#mc is not taking crap anymore for the most part

[sunofthestar]

Y'know some of the MC options in Nightbringer have really made my day and this is one of em

[shiny-jr]

Spoiler from diasomnia chapter

Yes From what you just said, take the 2nd Halloween event i was pretty annoyed with the fact that only ace sort of scolded mal, like wth no one cares? No one will speak their minds? So yeah I feel like it will end like that but on a bigger scale, 'poor him he didn't knew better ' huuu no, i don't think so

In general all OB guys have gone basically free, i don't mean expel them but ... Nobody is going to do something? The one I've seen more ' punished for his actions' is Jamil bc Scarabia sort of turned their backs at him (which later got fixed but at least we saw some consequences)

🐏(?

FOR REAL. I'm pretty sure I already talked about it here, but in case I haven't, the second halloween event ending was complete bs. I hate how the ghosts, Lilia, and Malleus basically kinda gaslit everyone into believing that everyone else was in the wrong when in actuality everyone was completely valid in their belief that they were fighting for their life. And everyone else just apologized? Nah, be fucking for real. The second halloween event kinda a flop for that. Ace was the only real one in that entire event because he didn't stand for that crap. Not only that, but he was genuinely so worried for the mc and Grim!

As for the overblots, they've been getting increasingly worse. Like, Riddle was bad enough and he was the first one. So let's do a review, shall we? Spoilers all the way from chapter one to what we know of chapter seven.

Riddle. At first, I used to think his meltdown was pretty tame. That is, until I read part of the fight depicted in the manga. The fight in the manga goes way more into detail. I skimmed over it, but basically Cater was stabbed (thankfully it was one of his clones) and I remember Riddle throwing one of the roses bushes at either Trey, Ace, or the MC. The manga shows the fights way better than the game, and it becomes obvious that Riddle tries to hit everyone lethally more than once. However, despite that and destroying his dorm's garden, he's let off with his only punishment being to apologize and to bake a tart. Really? He almost killed people and that's it? And that's just the first one! But, it's a lot more tame than the others.

Leona takes it up a tiny notch. From here on out, I can't go into detail about the fight itself because the fighting is best depicted in the manga and the manga isn't here yet, but we have the game to go off of. We know for a fact that Leona was ready to suffocate Ruggie and even turn him to sand. Hell, if I remember right, he even turned a tiny part of his skin to sand. And he planned to injure an entire stadium if necessary. But all that was done was "oh, because you nearly killed people and your closest friend, your team isn't allowed to play in the tournament anymore" BUT to make things worse, the other teams chime in like "nah, let them play, because we want to beat them." WHAT? People nearly died??

I think Azul stays about the same level as Leona, if not lower. Leona was ready to put innocent citizens at risk, while Azul knocked students around his dorm unconscious(?) after stealing their magic. But afterwards, he just changed his scamming ways to be more low-key and chose to return the photograph he had MC and their gang steal. That was literally it. Like, bruh. I imagine he nearly killed people too, but it wasn't specified so I can't say for sure. But really?

Jamil finally takes it up another notch. I think he was seriously hoping the fall from his hit killed Kalim and co when he sent them flying. That, or they just wouldn't survive when that far out into the realm, but I can't be sure on this one. Then he hypnotizes everyone in the dorm. Again, like all the other fights, I can only assume there were multiple lethal attacks that weren't depicted well in the game. Even though it seems like he faced the most punishment with his dorm turning their back on him, idk, it didn't feel like enough.

Vil is probably the one I sympathize with the least. Before he even overblotted, he tried to poison and murder Neige but Rook nearly took his place. I'd say it's very safe to say he nearly killed MC, Grim, Ace, Deuce, Rook, Epel, Jamil, and Kalim by how roughed up everyone was after the battle. He also thought if he got rid of everyone else then he'd be the most beautiful, insinuating that he would harm or kill others. Right after overblotting, he says, "The suffering won't last long. You'll stop breathing soon" and later "Do you really think any who look upon my ugly form is allowed to live?" Yeah, he was definitely aiming to kill. And if Jamil and others hadn't discreetly evacuated the stadium, people would've died. Afterwards he apologized and paid money to the team (the reward money he owed for the loss in the contest), but that was kinda it.

Idia... oh boy. I sympathize with him the most by far, but he didn't get the punishment he should have gotten. Where do I even start with him? To put it simply, if the other guys were fires with ranging heat levels, Idia was a fucking forest fire. This guy and his little brother almost caused the destruction of the world, and that's not an exaggeration. First his family's company basically invaded the school and planned to erase their minds of the event afterwards. Not his fault, but he did go along with it. Then he emotionally tormented the previously overblotted guys after the company kidnapped them by allowing those trials that showcased fights with their closest friends. Finally, he planned to release all of the thousands of phantoms on the island which would have caused world-wide destruction. But then he was somehow still allowed to attend school like normal after an apology or something? Honestly, it was such a shitty minor punishment that I actually forgot most of it, because then they were all in the living room playing video games with him like he didn't just nearly put the world on the verge of armageddon. This ending annoyed me the most so far. Emphasis on so far.

Malleus, oh god, I can already tell that his ending will probably piss me off the most. Like, how are you going to top the disaster Idia and Ortho nearly wrought? Well, shit is already hitting the fan in his chapter, and it is concerning considering how early it is for him to be overblotting. Honestly, like Vil, I can't say I sympathize with him too much. But based on the other chapters, it'll probably end with everyone being a-okay with the fact that Malleus cursed the entire island. Honestly, if it were me, I would not be able to forgive Malleus for that. And I know he's gonna get away with it and have little to no repercussions because he's even more influential than Idia.

[insufferableprotagonistpoll]

Propaganda why Bojack Horseman is insufferable:

I get that him being insufferable is a big part of the show and I think that it's done very well but that still means he sucks. He has done so many shitty things to do many people throughout his life, but a lot of the time, he refuses to take proper accountability for it, either finding a way to deflect or, what I feel is more frequent, just accepting that he's a shitty person for it and wallowing in self hate instead of properly working on himself. Season 6 is thankfully a point where he properly decides to change, but he does still suck a lot beforehand, and those tendencies are still part of him, causing them to be put on display later (ie. The second Xerox of a.Xerox interview). He's just somebody who fucks people over and takes a long time to be willing to change enough to not fuck the next person in his life over

Weirdo groomer who uses his trauma (and status in Hollywood) as an excuse to be an awful person and expects to just be cool with the crap he pulls.

Yikes!!

look. i get the point is that he's fucked up & selfish & makes bad decisions, & i know later in the show there's lots more introspection and its supposed to get really deep & stuff, but i had to stop watching in the first season because i couldn't stand him being on screen

literally ruins the lives of everyone around him

Propaganda why Walter White is insufferable:

It annoys me to watch this man succeed despite majorly messing up all the time in ways that would get him caught/killed. The premise of his character is interesting enough: a very intelligent man so completely drenched in toxic masculinity and pride that he continuously sabotages himself and ends up in ethical dilemmas because he couldn't accept help. I usually like villain protagonists and complex characters who girlboss too close to the sun, but after Walter fully embraces his role as a career criminal he becomes so one-dimensional I can't seem to care about his problems anymore. (The other characters really carry the show.) Also it feels unrealistic how much everyone lets him get away with for "being smart" and that nobody hates him enough to turn him in.

everything is wrong about him. truly the most insufferable mc ive ever seen and there still are people who think he's a good role model

literally if he could've just gotten over himself for 15 seconds the whole show would've been moot. horror show of a man.

[jerzwriter]

The Tobias x Casey rec made me sad. They were my most favorite OH pair when I got here, but I don't read anymore since you said your Tobias is straight. Would you consider changing him? I miss reading your stuff.

Nonny, there is so much I could say to this that my head is spinning.

You're seriously writing to a creator and telling them what to create. Seriously?

Let's flip this around. "I love Tobias x Casey, but stopped reading when I learned Casey was bi. Can you change it and make her straight for me so I can read again?" I hope you see how fucked up that would be. You're doing the exact same thing.

If I just say, "OK. My Tobias is bi now," you'll read? Literally, nothing else will change because I'm not editing my story - but you'll read? Do you see anything wrong there?

The reasons I didn't HC him as bi are well documented, I'm not discussing again except to say playing as an F!MC. You know the rest of that story. By the time I came to this shithole and learned about drama, I already had an EXTENSIVE backstory for his character. That includes Casey sporadically teasing Tobias with things like "It's OK baby, you're straight, you wouldn't get it." (My MC is bi, I'm bi... so, no, I'm not biphobic). Part of which is Tobias's brother, Jordan, coming out to Casey and his journey in telling his family and living his truth (so, no, I'm not bi man phobic either). Part is because one of their daughters is queer, and I wanted to show how her parent's - one straight, one queer - reactions differ. I'm not someone who is like, "Iw, no! Queer characters! BAD!" I just have a different HC than you. It seems we have a tolerance issue here, and I'm not the one with the problem. It's you. This time, it's you.

You enjoyed their story, and you stopped reading. So, you're depriving yourself and not hurting me because I don't write for notes.

I have toyed with making Tobias bi in my HC for reasons that are moot because I've decided against it. I have AUs in my WIPs where he is bi and AUs where he's bi and poly. I'm not sure if I'll ever share them here. Why? Because of the bullying culture in this fandom. Because of anons like this. Of course, that's me being stubborn. I should write/share whatever I want and not let this crap bother me. That is a "for me to work on" issue.

One last thing: I am a real person. I'm a bi creator who writes for bi characters, but you "erased" me because I didn't change the sexuality of one character whose sexuality is determinant per canon (take that up with Pixelberry, not me....). That makes so much sense. You're doing so much to lift the queer community! I'm sure GLADD will be commemorating your efforts any day now. You should be very proud of yourself.

As always, I will be happy to discuss this further with you (or anyone else) in DMs. But I've said all I will say though anon.

Shit like this is so discouraging, but don't worry, I'm going to write some Tobias/Casey content to cheer myself up.

[survivingxbunny]

Headcanons for your favorite ship?

I mean shit I'm p sure a lot of the DBD community can agree with me on this but Ghostface X Leon

putting it under a read more cuz i got A LOT.

Though its mostly like...First meeting 😅

~~~Favorite Ship Headcanons part 1~~~

It was just an average trial, Leon helping out his teammates working on generators while Ghostface searched the map for them...Though Leon was on a gen by himself, only stopping for a brief moment hearing one of his teammates scream in pain. Shit it's the killer.

2. Well now he has to keep a close eye on where the killer was carrying his teammate, if they were nearby he could easily get off the gen and run over and get them off the hook...Though if they were across the map he wanted to at least get the gen half way before going over, and if someone else got them down then that would be great!

3. Luckily they were hooked nearby as Leon would crouch and start walking towards the hook...Though made a mistake of rounding the corner right as the killer was rounding it to go look for more survivors...They lock eyes for a brief moment as now he sees its Ghostface of all killers in the trial, before he stands up and bolts off, of course with Ghostface in toe.

4. He's running, bobbing and weaving to avoid Ghostface's swipes before he noticed a few vaults ahead...That would be his best bet to avoid getting caught, so he would head for those hopping over them one after the other before he suddenly stops...Ghostface had stopped following after the third vault, and was just...Standing there, staring at him.

5. "Eager today, aren't we bunny?" the ghoul faced killer chuckles

6. Reasonably Leon is confused yet...He found himself flustered...Did the killer call him...Bunny?? And that tone too...Was he flirting??

7. Well now they were at a stand still...Ghostface didn't seem to want to chase or kill him anymore, no he was more so amused at flustering this cute survivor...Maybe he'll give him the hatch. If Leon played his cards right then it was a most certainty that he was getting the hatch.

8. After a good few moments, there would be 2 generators left as Leon kind of...Slowly walked off to go finish off some gens, Ghostface yet again in toe..Though he was keeping a casual pace with him...Confusing the other survivors who happened to bare witness.

9. Though they couldn't get anywhere near Leon without Ghostface chasing after them and hooking them....Which Leon could only groan at once he was the only one left unhooked...Would he even be able to unhook them?? He didn't know but they were almost done with gens...If they could hold out just a lil longer.

10. of course by time he went to the last gen, at least 2 of the other survivors speed runs dying. Well crap ok now he just had to get one of them down which he managed to do while Ghostface went to go kick a gen Leon had previously been working on and stopped mid way.

11. Getting the last Survivor down he would take them back to finish the last gen and open the door...Though while he was opening the door, Ghostface would mc bolt at the other survivor, grabbing them and mori'ing them while Leon opened the door, the killer standing and giving a lil wave goodbye as Leon would run out the door...Ghost face looks forward to seeing him in more trials.

[jnlnyaface]

Weird Book/Movie Theory

Ok, go with me here this is going to be a wild one.

What if the female protagonist in toxic relationship books/movies was replaced with a clone during the course of the books/movies and that’s why she’s so ok with everything that happens and initially being against the male protagonist's antics.

The Theory – There's a secret organization that recognizes when women are with super toxic men. Since these men are unlikely to grow as people or seek mental health treatment the organization wants them to stay with their current partner so no other woman will have to deal with them. However, the women don’t want to be stuck with the toxic men so the organization clones them. They then program the clone to stay with the man no matter what. This is why after the female MC breaks up with the male MC she goes from keeping her distance to being right back in the thick of it with little to no reasonable explanation. Let’s take a walk shall we…

Disclaimer – I have not read any of the books nor have I seen most of the movies I’m about to talk about. Most, if not all, of my knowledge of these stories comes from reading Reddit posts about them and watching YouTube videos from KennieJD, DylanIsInTrouble, AmandaTheJedi, and FullOfLit. This theory, which is flimsy at best, is based on very limited knowledge of the various source material.

Where This Theory Came From - I thought of this while I was watching the “Bad Movies and a Beat” video for the Passionflixs' film “Tangled”. In the video Kennie says that Kate, the female MC, went from not giving Drew, the male lead, the time of day to forgiving him later that night. This made me think of 50 Shades of Grey, when Anna goes from wanting nothing to do with Christian to marrying him like 2 months later. It also reminded me of After when Tessa goes from breaking up with Hardin for legit reasons to putting up with his BS for literally zero reasons. I mostly came up with this theory because a large part of me wants to believe there is no way a woman, even a fictional woman, would put up with the crap these men put them and the world through.

After

This is mostly around the plot of the movies. 

Tessa breaks up with Hardin after she finds out about the dare. At first, they stay apart for a while, and she goes on about her life. Then they get back together later and are relatively happy. Then at the end of the 2nd movie she has her car accident. It’s possible this is when the switch happened. The Tessa that left the hospital was not the same Tessa that went in. But OG Tessa maybe felt guilty about never seeing her mom again, so she switches back. It’s not until After Ever Happy when she's about to move to New York that she decides she can’t do it anymore. So, it’s her clone that moves to New York and OG Tessa continues her life in Seattle. 

Note: I know the logistics of this would be wonky especially considering Tessa worked for Hardin’s bio dad’s company but maybe she moved somewhere else and changed her identity. I haven’t fully worked that part out yet. 

I know that in the books her mom is terrible so maybe she realized cutting her off wasn’t the worst thing. This would also explain how she was suddenly able to have children later on. (Please let me know if she had the kids naturally or if they adopted or if they got a surrogate or something. I don’t remember if that was ever explained). 

50 Shades of Grey / Tangled

Anna would’ve switched after she broke up with Christian the first time. After the red room stuff, she was like “nah bruh I’m good” and he kept basically stalking her. The organization would’ve approached her then and she would switch immediately and never look back. The Anna in the 2nd and 3rd books/movies was the clone the whole time. 

Tangled is similar. Kate and her ex Billy had a conversation at her work after he tried to serenade her and get her back. After that Drew assumed Kate was getting back together with Billy and faked setting up a date in front of Kate. Kate, hurt by this, broke up with Drew. Between her breaking up with him and taking him back he kept calling her and sending her things and embarrassing/stalking her. Kate then asked Drew to dinner as a last hurrah so they could have a clean break. But the Kate that asked him to dinner and the Kate that actually went to the dinner were two different people. The clone is the one who attended the dinner. The organization reached out to her during her breakup with Drew and she jumped on the chance. I read the synopsis of the later books (KennieJD has only talked about one movie on her channel and while I know there are at least 2 more books I don't know if they've made any more movies) and I know Kate’s ex becomes really successful later and she and Drew run into him at some point. I think the OG Kate changed her identity and when her ex, Billy, got himself together they reconnected (she obviously would have to tell him everything that happened) and they got back together and went on to live happily ever after.

365 DNI

Now this one is the crazy one, like crazier than all the rest for sure. I think Laura has had multiple clones that have died. When she got kidnapped by Massimo in the beginning, I think a combination of Stockholm Syndrome and giving into the fantasy of being powerful adjacent were driving her. Then he sent her back to Poland. While in Poland she talks to her family and maybe a therapist and starts to realize the depth of the trauma she went through. This is when the organization comes in. At first, she’s on board but starts to change her mind, possibly due to denial from not fully processing her trauma. When Massimo comes back, she’s once again swept up in the fantasy but finding out she’s pregnant knocks her out of it. She agrees to the clone and switches places. But when the car goes through the tunnel at the end of the film her clone is killed. OG Laura loses the baby from the stress, then switches back and pretends like it was her the whole time and that she miraculously survived. 

Then in the second movie she meets and falls in love with Nacho and gets “kidnapped” again. When she finds out that she’s actually been abducted and isn’t just on a sexy vacation she finds a way to contact the organization. When the “wrong” guards have her that’s when the switch happens…again. However, this second clone is shot and dies in the hospital so Laura has to switch back again. In the books Laura chooses Nacho and the movies end on a cliffhanger. This was probably the real Laura because she picked someone other than the OG male love interest. 

Note: there’s a second theory I have where the OG Laura died in the tunnel car accident or earlier because of her heart condition and the organization made a clone so Massimo wouldn’t know but that clone died in the car accident. They made a new one and that one got shot so the last Laura in the 3rd book/movie is the 2nd or 3rd clone. Because where did her heart condition go?! 

Like I said this is just something that’s been floating around in my mind for a while. Tell me what you think and if there are any other toxic relationships where you think the woman (or man) was replaced with a clone. Please remember I have only consumed these books/movies by proxy so any inconsistencies or plot holes should be blamed on me not having all the information from the source material.

[friendlyneighborhood-writer]

4, 7, 11, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 34, 36, 43, 44 for the ask game :3

Holy crap, Timi, you went for it! Thanks for the ask <3

4: Have you ever been published, or do you want to be published?

I had an opportunity to be featured in a short story anthology, but I decided not to because the publishing company didn't sit right with me. It doesn't exist anymore either, so I'm guessing that was the right call?

I do want to be published some day!

7: Standalone or series?

I want to stay standalone, but almost every standalone I write ends up getting a sequel because the characters refuse to let me go lol

When it comes to reading, however, I do prefer standalones.

11: Books and/or authors who influenced you the most

JULES VERNE

You wouldn’t guess it if you looked at what I write nowadays, but way back in the day when I first got serious about writing, I was writing sci-fi and adventure stories. So Verne is kind of what got me (back) into writing.

I think Cassandra Clare and her The Mortal Instruments series was what first got me writing urban fantasy, which is still one of my favourite genres to write today, so there’s that.

I think that’s about it, though

12: Describe your perfect writing space

Somewhere desolate but with an amazing view. I’m thinking like, a little house on the beach, all you gotta do is take the stairs down and you’re by the water. But it’s far away from people so no one will interrupt you.

But really, as long as I’ve got somewhere comfortable to sit, I can write anywhere lol

14: How do you deal with self-doubts?

By reminding myself that someone looked at 50 Shades and decided that was good enough to be published, so my writing can’t be all that bad.

20: How many WIPs and story ideas do you have?

Oh boy. Uh. Okay, let’s see.

I have… 4 WIPs and like, a dozen ideas?

25: Favourite part of writing

Remembering that this is a world and these are characters that I created out of thin air. It really does make you feel like a god lmao

26: Favourite writing program

I just use Word lol

34: What was the hardest scene you ever had to write?

Right, okay, so you might have seen me mention a story called Bad Moon Rising. It was a queer supernatural thriller that I wrote about four years ago? Anyway, I ended up turning what was supposed tone a short story into a full-length novel, which I finished two years ago.

There’s this scene near the end of the first part where the MC’s boyfriend has a breakdown in the shower after he kills someone that was absolutely heartbreaking to write. It’s a really sad thing because throughout the entire story, you get to know Noah as this really sweet, wouldn’t-hurt-a-fly kinda guy, and then it turns out he’s the killer (though he’s being mind-controlled and doesn’t realise it for the longest time). It was fun to write but also really hard.

36: Last sentence you wrote

Okay, here's the last line I wrote for a story that I plan to majorly rewrite. It's called How Not To Be A Necromancer, and I can't wait to give it another shot because the characters have been in my head for, like, a decade!

If life made sense, then Ebony would be alive, after all, or I would be dead alongside her.

43: What do you do if/when characters don't follow the outline?

I let the story be for a bit. Sometimes I get an entirely new idea that fits the characters better.

44: How much research do you do?

It always starts out as “oh yeah I’ll just look this up real quick” and two hours later I have seven new tabs open with things to look up lmao

So yes, I do quite a bit of research

[nyxs-sins]

For Obey Me, the boys reacting to MC having a crush on their Voice Actors, please?

(Or if you want, just Miura Ayme, Asmo's VA)

I wrote this as a Part 2 to “Reacting to Their Game Ads (+MC!)”.

Brothers React to MC Having a Crush on Their VA

Lucifer

He still doesn’t understand why MC had to make their life story a dating game.

Or why they hired voice actors to play them in the game.

Kazuya Yamashita doesn’t sound anything LIKE him!!!

…

Okay he does but still.

This really hurts his pride.

“MC, come here.”

He’ll do everything in his power to make MC forget about his sound-a-like.

Mammon

WHY’D YA GO AND GET SOMEONE TO VOICE ACT HIM, HUH MC?!

WAS HE NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU ANYMORE?!

And whoever this- this Hirotaka Kobayashi person is… he’s gonna curse him!

Yeah, that’s right! He’ll never see so much as a penny ever again!

He refuses to talk to MC, watching as they crush over his VA when he’s right there.

It’s just so frustrating to him!

Leviathan

No, he’s not jealous.

No, he’s not ignoring you.

No, he doesn’t understand why he couldn’t voice himself, even though the game was adopted into the Human World.

No he’s not going to summon Lotan to kill Satoshi Kada.

Yes, all of the above is a lie.

After the threat of his VA is… removed, he’ll take MC and lock them up in a cave.

One that you can only get to through the ocean.

Yandere Mode Activated?

Yes.

Satan

He has surpassed anger, surpasses wrath, he is nothing but calm.

And his room in now perfectly clean with all of his books neatly organized and dusted.

He hates it when he sees MC crushing on his VA.

“MC, I’m right here.”

Why can’t they like him again? Instead of that Shinya Sumi person.

He won’t go out and hunt the VA down but, if he ever runs into him…

“MC, please notice me.”

“What did you say, Satan?”

“I asked how your new crush is.”

Asmodeus

He’s also crushing on Miura Ayme.

He’s honored that he even looks similar to him.

But nothing can beat the real thing.

“Why are you crushing on him when you have me?”

“Oh I know!”

“How about a threesome~?”

Beelzebub

That voice… kinda sounds like his, but not?

Oh… it’s a voice actor for that game. What was his name..?

Kyohei Yaguchi.

Why is MC… crushing over him instead?

Sad Boi.

“MC, I made you some food.”

“MC, I got this for you.”

I have a headcanon the Beel would be big on gift giving as his love language, though most of his goats are food or food-related.

He’d use this to try to get MC’s heart back.

He wanted them to see him again, instead of crushing on his VA.

Belphegor

Jealous No. 6

Yandere No. 2

Murder is always an option.

At first he would pretend that Satoshi Onishi doesn’t exist, and that everything was fine and normal.

Then he’d start to ignore MC, sleeping more often.

When neither of that worked, he’d try to leave little hints to MC to cut the crap and stop crushing on his VA when the real thing was right there.

If all of that fails, he’ll lock MC up, just like he was locked up in the attic.

He’d put them to sleep, whether it be forever or not, it doesn’t matter.

Because now MC was his. All his.

No one, not even that stupid VA, could get to them.

[intoomanyfandomstocount]

Bro there’s something so precious about Malleus and Yuu’s friendship that I think I can finally put into words now. (And it’s not just me projecting I swear hear me out.)

Almost every single interaction Yuu/Mc has with Malleus, has been when Yuu was vulnerable in some way. (At the time I’m writing this, episode 5 has been out for a while.) ep 5 spoilers!! (And the other chapters lol)

So their first meeting. In episode 2. Yuu just spent the day searching for the culprit behind the injuries to no avail. Not only that, they and their buddies got their asses handed to them I. Magift. They take a breather outside, feeling tired from the long day. They’re even pondering about whether or not they’ll be getting home. (It’s one of the dialogue options.)

And then boom, Malleus appears. He doesn’t do anything Expect be like, “crap my abandoned building’s no longer abandoned :(” but he does manage to distract Yuu from their thoughts, albeit unintentionally. Still, it was a strange encounter, which leaves Yuu curious for more.

Despite Ramshackle dorm technically no longer being abandoned, Malleus still visits it again in episode 3. Here, Yuu is even more vulnerable. They are completely alone, worried that they might become homeless because of their deal with Azul. Malleus appears. Yuu calls him by his strange nickname and Malleus laughs. Never expecting anyone to call him that. He asks Yuu what’s wrong. Yuu explains and he listens.

Malleus is worried, although I feel at this point is mainly more because he likes his abandoned buildings. He talks about gargoyles with Yuu. He originally didn’t have any other intentions other than he just liked talking about them. However, once again he managed to distract Yuu from falling to deep into their negative thoughts and unintentionally gave them advice.

After they get the dorm back, Yuu thanks Malleus for the advice, and Malleus is surprised because he never intended it to be advice. He’s surprised this little human managed to outsmart Azul, and is also surprised that he was helpful to them. I think this was the moment that Malleus started to see Yuu as his friend.

At the end of episode 4, he gives us a holiday card. Yuu isn’t vulnerable in this situation, however this was the only gift that they received over the holidays. (Unless you count crowleys feast). He signed the card M.D. He wants to get closer to Yuu, little by little. A part of him probably likes the secrecy of someone not even knowing who his true identity is. But he also wants to be closer with them.

And then episode 5, some of the best malleus x Yuu content we have rn. First off, again with the Malleus appears right when Yuu is about to spiral into negative/confusing thoughts. Before, Yuu was in their room, thinking about Mickey and the mirror. Maybe not negative, but certainly vulnerable to me. They look out the window and see small green lights that looks like fireflies. And they know. They simply know who it is and their first reaction is to go outside to see him.

At this point, Yuu and Malleus see each other as friends. Their presence is enough to cheer the other up (ik its hard to know yuus emotions but do you go out to see someone you hate in the cold of night? No) Malleus smiles when he sees Yuu. Yuu then gives Malleus the VDC ticket and asks if he would go with them.

This moment is huge. Mainly for Malleus. Yuu is one of the very few, if not only people who don’t treat him any different because of his title as prince. And even so, they’re probably the only person Malleus and consider an equal. He has Silver, Sebek and Lilia, and he definitely cares about them. By those relationships have a power dynamic of sorts. With Silver and Sebek serving Malleus, and with Lilia being a parental figure to Malleus. Yuu and Malleus doesn’t have any power dynamic, they are both equals when they are together.

And of course, Malleus barely gets invited to events such as these because everyone’s so intimidated by him. (For good reason but still.) Not to mention that he grew up isolated (see his Birthday SSR) and has grown used to being alone. And yet here is this human, fearlessly inviting him to a concert as a friend. He even asks if they’re performing and is disappointed when he finds out that they’re just the manager. I just find that cute.

And the next day, Lilia comes to Yuu to thank them for inviting them, because of how happy Malleus was. Just...imagine Malleus arriving at the dorms late, holding the VDC ticket in his hand. Sebek probably stayed up late to wait for him and began to scold him, you know Sebek being Sebek. And Malleus just calmly apologizes and goes to his room and Sebek is confusion because Malleus usually is like “you don’t need to complain sm about me, I’m fine” (it’s hard to describe it. He’s not bratty he just wants Sebek to chill lol) but Lilia sees this and noticed the ticket in Malleus’s hand and is like “ho ho ho” like the far dad he is.

That strayed into headcanon/fic territory I’m so sorry.

Anyways, back to canon. Malleus arriving at the VDC stage after the overblot fight. Again, Yuu is vulnerable in some way. In this way, they’re most likely tired from fighting ANOTHER overblot. And then they see Malleus, who arrived two hours earlier, probably bc they really wanted to see Yuu, and they’re so happy! And we know this bc one of the dialogue options is simply “Tsunotaro!” So we know that Yuu was definitely walking up to Malleus with a smile on their face without a care in the world. (And freaking everyone else)

Malleus and Yuu seem to have this ability to rid the presence of any negativity when they’re together. Their presence is enough to sooth each other. Not to mention that even after (finally) realizing Malleus’s true identity, they’re reaction was basically, “holy crap are you serious? Ok.” They are as chill as always.

Yuu is even worried that Malleus wouldn’t want them calling him by his nickname anymore (one of the dialogue options is “am I not allowed to call you Tsunotaro anymore?” But Malleus simply smiles and says “no it’s fine.”

It’s just...the fact that Malleus was most likely worried that Yuu would change the way they acted around Malleus, and that worried just went “poof” in a matter of seconds...it’s just so pure man.

Malleus and Yuu’s relationship really feels like two inexperienced people finding solace and discovering friendship with one another and the beauty that brings. Of course Yuu doesn’t really have a backstory (as they’re mainly there for the player to insert themselves in) and they have Ace, Deuce and friends that they definitely care about. However, this world is still new to them, and their relationships with Ace, Deuce and the other characters are also growing. And with Malleus, well, he’s completely new to friendship like this, and is still learning. He may be hundreds of years old, but he’s still considered a teenager in fae years. (Species age differently, like what that droid said in The Mandolorian)

In conclusion, whether you ship it platonically or romantically or you’re like Leona and hate Malleus’s guts, I want what Malleus and Yuu have. And I am both excited and terrified for what the future brings them.

[utterlyinevitable]

Queeeeen, are you taking requests?

If you are, can you please write a fic from Alan's pov where Ethan talks about MC?

(Not in book 3 pls, I want to forget that monstrosity 🤢)

Just Ethan not realising that he's talking about her non-stop and Alan teasing the crap out of him hehe.

(If you have a slightly different idea, go for it!!! Anything and everything you write always has me- 🤩🤩)

Have a great day, queen ❤❤❤❤

After

Pairing: Ethan x F!MC (Becca) Rating: PG-13 Warnings: implied trauma Summary: Alan makes his way to comfort Ethan after hearing about the assassination attempt.  Tropes: Hurt/Comfort; 2.11

A/N: Thank you so much for this request! I outlined this piece as part of my 2.11 / Leakage sequel mini series that I never finished. It’s a bit different that what you’re after, but thank you for the motivation 💕💞💕

_______________

Just Two People: I. After. 

10 hours. It’s been ten hours since the worst 24 hours of his life. Ten hours since they declared the antidote successful. Ten hours since she was moved to a private room on the Diagnostics wing, ten feet away from the office. 

It’s been three hours since he returned to the hospital. Naveen and the rest of the team forced him home, to sleep and eat and change into a fresh pair of clothing that weren’t drenched in stricken sweat. 90 minutes - that’s how long he was gone for. That’s as long as his body and mind and soul would let him be away from her. 

Even now, ten feet away and separated by two walls and a corridor seems much too much. 

He knew he shouldn’t spend every waking moment at her side, no matter how much his body was willing him to do just that. There was no reason to, not anymore now that she’s cured. He can’t hide under the guise of monitoring her vitals anymore, the nurses have that covered. And anyway, he doesn’t want to fuel the whirling gossip mill any further. 

So Ethan Ramsey sits at his desk, alone in the dimming daylight. An untouched glass of water in front of him and his heavy gaze stuck on the back of the caseless iPhone in his hands. 

Would it be too much to text her? 

It’s been 122 minutes since he last saw her - departed with an “If you need anything, text me” mumbled into her hairline on top of a chaste kiss. 

It’s been two hours and two minutes of radio silence. 

He’s worried, irrationally so. Shifting in his chair Ethan’s legs begin to jitter, start to lift his body up. But before he could convince herself he’s just going to walk past her room on his way to the restroom, there’s a knock on his ajar door. 

“Dad? What’re you doing here?” 

“I saw the news,” Alan says with the most sullen expression. 

Alan Ramsey looks like he always does, dressed in jeans though his cardigan has been replaced with a ratty old hoodie Ethan’s only ever seen him wear in the house. The young father steps into the darkening office with wrinkles showing years of worry; the slope of his expression feels as if his own flesh and blood were the one on the brink of death mere hours ago. 

“I needed to make sure you were alright.” 

“You could have called.”  

“I did,” a small smile tugs at Alan’s lips. Even in times of hardship his son is still everso the same. “Six times. Left some text messages too.” 

The boy hangs his head, deep oceanic eyes darting back to the abandoned phone. “Sorry,” he mutters. 

“Don’t be. You’ve had an eventful few days.” Alan moves gingerly and determinedly to perch on the edge of the closest chair in front of his son. “How is she?” 

Ethan just shrugs. “Physically, looks like a full recovery. Mentally, too soon to tell. Dr. Hirata has a counselor scheduled to meet with her tomorrow.” 

“How are you?” 

“I’m…”

From this close Alan could see every flicker of pain Ethan has been harboring. His clear, curious blue eyes were the darkest he’s ever seen them, bordering on limitless midnight if it wasn’t for the faint red surrounding them. There are wrinkles in his pressed shirt and deep circles under his eyes. And the way he sits slumped in his chair and not with the perfect posture he’s been lecturing his father about for the better part of their lives, Alan knew he was right to come. Knew that now was one of those rare times where his son would accept the doting of his single parent. 

While Ethan was still searching for the words, Alan rounded the desk to place a hand on his slumped shoulder. 

“Ethan, son, you don’t need to hide.” 

Easier said than done, Ethan would think on any other day. But not today. 

“It was the worst days of my life,” he says it so effortlessly on the breath of a dying man. “I - I thought I lost her, Dad.” 

Two sets of the same blue eyes meet, both aged and one much too soon. 

“But you didn’t.” 

“I know.” 

Even now, with the understanding between them too great and effortlessly easy to grab onto, Ethan wouldn't admit to the one truth. Wouldn’t concede to the last argument they had just mere weeks ago. Ethan Ramsey wouldn’t admit it, but he finally knew how and why his dad was holding onto love all this time. If Ethan had lost Rebecca he knew he’d never be open to the notion again. He belonged to her. 

Ethan didn’t have to say it for Alan to read the words shouting from his features. 

Alan gives Ethan’s shoulder an assuring squeeze. “Have you told her?” he asks with a compassionate smile. 

The deep breath Ethan takes and the way his eyes close, then dart to the door on their reopening, has Alan’s heart dropping. 

But then, his son surprises him for the umpteenth time. 

“Yes.” 

The word is small and hoarse, and heavy with something neither man has heard from in a long time. 

Alan steps away and lets the feeling linger for a bit. He knows he shouldn’t push or move too fast, knows that if he does he could scare this vulnerable side of his son back into hiding. So they let the hopefulness surround them. They let the light of a new beginning flicker on as Boston settles into evening outside. 

When neither of them move to speak, or even move from the stances, Alan decides to take care; “I was planning on making you dinner - What would you prefer?”  

Ethan shakes his head, moving to stand. “You don’t have to. You need to get back.”  

The two men are as face-to-face as they can get with the younger being nearly a foot taller. Alan can see his son fully now. Can see how his shirt is barely tucked into trousers that don’t match and he’s wearing casual loafers instead of shiny Oxfords.

“Ethan, you look like you’ve been hit by a bus,” Alan tries to laugh the truth off. “And anyway, I took compassionate leave for a few days. Family emergency.”

The words hit Ethan like a bus. If Alan looked closely he could see the tears fighting to emerge in his son’s eyes.   

“Dad…” 

Ethan’s Adam’s apple is bobbing with all that’s unsaid. The weight of it all pressing onto him in ways he’d never care to imagine. To think, his father frantically drove to Boston at the drop of a hat for a woman he’s met only once - barely even knows.  

Alan tries to read around the emotions as best he can. Tells his stoic, unburdensome son the truth, whether he realizes it or not. 

“Call it what you want. But if I know anything about my son, it’s that you are completely enamored with that woman and blaming yourself for the situation.”  

Alan didn’t know how right he was. 

________________________

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics 

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[perriewinklenerdie]

Married (Ethan Ramsey x MC)

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x Claire Herondale

Word count: 2,4 k

Summary: Parts of Ines’s wedding told from Ethan’s perspective feat. E&C dancing, staring at each other during the wedding, basically being a married couple and everyone calling them out for it. OH3 Chapter 11 added content.

Warnings: None, it’s fluff town all the way

A/N: I feel scammed by PB. All the golden opportunities - wasted. So I fixed it.

His shoes sank a bit in the sand as he began walking towards the venue. More and more people were beginning to arrive, sounds of conversation and laughter increasing by the minute. He recognized his coworkers with ease and approached them. The first to notice him is Tobias, his eyebrow arching slightly at the sight of him.

“You came alone? Where’s Herondale?” he asked, looking over Ethan’s shoulder to search for the blonde resident.

“She helped me fix my tie, then kicked me out of our room. And refused to let me see the dress.” He explained, shrugging with a helpless laugh. Harper laughed along with him, clapping her hands gently.

“That’s wife behavior. Are you sure you two aren’t married?”

“Dude, if you two eloped, I’m not going to be working out with you anymore.” Bryce chimed in, acting as though he was offended, a serious look overtaking his face.

“Where would you- why would you- “ Ethan started stumbling over his words, realizing only after a moment that everyone was smirking at him teasingly. He huffed, fighting a blush that creeped onto his cheeks anyway. “I see. You all think you’re funny.”

“You make it too easy, Ethan.” Harper giggled, shaking her head.

“And we know we’re funny, Ethan.” His mentor put his hand on his shoulder sympathetically.

“Hilarious, even.” Baz added.

A small sound of an incoming message caused everyone to stop talking. Sienna unlocked her phone, her eyes scanning the screen.

“Claire just texted me a photo of her in a dress.”

Immediately, everyone jumped to her side, long before Ethan could even move his finger. Once he woke up from the daze, he took a step towards the young doctor that he considered his friend. Zaid stopped him in his tracks with a hand pressed to his shoulder.

“She said to not let you see the photo.”

“Why?”

Her voice rang from behind him. “I wanted to see your reaction myself.”

Ethan turned around and, at once, his breath caught in his throat. His gaze dropped to her shoes and dragged up her body slowly. The gentle flow of her skirt, pink silk that he knew for sure would almost spill through his fingers. The bodice, snug against her chest, accentuating her curves and making his male brain run wild. Careful to not linger on her chest too long – he would not get crap from their friends for this – he finally looked at her face. She was grinning smugly with a bit of a nervous spark.

He stepped up to her, resting his hand on the dip of her waist, tracing the floral patterns under his touch. With his other hand, he grasped hers in a gentle manner, raising it to press a warm kiss to her fingers.

“You’re taking my breath away.” he muttered, staring at her intensely.

“Hypoxia is dangerous, maybe I should go.” Claire teased, leaning away a fraction of an inch. He immediately pushed on her back to stop her, their personal spaces merging.

“Not having you by my side is fatal.” He dropped his voice to a low rumble, her grin melting into the soft smile. Their lips met in a slow kiss, no heat to it, just pure emotions.

They remained like that for a prolonged moment, his hands carefully pressing her to his chest. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, making their bodies move in a swaying motion.

Jackie burst their bubble. “You, lovebirds, the brides are about to arrive, cut it out.”

Ethan pressed his lips to Claire’s one last time, then leaned away. Their noses brushed against one another as their eyes met. He whispered gently. “I’ll come find you after the ceremony.”

She pecked his cheek sweetly. “Can’t wait.”

--

He wasn’t particularly a fan of weddings. He wasn’t invited to a lot of them, either. If combined with his dislike for big social gatherings, one would come to the conclusion that Ethan Ramsey was miserable right in that moment.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

As Ines and Angie exchange vows and talk about their love for each other, his eyes find Claire. Sitting in her chair across the aisle, she’s holding Sienna’s hand and passing her a tissue. She’s all anyone could ever ask for, and the mere sight of her makes him fall down into the void of memories.

How far he’s come as a person. A cynic that dreaded what a new year would bring along with a new batch of interns. A man that had only two people in his life that he could call friends. A man that went to the bar every night to forget the day behind him, only to go back to his empty apartment. All of that was so long ago that he barely recognized that version of himself anymore. He was so different now.

He smiled more. Laughed, even, and found that he didn’t find stupid jokes Lahela made all the time half as annoying as he once did. He didn’t spend every waking moment at work. Instead, he enjoyed his time off. Still at a bar, but not to drink away his worries. Not alone – not anymore.

Now, he had someone to come home to.

Claire shook her head as she laughed at what Zaid said and Ethan’s heartbeat quickened. They grew together as people too, and along with that, their relationship evolved.

From the night they spent together in the NICU, when her head slowly fell onto his shoulder and he couldn’t find a single cell in his body to tell him to lean away. Because he wanted her to be close. It was the first moment in which he thought that maybe this brilliant woman was meant to be more to him than just an intern – and right after that, he squashed the idea back down.

Every hold of her hand, every silent sign of support, he cherished it all. Unknowingly falling deeper for the woman that would become the center of his universe before he realized what was happening.

Their kiss in Miami would be at the forefront of his mind in his every living second until he kissed her again. Growing stronger with each time his resolve broke and their lips met, softly or with wild abandonment.

The first time he could call her his – the first time he had her to himself. He knew in that moment that he was ruined for everyone else. No one would ever make him feel that way, ever again. He knew it damn well – and yet, he still fought against it.

Absence makes heart grow fonder. He now knew it was true. Months he spent away from her, keeping her at arm’s length, taught him as much. How could he deny those words when the moment he pulled her closer to him outside his apartment and their lips touched, he felt his mind go blank and his heart stop. He vowed to never let her leave again. To never lose her.

And then he almost did.

The thought alone made his muscles spasm, and he was a millisecond away from running to her side, just to feel her warmth and hear her heartbeat. Leaving her side now, even if only for a moment, even to do their job, caused a silent voice to go off in his head. A wave of panic usually followed, staying with him until he saw her again.

Thankfully, nowadays, she was within his reach most of the time. She never asked why he sometimes needed to pull her close and just hold onto her – she knew.

He felt the corners of his lips rise on their own accord. She was radiant in every second of every day. In that moment, she was the most beautiful person there. The idea that it was him that she continuously chose to be with, day after day, only made him smile wider.

This was it for him. He found his one and only, as cliché as that sounded – he knew it for sure. Guess weddings really did make people reflect on love after all.

Ethan was very much aware of how lovestruck he must have been looking in that moment. With his eyes on Claire, he was a picture of a man in love – and he was finally ready to admit that he was. He loved her.

Almost as though she could hear his thoughts, she turned around to look at him. Their eyes met and a brilliant smile bloomed on her face. His lips moved as he mouthed the words, her smile becoming gentler.

“I’m yours.”

She mouthed it right back to him.

--

Music wasn’t as obnoxious as he anticipated it to be. That didn’t, of course, mean that he condoned every dance move he saw the guests do. He decided to not complain, though – it was a day to be happy, he wouldn’t bring anyone down with his opinion on their questionable choices of moves.

Currently, he was seated by the table, nursing his whiskey. Mirani twins, Tobias and Naveen sat beside him, all five men watching their colleagues party with wine glasses in their hands.

“How long, do you think, will it take for one of them to break a glass?” Baz asked, leaning out of his seat to see his friends better. Zaid grinned, taking a sip of his drink.

“Any second now. And my bet is on Varma.”

“Why?” Tobias’s face twisted in confusion as he turned towards him, intrigued. Zaid shrugged.

“Because she can.”

Ethan tuned their conversation out, choosing instead to look at his girlfriend. She danced with Sienna, laughing as they sang along to the song. Her dress moved with her, flowing through the air elegantly. He felt the urge to stand up and walk up to her.

“Ramsey, you do know you can just walk up to her instead of sitting here and pining for her, right?” Tobias snickered, punching Ethan’s shoulder playfully. He scoffed, leaning away with a hint of a burn in his cheeks.

“I’m not pining for her.”

“You are.” All four of his companions replied.

He was so distracted by their words that he failed to notice an approaching form. Her hand landed on his shoulder softly, the tips of her nails scratching the back of his neck. Knowing who it was, he leaned into her touch, breathing out deeply.

“Sorry, gentlemen, but I’m stealing him.” she mused happily, dragging her hand down his arm until her fingers tangled with his. Ethan let her pull her up, looping his arm around her waist.

“Stealing is bad, Herondale.” Tobias shot back, moving his eyebrows suggestively at the couple. Claire opened her mouth to speak, but Ethan beat her to the punch.

“She can’t steal something that’s already hers.” He grinned at them, then turned towards her. Claire’s jaw dropped in surprise at his boldness, her posture softening enough for him to pull her away from the table, smirking. Faintly, he heard Tobias’s words.

“Married. For sure.”

Ethan’s arms wrapped around her, fingers hooked onto her hipbones. She threw her arms around his neck, staring up at him with a soft smile. A slow song began playing and one look at where the DJ was situated told them who was behind this change. Ines grinned at them, giving them thumbs up and a cheeky wink.

“Is it just me, or is everyone trying to tell us something?” Claire giggled, nuzzling her nose against his jaw. He kissed her nose gently.

“So, you noticed it too?”

“Kinda hard not to. Girls said we’re acting like a married couple at least twice today.” she traced the lapel of his jacket, laughing quietly at the recognition in his eyes.

“Guys did it too.” Ethan muttered, tightening his hold on her. She laid her head on his shoulder.

“And how does that make you feel?”

He was silent for a long while. They swayed to the song, tuning out everything else. To her surprise, he didn’t tense up – nothing about his posture spelled out the doubts he once told her he had.

“Not as terrified as it did before.”

Claire leaned back to look at him. Their eyes met, tender understanding in them. Ethan leaned down, capturing her lips in a kiss, perfectly soft and not nearly deep enough. She clutched his lapel in her fist, creasing the fabric with how strong her pull was. His fingers dug into her back, skipping past the coarser material of her bodice and gripping the soft silk of her skirt. A voice in the back of his head told him to loosen up the hold or he’ll mark the fabric, but the overwhelming need he felt for her overshadowed everything else and he couldn’t bring himself to let her go.

The song ended and with it, their kiss. Foreheads pressed together, they caught their breath, standing in the middle of the dancefloor. Blissfully unaware of how much attention they gathered with their tender moment.

Ethan opened his eyes and finally allowed his mind to register the music again. Some sort of a fast tune that made people around them go mad. His girlfriend stared at him with an unspoken question, and he got the meaning perfectly well.

With a definite move, he dipped her onto the floor. She giggled, the sound breaking through the loud music to reach his ears. Ethan smirked, throwing her back into his arms. With his lips against her ear, he mused hotly.

“I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

Her leg wrapped around his thigh, pushing their bodies closer. His voice broke off and his breath shuddered at the way their bodies clashed and the suggestive smirk she sent his way. His hand fell to her ass, all inhibitions gone.

“Ethan!” she exclaimed, laughing at the carefree smile he gave her. He moved his hand a bit, albeit begrudgingly.

“Can you blame me? You’re irresistible.” He muttered, kissing the shell of her ear. Claire hummed, then twirled out of his hold and back into it, jumping into his arms with her legs wrapped around his hips. Ethan groaned deeply in his throat, making her smirk.

“I have a few tricks up my sleeve too.”

Notes

This is a part 2 to the Mile High Club fic. As I said, PB could have made the chapter so good with all the wedding themes that I’d lose my wig. Writers apparently don’t know how to do basic research into fiction themes, but that’s okay (kinda). It just means I have more material to work with.

Round two smut is coming soon. 

Thank you for reading! <3

Tagging separately

[mageofseven]

Hi I just recently discovered your blog and I’m in love with your writing! I have a little request if you don’t mind. The brothers (and undateables I’d you want to) finding MC bruised and beaten and later discovering they got into a fight with another demon. Thank you in advance if you decide to write this!

Awww thank you so much! I might end up doing the Undateables in another post, but I'll just stick to the Brothers for this one.

And thanks for requesting 😊

TWs: violence, vague s*xual assault

Spoiler warning: 1st year spoilers in Lucifer's and vaguely in Belphie's section

~

Lucifer:

Was checking out the area under Diavolo's orders.

Apparently there have been some people sneaking around in the old Colosseum and normal methods to keep other demons away from the historical landmark have been futile.

That and word has made it's way that some criminals have been using the place to secretly make dealings

So when he got there, he had expected to find some such people lurking around

Instead he found MC on the ground in the center, bruised and bleeding with their arm bent in a very concerning way.

He rushed up to them, calling their name and checking them for signs of life.

Honestly, the man was having major flashbacks to the day he lost his sister.

This was exactly where Lilith fell and Lucifer had to watch his sister, all broken and in pain until Diavolo came and he had to make the deal that changed everything

The deal that eventually led to MC's existence

Yet here they were now, in exactly the same place and state and the demon couldn't help but break down for a minute with panic he tried so hard to conceal.

The human let out a groan and the man could only sigh in relief.

"MC, oh thank the Devil..."

"Luce...?"

"You'll be alright." He promised. "I'll take you over to have Simeon heal you."

Despite the internal panic and flashbacks of such a traumatic event, he still handled the situation well.

Once MC was all healed up, he asked them what happened.

Apparently, they found a note that someone had stuffed in their school bag, asking for them to meet at the Colosseum.

They thought it was weird, but curiosity had gotten the better of them so they went and were attacked while exploring the ancient building.

The demon had meant to kill her, but sensed Lucifer approaching so they dropped the human and ran for it.

Ends up getting as much info from them about the attacker as he can.

Even if MC doesn't want the demon to die for what they did, they get no say in the matter.

Because of their status as exchange student, this attack is a political issue and the consequences Lord Diavolo warned his people about originally must be put into play.

Politics aside though, Lucifer would never let any being who hurt MC get away with it.

Becomes a lot stricter with what they can and cannot do

Like, they're not even allowed to go for a walk around the block without either him or his brothers accompanying them.

Even changes up their class schedule to make sure they have at least one of his brothers with them per class and they even have to walk MC to their next one.

Any arguments about this from MC or the brothers fall on deaf ears.

He will never let anyone lay a hand on them again.

Mammon:

School day had ended and he was on his way to pick MC up from their class.

Since Lucifer decided the day they came that he was responsible for their safety, he always had to do stuff like this.

He was late today though since his teacher held him back after class.

Blah blah F on the test, blahh blah summer school, blaah blahh blaaaah. Whatever man; he wasn't listening

And because of them, he was late. So much so that when he arrived at the human's classroom, they weren't there.

Lowkey panicked.

Shit. Shit shit shit, where'd they go???

Practically runs in the halls trying to find them

Knows Lucifer will have his head for this if he can't track 'em down.

Ends up hearing some kind of ruckus in the courtyard

And finds a big group of students forming a circle and chanting "Fight!"

"Oh yell!" Is momentarily distracted from his problem and joins the group. "Fight! Fight! Fight--."

Oh shit. That's his human in the circle!

Mammon's brain just started buffering as he watched MC dodge and weave, even getting some good hits in. The second brother was actually pretty impressed.

The lower demon in the fight eventually lost his footing and fell to the ground, giving an opening for MC to give a big kick between his legs and the demon let out a shrill scream. His green skin started smoking and changed to grey as it hardened and suddenly seemed more like stone than a person.

The circle of students started cheering and Mammon's jaw practically hit the floor.

Holy shit, the human did it!

MC fell the ground, panting heavily and bruised from head to toe.

Mammon finally rushed up to them.

"Damn, MC! You're gonna give me a heart attack!"

All of a sudden, some students started running and others just quickly jumped back, revealing Lucifer and Diavolo.

....yep, he's dead.

The two older demons started asking MC questions as they caught their breath and Mammon tried to sneak away.

Lucifer grabbed his brother by his jacket, but otherwise paid him no mind as MC told their tale.

Apparently this demon that sits behind them in their Devildom History class had been giving them crap for a while; calling them names and pushing them around. Today they even started touching them in places that made them wanna break the demon's hand.

MC snapped and told them such. The demon only grinned. Honestly, he was probably waiting for them to say that.

From there, he dragged them out by their hair and the rest is rather obvious.

Diavolo had some of his men carry the demon away. Apparently, the stone-like skin is defense mechanism, essentially the equivalent of a turtle hiding in their shells for that sub-race of demon.

The prince assured MC that the demon will be dealt with and tasked Lucifer with getting them healed up.

Mammon was hung upside down from the roof for a few hours for letting this happen, but MC was patched up and okay in the end.

Leviathan:

He usually buys all of his otaku stuff off of Akuzon

But occasionally, he likes to go out and by manga at this store downtown.

It's a once in a blue moon sort of thing, but he still does it

MC felt like taking a walk so they joined him

The two explored the shop as Levi fanboyed about seemingly every other series he passed.

The otaku had already started a pile of manga he planned to buy.

He didn't even notice when MC left his side until he approached the counter to pay

Boy just assumes you bailed on him at first and sinks into self-loathing mode

Until he heard a scream from outside.

He abandoned his manga and raced out, just in time to see another demon run for it and MC leaning against the building.

Their right arm was bleeding from the holes and claw marks made into it.

The third brother started freaking out and rushed them home, even leaving his books there.

When they get back, Lucifer patches them up with a first aid kit and a little bit of a potion.

MC explains how they were shopping with Levi when all of a sudden they saw Beel outside the store waving at them

She went out to talk to him, but then suddenly, it wasn't Beel anymore.

Apparently, it was a shapeshifting demon and, since they specifically choose Beel's form to take, Lucifer assumed that they must have been watching them for a while and planning this attack. They likely chose Beel because they knew he was someone MC would let their guard around.

Levi felt like crap for letting them get hurt, but MC said it was their fault for being tricked.

Lucifer decided it was both their faults and gave them both a long lecture

Satan:

The fourth brother invited MC out for coffee

The blonde actually really likes the atmosphere of coffee shops and wanted to share it with them

The two ordered their coffee and sat at their table while talking about books. He recently read a book on artic fauna from the human world and was comparing the information he read with their own knowledge

It was a very relaxing experience like most of MC's quality with Satan.

Before the two of left, MC had to stop in the restroom.

That demon waited patiently for the human at their table, but when almost ten minutes went by, he became a bit annoyed and puzzled.

Not wanting to be rude, but also ready to leave, Satan approached the bathroom door

He paused mid knock when her heard a low growl followed by a cry from MC

Now in his demon form, the blonde kicked the door off its hinges. It wasn't locked or anything, but the man was super pissed.

Found a demon pressing MC, who had a gash in their head, against the opposite wall

'An eye for an eye' is more or less the philosophy he followed here, or rather, a head for a head.

He took the demon and slammed his head into another wall over and over again.

MC had to run up and tell him to stop after the other demon passed out.

They left the demon on the floor of the bathroom and Satan, with his arms around MC to keep them close, headed back to House of Lamentation

The human didn't want the other brothers to see them like this and worry so Satan snuck them into his room and went to get the first aid kit.

It was quiet between the two as he patched them up.

"I'm sorry for scaring you." He said as he finished with their stitches. "Seeing you hurt like that just made my blood boil. They deserved it, but you shouldn't have had to watch."

"It's okay... thank you for saving me."

The two spent the rest of the night huddled together in his room, reading and just settling down from the incident.

Asmodeus:

Shopping trip!

Asmo was a bit too enthusiastic about it, but that's part of why MC was all too willing to go

He mainly just wanted to see MC in cute outfits, but also bought a few for himself

Any self-consciousness MC might feel on her own is long gone when they spend time with him. He's always hyping them up and complimenting them and overall making them feel beautiful.

Time spent with Asmo is always a good time and well spent.

The fifth brother does actually leave their side for a bit after they found someone hot to flirt with

MC didn't mind and just let the Avatar of Lust do his thing as they continued to look through the racks.

At some point a very good looking demon approached them and started flirting with them

It became obvious that this dude was one of Asmo's demons, another demon of lust

Even with this in mind though, their attention really did make the human feel special, even if they probably said such sweet words to everyone

MC underestimated the demon, thinking that just because Asmo wasn't the aggressive sort that the demons under him wouldn't be either

Ends up following him out of the store and makes out with him against the wall of the building

They didn't understand why they were doing this, but the human's mind had been feeling foggy for a while now.

Suddenly, MC's whole body started to feel heavy and they were so dizzy that their vision was just a blur

Ends up passing out and waking up a few minutes later to Asmo crying as he stood over them and begging them to wake up

"Azzy?"

The man threw his arms around them.

Finds out that the fifth brother went looking for them when he saw that they weren't in the store anymore. He came outside just in time to see one of his underlings try to suck their soul out of their body.

As soon as they heard their superior's voice though, they dropped the human and ran.

The two went straight home and Asmo was extra clingy with them for the rest of the day.

Beelzebub:

The two of them went together to Madam Screams since they were both craving sweets.

Beel was really hungering for a cherry pit pie (though of course he planned on order other things as well) while MC was really hankering for some chocodevil cake.

The two happily got in line to pick out their treats, but MC stepped out to get a clearer view of the case with all of the treats to see if they wanted anything different instead.

Ends up getting attacked by a famished, minor demon of gluttony and slammed down on the glass case containing the sweets.

Beel jumped into gear; he changed into his demon form and threw the other demon off of them.

During the skirmish, the two ended up breaking down a wall and crushing three tables.

When the fight ended, the big guy rushed up to MC to make sure they're okay.

The human was bleeding and had a lot of glass shards embedded in their back and arms.

Though worried, the sweet boy keeps himself together and carefully takes out the bigger shards.

Rushes them home, treats forgotten.

Once home, Lucifer is the one who gets the rest of the glass out of their back and cleans up their wounds.

Beel stays by their side and lets them squeeze their hand when Luce's clean up hurts too much.

Luce gives his younger brother a lecture for all the stuff he had broken back at Madam Screams, but is surprisingly lenient with him.

The older brother didn't say it (and honestly, he should have), but he was proud of his brother for stepping up and protecting MC, but at the same time, expected nothing less from him.

Yeah, Lucifer will likely get sent the bill, but MC's safety is more important.

Belphegor:

Belphie had fallen asleep during class; no surprise there.

The rest of the students left the room when class ended, but the seventh brother continued to sleep at his desk.

MC found his sleeping face cute and didn't want to wake the demon

So instead, they hung around the classroom, waiting for the Avatar of Sloth to awake; the school day was over and the classroom wasn't going to be used for anything else so they thought there'd be no harm in hanging around.

Sadly, they were wrong.

Another student, a jerk from their Seductive Speechcraft class had waited for them to leave the classroom in order to harass them, but when they didn't come out, he came in.

Eventually had them backed up against the wall and forcing their hand up their shirt, causing the human to yelp.

He tried covering their mouth with his other hand, but MC bit them, angering the demon and leading them to putting their hands around their throat as he yelled at them.

The entire time, the minor demon never saw the Avatar of Sloth sleeping at his desk.

Big mistake.

Belphie woke up and saw the scene before him, turning into his demon form real quick.

Didn't hesitate to grab a hold of the bastard and make him let go of MC, who was now gasping for much needed air.

The seventh brother used his miasma aura to weaken the demon as he was now the one doing the choking with the lower demon.

MC covered their face and cried in their corner on the floor.

It was too similar to That Night™️ and the human was bordering on panic attack because of it.

Once the minor demon passed out, Belphie turned and saw MC crying on the floor.

He rushed up to them, but stopped once MC started screaming and begging for him to stay back.

That look in their eyes... it was the same fearful look he remembered from That Night™️

And it killed Belphie inside because he never wanted them to be scared of him ever again.

He waited for the human to calm down and, with their permission, slowly approached them.

He wanted to hug them, but was afraid that they'd just be reminded of it even more so he held back.

Surprising him, the human hugged him instead.

He held them tight for as long as they needed and started to notice the bruises forming on their neck

The two went home after that and reported the incident to Lucifer before Belphie dragged MC with him for a nap.

He chose Beel and his' room since he knew the attic would probably be too much for them right now.

Cuddled close to them and apologized for all of it. For falling asleep and leaving them defenseless. For the other demon's attack. For scarying them. Above all, that he was sorry for That Night™️

~

Masterlist

[astaroth1357]

Locker Room Talk- A Beelzebub Fanfic (BeelxGN MC)

(I’m not much of a whole-ass fic writer, so I don’t think this will be a regular occurrence, but I just had a scenario play out too perfectly not to give it an upgrade. I would hope this goes without saying, but harassment is not okay, I do not condone it, and if you are experiencing it you should look into what legal options you have available to report it. Please don’t try the Beel method. You’ll go to jail.)

Warnings: Sexual harassment, unwanted innuendo, implied possibility of sexual assault, vulgarity

"Locker Room Talk” isn't really Beel's thing. In all honesty, he’s never understood the appeal since saying gross stuff where only your friends can hear doesn’t make what you’re saying any better. Because he’s been playing sports for nearly all the time he's been in the Devildom, he’s been around his fair share of these kinds of conversations. Most of the time he just keeps to himself and tries to tune out whatever the other guys have to say. It gives him a bit of a reputation as the “innocent” one sure, but he just prefers not to play along with their pervy antics. If they wanted that, they could talk to Asmo for all he cared.

That’s not to say he didn’t like his teammates or anything. Most of them were pretty good people on the court and got their acts together off of it. And Beel really loved playing sports. He needed the physical outlet as a distraction from his hunger… If he had to put up with a little vulgarity from time to time, it seemed like a fair enough trade… Or. At least it was at first.

When MC came to the Devildom, they turned his whole world upside-down. Things between his brother had always been tense before and even Belphie had grown more distant with him after what happened to Lilith, but it felt like in only a couple of short months they were able to soothe everything over. His family has never been happier and neither has he… Plus, it helped that they were a good, and eager, cook.

His teammates sniffed out his crush for the little human fairly quickly. To be fair, he wasn’t exactly hiding it very well. The first time they ever came by one of their practices, a pouch of homemade cookies in hand, he could have kissed them on the spot. No one, not even Belphie, makes the time to go check on him during practice like that... He must have made his happiness pretty obvious because the human started making it a regular habit. At least two, sometimes three, times a week they would drop in with some kind of food for him. Store-bought, homemade, a small snack, or packed meal, it honestly didn’t matter to him. Anything that came from their hands felt three times more filling than it should have. 

He’s a little embarrassed to admit that after a few weeks the anticipation would start to show in his performance… If they were on their way he could usually smell whatever they had packed heading his direction and he’d play extra aggressively just to get to a break faster. He'd mow everybody else over just to have an excuse to go meet them at the gate. He’s been more than a little reckless before and thinking back on it can make him wince, but he usually forgets all about those little mishaps as soon as he’s met by their smiling face. 

“Hey, Beel! How is practice going?” They’d ask him. And no matter how he answers, all he’d think would be, “Never as good as right now…”

It was around the time that his teammates put it together that the teasing started. It was innocent enough at first. They’d pick on him for having a little crush on the exchange student but it was always lighthearted. Nothing worse than maybe the occasional,

“Oi Beel? Did you get yourself a housewife/husband? Good for you.” or “They’ll cook for you?? What a steal!” Nothing that bad. At least, nowhere near as bad as it would get.

As the weeks passed it seemed like his teammates were expecting something out of him... Like, was he supposed to make a move on them? Though Beel really did want to be with the MC, there were a lot of complications… His brothers being a big one. Most have made no secret that they’re also pretty fond of them too, Mammon especially, and it felt wrong to make another rift in the family right after it took so long to patch the first one… Of course, his teammates didn’t know that. And they didn’t care. All they wanted to do was amp up the pressure…

“Hey, Beel, did you see what your honey was wearing today? I think they’re sending signals. You should probably jump on that, you know?” When it first started, he couldn’t actually believe what he was hearing. Sure, their little jokes sounded like innuendo but they kept things just veiled enough that he could have been reading into it. He’d get uncomfortable, but brush it off easy enough. However, it only ever got worse from there.

“Yo Beel, you boning that human yet? What? No?? What the hell are you waiting for? We see you like them so just do it!” It would grate on his nerves...

“Beel, how’s your sweetheart been doing? Still not fucking, right? Bet they’re getting lonely…” He’d tell them to stop. At first politely, then more forcefully.

“Look, man, if you don’t start taking charge then they’re going to get antsy. Plenty of other guys are here looking to get their dicks wet… Just look at your brothers, am I right?” After a while, he started shouting. But his aggravation only seemed to fuel the fire.

“I bet someone will have them bent over and forgetting all about you by the end of the week.” Eventually, he went to the coach but he didn’t care. “It’s just ‘Locker Room Talk.’ Grow up,” is all he got in response. It didn’t feel like it was just that anymore, but he started to doubt himself anyway... Was he overreacting? Every bone in his body wanted to go on a rampage whenever they started to pester him but wasn’t it all just words? He could endure words, couldn’t he? Besides, RAD has a strict no-violence on school grounds policy on its athletes. Even if he did get a good slug in, then he’d been thrown out of future games for the rest of the season.

Their words were just words. Gross, awful words, but words nonetheless. Sure. Whatever. He could endure that… but only that.

On the day he nearly lost it completely, it was right after their last practice before a big game the next night. The whole team was amped to go, but Beel was trying to keep to himself. Get in, get out, and go back to the House where MC was probably waiting. He’s long since stopped sticking around for socializing with the others. He had just finished changing when one of his teammates cornered him by his locker, the slimiest grin already plastered on his face.

“Look, Beel… We’re going to do you a favor, alright? Since you’re taking so long with this… The guys and I have decided to invite your little human to an “after-game party” tomorrow. To celebrate our victory and all that. Bet they’re dying for some action since you’re not giving any. You’re free to come if you want. Though… they might not be paying much attention to you.” Beel could feel his eye twitch as he watched the scumbag’s snickering face. That face. That fucking face. He'd never seen or heard anything so revolting in his life and-

For a few seconds, all he could see was red.

When he came back to his senses, he already had the sleazebag pinned against the lockers by the windpipe, fingers gripping his neck so tightly that his nails drew blood. At some point, he must have slipped into his demon form because the vibrations of his wings behind him made a sound not unlike a warning growl. His expression must have been ferocious because in the guy's eyes he saw nothing but pure terror. He’d never felt this much rage and hatred together before. Surely, at this moment, he ought to look more like Satan or Lucifer on a rampage than he does himself.

“If you say one more thing about that human, I will kill you. Touch them once and I will eat you. Are we clear?" His hand clenches further, making him receive a gargled cough in response. At this point, he could have probably flicked his wrist and snapped his neck in two. "Then pass it on." He tossed the man back into the metal lockers and watched him sink to the floor, clawing at his own throat and gasping for air. Oh yeah, his sporting days for this semester are over. But if it keeps him away from this trash? He’ll take it.

Of course, he made sure that he doesn’t stick around much longer. He left the scumbag to sort himself out, grabbing his gym bag quickly. He barely remembered to hide his demon form again before walking out of there, his nerves are practically shot already. Thankfully, though, he didn’t make it three steps out the door before a familiar face stopped him in his tracks. MC, who must have been waiting patiently for him this entire time, is leaned next to the bleachers with a backpack in one hand and a deli sandwich in the other. The perfect smile they got when they saw him signaling their blissful ignorance of all that just went down before.

“Hey Beel! How was pr-Oomf!” His body colliding with theirs cuts off their question. Beel’s gym bag lies already forgotten in the dirt, ditched so his arms could embrace them fully. It’s just a hug, a tight hug, but there’s a certain desperation to it. Though he knew it was ridiculous, a part of him was terrified that his teammates may just come up and try to snatch them if he let go…. After some time to process, he felt their head settle against his chest. He worried that they can hear his raging heartbeat... Would they pick up on how pissed he was just a moment ago?

“Ah… Not that great then, huh…?” His arms tense, pressing them closer against the fabric of his shirt. Should he tell them what he's been putting up with…? Does he even have the stomach for it? Letting out a sigh through his nose, he simply grunted out, “No…” 

“Well, what’s wrong then?” So many things… He just wanted to pick them up and fly them away from all this crap. He wanted to rip the tongues out from anyone who's said a bad word about them. He wanted to keep holding them in his arms, shielding them from anything and everything that could possibly take that perfect smile away… But they probably don’t know that, do they?

“Beel? Are you okay...?” He let a slow sigh draw out from his nose, resting his head atop theirs. All too soon, he'd have to let them go. But, for the moment, he could just hold them and wish this feeling would never end...

“Only if you are…”

[obeyme-kaidii-writes]

Change

Mammon x gn!MC

Words - 4346

Content Warnings - angst, lots of fluff, happy endings, pre-relationship stuff (Mammon does call you ‘babe’ but I consider that a GN endearment)

Prompt/Inspiration - none

Summary -  You over hear Mammon talking to some demons at RAD, and both of you are forced to confront your feelings.

AO3

Classes had just finished at RAD, and you were heading towards the main gates to meet up with Satan so you could walk home together. Normally Mammon would escort you, but you had planned on staying after today to work on an assignment and told him not to wait for you. It worked out, however, that you had been able to finish your work during a free period in the library, so you got to leave early.

As you walked along, a familiar voice found its way to your ears and you broke out into a wide smile. Mammon was still at RAD and hadn’t left yet! Maybe he’d be able to join you on the way home? There was so much you had wanted to talk to him about, and you looked forward to this time together after every school day.

When you had first arrived here in the Devildom, your mere presence seemed to annoy him and he took advantage of every opportunity to dump you with his brothers and make himself scarce. But things had changed. Though he never said it, you were almost certain he was in love with you. His brothers would tease him about it regularly and it always left him so flustered and embarrassed.

And the truth was, you loved him too. Unconditionally. You knew how hard he tried to do the right thing, even if his plans often ended in disaster. And you admired how he was always looking out for his brothers, and didn’t even look for any acknowledgement - in fact, he preferred it that way. They didn’t know it was him who bought Levi’s new games when he had missed the preorder window, or that he had arranged for an entire truck load of Beel’s favorite pudding to be delivered after he had eaten the last cup that Beel had been saving. He had his reputation to maintain after all. And being thoughtful and considerate was not the look he was going for.

Mammon never failed to make you smile either. And while he was the biggest scaredy cat you had ever met (how was it even possible for demons to be scared of ghosts?), he always showed up to protect you when it mattered. Yeah, it stung sometimes when he’d intentionally keep his distance from you to avoid the teasing of his brothers, but you knew whenever you were alone with him that he treasured you more than anything.

These thoughts in mind, you quickened your pace and headed towards the sound of his voice.

“Hey Mammon, are you coming out with us tonight? That new club opened up.”

“Nah, ‘got babysittin’ duty tonight courtesy of Lucifer.”

“Babysitting duty? You’re still following that pathetic human around?”

You stopped dead in your tracks, rooted to the spot. The laughter of the other demons echoed in the now empty halls. You knew you should move. You needed to leave. This was not a conversation you should be listening to. And every fiber of your being said you should get out of there before you regret it. But still, you couldn’t get your feet to move.

“Ya know how it is. They’re so fragile. It’s not like I wanna be stuck with ‘em. But I can’t exactly let ‘em die either.”

“MC?”

You gave a small yelp as you spun around to find Satan behind you. It seemed you had taken too long to meet up with him so he had gone looking for you out of concern for your safety. You stared at him for a moment struggling to even process what he was doing there. But your brain was stuck on a loop of Mammon’s voice saying, “It's not like I wanna be stuck with ‘em,” on repeat over and over again.

“Um yeah, fine. See ya,” you numbly replied to Satan before you took off running. You just had to get back to your room. And now. Fast. You could feel your cheeks heating up and the pressure building behind your eyes. Just a little further, you thought, as you pushed yourself to run even harder than you knew you were capable of. Just a little further.

————

Satan stood there stunned. He had no idea why the hell you had taken off like that, nor had he understood your bizarre response when he had greeted you. Had he done something? He couldn’t think of anything since he hadn’t spoken to you since he saw you in the library earlier that afternoon.

That was when Mammon stuck his head out from around the corner. He could have sworn he heard your voice, but you were nowhere to be found. Weird. You had told him that he shouldn’t wait for you, but he had decided to anyway. The highlight of his day was walking home with you from school, so he wasn’t about to miss out on that just because you had to stay late. He had decided not to tell you, because he didn’t want to admit that out loud, but he had worked out the perfect cover story to explain why he would show up *just* as you were leaving RAD.

“Mammon.”

He jumped with a start before noticing Satan just on the other side of the corner.

“Holy crap. Why ya gotta sneak up on me like that?!”

“What. Did. You. Do.” Satan replied, emphasizing every word. He didn’t know what Mammon had said or done, but there was no way his presence and your sudden absence were unrelated. He couldn’t be sure, but he knew his brother well enough to know he had doubtless said something he shouldn’t have.

“Do?! I have no idea whattya talkin’ about! Honest! I was just hangin’ out with some friends. I swear!”

“Then why did MC take off running?”

“They WHAT?!”

Mammon’s face blanched. Oh no. Oh no no no no no. There was no way you had overheard him right? Nah, you couldn’t have. He would have known you were there. You would have said hi at least. You always said hi. Yeah Satan had to be mistaken. That couldn’t possibly be why you had left.

But try as he might to convince himself he wasn’t to blame - Mammon knew. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, he knew. That sinking feeling in his stomach was proof enough for him.

“Fix it,” said Satan, narrowing his eyes at Mammon, “Fix it or I tell Lucifer.” And with that he walked off to find you to make sure you had gotten home safely, despite his idiot of a brother. Why you enjoyed Mammon’s company was beyond him. But he knew how happy the scumbag made you, for better or worse, and that was the only reason he wasn’t giving Mammon a public thrashing right now. He at least had to give him a chance to talk to you, for your sake.

————

You weren’t sure how long you had been asleep when you heard a knock at your door. You weren’t in any condition to talk to anyone right now, so you hoped if you just laid there quietly for long enough they’d assume you were still asleep and leave.

But this wasn’t just anyone knocking at your door. It was Mammon. The most persistent demon in the entire Devildom, that also lacked that crucial ability to read a room and know when to leave well enough alone.

“HEY! MC! I know you’re in there. I gotta talk to ya. Open up.”

You let out a heavy sigh, and rose from your bed to go open the door. You knew better than most that there was no getting rid of Mammon at this point. He had decided to talk to you, so talk to you was what he was going to do, and you knew he was likely to break down the door itself if you made him wait too long.

So, without a word, you let him inside.

Before you had even had time to sit down on the edge of your bed, he had launched into a long winded, frantic explanation and apology. He had been joking. He didn’t mean it. You know how he is. He gets nervous.

“Mammon. It’s ok.”

He stopped mid sentence and took a good look at you. You certainly did not look ok. Your eyes were red. There were still dried tears staining your cheeks. Your hair was a disaster. There was no way you were ok, not while you looked like that.

Feeling a bit self conscious, you ran your fingers through your hair to hopefully at least get the tangles out, and flatten the lumps. It was probably a useless gesture, but you still had to try if you wanted Mammon to stop staring at you any time soon.

“You don’t look ok.”

Of course, trust Mammon to state the obvious. You couldn’t help but laugh a little. This was one of the things you had loved about him after all. It was part of his charm.

“Um thanks? I guess? I just meant you didn’t have to worry about me anymore. It’s ok. I got it.”

“Whattya talkin’ about?! What do you get?? You haven’ even listened ta me yet!”

You gave Mammon a small smile. He was trying so hard to figure this out and talk to you. You just had to appreciate that. You knew how difficult it was for him to articulate things sometimes, and talking about his feelings with you was particularly challenging for him.

“Look, I was being foolish. I got caught up in my own thoughts and began to expect things I shouldn’t, and I put pressure on you that you didn’t need. But I’ve cleared my head now and found a new perspective so you don’t have to worry. Honest. I’ll get Beel to start walking with me. It’ll be fine.”

Mammon was stunned. He had no idea what you were carrying on about. You expected things? You pressured him? When have you ever done that? The only thing you ever expected of him was for him to be himself, and he naturally just wanted to be the best version of himself he could for you. He wanted to make you proud of him. The fact that you never pressured him to change was one of the things he loved about you too. You accepted him and all his flaws, and you were always there to help him out of a tight spot or encourage him when he was feeling out of sorts.

And he loved you so much it hurt. Even though he knew he could never tell you, and knew you would never return his feelings, he still wanted to spend every second he could with you and make you smile so much you’d never forget him.

You sighed again. You could tell Mammon wasn’t understanding what you were saying. You had tried to avoid saying it directly because your emotions were still raw, but it looked like you had no choice but to rip off the bandaid and just get it all out there. Otherwise who knew how long it would take for him to understand?

“I love you, Mammon.”

Well, that was not what he was expecting.

“I love you very much. More than I thought possible. But I realize that I was projecting my feelings onto you and reading into things more than I should. Even though I had no reason to believe you felt the same, I still convinced myself you did. And I treated you like we were more than just friends. I shouldn’t have done that and put pressure on you. So, I’m sorry.”

You had been staring at your hands while you spoke, so you didn’t see when Mammon’s face flushed scarlet or when a few tears leaked out from the corners of his eyes. You also didn’t notice that he was about to wrap you up in the tightest, bone crushing hug of your life.

“I love you too,” he whispered, “so so much.”

By now you were laying flat on your back on your bed after being tackled by Mammon, practically immobilized as he buried his face into your neck and confessed his love to you. With what limited motion you had, you managed to wrap one of your arms around his back, rubbing it gently as he cried tears of happiness.

Now it was your turn to be at a loss for words. He loved you? You had realized when you had overheard him talking to his school friends that he was just being his usual awkward self. That wasn’t really what had upset you, not on its own at least. It wasn’t the first time he had said similar things to cover up his own embarrassment and you had gotten used to speaking “Mammon.”

No, what had gotten to you was the fact that you were forced to face the idea that you were nothing more than a friend to him. That was all you’d ever be. You’d finish up what remained of your year here, then you’d get sent back to the human realm, and he’d carry on with his life until he was introduced to a new exchange student whom he’d have to look after.

You weren’t his partner. He was never going to walk hand in hand with you through the halls of RAD, proudly showing you off to any demon that looked his way. That was all just a fantasy you had cooked up in your head due to your own loneliness and desire for love.

But now he was telling you that he loved you, and your brain was struggling to catch up with your heart, which had already started to run wild. All that work you had done convincing yourself to be more logical and not jump to conclusions was quickly unraveling. He loves you. He really loves you.

You wanted to give him a better hug, so you tried to wiggle your other arm free that was currently pinned to your side underneath him. But his grip on you only tightened, afraid you were about to push him away or take back what you said.

“Mammon, babe, can you at least let me hug you?”, you asked with a smirk as you tried to turn your head to face him, wiggling your arm again and hoping he’d get the message.

“Oh!”

He jumped back slightly, afraid he had been hurting you, which only made you laugh. With your arm now free you adjusted your position, returning his hug with one of your own, holding him as tightly and closely as possible. You leaned your head against his, giving him a small kiss by his ear, and repeated what you had said earlier - “I love you.”

Mammon pulled back a bit, trying to get a better view of your face. Now that he was calmer, he really wanted to get a good look at you. He wanted to be sure he wasn’t dreaming and that he wasn’t hallucinating. He needed to see you speak and hear those words as they left your lips.

“Say it again.”

“I love you.”

And with that, he proceeded to give you the best kiss you had ever had in your life.

————

Mammon was playing with your hair as you slept curled up by his side, your head resting on his chest. Your legs were tangled together with his, and he loved how close he was able to hold you now.

Part of his mind was still convinced this was all some sort of weird fever dream. Nothing this good ever happened to him. Maybe he’d score big at a casino sometime, but that paled in comparison to being able to hold you in his arms now. You really were all his. He didn’t have to share you with anyone, and if he didn’t like how another demon looked at you, well, he would just have to kiss you right in front of them to show them who you belonged to.

That thought made him chuckle. Who you belonged to? Pfft. You didn’t belong to anyone. If anything, he belonged to you. He had since the first day you met, though it took him a long time to admit it. But look at him now. He finally got to tell you how he felt, and he didn’t have to hide it from you anymore.

“What are you thinking about?”

Mammon’s hand stilled, “Sorry, did I wake ya?”

“No, I’ve been awake for awhile now. Just enjoying the peace and quiet I guess.” You gave him a squeeze with the arm that was around his chest. This was definitely a good way to wake up, and you hoped you’d be able to spend many more moments like this together with him.

“Well, I should probably head back to my room. It’ll be time for breakfast soon and the last thing I need is Lucifer’s naggin’ first thing in the morning.”

You whined and buried your face into his chest. You weren’t ready for him to leave yet.

Seeing you like that made Mammon impossibly happy. How could you be so cute? It shouldn’t be allowed. You shouldn’t be able to make him feel this loved just by clinging to him either.

You whined again, realizing that he was right. And as much as you wanted for this moment to continue and to never have to leave this bed again, there were still some questions that had to be answered before he left, and you realized you couldn’t avoid them any longer.

“So umm...about yesterday…”

“Yeah? What about it?”

“Do you...umm…What do you intend to tell your friends?”

“My friends? Tell ‘em about what?”

“Me.”

Oh. Right. He forgot about that. Or more like he tried to forget. It had been sitting at the back of his mind since he woke up and realized he needed to go to school today. He had seriously considered just running off with you and trying to convince you that today was the perfect day for a trip, just to avoid having to deal with it.

Nothing had really been resolved yesterday. He knew that. After he kissed you, the two of you had just crawled into bed together to cuddle with some random movie playing in the background. The idea had been to watch the movie together, but all y’all had ended up doing was giggling and kissing and being generally silly, until you fell asleep in each other’s arms.

“Mammon?”

His silence was making you nervous, so you propped yourself up to get a better look at him. It was too dark to make out any details of his expression, but you could tell that he was lost in thought and not really looking at you.

“Mammon?”, you called his name again, and this time he responded by giving you a gentle squeeze with the arm that had settled around your shoulder.

“Do we really need to tell them anythin’? I mean, it’s not like they are really my friends ya know? Just some demons I hang around with at RAD.”

You may have been a bit drowsy earlier, but now you were wide awake. You sat up so your legs were hanging over the edge of the bed, with your back to Mammon. You were so foolish. So incredibly foolish. Why oh why did you not stick to your guns and push him away when you had the chance yesterday? How could you be so stupid as to actually confess to him? Hadn’t you been trying to create some distance?

It didn’t matter how deeply you loved each other. That wouldn’t change the fact that Mammon cared a great deal about how he was perceived by others. It didn’t matter if those people (or demons) would never see him again. He could tell you all day about how little those not-really-friends of his meant to him, but when it came down to it he still cared about what they thought and feared their rejection.

And you knew this about him. For all his passion and kindness and sincerity - he was only ever like that around you, when you were alone. And that wasn’t going to change anytime soon, and it wasn’t fair of you to expect him to change for you either.

“Babe? Ya alright?”

Mammon was sitting up now too, and had wrapped his arms around your waist from behind, placing one leg on either side of you so that you were essentially sitting in his lap. He kissed the back of your neck, and gave you a moment to reply.

He knew what was coming though. You knew him better than anyone. And he was painfully aware of this glaring personality flaw of his that was getting in the way of your relationship ever going forward.

You would never ask him to change, that wasn’t the sort of person you were. But you also realized that there wasn’t a future for you and Mammon, a future of any kind, if you couldn’t live your life openly and had to try to hide, minimize, or even flat out deny your relationship a good deal of the time. Or worse, listen to him deny he even cared.

Mammon rested his forehead against the back of your shoulder. I guess that’s it, he thought to himself. He had true happiness within his sight, and then messed it up like he always messed up everything. What he wouldn’t give to be able to change this about himself. Or for him to be anyone else, really. Someone that wasn’t a total waste of space that could actually make you happy and give you everything you deserved.

There wasn’t anything else to say at this point, so Mammon planted one last kiss to the back of your head, breathing in your scent and trying to commit it to memory, before slipping out of bed and finally returning to his room.

————

Today had sucked. Really and truly sucked. The morning had started off with so much promise, but that was all over before breakfast had even begun.

Despite the fact that you and Mammon had finally made your feelings known to each other, both of you realized that being in an actual relationship would be impossible. You just wanted different things, and these weren’t things that he was able to give you.

You heaved a sigh and rested your forehead on your desk. Why couldn’t today be over already? Or maybe the floor could just swallow you up? That could work too, you thought.

The ear splitting screech of static jarred you out of your thoughts. Your hands flew to your ears as you sat bolt upright, looking around the room for the source of this hellish noise.

“Hey hey, is this thing on? It’s on right?”

“Yes it’s on you idiot! Everyone can hear you!”

Mammon…? And...Levi…? The screech of the speakers had finally stopped, and instead the sound of their bickering filled the halls. What on earth could these two possibly be doing? Why was Levi even at RAD in the first place? He was heading to his room to work on his online classes when you left this morning.

“Oi! Listen up! Consider this an official RAD announcement from The Great Mammon!”

You could hear Levi groan in the background as Mammon carried on with the theatrics. You still hadn’t figured out what they were up to, but you knew it wasn’t “Lucifer approved” that’s for sure.

“MC, I hope ya listen’ ‘cause I’m only goin’ ta say this once!”

All the eyes in your classroom were now focused on you, and you blushed furiously under the scrutiny. What the everloving hell did Mammon think he was doing? Didn’t you say all you needed to say this morning? What could he possibly want at this point?

“I love ya. Ya hear that? The Great Mammon loves ya.”

————

You weren’t even sure at what point you had stood up or left your classroom, but you were now tearing through the halls trying to find the source of the magically amplified speaker that filled every square inch of the RAD campus with the sounds of Mammon’s love confession.

It wasn’t like they had a traditional speaker system hooked up to a switchboard. If they did, you would have just made a beeline for that. But now you had to find where Mammon and Levi had decided to hide to keep Lucifer from finding them long enough for Mammon to complete his speech.

You didn’t have to search for long though, because you soon heard the sound of Lucifer’s voice echoing through the halls as well. He had found Mammon, and was putting an end to this. With Lucifer on the scene though, you knew that meant your odds of finding Mammon had shot up exponentially. He’d probably haul the pair of mischievous demons to the student council room, so you started running in that direction as fast as your legs could carry you.

As you rounded one final corner, you skidded to a halt, watching Lucifer dragging Mammon along, while Mammon tried to convince his brother to go easy on him.

“Mammon!” you yelled.

He and Lucifer both turned to face you, equally shocked to see you there at the end of the hall, panting heavily as you tried to catch your breath. Soon you were running again, tears streaming down your face as you were overcome with emotion at finally having found him. As if you had done this hundreds of times before, Mammon opened his arms to you and you all but leapt into them, wrapping your arms around his neck and squeezing him as tight as you possibly could.

“I love you,” you choked out in between ragged breaths and sobs, “so much.”

“I know. I love ya too. You don’t hafta worry. No more hidin’. Now everyone knows I belong to you and that you’re mine.”

[danijimenezv]

His Biggest Fan

Summary: A little rewrite of the vending machine scene from OH1 Ch1. This was inspired by the replay for the Open Heart Book Club.

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x MC (Jillian Valentine).

Word Count: 2216 words.

A/N: I followed a lot of the game script but also added a little. I merged a few choices because I'm an indecisive little shit that loved both options 😂 And I also hated that Landrat kept Ethan's autograph, so I fixed it. As always, feedback is much appreciated! (please, I crave it)

“Wait! It’s you, isn’t it?”

“What?” Jillian furrowed his eyebrows at the other intern’s exclamation, deeply confused. On the outside, her face was a perfect mask of calm, but on the inside, she started to feel a wave of anxiousness threatening to suffocate her by the thought of being recognized.

“You’re the intern who did the thoracotomy with him this morning?”

“Yeah.” she shook her head, letting out the breath she had been holding, “And he ripped me a new one in front of everyone. It was so unbelievably-”

“Lucky!” Landry exclaimed, earning a puzzled look from her, “Ethan Ramsey actually talked to you! Ugh, this is what I get for getting to work an hour early. If I saw him in person, I’d probably just…”

As much as Jillian admired the man, she really couldn’t understand how Landry could describe her humiliation as a moment of luck. She was many things, proud being one of them, so she only felt indignant about what had happened that morning, nowhere near as happy as Landry.

“It was intimidating.” she shrugged, but raised an eyebrow when Landry froze up, staring wide-eyed in panic, “Landry? You okay?” he pointed past her, and as she turned around, she saw him there, talking to a nurse down the hall, the one and only Doctor Ethan Ramsey, “Crap, he’s coming this way. Hide me.”

“Hide you?! Hide me!” Landry squeaked.

“Jillian, stop.” she ordered herself, gathering her pride and dignity, “What am I doing? I can’t let my first day go like this. Okay, I’m… I’m gonna go talk to him.”

“The man once tore apart the research of the A.M.A.’s president… during the president’s keynote address! Are you sure about this?” Landry gasped.

“Landry, sometimes you just gotta… risk it.” Jillian grinned, “I’m always sure about what I do. It might not be the brightest idea, but at least I’m sure. I’m doing this. Would you let me borrow your copy of his book?”

Landry only nodded, still shocked in place. After taking Landry’s copy of Diagnostic Principles, Jillian marched down the hall toward Doctor Ramsey, who had stopped by an elderly patient’s room. Even from the hall, she could hear the patient hollering.

“I’m not going to ask you again, Barb.” Ramsey said tiredly.

“Forget about it, Doctor Ramsey. I’m busting outta this joint. I’ll tie the bedsheets together and rappel out of the window.” the older woman threatened.

“Don’t wait up on my account. In fact, I might break out of here with you.” for the first time, Jillian saw Ethan smiling, which surprised her and dazzled her in equal parts.

“I mean it! I don’t have my favorite armchair, and I’m bored without my puzzles.”

“And I’m bored of your excuses, Barb. Whine all you want, I’m not going anywhere until you take your medication.”

Ethan muttered to himself as he walked away from the entrance of the room and headed to a vending machine in the hall. He slid a dollar bill into the machine, but just stood there with his arms folded, not selecting anything.

“Hi, Doctor Ramsey.” Jillian approached with the most charming smile she could muster.

He glanced up at her for a split second with bemusement, before looking back at the machine, “Rookie. Back there, were you… hiding from me?”

“No, I don’t hide.” she stated confidently, showing the book, “I was actually hoping you might sign this book.”

“Autographs? Don’t you have work to be doing? Or at least other attendings to irritate?”

“Nope, just you.” she grinned, knowing it would only push his buttons.

“Interns.” he sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, “I should have guessed. Well, if you have something else to say, then say it.”

“I just wanted to tell you I’m your biggest fan.”

Jillian hated to admit that; after all, it irritated her immensely when people said that about her parents or older siblings. She knew idolatry was pointless and frankly annoying, but for some reason, she wanted, needed, Ethan to know just how much she admired him and how much he had played part in the decision of becoming a doctor. She shared the same love, intrigue and aptitude for medicine as her family, but after much research, she knew becoming a doctor, a human one, was her calling. And the formidable Ethan Ramsey had inspired her enough to stand up to her family and choose her own path.

He still didn’t look away from the vending machine, half-listening, “My biggest fan? Is that right?”

“I’ve read all your papers: systemic amyloidosis, Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome, spinocerebellar ataxia…” at that, he turned to look at her directly, and Jillian straightened her posture slightly, refusing to back down, and instead held his sharp blue gaze, “You inspired me to go to medical school.”

“That ataxia paper was my undergrad thesis. That medical journal isn’t even published anymore. You tracked that down?” he seemed impressed.

“I can give you my copy… if you’d like.”

The way her voice had dropped to a sultry tone made it seem like she was offering something far less innocent and far more appealing than a simple copy of one of his papers. He tilted his head, intrigued for a moment, and then turned back to the machine.

“That won’t be necessary.” Ethan cleared his throat, and glanced back at the snacks display, “But I don’t think that’s what you came here to tell me.”

It was Jillian’s time to look intrigued. Over the years, she had perfected the art of hiding her thoughts and concealing her emotions with polite smiles and bored looks. She knew how to play the manipulation game with closed eyes, even if she didn’t do it frequently. But what had thrown her off base was that, somehow, Ethan could see right through her. The way he read her wasn’t something she was used to, and she still wasn’t sure if she liked it or not.

“Okay, I also came to assure you that I won’t let you down again.” she conceded.

He didn't even bother to look at her this time, “You can see the future? If so, you’ll make a remarkable physician.”

“Of course not. I just meant–”

“You will let me down again, Rookie. What’s more, you’ll let yourself down. Over and over.” he interrupted her and Jillian looked away, starting to regret even trying to talk to the man, but at last, Doctor Ramsey turned to stare directly at her, his blue eyes connecting with her honey-colored ones, “But what matters is that you get back on your feet each and every time, and push yourself to be better.”

Jillian was rendered speechless. She hadn’t expected him to give motivational and helpful advice, but here he was, proving her he wasn’t just another heartless, arrogant, know-it-all doctor as she had first gathered. Though she took his advice to heart and imprinted it in her brain, she didn’t dare say anything in return. After a few seconds in silence, she noticed how his eyes kept flicking to the chocolate bar in the top corner of the vending machine.

“I was always a salty snacks kind of girl myself, you know, popcorn, chips, that stuff.”

“That’s truly fascinating, but I’m not-”

“I know you’re not getting something for yourself.” Jill interrupted him, “You’re trying to pick something to cheer up Barbara in there, right?”

“How’d you figure that?”

“Just paying attention.” she mused with a soft smile, “You know, I bet I could pick out just the thing.”

“I doubt it. Barbara’s even more stubborn than you. She’s refused to take her pills for two days. But be my guest, it’s a hopeless endeavor.”

He didn’t think she could do it. In fact, he was looking at her like he was expecting her to fail, and not specifically in Barbara’s case. Jillian straightened her back at the challenge and scanned the contents of the vending machine. Her honey-colored eyes glinted in delight as soon as she spotted the hot cocoa. It was, after all, a comforting classic, and one of her personal favorites. Without a second to waste, she pressed the numbers for the chocolate. The machine whirred and the cocoa powder pack plunked out into the tray.

“Hot chocolate?” Doctor Ramsey looked down at her with condescendence, wanting to scoff at her cliché choice.

Jillian filled up a mug with hot water from the machine at the nurses’ station, and stirred in the cocoa. Once she made sure the drink was ready, she handed it to Ethan.

“How exactly is this supposed to-?”

“Come on, Doctor Ramsey, it’s hot chocolate. It’s bound to work, especially if she’s feeling restless and homesick.”

“That’s a big guess you’re taking there.”

“Don’t be so stubborn.” Jillian chastised him, “Look, just give it to her, okay? Trust me.”

“I don’t trust you.” he muttered.

“Well, you could always keep trying your way, but you don’t seem to be too successful at that either.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, but still took the mug and headed back into Barbara’s room. Jillian rested against the wall for a few minutes while she waited for him to be back. He soon returned with a perplexed look on his face.

“That got her to take the pills. I can’t believe it.” his mouth fell open in shock and he blinked a few times, “So, are you gonna tell me how you worked that one out?”

“Nope.”

“No?”

“A girl’s gotta have some secrets.”

Because if she had read him right, and she definitely thought she had, Ethan Ramsey was the kind of man who liked being in control of the situation and having answers to everything, down to the minimum detail. Why make it easier for him? She could keep him as frustrated as he made her feel. It was only fair.

“You’re really going to hold out on me?”

“I’m going for an air of mystery.” she flirted, “Is it working?”

“Mildly.”

Despite his best efforts, Ethan couldn’t help the smile that broke out into his face. It was hard not to respond in some way to the joyful expression on her face that made her eyes sparkle and turned her cheeks a lovely shade of soft pink. He caught himself after a few seconds, and looked away to compose the direction of his thoughts.

Jillian hadn’t noticed any of this, too occupied staring at the machine to avoid focusing on the handsome attending in front of her. It was then that she saw there were still 50 cents left over from Ethan’s dollar. She turned and pressed the numbers in the machine, and took the chocolate bar he was previously eyeing from the tray.

“And who is that for?”

“You.” Jillian tossed him the chocolate bar. He grabbed it with ease, but with raised eyebrows and a confused expression on his face, “I saw you kept staring at it earlier. You know, it’s okay to treat yourself sometimes.” He looked down at the chocolate in his hands with surprise, not having expected her to be that considerate with him.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Jill turned to walk away, “See you around, Doctor Ramsey.”

“Wait.” he stopped her and motioned for the book, “Give it here.”

He took Landry’s copy of Diagnostic Principles and turned to the nurses’ station to look for a pen to sign it. However, Jillian wasn’t the only observant person in the room. With just one look at the condition of the book, Ethan knew it wasn’t hers. He didn’t know her personally, but Jillian looked like the kind of perfectionist who would never highlight or write in a book, the kind of person who would take care of a book as if it was the most valuable possession and have it in perfect condition. That book in his hands had a lot of markers and scribbles, some pages were folded, and part of the cover was peeled off. It definitely didn’t look like her book. So, he signed the first page of the book, but additionally took a post-it from the nurses’ station and scrawled a quick message on it for her, before he returned and tossed the book back to her.

“Now get back to work, Valentine.”

That made her stop in her tracks, her honey-colored eyes wide in shock, “You remembered my name?”

“Just paying attention.” he threw back at her with a smirk before walking off.

Jillian opened the book in curiosity and read Ethan’s inscription on the post-it.

‘For my biggest fan. Don’t let me down. ~Dr. Ethan Ramsey.’

A bright smile lit up her whole face, and she quickly took the post-it and put it in her pocket, before returning to Landry and showing him the book.

“You’re still alive!” he shrieked in surprise, “And… I can’t believe it, you got my copy signed! I absolutely love it.”

Landry charged forward and squeezed Jillian in an awkward hug, causing her to flinch in discomfort and pat his back a couple of times before pulling away.

“Okay, yeah, you’re welcome…” she tried to smile politely and make up an excuse, “Come on. I’m getting paged and, I don’t know about you, but I’m still completely lost…”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Tags: @jamespotterthefirst, @missflashgeek, @openheart12, @takeharryandgo, @aestheticartsx, @choicesfanaf, @fireycookie, @the-pale-goddess, @drariellevalentine, @trappedinfanfiction, @tsrookie, @perriewinklenerdie, @genevievemd, @drethanramslay, @openheartthot, @lucy-268, @writinghereandthere, @rookie-ramsey, @missmiimiie, @ramseyandrys, @ruinedbypixels, @queencarb, @lovingramsey, @gryffindordaughterofathena, @ohchoices, @anntoldst0ries, @bluebellot, @schnitzelbutterfingers, @mysticaurathings, @iemcpbchoices, @itsjustamesshonestly, @shanzay44, @lsdw-blog, @liaromancewriter, @heauxplesslydevoted

[digital-corruption]

Haunted by the Past Part 78

Hi friends and family! I know it’s been a crazy couple of months, but things are on the up and up. I did have to get a new number so if you get a message from a stranger claiming to be me, it is actually me! I promise I’ll explain everything when I can. Much love!

And, yay! I’m not a wanted fugitive anymore! *slow applause*

For the first time since I started living with Jake he let me post to my social media with a selfie even! Granted he turned off all of the location data and wiped the meta information from the photo, but it was a start! Comments started flooding in, but I stayed stalwart in not answering specific questions. I'd tell my story when I was ready.

“I've finished copying your contacts over,” Jake sat down on the couch next to me and handed me my phone back.

We had stopped off and picked up a new SIM card for me before we left Colville. Jake had spent the better part of the last hour copying information from one SIM to the other, complaining about the sheer number of contacts as he went. I can’t help it if I have a large extended family!

I sighed, “I feel like messaging everyone is like opening a can of worms.”

“You don’t need to start conversations with everyone. Only respond to those you deem worthy of responding to,” Jake suggested.

“Hmm... any word from Rick yet?” I questioned.

“No, he says he’s still working on it. Not surprisingly the bounty has gone up,” Jake slouched.

“Because the Senator has been dethroned,” I nodded.

“It’s not necessarily the Senator behind it, but definitely one of his allies,” he explained.

“So what do I tell my parents when they demand I visit them?” I asked curiously.

Jake smiled, “Soon?”

“That is so like you,” I shook my head.

“Until that bounty is gone, we can’t risk it,” he reminded me. “But I don’t think you want to be telling them that.”

“Oh yeah, my wanted fugitive boyfriend is no longer wanted, but has a black-market bounty on his head now,” I laughed. “My dad will definitely try to take advantage of that payday.”

MC: Hi Mom and Dad. How’s it hanging? I had to get a new number, but at least I’m no longer wanted! – Your overachieving daughter

Within seconds my phone started ringing.

Jake patted my leg and stood up to leave the room, “Good luck.”

“What? No moral support?” I frowned. I took a deep breath and answered the call, “Hi Mom! So sorry I couldn’t make it for Aaron’s birthday dinner!”

--

Well over an hour later and two ears talked off (I had to swap sides after a while) I finally managed to get off the call with my parents. I dragged my emotionally abused self into Jake’s office and leant over to rest my head on his shoulder.

“That was absolutely the most painful conversation ever!” I groaned.

“You want some good news?” he grinned.

“Yes!” I pleaded.

“I've got my bank account back!” he turned and beamed at me. “I'll need to visit the bank to arrange for a new card, but I can access it again through the internet banking!”

I looked up and saw Jake’s bank account summary, “H-how much were you being paid in your old job?”

“Enough,” he smirked and logged out. “No holding back anymore. We can finally get a TV! And another machine and more monitors...”

“And I can buy a new wardrobe,” I teased.

“Let’s stick with the essentials for now,” Jake teased.

I poked him in the gut. “Ah, I should contact your sisters and the others! Well you should check in with your sisters, but I'll make sure they have my new number.”

I sat down in the chair next to Jake and saw Cleo was online.

MC: Hi, it’s MC. I had to get a new number.

Cleo: MC! Hang on, let me reinvite you to the group chat.

MC has been added to the group chat.

MC: Hi everyone! Just letting you know that I've got a new number.

Dan is online.

Dan: Holy crap! What the hell did you two get yourselves into?

Lilly is online.

Thomas is online.

MC: It’s a bit of a long story, but the short explanation is... we’re no longer wanted!

Cleo: OMG that’s great!

Lilly: No more running and hiding?

MC: Well... almost. Jake’s got some enemies still that we need to shake.

Thomas: And what about MWAF?

Cleo: Oh come on, Thomas! Not being wanted fugitives is kind of a big deal.

Thomas: But it won’t help Hannah

Dan: Look, I want MWAF dealt with just as much as you! But getting the fuzz off their backs is just as important!

MC: Thomas, I understand, I really do. We just couldn’t operate well enough constantly having to deal with multiple fronts.

Thomas: While you've been off playing vigilantes, he has continued to harass Hannah!

MC: What are you talking about?

Thomas switched to the private chat between us.

Thomas: He keeps sending her photos of when he had her tied up and unconscious!

MC: So block the number? Block the email!

Thomas: Of course I have done that! He’s left photos inside her car and in the mailbox!

“Jake...” I covered my mouth.

He looked over at me concerned, “What’s wrong?”

“Hannah...” I couldn’t bring myself to tell him.

“Oh, the photos,” he sighed.

“You knew?” I frowned.

“They already blocked the number and blacklisted the email address by the time I saw,” he explained.

“He’s been leaving her photos in her car and mailbox as well!” I emphasized.

“Oh,” was all Jake said in response.

“Is that all? ‘Oh'?” I said annoyed.

“What do you want me to say?” he asked puzzled. “We are not responsible for what he does. You want to take him out now?”

“I’m certainly feeling inspired to!” I argued.

“Well we could go to the library and get the maps,” Jake sighed. “I thought we could use a day off.”

“Everyday we're not challenging him he’s harassing your sister!” I responded exasperated.

“You want to divert his attention back onto us?” he raised an eyebrow at me.

“Hannah deserves a reprieve!” I stressed.

“She won’t get a reprieve until he’s gone,” Jake painfully pointed out the harsh truth.

“Then we go to the library!” I pushed. “We get the maps! We take his sick ass down!” Jake smirked at me. “What?”

“You’re very attractive when you're giving orders,” he admitted.

“Keep it in your pants!” I frowned. Before he distracted us both.

“Yes ma'am!” he straightened up.

MC: Thomas, I promise you, our efforts are 100% focused on him now!

--

Entering the Duskwood library was a surreal experience. I wondered if Jessy was with us. She must've been. I know she wanted to take me there.

I glanced behind me at the mess of a man who was maskless in public for the first time in years. I let him keep the hood for now, but I warned him he'd have to ditch it by summer. He kept eyeing all the cameras and turning his face away from them.

I walked up to the front desk and asked the lovely older woman where we might find detailed maps of Duskwood forest. We are after all post-grads working on a project. She directed me to the reference section to the survey records. Flicking through, I found the most recent one conducted a few years prior, then proceeded to make high quality copies.

“Anything else?” I asked Jake as the copier printed.

“Animals. It’d be good to know what lives in the forest,” he commented.

“Are you afraid of bears?” I teased.

“Uh, they’re very territorial and can rip you apart in seconds. That’s not fear, that’s a survival instinct,” he corrected.

I handed Jake the copies and put the maps away before heading to a computer to check to see if they had anything on the animals of Duskwood. They actually did have a book and thankfully it was in and on the shelf. Of course, being a new resident to Duskwood, Maeve still hadn’t set up her library account. Filling out the form took a few minutes, but I was granted a new account and borrowed my first book. Jessy would be so proud.

--

After dinner, I sat on the couch skimming the book on Duskwood wildlife while Jake looked over the forest map at the table.

“Foxes. You think you can handle foxes?” I questioned.

“Have you heard what they actually say?” Jake raised an eyebrow.

“Well I know what they don’t say,” I laughed.

Jake typed away on his phone and brought up a clip of what sounded like a screaming woman, “That’s a fox.”

“No way!” I said in disbelief.

“You can look it up yourself,” he shrugged and went back to the map.

I did look it up myself on Youtube and heard the same terrible sound, “That’s awful!” I put my phone down and joined Jake at the table. “Well bears don’t hang around these parts and wolves aren’t native to this area so the worst predator are the foxes.”

“They’re tolerable if we stay away from their dens,” Jake commented. “Ok, if we follow down this way east from the dare house, the slope isn’t too bad and the trees shouldn't be too dense, but dense enough for cover. It’s too late now, but we can go have a look in the morning.”

“Oh, wow, that’s certainly a change,” I smiled.

“Hmm?” Jake looked at me confused.

“You preferring day to night,” I pointed out.

“Aside from being able to see your surroundings better in the day, you realize he's greatly restricted in his activities during the day? We are not as restricted... although we shouldn’t be seen too publicly,” he explained.

“We do need to decide how we’re going to draw him out and what we do with him,” I sighed.

My phone rang suddenly. I hadn’t given my number out to many people yet so I was confused as to who could be calling me. I went over to pick up my phone from the couch and saw it was Lilly.

“Hi Lilly! What’s up?” I asked while looking at Jake.

“Welcome back,” the unmistakable voice raspy spoke on the other side, then hung up.

Jake looked at me concerned, “What’s wrong?”

I lowered my hand slowly, “We don’t have the freedom of planning. He has her."