't want to share what time he had. It was already hard enough to break away from him as it was. It would've been nearly impossible to leave if the whole regiment held him back.

He wrapped the blanket around himself, though for a moment he hadn't been sure what to do with it. It'd been so long since he'd had something like this, he forgot what it was for, but it was soft, and he liked the way it made him feel. He smiled at Dagon's joke, but it made him nervous. Would she not have wanted to go with him? It had him second guessing whether he should tell her about his feelings for her, but he'd already experienced the regret once of not telling someone how he felt. "Yeah, a lot about her feels like it's changed." It wasn't just Belphegor's straightforwardness. Belgirel had seen a lot about her change through Belphegor's eyes. She wasn't the girl he used to have a crush on. "It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I guess I was right about just needing to wait until Belphegor figured it out," he joked. He'd moved on long before then. What took more time and was harder now was telling the person who he was actually in love with. How did he even begin to say it? "As far as that conversation goes, I'm okay." As far as everything else went, he was feeling terrible. "But it's a little better being here with you. I need to- I need to tell you something though." He moved over next to her by the fire. "I realized something while I was in the Empty."

DAGON: "Oh, don't worry, he tried," she grinned. "Asmodeus told him, all of them really, no. They'll be complaining about it for months but I don't think Asmo cares." The more surprising part was that Andras didn't try to sneak in a few friends anyway though she was pretty sure Zatanna would've caught onto it if he did and then they would've made Asmo mad for both trying and failing to execute it properly.

She smiled as he eased into the blanket and relaxed a little more. It was clear to her it had been a long time since he was allowed to do something like that and it made her heart hurt. "Yeah, she'll hate this comparison but she's a lot more like Aamon these days only with less control. She's getting better though. So is Figs. You'd be so proud of them," she smiled. She knew she was. She nudged him with her elbow when he made the joke that he'd been right about needing Belphegor to figure it out first. "They took their time with it but they got there. And you did too." She was proud of him for telling Cupid his truth though she still wasn't sure what that truth was anymore.

She smiled softly when he said he was feeling a little better now that he was here with her. Her heart fluttered a little as he moved closer to her. A pastel pink colored snake briefly peaked through the strands of blond hair but Dagon brushed it back, hoping Gears didn't notice it. She knew it was a losing battle though. Now that one had appeared more were likely going to show up during this visit. They had no idea what play it cool meant. "You know you can tell me anything," she assured him. "What is it?"

BELGIREL: He felt a little bad for his friends. In a lot of their eyes, he was just as much their friend as he was Andras's. He imagined they didn't feel like it was fair that the rest of them didn't get to see him but Andras did. "Well, can you tell them I miss them too and that I think about them all the time." They deserved to know he still cared about them.

He was confused when she started comparing Aamon and Cupid. He didn't see the similarity. Aamon was cool and collected, more like Raph and Michael. Cupid was erratic and quick to strike out, more like . . . Well, Belgirel himself really. "What do you mean, she's like Aamon? Aamon's not like that." He also was proud of them, but he always had been. "I told you all they would." He grinned. He might not have known how long it would take, but he knew they belonged together. "I didn't think I would though, but then again, I didn't realize back then that I wasn't really in love with her."

He couldn't help chuckling a little when she said he could tell her anything. "Yeah, that's part of it. When I'm with you, I feel like I can actually tell you anything, and you know that most people really don't know me like you do. But I'm open with you because I feel safe with you. And comfortable. Whenever just about anything happened, I went to you. Getting you to heal me wasn't just about you not telling anyone. Aside from you being one of the best, I just liked you being there with me when I was in pain. And after talking with Cupid, I think that means I love you. And I don't want to push that on you when I know that I'm just going to have to go back to the Empty at the end of the night. I don't know if you feel the same way, but I tell you everything, so I can't just not tell you that I'm in love with you, Dagon."

DAGON: "I think it'll be better if you tell them yourself," she smiled. She pulled the leather bound book up onto her lap to show him. "These are stories that I've collected from them over the centuries about their adventures with you back home. A writer friend of ours had a few of the stories modified and published as a children's novel called Peter Pan. I'll read it to you the next time we see each other," she promised. She wanted — no, she needed — to believe there would be a next time. "But, I think it's time for Peter Pan to add a page to his story. I can help you write it," she offered.

She smiled when he came to Aamon's defense. "He is very much like that under the right circumstances." She'd spent about as much time arguing with Aamon about the resurrection spell that called for the death of another Archangel as she did arguing with Cupid over her stubbornness. "But don't worry, I can reel him in." She wanted to believe she had that situation handled. She'd asked Beelzebub to keep an eye on Aamon for the time being because she knew this visit would be hard for him. She also knew she had no choice but to bring Asmodeus into the loop too about the spell. She had to start trusting them again because she couldn't physically keep their brother in check on her own.

Her brows furrowed in confusion when he remarked that he'd realized that it wasn't Cupid he was in love with. "You're not?" she asked. It made sense now why he wasn't as heartbroken as she expected him to be from that visit. She melted just ever so slightly at the sound of his laugh. She hadn't realized how much she missed it. She was confused as he started to talk about all the things he liked about her. It was starting to sound like— HOLY SHIT. It wasn't just starting to sound like a love confession, it was a love confession. She felt dizzy and elated all at the same time. She'd anticipated anything and everything from this visit, except for this.

Before he'd even had a chance to fully get his train of thought out and process what he just said to her, she found herself gravitating toward him. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him gently at first, but then it deepened as they both fell backwards slightly from the momentum.

She would have spent all night kissing him if it weren't for the snakes. They were out now in full force and peppering him with kisses of their own. Dagon pulled away for a moment, blushing fiercely as she brushed her snakes aside. A few of them turned back into strands of blonde hair but some of them still remained, reaching out to kiss him here and there. "Sorry about them," she whispered as she tucked the last few back. "I've been wanting to do that for a very long time. You make me feel safe too, and heard. All this weight feels easier to carry when you're there with me. You're kind, and you're caring, and you're loving, and you're protective, and you make me smile. And I think..." she leaned in closer again. "I think it's safe to say that I love you too."

BELGIREL: "Yeah, it would," he agreed, but he didn't know if he'd be able to. "I'd still like it if you told them in the meantime though. Patience isn't their virtue." They might've been waiting a long time otherwise. "Peter Pan?" He asked. It was a strange name, but it didn't matter. He could tell what mattered for her was believing that she'd get to see him again. He didn't ruin that for her by telling her they might not see each other again. He could tell in the insistence of her voice, that she was fighting off every doubt about it. She knew the possibility. "I'd like that." He smiled. "Reading it anyways. I don't know about writing it." It wasn't because he didn't care for writing, but he didn't know how much he could remember.

It was hard for him to imagine what kind of circumstances would have Aamon acting like that. "Well, if he is acting like that, I at least told Andras to be a little more careful and avoid getting himself killed, so it might save you some time of him getting on Aamon's nerves." He didn't know if Andras would actually stick to that, but he gave him an order. Andras at least usually followed his orders in the past when he made them.

"No." He shook his head. "I don't know if it was the Void's intention in replaying my regrets for how I handled things with her, but it all just showed that I wasn't really feeling love for her. She was just the embodiment of love, and I wanted that, so I thought I wanted her. The Void made me think for a while that I just wasn't capable of that kind of love. I thought if I couldn't find it during all that time, and after all the dates Cupid sent me on where nothing clicked, it just wasn't something for me. I had a lot of time to think though, and just being able to live and breathe again helped me piece it together. Well, that and talking to Cupid about it helped get me on the right track."

He was stunned when she kissed him. Realistically, he shouldn't have been. He had just told her that he loved her. It was generally a pretty common response for people to kiss each other after that. It was mainly the reciprocation that surprised him. It was the physical acknowledgement that she liked him too. How long had she known she felt that way? Had he done a Belphegor to her too? At least he could claim she'd never told him.

The kiss itself was fulfilling. He felt warm inside, a deep contrast compared to the nothingness of the Empty. No heat, no cold, nothing unless the Empty made it so. If the Empty had an opposite, it was Dagon. Her lips were warm and sent warmth throughout him as she knocked him over, but her other kisses were cold and so erratic that it sent goosebumps across his neck. She was everything. She made him whole.

It was only once Dagon pulled away that Belgirel realized it wasn't just one pair of lips kissing him. He'd seen Dagon's snakes through Belphegor's eyes, but he'd forgotten about it until now. "You're wearing my snakes," he told her as if she was unaware, like it was his t-shirt she put on by mistake. "Andras mentioned that you were looking after my animals in the trench too." He reached behind Dagon's ear to pull some of the snakes forward. "They look good on you." He kissed one of the snakes on the top of its head. He listened with bright eyes as she described her feelings for him. He'd always wanted to make her happy before, like he'd always been happy with her, and he was ecstatic to hear that he'd succeeded. He kissed her again, letting his fingers play through her hair, pulling the strands forward, so none of it was tucked away.

DAGON: "It's certainly a virtue they'd like to be in," she giggled. "But I'll make sure they know they're loved and missed by you," she promised. She nodded and began to elaborate a little more on the story of Peter Pan. "He's an adventurer who lives in a mythical world called Neverland with his friends the Lost Boys. Your regiment calls themselves that now," she smiled softly. They were spread out among three kingdoms but it didn't make a difference to most of them. They were all still Lost Boys. "Next time, then," she nodded and put the book to the side.

She relaxed her shoulders a little bit when he told her that he'd talked to Andras about the recklessness. Andras usually listened to Belgirel. She hoped that it would help some because keeping track of both Andras and Aamon's recklessness was becoming hard. "Thanks," she smiled. "He means well, I think. He just feels a little lost in situations like this." They all did. Dagon could pretend better than most that she knew what she was doing, but she really didn't.

She listened as he described how he'd come to the conclusion that he wasn't in love with Cupid. It made sense. A side effect of Cupid being who she was meant that people often projected their ideas of love onto her. It wasn't something Cupid had discovered until after the war. Dagon imagined that didn't feel good, either for Cupid or for the person who viewed her as an object of their desire when she really wasn't. She was just sad Gears had to come to the same conclusion through torture. It made her heart heavy to imagine how the Void must have broken him down with that information.

"I'm sorry you had to find out that way," she squeezed his hand. "I wish it were different. I found out some things about us pretty recently too. I think because I always knew, or at least thought, you were in love with her I never really let myself feel it." She'd already been hurting. There was no sense in hurting more by exploring those things. At least not until recently. "But I'm older now and I've been through my own gambit of things, enough to know what love feels like. And I really loved you, I still do."

They were both different now. Each of their traumas had changed them and she was afraid that he might not like who she was after being reacquainted but those concerns melted away as he kissed her back. There was a sense of urgency and warmth and comfort. It was as if they'd always belonged like this. She was smiling and felt more light than ever before as she pulled away. Her snakes turned all shades of pink as he not only acknowledged them but called them his. She could feel the love in his eyes and his heart as he spoke delicately to them. When he kissed the top of some of their heads, they looked absolutely elated before melting back into stands of hair.

She let out a soft little moan as he kissed her again. Her snakes had stopped pestering her for the moment as Belgirel freed them and simply let her enjoy it. She could spend all night kissing him The last few months had been the loneliest she'd felt in her entire existence. She wanted to feel whole again. He made her feel whole again. She laid slowly back down on the nest of blankets, never breaking the kiss as she pulled him gently down with her.

She kissed him for a little while longer, running her fingers through his hair and over his back. It was the scars that she could feel through his shirt that eventually pulled her back to the reality of their situation. She gently pulled away before giving him 1, 2, 3 gentle kisses on his lips again. "We have to talk about it, Gears," she whispered. Her lips trailed down to his neck where a scar was visible. She kissed it gently before looking up at him. Her thumb gently caressed his cheek before circling his lips as she looked up at him with a little more sadness in her eyes than before. "He'll hurt you for what you did and said here today, won't he?"

BELGIREL: He giggled at her joke. "They'd like to be in all the virtues," he corrected. "Thank you." He really appreciated it and hoped it wasn't crushing her dreams to ask her to do that, but she seemed okay with it. "The Lost Boys. Do they feel Lost?" Did he do that to them when he died? Dagon spoke like it was a good thing, but he wasn't sure. So far it just sounded like they were being like him and masking how lost they felt. He didn't want that for them.

"He does," Belgirel agreed. "He just wants to help, and I'd appreciate the help if it didn't cost him his life. I don't want him to die for me. It's as much about myself as it is about him and you. I don't want either of you to suffer, and I don't think I could handle watching the Void torture him if he died." He reached a breaking point a long time ago, but he'd shatter if he had to watch that. The good thing about this spell was that while he could hear the Void torturing Belphegor, he didn't have to see it in his dreams since he wasn't staying that long.

He squeezed her hand back to tell her that it was okay. The Void had traumatized him in every way possible. "At least it took time for it to get that point across, so I didn't suffer with it the whole time." Sure he was suffering with other things, but after a lot of physical torture, it was the emotional torture that hurt more. "I'm sorry I didn't figure it out back then, but I'm kind of glad for it too." If they'd fallen in love back then, his death would've hurt her so much more. While she still had to lose him, at least it wasn't making her lose a reciprocated love like Valefar and Asmodeus had to.

Watching the way her snakes interacted with him was spectacular, and it felt like a compliment that her form included one of his creations. It was further proof that she loved him so much that she constantly kept a part of him with her, as a part of her. As they melted into strands of hair, he felt like he understood the purpose of them. They protected her, emotionally and physically. She must've been nervous before, but she wasn't now. That was why they turned back. She didn't need them when he was here to provide the same thing. And kissing each other was far more important than anything else going on in their minds.

At least he thought it was until she took notice of his scars. He wanted to feign ignorance to what she was talking about. "I don't think Figs will mind that we're kissing as long as we aren't going into anything sexual," he assured her, knowing that wasn't what she meant, but she didn't let him off easy. He sighed. "Yes. It will, but it'll torture me about everything today. That's just what it does. It's okay. This? You? What we did here, it's worth it."

DAGON: "I guess you can say some things never change," she smiled. She shook her head when he asked if the Lost Boys felt lost. "Some are, but most aren't. They've found their places in Aamon, Asmo, and Belphegor's kingdoms. Lost Boy is more of a calling card for them. It's something that strings them together even when they aren't together anymore," she explained.

She kissed him warmly and reassuringly when he explained why he'd asked her brother to be more careful. She was grateful for just about any help when it came to reeling Andras in. "I won't let that happen," she promised. "He'll listen now that you told him no. I don't think he really understands how bad it is in there. We didn't know about the Empty, so we made up our own afterlife to cope and called it Neverland. I think he thinks if you two got rid of the Void it could be like that." Andras had the pride and gull to believe he could get rid of it.

She was glad he hadn't sat with the realization the whole time he'd been dead though she was sure he must've sat with other emotional scars that were just as painful for longer. "It's not your fault," she assured him when he apologized for not realizing it sooner. "We both got there in our own way. And even if we hadn't gotten there, it doesn't change the fact that the time I got to spend with you was special and important to me." She just wished they had more of it.

Even as they kissed by the fireside she couldn't push away the persistent though that this would be the last time she'd see him. How was she supposed to let him go back to the Empty after this? She didn't even want to let go of him long enough to breathe. How was she supposed to keep convincing Aamon he shouldn't go through with what he had planned if she wasn't even sure herself anymore? She smiled and kissed him again when he joked that Bells wouldn't mind they were doing this. The one kiss turned into 2 & 3 more before she stopped to catch her breath.

"It's worth it, but it's not okay," she whispered. She could tell the moment that he walked into her pocket dimension that it wasn't okay. "I love you. How am I supposed to just let you go back to that?" She was sure he could feel her sorrow at the thought.

BELGIREL: Those were the kinds of things he liked. They seemed few and far between during his time here, but every now and then, he'd catch something that was like it always had been, like Cupid's giddiness over love, Andras's chaos, Lucifer's inability to stay focused. Everything that stayed the same was a comfort. It made him feel like he still belonged and wasn't just an imposter in a foreign place. "So they're scattered, not lost?" That was more reassuring.

"If we got rid of the Void, it probably could be," Belgirel agreed. "Getting rid of the Void just isn't something he or I can do." Belgirel was all for believing in people, but not sending them into unfair fights. The Void had more to it than Andras could hope to handle. He was still worried it might be too much for Belphegor.

He caressed her cheek as she reassured him that it wasn't his fault for not realizing sooner. She was so considerate, and he loved the way her face looked when she was being so caring for someone. He kissed her again, he felt emotions welling up as they kissed though. He understood that to be one of the things Belphegor had to deal with. The sadness in her was heavy. "It doesn't have to be okay. I've been dealing with not okay for centuries. Don't do it despite loving me. Let me go because you love me." He kissed her wrist. "Belphegor's in there getting tortured now in my place, and I can hear it. They're not okay. At least if it was me getting tortured, I'd know they weren't. And you promised you'd help me look out for them. At least you know I'll be okay though. Once Belphegor beats the Void, I'll be able to see you again. Aamon told me how you guys had a plan to make sure the Void wouldn't kill me permanently. Don't worry. I won't ask about the details. I don't want the Void to know."

DAGON: "Scattered and a little scatter brained sometimes," she giggled. "My brother ended up in Asmo's kingdom. A lot of the ones there have largely stayed the same. They exhaust Moh-moh but he's largely protected their right to remain free spirited dumb kids." She didn't really think any of the others had it in them to deal with that level of chaos.

"Figs will do it. They've been practicing a lot with me and Aamon." She was sure Raph told him all about Belphegor's accomplishments by now. She could always feel how proud they were of Bells. "These trials aren't great but they have helped them expand a lot. It's a little like seeing Figs before the fall," she smiled. "And yet in other ways it's absolutely not. They're into sex now," she giggled. "Well, sex with a very specific person who isn't Andras, much to my brother's dismay."

The sadness remained despite his reassurances. It wasn't fair. Why did she always have to give things up? Why couldn't she be allowed to be selfish for once? A tear rolled down her cheek despite her attempts to remain steady. She couldn't fault him though. If it was her twin, she'd wish for the same. "I know," she nodded. "I will look out for them always. We're getting close to the end of the first trial. They only have Michael's grace left and their wedding and then..." she trailed off. She inhaled deeply when he remarked that Aamon had a plan and a few snakes appeared here and there. She could see the hope in Belgirel's eyes that his older brother had instilled. That was unfair of Aamon. Why had he put her in this position? She couldn't tell Gears that his brother's plan was to take his place. She couldn't watch the hope fade from his eyes as she crushed it. "Yeah, your brother always has a plan." She needed to tread lightly both for her sake and his. "But what if I didn't have to lose you?" she ventured. "What if there was a spell to bring you back?" Would he want to pay the ferry man's toll to be back here with her again?

BELGIREL: "Well, that hasn't changed then." He grinned. At least he'd still fit in among them. He was glad that they could still be like that and neither the war nor his death took it away from them. He was grateful for Asmo dealing with them.

He smiled at the faith Dagon had in his twin. "Yeah, Raph gave me the details of it all." He laughed. "That's.  . . Hard to imagine, and I'm glad I can't." As much as he supported Belphegor getting laid, he didn't want to see it. "If Andras can get over me only wanting you, I think he can get over that. It's not like Figs has ever been into sex with him anyway." According to Andras, it wasn't just Belphegor he wasn't able to have sex with. "He actually mentioned something similar to that, and I guess I just wanted to make sure. You and Beel aren't a thing anymore, right?" Andras had said they broke up, but Beel had been around a lot more than Belgirel had. What if he pushed his way back into her heart, or her pants.

He wiped her tear away as it fell. "I'm sorry." He didn't want to make her cry, but this was always going to be hard even if he hadn't told her he loved her. "Thank you. I know that last trial is going to be hard for you, but Andras said they're going to make you the new princess of sloth. So that's a nice promotion." Belgirel still didn't entirely understand what all that meant, but he was supportive. He nodded when she said Asmo always had a plan. He was strategic like that, and Belgirel had always admired him for it. "That's a nice fantasy," he said solemnly, but he knew it wasn't one that could come true. "But a spell like that would have a massive cost. I mean look at what happened to Belphegor. They're getting tortured just for trying to get me a day's worth of relief. Sure, I can act like it's not bothering me, but it's heartbreaking whenever I hear them scream. Death is something that takes trades, but I don't want something that hurts someone else in my place. I'm the one who made the mistake and got myself killed, so I should be the one to suffer the consequences."

DAGON: "I wish that you could talk to Belphegor," she sighed as she played with his hands. "They still hold a lot of guilt about what happened to you and the fact that they couldn't heal you." They felt they couldn't fail anyone if they just didn't try at all. They were getting better at it these days, but some of the old habits and thought patterns remained.

She smiled when he said that it was hard to imagine Belphegor getting laid. "Andras just likes to complain. He still holds onto the hope that he'll be able to sleep with Raphael." She wasn't surprised Andras complained about not being able to sleep with Beel too. "No, we haven't been anything but friends for centuries," she assured him. "I don't have those feelings for him anymore. And quite frankly it's still hard to trust him and Asmo sometimes. I've forgiven them for lying but..." she shook her head. It was clear that wound still hurt.

She kissed his thumb as he wiped away her tears. "I know," she nodded. "It's okay." It didn't feel okay right now but it would be. Even if she was scared for him, she had to believe it would be okay in the end because the alternative wasn't acceptable. She bit her lip when he mentioned her promotion. "It's not much of a change," she downplayed it. "But it places me on the same command rank as your siblings." It was the first coronation since, well, the fall. "There's supposed to be a big party to celebrate the transition but I don't think I'm in the mood to celebrate my friend dying and me ascending to their throne. Maybe we can celebrate when they've won and you..." she smiled up at him for the first time since they'd gotten on the topic. "Can be my date," she grinned as she kissed him again.

"It is," she nodded. It was definitely a fantasy that Aamon was looking into making a reality anyway. She wouldn't lie that she was saddened by his answer but she understood. He knew in detail what was going on in the Empty. It was hard to live when you knew intimately what other people were facing. "Some people would say the consequence is disproportionate to the mistake made," she pointed out. She was some people and it was unfair. "I just wish we had more time."

BELGIREL: "Yeah, me too." He sighed. "That's the worst part about all of this. I get to see everyone I want except the one who probably needed to see me most. Raphael said that this spell was supposed to give Figs a break from the Void, but instead they just got the opposite. I wrote some letters for them though." He pulled them out of one of the suit pockets. "The first one you can give them once they get back, and the second one is for what I would've told them at their wedding if I could be there. I thought maybe ... you could read it in my place?"

He chuckled. "Maybe he will some day. He'll keep trying no matter what we say." Andras was persistent about that. He was relieved that Dagon and Beel weren't a thing anymore. While Dagon said she reciprocated with Gears and Cupid and Aamon both said she did too, Beelzebub had the advantage of still being alive. He was a little glad Beel had lied to her, so he didn't have the chance to get her back, but he did regret how much it sounded like losing that trust hurt her. "Not being able to trust people is lonely. I know. But at least you still have Figs and Aamon, and apparently you talk to me at my grave."

He knew it wasn't really okay, so he pulled her into a hug and held her close. "You deserve the position more than most of them do. You'd do better than I probably ever would." Clearly he'd never given his regiment much discipline, which was why they were the way they were. "So the party would be in the Empty? And I could come?" He wasn't sure how soon she could have her party, but he didn't think she cared how long she'd have to wait. "I like the sound of that." After they kissed again he stood up. We should probably get ready for that. They'll expect us to dance." He pulled her up to her feet and then held out his hand to her. My Lady, Princess Dagon of the Clan of the Spiritus, may I have this dance?" He kissed the top of her hand. There was no music playing, but he didn't need it. Most modern music would’ve confused him anyways. His symphony was the dance of the wind and the sea.

"Aamon said the same thing," he chuckled. He knew that none of them wanted him to be tortured, but there was nothing they could do about it without getting hurt themselves, and that would have hurt him more. "I'm supposed to leave you after an hour to go see everyone else one last time, but I can just stay here with you until the last second. We can pretend we have all the time in the world until I'm gone."

DAGON: She knew on top of feeling guilty about what was happening to Belphegor, he just plain missed them. "This was their choice and their wish," she reminded Gears. "They'll be proud you made the most of it even if they couldn't be here." She knew to Belphegor all of this was worth the pain they were experiencing for the moment. She smiled and took the letters. "I will," she promised as she tucked them away in book of stories beside her. "I can't guarantee I'll get through it without crying, but I will."

She smiled when he brought up her brother's tenacity and effort when it came to getting laid. "Cupid says, always to her dismay might I add, that it's probably happened in some universe," she laughed. She imagined that universe was vastly different than her own.

She looked a little more sad and pensive when he remarked that it was lonely not being able to trust people. It was. These past few months were the loneliest she'd felt in a very long time. "They both try at least," she smiled. She wasn't sure either of them really knew how to help her with the heaviness she felt, but they did their best. "I've been working with Aamon on gentle expression of emotions for Belphegor's sake. He wasn't too rough with you, was he?" she asked.

She smiled when he brought up the fact that she visited his grave still. "So, Cupid's been gossiping about me then?" she grinned. It was clear she wasn't upset. "Talking to you there sometimes helps more than talking to anyone else." Sure, he couldn't really comfort her, but at the very least she could release all of the emotions she was holding onto without fear that she'd hurt someone. The Canyon was vast and there were many areas still inaccessible to humans.

She buried her face in his chest as he pulled her close and smiled when he voiced approval of her leadership. "Aamon would say you just needed time to grow into it. And he's right." Gears had qualities about him that made him a good leader. He just needed time. Life had been cruel to take that from him before he had the chance to realize his potential.

She nodded when he asked about the party. "It might take some time for Figs to figure out how to open it up to all of us, but I'd like it to be in there. They're taking on a throne of their own too technically. They can't leave me hanging," she grinned. She brightened a little more when he said that he'd like to be her date to this. It gave them both something to look forward to in the future. She giggled as he pulled her to her feet and asked her to dance. The title didn't sound so terrifying when it came from his lips. "Your Grace, you may have this dance and this heart and all my love," she smiled as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him while they swayed to the sound of the waves.

She glanced at the clock when he remarked that he was supposed to leave after an hour. How had time passed so quickly? It felt like he just got here, but there was only a half hour or so left until midnight. A few snakes appeared, looking distressed at the thought of him leaving, but they soothed back down when he remarked that he could stay here until the very last second. She wasn't sure that was even possible given that her brother and Cupid probably wanted him out there just as much as she wanted him here. "Are you sure?" she asked though it was very clear she liked the idea of having him here until she couldn't anymore.

BELGIREL: "I know, but it still sucks." He sighed. Belphegor probably didn't even plan to switch with him. According to Raphael, with spells could be tricky, and since Belphegor hadn't verified their wording, they didn't know what the wish was exactly. For all Belgirel knew they just wanted him to be here and the spell made it happen how it was easiest, or maybe they had wished to swap places. Maybe they were scared to face him because of some misguided feelings of failing him. He knew what that felt like. He didn't know for sure and likely wouldn't until Belphegor defeated the Empty, assuming they even swapped back to do that at all. They weren't sure if Belphegor had even kept the wish to end at midnight, but he made sure not to mention that to anyone. He didn't want to make any of them, especially Cupid, worried that Belphegor might not be able to come back. They'd find out at midnight anyways. The Void knew of course, but it wouldn't tell him. "Cupid will probably talk their ears off about how I used my time," he chuckled. "Well, it's a good thing you have my rings to help, right?" He grinned, gladly sharing all the information Cupid had told him.

"It sounds like she's spending too much time with Kokabiel," he giggled. The alternate universe talks were often amusing but were best over a few rounds of drinks. "It's more than I've seen anyone really do in the past few centuries." Of course, it wasn't much these days. It felt like the Void hid everything away now, but he imagined that was because there was more hope. What he'd seen before being locked off was the family doing their best to find a solution. It wasn't hard to tell that they didn't feel like they had any other options. They were misguided, but they tried. "Rough? No, not really, not like I thought he'd be. I thought he'd be pissed at me, but he wasn't, just concerned. He was actually proud when I told him about what I told Cupid and now you."

"She told me everything." He held his head up proudly. "She has a lot of proof that you love me." He smiled, knowing he was able to help her even while dead. "Sorry, I took so long to respond. I was busy," he joked.

Belgirel wasn't so sure about that. One of the things about leadership was that you couldn't always be everyone's friend. It wasn't supposed to matter if everyone liked you as long as the job got done, but he didn't want to lose any friends. He still didn't know where that balance was. "Can I still grow if I'm dead?" he joked, though he really did wonder that even if it was a deflection from the talk of leadership. It wasn't like he had to be one anymore.

He didn't want to ruin her hopes, but a part of him wondered if the living would even be able to go in the Empty. No one knew how much control Belphegor would have over the Empty, but he decided to stay in the fantasy of the what-if. It was better to just imagine dancing there. "I'll take it all, and you can have mine in exchange. I'd give you more if I wasn't in my twin's body, but maybe next time." They were already pushing it a little by just how much they'd made out already. He was covered in her lipstick and who knew how Cupid and Belphegor would feel about that.

He still wasn't used to seeing the snakes. He petted them to soothe them and Dagon. "Yeah, I'm sure. As much as I love all of them too, there's a lot of people out there who I basically already said goodbye to. I'm not ready to say goodbye to you yet."

DAGON: She nodded when he voiced his displeasure. She knew that Bells would feel the same way about having missed their twin, especially now that they had intimate knowledge of what it physically felt like to be in Gear's position. She wasn't how this would all effect Bells, but she was concerned and she knew Cupid was too. "Oh, bless," she giggled. "Cupid and Andras are probably regaling your siblings with the tale right now." At least it kept Cupid distracted long enough to make sure she wasn't actively panicking about Bells. She smiled and looked down at her rings which were his long before they were ever hers. "What can I say? I like keeping you close," she smiled and kissed him lightly. "Maybe one day I'll add a ring to your finger and we can match."

She chuckled when he mentioned Kokabiel. If there was anyone spending too much time with the demon it was Dagon. He'd have a field day with this. Talks of her relationships always derailed his attention from the research she'd asked him to do. "The initial months after they found out the truth were hard for both of us, but everyone is trying." She couldn't deny that even the ones that had lied to their faces were at least making attempts to mend bridges. "The lies broke us for a little while, but as long winded as these trials are, they're giving us time to repair things before Figs goes. Their power in the Empty hinges on their bond to their family and we're not going to let them go until we're sure those are secure," she promised him. Even if the Void tried to show Gears things to contradict this, she hoped her promises would trump that.

She smiled when he remarked that Aamon hadn't been what he expected. She knew that under the influence of Lucifer's grace, Gears must've felt Aamon's pride in him and she was glad for it. "The man rarely invests himself in anyone's romantic endeavors except for yours still," she giggled. It was amusing to see the kind of influence Gears had on Aamon.

"She is such a gossip," Dagon laughed. "I had a feeling she was studying me lately." She always did when she suspected Dagon was in love. "There's a lot to love. I know that we've both been through things and our traumas have changed us, but I don't think anything will ever change how I feel about you." Before, she was grappling with how to move past what she thought was a one-sided experience, but now that she knew that wasn't the case, she would fight for this. She wanted to know him for who he was now. She wasn't sure he even knew that answer himself, but she wanted to be there with him to help him find out. "I don't expect you to be the same boy you were when we were young. You've already grown, traumatically but beautifully." He'd learned from his mistake of not speaking up about his feelings and he faced a lot of difficult conversations head on today instead of avoiding them. "And you'll continue to grow," she promised.

She laughed when he remarked that he'd give her more than a dance next time. For now all she wanted to do was steal a few more kisses so she did. "We'll do all sorts of things next time," she continued the fantasy as they swayed to an inner music. "We'll have a proper date." She didn't know the Empty well enough to know what that would look like for them, but she could dream. "We'll go for a walk along the beach and collect sea shells or maybe we'll make a small fire and enjoy each other's company under the stars. Assuming we can get away from everyone that is," she giggled. She smiled softly as her mind conjured up an image of the two of them sneaking away from a heavy crowded room. "You'll be a hot commodity. Even now. There's a chance they'll come looking for you." She wasn't ready to let go yet either.

BELGIREL: "Unfortunately for them, there are certain details they just won't know." Sure, they knew that Belgirel loved her and that Belgirel was going to tell her that and even some of the reasons why he loved her, but they couldn't tell the kind of things that only Belgirel and Dagon knew. They couldn't know or tell what she and Belgirel were doing now in this cabin. "They can't tell anyone what you look like with the fire making you glow in this cabin." Sure, they might've seen Dagon near fire before, but he doubted they could tell the story of how beautifully she was framed in front of him like he could. Would they have even paid attention to that detail? Cupid might've. She loved romanticizing everything, but she wasn't here to see it.

"They can't tell anyone what it was like when you and our snakes gave me a hundred kisses together or the fact that we've kissed seventeen times and every time we do it's leaving prints of your lips like that's all my skin wants to remember." He kissed her again to make it eighteen. "I like having you close too." At least right now. He'd be panicking if she ended up in the Empty with him when the Void was in control. He blushed, however, when she mentioned adding a ring to his finger. "Barely dating, and you're already talking about wedding rings." He grinned. He couldn't help himself to dipping her into another kiss. "Do you think Cupid would be mad if I married you now before her and Figs? Or does it not count if I'm in their body?" He wouldn't of course. It was far too early for something like that. Even though he'd known her his entire life, death and distance could change things. She might come to find out she might not like who he was now, especially when he wasn't sure who that was, but the thought of getting married to her on the spot was a pleasant one. He imagined that whether Cupid would've been happy or pissed, her reaction would have been priceless.

"That's good." He knew this was hard for all of them, but they had to work things out for the sake of everyone. He imagined it was a lot of pressure for his twin. "Will you tell them to take their time with it? Connecting with everyone, I mean. I know Figs will want to rush things for my sake and everyone else's in the Empty, but if they do, things are going to be harder for them. We can take the torture for longer if they make sure it's done right." There'd be a better chance of them winning if they just took the time." And hopefully, it gave Aamon more time to set up his plan to make sure the Void didn't kill him in front of Belphegor.

It made him feel special to know that Aamon apparently only did that for him, though he wasn't actually sure why Aamon only cared about his. "Maybe he actually just cares about yours," he joked. She was the living one after all. "Andras said he was scaring off most of the people who were trying to date you." He was lucky that Aamon approved of him dating her, though maybe that was what he'd wanted all along since he seemed to have known about it before Belgirel did.

"I can't blame her. I'd study you too if I could." He smirked, though he doubted Cupid studied Dagon the way he wanted to. It was more like the way he knew she studied Belphegor. Dagon's assurance was something he'd needed to hear. Anyone else could've told him that too, but he didn't fully believe it until he heard her say it. She sounded so sure of it. "I feel like I have an unfair advantage. I've gotten to see a lot of how you've grown through Belphegor's eyes, at least whenever they were going through some sort of crisis." Unfortunately for him, that was often, but he was sure seeing her in those situations helped him come to the understanding that he loved her. "But you don't know what I'm like yet. I don't know what I'm like yet. Are you sure you have time for me to figure that out?"

"Can it be more than an hour?" he joked. He wanted to spend days on end just with her, as a date or otherwise. "How about we start at a cavern instead," he suggested. It wasn't like the Empty had a beach. He didn't know if Belphegor could make one either, but he did know the Empty had a sort of ocean, one whose waves had drowned him repeatedly. A beach in the Empty just sounded horrifying. "We could hide away in there. Or maybe a sort of forest clearing that no one else knows about." He'd find one if he could. "Aamon said he'd keep them away, so I could tell you how I felt. For all he knows, I only am just getting to that, and that's why I'm taking so long." Even if Aamon wanted to see him before he was gone, Belgirel knew his brother would defend his chance to tell Dagon how he felt. "But we could always ward the door if you're really worried."

DAGON: "They are most definitely making up their own stories," she giggled. Andras at least couldn't get ahead of himself because he knew nothing of the sort of behavior that he liked to get up to was happening when this wasn't Belgirel's body, but Cupid was sure to get out of hand with her own speculative theories about what romantic endeavors were going on here. "I'm happy to report that all of their fantasies pale in comparison to the reality," she grinned as they danced about the room.

She'd spent the last few months helping Belphegor and Cupid navigate their own relationship in the aftermath of the truth. In that time, she'd seen so many acts of love between the two. She was always happy for them, but she'd be lying if she claimed that each little act of softness between the two hadn't been a reminder of her own profound loneliness and isolation. For the first time in a long time, she didn't feel lonely. She felt seen and heard. She was loved and falling in love at the same time.

Her heart and soul felt full as he described all the things that the others couldn't perceive about tonight. She smiled into the kiss as he kissed her for the eighteenth time. Would these kisses be enough to hold him together when he was gone? She'd kiss every broken piece of him until he was whole again. "They can't see the way your whole being comes alive when you're in love. It's a good look on you," she smiled as she tucked back the stray hairs that fell across his face. Her eyes lingered on him as she observed his features a little while longer. She wanted to commit his features to memory. This was the Belgirel she wanted to remember when the nights were dark and cold.

She chuckled as he blushed slightly at the mention of rings. Now this was a change. Normally, he was the one making people blush. She quite liked being the one to bring the heat for a change. "Now, that's a cute look too," she smiled, giggling as he dipped her into another kiss. In true Belgirel nature, he didn't shy away from the idea of being hers forever. "I think it's only fair we give them the chance to get their first," she giggled. "It took them long enough. We can't steal their thunder now."

His concern for his twin was always at the forefront of his mind and Dagon both admired and understood that facet about him. "We'll make sure they take their time," she promised. "They're stubborn sometimes and they just want to spare everyone more pain, but they're easy to talk down and reason with." At the end of the day, Belphegor knew there were no shortcuts to this and they knew if they tried to take any it would only hurt people in the end.

She laughed and shook her head, loosely curled whisps of hair swaying back and forth as she did so, when he brought up what her twin had said about Aamon scaring everyone off. "It would appear that the Empty not only holds the love of my life, which is you, by the way," she clarified mostly because she liked saying it. "But there's probably a graveyard of my exes there too thanks to that Archangel." Courage, she knew, was there but that hadn't been Aamon's doing. She had a feeling Aamon wanted this all along. Maybe he had even when Gears was alive. Perhaps it was one of those things he hoped Belgirel would mature into. He sometimes talked about that sort of stuff and what he imagined Gears would be like if he'd just been given a little more time to grow.

A blush swept across her cheeks when he remarked that he couldn't blame Cupid for studying her. The way his eyes looked at her reminded her of warm summer nights. She could almost picture herself sitting out by a lake trying to light the campfire only to look up and catch him admiring her with those warm eyes of his. "You might've seen some things but you'll find I'm still full of surprises." Belphgor might've seen somethings and she might've told them other things in confidence as friends do, but there were still facets of her that were her own. She had a better grip on who she was which she supposed was her unfair advantage. "Gears," she cupped his face in her hands. "I will always make time for you. That's one journey you'll never have to travel alone," she promised. She drew him in and sealed the promise with a kiss.

"Absolutely it will be more than an hour," she grinned. She imagined it would be a date that lasted for days. Cavern, forest, mountains, beach...it didn't matter where they went as long as she just got to be with him. "Maybe we can get Aamon to make sure we get the time we need for our next date too." She glanced at the door when he suggested warding it. At the end of the day, it wasn't anyone living that would take him away from her or interrupted this moment. It was an inevitable force that she didn't want to think about. As if sensing the slight shift, Ferus jumped from the couch and made his way to the dancing couple. He nuzzled against Belgirel before making his way toward the door. There, he sat on guard as if it say I'll keep watch while you dance this last song with your girl.

BELGIREL: "You'll have to tell me the stories they came up with when I see you again." Cupid would most likely tell him her theories anyways, but he'd like to hear it from Dagon too. He felt like her reactions to repeating the theories would give him more ideas of what he could do for her, even if this was good for her now. He was pretty sure it wouldn't have mattered this time what he did as long as he told her how he felt, but he wanted the future to be just as special if he was able to live it.

Belgirel couldn't see himself either, but it felt like that much more confirmation that he was right about his feelings for her. Cupid had seen his aura when he was just talking about his feelings for Dagon, but he wondered what it looked like now. It had to be as bright as the sun, but Dagon was the only one who could see him. "Better than the clothes Asmo and Val got me?" he asked jokingly. He was pretty sure she was the best addition to his outfit. She made him more relaxed. He felt safer here with her, like the Empty and the Void were galaxies away. The pain couldn't touch him here when he was with her. He could tell what she was thinking when she just watched him. He'd been doing that all day, just trying to make sure he remembered the good things for when the bad things eventually came back, but he still had time. He was going to use every moment of it.

He laughed as she teased him for blushing. "I can't say there's ever been much that's made me blush like that besides you." Marriage also just wasn't something that he expected to be brought up so soon. He'd felt slightly embarrassed for not knowing if she was joking or not because he did want it. He still wasn't sure if she was joking or not, but it was worth her laughter. "I guess we can, but for the record, I think I might've taken just as long. In your speech at their wedding, you should mention how generous we were to not steal their thunder," he joked.

He could relate to his twin to an extent. He'd done essentially the same thing with most of his friends, taking on the pain himself to protect them from it. He thought it had worked for the most part, but it also dug him into a hole where he barely knew himself and had been lying about himself for so long that most of his friends wouldn't know him either. He didn't want Belphegor making the same kind of mistakes he did, but at least they had people they listened to. He trusted Dagon and Aamon to lead them the right way.

He brightened more when she called him the love of her life. It scrambled his mind to know she thought of him that way. He knew he'd been sitting on those feelings, but the fact that she'd developed them enough to call him the love of her life wasn't something he'd been expecting. "I'm glad you clarified it was me. I might've thought you were talking about Belphegor." He joked before he kissed her again, not wanting to let himself think about what that actually meant for his twin. "I don't know if I should feel bad for them or glad that I was still able to have a chance with you." If Aamon hadn't gotten rid of them, he wasn't sure how he would've felt about being turned down, though he imagined that Cupid would've warned him about the upcoming heartbreak that would've led to.

He smiled as she blushed. "That's a good look on you too," he teased. He kissed her again as she seemed to get lost in thought. "I don't doubt it." He grinned. He was looking forward to finding out about all the things he'd missed about her. He could only look at her as she gripped his face, not that his eyes would've gone anywhere else, but they watered a little at her promise. "I love you, Dagon." He told her before she kissed him. Somehow, she knew exactly what he needed to hear.

He wanted to spend every hour with her, and he hoped he could get to that point, though he doubted it was possible. Even once Belphegor defeated the Empty, Dagon couldn't spend all her time there. She had a job to do in Hell and a kingdom to run apparently. She might've made time to see him often, but he couldn't be with her at all hours of the day. "But do you think he'd be able to stop Cupid from spying on it?" he joked. "She might not work for Asmo anymore, but I don't think she'd ever stop spying on relationships, especially mine and yours." They were new and she hadn't seen much of them together. Of course she'd be interested in it. He couldn't really blame her for it, but he did want time alone with Dagon. Maybe he could arrange a deal with her to tell her most of the details as long as she let them have their date without being watched.

Belgirel pet Ferus's head as the dog moved from its spot to the door. "I guess that works too." He shrugged. "Good boy," he told the hellhound as he went back to dancing with his girlfriend. "How much time do we have now?"

DAGON: "I'll be sure to write it all down," she laughed. Maybe it would help her get through the next few months. Even if she didn't want to think about it, the growing pit in her stomach told her that it was going to be a rough ride. "Andras can re-enact it. He likes mimicking Cupid. Both when she's around to kick his ass and when she's not there." Andras just liked putting on a show altogether. He had a flare for the dramatics.

"Much better though you wear those well too," she grinned. "Lucifer and his three piece suits would approve. I'm sure he and Asmo will be happy to help you pick another outfit for the coronation." It was easier to think about future plans than it was to think about the immediate and inevitable way that tonight would end.

She grinned when he remarked that she was one of the few to get that kind of reaction from him. "It's one more thing to add to the list of things the others are missing out on." There was something wholesome about it that she very much liked. She shook her head when he said he might've taken just as long. "No longer than the rest of your family. Lucifer just figured himself out like last year. Actually, Belphegor figured themself out before Lucifer figured himself out." It was something she never let Lucifer forget. "But I'll be sure to let them know how lucky they are." They were lucky in more ways than one. Tonight would end and Belphegor would return, but her love would be going back. She knew that fact would be as hard for Belphegor to accept as it was for her. She hoped they wouldn't be too hard on themself for it. These were circumstances above and beyond their control.

"Never. To quote Cupid, you two look nothing alike," she replied in the same offended tone that Cupid used when people mixed the twins up. She loved Bells in the same way that she loved Andras. They were her family. That bond was deep and strong and unshakable in many ways but what she felt for Belgirel was different. She never felt those types of feelings for their twin. "Cupid says that people who are meant to be together will always find a way to be." The stars and circumstances all aligned in this universe in such a way that it was impossible to think they weren't meant to be. Had she discovered her feelings a century sooner, she might've already moved on. Had the Void focused its torture on memories of her from the beginning, that love might've been beaten out of Gears by now. But things hadn't gone that way. They transcended and escaped all those odds and even death to find each other again.

She smiled when he teased her again with her own words. "I'm glad you think so cause you'll probably have to get used to it," she giggled. She was sure it was easier to make her blush. If her own face wasn't expressive, her snakes certainly were. Her heart fluttered a little when he said he loved her. If her life were to ever become a groundhog day, this was the moment she'd never get tired of reliving. She wanted to hear him say it again, and again, and again. "I love you too," she replied as she kissed him. If he remembered nothing of tonight when she saw him again, she hoped he at least remembered that.

"Quite the opposite," she giggled. "He might actually join Cupid in spying on us." She doubted it even as she spoke it, but there was something amusing about the thought of Aamon joining the 'love agents' as they liked to call themselves. He tolerated Cupid more and more these days. He seemed to have developed some sympathy and understanding of her now that he didn't simply view her as a problem. "I'm sure we can give them the slip though."

She watched as the hellhound wordlessly took his place by the door. Animals had a way of being quite intuitive. She supposed that's why she enjoyed their company so much. She froze a little when Belgirel asked her about the time. She was afraid to look, but she willed her eyes to glance at the ornate clock in the room. Her heart sank a little and so did she. The rain which had started not too long ago got heavier and thunder could be heard rumbling in the distance. "Five more minutes," she whispered though her voice cracked. A flash of lightning swept across the sky as she pulled him closer to her. Her form changed rapidly as she prepared to weather was was to come. "Don't let go, okay? Don't let me go."

CUPID: Belgirel was supposed to meet them all outside for one final goodbye about 20 minutes ago, but he hadn't come out of the tophat that held Dagon's universe. Cupid was patient despite that; however, she was fighting a neverending battle with her anxiety. She was able to distract herself for a while though. She and Andras filled the time by telling the Archangels who stayed behind all about what Belgirel was planning to tell Dagon. That kept them entertained for a while, but at ten minutes to midnight Cupid was getting restless. At five minutes to midnight, she told Aamon she was going in. To her surprise, he didn't argue with her about it.

She entered the pocket dimension and to her dismay it was storming. She was soaked and shivering by the time she reached the porch. She peered through the window to make sure Gears and Dagon were still there. She didn't want to interrupt them if Gears was still in the middle of confessing though she hoped he wouldn't leave that to the last five minutes. Her heart melted a little as she looked inward. She could see them holding each other and dancing by the fire. So, she was right. Dagon did love him just as much as he loved her. Their auras were shining so brightly. She couldn't take a picture of it on account of the fact that she was the only one who could see it, but she did pull out her phone to take a picture of them dancing so she could show Bells and Chastity. As beautiful as the whole thing was, it filled her chest with a deep aching. She missed Belphegor so much. When these sorts of acts of love happened, they were usually the first person she told. But they were missing this, their twin of all things, finding love. And she was missing them.

Just as she put her phone away, a hellhound appeared at the window. Cupid recognized him as one of Belgirel's dogs. She put her finger to her lips to silence him. Luckily, the dog knew her well so he didn't feel she was an intruder or a threat though he did keep an eye on her. Dagon and Gears seemed to distracted to notice her. She glanced at her wristwatch. There were only a few minutes left. She couldn't rob them of that time so instead she waited patiently for her own love to come back. She would enter the room when they did.

BELGIREL: "Thank you." He gave her an appreciative kiss on the cheek. For all of his loss of memory, it was good to have records of things, even as small as that. "Maybe once I know the skit, we can both re-enact it. Piss off Cupid together." He grinned, though he didn't think Cupid would really mind all that much.

"It's too bad he didn't get to see it then." Of course, Lucifer would see it if he hadn't already. Valefar had some sort of reflection box that had seemed to trap his reflection inside it. He didn't understand it really, and he still felt distrustful of the device. He worried that he wouldn't have a reflection anymore, but Valefar and Asmodeus hadn't seemed the slightest bit worried about it. Maybe that was their plan to get him out of the Empty. If they could trap his reflection in there, maybe they could pull him out of the Empty into it and send his reflection into the Empty. He didn't want to get out just to be trapped in a box though, so he hoped that wasn't the case. The important thing, even if Belgirel didn't realize it, was that Lucifer would get to see him in a suit. "Maybe by then, I'll be able to understand the fashion more." It was hard to pick outfits when he didn't really get it.

"Just as long as we don't tell any of them about it." He grinned. Cupid would undoubtedly ask them both hundreds of questions about this moment when she got to see them again. She had a vivid imagination and would likely feel like she was there if they told her and she imagined what it was like. At least he hoped she could still. She'd been more than thrilled at him realizing he loved Dagon, but she carried so much weight too. He didn't know how much that and the guilt might get in her way.

"In Lucifer's defense, he hasn't known her as long as I've-" He paused, frowning. Had he known Dagon longer? Did that count when he'd been dead? He couldn't remember how long he'd actually been dead, and he wasn't going to ask. "I'm pretty sure they all know how lucky they are. A lot of our time talking, Lucifer spent on . . . Mazey Queen?" He couldn't remember the name exactly, but it was somewhere around there.

"Not if you ask Laute's kid. Naughty-ah. I think she might still think I'm Belphegor playing a prank on her or something." She wasn't the only one, either. Most people who didn't know him as closely still mistook him for Belphegor. He'd dealt with it a lot when he was younger. Even among the Lost Boys, as they were called now, some of them occasionally mistook him for his twin, which had been fine with him. "And what do you say?" He asked. Did she believe that too? He wasn't sure he did. He didn't think anything aligned just for them. The world wasn't kind enough to do something like that for them. It was thanks to Belphegor, not the world or the stars, that got him here, and it was his own choices and learning from his mistakes that led to him telling Dagon how he felt. Nothing gave him this.

"I'd love to get used to it." Getting used to it meant he'd get to see it more, and if he could see it every day, he'd reach heaven without ever having to go there again. "And I'd love to get used to hearing you say that," he said as he kissed her. Really, he could hear that again and again a thousand and one times and never get used to it. The simple assurance that he was loved and that his love was accepted was something that had been unimaginable for centuries, but here it was.

The idea of Aamon spying on them was amusing only because it was for a date. "Both of them together? I don't know how long he could do that with her. They'd probably have to find different angles to spy on us." He giggled with her. Aamon had apparently spied on him before, but it was usually only ever for his own safety. He wouldn't spy for something like that. At least Belgirel didn't think so.

He felt guilty for asking about the time. He wanted to live in the moment, but he also didn't want to be caught off guard for when the Void took him back. He reassuringly rubbed Dagon's arms as she looked at the clock. He could feel how upset it made her. Even before she answered, her face was already telling him that they just had a few moments left. As she pulled him closer to her, he wrapped his arms around her. "I won't," he promised, his own voice cracking as tears poured out. He'd argued so much about wanting to go back to get his twin out of there, but he didn't really want to go, not now. He didn't want to leave her. He felt like he could barely stand, so he moved them over onto the couch. He kissed her again and again as many times as he could in the time they had left. "I love you," he spoke quickly and desperately. "I love you, okay. Don't forget that." He spoke both to himself and to her. He didn't want to forget any of this. "And you'll be okay until I see you again because we will see each other again, and- and- and I-" The clock struck twelve, and he looked at Dagon one last time. "I love-"

Pain erupted from the hole in his chest, like he was experiencing his death all over again. It felt like it was stretching the skin around the wound, pulling him back to the Empty. It hurt so much, but he was gone before he'd even been able to finish his sentence, surrounded by inky darkness.

"Welcome back, Belgirel," the Void's voice spoke through the darkness, not visible but forever present. "Looks like you got your wish too. You got to come back to me. Now, where were we? I think I have some new tools for you. Don't look so sad. This is what you wanted." Belgirel tried to suck in the tears, but they didn't stop, even as he tried to reassure himself that at least Belphegor was going to be okay. "You said you wanted me to let you see more of what your twin was going through, right? Here, let's show you."

BELPHEGOR: Despite the Void letting them hear how bad the Empty was, Belphegor hadn't really fully understood just how awful it was for the people who were there. They hadn't thought that they'd get stuck in there, but they used to think that if they ever did, it wouldn't be so bad just because of how often they'd self-harmed in the past. Unfortunately, the level of pain in the Empty wasn't even on the same scale, and they weren't nearly ready for it. It started physical. Belphegor had never been drowned before, not like that. Breathing had never been a requirement for angels, but whatever was in there provided the same experience as a human drowning. It was inescapable. They'd tried to reason with the Void in order to get it to stop, but that was hard to do when it was drowning them and not letting them speak. It was clear that the Void enjoyed it. It was even harder that the drowning made it hard to think. They got more panicked and more desperate the more it went on. They screamed for help. They just wanted someone to get them out of there. They needed someone to help them, but there was no one who could help them in there. The Void reminded them constantly that they were here from their own doing. It tricked them into thinking they weren't getting out now. It made them think that Belgirel hadn't gotten out either, that they were both here, both getting tortured from a wish that they weren't careful about. It felt so hopeless, but they couldn't help screaming out from the pain. They lost track of time. They thought the Void might've been right. Did they even put a time limit on this? They thought it would've passed by now.

It was a surprise when the torture stopped, but like Belgirel, they didn't realize it had. They screamed into Dagon's arms, choking and coughing, expecting that black bile to come out, but there was nothing there. Belgirel's scars slipped away, replaced with a new set. They kept sobbing without recognizing their new surroundings. Their powers returned to them, depressive energy expanded around them, and they couldn't stop. There eyes were clenched tight, trying to block everything out.

DAGON, CUPID, ZATANNA: "Hopefully Andras's acting skills will improve by then," she laughed. He was awful at that sort of thing, and he was sure to want to play anyone but himself. Despite not being able to see Belgirel one final time, Dagon was sure that Lucifer would get to see him in the tux regardless. Val and Asmo likely took photos throughout the visit. They were sentimental like that even if they didn't want to admit it. And Belphegor would still be wearing the outfit when they returned.

"Lucky for you, I know how to keep things confidential," she joked. "But I'll throw Cupid a bone here and there about tonight." She didn't know how she would handle things once he was gone. Would her grief hurt people? Or would talking about it help? It was hard to tell sometimes. She smiled when he remarked that Lucifer spent a lot of his time talking about Mazikeen. "He's pretty wholesome and dorky when he's in love. He must get that from you," she joked as she pressed a few Eskimo kisses to his nose. Gears hadn't really shared that part of himself with Lucifer and yet here they both were.

It didn't surprise her that Nadia couldn't tell the two of them apart. "She is very much Laute's child," she laughed. Laute would be sad he missed this, but then again that was on a list of things he'd likely be sad about. "What I think is that we both have impeccable timing. In some universes, we didn't meet our window. I'm glad this isn't one of those." Dagon had spent the last few months thinking she might have been living in one of those universes. It was a relief to know she wasn't.

She smiled when he remarked that he'd love to get used to the admiring blushes and thoughtful I love yous. She'd make sure he never forgot what either of those things looked like. "I hope they like the view. At least until we give them the slip," she joked. They could probably get away from Cupid but Aamon was harder to detect. Granted, he was less nosey too. He knew when to excuse himself.

Of course, the time for playfulness was coming to an end. If she could run away from anything right now and take Belgirel with her, it would be this moment. She couldn't help the tears that fell from her face as he held her. Why did it have to end like this? Her legs felt heavy like lead as Gears guided her toward the couch. She didn't dare let go of him, not even for a moment. "I love you too," she told him in between desperate kisses. She wished this was like those fairytale books where love alone would keep him from leaving but she knew it wasn't. "I won't forget, I'll never forget," she promised. "We'll get you out of there. We'll come find you. I love you so much." The clock struck a jarring midnight. "Please--" she cried out, but she wasn't sure to whom she was pleading with. Fate? God? The Void? No one was listening. Gears was gone.

She held Belphegor in her arms as they screamed. They were dry heaving and sobbing, but they were alive and in one piece. Cupid ran into the cabin before Dagon could even register her presence. She'd been watching the whole heartbreaking exchange from afar. Before Dagon could stop her or slow her down, Cupid threw her arms around Belphegor and held them. She was certain it was them and not Belgirel playing some kind of prank on her because he might've seen her spying. She could always tell the twins apart. "You're okay, you're okay," Cupid whispered over and over again as she rocked Bells in her arms.

The pocket dimension around them reflected just how not okay all three of them were as it began to break apart and scatter away like ash under the heavy wave of depressive energy that was radiating off of both Dagon and Belphegor. Dagon wished she could blow away in the wind just as easily.

The outside of the top hat that held the dimension began to fray. Holes began to appear as if it was burning away. They were all anxious and keeping an eye on the hat but Zatanna was the first to notice. "Shit!" she grabbed the top hat and threw it on the ground before casting a spell to release the dimension from its hold. The hat tore open and ashes were kicked everywhere. As the dust settled, Zatanna could see Cupid and one of the Bell twins (she couldn't tell who just yet) huddled together. A moment later, she could make out Dagon's figure.

"Dagon...?"

"He's gone..." her voice cracked. Her legs were still shaky as she approached Aamon. "He's gone."

THE BELLS: "They still haven't?" Belgirel asked. It had been centuries worth of time for Andras to work on his acting skills, so Belgirel wondered if maybe he was just intentionally bad at acting because it was funnier that way. He might've done the same thing in his best friend's shoes.

"It's helped with trusting you with just about everything." She'd always seemed trustworthy, and the fact that she was willing to keep so much confidential was why he was able to connect to her in the first place. He never had to worry about her gossiping about him or telling everyone about all the flaws he tried desperately to hide. "I'm sure she'll appreciate anything you tell her though." It didn't mean she'd get to know every detail though. Some things just belonged to them. "He didn't even get to see me in love." He laughed. "He probably got it from Valefar." She'd been just as excitable when she was dating Ramiel.

In some universes, he was sure they would've both figured things out sooner. In those universes, he imagined that he wouldn't have died in the first place, but he was still glad they got here. "I know I'll like the view." He smiled. He only had so much time to take in that view before he was gone, replaced by his twin.

Belphegor barely felt the transition from Dagon's arms to Cupid's. They couldn't feel anything over the pain. They couldn't hear anything over their own screaming and crying, or over Belgirel's. It was a miracle that Cupid was even able to withstand the immense energy radiating from both them and Dagon, but they were all hurting here.

"I'm sorry," they whimpered once they were able to recognize that they weren't in the Empty anymore. "I'm sorry." They wrapped their arms around Cupid, desperately holding onto her, so they wouldn't get pulled back to that place again.

AAMON, ANDRAS, ASMODEUS, MICHAEL: It was past midnight now and the siblings that remained were all quiet and anxious. If Belphegor did not return, things would be complicated. No one wanted them to be stuck in the Empty, but no one wanted Belgirel to be stuck there either. It was all around a bitter situation. Aamon was checking his phone when the magician jumped up and grabbed the hat that held Dagon's pocket dimension. He raised an eyebrow as she threw it on the ground and called out a spell he didn't have time to catch. Smoke and ash burst from the hat and when it all settled down, Dagon was standing in front of him.

He didn't need her to say anything; her face told the whole story. Belgirel was gone. Aamon held his hand out to her to support her before bringing her in. Her depression manifestation stung and he had to swallow back his own bile of sadness. He glanced at Belphegor to make sure they were okay. They were sobbing still and clearly very frightened, but they were in one piece thankfully.

Asmodeus was quick to read the situation. They needed to separate Dagon and Belphegor for a moment to allow them to calm down otherwise they would just bounce off of each other. He grabbed one of the top hats that was marked Aamon and handed it to his older brother. Aamon took it wordlessly, still holding Dagon, as the two of them disappeared into the pocket dimension.

Asmo turned his attention to Cupid and Belphegor now. There was no point in trying to pull Cupid away from Belphegor. She'd only fight all of him on it. So, instead, he drew a sigil around the two in order to contain Belphegor's energy. As he did so, he performed a visual assessment of Belphegor. They were in one piece physically, but the emotional toll of the torture had very clearly wore them down.

"Come on, let's give them a minute," Michael replied solemnly once Asmodeus as done warding Cuphegor. He motioned for the rest of his siblings to follow him to the back of the shop. He would send Raphael out in a half hour to check in on the two.

As everyone followed Michael to the back room, Andras glanced over his shoulder at the top hat marked Aamon. Asmo put a hand over his shoulder to guide him forward. "She'll be okay. She just needs a minute. Come on, we better call the rest of your sisters and tell them what happened."

[avid-avian-lives]

Lizzie meets Martyn

Dog hadn’t had any meaningful expectations when it came to the last few days before the end of the world, but he never could have expected what he got.

Form shapes nature. There are certain behaviors that are typical of small dogs simply because it is encoded into their genes. Dog’s Master, Lord Martyn, formerly known as Death, Destroyer of Worlds, hadn’t been doing much in the way of world-level destruction. Since Dog was no longer a raging Hellhound, he was given a good deal of free time to spend bothering cats and searching for crumbs. Upon meeting Pearl’s dog, Tilly, he had tried to reduce her to ash by way of the usual smoldering glare, but when that didn’t work, the pair hit it off and became close friends. Tilly was happy to show him the most interesting parts of Tadfield, tagging along with Them in all their adventures.

Form shapes nature, and Dog’s nature was changing.

On Dog’s third day in Tadfield, he and Martyn went to investigate Critter Cottage on a mission delegated by Them. Martyn was surprised to find that on the lawn was a woman with pink hair and space buns who was smashing flower pots in her frustration.

“‘Scuse me,” Martyn said.

He tilted his head in a way that implied a question without asking.

“It’s dumb,” she said. “I just… I lost my book. It’s been in my family for over three hundred years, and I lost it.”

“I could help you look,” he offered. “I’m Martyn Littlewood. I live on Sahara St.”

“Lizzie. Lizzie Shadow. I’m just visiting. Are you from around here?”

“This is my world, from the fields to the forests and from the quarry to the pond,” Martyn said, pointing to their respective locations.

“So you know the area really well?”

“Better than anybody, I reckon.”

“Have you seen two men in a black car?”

Martyn’s eyes lit up. “Book thieves!” He put on a noir detective voice. “I’ll take the case.”

“They didn’t steal it! Or, at least, they didn’t mean to. But if you haven’t seen them, they may have left.”

“Could be,” Martyn said. “I wrote a book once. It had cowboys and pirates and dragons, so it was probably a whole lot better than any book you’ve lost.” He declined to mention the long, spiraling description of a boy falling endlessly through blank space that he did not remember writing.

Lizzie laughed. She decided that she liked Martyn. If she had been in full control of her mind at the time, she may have realized that any thoughts about him that tried to go beyond her superficial first impressions simply slipped from her mind. No one was in full control of their mind around Martyn. “Do you want some lemonade?” she offered.

Martyn, like every other child from the town, had been raised by overly cautious parents who repeated the words “Stranger Danger” at every opportunity. Martyn, however, was not in the habit of being afraid.

“Sure,” he said. “We can battle the witch in the cottage to get it.”

Lizzie hesitated. “That’s my cottage. But I’m not a witch. I’m an occultist.”

“Oh,” Martyn said. “That’s alright, then.”

But Dog wouldn’t enter the cottage.

There had been a horseshoe above the door of Critter Cottage for hundreds of years. Previous residents during a large plague thought it would help keep them safe. They were, of course, wrong, but horseshoes above doorways do have strength in blocking Hellish forces such as reformed Hellhounds.

However, Dog could not ignore the call of Lord Martyn, who commanded him to enter. None of them noticed the horseshoe cooling as a little bit of Hell burned away.

—

Martyn decided that he liked Lizzie.

She was nice to him, for a start. She was old in the eyes of an eleven-year-old, but she wasn’t really old, not like his parents or R.P. Tyler. She was like a high schooler or someone cool like that. Plus, she knew all sorts of interesting things.

Turns out that an occultist wasn’t an eye doctor, contrary to Martyn’s first thought. Lizzie was sort of like a witch; she saw people’s auras and could detect ley lines and had a box of notes in old-timey language that Martyn struggled to interpret. She was not just cool; more importantly, she was interesting. 

She hadn’t been able to see Martyn’s aura, though. And that seemed to worry her.

It was only when Martyn wondered aloud that his schooling hadn’t taught him nearly as much as Lizzie had that things became really interesting.

“School is an oppressive tool of the state,” Lizzie said, “so they won’t teach you about things that matter, like nuclear power stations, which we have to get rid of.”

This piqued Martyn’s interest. He liked knowing things more than he liked learning, and it certainly felt like his classes in school didn’t matter. Additionally, he had visited a nuclear power station once, and it had been far less interesting than he thought it would be, severely lacking in any bubbling vats or unnaturally bright colors. From that moment through the end of the conversation, he latched onto every word.

Lizzie believed in things. She believed in saving turtles and whales and all sorts of exotic species Martyn had never heard of. She believed in whole grain breads and recycled paper and local businesses and getting colonizers out of colonized areas. She believed that oil companies were destroying the environment, that meat packaging companies were destroying the environment, that steel companies were destroying the environment, and that fashion companies were, you guessed it, also destroying the environment. She did not believe in world leaders or large governments, and she hated any form of military. She believed in power to the people; more specifically, she believed in power to the youth. She was one of those people who is an odd cross between a pessimist and an optimist, but she had the extra layer of being very aware that the end of the world was mere days away, though she didn’t share this with Martyn.

Having been given limited internet access, Martyn was not aware of the things she spoke about. He had vaguely heard of environmental issues, but in truth, he had not recognized enough of the words used in these discussions to concern himself with them. South American rainforests were a closed book to Martyn, and it wasn’t even made of recycled paper.

Lizzie believed in things in a very intense way. She didn’t have beliefs so much as she had one enormous, amorphous belief in a great many areas that she had melded into one. On any scale of mountain moving, she could move at least half an Alp. However, Martyn could move anywhere between two and fifteen thousand Everests.

Lizzie, unaware of this, thought nothing of letting Martyn borrow a few issues of the Hermiton Herald, a magazine she had never read and only subscribed to in support of a friend who was one of its editors. He had been drawn to the interesting covers depicting deep-sea monsters and sunken continents and UFOs and the eye-catching headlines blaming everything on the government. And so, he left Critter Cottage with an armful of conspiracy magazines and two pockets of organic candies.

It may have helped the situation if Lizzie had realized exactly why she couldn’t see Martyn’s aura. It was the same reason why people in Times Square can’t see America.

[jaeheewillalwaysbemyfav]

Can u make mc is the actual owner of Cerberus when he was a pup but villagers killed him because they thought that he was a monster and what how would the brothers and the undateable react to that when mc started to cry when she saw Cerberus headcanons

Oh Beans! I totally spaced when reading this and only have the brothers.

I'll post what I have here right now, but this will also be on AO3, so if you keep checking/subscribe there, you'll get a notification when I've added the undateables! It might not be for a while though, since I'm about to start school again ^-^;;

Who's a Good Boy?

The Guard Dog of the House of Hades. A vicious, three-headed hellhound that only the fallen Morningstar himself could command. Unfathomably massive. Devourer of demons, angels, and humans alike. Notoriously difficult to groom.

That is Cerberus, Lucifer’s extremely volatile pet named after a figure from Greek mythology for reasons no one truly understands. The creature has struck fear into the hearts of its housemates, and the Devildom at large, for what feels like ages.

So when MC cries upon seeing the wolf-dog for the first time, none of the brothers are especially surprised. How could a human cross such a monster’s path and live, after all?

Except those who weep in fear usually don’t then barrel full-tilt into one of the monster’s furry legs, babbling incoherently about how they thought they’d never see him again.

One of Cerberus’ heads leans down to the human, and the brothers panic, fearing the worst. It opens its mouth, revealing razor sharp fangs—

And licks MC’s entire body in a saliva-filled canine kiss. Now covered in tears and drool, MC laughs as they shake themself off, teasing the hellhound by saying that they already showered today, thank you very much.

“So, did you miss me as much as I missed you?” they ask, giving Cerberus’ central head some under the chin scritches (the only part of its head they can currently reach).

Cerberus boofs loudly, enormous tail waving back and forth at an increasingly hazardous pace.

Lucifer

What.

Lucifer is dealing with a Lot right now. He almost lost the exchange student to his own dog, except apparently Cerberus used to belong to MC?! How?!

He orders Cerberus to back away from the human, part of him still convinced that this is somehow a combination of MC being mistaken and Cerberus playing with its food, but the hellhound actually growls at him and picks MC up by the back of their shirt, tossing them onto its back.

MC, in response, finds new places to scritch.

He stares at the scene for a few minutes, unable to process what his life has become.

Later, once Cerberus finally agrees to let MC leave, they explain to him that Cerberus used to be a puppy in the human world.

Obviously, he was immediately noted as strange due to his three heads, and the people of MC’s village believed him to be an omen of death. MC themself didn’t care, and just saw “lil’ Cerb” as a puppy like any other, albeit an exceptionally drooly one.

He used to be more or less normal dog-sized, but it quickly became obvious that Cerberus was growing fast, and would be much larger than even a wolf by the time he was done. He also became harder and harder to hide.

Unfortunately, one night they awoke to poor Cerberus being chased out into the night by a mob, never to return.

They assumed the worst, mourned, and got on with their life as best as they could. But seeing Cerberus— they knew it was the same dog as soon as they saw him — brought all those emotions right back to the surface.

It’s not hard to adapt to these strange circumstances. Lucifer is actually quite relieved to have someone who is both willing and able to safely help him in caring for Cerberus, and both MC and the hellhound delight in each other’s company.

Lucifer also won’t deny the pride he feels upon seeing MC, the one he loves, getting along so well with his son dog.

Mammon

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The P A N I C of seeing MC within bite-chomp-murder-kill distance of Cerberus nearly killed Mammon.

What the hell is he supposed to do against that furball?! MC’s dead meat, a chew toy, he can’t save them again—

WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY D O I N G ? !

Torn between passing out from fear and yelling about how brave and cool HIS human is!

So he kinda just… stands there, slack-jawed, as MC finds a spot on the creature that makes it thump its leg so hard the ground shakes.

Already he’s cooking up ways to use MC’s Cerberus-taming powers to get into all kinds of Shenanigans

Except he quickly learns that while Cerb is much more gentle with MC, it won’t let them distract it from its duties.

Has this resulted in MC semi-unwillingly riding Cerberus as it chases a terrified Mammon throughout the Devildom? Possibly~

Though when MC explains to Mammon how Cerberus used to be their dog, and what had happened to him… He can’t help but feel a touch more sympathetic to the hellhound.

Only a little bit though. It still does try and tear him apart whenever he gets too close, after all.

Leviathan

Levi’s fear metamorphoses into awe much faster than the others’. MC LOOKS SO COOL!! Riding the mighty Cerberus like a steed!

He desperately wishes he had the art skills to capture this iconic moment forever. But alas, a camera will have to do.

It’s a pretty good picture, the comparatively small human sitting on Cerberus’ back like something straight out of a fantasy novel. Levi even has a shot of them accidentally scritching a spot that makes Cerberus breathe fire (like a furry dragon!)

100% gets super emotional when MC tells him how they originally had— and lost— Cerberus as a puppy. It reminds him of his precious Henry 1.0 in some ways…

Begs MC to let him post the photos he took, along with their story as the caption. It’s just too good! It’s exactly like that arc in My Adventurer Boyfriend Keeps Adopting the Monsters He Beats in Combat and Now We’re Running Out of Space to Keep Them!

Like Mammon, Levi also quickly learns that just because he unlocked Cerberus’ tragic backstory, doesn’t mean that the hellhound will treat him any differently.

But sometimes, after a long “walk” with MC, the massive creature will be mostly asleep. And then, his hand shaking, MC will guide Levi to pet Cerberus’ flank. Its tail swishes softly, Levi’s own swaying in response.

Satan

He shakes his head and laughs, torn between relief, awe, shock, and lingering horror for MC’s safety. Of course they can tame even the ferocious Cerberus…

Guess all sorts of angry monsters like MC, huh?

He definitely wants to hear the story of MC owning Cerberus in the past, but first he’s going to drink in the absolutely dumbfounded expression on Lucifer’s face.

Toooootally doesn’t cry upon hearing MC’s story with Cerberus. No way, he’s still a cat person, he swears!

...No one is allowed to comment on Satan’s various burn injuries that occur over the next few weeks.

Not if they don’t want to be left with worse.

Asmodeus

OH SHIT!! Also, ewwwww

Once the fear for MC’s safety subsides, Asmo can appreciate the cuteness and hilarity that is MC with Cerberus. Truly no one is immune to their charms it seems, and their affections know no bounds.

...Is it that same quality that allows MC to continue to care for him and his brothers despite their past actions?

Asmo claims that the smoke from Cerberus’ fire breath is getting into his eyes, prompting him to leave. He has a good long stare-at-a-wall crisis for a bit.

Learning MC and Cerberus’ story only makes him mushier. Their tragedy got a happy ending after all!

As much as he loves MC’s charms, he still insists that they de-drool themself before touching him or any of his things. It stinks like brimstone!

Now if they need any help getting clean… That he can oblige~

Beelzebub

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH part 2

As one of the physically stronger brothers, when Lucifer’s not available it’s Beel’s job to groom Cerberus. He knows how dangerous that mutt is.

But apparently not for MC “Knows No Fear” over there!

As Cerberus continues to remain docile in MC’s presence, Beel starts to appreciate the cuteness of a human and their giant hellhound.

Unabashedly mushy upon hearing MC’s story about Cerberus. The themes of losing a loved one, only to find them much later in a new form… it kinda hits a little close to home for him.

(It’s not a perfect analogy: Beel knows MC isn’t Lilith, but having them as part of her legacy is undeniably cathartic. It’s why he doesn’t share these exact feelings with them, since he knows they’re uncomfortable with being compared to her excessively. Still, he can’t help but note the comparison.)

Naturally, he’s also very happy to have a very useful partner for grooming Cerberus. That living nightmare turns into an overgrown puppy whenever MC’s around. It’s much easier, and much safer, to work with this way.

Plus, it means he gets some quality time with MC! And there’s nothing quite like the fond smiles they share with him during these moments.

Belphegor

He has got to be dreaming. No way is this actually happening— nope, Mammon just stepped on his foot, and that hurt, he’s awake.

WHAT THE FUCK?!

Does MC not fear death? Is that it? Did that part of their brain just completely shut down when he killed them?!

Unlike the others, he can’t really shut down his panic. Sure, right now Cerberus is acting all cuddly, but that could change on a dime. That dog only listens to Lucifer, and right now all Lucifer is doing is staring gormlessly at it!!!

He nearly loses his hand trying to pull MC away from the creature (which it naturally did Not appreciate).

“Belphie, wait! It���s okay,” MC reassures him even as smoke blows out of Cerberus’ nostrils.

They explain their history with the hellhound, how they rescued it as a puppy and then lost it to the angry and frightened people of their village.

Belphegor can’t help but recall their expression when he told them about his imprisonment, the outrage there mingling with a much older emotion. Is that why they were so quick to help him?

He’s still wary of Cerberus. He refuses to be fooled by any facades the creature may be putting up.

But one day, MC invites him to one of their “playdates”. Cerberus watches him like a hawk, growling when he first approaches, but MC just shushes and soothes the monster until it allows him closer.

And maybe, after a few tense minutes, the pair begin to relax around each other.

And maybe, Lucifer has a picture of MC and Belphegor curled up in Cerberus’ fur as the three take a mid-afternoon nap.

And maybe, Belphegor lets him keep it.

[revchainsaw]

The Lost Boys (1987)

The City of Santa Carla, CA has a vampire problem and that's just the sort of thing i've been looking for. We are amping up to Summerween my flock. What better way to get in the spirit of the season than with this 80s Vampire flick set in a balmy california beach town.

I can't lie, having just recently viewed the 1985 film Fright Night, it got me comparing the two so you may read some of my opinions comparing and contrasting The Lost Boys with it's predecessor. But where Fright Night is a classic vampire story brought into the then contemporary 1980s, the Lost Boys was the decades very own vampire film. Drawing from classic vampire films and the story of Peter Pan in equal parts the Lost Boys set the precedent that vampire films would draw from for years to come.

Sermon

The Emerson family falls on hard times financially and therefor moves to the town where Grandpa Emerson, the patriarch of the family grew up; Santa Carla, CA. The family has recently experienced a schism due to divorce, leaving the family unit as a grandfather, a mother and 2 sons, Michael and Sam.

Michael is quiet and masculine, his interests include fitness, motorcycles, and girls, while Sam is a bit more timid. Sam is into comic books and still can't sleep with his closet door open. The two begin to explore their surroundings, and while Sam meets the self-certain and precocious Frog brothers, self proclaimed Vampire hunters, Michael is lure by a young woman named Star into a group of predatory teenage vampire punks. Which let's face it, if they were to lean into the schlock, Teenage Vampire Punks would have been a great alternative title.

These Lost Boys as we'll call them seem to be led by David, played by Keifer Sutherland. David and his gang seek to initiate michael and through some manipulation trick him into drinking vampire blood disguised as wine. This turns Michael into a half vampire, who must fully give up his humanity to join the family.

Sam learns of his brothers transformation and after a little adjustment seeks the aid of the Frog brothers. They decide they must defeat the lead vampire to return Michael to normal, and astutely as we'll later find out (no spoiler warning, the movies almost 30 years old), pegs his mom's new boyfriend Max as the head Vamp. Max outwits the boys attempts to prove his vampirism, and thus they settle on the belief that David is the big bad.

The Frog brothers invade the Lost Boys hideout and kill Bill of Wyld Stallyns fame. They narrowly escape into the daylight before David can exact his revenge, but they know they have targets on their backs and they prepare themselves for a vampiric siege. The Lost Boys attack the Emersons and the Frog brothers and are defeated one by one. David is killed by Michael but no return to normalcy occurs. Max reveals himself to be the big bad, right before Grandpa Emerson returns and saves his family from this Peter Pan's Neverland. Grandpa hops out of his truck and delivers one of the greatest final zingers in film history.

The Benediction

Best Character: Did you know David means Beloved?

It's true look it up, it's Hebrew. David is the prototype for the young, rebellious, sexy vampire. It wasn't long after the lost boys that we got Spike in Buffy the vampire slayer, who is let's be honest just the 90's version of David. Spike my be a bit more of a lone wolf, but David is hands down the best character in this movie, and really what competition does he have other than the Frog brothers? Michael is kind of a lump, even if he's a lump who resembles Jim Morrison.

I am also going to include best actor into this category. All the charisma and charm falls on Kiefer Sutherland, as he acts circles around everyone else on screen. There's a reason the image of David is what you think of every time you think of this movie. He's not even the main antagonist of the movie. David is a great look, a scary vampire, a great actor in a great role.

Worst Character: Who's the Kid?

The first time I ever saw Lost Boys, i didn't understand how Michael and Star had a kid already. It was later that I realized he's just some kid. He doesn't really add anything but a cool looking image of a vampire faced little boy. Kind of a superfluous part. Not bad, just extra and unnecessary.

Best Kill: Death Breath (or Guard Dog on Duty)

The best kill of Lost Boys is when the Frog brothers defeat ... Paul? one of the other vampires besides David. Whoops did I say the Frog brothers defeated him? No, that was actually Nanook coming in for the kill. The Frog Bros fail to succesfully off this bloodsucker when Nanook barges into the bathroom and knocks this punk into a tub of Holy Water. The gore on the vamps face is excellent and probably some of the better practical effects work in the film.

Best Effect: Holy Water Works

While the Vampire melt itself is pretty darn good to look at, it's immediately followed by a volatile reaction that Sam Raimi would be proud of. The whole bathroom convulses and erupts with blood, it comes out of every pipe! the toilet explodes! It's awesome!

Best Aspect: Not your Big Brothers Vampire Movie

I had mentioned earlier that I had been comparing this movie to Fright Night, and as much as I love that older film, the Lost Boys beats it at almost every way. The effects in Fright Night are above bar constantly and hold nothing back, but the film for all of it's unrelenting visuals is actually quite slow. The Lost Boys and Fright Night definitely represent how much youth culture can change in just 2 years. You'd be forgiven for thinking these films take place in different decades. The Lost Boys is faster, has more attitude, and is much more adventurous in it's scope than Fright Night. If Fright Night was Judas Priest then the Lost boys is Iron Maiden. It's not as mature, but it's just that rebellious juvenility that gives it it's punch.

Worst Aspect: Mini Max

As far as big bads go. If I could make another comparison to Fright Night, it would be so much more intimidating the have a charming Jerry Dandridge playing his games with the Emersons, as his underlings The Lost Boys get the dirty work done and have fun doing it. However, we end up with this kind of dorky dude, who is even written off in the second act, only to return at the ass end of the movie just to be immediately slain and provide the but of the final quip. It was pretty weak sauce.

Best Dog: Nanook

Nanook is a good dog. He does all the protecting and is the best vampire hunter in the movie. Sorry Frog Bros.

Runner Up Dog: Thorn

Thorn is a good dog. But Thorn is also a bad dog. Thorn is a hellhound familiar to Max, but she is still good at doing dog stuff. So round of applause for this good girl.

Best make-up: Vampire Face

Fright Night stomps all over Lost Boys in the effects department, except for in the design of the horrific vampire face. The vampire face in Fright Night looks like a prosthetic sitting on an actors face. It doesn't feel like that mouth could be used for eating or biting but is just there to look creepy. In moving away from that the make up artists for the Lost boys focused more on the upper parts of the face, creating an almost cat like predatory look for when the vampires are at their most carnivorous. This style was absolutely borrowed by the team on Buffy the Vampire Slayer years later, and it's an aspect of Vampires in film that has sadly gone away. Sign the petition, let's bring back vampire face.

Best Feature: The Soundtrack

It would be impossible to talk about the Lost Boys without talking about the soundtrack. There's not one standout song in this movie, some may argue the Echo and the Bunnymen cover of People are Strange, but I think it's just one incredibly well utilized song of many for this film. Listen to the whole soundtrack, it's all good.

Summary

In the 80s there were several attempts to resurrect the monsters of old. Several directors who had grown up on the Universal monsters were now in the position to make films themselves. The resistance to rely on vampires and werewolves was fading and these sorts of monster movies were finally being green lit. Arguably, An American Werewolf in London is the best of these films, but the Lost Boys is definitely the most representative of the movement. It's not a satire, its funny but not a comedy, it's not parody or a subversion. The Lost Boys is 100% the definitive 80s Vampire Movie.

Grade: A

[silvermaplealder]

Hellhound Adventures: David Chapter 2

I'm making David suffer what I'm suffering through. Writing this is actually super duper helpful for me going through my puppy blues. I'll probably write one more chapter for David before moving onto the next boy and his pup! I might do little short snippets and spin offs depending on how I'm feeling since this is now my therapy lol.

Warning: David briefly mentions killing a puppy (he won't, I promise!), and then also mentions unaliving himself.

Chapter 2: David Hates Puppies

Word Count: 2400ish

Only Dwayne knew about what was happening. David and Dwayne had spent several nights collecting everything they needed for the new puppy. David didn’t want Paul and Marko to know about the puppy yet knowing that they would be too overwhelmed with excitement. The two vampires roamed through various pet stores and grabbed everything they needed. Puppy food, a crate, a playpen, various sized leashes, a collar, a harness, toys, and plenty of treats. The two of them even sought out a sidecar for David’s motorcycle for the pup to ride in. It was surprisingly easy to keep this all away from Paul and Marko by creating little lies. Dog bed? Prank on Paul. Collar and leash? David’s trying something new with a human friend. Dog crate? It was for Marko’s pigeons. The only thing he actually attempted to hide was the puppy food because that was the one thing that he didn’t have an excuse for. 

Finally, the night came to when the puppy would be picked up. David’s undead heart was overwhelmed with anxiety as he and Dwayne rode out to Stella’s house to pick up their new companion. 

You good? Dwayne asked telepathically, sensing the ungodly amounts of anxiety coming from his best friend. 

I’m not ready for this, David admitted as they rode through the dark back roads. I don’t know jack shit about puppies. 

Don’t worry, Dwayne said soothingly. There’s four of us and one puppy. I’m sure we can handle it. And Max can help if we’re too overwhelmed.  

David cast a nervous glance to Dwayne. The blonde was riddled with self doubt. I know, but what if I fuck up? What if it dies? What if- 

The “what ifs” is your anxiety talking, Dwayne responded. You gotta start somewhere. And we’re starting here. If Max thinks you’ll be a good dog dad then- 

Oh my god I’m a parent, David let out a small wince at the thought. A parent? At his age? Unbelievable. It was probably his eternal 20 year old brain that made him sick at the idea of being a parent. He still had so much of his life to live. Or well, undead life. 

With each passing minute David’s anxiety heightened to the point where he thought he’d have to pull over and vomit. 

How is it different than us? Dwayne asked softly. You basically vampire parented Paul, Marko, and I. And look how we turned out.

David clenched his jaw, forcing his anxiety to drop a little bit. It still wasn’t enough though. 

The two vampires arrived at Stella’s house. They turned off the engines of their bikes and dismounted. Dwayne waited patiently for David to muster up the strength to walk to the door. A week ago, David was ready to just waltz into the cave with a puppy in tow. But now that it was a reality and he saw just how much work goes into it, he was scared. 

David approached the door, but he didn’t have to knock before the door swung open and Stella was on the other side. “Well hello David!” She purred. “Are you ready to take home your little girl?” 

He inclined his head, a smirk playing on his face. Outwardly he looked confident and collected, but Dwayne knew deep down he was one second away from collapsing in a puddle on the floor. 

Stella brought the two vampires to the whelping box. Already two other puppies were missing, leaving just five left. David bent down and instantly the blue collared pup ran over, tail wagging. She bounced up against the edge of the pen and he scooped her up. She quickly snuggled against his chest as he held her close. “Max already handled the bill,” Stella explained. “But I do have this for you.” She handed Dwayne a folder. “It has the paperwork from the veterinarian. I use Marty Cooper for any vet work. He’s one of the few hellhound vets in the area.”

“Got it,” David said, the words going in one ear and out the other. He was so focused on the small puppy that nothing else in life was real anymore. 

Stella gave Dwayne a small bag of food to take home and a blanket that smelled like the mother dog. “The blanket will be a good comfort item for her. It’s her first time being alone from her mom and littermates in her whole life. She’ll need some time to adjust. Give her up to around 3 weeks until she feels adjusted to you and your household. And you can always reach out to me if you have any questions.” 

“Of course,” Dwayne said, speaking for David who was mesmerized by the puppy. The brunette had to help corral David outside back to his motorcycle. 

David set the little puppy in the side car. Her bright eyes stared back up at him. “Well ain’t she the cutest-” 

She put her paws up on the edge and whimpered. 

“Don’t cry,” he tried to sooth. The little puppy began to whine louder. 

David dug through the one saddlebag on his bike and pulled out the harness and leash. Getting the harness on her took the two of them to keep her from bouncing out of it before they could buckle it. They tied the leash to the seat to keep her from jumping out, but it was clear she was distressed. “What do I do?” David asked to Dwayne, the residential ‘father’ figure of the group. 

Dwayne tilted his head. “Nothing you can do. She’s scared, David. It’s her first time away from everything she knows. We should take the ride home slow, and don’t be surprised if she cries the whole time.” 

----

Dwayne was right. She did cry the whole time. The intensity of her squeals was enough for David to rethink if he did the right thing of getting a puppy. Once he stopped the motorcycle, he untied the makeshift seatbelt and picked her up. Her whimpers died down and she snuggled right into him. He exhaled knowing that the wailing was over… for now. 

“Can’t believe her,” David mumbled. 

“Did you do any research before getting her or…?” Dwayne asked casually. 

“Fuck off. I did,” David snapped back. While he did do some research, he didn’t do it well. He pretty much only read up on what they could and couldn’t eat. The basics of teaching ‘sit’ and ‘down’. Everything else he figured couldn’t be harder than vampire pups. 

The two vampires carried the little puppy into the cave. Paul and Marko were both lounging around doing their own things. Laddie was playing a card game with Star. The four other residents didn’t even bat an eye as David and Dwayne walked in. 

“Boys,” David’s voice echoed, getting everyone’s attention. “We have a new member of our gang.” He looked down to the puddle of puppy in his arms. 

Paul and Marko sat bolt upright, their eyes widening. “Holy shit!” Marko gasped. “A puppy! You got a puppy!” There was a mess of limbs as the two blonde vampires tumbled and shoved each other to get to David first. David hunched his shoulders to protect the puppy from their sudden appearance. 

“Puppy!” Laddie shouted, putting his cards down and joining the others. 

David showed the large eyed puppy to his companions. “She’s a hellhound. I met her last week and decided that we could use a protector for our cave.” 

Star hesitantly joined the rest of the crew. “And when do you expect her to be protecting the home, hm?” She asked. “Have you ever had a puppy before?” 

David shrugged. “We’ll show her the ropes and I’m sure it’s all instinct from there.” 

“Puppies take a lot of work, David,” Star commented. “It takes two years for a puppy to fully mature. And you'll need to train her. And socialize her. It's not all puppy cuddles." 

"Didn't realize we invited Debby Downer to the party," Marko teased. 

Star shot him a stern look. "My family was notorious for bringing home animals all the time," she snapped back. "I know a thing or two about raising a puppy. And it's going to take a lot of patience and work." 

"I've raised other vampires before," David commented. Paul and Marko had him surrounded, petting the overwhelmed puppy. "This can't be as hard." 

Star nervously crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm just saying… good luck." 

-----

David didn't believe Star at first. Why, he had raised all the over vampires in the cave and it wasn't too hard. Sure he had to deal with the vampire biting and the aggression and attitude problems. He didn't see how such a sleepy, young puppy could cause such chaos.

But the puppy- who he tenderly named Elsinore (after the 1910 earthquake near lake Elsinore), proved her right. It took her a couple days to adjust to the cave. While Paul and Marko wanted to help with the puppy as much as possible, it was clear that Elsinore preferred David. She cried endlessly for his attention. In her crate she howled unless he was beside her. After a while he made a nest on the floor where he slept so she could be with him. Which- he didn't understand. She was to be his day time protector and yet she slept not only the whole day, but a majority of the night too. 

David was exhausted after the first week. He felt like he was taking care of a toddler. She needed constant supervision even while sleeping otherwise she'd wake up and cause chaos. She was too nervous to venture further out from the cave unless David held her. Even then, she'd bury her face in his chest and whimper. 

David assigned Marko and Paul to watch her as he left for Max’s house. He needed to get some answers. 

The blonde vampire wasted no time getting to Max’s house. He flew to save on time. David burst through the front door, resulting in Thorn’s barking. “Thorn!” Max’s house called out from the living room. “David, you could knock,” the elder vampire added. David followed the sounds to the living room where his sire and his hellhound were relaxing. “How's your little girl doing?” Max asked. 

David put his hands on his hips. “How’s she doing,” he mocked. “She’s the spawn of satan.” 

“That’s what it’s like having a puppy,” Max commented. 

David stalked over towards the couch and collapsed on it. He propped up his boots on Max’s coffee table. Max’s lips twisted in a frown as he saw the spurs touch his beautiful wooden table. “You didn’t warn me about the other shit.” 

“I thought you did your research,” Max stated. “Having a puppy is more than just cuddles and cuteness. They’re living creatures that need love and attention, but also enrichment.” 

“She screams almost every goddamn second that I’m away from her. I can’t leave the cave to go hunting because she screams. Can’t go to the boardwalk, she screams. When does it stop?” David pinched the bridge of his nose. The bags under his eyes were more noticeable than usual. He was exhausted. 

Max adjusted his glasses. “Well, it takes a lot to raise a puppy. It’s like having a toddler. She bonded with you and now you need to take care of her.” 

“I’m tired, Max. I’m exhausted. I’m about ready to punt kick her off the cliff- in a loving manner,” he added. 

“Welcome to the puppy blues,” Max stated. He motioned over to the mantle above his fireplace. “Grab a bottle and take a seat. Let’s talk.” David did as he directed, which was a first. He grabbed the nicest bottle of whiskey and dropped onto the white leather couch again. Max inhaled deeply. “I know everything is quite overwhelming right now, but it does get better. It really does. Puppies are like toddlers. They need sleep, love, and food.” 

“I need sleep, love, and food,” David growled. 

Max rose his eyebrows. “You’re an adult, she’s not. Puppies need between 18 to 20 hours of sleep a day. That’s a lot of sleep, and you need to make sure that she gets those hours in. That means, you should only be interacting with her for around five hours a day. Sleep deprived puppies will result in the unwanted behaviors that you’ve been experiencing.” 

“It’s like she doesn’t want to sleep,” he argued. 

“She will, you just have to help her realize that.” Max motioned to the crate in the corner of the room. “Put her in her crate for a nap. Make sure she’s comfortable with it and she’ll be happy to nap any time you put her in it.” 

Just from Max’s motion, Thorn rose and trotted to his crate. The senior hellhound laid down and placed his chin on his paws. 

“How long did it take Thorn to learn that?” David asked. 

“Months, David. A good hellhound will be ready for work at around two years old. In the meantime, you’ve got to get the groundwork started for her.” Max could see the light dying in David’s eyes. He sat forward on the couch and stared at his eldest son. “David- this will pass. The puppy blues don’t last forever. She won’t be a puppy forever.” 

“Good. Can’t wait till she’s not a puppy. Better yet, can’t wait till she’s ready to retire,” David growled. “I’ll never get a hellhound again.” 

“Well, then why don’t you look at this situation as a learning experience? You’ll never get another hellhound again, so what’s the harm in spending the time now while you have a puppy? No more pups after this one. Might as well enjoy your time with her.” 

David ground his teeth and sighed. “I suppose so. Never again though Max.” 

“Everyone gets the puppy blues, David. Everyone feels overwhelmed when they get their first puppy. It’s a lot of stress all piled up onto your shoulders. You’re not alone, David. Think about how many others are going through this with you right now. There are six other vampires out there that purchased her littermates. Maybe you should reach out to the other puppy buyers and spend time with them?” 

“I’d rather just throw myself off the cliff, thanks.” David sighed. His chest was tight with uncontrollable anxiety as he took a swig from the bottle. He needed it to settle all of his worries. 

Max frowned. “Remember David, this will pass. Everything will get better as she grows. Stay strong my boy.” 

-----------------

Tags: @misslavenderlady

[supernatural-freek]

Knife To My Throat

Dean x Sister!Reader, Sam x Sister!Reader

Synopsis: Hello! I have a very angsty request!!! Winchesters x sister!reader. The reader is the boy's half sibling and always seems to be forgotten. She goes through memories of them forgetting about her for early years to present. [Never picked up from school, left behind on a hunt, having to clean up after them,stuck with research,chores,ect.] It makes her snap when she was put in a life threatening situation[kidnapped for a couple of months] and they didn't even notice she was not in the bunker.

NOTE: This is a lot sadder than I thought it would be, I’m so sorry. I’m also sorry if this wasn’t quite what you were looking for but once I started I couldn’t stop and- I mess around with the ages too, so don't worry about the canon ages.

There is a trigger warning for this one. It’s not the happiest of one shots.

REQUESTED

MASTERLIST

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Your life passes in snapshots.

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You’re 12, the product of something between your mom and a man whose two sons stare at you with blatant resentment. You’ve slandered something, soiled someone’s image or reputation. They’ve come to your school, you see, and they know who you are. They don’t take you with them when they leave, and you’re not sad to see them go.

When you tell your mom that the Winchester boys can’t possibly be your brothers, she laughs sadly until she starts crying and holds you tightly throughout the night.

.

She dies when you’re 14, two years after Sam and Dean had taken one look at you and decided that didn’t want you. Someone contacts John, and you hear the Impala before you see it. It’s a majestic beast, big and proud and growling. You desperately want to touch it.

John does’t let you stay for the funeral. He’s not being cruel, he’s just gotta get back to something. You sit in the back with Sam while Dean sits in the front with John.

“I don’t really hate you,” Sam whispers, sneaking you a lolly. You take it shyly. Sam smiles. “I’m Sam.”

“I know,” you say, and his smile grows instead of wavering, and you know that things won’t be too bad if Sam’s around.

.

Sam leaves when you’re 16, a teenage girl who’s prone to flinching at sudden movements but can stand next to a firing gun and have a spine of steel. Sam storms out the front door in a flurry of anger and deadly hate. John shouts something about not coming back, and Sam shouts back that he doesn’t care, and then the door slams.

He doesn’t say goodbye.

Dean comes to your bed that night, wordlessly asking for comfort. You roll over and let him lie next to you before you’re cuddling in to his side and crying as silently as you can. Dean’s body shakes, but the darkness hides if he’s got tears too. You fall asleep like that, and when you wake up, Dean’s already moving around the room and there’s no way to tell if last night had been real.

When you, Dean and John pile into the Impala, you think that it’s awful lonely in the backseat.

You miss your brother.

.

You’re almost 18 when you and John have your first real fight. You’ve argued before, fuck knows John can’t be around another living thing without arguing with it, but this time there’s a slap from you and a threat from him and Dean has to step in the middle.

He picks John over you. 

You can’t say it doesn’t hurt, but it’s expected. You stare at them, so alike in their feelings and their actions and their pain, and you scoff and shake your head and say, “I hate this family.”

“You aren’t hunting, Y/N, and that’s final!”

“And why not?” You shout back, and Dean groans because here you both go again. It’s the same argument you’ve just finished, but the anger is still rippling under your skin so you don’t walk away. “Am I just some glorified nurse? Here to clean up the messes?”

“You weren’t supposed to be my responsibility,” John seethes. He’s said it before. It doesn’t really hurt much anymore. “I’ve already lost Sam because of this life. I won’t lose you too.”

You give up fighting. It’s too tiring. You can’t be bothered.

.

When you’re 19, Dean comes back half-dead and without John.

You keep calm and stitch him back together again, going through too much alcohol and too many strips of cloth. You run out of dental floss for stitches, but you make fucking do, because if Dean dies on your watch, you may as well die too.

He’s not coherent the whole time he’s with you, mumbling about ghouls and blood and John, but you can’t spare a second to worry about John now, not if you want Dean to live. You manhandle him, pretending that he’s just drunk and not concussed and bleeding out. 

“Fuck you,” you hiss at him as you cover him with the sheets on the bed, sitting by his side as he sinks into a troubled sleep. “You problematic fuck.”

John doesn’t come back until three days later. He’s not horribly injured, but the claw mark on his chest has smeared blood all over his front and he looks like death incarnate. He sees Dean, still unconscious on the bed, and grunts, settling into the seat at the table and closing his eyes.

“Fucking ghoul,” he sighs, and then you’re attacking him with whatever medical supplies you have left.

Dean wakes up the next day, takes the keys, and drives you and John far away from that little town. You never tell him that you left your story book on the bedside table. 

It had been the last thing you’d had of your mothers.

.

You’re 22 when Sam truly settles back into hunting. 

You know he misses Jess, know that he’s got too much weight on his shoulders, know that he wants to find Dad just so he can go back to pretending he doesn’t miss his old life. But he settles into it after a while, sitting in the front seat with Dean. 

It’s still lonely in the back.

.

You’re 23 when John dies. 

Dean and Sam are without injuries. You have a broken arm that doesn’t get properly treated before you’re leaving the hospital in the dust, the taste of ash still on your tongues.

.

Everything goes to shit when you’re 24. There’s something about Sam, him being a Chosen One, and Dean says that John had wanted him to kill your brother, and it’s all so confusing. You know about the visions, and you trust the visions, but then Sam and the other kids like him are mutating into something else and you’re afraid.

You know it’s the Demon, good old Yellow-Eyes, but you don’t matter to him. You don’t matter to anybody. Bobby sees you sometimes, but that’s because Bobby is an old soul in an old body and knows what it is to be in the background.

Ellen sees you too, but only because you remind her of Jo. “Don’t let them boys walk all over you,” Ellen tells you one day, when you’re sitting at the counter at the Roadhouse after the boys had taken off on one of their adventures without remembering you. “Honey, you aren’t a doormat.”

“I’m not much of anything,” you tell her and then you finish your beer and motion for another.

.

You’re 25 when Sam dies and Dean sells his soul and leaves you with two brothers who are forever tainted with the cold tang of death.

Dean shoots the Demon.

You’re 25 when you look at schooling options for adults.

.

The Hellhounds come for Dean sometime after you turn 26, and you have nightmares about Sam’s cries and Dean’s blood until you have to start taking extreme measures, like pills and alcohol and concussions.

You and Sam crash at Bobby’s house once, and you sleep easier than you have since your brother went to Hell. 

When you wake up, Sam is gone and he doesn’t come back. Bobby looks at you with pitiful eyes, but you keep your head down and make yourself a list of permanent chores to do just so you have a purpose and won’t have to kill yourself.

.

Dean comes back while you’re still 26. You’ve given up on schooling, which is good, because Dean wants to look for Sam, and you have to scramble to get in the back seat of the Impala before he takes off with a squeal of the tires.

Bobby sits in the front. It’s not any less lonely in the back. You seem to care less now, and you wonder if it’s because the nightmares have sucked out your soul and no you’re just hollow and beaten and sad, and you don’t care anymore that your brothers don’t really care about you.

.

Sam causes the Apocalypse. You’re turning 28 the next day.

.

You meet Cas when you’re 28, but you aren’t important so he doesn’t see you. The angels don’t see you, your brothers don’t see you, and Bobby loses sight of you somewhere along the way. You slip through the cracks.

You go on a hunt on your own and it goes fine. 

You’re disappointed that you don’t die.

.

You’re 29 when Sam jumps in the Pit with Lucifer and Michael. Cas isn’t God, and you aren’t important enough for anybody to take as leverage. Zachariah had taken Adam and Sam, but he hadn’t taken you and that should tell you to quit while you’re ahead, but you’ve already decided you’re a lot cause with school and there’s nowhere else for you to go. 

Dean goes to Lisa and Ben. Cas disappears. You float around and you pretend you have purpose. You think your name becomes a legend amongst the hunters. Something about you being a ghost, here one moment and gone the next. 

You’re too cold to cry, really.

.

You’re 30 when you attempt to kill yourself and fail.

.

Nobody comes to get you until you’re 32. Sam loses and gains his soul in that time. There’s someone named Samuel. There’s Alpha monsters and Death and walls in minds that shatter far too easily, and then Cas is the new God, but he’s sick.

You run into the boys on a hunt. Dean says your name with the reverence of someone who has seen God and laughed. He talks to you, and it’s nice, and then he tells you about Leviathans and Cas and your heart breaks and you crawl into the back seat of the Impala and stare out the window.

Hunters still talk about the Ghost.

Dean doesn’t know that it’s you.

.

You’re 33 when Dean and Cas go to Purgatory, and you’re 34 when Dean comes back.

You’re 33 when Cas comes back, too.

.

You’re 35 when Metatron casts the angels out of Heaven and Sam fails the Trials. It’s a mess, but there’s Kevin and the Bunker, and the angels falling look like dying stars and it’s oddly beautiful.

Kevin likes you. It’s strange because Kevin doesn’t really like anybody else. You think that its nice to be seen, but then there’s Crowley and demons and your brothers are important again and you quietly make enough food that nobody stares and clean up afterwards. 

Your room stays bare. Nobody comments. You don’t think Sam or Dean could point out which room you claimed as your own anyway.

.

You’re 37 when Dean gets the Mark of Cain. It’s scary and it makes him into something harsher and more unstable. You try and keep quiet around him, because he seems almost hyper-aware of you now and he keeps eyeing you.

You make food and you do beer runs because that’s the role that they accept, and that’s the role you know. Charlie braids your hair once. It feels like something a sibling would do.

.

The Darkness brings Mary back when you’re 38. 

Mary looks at you once, understands who you are and what you represent, and then she turns to her boys and smiles. You are 39 years old in a world that doesn’t want you, and you’re invisible to everybody in the damn room.

You can’t harbour any anger for Mary though.

You’re just so unbearably tired.

.

You’re on the cusp of turning 39 when someone steals you off the road when you’re waiting for the boys to come out from questioning a witness. You don’t know who they are, but you know they want information on your brothers, they want someone to experiment with.

They want a hunter.

They want the Ghost.

Torture becomes old soon enough, so they play mind games. It takes them a while to adapt to your apathy though, but once they understand that forcing you to imagine your brothers being nice hurts more than making you think they hated you, things get going.

You don’t talk. But you hurt.

You hurt, you hurt, you hurt.

.

You’re 39 when you make your escape, killing everybody there and returning to the Bunker covered in blood and wounds and you are afraid.

“What the fuck,” Dean says in a tight voice as you stumble down the stairs. Cas is already charging towards you, a glowing hand held out. You flinch away. but he’s persistent, and your wounds close slowly. “Y/N?”

Sam stares at you with wide eyes. You stare back without saying anything. Cas gently brushes his hand over your shoulder. You croak miserably and he pulls away.

“Where were you?” Dean asks.

(You’re 39 when you realise that nobody had noticed you were gone.)

You turn away, intent on going back to your plain little room, but someone holds your arm and you can’t take the touch. “Stop,” you beg and whoever is holding you lets you go. 

“What-” Sam gets cut off by the guttural wail that rips from your throat.

“I was gone for months!” You seethe, voice cracking and rasping. You are 39 and you are breaking, breaking, breaking. “You didn’t come for me, you’ve never come for me.”

The Ghost, the Ghost, the Ghost.

“I am nothing and I am nobody, but I should have been somebody  and you took that from me and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now.”

Cas reaches for you again. “Let me ease your troubles,” he says and fingers touch your forehead and nothing happens. “You are in too much pain.” he murmurs. “I am sorry.”

“So am I,” you whisper, and then you turn away from your brothers and you go to your plain little room.

.

You are 39 and half-Winchester when you press a gun to your temple and pull the fucking trigger.

[writing-things-by-me]

Dean and Sam's adventures

Dean and his little brother, in age only, Sam had been talking about closing the Gates of Hell and then trying to figure out if there is anything on the angel tablet to close the doors to heaven as well. The angels just caused too much trouble when they came down and caused too much harm. The boys were leaning back against their, well when I say their, I mean Dean’s beloved 1967 Black Chevy Impala. She has been through everything with them. She was their home when they didn’t have one. She is the only companion they have had all their lives when everyone else leaves them. Whether anyone means to leave or not, She has been through their heartbreak and sorrow. She has been through the pain of losing each other and the ecstasy of finding each other again.She has seen them in the soft joy of falling in love with others without meaning to and finding the other to hope they can always meet here again after a hard time hunting or fighting the other angels. She was a part of the family whether she is inanimate or not. She has been rebuilt from almost scratch with the loving care of the eldest brother she carries with her.

This hunt they were taking on was a particular easy one that Dean didn’t like one bit. He of course thought it was too easy to just sit here watching the doors for activity and hope no one sees them. As if they were the boogeyman to all the monsters they have to fight to save people. They did have some easy cases in the past but this was suspiciously too easy. Sam didn’t think so. He just wanted to get it over with and keep going with the newest project he was working on. One of the vampire case’s that was easy was that one time with Benny and when Dean had the Mark of Cain but that was a whole other story. What usually happens in these scenarios is they get caught and ruffed up before they inevitably escape and kill the nest but no one has come or gone from the building yet.

Just when Dean was gonna give up and go bursting in he heard some shouting and the sounds of a fight breaking out inside the building. Just then a couple burst through the barn door of the abandoned building and into the night around them. Dean was quietly watching and slowly opening the car door so as to not cause attention to turn to them as the two were starting to get rougher with each other. It seemed like one was starting to get fed up when her fangs could be vaguely seen gleaming in the moonlight from being bared at the other. The boys quickly got out with their weapons and made to run over to help when Dean felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. As he whirled around to attack, he got a fist full of brass knuckles to the face. He heard Sam cry out through the ringing in his head and as he turned to look over he saw Sam say his name. As he was fighting to keep his eyes open, he saw the couple weren’t fighting anymore and saw them looking over with smug smiles through his blurry vision.

“Damn, this was a setup.” was Dean’s last thought as he finally lost the battle with the darkness encroaching on his vision. When Dean was finally coming to he could feel himself sitting down with some rough ropes tying him to a pole. He could feel his arms starting to cramp from being tied in this position for so long. He tried to wiggle around to see what weapons he still had on him when he could see Sam sitting to the right of him with his head still falling against his chest. “Sam!” Dean exclaimed to see if he would answer.

He didn’t and the only thing Dean got was the attention of the Vampire’s who were on guard duty apparently. The man who was fighting earlier turned to see what he heard and noticed that Dean was awake again. “Hey! He’s up. We can’t have that. It’s not time yet.” He slowly, arrogantly, walked over with a swing in his hips. He crouched and smiled cockily and whispered “Nighty night Winchester.” He used to butt of the machete that Dean had brought to hit his temple and knock him out again. When he woke again he could feel the headache and possible concussion he had. He could hear some mumbling in the background as he was trying to gain his bearings again. When he could finally lift his head without feeling the room spinning nauseatingly he looked over to see Sam looking at him full of concern and with some fury mixed in.

He looked around the room to see if he could find his weapons stashed anywhere. He could see they were all piled in the hammock a few paces from him. He felt the slow simmering anger from all his things being carelessly tossed away. He felt around to see if the hidden pocket knife he had made from a melted angel blade was still in his sleeve's hidden pocket. He sent a small smug smile to Sam that his idea worked out and was actually useful. Sam exasperatedly rolled his eyes and started to work it out of his sleeve as well. “Ha! Beat that Sam.” Dean thought as he started to cut his ropes as quietly as he could as to not draw attention like he did last time. When Dean was almost finished he signaled Sam knowing he would understand the unspoken cues they have between them. Sam started to yell and make a nuisance of himself so Dean could finish and they could finally leave. Sam knowing how this would end started to brace himself for the punches and Dean tried and failed to concentrate on his part to get them out.

“I am gonna kill that vampire and make it hurt.” Dean quietly vowed to himself as he slunk over to the hammock with their weapons. He grabbed the machete he always kept in his car stash and started his swinging and beheading his way to his brother. With the other vampire’s were occupied with his brother, he could see the others starting to cheer and turn their attention to the empty pole he was supposed to be tied to. The brief surprise and panicked horror he saw in their eyes didn’t make up for what happened but it satisfied that dark part in the back of his heart. It wanted him to keep going to make them realize just exactly how they were messing with. That there was a reason that the Winchesters were considered terrifying to the monster realm and why if you heard they were near you could only run or get caught. Some called them psychopaths and they were right but only for the monsters of the night that hurt humans.

They finally turned to try and find him and that is the last that some of them saw but for others they saw a very pissed off overprotective brother coming straight for them. No one was allowed to mess with Sam but him. Before he could stop him, one of the vampires that was in the back of the pack took out a gun and shot Sam in the leg. Sam let out a wail of anguish and the vampire started cackling thinking he would make it out with Dean being distracted by Sam. Either he was having too much fun or he just wasn’t that great of a vampire to miss his nest mates heads hitting the ground with a dull ‘thud’ behind him. Dean saw him start to turn around and before he decided to do the whole evil villain monologue he swiftly chopped his head from his shoulders.

“SAM! Hey, you’re gonna be okay. Got it?” Dean worriedly exclaimed as he tried to finish what Sam started earlier before he got injured by the vampire. “Yea. Peachy keen Dean. Just you know, the pain is a lot at the moment.” Sam hissed through clenched teeth and a pinched face trying to jostle the wound too much. His eyelids were starting to battle him trying to close and sleep to preserve energy for healing but he stubbornly tried to keep them so as to not worry Dean too much. He knew Dean would become a mother hen over him more than he already was. “Hey! Come one Sam, don't close your eyes. You know how rude that is?” Dean worriedly scolded him. “You fall asleep on me and I'm gonna mess your computer! Put porn all over it and change your background to some blue waffles if you don’t stay awake.” He taunted using Sam’s precious computer as a threat against him. He started to get desperate with Sam not answering him.

He quickly and carefully as he could picked Sam up and kicked open the barn door from earlier to get back to the car. He knew he wouldn’t be able to open the door with Sam in his arms so he could only lay him out on the hood and hope that didn’t hurt too much. He ran around the side and collected the limited first aid kit he kept in his car. As much as he wanted to whine that they kept his car doors open for a couple hours he guiltily thanked them because it allowed him to get the supplies he needed. He wrapped Sam’s leg with what bandages he had before he went to open the car doors to put Sam in the backseat. Once he successfully got Sam in he stumbled into the front and peeled out as if he had hellhounds on his ass.

Thankfully or not, depending on the perspective, the nest they were hunting wasn’t that far from their bunker. Without taking his eyes off the round, Dean squirmed around to get his phone out of his pocket and called up Cas, who was busy sorting some books in the library. Dean sighed waiting for the ringing to stop when he heard “Hello? Dean? What is it?” cooking over the phone. “Cas. Sam’s hurt. Be ready for us. We’re almost there.” Dean hung up as soon as he was done talking, meanwhile Cas was in a bit of a stupor before he jolted and turned back and forth unable to decide what to get first or where to go.

While Dean was counting on Cas being his Calm warrior of heaven, he was in actuality running around like a headless chicken both dreading and apprehensive of Dean's arrival. Cas was no longer an angel but he hasn't had a chance to tell Dean yet. He won’t be able to heal Sam like he knew Dean would demand of him like he has so many times in the past. The battle between the Angels of heaven and the Hunters of earth was where the deed happened. He gave up being an angel. He didn’t want to be just this destructive force of God. He didn’t just want to be a Warrior when he felt he could be more than that. He knew the Brothers kept him around for his friendship and because they considered him family. That was enough for him. He knew it would have to be enough because he didn’t know what he would do if it wasn’t. He didn’t want to lose Dean but this might finally be the weight that breaks the camel's back and have everything come crumbling down around him.

While the battle had raged on he quickly grew tired. These were his brothers and sisters he was having to kill. They didn’t have the same relationship with him like Dean had with Sam but he still couldn’t help but feel distressed. He didn’t want to die an angel and not be able to see the brothers again. He wanted, yearned, to be human and live out his life with them. With Dean. If he would have him, but he knew it couldn’t be so he settled for what they have now. He wanted to grow old, cranky and gruff like how Bobby had been. He wanted to inform other hunters who called on potential nearby hunts or help with the distribution of information. He wanted to research monsters, to let others know how and with what they need to kill said monsters. That’s all he wants. He is so tired of killing family no matter how distant they are because they don’t understand his need to live amongst the humans. The blood that has collected on Castiel’s hands is too much for him anymore.

‘BANG BANG’ Cas heard from the warded door of the entrance to the bunker. He shook his head to dispel his thoughts. He didn’t have time for that now he chastised himself. He rushed up the metal staircase to get to the door and open it for Dean. “Cas gonna need your help here. Sam is too much for me. I can’t hold him for much longer.” Dean forced out under the strain of holding Sam. Cas quickly takes Sam as to relieve Dean of the weight and takes him carefully back to lay him down on the war room table. He rushes back to the kitchen and grabs the first aid kit all the while hoping Dean doesn’t ask him to heal Sam. As he comes back through the door he could tell that his fears were correct since Dean was looking calmer than he should with Sam injured as he is. Dean goes around the table to take the kit form Cas and gives voice to the very thing Cas was hoping he wouldn’t say. “Alright Cas! Why did you get this? Just go work your mojo on Sammy.” Dean started confusedly before clapping his hands in a manner that suggests he has to hurry up.

Cas could feel the distress and guilt that is showing on his face because Dean’s face is starting to show a dawning sense of comprehension that only he could understand about Cas. “I’m sorry Dean. I am, truly. But I no longer can anymore. I'm no longer an angel. I’m sorry I didn't tell you before but I..” Cas trailed off as he could feel the shame burning on his face as he tried to continue. “Cas.” Dean chokes out through gritted teeth and a scowling face. “Why didn't you tell me this before? Do you just not trust me anymore? Were you ever going to say anything? You know what never mind. We don’t have time for this. I have to help Sam.” Dean brusquely replied, moving around Cas to get to Sam. Cas tilted his head down at the dismissal and quietly helped Dean with what he needed when there was a ringing noise and white light coming from the end of the table almost under the stairs.

They could both see a figures silhouette in the light becoming clearer with every step they take. A hand comes through followed by a foot with leg coming through after. They can clearly see a person coming through, though not who, it becomes increasingly obvious as the light and noise begins to dim again and disappear. Chuck strides through the last of the dying portal light and strolls up to Sam to lay a hand on him when Dean, the ever overprotective brother that he is, whips out his gun and aims it at the intruder with a steady hand. “Put a hand on him and you can say goodbye to your meat suit.” Grits out and looks over to Cas to see why he hasn’t moved to defend Sam. Only to see Castiel look like he was about to cry and was just barely holding back from falling to his knees. “Father?” Cas croaked out from where he was standing.

Chuck slowly raised his hands when Dean turned his gun on him but he slowly turned to look at Cas with the small smile he has on his face as he faces his favorite son. “Castiel, My Son.” Chuck warmly counters to Cas’s words. “What- God?” Dean shrewdly mumbles at the exchange that just happened in front of him. Chuck looks to Dean and then pointedly at the gun still pointed at him though it has lowered slightly in Dean's surprise. Chuck slowly lowers his hands again and brings them to rest delicately on the slowly growing bloodstain on his pant leg. He closed his eyes but that did nothing to hide the light that visibly shines from beneath them. His palms glows with restrained power that illuminates Sam’s injury and shows it slowly closing, by what it seems like, itself. Sam groans as his face is quickly gaining the color it had lost since the injury was first inflicted upon him. “Don’t mess with my computer Dean.” Sam coughs out as he slowly sits up from the table.

Castiel slowly, unsteadily, walks over to the man he claims is his Father and cautiously puts his hand out to push lightly at the shoulder. Chuck watches with a warmth to his eyes in the face of his son’s caution. “Castiel. I need to speak with you.” He says slowly watching the emotions flit across the face of his son. Feeling the imminent emotional overload from his son he casually stops time with a wave of his hand, not unlike how Gabriel and his signature snaps, and watches as Castiel falls to his knees. “Father.” Castiel chokes out to caught up in the emotions caught in his throat to speak properly. “I’m sorry for the destruction I have wreaked across heaven. For the blood I spilt on earth trying to be a God when I wasn't one. I was just an Angel to hopped up on soul power to see how I was hurting others.” Castiel managed to choke out before the hitch in his breathing was too much and he could feel the hitching in his breath coming out fast.

“My Son. It is okay. You feel the regret and you know what you did wasn’t okay. I healed Sam and I came with a question for you. I plan to close the gates of heaven so you boys won’t have to. I am bringing the angels who want to come back and letting anyone else stay if that is what they choose. But I am giving them the choice despite them not quite understanding that yet.” He said slowly, shaking his head looking exasperated with the other angels. Chuck takes Castiel's arms in his and they slowly rise as Castiel gets his breathing back under control again. When he sees that Castiel is more or less okay, he waved his hand and restarted time again to allow the brothers to hear this part of the conversation.

Castiel slowly looks back at the brothers who are looking at the father son duo with twin looks of concern on their face. Castiel looks back at Chuck with a look of deep concentration on his face before they could all see the determination push through the other emotions and he opens his mouth to respond “No father. I don’t want to go back to heaven unless it's after the death of my human life. I want to live here with Dean, and Sam. I want to be a Winchester and hunt with the Winchesters. They have helped me understand humanity better than I ever could just by watching from afar in heaven. I can make choices for myself whether it be good or bad. I can choose to love or I could choose to dislike things and not be punished for it. I don’t have to be a warrior unless I choose to. I could be a healer or informant. I can be whatever I want and to be with who I want if they would have me.” Castiel was exclaiming and excited gesturing with his whole body even though he didn’t move very much.

“Alright My Son. If that is what you want.” Chuck said with a small fond smile playing at the edge of his lips. He hoped Dean would hurry up and get a move on and claim his son already. He vanished in a blink of light and reappeared in heaven where he recalled all his wayward children. He closed the doors of heaven to all but the souls allowed in the gates and sat back on his throne to wait for his human son to live here with him again with his new family. He smiled when he felt them join his domain and made sure they could share a heaven with the rest of their family that has beaten them here to his warm embrace.

[talesmaniac89]

Choices - Dean Ending - 3

New to Choices? Start Here

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Summary: Choices is an interactive Supernatural choose your own adventure story where your choices determine the outcome and whether it’s a Dean x Reader or Sam x Reader. Go to the intro to start your story now!

Triggers: Angst (but with happy ending), Serious injury, threat of death (no death), pain, violence, blood, gore (series levels blood, hurt and injuries).

Choice: [You chose to try and confess]

Y/N = Your Name | Y/H/C = Your Hair Colour

---

You had to tell him. Maybe it was selfish, but you couldn’t risk dying without him knowing. At least so he knew you wouldn’t stand for him adding any guilty burdens to his shoulders from your stupid mistake. He needed to know… That you loved him, and that you wanted him to be happy. 

He had to know. To stop him from doing something foolish if he couldn’t save you. Stop him from wandering to crossroads in some self-sacrificing attempt to get you back that would just end up killing you again once the hellhounds came for him. 

“De…” Your voice broke over the single syllable name. You couldn’t get the words out past the coppery flavour of your own blood in your mouth. You could only grit your teeth as Dean’s arms changed their grip on you to put pressure on your wound. His hard, warm palms sending new shots of searing pain through you.

“Shhh… It’s ok,” Dean’s voice was barely a tremble, his hand pressing against your side shaking as he kept his eyes on you. Willing you with his green eyes alone to keep yours open. 

“No, Dean I…” You tried again, speaking through the searing pain that tore at your throat, threatening to replace it with choked sobs of agony. He had to let you speak. You needed to tell him, and you were running out of time. 

“You’re good (Y/N), you’ll be ok… Just… Cas!” The name of the angel came out as less of a shout and more like a strangled gasp as Dean’s eyes left yours to look up on the grimy ceiling above you. Your eyes followed his to trace the cracks in the plaster with dull eyes. But Castiel wasn’t there. And he hadn’t just magically appeared next to you either. 

“Castiel! Damn it. Sammy, send him a text, drag his feathery ass down, keep praying for him... I don’t care what you do but get through to him! We have to get (Y/N) out of here,” Dean’s eyes barely met his brother’s before he was focused on you again. His hands desperately trying to stop the steady flow of blood as he watched you. Pure desperation making the always strong hunter seem lost. Afraid. 

“Dean, please…” You didn’t have time for this. Castiel wouldn’t have enough grace to heal you anyway. It was all pointless. Your only option left was to stop the hunter next to you from following you onto that damned pyre by making deals he had no right to make on your behalf. 

“It’s ok, it’s fine, you’re fine… Just… Hold still. We’re gonna get you out of this,”

Dean was unwilling to listen. Too busy fussing over your injury to actually fucking hear you. But you needed him to listen. You needed to let him know how you felt, or at least let him know you forgave him for sins he was never guilty of in the first place. So your life wasn’t added to the heavy burdens on your soldier’s shoulders.

“No, I need to tell you I…”

“Shhh... You’re fine baby, you’re ok Just hold still. It’s gonna hurt a bit, but you can be strong for me right?” Shifting his arms again, Dean’s big palms left your injury. The lessening pressure momentarily made the pain easier to handle as his arms went around your back and under your knees. But as he lifted you into his arms, you were left gritting your teeth around another pained whine as black dots swam in your eyes from the agony of the sudden motion. 

“I’m sorry (Y/N), fuck, I’m so sorry,” Dean’s voice broke over a pained sob as he held you closer. Careful of your wound and of holding you too tightly as he gently carried you down the narrow hallway. His arms painstakingly soft, as if he was holding on to brittle, breakable glass that threatened to shatter with the slightest shake.

Every step hurt. The pain radiated through you with every soft touch of his boots to wood. Searing like fire and ice through your veins. You wanted to scream out, you wanted to beg him to stop, slow down, or just let you pass out. But your voice was lost under waves of copper blood and salty tears.

The slight hint of salt tasting bitter against your trembling lips from the angry, frustrated tears staining your eyes. You were running out of time and Dean wasn’t hearing you. You could feel your strength leaving your body. Running down the side of your ruined t-shirt and coloured an angry red. You were so numb… So fucking cold. And Dean wasn’t listening.

It hurt so much.

---

The light outside seemed dim and colourless as Dean finally reached the door, wrestling it open and carrying you out of the dusty air in the farmhouse and into air that burned in your lungs as you coughed around the fresh mouthfuls mixing with your blood. Your lungs desperate for air that your weak body could barely even give them as you gasped and coughed, shaking in his arms.

“Hey hey hey… You got this (Y/N). Alright?” Dean sank to his knees the moment you were fully in the open. His panicked voice reacting to the way your eyes fluttered shut against the sunlight that forced its way through the dark oblivion your broken body so eagerly wanted to fall into.  

Forcing yourself to stay with him, you watched tears stain green eyes above you. Relief filling them with a weak light of hope as he turned his head towards his brother. Hands once again pushing hard against the wound at your side and forcing a hiss of pain from you. 

“Sammy! Cas?” He called out, barely even looking at Sam before refocusing on you, hurt painting his eyes a darker shade as you gasped around another agonising breath. 

“Nothing yet,” Sam’s voice sounded far away. Though you knew he was right there. Right next to Dean. You needed to tell him too. You needed Dean to listen to you. To let you tell them both goodbye. You couldn’t leave without telling both your boys that you loved them. 

“Dean…” Your trembling lips shaped the name of the man you loved, but no sound came out. You were too late. You couldn’t speak anymore. Bitter tears replaced those of frustrated anguish as you looked up at the man who was desperately trying to save you. 

“Damn it! Right… This’ll hurt (Y/N), but you gotta stay with us alright? You’ll be fine… I just need to clean the wound, to stem the bleeding a bit. Stop it until Cas comes,” Dean hadn’t even noticed your attempt to speak this time. Too busy focusing on the damage done to your side and looking around for the angel he still believed would be your salvation. 

Lifting a weak hand, you barely managed to let your cold fingertips brush against his wrist before it fell down on the wooden board of the porch again. But the flash of cold was enough to pull Dean’s eyes towards you again as you once more tried to form words. His name was nothing more than a pained gasp on your lips as soft fingers gently brushed against your ruined t-shirt. 

“You’ll be fine sweetheart. We got this alright? Once Cas comes… He’ll fix you up. Right as rain,” Dean’s promises of a non-lethal light at the end of the tunnel seemed hollow to you as you watched the panic and pain in his eyes grow from every second that passed by without Castiel showing up. 

Yet, your stubborn soldier kept fighting. His trembling fingers went to your side as he peeled the shirt away from the gash slowly forcing the life out of your body. Trying, and failing, to swallow the anguished sob that left him when the full extent of your injury was no longer hidden by your cotton t-shirt. 

Pushing a bloodied hand into his coat, he pulled out a flask of holy water and, using his teeth, popped the top of it open before unceremoniously pouring it over your wound to clean it. The feel of water against torn flesh easily tearing more strangled cries from you as you weakly thrashed in his arms in a vain attempt to get away from the damned water. 

“Shhh… I need to clean it (Y/N). It’s… You’re gonna be fine ok?” But even as the soothing voice calmed your trembling body, the way he was struggling to remove the leather belt around his waist let you know the worst was still to come. 

“Just… Fuck. I’m sorry baby, but you need to bite down on this for me, ok? Bite down hard,”

Giving the leather belt to Sam, he let his younger brother cradle your head in his lap, to keep you still, and gently push the leather belt between your teeth. You tried to bite down, but you couldn’t even make your body find the right muscles to move. Everything was just a sea of agony and buzzing nerves giving their last few thrashes as they fought a losing battle against the life that was bleeding out of you. 

Yet, as soon as Dean’s careful fingers brushed against your wound and pulled out the first of many large wooden splinters lodged there from the wall that had impaled you, your jaw found the strength to bite down hard on the belt. Your attempted cry in pain coming out as a long and drawn out whine as your weak hands fisted against wood, trying to find anything to hold onto. To weather the storm. 

“You’re doing great, don’t look at it. Just a few more pieces…” Dean’s hand brushed against yours before busying themselves at your side again. But you barely registered his words, your head swinging limply in Sam’s lap to watch Dean’s deft yet gentle fingers, pulling wood from your side. Somewhere, deep inside you, that damned unbreakable hunter’s dark humour was still alive and kicking as you finally saw your injury to its full extent.

Killed by a wall… Great. 

---

“Sammy! Have you gotten through to Cas yet?” Dean’s voice forced your eyes open. 

You hadn’t even realised you’d blacked out from the pain before his deep voice pulled you right back to him, his hands still busy at your agonising side. Yet, before Sam could respond, another voice spoke up from next to you. A voice you’d given up hoping for. 

“I’m here Dean. I…” The rest of Castiel’s words were lost to another whimpered moan that echoed in your head. You knew it was you, but yet the sound sounded so far away. Like it was leaving someone else. 

“Shhh… I know, I know… It hurts,” Dean’s voice was right next to your ear when you could finally hear past the anguished sounds leaving your own body. 

When had he moved? You didn’t remember blacking out again. But your head was in Dean’s lap, the man doubled over as he held your face gently between reddened palms. You had to have blacked out again, but the pain was too constant… You couldn’t even tell.

“You’ll be fine. Cas is making you all better now…” 

“I’m not Dean. This… I can’t heal (Y/N) completely, but I can fix up the worst of it. She will survive,” Castiel’s voice sounded clearer now, as warm light flooded your veins, washing away the worst of the searing fire and ice torment. 

“Just do the best you can alright?! She can’t die, I won’t fucking let her die,” 

“(Y/N) won’t die Dean… But she will need a lot of rest. And possibly even medical attention. My grace… I can’t do as much as I once could,” Cas sounded sad and hurt next to you as your hand lifted to touch his, just out of your line of sight. 

“I’m fine Cas. Thank you. I…” Your voice was still weak and raw, but it was back. You could speak again. You could feel your body again, and all the aches and pains that came with it. As your eyes looked up at brilliant green eyes that had regained their colour you smiled through your broken words. 

You were alive.

“Dean…” Your breaths were coming easier with every second as the little tendrils of grace worked through your body, healing you up enough for you to at least survive the close call. Above you, Dean shifted. Gently lifting your still weak body against his once he knew it wouldn’t aggravate your wound more and pulling you closer in a careful hug. Relief flooding green eyes with unshed tears.  

“That’s my girl,” His warm breath rustled through strands of your (Y/H/C) hair as he whispered the shaky words into it. Replacing the full stop with soft lips against the crown of your hair. 

“I’m… I’m ok,” You tried and failed to stop the grimace that showed your words as the weak lies they were. The pain still clinging to you and the wound still just as present on your sore body though no longer bleeding. 

Now that you were leaning against Dean’s chest your eyes could finally meet the blue in Castiel’s tired, worried ones. The angel spent after using so much of his grace to save your life. Giving him a shaky soft smile, you barely caught the tired smile he gave you back as Dean’s fingers reached for your cheek, shifting your focus from the angel to him instead before he spoke up.

“No, you’re not. But you will be. Don’t ever scare me like that again (Y/N). If I lost you…”

Dean’s voice died out, swallowing the words with a bob of his adam’s apple and the clenching of a stubbled jaw. Unable to finish the words through the pain in his eyes as he leaned down towards you, his hand gentle and warm against your cheek. Not taking his eyes off you, he leaned close, until his lips gently brushed you. The smallest whisper of a kiss finishing his sentence for him. 

Pulling away just enough to look into your eyes, Dean waited. Green eyes still pained yet also filled with a hesitant tense worry as he waited for your weak mind to catch up to the electric sensation of his warm full lips brushing against yours. 

Reaching up a trembling hand, you let it rest against his cheek before gently moving to the back of his head, pulling the man closer to you where you still lacked the strength to lift yourself and pushing your lips to his in an achingly soft and sweet kiss.

The feel of his warm lips on your still cold ones breathing life back into you as his arms shifted around you. Careful to not touch your side as he kept one hand securely on your lower back while the other followed your spine up to play with the soft stands of your (Y/H/C) hair at the back of your neck. 

You didn’t need words. 

You never needed words with Dean Winchester. The both of you knew each other. Could understand even the smallest movement the other made, both on and off the battlefield. He could trace the wordless ‘I love you’ on your lips as you tasted the hunter’s feelings on his.

And so, your confession was a silent one. Tasting faintly of salt, copper and promises of a forever that now wouldn’t be cut short as you let yourself drown in the sensation of his lips shaping to yours, his arms securely around you and the feel of his strong steady heartbeat helping yours find its rhythm again where your bodies connected.

Breaking the soft, gentle kiss you leaned your forehead against his. Still too breathless to let yourself drown in it the way you wanted to. That would have to wait until you were better. Till the aching dull pain in your side was fully gone. Instead you replaced your lips on his with whispered promises into the small sliver of air between you.

“I’ve got your back Dean. Forever,” Your words brought a cautious warm smile to your soldier’s lips as he angled your face up for a quick careful peck against breathless lips. His reply to your words were nothing more than a whisper of air against lips that were slowly regaining their colour...

 “And I’ve got yours (Y/N),”

---

You reached the end - You got Ending 3: Dean: Angelic Intervention - Happy Ending

[Click here to return to the start and try again]

[Alternatively, click here for the full masterlist breaking down each path] Note that choices are named so it may spoil the experience.

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Please tell me which ending you got in a message, comment, ask or through a reblog. This took a lot of time to make, and I want to hear from you guys, and see if you enjoyed it. That way I’ll know if I should make more as well as know which parts you enjoyed/where I can improve them. 

I already have some ideas for some other ones; an undercover office based one that’s fluff vs. smut… Plus another hunt based one with TFW. But I won’t start them if it doesn’t seem like there’s any demand for them.

You can also tell me which ending you got by clicking here to answer my poll.

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[bluecoffeemugs]

Hey guys... so i just re-wrote the very first chapter to my fic. 

I did it bc of many factors, but mainly it was bc I didn’t like it anymore and I noticed how much my writing had improved. It just didn’t seem fair that the ending was much better written than the beginning, bc i feel like no one would get past the first chapters bc of my writing. I mean yeah, it has much more attention that i could hope for, but i’m pretty self-critical about my work, so i just had to re-write it.  

Anyway, I’ll just post the chapter here because I want you to give it another chance, maybe it spikes your interest now. I’m putting a whole lot of effort in the ending, it’s got just a couple of chapters left, so it will be a finished fic soon. 

Here it is: 

(bill cipher x dipper pines. pirate au. pirate!bill. siren!dipper.)

- - - - - - - - - - 

The gigantic ship swayed calmly over the ocean. The night was clear, the fresh salty scent of the sea lingered on the deck of the Golden Giant. The only sound besides the water below the ship, crashing small waves on the wooden walls of the ship, was the croaking sound of the captain's footsteps on the wood.

The crew had already released the plank, readying the ship for what they had been planning to do for months. And so, they stood, expectant and eager for what was to come, waiting for orders on deck.

The blond captain walked out of his cabin with a grin on his face. See, their crew had been waiting to catch this creature for months, but he had been waiting years. Oh, captain Bill Cipher knows about sirens. He knows how those beasts slaughter his kind. But he is not afraid of them, not a single ounce! The pirate also know how difficult it can be to catch one, he has heard countless stories and legends, none of them have succeeded. However, there has never been a legendary pirate that has tried to capture a siren.

Indeed. Bill Cipher is a legend. He has been living in the sea for as long as he can remember, and it has slowly become his life as a whole. Since he was a little boy, he was not only charming and ambitious but also highly curious. The supernatural and mystic myths spiked his interest from a very early age, so his drive for adventure and the unknown has never ceased.

Bill Cipher had always been so invested on mysteries, that he became a mystery himself.

The captain seeks creatures — all around the seven seas, and of any kind or species — studies them, and then sells them. The highest bidding of gold takes the price! Cipher doesn't need the creature anymore, what else could he do with them? Set them free? Now that would be insane. Setting them free means letting them go for free. If they won't pay, Cipher won't deliver. Besides, it's none of the blond's concern what the bidders do with the creatures after they buy them. Will they study them as he does? Will they slaughter them? Will they cook them, even if they're still alive, just to know what they taste like and brag about eating a mythic creature? Meh, Cipher doesn't care. He never has.

The blond went down the stairs and on to the deck to meet his crew. Such familiar faces that have grown into a family. See, Bill Cipher didn't always have his own ship and crew. Of course, he did acquire his ship — through a most epic fight he will never forget — when he was eleven years old, but still, not belonging to a family for his entire childhood until he was almost a teenager was not easy.

Belonging. Ha! Bill Cipher knows he doesn't belong. He actually takes pride in it! Because you know what? He figured that belonging to made you somebody else's possession, so he swore to himself he would be the only one who ever got to own himself and/or others.

Nonetheless, his current crew is better than what he could ask for. They are invested in the supernatural almost as much as he is, all of them have unique abilities that benefit him either on battle, on investigation, navigation, or plans, and most importantly, they are loyal. That's the quality Cipher values the most.

The captain was finally greeted by his crew. They were standing in line, looking at their pirate in anticipation, eager. All of them were loaded with their weapons of choice, let it be guns, knives, swords, or even knuckles.

The crew cheered at their captain, smiling widely at him. As the moonlight and oil lanterns were the only light that lit their faces, the shadows looked menacing and eerie.

The blonde returned the sly grin and humorously vowed to his crew's cheers. He was wearing a tail-coat made of leathery-fabric, a white button-down shirt that wasn't all that white anymore, black pants, and a slightly loose golden and weaponized belt around the hips. He was carrying his favorite gun and sword, plus other minor weapons that he hid not only around his belt but also around his whole body. And of course, he wore leather boots that reached almost up to his knees and his fancy black pirate hat, which had a single golden feather and some jewels adorning it.

"Tonight's the night, fellas," he spoke, his crew finally shutting up. "As we speak, fierce beasts are swimming below us, ready to devour another pack of men. Creatures that have forever lured uncountable men to their deaths by using their celestial voices and bodies."

His crew nodded. They knew all of this already, but something about hearing it right was those beasts live made it a whole lot more difficult to bear. Now they weren't only listening to a story, they were about to experience one. And maybe, they wouldn't even get to live to tell it.

"We will be the first known pirates to ever defeat them; conquer them!" The captain continued to speak. The crew's nerves turning into excitement, "Tonight, we catch a siren!"

Everyone cheered and punched their fists in the air. Noise returning to its natural state.

“Kitty,” Cipher continued, nodding to the toughest-looking man on the crew, “you will be in charge of the ship while I go on the rowboat.”

The man nodded in return, so the captain kept speaking, “Bigfoot, Cain, Red, Onyx, and Tiny, you will be staying here too.”

The biggest man in the crew, a man with a scar across his face, a red-haired young adult male, a woman with almost charcoal-black skin, and a small boy nodded in response. 

“Guard my baby while I'm out," Cipher joked and winked. They all knew how much he loved his ship. “And that leaves Hellhound, Dawn, Dagger, and Cheat with me."

A muscular young man, a tough but very beautiful looking woman, another woman highly equipped with at least half a dozen daggers and swords, and a teenage boy agreed.

“Get settled, then.”

And with that, they all retreated to stuff their ears with cloth or wax to muffle de sound of the sirens' voices. They had been preparing for this, they knew exactly what to do. They also knew perfectly well to stand their ground, no matter how tempting a siren could look. And most importantly, they knew that their goal was to catch a siren, not kill one. If for some reason they started to get aggressive, which they figured would be bound to happen, they would result in violence.

A few minutes later, the rowboat with Cipher's chosen crew was lowered down to the ocean. They paddled slightly further away from the ship, and then stopped when they started to notice the shadows under them. They were currently surrounded by huge boulders, covered in algae and coral, where they also spotted movement. A wave of adrenaline washed over everyone's veins, making the captain smile even more widely.

Cipher's team had their ears shut by different types of material, except for the captain himself. He was wearing an enchanted necklace of black pearls, which made him completely immune to the sirens' singing.

Soon enough, a ginger-haired siren came out of the water, and the pirates were immediately amazed by her beauty. However, none of them moved, as they waited for their captain's orders.

The siren swam closer to the boat, her eyes fixed on Cheat, the youngest one on the boat. The ginger held a powerful gaze, making the boy shiver, which was either because of her captivating beauty or because he realized he had been chosen as her meal.

The captain shot Cheat a confident look, making the teenager feel just a tiny bit better.

When the siren was practically touching the ship, another one came up to them. This one had curly, black hair and was staring straight at Dagger. Then a few seconds later, another creature appeared, she had darker skin and powerful blue eyes, swimming closer to Hellhound. The captain felt slightly overwhelmed by the sudden arrivals, but he never lost his calm.

Suddenly they realized that the ginger siren had gotten so close to the boat, she could easily snatch Cheat and drown him. Then, she saw the spears and fishnets, freezing on the spot.

"They're hunters!" She yelled, making all of the other sirens gasp and submerge back underwater. Cipher thought they were going to attack, but apparently, this pack of sirens had had other experiences with pirates and did not wish to repeat them.

Sure enough, however, the ginger siren was not going to leave her favorite meal alive, so she launched, grabbing Cheat with her sharp nails, and pulling him underwater with her. Hellhound threw himself forward and grabbed onto Cheat's legs.

The siren's strength was immense, causing Hellhound to begin to sink. Dawn and Dagger grabbed his torso and began to pull him to the boat. At this point, Cheat was completely submerged. In the meantime, Cipher loaded a crossbow and aimed to the spot where the siren was holding Cheat.

"No!" Dawn exclaimed although she could barely hear her own words because of the wax in her ears, "You might shoot Cheat!"

"Don't worry, sweetie" Cipher said calmly, fully aware that Dawn knew him enough to be able to read his lips perfectly, then shot the arrow. The movement below the water stopped. Hellhound pulled Cheat back to the surface. The boy was unconscious. Dawn began trying to remove the water from the teen's lungs.

Cheat suddenly coughed a great amount of water and took in shaky breaths, shivering. Dawn just looked at the captain and slowly shook her head.

"I never miss," Cipher said, obvious pride in his voice, Dawn could see it by the look of his face. She turned away.

The blond nodded at the coughing boy, and the teen managed a smile. Then the captain took off his coat and handed it to him, as the boy obviously needed it more than him at the moment. Cheat muttered a thank you. 

Cipher sat down with a sigh and looked around. He signaled his crew to hide the weapons and the fishnets, he should've known better. He might have blown their chance for the night, maybe their only chance! How could he have not foreseen that?

Time passed, and as he feared, no one else showed up. The pirates waited in silence. Cheat was almost completely dry now.

The captain fixed his eyes on the boulder closest to them, lost in thought, when he spotted another pair of eyes staring back. Immediately after those eyes noticed the pirate was looking at them, they hid behind the huge rock. Cipher stood up with a jolt, making the others around him jump in surprise. Then, nodded towards the rock and signaled his crew to remain silent.

"Hello?" Cipher said loudly, with the kindest voice he could manage, "We don't want to hurt you."

After waiting a few minutes for a sign of life, and not seeing the eyes again, he sat back down and sighed. He looked at the boat's wooden floor, sighing in defeat. Maybe he had imagined it.

Then, his crew gasped.

Cipher looked up and saw the siren far away, right beside the boulder. The light from their boat did not reach that far, so he could only see a dark figure the clear brown eyes looking back at him.

The captain stood up again, this time more slowly. He smiled gently at the creature, and spoke, just loud enough for the siren to hear, "We're just curious about your species, we don't mean any harm."

"I saw you shoot one of us," the siren said, still in the dark. His voice cracked but tried to remain steady. This only intrigued Cipher even more, because he had found himself a male siren. 

The crew looked at each other with wide eyes, they didn't understand what the captain and the siren were saying, but they sure as hell knew they were having a conversation.

Cipher remained calm, answering to the siren, "She was trying to drown one of us."

"You're hunters," the siren said gravely, much more as a statement than a question.

"We're pirates," the blond responded, as if it were pretty obvious, "we have weapons to defend ourselves, it's in our nature. Just as much as it is in your nature to lure us to death. Fair game, don't you think?"

The siren thought in silence, analyzing the words. But Cipher was not about to wait anymore, so he offered, "If you don't harm us, we don't harm you. Deal?"

Something about the way the pirate spoke made the siren want to trust him. Even if he knew the stories of pirates, how reckless and dangerous they were"¦ curiosity had always won him over. And something in his gut made him think that this pirate was not lying.

The words lingered. Cipher was afraid the siren might be smarter than him and swim away for good. But he was proven wrong when the siren slowly came into view, swimming closer to the boat.

When the siren was just a few feet away from the rowboat, the lantern's light finally glowed on his skin. Instantly, the pirates were captivated by his beauty. They had never seen a merman, much less a male siren. 

"You can come closer," the captain said, leaning closer to the water, "See? I have nothing on my hands," he said as he lifted his hands up innocently.

The siren moved closer, feeling just slightly safer and a whole lot more curious. He was intrigued by the sailors, he had never seen so many up close, and they were all staring back at him. The feeling was overwhelming.

Cipher smiled at the siren, then turned to Hellhound and winked, which roughly meant wait for my signal.

The siren's light blue tail was almost touching the rowboat's wood from below. He looked about Cheat's age.

The blond placed both of his hands behind his back. The siren and he just stared at each other in awe, each of them amazed by the other. Cipher noticed there were splashes of tiny blue scales on his shoulders, he had chocolate brown hair, and the most entrancing deep brown eyes the captain had ever seen. His gaze was purely innocent and curious.

"You're magnificent," the captain whispered to the siren, completely lost in the siren's eyes, almost forgetting what he was there for. Almost. Behind his back, he closed his hand into a fist. And so, the crew launched the fishnet at the siren and fastened it as fat and swiftly as possible, apprehending the siren.

The brunet screamed an unholy scream, Cipher was suddenly jealous of his crewmates with wax on their ears. The siren tried to escape the nets, almost knocking the boat over, but the crew acted faster. They lifted him, and with a loud thump, the siren was on the boat.

The captain had a large grin on his face and got closer to the siren. The siren had never felt so much fright in his entire life. He felt as if his heart had run up to his throat and was about to be regurgitated. He was about to scream louder, and try to knock the boat over once again, but with one swift move, one of the men that was holding him down injected a syringe into his skin. The last thing he saw was the grin on the blond pirate that had just betrayed him, until all faded to black.

[shirtlesssammy]

15x13: Destiny’s Child

Welcome to our last new recap for a while (frowny face). We’ve got a couple requests that we’re going to work on in the next couple weeks, and then chip away at all the episodes we have yet to do while we not-so-patiently wait for more episodes. If you have requests, don’t hesitate to ask! 

Then:

Cas loves one (1) pizza man.

Now:

Late night study sesh in the bunker is interrupted when Sam and Dean hear a weird noise down the hall. They take off for the armory, only to find a Fiat and ---SAM AND DEAN?! (And while I guess it’s not, I’m just rolling with the idea that Savage Garden is blasting from that little clown car. I mean, really, what a perfect song and one I never thought would EVER pop up on this show --okay, or any show, it’s been like 20 years since I’ve heard that song, lol.)

The rift flickers and Alt!Sam and Dean disappear. 

They tell Cas about what happened. Billie pops up to tell them that Chuck is almost done destroying all the other worlds. They have to be ready --and by that, she means, it’s time for the next step in Jack’s training. He needs to find the Occultum. Sam helpfully translates that as “hidden.” It is hidden --lost for centuries. 

Once Billie takes off, Sam sets to learning more about the Occultum. There isn’t much. Dean ponders the futility of killing God. Doesn’t Jack need to kill Amara too? Cas gets a lead on the Occultum from Sergei. Dean and Cas flirt unnecessarily. Cas is so patient with all of Dean’s ideas, I can’t help but think that this is a common thing with these two.

Anyway, the Occultum was owned by the Jacobson family for a long time, until they used it as payment to heal their son. The healer was “attractive, and she healed the child by laying on hands which glowed.” I don’t know if there’s been an unattractive person in this universe, so good luck finding the healer! 

Lol, j/k, there’s only one angel healer that’s attractive out there! Sam and Dean find Anael and want her help with killing God. She thinks it’s wiser to stay on the side of the all-powerful being. When the brothers flash their angel blades (eerrr…), Anael confesses that the Occultum is really with Ruby. (I was one of the many rage viewers with this, but well, we’ve been rage watching these writers for so long, and we’ve had to handwave SO much over the years. What’s another plot point that we can easily headcanon at this point? Sigh.)

We get a flashback of Ruby and Anael negotiating the sale of the Occultum. Anael then tells them that the Occultum was never actually sold because they ganked Ruby before she could do anything with it. It’s now safely hidden in Hell. 

Jack, meanwhile, is busy getting back to life. 

Cas finds him in the kitchen eating EVERYTHING. Jack notes that coming back alive really makes you pay attention to what life is. “Hot, cold, sweet, spicy, funny, scary.” (Kind of like Sam when he was soulless, Jack is describing sensations, and not feelings, emotions, not really getting at what life really is.) They talk about Jack’s soul and what he felt when he had one.

Jack admits that he understands that he hurt Sam and Dean, and wonders if Dean will ever forgive him for what he did to Mary. “Dean, he feels things, more acutely than any human I’ve ever known. So, it’s possible he could work through this. One day, he may explode, and let it all out, and breathe deeply and move on.” 

Okayokayokayokay. Jack wants to know how long that’ll take and Cas admits that he doesn’t know, and I’M FEELING about how this ageless, ancient being is just WAITING for Dean to do this very thing. He has all the time in the world from his perspective. He knows Dean --really knows him, and it doesn’t matter how long for him because time doesn’t really matter for Cas (I mean, I think being close to humanity and all it probably means more than it used to but...I’m just rambling about my feelings right now. This is Boris --Natasha is far more coherent and eloquent with her thoughts, lol.)

The brothers make it back to the bunker, planning on heading to Hell. Cas leads them to a room where Alt!Sam and Dean are stuck between the worlds. Dean doesn’t care at this moment --he wants to get the Occultum. They tell Cas their plan and he thinks they’re crazy. They could be searching forever down there. (UH, they’re LITERALLY BFFs with the Queen of Hell.) 

Anyway, Dean and Sam head south while Cas babysits the spell. 

Cas still doesn’t like this plan and hatches a plan with Jack so he can talk with Ruby in the Empty. 

(I know, you just have to roll with Buckleming episodes, etc., but their insistence on making it beyond easy to jump from realm to realm is MADDENING.) 

We get a mention of Cas’s deal with the Empty, so that really is still a thing. Cas is “far from happy”, so we’re good!

His plan is for Jack to “draw out most of [his] lifeforce” and store it in a flask. What’s his “lifeforce”? His grace? Something more? Something else? How does he die without his grace? How is he just mostly dead but still able to go to the Empty? 

We’re also giving this exchange: “If I screw up?” “Well, then I’ll be lost forever.” WHOA. What kind of fucked up parenting are you writing, Buckleming? Good thing Jack doesn’t have a soul, because that’ll mess with a child forever.

Also, why can Jack use his powers now? 

Sam and Dean are ambushed in Hell. Anael wanted them dead apparently and made a deal with some demons (ONCE AGAIN, like Rowena would allow this to happen!?!??) They’re Sam and Dean Winchester though and easily dispatch the demons. 

Cas stalks through the Empty calling for Ruby. “Hello, Clarence,” a familiar voice says and Cas turns to find Meg reclining on a throne. He looks sweetly surprised to see her before his face falls as he realizes she’s the Shadow from the Empty. 

The Shadow may be allied with Billie, but they’re definitely not good buds with Cas. Nevertheless, “Go get her, pizza man,” Shadow!Meg says and a ball of flame swirls towards Cas and turns into Ruby. 

Cas asks about the Occultum, and Ruby asks after Sam. Cas refuses to answer and, since I’ve been stress re-reading some regency romances lately, I’m gonna go ahead and say he acts like an affronted chaperone. 

For Gratuitous Cas Science:

We see another flashback of Ruby and Sister Jo’s wild adventures, only this time Jo is the one who invited Ruby to talk to her. Jo tries to tempt Ruby into hiding from the apocalypse in the Occultum. It turns out it’s a place AND a thing. A whatever, if you will. Ruby cut a deal with Jo, hid the object, and then died her noble death. 

Ruby promises to help Cas as long as he can get her out of the Empty. You see, instead of lullabies and sweet dreams, or even quiet and no dreams, the Empty is nothing but endless reels of regrets playing over and over for every angel and demon trapped there. “Yeah, I know,” Cas says quietly and we all break a little bit thinking about how he swore it was nothingness instead of constant emotional torture. (That’s SO on brand.) Cas promises to try to free Ruby in exchange for her intel.

The Winchesters return to find Jack babysitting the spell alongside a MOSTLY DEAD Cas. Despite Jack’s (actually really terrible) explanation, Dean and Sam demand that Jack bring Cas back right away. Jack unscrews the flask.

Cas isn’t getting out of this so easily, though. The Shadow smirks and clenches Shadow!Meg’s fist, sending Cas to the ground in pain. The Shadow still is no fan of Cas, and is only willing to uphold deals with Billie, who promised to send the Shadow back to a lovely snooze if they cooperate. 

The Shadow ruminates on the fact that Billie has never mentioned Cas as being essential to her plan. This makes Cas expendable. 

Cas sputters to life suddenly, only to face Dean’s angry-worried greeting. “You’re an idiot, by the way!” Apparently still in pain or just suffering from almost-not-quite-dead-and-now-actually-quite-alive syndrome, Cas hauls himself up slowly and explains that he now has all the info they need to find the Occultum. “Am I still an idiot?” Listen, boys. Kiss and make up, mmkay?

They’re off to tackle the Occultum quest, but before they go they need to set out some decoys to throw Chuck off their scent if he tries to spy on the bunker. Dean suggests pulling AU Dean and Sam out of the void and setting them up as fake Sam and Dean. He flippantly suggests using Cas’s grace to power the rift this time and FOR THE LOVE OF PIZZA DEAN it’s called body autonomy. 

Cut to the Winchesters Set One and Set Two seated at the map table with beers all around. We learn:

Alt Winchesters are also hunters

Their dad is alive (but still SUPER controlling)

They don’t drink beer or watch porn

Private planes fly them all over the world to fight monsters

Their AU could be a middling CW pilot about wealthy monster hunters called “Hunter Corp”

I have a greater appreciation of our flannel-clad boys

Dean and Sam clumsily explain their ploy and their relationship with God and it’s not weird at all! 

Later, Team Free Will 2.0 heads to a small church. It’s guarded by a hellhound, which makes Dean SUPER happy and comfortable in his skin. They break into the church and look for clues about where the treasure is hiding. The clue is that the top of a cross points to the treasure. Moonlight streams conveniently through the window and at JUST the right angle to cast a cross of light on the floor. They pull out a little velvet bag from the floorboards.

Cas reads Enochian on the little golden snitch-style ball. “In order to be in the Occultum, the Occultum must be in you.” 

Back at the bunker, Alt!Dean and Sam enjoy their new rugged life. Sam watches kitten videos, and we continue to identify very strongly with him, indeed. Alt!Dean finds porn on Dean’s computer and I continue to ask WHY WHY we have to constantly cycle back to Busty Asian Beauties. Porn isn’t objectionable, but that SPECIFIC porn franchise should have died a swift death back in season two. (Boris: AMEN)

Jack swallows the Occultum, as one does. “Spit it out,” Dean demands. But Jack disappears into a flare of light. He wakes up in a garden. 

No, he wakes up in THE Garden. He’s greeted by a young girl who tells him that humans are prohibited. A snake confronts Jack. “Who are you really? Who are you meant to be?” Jack flashes through his good and bad memories and suffers an epiphany. 

He flutters back into the church like Tinkerbell in a ball of light before zapping back into reality. His reappearance burns away the two hellhounds. 

Back at the bunker, Dean sends the Alt Winchesters off to Brazil to enjoy the beach. He’s a little uncomfortable around them until he learns that the Alt Winchesters drove Baby. Then they get shoved out of the bunker just as fast as you please.

Once they’re gone, Cas tells Sam and Dean that Jack has returned changed. He leads them to Jack who hunches over the kitchen table. Jack is crying. He apologizes for killing Mary. He has his soul back!

“Please forgive me,” Jack whispers, and a symphonic line carries us into the black.

Overall Surprisingly Enjoyable Quotes:

The healthcare system sucks so I pick up the slack

Cas, you know what’s good about being dead?

I’m far from happy, so I should be fine

We had a good thing until he killed me

You’re gonna have to lose the man bun

Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive! 

[beyond-the-mirror]

DMC x Pokemon AU - Which pokemon they would choose

So an idea appeared out of nowhere in my head: If Pokemon somehow existed in the DMC universe and pokemon training and battles were officially a thing too, which pokemon would the crew choose as their companions?

For these headcanons, I will give each character two kinds of pokemon: the first one will be a pokemon they would totally choose as a friend and partner for adventure as well as competitive battles, and the other will be one they would keep at their side mostly as a cute or silly companion, whether it’s a baby pokemon or a fully evolved one, it’s one they are really fond of and always look after.

So let’s get started! More bellow the cut because it’s a really long post.

Dante

Ideal partner: Houndoom

He considers Houndoom’s general appearance as cool and badass, of course he would love having a literal hellhound in his team.

If you think about it, they share lots of similarities: The same color palette, the devil motif, the fact that Dante has horns too when in DT or SDT form… it’s as if this pokemon was made with him in mind.

Dante found him when he was a little puppy Houndour. The poor thing was all alone in an alley near his shop and seeing him crying out made his heart ache.

So he brought the little one back home and nursed him. Now he’s a powerful Houndoom who loves nothing more than to fight alongside his trainer. There’s nothing that can stop those too when together.

Silly companion: Alcremie

Obviously.

One reason only: Infinite strawberry sundaes.

That’s it.

Would totally have an entire team made of Alcremies. He wouldn’t even battle or anything. He just wants to enjoy his lifetime supply of strawberry sundaes.

Vergil

Ideal partner: Aegislash

Vergil is a man of the sword, so it’s clear he would choose an Aegislash as his partner.

The first time he spotted this particular Honedge, he knew. He could see the great power dormant in them, so it was a matter of awakening said potential.

He trained them vigorously, making them evolve into a Doublade, and finally, into an Aegislash. To this day, not a single pokemon has managed to defeat them, the only exception being Dante and his Houndoom.

That won’t stop them though. They are both too prideful in their quest for strength and power.

Silly companion: Snom

Yeaaah, this is a weird one. Snom is such a cute baby, maybe this adorableness can melt Vergil’s heart?

It was Dante who gifted his twin a Snom. To quote him: “You’re too grumpy. Maybe this cute little guy can help you ease some of that grumpiness away.”

Wherever he goes, the little baby follows behind. Vergil will never admit this out loud but he does smile at the peaceful sensation his silly friend gives him.

Also imagine him trying to pronounce their name in that nasal voice of his. SHnom. 

V

Ideal partner: Corviknight, Umbreon and Dusknoir

It was a tie between these pokemon since they represent V’s three demon familiars: Griffon, Shadow and Nightmare respectively.

Corviknight may have a playful personality, but during battles he’s dead serious. He’s down right merciless and enjoys tearing apart his foes.

Umbreon is as calm as a housecat, but beware! She is a fierce one and won’t think twice to attack those who step out of line. Even more ruthless than Corviknight.

Dusknoir is as mysterious as the man himself, but V still trusts them and lets them do pretty much their own thing. Despite V never giving them orders, it almost looks as if Dusknoir can understand his thoughts telepathically. No one is sure how the hell he does it though. Quite a mystery indeed.

Silly companion: Mr Rime

Both wear a coat. Both carry a cane. Both love to tap dance. See what I’m getting at?

The first time V spotted a Mr Rime and witnessed their comical moves, he couldn’t help but laugh in endearment.

You will often find them enjoying a nice cup of tea together. They may speak different languages, but somehow they understand each other so perfectly.

When feeling in a dance mood, he and Mr Rime will dance together in perfect harmony and sync. Singin’ in the Rain is their favorite musical btw.

Nero

Ideal partner: Toxtricity

It only made sense to grant our punk boy Nero a punk pokemon like Toxtricity.

Both share an explosive and energetic personality, as well as an identical inclination towards rock and metal music. They especially love taunting their foes by doing an air guitar together.

The way these two fight is absolutely brutal. Do not anger them, you cannot defeat them.

However, despite their looks like they could kill you, they are actually sweet cinnamon rolls in front of the right ones. Pet them, they are good bois after all.

Silly companion: Mankey

Two grumpy bois grumpying around. Don’t talk to them, they are angy.

Kyrie often teases them with how identical they are. They literally share the exact same expression when angry.

Nero says it’s not funny. It is.

Little Mankey only calms down when given pets and cuddles. “Just like you Nero!” she teases again. 

Trish

Ideal partner: Luxray

Step aside everyone. Two bewitching and electrifying devils are coming through.

Trish was new to the world when one day she encountered a Shinx, except their fur was yellow? Wasn’t the fur supposed to be blue??

She took them to Dante and Lady for an explanation. Their eyes widened in complete awe. “Trish… it’s a shiny. You found a shiny!” “…Oh.”

Now the two are an inseparable and lethal duo. Many have made the mistake of challenging them, only to end up battered and humiliated.

Silly companion: Yamper

Just look at this good boi.

A cute pupper? AND with electrical powers?! Trish is so in!

You bet she spoils her Yamper rotten. She particularly adores baby-talking her lovely companion to no end.

“Have you seen my puppy? He’s not lost or anything, I just wanted to show you how awesome he is” Yep. She did this at one point or another. 

Lady

Ideal partner: Inteleon

A couple of ‘Walking Arsenals’ indeed. Ready to take on any challenge they may encounter.

Lady remembers how she met her partner when they were a tiny and shy Sobble. Now that they’ve become such a strong pokemon, Lady feels so proud of their growth.

Extremely resourceful, even in dire situations. Will use all the tools at their disposition to finish their job.

Their sniper skills are unparalleled so you’d better watch out. In a battle of wits, there’s no beating this duo.

Silly companion: Eevee

Lady is such an Eevee fan, her childhood dream was to befriend one and have numerous adventures together.

So when she finally got one many years later, she actually started crying happy tears. (It was a gift from Dante. He figured she deserved a companion after what happened in the Temen-ni-gru incident.)

She spends her free time playing with her adorable Eevee, there’s even a whole collection of toys for their playtime together.

If you happen to have an Evolution Stone with you, DO. NOT. COME. ANY. CLOSER. Lady adores her Eevee just how it is. You have been warned.

Kyrie

Ideal partner: Gardevoir

I personally consider Kyrie as a woman with a righteous heart and a strong sense of justice just like her brother Credo, so it’s no surprise her pokemon partner is actually a Gardevoir.

Mess with them and hoo boy. So you have chosen death.

She and Gardevoir are actually among the strongest teams in the region. In fact, to this day, Nero and his Toxtricity haven’t been able to defeat these two in a pokemon battle.

Do not underestimate these girls. They can and will drag you through the mud if you dare hurt them or their loved ones.

Silly companion: Wooloo

Kyrie melted at the sight of Wooloo. So soft, and adorable, and puffy!

She loves knitting, so they would be perfect to provide her with lots of top quality wool. 

Once during Christmas, she donated handmade sweaters to the children at the local orphanage. Wooloo and her were so happy to help the little ones, they made it a tradition for them to do every year.

The sweaters and scarfs she knits with the help of her friend are actually very fashionable and pretty. Everyone in the crew loves showing theirs off any chance they get.

Nico

Ideal partner: Arcanine

A fire pokemon with majestic fur, excellent speed and an extremely keen sense of smell. Nico knew Arcanine would be a perfect partner to have.

She can count on their powerful fire to melt the metals she needs to forge her weapons. Her works of art have been made possible thanks to them and she could not feel more thankful.

Using their olfactory sense, Arcanine can track and retrieve any demon parts or carcasses which can later be used to create Devil Arms.

Although they are not that interested in competitive battles, they’re still a very strong duo that should not be taken so lightly. 

Silly companion: Rotom

So one day a wild Rotom sneaked into Nico’s van, causing a ruckus everywhere. Despite the disaster, Nico was incredibly fascinated since Rotom sightings are extremely rare.

She befriended the poltergeist pokemon almost right away. She even built a device for them to inhabit (just like Ash’s Rotomdex in the anime).

Now they’re Nico’s very own pokemon assitant! Thanks to her device Rotom can communicate, take pictures and save files and notes, which is perfect for her work.

Also they’re really nice to have a chat with! Just beware the unflattering pics they may take during battles.

Lucia

Ideal partner: Absol

It’s easy to see the similarities between Lucia and her Absol.

With Absol being erroneously blamed for natural disasters and Lucia being an artificial demon her creator labelled as ‘defective’, you could say they both share similar backstories. They felt outcasted by everyone else.

These two are incredibly agile fighters, using graceful and precise moves that prove to be lethal to their foes.

Personality wise they both appear to be stoic and aloof, but they’re actually very kind. They do tend to worry a lot about their friends though.

Silly companion: Espurr

Espurrs are known to constantly try to control and contain their enormous psychic power with all their might. Lucia understands her cute little companion all too well.

Being with each other has helped them both a lot, their shared company feels therapeutic for them.

Also Lucia enjoys cuddling Espurr. They feel so soft like a plushie!

Often have staring contests with each other. They always end with a tie though.